by Penelope Sky
“Even with several hours of lead time, they’ll send all their guys out, on horses with hounds.”
“There are dogs here?”
“They’re inside because it’s too cold.”
So, we were forced to work outside in the cold every day, but the dogs got to stay inside? Wow.
“The snow will be piled high, so you’ll have a hard time getting through. There are frozen lakes out there hidden under the snow, and one wrong move will send you under the ice. The wolves are hungry because everything is hibernating, and they’ll smell you a mile away.”
“Then we’ll find a hiding place and wait it out until the guards stop looking for us.”
He shook his head. “They’ll never stop looking for you.”
“I just—”
“Nothing I say will make a difference, will it?” He leaned forward slightly, looking into my gaze with a pissed-off expression, like he wanted to grab me by the neck and shake me. “Nothing I say will make you see reason, will it?”
All I could do was shake my head.
He dropped his gaze and released a heavy sigh, his fingers curling toward his palm as he made a fist.
“Do you really think I won’t survive…or you just don’t want me to go?”
He was still as if he hadn’t heard the question, as if it didn’t elicit a reaction. But then he lifted his gaze and looked into mine. “I don’t want you to die, Raven. That’s what I want.” He rose to his feet and carried the chair back to the wall.
It was time to say goodbye…to the only friend I had here. Instead of rejoicing at my escape, I actually felt a twinge of sadness, like I was losing something special. “Thank you…for everything.”
He pulled up his hood as he prepared to leave. He stared at the door, as if he had something else on his mind that he wanted to share, but then he came back toward me, his boots echoing against the floorboards. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long blade, at least five inches. It was sheathed in a covering so it wouldn’t slice him in the thigh. He gripped it by the handle with the blade pointed to the floor. “Don’t hold it like this.” He turned the knife and pointed it upward. “Hold it like this. We’re trained to push down on the arm to force it into the thigh. If you keep the blade up, you have a better chance.” He dropped it on the bed. “Good luck.” He didn’t look at me again before he walked out.
He didn’t bother to lock the door…not this time.
I used the knife to access everything beneath the cabin. Then I returned the floorboard and hoped they wouldn’t notice it. Not for my sake, because I’d either be dead or free, but because of Magnus.
I didn’t want him to lose his head because of me.
With the bow slung over my back, along with the quiver of arrows, which I had no idea how to use, and all the supplies I’d stolen, I left my cabin and became absorbed into the night. But the camp wasn’t abandoned like it used to be.
There were guards on post.
Shit.
They obviously expected whoever stole the supplies to sneak out of the camp. That was how they intended to capture the perpetrator—red-handed. Now I had to be even more careful than before.
I crept through the snow and headed in the direction of my sister’s cabin. I noticed the speed of the wind through the branches overhead, the sounds of the forest as everything swayed with the coming storm. An owl screeched and made me jump a foot off the ground. The forest knew something was coming.
I stuck to the edge of the camp, using the different cabins for cover, always peeking around the corner to check if the coast was clear before I made my way to the next structure. Again and again, I moved, holding my breath, slowing my frantic heart.
When I spotted the cabin Melanie had described, I noticed the light through the crack beneath the door. It was the only light on in the camp, at least in this quadrant. That meant she was awake. Maybe she knew a storm was coming and that was her way of telling me where she was.
I peeked down the row of cabins and saw no one around, so I moved toward the cabin.
Then the front door opened.
“Fuck…” I quickly backed up, hoping the guy wouldn’t see me.
Fortunately, his gaze was on the doorknob where he inserted the key to lock it.
That gave me enough time to duck back for cover.
When he turned around and walked off, I recognized him.
He wore the black bomber jacket on top of a pair of jeans, his face fully exposed to the elements. His boots crunched against the snow from his weight. He moved down the row of cabins until he turned the corner.
I was sick.
Now I knew, without a doubt, that was Melanie’s cabin.
This was bad timing…but also great timing.
I had to put the revelation from my mind because now wasn’t the time to dwell. I didn’t have the luxury of becoming emotional, of having any kind of reaction not based on survival. This was our last night here—it was almost over.
I moved across the snow, and the instant I was exposed, I could feel the wind pick up.
It was going to be a harsh storm.
We had to get moving now.
I got to the door and stuck my tools inside, twisting and turning the locks to get it free.
Melanie’s voice came from the other side. “Raven?”
“Shh.” I looked down the row of cabins to make sure I was still alone. The coast was clear, so I kept messing with the lock, the shaft slipping from time to time. “Come on, don’t be a bastard right now…”
Click.
“Oh, thank god.” I opened the door and pushed inside.
Melanie stepped back, like she couldn’t believe I was in her cabin.
The bed was rumpled like two people had been rolling around in it. There was a lone candle burning, a vase of flowers on the nightstand, a TV in the corner. At least she was given extra things and she wasn’t covered in bruises.
