Fairy Tale: Winter's Bite

PART II - Chapter 7: Return to Normalcy (Part 1)

PART II

Chris moved as fast he could manage in complete darkness and along a surface that had to be pure ice. He was using his hands almost as often as his feet. On a straightaway, he could see a torch bobbing in the distance. He could at least see the outline of his feet, so he began to run. When he caught up to Cassie, he took the torch from her and led the way at his pace.

"How. . . ?" she asked, stumbling to keep up. "How did you stop her?"

"Broke a key in the lock," he said between breaths. "It'll probably only buy us a few extra minutes."

"You"—she slowed down and then stopped—"saved my life."

He glanced back and swept his arm forward to urge her to hurry. "I guess that makes us even," he said, but it came out with a little too much bite. "I wouldn't worry," he added, softening. "I'm sure you'll get a chance to pull ahead."

He couldn't tell if Cassie smiled at that, but her presence seemed to become less dark and cumbersome.

They trudged on for what felt like a very long time. Since they lost their swords to Andromeda's magic, they paused once more to rummage in the knapsack for an extra weapon, expecting the need for one within moments.

Cassie explained that there were few who knew about this particular exit from Pyxis. It led to an inconspicuous rock crevice. But there was no way of knowing what they might encounter once they emerged into the night. Regardless, the best remaining fairy weapon in their possession, a knife, wouldn't do anyone much good once Chris Modified back to his human size.

At last, the tunnel forked and on the right, it melded into a bluish path that curved upward. Before long, he felt a breeze and then a full-fledged wind. It moaned on its way to greet them and stung his exposed skin. Soon they saw trees, the bright moon, and the starriest sky he had ever seen. And suddenly there was a burst of green—the Aurora Borealis, not the tavern, but the real thing, the Northern Lights. Its natural beauty had a valid, scientific explanation and was such a strange and timely contradiction to the unnatural turn his life had taken.

As they exited the mouth of the tunnel, a blast of wind nearly knocked over their tiny bodies. They had another enemy to contend with, one they couldn't outwit or overpower. Within moments, he felt as if he had been standing in the cold for hours. Aside from the small clearing where they stood, the snow was over their heads. Joe and the twins were nowhere in sight; a set of fairy-sized footprints ended at what was to Chris a sheer cliff of snow.

Chris knew that he had to Modify as quickly as he could, and that he would have to clear his mind to make the transformation work. But before he could even consider the logistics, a pair of yellow eyes, high in the bare branches above, glinted in the moonlight and bore down on the patch where he and Cassie stood. Not more than a breath and a blink later, the snowy white body of an owl, wings outstretched, plunged toward them.

Chris pushed Cassie behind him. The owl's talons snapped open, and Chris positioned the knife for a hopeless fight. But the sudden whir of a machine startled the great bird, which changed course mid-dive. The owl soared out of sight as skis of a human-sized snowmobile crested the snowy embankment and slid to a halt.

The driver swung a leg off the machine and removed his helmet. It was Joe. He had somehow managed to Modify to his normal size, make his way through the frozen world, find clothes and transportation, and return to the mouth of the tunnel.

If there was ever an opportunity, Joe had a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and would be the first to seize it, sometimes without thinking it through. It was the same old story. Chris didn't typically begrudge Joe for his impulsivity—a tendency he admittedly shared with his brother—but rather his luck and then his inability to turn anything into an actual success.