The storm passed just before dawn, leaving the mountain wrapped in a heavy, blinding silence.
I sat on the edge of the wooden cot, pulling my boots back on. The leather was still stiff from the damp heat of the fire.
Across the small cabin, Axel was already standing by the timber door, throwing his heavy winter coat back over his shoulders. His hair was slightly rumpled, his jaw dark with a morning shadow. His mouth was a thin line, and his shoulders never relaxed. He looked completely composed, but the quiet tension in his frame told a different story.
"The radio lines are back up," he said. "Gerald has an extraction unit clearing the lower pass right now. We need to be on the staging deck in ten minutes."
"Fine," I muttered, tying my laces with freezing fingers. "Let's go."
Th
