So cold. Must keep moving. Find shelter. Those three things kept running through my mind as I plodded forward on the trail. As the fat snowflakes softly floated down, obscuring my vision even further, I couldn’t help but despair a bit. Was this where it ended? Was I going to survive all of that just to die here on the side of a mountain?
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scott’s POV
“Blasted, stupid lambs!” I gently swore under my breath as I reached through the brambles to grab the leg of the idiotic animal that had me out here with a blizzard breathing down my neck instead of inside with a blanket wrapped around me and a roaring fire at my feet. The Crownhill sheep was the heart and soul of our village. They had the thickest, softest coat you could ever hope to find, but the intelligence of a box of rocks. Case in point, this bright example. What kind of animal let its child roam around the wilds when a blizzard was coming? Better yet, what kind of child runs away from its parent when it’s a few weeks old? It was probably a good thing for them that they only lived near this village, as without us they would obviously be the very base of the food chain.
“BAAAAA!”
“Oh shut yer gob. It’s your own fault we’re out here.” I growled as I gently pried the thorns from its coat. “Let’s get you back to your mom and warmth. And a door that shuts so you can’t escape again.” I added, just to be sure. Not like it understood, but if you didn’t have someone to talk to in the mountains you quickly lost your mind. Groaning at the pain in my straightening knees, I took a moment to hide the kid in my coat. Putting my head down and heading straight into the biting wind, I started the slow trek up the mountain. At least the idiot beast in my coat was more than willing to just sit there and be still, as any distraction could kill. We deliberately kept the path up to the upper village narrow, lessons learned from a more violent time.
Ten minutes later, and I had finally gotten the kid reunited with its mom, and a quick count of sheep matched what should have been there. Nodding to myself, I headed to the back of the barn to check that everything was set up. Nobody could remember who came up with it, but the back wall of all our sheds had a convenient chute system that used the heat of the barn itself to melt snow and refill the water trough for the animals. Excess water spilled away with an overflow drain and off the side of the mountain, at least for us since we lived at the entrance to the village. It also provided one of the much needed ventilation areas to keep the air fresh. Happy that it all was clear, I headed out the door and made sure that none of the little beasts escaped when I left.
I was halfway to warmth when I heard it. A small cry of pain and the muffled whumph of a body falling into a snowdrift. I spun in place, looking deeper into the village but couldn’t see anything. “Anyone there?” I called out, taking a few steps just to make sure. The little ones in the village knew better to be out and about, especially with a warning from Hazel about a storm coming, but Loreli knew what went through the heads of the kids.
“Kellen? Karse? Call out now if you hear me, ya hear?”
“Unnnghh.”
I froze for a second in fear. That wasn’t one of the kids. Slowly, I inched through the ankle high snow and found the body that had made the groan. He couldn’t have been more than 10 or 12, with the darkest black hair I had ever seen. His thin nose was red, and his lips were already turning blue. Looking at his tattered clothes, I knew it was bad when he muttered something about being warm. I looked down on him for a second, then looked up to confirm that his tracks led back to the Lost Lands.
“Gods blast it.” I growled. I was a hair’s breadth away from leaving him. Nobody would be able to tell when he fell, and with how fast the snow was coming down my tracks would be long gone before anyone would be around to check. He wouldn’t be the first traveler to pass away on this mountain. But looking at him, I couldn’t help but see a bit of Jonas. He too was a bit scrawny before Loreli took him back. Groaning at the aches in my knees, I dropped down to one and did my best to get him over my shoulder. The only reason I could get back up without aid was that the boy was practically skin and bone. Stumbling back home, trusting that getting him inside and into some warm air would be better than trying to fight and get my coat on him.
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“Ellie!” I cried out as I stumbled through the gate. “ELLIE! OPEN THE DOOR!”
“What’s the?” Ellie asked as she opened the door.
“Get some blankets and stoke the fire.” I ordered as I entered, kicking the door shut behind me. “I’ll get his wet clothes off.”
“On it!” She answered, hobbling off as quickly as her joint pain would let her. While she was doing that, I laid the kid down as gently as I could on my chair. I had gotten him down to a shirt and his small clothes when Ellie came back.
“Blessed Norah! What happened to him?” Ellie cried, dropping the blankets on the ground.
“Worry about that later!” I snapped, though I was concerned as well. Not just about the multi colored bruises running through the boy’s midsection. Oh no, what worried me was the lack of frostbite anywhere on him. As cold as he was to the touch, he should at least be showing signs on the ends of his fingers and toes. “Give me the towel and make a nest in front of the fire.”
“Don’t take that tone with me!” Ellie grumped as I felt a towel slam into the back of my head. “I’ve taken care of extreme cold more times than I can count.”
“Good! Then you won’t waste time counting as you make a nest in front of the fireplace!” I grumped back, but from the snort Ellie let out I knew everything was fine. Most people would be appalled at our sniping, but we had been doing it all in good fun for decades. Ellie had a tongue on her, but that was fine. As long as she was talking, you were fine. It’s when she got quiet that you really had to worry.
“Bless his heart.” She muttered as she placed a hand on my shoulder. “Think he’ll be ok?”
“Up to Loreli.” I shrugged as I gently moved him into the nest Ellie had made. I frowned as I pulled the covers up over him. “You got Jonas’ things?”
“Why not?” She asked in a dangerous tone.
“He’s a stranger from the Lost Lands.” I answered before I could stop myself.
“Scott Jonas Attlaw!” She snarled. “Don’t you dare start spouting that isolationist nonsense your dad raised you on!”
“It’s not”
“It is and I’ll not have it in my house!” She interrupted. “I’ve loved you for over 50 years. You are many things, but the day you turn into your father is the day I walk out that door!”
“I can explain!”
“Oh really?” She asked in one of the most dangerous tones I had ever heard come out of her mouth. “Do explain.”
I took a moment to center myself, as this was possibly the most important moment in my life since I had asked Ellie to marry me. “I’m scared.” I finally said, hearing Ellie deflate. “We’re the only family outside the valley, and just look at the boy. He didn’t injure himself, nobody willingly breaks a few ribs. And some of them are old, some are new. He’s been tortured, which means someone did this. Someone who was interested in him. You know as well as I do what lives out there amid the wild beasts.”
“Necromancers.” Ellie whispered, clutching my jacket as I shuddered. I wasn’t fool enough to believe that just naming them could summon them, but I also wasn’t fool enough to think that they were harmless. After all, one of them managed to injure a goddess.
“I’m sorry for how I said things.” I said, lightly gripping Ellie’s hand.
“I’m sorry for doubting you.” She answered. “Give me your jacket and dry off with the towel. I’ll get some broth on for the boy. If he isn’t awake when the broth is done, do you think we force feed him?”
“Yes.” I immediately answered, taking off my outer clothes and working to get myself dry. As Ellie ran off to take care of things, I sat down in the chair the boy had recently vacated and watched as the flames danced among the logs. “I hate change.” I muttered, stretching my legs out and wiggling my toes to get everything warmed up. Just before I could get fully comfortable, I doubled over with a coughing fit. As I pulled my hand away from my mouth after getting ahold of the wheezing coughs, I noticed a few bits of spattered blood. “Ellie, I really hate change.” I whispered.
“Are you ok dear?” Ellie asked as she walked back into the room with a steaming bowl. I didn’t notice the boy had been twitching for a few moments while I coughed, but before I could answer he bolted upright and yelled.
“ARGOS! NOOOOOO!”