It had been three days of almost non-stop flying. Vasda, the Sorcress of Mirrors, had created enough platforms for the four dozen or so sorceresses to ride comfortably on. Meera was doing the bulk of the work in flying them with Mirror Bolt. Vasda pulled her weight as well, as she was maneuvering almost ten of them. It was commendable, considering she had recently acquired this new power.

In their travels, she had learned that the princess had decided to give her this new power even against the wishes of Duinith, who didn't want to give this power to another woman. But necessity called, and she couldn't refuse the princess, as she was technically the rightful ruler of these witches.

They had also gotten Vasda to kill a bunch of daughters to power level her to her current level. She wouldn't be expected to fight but only to aid in the camp. It was a wasteful idea to keep her considering what she had seen Kalrina do on Gethys.

Meera had hoped it would take less time to get to the Pale Mantle, but it had taken so long as these witches wanted to take a stop every few hours. Their bums were sore, or they had to relieve themselves, so they had Vasda make them a toilet as they were too prim to do their business in the bushes.

Meera knew now why they had come to the princess and not gone on the run in Rhione. Even in defeat, they still wanted the royal treatment. The wonderful glares also never stopped. They thought Meera didn't have eyes in the back of her head, so they were safe to glare all they liked. She memorized the faces and tags of the ones who had given her acidic looks. She would deal with them in private, as they needed a one-on-one session.

"Is that it?" Princess Rehia called over the rushing wind.

Meera was flying beside the platform on which she sat.

"Yes," she replied. "There is a small village with a Gateway Mirror, where we can take a short break before moving on to make a camp in the woods."

"Yes, that would be best," Rehia replied. "If it has a Gateway Mirror, then all the better, we can touch it so we can have a quick way to return to the capital and order more supplies, if needed."

Meera nodded in response. She was too busy scanning the way ahead. There was smoke rising from the distance, which Meera figured to be the village. Truth be told, she was looking forward to seeing the Dyrsa again. She had wanted to take her flying last time. Hopefully, her mother's anger had simmered down, and she would let Meera take her for a spin.

A few minutes later, Meera noticed the smoke was rising in thick plumes. She frowned and zoomed in with her eyes, and gasped. She paused mid-flight, as did all the platforms that she was flying.

Vasda went ahead for a few moments before realizing that Meera had stopped. She paused and looked back.

"Everything okay, Reverent Lady?" she asked.

No, everything was not okay. Meera felt her limbs grow cold as a dread crept over her. Her hands shook, and she prayed that what she was seeing was an illusion.

"Vasda, I'm going on ahead," Meera said. "Catch up when you can."

"What is it, Meera?" Rehia asked. "What do you see?"

Meera didn't respond and blasted off, bringing all the platforms that she was controlling with her. The sorceresses let out cries of astonishment and screams as they were almost thrown off their platforms. A few were barely holding on, and Meera didn't care if any of them fell. She had more important things to worry about.

It took her a few minutes to arrive at the village, which lay in pieces.

Some huts had been smashed—their planks and wooden beams frozen in places. There were a few that were aflame. The long house had been smashed open as if someone had taken a great hammer to it.

She dropped to the ground and put the platforms down, not gently. The sorceresses cried out, but Meera didn't care. She rushed to check on the destroyed homes and the people of this village. But she found no one. Every house in the village was empty. It was as if they had just picked up and left overnight.

This meant only one thing—Valan had returned, and they had run to take shelter in the longhouse. The very same longhouse that had been utterly destroyed.

Meera feared to see what had happened to the people hiding inside it. She rushed to the decimated building and tried opening the door, but it was sealed shut. She tried harder, but it wouldn't budge. So, she activated Druvis Might and pulled. The handle ripped off the door, but the door didn't open. She threw the handle on the floor in frustration and decided to fly.

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What she saw through the hole in the roof took everything out of her and left her with only grief.

Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw the smashed little body of a girl that she had promised to take flying.

Icy spikes jutted out of her body as she clutched the shadowsteel dagger that Meera had given her. Bodies were strewn everywhere. A thick layer of ice permeated the floorboards. Some people were frozen on the spot. Some had their upper halves missing, as it had been ripped off or bitten clean. She could see the bite marks on one of the men's legs, who was standing, with his feet frozen in the ice.

"Oh, Drysa…" Meera flew into the longhouse to hug her body. She was cold, so very cold.

Then ice crackled, and Meera's head snapped to the sound. She had already pulled off a chakram, but upon seeing who it was, she was more shocked than surprised. It was the old woman, the Runeweaver, Marid, who went by Ingdis.

