The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 31

31

I didn’t know how long I dwelled through the snowy mountains, but my fingers were frozen stiff and I couldn’t feel my feet. I always thought I was used to the cold, but this was an entirely different level. Especially while just wearing my flimsy school shirt.

If only I’d been prepared, but then… Why did I ever expect things to go my way? It was just disaster after disaster, mistake after mistake. All the problems kept stacking on top of each other, giving strength to the rumours about Shadow Walkers. Perhaps, we were bad news.

“Pickles?” I shouted, my voice hoarse and raspy. While I’d hoped the wind would lie down, it had only grown stronger and added more snow to the world around me.

This would’ve been the perfect time to shift into the Veil and hide from the dangers of nature, but if I could do that, I wouldn’t have found myself in this situation in the first place. All this hassle because I couldn’t do the one thing I trained so hard for.

I put my frozen hands around my mouth. “Pickles!”

“Awrrr…” Hyde whined, his tail stuck far between his legs. He was curled into the smallest possible ball, trying his best to retain as much heat.

“I know… We need to get out of here.” I hugged myself in a futile attempt to get warm. Even if I could shift into the Veil, I couldn’t leave the dust bunny here on her own.

The wind whistled past my head, the falling snow thickening. There was a storm brewing and it wasn’t far away. But if I got caught in the blizzard without any shelter or protection, I could find myself in serious trouble.

I’d have to find somewhere to hide and wait out the snowstorm while praying that Pickles found a little hole to hide in.

“Come on, Hyde. Let’s go.” With my wolf pressed closely against me, we braved the starting hail. The ice cascaded down from the sky like bullets, hitting me where it hurt.

“Awroo!” Hyde howled, growling at the hail and trying to bite it. The more ice hit him, the more frantic he became. But this was a battle he couldn’t win.

I was at my last tether. What could I do to protect us? How was I going to get Pickles back? If I failed at this, what would happen to my friends? To Ryoko…

The cold was making it hard to think straight. Everything was getting fuzzy and hazy. Every step exhausted me beyond anything I’d ever experienced. I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep. The snow looked soft and fluffy. Maybe I could lie down for a little bit and rest.

Hyde whined softly, snapping me out of my sleepy thoughts.

I couldn’t lie down here, I’d freeze. I needed to keep going, to find shelter or a cave to protect myself from the cold.

But… Sleep… If I took a little break, I’d have more energy later. A nap would do me well…

No. That was just the cold speaking. I couldn’t sit down, I couldn’t stand still. That would be the end of me and everyone I was trying to save.

I had to figure out something… Anything.

Desperately, I looked around. Maybe if I found a fallen tree or a dry ledge, I could wait out the storm. I just needed a big boulder or a small cove in the mountainside to give me some protection.

Dizzy from all the white, I spun and spun around. As far as I could see, it was just snow. Endless snow… And it all looked so soft and snuggly…

Maybe a small nap wouldn’t hurt.

Just as I was about to lie down on, a brown patch caught my attention. From afar, it looked to be a fallen tree but as I focused my eyes, I could make out the shape of something more rectangular. What was that?

I stumbled along, Hyde whimpering and wheezing next to me. He was suffering and if I didn’t find him somewhere safe to stay… I didn’t want to think about what would happen to him.

It seemed like we weren’t moving, but after a lot of wrestling and puffing, the brown shape became more clear.

A roof!

That had to be attached to some form of shelter. Perhaps a house, or a cabin, or even a deserted shack. It was all better than being out in the open.

“Come on, Hyde,” I encouraged, quickening my pace towards the wooden roof. The snow shrieked with every step, making it harder to move through it, but nothing could stop me now. I set my sights on that roof, I was going to get to it.

I fought against the snow, my wolf trailing behind in my footsteps. It was a quiet and tough trek, and somehow despite the freezing temperature, I was sweating uncontrollably. The drops pearled on my forehead, only making me even colder.

