Page 34 of Quest of Fools

"Well, as my prize for this second surprise part, I want to sleep for a month and pitch Lady Clarkson off the mountain."

The others laughed, and Viletti said, "We'll see what we can do."

Almost There

The snow came up hard and fast.One moment it was a nice day, a little cloudy but overall pleasant, and the next moment everything was white and he didn't know where they should go or how they'd even get there.

Eventually, between him and Viletti, they got the horses off the road and into the woods, where the snow wasn't able to fall quite as heavily, though the wind meant that plenty of it still reached them.Warf managed to get a fire going after a couple of false starts, and then he focused on getting the horses settled with blankets and food.He gave the spare blanket they had to Alliana for the children, then finally set down when Kaltin motioned he had food covered.

Snow kept falling, but with his cloak pulled up it was mostly bearable, and the fire mitigated the worst of the cold.The road, unfortunately, was soon nothing but drifts of snow.He wasn't certain they'd be able to move enough to get anywhere, but they didn't have enough food to stay here until the snow cleared.

Or worse, didn't clear, stranding them out here until cold or starvation finished the job.

Half a day more and they'd have reached the town that was only a few hours away from the manor where Clarkson was holding Marian prisoner.So close, so frustratingly close, and they might now be stranded one day from their goal.Well, his goal, and everyone else was still standing by him.

He'd gotten them into this mess, and he would find a way to get them out.

"Here, drink this and stop fretting," Kaltin said with a smile, handing him a cup of broth."We knew we'd be facing winter weather.It's not going to defeat us this easy."

Warf cast him an amused look as he sipped at the broth."Didn't know you could read minds like the Fates."

"I'm just good at reading faces, and after all this time together, I can read yours especially well.We didn't come this far to fail now."

"All right, Master Kaltin, I'll try to maintain the same positive demeanor," Warf said, finishing his broth."That's good."

"Be even better once I turn it into stew," Kaltin said cheerfully."Take a couple of hours, but we've got tea and broth aplenty to tide us over, and I'll make bread too."

"Don't know how she could have ever left you behind," Warf said, squeezing his arm affectionately.

Kaltin smiled before taking his cup and turning away, refilling it for him before setting to work on the promised stew.

Viletti, meanwhile, had returned to the edge of the woods, right by the road, and had climbed a tree.Currently she was hanging something from it—ah, a shirt, bright red, sure to stand out to anyone who might happen to be out, or even close by.

She returned looking pleased with herself, and happily accepted the cup Kaltin offered her."You've become quite the master of camp.Hope Lady Clarkson is spitting mad about her own mistake, even if she'd never admit that's what she's mad about."

Kaltin scoffed as he added something to the stew and stirred it."She's probably blaming me for being stupid enough to get injured and causing her so much trouble."His face shadowed briefly, probably recalling a day he'd never forget, a betrayal that left wounds far worse than a broken leg.

Warf couldn't wait to see her face when she realized just how much her betrayal was costing her.

Warmed and rested, he went to work gathering leafy branches to turn into beds for everyone, since sleeping on the cold ground would kill them faster than anything else.He got the bed for Alianna and the children taken care of first, and once they were settled and warmed up again, turned his attention to the others, though he didn't lay out the blankets yet, not wanting them to get covered in snow that would then be melted by the fire and render the blankets useless.

Kaltin gave more broth when he finished, and followed that with a cup of tea."Do you even feel the cold, big guy?"

"Yes, though probably not as much as the rest of you," Warf said with a laugh."It does take a bit."So if worst came to worst, he could probably make the trek into town and bring help back, though the thought of leaving his friends behind, even for a good reason, left his stomach in knots."Being the size of a small house does have its perks."

Kaltin laughed as he returned to the fire.His arm was healing well, and he could walk on the leg with limited difficulty now.By the time they returned to the city, it should be all healed up, though he'd probably always have a limp, given he'd refused to stay where it could heal properly.Warf wouldn't have been any different, though.

He sipped his tea, watching as Viletti brushed snow away from their crude path back to the road.Not much, as the snow was still falling so clearing it entirely was rather pointless, but enough that it would stay distinct from everywhere else and they could easily find it and clear it properly once the snowfall abated.

"I think the snow is starting to let up," Viletti said as she rejoined them."Thankfully.Hopefully tomorrow at least one or two of us can get to town."She sighed and thanked Kaltin for the tea he handed her."What an adventure all this will be to tell when we return."

Warf snorted."First we got stuck in the rain here, then more rain got us stuck there, and after that the snow got us stuck here, here, and here.Such a tale."He finished his tea and handed off the cup before going off to find somewhere to piss.

He'd just finished up and was returning when he heard the unmistakable sound of bells.They weren't common in the city, not on carriages and such, but he'd seen them quite a bit out here in the rural areas.

Viletti had already run to the road, waving her arms to catch the attention of whoever was coming.When Warf went to join her, she warned him back with a glare.What was she expecting, bandits?Somehow Warf doubted bandits would use bells.Then again, what did he know about bandits in the countryside?

Several long minutes later, a cart hauled by a pair of oxen who seemed completely unaffected by the snow and cold came to a halt alongside them."Ho, there," one of the figures said, jumping down deftly, heavy boots thumping soundly before whisking off their hood to reveal a handsome middle-aged woman."Who are you folks—Kaltin?"The woman's skin, as dark as night, seemed to lose all color."You— She said you were dead."

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