Riding blindfolded was a hundred times worse than what Lukas would have thought. Maybe a part of it was because he was, by all means, a beginner, but not being able to see and predict the horse's movements made it incredibly hard to move with the horse. Not only did it make it extremely difficult not to fall off, but it also made Lempi stumble now and then as he would move in an unexpected way, both to the horse and himself. Lukas was in awe of the patience Lempi displayed, as despite the difficulties the mare didn't seem displeased but continued the journey persistently.

"You know, I could just lie about not knowing the way. Would be easier and smaller risk to break my neck", Lukas muttered while squeezing Tino's backpack so hard that he almost felt bad for the poor thing. Good thing that the backpack was not a live creature.

"Lukas, you out of everyone should know better than think that you can lie your way out", Tino said with no small amount of incredulity, maybe mixed with a bit of exasperation. Lukas winced a bit; as a sort-of body language expert he really should know better. It was hard to remember when he couldn't see a damn thing. But Tino did not stop there:

"Even if we take out of the equation the fact that even we could tell that lie apart, they have all kinds of magic-users, you know. Pretty much every base has a magical lie detector."

"Oh." There was really nothing more that Lukas could say. Well, they were screwed.

"Yup. So, lying is definitely not an option. But this is only for the worst-case scenario, you won't go anywhere near them if I can help it", Tino said voice full of steel. It sounded final. Lukas decided to ignore the last statement, he didn't have the capacity to process what it could mean at the moment.

"Fair. Though I did not know that was possible with magic", Lukas commented instead. Tino hummed in response and stated:

"I should not have expected you to, I apologize about that. Now you do know, and it's a good thing that it came up. Sometimes I forget that despite being a strong magic user, you actually have no idea what you can do with magic and how to handle it."

"Yes, you do know a lot more about magic than I do", Lukas mused. He could readily admit that he knew next to nothing about magic. For the first time since it happened, Lukas felt remorse that he did not accept the teachings the fairy had offered. But only briefly, he would probably had lost more than he gained in that deal and in the bigger scheme of things, Lukas was happy he was not in that situation on top of everything else. He still wanted to learn magic, though.

"Well, basically magic is quite unpredictable and you never know how what a person can do before they actually do it, but there seems to be some base-rules", Tino explained, "For example, I do not know there to be any way of actually reading thoughts. You can read intentions and so on, much of the same way we do but, you know, with magic. It's more reliable, too. Therefore, you technically can lie as long as you believe that to be the truth, et cetera. Also, it doesn't seem possible to impose on another person in general."

"What do you mean by that?" Lukas asked, soaking in all the information he could. It was a good distraction from, well, everything.

"Uhm, well, for example… Ugh, I'm trying to think of something not that grim", Tino muttered before continuing with a cheerier note:

"Like for example you cannot turn another person to an animal as far as I'm aware. At least not directly. I guess you could technically magic up a machine that did that and then push someone through it, but you can't turn them with magic. Don't know why, maybe we're somehow naturally resistant to magic or something."

"That was a really weird example. Also, wouldn't the machine operate with magic, therefore not being able to transform a human into a dog, to say?", Lukas deadpanned even though he got the concept, so it really wasn't that bad, and it sparked some entertaining images. Especially since he couldn't actually see anything at the moment. But really, what was Tino thinking?

"I was trying to come up with something that did not involve killing", Tino said sharply. Well, that answered Lukas' question, at least.

"… I'm sorry?" he tried, not really knowing if he should apologize or not. There were so many mines he was stepping on. His apology was followed by a small, dead silence that Lukas could not quite read before Tino sighed.

"No, don't be. Not your fault, it's just that the things my observations are based on are not the best examples of normal human life", he stated. Lukas snorted at that.

"An understatement of the year", he huffed. Lukas heard Tino let out a short, but something that sounded like truly amused, laugh at the statement.

"You tell me", Tino managed to say lightly considering the subject they were discussing.

After that the conversation came to a lull, but Lukas was way too restless to keep it that way and as he couldn't see a thing, he would much prefer to keep talking, thank you very much. Normally he would have cherished the feeling of being silent with Tino, but the situation they were in was not exactly normal. So instead of letting the silence set, he asked a fancier version of 'are we there yet':

"Is it going to take much longer to arrive?"

"Not much, unless you need to take a break. We've been riding for a pretty long time and you're not used to it", Tino replied.

