that curtain of white? Without landmarks to guide them, they were likely to wander in circles until the cold finally claimed them.
Over and above that small problem, Ryld was already tiring. His House insignia allowed him to levitate, so that Halisstra could tow him through the air like a child's floater, but the concentration required to sustain the brooch's magic was wearying him. Allowing it to lapse, he sank gently to the ground and contemplated the snow falling into the tunnel.
Halisstra shivered, making him aware of just how woefully inad-equate her clothes were to ward off winter's bitter chill.
"Do you have any magic that will keep you warm?" Ryld asked.
She nodded and answered, "Eilistraee will grant me a spell that will help me resist the cold, but. . ."
"But what?" Ryld prompted.
Halisstra sighed and said, "It only lasts a short time. I'd have to recast it - several times - to keep warm all the way to the edge of the Cold Field. And that would mean not being able to recast the spell that's keepingyou alive."
"Then leave me."
The look Halisstra gave him needed no words.
"How long do I have?" he asked instead of arguing.
"The spell I cast on you should last the rest of the night, at least - until just after the sun rises," she told him. "I'll use my magic sparingly until then and count on the sun to keep me warm afterward. That should leave enough magic to slow the poison a second time. Let me know - immediately - if your pain worsens. The spell's duration isn't that precise. It could wear off suddenly, without warning. If the poison returns full force to your body, the shock could kill you. The fewer times I have to recast the spell, the better."
Ryld nodded.
Halisstra shivered, then added, "Let's get moving. I'll be warmer if I'm walking."
Once again Ryld levitated. Halisstra trudged up the slope and onto the open plain, boots squeaking in the fresh snow, towing him behind her, then she broke into a jog. After no more than a dozen steps Ryld was unable to see the worm hole behind them. Ahead lay a thick veil of falling snow that hid the landscape from sight. No stars or moon could be seen overhead. The sky was a solid, sullen gray. Thick flakes landed on the weapons master's close-shaved scalp, melted, and froze again.
For a time,the rapid pace Halisstra set kept her warm. But by the time the snow had deepened to calf level, she was shivering. She pressed on until her teeth began to chatter, then at last she paused and whispered a quick prayer to Eilistraee, her breath fogging in the bitterly cold air. When it was done she breathed easier. Gradually her shivers subsided.
As she'd predicted, the soothing effects of the spell didn't last long. Halisstra was able to continue for some time more, her jog slowed to a walk by the deepening snow, but then she began to shiver again. When she raised a hand to her lips, blowing on it, Ryld saw to his dismay that her fingertips had a grayish tinge. The surface elves had a word for it: frostbite. Ryld was coming to un-derstand why they'd chosen such an odd term. His own fingers and toes - and the end of his nose - felt raw, as if invisible creatures were gnawing on them.
"That spell doesn't last long enough," he observed.
"No," Halisstra agreed, her teeth starting to chatter again. "It doesn't."
Ryld squinted at the thickly falling snow that formed a curtain on every side. Though the sky was getting lighter, he could no longer see the battlefield debris that littered the ground due to the snow. A moment later, however, Halisstra's boot crunched down onto a piece of frozen bone, snapping it, reminding him that they were still on the Cold Field.
"We're not going to make it," Ryld said. "Not without help."
He paused as pain twisted his gut, making him gasp.
Halisstra's eyes widened.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "It can't be the spell ending - it's too soon."
Ryld allowed himself to sink to the ground and stood for a time with his hands on his thighs, breathing away the pain. When he felt steady again, he answered her question.
"It's the strain of levitating. I'm weak. Your spell delayed the poison, but by then the venom had already done a fair bit of damage, by the feel of it." He nodded at the Crescent Blade strapped to her backpack. "I'm expendable, but you