Arrah led us around the base of the mountain, leaving the tremors of the collapsed daemon tunnel behind. The ridge was freezing cold and covered in snow, the moonlight glistening across the white blanket with iridescent shimmers. Had it not been for the risk of daemons still coming after us, I would have taken the time to just stop and admire the breathtaking beauty.

We made our way up the other side of the Athelathan mountain, our horses putting in the extra effort to climb over the layers of hard stone and frozen snow. The forest thickened as we moved, giant pines with heavy branches obscuring our view. I couldn’t smell any daemons, so I could breathe a little easier and focus on Arrah as we followed her to a higher altitude.

“There it is,” she said, pointing ahead.

At first glance, most hikers wouldn’t have even noticed it. It was built from the same pinewood as the forest surrounding it, and it was nestled between trees and massive, sharp rocks. It was also covered in piles of white snow. No one had been here in a long time, by the looks of it.

The parts of its walls that were still visible wore a layer of ivy-like greenery, the kind that didn’t mind the cold much. The waxy leaves were dark green with pointy edges, and there were sprinkles of pearly fruits scattered across, reminding me of mistletoe.

It wasn’t midnight yet, with only two of Neraka’s three moons glowing somewhere above. We got off our horses, while Hundurr circled the cabin a couple of times, sniffing around and getting acquainted with the place.

“No one’s on our trail,” I said, flaring my nostrils and breathing in every scent that I caught—mostly pine, snow, frozen dirt, and wild animals.

“We’ll spend the night here,” Arrah replied, “and head for Ragnar Peak in the morning. The Imen will take turns and keep watch outside. This isn’t their first trip to this mountain.”

“You’ve been here before?” Scarlett asked, looking at the ten Imen as they dismounted and guided their horses over to a fallen tree, where the animals could rest for a while.

“A couple of months ago, yes,” one of the Imen replied. “We were out searching for food when we ran into daemons. They were after the moon-bison. Those grazing on the southern slope are bigger and slower than the ones you find in the plains. We had to spend a few nights around here before we could escape unnoticed, until the daemons gave up because of the cold. So, yes, we’ve been here before.”

“The moon-bison tend to move to the western slopes during the winter,” Arrah added, “and the plain ones move even farther south, leaving the handful of villages in the area between Lagerith and Athelathan with little to no food sources for up to six months. Hence why some venture all the way here for moon-bison, to bring back and provide milk for the winter.”

A chill ran down my spine, and it had nothing to do with our conversation. As I watched Heron and the rest of our team lead our stallions to join the others, I could feel the temperature dropping further. Dark clouds gathered above, and, within minutes, it had started to snow.

Heron and I walked over to the cabin door and tore off the layers of mistletoe-like greenery, while Scarlett, Patrik, Dion, and Alles uncovered the windows. We needed to see outside, in case daemons made their way up. Though, to be honest, given the low temperatures and the now-heavy snowfall, they were highly unlikely to reach this place.

The snowflake pendant that Nevis had given me felt colder than usual, prompting me to take it out and let it rest on top of my combat suit, with a layer of leather between it and my skin. Heron noticed and raised an eyebrow at me.

“It’s weirdly cold,” I replied with a shrug, then looked around and frowned. Clusters of snowflakes fell all around us, making me think the weather changing wasn’t a coincidence. Not when Nevis’s pendant had such a… chilling reaction. “I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that Nevis knows we’re here.”

“What makes you say that?” Arrah asked, joining us in front of the door.

“Nevis gave me this pendant, and it feels extra weird. Plus, this snowfall is a little too convenient, given our circumstances, don’t you think?” I replied. “I don’t know, I may be wrong, but, to be honest, based on what we’ve experienced on Neraka so far, I doubt this is a coincidence.”

Arrah nodded slowly, gazing around as the Imen gathered wood and lit a fire close to the horses. They then removed a pile of dead wood from a stone fountain, which seemed to still function. The bucket hung loosely on an iron chain and it was covered in dirt and rust, but it could still be used to extract water from the springs flowing beneath the mountain.

“I’m inclined to agree,” Arrah said, then struggled with the doorknob, until it screeched and clanged open. “Thank the stars. I was afraid we’d have to break the door open.”

She went inside, Heron and I right behind her.

The place looked quite big and spacious, built on two levels. The ground floor had an open-plan resting area and kitchen, a storage area, and two bedrooms, from what I could tell at first sight. The top floor held a bathroom and two more rooms. There was a ladder leaning against the lip of an attic hatch, though, based on the size of the roof, it didn’t seem big enough for another room. At best, it could be used to store stuff. Given the low temperatures, one could easily keep a sturdy food supply up there.

