Page 104

No, she could not. “I will be fine. I will just carry you for a while, just long enough for you to regain some strength.” At least, that was what he told her. If he had to, he would carry her until he too collapsed. Even then, he would crawl until he could crawl no farther if that was what it took to get her to someplace safe and warm.

After one shivering moment, Melantha nodded. She did not resist as he took off her pack and buckled it onto the top of his. He added her snowshoes and poles as well so that he now carried both packs, her poles and snowshoes, and both sets of skis.

He unbuttoned the front of his parka, ignoring the frigid bite of the wind as it tore through him.

Melantha took off her mittens, stuffed them inside a pocket, then wrapped her arms around his neck underneath his parka. He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He tucked her inside his parka as best he could, though it was not large enough for him to rebutton it. Then, he lengthened the straps of his pack as far as they would go so that the strap that used to go around his chest now went around Melantha’s upper back and pinned both her and the open flaps of his parka in place. He threaded the strap around his waist under her legs, then over her lower back so that she was securely held to his chest while leaving both of his hands free.

Melantha settled her head against his shoulder, her face all but covered between his parka and hers. She mumbled something, but he could not hear it over the screaming wind. Her fingers slackened at the back of his neck as she relaxed into the straps that held her.

Rharreth put his mittens back on, then gripped his ski poles. Now that he was carrying so much weight and unable to see his feet thanks to Melantha blocking some of his view, he needed the extra balance the poles gave him more than ever.

With a deep breath, he set out once again. His snowshoes sank deeper into the snow with every step thanks to the added weight, and it was more of a struggle to lift each foot higher to plant his next step.

But he kept on, step after step, yard after yard, as the mountain trail grew ever steeper. The blizzard raged, lashing him with snow and ice, nearly choking him with the gusting cold.

As he fought the wind, the ever-deepening snow, and the steep grade of the mountain trail, his breathing grew ragged, and the muscles in his legs burned.

Melantha’s cold fingers touched the back of his neck, and her magic flooded into him. Strength surged through his muscles.

Rharreth ducked his head to put his mouth closer to Melantha’s ear so that she would be able to hear him over the roar of the storm. While most of her was tucked against him, her feet and toes dangled on either side. Even in her boots, her toes must be near frozen, and the strap running underneath her legs to hold her against him was most likely cutting off circulation to her lower legs. “You should concentrate on keeping yourself warm, especially your toes.”

“I am fine.” Melantha murmured. She didn’t so much as lift her head or open her eyes.

She wasn’t fine. But there was nothing Rharreth could do except keep forging onward.

His foot plunged farther than he had been expecting, and he nearly fell. Only his grip on his ski poles kept him upright.

The trail was sloping downwards. Finally.

Closing his eyes, he sent a blast of his magic down the trail, slicking the snow into an icy ramp that followed the contours of the mountainside.

He eased into a sitting position in the snow, reaching around Melantha to take off his snowshoes. Then, gripping the snowshoes in one hand, he wrapped both arms over Melantha. “Hold on tight.”

She gave a small, weak nod, and he was glad she was securely strapped to him.

Then, he pushed off. He slid over the ice, gaining speed the farther he went down the mountain. The wind from his speed whipped past his face, and Melantha’s arms tightened around his neck.

The ramp veered around a turn, and Rharreth had to throw up an even larger wall of ice on the side to keep himself and Melantha from flying off the edge.

He squinted into the whirling snow, letting go of Melantha long enough to press his hand to the ice. Sending more of his magic into the ice, he sensed how close they were to the valley floor. A forest was coming up, and both he and Melantha would be killed if they struck a tree at this speed.

Trying to direct the ice to go around the trees, he coated the ramp ahead of them with a foot of the fresh powder to slow them down. As they flew into the powder, snow blasted into Rharreth’s face, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut. He hunched to try to shield Melantha as much as possible as she clung to him.

With another blast of power, he created a mound of fresh snow in front of them. They hurtled into it with an explosion of snow.

Rharreth slid from the ice onto a patch of ground that was almost bare of snow, dragging him to a halt. Spruce and pines rose all around, sheltering the spot where he sat.

He tipped his head down toward Melantha. All he could see of her was the top of her parka as she had her face completely buried against his chest. “Are you all right?”

“You are insane,” she mumbled against him, shifting to peek up at him before she returned to pressing her face against his shirt.

“It was faster than walking.” Rharreth strapped his snowshoes back on, gathered his feet beneath him, and gritted his teeth as he strained to stand, weighed down as he was. His legs burned, but he straightened.

After taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he set out down the trail once again. The thick stands of spruce and pine provided some relief from the clawing wind and biting snow.

He trudged for what felt like several more miles. Large clumps of snow fell from the trees above, shaken from the branches by the whipping blizzard. The tree trunks were all plastered with a layer of snow.