Turbulent, foaming water crashing over boulders and rocks threatened to overturn their little boat as Loren and Will stared into the gaping black hole in the mountain ahead of them.

“There!” shouted Will. “Over there!”

“Where?” screamed Loren.

“Look, the bank’s collapsed! It’s made a dam over there!” Will thrust his arm towards the embankment ahead.

Three spindly trees, dashed by the raging water, hung limply, barely rooted in the crumbling bank, and accumulated debris created a thin dam stretching from the shore.

“It doesn’t look strong!” cried Loren.

“Get the oars!” shouted Will.

“The current’s too strong!”

“Just row as hard as you can and grab the trees! We can crash into the beach bit, into the dam!” Will shoved his oar over the side and cried out as pain ripped through his forearm, nearly losing his paddle to the rapids. “Hold it tight!” he yelled.

Loren grasped her oar as tight as she could and they put all their effort into paddling as the water tore past. The river still pitched the dinghy in its torrents and their efforts made little difference, but then the little boat lurched out of the fierce flow and propelled them sideways.

The first tree rushed past, completely out of reach, and the second trunk loomed. Loren’s arms burned as the water tried to rip away her oar, and the tips of her wet wings wrapped themselves around her legs. She shrieked in frustration and fear. The boat tilted and swerved round a boulder and she breathed in relief. The second tree approached and the waves tossed them closer. Both Will and Loren stretched out their oars and clawed at the branches. Will’s blade caught and wrenched his arms, but he refused to let go. The oar stuck, jerking him out of the boat and plunging him into the water. Loren watched in horror as he disappeared beneath the foam.

With no time to think, Loren yanked back her paddle and tried to ignore the growing cave ahead. It crossed her mind to jump overboard, but instead she leaned as far as she could over the edge, thrusting her oar down into the water. It hit shingle and jolted out of her grip. Loren leaned again and the boat tipped into the path of another rock. Wood splintered and the boat spun before being flung into the thin branches of the third tree.

Time stood still as Loren clutched broken wood and tried to make sense of the collision. The boat rested, wrecked, in the skeletal branches. She leapt into knee-deep water. She struggled through and glanced over her shoulder as the remnants of the boat, now weightless, freed itself from the frail boughs and tumbled back into the river. Seconds later it smashed and shattered against the edges of the black hole.

Loren climbed over slippery rocks, scrambling to the shore. She turned desperately to the river, scanning the raging water. She couldn’t see Will and her heart hammered. Panic’s icy claws gripped but suddenly Will surfaced. He gasped for breath and slipped back under. Loren screamed his name and waded back into the river. Seconds later he emerged and a swirling wave thrust him towards the shore. He grabbed wildly at the thin branches that reached out to him, finally snagging one. It snapped in his hands as he tried to gain grip on the riverbed and he snatched again. The branch held and Will pulled himself out of the rapids and onto the crumbling bank. He shivered violently and wrapped his arms about his body.

Almost unable to speak they sank down on the springy grass. Loren tried to squeeze water out of Will’s thick woollen jumper. He pulled it over his head and twisted it in his hands, watching the torrent that poured from it. “Well, that’s useless now,” he said, still shivering.

Loren rubbed one of his arms, trying to eradicate his goosebumps. “Are you okay?”

“I am,” he replied with chattering teeth. “But I’m not sure about him.” Will grabbed the sopping sweater and retrieved the lechrad from inside the sleeve. He held the creature and began to rub him vigorously. “He’s been underwater too long. He’s c-cold but still breathing, just. He’s cold-blooded. H-He won’t last long like this.”

“Nor will you,” said Loren. “Here.” She took Orca from Will’s trembling hands and cocooned him in her own. She brought him up to her mouth and breathed softly up and down his scales, and then rubbed his back and belly gently. The warmth gradually brought the lechrad round.

F-F-F-Freezing, he muttered, cautiously opening one violet eye.

“So am I.” Will shivered and his fingers fumbled and slipped as he tried to grip the bottom of his sodden t-shirt. He slipped it off and tried to wring it out. “I’m glad it stopped raining. I hope the sun comes out. I need drying off.” He stared up into the sky as he put his shirt back on.

“C’mon, let’s get out of the wind,” said Loren, placing Orca on her shoulder and lifting the collar to protect him. “It’s sheltered beneath the mountain.” She grabbed Will’s arm and hurried through the labyrinth of boulders embedded in the grass towards the foot of the peak. “Have you still got the map?”

Will dug about in his wet pocket and fished out the soggy map. Loren took it in her fingertips. Once sheltered from the fresh wind, she squeezed out the water and flattened it out on the ground. Cauliflower ink patches pooled and she dabbed gently at them, trying to read the ghost streaks that were the original map.

