Chapter 31
Snow drifted lazily from the whitened sky, falling across Mirielle's hair and shoulders. She sat on a log near the fire.
Camp was a flurry of activity. Reis and Dane were pitching the tent. Kellan was chopping wood. Lettie was pulling ingredients out of sacks and throwing them into a large pot. Even the horses had purpose, pushing snow with their muzzles as they grazed on the grass hiding beneath it.
Which left Mirielle in the middle of it all with absolutely nothing to do, feeling utterly useless.
She hated it, feeling useless. She knew everyone else had more experience. She knew they would be able to do more. But she could at least do something.
Whenever she tried to help, she was diverted to the fire, to the tent or someone would physically take the task out of her hands.
Dane had been teaching her some things. Identifying herbs and edible plants mostly. The snow here was too deep for that to be a very useful skill.
She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself as a cold breeze blew over the fire.
That was when she noticed Maisey. She had wandered away from the small herd. Not far, just beyond a group of snow-heavy pines.
She smiled. Then she rose and trudged towards the horse.
She should at least be able to bring her own horse back.
She shuffled down a small slope into a copse of trees. Snow dusted her lashes as she reached for the rope harness.
"What are you doing way over here?" she said to Maisey, stroking her thick star-spotted fur softly.
Behind her, she could hear camp. The sound of Kellan splitting wood, laden with unusual curses. Stakes being driven into the rocky ground.
Then she turned around and the world vanished.
A wall of white consumed the mountainside.
Then the wind came. It battered Mirielle, nearly blowing her into Maisey. She lifted her arms over her face to fend it off.
One moment she could see camp. The next she could hardly see her hands in front of her face. The trees disappeared, camp disappeared.
Mirielle's breath caught. "Reis?"
The wind ripped the word from the air. A violent shiver went through her body as it blew her cloak off the ground.
She clung to Maisey tightly. The horse shifted next to her.
She looked around, turning in a slow circle. The world was lost to the white void. No trees. No sky. Only her and Maisey.
Snow now pelted her, spraying heavy clumps into her hair, stealing her breath with its cold.
Panic crawled at her chest. She started walking, but after three steps she stopped. She couldn't remember which way camp was. Her heart lurched as she began to shake and tremble.
"Reis!"
The wind tore her scream again.
A minute went by. Then another. Mirielle's body began violently shivering from the cold. She closed her eyes. Every instinct told her to move. To find heat. She forced herself to stay still. The effort felt impossible.
She burrowed her body into Maisey's side, stealing and sharing the warmth she could. She pressed her forehead into her soft neck.
"Please don't leave me."
Maisey huffed softly and leaned into her. She turned to nuzzle her protectively.
Mirielle's eyes burned. Snow pelted her and snuck in at the seams. It flew into her collar, under her hood, leaking water down her chest and into her boots. She felt cold water melt against her body's remaining warmth.
Minutes crawled. Five, ten, maybe twenty. Time was impossible to measure.
Mirielle began to sob weakly as the world became nothing but noise. No up, no down, only the sound of wind ramming into her hood.
She thought of Nyteny.
Of Bael.
Of what she could remember of her mother's face.
Of Dane, Kellan and Lettie.
And Reis—the last time he held her. The last time they rode on Hank together and he pulled his cloak around her.
What if he couldn't find her this time?
"Please find me," she whispered.
The wind tore it apart.
*
Reis had just finished tightening the last rope of the tent when the storm blew through. A wall of white covered the mountainside, disappearing it completely.
"Damn."
Kellan muttered something about the weather scorning him personally. Reis turned to camp and froze. Mirielle had been seated by the fire just a few minutes ago. Now that spot was empty. Reis frowned. Something uneasy settled in his chest. His gaze crossed over camp again.
"Where's Mirielle?"
Kellan looked up from a splintered log. Then he looked at the fire. "I don't know."
Something in him sharpened as he swept the camp. Lettie by the packs, Dane near the tent. No Mirielle.
He called her name.
The wind screamed in answer.
A chill went down his spine as his gaze frantically darted to every corner of camp. His voice hardened. "Dane."
He looked up immediately.
"When did you last see her?"
Dane frowned. "Ten minutes ago."
Ten minutes. Reis felt his own pulse stumble.
Malvek had taken lives in less time. His gaze landed on the horses and the one that was missing—Maisey.
Reis stared at the horses, then at the white wall behind them.
Cold dread pooled in his stomach and settled in his bones as every possible outcome crashed through his mind.
Lost.
Fallen.
Frozen.
Buried.
Alone.
The thoughts struck him in violent tandem. His heartbeat hammered in his ears as terror invaded every part of his being and drowned his soul.
He moved.
"Find Dane's rope." The order came out low and lethal. "Dane. With me."
Dane was already moving. Lettie went for the packs.
Kellan stared.
"Reis—"
The king rounded on him. "If she is out there alone—" His voice broke.
Kellan flinched.
Then it returned colder than winter.
"I'll find her."
Before anyone could answer, he was already moving straight into the whiteout as though the mountain itself had declared war.
And Reis intended to win.
*
Mirielle had managed to get Maisey to lie down. Apparently it was a trick taught to most Kaldyrian horses because of situations exactly like this one.
She buried herself into Maisey's thick winter coat, trying to avoid the brunt of the wind tearing above her. She was shivering so violently her hands vibrated against Maisey's stomach.
Her panic consumed her. It was like the dark, only colder. The dark stole her breath. This stole everything. It leaked through her clothes and burrowed itself into her skin and bones. She couldn't feel any of her body's warmth. The cold had taken all of it.
She didn't know how long she could survive out here. She didn't think she could survive very long.
