When the door of the cottage swung open, the man who entered was no more than a silhouette, backlit by the blizzard. His broad shoulders were dusted with snow, and his black cape was heavy with ice. The air around him shimmered with frigid air and his breath formed a long, curling plume.
The two figures in the room watched him with wary eyes, but neither said a word as he removed his fur-lined gloves, hat, and cape and laid them near the fire.
The older woman sat on a stool next to the bed. She had been mending clothes when the door opened, and she had jumped at the sound.
Her mending fell unheeded to the floor.
The younger woman lay under a thick down quilt. She was sitting up in the bed and she was very pale.
But she had managed to pull her dark hair back from her face and to put on some of the pretty night clothes the older woman had bought for her. When the man had entered, she had raised herself up a little higher and now she was looking toward the man, trying to make out the features of his face.
"Hello, Althea," the man said. He went over to the bed and sat down.
"I'm so sorry," the woman in the bed said. "I should have been able to handle it. But I've never felt anything like that before. It was too strong, too powerful. It knocked me off my feet and then the world just went black."
"There was nothing you could have done," the man said. He picked up one of her hands. Her fingers were ice cold.
"That's easy for you to say. But I know the truth. I was unprepared. I'm a failure. A failure and a coward."
"No, you're not," the man said. "Don't even think that. What we face is too powerful. No one person could have ever handled this alone. Not even the Master. We needed you, Althea. And we still do. Now, we need to get you better so we can move on. So you need to eat."
"I don't feel hungry," the young woman said.
"It's the fever," the man said. "The body does that. It makes you lose your appetite. But you have to eat. I know what you've been through is terrible. I know it has hurt you. But if you're going to get better, you need to eat."
The younger woman nodded and smiled. "You're right," she said. "I don't mean to be difficult. Of course, I will eat. Anything you say, master."
"Not master," the man said.
"Of course," the younger woman said.
"Whatever you say."
"Do you want me to leave?" the older woman asked.
"Yes," the man said. "Thank you."
He took the tray and set it on his lap. Then he cut a piece of the lamb and began to chew it. The woman in the bed watched him. After he swallowed, the man cut another piece and brought it up to her lips.
"Open up," the man said. "Take it and swallow. Don't think about it. Just do it."
The woman in the bed did as he commanded.
Her eyes closed.
She seemed to take some comfort in his words.
The man fed her the entire meal, and when the bowl was empty, he set it aside.
"Now, tell me what happened," the man said.
"Everything. Don't hold anything back."
"I did what you told me," the woman said. Her voice was very weak.
"What did you do?"
"What did you do?"
"I traveled. I moved between the worlds. I did not use a portal, but instead I traveled along the lines that run through the center of the earth. You taught me to follow those lines."
"And did you come upon a cave?"
"Yes, yes I did."
"Tell me about the cave."
"It was cold. The floor was covered in snow and ice. At the end of the cave there was a pool. The water in the pool was very clear, and yet it was impenetrable. I could see nothing in the water, no matter how long I looked."
"After a while, a man appeared in the pool. He had long dark hair and a beard. He wore a suit of black armor. The face was familiar to me.
When the man appeared, I knelt. He held out his hand and I reached forward and touched his fingers. As soon as I did so, pain shot through my body. It was the most horrible pain I had ever experienced. It was so great that I collapsed. The man laughed, and I passed out. That's all I remember. I was lying there, the pain was awful, and then the world went black."
"What does the cave look like?"
"It is long and narrow. The ceiling is very high and there are stalactites hanging down. The ground is made up of small stones. The cave is always very cold. There is a pool at the back. The water is so still that it appears like a mirror."
"Did the man say anything to you?"
"He said that you would come. He said that he would destroy you and the Order. He said that the world would burn."
"Who is he?"
"His name is Mordred."
The man nodded. He got up and paced across the room.
"So it's true. I hoped it wasn't, but it is. And it's worse than we feared. Far worse."
"What is it?"
"You know of the legend?"
"The one that tells of the Master's greatest mistake?"
"Yes. Well, he's alive. Or rather, he's not alive, but he's not dead. And he wants vengeance."
"On you?"
"Me, and the Order, and everyone and everything he believes has betrayed him."
"He will destroy us," the woman in the bed said.
"Only if we cannot stop him. And we can only stop him by following the course the Master set out for us. And the first step in that course is for you to get better."
"I will, I promise."
"I know. You have already shown a great deal of improvement. You're talking, and your skin has color again."
"I think it is your doing," the woman said. "I am grateful. Your magic is a gift."
"The food you just ate had magic, too. It will give you the strength to recover. But that is not enough. To get well, you must rest. Now, rest."
"But I need to help," the woman said. "I have been so useless."
"Rest now. Sleep. When you wake up, I will be here."
The woman closed her eyes. Her breathing quickly grew regular. The man stood next to the bed and watched her sleep. After a few minutes, he turned and walked to the door.
The older woman was standing outside.
"How is she?" the woman asked.
"Better," the man said. "But her fever has not broken yet."
"Can you save her?"
"If anyone can, I can."
"She's been calling for you, you know."
"Who? The girl?"
"Yes."
"What did she say?"
"Your name."
The man looked into the older woman's eyes.
"Is there anything I should know?"
"No," the man said.
The woman sighed. "It's none of my business. I understand."
"Thank you," the man said. "I owe you."
"Nonsense," the woman said. "Anything for an old friend."
"We are friends, aren't we?"
"I would hope so."
"What have I done for you?"
"You saved me once," the woman said. "You don't remember, do you?"
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