So, more fun on the mountain!

Just read on and review, please. I think my writing is getting better, and I think I've gotten some skills, practicing on these stories. Yay!

I think I've gotten back in the hang of writing more regularly, but after this, I'll need some time to make up a plot. I mean, I have the ending in sight, and quite soon, but I just need the right actions to get me to the good ending.

Chapter 16

Malay Tiger Trap

I went to sleep, drifting off, and my dreams were of dancing white bears with glittering silver wings…

Suddenly I felt a gust of freezing wind, and my eyes fluttered open. I was cold, and goose bumps formed on my forearms. I saw Lin standing over me, the heat trapping blankets in hands, hastily been folded and stuffed into the packs. I groaned.

"You'll have to get up. There's some toffee in that plastic bag over there, if you're hungry. We may be able to reach the Roof by the end of tonight, if we go fast enough. But the temperature and weather leave something to be desired." Lin noted, glancing out through the mouth of the cave. "Aurelias, you'll be carrying stuff, too."

I pushed myself up, trying to get used to the frigid air. Lin handed me a coat. "It's plenty cold out there, and the clouds are building up…Hopefully the storm will break tomorrow, not today." She seemed quite afraid if that happened. Then she smiled consolingly. "This is the hardest part, even without the unwelcome advent of a storm. The slope is higher, the rocks sharper. There are some hidden crevasses, coated with a layer of thin ice. So watch where you step; those hidden pits are like Malay tiger traps, not like you've ever heard of them."

But I knew what Malay tiger traps were. They were pits filled with sharpened stakes, with a thin net covered in leaves, branches, and other detritus placed carefully on top. An unwary tiger, or some other animal, would step uncaringly and it would fall down. If it was lucky, it'd be killed instantly, its head landing on one of the sharp wooden stakes. But if it wasn't…then I'd be speared through the side, or through a limb. And it'd be in pain until it died of blood loss, or the hunter returned and finished it off. I shuddered.

So I followed Lin and Aurelias outside that cave, where the wind blasted at us. I shivered, cold, even through the coat. Because we were outside, the wind blew all out body heat. I reminisced about the relative warmth of the cave. I slid one foot in front of the other, feeling each patch of slick gravel before putting my foot on it. I noticed that Aurelias walked out in front, in man form. He wore no shoes, just his bare feet lightly crossing the icy rocks. His pack didn't look like it weighed him down. I scowled; he was probably used to traveling.

Lin caught up to him, and the weak rays of the sun reflected off the metal chain looped around his neck. "You can fight and use magic, you know; the gods are distracted with the war, and they won't notice you. They have better things to do than note the activities of a certain creature that they banished millennia ago. Make the storm go away."

He turned to her, his cloak whipping around him in the wind. "I wouldn't. Ever heard of the butterfly effect? If I make that storm disappear, there are consequences that we would never consider. But you'd never think of that, naïve child."

She frowned. "I'm your master, and I'm not naïve!"

"Yes, you command me, but your spell is weak. You can control me, but not very well. And my magic is something that you can never control." He grinned sardonically, revealing his milky white teeth, pointed at the tips. "Because my magic is quite different from yours. In the beginning all magic was the same: a raw uncontrolled force. But Mother Rhea changed it…but not all of it. The unchanged part is the magic that the Titans use; it's fueled by hate and the misery of souls. The kind that you use is Rhea's. It's bound like me, within in words and sounds and thoughts and ideas.

"But my kind is neither the original nor yours. My kind is unique, and few in the world have it or dare to use it. It was the magic that wasn't consumed by the creation of bound magic, and remained separate. We have different magics; that's why you can't make me change the clouds or weather. But you did bind me.

"We all live on this Earth, and because of that, we have material bodies. You bound my physical form, but not my mental or metaphysical." He smiled bitterly again, his filed teeth visible. "And that is enough." And so quietly that I could hear him, he whispered to himself, "for now."

Lin was quiet now, digesting these facts. And I was thinking, too, not paying attention, like Lin. Because there was a sharp cry that rent the air, reverberating around the mountains. My head jerked up, looking to make sure everyone was safe. I saw Aurelias, and I was here…but where was Lin?

And that's when I saw that there was a black hole where Lin had stood, a gaping pit that she had fallen through. I pulled off my pack and placed it on a nearby rock, slithering on my belly over the ice, peering down into the hole. And I saw Lin. She had fallen through, but she landed on a ledge. But the ledge was covered in stalagmites. And she had landed on one; the tip of it stuck out from her side, and her face was a mask of pain.

I turned, looking for something to help Lin. And I noticed that Aurelias was just standing there, a pleasant smile on his face. He sat next to the hole, his feet dangling in, looking nonchalant.

"Aren't you going to help her?" I demanded, a shrill note of anger and annoyance and care in my voice. "Or are you just going to sit there, like a stupid, grinning fool! Do something!"

Aurelias laughed, a deep, barking laugh that sounded like the growl of a bear mixed with a few drops of manic hilarity. "Miss I-can-do-everything-and-don't-need-your-help has gotten herself into her own messes, and since she can take care of everything, she'll get herself out of her messes." And with a nod to me, he said, "That means 'no'."

"She's your master!" And drawing a few conclusions hoping I was right, I shrilled out, "And if she dies, and you do nothing, won't your guilt get you? And if it doesn't, you'll be stuck forever and ever with a stupid freakin' chain around your neck! Because dead people can't undo spells." I hoped I was right, and I wasn't, then hopefully there wouldn't be any extreme consequences.

