Talon rides a little ahead, his shoulders stiff and his sight in constant movement around them as though he expects something to jump out at them. Nura doesn't blame him, she's been unable to shake that feeling since being attacked by the Shadow Elf, but Talon didn't seem effected until now.

"What are you looking for?" Nura asks, her voice sounding far too loud amongst the quiet of the trees.

Talon glances back at her, a crease between his light brows. "There are ancient creatures in the Elven lands, creatures I don't wish to encounter." He turns his gaze back to the forest, a cold glint in his icy eyes. "Something is hunting us."

"What?" Nura gasps but Talon shakes his head.

"Hopefully once we reach the tree line it'll forget about us."

Nura urges her horse a little faster, the break in the trees ahead where the sun gleams seeming more like a ray of hope than anything else.

They halt at the top of a slope where the trees fall away and the road dips down towards fields of farms and splotches of snow. Mills and animals scatter across the land and in the far distance Nura can see the wall that many have tried to breach.

"Kepfew," Talon tells her and she glances at him. "We'll find Rephas there. And hopefully not die." He nudges his horse forward and they continue along the cobblestone road. Nura studies the land of sweeping hills and lush greenery that peeks out through the beginnings of the snow.

It's beautiful and so far removed from the sodden Human lands. Though the Human lands carry their own charms and beauty, the Elven lands are alive with life, a hum in the air like the land itself has its own song to sing alongside the wildlife and insects. The cottages and farms billow smoke from their chimneys, a few people brave the cold and clear pathways of snow. The shrill of children's laughter at one of the distant homesteads has Nura smiling. Life, so rich and pure, so full of everything wonderful and everything terrible.

"We'll find you a healer once we reach Kepfew," Talon tells her without looking in her direction.

"What about you?"

"I have a contact to meet." His back straightens. "Getting Rephas back won't be simple or easy. Hopefully he's..." Talon trails off and Nura raises a brow. He glances around, his horse tossing its head.

"Talon?" she asks.

"Hush," he hisses before he jumps down from his horse. "Take the reins." Talon shoves the reins into Nura's hands before she can question him. "Ride for Kepfew and don't look back."

"Talon," she begins, but a deep rumbling beneath the snow and dirt freezes her words.

"I said ride, Nura," he commands, his voice taking on a sharp edge. Talon flexes his hand and the air shimmers. An icy blade materialises in his hand and Nura swallows to see it, reminded of the way he beheaded the Witch Hunter.

The snow shifts before them and Nura watches with wide eyes as it rises and falls, like a sea creature would beneath the surface of the water. Except they're on land.

"Nura," Talon snaps and she kicks the horse into motion towards the high walls of Kepfew, leaving him in the snow. Alone.

Her breaths cloud the air before her face and she glances back at Talon as something large bursts from the snow in a shower of ice and dirt like an eruption from the Abyss. Fear chokes her as Talon leaps away from the monstrous thing.

The cold air scorches a painful path into her lungs as she watches the battle. Talon dodges the claws of the icy monster, tendrils of mist and fog swirling from its glistening body. Shards of ice and clumps of snow make up the beast. Nura has never seen anything like it.

Talon avoids another swipe from it with an agile jump. The beast whistles through the air and darts towards him with a savage screech. Talon moves like the breeze, dashing away from lethal blows, sending ice spikes towards the beast and hitting its attacks away with his blade.

Nura tugs the horses to a stop, transfixed by the fight and the way he moves. He's in command of the fight, watching his target, anticipating its moves and reacting accordingly, taking it apart bit by bit.

But Nura can't sit by and watch as blood drips to the snow from a deep gnash in his arm. She can't watch as this beast takes him apart bit by bit as well.

Nura abandons the horses and runs back toward the fighting. She swipes up a rock and once she's close enough, she hurls it. The rock collides with the beast's gleaming body and a low hiss escapes it.

"Hey, ugly!" Nura shouts and its attention whips to her, giving Talon the moment he needs to slice through the beast. It keeps fighting, trying to shred him apart. Nura sweeps up another rock and throws.

The thing turns to her and as Nura sees its eyeless face lock onto her direction. That's when it's name comes to her from one of the many stories she's read and she suddenly remembers what it can do. In that moment she also realises the creature was just playing with Talon.

A Frost Phantom.

Nura tenses, preparing herself to run, but it lets out a screech that rattles her bones and sends her stumbling back. The Phantom shoots through the air and ice coats her, filling her lungs, freezing her fingers, and a cold wall of scorching frost slams into her, sending her into the air like she weighs little more than one of the stones she threw at it.

A cry is torn from her throat as she crashes into the ground, tumbling through mud and snow until she slumps, her body burning with pain. It crawls through her, tearing at every inch of her skin. Every wound she's received on this journey comes back to haunt her, to remind her how fragile she is and how ill-equipped she is to accomplish this mission alone.

Nura lifts her head, that small movement screaming at her in protest, but she manages to open her bleary eyes in time to witness Talon leap upon the beast's back and plunge his blade into its spine.

Nura lays back down and lets out a breath, the hurt that consumes her feeling trivial compared to the pain that's plagued her heart. This pain will never be worse than the moment she realised her husband was gone.

