Rising from the pillow-covered bench, Matti stretches up to the thick rafters of the cottage she and Vlaken had taken shelter in the day before. Letting out a yawn, she covers her mouth like her mother taught her to do then looks over to where Vlaken lies asleep still on the other side of the room.

He even sleeps like his cousin. Oh, Neymar, I hope I will see you again. By all the Gods above and below, I wish it.

She steps around the low table with the remains of their dinner spread across it and heads for the fireplace where a fire still smoulders gently. She kneels, reaches for the poker lent against one side, then prods at it sending up sparks into the air. It crackles as the ashes fold in on itself. Matti places three more logs in the middle then prods the bottom once more turning it a reddy orange colour. It lights up her face bathing her in its glow.

"Morning."

Matti turns to see Vlaken sat up on the bench. He rubs at his eyes with his knuckles then smiles. "Good morning."

"Ah yes, good morning. Did you sleep? I know I did."

"More than I thought I would." Standing, Matti leaves the fire and curls up on the bench pulling one of several blankets they had found around herself. "I slept... peacefully. I feel terrible and guilty that I could sleep after something like that."

"I feel guilty too. But we were exhausted, Matti. We couldn't have kept ourselves awake any longer." He pauses, staring at the fire as the flames begin to lick around the new logs. "All we can do is survive. Like you said, we may be the last. I hope we are not, but..."

"I have hope too, I just wish we could have done more."

"We barely got out ourselves, Matti. You cannot think like that, not at all. We did what anyone else would have done."

She looks away staring into the fire herself, watching the orange flames stabbing out in every direction as they search for something to burn. "I know this. It is still hard though. I cannot help feeling this way. I just wish..." She stops herself, holding it on the threshold of letting everything go. She can smell the wood smoke drifting towards her now and the faint whiff of the hard cheese they had the night before. She bites her lip, teetering on the point of breaking the skin before she relaxes.

"It is okay," Vlaken comforts her. "We made a plan, remember? We are to head towards Tula Lake and find Galos."

"Yes. Yes, we did. We have a plan, now we just have to find our way there." She pulls off the blanket and stands then moves across to the cabinet. Opening the doors, she searches through moving contents about looking for anything that could help them. "Have a look around. See if there are any maps or text to say which way we should go."

"Right."

Vlaken stands and heads for the door closest to him. He tries the handle, twists then pushes, opening the door. He disappears inside, leaving Matti to her own thoughts once more.

"There has to be something here that can help us." There must be. "Ahh!" she shouts as she drops a jar of picked fruit, smashing it on the floor. "By the Gods!"

"You okay!" Vlaken shouts, his voice muffled from the other room.

"Yes," she growls. "Dropped a jar is all. It smashed though."

He pops his head through the doorway, "You are not hurt?"

"No, just the fruit."

"Good. It is only food I suppose. There's plenty there, the King made sure of that. Not found anything yet, but I will keep looking." Then he disappears again.

She turns away frustrated with her lack of progress. "Have you been in the other room?" she shouts.

"Not yet," comes his muffled reply.

"Right," she whispers, striding across the small room and reaching the door within ten paces. "Let's see what is in here." Reaching for the handle, she twists and pushes. She coughs as a musty odour is released as if the door had been sealed somehow. She peeks her head in, then has to pull back as her nose tickles. She wrinkles her nose, takes half a breath then sneezes. The sound is loud enough to wake the dead. Matti wipes at it, then the dust takes her again. She sneezes louder, the force of it pulls at her, making her insides hurt and scratching her throat.

"Wow!" shouts Vlaken. "You trying to take this whole cottage down?" he laughs.

It makes her smile, changing her mood. "It was a good try, right?"

"Indeed," he replies before busying himself again.

Matti steps back to let the dust settle. Pinching her nose, she steps into a dimly-lit room. Unable to see clearly, Mattti searches around unsuccessfully before leaving. She moves to the pantry where she saw candles earlier. Pulling one from the shelf she lights it from the fire then heads back. She enters, holding the candle out in front of her. It lights up the space that is surprisingly bigger than she had first thought. She turns around herself taking in the space. She stands between three long tables stacked with books, rolled up parchment and various ink pots and scribes scattered around. And behind, the walls are covered from the floor to the ceiling with packed bookshelves.

"Wow," she whispers. "What is this place? It looks like a miniature library."

