Chapter 40

'Dark Journey'

'Bring Them Home'

'Slacker No More'

'Slow Decent Into Hell - Part III'

'Run…run…run…warn the others.'

Son'ya hears a voice repeating these words.

She is breathing hard as she arrives at the meeting place. She has no idea how she manages to reach the glacier summit where the others are waiting. Magnus sees the fear in her eyes. The vapor from her mouth comes out in hurried puffs. Her cheeks are bright red. Her heart is pounding. Magnus and the others had been trying to console Fern when their attention turns to Son'ya. He walks over to her.

"Son'ya, what is it? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

"He killed Boone…He killed Boone."

"What? Son'ya, calm down, what are you talking about?"

"We have to go…we have to go…we have to-to-to go." She frantically tugs at Magnus. He grabs hold of her.

"Okay…we'll gather everyone…where is Boone?"

"Co-cold…"

Roman wraps his woolen muffler around her head. She is shaking violently.

"Soni, look at me. Where is he?"

"Coming…he's coming for all of us." Son'ya turns to Sigi who is comforting Fern. Son'ya points an accusing finger at her friend and roommate. "It's your fault! You brought him here! You brought this evil to all of us and now we're going to die!"

Magnus tries to calm everyone down.

"No one is going to die! Son'ya, look at me."

Roman panics and shouts at her. He is trying to reason with her but his own fear is growing as well.

"Are you sure Boone is dead? Why would Dani hurt him? They're friends. Soni, you've got to snap out of it and speak rationally."

"Roman, she's shaken up already. Stop yelling."

"We have to find Boone!"

"Well, it's not going to do any of us any good to bicker and point fingers. We need to track down, Dantius."

Son'ya becomes hysterical.

"No…no…no…no…no…we have to go."

Roman turns to Magnus. There is a long silence as the confused group struggles for an answer. Magnus adjusts the hood on his down jacket as the winds pick up. The day had started out calm and sunny but it is not conducive to the leisurely hike that was planned earlier. Magnus looks at his friends.

"Okay, this is what we'll do…I'll go look for Boone. Roman, you try to get a signal on your phone to the next village and call for help. I'm going to give you my rucksack. It has food and emergency first aid. You'll need it for the trek back. Take it and the girls with you. Roman, can you do that?"

Roman stares blankly at Magnus. His usual jovial manner is gone. Magnus can see the fear in his eyes but he needs Roman to focus on getting Fern, Son'ya and Sigrid out of harm's way. He speaks to Roman again.

"Ro? Are you listening? I need you to take everyone and go." Magnus unfastens the sternum strap of his rucksack.

Roman comes out of his trance. He looks down then finally makes eye contact with Magnus.

"Y-yes. Okay."

Sigrid hugs Fern then steps forward to follow Roman. They are not alone.

"Is everyone leaving already? Weren't you going to wait for me?"

Son'ya gasps and pulls away from Roman. Magnus steps forward and shields Fern with his arms outstretched. He begins to unfasten his rucksack when he sees Dantius appear over the bluff.

"What do you want, Dantius?"

"I think you know."

"We don't want any trouble. We're just going to get the girls and head back into town."

"Always the practical and gallant hero, you are, Magnus."

"I'm not a hero; I just don't want anyone to get hurt. I'm going to find Boone."

Sigrid steps beside Magnus. She dreads asking the question everyone wants answered.

"Did you hurt Boone? If you tell us where he is, we can still help him, Dani."

"You can't help him now…"

"What? Why? Why Boone, Dani? What did you do? We wanted to be your friends. "

"You were never my friends. Perhaps you Sigrid. Would you still want to be my friend if I told you the truth? You only think you want the truth. I will not lie to you. Boone is gone."

"Dani, why are you doing this? What did you do?"

"Because I have a greater calling…Come with me, Sigi…I will give you anything if you join me. I love you."

"Dani, I don't feel about you in that way. Besides, Fern is here. Don't you care what happens to her?"

"I see she has run to you to poison your mind about me."

"Dani, please…let everyone go. If you care for me as you claim you do, stop this now."

Dantius fumes with anger as he looks at Fern. It is obvious to him that Fern has maligned him. He takes a step towards her. There is a dull humming sound coming from his right side. He raises his arm to reveal his lightsaber in his gloved hand. Son'ya screams. Dantius lunges towards Fern and strikes. Sigrid steps in front of Fern as the blade of the light saber comes down. Fern is hurled into the air and falls into the snow. Roman tries to help her but the force of Dantius' rage tosses him in the air as well. He lands and hits his head on an ice mound. Dantius just notices Sigrid stumbling backwards near the edge of the glacier landing when the lightsaber strikes. The blade slices off one of her long flaxen braids. The hum of the lightsaber is just centimeters from the right side of her face. His eyes widen as he watches Sigrid fall backwards. He manages to call out to her. Dantius lunges forward to grab her hand.

"Sigrid! No! Take my hand!"

