Having no wish to hang around this passage any longer than absolutely necessary, I immediately started forward. Thegusts of wind stole the sound of snow crunching beneath my boots.
I could see faint footprints that hadn’t yet been filled with the falling snow. Someone had passed here very recently, so either I was making good time, they’d slowed down, or we were both moving too slowly.
My every exhale fogged the air as I walked. Air so crisp that it irritated my nostrils, throat, and chest to breathe it in.
Large and glittery flakes of snow pinged against my skin, hair, and clothes. They also found their way into my boots—not pleasant.
Shuddering, I raised my shoulders to my ears. My clothes were sadly no real barrier against the icy blades of the wind. That same wind pitilessly sliced at my exposed wounds, sharper than any knife.
I jammed my hands beneath my armpits to protect them from the cold, wishing I had my gloves with me.
I would never complain about the heat again.
I wondered what possible blockades and challenges I would come up against in this passage. Honestly, I doubted there was anything that could be more difficult to bear than the subzero temperature. That in and of itself was an obstacle.
Snow slid beneath my boot. I slipped, landing hard on my ass. Blinking, I let out a grunt. “Ow.”
My irritated exhale puffed the air like a plume of fog. Hadn’t I taken enough abuse from this damn place? Personally, I thought so.
Promising myself that I’d indulge in a long, hot bath when I returned to the garrison, I struggled to my feet. Maybe Talon would even let me use his tub—it was bigger than those in the bathhouses.
I slogged on, tromping through the snow. It was slow going, since I still wasn’t putting my full weight on my soreankle. I flexed my fingers—painful tingles were streaking down all my extremities.
Spotting something blocking my path up ahead, I blinked hard to shake off the flakes of snow from my lashes. A wall. A floor-to-ceiling wall of pure ice.
How was I supposed to get past an actual wall?
Frowning, I picked up my pace to get a better look at it, stupidly almost tripping over a tuft of dead grass. Finally stood directly in front of the block of ice, I realized that there was a short gap at the bottom of it. As if a large animal had burrowed a hole into it or something.
Crouching, I pursed my dry lips. I could squeeze through it. Ihadto. It was that or hang out here and eventually die.
With that delightful thought in mind, I laid flat on my stomach on the ground, sucking in a sharp breath at the wintry feel of the snow pressed against my entire front. Better this than having to climboverit, though. I would struggle to traverse a wall right now. My fingers would be too clumsy due to the numbing cold.
I scooched forward little by little, easing my way under the hole. The spikes of frost on the wall scraped my skin, tugged at my hair, and plucked at my clothes. Finally through the gap, I rose to my feet. The wind smacked into my wet front, and a powerful shiver wracked my entire body.
Fuck this shit.
I rubbed my hands together, trying to get rid of the aches that were cramping them, as I walked onwards. My nipples ached just as much. I folded my arms to shield the buds, once more tucking my hands beneath my armpits.
I shook and trembled with every step. Not only from the cold, but with fatigue. My body was using up what energy it had to keep my body temperature from hitting critically low levels, and it was leaving me drained.
I jumped as an icicle dropped from the ceiling and crashed to the ground in front of me. It shattered, pieces of it scattering across the ground like diamonds. I swallowed nervously, because that icicle had been a littletooclose for comfort.
Leery of more falling icicles, I watched out for them as I continued down the passage. A throb soon took root in my ears—they were so cold they burned. Little snow crystals were forming on my clothes, making them feel crusty and stiff.
Awhooshingsound tugged at my awareness. No, two whooshes.
Through the gale of snow fogging the air, I could see sporadic flashes of red/orange. Flames, maybe? Thirty seconds or so later, I had my answer. Two plumes of fire were randomly erupting out of holes in the left wall. Beneath them was a hazardous patch of ice.
Ah, this wasn’t going to be fun.
Like the bursts of steam from the previous circuit, there was no pattern to the eruptions of the flames. A person’s best chance of avoiding them was to move fast. Which would be much easier and safer if it wasn’t for the ice.
Maybe I could sort ofpropelmyself over the patch. Jump it. Like it was a ditch.
Checking its width, I wrinkled my nose. Nah. Not even if one of my ankles weren’t sore could I pull off a jump like that. Which meant I’d have to be swift on my feet and try to skate over the ice—all while hoping for the best. As plans went, it sucked.
Then I recalled something that my cousin had once done on a frozen lake at Phoenixia.
