Duskfire Glacier holding the matches

The weight in his chest only grew as Lane continued to speak. She talked as though she had failed her people, had done something to cause the travesty that had met their village. The northerner looked to her with concern on his dark face. The brown of his eyes was stricken with worry, but he did not wish to leave her without some show of comfort.

Tuuluuwaq arrived in his mind again. The words his brother had shared about seeking to court Lane caused the man to feel uncertain. He had already upset one of the women in the glacier. He did not feel that it was wise to risk it again, to be forward with his words.

Lane you have done well. These are terrible times for our village, but you have been a good leader to them. You are still. You are adored by your people. I can only hope to be as good, one day.

The man’s voice was rough, but he spoke honestly.

Issorartuyok breathed a sigh through his nose. He wondered if making his home with the people of the glacier had been a wise choice. Once, his future had looked so promising. With tragedy licking at their heels, the northerner could not help but feel that he was to blame – for all of it, but most of all for his own suffering.