by C. A. Farlow
Lauren released a breath she didn’t know she was holding as the wolves left the cave.
Ffrwyn’s compassionate brown eyes blinked down at her. “You are doing a good job. Do not let Ice disturb you. She adores Alex and is frightened about her condition, but mostly she is angry that she did not protect her in the first place. This is not your fault.”
“Thanks, Ffrwyn.” Exhausted beyond words and unable to handle any more stress, Lauren rolled herself into her sleeping bag. Everything had been packed for their departure. Lauren would check on Alex in two hours and set her wrist alarm.
Sleep pulled at Lauren, but her mind wouldn’t shut off. If medical help was in Fuar Ćala, then that was where Lauren would take her. She would transport her as quickly and as safely as she could. All other concerns were secondary to Alex and her survival. Alex would not die on her watch. Not like the children. Not again.
Alex had promised she would explain everything else once they arrived in Fuar Ćala. Some of the things that Ice and Alex said about where and when she was sounded familiar. Although Lauren spent time in jungles and other faraway places, she still tried to keep up with scientific debate and discovery in various fields. Her natural curiosity needed regular feeding. Now a table loaded with more than she could possibly eat sat before her.
She knew the cosmology and quantum physics communities were debating theories that included the existence of parallel universes. Multiverses and multidimensional worlds might exist within the boundaries of string theory. But it was just that—theory. No one had proven the existence of parallel universes or even the validity of string theory for that matter. But if Alex’s people came from another world, they would be more advanced in science far beyond Lauren’s understanding. If the planet Terra was not her planet Earth, she was very likely in a parallel universe now. Evolution could and would follow different paths in each universe. Too tired to continue her internal debate, Lauren checked on Alex one more time before curling up in her sleeping bag beside the sled. Within minutes, she was deeply asleep.
Chapter Three
FFRWYN AND THE WOLVES woke Lauren from a dreamscape of battles fought under a blood-red sun. The smell of wet fur greeted her, and she forgot the disturbing dreams as her cave came into focus.
“Time to rise. We cannot stay here longer. We must begin our journey now. Snow found signs of others nearby. The Comin are coming.”
“Let me up.” During the night she had snuggled along Alex’s left side. She quickly rolled away, embarrassed that she was clinging to her patient. “I got everything ready last night. I’ll just check on Alex, get some breakfast, and we can be off. I’ll pull the sled outside before we hook it to the saddle.”
Alex was still unconscious. Lauren checked her dressings, changed the IV bag, and injected another dose of antibiotics. She listened to Alex’s chest. Thankfully, she didn’t hear a rattle and the lung was re-inflated. I’ll watch for signs of pneumonia over the next few days.
Fitting the last of her personal items into her pack, Lauren took that and her skis outside. She saddled Ffrwyn and pulling the stirrups up she tucked them under the edge of the saddle. She left the leathers hanging loose. Loading the last of the gear packs onto Ffrwyn, she led her out of the cave.
Lauren made several more trips and piled the remainder of their gear away from the fissure. She asked, “Ffrwyn, stand here. I’ll go get Alex, and we can harness the sled.” Slowly, she dragged the sled out of the cave. Kneeling down, she tucked the corners of her down bag more tightly around Alex, securing it in place with a bungee net. Then she used duct tape to lash the sled pulls to the loose stirrup leathers on Ffrwyn’s saddle.
Alex faced the rear of the sled and was propped up to facilitate her breathing. Lauren tucked the IV bag between Alex’s legs to keep it from freezing. The early morning temperature felt well below zero, and with clear skies, it wouldn’t rise much. I’ll keep checking her for frostbite.
“Ffrwyn, the only time we’ll have to be careful is on the downhill. I don’t want the sled to trip you up if it bumps the back of your legs.”
“I will be fine.” Ffrwyn turned her head and regarded Lauren with a small smile, or it seemed to Lauren as if the horse smiled at her. “It is going to be all right.”
Ice, ever the pessimist, snorted. “Well, I want away from here now. Snow and I are going to climb the ridge above the cave entrance. We will try and knock down as much snow as we can to cover evidence of our presence.”
