Chương 674: Dashing from the Snow
Time went on, and the group began to waver in their resolve.
Their eyes looked around, checking out the world where they now found themselves. It was warmer than the storm, but still bitter cold. without the bears and fires for warmth, the humans would not have been able to withstand the cold.
"We are close," Reyan told the others when he could stand the silence no longer. Even he had his limits for tension.
"How close?" Brinn narrowed her eyes at the fairy. His version of close and hers were not the same.
"On the bears' backs, I do not think it will take more than a day to reach the seed. Or at least get close before we are stopped." Reyan shivered, thinking of what he knew awaited them.
"That is good news," Aurora listened half-heartedly. Her unwavering attention to the wall of white was admirable, but it made the others sad.
As the sun lowered in the sky, the storm seemed to waver slightly and come closer to them. Perhaps the burning ball overhead had some control over the storm's size. For it continued to creep closer with the passing minutes.
"Your Majesty," Zan cleared his throat. "I suggest we move away from the storm. Night will be coming soon and some distance will keep us from getting enveloped by the ice again should things continue to change when the sun goes down."
"That is wise," Aurora answered with a wave of her hand. "The rest of you move on. Devrim and I will catch up soon."
The others exchanged wary glances. Was the Empress being hopeful or delusional?
"I do not think we should leave you here," Brinn said slowly. Sitting beside the Empress, she took Aurora's hand only for the Empress to jerk it away from her grasp.
"If we lose sight of this spot, how will we find Devrim when he exits?"
"We will find a way," Alvar answered. "I will stay and you can go with the others. I will not let harm come to him."
"No!" Aurora blinked back tears. The fire in the middle had died out and she knew the water would freeze on her face. "I won't leave him."
"You aren't leaving him," Brinn spoke gently. "Lover-boy would want you to be safe for the night."
Aurora had no response to that, so she crossed her arms and leaned farther into Isbora's furry Embrace.
Brinn and Zan locked eyes. They would have to take drastic measures. Nurlan and Reyan seemed to be having a similar thought.
"It is my job to protect you, Your Majesty," Nurlan stood as he stepped away from his snowbear. "And protect you, I will."
"What?" Aurora tore her gaze away from the wintry hurricane for the first time. "No!"
She felt Brinn pull her arm and Zan grabbed the other. Reluctantly, Nurlan scooped the woman up and held her tightly. "We have to get further into the eye of this storm. All of us may perish in the night otherwise."
"I told you to go!" Aurora flailed wildly. Her leg brace struck Nurlan's shoulder and he winced. His head barely missed the desperate kick.
Isbora growled at the woman. "Do not be foolish! What good is your husband's arrival if you are dead and cannot see it."
The words snapped Aurora from her delirium. She had let her emotions rule her actions.
Short of going back into the storm with Isbora, there was nothing she could do for Devrim just now. The world still needed saving. The people with her still needed someone to lead.
Stopping her struggle, the Empress fell limp in Nurlan's arms. "We will go South," she said flatly.
The general lifted the Empress onto Isbora's back. Aurora felt like part of her was being left behind.
'Pain means you are still alive,' she repeated the words that had kept her conscious during the hurricane. Then she had meant physical pain. This time, it was much deeper.
Looking over her shoulder, Aurora could almost swear she saw something coming out of the burgeoning storm. But she needed to stop fooling herself.
She needed to get her people to safety.
"Lead the way," she patted Isbora lightly.
"Your Majesty!" Nurlan waved at her frantically from the corner of her eye.
She could feel the change as well. The storm's firm walls were softening. They needed to hurry.
Isbora began to sprint and the thunder of the other bears' paws quickly joined hers. The race was on.
They had not been able to hear the roar since exiting the storm, but now the sound of the wind grew. Not loud, but the change was noticeable.
The sun sunk deeper and the storm seemed to chase them. Their only saving grace is that the hurricane moved at a crawl. It wasn't hard to outrun, except the bears were already tired from having to push through it.
The humans were also worn out. But no one stopped. They couldn't.
'What if the storm collapses entirely at night?' Aurora thought. She dared not share the thought, though she guessed others were also thinking it.
If there was no safe place inside the eye, then the group was merely trapping themselves deeper in the middle of trouble.
Would it be better to huddle together and weather the storm until morning? Aurora did not think so. Something in her gut told her that the icy hurricane had a limit. They just had to reach the barrier before being overtaken.
"Keep going!" the Empress urged.
When the sun left the sky, the world around them was suddenly shrouded in darkness. There was no sunset. The other side of the Hurricane was likely obscuring it.
The stars overhead peeked out, but their pale light was not enough for Aurora to see just yet. She would have to trust that Isbora was continuing on the right path.
The sound like a metal clang reverberated across the ice. It was disorienting, for there was no metal anywhere in the frozen wasteland except for what the humans had brought. What could have caused it?
"Your Majesty!" Zan's voice barely reached the Empress's ears. "I think the storm has stopped."
Looking over her shoulder, Aurora could barely see the tenebrous wall of swirling clouds. She decided to continue onward, peeking over her shoulder at regular intervals.
At last, she had to agree with Zan's assessment. The storm had ceased chasing them. The metallic sound must have been the hurricane itself.
'How odd! Is it on a chain?' The Empress could not fathom that being the case and dismissed the thought.
After very slow movement inside the storm and then hours of waiting, the group had made up some of the ground in their frantic escape.
But everyone was exhausted. They would need to make camp for the night.
"Is it just me, or is it warmer in here?" Nurlan asked pulling his coat tightly around himself as he moved toward the Empress.
"The fact that you can leave your bear's side to talk to me is a testament that what you say is true. Maybe the storm is keeping out the worst of the cold." The Empress wasn't positive, but there was no wind in the eye. That did make things seem warmer.
"I wonder if the storm is putting off the cold. The whole world is supposed to be warming slowly, yet the closer we get to the Seed, the less things seem to be affected." The General's observation gave Aurora a thought.
"The Seed is supposed to be able to restart the magic. I assume that is because it is a fragment of the Source--the waterfall in the Mystic Spires. If that is the case, then the storm around us could be magical if it was drawing its power not from the main Source, but from the Seed."
"So you think the storm is magical. I had been wondering," Nurlan nodded slowly.
"It would also explain why the bears have no trouble keeping their internal fires lit." The Empress reasoned. "If that is the case, I do wonder if our magical friends can use their powers here."
The general and Empress looked over at Brinn and Alvar. Wrapped up against the stomach of a bear, the two were having a quiet conversation when they noticed the two people looking at them.
The elves could see more easily in the darkness so it was not hard to spot the two spying humans.
"What?" Brinn tilted her head at the Empress.
"How do you feel?" The Empress asked her quietly.
"I am feeling good, I suppose." The elf eyed her carefully.
Aurora gave a brief nod. "Good! Then I want to try a little experiment..."
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực