He was about to join the last group when he heard a gravelly voice from behind him.

  “What’s going on?”

  He turned and saw Xiao standing in her grey and black armor, her helmet clipped to her belt again.

  “My father is missing,” he said.

  “Kidnapped?”

  Kairk shook his head.

  “He wanders,” he said. “His mind isn’t what it used to be.”

  Xiao cocked her head.

  “Forgets where he is? Who he is? Mistakes people around him for people from his past?”

  “Yes,” Kairk said. “Can you help us find him? I’ll take all the boots I can get.”

  “I can do better than boots,” Xiao said. She pulled her helmet on, the blue lights illuminating her face. Kairk saw her say something, but no sound came out.

  Instead, he heard another hiss, and a section of her armor on her upper arm popped off.

  Kairk moved to catch the falling metal, but there was a high-pitched buzzing sound, and the piece hovered.

  Kairk leaned in close to get a better look, but the buzzing grew louder, and the odd metal shot up into the air. Kairk twisted to follow as it went flying toward the forest.

  “Drone is picking up heat signatures for eight adults,” Xiao said. “Seven are within expected parameters. There’s one to the west that is dropping below eighty-five degrees. Looks like he’s down in a snowbank.”

  “Cora,” Kairk yelled.

  The three took off together, Xiao leading the way. Kairk tried to push his legs faster, but he nearly fell and busted his face on the semi-frozen ground.

  They scrambled forward, climbing over fallen trees, around boulders, and through day-old snowbanks that the sun hadn’t managed to melt because of the dense foliage.

  “How much farther?” Kairk asked.

  “Twenty yards ahead,” Xiao said. “We have three minutes before his temperature drops below standard body tolerance.”

  Kairk didn’t know what that meant, but he didn’t want to find out.

  Xiao skidded to a stop in front of a snowbank and reached in. Kairk pulled up next to her and saw his father’s body sunken into the snow, a depression in the white where he’d fallen.

  Together, they pulled the older man out.

  His lips were a dark blue, and his eyes were frozen shut. He only wore a light nightgown that covered his chest and extended down to his thigh, leaving his arms uncovered. One foot still had a slipper on it, but the other was bare. He didn’t shiver, but he felt deathly cold under Kairk’s fingers.

  “Dad?” He screamed. “Dad? Can you hear me?”

  His father's lips twitched, but no words escaped.

  “We need to get him warm,” Cora said. She was already undoing her belt and pulling her outer fur layer off.

  Kairk fumbled with his belt to take his own off as well.

  There were two quick hisses, and two of the bumpy ridges on Xiao’s back popped up. Two glowing orange tubes the length of Kairk's forearms rose over her shoulders. Heat shimmered off the cylinders as she reached back and pulled them out.

  Cora wrapped Pekard in her fur, his frail form disappearing beneath the garment.

  “Give me yours,” Xiao said.

  Kairk handed it to her, and she tucked the glowing tubes into them before wrapping it around Pekard as well, so only his face was visible.

  “Those should help,” Xiao said. “Get him home. I’ll meet you there.”

  Kairk nodded and scooped his father up, and Cora tucked the extra fur around his feet. Kairk nodded his thanks, then took off.

  “Go,” Xiao said behind him. “I’ll be fine, but you’re going to freeze if you don’t get back inside.”

  There was a quiet curse, and Cora caught up to him a second later.

  “Stubborn woman,” she muttered as she ran next to Kairk.

  He didn’t respond, saving his breath for running.

  Even through the layers of fur, the bundle in his arms grew warm. There only spared an occasional glance down, but each time he did, he swore his father’s lips grew less blue.

  As they neared the village, Cora sprinted ahead, yelling for the others to return.

  Kairk’s legs felt like lead, and his arms cramped from holding the same position for so long, but he kept pushing forward. Raab and a few others drew around them as they passed into the outer ring of cabins.

  “Whose fire is still going?” Kairk wheezed, lungs burning.

