This tragedy should have never happened. For that I take my responsibility. 

The pitter patter of the raindrops clashed against the roof tiles, determined to ruin Fox's precious sleep. He pulled his pillow over his head and huddled deeper into the woolly blanket. It had to be the middle night because nothing or no one would force him to leave the snuggly warmth of his own foxhole.

A door downstairs creaked open before falling shut with a thundering bang. He rolled over, his blanket the only thing separating his face from the wall. Maybe Katla had to pee. It couldn't be morning yet. He had to continue his dream of Mother showering him with the hugs he so desired.

It seemed only seconds until the drumming noise above him stole his sleep for the second time. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. Though his headache was only softly pounding in the nape of his neck, the God of Sloth was taunting him to fall back on the mattress and snore until he grew tired of the bed.

A familiar smell filled his nostrils, making his stomach grumble. He sniffed. Savoury and salty. Bacon!

Without as much as a moment's hesitation, he abandoned the blanket and pulled on Hunter's trousers. With each step down the stairs his mouth watered more and more. He had to swallow  to not start drooling like a baby getting teeth.

Katla stood bent over the chained cooking bowl, sticking a large fork into the strips of bacon and placing them on a plate. His mostly black hair was messy and wet. On the back of the chair closest to the fireplace hung his cloak, still dripping. He glanced up. "Morning. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." A yawn attacked Fox as he sat down at the table, and he didn't do anything to stop it. "But I'm so tired I could sleep all day."

"Drowsiness is a common side-effect of the potion. It will be gone in a couple of hours." Katla placed the plate on the table and sat down, on the opposite side of him.

"Are you sure?" What was going on in his head was more than just the after-effect of being ill. He hardly seemed to recall what had happened the previous night, like it had all been a fleeting, hazy fever dream. There was something important about Seb. The memory was there in his mind, but he couldn't find it.

"Yes, are you hungry?" Katla gestured at the twelve crispy pieces that were still sizzling on the plate. "Fresh from Magpie's. He's the best butcher in all of Moondale."

"Starving." Fox licked his lips.

"Good." Katla twitched his hands and, instantly, four large strips flew in front of Fox's nose, along with a loaf of sprouted bread. "A good appetite is important. Eat well, son. We've got plenty to do today."

Fox tilted his head. "Like what? We're not gonna go outside, are we? It's raining."

"Why not? Are you afraid of the rain?" Katla grinned as he reached for the butter and took a huge swipe that covered most of his knife.

"No." Fox pouted. He stabbed his fork into a piece of bacon. "I'm not afraid of anything."

Three more strips flew onto the buttered side of Katla's bread. "I find that hard to believe. Everybody's afraid of something."

"Not me. Not anymore." Fox sunk his teeth into the bacon. It was a lot saltier than how his mother used to make it, but not bad. "What are you afraid of?"

Katla folded his bread and took a large bite. He remained quiet the entire time that he was chewing. When he had finally swallowed, he shrugged. "Winter. The cold. The darkness. I don't like it."

"You're weird." Fox chuckled. "Winters aren't scary at all. Just wear an extra thick coat and a scarf. And you're a Fire Magician, so you can create light yourself."

"Maybe you can create some light for me then." There was a mischievous spark in his eyes when Katla glimpsed at the shelf above his bed and winked. From underneath rolls of paper appeared a thin candle and shot into his hand, where its wick immediately caught fire. "I know a game that will teach you the basics of Fire Magic. Wanna hear how it goes?"

Fox nodded, the remainder of the bacon dropping off his fork as he forgot to take a bite. He threw the fork on his plate. More important things were going on.

Katla placed the candle into the bronze holder, next to the bottle of milk. "Keep an eye on this. Don't let the flame go out."

"Sounds boring." Fox picked the crust of his bread and dipped it into the grease. "The fire will continue to burn even when I'm not in the room."

"Maybe, but it's gonna be your job to guard the flame." Katla flinched, his hands jerking up. Fox didn't even blink. Pranks like that just didn't scare him anymore. "Whatever happens."

