Chapter 3: Magic Tricks

I do not remember much of the days that followed. There was running. And hunting. And cold. Terrible cold. We were exhausted, but Rhydian insisted that we push on. The boys, being several years older and much stronger than I, persevered with ease.

I did not.

The snow had seeped through my boots and had nearly frozen my feet solid by the time we could see the river below us.

I could take it no longer. My knees gave out from under me, and I collapsed into the snow. Before long, I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around me and pull me close, and I shivered in their embrace.

"Come on, Renn," Geraint urged gently. "Just a bit longer."

"What's the hold up?" Rhydian asked anxiously.

Geraint hoisted me up onto his back. "We'll get to the bank and then we'll stop," he softly reassured me. "I promise." He turned to Rhydian. "Won't we?"

Rhydian sighed. "We really need to cross."

I felt Geraint nod in my direction. "She won't make it that far," he insisted. "I'm not sure she'll go any farther than this."

"Yes, she will. She's stronger than you think she is. Aren't you, Renn?"

"No," I whimpered.

"Well," Geraint said flatly. "There you have it."

Defeated and annoyed, Rhydian's shoulders slumped. "Fine, then," he huffed. "We'll stop when we're covered by the woods. I don't want to make camp out here in the open."

With that, Rhydian led us across a massive land bridge and into the forest on the other side. The moon was beginning to rise, and the stars were beginning to come out of hiding. The sky had turned purple on the horizon, growing steadily darker and darker until it faded into deep indigo at the top. Now I would have enjoyed the view, but then I was too exhausted to care.

Before long, I heard Rhydian dragging a few logs out of his pack to start a fire, and Geraint gently set me down in the snow. After spreading a wolf-skin blanket on the ground, he sat on top of it and pulled me into his arms. He was soaked to the bone with melted snow, and his lips were blue. We both shivered.

"Can't you get a fire going?" Geraint grumbled.

"I'm getting to that," Rhydian replied, exasperated. "Give me a second."

I heard Rhydian's heavy footfall trudging through the snow, followed by the sound of him going back through his pack.

"Oh, no," he sighed.

"What?" Geraint groaned, beginning to get impatient.

"I don't see the flint and steel. I might have left it back in the Lantern Waste…"

"No, you didn't," I moaned sarcastically.

"Yes, I did." He raked his hand through his blonde hair and sighed.

In muted horror, we stared at each other. Fresh snow began to fall, and I could see Rhydian shivering now, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"Well, I don't plan on freezing to death," Rhydian declared, "so I'm going to try one last thing before I completely give up."

With that, he picked up a log and headed back into the open.

Geraint's eyes widened. "Wait," he called. "Don't!"

We saw a bright orange flash, accompanied by a panicked wail. And before long, Rhydian came speeding back into the woods with the smoldering remains of what was once a piece of firewood. He set it down on top of the pile of dry branches and watched in dismay as it disintegrated into a dust of white ash.

"So that's why Mother told us never to try that…." Rhydian mused. He laughed shamefacedly, and black soot covered his face. A little bit of smoke poured from the tips of his fingers.

Geraint sighed, annoyed. "And, of course, you'll not be the one to listen to her."

Rhydian glared at his younger brother. "Oh please," he retorted. "I'd like to see either of you do better."

Reaching for the woodpile, I grabbed two pieces of wood and started rubbing them together, eying Jadis's firstborn snidely. He rolled his eyes.

"Seriously?" Rhydian wailed.

Geraint snickered.

"This is getting us nowhere." Rhydian held out his hand. "Give it to me."

I recoiled, hugging the two sticks close to me.

"Come on, Renn," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "Hand it over."

Reluctantly, I held out one of the logs to him. A bit of the smoke that came out from underneath his fingernails streamed up my nose, and I coughed.

"Watch where you aim that," I gasped, smacking the top of his hand and quickly retracting my own and shoving it into the snow.

Had I only noticed that my brother's hands still smoldered like embers before I tried to swat them away.

Suddenly, smoke began to pour from the piece of wood in Rhydian's hand, and he hastily dropped it into the woodpile. A tiny spark leapt from the center of the pile, and a small fire suddenly roared to life. Triumphantly, Rhydian sat in the snow opposite from me and Geraint, the light from the fire illuminating the smug grin that flashed across his face.

"And you didn't set the entire forest on fire," Geraint good-naturedly mocked. "I was certain that you would."

Rhydian chuckled. "Sorry you didn't get your wish," he quipped, laughing out loud.

Smiling a little, I hugged my legs to my chest and rested my chin on top of my knees. I stared into the fire, grateful that it was finally there. Geraint's arm soon found its place across the bridge of my shoulders, and I leaned into him.

An apple soared over the fire and into the snow next to me. A little bit of steam rolled off the top of it. Trying not to burn my fingers, I carefully picked it up and looked at it.

Rhydian chuckled sheepishly. "I roasted it for you, Renn."

I eyed my brother and found him with his hands shoved in the snow. Thick streams of steam rolled up into the air on either side of him.

"Thank you?" I snickered.

Rhydian laughed.

After peeling the skin from it, I slowly began to eat the apple, and it, combined with the fire, warmed me to my toes. I finally began to feel better. Once Rhydian "roasted" a few more apples for us (it took a while for his hands to cool down), we sat back contently and talked for hours.

For the first time in years, we were finally at peace again.