Page 18 of The Edge of Never

When I shook myself out of those dark ruminations, my head tipped up to the sky. The clouds had darkened significantly since we started. The wind was colder and whipping around our bodies, making it harder to walk. Especially as we were out on a ridge that had no cover.

Our pace was slow going for the next hour. There were murmurs of concern amongst the group about the conditions. I had my own worries about the situation. The wind hadn’t died down at all, and a gentle snowfall had begun.

Callan brought our group to a halt roughly an hour away from the summit. He and Ruairí had a long, hushed conversation with each other. They were thinking of turning back. The snow was getting worse and if we didn’t get back down the mountain, we could end up in difficulty.

Kit jumped from foot to foot next to me, trying to keep the cold at bay. They’d put an extra layer on a while back, but it was fucking baltic up here. Even I was feeling it.

“Is it usually this windy up here?” Kit asked me a moment later.

“Can be. Have never been up this way in these conditions before.”

“Oh great. That fills me with so much confidence.”

I snorted.

“We’ll be fine.”

“You sure about that?”

“Reckon we’re gonnae turn back, so I can only hope we make it back doon.”

Kit grimaced and rubbed their cold cheeks with their gloved hands.

“You think they’d let us take a break before we leave?”

I shook my head. Their mouth turned down. They hadn’t told me they were struggling despite my being very clear about them letting me know when they needed help.

Callan came over to me to explain the plan. They decided we should head back down before conditions deteriorated further.

I eyed Kit as Callan and Ruairí told the rest of the group. They didn’t look so good.

“Come here.”

Kit moved closer and let out a wee yelp when I tucked them into my side to shield them from the wind. They looked up at me from underneath my arm.

“Thane, I’m not sure I can start back yet. That was hard going, you know. I thought I was going to fall over several times.”

I should have been paying more attention to Kit. They were my responsibility, and I hadn’t been doing a very good job of keeping an eye on them today.

“Let me have a word with Callan.”

I beckoned him over. Callan’s expression was cautious as he arrived next to me.

“We need tae get going,” he said before I could get a word in.

“Am gonnae stay here with Kit. There’s some shelter amongst those rocks up ahead. They cannae get back doon withoot a breather. And I cannae leave them up here alone. We’ll hold everyone else up if we keep going.”

Callan looked between us before he nodded slowly.

“Aye, right.”

I knew my way back down the mountain. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to Kit.

We talked more about the plan and what I would do if we got in trouble, and then he gave me a slap on the back.

“Ye keep them safe.”

“Ye know I will.”

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