32
On Ice
By the time they pressed through the woods to the small clearing where the cabin lay, it was too late. The whole structure was ablaze, the heat intense enough that they could not come within thirty feet of the place that had sheltered them so well just a day ago. Smoke billowed from the blaze, and all around loud popping noises began issuing from the trees and undergrowth. Ice that had coated, and in some cases penetrated, limbs was melting or splitting, taking some of the limbs with it. It would not be long before the closest trees were free of snow entirely, and then…
“This whole part of the woods is going to go up,” Julian said. He was holding a hand up, shielding his face and eyes from the blaze as he peered around at the trees, some practically right on top of the burning
