The sleigh was long and low to the ground, a sleek vehicle that glowed with magic. I walked around it, impressed. There were even blankets to keep warm.
"I've set it to head for Lord Ice's land," Yeti said with a wave of his hand off in a general direction. "All you have to do is sit down, and I'll get it going. Whatever you do, don't everyone get off it before you get there, though. If it senses the loss of that weight, it will turn around and head straight back here."
We all nodded.
"How long till we get there?" Maggie asked.
"It will be dawn by the time you arrive," George said. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."
We all nodded again, even Lord Snow and Edmond. I had the impression that maybe everything had been too insane of late. Maggie gave him a quick hug, and I shook hands, all proper. I was the last to climb on the sleigh, settling at the front beside Lord Snow.
The sleigh began to move.
Very fast.
"Whee!" Five shouted from behind. I turned to see Maggie grabbing the kitten, who had climbed up on her shoulder and was windsurfing.
"Oh, to be a kitten again," Lord Snow said with a bit of a laugh that rumbled through him.
I thought about it, and I supposed he was right. Not everything had to be over the top bad. We got to ride on the sleigh, which meant we weren't walking. I had worried at first, but the sled swerved around bad spots and avoided what might have been some ice snakes.
The night was brilliantly clear with diamond bright stars. They would soon be back to the more common lands of Elsewhere. They had friends there, and finding the way back to my father's castle shouldn't be hard.
I wanted to believe it, but I'd seen too many things go sideways ever since I headed for Elsewhere. I also knew enough to get some rest while I could. I snuggled into the blanket and closed my eyes--
And woke up to howling wind, blinding snow, and the sleigh foundering in drifts.
"Oh, hell."
"I thought the same," Lord Snow said. He shook the snow from his fur as he sat up. A lot of it hit me, but that hardly mattered since I had a few inches on the blanket. I shook it off as best I could and looked back. Edmond, Five, and Maggie were cocooned in blankets and snow, but I could see Maggie was watching and knew there was trouble.
"If the sleigh stops, do we stay aboard?" I asked, trying to get my half-frozen brain to consider the possibilities.
"I would think it wise," Lord Snow said. "If we get off, we lose the sleigh entirely. For now, at least, we should hold on and hope for the best."
I agreed. I had almost forgotten that we could lose the sleigh. I did not want to end up walking again, and especially not in this weather.
"The snow is heavy!" Five complained. "And cold!"
"Stay close to me and under my hands. We'll keep each other warm," Maggie said, her voice barely louder than the wind. "Snuggle in closer, Edmond. Careful -- Edmond!"
I looked back just in time to see Edmond lose his hold and go tumbling off into the snow.
"Keep going!" I yelled as I threw myself off the sleigh and headed in the general direction Edmond had gone.
I did it because Edmond would have done the same for me. Had done so in the past, in fact. I also had magic and could use it to find him and save us.
Oddly, that was the most positive I had ever been about my abilities. That lasted about four steps out into the white world where I could not see anything at all. Even the sleigh had already disappeared, and the tracks were quickly blowing over. I thought I heard Maggie yell something. It might not have been polite.
"I'm okay!" I shouted back, but I really couldn't tell if she heard me.
"Mark?" another voice called. A panicked voice, and not far away.
"Edmond!"
"Snow -- too deep --"
I tried to follow the voice.
"Ice on my wings --"
The white world swirled around me. I moved on. Then I heard Edmond's voice behind me and cursed as I turned back.
"Edmond!"
"Here."
I didn't think I would find him. He sounded weaker. I tried the magic I had trusted moments before, but my fingers were too cold to feel the power, and my eyes were blurred. I wasn't going to find him.
I wasn't nearly as worried about being in danger myself. I just hated that I had failed --
Something black lying on the snow --
I rushed forward as best I could, the snow pulling at my legs. I stumbled and went down, but I got right back up and took the last three steps. Edmond lifted his head, his eyes wide and his ears back. Snow and ice had started to weigh him down, but I grabbed him up and pushed him inside my jacket. I could feel the snow and ice melting immediately, and I didn't care.
"You found me," Edmond mumbled.
"Of course," I replied. I was walking though I couldn't be certain I was going in the right direction. Just keep moving. "You and I have been through too much together to just leave you behind."
"Of all the places we've been -- you know, I really don't like snow most of all. Jungles were bad, but snow is the worst."
I grunted agreement and kept going. I didn't tell Edmond that I couldn't see the path the sleigh had taken. I couldn't hear anything except the wind.
I had, finally, found some of my magic, and I was able to keep us warm. I knew it was not going to last long.
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