Magnus turns at the same moment and attempts to save Sigrid. He disappears over the side with her into a crevasse. This all happens in an instant but it feels like the events occur in slow motion. Dantius screams.

"Noooooo!"

In his rage, parts of the glacier break apart sending a rumble through the valley and along the fjord. He stands at the summit as shards of glacier ice rain down around him covering everything in his path. Trekking poles fly precariously in the air and fall like darts. A white object, resembling a pennant or flag ripples in the wind before floating over the fjord.

Dantius drops his outstretched hand that was meant for Sigrid. His pale skin almost disappears as the snow and glacier ice swirls around him. Dantius looks down at his lightsaber. He turns it off then kneels to pick up something partially buried in the snow. It is Sigrid's braid. He stares at it. The opposite end of the cauterized braid is tied with bantha hide lace. He lifts the braid to his lips and kisses it. He regrets that he could not save her and disappears down the glacier to the trail from whence he came.

Some time passes on the glacier summit. Son'ya opens her eyes and looks up at the sky. Her entire body aches. She remembers being hurled into the air but nothing after. Small chunks of glacier ice almost cover her body. She bolts upright and exhales. She is alive. Suddenly she looks around. All she can hear is the wind. She is afraid of something but is unsure why. She begins sobbing.

Someone creeps up behind Son'ya and places their arms around her. Son'ya hears footsteps in the snow. She shivers and screams hysterically.

"Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

"Soni, it's okay…it's me. It's okay."

She looks up and sees Roman. His dark blond hair flies into his face. He has a bruise on his cheek. Son'ya squints to make sure it is Roman before she grabs onto his hand. Roman manages to smile to comfort her. He is still that beautiful young man with the ability to charm. Son'ya screams in pain.

"I can't stand up! What's happening?"

Roman gingerly reaches down and scrapes the chunks of fallen glacier ice that had almost buried her. Her blue pants are sticky and there is something odd about the fabric. He gently slides the bottom of her snow pants up above her ankle. He can go no further. The fabric is caught on something jagged. A grimace creeps across his face. There is blood-covered ice around her leg. He purses his lips then gently readjusts the pants around the top of her snow boot.

Someone is standing behind Roman watching.

"Oh, God! I think I'm going to be sick."

Son'ya looks up at the person speaking. It is Fern. The expression on Fern's face is not encouraging. Tears stream down her face. Roman turns to Fern. He speaks in a calm but firm voice.

"Fern, snap out of it. Listen to me. I need you to hand me a couple of trekking poles…one will do but, just in case…now!"

Fern stands and searches the ground for the trekking poles. She brushes away snow with her hand. She feels something under the blanket of snow. It is a pole. She pulls it up and then searches for another. She locates a pole. This one is almost embedded in the quick-freezing glacier ice. She tugs several times until it lifts from the ice. She knows who owns this pole. It belongs to Sigrid. A trinket is looped around the handle. A memento from Darth Taras, who they knew as Nikita Kubenko. Fern fights back tears as she gathers the poles. Fern places the poles on the ice next to Roman. He looks at her but no words are exchanged. She wipes her face before she returns to Son'ya.

Roman thinks about the first-aid kit but remembers that Magnus did not have a chance to hand the rucksack to him. He felt stupid that he was too lazy to carry the rest of the supplies to the summit. He thought it was a burden to carry it if they were going to head back down to the speeder for lunch anyway. The plan was to spend a few moments at the summit to view the fjord below. Magnus was annoyed but he would never berate Roman or complain, especially in front of the others. Magnus was their leader. He took care of things. He was the voice of reason.

Roman remembers that Boone called him a slacker. He jokingly called Boone slovenly. Boone said, 'Slovenly trumps slacker every time'. He could still hear Boone's voice in his head. Roman wanted to cry. His good looks and wealth are of no use in this place. His friends were gone. Fern and Son'ya were stuck with a useless friend to help them descend the glacier. He wonders if Son-ya and Fern trust him now with their lives at this crucial time.

Son'ya feels an intense throbbing below her knee.

"What's happening? Why am I in so much pain?"

"You have a fracture."

"I can't walk! How am I going to make it out of here? Don't let me die here."

"It'll be okay, Soni. We'll help you. Lay still."

"I don't want to die in this place."

Roman knows he must do something soon. He remembers that he has a utility knife and white tape in his pocket. He was going to post a sign to celebrate the group's ascent to the top of Lnteel Glacier once everyone arrived: 'High Attitude'. Magnus though it was a ridiculous sign. Roman once reminded Magnus that all of the protest signs made quite an impact on the crowds of people and so too would the victory banner. None of this mattered; True to form, Roman never came fully prepared. He forgot about a metal stake and hammer. All of which were left in the speeder below the trail. He does have something of use right now: juice pouches in his zippered inside pocket. He hands them to Fern.

"Fern, you should drink one. I need you to have enough energy to help me. Open the other one and Give it to Son'ya. She needs fluids."

