It was as if the heavens themselves answered her query.<br/><br/>Esperanza stopped in her tracks, taking in the grand gates of Barovia, the ancient guardians that stood watch over the village. That both were headless seemed, for a moment, a terrible omen, these twin warriors suffering the same horrific fate. Of course, it was more likely they were created the same way, weak at the neck, and time had overcome their grand design. Whatever the truth was, Esperanza felt small as she passed alongside the massive heads, their unblinking eyes still keeping watch over the surrounding lands.<br/><br/>A cold and bitter wind chilled her to the bone, and rain lashed at her. Even if Barovia hadn’t been her destination, she’d have no choice but to enter, if only to escape this sudden storm. Even still, her feet seemed rooted in place, unable to urge them forward.<br/><br/>"You guys coming?” Katya asked, in a way that sounded like teasing. "Storm's coming, we better keep moving."<br/><br/>It took another heartbeat before the words could breach her mind, and a another heartbeat yet before she could respond. “Yeah, I’m right here.” The first step weighed a thousand pound, muck clinging to her boots as if to keep her still, but she pushed forward and through the gates.<br/><br/>Right, no dawdling. Whatever awaited her awaited within the village.