“It’s already said and done. You did your best, did you not?”
“...Yeah, perhaps. But I don’t want to believe the marquis died for something as worthless as a noble’s prestige. It was surely my thoughtlessness.” A bit too late, I know, Regis added to himself.
Altina nodded back. He watched as a small, white grain grazed her face from above, causing him to look up at the sky. A number of white shadows fluttered their way down.
“Snow...” she muttered.
Regis shrugged.
“Snow on my first day... Talk about a warm welcome. Ahaha...”
“You won’t be laughing when this becomes a blizzard.”
“...You’re right.”
“Have you ever lived in the north?”
“I’ve read about it in books.”
“...I see. We’re picking up the pace—hold on to something!” Altina let out a noise that blended anger and amazement as she cracked her whip at the horse.
✧ ✧ ✧
A wolf cried out in the distance. Its familiar howl was a symbol of fear for all travelers, and as it turned out, for the horse pulling the cart as well. It suddenly gave a grand shake of its head and veered off the road.
“Get back!” Altina tugged at the reins.
The horse neighed.
Regis froze.
The cart meandering down the snow-piled path gouged out damp earth as it suddenly slid and ended up at a diagonal. The wood and brick loaded in the canopied bed behind them took a noisy tumble that ended with the ominous sound of snapping wood.
An impact to the rear set Regis’s body momentarily afloat.
“Waaaah!?”
“Bear with it!”
It was Regis who had screamed, Altina gripping his shoulder in an attempt to hold him down. He barely avoided falling from his seat.
The cart had come to a halt smack-dab in the middle of the road.
The horse came to a stop and brayed. It seemed to be aware of its mistake, its behavior almost anxious, like a child waiting to be scolded.
Altina jumped down from her seat, huddled up to the horse, and caressed its head.
“Are you okay? Are you injured?”
The horse answered with a chuff. Regis had no idea what it had meant but noticed Altina’s subsequent concern over its right hind leg.
“Is it in danger?”
“...He’ll run if you force him, but... if his leg worsens much more, he’ll have to be put down.”
Altina stroked the horse as she let out a sigh. She removed the harness to let it rest, though she made sure to fasten a rope to prevent it from straying.
Regis gazed at the hazy horizon beyond the snow.
“Is it far to Fort Sierck?”
“Around five lieue (22 km)... but we won’t make it if we walk from here.”
“Why?”
“A blizzard is coming. And we have no lantern, so the night will be pitch black. If we lose our path and wander into the fields, we could walk till dawn and still never reach the fortress. We could even fall into a ditch.”
“Well, I’d rather not walk five lieue with my luggage to begin with.”
“Are you really a soldier!?”
“Haha... I was always terrible at the loaded march. I would end up stranded from the rest, and at that point it became more survival training than marching.”
Altina sighed again and pressed her fingers against her temples.
“What should we do?” Regis tilted his head.
“Shouldn’t the tactician be the one coming up with ideas here?”
“No, I may have some skill in moving troops, but... this is a job for a peddler, adventurer, or soldier.”
“You are a soldier!”
“Oh, right.”
“You really are something!”
“Hey, just stay calm, Altina. These things generally tend to work themselves out.”
“Oh, you’re right. I’m sure that, after the two of us have frozen to death in the blizzard, everything will be fine.”
“That’s a little harsh...”
“So do you really not have any ideas?”
“Hm, let’s see... I guess I could give this a read.”
Regis took out the book he’d purchased in town.
“Ah, you bought a book for this very situation? I should expect no less from a top strategist.”
“Well, uh, this piece is about a fairy who appears before a young boy, making six beautiful women from his storybook come to life. It is a complete work of fiction, and—”
“Are you stupid!? This is no time to read such nonsense!”
“Nonsense? How rude. I believe you owe the author an apology.”
“If you freeze to death, you’ll never be able to read again! The closest you’ll get to a story’ll be the priest reading you your last rites!”
“That’s precisely why... I at least want to read the last book I bought.”
“You’ve given up way too quickly!”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But panicking will get us nowhere; we should be level-headed in this situation. First off, let’s move to the wagon. The cover should be a slight improvement, at least.”
“...You have a point.” There was already snow piling onto Altina’s head and shoulders when she climbed into the wagon.
The skid had forced the loaded lumber and brick to one side. Regis lowered himself down in the now empty spot, and Altina took a seat nearby.
“You were right. We’re protected from the wind in here.”
“It’s still pretty cold, though.”
“We can’t do much about that. Once we get to the fort, I swear the first thing I’m going to do is take a hot bath.”
“A hot bath? That’s quite the luxury for a cab driver... Are you, by chance, acquainted with some higher-up at the fort?”
“Urp.”
For some reason, Altina was at a loss for words. Not too far off, he inferred.
“I guess I’ll find out once we reach the fort.”
“If we reach the fort...”
The snow and wind grew in strength, making for a genuine blizzard. It was fierce enough to reach the inside of the canopy. Altina’s shoulders shivered uncontrollably.
“Brr...”
Regis tried thumbing through a book in his memory.
“It’s best not to move in this situation.”
“Is that so?”
“Rather than wasting energy, we’re better off waiting for another carriage to pass by. How many people in the fort know about your absence? Would they forget about a hired driver? Do you have friends waiting for you?”
“I-I don’t know... I’m pretty sure they haven’t forgotten about me. They should be... worried. Probably.”
“Then there’s a high chance a search party will come before night falls. There’s only one road between the fort and town. They shouldn’t hesitate if they already know where you should be.”
“I see... You’re pretty clever.”
“I’m just using the information I’ve learned from other people.”
I’ve just read a similar tale in a book, Regis thought. That was all it was to him.
“Now that that’s settled, we need to use what we have to stave off the cold.”
Altina shot up.
“Ah, that’s right. I’ve got just the thing!”
“Mn?”
“We have a cloth with us... though it is rather small.”