CHAPTER#70

"Steady sister, I would talk first." The woman's skin flashed through a series of snake skin patterns. "You may call me Ratu. I am a naga."

"I can smell you from here." She sniffed the air, scowling at the scent of dirt and snake oil. Worst of all, she could smell the scent of that man on the newcomer. "You may call me Yuki. As a fellow shapeshifter, I know you know what I am."

"A kitsune. Interesting." Ratu crossed her arms. "I have a question for you, my tricky little fox. I was wondering if you had seen a man come wandering through here."

"I did, but he got away." Yuki pointed down the hill. "And when I find him, I plan on killing him."

"May I ask why?" Ratu turned her attention to a tree, feigning interest. "I'm just wondering why the extreme hostility."

"Are you with him?"

She shrugged. "In a way. I guess you could say I have a vested interest in seeing him succeed."

Yuki frowned. "Seeing him succeed at what, exactly?"

Ratu smiled. "Protecting the others. That's all he wants to do."

"That's how it always starts." Yuki let her magic expand, her senses blending with the ice and snow. She could feel it now, feel the naga's magic swirling around her like a tiny storm. "The last Caretaker wanted to protect the others so badly that she ended up turning on them. I shouldn't have to tell you that humans are broken, unable to resist the call of power. They flock to it like bees to honey. Better to crush them when they are weak before they live to betray you."

"This one might surprise you." The naga casually summoned a ball of fire in one hand then tossed it to the other. The fireball grew in size until it was two feet across, spinning rapidly. "I'm guessing that this isn't open to debate."

"It's been a while since I've eaten snake." Yuki clenched her fist and hooked her fingers upward. Several large spikes of ice lifted from the snow, all pointed at Ratu. She pointed the end of her staff at the naga. "And I imagine you won't last long in the cold."

Ratu's eyes narrowed dangerously, the swirling ball of fire casting flames among the trees. They ignited, the smoke swirling around her like a cloak of shadows.

"Silly fox." She bared her fangs, her face rippling as she changed shape. "The furrier they are, the quicker they burn."

Yuki sent forth the spears of ice, her howls echoing off the mountain as the fireball descended on her and turned the world to mist.

…

His chest was on fire and he couldn't move. His limbs were super heavy and he couldn't feel his legs anymore.

Am I dying?

Loud thuds like distant thunder beat in his chest and he thought he heard someone saying his name. His head cleared, and it occurred to him that he had looked onto the shores of the afterlife and they had looked nothing like this. A loud scraping sound filled his senses and he was suddenly blinded by a bright light and someone called his name.

Oh shit. He really had died. This was the tunnel of light and somebody had come to collect him.

"Mike!" Warm hands grabbed him by his chest and pulled. His eyes adjusted to the light and he realized that he was looking at Zel from the confines of a large snow drift. She pulled him free of the snow and he fell forward, spilling crimson blood on the bright white canvas they were mired in..

"Here, hold on." She ripped off part of her skirt and tied it around his upper arm. He looked down at his torso, expecting to see a giant hole. While there was a large hole in his shirt, the snakeskin beneath was still intact. However, the inside of his arm was bleeding pretty bad.

"How?" He was feeling light headed and couldn't properly formulate his words. He leaned forward and fell, Zel grabbing him around the waist.

"The icicle slid off the naga hide but nicked your artery. We need to find my bag, it got lost in the snow."

"Snow?" He looked at the ground, his eyes surveying the bountiful white clouds beneath his feet.

"Do you still have the sun stone? Your arms are freezing."

"Um... nope." He felt his pockets and looked up the hill. He wondered if he had lost it up there. There was a deep furrow of snow toward the top of the hill that turned into a wide groove that terminated roughly above the giant drift she had pulled him out of.

Tink was going to be pissed when she found out he had lost a Vault treasure.

"Mike." Zel gave him a shake. "You're bleeding too much and I can't carry you. If you lose consciousness, you will die."

"Oh." He pushed her away with his good arm. He couldn't lift the other one at all, so he fumbled with the pouch on his belt. Once Zel spotted what he was doing, her eyes went wide and she pushed his fingers out of the way, unsnapping the pouch and pulling out the red vial.

"You need to drink this and we need to get out of here right away." She unstoppered the vial and held it to his lips. Heat flooded his mouth and throat and his eyes watered at the taste. She pulled the vial away and poured some of it on the gash in his arm. Steam rose from the wound and he nearly threw up from the pain.

"What happened?" All he could picture was an angry eye rimmed with fire.

"The Snow Queen found you." Her face was grim. "If she catches up to us, she'll kill you."

Another loud boom up the hill ricocheted off the nearby hills, causing more of the snow to break free and slide. A ball of fire climbed into the sky, only to be consumed by a large flurry of ice and snow.