“This looks pretty cool,” Heron muttered, looking around.

The walls were covered with strips of wood and large patches of fur, to keep the spaces somewhat warm. The windows had thick glass, and fabric was rolled and tucked into all the frame gaps—an additional effort to stop the heat from slipping out.

“And a perfectly functional fireplace,” Arrah replied, crouching in front of the square, stone fireplace with a thick, wooden mantlepiece. She looked up the chimney, narrowing her eyes. “Yup, I can see the sky. I’ll go get some wood.”

She got up and started to head outside, when Heron opened what I’d suspected was a storage door. “No need,” he said, pointing at the stack of wood neatly cut and piled inside the closet to be used in the fireplace.

Arrah chuckled softly. “I take it whoever was in here last was kind enough to leave the place as they found it. It’s kind of a tradition on Neraka. There are cabins like these on most mountains. Nobody owns them, but every traveler takes care of them when they stop by.”

“I like that,” I replied, nodding appreciatively. “Looking out for the next guy like the previous guy looked out for you. Makes sense.”

I walked into the kitchen area and started looking through the cupboards. Dust had settled on most surfaces, but the storage crates had done a fine job of preserving their contents, mostly nuts and dried fruit. There was a square water basin mounted in a corner, with a pipe and rudimentary faucet. I turned it and found myself grinning when the pipe spat a steady stream of spring water.

“It must be connected to the well,” Arrah said, a grin splitting her face. “Which means the bathroom might have something similar, too.”

She went upstairs to check, while Heron stopped by one of the cleared windows in the living area. Patrik and Scarlett started checking the rooms, while Hundurr settled by the fireplace, patiently waiting for someone to prepare a fire so he could warm up. The poor creature was shivering, his muscles twitching and his leathery black skin covered in goosebumps.

Heron gazed out the window, watching the heavy snow fall and the Imen draw water from the fountain. Dion came into the kitchen and grabbed all the pots he could find, then carried them outside. The Imen then filtered the water through layers of fabric into the pots, to remove the rust and whatever dirt they’d collected along with the fountain water. Five minutes later, the horses and the Imen had clean, fresh water to drink, bringing us all one step closer to a decent night on Athelathan Mountain.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked Heron, joining him by the window.

He crossed his arms with a light scoff, his eyes fixed on the snowfall.

“Just wondering what Nevis thinks he’ll get out of this if he keeps helping us. He’s already spoiling his alliance with the daemons because of you, and it irks the hell out of me,” he replied.

“He broke his alliance with the daemons because of us and because it was the right thing to do, not because of me, personally,” I said.

“We both know that’s not true, Avril. The guy clearly has the hots for you.”

“And? What if he does? He’s helping us survive and get the hell off Neraka, and it’s not like I have the hots for him, so—”

Water rushed through creaking pipes overhead, cutting me off. The bathroom was working properly, based on Arrah’s ecstatic yelp from upstairs. I sighed, my shoulders dropping. “Heron, it really doesn’t matter how Nevis feels about me,” I continued, placing a hand on his shoulder. “What matters is he’s helping us and that we get one night’s worth of decent sleep in this place, before we head back to Ragnar Peak.”

“Speaking of which,” Scarlett interjected, joining us in the kitchen. “I suggest we hunt something tonight, before we go to bed. I’m getting peckish.”

I nodded, leaving my conversation with Heron for later. “Yeah, me too,” I said.

“I’ll go out and see what I can find,” Heron muttered, walking over to the living room, where Hundurr sat up, his ears flicking. “Would you like to join me?” he asked the pit wolf.

Hundurr didn’t wait to be asked twice and swiftly joined Heron. They went outside into the night, leaving Scarlett and me with Arrah and Patrik inside the cabin. Dion and Alles grabbed two sacks filled with nuts and dried food and carried them outside for the horses, while Arrah prepared the fireplace, loading it with wood from the storage room.

Once the fire was lit and crackling amber, the cabin started to feel more comfortable. We took our fur covers off and settled on the creaky sofas, with two Imen taking over the kitchen to prepare some dry food rations for the others.

The snowfall continued, thickening as the third moon finally came up, announcing midnight. I didn’t feel great with Heron still sulking over Nevis, but there wasn’t much I could do, either. While I found the hint of jealousy endearing, it also worried me because I didn’t understand where it came from. Heron and I were getting closer with each day that passed, and no Dhaxanian was going to get between us—not even their freaking prince, regardless of how attractive he was.

I just needed to make Heron understand that.