Not good. Frostbite didn’t take long.
I scanned for dry wood to burn, but everything was wet, frozen, and wrong.
“Hello?” I called, desperate for anyone or anything, to make this cold stop.
My voice echoed around me.
My breath condensed in the air before me. Ice pellets struck my cheek, and I looked up at the cloudy sky, a forceful wind whipping my hair from my shoulders.
“Damn it,” I muttered, moving under a tree. My heart raced as I stared up at the towering pine. I was running out of daylight. Grabbing the tree, I wrapped my legs around the thick trunk, bark scraping my thighs. My arms burned. If I fell, there’d be nothing but snow waiting to break my fall but I had to get higher.
My body stung as the bark scraped through my clothes. Positioning my foot on a branch, I pushed.
Snap.
My weight dropped out beneath me, the slack in my arms gone in an instant. I smacked against the trunk, holding on with only my upper body strength. It felt like every muscle in my arms were stretching beyond their limits.
Pain shot like fire up my arm as I reached for another branch to secure my weight against. A groan escaped my cracked, dry lips.
With a final pull, I emerged above the treetops.
The sun was setting on the horizon, the starry night chasing it to the world’s edge. Deep purples and reds formed like bruises as the sun sank. It cast odd, shimmering lights through the snow-laden terrain, lighting it up with sparkles as if the snow were sprinkled with gemstones. The mountainside looked different, too. The ice crystals glittered vibrantly, hitting the rock face like a light show. I might have found it beautiful if I weren’t freezing to death.
All but one part.
I stared at it, squinting. Why was one part unlit? I grasped the tree tightly, pulling the parchment out of my pocket.
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.
That was it. This stupid poem was talking about a cave.
My heart was racing. I had to get there. If not, I was going to freeze to death here. I’d be found frozen solid, curled up in the fetal position with a fucking riddle in my pocket.
I climbed halfway down the tree before jumping into the snow. The shadows were fading into darkness as I ran. An owl hooted in the distance as snow started to fall. At least I wouldn’t die out here alone.
I shivered as I tried to stay focused on which direction I was going. I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore.
Somehow, I kept moving. Ahead, through the branches, I saw the cliff face, the evening light nearly gone. This had to be more than just shelter. Was it a tunnel? Perhaps leading to Nightfall?
My heart leaped, and I started to sprint. The air I dragged into my lungs was so piercing that I stumbled into the snow.
As I lay there, the deep cold in my bones began to subside as if death’s cloak was slipping over me. What was this? Why sedate someone and leave them out in the middle of nowhere?
A surge of heat flowed through me, and a pain shot through my limbs as the feeling in my fingers and toes returned. Growling, I rasped in cold, sharp air and rose. Shadows shifted between the trees as I moved toward the rocky slope where I’d seen the cave.
I trekked up as far as possible, grabbed a frozen rock, and pulled myself up the steep terrain. This was crazy. I’d trained most of my life, and this was still incredibly difficult. Did they think normal people could do this? I clutched the next jagged rock I found and pulled as I cursed under my breath. Despite all logic, I glanced down. If I fell, I’d be buried in the snow in no time. They wouldn’t even find me.
My vision blurred as I reached for the next sharp edge. I closed my eyes, fighting vertigo as the world spun around me. I could barely feel the icy rock against my hand.
The rock was there; I just had to hold on.
I’m almost there.
