Karolus enjoyed the evening with the Meirge Tribe, the drinks they shared were fruity and warm, more than an aid to fighting off the winter chill. They smoked a lot, each and everyone of them had a pipe seemingly uniquely designed from different woods and intricate engravings. 

Aoife spent the majority of the evening talking to him, telling him of the apple and pear orchards they tended, mostly using minor druidic cantrips to keep them fresh all year around. She spoke of the stargazing the tribe did, every building in the village had holes in the rooftops giving them easy line of sight when they weren’t laid out in the woods looking up. 

She named so many of the stars, their constellations and went into the tales of the Rionnag, the great ten that bore the existence of the Creator Titans. Karolus struggled to take in the majority of it as it seemed Aoife didn’t need to breathe in between sentences.

What did stick in his mind though was Komodo, the dragon constellation, other names such as the Hoarder, They Who Glitter, the Monarch were associated. Calvaria is the island city of ancient Dragon worshipping empire, the Komodo their patron constellation. From Komod came Uldryd, the creator of dragons and their kin.

He hadn’t known this, but Aoife was brimming with knowledge, and spoke about it as a teacher would. Sharing knowledge. Karolus could see the joy of sharing it sparkle in her blue eyes.

It was as if she were going through a planned script and had been waiting for someone to sit and listen. Her smoking pipe had a pattern of fruits linked by vines engraved into the ashwood. It had been a gift from her late sister which she spoke of with a beaming smile. 

As Aoife spoke of her Karolus couldn’t help having Connor in his mind. Aoife's sister was older though and had died of illness. Connor was taken alive by scaled monsters, and may very well still draw breath. They shared a moment in their grief, both with smiles. 

Not that there was much sunlight when dawn came, Karolus only now noticed he and Aoife had been up all night. 

“Not long and time for bed. I can show you the springs if you want, they are not far and the water is relatively warm this time of season.” the gnome stood up and brushed herself down.

He wasn’t super convinced anything would be warm this time of year.

“Thank you.” Karolus followed suit.

The springs were several in number, about a five minute walk from the village. There were already a few of the Meirge here bathing. Aoife gestured to one nearby and stripped off before stepping in and sinking beneath the surface. She came back up and bobbed in the water.

He hadn’t meant to stare at anyone, but he saw that all the Meirge had the woad over their entire bodies, it wasn’t just the bits of skin they showed when clothed. The woad was part of them. 

Karolus took his clothes off and stepped into the spring, the water was cold, not freezing but cold enough to make him look daft as he slid into it gradually. 

“Do it quickly, it's far more comfortable.” Aoife chuckled.

He took the advice and dunked himself beneath the waters. The world disappeared for a moment. All he could hear was the small splashes of Aoife and his heart beating. He stayed under, it felt good. 

When he surfaced months of unkept hair and beard made him look like one who had never left a cave to see the light of day. 

“Oh dear it looks worse wet.” Aoife chuckled at his expense.

“It’s been a while.” he half smiled.

Aoife sat with her back against the side, she washed the woad from her body and the water had a silvery oil to it and then dissolved into nothing. On the banks of the springs those that had finished bathing were applying one another's woad.

The weightlessness felt great, he hadn’t realised how tired he was with Stella having him work his body whilst they travelled and then staying awake the entire night. Aoife was talking again but he blanked it out. He closed his eyes and he breathed.

Gasping for air and waving his arms about he took in a gulp of the water, a strong hand on his head holding him under for a brief second. The grip released and he surfaced spluttering.

“Don’t fall asleep in water lad, yer likely to die. We’ve been given somewhere to lay our heads. The Meirge lot are night folk so most of the village will be asleep about now. Follow me and rest up proper.” Stella wasn’t in her armour or armed, instead she wore nothing but her black and brown tartan kilt and a loose white shirt.

She looked like a different person, apart from the scars. 

“You can heal wounds right?” Karolus asked, a thought brewing at the back of his mind.

“That I can aye.” 

“How is it then you’re scarred?”

Stella stared hard Karolus, he saw the pain. The halfling cleric gritted her teeth. Her hand came up to face and slowly traced the lines over her scalp.

“Magic aint infinite, well, it is just not for us lot. When you run out then your left with ol’ reliable.” she patted her hip where the hammer normally hung.

“What do you mean run out?”

“When yer run, yer get tired, when yer so tired yer stop and rest. Once rest yer go again.” she offered as if the answer was obvious.

