by AC Cobble
Ben nodded and started up again, raising his legs up and pushing them back down to pack the snow. He kicked and shuffled through it to blaze a path for the others.
Half a bell later, the snow stared coming heavier and faster. Thick flakes landed on his cloak and leathers and stuck. Others blew into his face and melted on his skin, stinging his cheeks and coating his eyelashes. Within minutes, his front was coated in white powder.
“Climb up the bank and head for the trees,” shouted Rhys.
“We’ll move at half the speed in the trees,” argued Ben.
“It’s getting heavier,” responded Rhys. “Pretty soon we’re not going to be able to move at all.”
“Shouldn’t we find shelter then?” asked Ben. “There could be another cave if we keep on the creek bed.”
“We don’t have time,” responded Rhys, shifting Lady Towaal in his arms. “Find us a way to climb out of here and get into that forest. I’ll show you something.”
Ben shrugged and moved over to the creek bank. It was shoulder high and not too steep, so he started to climb it. Halfway up, he tried to pull himself over the top using a thin bush. Suddenly, he was tumbling backward down the bank. A pile of snow followed in a mini avalanche. He thumped softly into the cold below and he felt two paces worth of snow come sliding down on top of him.
His feet were sticking up and he waved them wildly, trying to get his bearings. They were the only thing he could move and he realized the rest of him was packed under the snow.
A strong pair of hands gripped his legs and he was yanked out of the drift.
“Are you kidding?” muttered Rhys. The rogue went back and lifted Towaal off the ground where he had laid her.
“That bush came loose!” explained Ben.
Rhys stomped by, shaking his head, and easily ascended the bank, which was now almost completely cleared of snow. Amelie and Corinne followed him up and Ben scrambled after.
Up top, the snow was piled deeply between the birch trees. The white bark of the trees and the snow combined to make it seem like the entire world had lost color.
Rhys nodded ahead. “Let’s try that way.”
Ben started breaking a new path. The snow was nearly mid-thigh now and he struggled to keep pushing forward.
One hundred paces further, and Rhys called a halt. “This is silly. Let’s stop here. It’s as good as any other place.”
Ben glanced around. They stood in a small circle of trees. They were leafless and the thick snow fell heavy and silent on top of them. There was no sign of shelter.
“Uh, Rhys…” started Ben.
“I said I would show you something. Here.” He handed Lady Towaal to Ben. The mage was dead weight in his arms. He knew carrying her in this weather would wear him out in minutes. He couldn’t believe Rhys had lasted as long as he did.
Ben looked on with Amelie and Corinne as Rhys quickly pulled all of the tarps out of their packs and started stomping around the small clearing, packing the snow down tight. In minutes, he’d covered the entire area and started stringing the tarps tightly together over the packed area. He laid one down on the ground. After the tarps were tied, he began feverishly piling snow against them.
Ben looked at the girls and raised an eyebrow, wondering what Rhys was doing. Corinne’s eyes lit up in understanding.
“A snow hut!” she exclaimed and rushed forward to join Rhys, dropping her pack and weapons. Together, they tossed handful after handful of snow onto the tarp structure then packed it down tight.
They kept going until the entire thing was covered in hard pressed snow. In nearly half a bell, they’d accumulated a pile that was even with Ben’s head.
“You’d be warmer if you helped,” called Corinne.
Ben shifted slightly, lifting Towaal up. The mage was breathing softly in his arms.
“Right,” said Corinne. She looked at Rhys and asked, “Think it’s good?”
“Only one way to find out,” he answered.
She dove into the snow and wiggled underneath. She was burrowing a hole below the tarps.
Ben frowned at Rhys, but the man just kept circling the snow hut, as Corinne called it. Rhys continued to put on and pack more snow.
Soon, Corinne called from within and said, “I think we’re good.”
Amelie sighed and dropped down, following Corinne into the structure and dragging her pack behind her.
