Theo takes another gulp. “We all need to rest before we decide what to do next.”
We all retreat to sleep, while Fromer resumes clearing the grounds and stoking the fire. I’m trying to settle my mind when Wenn settles next to me and grabs my breast, his hot breath on my neck. I pull away, drawing my body into a tight ball. “Wenn, I know. I know. But under different circumstances. I can hardly lift my head.”
He turns away with a boozy huff.
Morning arrives too quickly. Fromer’s vanished again, as if he can’t abide by the daylight. Bets, Theo, Wenn, and I start down the mountain. Thresh left a huge swath of mayhem, with trees broken, bodies strewn, and debris littered. It’s not difficult to find our way to her camp, which is mostly intact. The sight of the tents and fire smoke from a distance lifts my hopes. Perhaps they haven’t left and we have a chance to confront her and Jonah. I’d relish the opportunity to blast Thresh in the stomach with my rifle. When we reach the grounds, it’s clear that they’ve recently left. A few bodies and a thin, slimy residue of fog remain. Most of the soldiers’ supplies still sit in sacks in the tents. From the tracks, we surmise all of Thresh’s surviving army departed quickly and on horseback. I run to the tent where Eliza and Margarat stayed, holding onto a whisper of desperation that they were considered liabilities and left behind. No one’s there.
I look behind me to see Wenn. He says quietly, “This is where she was.”
“Yes, Wenn, how’d you know?”
“Saw it in my dreams.” He walks to Eliza’s cot and finds a worn ragdoll on the floor. He shakes. “This is so, so wrong. I’ve got no idea what she looks like.”
I laugh hoarsely. “I only get to see her through that madwoman’s eyes. Makes me want to tear her eyes out when I find her. She doesn’t deserve our daughter.”
Wenn kicks the cot.
“Shit,” Theo exclaims. We both emerge from the tent to see that the divine rain from the previous night has now become our own version of hell. Sleet falls, encasing everything in slick ice. “We need to return to the lodge fast.”
“Not under these conditions,” Bets says. “We need to stay put until this works itself out.”
We retreat to a large tent with the remnants of a cooking fire. We stoke the flames and raid the abandoned supplies. The soldiers ate surprisingly well, allowing us to assemble a nice meal. The other tents accumulate ice and begin collapsing. Our tent remains warm and comfortable, although none of us want to be there. During the entire night, trees snap under the weight of ice as dollops of slush hit our roof and melt away.
The following day, the storm passes and the weather turns cool. We pack our things and begin struggling up the mountain. We debate whether we should follow Thresh’s trail but eventually agree that we need to wait and engage her at the portal. Surprisingly, the one dissenter in our group is Wenn, who wants to pursue Thresh directly through the treacherous forest. Even I realize this is hopeless with the horrible conditions and no horses.
We return to the lodge cold, caked in mud, and exhausted to our core. Father greets us at the front door, which he’s sealed with small logs. “Thank gods, you’ve returned. We was worried sick. No telling what could’ve happened in this wicked weather.” He rushes to me and wraps a blanket around my shivering shoulders.
“Fromer?” I ask. He shakes his head no.
We crouch through a makeshift door. Sam says, “Welcome back. I am sorry you did not catch Thresh. I will fashion some hot chocolate for you.” Gorian and Iggy have been busy bringing Sam’s systems back from the brink of disaster. Father also has kept occupied. The main room of the lodge is clean, although scratches on the walls, burn marks, and a huge gouge in the stone floor betray the mayhem that occurred a couple of days ago. Most of the furniture’s gone — the shattered wood used to help broil the bodies outside.
As we warm ourselves, Wenn announces, “I’m leaving for Yellow Stone at morning’s light. We need to warn them that Thresh is coming.”
Father sighs. “It were one thing to have Fromer with us. Be suicide to try it alone until the spring thaw. Those wild animals helped us survive the bad times. Poor horses didn’t make it. I fear we’d see the same fate. We ain’t wild enough for the woods.”
“Amy, Theo. You’ve got to come.” Wenn’s pleading. My insides twist. Two days I’d have left with him immediately. After finding the empty camp and battling the mountainside to get back, I’m fairly sure I’d do Eliza no good as a corpse wandering the wilderness for Thresh.
Theo hugs Wenn. “Mate, you’ve got to stay with us. Be patient. Maybe Fromer will come return and lead us all back.”
“Ansam and I both know — Fromer doesn’t work that way. We’re treading our own water for now.”
Theo sits. “Just can’t risk it right now my friend. Weather’s too touchy.”
Wenn doesn’t look at me and barges into the back room. He doesn’t re-emerge.
By dawn, Wenn’s gone. He’s taken minimal supplies and the snow’s falling again. None of us speaks of him again.
A couple of weeks pass. During that time, more than two feet of snow’s fallen and melted. During each thaw, mud flows freely down the slopes. The erratic weather finally settles. A warm breeze saunters in from the ocean and the first wildflowers peek up from the sloppy soil. I’m thinking of spring planting — something I’d be doing in my past life — and wondering when we might get moving again.
Gorian gives birth to a perfect girl, with pink hands and a shock of white hair. I expect to see the kid holding a computer instead of her birth cord. Gorian’s relieved, exhausted, and jubilant. She’s also mighty annoyed that Grey’s not here to help her out.
We decide to journey to Yellow Stone within a week. Bets, father, Theo, and I will travel. I’ve called my trusty caribou buck to our side. I’ve been trying to conjure more animals, seeing through their eyes collectively. Fromer was right. I can sense them, but I’m not ready yet. The buck will help me get there.
Gorian and her child, Ferris, will remain at the lodge with Iggy. With Sam’s assistance, they should be comfortable and safe. We hold hope that the Fuerst will arrive soon. I risk opening my mind each night, hoping to see Etch in my dreams. But only the same musty, disturbing dreams assault me.
I wonder why Fromer didn’t stay with us. He could have helped us convince Wenn to remain at the lodge. With the help of his animals, we might have been able to pursue Thresh and save Eliza. Fromer told me that he can’t interfere in the course of things, but he’s done plenty so far. I wonder whether he’s guiding events to some critical point. The idea that he’s controlling our fate — my destiny — is infuriating.
On the eve of our journey north and east over the mountains, we’re enjoying some wintergreen tea under the tender green leaves of a willow when the rush of the ocean shakes us. Gorian pats baby Ferris, “Well, I’ll be. They’ve found us.”
The Fuerst pokes out of the low clouds, gleaming silver and grey in the speckled sunlight. The ship lands on the pile of ashes left by the remains of Thresh’s army and the hatch drops. Grey leaps out of the door before it’s completely open, falling on his side. Gorian laughs and they embrace, squeezing the baby between them. I feel happy for them, but a twinge of envy belches from deep inside my gut. Wenn, Eliza, and I should have — deserve — such a wonderful homecoming.
Samuel and Minns tumble out next. Samuel’s beard is longer and glows ivory in the shimmering daylight. He looks wiser. Minns runs to Bets, hugging her. Bets looks confused and strangely happy at the attention. Iggy’s children, nearly fully grown, scurry out and jump on their father or mother or whatever he’s considered by them. They’re nearly identical to him and now wear uniforms similar to the others. We wait, but Etch doesn’t emerge.