"Reis." The word barely escaped her. She had been calling him. She could hear her voice getting weaker each time. "Reis."
The wind swallowed the word whole.
Her eyes burned as her tears froze to her lashes. She pinched her eyes shut.
Suddenly strong hands grabbed her. They were almost violent with their urgency. Reis appeared through a wall of white. His eyes found hers. His expression stole the breath from her. She was expecting anger, but all she could find was pure terror.
"Mirielle."
He dropped to his knees and pulled her against him with so much force it hurt her stiff limbs. He wrapped his cloak around her. Warmth enveloped her immediately. She could feel him shaking. Somehow, she knew it wasn't from the cold.
His eyes searched her face as if needing confirmation she was real.
"Mirielle."
She had never heard him say her name like that.
"Reis—" Her voice was barely a whisper.
He squeezed his eyes shut, as if her voice confirmed his reality. Relief washed over him, but only for a moment.
Her lips were already turning blue.
"Reis... it hurts." Her voice cracked in a weak trembling cry.
"I know." His voice was deep and broken with regret. He bundled her against him and lifted her off the ground. "Stay with me."
He moved. The world was a blur of snow and white. Somewhere beside them, she heard Dane shouting as he led Maisey through the storm.
Within seconds they were back at camp in the tent.
The tent vanquished the wind and warmth hit her face.
It wasn't nearly enough. Reis dropped to his knees and carefully lowered her into the bedroll.
Meltwater had already soaked through her hair, and her skin was frighteningly pale. She was shaking uncontrollably.
And her lips, they were blue. Terror hollowed him all over again.
The tent burst open with Lettie carrying dry clothes, followed closely by Kellan carrying hot stones and a flask of warm broth.
"Get those clothes off her," Dane ordered from the entrance. Reis moved instantly. His fingers fumbled against the clasp of her cloak.
"I'll do that." Lettie pushed him aside. "You help me lift her."
Then everyone was moving.
Lettie stripped away the soaked layers with quick, practiced efficiency while Kellan began piling furs onto the bedroll and tucking heated stones beneath the blankets.
"Mirielle?" Lettie tried to hide the fright in her voice. Mirielle managed a weak sound. "Good. Stay awake for me."
Kellan and Dane looked away as the cloak came off first, then the layers beneath. Every piece was soaked through. No wonder she had been freezing. Reis held her as tightly as he could, shifting her so the clothes could come off faster. She clung to him weakly, her only warmth was his body.
Lettie grabbed dry clothes and they began dressing her as fast as she could. Fresh stockings, then a thick linen shift. Wool layers followed. By the time she finished, Mirielle was trembling violently.
"Done."
Kellan immediately buried her beneath every fur they possessed.
Reis knelt beside her and pressed the flask to her lips. "Small sips."
Mirielle obeyed.
The broth burned her frozen mouth, but she drank greedily. The warmth slid into her stomach like liquid fire, but color still did not return to her lips.
Reis's jaw tightened. Without another word, he tore off his shirt and climbed beneath the furs beside her. He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her firmly against his chest.
Gods, she was freezing. Her hands felt like ice. For a moment Reis simply held her tighter as if he could force his own warmth into her.
Kellan shoved another heated stone beneath the furs near her feet. Lettie started wrapping her hair in dry linen, soaking up as much meltwater as possible.
Dane crouched beside the bedroll, studying her face. The blue tint remained stubbornly visible on her lips. His eyes lifted to Reis with careful question. "You want me in there?"
"Yes." The answer came instantly. Two human furnaces were better than one and Dane produced enough body heat to sleep beneath snow.
Within seconds Dane was shedding layers with the conviction of a man who was determined to act appropriately.
Dane climbed underneath a mountain of furs and settled against her other side. Mirielle barely registered it. She mumbled something incoherent. Reis realized she was falling asleep.
"No, Mirielle, I need you to stay awake right now." His voice was laced with panic. Reis knew that falling asleep could make her colder. She might never wake if she fell asleep now.
Mirielle's eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times as she fought the dreamy feeling that was dragging her.
When Dane saw her eyes begin to close again, he spoke up. "What's the white flower called? The little ones we saw in the forest?"
Mirielle scrunched her face. "Feverfew?" she murmured.
"Right. And what's the little red berry that you should never eat? The one with the pokey leaves."
She mumbled something, but no real words came out.
"No." Reis sat up and pulled her face to him. "Look at me."
A flash of silver as her eyes fluttered open for a heartbeat.
"That's it."
They drifted shut again.
"No."
His thumb brushed against her cheek. "Stay with me."
She made a weak, pained sound, begging him to let her sleep.
He pressed a hand over her heart and called his power, willing her heart to slowly speed up. Her heart answered reluctantly, the next beat harder than the last. She gasped and let out a small whimper as her heart pushed cold blood back into her limbs. Pins and needles stung her feet and hands.
"Reis!" she cried his name in a whimper as she tried to bury her cry into the bedroll.
"I know, Mirielle." His voice was thinner than usual.
Dane watched her pityingly. He knew the feeling well. Reis had done something similar to him on more than one occasion.
"The berries, Mirielle. What is the name of the berries?"
When she only sobbed in response, Dane looked at Reis. He kissed her on her temple. "I know, Mirielle. We will let you sleep as soon as you are warm."
Mirielle shook against him as another sob wracked her body and tears dripped down her nose.
"Mirielle, just answer a few more questions and we'll let you sleep, okay?" Dane pleaded.
"Hearthfire berries," she answered in a cry.
"Good girl. Just a few more."
Mirielle nodded into the blankets.
Reis buried his face into her wet hair while Dane did everything he could to keep her awake.