Chapter Eleven: The Climb

As Kacien had said, the group got going early the next morning. Snow had covered them overnight, but such could be expected in the north. Orla brushed herself off and packed up her belongings while Kacien did the same.

Wren, being a wolf, had nothing to back. Orla figured she was lucky to have such a warm coat of fur. Surely, the weather would only grow colder.

Wind howled at them as Orla, Wren, and Kacien started up the mountain. Orla had put Peridot into her satchel to keep him safe and warm during their ascent. The cat stayed quiet in the bag as the weather worsened.

Wren waded through the deep snow; eyes focused on where the summit was. Orla walked behind her, braving the cold without complaint. Kacien followed closely behind Orla making sure that no one got too far from each other.

While the cold bit at Orla's skin, she did her best not to be bothered by it. Instead, she imagined herself as a great adventurer, growing closer to her destination. At time she imagined herself a treasure-hunter. Other times she was a hero far from home.

The morning passed by quickly. The afternoon brought with it a colder, harsher wind. It was impossible to tell if it had begun to snow harder or if the already-fallen snow was being blown around by the gales. Either way, it was next to impossible to see.

Orla did her best to entertain her mind with grand stories of treasure, pirates, and knights. However, after some time her feet began to ache and the skin on her cheeks was sore from the cold. It was impossible to ignore the brutality of T'esmunda.

At some point in the mid-afternoon, Wren stopped. She turned to face Kacien and Wren.

"Is there any chance this wind will let up?" Her fur was covered in snow and ice.

"I'm afraid not," Kacien said. "It would be best if we just keep going. There are caves further ahead that I had planned on staying the night at."

Wren nodded and continued on her path.

A warm hand startled Orla as she watched Wren walk away. Orla gazed up at Kacien's emerald eyes.

"Can you keep going?" He asked.

"Of course," she said, despite wanting nothing more than to stop.

Kacien looked at her with understanding eyes. "I know it's cold," he said. "But we don't have much further. We don't want to be stuck out here once the sun goes down."

Orla nodded.

Kacien shrugged off his cloak and wrapped it around the young girl. "You can do this," he said gently.

"I know," she said with more confidence than she felt.

The day dragged by. The snow and wind made the journey seem endless. The only way Orla knew they were going the right way was because they were going up. Her legs were tired from the constant climb, but she pressed on, nevertheless.

Through the snow, it was impossible to see the summit of T'esmunda. It was impossible to see anything. Occasionally, Kacien would tell Orla and Wren that they were getting close, but it felt more like an encouragement than anything more.

At last, Kacien said, "look there."

Orla looked in the direction he had pointed. Tunneled into the mountain was the entrance to what looked to be a cave. Large boulders littered the entrance, making it hard to see inside.

Together, Wren, Orla, and Kacien arrived at the entrance to a small cave. Inside was only slightly warmer than it was outside, but it protected them against the harsh weather. At last, the wind was not biting at them.

Orla collapsed onto the floor with a sigh, pulling her satchel close to her. Inside the bag, Peridot looked as miserable as Orla felt.

"I'm sorry," she said to the cat. "I'm sure you're just hating this journey."

The cat blinked at her and began to clean himself off.

"But I couldn't have just left you in the forest all alone, could I?" She said as she hesitantly pulled off Kacien's warm cloak.

"Keep it," Kacien said as he sat down beside her.

"Aren't you cold?" She looked at his thin knitted sweater.

"I'll be fine," he said with a smile.

Wren sat down on the other side of Orla. "I suppose a fire is out of the question."

"There's no wood this high up," Kacien said. "It may be a cold night but at least we are out of the cold."

That night, Wren found it impossible to sleep. Orla was curled up beside her, having fallen asleep almost immediately. Kacien didn't sleep, but he laid on his back with his eyes closed. As far as Wren was concerned, he was as good as asleep.

She listened to the sound of the wind howling across the mountainside and shivered. Despite her warm coat of fur Wren was freezing. She kept close to Orla, hoping that she would be able to find sleep quickly.

Instead of sleeping, Wren's mind began to wander. She thought about Greystorm and the comfort of her bakery. She thought about her grandmother Alice and the last words they had spoken. She grimaced at the memory of the argument. She wished she could take it back.

Wren found herself wishing many things. She wished that she was warm. She wished that Orla was someplace safer. She wished that she wasn't so hungry and that Kacien wasn't such a good actor.

That's what it was after all; an act. Surely, Kacien didn't truly care for Orla or the people of Kine'e. He was a monster. He was an Elemental.

Wren glanced over at Kacien. He didn't look dangerous, but that was a mistake she had made before. Surely, beneath his calm exterior was something terrifying.

She thought back to their conversation about Hosech. Kacien's version of the story was different from Wren's mother's had been. She began to wonder about all of her mother's stories.

Wren may have thought about those stories for hours, if Kacien hadn't sat up.

Suddenly distracted, Wren looked over at the Elemental. She wondered absentmindedly if he was cold. It hadn't escaped her knowledge that he had given his cloak to Orla. Maybe Elementals don't feel the cold, she thought to herself.

