Private Lessons

Lokus walked over to try to help, but the women shooed him away with angry gestures. He could only sigh and watch as they slowly unfroze their friends, only for their faces to contort with worry as the unfrozen victims shivered uncontrollably.

They applied more heat, to the point that the victims' skin started to turn red, but the shivering didn't stop. When one of them placed a hand on a victim's forehead, she blinked in confusion.

"Her temperature is normal," she told the others. "I don't know what's wrong with her." Turning back to the poor, shivering woman, she placed her hands on the other's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Margaret, listen. Draw on your Phylactery. That should help."

Margaret nodded shakily, and closed her trembling eyelids as a flood of warmth and life rushed into her. Immediately, the shivers weakened to mere twitches, then subsided altogether.