His eyes closed, and I saw the dark blue veins on his eyelids, easily visible through his pale skin. His pale eyelashes fluttered. "There it's done. How did you know?"

There was a thump and a loud cry of agony. I turned on my heel, tears of relief in my eyes. Because Aurelias had lifted Lin out of the pit and dumped her on the ground in front of me. Her eyes were squeezed shut in pain, and there was a dark stain on her jacket that turned the ice a pinkish color.

"You need to fix her!" I cried, clenching my fists.

"I need to?" He seemed surprised, and there was a faint smile that hovered around his thin lips. "I don't need anything. It's all you mortals. You want, want, want, and you never thank or apologize for what you do. I don't need to do anything."

I sighed, muttering curses to the sky, and picked up Lin, who squeaked in pain. And because I had to pick her up, I couldn't take my own pack, which still sat on the rock. And Lin's pack was still in the icy crevasse, irretrievable. So were losing food at an alarming rate. The only pack still left was Aurelias's.

I was tired and I had to sling Lin over my back in a fireman's lift, making her even more uncomfortable. Aurelias walked ahead, oblivious to Lin's condition or my own, whistling cheerfully to himself.

I decided to follow Aurelias's path, putting my feet where his had been. Because Lin hadn't and she had fallen into the pit, and now she was bleeding and unconscious. We were heading upwards, large rocks barring our way. Aurelias started to climb, placing his feet into available niches, and I took every step that he did. And climbing upwards, my face to the sky, I felt the slightest tough of cold on my face.

And there was a wetness on my eyelashes, yet I wasn't crying. That's when I saw small flakes of snow standing out against the dark grey of the rocks. The clouds had come, brining the unwelcome snow. And as we climbed, flurries drifted from the dismal sky, making things even more uncomfortable.

Aurelias had stopped whistling, his attention on climbing. He looked down at me. "This snow is coming down faster and faster. Hmm…it was the dark of the moon last night, before these blasted clouds obscured the sky. Prime hunting times for the Yeti; they'll be hungry right now. Watch your step, mortal!"

I shivered, from the cold and fear and hunger clawing at my belly. Yetis? I had read about them, but dismissed them as the daydreams of attention seeking amateur mountaineers. But now I wasn't so sure. I didn't know what to believe or doubt, because I had been sucked into this crazy cross county adventure with my sister, Lin. It was almost like Around the World in Eighty Days. But unlike Phineas Fogg, I wasn't going to fall in love and marry someone who wasn't a relative.

I scowled. And to make matters worse, Aurelias had kicked a handful of snow off the top of a rock as he climbed. And naturally, it fell on me, landing on my face and sliding down the back of my coat and melting. And it was cold and an unexpected surprise. And I couldn't get the stupid melting snow from my neck without dumping Lin on the rocks. So I was miserable, cold, and along with that, wet.

And as I was climbing, to make my day, there was a growl from below. I looked down, afraid. There was a Yeti, with five of its brethren, climbing up the rocks. It was covered with grayish white fur, helping it blend in with the snowy rocks. It had monkey-like paws, flexible and hairless, like an orangutan's. It climbed with ease; its long arms looking like a mad artist had stretched the physique of a human.

It climbed quickly, faster than I had imagined, and it communicated to its friends with a series of grunts, growls, and clicks. Its dexterous hands and jointed feet grabbed hold of every rock, its swinging arms bringing it closer and closer to me.

Aurelias heard their loud noises and started to climb faster. I followed, my desperation and fear lending me strength. But still, the six Yetis climbed, following us. They were huge, about six feet in height and covered in thick, shaggy fur that smelled disgusting.

Aurelias stopped climbing, and I couldn't see him anymore. And then my cold, scratched hands felt for the next rock, but there wasn't one. There was some flat, icy surface above. My hands scrabbled for it, and with effort, I pulled myself onto that slick surface.

It was a sort of ledge, a narrow one, formed on the side of the mountain. It might have been, long ago, a pile of rocks. But accumulated snow had been too much, and the weight of it had pushed it down, making that hill of rocks that I had to climb, a few minutes before.

Aurelias made no move to help me, he just started climbing up the ledge away from me. And I held Lin, backing to the part of the ledge that faced the rock wall. And that's when the first arm of one of the Yetis flung itself onto the edge of the ledge. I kicked at it, and watched it retreat. But it found another place to put its hand.

All twelve pairs of hands found their way onto the ledge. But it was getting harder to see, more and more flurries of snow drifting from the sky. I looked up, hoping Aurelias would come to my aid. And I saw him climb up higher and higher, ignoring me and Lin.

Author's Note: Review and flame me, please! It just makes me laugh, those authors that are afraid of criticism. Hah! But if you're a creepy flamer and stalker combination, then that's going too far.

So, what exactly happens next? Sorry for the cliff hanger here, but I am too lazy to add anything more. Heck, this is an extended version of a chapter, with more that thirty percent more text! So, to get a next chapter, you'll have to review. Because the best (or at least mediocre) things in life don't come free.

And like Chiron says, "There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Also, I'm working on a new PJO story, and hopefully that'll go well. :)

And just a note in the note, I finished this chapter ages ago, but since no one was reviewing, I kept it back. But then I realized that writing isn't about how many reviews you've got so you can show it off to others, but about expressing yourself so that the police can tell by your comments and style how morbid you are when you're dead in a homicide.