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"What about the collar? Can he track ic is too strong" She picked up a walking stick and handed it to th of wood for herself "I think we’re ready Let us get out of here"

With one last look at Hyto’s secret lair, I followed her into the maze of tunnels I’d never come back here alive--even if I had to kill es until we came to an exit, which I was surprised to see was not theoverlooked a steep path heading directly down the ht of what I was now positive were the Skirts of Hel--the glacial sheets near Howl’s hideout

"We have to make for there I am friends with--"

"Yes, you toldthe truth, then we may actually have a chance, but we have to keep to the shadows as ue rolled over the name like an unfamiliar cavity, newly discovered and unwelco, and if he should see us in the snow, he’ll fry us to crisps"

"That’s why the white fur? Cae?"

"Easier to hide in the snow, yes So keep the hood over your hair--it’s dark and shows easily against the white Dragon eyes are keen Dragon sight is clear Even when the dragon is ers--"

"Trolls, ice spidersI know"

"So many creatures up here, and so little food" Hanna nodded, then stepped out into the snow, sinking to her ankles "The snow has coh the winter, but the fresh fall is atop of it and so going will not be easy"

I followed her,was better than waiting in that stinking cavern for Hyto to return The fur boots she’d fashioned for et out of this and ever have to return to the Northlands--soo native with led down the path as fast as we could Slipping and sliding, we barreled our ay fro a veil of fine powder in our wake The snow had fallen again during the night and beneath the new inches was hardened crust, so we only sank up to our ankles

Keeping to the cover of the scrub trees--high-altitude pines and firs that indblown, growing at a slant--Hanna and I slowed The grade was growing steeper as weEvery breath I took hurt s and made my bruises ache, but now that ere out of the cave, I knew I couldn’t go back

An hour or so later, I , I noticed that the mountain pines in the Northlands bore sharp needles, and they were strongly scented, reood--it would help to hide our own perfurance, and anything we could do to confuse him, so much the better I stripped off a handful of the spiny needles, broke the as they prickedthe idea, and did the sa to help keep Mr Big Bad Dragon away

A blast of icy wind caasped as the gust caught ainst the trunk of the pine, I forced myself to breathe deeply, slowly, until I felt able to continue

Hanna led erous, but we didn’t dare hike around in plain sight Even in cae, we could easily be seen froed to co over fro through the snow and she motioned for me to crawl under one of the trees with her, where there was some protection fro branches of the scrub, I happened to glance up the mountain The cave entrance was still visible, but just a tiny speck against the vast sea of white

Hanna and I huddled together for war out a thick roll with a slab of cheese She broke the sandwich in half and handed me my share

"Thank you," I whispered, my throat raw from the air The bread was dry and hard but I forced it down anyway, taking sips fro freely, I packed snow in the skin to melt for neater

"No worry, Cao to reach any sort of safety, and I truly don’t knoe’ll make it, but weWe ht doer I’d stay under the trees, but there is one danger in that" She gavewhether to spill bad news

But I had far too good an ione, and decides we’re hiding out in the trees, so he decides to burn every stand from the top of the mountain on down"

She blinked "Yes, that was my fear I didn’t want to worry you, however"

I bitto say toowe are facing a danger far worse than Hyto Trust ined it" I stared at the vast swath of sloping snow fields that spread out below us "If he does decide to burn the woods, surely we’ll knohat’s going on before he hits us At worst, he catches us again And frankly, considering what he could cook up for that, I’d rather die in a forest fire, I think"

Hanna bit her lip "Yes, you are right about that If he captures us, he’ll just kill me, but you"

"I know" I whispered "I know" The pain he’d already inflicted had been bad, but even I knew it could be far worse

"Coain The sooner we reach the glacial fields, the sooner we can make our way across to your Wolf Lord friend" She held out her hand and yanked hs screa to help me escape I wasn’t about to beed to elude any sign of Hyto, and the weather stood with us We reached the botto into the Skirts of Hel by dusk, and I wanted nothingturn on the rocks and we’d have a broken leg, or worse We found an outcropping of boulders and huddled behind theested building up the snow on either side to block the wind, so we h room between them where we could stretch out We packed snow around the entire fort, s the sides to look like drifts We couldn’t doseen from the sky, but with our cloaks and the darkness, there was a fair shot that Hyto wouldn’t be able to spot us<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>