Chapter 136- Ella’s dilemma
Ella
I gaze around at the icy mountains, squinting up at the sky. The sun is high overhead, only halfway through its daily journey from East to West. That means it’s about noon… three hours from when I found the passage, according to the bedroom clock. The Prince’s deadline isn’t until dusk, which means there’s still time to get word to Sincalir, assuming I can figure out how to get back to the city.
Suddenly I’m kicking myself for leaving my go-bag behind. My coat wasn’t there because it had been stained and damaged, but I had other clothes inside, things I could layer onto my body to try and provide myself some warmth. I might move faster without the weight, but lightness won’t help me if I drop dead from hypothermia.
Just keep your blood moving. My wolf advises, as long as your heart is pumping it will keep you warm.
Not if I’m sweating. I counter, the liquid will just freeze and kill me faster.
Then stay active, but not so active that you’re sweating. You don’t want to stress the baby anyway. She advises,
Alright. I agree. How far do you think the valley is?
it’s nowhere in sight, so we must be on the wrong slope of the mountain. My wolf reasons, making
would certainly take more time than I have to spare. Besides, I’d probably fall into a crevasse or get buried in an avalanche. There is
we need him to come after us. All we can do is try to stay warm and
to prevent Sinclair from encountering any more danger than he already has, but beggars can’t be choosers, and right now I’m certainly a beggar. So do I stay put and walk in circles, or try to descend? I wonder. I don’t want to stay out in the open like this, in case the Prince figures out that I’ve escaped before Sinclair comes for me, but the closer I am to the tunnel, the faster I can be
had been warmer at least, surely I’d have a better chance if… My thoughts trail off as I
anything that might trigger the internal mechanism and finding nothing. In the end I’m throwing my body into the rock, tears of frustration
back onto my feet. The tears from frost on my cheeks, and I rub away the crystalline particles, trying to keep my wits about me even though I want nothing more than to rage at the Goddess and the universe
I stare down the mountain. The treeline starts about a mile below me, and though I know the sun will keep me warmer than the shaded forest, it’s also lower elevation and I might find shelter for the
heavy with regret for making the suggestion. If you wake me fully we’ll be able to handle the elements.
argue immediately clutching my belly. Not unless we have
do. She remarks sorrowfully, but this is life and death. If you don’t make
there’s still a chance that we can find another way. Maybe Sinclair can catch up before it’s too late. Maybe there’s a cabin somewhere in that forest… in fact, I bet there is! If the Royal Family uses this
wolf approves. We keep moving and
word of comfort to my growing pup. “It’s okay, angel. Daddy’s going to come for us, and until then I’m going to keep
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