War from Under the Bed

News From Above

Sadie pulled her winter coat closer as the cold air hit her. It seemed to be getting colder and colder as the hours went by trekking through the wilderness. Grandma was kind enough to give them warm clothes for their journey. Henry gave them each an orb of fire that constantly radiated heat, but it still didn't seem enough. It might of just been her. She was still recovering from her near death experience. Not even Henry's warm body was doing much as he carried her.

"If only we could fly..." Jenny said as she looked up at the sky longingly.

Sam shook his head, "We can't risk that. Storm clouds are gathering and it might be snow. Our wings would freeze and fall right off if we tried to fly in a blizzard."

"They wouldn't, would they?" Jack asked as he walked, playing with a stick he had picked up.

"They could. You never know what could happen in a snow storm." Sam responded, cupping his hands around the orb that hovered just before him, "Man, I hate the winter."

"I like it. It's pretty when it snows." Pang said quietly, her hand in Jenny's.

A gust of wind flew past and seemed to slip past Sadie's coat and soak into her bones. She shuddered and buried her cold nose into Henry's warm skin. She usually loved the winter, but right now...she just wanted to be inside with a nice fire.

"I think we should stop." Henry said as his hands warmed against her, "Sadie's still cold."

Sam adjusted the pack that sat on his back and pointed toward a rock cliff not far from where they are, "There might be some caves over there. We could camp there for the night." As he spoke, the first flakes of snow began to fall.

Jenny looked at the snow and looked at Sadie, who was beginning to tremble slightly, "Let's hurry. We don't need more sick kids." She picked up the pace, everyone else following her lead. Sadie clutched the straps on Henry's pack as the extra speed made the aching in her body intensify with each step. She felt sick as they traveled and she couldn't wait for the soft pad and the warm blankets that she would let herself relax into.

Violent wind began to tear at them and the snow fall grew heavier. Jenny's magic countered these cold claws that tore at Sadie's hair and Henry kept most of the snow from hitting any of them. She only wished that they would get to a cave faster so she could sleep.

No sooner had those thoughts traveled through her head that rock walls surrounded them, blocking the cold wind that howled in frustration as they escaped its icy clutches. A bit of warmth creeped back into Sadie, but she still shivered.

"Her body's not used to this at all..." Sam muttered as he inspected her, "Usually a near burn out doesn't take this long to recover from."

"Can't you do something to speed up the process?" Henry asked, his voice cutting through Sadie's weary haze.

She saw Sam shake his head, a sigh brushing against her cold face, "I wish I could, but this is not something I can heal. It's internal, her very being is wounded. You should know this, I can't do anything."

Henry's arms tightened around her, "I know...I just can't stand to see her like this."

"Sleep..." Sadie managed to mumble through her growing exhaustion. She couldn't hold her eyes open much longer. She wanted to sleep.

"Jack, you mind pulling out Sadie's pad?" Henry asked as he slipped his pack off, careful of the aching child in his arms.

"How much longer until she's better?" Jack asked as he did so, the sight of the soft pad making Sadie nearly sob in relief.

"We're not sure..." Sam said as he helped pull out the blankets, "but I'm sure it won't be for much longer."

Sadie was growing tired of this conversation faster than her body was dropping off to sleep. "No more..." she whispered, sinking into the pad as Henry laid her down.