Dark Snow

Chapter 7: The Farmland

Mia quickly returned to her usual quiet demeanor. They packed up, ate some stale bread John had packed from Blueriver, and started walking. She limped for the first half-hour, but the movement seemed to ease the stiffness in her leg as they continued. The snow beneath them grew lighter as they moved south, even over the short distance they'd covered.

She found it amusing that now they were taking breaks, not for her, but for Lucas, who was struggling with a relentless headache. Despite yesterday's burst of adrenaline, the blow to his head was clearly taking its toll. Every so often, he'd rub his temples, his fingers lingering as though he could push the pain out by sheer will.

The woods began to clear, and according to Lucas's map, they'd covered over twenty miles. To Mia, that distance felt enormous, yet he spoke as if it were nothing, saying things like:

"My brother and I used to cover twice that in two days." Or, more annoyingly, "Ellgrick? We've been through a few nations altogether."

He wasn't trying to irritate her, and it was partly her own questions that prompted these responses. Still, his answers were quickly becoming a pet peeve. She couldn't entirely explain why—maybe it was how he insisted on how hard it all was yet retold the memories with such happiness.

Ellgrick had been harder than he made it sound. There were days he and Sebastian walked until dawn; feet so numb they barely felt the ground. But to Lucas, every mile was a chance to find something new. Something Lucas didn't like to talk about.

They reached the edge of the woods, where farmland stretched out before them, leading to a small town in the distance. Snow fell much lighter here, and townsfolk moved tirelessly through the fields, some tending to crop, others pushing carts. The farmers wore thick, tattered coats, skin weathered and worn, but their movements were swift, as though they'd grown up pushing against the cold.

"I'm surprised anything grows in this weather..." Mia muttered as they took another break.

Lucas squinted at the fields. "They don't, really... I've seen this before on my travels. They're just keeping the plants healthy enough to survive the season." He started to explain further, but Mia suddenly elbowed him. "Ow—Mia! What was that for?"

"You need to close that big, beautiful mouth of yours."

"What?" He blinked, caught off guard.

She tilted her head, half-smiling. "You know so much... and, no offense, but it can get a little annoying."

"Well... I'll try to keep it down, I guess." He sighed, rubbing his arm where she'd elbowed him, and Mia forced back a smile. He nodded toward the small town, which looked almost miniature from their vantage point. "That's Chepstow... about ten miles from here. We could make it before mid-afternoon tomorrow."

She gave him a playful poke on the head, causing him to wince. "You sure you can handle it?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he muttered, brushing her hand away. Then, after a moment, Lucas looked at her, his tone shifting slightly. "Mia... when we separate in town. What are you going to do?"

Every step toward Chepstow tightened something in her chest. She wouldn't say it, but the idea of leaving him... it didn't feel as liberating as she'd thought, "Oh." Mia's voice was soft at first. "I don't know," she said quietly, her gaze shifting. "Maybe..." She quickly tried to steer the conversation back to safer ground. "I'll just have to stalk you again?"

Lucas chuckled, but it was weak, his hand moving up to his head. "Ugh... even laughing hurts." Still, he managed a smile.

Her light blue eyes locked onto his face. "You know, your smile is nice, Lucas. You should do it more often." The words tumbled out before she could stop them, and for a moment, she wished she hadn't said anything at all. Feeling attached wasn't part of her plan.