Elias’s eyes snapped open. Something didn’t feel right. The ground… he thought blearily. It doesn’t feel right. He frowned, pushed back his hood, and peered out the dugout entrance. It was pitch black, but he could hear the howling wind and the swirling snow.

  He turned over and drew a sigil in the air above him. “Lux meridania…” A little orb of light formed in his hand and the ceiling of the dugout flashed into view. He froze, his heart pounding. It’s too close... He gasped for breath and started to shake. Too close!

  The Lady’s haunting song echoed in his mind, and he was sure the dugout was closing in on him. 'Mother, Mother, we want jam,' her slick voice sang in his head. 'Pluck the fruit and squish it in your hand!'

  Elias squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the memory. I’m safe. Master Seth built this. It’s not going to crush me. I'm safe. He dismissed the light and let out a long breath, trying to calm himself. He pulled his hood over his head again and closed his eyes to sleep. But as soon as he rested his head, Elias felt a low rumble.

  His heart skipped a beat, and he opened his eyes again. He knew this feeling. He’d felt it just the other day right before a wave of snow crashed over him. Elias turned over and reached across Gloria to shake Master Seth awake. I have to warn them! Suddenly there was a loud roar, and snow burst through the dugout walls, sweeping him up and tossing him out into the dark snow.

  “Mast–-!” Snow filled Elias's mouth and silenced his cry. He sputtered and coughed, but his mouth was quickly filled with snow again. The roaring snow screamed in his ears and its cold bludgeoning strength shoved him down the mountainside.

  Suddenly a body crashed into him and Elias felt long curls whip his face. Gloria! He gripped her tight and submitted to the will of the avalanche. Down they went––rolling and tumbling in the dark. Snow went down his back, up his nostrils, and into his ears, then he felt the ground leave him.

  Elias tensed as his back rushed through empty air, wind rushing past his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched Gloria tight. Oh Crim, he begged. Save us!

  His stomach lurched as they plummeted down and The Lady’s taunts whispered in his ear. 'If Crim can save you, then he’s cruel. What kind of god lets a child suffer at hands like mine?' Then he landed in a pile of snow.

  The snow knocked the air out of him and he felt his ribs bruise as Gloria’s weight crashed on top of him. Elias panted, adrenaline rushing through him. He reached out and patted Gloria's shoulders, head, then side, feeling for any injuries. She seemed okay, but the fall hadn’t roused her at all.

  Elias lay back and stared up at the dark sky. Two dark rocky walls rose high above him, and he could barely see violent snow racing overhead. That’s it! he thought. I’m sick of snow!

  Just then he heard a grunt and a faint groan. It didn’t sound too far away. Master!

  “Master Seth!” Elias called, his voice bouncing off the rocky walls. “Are you there? Are you alright?”

  There was another groan.

  “Master!” Elias cried again. He gently pushed Gloria off him and sat up. He reached out with his right hand to write a sigil, but a sharp pain went through his fingers. He sucked in his breath and switched to his left hand. The sigil was sloppy, but legible enough to be cast. “Lux meridania,” he said, gritting through the pain.

  The bright white orb burst into existence in his left hand filling the area with light. Elias scanned around him; he found two of the three bags on the ground and spied Master Seth not too far away half-buried in a pile of snow. “Master!” he cried, scrambling out of his snow pile and running over to dig him out. “Are you hurt?” He cradled the orb against his chest with his right arm and freed Master Seth’s arm, before trying to dig around Master Seth's body.

  Master Seth grunted and massaged his neck. “I’m…alright,” he finally said. “Just a little banged up and winded.” He slowly turned his head to Elias. “Where’s Gloria?”

  “She’s safe,” Elias answered continuing to dig with one hand. “I caught her, and we fell together.” He paused and looked around them. They had fallen into a fissure; behind them Elias saw that it opened into a cavern and at the end was a dark cave.

  “I don’t remember passing a fissure on our way up,” he said, pulling Master Seth out of the snow pile.

  Master Seth brushed snow off himself and peered over Elias's shoulder at the dark cave behind him. “Well, The Lady’s temple did collapse and fall off the mountain. It wouldn’t surprise me if that shifted some snow or broke open fissures like this one.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Master Seth drew a sigil in the air and muttered the spell. An orb of light formed in his hand and he tossed it into the air where it hung obediently. “Come on,” he said wearily, his shoulders sagging. “Let’s get Gloria and take shelter in the cave.”

  Elias’s eyes snapped to the cave, and he shuddered. Shelter? In there? Just the thought of being in another enclosed space got his heart racing. “I–I don’t know, Master…is there any other option?”

