Ashes of Revenge

Chapter 11: Trapped in the Unknown

Thousands of small needles pricked Raven as the snow thrashed and beat against her. Her eyes watered, and her fingers and toes numbed – the feeling somehow similar and yet different to being burned, and she was barely able to suppress the memories of the fire. Swallowing, she focused on the wet coldness that was trying to get into her boots.

Turning to face where they had come in, her eyes widened when she saw there was now nothing but miles upon miles of snowy forests. The snow and mist were so thick she couldn't see the village.

They were truly trapped in their own deadly decision.

Colt, Raven, and Richard made eye contact, and she could tell they were mimicking her thoughts.

Richard began to pull out the map, but they all froze when someone spoke, "What tha bloody hell are yeh doin' here?" They all turned and pulled their weapons, aiming them at Ash. The Necromancer, however, was unfazed by the threat of assault, rather, confusion still overtaking his features.

"What are yeh doin' here?" Raven had to nearly yell to make her voice heard above the whistling shouts of the wind.

"Necromancers live here!" he shouted back, looking around the white terrain. "Yeh know this place is a death sentence?"

They all remained silent.

"If yeh want to follow that little map an' get lost, be my guest, but if yeh want a better chance of at least making it out of here, follow me." He slowly turned, listening for the crunch of snow or creaking of leather. Finally, he heard it, so he continued to walk.

Richard, Colt, and Raven all stared at the back of Ash's head. It was perhaps a mistake to follow him, but this terrible place was where Necromancers lived, and since he was the only Monstro that wasn't going to try and kill them, they had no other choice. They couldn't go back. They couldn't change their route. They couldn't change their plan. The only thing they could do was follow a mythical legend and hope he wasn't leading them to their deaths.

The further they walked, the deeper the snow became and the more the temperature dropped. This was going to be a prolonged, difficult, cold, and painful journey.

Raven clamped her teeth down on her lip, her scars itching and burning with every new second. Until this point, she had forgotten how much she hated the cold.

***

Ash faced the group that was trailing behind him. The cold was more annoying to him than anything, but it could mean death for the others. Hypothermia could set in, and if they didn't reach the cave and make a fire, they would drop dead, and the Monstros would feast upon their bodies. Those grueling images forced them to continue to move and follow Ash.

Raven's gloved hands were wedged under her armpits, trying to prevent her fingers from freezing. If her fingers were to freeze and the tissue was to die more, then there was no doubt in her mind that she would lose her fingers and possibly hands. Her nerves couldn't take any more damage.

Richard moved the fur of his coat closer to his face in an attempt to un-numb it. He wished his wings could be out, wrapping around him to help warm his body, but he knew they would freeze. If they died, then he would essentially die with them. For a Farian to lose its wings was like a Mundus losing their hands or a Shifter their knives – something that each species couldn't cope with the loss of.

Colt felt all around uncomfortable. His red nose was so numb it felt like a blade had sliced off the tip. His entire body was dulled, and his bones stiff, as if the knives in him had frozen. His right arm throbbed in pain, feeling like his skin was being scraped off once more.

Wood creaked, echoing across the ravine and making everyone freeze. They looked around, trying to find what had made the noise amongst the dead trees and still rocks. A group of trees shifted, subsequently knocking piles of snow to the earth below. A cloud of mist and snow flared upwards, and as it slowly settled it revealed a giant Monstro made of trees and branches that created long, slender limbs. Wooden antlers sprouted from its head and the bark of its face showcased its hollow eyes and sharp chin.