Lauren nodded. “Then let’s get this show on the road.” Turning to the wolves, she warned, “You two need to be careful. I don’t want to have to dig either of you out of an avalanche. And let us get far enough away before you drop any snow down on the cave.”
She stepped into her ski bindings and pulled on her pack, gliding away from the cave. Traveling toward Gilpin Lake, Lauren looked back over her shoulder at the gray crack in the granite wall and felt a pang of regret at leaving the cave behind—her cave. She had felt safe there. But now she’d only one direction to go to get help for Alex, so she turned forward and skied into an unknown future.
As Lauren and Ffrwyn traveled out of the Mount Zirkel area, she continued to look for signs of civilization. She couldn’t believe there were no roads or other man-made structures as they made their way to the Elk River. Lauren could easily ski for hours on the unbroken snow and flat terrain. At this rate and if the weather held, they might traverse fifty miles a day. But Lauren knew one couldn’t count on traveling that fast in the winter. The terrain would change, the weather would change, they would tire, and now there was the threat of the Comin finding them.
The rhythm of skiing made the morning pass quickly. At noon the pair stopped for a lunch break. Lauren kicked out of her skis and dropped her pack. She examined Alex. Pulling off her glove, she gently felt the skin around Alex’s eyes and nose. The skin was warm to the touch and didn’t show any signs of frostbite. Lauren smiled. Alex really was striking. A perfect nose and a strong chin, a face that made a person look twice. But Lauren knew that it was Alex’s glacial-blue eyes that really captured and held her. Besides their unique color, Lauren was intrigued by the intelligence that Alex’s gaze contained. Hers are truly windows to the soul. Just as she finished that thought, those very same eyes opened and held her transfixed.
“Yes, they are,” Alex softly said.
Flustered that Alex caught her daydreaming, Lauren didn’t realize she had spoken aloud. “Hey there. How’re you feeling?”
“Much like a caterpillar must feel in its cocoon. But the pain is tolerable.” Lauren arched her eyebrow and Alex chuckled. “Really. Please do not worry. I am healing and will sleep more as we travel. Where are we?”
“About twenty miles from the cave. We’re traveling along the Elk River valley. Well, it probably isn’t called the Elk River to you, but to me it is. Later this afternoon, we’ll start climbing up toward the Continental Divide north of Steamboat Lake. Traveling will be more difficult as the slope steepens.”
Alex frowned. “We should be traveling south to reach Fuar Ćala.”
“Right, well to you we are traveling south, but my internal compass is oriented to the directions of my world where Steamboat Lake is north of here. Sorry.” Lauren felt a blush warm her cheeks, and she chastised herself for sounding like a schoolgirl trying to justify her answer to Ms. Colson in her second grade science class.
“You need not be sorry. I trust that you and Ffrwyn know where you are going.”
Ffrwyn snorted and turned her head towards the pair. “We do know where we are going, and we are making exceptional time. I am most impressed by Lauren’s stamina on those feet-sticks. At this rate, we may skip the closest cache and head for the next one.” Ffrwyn looked off toward the horizon. “I am uncertain how long the weather will continue in our favor, and I would like to make as much distance as we can.’’
Lauren got up and rubbed Ffrwyn’s nose. “I understand, but I don’t want to push things. And those sticks are
called skis. Even though Alex is being all brave, movement is still not good for her. We’ll stop as soon as we can. And you know we’ll slow down considerably when we start climbing. No way I can maintain this pace in the mountains.”
Ffrwyn gently head-butted Lauren. “We can maintain our current speed if you hold onto a stirrup and let me pull you along as we climb.’
“I don’t know if that’s gonna work.” Lauren rubbed her temple as she thought about the geometry of the horse’s suggestion. “That’ll be awkward for both of us, and when we’re back in the trees, there won’t be enough room to travel abreast.” Walking back to her skis, Lauren realized something else. “And the snow between trees won’t be wind-packed, and I’ll get bogged down pretty easily.
Alex shifted in her cocoon. “Can you rig a rope from the saddle that allows you to be pulled behind the sled? That would be a comfortable configuration for Ffrwyn and would allow the sled to pack the snow for you.”
