“If I drink this, I’ll wake up at Nightfall? In Europe? Across an ocean?” I asked.
He smiled and nodded. “Yes. Good, you seem to understand.”
Somehow, I’d expected simpler travel plans. That was my mistake, of course, considering I was receiving instructions from a place called The Squelching Mink. I could question him further, get nowhere, and still do what he said, or do it without all the hassle. Picking up the metal cup, I tipped it back. It tasted every bit as bad as it looked. I finished it and set the cup back down on the table.
If it killed me, I’d be pretty pissed, but at this point, it didn’t seem any riskier than walking into a lair of hungry polar bears.
Davos, oblivious to the little mink that now sat on his shoulder, looked pleased. I watched the little mink as it started making an odd, well, squelching sound. It was looking at me and creeping me out. When he stood up, I shifted to get up, but a strange feeling struck.
The odd feeling passed quickly, but when I opened my eyes, Davos was gone, as was the little squelching mink. After that, everything descended into darkness.
Chapter 6
Hell is Cold
ANNA
Crisp air stung my skin as I squinted against blinding sunlight. I shielded my eyes as my skin froze.
It was so cold.
My heart pounded as I strained to see through the floods of light pouring across my face. Finally, evergreen peaks came into view. I sucked in a sharp breath. This couldn’t be real.
It was like no time had passed, but I was clearly no longer in North Carolina. Several inches of powdery snow covered the ground in a forest far less dense than I was used to. I glanced around for a sign or something to alleviate my rapidly increasing anxiety, but nope. Nothing. Not even a footprint. No birds, no creature in sight—just ominous sounds in the distance that sounded like ice shifting.
I shivered in the cold. Someone had changed my clothes—I was in wool leggings, thick-soled boots, and a fitted, long-sleeved leather jacket that was structured and cinched. It was thick and heavy, but not nearly warm enough. The wind still pierced my leather gloves.
What had I agreed to?I turned around, searching for anything man-made, but it was white as far as the eye could see. I caught movement in my peripheral vision. A white fox popped his head up, watching me for a moment. Ice clung to his eyelashes. At first, I was glad to see another living creature, but when he turned, he revealed red stains on his fur before scurrying off and disappearing in the snow. I started walking, moving quicker than before, my nerves firing as I glanced at the horizon. The sun was at least a few hours from setting, but that wouldn’t matter if I didn’t find somewhere to take shelter before dark.
I couldn’t believe I’d signed up for this nonsense. My footprints were being swallowed by snow drifts as soon as I took a step. This wasn’t good—it was too cold, even with my style upgrade.
I moved faster, the snow crunching as I passed through the pines. Sticking my hands in my pockets, I felt something. Pulling out a small slip of yellow parchment, I stared at it.
I scanned the text. It was a poem, or a riddle, or something.
Were they serious?
This was my task? Because getting dumped half-frozen at the North Pole wasn’t cryptic enough. The chill was creeping deeper into my skin. I swallowed painfully and anxiously reread the text.
When light hides the dark,
Life begins with a spark.
When dark takes the light,
Life will struggle with all its might.
Descent bleeds power in a vibrant hue,
With bruising that follows right on queue.
Long enough for one to see,
The path to light and dark may both be.
I stared at the tiny, stupid piece of paper.What was that supposed to mean? How was this supposed to be helpful?I shivered and glanced around for a path, or a light, or whatever it was talking about before shoving the parchment in my pocket.
I moved through the forest long enough that my entire body felt numb, but there was nothing but trees, snow, and mountains on the horizon. The branches quaked under the heavy snow, the occasional crack quickening my step. The sun was beginning to set, and dark clouds were moving in. Howls sounded all around me as the temperature continued to drop. I felt it biting into my fingers through the gloves, the numbness setting in.
