Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
Three Months Later
Ten PM on a freezing night in mid-December, and Loveland Pass looked the way it was supposed to—like the mountain where Lord Darkfell’s Keep held both the Embersword and Princess Evelaine hostage.
The Seven Sisters loomed above them, massive avalanche chutes loaded with more snow than Charlie had ever seen.
Heavy snow had been falling in the high country since the end of November.
An especially brutal December, Ben said.
Perfect for what Viv needed to film.
CDOT had closed the road hours ago. Now the film crew was at a fantastic vantage point for watching and filming, just waiting for the signal.
Charlie pulled her coat tighter as she looked at the Seven Sisters, thankful for the avalanche beacon strapped under her vest. She did another visual sweep of the area.
Flo and Pete were warm and comfy and probably napping in Viv’s trailer.
Shane had the fun part of being with CDOT when the fireworks went off.
She was with the rest of the cast and crew—Viv, Rowan, Duke, and the filming unit—well clear of the avalanche paths.
Ah yes, and the Embersworn Knights.
The twenty or so extras recruited to play the courageous band trying to rescue Princess Evelaine and reclaim the Ember Sword from Lord Felldark—stood near the equipment trailers, already in full costume.
The best part? Viv and Rowan had kept in touch with Charlie and Ben, and Viv had seen the photo of the guys in the St. Vrain and insisted they act as Embersworn.
Bear looked enormous in chainmail and leather.
Gabe, Elias, Waylon were all in medieval armor and matching Embersworn capes, grinning like kids despite the cold.
Ben had teased them about becoming bigger BattleLore nerds than he was.
Ben.
Charlie's chest went warm just looking at him.
Six-foot-seven of blacksmith in an Embersworn Knight costume.
He'd delivered the Embersword yesterday—she could still picture Viv's face when she saw the finished blade, the way Rowan had tested its weight and balance, Duke asking technical questions about the forging.
The PR photos had taken an hour, but Ben had been patient through all of it.
He caught her looking at him and smiled. She smiled back, then forced herself to scan away. Professional. She was working.
But God, am I happy.
Living with Ben for the past few months had been.
.. everything. Every morning better than the last. Thanksgiving at Arden's with all their friends, Frankie and Waylon and baby Danny, Ellie, Bear and Star, who was now toddling around and beginning to talk.
And of course, all the dogs. The whole chaotic, wonderful family they'd built made her happier than she’d even been.
Christmas was in a week. Their first Christmas together. Ben had been working on something in the forge, secretive and pleased with himself. That was fine—Charlie had her own surprise planned.
Maddie appeared at Viv's elbow, tablet in hand. “CDOT just radioed. They're detonating in ten minutes.”
“Perfect.” Viv turned to her cinematographer. “Final positions, everyone!”
The plan was simple. CDOT would trigger the avalanche and cameras would capture it from multiple safe angles. Later, they'd film the Embersworn Knights getting “hit” by the avalanche using a combination of practical effects, like controlled snow drops.
And there would also be the heartbreaking scene with Aldric and Caiden—Caiden reassuring Aldric before the final push up the mountain to Lord Felldark's Keep. The loyal friend steadying the hero, not knowing he was about to make the ultimate sacrifice.
The reality was so different. Though, according to Viv, things were better than they had been.
Charlie watched the crew move into position. Cameras locked down at safe distances with long lenses. Everyone well clear of the avalanche paths, positioned where CDOT had designated as secure.
Duke stood off to the side with Rowan, both of them in costume, reviewing lines quietly. They'd been professional all day. Distant, but professional. Maddie moved through the staging area, checking equipment, confirming camera positions, her usual efficient self, but wound tight as a spring.
“Five minutes!” someone called.
The mountain waited above them, cold and patient and loaded with snow.
Charlie did one more sweep. Everyone in safe positions. Escape routes clear. Emergency avalanche protocols reviewed.
Everything was ready.
“Positions!” Viv called out.
The crew moved with practiced efficiency.
Charlie watched the cinematographer check his equipment one last time, cameras locked down at carefully calculated angles.
The snow and wind prevented them from using drones tonight.
CDOT had mapped every inch of the avalanche paths.
Everyone knew exactly where the snow would go.
In theory.
Charlie's tactical brain noted the wind picking up and there was snow in the air. The temperature was dropping another few degrees. The snow on the Sisters seemed to shift in the darkness, restless.
