Quiet Moon / 15 /1206 A.F.
Finally made it into the Royal Athesian Hunter’s Academy… Five long years of training…. finally paid off. All the meat, all the boring C rank jobs, all the studying, and working out. All of it has led up to this moment… In just two more years of studying, I’ll finally be a certified hunter… this is where the fun begins. I march my way over to my dorm in the barracks feeling the key in my hands. It’s smooth, plain, and not shiny at all. Damn near cut my hand open when I was just playing catch with it. It could make a good last-ditch dagger if I got nothing else on me. I’ll have to keep that in mind. Let’s see here… Room 444. Plain metal door. No bells or whistles. Could probably smelt this thing down into a fine battle axe if I wanted to. There’s a little warning on the side of the door, “In event of a Mist Storm, this door can be unhinged to use as a shield.” I like the way these architects think. The rest of the world could learn a thing or two from us.
I finally open the door and get a first look at my room. 15 feet by 15 feet. Two basic beds on opposite ends of the room. Each have one pillow that’s as thin as my forearm and a blanket that looks even thinner than that. Beside each bed is an armoire that doubles as a weapons rack. Heck, it even comes preloaded with weapons on the outside. I can see a mace and a short sword from here… I wonder what goodies lie on the other side. There’s also two desks beside the beds accompanied by a hatchet and logs of wood that look roughly three feet tall and two feet wide. I walk towards the log and see a small parchment attached to it that says, “If you want a chair, carve it yourself. Gods help those who help themselves.” I love this place already. I’m gonna be busy tonight. I can finally carve a seat that gives the lower lumbar support I so desperately crave. There’s one window in the center of the room that looks out over the academy courtyard. It’s foggy as usual, but I can see some other freshman getting lost. Can’t wait till tomorrow morning’s drills… might wanna do some late night jogging around campus just to get a better lay of the land. It’ll help me make a better first impression on the other students.
I turn to my left and see a small bathroom in a little alcove with a bath barely big enough for one, a basic looking sink and a mirror that looks like it belongs in a prison. I hear a toilet flush and see Seth by the sink washing his hands with his pants still around his ankles.
“Seth!? You’re my partner!?”
“WHA!?” he finishes washing his hands and turns around. “YO!” he flashes the brightest smile I’ve ever seen. “Astrid! Hell yeah I am!” he waddles over to me and puts his fist out. “GIMME A FIST!”
“YEAH!” I punch his fist.
“Aw come on. That all you got?” he grins and points to his fist. “I know you got more than that.”
“HIYA!!” I punch him again and feel my knuckles shift a little bit.
“That’s more like it!” Seth lets out a hearty chuckle and punches my fist right back. We punch and punch and punch and punch. Feels good. Been way too long since we’ve played bloody knuckles like this. “This is so grand. I was so worried about meeting my roommate you have no idea. I imagined all these scenarios in my head and how to deal if my roommate turned out to be a weirdo. Couldn’t sleep last night I was so worried.”
“I slept just fine.” I stretch my now bruised hands over my head and yawn. “If my roommate bugged me, I’d just challenge them to a fight and humiliate them in front of the entire campus.”
“That works too.” Seth falls back into his bed and stares up at the ceiling.
“There’s not a problem in this world that can’t be fixed with a good fight.”
“You’re not wrong, but you’d have to have a lot of fights to fix every problem.”
“Beats doing nothing.”
“Also true.” Seth rubs his eye. “Wanna start carving the chairs? We got time to kill till dinner.”
“Of course.” I grab a hatchet off the side of my armoire and get cutting. “Might wanna pull your pants up for this.”
“Oh. Yeah. Thank you for reminding me.”
We got to carving then ate some good dinner in the mess hall. The teachers let a bunch of feral mountain hogs in the courtyard and told us, “Good luck. Make your own food.” Four students got gored and died. Nineteen got injured. It was fantastic. I’ve never felt such a rush. After all the boars were dead, Seth and I had our arms elbow deep in blood, sweat and grime all over, and bellies full of fresh meat and cabbage. Best. Night. Ever. After getting washed up and dressed into our pjs, Seth and I retired back to our dorm for the night. I’m cold. The blanket’s rough. The pillow leaves a lot to be desired. If this is necessary to become a true Hunter, I will gladly endure any hardship.