But our hard work paid off and with one last grunt, I pushed into the wooden door of the abandoned shack. It was a small, abandoned cabin that had been neglected for quite some time, but there was a fireplace and a bundle of hay for a bed. While there were gaps in the wooden wall, it held back enough of the wind and snow to stop my shivers.

This was more than I could ask for.

Relieved, Hyde curled into a small ball in the middle of the room, just next to the firepit. That was a good idea.

If I could get a little fire going, we could both warm up and replenish our energy. There were some wooden logs stacked in the corner, but I needed something to start the fire too.

I rummaged through some old crates, desperate for anything that could be used as tinder. Some dry hay, maybe some small twigs, or even some bark. I wasn’t in a situation to be picky.

“Oho!” I turned out one of the crates and a box of matches tumbled into my lap. From the rattling sound, I could tell it wasn’t empty. There was even a little bundle of dried grass that would serve as tinder.

“Finally, a little bit of luck,” I said to Hyde, earning a whine. “I know, I know. It’s not exactly great. But we’re dry here and we can start a little fire. We’ll be warm in no time.”

“Wroo…” He laid his head back down, his fur-coated in flecks of snow.

“It’ll be okay. Good boy.”

I struck the match, the flame installing some hope in me. If I could get a fire going, that would get us through the storm for sure.

I fed the flame some dried grass and it quickly caught on, casting a reddish hue on me. The immediate warmth was a welcome guest and not before long, there was a fire crackling in the pit.

“Now that’s something.” I held out my hands to warm them, wishing I could enjoy the gentle heat. But no warmth could erase my worries about Pickles. The little dust bunny was out there all alone, with nobody to help her or protect her. If it wasn’t suicide, I’d look for her all night.

“Do you think she’s okay?” I asked my wolf, earning a slow blink.

I nodded. “I hope so too.”

I sat by the fire for as long as it burned, warming myself until I was no longer a frozen icicle. Until the heat lured me into a shallow and restless sleep, one that filled my nightmares with missing bunnies and wolves.

It wasn’t until I woke up, I realised the storm had laid down and the fire had gone out. Even so, the cabin had retained a surprising amount of heat and Hyde looked perkier after his nap.

“You’re awake.” a voice said, making me jump up.

Not that again. Why did people keep sneaking up on me? Who said that?

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and when I was more or less awake, I found a small figure sitting by the smouldering coals. A girl around my age warmed her hands against the residual heat. “You shouldn’t let your fire go out.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Zen, my family owns this land.”

I sighed. “And the cabins on it, I presume.”

“That’s correct.”

“How did you know someone was here?” I asked, staring at the young girl. “The shack was totally abandoned.”

Zen crossed her legs under herself and poked some of the coals. “The stars.”

“What?”

“The stars told me there was someone in need, so I went. And here you are.”

“I’m not in need,” I countered. There was something strange about her, something I couldn’t place.

“Really? Your shirt is torn, your hands are blistered from the cold, and you look lost.”

That was surprisingly observant for someone saying so much bullshit. The stars didn’t tell anyone anything. They were just bodies of light in the night sky and had nothing to do with elementals. There was only one race foolish enough to believe in the stars.

Wait...

I studied the girl across me, from her fair hair to the pinkish blush on her cheeks. She looked normal, but something was off. There was a strange vibe to her that was somehow both familiar and unfamiliar.

What kind of elemental was she? Maybe a Mountain Elf like Sim? No, they had pointy ears.

Fairies? They didn’t mind cold places, although… She didn’t have the signature rings in her eyes.

It took me another moment before another thought crept into my mind. There was one race that was somewhat familiar to me, but I’d never encountered them alive.

She was human.

— To be continued —

Will Ylva find Pickles? Can she save her friends? And why have all the teachers been so absent? Find out in Valkyrie 104: The Bonds Of Valkyries.

Read on for the first chapter or get it here now => https://books2read.com/valkyrie104

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