“That might be doable. Let me get some gear out and try a couple of rope positions while we rest.” Looking down at Alex, she asked, “Do you want some water or anything for the pain?”
“No, I am fine. Please work out your tow configuration and get plenty of food and water for yourself. If Ffrwyn is correct and we can make it to the second cache, you and the companions will eat well tonight. And all of us will sleep warm and snug. Where are Snow and Ice? I cannot hear them.”
Looking around, Lauren didn’t see any sign of the wolves. “I don’t know. We haven’t seen them since leaving the cave this morning. They wanted to stay behind and cover our tracks. Snow thought she found signs of others near the cave.”
“A wise tactic.” Alex nodded her head. “I imagine Ice is being cautious and not wanting to mindspeak from that distance for fear of being overheard, especially if the Comin are in the area.”
Worry laced Lauren’s voice. “What if these Comin find us Alex? Can they get into the caches? Will Snow and Ice be able to find us if we bypass the first cache? They’ve got a long distance to travel to catch up. Ffrwyn is setting a blistering pace.” Lauren smiled as she looked up warmly at Ffrwyn.
The horse chuckled and whiffled. “They will find us. I have not known either of those two to miss a meal.”
“Are we covering our tracks well?” Worry now seemed to shadow Alex’s voice with a gruffness Lauren had not heard before.
“The snow is so compact that we leave few marks. And the winds quickly sweep away any that we do make. When we arrive in the trees I will ensure that we leave no tracks in the softer snow.” Turning her head back to face the approaching mountains, Ffrwyn rolled her shoulders.
“That is good, Ffrwyn. The Comin cannot track what they cannot see.” Alex turned her head and gazed up at Lauren. “Do not worry. We will quickly outpace a patrol. We know where we are going and they do not. They must keep their pace slow to not miss any signs of our passage. That gives us the advantage.”
“If you say so.”
“Well, all right then, I shall return to my sleep. Please wake me when we arrive.”
“Of course. Wouldn’t want you to miss anything.” But Lauren was worried now, too. What if the Comin caught them? She wouldn’t know what to do in an attack. What if they didn’t make it in time to help Alex? Even though the other two appeared relaxed, Lauren could feel the worry rolling off of them.
The remainder of their lunch break was spent trying various pull-rope configurations and discussing modifications with Ffrwyn. Once they worked out the best one, Lauren packed up and stepped back into her skis.
The afternoon passed quickly until they reached the headwaters of the Elk River and the steep uphill grade. Taking the pull-rope down from the top of the saddle, Lauren stretched it back over the sled. “Okay, Ffrwyn. Nice and slow please, I haven’t water-skied since I was a kid.”
Ffrwyn pulled away, picking a path through the trees that minimized the chance her charges would be swept by low-hanging branches. Slowly Ffrwyn increased her speed as Lauren got accustomed to skiing while being pulled. “You are very athletic.” Lauren felt Ffrwyn praise her efforts and smiled. “Just keep it steady.”
Lauren leaned back slightly, trying to distribute the stress of being pulled across her mid-back, taking some of the strain off her shoulders and arms. Lauren smiled. I should’ve thought of this before. I can keep an eye on Alex from back here without having to stop. Alex rested quietly in the sled in front of her.
Lauren knew Alex was awake. She felt her watching her as they flew through the trees. And sometimes when she saw Alex move, Lauren swore she felt a sharp pain in her own shoulder. But she ignored it. Got to be from being pulled.
Soon, the trio topped the Continental Divide. Ahead of them stretched an unrestricted view of the basins and ranges of southern Wyoming. Lauren knew they had to move to the northwest. Or was that the southeast? Whatever. They would head for the Green River. Once there, they could follow the western slopes of the Wind River Mountains to the foot of the Tetons. Yellowstone was just a short distance from the Teton Range, but that was still many miles away.
“One day at a time, Lauren. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Lauren quietly chastised herself. The rest of the day passed in a schuss of skis and horsey whiffles.
Chapter Four
FFRWYN SNORTED AND SLOWED. “We are nearing the cache. I will need Alex to open the shield so we can enter.”
