Chapter 24 #2
“Greer!” I scream, racing across the frozen lake.
My feet slip from under me, and I slide toward the hole on my stomach.
The desperation building inside me urges me on.
I kick and claw until my fingers wrap around the cavity’s edge.
With one mighty yank, I try to plunge into the freezing water.
The bite of sharp teeth scrapes along my lower back as Ashavee grabs the waist of my trousers.
Our eyes lock, and she growls at me in warning.
The second of pause allows clarity to invade my frantic thoughts.
I rip off my shoes, cloak, and jacket. The last thing I need is something holding me down when Greer might need my help to the surface.
Ashavee yanks a rope from the saddle of Greer’s horse and brings it to me.
My hands shake as I tie it around my waist and throw the end at her.
The jaguar clenches it in her teeth and tips her head, letting me know I’m free to go.
I dive into the water headfirst. It takes all my self-control not to release my breath and scream.
The lake is beyond freezing. Pain like a knife driven into the top of my head spreads through me.
I want to press my palms to it, apply some pressure to calm the ache, but if I do, it will be at Greer’s expense.
I push through the agony, swimming hard and fast. With every stroke forward, I spread my fingers, hoping that I brush against her body.
My path is erratic through the murky water. Up. Down. Out. In. I swim and swim.
The burning in my chest grows the longer I go without air.
Instinct tells me to go back to the hole and take a breath, but my heart won’t let me give up on finding my friend.
My skin is numb, and my muscles scream as I push them to keep moving.
The urge to breathe is so intense that I’m struggling not to open my mouth and see if the water will substitute pure oxygen.
The rope pulls, yanking me backward. Panic takes over just as a harsh reality sets in.
Ashavee is signaling for me to return. If she believes it is time to bring me back to the surface, Greer is gone.
I fight against each tug, begging for just another second to search for her.
My chest constricts, squeezing my breaking heart.
I can’t bear the thought of filling my lungs with air while Greer sinks to the bottom of the lake.
My fingers rake through the water, grasping at nothing.
Pull. Nothing. Pull. Nothing. I give up the flight, letting my arms and legs dangle beneath me in defeat.
Pull. Pull. Something thick and twisted brushes my fingers.
I reach for it and also meet what feels like fabric.
I grip it and feel what might be the curve of a shoulder beneath.
My surprise overwhelms me, and I suck in.
Liquid floods my mouth and throat, choking me.
I try to cough but only manage to take in more water.
Pull.
Pull.
Pull.
My head hits something hard, and I snap it up.
Cold wind brushes my face. I gasp and choke, needing the water out and the air in at equal measure.
Ashavee grabs the back of my tunic with her teeth and hoists me out of the lake.
My arm remains in the water, and I use all my might to pull the fabric.
Relief rushes through me when Greer’s head rises above the water.
Ashavee takes over hoisting her from the lake as I vomit up everything that doesn’t belong in my airway.
When the first drag of oxygen fills me, I lift my head to see Greer lifeless on her back.
“No, you don’t,” I say, panting for breath. I crawl to her side and cross my hands over her chest, pressing down repeatedly. “You don’t get to leave me now. Breathe!”
She takes each hard compression without so much as batting an eye, but I don’t stop. If leaving her chest covered in bruises is what it takes, I will do it until she is black and blue. We set off on this journey together and may the Statera damn me if we don’t finish it together.
Water bubbles between her blue lips. I push my relief to the back of my mind and continue my efforts.
Ashavee and I roll her to her side. My hand slaps her back until she is coughing and gasping.
I want to hug her, cry, and laugh all at once, but my chattering teeth remind me that we are not safe. We need to get warm.
I don’t hesitate, helping Greer to her feet and wrapping her arm around my shoulders.
Our bodies rattle together like autumn leaves tussled in the wind.
It’s impossible to stand straight, let alone walk while gripping one another.
I pick up my discarded clothes and wrap my cloak around us.
My boots hang from my hand as we wobble our way across the lake.
The cold seeps through my socks and inches up my legs, threatening to freeze my muscles, but I grit my teeth and bear the pain.
We step on steady ground, and Greer slips from my grip, falling to her knees.
I pull at her arms to get her on her feet again, but her body won’t budge.
Tears run down her face as she gasps for breath.
My strong and fierce friend does not cry.
She perseveres and carves her own path. Greer is unstoppable.
I won’t let this be the moment she gives up.
I slink my arms beneath hers and drag her to where two large trees have fallen.
The ground between them is mostly free from snow.
It’s the closest we will come to finding shelter right now.
I rest her on her back, grab my bedroll and blanket from Nortus’ back, and lay them between the logs.
Greer trembles, making it difficult to remove her soaked clothes.
I place her naked body in the blankets, covering the top of her head to keep the heat in.
