I was on the couch, hugging my knees to my chest. I had recovered after three days of fever, but I still felt weak and chilly.

  “Are you still hungry?”

  I shook my head.

  “Are you cold? Would you like to move to the chair closer to the fire?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Did something happen?”

  I looked at him with a despondent expression.

  “I wanted to have a snack with the others, but instead I spent the last few days bored and lying in bed.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, they canceled the snack. Liz stayed with you a little, even though you were unconscious, and Bianca had a bit of a headache, so she took the opportunity to stay inside. They wanted to postpone everything until you recovered, but at this rate, I think we’ll have to stay inside a bit longer. It’s been snowing for two days straight now, who knows if there’ll be a storm like the one a few days ago.”

  “I wonder…” I began to sway gently, thinking of everything and nothing, unable to focus on a single thought, letting the dance of the fire hypnotize me.

  True to the forecast, the snow didn’t stop, and each day it seemed thicker than the last. For the next three weeks, only the men ventured outside once a day to check the animals in the barn or gather some food from the inn. Fortunately, the storm wasn’t as violent as the first, but it seemed endless.

  On the first sunny day, I left the house full of energy. It was still very cold, but seeing the sky clear and blue, without a single cloud, filled me with joy. I couldn’t wait to see Liz again after those weeks that felt endless.

  Before indulging in leisure, I helped clear the village streets of snow, even though the storm had compacted it a bit along the paths, so it hadn’t piled up too much. The village now looked like a labyrinth of tunnels: the snow along the sides of the streets was high, almost reaching the upper-floor windows of the houses. For now, we left it as it was, the tall banks had frozen and seemed stable. They almost made the village look magical.

  At lunch, everyone naturally gathered at the inn, except for Malù and Edune.

  “Strange… she usually came to see us after a storm this long.” Tristan spoke with a slightly worried tone, referring to Edune. “She didn’t come by for you guys either?” She asked Cole.

  “No, I find it a bit odd too. But maybe she’s just sleeping; I’ll go see her later.” Cole continued eating without giving it much thought. “By the way, we need to restock some firewood. I don’t know about you, but ours is running low. If it starts snowing again for weeks, it’ll be a problem.”

  “Yes, we know. We need to clear the garden of snow first, then we can get to work.” Tao shrugged. “If you want to help again, it would be very useful.” He looked at me distantly, as if his mind was elsewhere. Perhaps he was worried about Malù?

  “First you refuse her help, now you’re asking for it.” Tristan teased, referring to last month when I helped them chop wood. Preon and Cole laughed.

  “Honestly, we didn’t expect that kind of help. You were incredible.” Preon looked at me, placing a hand on my head and ruffling my hair a little.

  “Then I’d say we’ll sort the wood this afternoon.” I nodded, pleased to be able to contribute in some way.

  The work took much longer than expected, despite my magic, slowed by the enormous amount of accumulated snow.

  Liz stayed with us all afternoon, watching me in awe while I tried to explain a bit of theory again.

  When the sun began to set, we parted ways, and I helped Cole carry a good supply of wood to Edune.

  “Strange… she hasn’t even turned on the light, yet it’s getting dark.” I murmured to myself.

  Cole dropped the wood and went inside without knocking.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Everything’s dark… maybe she’s still in bed? I’ll check upstairs. You can go home if you want; you’ve already helped me a lot carrying all that wood.”

  I shook my head. “I’d like to say hello to Edune, if it’s not a bother. Actually, I could go light the fire while I’m at it; it’s freezing in this house.”

  Cole nodded and turned toward the hallway while I entered the living room carrying two pieces of wood. I began cleaning some of the ash from the hearth and arranging the logs when Cole’s voice rang through the silent house:

  “Mom! Mom, wake up!”

  His worried tone made me rush to him. Edune was sitting in the armchair in the library. Her eyes were closed, her face terribly pale and sunken. Cole was kneeling in front of her, and although he was facing away, I could hear his muffled sobs.

  “Arya… she… she’s…” He couldn’t or wouldn’t finish the sentence.

  I froze, unsure what to do, overwhelmed by emptiness and helplessness. I began crying silently, my heart breaking, witnessing the scene.

  After a while, Cole stood, looking at me sadly. I approached him, and after wiping a tear from my cheek, he hugged me. I began to stroke his back, trying to soothe him. In a whisper, Cole murmured a “thank you” before pulling away and looking around. He lit the lamp on the desk, and we both noticed a stack of letters there.

