Crassus looked around for any monsters skulking towards him but found nothing. Mount Licht didn’t have many natural predators. It was supposed to be a save heaven for sirens and pixies, with the occasional immigrant elf thrown into the mix.

He heard Ann sing in the distance. Her song was a happy and upbeat one, and he was sure that she was now going to the nearest spring to catch some fish. But he hadn’t wanted to follow her in case Clotilde did something again.

So, he picked a path overgrown with crow fern and had begun following it. On the way, he had taken some berries of the plant and had eaten them. They tasted so delicious, he filled a jar with them. Theanore would like them, and they had seeds inside them. He was sure that if anyone could grow the plant outside the mountain, it was her.

He stopped for the night under a big tree that looked like apricot, but had large rose like blossoms. Furthermore, he wondered what it was as he rummaged in his bag for something to eat.

He found a fish, his last one, and hoped he could go fishing in the secret springs when he found them. In the back of his mind was the worry that he couldn’t be able to make his way back since the entrance of the Wille tunnel was blocked.

There were cliffs over the tunnel for the better part of them, and he wasn’t a mountain goat. He hoped that he could send a letter to grandpa Thinker to come pick him up.

Crassus looked around for any fallen branches with which he could start a fire. There were some, but no dry grass. He found a bit later that crow fern was very flammable, and decided that it would be best if he extinguished the fire right after he had made his food.

A nice grilled fish later, and he threw dirt over the fire. Crassus ate the fish and threw the bones inside the fire pit. When he was done, he lamented not being able to wash his hands, but figured that he could do so when he found a spring.

There were many little springs in mount Licht, but only seven were considered secret. They were named after saints and their water had healing properties.

Unfortunately for Crassus, they were deeper into the mountain. A flight of naturally eroded stairs led to them. Grandpa Thinker had wanted to make the mountain a tourist attraction once, and so he had made a safety rail to the stairs.

But, after the visitors began to litter the mountain, he had banned all but the most devout pilgrims from entering it. Nowadays, the creatures of mount Licht lived undisturbed and harmonizing with nature.

What Crassus worried was the heart door. To get to the stairs, one had to go through the heart door. It tested your conviction and reason for coming to the holy mountain.

If it found you lacking, it acted as a teleport and transported you to the entrance to the Wille tunnel and barred it for you with an invisible barrier. It had always been there. Long before even grandpa Thinker had come to these parts.

Crassus closed his eyes and marveled at how pleasantly warm it was here. There was a slight breeze, but it was not cold at all. He wondered if the rumors that the secret springs were hot springs was true. With monkeys bathing in them during the colder months.

When Crassus awoke, he lamented not having anything to eat and then looked at the crow ferns. They were ladened with fruit. He ate his fill of the berries and continued following the path.

Just as he began to think that he was on the wrong trail, he saw a massive door with five roads leading to it. It had a giant tree with hearts instead of blossoms carved on it. It was the heart door.

Crassus touched the door and it glowed. A ghostly shape of a woman appeared and regarded the merchant.

“Why do you come here?” Asked the guardian spirit of the door.

“To rid the world of the evil witch Clotilde. She brings misfortune to everyone, and she tried to kill a child. The child’s parents did not survive her file curse.” Said Crassus with a sure voice. His cause was just, and his heart was pure. He should be allowed to go forward.

“You wish to commit murder? The secret springs are not a body dumping ground!” Screamed the spirit, insulted. Crassus began to speak quickly, least she disappeared.

“Not murder, no. She is already dead. I will be making sure her soul goes into the afterlife. Please, wise spirit, if I don’t swim in a secret spring, her evil will spread in the world like a disease.” Said Crassus. The spirit wavered and touched Crassus’ chest.

“You volunteered for this duty.” Said the spirit with slight approval in her tone. “Despite the danger.”

“A child’s life was threatened. I have many things to live for, make no mistake. My daughter and her mother, chief among them. But a child so young as Nick has many more. So many things to learn, to see. He didn’t deserve to be robbed from such experiences.” Said Crassus, and the spirit sighed.

“You speak the truth and your resolve is steadfast.” Said the spirit, and she touched the door. “Go, but be warned. When you enter the spring, steal your heart for that which you will see when the witch dies. Death is never pretty, and you may yet die with her.”

The door opened, and the stairs were now in sight. Crassus nodded to the spirit and began climbing them, his hand gripping the safety rail just in case Clotilde decided to check if he could fly.

There were no crow ferns on the stairs, and it took him until sunrise, him having climbed the entire day and night, to reach the top of the stairs. But what he saw was worth it.

Before him, as far as the eye could see, was a river. And around the river there were seven springs. Clotilde let out a shriek and Crassus took a step forward. Then, he saw it.

But it was too late. The small snake bit into his foot, right through his boots, and injected poison into him. He fell down, spots in his vision, meters away from the nearest spring.