"We have to hurry. They’ll be here soon."

  "We have four wounded!" Yuffilis objected. "And only five horses for eight people! We need to hide, find some safe little cave higher up in the mountains, and rest there. Regerlim is two days past the pass, and the goblins don’t know Vaimar well."

  "Well enough to track us and attack," Rita muttered. "Bastards... They killed the horse..."

  "To hell with the horse. The important thing is we’re alive," Viggo rumbled.

  "Not a guarantee yet." Konrad, grimly.

  "Don’t jinx it!" Ashley Nielder. "Damn it... Viggo and Remiz just have scratches, they’ve endured worse. But those two..."

  "We’re not leaving anyone behind."

  "Look at that... He’s waking up."

  Above him was a gray, cloudy sky. The wind howled among the rocks, and snow was falling gently to the ground. He was lying on something warm and didn’t realize at first that it was one of the sleeping bags Ashley had wisely packed in their backpacks. The air smelled of herbs and alcohol. Rita leaned over him first, unnaturally pale, her face worn and hair disheveled, a bruise on her cheek. Konrad was next to her, surprisingly calm, though just as grim. The Hellsteeds and regular horses stood nearby, their heads hanging low with exhaustion. Kairu managed to prop himself up on his elbows and immediately groaned. His whole body ached mercilessly, and his head throbbed with a blinding pain. He felt nauseous, breathing heavily, until Ashley brought a small flask to his lips. One sip of the scorching liquid sharpened his vision and eased the dizziness a bit.

  "How do you feel?" Rita asked softly.

  "I’m okay," he mumbled. He slowly lifted his left hand. The pain was bearable, though the sleeve was wet with blood. He felt his head, finding a gauze bandage radiating a soothing chill. "What happened?"

  "Your Hellsteed," Yuf grunted. He sat cross-legged nearby, wrapped in a cloak. His expression still carried something strange... something wolfish. "He must’ve realized he wouldn’t dodge the bullet in time… so he took the hit instead. Right in the neck... I think he didn’t even suffer. And you smashed into the ice at insane speed."

  "No sign of a concussion... though who knows," Ashley said, worried. "We have to hope for the best. I’ve already checked you out, and you’re incredibly lucky, just a broken right arm. Could’ve snapped your neck. As you can see, Konrad and I already splinted it; it should heal after a couple of weeks on foot. Your arms and legs have bruises, nothing serious, just ignore them."

  "I’ll try," Kairu said slowly. He looked around. Viggo was holding a bandaged elbow, Remiz had his head wrapped and was shivering under a warm cloak. They did not dare to make a fire.

  His horse... his loyal Hellsteed, Petros’s gift, which had saved him more than once, had given its life to protect him… and was now lying back there, on the bloodstained ice of Derelzfjord. Kairu had made the mistake of growing attached to that horse like to a friend, an ally...

  "Where are we?"

  "We climbed higher and hid," Yuf grumbled. "Those beasts lost us when the blizzard started, got lost somewhere below. We managed to get way up, thanks to Konrad. Now we are covered by snow, but it might end anytime, so we better move and find a safer shelter."

  "They’re still down by the bay?"

  "Yeah. We’ve got a decent head start. Didn’t you see Dalid’s men attack them from behind? I think it was a small fraction who pursued us, and the rest of the goblins retreated east from the gates. We also gave them a good beating, so they fell behind. By the way, the Lake of Aktida and the Vaimarakirian are safe, and I have your backpack."

  "Konrad..." Kairu looked to the old monk. He sighed heavily, but Ashley answered for him:

  "Going back would be even more dangerous right now. Goblins are prowling the mountains. So, he’s coming with us to Regerlim. And he’ll guide us. He’s the only one who remembers the way to that cursed place."

  "I remember," the monk confirmed. "And I’ll lead. There’s a path that leads to a meeting point where we might find scouts from an allied clan. If nothing’s changed in thirty years."

  Silence fell, broken only by the wind. Kairu suddenly froze and glanced around at his companions.

  "Where’s Joanna?"