I lie in bed for what feels like twenty minutes with my eyes wide open. No matter how hard I try, I cannot sleep. I want tomorrow to come already. I could be doing so many things… and here I am wasting it away sleeping. Why do we even have to sleep? I know it’s biologically necessary, but… come on…
“Hey, Astrid.” Seth’s voice penetrates the darkness. “You up?”
“Indeed I am. What’s up?”
“What made you want to become a hunter in the first place?”
“I dunno.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I meant gimme a sec. Sorry. Um… Hard to pinpoint an exact time. My ma and da always read me the Hunters’ Nights as a kid. Then at like 12, I went to the first Hunter Festival. That’s what really sealed the deal for me.”
“Why’s that?”
“Just seeing all those badass hunters coming together to share wisdom, battle experience, goods, and weapons from all around the world made me feel like I was missing out on a lot… I’ve never been out of the capital longer than a fortnight. Just think about all the cool stuff we’re missing out there. The world’s only so big… It’d be a shame to miss out on any of it.”
“That is true… I’ve never left the country either.”
“Why’s that?”
“My family’s broke, dude. We don’t have the money to travel.”
“Oh. Yeah. That. Sorry, man.”
“Don’t worry about it. Oh wait. My ma told me to say hi. She’s really worried about you.”
“Aaww that’s so sweet of her.” I can’t help but smile. “Your folks make me feel like I have four parents sometimes.”
“Good.” Seth lets out the biggest sigh. “Now you know how it feels.”
“What you mean?”
“Your ma and da are always coddling me and offering me money. I appreciate it, but please tell them to stop. I feel like a spoiled brat any time they offer me any courtesy.”
“Hm… I’ll tell them that if you get your ma to make me some meatloaf.”
“Again with the meatloaf?”
“Dude… I would kill someone to get some of your ma’s meatloaf right now.”
“It’s really nothing special…” Seth yawns.
“I’ll be sure she never knows you said that.”
“Thank you. So do we have a deal then?”
“Heck yeah. I’m going back home over the weekend. Want to come with? We can have a picnic with our folks again. Whaddaya say?”
“A picnic? What are you, nine?”
“What’s wrong with a picnic?” I roll over on my side to face Seth’s voice.
“Nothing. Just… it’s been a while since we had one.”
“Then we’ll have to make it count.” I feel my chest grow warm and light.
“Indeed we shall…” Seth sounds tired.
“Why did you want to be a hunter? Glory? Thrills? Adventure?”
“Nope. I gotta work. I need money and my parents aren’t going to be able to work in the fields forever… I need to make sure I have a good nest egg saved up for them.”
“You’re a good son. Makes my response sound real stupid by comparison.”
“Well, in all fairness, you always sound stupid.”
“Aaaah you got me.” I chuckle a little before letting out a silent yawn. “I gotta go to bed now… Night, man.”
“Night, bro.”
Warm Moon / 7 / 1218 A.F.
“Hey…” I hear a gruff voice in the darkness. “Hey, Astrid. Wake up. Wake up!”
My eyes shoot open. The Captain’s standing over me. My body surges. My hand launches upward towards The Captain, but he catches it in his worn palm and stares down at me. “Whoa there… Whoa there.” His hand is trembling and my arm won’t stop pushing forward. My entire body is shaking. Throat’s swollen, cheeks are moist, vision is blurry.
“Astrid. Astrid!” The Captain grunts. “Can you hear me?”
I nod and try to control my breathing. My arm feels like it’s going to tear itself apart.
“You’re safe. No one’s hurting you.” he runs his withered thumb over my knuckles. “Can you see me?”
I nod and feel my body relax. My chest goes limp, my arm falls to my stomach, and I begin coughing and sniffling.
“Bad dreams again?” The Captain reaches into his coat and takes out a dry, clean handkerchief.
I try to speak, but only a messy wheeze can escape my lips.
“Sorry. Here.” The Captain tosses a handkerchief onto me.
It lands on my face. I wipe my tears, rub my eyes, blow my nose. Get everything out and get my head nice and clean again. “Thanks…” I hand the handkerchief back to him.
“Don’t mention it.” he stuffs it back into his coat. “We’re here.” he extends his arm to me. “Get up.”
“Right.” I take his hand, stumble to my feet, and look over at David. “How’s the kid doing?”
“Still sleeping soundly. Hasn’t made a peep the rest of the trip. Need a cart for him?”
“Nah.” I don my armor, sling the trunk over my back, and carry David over my shoulders.
“You sure you can carry all that?” The Captain trudges over to the table and picks up the lighter and carton.
