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The carriage landed on the soft forest floor. The familiar trees were covered in snow and the small village homes dripped with icicles. Aero jumped out of the carriage into the cold air.

“Cassia.”

Aero turned to see Lucidia at the door of their small home. Tears welled in her eyes at the sight of her.

“Lucidia!” Aero cried as she ran to her. Lucidia caught her in a hug as Aero sobbed burying her head in her chest.

“It’s alright now.” She pet Aero’s hair. “Cry all you want.”

The horses stepped carefully on the rickety wooden floor inside the small house. Lucidia had insisted they come inside and warm up. The house hadn’t changed at all during the time that passed. Even her bed lay in the same spot, though it had been neatly made in her absence.

“Cassia, oh sorry, Aero, do you want any tea?”

She nodded wiping her eyes.

“How about you two?” she called to the horses, “Do you want anything?”

“We’re fine.” They stood awkwardly in the small house, their wings tucked along their backs trying not to hit anything.

“Make yourselves comfortable, sit,” she insisted, “Do you want blankets? Food? Water?”

“Really, we’re fine ma’am. It’s just a little cramped for creatures our size.” One told her as the other added, “We’ll be outside. It was a long flight, we need to stretch a bit.”

With that they left.

“How are you feeling?” Lucidia asked getting straight to the point. “All of your letters have been very brief since Tornado left. How are you holding up?”

“I’ve gotten better but . . . I really miss him.”

Lucidia always acted more as a big sister than a guardian. Their age difference was only a little more than ten years so they could relate to each other easily. Lucidia was always too busy for a relationship but she could empathize with Aero’s pain. For once she felt a little more like a mother than a sister while Aero cried in her arms. Aero hadn’t come home to cry but she’d been holding it in for so long. She couldn’t hide her feelings from Lucidia no matter how hard she tried to hold them in. Maybe it was because she’s a healer but Lucidia seemed to pull the truth from people.

“H-how are the peo-people here?” Aero asked as she eased up from her sobs.

“Everyone’s fine, don’t worry about that. I’m taking good care of all of them.” Lucidia smoothed her hair. “How is Flora? Is she adjusting well?”

“She’s fine, a little worried about me but she seems to be happy,” Aero told her, “Rook is taking good care of her.”

“That’s good. Her parents will be relieved.”

A terrified whinny ripped the air as hurried stomping hooves pounded against the frozen ground growing louder by the second.

“Miss Aero, Miss Lucidia!” The Horses shouted.

They ran to the door ripping it open. The horses stood before them chests heaving as their steamy breath escaped their mouths.

“What’s wrong?” Lucidia demanded.

“A tree,” he gasped. “It fell from the ice weighing it down.”

“It landed on a house!” The other shouted. “Split the whole roof. Hurry, get on!”

Aero and Lucidia mounted the horses. Lucidia had her bag filled with every healing ingredient she had. Aero held a pile of blankets and bandages.
The house was in the middle of town. It had once been the baker’s house, but not the large tree split it in two with it’s long branches reaching in every direction. Shards of ice lay scattered in the snow after separating from the frozen branches.

Lucidia was taken aback by the damage. “No . . . no!” she shouted, “We need ropes! We have to get the tree off the house.”

In seconds the carpenter brought out cords of rope. They tied the rope on the thickest branches and flew into the air pulling the tree up. They managed to get it off and hurried back to the house. Lucidia and Aero were already sifting though the planks that had once been the roof searching for the residents. The rest of the villagers joined calling out their names. Through the long search only one resident survived. Lucidia fell to her knees and cradled her head in her hands.

“Lucidia.” Aero came up beside her.

“I failed them. I couldn’t save them,” she cried.

Aero hugged her as she cried. “You saved one. He would have died if you weren’t here.”

“That’s not enough. His parents died. I could only save one.”

“Lucidia! Lucidia come quick, he’s dying!” Their neighbor yelled from the door of her home.

She was up in half a heartbeat, Aero ran after her. The small boy lay on a blanket on the floor, breathing faintly. The roof that had collapsed had left puncture wounds all over his small body. Lucidia examined him, her face growing grave.

“There’s not much I can do for him, the wounds are internal and I have so few herbs left.” Lucidia’s face went white.

No! He can’t die, not another one! I don’t want to fail, not again. Please, someone, something, save him.

She folded in on herself again sobbing over the small dying child before her. Aero hid her face in her hands. She couldn’t watch Lucidia suffer anymore. Energy surged through her. It was strange and powerful. She fell beside Lucidia looking at her hands. Strange sparkling lights hovered around her fingertips emitting a strange green glow.

“Lucidia,” she breathed, “what’s happening?”

Lucidia looked up through her tears. Her eyes widened. “Hold your hands over the boy, hurry!”

Aero did as she was told and the light amplified all around her sinking through the boys skin making him glow with a faint white light. The pain on his face eased as his bruises faded on his skin. His breathing strengthened as his eyes fluttered open.

“Where . . . what happened?” He asked faintly.

The crowd in the room let out their held breath, relieved. The neighbors took over explaining the situation as Aero fell into Lucidia.

“How did you do that?” Lucidia asked her. “You saved him.”

“I-I don’t know. Suddenly there was this power inside me.” Her head spun. “It seems to have taken a lot out of me.” Everything went black.