  Rita and Viggo exchanged looks, then turned to him. Viggo sighed... and said nothing.

  "There," Rita said coldly, pointing behind her. "She just regained consciousness. Viggo carried her. Thank him."

  "Thank you," Kairu groaned, shifting and trying to move his immobile right arm. Rita offered her shoulder to help him up. "What happened to her?"

  "She saved you," Viggo said, not meeting his eyes. "Foolish girl... She turned her horse around first, jumped off—and maybe that’s the only reason you’re still alive. A stray bullet... right in the chest. Damn it. Ashley says she’ll pull through. Our Joanna’s survived worse, I think. But for now, she’s resting."

  Kairu stood up, swaying as the blow to his head still made the world spin. The Derelzfjord was hidden behind the crags. Somewhere on that crimson ice, his horse still lay, his faithful companion. He turned and saw the girl lying a bit to the side on another sleeping bag. She was breathing heavily and hoarsely, but she still forced a smile, and Kairu could tell the wound wouldn’t hold her down for long.

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  "How long has it been?" he asked. The sun was nowhere to be seen, the sky was heavy and gray, and snow fell in large flakes, covering the little hollow among the rocks where they’d taken shelter. Dark, shaggy mountain peaks rose behind them, and beyond them lay the forest of Regerlim. To get there, they still had to climb higher, to the pass.

  "We’ve been here about three hours," Rita muttered. "Everyone’s been waiting for you to wake up."

  "Then I guess it’s not past noon yet." Kairu peered into the snowy haze but couldn’t see beyond a few meters down the steep drop. "Alright. What do we have? Lost several horses, the sleigh with warm clothes and spare supplies..."

  "And we’re left bare for a two-month journey," Yuf summed up. "But we did confuse our pursuers a bit, and more importantly, we’ve got Konrad’s help. We have a clear route. That’s a big win, Kairu."

  "Let’s eat something at least," Ashley suggested hesitantly, pulling out hardtack and a flask over which she murmured a spell. The flask went around. The liquid inside was hot and aromatic. Kairu was ready to devour the hardtack and jerky like a starving snow wolf, but they had to ration supplies. The meal passed in complete silence.

  "Let’s go," Yuf said decisively. "Let’s at least make it to the pass. Joanna, can you walk?"

  The answer was written all over her face, even though the girl was trying to compose herself and get up. Viggo wordlessly slung her backpack over his shoulder, helped her to her feet, and supported her as they climbed upward together. Remiz dragged Kairu, whose legs still barely held him, so he staggered like a drunk when walking. Konrad and Yuf moved ahead cautiously, holding their crossbows at the ready. Rita covered the rear, gripping her bow. But the rocks gave them some protection as they searched for a path up the steep mountain slope and climbed higher. Farther and farther north, leaving behind Derelzfjord and the Temple of Tornir.

  Around them were only mountains, gray stone and snow, the grim caps of distant peaks so tall they pierced the clouds. Their pass lay much lower, but the road to it wound among endless boulders, cliffs, crevices, and ravines. The horses plodded along indifferently behind them.

  They zigzagged for about an hour, and Kairu was completely exhausted when, near the pass, Yuf turned aside and led them to a small cave in the mountainside, its entrance partially hidden by rocks. The trail beyond led straight between the peaks to the other side of the ridge, but this was a good shelter, with no signs of predators. The cave was clearly too small for the ever-present snow wolves, and its approach was well protected.

  "We're not going to the other side today," Yuf declared firmly. "No telling what shelter we’d find there, but here we can defend ourselves for quite a while. Remiz, lay Kairu down in the cave. Ashley, start a small magical fire—they need to warm up. Joanna…"

  "I’ll lie here," the girl said confidently. "Yes, yes, thanks, Viggo, perfect spot. It’s fine, don’t fuss over me like that, I’ll manage… Just a wound, damn it!"

  She even managed to flutter her eyelashes at Kairu so convincingly that he fully believed in her recovery. She lay back on a sleeping bag and dreamily stared up at the sky. Ashley cleared a spot, folded her fingers, and conjured a flame that flared steadily right on the bare stones. The others settled nearby. Yuf stood silently for a moment, then said:

  "Remiz… I suggest we go back together and try to find the sleigh. Grab as much food and gear as we can carry."

