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Chapter Twenty-Four
Miles away, Alex and Kota managed to find shelter of their own shortly before the storm resumed. They had hiked along the riverside for the majority of the day, until at last, Kota spotted a large tree growing into the rocky side of the cliff. Due to its interrupted growth pattern, the tree’s roots had been pulled upward from the ground for several feet. The two of them realized that if they could quickly secure it into a small sanctuary, then there was a chance they might be able to survive the night.
As the sun slowly began its descent in the sky, and the winds picked up again, Alex and Kota finished fixing their shelter beneath the roots of the great tree, which was made of little more than branches and sticks they had anchored into the ground surrounding the tree. It was the best they could do, and both of them knew it would be nothing short of a miracle if it survived the incredible force of the
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Rowan’s eyes were glazing over as she struggled to remain awake by the fireside. Her Domineer captive had been unconscious for hours. In a way, she almost regretted having knocked him out earlier; not because it made her feel guilty, but rather she felt as though she needed the closure of finishing what her best friend had begun, and that meant finding out what the Outsider knew.The mines were quiet, and it certainly helped to soothe Rowan’s dismal spirit. The storm winds had been dying down until they sounded like hardly more than soft gusts whipping through the trees. This told Rowan that the storm was almost over and it must have been nearing dawn. She felt her consciousness daze once more with exhaustion, but she suddenly jolted awake. Whether or not it was merely her disoriented vigilance playing tricks on her, she was not sure, but she could have sworn she heard something coming fr
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Meanwhile, below in the clay mines, Matheus took Rowan back to the fire they had prepared. She was relieved to see that everyone who remained at the campsite after the Runners left managed to make it underground and away from the terrible storm. She wished she could have said the same for the last of the Runners.Rowan sat by the fireside, which was much larger than the one she had made for herself and her captive. The heat it gave off was warm and comforting, especially since it sounded as though the storm had finally passed. As she warmed herself up, Matheus gave her a sliver of venison from their rations, which she dug into heartily.As the two of them took time to relax after everything they had been through, Matheus asked Rowan what happened during the Runners’ last foray against the Domineers. Rowan proceeded to tell him about their infiltration of
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Back at Rowan’s fire, Ian had finally regained consciousness. The first thing he had noticed was that his captor was gone, and no doubt it had crossed his mind that it may have been his only opportunity to escape while he could, but something told him it was against his better judgment. The Ravennite girl who captured him may have been young, but she had proven to him a force to be reckoned with. After she knocked him out, making her angry further was the last thing he wanted to do, so he simply stayed where he was; lying by the weakening fireside in the same position as when he had awoken.Only moments later, he could see his captor returning from out of the darkness of the tunnels. Rowan did not seem to take notice of her Domineer prisoner lying right where she had left him. Her eyes were drowning in raw anger. She suddenly stopped and threw her fists against the dirt surface of the mine wall, lett
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The exhaustion was overpowering. Alex could not tell exactly how long the two of them had been lumbering through the snow. It felt like hours had gone by, and Alex was becoming dazed and tired, constantly licking his lips due to near dehydration. They did not seem to be making much progress as they hiked alongside the frozen river.As they trudged along, Alex noticed a strange sensation come over him as he felt the hairs on his arms standing up. His mind was fuzzy and disoriented, and understandably so, but with every moment that passed, the air around him was feeling more and more empty and still. It almost seemed unnatural, just like Rowan had described the storm in the first place.Alex stretched out his arms and glanced back at Kota. “How are you doing?” he asked hoarsely. “Are you alright?”
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The very first step he took into the valley felt strange enough. Alex did not know how deep the snow would be, but he was somewhat shocked when his foot barely pressed down into it, almost as if the snow was solid. That, however, was not the only peculiar thing that dug its way into his mind. He thought the air felt still and empty before, but it was different now. Alex knew he simply had to be losing his mind; the atmosphere had never felt so strange to him before. He waved his arm through the air, but he felt little to no resistance. It was almost as though the air was not even there.Alex could not tell how long they had been walking. His natural sense of time had all but diminished. He was becoming increasingly light headed the longer he was exposed to these low temperatures, so much so that he could hardly feel the pain of the cold anymore. All he could feel was the overbearing sense of emptiness surr
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The day turned to night very slowly while Rowan and the rest of the Ravennites remained underground. Matheus warned that the temperatures would still be too cold following the storm, and that it would be best to wait until morning to leave and head back to the Citadel. It was difficult to tell, however, seeing as no one was permitted to leave the mines. It would be a journey of many miles back to the Citadel, and Matheus said he did not want to take any unnecessary risks; it would be best to give the mountains time to recover after such a terrible storm.Rowan was restless all day. She got very little sleep the previous night. The dreadful sensation of hopelessness at the thought of the loss of her friend was almost too much to bear. It engulfed her heart in a cold darkness, and had almost brought her mind to the brink of collapse, as if she desired nothing more than to simply escape this horrible reality
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The shroud of darkness was lifting from Alex’s mind, and with it the horrid experience of his trip through the mysterious, white valley. As he finally made his way back into the woods, his head was throbbing profoundly, and he hardly took notice of how quickly the sun had set, allowing the darkness to take over the mountains once more. As a matter of fact, it had been nighttime for hours, and Alex was no longer sure whether or not he was dreaming the whole time.The temperatures were still low, but it certainly felt warmer than it had earlier. It was as if he could feel again. Still, after his ordeal, he knew that he needed to rest. The body he was still carrying over his shoulders was quickly beginning to weigh him down. Alex decided it best to stop and break for a while. He headed over to the nearest evergreen he could find and gently sat Kota’s body down to rest against the tree trunk.
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As Rowan silently made her way through the dark woods, heading as fast as she could for the Dividing Mountains in the south, her attention was suddenly captured by the sound of thunder crackling over the mountains.She quickly froze in her tracks. At first, she was fearful that the terrible winter storm might not have been over yet. As Rowan gazed up at the sky, she narrowed her eyes curiously at the sight of a red wave of light rolling outward across the clouds. She had never seen anything like it before, and she did not know whether to feel wonder or fear. None of that mattered right now as she shook herself back to her senses. She had to hurry on her way. It would not be long before Matheus realized she was gone and sent the Ravennites out to look for her.Back at the Citadel, Delmar found no rest as he stood atop the tower’s overlook and stared
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