“I’ve carried worse.” I adjust David and widen my stance.
“Attagirl.” The Captain opens my satchel and slides a carton of blues and lighter into it. “Here’s a little going away present. Consider it a thanks from The Phantom.”
The Phantom lets out an eldritch roar. It sounds like five hundred happy dogs barking all at once through a tube.
“Dearly noted.” I zip up my satchel and head out above deck with the Captain. We’re out docked on the Pier of Sere. Not a cloud in the sky. Looks about an hour from sunset. Kids and grandparents are out fishing near us. It’s a scenic little town by the Fortuna River. Nothing but dirt roads in and out and farm land and pastures as far as the eye can see. This region is where most of the kingdom gets its pork and wheat. Just smelling the fertilizer is enough to make my nose twitch. The river’s clear as glass. I can see everything from fish to tiny insects skating on the water’s surface. Modest little houses line the dirt roads and lazy cats and energetic dogs can be found all over the place.
“Thanks again, Cap.” I pat him on the shoulder.
“Don’t mention it.” he smiles. “Now git. I gotta meet a client here in ten minutes.”
“Right. See ya.” I shake his hand and head out into Sere. The town is accompanied by a massive waterfall to the East. You’d need an airship to climb up that monster of a waterfall. There’s another dock near the top of the waterfall, but I doubt they’d let David on any ships there… Managed to pet some cute dogs on the way through the town though. Everyone’s closing up shop already and the sun’s not even down yet. Might as well head to the local tavern. No way in hell am I camping out after the day I had. I travel forward a little bit more, ask a few of the locals where everything is, and eventually manage to find the local tavern only after getting lost two times. It’s small, humble, and clean. No bodies or shady bastards around. Still… I can never be too careful. Open the door and find the tavern nearly packed to the brim. Farmers, carpenters, laborers, bards, everyone. Smells like sweat and fertilizer, but still manages to smell better than anything in Dead End. Everyone looks dirty and tired, but happy to be here. Most are singing songs or dancing on a small stage in the corner. No fights, betting, or sketchy deals are going down. Well, at least none that I can see. You never know.
I manage to find an empty stool in the corner of the bar and steal it. David’s still resting on the trunk on my back, but sitting down helps take the weight off just a tad. There’s no bartender behind the counter, but everyone’s got drinks. I peer over into the kitchen and find a small legion of chefs and servants moving with the utmost grace and urgency. Kinda like fish in a school. They look like they’re all swimming randomly, but they never bump into each other. I can wait. Not like I’m in a rush.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
In the meantime, I light up again and just listen to the group of soldiers sitting at the bar next to me. One’s got an eyepatch and has a respectable beard. One’s a stocky woman with a battle axe the size of her body. One’s a young lad who looks like an adult, but still hasn’t sprouted a shred of facial hair.
“So anyway.” Beard man takes a swig of beer. “I was in the Lombard Civil War, right? Everything’s going to crap. Lombard hussars arrived, we’re retreating into the mountains, lost two good buddies that afternoon too. Everything’s bad.”
“Did you die?” The Lad asks.
“Not physically.” Beard shakes his head. “But ssh. I’m getting to the good part. Just as I’m about to get impaled by a hussar, this javelin shoots out from nowhere and skewers the bastard clean through his armor and sends him flying off his horse!”
“Who threw it?” The Lad takes a sip of beer, recoils, and puts the glass down.
“I looked over… and there she was… The Crimson Queen. Nine feet tall, dual-wielding spears, clad head to toe in armor painted with the blood of her enemies. It was like nothing I had ever seen before… I’ve heard legends, but I thought they were all just legends… but no, boy. She’s real. In a mere ten minutes, she had slaughtered half the hussar force and changed the tide of battle. Boosted the hell out of our morale and we ended up holding the line and let the separatists escape into the mountains… when the battlefield was finally quiet… she disappeared, nowhere to be seen again. Never even gave me the chance to properly thank her.”
“Are you sure you weren’t just seeing things?” Axe lady asks. “Weren’t you on scarlet when you were fighting that battle?”
“Well, yes,” Beard scratches his cheek. “But I know she was there. The others saw her there too. I’m not lying.”
“Mmmhm. Suuure.” Axe chuckles.
“How do you even know the Crimson Queen is a Queen?” Lad asks.
“Well, truth be told, nobody really knows. No one’s even heard her voice or seen her face. All we have are claims. Some say she’s a runaway U.P. princess with long flowing hair. Some say she’s a self-hating Lombard. Others say there’s nobody in the armor… just an empty husk inhabited by the souls of those who just can’t leave the battlefield behind.”
