Beside Kae, Ma’trii dipped his head and whined, shy and grateful. Kaiten smiled in return.
Loren shifted her furs over her shoulders again and wrapped the end of a length of Kespian silk around her face. “I truly hate to interrupt this moment, but it is freezing, and we have to get moving before the scent fades. Ma’trii, if you would lead the way?”
Chapter Sixteen
The trudge through the north was spent with heads bowed against the wind. The cold was inescapable, seeping into their clothes from every possible gap, settling into their bones and freezing even their spirits. No words were spoken for hours. Speaking would have expended energy that was sorely needed, and would have exposed their faces to the elements even more. Loren began to wonder if she would ever feel warmth again in her life.
Their boots trudged a line through snow and withered grass as they moved — single file — and followed the gray wolf through. In time, they emerged from the trees and into a clearing. It was a flat expanse of pristine, untouched snow stretching for miles in one direction. Ma’trii huffed and snorted, shaking the snow off his nose, and bounded down onto the snow-covered plain.
“Ma’trii!” Kae called after him, unsteadily forcing her way through knee-high snow. “Damn you, Ma’trii! Wait for us!”
The princess was about to call Kae back, to tell her not to split up, when Kaiten laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. His face was covered in a heavy wrap of silks, but he pointed to a spot in the snow. Loren squinted at the mark in the snow. It was faded from time and covered over with fresh snowfall blown about on the wind, but she saw it. And another one just like it not a foot away. Then another.
“Footprints?” She asked, looking to the Beastman prince. Kaiten nodded in return. “It must be Seraphis. We’re on the right track, that’s good.”
“If we continue on this way, we’ll be on the other side of the mountains and can work our way down to Hardwick.” Kaiten said, his voice muffled by the silks.
Loren sighed, and nodded. It was a long way to make on foot, but they had come so far already. There was nothing left to do but continue and hope for the best.
The setting sun cast a golden glow upon the snow, but to Loren and her party, it might as well have not been there. She was tired, everyone was miserable, they had not found a good place to camp. The frozen plain stretched out for many more miles than she thought, with only scattered rocks and dead trees dotting the landscape. There was no protection against the elements out on the plain, nothing to block the whipping wind.
The sun dipped below the horizon and the sky began to darken. With the barest glimpse of stars in the clear sky came an even deeper cold. As she walked, head bowed and eyes closed, Loren heard a thud in the snow. Her thoughts were elsewhere, already far in Sagna and thinking of how to solve her problems, so the noise was left unnoticed. Until panic rose.
“Loren!” Cassendir called from behind her. Loren whipped around at the sound of her name and was running to Kae before Cassendir’s panicked voice stopped ringing in her ears.
Ma’trii began to howl and pace. The wolf restlessly circled Kae, who had fallen into a heap on the snow. The huntress was huddled in on herself, arms clamped around her shoulders in a frozen embrace, shivering violently. Her breathing was erratic, and her skin was a tinge of bluish-white.
Loren knelt at Kae’s side and touched her skin. “She’s as cold as the ice.” She muttered. The princess’s hands weren’t shaking from the cold, but from rising panic. Ma’trii rushed to Kae’s side, pushing away Loren’s hand and huddling up to Kae as close as he can and covering her with his body.
“She’ll die in this place. We all will.” Kaiten’s voice was muffled, but the resentment in his voice was clear. The Beastman prince didn’t have to say the words, but Loren knew what he really wanted to say. That it was all her fault for leading them. Loren would lead them to their deaths, far away from home and family.
Loren shook her head. She fiercely brushed back hot tears from her face that froze rapidly on her skin. “No! I won’t let her die here. I won’t let her… Help me, we have to move her.”
“Move her where, Loren?” Kaiten shot back. “There’s no shelter for miles! She can’t even stand to walk and help us. Just leave her, or else we’ll all die!”
Loren glared back at Kaiten. Her eyes shimmered a defiant gold, but she knew he was right. Without shelter, without even a fire, they would all die if they stopped before finding safety. A painful knot formed in her chest. She couldn’t bear to leave Kae either. Not after all they’ve been through. She tried to tug at Kae, but the huntress was heavy. Her furs and wrappings were weighed down by the snow, and Ma’trii didn’t shift or lift his head. Loren slowly shook her head, fatigue taking over. She had to find some way to help them, or at least do something. Come to an agreement, perhaps. Anything.
The decision was taken out of Loren’s hands as the temperature dropped even lower. The princess was lying on the ground beside Kae and Ma’trii before she knew it. Her thoughts slowed, she was sure she was still mad at Kaiten about something. It was an abstract thought now. The idea of sleep sounded wonderful. Ma’trii’s fur was coarse against her nose, and she briefly thought of
