“Probably a bear.”
Someone laughed softly. Jason craned his neck, trying to see who might be out there, but he couldn’t make out anything. “I haven’t seen any sign of a bear.”
“Because it stays in the cave. We’ve seen plenty of bears in this part of the world.”
Jason grabbed his coat, pulling it tight around himself. There were bears in this part of the world, though they weren’t all that common. It was what made his bearskin coat as valuable as it was, though not nearly as valuable as the dragonskin jackets people like Reltash wore. There was advantage to that type of clothing. It absorbed the heat of the wearer, and through that, they were able to stay far warmer than they otherwise would in this part of the world. Dragonskin had helped his people survive in these lands. With the bearskin, Jason had survived, though barely. Yet since encountering the dragon, the bearskin was no longer quite as necessary as it once had been. Those who didn’t have furs—or dragonskin—used some of the tellum mined nearby, though that was incredibly expensive. It was cheaper—and often easier—to find some animal and use its hide.
“Go in there,” Reltash said.
“I’m not going in. Look at how narrow that is.”
“We’ve got to see if there’s anything in there.”
Jason tensed. If they came into the cave, they might find him, but worse would be the possibility of their finding something that indicated the dragon had been here. As far as he knew, there was no sign of the dragon, and yet, if the creature did return and find that someone else was here, it might attack. He didn’t want anything to happen to these people, regardless of how much Reltash annoyed him.
He considered shouting to scare them off, but any noise he might make would only entice them to come and investigate. He thought about throwing something at them, but it would have the same effect. It would be better for them to try and fail than to be tormented.
He backed up into the cave, watching. If nothing else, he had to be prepared for the possibility he might need to hide if they did make it in here. There wasn’t really any place for him to hide other than to jump in the stream, and though he had survived the ice-cold water once before, Jason didn’t think he would be able to do so again. The last time had been because of the dragon.
Shadows along the mouth of the cave caught his attention as a hulking figure started forward. The strip of land was so narrow that anyone who attempted to enter would have a hard time, though that wasn’t really his concern. He was more worried about the possibility that they might damage the ground, making it so that he couldn’t get back out again.
As he watched, the person trying to enter the cave took a step, then another, sliding their feet along the edge. When they took one more, they slipped.
Jason had been there, and he understood the treacherous footing, and he knew exactly what the person must be feeling, the way their heart lurched into their throat, the terror as they looked down at the water, the knowledge they might soon plunge into icy cold that would potentially be fatal.
Their arms flailed. If they pushed themselves up against the wall, they should be able to hold their footing, but if they’d never come to the cave before, they might not know that.
They continued to flail, and then slipped.
As Jason watched, it seemed almost as if time stopped. The figure spun, arms whipping at air, grasping for something to hold on to—and failing.
They dropped toward the water.
The splash was loud in the cave.
The cry echoed but then was silenced.
“Grab him,” Reltash said.
The stream was fast, the current drifting quickly, and even if the others managed to pull the person out, it would take a miracle for them to be able to survive the cold.
“I couldn’t get him.”
Jason slipped forward.
“Try again!”
“It’s moving too fast.”
Wet and cold in these mountains don’t mix.
Jason looked out at the water. He had fallen into it before, and yet, he didn’t think he could survive it again. There was one thing he could do, though. He understood the way the stream curved as it headed down the slope of the mountain.
Racing out of the mouth of the cave, he slid, jumping across the stream, and glided down the mountain. Reltash shouted something after him, but Jason ignored it. He wasn’t about to let somebody drown—or freeze—when there was something he might be able to do. He had no idea if he would even be able to accomplish anything. Time in the water was dangerous, and it wouldn’t take very long before they would be overwhelmed by the temperature. How long did he have? Only a few minutes, and perhaps not even that long. The longer they spent in the water, the lower their temperature would drop, and even dragonskin wouldn’t be enough to keep them alive.
He dropped to his buttocks, sliding along the snow.
He picked up speed as he went and stared into the distance, praying he would be in time to reach the stream as it worked back around. He didn’t know if the person who’d fallen in would have passed here yet, and even if he managed to reach it, what did he really think he could do?
Getting here would be challenging, and once he pulled the person out of the water, he didn’t have any supplies to warm them up.
Other than a dragon pearl.
He would have to think about that later. He hadn’t tried using it much since surviving the Dragon Soul attack. It was possible that even with the dragon pearl, he wouldn’t be able to generate enough heat, but he was determined to try.
He glided. In the distance, the sound of the stream bubbling as it raced down the mountain caught his attention and he dug his heels in, trying to slow himself.
And then he was there.
Bracing as he neared the edge of the stream, he caught himself before plunging into the water.
He looked upslope, searching for anyone who might be floating along in the water. The stream wasn’t very wide here, only a few feet across, but with as cold as it was, Jason understood how panic would set in, making it difficult for anybody to escape.
Movement upslope caught his attention.
A figure cloaked in dragonskin floated.
It was only their face and the dark outline of the cloak that was visible, but Jason braced himself, prepared to grab for them.
As they neared, he reached into the water and grabbed.
The current was fast—almost too fast—and he was nearly torn from his feet. He dug in, holding himself as steady as he could, and pulled. Angus came free.
He had pale skin, made even paler because of the cold, leaving his lips a shade of blue. His eyes were frozen closed, and yet he still seemed to breathe.
Jason tossed him on the shore. Grabbing for the dragon pearl, he pressed his hands upon Angus’s chest. Drawing energy from the dragon pearl was tricky. It involved him focusing on some part of himself he wasn’t fully aware of, and yet he understood there was power within him that he could reach for, if only he could get to it.
It came like a fluttering deep within him. It connected to the warmth inside of him, and he pushed it out, letting it flow through the dragon pearl, and it exploded on Angus.
He held his hands there. There was an advantage of the dragonskin in that it would absorb most of the heat, and if nothing else, it would provide a certain level of protection for him.
Jason held his hands there, not moving, squeezing Angus’s cloak tightly. Heat began to emanate and steam billowed off the cloak, burning off the water.