The obvious path isn’t always the easiest and Marcus must rely on the abilities of his friends to make his plan to escape their entrapment work. Together, the group is considerably more successful than any one individual alone and as they move forward again after their latest hurdle, they contemplate meeting people outside of the monastery for the first time in their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~
Not half as confident as he put on, Marcus moved up and placed his hand in the opening, filled with nervous tension. His gloves kept him from the worst of the temperature and as carefully as he could, he projected a fireball about the size of a small melon and pushed it forward slowly. Intently, the others watched as the fire hissed and sizzled where it met the snow directly, forging forward inch by inch. A low creaking sound forewarned the snow’s imminent shift before a chunk fell directly on the fireball, hiding it from view while more snow piled in to fill the void that had been made. Annoyed, Marcus made it larger and the hissing increased. They could see the orange glow of the angry fire through the melting snow as some of the water trickled inward through the hole and began pooling at his feet.
The temperature in the shelter rose as the intense heat continued to melt the surrounding snow, top layers shifting restlessly to fill the bottom. “Easy, Marcus,” Andrew cautioned, pulling at the top of his coat when it continued to get warmer. Even as he spoke, the whole structure shifted slightly, startling everyone including Marcus. Immediately, Summer nulled his influence, while the structure tilted forward and halted, the hole about a foot lower than it had been.
Uncertainly, Denys placed a hand against the shelter and sighed. “I was afraid that might happen.” Quickly, he patched up the weakened areas but left the hole where it was. “We haven’t reached the ground yet.” Surprised expressions met his and he elaborated. “The snow’s still the only thing holding us up.” By his reckoning, they’d hit something massive in the fall that had rendered him unconscious, but it had been the last of the major deterrents before they settled in a nest of snow, weakened enclosure and all. To continue reading, please click here. –>
The Fantasy Corner 