Page 26 of Tangle of Lust and Lethargy

I was alone in this frozen wasteland.

My mind raced, replaying the chaotic moments before I fell through the portal. The fierce battle for power, Garrick’s imposing presence, Maggie’s snarling wolf form, and Justice’s vampire swiftness. It all seemed like a distant dream now.

As the adrenaline faded, fear crept in. How would I survive in this hostile environment? More importantly, how would I find my way back to my friends and my mate?

With trembling limbs, I forced myself to stand as determination set in. I had to keep moving, had to find shelter. As I took my first tentative steps in the crunching snow, I vowed to find the hourglass and hopefully stop the fighting. The lust demons were even worse than the sloth demons. They were turning us against each other. I had to stop it before the three of them killed each other.

I trudged forward, each step a battle against the merciless wind and stinging snow. Time seemed to lose all meaning in this desolate wasteland. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours, yet the landscape remained stubbornly unchanged. An endless sea of white broken only by the occasional jutting ice formation.

My mind raced, grasping for answers. Where had the mirror taken me? This frozen hell seemed a far cry from the world I knew. The cold numbed my extremities, and exhaustion tugged at every fiber of my being. But I couldn’t stop. To stop was to die in this unforgiving terrain.

Desperation clawed at me as I realized I needed a plan. The compass and the mirror, my only links to understanding in this alien world, might hold the key. But could I even hear the mirror’s guidance over the incessant howling of the wind that rushed through my frost-bitten ears?

With fingers stiff and clumsy from the cold, I fumbled in my backpack. The familiar weight of the compass offered a small comfort as I pulled it out. Its needle swung decisively, pointing west. But what did it mean? Was it leading me to safety or deeper into peril?

I swallowed hard against the lump of fear in my throat and retrieved the mirror next. My pale, wind-burned reflection stared back at me as I posed my question to its mystical surface.

“Where am I going?”

I waited, breath caught in my chest as the glass rippled like disturbed water. Instead of the familiar voice, eerie orange letters materialized, dancing across the reflective surface.

Follow the compass until you come to the wall. Utter your name, and a door will open. If you’re worthy.

The words sent a chill through me that had nothing to do with the freezing temperature. A wall in this vast emptiness? And what did it mean by “worthy?”

Panic rose in my chest as the implications sank in. “Crap,” I muttered, my voice immediately swallowed by the howling wind. What if I wasn’t deemed worthy? Would I be condemned to wander this frozen tundra for eternity, slowly succumbing to the cold and isolation?

I forced myself to take a deep breath, ignoring the frigid air burning my lungs. I couldn’t afford to give in to fear now. With trembling hands, I tucked the mirror away and gripped the compass tightly. West it was, then.

After squaring my shoulders against the relentless wind, I pressed on. Each step was an act of defiance against the hostile environment and my own growing fatigue. The compass was my lifeline now, its steady direction the only thing keeping me from giving in to despair.

As I trudged forward, my mind conjured images of Garrick, Maggie, and Justice. Were they searching for me? Did they even know where I’d gone? The thought of never seeing them again, of leaving the battle they’d been fighting, spurred me onward.

I didn’t know what trials lay ahead, what test of worthiness I might face, but I knew one thing for certain. I had to survive this. Too much depended on it.

However, the journey grew increasingly arduous with each laborious step. The pristine snow, deceptive in its beauty, deepened treacherously. What started as ankle-deep trudging soon became a grueling, knee-high slog.

Each movement forward was a herculean effort. Lift one leg, wrench it from the snow’s grasp, plunge it forward, repeat. The simple act of walking had transformed into an exhausting battle against nature itself.

My breath came in ragged gasps, visible in small, fleeting clouds. My teeth chattered with such violence that I feared I might chip a tooth or bite clean through my tongue. The taste of copper in my mouth suggested I might have already done the latter, but the numbness spreading through my face made it impossible to tell for certain.

Through it all, the compass remained clutched in my frozen hand, feeling fused to my skin. Despite the whiteout conditions surrounding me, the compass face glowed with an otherworldly light, a small beacon of hope in this vast, unforgiving wasteland. Its steady pull westward was the only thing keeping me oriented in this featureless expanse of white.

As my body fought the elements, my mind drifted to Justice. How I longed for his presence, for his embrace to chase away this bone-deep chill. But he was far from me now, locked in a battle for his existence. The thought of him fighting with Garrick and Maggie sent a pain through my chest, sharper than any icy wind.

Unbidden tears welled up and spilled over, instantly freezing on my cheeks. The icy trails were a physical manifestation of my inner turmoil. The pain of separation, the fear of loss, the overwhelming responsibility. Each frozen tear was a reminder of why I couldn’t give up, why I had to keep pushing forward despite every instinct screaming at me to stop, to rest, to surrender to the numbing cold.

“I have to save them,” I whispered. “I’m their only hope.”

A fresh wave of determination hit me. Whatever power struggle was happening back home, whatever forces were aligning against my friends, my mate, I was the wild card. Theunexpected element that could tip the scales in their favor. My journey through this frozen hell wasn’t only about my survival. It was about theirs, too.

With renewed purpose, I forced my leaden legs to move. One step. Another. A silent promise to those I’d left behind. I would find this mysterious wall. I would prove myself worthy. I would open that door and find my way back to them, no matter the cost.

Somewhere ahead lay the answers. But what if the compass was wrong? I tried to shake my doubts, but they clung to me like dandruff.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The biting wind whipped across my face, carrying stinging shards of frost that nipped at my exposed skin. I trudged onward, each step a battle against the knee-deep snow. The endless white stretched in every direction.

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