  “And these?” Cole picked them up, turning them over in his hands. “They’re… addressed to all of us…” He placed the letters on the table, keeping only one in his hand. On it, I saw “Cole” written in thin, elegant handwriting.

  “I’ll let the others know…” he spoke with a broken voice. “And I’ll deliver all the letters… You can go back to Preon… I want to stay here a little longer…”

  With a tight feeling in my chest, I left Edune’s house. Even though I had known her for only a few months, she already felt part of my life. I wanted to learn more from her, ask her countless questions, spend afternoons drinking tea and talking, sewing, and cooking together. I tried to hold back tears, thinking about how I could explain what had happened to Preon. I also thought about the letters we had seen, and with a hint of arrogance, I hoped there would be one for me too.

  The next day, Edune’s death was commemorated outdoors. Cole carried his mother in his arms, covered in a beautiful piece of colorful fabric she had sewn herself. She was laid in the center of the square on a pile of straw, while everyone else formed a circle around her and Cole, reminding me of funerals back in Elyve.

  I stayed next to Preon, who covered his face with a hand. He hugged me, trying to hold back his sobs.

  No one spoke, only Cole, still in the center, began murmuring something. I tried to listen until I realized he was reciting a spell in Elvish. Surprised and delighted, I stepped toward him, breaking the circle. I knelt beside him, not questioning how he knew the spell, and joined him in reciting the words.

  A small luminous sphere rose from the body, floating in the air, spinning between us. Cole paused and tried to touch the light, looking melancholy. The light rested on his palm, which he then brought to his cheek.

  “I’ll always love you, Mom.”

  I continued reciting the spell, watching their tender final farewell. The small light approached me, too. I smiled, letting it brush against me before it flew toward the others, circling everyone. Gradually, it dimmed and slowly disintegrated, carried away by the wind.

  After a minute of silence, Cole stood, clapping his hands.

  “Come on. Crying won’t bring her back. Let’s celebrate Mom, or in her next life, she’ll come back to scold us.”

  Everyone nodded. Tristan brought pieces of wood engraved with our names, which we placed one by one near Edune’s body. Cole approached the straw and sparked a fire with two flint stones.

  “May your soul soon find a new place to live.” Cole closed his eyes one last time, sighing deeply. He turned to us, smiling but with teary eyes.

  Tristan put an arm around his shoulders. “She had a wonderful life and surely passed peacefully. If she saw you sad, she’d be sad too.”

  “Exactly. What we need to do is show happiness and celebrate her life with joy.” Tao joined them.

  Liz also went to Cole, taking his hand gently. “She will watch over all of us until the end and continue living inside each of us.”

  Bianca and David stayed together in front of the fire, silently.

  Preon took my hand and guided me to the inn, where the others were heading.

  Just like at the party a few months ago, we found ourselves celebrating again in the main hall, still accompanied by music and food.

  “I didn’t think humans celebrated death like we do.” I approached Preon, who had been alone for a moment.

  “They don’t. Back in my homeland, the atmosphere was much heavier, and no spells were recited…”

  “You weren’t born here in Agene?” I had never thought about it, assuming everyone was born and raised here, and the question came to me spontaneously.

  “Exactly. It’s complicated, but I arrived here as a child, fleeing a war.”

  “Oh… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think of something sad right now.” I felt close to his situation, and for a moment, it felt like I had truly found my home.

  “Don’t worry. That was many years ago. As far as I’m concerned, this is the only place I want to live.” He smiled and stroked my head. “Anyway, as I said, it was Edune who taught us the Spirit Spell. Honestly, I didn’t know, and neither did the others, that it was an Elvish ritual. She told us her husband taught her, but none of us knew him. She said he died young; even Cole has no memory of his father. Who knows where he learned it…”

  I wanted to know more, but the others certainly couldn’t help me. I wondered where Edune’s mysterious husband had learned that sacred magic for us.

  Night fell quickly, but the celebration didn’t stop, until Cole distributed the letters to everyone.

  He came to me last, holding an envelope. “This… I don’t know if it’s for you, I don’t know what it says, but I think it’s right to give it to you…”

  I took the paper cautiously, as if it might tear at any moment. Confused and hesitant by Cole’s words, I turned the envelope over. In Edune’s beautiful handwriting, my name was written in Elvish.