"No, let's keep going. I think my butt can handle it", Lukas said with snark. In reality he was not sure at all if his butt or legs were able to handle this, as they were cramping from him clenching his legs around the poor horse in an attempt to keep himself from swinging from one side to the other. He could not recommend riding with a blindfold without a saddle, ever.

"You're going to be so sore after this", Tino retorted alike, but his tone was laced with a bit of concern. Like a very delicate and fine-made lace of concern. Lukas appreciated it a little bit.

"Hey, if we can survive this, I think I can manage a few sore muscles", Lukas stated, trying to console both Tino and himself. Too bad for him, it had the opposite effect.

"Yeah. If we survive", Tino grumbled darkly. Damn, Lukas wished he could see and assess the situation better. Oh, wait, he would be facing Tino's back anyway. Tino did have a back that told a lot of things, though. Lukas decided that he was unsure if he could read the situation any better without the blindfold or not.

"Let's try our best at it. Maybe we should think of a plan?" Lukas suggested, knowing that it was the best course of action and it would hopefully soothe Tino's mind as well.

"Sure. I go in, find Emil and get out with him as fast as possible", Tino stated. Lukas wanted to facepalm, but his hands were sort of occupied keeping him on the horse.

"First off, I meant a little more detailed – you're sure to know at least the layout of the base, the security systems and so on. Second, what the hell, you don't actually expect me to wait outside?" Lukas threw back. He hoped that Tino seriously wasn't going to leave him out to wait, maybe never to see his friend or brother again.

"Lukas", Tino started, sounding exasperated, "Do you seriously expect me to take you in there after I told you that they are specifically seeking magic users and that you cannot lie to them? If I'd have my way, you wouldn't even be on this horse at the moment, but I couldn't just leave without an explanation and support. All of this has been necessary, making you walk straight into a waiting trap is not. Hell, for all we know, they didn't take Emil because they thought he was me but to lure you in there!"

Lukas was almost knocked speechless by this, and while he could logically admit that Tino had a point, emotionally he did not want to accept it. So, he grabbed onto the one part where he didn't have to think about the danger for himself and said:

"That's a tad ridiculous. No offence, but the 'I though this person was Tino' -explanation sounds a lot more plausible."

"I know that it is a little bit far-fetched, but you never know. Not with them. I have never seen a magic user as strong as you – and I've seen a lot of magic users – and I know that they could and would resort to more extreme measures than mere kidnapping if they even got a sniff at your abilities. I cannot allow you to accompany me there. It would be catastrophic if we get caught, but what if Emil isn't there and I have it all wrong? Not worth it", Tino ranted.

"Well if they would go further than this to get me, isn't it even weirder for them to do this to get me in that case? I don't doubt what you say about them, but I think that your first reasoning makes a lot more sense in the light of everything. Sure, we could be wrong about all of this, but that is why we sent the idiot bird to the police station. I realize that it would be incredibly dangerous. However, Emil is more important and honestly, I don't feel good letting you in there, either. Two thinking minds is usually better than one, don't you think?" Lukas finished. He usually never talked this much in one go, but he had to admit that it did have a calming effect on him at the current situation.

Tino took a deep breath, where Lukas imagined his shoulders relaxing a bit, before answering:

"You are correct. I apologize, it's just… I find it hard to see a result where this ends up well for us. The least I can do is having it affect only myself. I'm pretty sure that they'd let Emil go if I was caught, so in any scenario you'd get your brother back. All of this happened because of me, after all. I couldn't stand if you ended up there as well."

"I get that and believe me; I don't want to end up there either. But this is not your fault. And while my optimism may be misplaced, I do believe that we can pull it off if we plan well and try. I refuse to believe anything else", Lukas stated as if it was final. To him it was. There was nothing more to do than to plan everything and then follow the plan. He refused to think alternatives.

"You know, denial isn't a healthy coping mechanism", Tino said with a sliver of humor in his voice. It made Lukas a bit warm inside, despite the fear-like frost that had claimed a grip of his insides since the news of Emil's kidnapping.

"Come on, let me have this. I can't lose either of you, and my refusal to believe that I won't is the only thing keeping me calm at the moment. I want to help", Lukas practically whined. If someone asked about it later, he would deny it. Lukas did not whine, ever.

"I would like to, but I am not worth it", Tino said quietly. Lukas gritted his teeth. Oh, how he loathed those words.

"Am I not the one who gets to decide that?" he asked, just as quietly. Tino would hear him.

