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The previous night’s storm had dumped little ne but fierce winds had piled up fresh drifts—towering white walls that formed a canyon around Napoleon and his riders The horses’ breath steah in the air Napoleon gave Styrie his head, trusting the Arabian to navigate the path, while he stared, fascinated, at the drifts, their facades carved into swirls and spirals by the wind
“A bit eerie, eh, General?” Laurent asked
“It’s quiet,” Napoleon murmured “I’ve never heard quiet like this before”
“It is beautiful,” Laurent agreed “And dangerous”
Like a battlefield, Napoleon thought Except for perhaps in his bed with Josephine, he felt more at home on a battlefield than anywhere else The roar of the cannons, the crack ofof black powder in the airHe loved all of it And in a ht, once we’re out of these damned mountainsHe smiled to himself
Ahead, the lead rider raised a closed fist above his head, signaling a halt Napoleon watched the h-deep snow, his head tilted backward as he scanned the drift walls He disappeared around a curve in the trail
“What’s he looking for?” Napoleon asked
“Dawn is one of the worst tiht the winds harden the top layer of snow into a shell, while the powder underneath remains soft When the sun hits the shell, it starts towe have is the sound—like God hi from the heavens”
After a few ave Laurent the all-clear signal, then mounted his horse and continued on
They rode for twocourse of the valley as it descended toward the foothills Soon they entered a narrow canyon of jagged gray granite interlaced with ice The lead rider signaled another halt and dismounted Laurent did the same, followed by Napoleon
Napoleon looked around “Here?”
His eneral smiled mischievously “Here, General” Laurent unhooked a pair of oil lanterns from his saddle “If you’ll follow me?
??
They set off down the trail, passing the six horses ahead of theeneral Napoleon nodded solemnly at each soldier in turn until he reached the head of the column, where he and Laurent stopped A few minutes passed and then a soldier—the lead rider—appeared around a rock outcropping to their left and plodded back through the snoard them
Laurent said, “General, you eant Pelletier”