I hurried and snuggled in my sleeping bag before he could see me.
Hours later, he made no sound as he went to sleep, but his presence stopped my tossing and turning all the same. I felt him settle in the next tent, and I could swear he was facing me beyond the thick layers separating us.
With him so close, I finally drifted off to sleep.
The next day, the crater resumed its revenge. The wind had picked up, now bringing hail upon us.
“Just another few hours,” Dax muttered next to me, holding onto his hood for dear life. Half of it was making sure the closest warriors heard his grumbles, but I heard his teeth chattering. “It’s nice and warm beyond the crater. Just. A. Few. More. Hours.”
I hadn’t truly realized how accustomed I’d become to the low temperatures in the past weeks and wondered if the cold had made me moan half as much when I’d first arrived.
Our bones had grown in warmer, balmier lands, and it showed.
The wall of the crater rose above us menacingly, daring us to go back.
As soon as we stepped underneath its long shadow, all the dregs of warmth vanished. At the back of the line, Dax and I were more exposed to the wind. We huddled so close together, our backpacks bumped into each other.
A metal cling resounded from mine.
Damn it.
I closed my eyes and sighed as Dax gasped.
“You brought it with you,” he whispered, delighted. “I knew you hadn’t given up hope.”
“It’s just a precaution,” I whispered back.
There was no existence where the crown remained unguarded by a Protectorate member. I might not have been heir, but I’d pledged my allegiance years ago, and nobody could steal that from me.
“If you say so,” Dax said, so cheerfully, he forgot to complain about the cold.
Time dragged, my feet ached, and the hail hit my face mercilessly. Sylvester kept flying above the two of us, and I knew Ryker had a hand in this as well.
Just as the ice had seeped through all the leathers and furs, we finally reached the passage, the sun barely peeking behind us.
The wall still spread above and beyond, suffocating in its greatness–but now the stench of putrid ash coated my tongue. I knew it was only a memory, but that didn’t stop my knees from shaking.
Last time, Ryker and I had entered the passage together, hand in hand.
Now he stood in front of it alone.
He had to go first–and alone–to disengage the traps he’d set up at the entrance.
I knew that the passage was now devoid of those masked attackers.
That he would be safe.
But my heart didn’t understand. It wanted to face the darkness alongside him.
I dug my heels harder into the snow. He’d get the job done much faster without my human speed dragging us.
I didn’t even know if he wanted me by his side–and I shouldn’t have yearned for it in the first place.
As logic and sentiment battled inside of me, the sun finally caught up with us.
The scorched earth began to glimmer.
The ghost of screams, metal clangs, and ashy darkness beat against me.
