147 Waiting Out the Storm

---Katherine---

Aaron had a knack for storytelling. He was awfully good at describing events and elaborating certain parts to make it seem more exciting or frightening. His audience listened closely, following his every word. Most of the soldiers were just a few years older than us, and I couldn't help but admire their courage for joining us on this perilous battle. If I wasn't a chosen one, would I be in this battle? Most likely not. I think I would be volunteering to defend the Academy instead.

The blizzard raged on outside, but we were warm and dry inside the cave. The soldiers hung on to his every word as Aaron recounted our journey: the attack on the Academy, meeting Old Henry at Northbell, banishing the essence of Evil at Hamberg, fighting Eric on the Goldhedge Festival…

"…and then, the earth began to shake. Jason made a few gestures, like this, and with a great rumbling sound, a giant mound of rock and dirt rose straight out of the ground..." Aaron accompanied his story with animated hand gestures, trying to replicate what Jason did to get us out of Dead Man's Chasm.

I watched Aaron as he told the story and couldn't help but smile. Now that he was telling it, our quest did seem pretty exciting and comparable to the tales of the olden days—for the most part. Gradually, Aaron's soothing voice and the warmth of the fire made me drowsy. I nodded off, still half-listening to the story, with the events replaying in my mind's eye.

A smattering of low voices pulled me out of my slumber. "What happened? How long had I been asleep?" I rubbed my eyes and blinked groggily in the firelight, still sleepy.

"Shh, it's alright, Kath, I got it. Go back to sleep." Aaron's voice floated over my head, and someone—Aaron?—patted me gently. I shifted in my position, pulled the tapestry around me tighter, and leaned my head back against whatever softness I was laying on before. Soon, I was fast asleep again.

The next time I woke up, I found myself lying flat on the ground, wrapped like a roll in the tapestry, with Aaron's backpack under my head as a pillow. What caught me by surprise was that I was snuggled up against Aaron, who was asleep next to me on the hard cave floor. He had Augustus's cloak as a blanket, but it wasn't large enough to cover his entire body. His lower calf, ankles, and feet stuck out into the cold cave air. The way he shivered slightly made me feel really bad. 'Aaron, I told you we were sharing the tapestry…'

The campfire was visibly smaller than before. Soft murmurs could be heard in the cave, but most people were asleep. I twisted my neck to look towards the mouth of the cave and only saw darkness. It must be in the middle of the night, since we arrived here around midday and I dozed off some time in the late afternoon.

I carefully lifted Aaron's head and slipped his backpack underneath so he was using his backpack as a pillow (it was his backpack, after all). I then covered him with half of the tapestry and scooted away, making sure there was space between us. It would've been really awkward if everyone saw me curled up next to him in the morning.

Nevertheless, the next morning, the soldiers were glancing at Aaron and me with interesting looks. Something had occurred before I woke up, but no one would tell me what. Did I snuggle up to Aaron again? Did I steal the tapestry and left Aaron out in the cold? Everyone I asked claimed that nothing occurred, but I didn't believe them.

Aaron went to the deeper part of the cave to bring Indigo over so the three of us could be together. Outside, the storm was still going strong.

"I wonder how Lionel and the others are doing," Indigo said when she and Aaron returned. She looked at the world outside wistfully.

"We should communicate with them somehow," Aaron agreed. "Who knows how long this storm will last. It would put everyone at ease if we knew how the other group is doing."

"We could send a few people over," I suggested. "If anyone is brave enough to face the fierce snowstorm, that is."

"I'll go. I know where the other cave is." Indigo volunteered. Aaron frowned.

"Not by yourself, Indigo. I'll go with you. Two people should be enough. Kath, can you stay here and make sure everything is alright?"

As much as I wanted to go with them, I nodded. Someone had to stay behind and keep things in order.

The next step was figuring out how to get to the other cave in a snowstorm. One of the soldiers had an idea: get a long length of rope, tie one end around Aaron and Indigo, and keep the rest in this cave. As they walk, we will release more rope until they get to the other cave. Then, both sides will secure their end of the rope so that the rope was stretched taut between the two caves. Whenever people needed to go across, they could just follow the rope.

We gathered all the rope we brought with us and tied the three largest coils end to end to create one extremely long rope. I tied the rope securely around Aaron and Indigo's waists so that there was about two feet of slack rope between them. Indigo was in the front.

"Please be careful; we need everyone for the last battle." I looked up at Aaron after giving the rope around his waist a small tug to make sure it was secure. "Remember, two hard tugs means you've arrived safely; three if something bad happens. I'll find a bell or something to attach to this end so we'll know if you tug on the rope."

"Don't worry, Kath, we'll be fine." Aaron patted my shoulder. "It's just a bit of wind and snow; nothing we can't handle."

"Don't jinx it, Aaron," Indigo chided softly. "I think the wind is dying down a bit; let's go right now."

I watched the pair don their fur hoods and slowly walk out into the swirling blizzard. For a few seconds, I could still see their silhouettes. Then they were swallowed by the night and endless snow.