She marvels at what surrounds her. The multitude of books reminds her of the grand library in Norridan. The memories of her and Neymar spending time there together talking and drinking the most amazing wines together. She notices candles hanging from small spaces on the walls where books don't occupy the space. She moves closer, lighting every one, the sudden glare of yellow tallow and a soft infusion of smoke fills her nostrils with a sweet fruity smell.

"Mmm, the candles are scented. I wonder who made them?"

Blowing out the candle in her hand, she puts it down to one side then begins to look over the contents of the benches. She moves light books and massive tombs searching through, looking for anything to do with the land or where to go. She skims past books on royalty, herbalism and farming. On social structure, smithing and building. A massive tomb called 'Weird and Wonderful Creatures', she moves to the side with a thought of having a look if there is time. She pushes parchment covered with various things from scribbled notes and drawings, to text mentioning histories to a parchment titled Royal Ga'land.

Matti pushes them all away slowly, getting frustrated at not finding what she wants. Turning, she moves to another desk and rummages through more books, one is named: The Lore of Antar. She moves it to the side uninterested in a place she had never heard about. She pulls out several parchments from a shelf, unravelling them each time to find more text about how to build a castle with a moat. She throws them down and stalks back to the middle of the room.

"By the Gods! Why is this so hard? There must be something here to help us."

"How are you doing? Oh, wow! This place is amazing. It's like the old librarian's private rooms. Stacked to the ceiling with books and parchment."

Matti stares at Vlaken as he enters. His hands are dusty but contain a long leather pouch almost the length of his torso. Curious, Matti turns her thoughts from finding a map. "What have you found?"

"Ah, oh, yeah. I am not sure. Shall we look?"

Matti nods.

With a smile, he turns and walks back through to the other room. Matti follows, keen to calm her rising temper. Why am I getting so annoyed? Why am I... Ah, I want to be away from here. We need to move soon and I don't know where to go. We need—

"Matti?" Vlaken's voice breaks into her thoughts.

Shaking her head, she quickly replies. "Yes. Oh right. Yes, let us look at what you have found," she flusters.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," she nods. "I am just frustrated that I haven't found anything yet. We cannot stay here for too long. I'm afraid that those things will find us."

"We will find something that can help us. There has to be something in that room, surely?"

"I hope so. Anyway, let's see what you have found."

"Right. Okay, let's see what you are then." Vlaken unties the knotted string at the top then unfolds it to show a hollow tube inside. "It's... it's a bow, I think."

"A bow? Where did you find it?"

"It was in a trunk at the foot of a bed."

"There's a bed in there?" she says astonished. "There was a bed in there, and we slept on those bloody benches!"

"I know, I could have used a soft bed last night. My neck aches. If it helps, it doesn't look very comfortable. Looks like it hasn't been used in a while."

"A bed is a bed, Vlaken. But, back to this," she points. "Does it have a string?" she asks.

Vlaken rummages inside the pouch pulling out a small roll. "Is this it?" he says, handing it to Matti.

"Yes, I think. My father used the bow, I never really had much interest in it. Is there anything else in there?"

Checking again, Vlaken comes out empty handed. "Nothing."

"Was there anything else in the trunk?"

"A few blankets, some clothes and a few other wrapped packages. I didn't get all the way to the bottom yet."

"We have a little time. I was being silly earlier. It is just... I don't want to be foolish. We are ahead here and I want to keep us that way."

"I understand."

Staring at one another, Matti smiles, the motion lights up her face, almost making her glow. She hands the string back to Vlaken. "Put these away, make sure it is water tight. Finish with the trunk and see if there are any arrows, we will take it with us and practice if there are. We may need it."

"Will do," he replies with a grin. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find us a map," she says defiantly. "If it takes me all day, I don't care, I will find one."

Matti stands and strides across the small space, entering into the musty room once more. Her eyes dart about looking for any sign of what she is looking for. She decides on the third bench, the one she hasn't checked. Standing over it, she searches the scattered books on top, scanning their titles. "The Habits of Morndrakes, what an odd title." She picks up another, "Berserker Hawks and Other Birds of Prey." She opens it, turning to a random page and reads.

The Berserker Hawk is a highly territorial bird that some say is the size of a fully grown man. It is said to have razor sharp talons on the edges of their wings. They are very fast and smart of mind with rumours that they can communicate through some sort of telepathy.

"By the Gods! They sound terrifying. These things cannot be real, surely not? They have to be some sort of storyteller's books."

She closes the book, putting it down next to the others then picks up a scroll, unravelling it. "The differences between Chaoshound's and the Mistbrood. What are these things? I have never heard of any such creatures. As much as I like a good story, this is getting ridiculous. I need to find a map of Kankor, or at least this area."

