21
River Lodge
Night was fully upon them by the time they reached the lodge, and with it cold that rivaled any they had encountered so far on this venture. Several times, Raedrick thought they might have to stop early, so bitter the night was. But there was no place that looked appealing, or even promising. Oh, there were rocks and cracks in the sides of the slope, a thicket or two once they got back down into the tree-filled valley, and once a collection of fallen logs that lay over a gully, but after the previous night, he did not relish the notion of stopping in any of those places.
Neither did anyone else, or at least no one suggested a stop. He supposed the notion of spending the night indoors with a fire fueled them as much as it did him.
He almost did not see the lodge when they