My muscles fight against me as I struggle to yank off my tunic, trousers, and undergarments.
I feel like I’m wound tight, on the verge of snapping and crumbling to the ground in a boneless heap.
My eyes flutter shut, and I stumble forward, jarring me awake again.
Greer isn’t the only one endangered by the cold. Both of us need to get warm, and soon.
Ashavee brings me the bedroll from Greer’s horse and her blanket.
I place the roll over the logs to cover us from any new snowfall and climb under the blankets with Greer.
I fold her into my arms, pulling her freezing body to mine.
It doesn’t seem to help. We are like two blocks of ice pressed together.
Our teeth chattering fills the quiet. I can’t think far beyond their noise, and my building fear.
I pray this isn’t how we die. It would be a terrible ending to an even bigger tragic tale.
As if she feels my terror, Ashavee joins us, placing her furry body over ours. The weight of her is comforting. Warmth spreads through me, calming my violent shaking to occasional shivers. Greer’s teeth stop chattering and she returns my embrace. We sink into the delightful heat emanating from us.
“We need to keep going,” Greer says, her voice raspy like she hasn’t used it in ages.
I cuddle in closer to her and press my cheek to her shoulder. “You need to rest a little longer.”
“It doesn’t matter what I need. We need to get going. It will be night soon.”
She sits up, exposing me to the cold. I hate it. If I never see another snowflake for the rest of my life, it will be too soon.
“You’re sure that you can keep going? We’ve already dealt with someone pushing himself too hard, I won’t risk you doing that as well,” I say.
Greer scoffs, knowing there is little I could do to stop her. “I’ll admit that I’m tired, but I can keep riding.”
Wearily, I trust her self-assessment and respond with a quiet all right.
We each take a blanket and set to work finding dry clothes. Ashavee grabs her boots from her satchel on Nortus’ saddle and drops them at Greer’s feet. They’re too big for her, but they’re better than the now frozen pair she had on when she fell through the ice.
I can’t help but to keep watching Greer, afraid that she is going to pass out at any second. Her skin is still dull and her movements slow. Even the braid down the center of her head is a mess of sparkling ice. Despite it all, she manages to stay on her feet.
We mount our horses, and Ashavee keeps pace with us as we make our way toward a cluster of tall pine trees.
The sun hangs just above their tops, waiting to sink behind them for the night.
We enter under the canopy of pine needles.
Snow covers the upper branches like puffy clouds tangled in gnarled fingers.
It gives us shelter from the brutal wind but makes it impossible to know if we are being followed.
Droplets of water fall from crystal icicles, tapping into small puddles, and clumps of snow fall to the ground with an echoing splat.
My hand hovers over my sword, and my eyes burn from keeping them wide open, anticipating the next catastrophe that works to disrupt our mission.
After glancing at the map for what feels like the millionth time, I fold it and tuck it away in my saddle back.
I have no clue what I’m doing. We’ve traveled for an entire day and our surroundings match nothing inked on the parchment.
Yet I have this overwhelming feeling like I’m headed in the right direction.
The path I take has no rhyme or reason. I turn left around a boulder and right at the trunk of a massive pine.
We travel straight for some time, and suddenly I have an innate desire to veer right.
The sky turns orange and violet with stars sparkling at the very edge, but I don’t turn to the map anymore.
I simply listen to that gut feeling. It’s like bird wings flapping in the pit of my stomach whenever I change directions.
Whatever lies beyond these trees holds the Imperium. I just know it.
We exit the woods only to end up in another desolate clearing. It’s dark, with only a sliver of the moon peeking through the gray clouds. The snow glitters under its cornflower rays. It’s not the ethereal oasis or stone-carved monument I pictured in my head while we rode. It’s… nothing.
I sigh and lean forward in my saddle, resting an elbow on the horn as I sweep the stray hair away from my face. A defeated breath rattles my lips, and I say, “I’m so sorry. I really thought I was taking us the right way.”
“Let me see the map,” Greer says, her words slow and quiet.
I dig into my jacket pocket and hold it out to her.
She doesn’t take it, instead she looks past me.
With her mouth hanging open, her eyes fill with wonder.
Ashavee lowers her hind legs, sitting in the snow as she stares in the same direction.
I inch around and the same expression of awe consumes my face.
Five gigantic spires of red rock loom over us, without a flake of snow on them.
The formations bow and retract as if the Statera poured them in liquid form and then froze them in place.
I crane my head back to see the highest peak.
Highlighted by the galaxies rests a small ivory temple with a domed roof.
The intuition that brought us to this place buzzes inside me. Upon the highest spire waits my redemption, and the outcome of my kingdom’s future rests in that temple. Our search for the Imperium has ended, leaving me with seven haunting words. This quest is yours and yours alone.