She places the parchment down and it rolls itself up loosely. She searches through more scrolls and books, piling them high to either side of her. Finally, she moves the last two books to see an empty bench. The curls and loops of the knots that show in the grain of the wood stare at her like beady little eyes poking out, defying her wish. She slams a fist down, hammering it into the wooden surface and sends the stacks of books skittering across the floor.

Calm yourself! There has to be a map of... something in here.

Turning once more, she stares at the shelves of books big and small that surround her. She focuses on the spines of each, looking for any hint. Spinning she nearly knocks a candle flying but manages to catch it in time. The hot wax spills across the back of her hand making her jump and curse under her breath. "Gat! Oh, that isn't good. My mother always told me to think about what I say." She pouts as she wipes at it, peeling away the already cooled wax and dropping it to the ground. The smell of burning skin reaches her but is gone just as quickly.

"If I were a map, where would I... Ah, what do we have here?" Stepping over the pile of books she had just made, Matti moves across the space as if she owned it. Kneeling, she reaches under the middle bench and pulls out a bundle of rolled-up parchments smaller than the rest. Moving aside books with one hand, she places the scrolls down with the other.

"With hope, you will be what we are looking for."

Moving the scrolls to one side, she picks out the first and unrolls it. What faces her is a sketch of stones in the shape of a man. The features are slightly out of proportion with an elongated head, shorter arms and a body that is twice the width you would think. She traces a finger over it stopping on the face. The expression, if that's what you can call it, is calm, almost serene. The eyes look dead as two small black beads stare back at her. "What are you?" she wonders before looking down to a sentence scribbled at the bottom. She squints in the gloomy light to read it. "Stonebeast: Giant beasts made from rock that live in the mountain passes of Natori and Aldreda." She pauses, her mind taking in the information but still not understanding. "Where is Na-tori? And Al, Aldre-da?"

A shuffle behind her makes her freeze. She turns to empty space. "Vlaken, is that you?" she shouts.

She exhales as his head pops around the doorway.

"Yes, just me. I found some arrows to go with the bow. I also found this," he shows her a smaller package that he hands over.

Matti unwraps it to reveal twin daggers, their hilts shine brightly in the gloom wrapped in silver thread with a knuckle sized ruby adorning the pommel. The sheaths are plain, black leather with silver tips for protection and belt loops at the rear. Matti marvels at them, her eyes drawn instantly to the ruby that sparkles as if alight with its own energy.

"I thought we could carry one each, you know... for protection." He pauses, suddenly uncertain that he should have said anything. "I... it was only—"

"It is a good idea, Vlaken. We may need them sooner than we think. They are beautiful, are they not?"

"They are, yes," he replies.

"Was there anything else in the trunk?"

"No, that was about it. Nothing else of note. How are you getting on?"

"Ah," she huffs. "Not as good as you it would seem. I can't seem to find any maps at all. I was looking through these. I think they are the last things in this place. Look at this." She motions Vlaken to come over to the table. Wrapping up the daggers, she places them atop some of the books then unrolls the scroll she had been looking at before. "Look at this, have you ever seen anything like it before?"

Vlaken moves closer, looking over her shoulder at the sketch of the Stonebeast. "What is it?" he asks.

"Look," she points to the writing below. "Read."

"Stonebeast. What is a Stonebeast?"

"Read on," Matti urges.

"Okay." He follows it with a finger. "Stonebeast: Giant beasts made from rock that live in the mountain passes of Natori and Aldreda. Mmm, I have never heard of Natori, but Aldreda sounds familiar. I'm not sure where from, maybe I read it somewhere, or one of the court spoke about it. It must be some distant land."

"Maybe. There are books over there on more creatures. I'm not sure if this place holds real records or it was all fabricated by some eccentric storyteller."

"Looking at this, it could be a bit of both." Vlaken hands the sketch back to her with a smile, he fidgets slightly as if wanting to say something more. "I... hope that is the truth."

"So do I, so do I." Matti flashes a grin then turns back to the scrolls. "Right, one of you has to be a map, please." She puts down the Stonebeast sketch and grabs the next scroll. She pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath then unrolls it. Staring back at them both is another sketch of a strange creature. The creature is humanoid, standing on two legs with a hunched back but wider by a third or even half again as a human. The hands and feet are larger and covered with fur, each with four appendages sprouting sharp claws. But the head and body are covered, shrouded in some sort of cloak and hood that only shows darkness beneath.