Fox swung his feet against the chair legs. He'd rather find out where his memories had disappeared to. Or not disappeared, but just unreachable. Like someone had locked them up and thrown away the key.

He gasped. The evil Grand Master with her excruciating trick to peek into his head. She had stolen his memories while he had been sleeping. She didn't want him to know that Seb... that he...

"Everything alright, son?" Katla asked. "You're not eating. Want some milk?"

"Yeah." Fox pushed his cup closer. He needed something to wash the salt from his lips. "Did the Grand Master come and visit you last night?"

"No?" Katla lifted an eyebrow, pouring the white liquid until the flask was nearly empty. "What makes you think that? She doesn't come here."

"Why not?"

"We don't get along."

"That's okay, Katla. I don't like her either." Fox grabbed the cup with both hands and drank until he could see the bottom. She was involved. He just knew it.

While he finished his plate, he kept half an eye on the candle. The flame didn't sway, neither back nor forth. If magic was this easy, he would be the best Fire Magician in the world in no time.

After breakfast and a quick wash, Katla forced him and the candle onto the street and into the rain. He was still pulling up Hunter's trousers when a thick stream of water came crashing down from the roof, right into the flame.

"That's not fair!" Fox stomped his foot on the ground. "This doesn't count, does it?"

"It does. The real game has begun." Katla snapped his fingers to relight the candle.

"Aww!" Fox hovered his hand above the flame and walked onto the street, half-stumbling over a rock that had been playing hide-and-seek underneath a layer of mud. The fire quickly kissed his hand, then died. "Ouch! This is impossible. The candle doesn't like the weather."

"Remain aware of your surroundings." Katla brought his hand to his ear. "Listen carefully and anticipate when the wind will strike. That's when you have to intervene to keep the fire burning."

"But I don't know how to do that!" Fox kicked against the second rock that almost wanted to tackle him. It landed in a pool a bit further, splashing water onto his trousers and shoes.

The rain intensified. He shivered as heavy drops seeped down the collar of Hunter's coat. He wished he had never left the bed. If he survived today, he would surely end up with a massive head cold and a fever that would last the rest of the week.

"Imagine there's a shield around your candle." Katla swirled his hand around the holder, igniting a new flame. "A very powerful one—impenetrable for any intruder."

Fox squinted his eyes, picturing a miniature wall between the fire and the rain that also protected the candle from the mean wind. He walked carefully, placing one foot in front of the other, tapping the ground to check if there were any rocks or other obstacles.

A fierce gust of wind swooshed through his hair, blowing a strand into his eyes. The ruthless air killed the flame instantly.

"Ugh, I give up!" Fox smacked the candle against Katla's side. "You try it. This can't be done."

Katla held the candle right in front of him and blew a thin line of fire onto the wick. While they continued walking, the flame danced gracefully in the wind. The raindrops fell sideways, around the candle.

"But how do you do that?"

"You have to want it hard enough. Your magic is only as strong as your imagination. If you don't believe in it yourself, your mind will automatically block it."

"But I have a big imagination." Too big Father used to say. According to him, it was the reason why he was always scared. He didn't want to be afraid anymore, but he also wanted to learn magic.

"You can try again later." Katla blew out the candle and stuffed it in the pocket of his cloak. "First stop: new clothes."

He halted at a shoddy wooden shack at the corner of the street. If it weren't for that battered sign above the door that read 'Lynx's Linen', Fox could have never guessed that this belonged to a merchant.

It was all very peculiar. Inside, the racks filled with shirts, cloaks, and trousers made it clear that Lynx sold more than just linen. Then again, Fox had never seen a shop, not for clothes, or anything. Back in Laneby, merchants often passed through the village, offering their goods in exchange for a few gold pieces. The only thing he owned that Mother or Amy hadn't made for him were his fireproof boots.

He had only gotten them a few weeks back when a merchant passed Laneby before heading north. Mother was sick of him always destroying his shoes from trampling on the fires he had built for his friends, so she had bought them.