Melanie breathed hard as she looked at me. “Oh my fucking god…”
“We’ve got to go. Got to get a head start before the storm hits.”
“I…” She looked around her cabin, like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to leave.
“I’m not sure if this will make you feel better or not, but I’m scared too.”
Her emotional eyes shifted back and forth as she looked into mine.
I pulled the flashlight out of my pocket and placed it in hers, along with the bottle of water and the plastic bag of nuts. I kept the knife for myself. “We can do this.”
“Did you get a horse?”
I shook my head. “It’s bolted.”
“How far can we get on foot?” She whispered even though no one was around.
“We just have to hide from them. They’ll eventually give up…and we can take our time.”
“Raven, we won’t survive long enough to take our time—”
“I’m going. Are you coming with me or not?”
She hesitated.
“Don’t make me leave you here…but I will.” I wanted to get her out of here, but I couldn’t force her, couldn’t force her to be brave. I wouldn’t stay just to be near her. I would roll the dice and hope for the best out in the wilderness. Just because she wanted to remain a prisoner didn’t mean I had to do the same.
She finally nodded. “Alright.” She put on her boots, pulled on her jacket, and then opened her drawers to stuff her pockets with the extra food she had lying around. She had an extra bottle of water, so she took that too. “Okay, let’s go.”
I looked at my little sister, seeing the same look of terror that she’d had in her gaze when we were growing up. She’d always been scared of the unknown, but that was just how she was. I never judged her for it. Magnus called her weak, but that wasn’t how I saw her. I pulled her in and embraced her, hugged her for the first time since our capture. “We’re gonna make it.”
She clutched me hard and nodded against me.
“Let’s go home.” I walked to the front door, poke
d my head out to see my surroundings, and then nodded for her to join me. We shut the door behind us and headed for the tree line, the darkness of the forest, the loud creaking sounds haunting.
Melanie stayed at my side and gripped my arm once we stepped into the trees. “I can’t see.”
“It’s fine. Keep going.”
“Can we use the flashlights?”
“Not now. We’re too close to camp.” But we really did step into the pitch-blackness, and our only guide to our surroundings was the wail of the shifting trees. It was the only way to navigate and not strike a tree. There were no stars in the sky because a blanket of clouds covered it, so we couldn’t use the starlight to distinguish through the silhouettes either.
With our hands held together, we moved through the darkness…and escaped.
With our flashlights on, we navigated through the darkness, pointing at the bases of the trees to make sure we didn’t crash into anything. Our feet fell deep into the snow with every step. It was hard to move at a decent pace because we continued to shuffle forward, our legs aching as we pushed through the cold resistance.
“Won’t they see our tracks?” Melanie looked behind her, pointing her flashlight over the streaks in the snow.
“The storm is supposed to hit in a few hours. The wind will cover it.”
“Hope so…”
I kept the lead, not knowing how deep this forest was. The trees were close together, so it would be difficult for the horses to come this way, but not the hounds. We had to keep moving quickly.
“Fuck, it’s cold out here.”
“Just think about a hot cup of coffee in front of the fireplace.” I was too focused to feel cold, too determined to get the hell out of here to worry about the elements.
“Did Magnus at least give you a direction?”
“No.” His help only went so far.
Melanie groaned as she trudged through the snow.
I kept going…unsure when this forest would end.
The storm hit so unexpectedly. It was calm, and then suddenly, it was raging full force.
It was like being hit by a freight train.
Melanie fell several times, but I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her up. The wind was fierce, daggers in our eyes, and our eyes began to smart, only to be dried out a moment later. Snow billowed all around us, covering our jackets and pants, falling around us like mini tornadoes, not the cute snowfall that sometimes happened in Paris.
This snow was spiteful.
“We shouldn’t have left!” Melanie shouted to me, her voice carrying on the wind.
“Don’t say that. We’ve got this. Come on!”
She continued to lag behind me.
It grew lighter along the horizon because sunrise had arrived.
They probably knew we were gone by now. “We gotta keep moving.”
Minutes later, we reached the edge of the forest. Out in the open was a plain, a plain that reached far into the distance. It was totally open…totally vulnerable. With the snow as high and lumpy as it was, it would take us hours to get across. If they followed our tracks, they would probably get here before we made it across.
Melanie caught up to me then put her hands on her knees as she leaned forward and caught her breath. “Oh Jesus… We’re gonna cross that, aren’t we?”
I decided to steer clear of the Alps because the closer we got, the more dangerous the terrain would become. There might be lakes underneath the snow, dangerous animals, and the closer to the mountains we came, the less populated it would be. We need to stay on the flat lands. “Take a short break. But yes, we’re gonna cross that as quickly as we can.”
She slumped against a tree and sat in the snow, still breathing hard because the endurance we’d built in the camp wasn’t enough to prepare for the journey. She opened a bottle and drank from it before digging her hand into a bag of nuts. “How are you not tired?”
