THE COURT OF DEAD GODS

The sky had been clear when Caelum left Ashfang. By midday, clouds had swallowed the mountains. Now the forest groaned beneath a rising wind. Snow hissed through the pines, sweeping across the narrow trail in pale ribbons. The bundle of firewood strapped to Caelum's back dug into his shoulders with every step. He shifted the weight and pulled his cloak tighter around his neck. The village was still an hour away. Maybe less if the storm held. Maybe more if it didn't. A gust tore through the trees. The branches overhead rattled. Snow burst from the needles and showered down around him. Caelum lowered his head and kept walking. The path ahead faded behind curtains of white. Winter storms moved fast in Ashfang. One moment the mountains stood sharp against the horizon. The next they vanished completely. His mother used to say the mountains enjoyed reminding people who truly ruled the north. The memory came and went. He adjusted the rope holding the firewood and pressed forward. A sound drifted through the storm. Caelum stopped. The forest fell silent except for the wind. Nothing. He shook his head. Probably a branch. The snow had a habit of turning ordinary noises into strange things. He started walking again. The cry came a second time. Short. Weak. Barely audible. His boots slowed. Somewhere to his left. Beyond the trail. The sound vanished almost immediately. Caelum stared into the trees. The storm swallowed everything after a few yards. Whatever made the noise could have been anywhere. He looked toward home. Then toward the forest. A third cry reached him. This one sounded smaller. Tired. The kind of sound that came from a creature running out of time. Caelum exhaled through his nose. "Terrible idea." The wind carried the words away. He stepped off the trail. Snow reached halfway up his calves. The forest thickened around him. Dark trunks rose from the white ground like pillars. Several times he lost the sound completely. Then it would return. Fainter. Further away. He followed it downhill. The slope grew steeper. Loose snow shifted beneath his boots. A frozen stream cut across the valley below, its surface hidden beneath layers of ice and drifting snow. Another cry. Much closer. Caelum scanned the area. There. Near the edge of the stream. A tangle of fallen branches rested against a shattered pine. Something moved beneath them. He hurried forward. A wolf pup lay trapped underneath the debris. Small. Young enough that its paws still looked oversized. One hind leg was pinned beneath a heavy branch. Blood stained the fur around its shoulder. Snow had gathered across its back. For a moment Caelum thought it was already dead. Then the pup lifted its head. One eye opened. Clouded. Unfocused. Its chest rose in a shallow breath. The cry it released was little more than a whimper. Caelum crouched beside it. The pup bared tiny teeth. A weak warning. Its body trembled. The branch trapping its leg had shifted during a recent collapse. The weight of it would have been impossible for the animal to move alone. He looked toward the village again. The storm was worsening. Darkness would arrive early. Nobody expected him home before sunset. Nobody would come looking for him until morning. The smart choice sat right in front of him. Leave. The pup was wild. Injured. Probably dying. The mountains were full of dying things. That wasn't unusual. Caelum rose to his feet. The pup cried again. He took three steps. Stopped. Closed his eyes. Then muttered a curse under his breath and turned around. The pup watched him approach. "Don't start thinking this means I like you." He gripped the largest branch and pulled. Nothing happened. The wood had frozen into place. Caelum adjusted his footing and tried again. Muscles strained. The branch shifted slightly. The pup panicked. It twisted violently. A sharp yelp escaped it. "Hold still." The animal ignored him. Another branch snapped loose. Caelum grabbed it and threw it aside. Snow sprayed across his boots. The trapped leg finally became visible. It looked badly swollen. He frowned. The pup lunged. Tiny teeth sank into his hand. Pain shot through his fingers. Caelum hissed. The pup growled around the bite. Stubborn thing. He let it keep chewing on his hand while he reached for the final branch. The wood groaned. Then lifted. The pup pulled free immediately. At the same moment the ice beneath them cracked. A sharp sound split the valley. Caelum froze. The frozen stream gave way. The ground dropped beneath his feet. Cold water exploded upward. His balance disappeared. Instinct took over. He grabbed the pup. His knee slammed against the ice. The edge broke apart. Water surged around his legs. Freezing. Violent. The current tugged at him. For one terrible second he felt himself slipping. Then his hand found solid ice. He dragged himself forward. Once. Twice. Again. The pup clawed at his chest. Together they spilled onto stable ground. Caelum collapsed onto his back. His lungs burned. The storm roared overhead. Snow landed on his face. He stayed there for several moments, staring up at the grey sky. Eventually he sat up. The pup remained tucked against his cloak. Still alive. Barely. That's when he noticed the veins. Dark lines spread beneath the animal's fur. They ran from its shoulder down its neck and across its ribs. Not bruises. Not scars. The marks looked burned into its flesh. Caelum shifted the fur aside for a better look. The veins continued deeper. Branching outward. Almost like roots. His stomach tightened. He had never seen anything like them. The clouded eye opened again. Watching him. Waiting. The pup should have died hours ago. Maybe days. Instead it kept breathing. Slow. Steady. Wrong. The wind howled through the valley. Night would come soon. Caelum pulled off his cloak and wrapped the pup inside. The animal didn't fight this time. Its head disappeared beneath the fabric. Only the cloudy eye remained visible. He looked toward Ashfang. Then toward the distant ridgeline beyond the village. An old memory surfaced. A narrow trail. A hidden shelter. An abandoned mining outpost his mother had shown him years ago. A place few people remembered. A place where questions wouldn't follow him. Decision made, Caelum adjusted the firewood on his back and started walking. The storm followed. --- Night settled over the mountains. The shelter crouched between two cliffs, half-buried beneath snow. Age had worn away most of the structure. The roof still held. That was enough. Caelum fed wood into the rusted stove and coaxed a reluctant fire to life. Orange light filled the single room. Dust glimmered in the air. The pup lay beside the wall where he'd placed it. Motionless. Hours passed. The storm battered the shelter. The fire burned lower. The lantern flickered. Caelum cleaned the bite on his hand and wrapped it with a strip of cloth. Several times he checked the pup. Nothing changed. No movement. No sound. No breath that he could see. Eventually exhaustion won. He stretched out near the stove and closed his eyes. Sleep arrived quickly. A noise woke him. His eyes opened. Darkness filled the shelter. The fire had died. The lantern barely glowed. For a moment he forgot where he was. Then memory returned. The storm. The forest. The pup. Caelum sat up. Silence surrounded him. The animal still lay beside the wall. Exactly where he'd left it. He stared for several seconds. Dead. It had to be. Then the clouded eye opened. And fixed itself on him. Wide awake. Watching. Waiting.