"We need to lose it!"

My yell was swallowed by the storm. It was impossible that she could have heard me when I couldn't even hear myself. And true to that sentiment, the wind howled louder, making my words nothing in the air.

The shadow swept over us, seeming almost lazy in its chase. This was a game to it, I realized. It could have taken us at any time, but instead it chose to toy with us in a life or death game of cat and mouse. Encore disappeared into the trees, but neither of us slowed even as the horses' ragged breaths clouded the air with mist. The storm was getting thicker; they couldn't take much more of it. Beads of sweat froze against my skin, even under the layers of cloth.

Bethor tossed his head back in my direction, his eyes were growing cold.

Laora rode ahead of me, barely visible in the thickening snow. My eyes squinted against the storm, almost unable to make out the dark splotches that made up rider and horse. Suddenly the wind reversed its direction, letting loose a piercing scream that ripped my scarf away from my face. The pain that followed could not be described by words. You think touching a fire is bad; burning your skin is bad, cracking a bone is bad. Well none of it compared to the fiery coldness that burned into my exposed skin the moment it was exposed to the storm. I let out a half mangled scream as the coldness hit so hard that it blistered my face like fire.

Before I knew it, I was tumbling off of Bethor's back into a bank of freshly fallen death-snow. I was blinded by the numbness, barely able to open my eyes in fear that the storm had iced them shut. I felt blindly through the snow, looking for my scarf, but it was no use. It was gone just like everything else that mattered in the moment.

Even with only the brief exposure, my lips were beginning to crack and shatter in the dry, thin air. Blood welled onto my tongue, creating a short pool of warmth that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. There was no way out of this crazed snow storm, I realized as my blood turned to ice between my teeth.

My body was already starting to slowly down. I fell backwards from my knees, my head cracking roughly against the rough trunk of a tree. Somewhere between there and oblivion, I wondered how the horses could take it, running through the storm like this. No scarves, no cover. But more importantly, I wondered why it would end like this.

I could feel Encore's presence hovering over me like the spirit she was. The rags stank of decay as they brushed up against my face. I shivered as a hand like bone traced rivers of warmth down my face. Its fingers clicked together like shattered glass in a bag. Warm were the sharp digits that probed into my cheek.

Death was warm.

My ribs ached with pains unhealed and revisited. Yet I felt so comfortable, lying right there on the ground in the place no man should have dwelled. The snow was soft under my back, and I almost felt that if I allowed myself, I could just drift off to sleep. Maybe wake up some day in the distant future when this was all over.

Up until that moment, I had been using my arm to block my face. I wasn't sure what from: maybe the storm, or the spirit, or both at the same time, but either way the energy drained from my muscles and my arm fell to the snow where it began to grow heavy with ice.

I breathed out contently.

The spirit hovered, and though my eyes were closed, I could feel it close by. The scent of decay and frozen flesh waphted in the air before me like a cloud of breath that couldn't break away. It was waiting for some thing.

I opened my eyes, just a crack, but enough to see the dark grey white that fell over me. All around us the storm raged, screaming like those that had probably perished in it. Yet somehow, to me it felt calm, staring into the ragged hood of death. The wind shifted directons again and the tatters that clothed it shifted away to reveal a pair of gold glowing eyes that stared down at me hungrily.

I sat up with difficulty, using the tree for support, and as I did something came loose from my inside pocket and fell to the snow. My stomach twisted onto itself. "Damn everything," I growled as I dragged myself to my feet, scooping up Aldyth's box as I did.

The whole point of all of this was so that she didn't die. Encore lunged for me then, but it was too late; instead it crashed straight into the trunk of the tree. I had already rolled out of the way of its range and was running (hobbling, falling, sliding, cursing) before it could shake the dizziness from it's head.

My head still spun from the fall, but enough sense had to returned to me to realize that I needed to get back to the group. There was no telling what else was out here.

Weapons with you at all times, Taurus's voice haunted in my head.

By some miracle, my bow hadn't snapped in the fall. I drew it from my quiver, then was enraged to find that all but three of my arrows had snapped. I actually had to be really careful now. I drew one of the arrows to my bow with numb fingers and continued forward in a hurried trudge. The winds were whips to my face, leaving behind skin like tanned leather of the frozen sort. I pulled my hood up over my head, but it did little to help.

The snow had swept all footprints from the ground. It was a spotless blanket of white curtaining the ground and I hadn't the faintest clue where I was going. But as I tucked my friend inside one the deep pockets of my cloak, I made a vow to myself.

I would save the only family I had left.

Even if it killed me.

A/N

Bethor! Why did you leave Eli? I thought you two were finally starting to get along -- I mean *coughs* anyway.

Considering how difficult it was for me to write this chapter, I think it's decently well written. For me anyway.

So what do you think will get to Eli first? Encore or the snow storm?