A Game of Ice And Shadows: 3

Will

Will came awake with a pounding headache, and a… Then he came all the way awake, feeling his arms and legs bound. He opened his eyes, and there was the girl, sitting opposite him.

The same girl he’d seen, wearing fine clothes, her face clean, and odd color in her hair. She glanced up at him. “So, you’re awake.”

Will shook his head. “You spelled me. Are you a witch?”

“Mage.” The girl said, her accent one Will had never said before. Then she said in a softer voice. “Not a metaplane, but then how do I know his language…”  She shook her head. “Sorry about taking your kit, chummer, but you were thinking about running, and I need a guide.”

“You have a dead man,” Will said. “I broke my vows. The first man who sees me will know I broke them and I—I have to keep running.”

“Running’s stupid,” the girl said. “Just means you’re tired when you have to turn around and fight.”  She looked at him. “Hold out your hands.”  Will did, and she didn’t cut his bonds, just… touched it with something he didn’t recognize, and the tight bonds went loose. She pulled it away, backing out of arm’s reach. “There. Now you can eat.”

“Are you…”

“Mage, not witch, and that’s just flex tape. Got some questions for you.”

“I…”

“And when I’m done, I have some rabbit.”

Will’s mouth watered. He’d been running, not thinking of food but now…

“What are your questions.”

“Ever hear of Lofwyr?”

“Is that a king?”

“Right. The UCAS?”

“Oo…Cas?”

“Seattle?”

“I… No, My lady.” Will wasn’t about to antagonize the woman, especially if she was a witch and especially if she was babbling like a madwoman.

“Frak me,” she muttered. Then, staying out of his reach, she held out some cooked rabbit meat on a stick. Will reached up and took it.

“Don’t got any salt, but it’s cooked.” 

Will didn’t care, his stomach growling. When he finished. She was looking at him, and he saw that she must be a young lass, from wealth… but what was she doing here?”

“Right. You said you ran into… White Walkers?”

Will twitched.

“I—“

“I want you to tell me, everything.”

“I…”

“And I’ll pay you,” the girl said, with a confident grin showing fine, white teeth.

“With what?”

“You say you’re a dead man? I think I can change that, Chummer. But I wanna hear everything about those walkers.”

Will closed his eyes. “Very well.” He knew she wouldn’t believe him, but as he talked…

And she asked questions. Strange questions. “The dead, were they… marked, you know, like someone had drawn on them?  The guy who killed Ser Royce did he say anything?”

The girl leaned back, muttering to herself. “Spirits? Shedim? Nah, why would…”

“My Lady?”

“It sounds like spirits possessing the bodies, but why let you go? Old Jake told us about Chicago, and the Shedim after that, so this isn’t good. Right, we need to talk to someone.”

“I am a deserter!”  Will burst out. “They will kill me!”

“So, who has the biggest gang around her?”

Will blinked. “That would be Ned Stark, why?”

“Cause you weren’t deserting. You were coming to the guy with the biggest army.” She smirked. “And I’ll have some proof to give.”

“What proo—“ his voice stuttered silently as she held out her hand and a ball of fire appeared in it. “Old Gods and New!”

“Nah, just a street wizzer.” She shook her head. “Look, Will, you seem to be kinda… new? Innocent.”

“I am older than you!” Will said.

“And I’m not tied up.” The girl said with an infuriating smirk. Then she lost it. “Everyone’s after you, right?”

“Yes.”

“And I bet you don’t even know where you’re running.”

Will Didn’t say anything. She was right. How could he even get to King’s Landing and even there…

“And like I said, that ends up with you getting caught, so we need to find some guy who can make this go away.”

“Ned Stark is honorable.”

She laughed. “Yeah, and Lofwyr is a pacifist. We ain’t gonna trust in his honor, we’re gonna give him something.”

“And… How will I pay you?”

“Well, I kinda wanna know the lay of the land, you know, who’s the boss, who pays best, who you don’t trust…”

“I was a poacher,” Will said.

“Cool, well, first I need to make certain nobody tracked you.”

“And how will you do that?”

“I won’t…”

Then she sat down and ignored him, muttering words and—

Will’s words died in his throat as a glowing eagle appeared. It spoke to her, though Will couldn’t understand it and the girl nodded. “Hunter of the Air, thank you for hearing my call. Jackels may have  hunted my friend. I ask for one service, to erase his tracks, end his scent, so that he will not be found.” Then she reached over to a little bundle. “Fish, for you, taken from a stream yesterday.”

It nodded, and the fish just… vanished.

Will shivered. “What… was that?”

“A spirit, spirit of beasts.” She shook her head. “Lot of ‘em here, but since I don’t have to give orders, it’s always better to deal. So, you ready to walk?”

Will nodded, and then she undid the binding and handed his sword to him.

He’d been tempted to run, but now… he glanced back to where the bird had vanished, and then blinked. His footprints… were gone. Like none had ever walked through that path.

No. If the girl, witch or not, was willing to take him under her protection… Will would do nothing to change that, even if he feared a sword at the end of this path.

“So, yeah, tell me about this Eddard, how big is his gang?”

“He is Warden  of the North.”

“Like a Corpo?”

“I, ah…” Will had  feeling this was going to take a while. How could someone be here, and not know who Eddard Stark was?

“Okay, never mind, how likely is he to talk first?”

Their voices faded off, as Will’s aggrieved voice rose into the air.

“But I’ve never talked to a Lord, My Lady?”

“Well, you will be now. Remember, you weren’t running, ‘cause only deserters run, you were coming to warn Eddard Stark since he’s the only guy who can save the day…”

“Old Gods and New save me…”