“No way in hell is she a Lombard.” Axe chugs her beer and lets out a loud burp. “Lombards would sooner let their child burn than their precious armor get dirty.”
“I see you three are part of the Crimson Queen fanclub as well.” I cough and rest my elbow on the counter.
“You could say that.” Beard rolls up his sleeve; revealing a tattoo of a helmet. “Even got a little mark to commemorate our meeting. Pray tell, what have you heard of her?”
“I’ve heard she has huge tracts of land under that armor.”
“Oohohoho.” Axe chuckles. “Now that’d be a sight to behold.”
“Well the armor certainly is bulky enough to conceal such a fine chest…” Beard rubs his chin. “But that just adds to her mystery… It’d be hard enough for a nine foot tall woman to blend in a crowd, let alone one with tracts of land.”
“You hear the theory she’s just two people in a suit?” I reach into my pocket and offer Beard a stick.
“No thanks.” Beard pushes my hand away. “And no I haven’t.” he laughs. “Though that’d be a twist for the ages!”
“What if she’s an experimental automaton?” The Lad furrows his brow. “I’ve heard rumors that The Free Range had given refuge to some… creative scientists.”
“Ooohoho… A mass army of Crimson Queens… now that’d be a showstopper.” Beard marvels. “I don’t even think a fleet of the finest Lombard airships could take on an army of those…”
I feel someone poke my left cheek. I turn over to the counter and see a short man with a wet apron and a crumpled up chef’s hat. “What can I do ya for?”
“You got pork stew?”
“Yeah, might take a while though…” he sighs. “Anything else?”
“Yeah, do you guys have a room open for the night?”
“You got a reservation?”
“Nope.”
“Then no. We’re full.”
I reach into my pocket and chuck five gold coins on the table. “What about now?”
“We’re still full, ma’am.” he rubs his forehead. “Even if we weren’t, my boss wouldn’t be too keen on housing a Lombard.” he lazily points to my shoulder.
“Hey. That’s my brother. He’s only half Lombard.”
“Half?”
“Yes.” I sigh. “Our father was a… entertainer who had a thing for Athesian women.”
“Heh, can’t blame him.” a smile cracks through the chef’s face for a half second. “At least you got the good genes.”
“Why thank you.” I slide the coins back into my pocket.
“Still can’t get you a room though. I could sell you some camping equipment.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.” I scratch my temple. “What do you got?”
“A sleeping bag, a lantern, and a wool blanket.”
“Sounds good. How much?”
“Five gold.” Chef flashes a crooked grin.
“You serious?”
“You gonna go somewhere else?”
“Yeah.” I start to leave my seat.
“I’ll throw in two servings of stew for free. Even give you a little carryon box.” Chef’s grin disappears.
“Alright.” My eyes narrow and I chuck five coins onto the table. “This better be the best damn stew I’ve ever had.”
“Of course.” he collects the coins and turns back towards the kitchen. “Coming right up!”
Damn… forgot to order a beer… I spend the next twenty minutes discussing more Crimson Queen conspiracy theories with the travelers next to me.
The chef comes out of the kitchen looking considerably more disheveled holding two bowls of stew that are each the size of my head. He puts them on the counter and slams a spoon into one and a sturdy looking lid on the other. “Well? Let me know what you think.”
I look at the stew, then at him, then back at the stew. I get a deep scoop of stew and shovel it into my mouth. My face can’t help but curl into a smile. It’s the best thing I’ve eaten in the past five years. “You got lucky.”
“Happy to hear it.” Chef takes a deep breath.
SQUEEEE
I hear some metal clang in the kitchen and the wretched squeal of a panicked pig.
“Aw, dammit not again!” Chef sprints back into the kitchen. “Camping stuff is under the counter!”
“Aye.” I shovel the rest of the stew into my mouth. I want to slow down and savor the taste, but I can’t. It’s too damn good and I’m too damn hungry. The stew is slain a mere two minutes later and I begin eyeing the second bowl. As much as I would love to fall into a food coma… I should save that for later.
