Harbour taxes generated an income of 49,144 pieces of gold. The tugboats generated an income of 15,741 pieces of gold. 

The icicles wrapped around his feet took Fox where the numbness of his brain didn't wanna go: down the three hundred and thirty-one steps of Mage Tower, and into the murky hallways of Moonstone Castle. Every step brought him further away from Katla and the boulder of truth that had crushed his heart.

It had been Katla's idea to burn down Laneby, not King Ariel's.

He couldn't think of why his master would consider such cruelty while he was otherwise so kind and patient. His thoughts went round and round, always ending up at the same conclusion: it had been Katla's mysterious winter illness talking back there. That was the only explanation that made sense.

Fox stumbled past the men guarding the main gate, too afraid to look up from the ground to meet their eyes. He wasn't gonna cry or tell them what had happened. If these soldiers got their hands on him, they would interrogate him and take him to Hawk's chamber. He never wanted to end up there. Facing the ripping tundra wind outside was more inviting than living with her for the rest of his life.

Or her life.

He balled up his fists. Katla had been fine until she had forced her lips on him. No matter whose idea Laneby had been, she was the real monster. One day, when he was strong enough, he would make the thought-stealing spider rue the day she ever intervened in Katla's life. That he swore to all the Gods.

Thick flakes were showering down from the dark grey sky, wrapping his already frozen body in a fur of snow and ice. It was less than a mile from the castle to the Antler, but each leap forward felt like one endless mile.

Closing his eyes, he tried to recall the almost sweaty touch of the crackling fireplace. He transported the memory of the heat to his hand, yet all colour had left his fingers, reducing them to useless stumps in which no spark ignited. In fact, the only warmth in him escaped through his mouth in the form of white crystallised vapour.

It reminded him of one of Nick's scary stories about exploding volcanoes in Scoria slaying everything on their way of conquering more land. What if Fire Magicians were human volcanoes that could erupt with devastating consequences for bystanders? Was that why Katla had wanted him to run?

A bit further, in the light of the lantern by the Loving Lark shop, climbed two silhouettes into a carriage. A taller cloaked person, and a smaller person with a furry hood. Badger and Fawn.

"Stop!" Fox shouted with all that was left of his strength, but the loud blaring wind overwhelmed his voice.

He continued running. If he could reach the carriage before they left, he would beg Badger and Fawn to stay after all. His feet sank so deep he was unable to keep his balance and landed flat on his belly into the now snowed-over puddle in front of Corbin's workshop, the icy cold water soaking his already drenched clothes.

Tears stood so close to his eyes as the carriage disappeared into the eerie fog that had enshrouded the city.

"What in the names of the Holy Fourteen are you doing out there?" It was Corbin. The blacksmith had stuck his head out of the window. "It's no weather to catch rats, young Fire Master. Do you wanna come in?"

"N-N-No, I have... Katla... I need... Doe." Fox's clattering teeth ate half of his words.

And with that, he stood up and darted off to the Antler, where Katla had told him to go. The cold bit at him, freezing him to the point that every piece of his skin was so numb yet so sore. It burnt, but he was a Fire Magician. He could stand burns.

When he finally staggered through the door of the Antler, his lips were glued together. He stood there, shaking and shivering. There were quite a few customers–more than usual–in the tavern, of which he recognised Phoe and Leo, but he kept his gaze on Doe, who stood behind the counter.

She let out a shriek, immediately dropping the beer mug she was cleaning, and rushed to him. "Fox, darling, what's wrong?"

Too frozen to reply, he fell over and drowned himself into her embrace. Though he felt nothing of her warmth, he didn't wanna leave. No matter how sad he was, a mother's hug always improved a bad situation drastically.

Phoe crouched down. He draped his bear fur coat over him. "Why are you here by yourself? Where's Katla?"

Fox began to shake so violently he feared he would never be able to speak or breathe properly again. "M-M-Ma..."

"Mage Tower?"

Fox nodded. "He... he..."

"Bring him here, to the fireplace," Leo bellowed. "That coat of yours won't help much if his clothes keep on dripping, Phoe. He needs to dry in order to get warm."