  “Aye,” Raab said.

  He didn’t wait for Kairk to acknowledge him, instead simply turned and ran toward his cabin. Kairk followed on his heels.

  They burst through the door, and a rush of warm air met them. Kairk stumbled on the fur mats and nearly came crashing down on his father.

  The fire at the center of the room was roaring, and Raab’s wife, Meluni, was adding another log. She looked up as they came in, then pointed at a pallet of blankets and pillows so close to the fire Kairk was shocked they weren’t on fire themselves.

  He set his father down, then started rubbing the furs to warm him. Cora knelt next to him and started doing the same. Sweat poured from Kairk’s face as he worked, and an unfocused haze drifted over his mind.

  At some point, his father stirred and started mumbling and muttering.

  “Dad?” Kairk said quietly. “You ok?”

  Another string of unrecognizable gibberish came out.

  “That’s probably about as good as it’ll get for now,” Cora whispered. “He needs to rest.”

  Kairk squeezed his father’s shoulder again. Reaching under the furs, he searched for the glowing tubes that Xiao had given them.

  His fingers brushed one, and he yanked back.

  “Hot?” Cora asked.

  Kairk sucked on his fingers and nodded.

  “Use this,” Raab said, handing Kairk a pair of heavy wool mitts.

  Kairk accepted them and fished the tubes out gingerly.

  “Thank you,” he said, standing. “He would be dead without your help.”

  Raab shrugged. “Meluni knew you’d need a warm place. You should thank her.”

  “And you went out in the night again,” Kairk said. “We owe you both our thanks.”

  He set down the mitts, then took the hatchet from Cora. With one quick slice, he cut the cord holding his necklace and slipped one of the dawnstones off.

  Raab’s eyes were wide as Kairk held it out.

  “You saved his life,” Kairk said. “It will be my honor to someday ascend with you.”

  Raab looked at Meluni, who’s eyes were just as wide.

  “Kairk, I can’t,” he said softly. “We don’t know if he will make it.”

  “Even if he Ascends tonight, you are my brother now.”

  Raab reached out, plucking the dawnstone gingerly from Kairk’s palm with two fingers. He turned to his wife, who covered her mouth. In the soft blue-green light, Kairk saw tears welling up in both their eyes.

  “I need to go,” Kairk said. “Thank you.”

  Raab and Meluni nodded but didn’t say anything.

  Kairk tucked the hatchet back into his belt, then glanced from Cora to his father. She nodded and made a shooing motion out the door.

  Kairk grabbed the mitts and glowing tubes and headed back into the night.

  His body ached, protesting being back in the cold and moving. Every step hurt, and he knew if he stopped moving again, he wouldn’t start again.

  The tubes cast an orange glow over the trees, brighter and more consistent than a torch but not quite as warm as sunlight.

  Fresh snow drifted down between the branches. The large flakes blocked the rays of amber light, limiting Kairk’s sight to the few feet around him and making the forest seem more claustrophobic. He tried to retrace his steps, but as the snow continued to fall, it was harder to see where their footprints had been.

  Branches and vines grabbed at his legs, and the snow made the forest floor slick. He stumbled several times as he made his way through the woods. His eyes played tricks on him as he walked, and he realized how naked he felt without his spear.

  “Xiao,” he yelled into the night. “Master chief.”

  The woods were quiet. Only the sound of his rasping breath and the crunch of snow under his boots reached his ears.

  He yelled again, with the same silence following, and continued. He didn’t remember going so far to find his father, but he hadn’t been paying attention to the distance.

  He was about to turn back when he heard a crash off to his left.

  Sprinting, he saw a fresh snowbank next to a splintered tree trunk. A cloud of snow still drifted and swirled in the wind. A single black-gloved hand stuck up from the pile.

  And around the snowdrift, a six-legged snow demon circled.

  Kairk’s heart stopped as the demon looked up at him. Its red eyes flicked from him to the hand; then it seemed to smile, exposing three rows of razor-sharp teeth.