Lauren stared at the horse. Open the shield?
Alex gently stirred awake. “Lauren, I must have my sword to open the shield. Would you please get it and give me my arms back?”
Laughing, Lauren stepped from her skis and moved up to Ffrwyn’s side. “You’ve got arms! I didn’t take them. Or did you lose them on the trip?”
She pulled the sword and scabbard from the saddle dees and turned around to see Alex struggling to get out of her cocoon. “Alex, no!”
Dropping to her knees beside the sled, Lauren carefully placed the sword down on the ground and unfastened the bungee net from around the sleeping bag. “Please stay still, and let me get you loose.”
“I feel so helpless. I hate this!” Alex fell back onto her pillow and huffed, sounding a lot like Ice.
“I know you’re frustrated, but you’re far from helpless. You’re healing amazingly well. Faster than I would have predicted given your injuries.” Tipping back on her heels, Lauren looked around. “What do we need to do here?” They were in a stand of trees with a low hill nearby. Lauren couldn’t see a cave or dwelling of any sort.
Alex sat upright. “I will have to stand.”
Lauren gently pushed her back down. “That isn’t going to happen. You’re too weak to stand.”
Alex frowned. “I must stand to open the shield with the sword. There is no other option. Please help me. You can hold me upright while I open the shield.”
“I don’t know how we’re going to do that.” At Alex’s glare, Lauren speculated, “I guess, you could stand up in the sled. Let’s get your coverings off, and I’ll close the IV.” Removing the tunic and blankets, Lauren looked at Alex. “This isn’t going to be easy. And you’re going to have to be careful to not tear anything open again. I don’t think you can tolerate any more blood loss.”
“I will pull the sled to the edge of the shield and hold steady. Just get her to her feet, and she will do the rest. Once she finishes, I will pull us into the cache.” Ffrwyn sounded as worried as Lauren felt about this.
“Okay. Alex, don’t help in any way when I get you up. I‘m going to slide in behind you and grasp around your waist. As I stand, I’ll pull you up with me. You need to lean back into me so I can support your body weight.” This isn’t going to be easy. As Lauren spouted instructions, she shutoff the IV and made sure that Alex’s body wasn’t tangled in anything “Can you hold the sword while I lift us up? I won’t be able to let go of you once we’re standing.”
“Yes, I can hold the sword. Just pull it from the scabbard and place the hilt in my left hand.”
Lauren slowly moved Alex’s right arm around to her chest. “I’m going to tie your arm into your shirt through the front opening. It needs to be immobilized against your chest to prevent more damage to your shoulder.” Or what’s left of your shoulder.
Lauren looked up at Ffrwyn and realized the horse was scowling at Alex. “What’s wrong, guys?”
“Nothing is wrong, Lauren, but you must not touch the bare blade. Alex knows this.”
"It will be all right. I will keep my hand on the scabbard as she pulls the sword free. I will draw the energy to me. She should not have to touch the blade.”
Lauren picked up the sheathed blade and extended it to Alex. The sapphire pulsed slowly, but as she took ahold of the blade, the pulse increased and the gem began to glow brighter. “What is that? It pulsates like a heartbeat.”
“It is a heartbeat. My heartbeat. I am bound to the stone and to the sword.” Alex spoke as if everyone knew how a person could be bonded to an inanimate object. “Now hand me the sword and help me up please.”
Right, bound to a sword? You’re so out of your world. Lauren grasped the hilt and pulled the broadsword slowly from its sheath. The exposed blade caught the fading light of the setting sun and flashed a deep blood red.
Carefully, Lauren laid the bare blade at Alex’s side, placing the hilt under her left hand. Lauren worried and started to babble, “All right, I’m going to slide behind you now. No matter what we do, this is going to hurt, a lot. Please let me know if you feel anything tearing. You’re probably going to feel lightheaded and maybe faint-that’s from orthostatic hypotension. Just do what you need to do quickly. As soon as we get you back in a prone position, the lightheadedness will ease.”
Holding Alex upright, Lauren slid in behind her. Gathering her legs under her, Lauren stood. Groaning under their combined weight, Lauren said, “I’ve got you.”