“Never said I wasn’t.” I leaned against a different tree and sat in the snow. It felt like a cold pillow. The second I was on the ground, my legs ached from the exertion. I’d always been on the slender side, but living here for over a month had turned me into a strong machine. My legs were toned and tight, my arms too. I even had a six-pack, which I’d never had in all my life. I turned my head and looked at the plains, seeing the snow blowing across, the visibility poor because snow was everywhere. The world was white.
Melanie’s hair kept flying around, so she tucked it inside her shirt then pulled up her hood. “Why aren’t you drinking?”
Because we had to conserve as much as possible. “I’m fine.” I expected this journey to be long. I didn’t expect to get to the finish line quickly. It would take work, perseverance…and hope.
She put the bottle and snacks away but didn’t get up to start moving again.
I gave her another minute.
Then she started to cry. “I’m so sorry—”
“We don’t have time for this.” I knew she needed to absolve herself of the guilt, but I wasn’t ready to give it to her. I loved her with my whole heart, but all of this happened because of her stupidity, and I just wasn’t ready to forgive her. I might never be ready to forgive her.
“Raven…” She wiped her tears away with her gloved hands. “I just—”
I got to my feet. “We’ve got to keep moving.” I extended my hand to hers to help her rise.
She didn’t take it. “You’re never going to forgive me, are you?”
I stared down at her, my hand lingering. “Melanie—”
“We’re probably going to die out here. I need you to know how sorry I am.”
“I do know you’re sorry.”
With her arms crossed over her chest, she looked up at me, her eyes always dried from the wind. “I need you to forgive me…”
My hand shook as it remained extended to her, and not because of the cold. Then I pulled it away entirely and got moving, stepping into the open on the snow that was piling higher and higher by the minute. I’d been beaten. I’d been hanged. I’d been starved. I’d had to watch an innocent woman on the guillotine like this was 1789. No…I wasn’t ready to give it to her.
The trees had given us cover.
Now, we had none of that.
I stayed in the lead, making a line in the snow that made it easier for Melanie to traverse. But we were walking against the wind, which made this so much harder. But it would also make it harder for them.
Freedom pumped in my veins, and that kept me pressing on.
I was fighting for so much, and I wasn’t going to stop.
That gave me the strength to go on, to move despite the pain in my legs, to strive for the life I’d never really said goodbye to.
Melanie’s voice came from behind me. “We have to go back!”
I turned around and looked at her, the hood of my jacket smacking into the back of my head. I stared at her on the ground where she’d fallen onto her hands and knees, the snow a wall on either side of her. “We’re halfway there.”
“We aren’t going to make it! We have to go a different way.”
I marched back to her and grabbed her by both arms until she was on her feet. “There is no other way. We need to cross this plain. Now, come on. You’re better than this, Melanie.”
“I’m so tired…”
I shook her. “Then stop being tired. You can do this.” I turned and kept walking, and then a rush of wind hit me so hard that I fell backward.
“Are you okay?” Melanie came to me, her hand moving to my shoulder.
The collision with the ground immediately made my back sore, but I got up again.
The wind hit me again, and I fell.
Melanie was beside me, on her knees. “We have to go back.”
I didn’t want to admit that Magnus was right…but he might be. Sheer will and determination weren’t enough to fight the unconquerable. I didn’t want this storm to defeat me.
But it had.
Ring.
I instantly
sat up, knowing I heard it, knowing I heard that church bell ring.
Ring.
“Do you hear that?” I shouted.
Melanie turned into the snow, like she heard it too.
Ring.
I got back to my feet, my boots planted firmly in the snow, keeping me upright even when a gust of wind hit me harder than all the others before. All the muscles in my body tightened and fought against the ferocity of the wind and snow.
Ring.
“Come on, keep going!” I took one step forward.
When Melanie didn’t argue, I knew she heard it too.
This storm wouldn’t defeat me.
Because I would be the eye of the storm.
We crossed the plain and entered another forest of trees. Once we were under cover, the wind wasn’t so harsh. The storm seemed to be abating too. When I looked back the way we’d come, I couldn’t see to the other side. I wasn’t sure if the wind had covered our tracks, but with the amount of snowfall, it must have. And what would the dogs smell? The wind was taking our scent away, the snow piling on and hiding it.
I had a good feeling about this
There was less snow in the forest, so it was easier to move.
Melanie needed another break, so she took a seat. “I need to sleep.”
“No sleep.”
“What?” she asked incredulously.
“The guards have slept all night, so they’re rested. If we stop, they’ll catch up to us.”
“I meant just an hour—”
“No.”
She opened her water and took a drink.
“I couldn’t sleep in these conditions anyway.” I pulled out my water and took a drink before tucking it back into my pocket. Melanie had granola bars, so I ate a few of those.
“Where do you think that bell is coming from?”
“Not sure, but I hope we’re on the right track.”
