Cal shivers and convulses. He's been lying in the same spot for what he can only assume has been hours, but with no way to tell time, he can't be sure how long it's actually been, only that the cold has seeped all the way into his bones. He doesn't think that he can move anymore.

He lies there, listening to the whispers that had made him lose his way, and now that he's taking the time to really listen, he can understand the words—"follow us."

Cal somehow forces himself onto his feet, his bones and muscles protesting. He stumbles forward, towards those insistent voices. A part of him rationalizes that it isn't a good idea to follow strange whispers into the Tempest, but the rest of him figures that he can't get into a situation worse than the one he's already in. So he does as the voices say—he follows.

"Follow us."

Cal suddenly finds himself in a clearing free of fog. In the middle of the clearing is a cottage. Cal stares at the building in confusion, knowing that no one would be fool enough to live in the Tempest; he didn't even think that it was possible.

He goes to the door, his legs feeling numb. He knocks and waits. For a moment, there is complete silence—the whispering voices in the fog have grown quiet—and then there's the sound of footsteps—quick, heavy pounding across wooden floorboards. The door opens.

Standing in front of him is a tall man. Cal needs to tip his head backwards to look at the man's face, and he can't help but feel a little terrified at the man's inhuman height. He opens his mouth to tell the man that he didn't mean to bother him and that he was simply lost, but the words clog in his throat.

"Did my sister send you?" the man asks.

Cal blinks up at him. "Sister?"

The man's lips part into a wide grin. "She's a shopkeeper in Solaris."

Cal's mind feels foggy, and he can't quite seem to comprehend what the man is saying. The obvious meaning is that this is the brother of the woman selling him the bow, but the shopkeeper had told him that her brother lived across the Tempest, not in the Tempest.

But nothing else makes sense, so Cal replies, "Yes."

The man steps to the side. "Come in."

Cal hesitates for one moment and then obeys. A blast of warm air washes over him, and he stumbles forward, losing his balance. The man catches him by the arm and hauls him back onto his feet before maneuvering him into a room with a fireplace. He pushes him onto the floor in front of the fire and disappears into another room.

Cal stares after him, his mind still trying to catch up.

The man returns almost immediately, clutching something in his hands. He holds it out, and Cal sees that it's a jar with a dimly glowing object inside. He stares at it in awe and finds himself unconsciously reaching his hand out towards it.

"Be careful," the man says and Cal freezes. "It may look beautiful but it can burn you to ash in a second."

Cal looks up at the man. "What is it?"

"A dying star."

Cal retracts his hand and stares open-mouthed.

The man laughs. "Don't worry. You'll be safe as long as you don't open the jar."

He figures the man is right, but it still seems weird and dangerous. Stars shouldn't be things that people keep in jars; he shouldn't be able to hold it, and the thought of doing so makes him uncomfortable.

The man pushes the jar closer to him.

"Take it," he says.

Cal hesitates and then reaches forward, taking the jar in his hands. He marvels at how warm it feels against his palms and stares entranced at the glowing light. For a second, he's tempted to open the lid, even though he knows doing so will kill him, but he feels incredibly sad for the star, trapped in a glass prison, far away from its expansive home.

The man's hand clamps down on his shoulder, and Cal jumps, nearly dropping the jar in the process.

"Stars are tricky things," he says. "Don't let it tempt you."

Cal swallows. "You make it sound like its alive."

"Maybe it is."

The man releases him and helps him to his feet.

"You should return to my sister immediately. Let the wisps guide you out of the Tempest, just as they guided you here."

Cal's mind goes to the whispering voices in the fog, and he figures that the man must be talking about them. He nods his head and walks towards the door, holding the jar with its dangerous occupant inside close to his chest.

Once outside, he heads towards the edge of the clearing. He pauses before stepping into the fog and looks back over his shoulder, but the cottage is gone and a plume of mist swirls around the spot where it had once stood. Cal quickly faces forward, shivering.

He stands there quietly, listening, until he hears the whispering voices once again telling him to follow them.

And he follows.

***

Cal nearly collapses with relief when he sees the shop in front of him. His knees feel weak, but he forces his legs to carry him the last few yards, into the building, and towards the counter. The shopkeeper doesn't seem surprised to see him. She smiles and claps her hands together in the same childish way she had when he'd agreed to help her.

"Wonderful," she says. "You've made it."

Cal thrusts the jar out in front of him.

"Take it," he says, aware of the panic and desperation in his voice but too tired to care.

The woman reaches over the counter and claims the jar. She runs her fingers over the surface and puts her face near the glass. She whispers something, but Cal can't hear what she says. Finally, she lowers the jar and turns to Cal.

"You did a splendid job," she says.

Cal's hands tighten into fists, and he glares at her.

"Whatever," he says. "Just give me my bow."

The shopkeeper gives a very pointed sigh. "Now, don't be in such a hurry, child. Savor your success."

Cal shakes his head. All he wants is to get his bow—the stupid bow that he nearly got himself killed over—and get the hell out of there. He doesn't want to "savor" anything, and he certainly does not want to spend one more minute in this woman's shop with her deadly prize.

The woman bends down, and when she comes back up, she has the bow. She holds it out. Cal snatches it out of her hand and heads towards the door. All he wants is to go home, have a nice hot meal, and sleep for a week. He doesn't want to ever think about the shopkeeper, her brother, the Tempest, or the star ever again.

He opens the door and places one foot outside before stopping. He looks back at the woman who doesn't appear to have moved an inch. She smiles knowingly at him.

Cal steps back inside and closes the door. He walks up to the counter.

"What's it for?" he asks. "The star? What is the star for? Why did you want it?"

The woman's smile widens. "Now that, child, is a very interesting story."