The town's gates stood tall but open, with little foot traffic so late in the afternoon. The setting sun beyond the town was lighting up the roads still, even though it wouldn't be long until it hid itself behind the mountains. Annoying for them, perfect for the defenders. On the wall, soldiers stood ready but not yet with their weapons drawn. Most looked confused, only two at the gate itself offered up hostility. They wavered when Carraig looked at them with bounded fury. That wasn't enough for him, though, so he looked down upon the guards, towering over them from horseback. "Well? Explain yourself."

The gate guards gulped as they looked at each other, their bravery wavering when facing one of their own nobles. The Vicomte in turn began to gather more mana, which made his skin visibly turn brown as his defensive ability fortified it. One of the guards looked past Carraig at Eirwen, anger reappearing in his eyes, finally daring to speak. "A merchant reported that he had witnessed the personal guard of the Marquis. They rode with his horse empty, riding away from Verglas territory. So everyone now knows she murdered him."

The presence in her mind suppressed a curse. Carraig had no such self control. "Those damned fools! And you, you have no idea what you're speaking of! Have you all lost your minds?!" While he threw his rage at them as if it were a hammer, Eirwen felt a mental apology. Random gossip was going to make this far more dangerous than he had anticipated. But there was no weeping for shed milk. She steered her horse forward, interrupting the Vicomte's admonishment, and halted her horse within reach of the one guard.

From on top of her horse, she looked down at him, his neck straining as he looked up with fear mixed into his anger. She answered with ice in her voice. "He offered his neck willingly. You dare disgrace his decision?" She looked at the rest of the guards, all in shock at her words. "He gave up everything for his people and yet here you are, trying to throw it all away. Rather than facing me with hostility over the consequences of his acts, you should ask yourself whether you were worthy of his sacrifice."

She guided her horse forward a few steps, now standing in-between the guards instead. The guard was unwilling to face her anymore, looking down at the ground in shame. Not that that appeased her rage. She lashed out verbally once more. "And he was no Marquis when he faced me. He was your Duke! Forget his name, regret his decision, mourn him if you must, but remember that he faced me as equals."

She moved on, her entourage only taking a single count before following her. Now she led, ice-cold fury clearly present on her face. All this time they had all wasted on keeping their secrets during the ride, when she and they could have properly prepared for this kind of situation. No more wasting time. No more hesitation. Her mental order rang out to her passenger. 

Teach me. Now.

To his credit, he caught on at once. She could feel his presence wrap around her, coil into the emotions coursing through her, guiding her power. The first thing he did, was amplify her rage. Mana began to flow towards her, far faster than it had flown towards Carraig. But it wasn't being consumed, it gathered, fury burning through her, barely cooled by a thin coat of her own ice. From the ground came more, a third flavour. He showed her the weave, merely guiding it in the right direction, then showed her how to grasp it, make it hers. It was rough, very rough, but it was a start.

Wind began to blow towards her, on account of the mana flow picking up. The shock of the people was palpable as she converted her rage, combining it with the other flows, with her other emotions, moving most of the mana towards her skin. At first her skin began to take on a reddish brown hue, until she added her own strength to it, the colour shifting towards a cold blue, covering the flame underneath.

The nobles on her side knew all too well what she was doing, but kept their mouths shut as they made their way up the meandering streets. Mentally, all she felt was guidance and approval, until he started pulling back his touch. Now it was truly her own power. Rough enough that she would regret it come the morn, but right now she kept her safety in her own hands, and her cold fury in her eyes.

The people tried to look at her in anger, but none really dared to face her. Maybe tomorrow they would gather their courage, but today they feared her. They understood but one language right now, that of rightful fury. And after the years of this forsaken war, after all that she had lost, now that people still sought to obstruct her? While others, even him, spun their webs? Oh, fury she had in spades.

"You're getting too heated. Balance your emotions, keep your control. It will impress them more."

Satisfied with her weaving, he no longer steered her control. Now, he offered advice, leaving the execution fully in her own hands. She followed along, suppressing the rage that was indeed beginning to take control of her, show in her face too much.

"Much better. Make sure to keep in mind that there is no ideal balance, but there are suboptimal ones. Stay near the top of the mountain but avoid the cliffs. Don't draw in too much from the earth, that may be how Carraig does it, but you need to keep using up the fire so it doesn't burn you."

"Try to use a bit more but balance the swings, you need to use the earth as your foundation rather than as a main pillar. Avoid having to focus on balancing all three. Better to have one as the base, that way it requires less attention. Roll a ball, don't steer a whirlwind. Good, like that. Don't push too much or too little, you need to compensate the right amount, not overreact."

"Perfect. Okay, let's add an extra trick. You need to pull in more cold, but you can't use it, not yet. You will need it later to counter the heat, so try to save up. Keep it away from your face, you need to stay warm for now. Try to coil it around your limbs, constantly swirling so you can guide it down or call it up. Mix in the earth underneath, have it solidify your spirals. That should help you keep the right distance. Move some heat from your spine, so you create a gap for it to fall back into. Excellent. Oh, good thinking with the ribcage spiral. Don't make that too thick, but keep it as a support, ready to guide a flow if needed."

Truth be told, she had no idea why he wanted her to build up a reserve, but she dutifully followed his advice. She had to admit, his techniques were excellent. Neither he nor Carraig could have reached the same balance, but he still managed to guide her towards a solution that worked best for her. The spirals had a lot of potential if she managed to master them even in a combat situation.

But no, why he thought she needed the ice in reserve, she had no idea. There were fluctuations ahead, sure, and the mana flows were slowly picking up. But that was still well within her control. Nevertheless, she continued to obey his instructions, trying to understand them but following them first. Like that they climbed up towards the Flameheart estate.

The walls and gate came into sight, the sun already beginning to hide behind the building. Oil lamps lit the area, barely bright enough to tell some of the finer details of the family banners. Seeing that cursed coat of arms, she felt the heat rise within her, instantly tearing through part of her spare stock of cold. Ah yes, that is why he had her prepare. Because right now there was nothing she wanted more than to burn the entire estate to the ground. As ambient mana began to swirl around her, she wondered how she was going to get herself back under control.