"Leap year!" Said Darius, carrying some bags towards the shed. "Every twenty-ninth of February, once every four years, the famous Orffelios storm comes from the south."

   Tthor scanned the sky. The sun shone in all its splendor, in a deep celestial firmament, without any trace of cloud. A soft breeze, somewhat cool but delicate, caressed his face.

   "Darius," he said, "I think it won't rain today."

   "Believe me, it will rain, it will snow and there will even be a wind so strong that half of the trees will be on the other side of the town."

   "Then what should I do? How can I help you?"

   "The only thing we need is...the firewood," said Darius, finishing his work in the shed.

   Tthor looked from side to side. And seeing nothing, he asked:

   "And where is the firewood?"

   " Up there," Darius answered, pointing towards Mount Horacum. We have to stock up on wood before the storm. Because, after tonight, the roads will be, for the most part, closed. The temperature will plummet for several days and we will need firewood for homes and boilers."

   "And how will we get there?"

   "In the cart. No choice."

   Tthor's stomach turned, remembering his bumpy journey from Albion to the “Storm and the Rush.”

   Darius looked worriedly at Thor. The young boy was turning pale.

   "Don't worry, Tthor," Darius said. "On second thought, I don't need you." Lee-Won will accompany me.

   " Is Lee-Won going too?" Tthor asked, with surprise.

   " Yes, so don't worry."

   " I'm coming!" Tthor stated emphatically.

   He didn't want to miss the chance to see Lee-Won. I hadn't heard from him in almost a full day. And, despite his anger, he missed him too much to miss that opportunity.

   Darius did not insist. He saw that Tthor was determined to make the trip and knew that he and Lee-Won couldn't do the job alone. An extra pair of hands would help them finish early and take shelter in Warghost before the storm hit in full force.

   Without wasting time, they carried a couple of axes, ropes, a jerrycan of water and took, at a medium speed, the Cretan road, towards Meaghdose.

   The cart rattled, pulled by a large, young, jet-black horse. If they were proud of anything at Warghost, it was their purebred horses and the treatment they were given. It was a tradition that came, of course, from the times of Orffelios himself.

   We must cross the town, to come out in front of the road that leads to Horacum.

   "There is the best wood to make bonfires," Darius explained, looking askance at Tthor.

   The young man was holding on to his seat with both hands.

   "I'm fine. I'm fine," he said when he felt Darius' gaze on him.

   " It's a short trip. Don't worry," Darius encouraged and whispered a few words to the horse, which began to gallop slowly but steadily.

   "And Lee-Won?" Tthor asked, unable to contain himself.

   "He's with Noel, in the shoe store. We will pass through it and continue on our way."

   They entered the main street of Meaghdose and advanced about two hundred meters. There were people coming and going, doing their last shopping before the storm. But the sky was still clear and bright.

   When Darius stopped the cart, in front of Mr. L'Vois's business, Lee-Won opened the door and saw, turning a little pale, that Tthor was walking next to Darius.

   "Are you coming?" the little man shouted.

   Lee-Won nodded and climbed onto the back of the cart, sitting with his back to Tthor. Darius gave a new order to the horse and they resumed their journey. Tthor did not say anything nor did he move. He stared at him on the road, while he felt his heart speed up.

   Clearly, Tthor thought, Lee-Won was still angry with him, so, listening to his pride, he swallowed all the words of apology he had been rehearsing for when he ran into him and, with a serious face, left with his thoughts very clear. Far from there.

   Several minutes later, a violent jump of one of the wheels brought Tthor out of his reverie. Just to see on the side of the road, a cart pulled by a sorrel horse, which was grazing a couple of meters from them.

   Tthor looked around but saw no one. He was quite struck by the fact that no occupant of the cart was there, but Darius's voice made him forget about it:

   " That's Mount Horacum. Did you know him?"

   Tthor looked up at the giant's snowy peak at the end of the ascending path.

   "No," he stammered, "it's beautiful!"

   It was, without a doubt, the highest elevation in the area. It was massive, smooth-faced, with grottoes and caves visible, apparently more numerous than those on Mount Ri, the rise on the other side of Meaghdose.

   They turned a bend in the road and entered a forest of tall, naked white poplars, with sharp trunks and twisted branches. The path was full of stones, yellowed leaves and broken branches.

   "Tthor, you collect all the branches and trunks that you find loose and lying around, while Lee-Won and I cut some dry branches from the trees."

   "But I want to help them."

   "No, no, axes are dangerous for those who are not used to handling them. Lee-Won has experience in that, leave it to him."

   Tthor jumped off the cart and, glancing askance at Lee-Won, who was descending from behind, headed straight in the opposite direction to which Darius was heading.

   After a couple of minutes, Tthor felt branches gently snap behind him. A wide smile spread across his face. He was convinced that Lee-Won was following him, which meant that he wanted to make passes.

  He picked up a couple of dry branches, still without looking back, and heard noises again. He turned, smiling, to talk to Lee-Won but the road behind him was completely deserted. Small swirls on the ground raised the leaves and small branches and caused a sound similar to footsteps.