Leave my seat, look under the counter, find a neatly-folded thick wool blanket, a rolled up sleeping bag, and a lantern. I manage to carry those and the spare stew bowl in front of me. It’s a bit of a hassle and a balancing act, but it beats not having it. Manage to squeeze out of the tavern after bumping into a few people and am finally outside once more. It’s now night time. Candles light the desolate town streets. The only things I can hear are the wind, crickets, and the faint sounds of laughter and song within the tavern. I look around to get my bearings and begin walking along the Fortuna River east towards Serenissima. Without carriages or boats, it’ll be about a four day journey. No better time to start than now.
As I head out of town, the stone roads give way to dirt roads. The faint sounds of song and laughter disappear into the night. The warmth of the street torches is replaced by the cold river wind. You’ll be fine. You got a blanket. You got stew. Just walk till you can’t walk anymore then set up camp… Paradise will be worth it.
My arms start to grow weary and my legs fuse to my pants from sweating so much.
“Nngh…” David’s body begins to wobble and shake ever so slightly. He yawns and rubs his eye. “Astrid… please tell me that’s you.”
“Yeah. It’s me. You feeling alright?”
“Yes, just exorcising that many mirages at once takes its toll on me. How long have I been asleep?”
“A month.”
“A MONTH!?” David yells, falls off my back, and lands flat on his butt on the dirt road beside me.
I burst into a mixture of coughing and laughter. “Haha… gotcha. No, you’ve only been out for a few hours.”
David groans and rubs his butt. “Meanie…”
“Can you stand?”
“I believe so.” David stands up and continues rubbing his butt.
“Good.” I chuck the sleeping bag towards him. “We’re setting up camp.”
We go off the path and find a little spot of flat land surrounded by trees and shrubs. Looks like it's been used before. I can even smell some leftover food and see some scorch marks on the grass. Should make a good campsite. It's out of the way enough where we won’t have to worry too much about intruders, but close enough where the more dangerous wildlife wouldn’t come near. Lantern’s in the center. Blanket on one side. Sleeping bag on the other. Lantern’s quite bright and rather warm as well. Nearly feels like we have a real campfire going.
I sit down, wrap myself in the blanket, and hover my right hand by the lantern. I already begin to feel better. This has to be the thickest and heaviest blanket I’ve had the pleasure of wrapping myself up in. David meanwhile looks like a worm hiding in a cocoon wrapped up in his sleeping bag.
“So.” I shove my right hand under my armpit. “Wanna explain to me how the hell you decimated all those mirages back there?”
“It is a technique that has been passed down through the clergy for generations. It allows us to manipulate the mist in order to expel Mirages from the land.” he breathes into his hands and rubs them together.
“Here. Hold this.” I remember the trunk’s still on my back, take it off, rest it beside me, and hand him the still warm bowl of pork stew. “It’s still warm.” Wow my back feels loads better.
“T-thank you.” David holds the bowl and keeps it tight to his stomach. “What is in here by the way?”
“Pork stew.”
“But I don’t like pork…”
“Then drink the stew and give me the pork bits!”
“Oh… yes… I can do that.” David’s stomach lets out a disgusting grumble. “Thank you…”
“So you can manipulate mist, huh? The hell do you need the stone for if you guys can just clear mist on your own?”
“Think of the stone as a container. We can only move the Mist, not destroy it. Sure, we can clear out some areas, but the mist always comes back in a day or two. With that stone, we can contain mass amounts of mist forever.”
“Intriguing… What about corrupted? Can you cure them?”
“No.” David’s eyes narrow and he focuses on the lantern like a moth. “When the mist becomes entwined with a person, we cannot expel the mist out of them without tearing their body apart.”
“I see.”
“Not that we would cure them…” David’s body doesn’t move. I can’t even see his chest rise or fall from breath. “The corrupted are stains on Her Land and must be eliminated.”
“The hell did they do?” C’mon. Eat the stew already. I’m still hungry.
“They ignored Her teachings, gave into their carnal urges, and became the very beasts she sought to destroy.”
“Uh… huh… Kid, drink the damn stew already. I’m starving.”
“Oh, right.” David shakes his head and his eyes relax. “Pardon me. One moment.” he lifts the lid off the bowl, presses the bowl to his lips, and starts gulping down the stew. After a few moments, he pulls the bowl away from him, shakes his head, and grimaces. “This is all I can eat… The stench of pork is too much.” David shoves the bowl into my hands. “Here. Please have the rest. Thank you again.”
I look down into the bowl and see it still a fourth of the way full. Even still has all the chunks of potato, carrot, onion, and pork in it. “Attaboy.” I lick my lips and begin picking chunks out of the stew and popping them into my mouth. “So what’s the deal with this Matriarch? She got a name? Can she fight?”