  Kairk backed up until there was a tree between him and the demon. He threw the glowing tubes and mitts forward. They hissed as they hit the snow, which instantly melted around them. Pulling his hatchet from his belt, he dropped into a defensive stance.

  The demon slowly approached cautiously. Its eyes kept scanning back and forth; trying to see is Kairk was alone.

  Kairk wished he wasn’t. It usually took at least three well-aimed spear thrust to kill a demon, and that was if it was reckless or dumb enough to leave itself exposed.

  But this one didn’t look reckless or dumb.

  And he didn’t have a spear.

  Kairk forced himself to breathe, his mind calming as the familiar weight of the hatchet settled in his palm.

  The demon licked its chops and took three cautious steps forward. Then it reared up on its back four legs.

  Kairk cursed. The thing was now twice as tall as he was, and the front two legs, which ended with powerful three-pronged claws that could crush and sever a limb as easily as he could snap a twig. The thing’s white fur rippled in the cold wind, making it impossible for Kairk to watch its muscles for hints of a possible attack.

  He backed up farther. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally get Xiao killed by a careless rake from the snow demon’s claws, though he knew there was a good chance he wouldn’t be around to worry about that much longer.

  The demon scuttled forward and took a swipe at Kairk. He ducked behind the tree and tried to bring the hatchet down on the outstretched limb. But the beast was too fast, and he missed.

  His momentum carried him forward, and he stumbled out from behind the tree.

  Which saved his life.

  The wood exploded in a shower of splinters, and partially frozen sap as the demon’s opposite claw punched through.

  Kairk spun and tried to make a backhanded slash. Whether the demon was still trying to figure out if it had killed him, or just wasn’t as quick, Kairk wasn’t sure, but he somehow managed to clip the demon’s arm.

  Purple black blood sprayed the remains of the tree and Kairk’s exposed skin. It burned where it hit his face, and he dropped the hatchet in his rush to wipe it off.

  The demon also howled in pain, and they both drew back.

  Kairk scrambled to get his hatchet, but it had gotten kicked around in the scuffle and lost in the churned-up snow.

  For its part, the demon regarded its arm, then howled in pain and fury. It glared at Kairk, red eyes practically glowing, and started toward him again.

  Kairk shifted through the loose snow frantically, less worried about cutting himself on the blade than wanting a weapon.

  The demon sensed that he was defenseless and lunged forward.

  Kairk was forced to abandon his search as a pair of claws dove down like twin spears.

  Rolling sideways, he got up and sprinted away.

  The demon howled again and tore after him. Kairk dodged around trees and bushes. He could hear the beast behind him, smashing through trees as thick as Kairk’s waist like they saplings.

  Kairk tried to wind his way back toward where his hatchet was buried. The sounds of the demon grew more distant with every turn.

  Being small and nimble had its advantages.

  He finally made his way back to the clearing where Xiao had fallen and skidded to a stop next to the snow pile where she lay buried.

  The demon stood over where his hatchet should have been.

  It seemed like it was grinning at him, and his heart sank.

  The demon stalked forward; this time, confident.

  Kairk thought about running again, but his legs felt like lead, and he didn’t think he could outrun the thing a second time. Besides, even if he did get away, he would be leaving Xiao to die.

  Her hand was still sticking out of the snow. He crouched down and grasped it. It was cold and rigid.

  If she was already dead, maybe he should leave her.

  The thought was cut short by another howl.

  The demon charged, its front legs held up and ready to strike.

  Kairk dove forward as it drew closer.

  There was a searing pain in his right calf, but he somehow rolled through the demon’s legs and came up near his original position.

  But before he could search for his weapon, the demon had wheeled back to face him. This time, it eyed him warily and held its injured claw low, blocking the path through its legs.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Kairk saw the orange tubes.

  When the demon lunged forward again, Kairk launched himself at the tubes. He rolled over them, the flash of heat singeing the hair on his back.

