CHAPTER#71

"Snow Queen? Is she part of the Society?"

"Not the Society. C'mon." She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the trees. "We need to get back to the house and lock the wardrobe. She can't follow you if it's locked."

"Okay." The light headedness was starting to pass, his numb feet crunching through the snow beneath them. She took him into the trees, ducking her head to go beneath the branches. They had traveled a hundred feet when he caught a glimpse of something bright following them. He stopped for a moment and it vanished. It was likely an artifact of the bright sun above bouncing off the snow.

"Mike, c'mon!" Zel tugged at his hand.

"Wait." He looked up the hill. "Where is Ratu?"

"She's buying us some time. If we can circle up the hill, we can get back."

"But what about her?"

"Honestly?" Zel's shoulders slumped. "I don't know."

"Oh." He leaned on a tree for support, his body suddenly heavy. He couldn't think straight, it felt like he was drunk off his ass. "Did that potion have my spunk in it?"

"Of course it did."

"Okay." He lifted his arm, inspecting the raw flesh. "This hurts still."

"You're experiencing the healing process in fast forward. You're going to feel hungover in a couple of hours if you don't get any water in you." She grabbed his hand and pulled. "C'mon, let's go."

"Nope. Not without Ratu." Another loud boom rattled the mountain and he cast his gaze upward. The trees along the ridge had been blown free and another avalanche had been triggered, carrying the flaming logs down the slope. Columns of smoke floated into the sky, ash now falling on them like snowflakes. The ridge disappeared and a geyser of fire shot through the air above them.

A loud roar echoed across the hillside. Mike turned his attention to a large shadow that slowly lifted above the distant tower, its large wings beating hard to gain altitude. The creature disappeared in the smoke above, but it roared again, much closer this time.

"Is that a fucking dragon?" He gripped a nearby tree so hard that he accidentally tore off some of the bark. Zel's eyes had gone impossibly wide, her hands hovering over her mouth.

"We. Need. To. Go!" She pulled his shirt, yanking him free of the tree. They broke free of the trees and Mike realized that she was still trying to drag him uphill, but away from the sounds of magic. "I think we can circle around and get to the trees."

"Are you nuts? There's a dragon up there!"

"It's better than the alternative, trust me!" She slipped in the snow and fell. He knelt down to help her up and caught the glimmer of yellow light out of the corner of his eye.

Another loud blast echoed from up above. Through the smoke, something was generating a tremendous amount of light. The wave of heat hit him suddenly, making his mouth dry out.

"The sun stone!" He thought it had made it down the hill with them, but he must have dropped it at the top. The dragon roared and streams of water now trickled down the mountainside.

"Oh no." Zel pointed through the smoke at a dark shape that was tumbling rapidly toward them. At first Mike thought it was a log, but realized it was a large snake about twenty feet long tumbling head over tail. He ran forward, hoping to intercept Ratu, and immediately noticed how soft the snow was becoming under his feet.

"We need to find shelter," he called out over his shoulder. He could hear Zel's feet sinking through the slush behind him, his stomach filled with that familiar cold sensation. It steadily built, filling him with dread as he knelt down and caught Ratu around the middle of her body.

She dragged him off his feet, causing him to slide several feet down the hill. Once he was able to stand, he struggled to lift her, grateful when Zel finally caught up and lifted Ratu's tail. The large python in their arms was unconscious, making the dead weight feel that much heavier.

They all sank into the softening snow. Up top, another large sheet broke free and raced downhill, smashing into a thick group of trees. The glow of the sun stone was becoming more intense, and he could see the shadow of the beast circling above. It didn't seem to be looking for them, instead remaining directly over the molten red glow of the magic rock he had left behind.

"Where can we go?" He looked back at Zel, her face frozen in panic.

After several seconds, she let out a loud sigh and pointed downhill. "If we keep going, we should encounter a side trail that will lead us onto a bluff with a small cave network."

He didn't bother asking how she knew. Draping Ratu over his shoulders, he ran his hands along her skin, worried at how cold she felt. Zel did the same, but lost her footing and fell. She slid past Mike, her arms outstretched, and caught his ankle. This caused him to tumble as well, then all three of them were sliding on the slick hill.

"Mike!" Zel twisted around and pulled his feet under her armpits, leaning back on his lap as they picked up speed.. Realizing what she was attempting, he pulled Ratu onto his torso, holding on tight while trying to coil her up onto his chest. She stirred briefly in his arms, her body shrinking down to a more manageable six feet.

Rocks appeared on the slope ahead and Zel used her legs to steer, her hooves clattering off the tougher chunks of ice. They zoomed between them at a speed of maybe fifteen miles per hour, but Mike felt like they were going sixty. The cold wind grabbed at his ears, his eyes squinting against the ice and snow that blasted them. The mountain rumbled underneath him and he chanced a look back. Another large sheet of snow had broken free and was coming their direction.