When Ben came in dragging Towaal, he saw Corinne had pulled down the tarps and they were sitting in a cone of snow. She was moving around the interior, pressing up against the cold mass to shore up any weak spots. Holes were poked near the top but only a few flakes made their way within.
It was cold inside, but away from the light wind and falling flakes, it felt better. Ben laid Lady Towaal down on one side and checked her breathing. Slow but steady.
“It will warm up soon,” said Corinne.
“This,” Amelie asked, gesturing to the snow surrounding them, “will warm up?”
Corinne nodded. “Our body heat will warm it. Some of the snow may melt, but it should refreeze and create a barrier between us and the outside. It’s not going to be hot, but it will be a damn sight better than out there.”
Rhys poked his head in and instructed, “Ben, you come with me. We’re going to collect fire wood. Corinne and Amelie, let’s make this as comfortable as we can. The snow is coming down faster and faster out here. I suspect we may have to hole up for a day or two.”
The ladies nodded and Ben crawled out of the snow hut after Rhys.
Ben stood up and brushed the snow off of him. Heartbeats later, he realized it was futile. Fat flakes landed on him faster than he could brush them away. Looking around, he complained, “Rhys, I don’t think we’re going to find dry firewood in this. We won’t be able to get anything lit.”
Rhys grinned. “I have a plan for that, too.”
Quickly, they dug through the powdery snow and eventually came up with two big armfuls of damp wood.
“A fire will help warm that thing up, if you can get it started” said Ben doubtfully.
Rhys shook his head. “No, can’t have smoke from the fire in there. We won’t be able to breathe.”
Ben looked at his friend blankly. “You think you’re going to get a fire started with damp wood outside in a snow storm?”
“I’ve got a plan,” responded Rhys calmly. “Make a fire pit and I’ll be back.”
“If it’s not for warmth, do we even need a fire?” argued Ben.
Rhys grew serious and nodded. “Towaal has some herbs in her pack that make a tea. We need to boil it.” He said no more, but Ben understood. If it would help the mage get on her feet quicker, then it was necessary.
Rhys crawled into the hut. Ben grumbled, digging down to the hard dirt and clearing an area of snow. He was going to wait to see what Rhys had in mind before he started trying to dig into the cold, frozen dirt.
“Perfect,” said Rhys when he reemerged. Amelie followed behind him. She was pulling her cloak on still. A sour look painted her face.
“I’m not sure I can do this,” she complained.
“Sure you can,” encouraged Rhys.
Ben looked on silently.
Amelie squatted down near Ben’s makeshift fire pit and studied the stack of wood. She turned and gestured to Rhys and Ben. “Come close. This isn’t going to be pleasant.”
“I know,” murmured Rhys.
“Are you ready?” asked Amelie.
Rhys nodded.
Ben asked, “Ready for what?”
Amelie placed a hand on his leg. Suddenly, a chill swept through his body. It was like a cold ache that started in his feet and crept up to the top of his head. He felt like his body heat was being drained out.
He started to stumble backward, but his muscles locked up, freezing both figuratively and literally.
“Too much,” groaned Rhys through gritted teeth.
Amelie clenched her jaw and remained focused on the stack of kindling.
<
br /> Ben, unable to move, saw a tendril of steam break loose from the wood. Soon, more steam was boiling off. Before his eyes, the stack ignited in a burst of flame.
Amelie fell backward away from the sudden heat.
Rhys, moving slowly and stiffly, edged toward the rest of the wood. “Quick. Before that burns out, add more,” he instructed.
Amelie, getting control of herself, stuck thicker sticks into the quickly diminishing blaze. More steam billowed up and the wet wood popped and hissed.
Ben watched in amazement as the new pieces slowly caught fire and the original wood burned to ash.
Rhys rocked forward and expertly added more fuel, setting the newer, wetter sticks on the perimeter where the moisture could cook out and arranging the burning pieces into a neat, efficient fire.
“Did you just use magic on me?” demanded Ben, stunned.