"What is... that?" Vlaken asks meekly.

"I have no idea. Maybe there is an inscription." She spreads the parchment further and sees a small inscription in the same scribbled handwriting. "Umbraghouls of Shadow."

"Umbraghouls of Shadow? Is that all it says? They look more terrifying than the Stonebeasts."

"I agree with you there." She places it to the side watching it furl itself up before moving onto the next. "Here we go again." Reaching for another scroll she unrolls it with the tips of her fingers then pauses. Her breath catches in her throat as she stares down at the parchment. "It is a map. By the Gods, a map!" she shouts. "I have no idea what it is, I'm just happy that I finally found one." Turning to Vlaken, she beams at him, her eyes bright even in the gloom, sparkling with a renewed vigour. "Come look at it," she motions with a hand as she turns back. Unrolling it further, Matti places a book on each corner then smooths it out before taking a step back. In front of her is a hand-drawn map coloured with browns, greens and blues, with the word Kankor scribed at the top.

"That's us there," Vlaken points to a green patch just north of the capital Norridan marked Isys Grove. "We have to be in the centre somewhere."

"There is Tula Lake to the west," Matti points with a finger. "It looks beautiful, does it not?"

"It does." Vlaken moves closer, his eyes focused on the blue outline to the west of them. "I never thought I would go there again."

"We will. I promise this to you, Vlaken. We will make it there, to safety." She places an arm around the youth's shoulders and hugs him tight. "We will make it there, we have to." Letting go, Matti traces a finger from the grove west and slightly north towards where Tula Lake lies. "How long do you think it will take?"

"I'm not sure," Vlaken ponders. "Maybe a week if we had mounts. Probably closer to two on foot. I can't tell. If this map is accurate then that would be my guess."

"We will have to make the supplies last. I just hope we can find enough water when we leave the edge of the grove." She traces her finger across the parchment between the edge of the grove and the start of the rolling hills that surround the lake.

"I have heard of small wells hidden across the land that keep the inhabitants going. Maybe we can find them on our way."

"If we can find them," she notes. She traces a finger across the parchment to the east, stopping at the edge of a vast forest. Her finger trembles before she releases it and steps back.

"Matti? Are you okay?" asks Vlaken as he turns to look at her.

She can only nod, words are lost to her. She moves to touch the place again but stops herself, her finger a hands-width away.

"Is that where you are from, Arrowedge?" he asks softly.

Matti nods again, her dark hair spilling across her face. She holds in a sob before composing herself once again. "Yes," she whispers. "Arrowedge is my village... was my village." She falters, frozen in time as memories flood back to her of time spent running through the green fields and spending time with mother, father and Aurora.

"Matti?" Vlaken whispers, gently touching her shoulder. "Matti, I am sorry for what you have lost, I really am." He pauses, trying to find the words. "I really am sorry, from deep in here," he bumps his chest with a fist sending out an audible thump. "But I need you here and now. I have watched you, how you have grown into a strong woman. You can master your fear, I know you can."

"I..."

Vlaken turns her to face him. "You are your own woman, Matti. A strong woman, but I need you," he pleads.

Blinking, Matti focuses on his face. "You look like him, did you know?"

"Like who," he replies with a frown.

"Neymar, you are cousins, are you not?"

He nods and blushes, turning his face darker than before. "We are, yes. I have never been told I look like him though. Thank you."

"For what?" she asks.

"For saying I look like him. If a beautiful woman like you can love him, maybe there is hope for me also?"

With a grin that lights up her face, Matti blushes, turning her face a deep shade of pink. "I don't know... what to say. You are handsome, Vlaken, and charming when you open up. I will say that." She grins again, not sure of what to do.

An awkward silence descends as they both look at each other with grins plastered across their faces. Then Matti clears her throat, "Well, we should collect what we can and head out as soon as we are ready."

Vlaken can only nod, for fear of saying the wrong thing.

"Good. Now, did you manage to find any satchels or packs that we can use to carry our supplies?" she asks, trying her best to sound calm. Her thoughts are everywhere. Her mind thinking of Neymar, her family and now this journey into the unknown. Well, the unknown for them.

Vlaken nods again and skitters from the room.

He is an odd one sometimes. I hope he continues to open up to me. We may be the only people left from Norridan. Oh, Neymar. I hope to one day see you again, but I fear we are now on differing paths. I love you.

She wipes at her eyes as they begin to flow.

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