"Nura!" Talon's voice reaches her in the haze of pain that begins to cloud her mind. But she's too tired to hold on anymore and she eases into blessed darkness.

Nura breathes in, her hand sliding against soft sheets. Her eyes flutter open and she looks up at a wooden roof. The sound of a crackling fire reaches her and she tilts her head to locate the noise but finds something else. Talon sits in a chair beside the bed, head in his palm, eyes closed and hair falling over his forehead. Something tugs within her at the sight of him so at peace, so serene looking. She stares at him, a small scar through his pale left brow. She studies his straight nose and sharp features, usually so intense.

Nura reaches out to trace a raised scar on the side of his wrist. His skin is warm under her fingertips but she snatches her hand back when his eyes open to look at her with a half-lidded, silver gaze. He sits up straighter and clears his throat, his eyes roaming over her face.

"Nura," he murmurs, his voice husky from sleep. "How are you feeling?"

Nura glances around the room with a frown. "Where are we?"

The door opens before he can answer and a man enters, his bald head shining in the light of the sun that streams in through the window. "Ah, you're awake," the man says and he smiles at her. Nura notices his pointed ears and she's very aware she's no longer in the Human lands and that halflings have been outlawed. "I've healed your wounds the best that I can." The man places a tray atop the dresser and turns to us.

It's then Nura remembers her previous injuries, ones she knew were grievous. She places her hand against her ribs, her lips parted to feel no semblance of pain where the bone once pocked at her skin.

"You used magic?" she asks.

"Ice Elf magic, yes," the healer says with a nod.

"Thank you," Nura replies, her eyes flicking between Talon and the other Ice Elf in the room. There have been too many lapses in her life when she's craved to tap into her Ice Elf abilities just for the slim chance she could heal someone. But the price was never worth it, not when there's no guarantee she's even capable of wielding such a power. Not all Ice Elves can heal with a touch.

"Yes," Talon says and gets to his feet. "Thank you." He pulls a pouch from his pack by the bed and hands it to the healer who takes it, the contents clinking.

"I suppose you're here for business then, Taliondil," the man says, pocketing the coins. "Rólin returned yesterday."

Talon's shoulders stiffen at the mentioning of the name and Nura can't help but watch him a little closer. "Yes, business. Business that doesn't involve you."

The older man nods, his movements becoming hasty as he retreats back through the door.

"You could've been a little nicer," Nura mutters as she sits up, her hand brushing against her ribs again, reassuring herself that all that's left behind is only a dull ache.

"No one can know you're here, Nura, and I'd rather they didn't look too closely at you." Talon grabs his pack and turns to her with his emotions hidden behind a face of neutrality.

"And what happens if they discover me?"

"The slim chance we have of getting Rephas back will disappear."

Those words have Nura's throat closing and she nods in answer. There's a chance, Talon admitted that much. There's a chance of getting Rephas back and she's not going to let it slip through her fingers.

Dread and anticipation bubble inside Nura as they ride through the Hold, Talon keeping his lips sealed while they're in the company of Elves and soldiers. Nura keeps her head bowed and her features hidden under her hood.

They traverse through the bustling, wide streets of the Hold, and her senses are flooded with an overload of sights and smells. Foods, animals, perfumes. Bright clothing, brick buildings that rise up about three to four stories high, clustered together like a hive.

They enter the heart of the Hold, sitting atop their horses as people rush about, music filtering through the street. Talon jumps off his horse and Nura follows as he leads the way towards a cluster of stables and they leave the horses to be cared for. Nura follows Talon as he weaves through the people and streets, her eyes wide as she takes in everything around her.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"You're going somewhere safe and out of sight," he replies.

Nura scowls at his back. "I'm going to find Rephas."

He doesn't reply, instead he keeps his steady pace through a narrow alley, their steps echoing off the brick around them.

Nura can't accept that, so she grabs his wrist to stop his movements. "Tell me exactly what you plan to do and why I can't accompany you."

Talon's jaw tenses as he looks down at her hand around his wrist as though the touch burns him. She removes her hand but continues to glare at him. "I'm going to meet with an old friend," he says and doesn't offer anymore information.

"Who?"

Talon rolls his shoulders, clearly irritated with being interrogated. "A man who might help me get Rephas back if he's in a suicidal mood like usual."

"That does little to reassure me."

"Is that what I'm meant to be doing?" The sharpening of his gaze is withering and nearly makes Nura back down. She's in his world now, a world she's nowhere near as versed in as she should be considering her heritage. This is Talon's domain, and she's only pretending to be strong.

"Just tell me how I can help."

Talon lets out a breath, his eyes softening as he looks at her, like snow melting in the Bloom sun. "Just be safe, that's all I ask of you. I can't do any of this if I'm worried about you too."

"Oh," she says, her voice quiet and she tears her gaze away from his. His words effect her more than she'd like and she feels the sharp edges in her chest dulling. "Okay, but I won't stay hidden forever."

"It's a deal then," he murmurs and keeps walking, Nura falling into step beside him with a crease between her brows.

She's never been one to sit idle and watch the work get done for her, but the dangers she's faced have shown her how out of depth she is. Until she gets a bearing on her surroundings, she's probably better off letting Talon take the lead, much to her chagrin.