Only Saza stepped forward. The Akashiman girl breathed evenly, dark eyes never breaking her instructor's hazel gaze. She pushed strands of long dark hair that had come out of her bun behind her ears and squared off opposite Breaker. She trembled like a statue, her heartbeat fleeting yet her body refusing to budge. She waited.

"In order to master the touch of death, you must first master its three components." Breaker lectured. He seized the lapels of Saza's gi and turned her forcefully so the left side of her body displayed to the class. "Power, precision, and-" he broke off and listened intently, cocking one ear toward the west wall like a hare sensing danger.

Bards told stories of Breaker's strength and speed. Many knew of his prowess in martial arts, and his affinity for magic. Only a savvy few ever discerned that the demigod had extraordinary perception. He could hear music. Voices singing, and instruments... outside in the cold. Josh released Saza and took a few steps to the north, turning his head to get a different perspective. The sound seemed to emanate from the town square.

"That will be all for today," Breaker announced suddenly. A sound of collective disappointment passed between his students, but he thought he saw relief flash through Saza's hard eyes. He had to chuckle as he strode toward the door, still listening. Of course he would not have killed a student, but he did like to have fun with them once in a while.

The students paused in the corner, piling wool and hide layers over their cotton martial arts kimonos, but Breaker strode straight outside and turned toward the town square. The cold did not touch him in the same way it did most people; it was a tickle not a sting, a reminder of the weather rather than an assertion of it. He moved at an ordinary pace along the road, greeting folk here and there as they passed. In the few months he'd lived in Yutori he'd gained a certain reputation around town. Bandits on the horizon? Better call for Breaker. Need a big stone moved out of your back yard? Ask Breaker. Anyone willing to shovel all the snow in town? That would be Breaker, along with his students on certain days. Some folk had favors to ask, but Breaker made excuses and continued along his way. The music pulled at him like nothing since last he heard from Am'aleh.

The rhythm livened his step, and the tune drew a beaming smile to his face. Finally Josh could resist no longer and he ran the rest of the way to the square, weaving in and out of villagers with snowflakes swirling in his slipstream. He joined the crowd surrounding the musicians and dancers, experienced eyes seeing what most could not. Powerful illusion magic flickered among the dancers, but they moved too swiftly for him to see through the enchantments.

Josh blinked as he cast his gaze over the musicians. They were animals. Beneath the deception he could see wolves, mountain lions, and snow owls. And yet their voices sounded strangely human as they sang along with the instruments they impossibly plucked and blew. For how could beasts with neither fingers nor lips play such instruments? Again Breaker searched among the dancers, and near the middle of the group he spotted a lively red-haired woman. The Scarlet Dancer laughed as she swung a small Fae about, crimson locks swaying wildly. The illusions emanated from her, and Josh could not penetrate her disguise. But he had heard the stories.

What an honor to have Myra the Lore Guardian among us. Josh thought. He raised his hands with fingers splayed and called upon the Eternal Tap, the tide of magical energy that flowed through him at all times.

Snow rose from banks at the edge of the square to do his bidding. It swirled over top of the festivities and melted into water, and then froze into clear, clean molten ice. The ice morphed and molded, taking on an ornate shape. Although the sun shone weakly through the clouds its rays caught in the folds of the ice and cascaded down in a thousand different shapes. Like a chandelier the frozen work of art rotated above the dancers, casting Breaker's good mood among the revelers below.