Reign of Mist by Helen Scheuerer

Author:Helen Scheuerer [Scheuerer, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780994165572
Amazon: B07H7997S9
Publisher: Talem Press
Published: 2018-09-08T23:00:00+00:00

The journey north was punctuated by blistering gales that sent snow-filled winds whipping across the mountains, and the sight of crystal-covered forests, silver icicles hanging from dark, barren branches. As the teerah panthers powered through the snow, Bleak marvelled at the foreign surroundings, so vastly different from the warm sea breezes and sandy marinas she was used to.

They sledded through a deep gully, between several immense mountains, their jagged peaks no longer visible from the ground. Bleak’s heart pounded, remembering Casimir’s words about snowslides, but soon, the view surpassed all notions of fear, and simply took her breath away. The utter desolation was beautiful. Fiercer and more perilous than the sea, the expanse of glaring white stretched on, never-ending.

I wish Bren could see this, Bleak thought, forgetting the burn of cold against her skin for a moment. She and Bren had seen many things together out on the open water, but this … This was something else. Not everyone in the realm had the chance to see something like this, and in that moment, she desperately wanted Bren by her side. Maybe, just maybe, if they survived what was to come, she’d bring him here. Somehow.

Casimir’s hand on her wrist jolted her from her thoughts. He motioned for them to stop. Brow furrowed, Bleak tugged on the rope of the harness ever so gently, and Casimir held up his hand for the others behind them to do the same.

‘What is it?’ she said, her hot breath turning to clouds.

‘See for yourself.’

Bleak followed Casimir’s gaze out onto the plains of white before them. In the near distance, the surface of the ground changed. A sheet of glass covered the gully: a frozen river.

‘Gods,’ Bleak breathed. ‘Can we cross it?’

Casimir tucked his hands under his arms and looked from Bleak to Sahara, who had greeted them with a shrug of confusion. ‘I don’t like to, not with this many of us, and the rest of the pride behind us.’

Bleak looked to the treacherous ascents of the mountains either side of the gully. ‘We can’t possibly …’

‘No,’ Casimir agreed. ‘We can’t.’

‘Well, I prefer not to stand idle out in the open like this,’ Sahara cut in, glancing around, ever the Valian.

‘We need to rest in any case. The panthers are tiring,’ Bleak said, noting Rion’s lolling tongue.

Sahara nodded. ‘We’ll rest at the foothills over there. But we need to make quick decisions, or we’ll freeze. This climate is unforgiving.’

Bleak’s limbs were heavier than before, and once they stopped moving, the fatigue hit her in a rolling wave, making her eyelids heavy, her breathing more laboured. The others were similarly affected, and they moved with a sluggishness that hadn’t been there before.

‘It’s the cold,’ Sahara told her as they released Rion and his companions. ‘It saps the energy from you, little by little.’

‘Then we can’t stay long.’

‘Not long, no. But we need to find a safe passage for us before we continue. Casimir and I will scout the foothills. You stay here with the others.

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