“We have to get across this river and past the mountain.” She glanced back at the white foaming water. “We don’t want to be going up through Daenmawr Forest, here, either. Not that that sounds at all freaky.” She pointed her finger at ragged inky trees as sarcasm laced her voice. “Didn’t Arianwen defeat the Daenmawr?”

“Well, you’ve g-g-got her wings!” Will shook like a leaf struggling to hold onto a winter tree.

Loren’s wry laugh echoed. “We need to find somewhere to get help, dry clothes, and food.” She glanced at Will.

He nodded. “Yep, I’m s-starving already!” He shook violently again.

“Right, let’s not waste time.” She peered at the water rushing beside them, booming as it cascaded down into the darkness of the mountain. “Just north is Corris. We can try there. Are you okay?”

Orca was not all right. He trembled and his olive scales were tinged pale blue. Loren thought quickly and slipped her arm out of her jacket. She pulled at the shoulder seam of her top; it ripped, and she tore off the entire sleeve. She wrapped it around Orca and placed him on her shoulder. Bound by the material, hugged by her jacket collar, and draped by her hair, Orca felt slightly warmer. He curled his long tail around Loren’s neck again, linking it round his leg. He closed his eyes and allowed sleep to invade his cold body.

Loren and Will stood at the foot of the great mountain staring up at its grey slate, gloomy and harsh faces, and its inconceivable height.

“Is this Cadair Idris?” asked Loren.

Will shook his head. “No, that’s behind this one and even taller.”

Caves cut into the base of the range, tunnelling far inside. The river echoed as it crashed and disappeared noisily into the pothole, flooding into the hillside. Both of them gazed bleakly into the shaft and listened to the river as it rushed into blackness. “It’s deep,” said Will.

Loren’s voice was grave. “Even if we’d survived the boat, we’d have been smashed against the rock, or sent down into this black hole.”

“The river’s too dangerous to cross,” said Will. “We’ll have to climb over the rocks.” He scrutinized the rock face beside them and grabbed Loren’s arm as she began to climb in her squelching boots. “Wait! There’s a ledge over the hole where the river goes under.” Will clambered over boulders and cautioned his sister as his wet trainer slipped on slimy, mossy rock. “Follow me and be careful, the rocks are slippery.”

Loren followed. They climbed and scrambled onto the ridge above the tunnel. As the water roared beneath them, they rested. They stared at snow-capped evergreens in the distance, but the land either side of the river was barren except for a small valley from which smoke was rising. The land on the far south banks shone ghostly green, swathed in mysterious fog. Will made his way up to the vantage point and, despite the cold, grinned. “I can see smoke, chimney smoke maybe…but it’s all snow up ahead.”

They climbed across the shelf and hurried back down the rough crags. The peak, topped with snow, towered over them. Coarse mossy grass, strewn with gravel and grey stone, ran down the steep hillside and spread at the foot of the mountain range. The grey sky accentuated the damp grass and its intense colour. As the meadow stretched the lush green faded until it appeared bleached beneath the far away trees.

They jumped off the rocks and traipsed down the hill, keen to leave the river behind them. “We head north then,” said Will, gazing up at the gloomy sky. “Mid-morning, I’d imagine.” He tried to sound knowledgeable, ignoring his stabbing hungry belly.

“That late?” asked Loren.

“According to my stomach. You keep thinking it’s earlier, we’ll never know. Midday will be when the sun is right on top of us,” said Will. “Though we can’t see it properly right now.”

“I’m not stupid,” replied Loren.

Will stood still for a moment, measuring the elusive sun’s angle with his fingers as it peeped from behind clouds. Loren smirked. Her brother stepped forward and took a decisive step. “This way. See if we can find a track,” he said. Loren shrugged and stepped in behind him. They walked across the springy grass, avoiding patches of bog and scrubby heathers. White, fluffy tufts of cotton grass still wafted softly in the cool breeze atop the heathland, and bilberry bushes filled little hollows with late fruit. Loren dawdled as she plucked the tiny dark-blue berries and popped them in her mouth. Despite his clenching hunger Will wasn’t interested and shivered as he tried to hurry her.

“We have miles to walk, and I’m so cold.”

“I’m cold too. My wings are droopy and soggy. I think they’re falling apart under my coat, and I’m hungry,” replied Loren. “So, don’t begrudge me a few berries.”

“As long as we get somewhere I can dry out, I don’t care,” said Will without a backward glance. He strode forward without waiting for her.

Loren paused and watched him, a sorry sight, bedraggled and trembling. “We should light a fire or something. Dry off,” she called. “I’m drier than you, do you want my coat?” She watched him walk and shook her head. “We’ve nothing to make a fire with anyway.”

Will ignored her and kept walking, so Loren caught up.

As they moved across the chilly upland, the temperature dipped. The air grew cooler and fresher, and the grass froze, each blade encrusted with rime. The frost crunched beneath their feet as they hurried. Their cheeks grew red and their breath erupted in smoky swirls. Loren’s long brown hair swept behind her and the ends of her wings fluttered in the wind and around her legs. Their ears and noses flushed as the cold bit into them.

