It was the start of the month of Aldogan, and Irien was on the cusp of spring. There had not been heavy snowfall in weeks—in fact, there had been more rain than snow lately, albeit little of either—and winter's unforgiving gales were long gone. Landscapes of bright white had melted into fields of dirty slush, or worse, been reduced to sheets of black ice. The only colors that pierced through winter's stubborn monochrome were the gold of a springtime sun and the soft blue of its sky, but even those had not yet made a frequent appearance; there would be gray more often than not if one bothered to look up.

And if one bothered to look down at Irien from the sky, one would notice that the townsfolk stayed indoors more than they did during the colder months of Froregan, Ednimen, and Cælend. It might appear paradoxical—the weather was warmer, the winds tamer, and the sun brighter. Were the outdoors not more comfortable now that the snowstorms had been shooed away? But the bridge joining winter and spring was always the least desirable time of the year. Winter brought snow for the children to play in, and the grounds might have been frozen, but they were not muddy. Near-spring was damp and dirty; on some days, a hazard, if ice turned the roads and pavements into rinks. And so the Irienites were mostly home, leaving the streets bare lest obligation force them outside.

A little further from the town was a place that was always quiet, no matter the time of the year. A granite castle sat atop a hill and watched over Irien as its inhabitants had watched over its people. The owner was away, looking after other peoples, and her protégé was at home like most Irienites in Aldogan.

Inside Arden's abode, crackling firewood disturbed the silence in a quiet estate. Edin curled up next to the fireplace in one of the living rooms as he relaxed. He had gotten off his shift less than an hour before.

...clink, clink, Clink. Edin turned his head rightward. Arden had just arrived home and was peeling off her fingerless gloves as she strode down the hallway.

"Good evening," he greeted her.

"Good evening." She tucked her fingerless gloves into her right pocket. "How's your day been?"

"It's been alright." Edin adjusted his posture to sit more upright. "We didn't encounter a beast at all today. How was yours?"

"Busy, as usual. Still nothing compared to two years ago."

"That was a rough time. I'm glad it's been more peaceful lately."

"Indeed." Arden cleared her throat. She went on, "I hope you don't have any plans for this weekend."

"Uh, not that I'm aware of," Edin said. "Why?"

"Because I have a mission for you."

"A mission?"

"I'll explain it over dinner. Oh, and how does salmon and asparagus sound?"

"Sounds great."

"Perfect. I'll meet you in the dining hall at seven."

The mistress of the house then left to retreat to her private quarters, the clinking of her shoes fading with each step. Edin leaned his head to one side—what kind of mission was she going to assign him? Hopefully nothing involving beasts; Idelhen had been rather peaceful as of late, with even the more "dangerous" areas seeing a drop in activity. Was it to retrieve something? Then again, Arden had everything she wanted or could ever want; knowing her, if she wanted something she would have acquired it herself. Was it even related to the Guild, or was it a personal affair? Edin shrugged and widened the pages of the novel he was reading. He could wait a couple of hours. For now, he shall continue to read in peace.

***

Dinner was decadent, as usual, and not a single cold course was served—the bread paired with their lobster bisque was just as hot as the soup itself; the nuts and greens of their salads were roasted till they were more than warm; and the baked salmon and asparagus came fresh from the oven, served on heated plates. Normally Arden would not mind a cold salad or cheese course even during the winter, provided that the main course was hot; it was for Edin's sake that their meals had been no less than toasty. Anything cooler than lukewarm would do his digestion no favor—a lesson learned the hard way during their first winter together. They had eaten only hot meals during the colder months since then.

It was not that they could not eat different courses. Neither of them bothered to. Edin never dared to ask for a separate meal for fear of coming off as entitled. Arden would rather not spend time crafting new spells to cook eight different dishes instead of five, and besides, she had ample opportunities to consume cold food if she wished—most breakfasts and lunches were solo affairs.

Arden swallowed another bite of her asparagus. "Do you still go out with Rowan and Stefan?"

"Not as often," Edin admitted. "Rowan's been getting busy lately, so we meet up every other week at most."

"I see. I remember you used to go around the world with them a lot."

"Well, mostly around here and Sorien. I've been to Ellum twice and we might go to Kal a few weeks from now."

"What if I told you that your next mission involves a lot of traveling?"

Blue eyes left the salmon on the plate.

"For context, I own six castles, including the one we're in currently. A few years ago I created golems to take care of my other properties while I'm away. However, they've gone rogue. Your mission is to stop them."

"Oh." Edin would have asked if she could take care of them herself since she was their creator, but he figured she would have considered that already. "When will I start?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Everything's been set." A knife sliced through salmon with ease as her eye remained focused on him. She paused to eat another bite, gaze unwavering. "You'll leave Irien by nine o'clock, breakfast an hour earlier, and you'll use my car. There's a physical map in the glovebox and a digital one loaded into the system; it should be rather easy to use them. I've also packed some clothes and they should be in the trunk.

"There's also a bag of shield orbs in the front passenger seat. At each castle you're to destroy the golems, and once they're defeated, you're to smash an orb against any wall or floor. It'll turn into a shield as soon as it bursts. Also, be careful not to wreck anything inside; there are a few heirlooms lying around that I haven't been able to send to storage.

"The entire mission should take less than forty-eight hours. If you need a hotel or food, keep the receipts and I'll reimburse you. Head back here as soon as you've completed your mission."

Edin nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Any questions?"