With the help of Phoe and Doe, he staggered to the fireplace. Doe sat down in the armchair that Leo had been sitting in and Phoe picked him up to place him on Doe's lap. As she wrapped her arms around him, he succumbed to the tears he had been fighting off.

"Shhht, you're safe now. Tell us what happened." She brushed her cheek against his and rubbed him warm, while Leo and Phoe were each untying one of his shoes.

"S-S-Something's wrong. Katla... he... he."

"Can't he perform magic to keep warm? He's a Fire Magician after all," Phoe asked, more to Doe or Leo than him.

"Once again foam is floating around in your brain, Phoe." Leo repeatedly tapped his finger into his forehead. "The lad has ice crystals dangling from his eyebrows. Don't you think he would have kept himself warm if he could?"

"I don't know. He's a kid."

"He's smarter than he looks and smarter than you, Foambrain."

"Stop right there, you two," Doe snarled. "If all you can do is talk nonsense, you might as well do something useful. Get your asses to Mage Tower and find Katla."

"No, no, no!" Fox thrashed around. "He's... volcano... he's gonna... gonna... expl-explode."

"Oh no, darling, he won't explode. What makes you think that?" She pressed him closer to her. "Phoe, Leo, be careful though. When he tells you to back off, do so. We don't want a repeat of what happened last year. Is that understood?"

"Yes, M'am." Phoe pulled off Fox's shoe and sock, and placed them by the fire.

"Yeah we know," Leo muttered. He had yanked off Fox's other shoe and was now reuniting the pair. "Most powerful Fire Magician since King Tigris tyrannised these lands, but come winter, and he's either as worthless as a newborn or a danger to all who come near him. It's a shame the Grandmaster hasn't found a cure yet."

"It is." Doe sighed. "Get him home safely and bring dry clothes for Fox. We'll see later where he can spend the night."

"And the rest of winter," Leo added. "Depending on his state, I will have to inform Ariel. He might decide to assign another guardian."

"No!" Fox squirmed and wiggled, tears pouring down his face. "Not Hawk... not her... I don't... don't... She did it–she made Katla ill."

"Shht, nothing has been decided yet. For now, you can stay here in the Antler, with me." Doe planted a kiss on his forehead.

Fox's breathing grew steady. Though smoke rose from his clothes, his body was still shivering. He couldn't keep still. "I'm so-so cold."

"I know. I can feel you trembling in my arms, but the only option we have left is to take off your clothes so they can dry."

"No." Fox curled up in a ball so nobody could unbutton his jacket.

Back in Laneby, he had never minded swimming naked in the river, but undressing in a tavern full of strangers was something else. Nor did he want to go to the outhouse behind the bar to change. The chances of turning into an ice statue before his trousers reached his ankles were just too big.

"It won't take long." Doe rubbed his arm. "As soon as we've taken everything off, I'll roll you up in Phoe's coat and give you a piece of fresh apple pie. How does that sound?"

"I don't want it. I don't want anything." His tears had become an unbroken waterfall of despair that he could not explain. He wanted to be brave and strong, but he couldn't. Something had cracked inside of him, leaving him with a feeling that hurt more than physical pain.

He had liked Katla; they had been friends.

"Child," a soft yet manly voice croaked. "One thing I've learnt over the years is that you must always listen to Doe. You won't get warm unless you remove those wet clothes of yours. And let's be honest, who could say no to a piece of pie? I sure couldn't."

Fox looked up. The man was sitting alone at the table closest to the armchairs. His face was covered in scars. They weren't the small kinds that people get when they scratched pocks or pimples until they bleed, but big ones, like someone had slashed his cheeks with a hot iron stick. The largest scar ran from below his chin, all the way to his forehead; it crossed his left eye, which no longer bore any colour but a grizzly tone of yellowish white.

He dug into the pockets of his trousers and showed a knife. "I can always cut them loose if you prefer."

Fox frantically shook his head. He wasn't afraid, but he wasn't going to let that scary man come near him. "No, no. I'll take them off.

The man grinned. He stuffed the knife away. "That always works."

He got up from his seat and walked up to the fireplace, where he swirled his hands. A warm wind blew over Fox as Doe helped him take off his jacket.