Meera raced to her. The woman was lying on a bed of ice, half-submerged in it, with a destroyed table toppled on top of her. Only a portion of her face and a bit of her arm were visible. Everything else was hidden under the debris.

Meera activated Druvis Might and quickly hurled the table away, as if it were made of cardboard. The woman sighed as the weight was lifted off her, but she was still stuck in the ice and probably had frostbite all over her. Meera punched the ground, and the ice cracked. Spiderweb-like cracks raced out, but it wasn't fast enough. So, she punched the ice again, shattering it to bits.

Finally, the older woman was free. She gasped, but the damage was worse than Meera had expected. She activated Greater Vitalize as she held on to her.

"This should help with the pain," Meera said, as she rifled in her Hoard Belt for a Health Potion. She brought it to her lips, and the woman took a deep swig. The green potion spilled over the sides of her mouth.

A little light returned to her eyes. She huffed as she looked at her. Thanks to her healing skill, the frostbite that had marked half of her body was receding. But it was too cold in here; the woman needed warmth, or she might die of hypothermia.

"I'm going to get you out of here," she said. "So, hold on tight."

"T-Thank you." Ingdis gave one look at the dead and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes.

Meera flew the woman out of the hole in the roof. Vasda was still in the distance, but she was making up the distance fast, while the other sorceresses were looking about the empty village skeptically. But a lot of them were placing their hands on the Gateway Mirror, which, like most of the town, stood untouched.

"I need a fire," Meera called. "This woman needs some warmth."

At first, the sorceresses didn't move, and Meera's anger rose once again, and if she didn't need to focus on Ingdis, she would've snapped at them. But the princess snapped at them for her sake.

"Groda, come here right now and make a bonfire," Rehia snapped.

A woman, if she could be called that, she was more like a girl, who barely looked eighteen, came forward.

[Sorceress of Flames – Level 321]

She thrust her palm out, and a fireball shot out of her hands and lit a plank ablaze. She brought the plank towards Meera, looking like she wanted to smack Meera with it. The heat was welcome, as Marid shuddered contentedly in Meera's arms. They sat as Groda lit more planks and made a nice little bonfire.

"Ingdis, what happened?" Meera asked, still keeping her hand on the woman, as the frostbite hadn't fully healed yet.

"What do you think happened?" Her eyes gleamed in the firelight. "Valan came again, and this time, my runes failed…failed us all. No one survived. He ate most of us; those were the lucky ones. The ones he left here, stuck in the ice, died a slow agonizing death."

The image of Drysa frozen in the ice flashed in her mind. She had an arm missing, and half her face was crushed, but what really killed her were the ice spikes jutting out of her small body.

"And Drysa…"

Marid shook her head. "Don't make me repeat her passing. The poor girl didn't deserve the end she got." She looked Meera in the eye. "You know, ever since you found her, all she ever talked about was how you would return and take her flying."

That was like a knife to the heart, and Meera had to blink her tears away.

"How did he find you?" Meera asked. "I thought your runes protected you."

"Before, we would have had enough warning. The snowstorm would last long enough for us to all reach the longhouse safely. But this time, his storm lasted mere minutes before he showed himself." His voice quivered. "W-We had to leave so many out before we locked the doors. They died instantly. We didn't last much longer either."

"What are you two talking about?" Rehia interjected.

"Valan," Meera replied. "He's an ice monster created by the Hierarch to patrol the area around the Pale Mantle to ensure there aren't any threats."

Her eyes widened. "And that isn't information you would've liked to share before we sent some of our own to create a forward camp."

Meera stood. "We won't have to worry about this, Valan, any longer."

Ingdis snapped her head up, and she held her hand. "You cannot kill this thing, lass. As long as its master lives, it cannot die."

"I know."

"And yet you're going to go and try to get yourself killed," Rehia said vehemently. "Meera, don't forget what we've come here to do."

Meera placed a hand on her shoulder. "Princess, you don't know who you're talking to."

She dropped the Misidentify and let her aura wash over them all, and their eyes widened. Back at the palace, she was a little mad, but now, rage burned inside her like an inferno threatening to burn everything to cinders. Even Rehia stepped back from her.

"I suggest you go to your camp while I take care of this pest."

Without waiting for another word. She flew up into the longhouse again and pried the shadowsteel dagger from Drysa's frozen hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't return soon enough," Meera said. "I'm sorry, I couldn't take you flying, but know this, my friend, this monster that brought you so much pain, will not be walking this world for much longer."

She pocketed the dagger and flew up out of the longhouse and breathed deep, and as tears stung her eyes, she activated Shadowflame Devastation.

With her dark flames, she gave the people of this small village a final send-off before she left to hunt her prey.

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