They both set off running once more. Close to the edge of the drop there had been very little snow, shaded from the worst of the blustering storm. As they ran further into the dense pine forest and the trees began to grow closer and closer together, the drifts thickened once more. Their enthusiastic run didn't last long. Within minutes they were back to slogging through deep snow.
“Where are we?” Lori asked breathlessly.
“Honestly? I don't know any more. We have never come down this far when scouting - and we definitely wouldn't have hurled ourselves off the edge of that cliff!” Lephas glanced up at the trees.
They walked on in silence for long moments, still hand in hand. Lephas glanced across at the princess.
She was deep in thought and her beautiful face was marred with dirt and scratches. The large cut on her cheek where the knight had hit her was still bleeding and swollen. A dark bruise had already begun to bloom beneath her alabaster skin.
Lephas clenched his teeth. It was a shame Karn had gotten the killing blow. He would have very much liked to end that particular faerie himself. One of her own father’s men had tried to kill her. Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach. As if he needed more reason to hate the faerie king.
He couldn't begin to understand what Lori was feeling. She looked exhausted. Her face was drawn tight, purple circles lay beneath her glassy azure eyes.
Lephas glanced up at the sky again. He supposed they probably only had an hour or so of daylight left. The forest was growing darker by the minute. They would need to find somewhere to stop and rest for the night, but he couldn't risk a fire. The princess was cold, her lips were tinged with blue. He doubted she would last a night exposed to the elements as she was.
Though he would find it uncomfortable to sleep in such cold conditions, Lephas was confident his tough winter gear would prevent him dying of hypothermia. He couldn't say the same thing for his companion.
Lori looked up at him, meeting his gaze. She smiled, but sadness shone through behind it.
“We'll need to stop soon,” he said simply.
“Yes, but where?” Lori asked, hiding a small yawn behind her fist.
“I haven't figured that bit out yet. We won't be able to light a fire.”
“No, I suppose not.” Lori had begun to shake again, but Lephas feared it wasn't so much from the cold as shock. He squeezed her hand and strode on determinedly. As they continued to meander through the thick forest, the demon scanned the wilds for a suitable hiding spot.
Just as he was beginning to lose faith, a large, hollow log loomed through the mist.
“Sit there for a minute,” He instructed, coming to a halt beside the log. Lori obeyed silently, staring off into space.
He crouched and crawled into the log. Something, possibly a small bear, had made a home here once. Scratching through the debris, Lephas determined that whatever creature had been here was long gone. The den lay undisturbed with no signs of recent activity.
The lingering smell of a predator would keep any smaller creatures at bay. Lephas was more than aware that it wasn't just faeries they needed to be wary of in these woods.
The log was dry and seemed solid. He clambered back out and his breath caught as he knocked the injury to his side. He needed to take time to assess the extent of the damage, but it wasn't the top of his priorities right now.
“Come on, in here.” He stood, dusting himself off and gestured to the entrance.
“...Inside the log?” Lori asked incredulously.
“I'm afraid so. It's safe and dry, I've checked.” He dropped his pack from his chest. The bag looked rather worse for wear, scuffed and sprayed with blood, but it still held.
“I can't believe I'm doing this.” Lori laughed, but got to her knees and climbed inside. Lephas cast his eyes around the forest for any last-minute threats before clambering in after her.
The log was just wide enough for Lori to spin herself around and tall enough that she was able to sit up. Unfortunately, the demon had to stoop considerably.
“Sorry, this is the best we can do for tonight.” He unclipped the thin rolled up mattress once more, unfurling it carefully in the enclosed space.
“This is fine.” Lori waited for Lephas to put the mattress down before eagerly climbing onto it and laying down.
“Tired?”
“Exhausted.” Lori sighed. She rolled onto her side to face away from him.
“Do you want any food or water?” Lephas asked, grabbing his water skin and drinking eagerly from it himself.
“No, I just want to sleep.”