  Master Seth looked back at him, there were heavy bags under his eyes. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not...really.” He sighed, clearly trying to keep his patience. “Why? What’s wrong with the cave?"

  Elias gulped and shivered. Unless he wanted to die out here in the snow, he’d have to go underground.

  “Elias?”

  Elias’s gaze snapped up to Master Seth’s worried face. “What’s wrong?”

  Elias shook his head. “Nothing, sir. Don’t worry about it.” I will make it be okay. Master Seth watched him for another moment, before turning away and lifting Gloria into his arms.

  Elisa gathered the remaining supplies off the fissure floor and followed Master Seth to the cave. At the mouth, he hesitated for a moment. The walls were higher than the dugout, but it still filled Elias with unease. Come on Elias, you can do this. He clenched his left fist and forced a foot forward.

  A shiver went down his spine, but he forced himself to take another step, then another until he was firmly inside the cave. He tried not to think about how his footsteps echoed back to him, or that the blizzarding wind was muffled by the thick rock walls. Focus on Master Seth and his light.

  Master Seth staggered deeper into the cave, then he gently laid Gloria down and collapsed beside her. Elias walked up to Master Seth and put the bags down.

  “What...do we have left?” Master Seth asked his arm over his face, his speech beginning to slur from exhaustion.

  Elias opened the bags. “Looks like the wood and the medicinal kit.” His face fell. “We lost the food.” He glanced up to see Master Seth’s lips thin.

  “Wait a minute!” Elias patted his pocket. “I still have my bread! What about you?”

  Master Seth slowly sat up and patted his pocket. A hint of a smile came across his face. “Same here.” They beamed at each other—some hope returned to them. “We need to make it last.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Master Seth gestured to the bag with the wood. “If you can set up the wood for me, I think I have just enough in me to start a fire.”

  Elias pulled a log out of the bag and laid it on the stone ground. He watched Master Seth draw a sigil in the air and mutter a spell. “Pars Dolo.” Fire sprang to life and greedily licked at the poor log.

  Master Seth sighed and sank back against a stalagmite, crossing his arms. “Get some rest, Elias. I’ll keep an eye on things.”

  Elias sat back on his haunches and raised an eyebrow at him. “Sir?”

  Master Seth began to nod off, then jolted awake. He looked up at Elias with heavy eyes and waved him along. “Go on, get some rest.”

  Elias furrowed his brow. “Respectfully sir, no.”

  Master Seth blinked heavy eyes at him. “Excuse me?”

  Elias crossed his arms and stared Master Seth down. “No, sir. I can’t remember the last time you slept!”

  “I slept for a bit,” Master Seth retorted. “I’m fine. Now get some rest.”

  “Sir!” Elias cried, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “You literally just fell asleep!”

  Master Seth’s jaw clenched. “Elias," he said warningly. "I don’t want to have this argument.”

  Elias glared back at him. “Neither do I, sir, but you’ve been pushing yourself too far. What would Gloria say if she was awake? You think she’d want you to run yourself into the ground?”

  Master Seth’s eyes glowed dangerously. “Don’t you dare bring her into this.”

  “Master Seth!” Elias climbed to his feet and glared down at him. “You know as well as I that she’d be on my side. You can’t keep going forever.”

  “I don’t need forever!” Master Seth shot back. “I just need tonight!” He gestured to a dark tunnel in the back of the cave. “What if something comes out of there? What if something happens to Gloria? I need to be ready.” He tried to climb to his feet, but his legs shook under him and he fell back. Master Seth's cheeks turned red as he tried to collect himself.

  “See!" Elias said, pointing at Master Seth. "You can’t even stand on your own feet! Please, Master, I’m begging you! If you don’t rest now, you will collapse later when we need you and the consequences will be much worse.”

  Master Seth opened his mouth to argue but he wobbled and blinked rapidly. He put a hand to his forehead, then sighed. “Alright…” he whispered. “I’ll get some rest. But wake me up in a few hours so you can have some too.”

  Elias narrowed his eyes at Master Seth. “Fine,” he spat. “I’ll wake you up once you’ve gotten rest.”

  Master Seth sighed again and nodded. "Good...good." Then he leaned back and within a few moments his head drooped and he was fast asleep.

  Elias sighed and looked outside the cave. It was still pitch black and anxiety nagged at him. Don’t think about it.

  There was a little snore from Master Seth and Elias jumped a little. He looked back at Master Seth, whose head had rolled into his shoulder. A little smirk tugged at the corners of Elias’s mouth. I’ll wake you sir… he thought, settling himself by the fire. Once daylight comes.