"A-are you a magician too?" Fox stretched his arms, allowing Doe to remove his shirt. The warmth engulfed him. It wasn't real warmth yet, just an absence of that heart-chilling cold that had tried to snow him under. "I've n-n-never seen you in... in Mage Tower."

"Because I'm not part of the council. The Grandmaster finds my skills too basic." The man briefly touched his face. "The Greenlanders believed otherwise."

Though Fox continued to stare at him with open mouth, the man merely shrugged. He cupped his hands around a ball of smokey air and blew it to Fox.

"I'm a Greenlander." Fox sniffed. His tears were drying too. "I'm sorry for what they did to you. I think your magic is very useful–whatever Hawk says. I don't listen to her."

A crooked smile formed on his lips. "Greenlander boy, huh? Are you one of those pitiful souls who have to live in this hole because their own home became too dangerous for them?"

"Not really. It's complex."

The man didn't seem to care for what Fox had to say. He made no effort to stop the stream of words that came out of his mouth. "Oh, how I pray for the day that His Majesty climbs the stairs of Sunstone Castle. I'll gladly volunteer to help him take the throne from beneath Half-Ear's sensitive behind. Even if I die in battle, it would be worth it. No magician should have to suffer because of that wretched Greenlander King and his outdated, narrow-minded laws."

A man with white hair raised his pint of ale. "Hail King Ariel."

"Hail!" roared the scar-faced Air Magician.

Fox huddled in Phoe's coat while Doe unbuttoned his trousers. He doubted these men would utter the same words if they knew what kind of ruthlessness their King had approved of. King Thomas was a bad man too, with what he allowed his men to do to magicians, but King Ariel was no God of Virtue either. When he was the best magician warrior in the world, he would only punish wicked people, those who were a disgrace to the Gods.

Did that mean he had to punish Katla too?

The thought made his stomach bubble and groan. He could never.

Doe pulled him back against her. His frozen state was getting reduced to a nightmare he had once had. Now all that remained was Katla getting better, and then he could pretend today had never happened.

"Ariel sitting on the Greenlander throne, uniting both our lands once more. It would solve many of our issues," Doe mused. "Ruling Silvermark is more a burden than a blessing these days. I can imagine it frustrates him so much. Even as a young boy, he wasn't good at dealing with injustice." She patted Fox's side. "A bit like this one here."

Fox struggled free from Doe. He stood in front of the fireplace, next to the puddle that his dripping wet socks had created. "How come you know the King so well?"

"I used to be his wet nurse, then his nanny." Her voice slipped into emotion. "It's been so many years, but I watched him grow from a hot-headed child into the strapping man he is today. A true lion, as a King of Silvermark ought to be, yet with a few soft spots beneath those manes of his. Every year on my birthday, on the stroke of midnight, he appears at my door with a large bouquet of the prettiest flowers. He's so kind."

"Next time I'll get you a bigger bouquet," Fox insisted. Kind was not the way he would ever describe the King with his billy-goat beard and roaring voice. When Katla had presented him on his first night in Moondale, he had been so angry. It wasn't until he had seen Fox up close that he had decided Katla could train him.

"Aye, His Majesty is a good man." The Air Magician had retreated back to his table. He picked up his empty mug and shook it. "Can I get another refill?"

"Sure." Doe rose from the chair. "Do you want something too, Fox? Some warm milk to go with that pie? Or soup? I can heat up the last of the berry juice too."

"I don't need anything. I don't have any coins."

Katla was supposed to teach him how to tie rats so he could bring them to Falcon and start earning his own silverlings. He swallowed a few leftover tears and wiped his cheeks dry. He was so sick of always turning into a slobbering mess whenever something happened. He had promised to never be a scaredy cat anymore, but that promise was hard. Too hard, perhaps.

"I'll get the money later, darling. Just tell me what you want."

"I want the truth about Katla. I wanna know why he gets sick, and why I wouldn't be able to live with him anymore."

Doe disappeared behind her counter. "Darling, it's very complicated. I'm not sure how to explain it."

"Maybe I can try?" the Air Magician offered. "I don't know everything, but I've known Katla long enough to understand the gist of what happens to him each winter."

"Alright, but he's just a boy, Falcon. Don't put any ideas into his head that will give him nightmares."

