From the way Slate had talked about him, Andromeda expected Cliff to be some big man that radiated an authoritative presence, someone who could take care of anything and everything. So when a man about a head shorter than Blizzard with a weary grin plastered across his face stepped into the headquarters, she was almost sure someone else would be following. He looked quite normal, like a friend you might be meeting at a shop.

But no—as soon as the man removed his coat and hat, he smiled at Andromeda and held out his hand. "Hello, my name is Cliff. I'm sorry you had to wait, but there were some problems at another hideout."

She shook his hand awkwardly. "I'm Andromeda. Thank you so much for coming, I can't tell you how grateful I am for the help! I know you don't really know Chamomile that well, but I'm sure you have some idea where she can be..." Andromeda trailed off as Cliff looked away and sighed.

"Icekeep is a large place," he said. "The truth is, Chamomile could be anywhere. My eyes and ears are in Glacier City, but if she's not here..." He looked up at Andromeda's falling face and pulled his mouth into another smile. "Don't worry, I'll do all I can." He moved to sit in a chair and tapped his foot thoughtfully. "You know, I could use a conversation with her. I've been trying to build an alliance with the Order of the Dandelion ever since the Iceberg got started, but she just hasn't responded. However, she wouldn't be able to avoid a face-to-face chat." He gazed off into the distance before turning to face Andromeda for what seemed to be the first time. "Sorry about that. Now, why don't you tell me your story? You can start at the beginning."

"...So, that's why we need help." It was two hours since Andromeda had started speaking, but it had gone by quickly. Cliff didn't interject, just nodded thoughtfully at certain intervals. He was incredibly easy to speak to; everything just seemed to come out from her mouth. She could see why Slate admired him so much. About halfway through, Sorren came downstairs from the inn with a cup of coffee and stood behind Cliff's chair to listen, but they didn't seem able to meet Andromeda's eyes.

Cliff frowned a little and gazed off to the side. "I did see someone strange poking around, watching everything. They didn't stand out too much, but they definitely weren't an Icekeepian. I wonder..." He looked up at Andromeda. "I'll do what I can. I wish I could do more to help than what I expect, but there's just too much that's unknown. Slate can help you figure out where Chamomile went—he knows a lot more about northern Icekeep than I do. In the meantime, I'll ask around, see if anyone's seen or heard anything, and get supplies for if you do have to go off somewhere." He gave Andromeda and Slate a weary smile. "I won't be gone very long. Good luck in your searching.

Once Cliff had left and Blizzard went back upstairs, Slate started taking books off the shelves and handing them to Andromeda. Sorren moved over to take some from her, still avoiding her gaze.

"...Sorry," they muttered, their voice barely audible. "That was pretty sucky of me, wasn't it?"

Andromeda shrugged and shot them a small smile. "It's alright."

Sorren gave her an odd look. "I'll never understand how quickly you can forgive people."

"Be careful, I can take it back if I want!"

"Haha, yeah right."

Slate stood up and turned to face them. "Those are all the books that mention North Icekeep. If you look here—" he held up a book titled Provinces of Icekeep "—you'll learn that it isn't actually part of the nation of Icekeep. It's supposed to be unclaimed land, uninhabited because of the harsh wilderness, but that's untrue. It remains unoccupied by the nation because of the native Icekeepians there that fought to keep their land... and that's where I think Chamomile might be."

"Really?" Andromeda said. "Why would she go to people that aren't even part of Icekeep? And that are all the way in the north? I mean, it's cold enough here as it is—"

"No, no, it makes sense," Sorren said unexpectedly. They crossed to a map of Icekeep on the wall. The cities and towns were marked on it, with a large star indicating Glacier City at the very southern tip. But the distribution was uneven; most of the cities were clustered close to the bottom and grew more and more sparse the farther north it got. "Chamomile clearly doesn't want anything to do with the Order of the Iceberg, so she wouldn't be in Glacier City, and there don't seem to be many other major cities in Icekeep. Plus, Dragon did say she was going to the far north, right?"—Andromeda nodded—"And there isn't anything up there. So it's gotta be whatever Slate thinks it is." They raised an eyebrow at the Icekeepian teen. "You do know what you're doing, right? 'Cause if you don't, we're screwed."

Slate blinked. "Yes, of course. I've been studying the residents of the north for years. They were the first thing I wanted to write a book about, but I figured they want to stay hidden, and letting everyone know who and where they are wouldn't help." He gestured to the small stack of books on the ground and in Sorren's and Andromeda's hands. "As far as I know, these are the last of the books on the Daeren-Sor; the President didn't want anyone to know about them, so he banned the books."

"The Daeren-Sor?" Andromeda said. "Who's that?"

"The official name of the natives. It translates to 'dragon folk.' Dragons are a big part of their culture—it's very interesting." Slate tapped the top of the pile of books Andromeda was holding. "This is A Study of Dragons, one of the most fascinating books, in my opinion. It explains the history, behaviors, evolution, and magic of dragons, plus their connection to the Daeren-Sor. It— oh, I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"It's okay." Andromeda gave him a smile. "Dragons. Wow. I mean, I've heard of them before, but I thought they were just a myth!"

She had never seen a dragon before—as far as she knew, nobody had. They weren't supposed to be real, after all. Still, their presence was woven into stories and songs and art, all coming together like a puzzle to create the creatures as Leorans knew them.

"So, you really think we should go there?" Andromeda said.

Slate nodded. "Definitely. Even if the Daeren-Sor aren't exactly friendly towards outsiders... I think it's our best bet."

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Thanks so much for reading! Sorry for missing a few weeks, I was busy on vacation