I hurried toward the fire and added some additional wood. The flames licked higher, sending more heat outwards.

Michael stayed where he sat, his gaze still focused on the dark woods. "The moon will be up soon," he said. "We could continue on. It isn't far."

I shivered at the words. "I'm not sure heading deeper into the forest, in the dark, is better than staying with the fire." Trying to push on at night sounded like a dumb idea to me, but I wondered about how we would keep the fire going tonight. Plus, it wasn't like the clearing was defensible; as long as we had a fire the wolves would stay away. If he was telling the truth.

He snorted. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to get any sleep tonight. The moon was full last night, it would light our way. Plus, maybe we could create torches." His fingers tapped on his left leg.

Glancing at the wood in my inventory, I thought we might make it till morning. I just wished I knew how long the night would last. "For now, let’s keep the firing burning. I don't know how we'd re-light it if it goes out." The lie slipped out without intention.

Michael shook his head, his lips pulled tight. "I wish I still had my lighter." He motioned to the fire. "We'll have to keep it going."

"Maybe we can find it," I said, thinking of the one in my inventory. "What did it look like?"

"Just a simple lighter, it had a picture of a record on it, but it'd be too hard to find in the snow." Anger flashed across his face for a second, and then he relaxed. "Do you want me to take the first watch?"

No freaking way. Still, at some point I'd need him to take over if I was going to get any sleep. "I'll take first. You get some sleep." My gaze turned to the sky, wondering when this moon was going to show up. The darkness had crept closer as we’d talked, and the last of the light finally vanished. The snow on the ground didn't even seem to glow anymore.

Michael moved to the dirt near the fire and curled up on his side. His back was to the flames and his face stayed outward. He pulled the knit cap farther over his ears, since it was big on him.

I tried not to stare at him, and instead I walked around the clearing, sticking close to the warm circle. I didn't pass in front of Michael and instead changed directions, but I saw nothing in the trees. No eyes, no growls, no sign of the wolves. Anytime I faced away from the fire the cold hit me. The temperature had dropped as the sun had set, and now it was truly cold. It was going to be a long night.

The moon rose overhead, spilling light through the woods, but it created long, hard shadows. The snow sparkled under the moonlight and it looked like something out of a movie. I sat in front of the log, facing the fire, not even bothering to pace anymore. The pile of wood had gotten smaller as I had to feed it more and more to keep the cold at bay.

Through the trees I heard the song, like a whisper. It tickled the back of my mind and I focused on it. There was something I was missing, I knew that, but it kept slipping out of reach. I hummed the melody under my breath, before mouthing the lyrics to myself. There was a Michael in the song, but that could mean just about anything, or nothing.

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The most catchy line was about blood in the snow, and I already had seen that. Yet, I paused. The blood I saw was from other Divers, which meant it wasn't there originally. So, I still had to see blood in the snow. Maybe that was the key?

"What are you singing?" asked Michael.

I jumped up, stumbling closer to the flame. "Holy smokes! You scared me." My heart beat wildly in my chest and I took a few breaths to calm down. "Just a song stuck in my head. An ear worm."

He said nothing for a few minutes, then he climbed to his feet. The hair on the back of my neck rose, but I kept my posture relaxed.

"I told you the moon would come up." He motioned all around. "See, it’s so bright."

I nodded my head. "You were right, especially with the light reflecting off the snow." I swallowed, trying to figure out why the song set him off. Maybe Fennel had mentioned it. I stood up, not liking him towering over me. "If you still want, we could set off. I haven't seen any sign of the wolves, and we have a few branches that could work as torches."

Michael moved toward the woodpile and pulled out the two branches I had been thinking about. He pulled strips of cloth out from under his cloak and wrapped them around the ends. "Give me a moment and we’ll be ready to go." He turned away from me and headed toward a tree.

I added more wood to the fire, doing my best to bank it to keep the coals going.

Michael came back and held both torches out to me. I grabbed them and then used the flames to light them. He hesitantly took a torch, his eyes sticking to the fire like it would bite him. "I can lead the way through the trees. Keep an eye out for them."

That worked for me. Keeping him in front of me was important. The winter wonderland under the moonlight shimmered. The snow-covered evergreens looked like they were covered in glitter. Hints of smoke from the fire broke through the cold crisp air, but as we moved out of the clearing, the cold increased. My breath appeared in front of me. The only sound was the crunch of snow and the rustle of branches in the wind.

It was peaceful.

Michael set off like he knew where he was going, holding the torch up. I had to keep my eyes away from it or it killed my night vision, though the moon was also very full. The snow was slippery, and I was thankful for the boots. I couldn't imagine trailing through this in my sneakers; I'd have gotten frostbite. Once I got out of here I'd have to thank everyone for their help.

I paused as the thought crossed my mind. It wasn't like I was any closer to figuring out the riddle of what needed to be done to beat this dungeon. Something hit my face, and I jerked back, slipping. The branch whacked me on my way down, allowing the torch to slip through my fingers as my knee hit the snow. Smoke fluttered up from the fallen torch as the snow sizzled where it had fallen. Then, the flame went out.

"You okay?" asked Michael. He offered a hand down to me. He had pushed past a branch and it had whacked me behind him, because I hadn't been paying attention. Now, my pants were wet.

I grabbed his hand, and he helped pull me up, though the ground was slippery.

He bent down to grab my torch, and his hat slipped off his head.

I picked it up and felt the soft texture between my fingers. There was something about this hat.

Michael tried to get my torch lit, but it’d gotten damp with the snow.

I twisted the knitted cap between my fingers and found a tag. Made in China. Everything froze inside me. How had Michael gotten this hat? We weren't on earth anymore, or not present-day Earth, anyway. His clothes made that clear.

"Here you go," said Michael. He held the torch out to me with a grin. "I got it lit again. And look, the cave isn't far." He motioned with his torch in the direction we'd been going.

I grabbed my torch. In the distance there was a cave. The trees were spread farther apart, and the rock was high, glowing in the moonlight. I held the hat up. "This hat is so soft, where did you get it?" I asked.

"Oh, my mom made it," he said, turning toward the cave. "Let's keep going before the wolves show up."