Chapter Eight
“I Didn’t Want to Go to the Dance Without You”
Fifteen miles. They had traveled this distance without so much as pausing to rest. For Julia, it felt like so much more. A dull ache filled her legs with each step, but she pushed forward. She swept her gaze around. As always, Frost Mountain stretched even farther than her eyes could see. It was an infinite dimension, probably millions of miles across—or more. Dimension didn’t even seem to be the right word for this place. It was starting to feel more like a universe.
But even a universe had its limits.
“How long has it been since we left Dragon’s Den?” she breathed, stepping over an upraised root.
“Five days,” Damon replied without glancing at her. He didn’t look it, but she could tell he was also tired, not that it would stop him.
“You sure it’s not two weeks?” She bit her lip, wincing as it stung. “I’m starting to miss that town.”
More specifically, she missed being indoors. She missed it because it meant she could pretend she wasn’t surrounded by all this snow. Out here, in eternal winter, she felt ill at ease.
She knew she wasn’t the first to feel this way, and with time, she should get used to it, like Damon.
“We’ll get to Caprichor soon, Red,” he said, adjusting his bag.
“How soon?”
She supposed the silence that followed meant he was thinking of an answer. Finally, he said, “Soon.”
“That definitely answered my question,” she said, rolling her eyes.
He had something on his mind. That much she could tell. He’d been brooding ever since they’d left Dragon’s Den. Whatever he was thinking about, it was clearly serious, but she couldn’t read him, not after all these years. The man walking alongside her was a far cry from the guy who’d offered to walk her home in high school.
She decided a direct approach was in order. “Penny for your thoughts or whatever passes for money on this mountain.”
He cracked a smile, which made her heart swell for a moment. The memory of his gorgeous face hovering over hers flickered in her mind. She shifted her gaze to the sky, where the afternoon sun shone, only half as bright as his grin.
“It’ll be evening soon. How much longer until we get some rest?”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “There’s a set of caves up ahead. We should arrive there by tomorrow evening.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
She knew the answer before he went on. “There’s a shortcut, though. One that should save us a day at least.”
“What kind of shortcut?”
He looked her dead in the eye. “There’s a lake ahead of us. It’s been frozen for years, and—”
The sound of ice cracking and groaning filled her ears, and she shook her head. “No lakes. Please. Let’s take the longer route.”
“That’s an extra day, and we’d be walking through the woods.”
“I don’t care,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’ll walk as long as I need to. I’m not… I’m not going through all that, not again.” She wanted to sound assertive, but her words sounded more like a plea.
Damon opened his mouth to respond but seemed to think better of it.
They continued traveling through the woods in silence for what seemed like half an hour before either of them spoke again.
“Hey, Red?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s life like back on earth?” Damon wanted to know.
The question caught her off guard. Julia blinked. “Huh?”
“What’s it been like since I disappeared?”
She shrugged. “Earth is… earth, I guess.”
“Fair enough. What about my parents?”
Absentmindedly, Julia twirled her hair between her fingers. “I’m not sure. They moved out of Laudville a year after the accident. There was a funeral for you and everything. When the police couldn’t find your body, everyone figured you were dead. Your parents were distraught for weeks, and…” Her voice trailed off as she caught the expression on Damon’s face. “I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. They moved on in the end.”
She hoped that was true. She’d told herself that she had moved on, but that didn’t seem to be the case because the nightmares and memories hadn’t yet ceased.
“What about you?”
Her breath nearly froze in her throat at his question. Julia’s mouth went dry.
She decided to be truthful. “I… well, I was just as distraught, to be honest. I quit the newsletter. I didn’t go to school for a while, either. It was all so much for me to process. And… memories kept coming back. For a while, I couldn’t close my eyes without seeing you struggling in the water.”
Another moment of silence passed between them. Then Damon asked, “Did you go to the Valentine’s Day dance?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I was at home,” she replied. “Recovering from the accident.”
And I didn’t want to go to the dance without you.
Valentine’s Day was barely weeks away now. Julia wondered what his response might be if she took the initiative and asked him to dance with her. She let the thought slip from her mind.
Damon’s lips parted, and this time, she was certain he was going to say whatever was on his mind, but all that came out was a muttered, “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said, resting her hand on his. “We’ve both had our share of bad luck. On the bright side… it looks like our bad luck brought us back together.”
“You know, when you put it that way…” He smiled a smile that warmed her insides. Julia’s heart fluttered in her ribcage.
In shadows cast by spells, I wallow in pain,
Magic’s touch, a twist that breeds disdain.
Not bad , she thought.
God, if only she’d known she would end up on this mountain, she would’ve packed several pens and notepads on her way to the airport. She suppressed a chuckle at the thought.
In his warm embrace is a spell so tragic.
Oh, I wish his smile weren’t the substance of magic.
Not just his smile, she decided, shooting him a glance. His entire being seemed to be magic. Just being around him was enough to make her body and her heart respond in ways they hadn’t in a while. Maybe she should have stolen that kiss back in Dragon’s Den when she’d had the chance. Whatever awkwardness followed, it would have been worth it.
When he disappeared under the ice all those years ago, the memory of him had haunted her dreams. Now, here he was, in the flesh, and his very presence continued to torment her, albeit in a different way.
No sooner had they stepped into a large glade of trees than Damon froze in his tracks.
“We’re being followed,” he said, holding out a hand to stop her.
It took Julia a few seconds to register what he’d just said. “What? By whom?”
As if in response to her question, there was a rustle of leaves. And the men stepped out of the trees.