Theo
I was being humbled.
I’d survived almost everything that could kill a person. Stabbings. Maulings. Gunshots. Fire. I could handle anything. But here I was, fighting for my life against snow. I knew Cyciciah’s weather was cruel, but this was ridiculous.
I’d created this list of tasks with a strict order in mind.
I would not change it based on comfort or convenience.
Hitman tendencies die hard. With these mountains next in line, why would I bother factoring in the seasonal weather?
I wasn’t afraid of a little ice. And it wasn’t like the torrential storms of the summer would be much better.
If only Cyciciah was in the Eastern hemisphere where spring and autumn occurred. Mild seasons were so much more pleasant when traveling by foot.
Where is the damn field?
The slow, grating beep of my radar was muffled by the wind, yet a constant reminder that I hadn’t gotten closer to my target. The tone should speed up when detecting a magnetic shift, telling me an energy field is nearby. I’d been walking all day without hearing any changes in pace.
I took another grueling step up the snowy slope.
Despite my face being fully covered except my eyes, the wind felt like knives stabbing my cheeks.
I could barely see my own hand in front of me through the blizzard.
I’d never experienced weather so ruthless.
Heavy. Slow. Frustrating. Painful. Dangerous. Unproductive.
This wasn’t working. I need to go back to Drifael and make a new plan. Come back in the summer. A mission temporarily abandoned, but surely the summer thunderstorms would be better than this.
“I should find a cave for shelter and wait this storm out,” I thought to myself.
It’d be night soon. The beasts of the wilderness were enough of a pain to fend off during the daytime. I had no interest in their nocturnal counterparts.
“Shit. A wasted trip because of some damn snow,” I grumbled under my breath.
Looking over my shoulder as I walked, I reached for the pocket the machine was tucked into to shut the annoying noise off. No need for its services any longer.
I let out a surprised roar as my feet suddenly came out from under me, my knees buckling. Everything turned white. Cold pressure surrounded my body.
Pause. Evaluate...
Fuck. I fell into a damn tree well.
Searing pain shot up my leg when I tried shifting my weight. Something is broken. I ground my teeth to stifle a pained yell. There was nobody on this mountain to help me, only predators that would be delighted to find my incapacitated ass trapped. Easy prey. No noise.
“It’s fine,” I reassured myself mentally. “Just assess the situation and fix it.”
First priority, create an air pocket to breathe through, then I could work on digging myself out. I knew my survival skills like the backs of my four hands.
I was methodical, despite the splintering burn of my injury.
Once I tasted fresh air, I took inventory of the way each of my arms were positioned and how each could best dig me out.
It was exhausting work, and the cold was beginning to set into my bones.
My vision was speckling with stars, but I kept moving.
Being stuck in the snow was bad news. I needed to stop feeling.
Stop needing. Get the job done. Being cold, hungry, and in pain wasn’t going to fix anything.
Just be a living shovel. A tool. Nothing more.
It felt like I was fighting an endless barrage of snow, but I kept going. Panicking would be counterproductive, so instead I trusted the process.
Once I finally saw a glimmer of daytime starshine, things moved quickly.
Finally crawling free from the pit, I tried to stand, only to have my broken leg fail under me. I collapsed with a pained growl, my vision darkening—a threat of looming unconsciousness. All the discipline in the world wouldn’t fix the fact that my body was failing me.
I’d barely been navigating this blizzard effectively before.
Now I was in serious trouble without the ability to walk.
I lay there, staring at the towering blue trees reaching into the sky around me.
They grew to be massive in this region. It was probably a sapling that had taken me out.
The thought was almost funny. An infant doing what no grown ass killer had been able to do. Death by baby tree.
I’ll just rest for a moment and think of a solution. My eyes closed.
“How many people?!”
“Theo, calm down.”
“Fuck you! Tell me how many people right now, or I’ll add you to the number without a second thought.”
“Shit!” I heard through the haze of my subconscious. Was I dreaming? That sounded real.
I was jolted awake by a kick in the ribs, a shout, and something—someone—flopping on top of me. My head too cold and heavy to lift, I peered down at the body stretched across my own.
“Oh my god!” The person scrambled off me and kneeled at my side.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you! Are you—are you alive?
What the fuck are you doing out here?!” A husky female voice yelled over the shrieking wind.