"You should sleep," Kacien said.

"I'll sleep when I'm able," she said.

Kacien shrugged dismissively as he gazed past her at the blizzard outside.

"Do you feel the cold?" She asked suddenly. "Elementals, I mean."

"Yes," he said. "But perhaps not as intensely as Mortals do."

"And the hot?"

"We can feel temperature, yes," he said.

"But it wouldn't kill you," she said, remembering that fire alone did not kill Elementals.

"No," he said. "Not much can kill an Elemental."

Wren was suddenly reminded of Lydka's comments about Inkwell and how quickly Kacien had denied it.

"Kacien," Wren said, gaining his full attention. "What happens to Elementals when they die."

Kacien looked surprised by the question. For a moment he said nothing.

"When we die," he began. "In death, we are not so different from Mortals. We are taken by the elements around us and returned to the skies to find the Great Silence."

"I don't think I understand," she said.

Kacien shot her an understanding smirk. "Few Mortals do."

"So...you die like Mortals but what is the Great Silence…"

"Those stars that you see every night are the spirits of Elementals and Mortals alike who have long passed. When our spirits join the others up there, we call that the Great Silence."

Wren shook her head. "No, no," she said. "Those are just stars, they tell stories."

"They can be both," he said simply.

Wren let out a sigh and rested her head on her paws. She looked out at the snow. No one knew what happened after death, not even Elementals. Surely, the stars were just stars. However, a small piece of Wren liked Kacien's story. Maybe her mother was up there.

"Then what are falling stars?"

Kacien, once again, looked surprised. "Sometimes...we leave with unfinished business."

Wren scoffed. "Even Elementals can't come back from the dead."

"We can," he said. "But only once and most never do."

Wren said nothing. Instead, she wished the night wasn't so cloudy.

The sun rose the next morning and brought with it a calm day. The wind had lessened, and the snow had stopped completely. Wren woke up to find Orla and Kacien already ready to travel.

"Guess what?" Orla said to Wren.

"What?" Wren asked as she stretched, attempting to shake the sleep from her body.

"We'll make it to the summit today," she said with excitement.

It occurred to Wren that she would be meeting Ombu. The Ombu. She shook off the nervousness and joined Kacien outside the cave.

The sun beamed down, reflecting off the white snow. Above them, T'esmunda towered. The sheer size of the mountain took Wren's breath away.

"There's no way we can summit that in a day," she looked over at Kacien.

He smirked in his knowing way but said nothing.

"Kacien says that it will be a little bit hard this morning but then it'll get easier," Orla explained as she tucked her cat into her satchel.

Wren starred up at the mountain. Nothing about it made it look like it would ever be an easy climb, no matter how far they made it during the morning.

As Wren had predicted, it was a difficult climb. To reach the summit, they had to walk up a never-ending collection of switchbacks. Even after several hours, the mountain still towered above them.

Wren did her best not to complain. Her mind was focused on making it to Ombu. Once she met with the ancient Elemental, she would go back to being a woman once again. Then she would have better things to do than wonder if Kacien wasn't such a bad guy.

Over and over she had to remind herself not to think about Kacien. He was a monster, she told herself. Whatever he was doing to make himself seem kind was all a lie.

After some time, Wren glanced back at Kacien and Orla. The girl walked ahead of Kacien, telling him about some strange story. The Elemental nodded along to her story as he followed.

Orla still wore Kacien's large cloak, but he didn't seem to mind. The wind swept through his hair and for a moment Wren noticed just how handsome he was.

That's it, she told herself as she turned around and continued up the mountain. She had to focus on what she was doing and where she was going. Up.

It was midday when Kacien called for Wren to stop. Wren stopped along the trail and gazed back. Behind here was the wide expanse of the land they had just walked through. Snow covered the prairies and distant trees.

In the far distance, Wren could see Kine'e. The village was sprawled along the foothills of T'esmunda. Plumes of blue smoke flowed from the chimneys of the houses and shops. Surely, it was nice and warm in Lydka's Inn.

For a moment, Wren could think of not better than to be curled beside a fire.

"We need to go this way," Kacien said.

He veered off the switchback and up into a collection of large stones that sat precariously on the mountain's side. Orla followed after him without question.

"I'm no expert," Wren said as she too followed. "But isn't this the wrong way? The trail was leading back that way."

"I know where the trail goes," Kacien said calmly. "And we are not going there."

"But doesn't the trail lead to the summit?"

"Indeed."

"And isn't that where we're going?"

"No, we are seeing Ombu. If it were as easy as going to the summit of a mountain, don't you think everyone who could, would climb to T'esmunda's summit?"

Wren thought about that for a moment. "I suppose. Then how do we reach Ombu?"

"You'll see."

After some time of weaving through the scattered boulders, Kacien lead them to a ledge that jutted out from the mountain.

"Wow," Orla gasped as she climbed up onto the ledge after Kacien.

Wren was the last to jump up. As she did so, she understood immediately what had caused Orla to gasp in awe.

A pool as clear as glass sat before them, glistening in the sunlight. The turquoise water looked so perfect it was hard to believe it was real.