Book 9: Chapter 32
When I woke up the next day, I was almost incapable of standing up.
It wasn’t because my legs were frozen numb, but because our clothes from yesterday were covered in snow, which the fire melted. The air behind us, on the other hand, was very cold, thereby causing the parts of our coats that were in contact with the ground to freeze up and attach to the ground. It was frozen stiff. Philes had to break it with his sword in the end.
The weather outside was the same. It was still snowing and blowing cold winds. We made ourselves a warm breakfast using the fire. It took ages for the rye bread we boiled in water to soften up. However, that was the most appropriate food to bring on our journey. I couldn’t bring luxurious foods in these conditions, so I had no choice but to suffer with my men.
After we finished breakfast, we exited the cave, only to discover that our horses oddly formed a circle.
Under normal circumstances, horses gather together instead of forming a circle, like this, as gathering together would help each other stay warm. Forming a circle, like this, made it clear they were trying to protect something inside the circle.
I walked over to the centre of their circle and paused.
‘Mm.’
I didn’t see anything that surprised me, but it was the contrary. I was bewildered, for I didn’t see anything.
There was nothing, but white snow on the ground. The only difference from yesterday was that our traces from yesterday had been covered by the snow.