Frozen Prospects (The Guadel Chronicles Volume 1)

Chapter 20

Cindi had confirmed that the snow caves were indeed empty, and the pair then crawled into one of them and found something that, in their desperate state, felt like paradise.

The snow caves wouldn't ever be as warm as a proper cave with worked gemstones to seal off the entrance and heat the air, but it quickly heated up to the temperature of the surrounding snow which was considerably warmer than the air outside had been.

Still, the blankets that had been in Va'del's packs barely sufficed to keep the pair warm, and worry for Jain continued to gnaw at his thoughts. Only the fact that Va'del knew he needed to replenish his strength was enough to force him to lie down and try to sleep.

Cindi had spent the night in silence, but Va'del had a suspicion that she'd been quietly crying most of the time. It hadn't really mattered; both of them had been content to be alone with their grief.

As the sunlight trickled through the snow, the pair crawled out of the cave and Va'del was astonished to find that Cindi was planning on returning to the village.

"We have to go back and get reinforcements. The two of us couldn't possibly defeat a group of bandits."

Va'del shook his head. "It's going to snow tonight. If not tonight, then sometime in the four days between now and when we could get back. That's even assuming that we can convince the Headman to let us take any guards."

Cindi's face once again took on a familiar expression of contempt. "That is foolishness. Of course he'll let us take guards. There isn't any other course."

Va'del shrugged and then opened his packs, splitting up the food and blankets. "I'm not going back. We're Jain's only hope, and if we don't follow the trail now while it is fresh we'll never find her. Here's your share of the supplies. Go back to the village if you want, but I'm going after her."

"You're disobeying me? You'll die, and if you somehow don't I'll have you exiled as a coward."

Shifting his packs around, Va'del laughed—a humorless biting sound. "That doesn't matter now. Nothing matters but getting her back. If I can't save her, at least I can die trying."

The Guadel looked at her charge for several seconds. "You really love her, don't you?"

"I don't know. I haven't ever thought about that. I just know that she's my best friend and I'm the only chance she has."

Cindi finally shook her head. "I can't make you go back with me, so I suppose I'd better see what I can do to help. It isn't like I have much left to live for anyway."

##

Va'del's fear it would snow proved well-founded, and only a couple of cycles passed before a light snowfall started.

The pair continued to push on, hoping they'd either be able to find the hideout before the snow filled the tracks completely, or that it would stop without putting down enough moisture to hide the trail.

Va'del wanted to travel faster, but his body was simply too exhausted to muster a better speed. Judging by the trouble Cindi was having keeping up even with his slow amble, she was in as bad or worse shape than he was right now.

Jasmin always said that the first rule of outside travel is to make sure that you have plenty of safety margin. Plenty of reserves, plenty of food. Always stop with plenty of light left to the day so a freak storm doesn't catch you too far away from shelter. We're running on the ragged edge now. If anything even remotely serious goes wrong, we're dead. In another day or so we won't even have the food we'll need to keep up what little strength we have left.