Fern does as he asks. She was beginning to feel lightheaded and nauseated. She was never fond of muja juice but she is grateful for it now. The life growing inside her drained her of energy. Whatever it was, she did not care about it anymore. If anyone had to die up on this glacier, she hoped this 'thing' inside her was dead. She knew it was a horrible thought, but she recalls the evil that came to visit her friends and she wanted no remnants of it. Roman calls her.

"Fern? Fern! Are you with me?"

Fern had zones out for a moment. She blinks then looks at Roman. She feels a bout of nausea coming on but tries to resist the urge to vomit.

"Yes. I'm here…I'm okay." Fern removes her woolen scarf and hat. She places the hat on Son'ya and then folds the scarf into a makeshift pillow. She inserts the straw into the packet and places it to Son'ya's lips. She repositions her body so that Son'ya cannot see what Roman is doing.

Roman lifts his down jacket and removes his belt. He breaks the poles in half.

"Fern, I need you to keep her preoccupied. Hold her and don't let her move."

Fern quickly wipes her tear-stained face. She convinces herself that she can manage.

"Okay. I can do this."

"Good. I really need you now."

Roman feels his fingers tingling. He has never reset a broken leg before, and he has never seen anything this gruesome except on the holovids. He took a mid-semester first-aid course to boost his grade point average. Who would have imagined that it would be of any use?

Roman tries to focus on the task. He wants to close his eyes but this will not help Son'ya. He decides not to warn her of what he is about to do. It is not as if he is pulling a bandage off a scab. He manages a firm grip on the utility knife to make an incision in the pants leg. His hands are shaking and his heart is pounding as he considers what he is about to do. He whispers to Fern.

"Fern, keep her occupied…"

Fern tries to ignore her own problems in order to help Son'ya. Roman prays for a steady hand and that he does this right. Son'ya could lose her leg, or die. He takes a deep breath while Fern talks to her.

"We're going to find someplace warm next time. What do you think?"

"Yes."

"I'll start planning it. Kashyyyk is a great place. Hot surfer guys, good food, and bars all along the boardwalk. We'll make it a single girls' vacation –"

Fern thinks for a moment. If they make it off the glacier, how is she going to go to a beach party with a child in tow? She considers how foolish she had been to fall under the spell of someone as vile as Dantius. His charming words were lies. Her life is ruined. Her parents had hoped for more from their daughter. They would be heartbroken.

There is a strange clicking sound and Son'ya screams. Fern tries to hold her still. The wailing is unbearable. Fern hugs her and strokes her hair. Roman apologizes.

"I'm sorry, Son'ya I'm sorry." He drops the utility knife. He cannot believe what he has done. There is silence.

Fern cannot hold her emotions in any longer and begins sobbing. Roman is also crying. He reaches for Fern's hand. She brings his blooded hand to her cheek as they console one another.

More than an hour passes. The winds have died down. Roman decides it is time to leave. He is wearing his gloves. He does not recall pulling them back on after using the utility knife that was tucked securely in the pocket of his down jacket. Fern turns to look at him. She did this. He must have been so exhausted that he zoned out the entire time. Roman takes one of the woolen scarves and threads it underneath Son'ya and ties it around her chest.

"What are you doing?"

The faint voice is a shock to Roman but it also brings great relief. Son'ya had opened her eyes. Roman smiles down at her.

"We're going to get you out of here."

Her eyes dart around. She sees Fern and manages a faint smile.

"Someplace warm, I hope."

Fern smiles back at her.

"Maybe Kashyyyk."

Fern helps to lift Son'ya onto Roman's back. The other scarves are used to tie her to his waist. They slowly make their way down towards the hiking trail. It is slippery and it is cluttered with small boulders of glacier ice, which make the trail narrow and difficult to pass. Fern turns to look back at the tragic scene. Roman is in front of her but he knows she is looking, perhaps hoping that their friends Magnus and Sigrid will appear behind them.

"Don't look back, Fern."

Roman is on flat land again after a half an hour along the trail. He manages to pull his phone out of his pocket. There has been no signal for the past few hours. Son'ya is petite but the dead weight of her body on his back makes for an arduous journey to the valley. He is exhausted and hungry. He tries to concentrate on getting to the speeder.

Fern stops as they pass a familiar spot. The pale straw-colored shoots of dead vegetation appear strange. Some of the shoots appear to bend under a shallow mound. The shoots that remain upright sway slowly in the breeze. Fern hurries over and frantically digs with her gloves hands. She recognizes the dark brown curls frosted by the layer of snow. Boone's blue eyes look up at the sky. The pupils are not dilated but he is dead for sure. It was an unnatural death. Roman covers his mouth and begins to cry. Boone is gone. Fern looks up at Roman.

"We can't just leave him here."

"We can't carry two bodies, Fern." He touches her on the shoulder as he stares down at his best friend. "We'll come back for you, Boone…That's a promise."

They continue along the trail when a signal reactivates the phone. He hands the phone to Fern as he holds onto Son'ya. Fern chokes back tears as she speaks into the device.

"Hello…we need help…all of us need help..."