"Oh, so you're Falcon?" Fox shot his head to the Air magician. "I have so many questions for you, but... but... first tell me about Katla. And I'm almost eleven, so you know what that means. There's nothing I can't handle."

"Right..." Falcon narrowed his eyes, tilting his head. He cleared his throat. "Did you master ever tell you about his dreadful journey to Silvermark?"

"Yeah, I know his wife and son were killed by a Greenlander patrol."

"Not just killed." Falcon waved his answer away. "They forced him to watch as they violated his wife, made him listen to the harrowing cries of his son while each of those filthy beasts had a go at her. Then, when they were done, they silenced her forever and shifted their attention to the boy. I'll spare you the details, but what those demons did to little Micah was so barbaric it was a miracle that the Gods didn't immediately smite them. In an unguarded moment, when the monsters were feasting on their revolting wine, your master squirmed free of his chains and ran into the night. When he arrived in this very tavern, he was as broken as a man can be without dying."

"And then winter came." Doe placed a fresh mug of ale on Falcon's table. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "There was so much rage and grief in him. It destabilised his powers."

"I don't understand," Fox squeaked. "What does that mean?"

"It means he couldn't control his own magic," Falcon explained. "He became a danger, to himself and others. While the winds of winter reigned the land, Katla decided to live a secluded life in the forest, unleashing his blind fury to the trees when he could no longer contain it."

"But there was a problem." Doe handed Fox a plate of steaming apple pie. "To reduce the chances of hurting anyone, he had built a small hut in the royal forest. Ariel considered it trespassing, nor did he like the idea of a foreigner burning down half of his trees, so he had Katla arrested. During the trial, a young but powerful Water Magician took a pity on him. She saved him from the gallows."

"Hawk?" Fox asked. "She saved him?"

"Correct." Falcon grinned. "I'm pretty sure she was convinced he was an interesting case to study. And, oh boy, did she study him."

Doe mumbled, sending a harsh glare his way before continuing, "There wasn't a lot she or any on the Mage Council could do. They had seen the phenomenon before in other Fire Magicians settling in up north, but never this strong. The swifter his magical energy restored, the more violent his outbursts became. Hawk managed to divert most attacks to herself, taking hit after hit, but in the end, the only solution was to completely stop his energy from regenerating."

"What?" Fox had stuck his fork into the pie, but he was too mesmerised by the story to take a bite. "But magic regenerates as you think happy thoughts. You can't stop those from happening at all. There's always something to laugh or smile about."

"Which is why he forces himself to think of sad things, darling." Doe was trying to smile, but there was nothing sincere about it. "At least this only happens during winter. As soon as the sun returns to Silvermark, he's able to get a grip on his powers again."

"It's very paradoxical." Falcon took a gulp of beer. "The darkness of the long winter nights makes many a man melancholic, but he has to allow those gloomy thoughts into his head. Too many moments of happiness and he becomes deadlier than a pack of starved wolves. It's a curse I would wish on no one."

Fox peered at his pie. There were so many questions lying on the tip of his tongue. "So there's no cure? But how can I help him? I don't want him to be sad. He's... he's..."

The man who had killed Mother, Father, and Amy. The man who had separated him from his friends. The man who had taught him so-so much. He was a real friend... his friend. And he had long forgiven him for those crimes.

"There's one thing that would help." Falcon looked at Doe, who was shaking her head.

"What is it?" Fox got up from his seat, placing the pie on the table. "Tell me. I'll do anything."

"Southern winters are warmer. They provide a more adequate environment for Fire Magicians to remain healthy."

"So there's a chance I'll get sick too?" Fox put his hands in the pockets of Phoe's coat. "But we can't move back. The southern countries don't allow magicians in. We'll get killed if they catch us."

Falcon leant forward, the deep scars all the more prominent on his face. "Not if King Ariel becomes King of The Greenlands, my young friend. He can give the magicians the freedom they deserve. Don't you wanna fight for that?"

Fighting for King Ariel. He had never considered it.

Yet before he could form an answer, the bell above the door tinkled. Phoe rushed in, panting, his voice shaky and desperate. " Leo and I looked everywhere. We can't find Katla."