Breaking the Ice (Book 1)

Chapter Sixteen

SLEET

"Where are we going?" The Icee questioned Flare.

"Merchants." he replied, muttering bitterly. Sleet shifted the weight of Luna, who was still on his back. Thank the winter guard that she wasn't that heavy.

"So why are we going there?" Sleet groaned, disgusted at the shifting sands beneath him. He didn't want to go any farther, but his legs carried him on.

"What? You don't want shoes for that Nightling pet o' yours?" The bastard Heatling looked over his shoulder at them, a smirk on his face. Luna tensed up on him.

"I ain't no one's pet!" she snapped, alarmingly close to the wolf's sensitive ear. His theory was that the heat was making her grumpy. Flare rolled his eyes and continued to walk.

In the far distance was something red, Sleet squinted his eyes, trying to see what was out there. But his eyes watered by the dry temperatures that it blurred whatever was there.

"What's that?" Sleet rasped, his voice suddenly felt dry. Flare raised his head, examining the area as Sleet jogged to catch up. The Icee licked his dry lips and kicked off the sand between his toes. He could feel Luna hang on tightly to his shoulders. Then he heard her gasp.

"What? What?" he asked.

"I think those are...tents?" Luna cocked her head. Flare let out a loud sigh beside them.

"Are those the merchants?" Sleet asked. "You were serious about that?"

"We'd be safe there. There's safety in numbers, so snakes won't bother a large group of people." he informed. "But who knows? I don't speak snake."

The Heatling began to speed up, Sleet had to pick up the pace to catch up with him. "Sun's going down." the Icee observed, staring at the setting sun ahead.

Flare let out a sarcastic gasp. "Wow, really? I didn't know that!"

After several minutes of running, the trio made it under the tents. The sun had just kissed the horizon and was nearly down. The night sky on the other side revealed itself. Sleet placed Luna down, then turned to Flare. He marveled at the stars, something the Icee prince did not expect.

His ears twitched, he sped around to see a figure sprinting toward the tent. He could tell by his clumsy running that he was panicking. Flare broke away from his admiration for the sky and chuckled. "Poor guy's not gonna make it." he laughed, watching the screaming maniac approach slightly closer.

Suddenly, without warning, Luna rushed out from the tent and towards him. Sleet shouted her name but she didn't pay any mind. She cupped her hands around her face as she yelled, "Come on! You can do it!"

What is WRONG with her?! Sleet rumbled in his head. Doesn't she know she could get herself killed?!