Amelie sighed. “I think it’s more accurate to say I used you for magic. I drew heat from your body to warm up the firewood. I’m surprised it worked.”
“That’s not right,” complained Ben. “You shouldn’t be able to just do that without asking people.”
“She couldn’t do it if you stopped her,” pointed out Rhys. “Remember what Lady Towaal taught you at the farmhouse? If you hardened your will, you could easily prevent Amelie from drawing your heat. Hopefully, in addition to getting a fire started, this serves as a good lesson. Always keep your will hardened.”
Rhys boiled water for Towaal’s tea and Ben cooked a simple meal for dinner before letting the fire die down. As he cooked, the snow continued to dump, and he was ready to crawl into the snow hut as soon as he could.
It wasn’t warm, but it felt downright hot compared to the bitter cold outside. Even next to the fire, shivers had wracked his body.
He stripped off his wet outer layers and reclined with the others while they ate. Their only light was a small candle Rhys found in Towaal’s pack.
“Who brings a candle into the Wilds?” asked Corinne.
“Someone who plans to read,” responded Rhys. He dug out the book Lady Towaal had brought with her from Northport, one of the four they’d borrowed from the Librarian.
He flipped through it idly before coming to the map page.
“I think this is why she brought it, but for the life of me I can’t see why.”
They all took turns looking over the map, but no one was struck with any brilliant insights on how it could help their situation. The map depicted two ridges extending out from the base of the mountain. They formed a bowl that was open at the bottom. That’s where they planned to enter. Ben thought maybe they could make it over the ridges, but to be sure, they would have to see them in person. Other than that, they assumed any geography drawn on the map was guesswork at best. It had been centuries or maybe millennia since the map was made.
Before long, the low light and exhaustion from hiking in the deep snow overtook them. The snow hut had warmed with their body heat, and despite the cramped quarters, they felt more comfortable than they had in days. One by one, they fell asleep where they lay.
Ben took the first watch and moved into a sitting position. The ceiling of the hut cleared his head by two hands. He knew if he lay down, there was no way he’d remain awake.
Outside of their hut, he could see through the small vent holes that it was near total dark. Heavy clouds obscured any moon or stars. The only sound was the steady breathing of his sleeping companions. He wondered if the snow was still falling. He couldn’t hear a thing, of course, and in the darkness, he couldn’t see either.
Briefly, he considered crawling outside to hold his watch there. A demon attacking them while they were in the hut would be a messy affair. He thought about the thigh-deep snow and bitter cold compared to the relative warmth of the hut. He decided they would have to risk it.
Alone with his thoughts, he practiced hardening his will. It was difficult to know if he was doing it well, since neither Towaal nor Amelie was awake to test him, but the way a half-trained initiate was able to pull heat from his body scared him. A fully trained mage would easily defeat him. He resolved to keep practicing every moment he got—sitting quietly at night or while they were walking.
Eventually, he thought enough time passed that his watch was done. He scooted over to wake Corinne.
In the black of the hut, she yawned and patted his hand in acknowledgement before sitting up. He crawled back to his bedroll and was instantly asleep.
He woke to the sound of Rhys grunting and swearing.
His friend’s legs were hanging inside the snow hut but the rest of his body was in the hole going out the entrance. Bright morning sunlight spilled in from the vent holes.
The girls were already awake and watching Rhys’ legs.
“What is it?” asked Ben.
Amelie grinned. “Apparently it snowed quite a bit last night.” She pointed to Rhys. “We’re blocked in, so he’s digging his way out.”
Rhys’ legs thrashed around one more time then wiggled out of sight.
Ben smirked, pulled on his treated leathers, and followed his friend into the morning. The entire world was bathed in brilliant white light. He had to cover his eyes with one hand. After the dimly lit snow hut, the daylight stabbed into his eyes.
The snow was now waist-high all around them.
“Now this,” declared Rhys, “is snowshoe worthy.”
Ben nodded.