Father had stormed out off the house in anger when she had told him over dinner. Fox didn't know why he had reacted like that, and neither did Amy. She confided in him later that evening that they weren't that expensive and that they owned plenty of gold anyway.

A croaking voice snapped through the memory that he did remember—at least the Grand Master hadn't stolen all of them. "Please, take a look around. I'll be there in a sec."

"Take your time, Lynx. We're not in a hurry," Katla assured him. "Just looking for an outfit for my new apprentice."

"New apprentice?" A man with a very wrinkled face and almost no hair appeared from behind a mountain of large wooden trunks and limped towards them.

"Yeah, I'm ready to teach again." Katla frowned. It seemed that the merchant usually didn't have any trouble walking. "What happened to your foot?"

"Old age." Lynx rubbed his hands, staring at them. "But I'm not complaining, as long as these two and my eyes wanna cooperate, I can keep this business running."

"And how is it these days, business?"

"Steady, but slow." He scratched his neck, failing to meet Katla's eyes. "But summer has come to an end. Surely more people will come for clothes that will last another winter."

"Sure. Have you got any of that fire-resistant material you used last time? I want the boy to have a set like that. If not, I'll bring you Hunter's old clothes so you can reuse them."

"No, keep them." He turned to the trunk by his feet. "Life is already expensive enough and boys his age grow like cabbages. Give it another year—maybe two—and he'll fit right into them." Out of the trunk, he picked up a dark grey jacket, then a shirt, pullover and trousers in the same colour. "The Stonemason in Sand Street ordered a set for one of his sons, but he doesn't have the coin right now to pay for it. If it fits your kid, it's yours for thirty silverlings."

"Sounds like a fair price." Katla shot Fox a side-way glance, poking his elbow into his side. "What do you say? Shall we try it on?"

"Okay." Fox kicked out his boots and stripped down to his underpants. Anything was better than running around in Hunter's oversized clothes.

The sleeves of the pullover and the jacket were slightly too long, so Lynx rolled them up. "Give or take a few moons, and these will fit perfectly. What do you think, kid?"

"My name is Fox." The fabric was made out of a strange kind of coarse texture. He scratched his belly and thighs. "I don't know. They're itchy."

"That will wear off after a few washes. But..." Lynx hummed as studied the trousers that hung low on Fox's hips. "... can't have you running around with the risk that you'll end up in your naked butt. Hold on."

The man limped to the back of the house, beyond where Katla was browsing the racks. The magician held his thumb up. "All good, son?"

"I'm too small for the trousers." Fox rocked back and forth on his feet, growing impatient. "When are we gonna do something else?"

"This one's a real talker, isn't he, Master Katla?" Lynx returned with a metal-studded leather belt hanging over his shoulder. "Such a different boy than Hunter. Only the hair is the same."

"He's a curious child, alright." Katla smiled, giving him a wink. "But he's a sweet boy, and a talented Fire Magician. Not unlike Hunter."

"That's not true. I can't even keep a fire burning," Fox mumbled while Lynx shoved the belt through the loops of the trousers.

"That's not iron, is it?" Katla asked.

"Nickel. I know what to give to magicians, and it's cheaper than iron." Lynx fastened the belt and glimpsed up. "I'd say you're looking like a dapper young man, Fox. What do you think of it now?"

He examined himself in the mirror that rested against a rack. Grey clothes and semi-black hair. "Erm... I look like a magician."

As laughter resounded through the living-room sized shop, his headache pounded a little heavier in the back of his head. He wanted to learn magic and become even better than that horrible woman who had somehow stolen his memories about... about... something involving Seb and Lord Brandon. But it was weird too, like he was betraying Mother, Amy, and all the other people that had died in Laneby.

Coins jingled as Katla's pouch created a small silver mountain on the counter. "I want another set for him. One specifically for winter. I'll pay it all upfront."