   Tthor looked in all directions but didn't see Lee-Won anywhere. Feeling angry with himself, he continued gathering branches, getting further and further away.

   Fifteen minutes later, still angry, he retraced his steps and approached the cart. He placed all the load he brought into it and looked around, looking for Darius. He located it about thirty meters away, chopping a thick branch.

   Tthor looked at the sky, to avoid the impulse to look for Lee-Won and was surprised at how quickly the clouds had covered everything. They were black and huge clouds. The wind was blowing, getting stronger and stronger. The cold seemed to be getting more intense and the sunlight had completely disappeared.

   An unexpected gust emerged from a dense group of trees a couple of meters away and covered everything in dust and leaves.

   Darius ran over to Tthor, dragging a pair of heavy logs.

   "What's wrong, Darius?" Tthor asked, somewhat alarmed.

   "It's the storm!" Answered the little man, throwing towards the cart, the logs and the ax. " I think this year is coming early. Lee-Won! We're leaving!" He shouted as he climbed onto his seat and held the reins, visibly nervous.

   Tthor looked to the side and saw Lee-Won running over, hugging a large group of gnarled logs. He placed them on the cart and took off the ax that he had hanging by a rope behind him. He climbed back, quite skillfully, and sat down, covering the entire load with thick tanned leather.

   Tthor climbed up next to Darius, wordlessly, and held on tightly as Darius gave a soft but firm command to the horse. And immediately they set off.

   They had not advanced even ten meters when the wind became more violent and a fine, icy rain began to fall that soaked them in seconds.

   The horse returned to the main path and galloped away from the snowy face of Horacum. Tthor felt the strong wind that hit his face and the snow water hit his eyes and made them water.

   Suddenly, the sky seemed to get darker and the water snow turned into thick snow without warning. The road turned white in a matter of minutes and the wind became more violent, preventing a clear view of the road. The sorrel seemed to be a little nervous although he continued to advance at a fast trot.

   And just as he turned a bend, Tthor heard it: a baby's cry, loud and clear, as if he were right next to him, in the cart.

   "What was that?" Tthor shouted, squinting against the wind.

   "What was what?" Darius asked, nervous.

   "That...cry!" Said Tthor looking at Darius.

   "What crying? What are you taking about?"

   " A baby crying. Have you not heard it?" Tthor answered, listening more closely. "There it is again..."

   Tthor felt it, this time stronger and clearer. There was no doubt, he was a crying baby. And it came from behind a group of trees, in a clearing in the forest, about a hundred meters from where the wagon was traveling.

   "Don't you hear it?" Tthor asked upset.

   " It must be the wind. There's no way there's a baby around here. There are no houses here."

   "Except the old stone house," said Lee-Won, from behind.

   Tthor looked at Lee-Won in surprise.

   "The stone house? Where is it?"

   Over there!" the young man shouted, pointing to the side, where an old muddy road disappeared up the hill. But it's about two kilometers from here, maybe, more...

   Tthor looked in that direction and waited, tense, for a new sound to reach him. And there it was, clearer than the previous times.

   " We must go there!" Tthor shouted in the middle of the gale.

   "We can't!" Darius said nervously. "We must get to Warghost as soon as possible. In a couple of minutes, the roads will be closed and we won't be able to get out of here."

   A new cry, cruder and more desperate, reached Tthor's ears. He, without thinking, jumped out of the cart and rolled across the muddy ground. He quickly stood up and, paying no attention to the cries of Darius, who called him frantically, he ran towards the clearing, glimpsing in the darkness, a small stone house surrounded by tall trees. He continued advancing, without stopping, for several minutes.

   He quickly passed by the cart that, despite the speed with which he was going, he recognized it. It was the same one he had seen when they passed through, coming from Meaghdose. A brown horse was attached to her, completely soaked but apparently calm.

   Trying not to let the wind blow him to the side, Tthor slowed down and approached the door of the cabin. He stood there, breathing heavily, as the snow covered him from head to toe. He opened the door gently and was petrified by what he saw inside: a woman's body, lying in a corner, on a thin blanket, surrounded by a pool of fresh blood and a lump near her that moved nervously. Tthor took a step inside and looked closely. Between some small blankets, a baby with a dirty face was crying uncontrollably.

   The rest of the room seemed empty. Tthor advanced at a quick pace and approached the baby. He took him into his trembling arms. But before he could rest his gaze on the woman who was lying a couple of centimeters away, a torn voice came from behind the door, which slammed shut due to the action of the wind.

   Tthor turned around, scared, and saw a pair of green eyes looking at him, upset, from a corner.

   "Lily?!" Tthor said without believing it.

   The girl, recognizing him, ran towards him and hugged him desperately. As Tthor put an arm around her, he turned his gaze to the woman who now seemed to be coming to her senses. And there he ended up understanding what was happening.

   But before her legs responded to him and he could approach her, the door burst open and Lee-Won appeared, completely soaked, breathing heavily.

   "I don't believe it!" He said looking at the scene with wild eyes. "I don't believe it...!"