Adam likewise took a deep breath, and quietly dove beneath the icy water.  The cold shook his nerves, but he swam hard and fast.  This spot on his land was usually only used for the hotter summer months, but their options were limited.   He was guessing that these were creatures were not the brightest, and so took a chance that they wouldn't follow him.  If they did, the scent would stop at the river's edge, and they would try to cross to the other side, thinking that He and Ylva had crossed there.  Once to the other side, the wolves would not be able to find the scent, and then think that both He and the Inheritor had just floated down the river.<br/><br/>It would be highly unlikely that they would be found...<br/><br/>It was dark and murky down here, but the current was constant, and Adam could swim this blindfolded, as he did numerous times in the past.<br/><br/>Adam then looped back once he was deep enough, and broke through the surface of his hidden cave with its air pocket...<br/><br/>He shivered and shuddered, dripping wet as he hauled himself onto the smooth slate floor of his cave.  The low ceiling glowed a rich aquamarine coloring, due to the specialized algae that grew on the rocks here, that was somehow able to separate hydrogen from the water, feed on it, and then give off oxygen as a waste product... It was also edible, if a little pungent.   As such they could stay here indefinitely if they wished.<br/><br/>It was fairly cold down here however this time of year, but that was no problem for a wizard.   Adam had stocked a cord of wood down here just in case, and it was still there in its corner.  There was also a pile of tanned animal hides covering the floor.<br/>Adam responded to her first statement about the scent being lost, and how they were safe... "Yes, that was the idea.   I come here all the time during the hotter months..."  he murmured, stripping off his clothing, and wringing it out.  He fumbled around in the darkness, going deeper into the cave, and found his old fire-pit, dug down into the hard shale.   He tossed a few of the dried logs into it, and set them ablaze with his magic.  Soon, they had a cozy little campfire burning.<br/>The wizard propped a few more logs and sticks near the fire, and hung his wet clothes upon it to dry.  He then snatched up one of the many hides on the floor, and wrapped himself in it, plopping down next to the fire.<br/><br/>"Yes... That is correct"  He said to her, in response to her next question, about the lands belonging to him.  "...King Roderic was intent on keeping me in the area, so he gave me these three hundred acres on the southern outskirts of his kingdom."<br/><br/>The mage then listened to her story, and quietly seethed when she spoke the name of his old friend.  Its true what they say about betrayal.  The worst thing about it, is that it never comes from an enemy.<br/>He thought for a minute, as Ylva then talked of her being given to a human king.   "That makes absolutely no sense..."  He murmured..."...Why in the hells would that fleabag bring you as a slave and a captive to Roderic?"  He shuddered in the cold air, and scooted a little bit closer to his campfire, poking at it with one of his many wooden sticks... "...Unless he was speaking of one of the barbarian kings further to the North?"  He surmised...<br/><br/>He looked to her, and his deep green eyes met hers.   He felt a momentary spark rip through him, just as it had at that gathering when they first met...   He then heard her speak of how glad she was to see him...<br/>"Likewise..."  He murmured pleasantly.  "...Alright, spill it woman.  What in the hells happened?  How did that fleabag Antony come to power, and more importantly, how did he imprison the inheritor of the pack?  What is his aim?  Im just..."   The wizard then gripped his head.  Having burned off so much magic so quickly, without his amulets, had taken its toll on him.  He just groaned, and laid back upon the skins...<br/><br/>"Get some rest..."  He croaked...  "...We can make sense of all of this later."