The Fall of Hope Excerpt

Roxanna shivered in the morning. The mountain range was still covered in snow, the path that they had been following winding up the mountain. The snow behind them had already buried their tracks.

After healing Nicholas from her disastrous attempt at creating snow, Roxanna was tired beyond belief, but one thing made her stay conscious: they were being watched. She felt it like a warm needle had been stuck into her spine. Someone was watching them, and she didn't think that it was for a good reason.

"Rox..." Nicholas muttered. It was the first thing he'd said since waking, and that he had muttered her name instead of the name of one of the other girls at the Village...

Gah, that's not important now! I need to get up and help Nicholas up the mountain.

Roxanna thought. She wasn't sure exactly where they were heading--hence why Nicholas had come--so getting up the mountain and up to the village was going to be extremely difficult.