“But first,” said Rhys, “we need to get Towaal up and moving. That means another fire and more tea. We should also take the time to find any edibles that we can and supplement our food supply. At this pace, we’re going to be running thin by the time we get back.”
Corinne wiggled out while he was finishing and offered to look for food or game. Ben collected firewood and teamed up with Amelie to heat and light it again.
This time, he concentrated, and just like the farmhouse, he was able to sense what she was doing. After earning one hard scowl when he hardened his will and stopped her, he let her draw his heat. She did it slower and smoother this time, lighting the fire without chilling him near to death.
Rhys made tea and gently tipped it into the still-sleeping Towaal’s mouth.
The bright light lifted everyone’s mood, but they still had no solid plan. By evening, it was apparent they wouldn’t have much more food. Corinne came back empty-handed.
“Tight rations while we’re resting. We’ll save as much as we can to eat when we’re moving and need the energy.”
One more night in the snow hut kept them warm and out of the cold at least.
The next day, Towaal finally woke.
“How long?” she asked groggily, blinking and examining the interior of the hut.
“Two days,” replied Rhys.
“Where are we?” she asked, poking a finger experimentally into the snow and ice wall.
“A snow hut about two bells walk north of the demon attack,” said Rhys. “A blizzard swept through the next day and we couldn’t make much progress carrying you.”
She nodded, looking around. “Grunt?”
Corinne’s eyes fell down and Rhys quietly answered, “The arch-demon was injured by your lightning but wasn’t killed. It rose unexpectedly. Grunt faced it first.”
“Did you finish it?” probed Towaal.
Rhys nodded.
“We need to talk about our plan,” he said. “We wouldn’t have survived much more than that swarm. If we face that again, we might not finish this mission.”
“Let me think,” she answered.
Outside of the hut, they stoked another fire into life and tamped the snow around it to form chairs to sit on. Ben came up with the idea and was rather proud of it, but no one else seemed impressed.
Towaal sat down with the map page in the book. She studied the map and flipped to other pages before going back, muttering under her breath as she read.
They fixed a simple breakfast then Ben and Amelie practiced walking in their snowshoes. The light powdery snow
still sank under their feet, but with the wide shoes, they stayed above most of it. Ben found it much easier to walk in the shoes than trying to break a path.
The air was freezing cold, but the light exercise of walking and the bright sun kept them reasonably warm.
Finally, after a bell of reading, Towaal announced she had an idea. She called them close and traced a finger along the map.
“You see this?” she asked, showing the ring of mountain range that surrounded the valley the Rift was located in.
They all nodded.
“It appears to have the same geological characteristics as some islands in the south sea,” she said. “We might be able to use that.”
“Islands in the south sea?” asked Rhys skeptically.
She nodded.
“As in volcanic islands?” pressed Rhys.
“Exactly,” replied Towaal.
“If you are thinking what I am, isn’t that rather dangerous?” he worried.
“Yes,” agreed Towaal. “Extremely dangerous you might say, but I would attempt a controlled release.”
“What are you talking about?” demanded Corinne. “Something that is more dangerous than what we were already planning on doing?”
“A volcano,” explained Towaal, “is a rupture in the crust of the world. When these ruptures happen, extremely hot gases and a substance called magma are released. Sometimes, the release is in the form of a violent explosion, which naturally few have survived to describe. The release can also be slow and steady, which is observable and is documented in the Sanctuary’s library.”
“And how does this help us?” challenged Corinne.
Towaal pursed her lips. “If my suspicion is correct, then this valley we are traveling to is actually a dormant volcano. If we can activate it from a distance, we could direct the magma to the Rift and destroy it from afar. Assuming the release is controlled, it might be safer than facing the demon swarms we think will be populating the valley.”
“Might be?” inquired Ben.
Rhys tapped his finger on the map. “Here,” he said. “It looks like a tall hill from the drawing, just a few days walk outside of the valley. You might be able to far-see from it.”
Towaal glanced at the map. “It’s not too far out of the way. Let’s give it a try.”