Chapter 75: Snowfall

  The blizzard raged relentlessly throughout the long, freezing night, completely burying the narrow goat tracks and sealing the massive cave mouth behind a thick, impenetrable wall of driven white snow. Inside, however, the atmosphere was a surreal, profound picture of absolute domestic tranquility in the heart of a lethal mountain range.

  Zeno awoke early, carefully and slowly untangling himself from the incredibly heavy, warm, furry arm of the sleeping Frost Yeti that had unconsciously draped over him during the night. He stretched silently, enjoying the lingering, comfortable heat of the dying embers in the fire pit. He looked over at Lyra. She was still fast asleep, completely cocooned within a massive pile of pristine white pelts. The terrifying, sickly blue tint was entirely gone from her lips, replaced by a healthy, warm flush. The combination of the roaring fire and the sheer, radiating body heat generated by a nine-foot apex predator had undoubtedly saved her life.

  Zeno didn't want to wake his highly unusual host or his deeply exhausted partner. He quietly retrieved his wooden tray of fine white sand, shifting it closer to the dim, orange glow of the fire pit. He pulled out the green-leather-bound book, opening it carefully to the next page.

  P. Q. R.

  He had successfully mastered 'O' the day before. The letters were coming much faster to him now. His organically expanding mind, completely unburdened by the chaotic noise of the city, focused entirely on the abstract shapes. He drew the 'P' flawlessly on the first attempt, nodding in satisfaction as he decided it looked exactly like a small, proud flag sticking out of the ground. The 'Q' was simply an 'O' with a tiny tail, exactly like a curled-up snow-mouse sleeping in a ball.

  He was working diligently on 'R'—which he logically concluded looked exactly like a man taking a very large, confident step forward—when the massive Yeti finally stirred from its slumber.

  The beast let out a long, heavy, rumbling yawn that physically shook the fine dust from the cave ceiling. It sat up, stretching its long, highly muscular, blue-skinned arms. It looked down at the small human boy playing quietly in the sand, blinking its pale blue eyes slowly.

  Zeno looked up, offering his bright, entirely fearless grin. "Good morning, big snowy friend! Did you sleep well? My left arm is a little numb because you are incredibly heavy, but you are very warm."

  The Yeti simply grunted, a deep, resonant sound. It didn't bare its teeth or reach for its bone club. The absolute, undeniable physical dominance Zeno had displayed the night before, followed immediately by the offering of hot food, had established a clear, respectful boundary. The beast reached over to the remnants of the fire, picking up a massive piece of unburned, dry mountain moss, and tossed it directly into Zeno’s lap.

  Zeno caught the moss, completely understanding the unspoken, primal transaction. The host had provided the safe shelter; the guest provided the magical warmth.

  "I will make the fire much bigger," Zeno promised cheerfully. He engaged a tiny, highly controlled spark of blue Tena from his index finger, instantly igniting the dry moss, completely bypassing the tedious need for flint and steel.

  The Yeti watched the magical ignition with mild, primal curiosity, but showed absolutely no fear. It was a creature completely attuned to the harsh, natural elements; a spark of fire was just another part of the living world.

  By the time Lyra finally emerged from her heavy cocoon of pelts, the cave was wonderfully warm and filled with the mouth-watering scent of boiling water and toasted oats. Zeno had prepared a simple, highly caloric breakfast using their remaining travel rations.

  "You two look like you've been roommates for years," Lyra noted softly, accepting a steaming wooden bowl from Zeno and offering a highly respectful, cautious nod to the massive beast sitting opposite them.

  "He is an incredibly good listener," Zeno explained happily, taking a large bite of his hot oats. "I told him all about the tricky, sneaky door in the desert, and he completely agreed that rocks should not have moving parts."

  After they finished their meal, the harsh reality of their situation returned. The blizzard outside showed absolutely no signs of stopping. The freezing wind howled violently against the stone overhang, a constant, deafening roar.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  The massive Yeti, having finished its own massive portion of oats, lumbered heavily to its feet. It didn't look at them. It grabbed its colossal bone club, walked directly to the cave entrance, and peered out into the complete, blinding whiteness of the storm.

  With a low, final grunt that sounded vaguely like a dismissal, the Yeti stepped entirely out of the cave and directly into the freezing whiteout, completely disappearing into the raging storm within three massive strides. It was an apex predator; it had to hunt, and it was entirely unbothered by the weather.

