Page 34 of Wilds of Wonder
“On the count of three,” Leoni said as she shoved on her boots, and Driscoll did the same, the wolf bending its legs, getting ready to pounce.
“Three,” I cut in.
We sprinted around the edge of the plateau, running toward the narrow passageway that would lead deeper into the Glacier Mountains. I turned and kicked up a flurry of snow into the wolf’s eyes, temporarily stunting it. But that wouldn’t keep us safe for long. Driscoll was right. That thing would have no problem catching us. I thought of how we’d escaped Maverick's office, the ice I’d spread across the ground.
I stopped abruptly as the wolf regained its senses and pounded toward us, its roar bouncing off the icy walls of the mountain. No time to hesitate. I wiggled my fingers, slick ice rippling across the ground. The wolf instantly slipped, trying to get up and slipping again. I turned and raced after Driscoll and Leoni.
White sheets of solid ice rose up on either side of us, and it was too dark to see far ahead, to know what awaited us when the passageway ended. I shot out my hand as we ran, more patches of ice forming on the ground. Leoni flung her hand out as well, water splattering to the ground and growing hard and shimmery upon contact.
Our boots pounded on the fresh snow. Driscoll slipped, but Leoni and I grabbed his arms and hauled him upward. The ice would only delay the wolf so long before it caught back up. I only hoped we found somewhere to hide by the time it did.
“How long does this thing go on for?” Driscoll yelled between heavy breaths.
I wished I had an answer to that question.
The passageway began to narrow in, slowing us as Leoni and I continued to use our magic to foil the wolf. Soon I had to turn sideways to slip through the rock, its cold, sharp edges cutting into my clothes, catching on the threads of my white fur cloak.
“If this gets any narrower,” Leoni said as she sucked in her stomach while inching forward, “we’re going to get stuck. That doesn’t happen, right?”
I swallowed.
“Why don’t you ask that guy?” Driscoll pointed forward, a heap of bones on the ground, crushed between the walls.
“We don’t know that that’s what happened to him,” I said, the lump in my throat growing.
A howl split the air, and we all stiffened, then shuffled forward faster.
“I think we made the wolf angry.” Driscoll winced as the rock scraped across his face.
“I’m pretty sure that’s just its general countenance.” I grunted, squeezing myself through two sharp points on either side of me. A growl sounded from close by. Too close. It was already catching up.
“Emory, was that you?” Driscoll asked.
“Yes, because I regularly like to growl.”
Suddenly, the wolf’s head jutted between the rock, teeth gnashing at us. Driscoll screamed while Leoni and I shot water and ice toward the creature to no avail. Its sharp canines broke through our magic, catching onto the end of my shirt. The wolf struggled to get its massive body in between the mountain walls, and we inched forward as fast as we could while the hungry beast snapped and growled at us. Leoni disappeared ahead.
“I’m out,” she yelled. “I’m out, I’m out!”
Driscoll squeezed through the bend of rock next, and I came falling out behind him. I wasted no time, turning and shooting my magic at the mountain walls. They rumbled and shook, rock beginning to fall as the wolf tried to shove itself through. It glared at us with red eyes, rearingback, ready to lunge when a large boulder of ice came crashing down on its head. More chunks of ice tumbled down the walls, landing right on the stunned wolf.
The creature collapsed, then disappeared underneath the rubble, rock continuing to fall and pile up until no part of the wolf could be seen.
We stood there, all of us staring in shock, unable to move.
“Well, that’s not something I’m keen to experience ever again.” Driscoll shuddered.
“Really?” I turned to him. “Because I thought that was a blast.”
He made a face at me. “Your sarcasm is incredibly unwelcome right now.”
Leoni rolled her eyes as the rocks rumbled and vibrated on top of the wolf. “Let’s get out of here before that thing escapes,” she said. “We’re awake, so we might as well find these ice caves where you think Maverick went.”
Driscoll massaged his arms. “Do you even know where they are?”
I thought about the fire elementals’ famous march to the ice caves, how it had been chronicled in journal entries I’d read. “I have an idea.” My heart still hammered from that harrowing experience, yet somehow I was already moving on to our next challenge. Spirits below, when this was all over, I’d sleep for a week straight.
Despite it all, hope bloomed in me.
