Chapter 15: Just one bed

We stay quiet the whole flight. Strong winds hit us. Ellie and I stay stuck to Jern’s neck as he struggles to advance. The cold wind numbs my hands, hindering my grip.

The winds ease after an hour. The sun starts rising on the horizon.

"We're almost there," says Jern.

A snowy mountain range rises in front of us. One soaring mountain rises among them all. The peak of Fellenfehr.

Jern circles the peak, looking for any kind of entrance into the mountain, but there's no luck. The morning haze blocks most of the visibility.

Jern starts flying lower and lower, panting as he goes. He lands in the closet zone clear of trees. He immediately transforms into his human form and collapses to the ground from exhaustion. Ellie and I fall next to him.

I run and offer Jern some water. He drinks the whole bottle.

"I'm going to take a nap, those winds were rough!" Jern says and faints.

"We can't leave him here…" I say.

Ellie is nowhere to be seen. I panic. Where did she go?

"Over here!" Ellie shouts.

I follow her voice to a group of trees where Ellie has set up the Ignis' tent under the shade of a broad leafy tree.

"I thought we could leave Jern here while we explore the mountain," Ellie says.

I sigh, impressed.

"How did you put it together so fast?" I ask.

Ellie laughs.

"Remember that it's an Ignis' toy. It assembled on its own as soon as I left it on the ground," Ellie swaggers.

"Ha! Now come and help me bring Jern here," I say as Ellie grimaces.

I run back to Jern.

With all my strength, I barely move Jern's arm. He's too big.

"Rurn. Strength," I say, not sure if the spell will work. But a sudden surge of energy hits my muscles.

"Let's go, buddy," I tell Jern as I lift him and start dragging him to the tent.

"I guess you don't need my help?" Ellie says as she catches up halfway to the tent. "I'll open the tent."

As I get to the tent, Ellie guides me and helps me lay Jern on a mushy mattress.

"Where did the mattress come from?" I ask, unaware I was carrying a mattress in my backpack the whole journey.

"It was inside the tent," Ellie laughs. "Ignis really thought about everything."

I try to figure out how a mattress fits inside a two-centimeter-thick folded tent. Dragon magic, I guess.

"Now, we have to find the door," I say, shaking off the thought and taking out the map. "Let 's go."

The map works for a while. Sadly, it only works two-dimensionally. So there is a point when we're on top of the mark, but we don't know how tall in the mountain it is.

We spiral up and down the reddish-to-pinkish walls of the mountain. Looking at any crevice, any whole, or any cave. Nothing.

We take a break at noon under the shade of a ledge.

We drink some water and snacks we packed back at the springs.

A crack sound behind us. I slowly turn back at the fiery grunts.

Five grey fur dog-like creatures show their sharp fangs at us.

"Don't move, Ellie. They might ignore us." I say quietly.

Unaware, Ellie turns and holds her breath when she sees the creatures.

The pack starts running to us.

I take out the magical sword and Ellie the bow. We start throwing attacks foolish and crazy. None of them hits the pack, but some make them back.

We need to get to Jern. He'll surely scare them.

"Ellie, at the count of three, we order our ontes a spell to run fast, okay" I shout. "Let's run to Jern."

"Okay! Three!" Ellie screams as a creature gets dangerously close.

"Pom. Fast!"

"Rurn. Fast!"

I start running as fast as I've never had, but Ellie stays behind. Her spell shouldn't have been strong enough.

The pack of creatures run to her. Their fangs are out and ready to attack..

"Rurn. Faster!"

I get to Ellie a few meters before the bloodthirsty pack.

I take the sword and cut the air towards the mountain wall, hitting a cluster of rocks that crumble between the pack and us.

Ellie and I start running to the tent, I can listen to the creatures behind, closing the distance.

"Pom. Boom!" Ellie shouts.

An explosion hits behind us, impulsing us towards the tent.

We painfully hit the tree next to the tent.

I look back, the pack stands five meters away. They stay there for a moment, showing their menacing fangs. Then they run out of our sight.

"Ha! I knew Jern's presence would scare them," I say.

"Rin. I think they were more scared of that," Ellie says, pointing at the dark gray thundery clouds approaching us.

"Let's get in," I say.

We close the tent shut.

The storm hits with thunder, rain, and strong winds. The tent shakes but holds in place against the storm.

The worst part starts with the hail. Everything starts getting colder and colder.

Hour pass by, and the storm does not diminish. The hail turns into snow. icy winds strike the tent.

I'm shaking, and so are Ellie and Jern.

"We'll have to sleep together," says a tired Jern.

"Ahaah?!" Ellie and I scream at the same time. I’m happy he’s awake now.

"Look, I’ve noticed that physical contact in your culture is kind of a taboo thing. But if we don't do it, we'll die frozen in the night. This is our best chance." Jern says, shivering.

“Rurn. Fire,” I say, helplessly trying to find another way to warm us up. But I’m drained of energy after the speed spell. All the fire I’m able to cast is a couple of sparks that extinguish in the cold weather.

“Pom. Fire.” Ellie says. “Pom. Warmth.”

Ellie keeps trying for a little longer until she gives up.

"Okay," Ellie says, resigned. "But you go in the middle. Rin."

"But…" I say, thinking that the middle is the warmest spot and Ellie should get it.

"I'm not discussing this," Ellie says firmly.

"Okay," I say, realizing that she rather spend a colder night than being close to an unfamiliar man like Jern.

We take a pair of blankets from our backpacks, lay on the mattress with Jern, and cover ourselves with the blankets.

It's getting way colder, the snowstorm is hitting harder.

A weak and shaking Jern hugs me. I feel the cold diminishing, but Ellie is still shaking, keeping a two-centimeter distance between us.

“Ellie. If you stay like that, you’re going to freeze,” I say.

Ellie sighs.

“Okay,” she says and cuddles beside me, hugging her backpack.

We stay there, trembling for a moment until the combined heat makes us stop shaking.

"Pom. Sleep," I listen to Ellie say.

I get knocked into sleep.