The winds became successively colder as the giant hawk soared higher and higher into the sky. Mason had built a harness, fitting it upon Erasmus' back, in which Brianna could rest without fear of falling off.
Brianna had attempted to fly for several miles until she realized the sheer distance which the trio had to cross in order to reach Jotunheim. Then she settled upon Erasmus' back and pulled a magical cloak provided by Ghaleon's "wee folk" around her form, a cloak which provided warmth despite the arctic chill, and she soon found herself embracing Morpheus once more...
"Northward, ho!" Mason Templar shouted, startling Brianna out of her sleep immediately. She had been dreaming... but dreaming of what? Her dreams faded away too quickly to remember what they were. She hoped they were not too important.
"We're in Jotunheim already?" she asked, fatigue dulling her Irish brogue.
"Aye, lass," Templar said, the passion in his voice as usual brimming on the verge of laughter. "Erasmus is a swift one. Aren't you, girl?" The behemoth-sized pigeon-hawk seemed to answer with a dull croaking sound more easily felt by those who rode upon her back than actually heard.
The Banshee looked over the edge of the harness she rode in to the land far, far below. "Looks strangely familiar..." she said, frowning at the seemingly irrational thought.
"Aye," Templar said, his voice returning to its 'professorial' mode, "that does not surprise me in the least. In a way, lass, you have been here before."
The Banshee knew better than to contradict him, since he seemed to be on the verge of making his point. "Really?" was all she said.
"Yes, it was during your first mission with Vanguard International. Surely you recall it better than I, who have only heard about it through secondary sources?"
"Well, yes, I remember it very well," Brianna answered, "but we were sent to Siberia..." She stopped there, realizing the implications suddenly.
"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! The young lady finally begins to understand!" Templar said. He pulled out one of the map-scrolls which had been distributed among the team. "Look there, lass," he said, pointing at the top of the map. "What do you see?"
She studied the map. Geography had never been her strong suit, though she was slowly learning. "I see... well, I see one big continent, with the largest part of the continent extending into the north. Jotunheim?"
"Jotunheim, yes, but you must realize that the Jotunheim in this world is the Siberia of our world!" He concluded this with his customary chiding laughter like one would give to a child learning how to spell and stumbling badly at it.
The Banshee was still frowning. "But... but Siberia's to the east of Europe, innit? It's in the north, sure, but more east than north."
"The continents of this world have never been separated," Templar continued. "Pangaea still exists in this world whereas our world's continents have been shifting and sliding around like pieces of broken eggshell upon water for several millennia. The entire continent of Asia, especially the northeast, once made its home in the Arctic Circle. In this world, it remains so. And it is the domain of the giants. In truth, lass, we've only just arrived upon the edge of Jotunheim. The land mass itself is vast and sparsely populated, much larger than the central, most populated part of Darkworld."
"Remind me why we're here again?" Brianna said with a sigh.
"Come on, lass! Where is your sense of adventure?" Templar said, winking at her. "Do not worry, though, milady. Remain by my side, and you will come to no harm, this I vow."
Brianna smiled at his use of "milady" and mumbled, "Thanks."
Mason Templar whispered to Erasmus, causing the bird to shift ever so slightly downward and to the left, beginning a long, spiraling descent into Jotunheim.
Templar turned around and leaned back to face Brianna. "Did I ever tell you that you remind me of a daughter I once had, a long time ago...?"