  "Wait!" Lyra called out, rushing to the edge of the cave, but the beast was already gone. She cursed softly, pulling her cloak tight against the biting wind. "We are entirely snowed in. The goat tracks are completely buried. If we step out there without knowing the exact path, we'll walk straight off a sheer cliff edge within ten minutes."

  She pulled out her heavy brass compass. "The compass points to water, not a safe road. And I absolutely cannot safely project the leylines from the Astrolabe without risking another severe spore flare-up in this cold. We are completely blind."

  Zeno walked up beside her, looking out into the blinding white storm. His amber eyes narrowed in deep concentration. His newly heightened intelligence began to connect the logistical dots.

  "He is not going to walk off a cliff," Zeno reasoned, pointing a wrapped finger at the massive, incredibly deep indentations left in the fresh snow directly outside the cave mouth. "He lives here. He knows exactly where all the dangerous rocks are hiding under the snow. Lyra, we don't need him to hold our hands. We just need to follow his big feet before the wind hides them."

  Lyra stared at the massive, distinct footprints rapidly filling with blowing snow. She looked at Zeno, a wide, deeply impressed smile breaking across her face. "You are absolutely right, sledgehammer. That is brilliant tracking logic. Grab the mule. We move right now."

  They packed their gear with frantic efficiency. Lyra securely harnessed Gravel the mule, ensuring the stubborn animal wouldn't simply freeze in place out of fear. Zeno strapped his heavy iron cauldron tightly onto his back, pulling his thick canvas scarf up high around his face.

  They stepped out onto the narrow, snow-covered ledge. The cold hit them like a physical wall of ice, instantly freezing the moisture on their eyelashes. But they had a clear, distinct path to follow.

  They tracked the massive footprints of the Yeti. The beast's stride was incredibly long, forcing them to hustle, but its path was flawless. It entirely bypassed the treacherous, unstable snowdrifts, keeping them firmly on solid, unseen stone ledges.

  "Are we still in the Nine Kingdoms, Lyra?" Zeno asked loudly over the howling wind, keeping his eyes glued to the massive tracks ahead. "This place feels completely different. Like nobody owns it."

  "We aren't in the Kingdoms anymore, Zeno!" Lyra shouted back, tightly gripping the mule's lead. "These mountains, the desert... they are part of the Deadlands! A massive, lawless buffer zone between the established territories. No king or Vanguard army dares to claim this frozen hell. That's exactly why the Black Lotus Syndicate chose to build their secret headquarters here! It's completely outside the jurisdiction of the law!"

  For six grueling hours, they marched relentlessly through the heart of the raging blizzard, following the trail of the apex predator through the lawless Deadlands. Zeno kept his blue Tena entirely suppressed, completely relying on his raw physical Endurance to combat the freezing temperature.

  Late in the afternoon, the blinding whiteout finally, mercifully began to thin. The howling, violent wind dropped to a low, manageable moan, and the heavy, blinding snowfall transitioned into light, peacefully drifting flakes.

  The Yeti's tracks finally ended at the edge of a wide, relatively flat plateau of dark, exposed stone, completely clear of the treacherous, narrow cliff edges. The beast had likely veered off to hunt, but it had successfully led them through the impassable peaks.

  The storm was breaking, revealing a breathtaking, highly terrifying view of the Jagged Peaks stretching endlessly in every direction. But it was what lay directly across the plateau that completely stopped them in their tracks.

  Nestled completely out of sight from the lower valleys, built directly and seamlessly into the side of a massive, towering black mountain peak, was a sprawling, ancient structure. It wasn't an elegant city of white bone or a hidden canopy treehouse.

  It was entirely constructed from incredibly jagged, pitch-black obsidian stone. It looked exactly like a massive, terrifying, heavily fortified castle designed entirely for brutal, unyielding war, its tall, sharp spires piercing the grey winter clouds like daggers.

  "The Obsidian Throne," Lyra whispered, her breath pluming heavily in the freezing air, her emerald eyes narrowing with absolute, deadly tactical focus. "We actually found it."

  Zeno looked at the massive, terrifying black fortress. He didn't see an impenetrable, lethal stronghold filled with highly trained assassins and corrupted, world-ending magic.

  He looked down at his heavy Rock Serpent gauntlets, covered in jagged obsidian spikes, and then back at the dark, jagged castle.

  "Lyra," Zeno noted cheerfully, adjusting his heavy armor, completely ready for the work ahead. "The castle is made entirely out of the exact same sharp, pointy rocks as my gloves. That means their big throne must be incredibly hard and scratchy! No wonder their king is always so angry and sending sneaky people to shoot us. His bottom must hurt all the time. Let's go break his terrible chair so he feels better."