“Two minutes!” someone shouted.
Ben and the other Embersworn Knights stood and watched—they'd film reaction shots later, but for now they just needed to stay clear and enjoy the show CDOT was about to put on.
Ben stood with his arms crossed, looking up at the mountain with the kind of respect you only got from years in the backcountry.
Gabe, Elias, Waylon, Bear, and the other extras—all of them had gone quiet, their earlier joking gone.
They understood what they were about to witness.
Charlie positioned herself where she could see both Viv and the mountain. Her hand rested near her sidearm out of habit, even though the threat tonight was snow, not bullets.
“One minute!”
“Thirty seconds!”
The mountain went silent. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Charlie counted down in her head. Twenty. Fifteen. Ten.
At five seconds, someone hit the lights on the cameras.
At zero, the world exploded.
The boom came first—deep, percussive, more felt than heard. Then another. Then a third. The charges going off in sequence up the Sisters.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then a white wave of snow rose and the mountain moved.
Charlie had seen avalanches on video and watched footage during the safety briefing. She’d read reports and studied statistics in preparation for tonight.
None of it prepared her for this.
The snow didn't fall. It flowed. A wall of white twenty feet high, maybe thirty, rushing down the chutes with a sound like a freight train mixed with thunder. Boulders vanished. Everything in the path simply ceased to exist under the weight of thousands of tons of snow moving at highway speeds.
The ground shook. Charlie felt it through her boots, up her legs, into her chest.
“Jesus,” someone breathed.
The avalanche hit the runout zone and kept going, spreading out like a massive white hand across the base of the Sisters. Slower now but still moving, still grinding everything beneath it into nothing. Viv couldn’t have asked for better footage.
Charlie's brain was automatically calculating—velocity, mass, destructive force. Anyone caught in that wouldn't have a chance. The snow would hit like concrete. Bury you in seconds. Even with her beacon, even with the best search and rescue team in the world—
She forced the thoughts away. Everyone was safe. Everyone was in position.
The avalanche finally stopped, settling into new formations across the landscape. The sound faded to a hiss, then to silence.
Absolute silence.
No one spoke. No one moved.
Then Charlie heard Viv's voice, quiet and awed. “Did we get it?”
“Got it,” the cinematographer confirmed. His voice shook slightly. “All cameras. Every angle.”
A cheer went up from the crew. They'd just captured something incredible.
Charlie watched the dust settle, watched the snow drift in the work lights—beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.
Ben appeared at her side. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She was. “That was...”
“Intense.”
“That's one word for it.” Charlie looked up at him. “Remind me never to take the mountains lightly.”
“Never take the mountains lightly,” he said mock-dutifully. Then, quieter, “You're shaking.”
She was. Adrenaline, probably. Or maybe just the cold finally getting through.
Ben pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her. “It's over. Everyone's safe.”
Charlie leaned into him for just a moment. Everyone else was cheering and giving each other high-fives. Viv and Rowan were safe. Professional distance could wait another thirty seconds.
“Yeah,” she said. “Everyone's fine.”
The crew started breaking down equipment, voices echoing in the cold air. Viv pulled Charlie aside, away from the main group toward where half a dozen snowmobiles were parked.
“Can we talk security for the next scene?” Viv asked as she took out her canister of O2. But her expression wasn't all business. She was glowing.
“Of course.” Charlie scanned the area automatically. “What's the setup?”
Viv inhaled from her canister, then put it away in the front pocket of her puffer jacket. “Caiden’s ‘You’ve always been the true king’ speech to Aldric.”
Charlie smiled. That was one of the most quoted passages from the books. “It’s going to be a tearjerker.”
“That’s the hope. And it’s why I want to get up there with Duke and Rowan ahead of the crew for a final rehearsal to make sure they nail it. Can we do just the four of us on snowmobiles—you, me, Rowan, and Duke?”
Charlie nodded. “As long as CDOT clears it.”
“There's a flat area CDOT set up for us and just declared it safe. We’ll use that.” Viv hesitated, then smiled. “Can I tell you something?”
Charlie’s nerves prickled. “Sure.”
Viv took off her glove and held out her left hand. A simple platinum band with a small diamond caught the light. “Rowan proposed last week.”
Charlie felt her face break into a genuine smile. “Viv, that's wonderful. Congratulations.”