He comes over quickly, and I point to the snow blocking our escape.
He understands my intention and begins digging, making me a path. I follow him through to the other side. I have never felt so cold in my life as I crawl through a snow bank.
The world is completely covered in white. My only hope is to find a tree that has some lower branches I can break off to burn.
Baron moves to follow me, but I turn to him and shake my head, pointing back to the cave. "Guard Fen. Come find me if he gets worse."
Baron looks to me, then back at the cave, whining. I can see the uncertainty in his eyes. He wants to protect us both.
"It's okay, boy. I won't wander far. I'll be back in a minute. Just keep the entrance open for me."
Finally he turns to head back to the cave, and I wonder if I've made the right decision as my legs sink into thigh deep snow.
I feel like the answer is no. But Fen can't be left alone right now. And I remember a good tree not too far from here that should have some branches I can use.
Walking is laborious. I'm weak from blood loss, lack of food and cold. My limbs are frozen. But still I take one step in front of the other. The tree shouldn't be much further. It will have what I need, and I will go back to the cave, and it will feel positively toasty compared to this winter hell.
I might lose a few toes or fingers, but I'll live. That's the important thing. I wonder if my digits would grow back once I am turned into a vampire. That would be nice.
My mother's words run through my mind as I walk. Dum spiro spero. While I breathe, I hope. I am still breathing. I will not give up hope.
My mind wanders to my night with Fen before he passed out. Before I fed him my blood.
The way his mouth felt against mine. The way it felt to hold him and be held by him. Just the thought of it seems to warm me.
I see the tree just ahead and nearly cheer out loud with relief, but it feels too hard to open my mouth.
It takes a long time to reach the trunk, as slow as I'm walking, but when I do I'm happy to find that there are some branches that will work if I can break them off.
I focus on the smaller ones. I don't have the strength left to break thicker branches. Once I have as many as I can carry, I turn around and begin my slow plod back to the cave.
I try to imagine the heat of the fire, the comfort of being close to Fen as he sleeps and heals, the safety of having Baron there, anything to keep me from thinking about the cold seeping into my bones. Even my soul is freezing at this point.
The snowing stops, giving me a respite from the cold coming down upon me, and allows me to follow my trail back to the cave without getting lost. I just pretend that was my plan all along, that I wasn't worried about the snow filling in my tracks, me lost in the middle of a forest in the middle of a storm and dying as an icicle.
Without the sound of the storm whipping through the trees, it's a peaceful walk back. My arms burn from the weight of the wood. My wrist stings as the branches rub against my cut. But it's so breathtakingly beautiful and calm that I can almost forget about the pain.
It is because of this absolute stillness and silence that I hear them before they attack.
I drop my hard-earned wood into the snow and grip my sword's hilt, slowing my breathing so I can hear better.
They approach from my right. There's more than one person, but it doesn't sound like a big group.
I pull Spero out slowly, quietly, and make my way to a large tree to hide behind. It could be a search party looking for us. Someone from the castle here to help. I want to believe that's the case, that we will be rescued and taken back to warm Stonehill and all will be well.
But my gut says otherwise.
This isn't a rescue party.
It's the Fae coming for me.
They led us into this trap, bringing Fen out here. They are the only ones who know where he is.
I crouch behind a tree, sword ready.
I was smart enough to at least cut my left hand, so my sword arm still functions as well as it can in this weather.
But I am weak and tired and they are many. And I don't have Baron to help. My best chance is to hide. To not be found.
But what if they find Fen? What if they hurt him to find me? I won't let that happen. I'll surrender first.
I'm glad Baron is guarding him. If something happens to me, Fen will be safe. I can at least make sure of that.
Two men and a woman enter the clearing where I stood moments before. They are dressed in furs and leather and accompanied by a wolf. This one black and smaller than Baron. The wolf sniffs the ground, and then looks around.
"She's got to be somewhere close," the taller man says. He looks young, like all Fae, but his beard is long and grey. He carries a walking staff with a blue crystal molded into the top.