David smiles and claps his hand together like a schoolboy. “One thousand years ago, the Matriarch was no more than a simple woman who wanted to do right in the world. She dedicated her whole life to helping the beaten, downtrodden, and the damned. Through her will and perseverance, she saved entire nations from civil war, freed legions of slaves, and restored areas decimated by mist storms. Word soon spread across the land and oceans of her deeds and hundreds began to flock to her. Soon enough, she created a small nation of followers within the Lombard Kingdom. The Matriarch gained such influence and power, that the Kingdom willingly ceded land for her new nation.” David takes a deep breath.
“Hold up. What the hell’s an ocean?”
“Long ago, the mist covered much less of the planet. Oceans full of water separated continents from each other. They were deeper and wider than our comprehension, but we still managed to cross them with boats thanks to the Matriarch’s inspiration and guidance.”
“That’s a load of bull. Where would all the water come from? How would you even begin to navigate a body of water that big? We have enough trouble navigating rivers!”
“It is true.” David nods. “You may not like it, but the Matriarch has proclaimed it so.”
“So she got a name?”
“She does, but it is sacrilege to speak it. No one is worthy to even speak her name under risk of sullying it.”
“She sounds very humble.” I begin chugging the remaining stew.
“She is the most humble, perfect person to have ever walked this planet.” David smiles and presses his hand to his chest. “She spoke of a Paradise that lies beyond the Boundary. A land free of suffering, mist, anger, and hatred. One day, she went into the Boundary in order to cleanse mist from the world. Her people waited for her… but she still has yet to return. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to years, years turned to decades… but we never stop waiting for her. When she returns, the Boundary will be destroyed, the world will be made whole again, and mankind will know peace.” David smiles and takes another deep breath.
“Are you done?”
“With the abridged version.” David pulls out a small blue tome from inside his robe. “If you are interested in the full story, I would be happy to indulge you.”
“I would rather eat a fistful of bees.”
“I see…” David rests the tome in his lap.
“Do you think the Matriarch is really still in the Boundary?”
“Of course I do.” he smiles. “She would never let herself die to mere mirages… She is still out there looking for Paradise. I know it.”
“And what if she isn’t?”
“Do you want to be reported for heresy?” David glares at me.
“Do you want to be left alone in Athos?”
“No, ma’am…” David sulks.
“Good boy.” I lick residue stew off the rim of the bowl, lay it beside the lantern, and stretch my neck. “You still tired?”
“Very much so…” David puts his tome away and rubs his eye.
“Good.” I turn off the lantern and turn my back to David to face the wilderness. “Go to bed. I’ll keep watch for three hours then we’ll switch.” I pull out my crossbow and my knife and hold them in my hands.
“Thank you, Astrid… Good night.” I hear David recline into his sleeping bag.
“Night.”
Minutes pass and all is quiet. All is cold. Even the crickets and owls have retired for the night. Nothing but air. Cold air. Even with the blanket, I still feel like a statue. I can’t feel any part of me that’s not covered by the blanket. The blanket helps, but it’s nowhere near enough. I’d be shaking like a fish out of water if it wasn’t for the blanket. My goosebumps are so hard, it’s hurting my skin. My feet feel like cold needles are sticking into them.
“Astrid…” David’s voice cuts through the night.
“Yeah?”
“Can I borrow the blanket?”
“Piss off.”
“Please? I cannot sleep. It is too cold.”
“Then learn to sleep in the cold.”
“O-okay…”
Minutes of icy silence pass and I begin to hear shuffling inside the sleeping bag. Teeth are chattering. Limbs are shaking against the ground. Short, irregular, pained breaths are coming from David.
I throw off my blanket and toss it onto David. “I get it back when it’s my turn to sleep.”
“T-thank you, Astrid… I promise to make it up to you.”
“Yeah yeah…”
David stops making noise.
I can’t feel my body. I see breath leave my lips, but my chest hurts every time I breathe. I light up two sticks and let the hot smoke fill my lungs. The embers on the end of the stick and the hot blues inside my nose are the only warmth I feel. The rigid numbness of the cold is slowly replaced by the familiar numbness of blues. My head finally feels nice and lukewarm again. Goosebumps are still there, but I can’t feel them anymore. Can’t feel my arms or feet, but in a good way. By the time my sticks are depleted, my body is lying against the cold ground. There’s frost melting against my cheek and some grass in my ear, but I don’t care… I can finally… get some… sleep…