  Before he overthought it, he grabbed one, his hand screaming in pain as the skin burned, and threw it at the demon.

  The thing was still turning toward him, and it snapped at the projectile hurtling toward its face out of instinct.

  The tube disappeared, and Kairk saw a lump in the demon’s throat.

  Then the demon’s eyes went wide, and it clawed at its throat.

  Kairk watched in horror as the demon retched and tried to dislodge the tube. It didn’t help, and the creature let out an ear-splitting screech as it fell.

  It tried to eat mouthfuls of snow, but the swallowing motion only made the tube go farther down its throat.

  The demon staggered back and started to cough up the dark blood. Then hit fell, wheezing and gasping.

  Kairk tore his eyes away and found his hatchet in the snow. The handle had broken off, but the blade still glittered in the dull light.

  The demon collapsed next to Xiao. It lay still, each gasp of breath wet and accompanied by a soft whine.

  Despite their struggle, Kairk felt sorry for the creature. It didn’t know why it was dying, and as bad as his hand throbbed, he could only imagine the pain pulsing through it.

  He walked around it, careful to watch its claws, and stood over the thing’s head.

  It looked up at him with one red eye, and he could see a single black tear running down its otherwise white fur.

  It closed its eye and let out one more pathetic whine.

  Kairk buried the hatchet blade through the base of its skull.

  The beast shuddered, then fell quiet.

  Kairk quickly cleaned the blade and his hands on the animal’s fur, his hands only a bit red where the blood had splattered, then stumbled back to the other tube.

  He grabbed it with the mitts and walked back to Xiao, praying she was still alive.

  He dug her out quickly. Her black helmet was still on, and a layer of fog on the faceplate prevented him from seeing if she was breathing.

  He knocked his knuckles on the faceplate, but there was no response.

  Grabbing her outstretched hand, he pulled her onto her stomach, a more difficult task than he’d expected. She shouldn’t have been as heavy as Jawn, but he could barely move her.

  She didn’t lay flat, but instead was propped up by her outstretched arm and uneven legs, like they were rigid spear shafts.

  He found the two holes in her back and carefully slid the tube into its socket. It clicked home, and there was a small whirring sound.

  Kairk stepped back, and there was a series of pops and clicks, and Xiao’s body slowly fell to the ground. Several seconds later, she managed to roll over, and her helmet popped up.

  “Little help,” she said, her voice hoarse.

  Kairk darted forward and got hooked his fingers under the lip of the helmet and slowly eased it off.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Your father?”

  “I don’t think it’s his time yet,” Kairk replied with a smile. “Thanks to you.”

  Xiao nodded once.

  “Systems are still booting up,” she said. “But looks like there was only one power core.”

  “About that,” Kairk glanced over his shoulder at the snow demon’s carcass. “Not sure you’ll still want it.”

  “I definitely do,” she said.

  She tried to sit up, there was a grinding, then a pop and she fell back.

  “You may need to help though,” she said.

  “That thing’s blood will burn your skin off,” Kairk said. “It’s not going to be fun to get it out. Why don’t you just get another one?”

  “I can’t just get another,” Xiao said. “Even if I could raise the Yukon on comms, we don’t have enough as it is.”

  Kairk sighed.

  “And I’m guessing that means you need me to get it for you?”

  “I mean, you can wait until the weather clears and I can reach them, but I’d prefer not to wait out here in the snow if we could help it.”

  “That would not be an honorable way to repay you for saving my father,” Kairk said, though the idea had crossed his mind since the cold was starting to make his fingers and toes tingle.

  Instead, he moved next to the demon’s corpse and pushed his hand against its throat. He could still feel the warmth of the tube emanating through the beast’s fur. He made a precise cut from the thing’s chin to its chest, being careful to avoid the blood that spilled out.

  The snow hissed and melted as the dark liquid spilled out. Kairk held his nose, but the demon’s last meal was half-rotted in its stomach and he still nearly vomited.

 

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