Ylva Talks to the Fairies, part 6: Three or More Houses of Varying Dignity

I don't like it either.  These buildings don't move.  They have to stay in the same place all the time.

We spent a cold night recovering from the wolves.  It's a good thing Vared knows how to build a snow cave.  It was the worst snow I'd ever seen.  Aunold had had a vision...Mittens, no!  You can't eat Aunold's familiar.  He had a vision of the Elthani meeting with the Gallians at a meeting place, where the Gallians betrayed them and murdered them all.

We had to get out of the heart of the forest, and warning the Elthani had to be the right thing to do.  We met them at one of the meeting places.  They had previously spoken to the Gallians, and had a much more friendly encounter than Aunold's vision.  I think we have them persuaded to stand with us against the wendigo now.  Vared exchanged some dinosaur hides for sweet nuts.

We'd done all we could in the greenwood.  It was time to go to the city and talk to the Gallians.

When we came close to the meeting place near the city, Aunold began to experience deja vu.  He recognised the place from his vision.  And when we reached it, it became obvious that we were too late to prevent what he had seen.  Under the snow was the broken wreckage of the Elthani camp.  I had a look around, a little further into the forest, and found an odd looking patch of snow.  Too big for a latrine pit.  Mittens was very brave and burrowed down into it to investigate - yes Mittens, you can have a dreamie - and found what I feared.  The Elthani, dead and dumped in a shallow grave.

No, no, I can keep going.  And we had to keep going.  We met a Gallian there.  Not the ones from Aunold's vision.  They were wearing green, which is the colour for House Vexille.  The people the Elthani had spoken to before wore blue, which we learned was House Orzel.  I think a house is like a tribe, but with more difficult names.  His name was Brendon and he didn't seem to be bad.  He gave us one of the tokens people here like to exchange.  Shiny and yellow like the sun.  I didn't understand much of what he said.  The others speak the common tongue, but I was struggling.

I asked Mittens to fly up and take a look around.  She saw an area of forest further away, where all the trees had been cut down.  We all know not to fell in the greenwood.  But the Gallians are encroaching on land that is not there.  There will be trouble from this.

We met some more Gallians on the way here, wearing yellow.  They looked strong and carried proper weapons instead of the black powder machines that Gallians like.  Tonk and me were quite impressed.  I asked the others to find out if they were potentially interested in marriage.  They seemed quite receptive, and gave flowers to Tonk and me, which I thought was rather nice.

We had a guide through the city.  A boy.  We passed House Vexille's place, which was a pleasure house.  Apparently Tonk wouldn't be allowed in because she's too small.  He took us to the place we were looking for.  The house in blue.  I don't remember the name.  So many names.  They talked in the common tongue.  I need to learn it.

Then we were shown to this place.  People sleep in these places.  But it's not so bad really.  The owner brought us lots of drinks that we could see through, which was weird, and some cheese, which was like drink but not runny, so also weird.

We had a visit from an enchantress with her face decorated to look like she'd been drinking blood.  Apparently that is the only way a witch can get any respect here.  This place gets stranger.  I think Tonk likes her.  Perhaps if I learn the common tongue I can tell her that?