Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Hanna stared at the sky, waiting for the nausea and headache to pass. White flecks drifted through the air around her, landing in her dark hair. Smoke from the destroyed castle still rose into the sky. A structure that large would be smoldering for weeks long after the fires were dead, but the sun was visible again as it sank into the horizon. Now its brilliance was blinding. Hanna numbly blinked at it anyway. She raised a hand to block the sunshine, not noticing that the borrowed parka slid out of place. Only then did she realize her fingers were trembling. Hanna watched her hand involuntarily shake as though it were a foreign object. That doesn’t seem like a good thing. When was the last time I could feel the cold? She let her arm drop back into the snow and squinted at the sun again. Is light supposed to hurt?

The sound of an engine approaching indicated Misty found what she set out to look for. “Hey.” Misty's boots crunched in the snow as she came up to Hanna. She glanced from Hanna to the sky and back, but whatever face she was making was hidden behind her snow gear. “Why are you- never mind. Here.” Misty offered her hand. “How do you feel? Can you stand?” 

Hanna rolled to her side and sat up without Misty's help. “I'm better,” she answered. “I just needed to lie down for a second. I'm okay now.” She offered the coat back to its owner.

“Keep it.” Misty jerked a thumb behind her. “I found two snowmobiles. I'll go grab the second one and we can work on getting your friends out of here. Don’t push yourself.” She turned and left again. 

Hanna watched Misty leave and stared blankly at the coat still in her hand. She warily stood up and went to check on the others. She went to EDJ first. He was still frozen and on his side. I bet he’d make a decent sled. She had half a mind to push the giant ice cube and see how far he slid down the mountain. With a good deal of effort, Hanna pulled the frozen statue into a more upright position. She didn’t see any weak points in the prison, but also didn’t trust him not to break out at any moment. At least the natural cold is keeping him from melting. She glanced at the sun again. Still… I can't let him get away… never.  With the minimal energy she had left, Hanna froze another layer of ice over EDJ. 

Misty was pulling up with the second snowmobile when Hanna finished. She pulled her goggles up again. “Err… Why are you covering that one with more ice?” she asked. 

“The one in ice is none of your concern,” Hanna answered coldly, moving toward DJ. The lancer was still unconscious, much to her disappointment.

Misty frowned behind her scarf. “...Ok. Whatever.” She shook her head, as though she couldn’t actually drop the subject. “But we really shouldn’t leave him frozen. He might die, if he’s not dead already.” 

That’ll be the day. Hanna snorted as she tied the parka around DJ. That will have to do for now. “He’s not dead and he won’t die. Leave it at that.” Her tone shifted. “Don't worry, if this goes smoothly, you won't become involved any more than you already are.”

Misty raised a brow. I highly doubt that.

Hanna turned to the acquaintance. “Do you think you can take my friend on your snowmobile? I’ll take the mirror on the second one. I can’t risk anything happening to…” she glanced at the mirror, faltering. “...to him.” The surface of the mirror was veiled in white. Whether it was ash or snow, Hanna couldn’t tell. She moved to the object and brushed off the glass. The outdoor lighting made it difficult to see much more than Lui’s face and even then it wasn’t clear. 

“Oh yeah, I can deal with that, no problem,” Misty answered lightly. “Don’t worry, I drive these things all the time. But we should move quickly.” 

Hanna nodded, turning back to Misty. “I will be watching you at all times. This doesn’t mean I trust you.” 

“I don’t blame you,” Misty answered in understanding, pulling down her scarf to speak clearer. “It would be difficult for someone to trust their friend’s lives with a complete stranger.”

Hanna thought about the situation for a moment. “Does anyone else stay at your cabin?” she asked.

“No one, just me,” Misty replied. “And don't worry. It's got electricity and running water and such.”

Hanna nodded. “Good. I need someplace to keep them safe… preferably without anyone else around.” It wasn’t so much that she was trying to hide as it was the fact that she didn’t want to deal with any more people. Especially when she didn’t know who was in league with whom. She was taking a risk trusting Misty at all, even though the stranger displayed nothing but kindness to her and her friends. “I still don’t understand why you’re so willing to help me,” Hanna muttered. 

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Misty said with a smile. “It’s what I’d do for any of my friends.”

“Friend?” Hanna’s head snapped up in surprise and confusion. She herself had been the least friendly person throughout the entire exchange. And what could she say about her actions toward the people closest to her? Half the time, she felt like she needed a neon sign above her head warning others: not friendly. Maybe then they would leave her alone, even though being alone was the one thing she feared above all else. Friend. Hanna pursed her lips and looked away in humiliation. In a low voice, she said, “I would highly recommend not becoming my friend.” It would only cause you unnecessary sorrow.

