Last Stand (The Black Mage #4)(81)

Toward the end of the week, I was ready to collapse. My fever was gone, but what ailments I’d lost had been replaced with a fear of black frost and survival ahead.

Hiking in snow wasn’t like the mountains back home. I sweated constantly underneath my new layers of fur. I continuously stripped layers only to pile them back on as the next drift caught me unaware.

We also had to travel on foot: we couldn’t risk the horses lacerating a leg and taking a rider over a slippery ledge. That, and we didn’t want to tire them out even more. Like us, the beasts had to work extra hard in snow. The drying process from cold sweat could take hours. The horses carried our supplies, and that had to be enough.

Eventually, we reached a flat expanse of white. Little bits of green dotted the edge. At its base was a thick, coursing river. The water was black. I cringed; the sound of the current alone was enough to assure me that whoever fell would live all of five minutes at best, going into shock after three seconds.

We had reached the border of Jerar. The river divided two kingdoms as it snaked along the northern divide.

Across the ravine was a range three times the size of our own, towering over the border like a giant among ants. It was covered in snow.

While we had four seasons, Caltoth only had one.

Ella took one look ahead and rolled her eyes. “Of course,” she was muttering, “of course it would have to be somewhere cold.”

“It’s not that bad.” Alex wore a rakish grin. Ella and Ray had been taking to the snow much worse than the rest of us. “We’ve been camping out in the snow for over a week. You knew Caltoth would be worse.”

Ray’s reply was instantaneous: “Worse is an understatement.”

Ella shot her husband a look. “This is where the Shadow God sends the worst of us to live out an eternity of sin.”

Alex and I hid a smile behind our hands. We didn’t like the look of Caltoth either, but something about their dramatics was enough to liven the mood.

The three of us dismounted and approached the ledge with careful footing.

“Where is the army?” I started. “I only see mountains.” It didn’t help that the worst of them were right to our east. I couldn’t see beyond them; a pit was beginning to form in the base of my stomach.

A moment later, Quinn confirmed the worst of my fears.

“That’s because we are going to take the glacial pass. It’s dangerous, but that will play to our advantage.” Our leader took a spot next to the three of us, clutching a heavy, weathered scroll. “King Horrace gave us a layout of the land before we left. Nyx knew Darren would favor the main road since it’s the easiest passage for a regiment the size of the Crown’s Army. Once we ascend the pass”—his eyes flew at the intimidating wall to our east—“we will have the element of surprise. The Crown’s Army would never expect an attack from the west, and there is an overlook just beyond it. The lookout isn’t much of an asset, almost impossible to scale, but multiple sources suggested Commander Audric was going to station his command there to oversee the battle. If Darren is leading the mages, it’s very likely he will be stationed somewhere nearby.”

“What if he isn’t?”

Quinn massaged his shoulder with a groan; the endless days were getting to everyone. “Even if he isn’t, Commander Audric will be able to lead us to wherever they’ve hidden their king. We just need to find the neck of the beast, and the rest will follow.”

Don’t. I breathed out through my nose, crippling the sensation somewhere inside. I’d lasted this long without breaking apart, and now that I could see the final leg of our journey, nothing would change.

“Ryiah?” Ella leaned in, and I took a step back. I couldn’t talk about it. I just needed to focus on now.

Alex took over for my silence.

“How are we getting the horses to the other side?”

“We aren’t. We set them free and cast our way across. We’ll spend the final leg of our journey on foot.” The head mage pointed to our packs. “Divide up the final provisions and carry the saddlebags on your back. Bring nothing that is not absolutely necessary to our survival.”

The group had already set to dispersing supplies. Weapons were passed around, flint and steel, thick wool, a couple of flasks, salve and bandages, a small metal pot that we could heat for cooking and drink, and a ration of dry ingredients like Borean rice and bits of bone for broth. A half hour later, we were ready to depart.

I shifted uncomfortably along the ledge. Even though the packs were light, we all had two steel picks and a pair of woven, rawhide rackets attached to our straps. Not to mention the trappings for our tent, weapons, rations for food, and the heavy sleeping rolls that we couldn’t leave behind.

Everything weighed more when you were hiking in snow; I would have preferred to crawl among sand.

“As soon as we pass the tundra, it could be several yards before you touch granite. That, and the temperature plunges as soon as we enter the pass. You will have to use the rackets for the rest of the climb.”

Ella and I exchanged panicked glances. We had used the contraptions during the last year of our apprenticeship; we had hoped and prayed we’d never use them again. Only trappers in the most uninhabitable parts of Jerar were forced to wear them; we’d never grown comfortable with their gait. It would take three times the effort and the time to get anywhere with them on. It was the worst sort of irony that we had been reunited with the devices in what could be the final week of our lives.