  "What if the goblins show up?" Ashley asked in alarm.

  "You’ll have Viggo, Rita, and Konrad here. They know how to handle weapons. We’ll be back before sunset. Ashley, brew them potions, change the bandages… and you know what, keep a close eye on that lady," he nodded toward Joanna. "She looks fine now, but who knows what's really going on. She lost a lot of blood. Oh, and if we’re not back by morning—go on without us. Keep heading north. Don’t return."

  Ashley swallowed and nodded, not hiding her fear. The others remained silent, watching the men disappear into the swirling snowy mist. Rita gripped her bow more tightly, edged closer to the fire, then turned to watch the cave entrance where Kairu had sat down, gloomily staring into the flames. Then she looked at Joanna and sank deep into thought.

  ***

  They were gone for five hours—five long hours during which grim silence hung over the small cave near the pass. Ashley muttered spells, rummaged through her bag, pulling out bundles of healing herbs, and redressed Viggo, Kairu, and Joanna several times. Rita walked around, exploring the nearby rocks and the trail that led to the other side of the ridge. In the wind’s howling and the quiet fall of snowflakes, danger seemed to lurk in every moment, hearts beat faster, and hands instinctively gripped weapons. But the goblins didn’t appear.

  By the time two figures, heavily loaded with bags, emerged from the rocks and trudged wearily toward them, the group had already grown quite anxious.

  "How’d it go?" Rita asked softly as the exhausted men collapsed near the fire. "All okay?"

  "Saw no one," Yuf replied, spat, wiped sweat from his forehead, and pulled up his hood. "Just snow all around… especially below, on the ice. We wandered and wandered, afraid of drifting too far onto the ice, all the way to the ocean. Took us a while to find the sleigh. We took only the essentials, rested a bit there, and rushed right back. Lucky for us, we managed to get a sense of where north was. Ended up a couple miles from here. Didn’t run into goblins, though we did see fresh tracks of those lizards in the snow. Alright. Everything quiet here?"

  "Quiet as a grave," muttered Konrad. "Maybe we really should get off the mountain? I don’t like this place."

  "None of us like it," Yuf snapped. "It’ll take even longer to descend. We won’t make it before dark, then we’ll get lost and stray from the trail. We won’t find shelter either."

  "Then we’re staying," Ashley said decisively. "We’ll take turns keeping watch."

  "How are the wounded?" Yuf asked. Kairu silently gave him a thumbs-up from his bed.

  "Kairu’s stable," Ashley said with concern. "Joanna has a fever."

  Yuf paused.

  "That’s bad," he said. "Pull her through by any means necessary. But tomorrow, we have to move."

  "Ashley…" Kairu spoke up. "Ashley, you hear me? Come here! Help me up!"

  The sorceress obeyed without a word. They slowly moved aside, behind the boulders, away from the fire, where a tense silence reigned. Here, in the dark, the flames were barely visible.

  "I’m listening," Ashley said wearily.

  "Like it or not, she has to live!" Kairu said firmly. "Understand… I promised her back then… and not just her. I promised all of them, back when we first set off to the Eastern Province… that none of them would die on the road! None! Honestly, I should’ve gone alone. But since you're helping me, I’m responsible for you. And for all the dangers too…"

  "Calm down!" Ashley snapped. "Get that nonsense out of your head! I’ll do everything I can. She’ll survive, her body’s already fighting the wound. And Kairu, one more thing. This is for you, so that you can get through all this, so that you make it to the end. Death is a natural thing. If one of us is fated to die, there’s nothing you can do. We all chose this path, and we knew full well what it involved. Please, don’t think about it. Too much depends on you, and you simply can’t let yourself be distracted by thoughts of us. Accept it as a given. Got it? You don’t have the right to think otherwise. You have the Lake of Aktida."

  Kairu just waved his hand wearily, and they returned to the fire. Nightfall was settling over the mountains.