south any time soon, I quickly say, “We can’t head south if we’re frozen solid.”
She growls, but relents. “I’ll get the raft.”
Willem puts his hand out to Jakob. “Father?”
Jakob looks at Willem, and then at me. “There is really a structure? I don’t like to be lied to, Raven.”
That he trusts me at all is something of a mystery to me. He knows we’re from the Sentinel crew, but I haven’t sensed any hostility from him yet, and Willem hasn’t explained the situation to him. So why the kindness? “I wouldn’t lie to you.”
Peach huffs and starts picking up her bags. She hasn’t said much and wears a permanent scowl. I’d like to explain to her that lying to people who are dangerous is not the same as lying to people who are innocent, but she’d probably just tell me that whales are innocent, so I decide to stow that delightful conversation away for another day.
Jakob takes Willem’s hand and winces as he stands.
“Where are your supplies?” I ask Willem. “I can carry them while you help your father.”
Willem frowns. “We’re wearing all the supplies we have.”
I take a protein bar from my pack, split it into three pieces and give one to Alvin, one to Willem and one to Jakob. They quickly devour the quasi-chocolate flavored food.
“There’s more,” I say, “but we need to ration it.”
Jakob gives a nod and motions me forward. The group is ready to go and it seems I’m taking the lead again.
As I step forward, Jakob says to Willem, “You see? The raven leads our family once again. There is still hope.”
The cold breeze penetrating the back of my cloak disagrees with him.
16
I can’t tell if the weather is rooting for us or messing with us. We make it over the hills, struggling every step of the way, but as soon as we reach the island’s core, the clouds drop trou and shit an endless stream of white.
I lead the group in a single file line, heading for the center of the open area where I saw—where I hope I saw—some kind of shelter. If it wasn’t, I’m not only going to look like a total dufus, but we’ll probably die. The wind, even buffered by the tall stone hills, is brutal enough, but the storm will likely drop the temperature, too.
At first there was a good amount of complaining, mostly from Jenny, but Peach made no effort to hide her discontent, sighing loudly whenever she had to exert herself. Jakob made a noble effort to hide his discomfort, but some of the journey took them over rugged terrain and he’d let out a grunt when Willem stumbled and Jakob suddenly had to support his full weight. But when the snow began and the wind dropped the temperature, no one made a sound. The suddenness of the shift in mood reminded me of how prey animals, once caught, lie back quietly, resigned to their fate. Is that what I’m seeing? Are we resigned to a frigid death?
Fuck that , I think. If the Colonel made it to the pearly gates and found out I died sitting on my ass, he’d block my entrance and kick me into the fiery pit himself. As nice as a fiery pit sounds right now, I’m not about to disappoint my father, at least not any more than I have already.
So I push through the storm. It’s possible we’ve already passed the structure. Visibility is maybe ten feet, when I’m not looking down. The rocky valley floor is covered in boulders and loose sheets of shale. When I can no longer see the ground, I turn my eyes up and see nothing but white.
We’re lost. Out in the open. I’ve killed us.
Hoping Willem will have an idea, I stop and wait for him to catch up with Jakob. Father and son look miserable, but when they see me standing still and meet my eyes, their determination is intense. Jakob stares in my eyes, reading the defeat there, but then cranes his head to the side and looks past me.
“What distresses you, Raven?” he asks, and before I can explain, he adds, “You have provided shelter as promised.”
What ? Do people see
She growls, but relents. “I’ll get the raft.”
Willem puts his hand out to Jakob. “Father?”
Jakob looks at Willem, and then at me. “There is really a structure? I don’t like to be lied to, Raven.”
That he trusts me at all is something of a mystery to me. He knows we’re from the Sentinel crew, but I haven’t sensed any hostility from him yet, and Willem hasn’t explained the situation to him. So why the kindness? “I wouldn’t lie to you.”
Peach huffs and starts picking up her bags. She hasn’t said much and wears a permanent scowl. I’d like to explain to her that lying to people who are dangerous is not the same as lying to people who are innocent, but she’d probably just tell me that whales are innocent, so I decide to stow that delightful conversation away for another day.
Jakob takes Willem’s hand and winces as he stands.
“Where are your supplies?” I ask Willem. “I can carry them while you help your father.”
Willem frowns. “We’re wearing all the supplies we have.”
I take a protein bar from my pack, split it into three pieces and give one to Alvin, one to Willem and one to Jakob. They quickly devour the quasi-chocolate flavored food.
“There’s more,” I say, “but we need to ration it.”
Jakob gives a nod and motions me forward. The group is ready to go and it seems I’m taking the lead again.
As I step forward, Jakob says to Willem, “You see? The raven leads our family once again. There is still hope.”
The cold breeze penetrating the back of my cloak disagrees with him.
16
I can’t tell if the weather is rooting for us or messing with us. We make it over the hills, struggling every step of the way, but as soon as we reach the island’s core, the clouds drop trou and shit an endless stream of white.
I lead the group in a single file line, heading for the center of the open area where I saw—where I hope I saw—some kind of shelter. If it wasn’t, I’m not only going to look like a total dufus, but we’ll probably die. The wind, even buffered by the tall stone hills, is brutal enough, but the storm will likely drop the temperature, too.
At first there was a good amount of complaining, mostly from Jenny, but Peach made no effort to hide her discontent, sighing loudly whenever she had to exert herself. Jakob made a noble effort to hide his discomfort, but some of the journey took them over rugged terrain and he’d let out a grunt when Willem stumbled and Jakob suddenly had to support his full weight. But when the snow began and the wind dropped the temperature, no one made a sound. The suddenness of the shift in mood reminded me of how prey animals, once caught, lie back quietly, resigned to their fate. Is that what I’m seeing? Are we resigned to a frigid death?
Fuck that , I think. If the Colonel made it to the pearly gates and found out I died sitting on my ass, he’d block my entrance and kick me into the fiery pit himself. As nice as a fiery pit sounds right now, I’m not about to disappoint my father, at least not any more than I have already.
So I push through the storm. It’s possible we’ve already passed the structure. Visibility is maybe ten feet, when I’m not looking down. The rocky valley floor is covered in boulders and loose sheets of shale. When I can no longer see the ground, I turn my eyes up and see nothing but white.
We’re lost. Out in the open. I’ve killed us.
Hoping Willem will have an idea, I stop and wait for him to catch up with Jakob. Father and son look miserable, but when they see me standing still and meet my eyes, their determination is intense. Jakob stares in my eyes, reading the defeat there, but then cranes his head to the side and looks past me.
“What distresses you, Raven?” he asks, and before I can explain, he adds, “You have provided shelter as promised.”
What ? Do people see
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