Before Misty had a chance to answer, the unconscious man moved. “Ack!” She jumped back, not expecting the body to move at all, but quickly regained her composure. 

DJ woke up, lifting his head slowly. “Wh-what happened?” 

“DJ!” Hanna rushed to his side. “You had me worried! Are you alright?” 

“Yes, I seem to be fine…” he answered slowly, still getting his bearings. 

Hope it’s not the same way Hanna uses the word ‘fine’, Misty thought.

Hanna helped DJ stand, though he needed support. “This is Misty. She’s agreed to help us,” she said while gesturing to the stranger. Misty waved at him pleasantly. Hanna lowered her voice. “She says we can use her cabin to warm up. It’s too cold for you and Lui here. I don’t know if we can trust her, but… I don’t know what else to do.” 

“I had the strangest dream…” DJ said absently. “A far-off memory… I thought I saw…” He did not finish his train of thought, but vacantly stared ahead. 

Hanna frowned. “DJ? Did you hear anything I just said?” 

“Huh?” DJ might have been able to come up with a more coherent response had he been fully aware of what was going on. At the moment, he was still fighting brain fog and gravity. “How long was I out?”

“I have no idea. A couple hours maybe?” Hanna answered. It had been roughly forty minutes. She was not known for having a firm internal grasp on the passage of time.

DJ straightened, seemingly able to stand now without assistance. “How’s EO? And Lui?” he asked.

Hanna stepped back and toward the mirror, pausing long enough to point to the ice block. “I just covered EDJ in a few more layers of ice. And Lui… he's…” She let out a heavy breath and shook her head. “Nothing's changed.”

She sounds pretty worried about him. At least I have names to go with the faces now, Misty thought, taking in the information without interrupting. She noticed DJ staring directly at her, green eyes focused. 

He tilted his head quizzically. “Straw?”

Misty blinked at him. “Why would I need a straw? I don’t have a drink.” 

“Well, that’s maddeningly unhelpful,” DJ mumbled, gaze drifting away as he lost awareness of his surroundings again.

Whoa, he’s really out of it. Misty turned to Hanna, who was watching DJ with an obviously heightened level of concern. 

“DJ?” Hanna started carefully. “Snap out of it. What are you thinking?” 

DJ frowned. “I'm not sure what I'm thinking… my mind isn't working too well right now for some reason… cheeseburgers…”

“Are you sure you're all right?” Hanna pressed. 

“Positive!” he answered enthusiastically. DJ took one step forward and fell face first into the snow. 

Misty winced. Oh boy. 

“We have to get you off this mountain right now.” Hanna went to her fallen friend, throwing one of his arms over her shoulder and lifting. “Help me carry him.” 

Misty complied, rushing over the help on the other side. “Oof! How much of this dead weight is his armor?!” she complained, struggling a bit. 

“Rude,” DJ weakly cut in. 

“My bad.” Misty rolled her eyes. “I didn’t realize you were still conscious.” Hanna refrained from commenting, wearing a grim smile. They successfully got DJ to the closest snowmobile before Hanna went back for the mirror. 

“Lui?” Hanna knelt in front of the mirror and gently brushed the surface off again. The wind was stronger and they were quickly losing the light. His image appeared clearer now. “Can you tell if DJ’s alright?” Hanna asked softly. “I don’t know if you caught any of the conversation with Misty. I’m still not sure if she can be trusted. I don’t know… I just don’t know… What do you think?” 

Misty walked up behind Hanna and peered over her shoulder at the mirror. A blonde person looked back at her, head tilted in an uncannily similar manner as DJ had done moments ago. Misty waved at the man in the mirror. 

When Lui spoke, his words came through muffled, weak, and broken. “DJ… ok… maybe… Misty… good… fix…?” 

“Well at least someone believes me,” Misty said with a small laugh. She narrowed her eyes in thought. How did he get stuck in a mirror? How is that even possible? This is more critical than I thought. “Can you walk around in there?” she asked, trying to understand his situation better. 

The figure in the mirror blinked and twisted around in confusion. His mouth opened and he spoke, but the only word Hanna and Misty both caught was “...no…” 

Hanna frowned. Why is it so hard to hear him? The breakdown in communication was making things difficult. How will we ever be able to get him out if we can’t even hear him? 

“...Hanna?” 

Lui’s faint voice pulled Hanna out of her head. “Huh?” she looked up. “Yes, Lui… What is it?”

“We… get… off… mountain…?” he asked. 

She gasped and jumped to her feet. “Right! Sorry!” It was as though she only now remembered they were all still on the side of Mount Everest next to the ruins of a burning castle as the sun set and weather grew worse. Hanna turned to her new friend. “Misty, can you direct us to your cabin?”