Gloved hands began dusting a layer of snow off me.
I was so numb, I couldn’t feel the touch through my thick clothing.
My attention panned to the sky. The daytime stars were setting. How long was I out for?
I tried to say something, but my lips were numb and nearly frozen shut under the layers wrapping my face. All that escaped was an incoherent mumble.
“Are you hurt?”
I nodded my head stiffly, using my eyes to direct her attention to my leg.
“Here?” she asked, dusting snow off my skin with aggressively batting palms. I groaned through my teeth when she repeatedly struck my broken shin. I could feel that.
“Sorry! Sorry!” she cringed. “Okay. This is fine. You’re going to be alright. I can help,” she assured me. The high pitch in her voice betrayed her confidence.
She pulled out a knife. Adrenaline instinctively pumped through my body at the familiar gleam.
She got to work slicing my pant leg from my body.
Had I been able to speak, I would’ve objected.
She should splint the bone and leave my clothing intact to protect me from the elements.
But my lips were numb, so I’d let her do whatever she wanted.
I wasn’t likely to make it out of this anyways.
What was she gonna do, carry a grown Quadmos through a blizzard at night?
My leg bare to the blistering cold, she bit off one of her gloves and rested her palm directly over my injury. It was probably black and swollen from the fresh blood pooling under my skin. Locating the problem area would be easy. She closed her eyes.
My skin tingled, the pain unexpectedly lessening. Frostbite kicking in? She’d definitely accelerated that process by opening my pantleg. I watched curiously.
Of all of the potential deaths I’d faced, this one was rather pleasant. She was being kind. And although my vision was fuzzy, I was captivated by the soft features I could distinguish, pink from the cold and softly rounded. If this was the end, she was a lovely final vision.
Had I done enough positive work to offset the damage I’d once caused? Probably not. After all, if I died here, my knowledge from a decade of research expeditions died with me. But I was too far gone to really feel the weight of that regret now.
“Does this hurt?” She pressed into the leg.
I winced on reflex, but no pain came. It felt surprisingly normal.
“I know someone nearby; they may have something we can use to move you. Then we can get you to Drifael tomorrow,” she declared, crouching to get up. “I’ll be back with help.”
A strand of pale-yellow hair fell from her winter cap.
My heart stopped. Of course. My leg wasn’t numbing from frostbite.
She’d healed me.
I’d found a free goddess.
Free for now at least.
A fresh urgency had my mind racing. She knew people nearby?
That wasn’t good. I needed to warn her about the dangers of interacting with this world.
There was evil out there that would prey on her if given the chance.
And if she was running around with golden hair, she probably had no clue about any of it.
She needed knowledge to protect herself.
I tried to get my mouth to cooperate as I mumbled unintelligibly. This was a conversation I’d practiced in my head countless times for when the moment arrived. A moment where I met a goddess I could actually help. And now that it was here, I couldn’t form the words with my frozen, numb lips.
“Just hang in there.” She stood up. I reached out for her wrist to stop her, but she was already stumbling off into the snow.
I rolled to my hands, forcing myself to stand. I had to follow her!
I stumbled the moment my weight was on my feet. The excruciating pain in my shin was gone, but my ankle throbbed like it may crumble under me. I hadn’t noticed that injury while laying down. Now it was too late to get it healed by the female who had just disappeared into the snowy woods.
I tried stumbling after her, supporting myself with the trunks of taller trees, but it was no use. The incline was too steep. There was no way I’d be able to run uphill after her.
I could try staying put. Wait for her. But I’d probably freeze to death or be eaten alive by whatever beast was howling in the distance.
As much as I wanted to talk to her—help her—I was as good as dead if I didn’t find shelter.
And I was no use to her dead. I’d have to leave before she returned.
If she returned. I hoped she wouldn’t try.
Going down the mountain was easier. I could grind my teeth through the pain and let gravity pull me from tree-to-tree to safety. There would be less snow and beasts on the lower altitudes.
Get to Drifael. Grab food. Grab car hidden in the brush. Drive home. Regroup.
I would survive. Recover. Come back during summer with a healed ankle and a better shot against the elements.
I was on a mission. For one, I finally found a goddess after all these years of traveling aimlessly—hoping I’d find a way to make a difference that didn’t involve more killing. But also, I owed her.
She saved my life.