“It’s like when you c-can see snow on the mountains, but there’s n-none in town,” said Will with chattering teeth, surveying the scene in front of them.

“Then as we get to higher ground the frost gets thicker and crunchier,” said Loren, breaking into a run and listening as the crunch of frost turned to the squeak of snow beneath her boots. “And then you’re on top of the mountain and there’s proper snow!” She grinned, relishing the crunchy, virgin snow beneath her feet.

Will’s eyes twinkled despite the cold he felt, and he scooped up a handful of fresh, powdery snow.

Whop! shrieked Orca, waking, as the fine snow hit Loren’s shoulder and powder tickled his nose.

Loren bent to gather handfuls of snow and squealed as Will pelted her again. Giggling, she grabbed more and threw snowballs back. With each step the snow got deeper and softer. They chased each other, swerving, jumping, and leaping about in it. Orca’s wrap loosened and he gripped around Loren’s neck and waited until they finally collapsed in an exhausted heap.

“I feel warmer, but I’m still soaking,” said Will, getting up and jumping on the spot. “How am I going to get dry?” His teeth chattered violently as he stopped talking.

“The mountain’s sheltering us from the wind, but it is colder,” said Loren. “I’m cold and my feet are literally frozen. I think there’s ice in my boots!” She gazed up at the passing clouds. “The sun is peeping through, maybe it’ll get warmer?”

“Can’t feel it!” Will shivered.

“That’s not good,” Loren worried. “Where’s that town you saw?”

Will shrugged. “No idea. I don’t really know where we’re going anymore.” He trudged forward. “I’ll be fine, let’s keep moving.”

“Keep the sun to the east,” she muttered. “We need to get you somewhere dry.” She slipped off her jacket and tried to wrap it around her brother’s shoulders, but he shrugged it off and told her to wear it herself.

Loren set herself on what she thought was a north-westerly course and linked her arm through Will’s, ignoring his weak protestation. They walked, traipsing through the snow, and moved uphill as the barren heath turned into fields and sparse woodland with steep sides. They moved onto a rough track swathed either side with lanky conifers. Loren’s eyes fixed on the thick forest of trees across the sheer incline far in the distance.

The distant trees didn’t seem to get any closer no matter how long or how far they walked. Loren shivered and glanced at Will. He moved ahead, planting one foot in front of the other, but his steps were erratic and laboured. “Will,” Loren called her brother. “Will, wait!”

Will stumbled, tripping over his feet, and Loren hurried to him. “Will, are you okay?”

He nodded vigorously. “I’m f-f-fine.” His teeth chattered and he shivered violently. “I’m actually q-q-quite g-good.” He stopped and swung round to face his sister.

Loren’s heart skipped when she saw how pale he’d become. “Will, you’re too cold. You’re going to get hypothermia!”

He shook his head. “No, really, I’m g-g-good. Q-quite warm actually.” He lifted his hands and began to fumble with non-existent shirt buttons.

“What are you doing?” Loren asked, putting her hands over his.

“Taking my coat off. No, put-t-ting it on.” His eyes rolled. Loren rubbed his hands in hers.

“We need to warm you up a bit, come here.” Loren tried to hug her brother, but he was having none of it.

“D-Don’t be silly! K-K-Keep walking!” He pushed her off and began lumbering into the deep snow in the wrong direction.

Is he okay? asked Orca, staring up at Loren.

Loren ignored the chill striking her heart. “He’ll be fine, we just have to get somewhere warm.”

She grabbed Will’s arm, redirecting him, and they both plunged on until Loren suddenly stopped.

“Did you hear that!” she cried, whirling round on the spot.

“W-W-What?” asked Will, rubbing his white hands.

“That!” hissed Loren, her eyes widening.

“What?” her brother repeated. “I c-c-can’t hear anything.”

“Something shuffled.” Loren stood rigid, staring at the snow a few paces away.

“There’s nothing there.” Will shrugged his trembling shoulders. “It’s j-j-just snow, we’re not even near the t-trees yet. Let’s get t-to the trees, they’ll be warmer.”

Loren threw out a nervous glance. They were surrounded with nothing but snow, scraggly conifers, and their own footprints leading back to the mountain on the horizon. Will turned to his sister. His head hurt and his hands were numb with cold. “I need to get warm and dry, or I don’t think I’m even gonna make it to the trees.” He laughed nervously.

Before she even had a chance to nod, Loren shrieked as a pile of crumbly snow erupted before her. She leapt backwards landing flat on her back in the biting cold. Shocked and winded she rolled onto her side staring at the gurgling mound of snow in front of her. She blinked and rubbed her blurry eyes, trying to focus, and Will shouted, “Loren, get out of the way!”