"Aye, Master Katla." The coins quickly disappeared behind the counter. "Always a pleasure doing business with you, never any hassle with money."

The second they had left the door of Lynx's Linen behind them, Katla took the candle out of his pocket and handed it to Fox, already burning. "There's a saying on the Jade Islands. It goes: new clothes, new man, new chances."

"Okay." Fox grabbed it with both hands and narrowed his eyes. His mind built a fortified castle around the candle, just as thick as the white castle from one of Nick's books. It was supposed to be impenetrable so that was what he needed. "This time it will work. I'm not gonna fail you."

The flame remained absolutely still as they continued down the main street, only to go out when Katla gave three silver pieces to a dark-skinned man with peculiar grey eyes in exchange for two wine bottles and a piece of very stinky cheese with holes.

Fox pulled Katla's sleeve. "I made a mistake. Can you put it back on?"

He continued talking to the man in a fast-paced, lispy accent. Both men threw their heads back, snorting and roaring, though Fox had no idea what was so funny about yucky wine and cheese that was more air than cheese.

Further down the road stood a group of children gathered around a cart with a sign in all colours of the rainbow: Mallard's One and Only Glass Marbles.

Fox's eyes widened. He pulled Katla's sleeve. "I wanna see the marbles."

"Yeah, yeah. Go have a look," he said quickly, then proceeded to talk in that strange language that somehow sounded like the common tongue, but was so hard to understand.

Fox skipped ahead.

"Half a silverling for a bag. Buy now. Today is your chance to start playing with the best marbles in the entire world." A balding man with wet strands of hair glued to his face threw his hands in the air, beckoning more people to come even closer. "Don't miss out, boys and girls. All of your northern friends are already playing with these."

Fox churned his way through the crowd. In the cart lay countless of pouch-like bags filled with perfectly round marbles that had been painted by someone with a very steady hand. So many different colours too: red, orange, blue, even green; all on one and the same marble. They looked so much nicer than the clay ones he and Seb rolled when they were bored.

"I want one." A boy with blonde hair dove into his pockets and held out a small silver coin with a hole in the middle. "Mother gave it to buy bread, but I'll figure something out. My siblings will be so jealous."

"Me too," squeaked a girl with the dirtiest fingernails Fox had ever seen. "I got a coin for my birthday. I wanted to save it to buy a new doll, but these are so much shinier."

As if to expect a gift from the God of Greed, Fox reached for his pockets. No coins. The only thing he had was the candle.

He wanted a bag of marbles too so he escaped the group and dashed towards Katla to ask for money, but his feet were too fast for the wet underground. Failing to keep his balance, his slipped into the mud. One boot got stuck, and he plunged face-first into a slimy, leaf-filled puddle.

"Oh no." The muddy water had completely ruined his new clothes and his candle floated in the pool, broken into two. "No. No. No."

"Son?" Katla slid his hands under Fox's armpits to pick him up. Fox closed his eyes, fully expecting to be at the receiving end of a scolding. "Are you alright? All ten toes and ten fingers still in place?"

Shocked by the unexpected concern, the tears came pouring down. "No. Everything is a complete mess. I just wanted a coin for marbles, but now my clothes are dirty and my candle is broken. And I'll never be a good magician."

"Well, that's why I told you to remain aware of what's happening around you. Anticipate and react." Katla ruffled his hair. "Thank the Gods that mud is just water and earth, and candles can be mended."

"How?" Fox snivelled.

Katla fished the pieces out of the puddle and rolled them over his trousers. "Watch this." He stared at the candle, the wax melting until the ends reunited. He cupped his hands around it and blew softly. Less than ten seconds later, the candle appeared as if it had never been broken.

Fox's mouth fell open. "I want to be able to do that too."

"All in due time. But our first priority is to get you warm and dry again." Katla put his arm around Fox's shoulder, rubbing his back. "I want you to meet a good friend of mine. Her name is Doe, and she's the owner of my favourite tavern, The Antler."

"Is she nice?"

"Oh, son, she's gonna eat you up."