The seasons seemed to change over the next two days—summer fading into blustering winter. Higher and higher the wagon crept into the Stormcrest Mountains, crossing the border into Taigos. We slowed to a stop in Nesra’s Pass and I finally got to step out of the wagon for the first time in days. This was it. Once we got through this narrow mountain pass, the vastness of Taigos would swallow us up, making tracking me nearly impossible.
I followed the twins and Ora down the ladder and onto the bare road. Wind whipped my hair across my face, the air smelling of impending snowfall. I stared out over the rolling pine forests far below. Down there it was still summer, but in Taigos, the land was blanketed in perpetual snow. My legs wobbled beneath me for a moment, unused to the solid ground. The wagon nestled against one side of the road, finding a break from the squalls.
Nesra’s Pass appeared more of an outpost than a true village. No taverns or inns, only three buildings lined either side of the gray gravel road. Behind each row of buildings, cliffs shot up into the clouds. The town cut through the mountainside, the road a steep ascent into the ranges.
I’d always wondered what the Ice Wolves of Taigos looked like. If Vellia’s paintings were to be believed, they were pure white. Olmdere’s neighboring pack to the south, their kingdom was hidden above the clouds and under the snow and ice. I craned my neck up toward the thick blanket of gray and shuddered. What cities lay hidden in the murky skies?
“Here,” Ora said, offering me a woolen blanket. They pulled their shawl tighter around their lean shoulders. “We won’t be doing much camping in Taigos.” They huffed. “But if the weather’s fair in Olmdere, we can set up our tents or sleep under the stars. It’s nice to get out of that wagon every now and again.”
Navin turned the corner, leading by the halter two creatures I’d never seen before.
“What is that?”
They were bigger than a normal ox, taller than a horse, with shaggy copper red hair and curling horns.
“You’ve never seen Taigosi oxen?” Navin grinned, stroking a hand down the beast who stood shoulder height to him. The oxen seemed built of solid muscle, slow but strong, perfect for hauling the monstrous wagon. “They’re harmless.”
Navin was a lanky man with short twists of black hair and long, slender fingers that looked perfectly designed for plucking strings. He wore a blue velvet vest with a mishmash of different buttons and a flowing white shirt with ballooning sleeves. I looked from Navin to Ora to the twins. Not one of them dressed like I’d ever seen before, with faint nods to the different kingdoms, but unplaceable by attire alone.
“This is Opus.” Ora patted Opus’s flank. “And that one’s Magnum.”
“Very clever,” I said.
“My grandmother named them,” Ora said. “I think their names tell you plenty about her spirit.”
We exchanged smiles. “She sounds like she was an incredible person.”
“And a fine musician, too.” Ora nodded, gazing up at their home. They’d painted songs around each of the boards. A whole evening’s worth of tunes etched into Galen den’ Mora’s sides.
Navin looked over his shoulder as he led Magnum down the trail. “We’ll see you in twenty.”
Ora gave him a quick wave before tucking their hands back in their shawl.
“There are some tussocks beyond the ridge to graze the oxen,” Ora said, as we watched Navin head down the switchback trail. “You can go with the twins to stretch your legs if you’d like.” They gestured to Mina and Malou, who were peering into a darkened window across the street. “But Nesra’s Pass is full of ne’er-do-wells, so stick together.”
I bobbed my chin in thanks and scuttled off to join the twins. We meandered to the end of the road, which was only a few paces, and peeked into the general store window.
Mina’s breath fogged the glass. There was something in the store she wanted, though I didn’t know quite what. I’d figured out some of her language over the past few days. She was patient with me as I practiced it with her. It didn’t help that she signed in a Valtan form of the language, and so I had to translate it twice over in my head, but I was getting there. Another language I could eventually add to my repertoire. I’d noted that Mina could hear what people were saying and preferred people to speak to her while she communicated back through sign. But whatever she was signing now was lost on me.
“Come on, then.” Malou tugged on her sister’s sleeve.
“You’ll spend all our coins on sweets,” Mina signed, even as she followed.
I huffed. That I understood.
“What’s the point of traveling the kingdoms if we can’t sample all the sweets in Aotreas?” Malou grinned as the bell above her tinkled.
We navigated down the dusty, sparse shelves. Wicker baskets lined the far wall, picked nearly clean apart from a few rotten apples. Strings of dried lemon and bundles of dried mint hung from the windows to ward off the bugs. In the corner sat a table of glass jars filled with colorful boiled candies.
“Have you ever had aniseed candies before?” Malou asked, lifting the jar and scooping out a dark round ball.
She offered it to me and I picked it up off the spoon, giving it a sniff. It smelled sweet, with an undercurrent of spice that reminded me of cloves.
“Just try it,” Malou snickered, taking a candy for herself and popping it in her cheek. “Don’t chew it though, not if you want to keep your teeth.”
Mina slipped one in her mouth and I followed. The flavor made me grimace, and the twins burst out into laughter. It was strangely smooth yet bitter, spicy yet sweet. I swallowed, the taste of it coating my mouth. I rolled the candy across my tongue, getting used to the bizarre tang that lit up my taste buds.
“Okay.” I bobbed my head, beginning to understand the appeal.
“Is there anything else you need?” Mina signed, her tongue clicking as she sucked the candy.
I surveyed the bare room.
“Save your money,” Malou said. “They’ll have better wares in the capital city of Taigoska.”
We ambled down the shelves anyway, taking our time to be out of the wagon. The syrupy flavor of the candy coated my tongue as it shrunk into the size of a pebble in my mouth. We had nearly wound our way to the back of the shop when I noticed a tipped-over sack. Grain spilled onto the hardwood floor. The hairs on my arm stood on end as I glanced over the back counter to an upturned chair. My ears strained, but I couldn’t hear a sound.
“Hello?” I called, waving the twins over.
Why hadn’t I thought to question it when no store owner appeared? We’d eaten their candy and perused their shelves for several minutes.
“Hello? Anyone here?” Malou shouted toward the cracked-open door that led to the back of the shop. “We’re from Galen den’ Mora.” The Taigosi words flowed easily off her tongue.
“Are you all right?” I called.
“Aye,” a gruff voice shouted back. A weathered-looking man with a long beard shuffled out from behind the back door and we collectively sighed. He looked unscathed, a bottle of amber liquid clutched in his hand. “Just waiting for the Rooks to pass.”
“Rooks?” I glanced between the twins.
“How long ago were they here?” Malou asked.
“Ye just missed them.” The owner pointed out the back window.
Malou chucked a copper coin onto the countertop and spun around. “We need to get back to the wagon.”