Karolus had a confused look on his face trying to do the maths.

“Cast magic, get tired. Rest, cast more magic.” Stella stated.

Karolus laughed at himself.

“Ok, I get it. But still, your wounds are heavy.”

“Sometimes natural healing is a better choice lad, don’t crutch on yer magic.” she wasn’t ready to tell all of it.

“Magic isn’t really my thing.”

“Not yet lad, but yer got it in yer.”

He didn’t really know how to respond.

“Out yer get, time for sleep.” She spoke like it was an order.

Karolus did exactly that, getting out of the spring into the winter air was an experience he wouldn’t forget. Aoife chuckled again and waved her hand towards him and goosebumps raced across his skin as he became completely dry. 

He accepted it and dressed quickly, the clothes were cold from being sat by the spring but kept the chill off his skin. 

Stella led the way to a ground built building, inside it were rows of bunks.

“The Meirge get a few visitors now and then, mostly folk seeking out fortunes to be told by the stars. Take any bunk. I’ve asked Aluro if he can get us to Horndean quicker. I know his folk have ways of travel.” Stella climbed into a bunk and pulled a blanket over her. 

“Hordean?” Karolus took a bunk and sat on the edge. He saw that Stella’s gear was stacked beside her bunk.

“It's a port town, we can look for passage to Calvaria. How do yer not know of Hordean?”

“Some things are still a bit cloudy when I try to remember.”

“Aye, deep wounds can do that to yer.” She sat up to see Karolus was also just sitting on the side of his bunk.

Karolus rubbed at his head, tiredness getting a hold of him. Now out of the spring and sitting on the bunk he felt the rush of tiredness and let out a long yawn. 

“Stella.”

“Aye.”

“The Calvarian’s, they still here?”

“That they are lad.”

He adjusted his posture and no longer felt as tired as he did a moment ago.

“Why?”

“Cos we aint letting’em leave easy. After what happened at Grey Rock, council was had. Clans came together. Agreed in dance and spirit that we would feed the roots of the Drydakka with their blood.” her voice was steady, her eyes glistened.

Karolus had missed the last few months, it was only now he was wondering what had happened since, and now he knew. 

“How come we haven’t run into them?”

“They are scattered, skirmishes going on all the time lad. I brought yer this way to avoid’em. Ain’t easy bringing an army through the highlands.”

“Makes sense.” Karolus rested his head in his hands.

“What about here? They seem oblivious.” he asked.

Stella chuckled.

“Don’t yer worry about this lot, if those lizards come through this way they be regretting it. Now sleep.

Karolus nodded and laid back on the bed. The same holes as other buildings were here also. He looked up at the winter daytime sky. 

Last night felt like the first he had experienced in a long time. Right now he felt guilty that he had enjoyed song and drink all the while his brother was being put through who knew what among the Calvarian’s. 

Stella’s words of feeding the roots with blood, repeated over and over in his mind. There was so much blood being spilled throughout the highlands. 

What home would he and his brother be coming back to?

“I’m coming Connor, just hold on.” he whispered as sleep took him.

It wasn’t yet evening but it was on the cusp when he woke. Stella had already left the building and he was sure she had woken him earlier using her poetic words to tell him to get up. Clearly it didn’t work but here he was now stretching and heading out into the village.

Aoife and others were chalking out a pattern on the ground, at first it looked as though children had made strange markings claiming them to be grand images of their imaginations. 

The more he looked though he could see they were in the design of the night sky. Sparkling dust was sprinkled at points, representing stars.

Aluro, the old gnome stargazer, walked the lines chalked and whispered words of arcane power. The glittering dust lit up and the star points became bright. A breath later and all the lines were lit. 

With the lack of sunlight the circle was the main source of light in the middle of the village. The buildings were illuminated with a soft silver white.

Half plate, scarred, and an aura that filled the area about her, Stella looked a force to be reckoned with. A small bat sat on Yina’s shoulder and she fed it small bites of fruit. 

“You ready lad?” The question was rhetorical from the cleric.

Karolus looked at the village of Applecross. Bats fluttered about the rooftops, the smells of apple and pear fluttered about as if carried by the bats themselves. He looked down at his hands, they shook a little. He made fists with them and took a deep breath. 

“I’m ready.”

The trio stepped through onto the magical starlight and were enveloped in it. The sound of the world disappeared and was replaced with a twinkle of bells and a whooshing of air and light. 

