Vivenya gave her a smile before she finally left the room. To your relief, she returned to a state of space as she had left it. Emma was about to eat and only gave her a very brief look. Ian, however, was still staring into the fire. He winced in surprise when she sat down in an armchair next to him. Her movements seemed to flow as she leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs.

"I hope I don't disturb you," she said with a smile, "The place in front of the fire is one of my favorite places in this house."

Ian eyed the woman for a moment before at least trying to relax a little. The conversation with Emma was still in his bones. He still didn't know what that hd been.

"Do I understand correctly that you are the owner of this Inn?"

"Actually more of a manager, but I can act very freely. I apologize for not having introduced myself yet. My name is Viv and if you have anything on your mind, please don't hesitate to speak to me. Or one of my employees. We are here to make it as comfortable as possible for you. "

He clears his throat as if it could dispel his anxiety.

"That's very kind, thank you. But your staff have already taken good care of me."

"I am very pleased to hear that."

Vivenya's attention shifted to Zoye when she came out of the kitchen with the drinks, passed a mug and sat down with her boss.

"I saw that you ran some errands," Zoye took up a conversation, "That wouldn't have been necessary. I could have done that tomorrow morning too."

"Sure, but when I'm in town it would be a waste of time if you went back tomorrow morning. Unless, of course, you need an excuse to escape those walls."

"If I need a break, I just leave," Zoye replied with a laugh, "I don't need an excuse for that."

"Is that so?"

Vivenya propped her elbows on the armrests of her chair and hid her smile behind her cup. She ran her finger over and over the edge. The movement had a hypnotic effect on Ian. His gaze kept wandering to the elegant fingers. With every back and forth movement, his thoughts seemed to fall silent, as did the surrounding noise. He wasn't even sure whether the two women were talking to each other anymore. His eyes grew heavier. He was so tired. He's been on the road for so long. Without break. Without knowing where he was going. All he knew was that he didn't belong here. And that the snow would be his constant companion, no matter what he did. The raging, ice-cold storm that had crept into all his limbs until he hadn't felt it anymore. Until his eyes closed.

The moment he felt his eyelids shut, he looked up. His heart raced as if it wanted to jump out of his chest. And although he was freezing again, he could feel the sweat on his forehead.

"Ian, are you all right?"

Vivenya's voice made him whirl around. Only then did he realize that he was standing.

"I ... I have to go. The storm must have passed."

"What Storm Ian?"

The question irritated him. It couldn't be that she hadn't noticed the blizzard that had swept around the house. It was a stupid question and he didn't want to answer it.

"Thanks for the hospitality. I'm sorry I don't have anything to pay for."

"You can pay me. By answering my question."

Her voice was calm and gentle, but there was something lurking beneath the surface. As if she was hunting something. He wanted to get out of the situation as quickly as possible, so he gave in.

"The snowstorm. The whole streets were covered with snow up to the windows. You can hardly have overlooked that."

"I remember."

Ian nodded in satisfaction, picked up his jacket, then suddenly paused. Her words made no sense.

"What do you mean 'I remember'? You really don't have to remember anything."

"Well, it's been a while," Vivenya replied calmly and took a sip of her mulled wine, "I think it was ten years ago? At least for this area. A really bad winter."

"WHAT'S THE NONSENSE!"

Slowly the other person tilted her head to the left as she looked up at him.

"There's no need to scream. I agree with you. The blizzard was bad. But you can escape it, you know that."

Ian opened his mouth, but no words came out. His thoughts raced through his head, leaving him no time to really think. There was just this feeling of cold that gripped his body again.

"All of you here are insane! Really!No idea what you are all talking about. "

With his jacket in his hand, Ian staggered backwards. He got caught on the small step up to the front door. As his back crashed into the door, he grabbed the edges of the door frame with his hands.

"There is one thing you should know," Vivenya replied unmoved, "When you go out there you will have to face reality whether you like it or not. If you stay here you will have all the time in the world to find the answer, you are looking for. "

"To be honest, I'm losing patience," said Emma from the background.

She got up and was walking slowly towards him. Her eyes suddenly seemed darker than before, almost black. Ian gasped for air.

"Stay the fuck away from me!"

Cracking and clicking like the breaking of fresh ice echoed through the room. In the light of the fire a wafer-thin layer of ice glittered in front of him, which stretched up to the ceiling and separated him from the others. As he followed her to the ground, he gasped for air. The ice rose from him, widened in a cone shape across the floor. Only in a circle around the women, it had not devoured the surroundings, but had gone straight up. His body started to shake. His hand tried to find the doorknob, but it seemed like an eternity before he felt the cold metal on his hand. He pushed the handle down, tugged at the door until he realized that he was blocking it himself with his body. He took a step forward, ramming the door against his shoulder before squeezing through the narrow gap. Then he started to run.

 

There was silence over the room as the three women watched him go. Vivenya's finger tapped the rim of her cup roughly before setting it down with a deep breath.

"Very helpful, thank you Emma."

"As if your variant had worked. It will probably take forever before I find him again."

"How about a dessert for our guest Zoye. I think she could use something."

"Now don't pretend I screwed up. I have no idea what you did, but it obviously didn't help."

"It opened his eyes."

Vivenya stepped to the ice and pushed it away from her with her hand. The thin layer broke silently and spread to the ground, where the ice had already started to form small water stains.

"At least the protection circle helped," said Zoye with a sigh, "I'll get an apple strudel."

"I don't want dessert!"

"Then go Emma. But It would be easier if you just wait here."

Vivenya bridged the distance to the door and pulled it open. She glanced outside before moving on.

"Don't you want a coat?" Asked Zoye.

"It's not that cold and I don't really feel it anyway. See you soon."

With the words Vivenya merged with the shadows of the night. Emma snorted softly, but against her protest, she returned to her seat and let herself fall on the chair. Her fingers drummed impatiently on her arm as she kept her gaze on the door.