Chapter Nine – Lost In The Blizzard

Lyra’s POV 

I waited all night for Leandros to fall asleep. Yes, I intended to escape him tonight in the blizzard. I would never agree to dance to his tunes and allow him to sell me somewhere. The thought alone made me panic. 

It was almost 2 am, and all was eerily quiet around the log cabin. The blizzard had stopped for almost an hour now. It was my only opportunity to escape from here. I was ready in warm clothes and waterproof outer protection that Leandros had bought for me. Picking up a backpack from the closet, I stuffed it with spare warm clothes and my wallet. It contained the money I had taken from Leandros earlier. Opening the door as silently as I could, I sneaked into the kitchen. There was a thermos flask I had seen earlier while making dinner. I filled it with warm water and sneaked some food into my backpack. Putting in a lighter to light a fire, I zipped it up. Slowly, I sneaked out towards the main door when my gaze fell upon two sets of keys hanging near the door. I had seen his snowmobile in the garage earlier. Then the one hanging beside his car keys should be the keys to his snowmobile! 

I wasted no more time! I had to flee before Leandros woke up. 

In a minute, I opened the main door and tiptoed outside towards the garage, but the door was locked. 

How would I get the snowmobile out? 

In my desperation, I tried to fit the three keys into the slot, but none of them worked. I was at my wit’s end now. What would I do? 

I trudged back to the house and picked up the other set of keys. Thankfully, the first one I fitted in unlocked the door. I heaved a sigh of relief and rushed towards the snowmobile with the bunch of keys. 

Now it was a battle to see which one would work. After struggling for five minutes, I finally started the vehicle. 

My gaze fell upon a hand shovel Leandros used to clear the snow. It might be useful if I get stuck. I reached out and dumped it into the backpack, too. Thankfully, Leandros was still fast asleep, and I left the keys on his car bonnet and slipped out into the open. 

The entire area was submerged in thick snow! There was no other way I could have escaped. If only I could shift into my wolf! My life would have been so much easier! Pulling up my hoodie, I put on protective eyeglasses and steered the vehicle forward.

Soon I left the house far away as I sped towards the airport. It was my only way now. I could use a public booth and call Uncle Derrick to come over and get me.

The snow started again, and I could feel my hands freezing despite the protective cover. I couldn’t see Leandros’s house anymore now. 

The wind started howling in my ears as I sped towards my destination. It was the darkest night of my life! 

After an hour, I looked around me with a feeling of dread clutching at my heart. Where was I? With huge stretches of snow-covered terrain in front of me, it was difficult to know my location. I couldn’t make out the frozen lakes too. It was too treacherous with not a soul in sight. 

Realization struck me and I slowed down.

Was I lost? 

I looked around frantically for a signpost or a landmark, but there were none. I was now sure I had deviated from the highway! This wasn’t the way to the airport! 

I stopped the vehicle just in time to see the ice crack in front of me. Was I in the middle of a lake? Panic settled in my heart and I whirled the snowmobile and raced backward as fast as possible. The ice cracked behind me at an alarming rate! It would take me a minute to fall through and drown in the semi-frozen water underneath. Not a soul would know about me! 

With all my might, I fought hard and reached the edges of the lake where scanty vegetation could be seen peeking from under the ice cover. The ice mobile skidded to a halt, and I slipped and fell. Pushing myself up, I looked around in horror. The wind had picked up speed, and it started snowing hard. Visibility was almost nil now. How would I drive in these conditions? There was a boulder nearby with an igloo beside it. Could I seek shelter? 

I drove the snowmobile up to the igloo and got off to take a peek. It seemed abandoned with no one in sight. Could I take shelter here? I entered the igloo with fear, in case I encountered something dangerous. If I had experienced my first shift, I would have survived better in my wolf form. 

The igloo was warm with wood lying around. Maybe the inhabitants had used them to light a fire. I gathered the wood and lighted up a fire using my lighter. The fire was feeble, as the wood might have been lying in the snow for a long time, but it was enough for me. I opened the waterproof jacket and spread it on the floor to sit on. Taking out more warm clothes, I covered myself up and sat huddled in a corner when I remembered the food I had packed. 

As I bit into a beef sandwich, I prayed the blizzard would stop. How would I survive longer here without food and water? Did I do the right thing to escape tonight? I should have waited for the blizzard to stop at least! 

Now there was no use repenting my actions. I couldn’t go back! I was lost in a blizzard! Maybe in the morning, I could figure out my location better. All I needed to do was locate the Astral Mountains. 

Fatigue and exhaustion took a toll on me and I dozed off to sleep. 

When I woke up, the conditions still hadn’t improved. I munched on another sandwich and drank some water. At this rate, I would have nothing left for tomorrow! 

It was difficult to say if it was morning already! The sun was nowhere to be seen, and the blizzard kept on blowing outside with full force.

I wondered if Leandros had realized I had escaped him. Was he searching for me? Strangely, deep in my heart, I wanted him to look for me and find me. I didn’t want to die here. With nothing to do, I fell asleep again. When I woke up, I could see morning light outside the igloo. Did the blizzard stop? 

I was about to check when I heard footsteps outside the igloo. Panic settled in my heart. Did the actual owner of the place return? What if he was a bigger criminal than Leandros Vasiliou? Or what if he was a rogue wolf, ready to rip me apart? It was a worse predicament than the one I was in. Why did I always fall into such situations? 

I swore I would never run from home again. At that moment, I missed the luxuries of my Hay River home. I shouldn’t have fallen for Leandros’s charms and escaped my home. 

The footsteps retreated, and I feared for my snowmobile. Would the intruder steal my vehicle? Then how would I travel? 

I waited for ten minutes after the footsteps receded. Slowly creeping towards the entrance, almost covered by a fresh deposit of snow, I peered out. There was no one but I could see the footsteps of a gigantic polar bear! Maybe it had got my scent! I knew it would be back for me since food was scarce now. The fresh deposit of snow covering the entrance of the igloo might have discouraged it. Why it didn’t dig me out was beyond me! Maybe it needed some food in its system first. I was sure it would be back after feeding on some easy prey!

Fear gripped my heart, and I went back in, got my backpack, and collected my stuff. I had to flee before it returned. A pale sunlight filtered through the sky and it was a cue to escape this place. Taking out the shovel, I dug through the snow deposit and eased out of the igloo. 

Thankfully, the snowmobile was still there where I had left it last night! As I got on and started the vehicle, a deafening growl startled me! 

It was the polar bear, and he was back to me! 

I could see it running across the snowy terrain towards me. 

I steered the snowmobile out of the area and raced as fast as I could in the other direction, far away from the polar bear. There was no time to turn and check! 

The growls receded, and I knew I was losing him. After ten minutes, I couldn’t hear him anymore. It meant I had lost him! 

I stopped the vehicle and looked around to ensure. Yes, I had lost him, but where was I? It seemed I had lost my sense of direction too. 

There was only one way to know. I searched for the Astral Mountain peak and found it shimmering in the distance. 

I was closer to the Lucania side rather than my village! 

Then I remembered who I was! 

Their enemy!