He had just eaten another forkful of salmon. An awkward moment of speed-chewing adjourned their discourse; he raised a hand to signal his intent to speak. A few seconds later he swallowed and washed down the bite with a sip of water. "Um, where are the castles exactly?"

"They're scattered around. The first one you'll go to is in Ilsern, and the last one is in Duvæn. All the other ones are remote—one's in the sky, another's in a forest, and the other's in the sea. Anything else?"

"Are the castles as big as this one?"

"Only the one in Duvæn. The others are larger."

"Oh. Won't it take a lot of time for me to check all the rooms for golems?"

Arden finished sipping her glass of water. "No, but thank you for bringing that up. I forgot to mention one thing: the shield orbs also act as guides. When you take one out of the bag it'll glow brightly and float to wherever the golems are. Once they're all dealt with, the orb will turn transparent. That's when you smash them against the wall to activate the shield.

"They also act as a wayfinder to the castles themselves. For most of them you're better off leaving the car somewhere safe instead of parking on castle grounds; the orbs will help you find your way there and back."

"I see." Though his face bore little expression, deep down he was impressed. The things magic could do!

A few seconds later, she asked again: "Any other questions?"

"Uh, can I sleep in the castle instead so that I don't have to pay for a hotel?"

"Well here's the thing: nobody's lived there for a long time, so it's probably very dusty. Even if it's not a problem there's still the fact that nothing in there has been turned on for years; I'm not sure if the heating or electricity or any other system is still fully functional. Even if there aren't any problems, you'll still have to spend time cleaning up after yourself. I'd rather you stay somewhere else."

"Okay."

"Any other questions?"

Edin pondered. "I think that's it for now."

"Excellent." Gold-tone tines pierced the last morsel of salmon. "I've set up a driving simulator in the training hall so that you can familiarize yourself before tomorrow. If you have any more questions, let me know. Oh, and before I forget: I'd rather you keep this mission to yourself."

"Understood."

***

It was nine minutes till nine in the morning. Edin rubbed his eyes as he yawned. If it were any other weekend he would still be sound asleep, but today he was already ready to go. It was a good thing he had slept earlier than normal the previous night; any later and he would be much groggier.

Slender fingers tugged at the wrists of his thermal gloves before pulling at the ends of his jacket sleeves, ensuring not a sliver of skin would be exposed to the cold. His hands then rested on the straps of his backpack. He had checked that he had everything: wallet, phone, keys, ID, first aid kit, among others. Now he was making his way down the tower and to the front lawn where Arden and her car were waiting for him. His sneakers hardly made a sound with every step—he would have put on boots, but a quick reading about Ilsern suggested lighter clothing, for its weather seldom got frosty.

Edin reached the end of the hallway. The front doors drew back to let him out, and in an instant, a gelid gust of wind blew into his face. He shrugged it off—more like his head shivered out of reflex before adjusting to the cold—and hastened his footsteps. Oh, to leave this dreary, frigid landscape for a warmer scene! Thoughts of stepping onto sunlit land heightened his anticipation. He strode out the double doors and looked for the car. It was parked near the gate, and its owner was standing next to it.

Her lips curved into a restrained smile. "Ready?"

"Yes, ma'am." Edin half-jogged his way to the sedan. "I still can't believe you're letting me drive your car."

"Technically you've only ever driven my cars."

"I guess, but I've never driven a Stallion!"

"There's a first time for everything," she smiled. "Oh, and I already warmed up the car so that you wouldn't be shivering inside."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." By now, Edin had reached the car. Arden made a nonchalant wave with her left hand, opening the driver's side door. "Good luck, Edin."

"Thanks, Arden."

He climbed into the car and slowly closed the door. Upon realizing that it was not closed properly, he opened it again and slammed it shut. The accompanying bang was louder than he liked, and his pale cheeks flushed with embarrassment—it had not been a minute and he was already mishandling Arden's Radien Stallion, right in front of her. His peripheral vision caught her giggling at him.

Splendid. What a wonderful start to the mission!

Edin fastened his seatbelt and reached for a dial, rotating it clockwise to further heat up the interior. He then spent the next few seconds familiarizing himself with the controls. He knew what they were; he had spent hours using a simulator in preparation for the trip. The gear shift was on the left, like in all cars. And that button enabled flight mode. And that panel was for creating portals. Yes, yes.

The car shook in place, alarming him, before he realized that it was due to the ramp that was rising beneath him. He had completely forgotten how Arden would raise the ground so that the car would be angled at the sky, which she was doing at that very moment. Edin looked straight. Directly ahead of him was the upper edge of the horizon. A cloudy tapestry unfurled above it.

Edin stepped on the brake pedal before he released the parking brake. His left hand shifted the gear by two notches. A pause. Inhale, exhale. Then his right foot stomped on the accelerator.

The car launched off the ground much faster than he expected and he found himself sinking into his seat. The hood began to tilt downward—panicked fingers searched for the flight button and smashed it. The car stabilized in the air. Edin released the tense air from his lungs; he did not crash!

The pale-faced man enabled autopilot before opening up a control panel to set up the portal. Thankfully, all his destinations were already pre-loaded; he only needed to select from a list. Edin selected the first entry. He then fiddled with the controls a little more, recalling the steps he learned from practicing in the simulator. The hood of the car started humming. Edin pressed another button. Magic beamed from the headlights and formed a bright ellipse in the sky.

With both hands on the steering wheel, he zoomed through the portal, light sweeping Irien out of his sight. His first stop: the city of Ilsern.