Wall of snow, meet my face.
I had just enough time to close my mouth, or I would have been inhaling more snow. It was lucky for me that the wall was firm snow, but not ice.
I don't like snow.
My hands moved instinctively, and I grabbed at the wall when I started to slide downward. Snow began to crumble, and I couldn't get a grasp on the fluffy white stuff. I was going to fall again, and a long way --
No.
I had magic, though I wasn't really used to doing anything helpful with it. My training had only barely started, and my father was trying to teach me just the basics. I understood the need to build that foundation, but at a moment like this, I really could have stood something more concrete, so to speak. The one thing I did understand, though, was need.
I needed not to fall. I desperately needed not to fall -- and my fingers caught hold of the snow that felt more the consistency of a rocky cliffside now. Unfortunately, it was still cold.
"Mark!" Edmond shouted and quite close.
I turned my head to see him flapping in circles, trying to get close to me. For a moment, I feared he would land on my shoulder, and we'd both go falling --
"I found him," Edmond shouted. "He hasn't fallen. Come on, Mark. You need to get up to the top before more trouble comes along."
"Not the most encouraging reason for me to move, Edmond," I said, but I had started climbing upward, testing out the snow at each lift of my arm.
"How about this, then: Five is really worried about you."
I cast him a sideways glance and then sighed. Yes, that one did work better. I didn't want to upset the poor little thing. I felt a few twinges of pain as I moved, but the cold helped there, at least. Edmond kept circling around, and I wondered what he thought he could do to help.
"Go on up, Edmond," I said. "I'm almost there."
That was not entirely true, but I was closer. Edmond made one more circle and then moved upward. I had heard him gasping. The last thing we needed was to rescue Edmond from the snowy bottom of this shaft.
I made the mistake of looking downward. I was far higher than I had expected -- and yeah, I don't like heights that much, either. So I hated the snow and didn't want to fall. I started upward again.
The world felt empty without Edmond around. I strained to hear the others somewhere above me, but I was gasping and my heart pounding. I wanted to get to the top.
I didn't want Five to worry.
And then there was worse. I could hear the sounds of trouble up above -- both Maggie's shouts and Lord Snow's growls. The sudden fear almost made me lose my hold on the magic. I dropped nearly a foot before I caught hold again and started out once more, moving as fast as I could. It was dangerous and took so much energy both in movement and magic that I was soon gasping and lightheaded. The buzzing in my ears blocked out most of the sounds from above. I had to stop. I was starting to see black spots at the corner of my eyes --
Five landed on my shoulders.
"Aunt Maggie said I should tell you to hurry," Five said, sounding quite official. Then she gave a little tremble. "Please hurry, Uncle Mark."
They had sent Five down to get her to safety. I tried not to think that meant they were in real trouble -- though there were still yells from voices I didn't recognize and growls from Lord Snow. Maybe, though, they were trying to get her out of the path of trouble. Kittens had no sense of danger.
I had already started moving back upward. My fingers began to go numb with the cold, and I had to watch where I placed my hands. I concentrated on that work and thinking about getting Five into my pocket once I cleared the wall of snow.
I heard Edmond let out a yowl like I'd never heard before --
"Dada is mad," Five whispered.
"So am I," I said, and it was true. I was mad that we'd fallen -- literally -- into trouble when all we wanted was to get back home. What was it with Elsewhere that we found difficulty at every turn? Why couldn't --
My hand reached for the next hold and found nothing. I looked up. I had reached the top. That gave me a surge of hope and enough energy to propel myself up and over the top. I scrambled forward an all fours and Five gave a squeal of surprise and delight as she did her best to hold on.
I got to my knees then quickly to my feet as I put Five into my pocket, mumbling something about secret weapon -- she liked that.
My friends were fighting a yeti. The huge, white-furred creatures with eyes of ice blue swept dagger-like claws at Maggie and Lord Snow. Edmond was nowhere to be seen, and I had a sudden fear that was colder than the world around me --
Then Edmond came sweeping out of the sky and headed straight for the back of the Yeti's head.
Edmond had never learned how to land -- not on the ground and certainly not on the back of a Yeti head. He hit with enough force that the Yeti gave a startled shout and started to slip on the ice. Edmond had grabbed hold of the long fur and flopped around a couple times as the Yeti shook his head, still stunned by the blow.
Edmond hissed and grabbed hold of the creature's ear.
It turns out that Yeti's have very sensitive ears -- as well as high--pitched howls that can crack glass.
And ice.
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