They arrived in a room, their stomachs lurched a little but all were well. The light faded slowly, the first thing they noticed was the rush of sound coming to them. Ship bells rang loudly, dock workers were calling to one another.

Karolus looked at the magic circle on the floor beneath them. It was different, not drawn with chalk but something a little more defined. An ink of sorts that had stained the wooden floorboards. 

There was a lot of space in the room. Chairs and sofas were about the place. Strips of tartan hung from tiny decorative hooks, a lot of it.

“It’s been a while, hits yer right in the gut.” Stella held her fist to her mouth with the placebo that it would stop her vomiting.

“I kinda liked it. Give me butterflies.” Yina gave a small piece of apple to the bat she had with her. The bat looked unphased by the magical transport.

“Druids.” Stella stepped to an armchair and sank into it taking a drink from a jug sat on a close by table.

Karolus laughed and took a deep breath of the sea air coming through the glass window frames. He could immediately taste it on his lips.

“There are a lot of clans.” he gestured at the tartan.

“Aye, all up there. Bar one.” Stella took another drink.

“Bar one?” he asked.

“Hollow Tree.” Yina said merrily. 

“...bind myself to the blood of Clan Hollow Tree.” Karolus whispered to himself, low enough that Yina and Stella didn’t hear.

“Why?” he asked.

“Why what?” said Stella.

“Why are they not up there?”

“Tis a dark tale but the short of it is they betrayed the clans a long time ago. A Lot of blood was shed. Leave it be.” Stella finished the jug.

Before Karolus could ask further questions the door opened and in walked a Neroliath. Large and thickly built. Obvious features of their giant blood. Hair of seafoam white hung loose about their shoulders, and matched the colour of their short kept beard. 

“Well, evening. Aluro sent word you’d be arriving. Everyone good?” The Neroliath took their long bear pelt jacket off and hung it. 

He wore no shirt beneath, a thick belt of leather was at his waist and he wore loose trousers that were patchworked together. Tattoos of dark blue waves covered his light blue skin. Many leather bracelets decorated his wrists and a braided leather necklace sat at his neck.

“And you are?” Stella was holding the jug above her letting the last drops drip onto her tongue.

“Caedmon. You are in my house.” His smile was broad and charming. 

“Stella. That's Yina and the skinny one is Karolus.”

“A pleasure to meet you all. I would say make yourselves at home but it would appear you already have.”

“It's appreciated.” said Karolus, moving forwards and offering his hand.

The Neroliath took it, holding back their strength in the greeting. 

After the warm welcome they found themselves down stairs in a large kitchen. The table was easily big enough to seat ten or more if they scooched. Caedmon boiled a kettle of water and filled a pot with tea leaves. 

He then tabled a plate of sweet bread and meat. A strong cheese sat on its own wooden board. 

“Eat up.” the Neroliath said.

They dug in. The food was well made and tasted fresh. Karolus didn’t mind the berries that Yina had provided them. But there was no substitute for fresh cooked meals.

“Aluro said you need a ship.” Caedmon refilled his mug with tea.

“We do, we don’t have coin though, we need it on the kindness of yer heart.” Stella’s words were not filled with confidence.

“How about a favour?” he asked.

“Depends on the favour.” she replied. 

Caedmon laughed and slapped the table. He raised his massive mug of tea and shook his head, still laughing. 

“Is it true you plan to sail to Calvaria, the great city of dragons!” the Neroliath said with grandeur and arms wide.

Stella nodded.

“There are still plenty of Calvarian’s here if it's blood and battle you are seeking. Why would you sail into the jaws, dragon jaws at that, of death?” He leant forwards and Karolus could see him trying to read the halfling cleric. 

“It's personal.” Stella said guardedly.

“No doubt, it's madness.” said the sea giant.

“My brother.” Karolus said softly. 

Caedmon and Stella looked at him. Her face softened as did their hosts. 

“He was taken a few months ago.”

Caedmon looked at Stella and she nodded confirming Karolus' sentence.

“I am sorry my friend. I did not mean to mock.”

Karolus nodded. The room was silent for a heartbeat. 

“I’ll get you to Calvaria but I cannot storm the walls with you. The docks are known to me and I can get information but that is all my involvement.” 

“That is all we need.” said Karolus.

“And when you return you will owe me.” the Neroliath added with a charming smile.