Page 173 of The Heart of Winter

This time, something stronger tore from my lungs.

And then, his motionless figure twitched.

Immense relief surged through me, so strong I barely registered it before dizziness threatened to knock me out again.

Slowly, his head lifted.

He looked at me.

And for a second, I felt like I wasn’t looking at my Sariel anymore.

His eyes were pale, just like his entire face. His lips were dry and cracked. He stared at me as if I were a ghost, a hallucination. And maybe that’s exactly what I looked like to him.

"You came…" he mumbled.

"I did…"

His eyelashes trembled. "I… I gave up. I was… getting ready to die."

"But I came," I whispered. "I had to. You didn’t come back last night, Sariel… I was scared for you."

We spoke in broken sentences, too exhausted to manage more.

"I found food, Winter," he murmured. "We’re saved."

"That’s… great." I was surprised by how little enthusiasm I could muster. "But first, we need to get you out of there."

I shifted back a little, yanked off my pants, and tied them to the end of my jacket sleeve.

Then I dropped them down.

The ice-cold rock beneath me sent shivers through my body, but I ignored it.

"Grab on," I said.

Sariel straightened slightly. And that’s when I saw it: when he stood on his toes, his hands were just about within reach of the cliff’s slippery edge.

He grasped the fabric and, using one leg and his free hand for support, began pulling himself up.

I was stunned at how strong and coordinated he still was! I could never have done that in this state of starvation.

Then, after a moment, I realized why Sariel still had so much strength.

Something large and gray was bulging against his back.

Food.

He had food with him.

He was freezing here, but he wasn’t hungry!

That must have been giving him just enough energy to keep his body from completely shutting down, keeping him warm from the inside.

The moment Sariel made it onto the safe side of the cliff, he grabbed me, pulling me away from the edge, backing us up several feet—

And then—

He sprang right into action!

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