Author's note: This story absolutely would not have gotten finished without
the profoundly appreciated help and support of Phil, Matt, Misha, and Ryx.
Thank you all -very- much.
-----
A Pack of Secrets
by Hallan Mirayas
Mid-October, 707 CR
The morning dawned clear and cold, but that didn't stop Drift from his daily
run outside the curtain wall. As a matter of fact, he relished it, the late
autumn air singing crisply in his lungs. The first frost of the season had
turned the grass of Metamor Ridge to crystalline silver that rolled away into
the plains below. Although the sunlight had not yet reached the Valley itself,
it had reached the tops of the Great Barrier Mountains beyond it. Their
white-wrapped peaks glowed like beacons, stretching away to the north and the
south as far as the eye could see. A gentle breeze tugged at Drift's deep
green vest and breeches and rippled his fur as he paused to admire the
snow-covered evergreens just began to gleam along the mountain flanks. Below
them, the broadleaf trees on the lower slopes were in the last weeks of their
fall color, a glorious patchwork of reds and golds and browns. All were
reflected in glints of color in the Metamor River as it wound its meander
ing way between the mountain foothills and Metamor Ridge. It wasn't cold
enough yet for the river to freeze, but that would change in a few more weeks.
When it did, he would be ready. With a wave to the gate guards, he started
down the descending road to Euper. Even from this far off, he could see his
ice-house standing nearly finished at the edge of Euper's cluster of
warehouses. The white shingles had not been cheap, but they and the
white-painted walls would keep the inside colder during the warm months.
Between that and the insulating sawdust inside the double walls, he hoped that
the ice would barely notice the temperature outside as the seasons passed.
The ice-carving sleds and the transport sledges were almost completed, and
he had quite a few prospects for workers and haulers picked out. The
investigations of their backgrounds were currently in progress; there had been
enough attempts at theft and sabotage while building his icehouse that he had
considered the investment wise. Something going deliberately or even
accidentally awry in the middle of a frozen lake could be deadly. Now, if he
could just find the cause of his troubles…
So engrossed was Drift in his thoughts that he didn't notice the shadow fall
across him until it was too late. A cheery "Good morning!" arrived just before
impact.
"Hello, Alexis," Drift groaned a moment later, face down in the dirt.
Alexis leaned down from astride his back and smooched him on the cheek. "A
little distracted this morning, dear?" the she-bat asked, amused.
"Ow," Drift replied.
Alexis' smile faded into concern when her fiancée didn't try to get up.
"Hey," she asked, giving his white-furred shoulder a shake. "Are you all
right?"
"I landed on my keys," he grunted. "Please get off before they puncture my
thigh."
Her ears dipped in apology, Alexis helped Drift to his feet. She couldn't
hide a giggle, though, when Drift fished a ring of iron keys out of his hip
pocket. One was slightly bent. Before either could speak, however, a
high-pitched voice called down from above.
"Ahem-hem-hem. Excuse me?" A hawk-sized sparrow stood perched on the edge
of the curtain wall overhead, the double cross of the Lothanansi hanging from
his neck. "I'm very sorry to interrupt," he said, "but I have a message for
you, Mr. Snow. The Lothanasa has asked that you come to the Temple as soon as
possible. Your first Task is upon you."
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