"Normally I would agree, but not when it is your life on the line. I am not that important", Tino argued, rising slightly in volume from the quiet one he had used before. Lukas was not having it.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but you are that important to me; I'm willing to argue about this the whole way. Also, as far as I've understood, they won't kill me", Lukas almost snarled.

"No, they'll do much worse than kill you, just look at me!" Tino gave back in an equal manner. Lukas was about to open his mouth to retort, but Lempi whinnied in a way that sounded distressed and moved abruptly to the side. It gave a good scare to Lukas as he couldn't see it coming and was almost left behind where the horse used to stand. Tino went to calm her down.

"Sorry, I think she got agitated by us", Tino said in a defeated tone. Lukas took a deep, calming breath before continuing their conversation in a more civilized manner:

"I'm sorry that I have to keep the topic, but I cannot let you go alone. And what it's worth, when I look at you, I see someone kind who has endured much. I think you're incredibly brave to be able to live how you do despite your past. You are smart, funny and cute. I have grown quite attached to you during the time I've known you and I would be devastated if something were to happen to you. Just imagine yourself in my shoes, would you be happily left behind?"

There was a creeping silence after that. Lukas realized belatedly that he had more or less confessed, especially when paired with the demonstration at the tree earlier, somewhere long ago. Well, damn, he thought. He was starting to get anxious by the stretching silence that seemed to be the only thing answering him. He really wished he could see Tino's reaction at the moment.

"Well, aren't you the poet", Tino finally muttered under his breath before continuing clearly, "I am honored that you think that highly of me. And while I can't do anything about how you feel about me, I am going to warn you that I am not as great as you seem to think. You do not know the things I've done, and I fear that you might hate me if you ever do. I will give you credit for not hating me at the moment considering that I am the reason Emil was kidnapped. Yes, I know, it is not my fault, but I am still the reason for it. But you are correct that I would not be happy if I would have to stay behind, so I guess that as much as I hate the idea, I should stop being a hypocrite and have you come in with me. But I will have you know that I don't like it, at all."

Lukas let out a breath that he had been holding in. However, he was not completely happy about the reply, especially Tino practically not reacting to the confession-part. He knew that Tino was too smart not to notice, but now was not the time and place. It would have to wait. Lukas also would like to confess in some other way than blindfolded on a horseback, thank you very much.

"Noted. And you should know that I am not blaming you for this nor any of the things you did while you were held in there. I do not care what you might have done, to be honest. I think you are admirable", Lukas stated.

Lukas was not sure what Tino would have replied to that as just then Lempi halted and Tino said in a foreboding tone:

"We're here."

After getting the all-clear from Tino, Lukas ripped off the damn blindfold, only to be blinded by the brightness of the world. He could barely open his eyes; the snow was so bright. While his eyes were getting used to the light again, Tino had already gotten off the mare and was taking off the bridle. Once his eyes could tolerate light again, he could only see thick forest, but he didn't question it at this point. By the time Lukas was ready to slide down, Lempi was secured to a tree by the halter and her bridle was hanging on a branch, Tino busy digging the blanket out of his backpack.

Lukas could hardly get off the poor horse, his muscles seemed to have frozen into position and his legs refused to support him once he did manage to shuffle himself to the ground. He's lucky that Lempi was so calm. Tino was absolutely right in taking her instead of Lady. Lukas busied himself by emptying his backpack from all the hay in front of the horse. He grimaced a bit, knowing that he'd probably never get all the small parts out of his bag, but the horse seemed happy to get something to eat. Tino placed the blanket on her, nodding his approval to Lukas.

"She's all set. She's probably a bit thirsty, but she knows to eat snow for that. She'll be alright for at least few hours, though hopefully we won't take that long", Tino stated. Lukas just nodded his understanding. He was getting pretty scared of the task ahead.

"Now, if you can, cover our tracks with magic. The entrance to the base is right ahead, after those trees there is a road that leads to the place. Once we reach the road, you can stop covering. There is also a magical alarm system we need to deactivate, but I think I can still get in with my chip, I doubt that they would have removed me from the database. Also, there are no cameras, so no need to worry about that. I'll tell you more of the alarm once we reach there, I could use your help with it.", Tino instructed.

Once again, Lukas simply nodded and gave his best at covering their tracks. Magic was sometimes convenient. He fought the dread trying to get hold of him and pushed onwards. He needed to get Emil back.

Hello again, I am slow to update but here is the next chapter. And so it continues...