Elias and Kael were three days from the nearest village when the blizzard hit. They were "Strong-Men," professional haulers hired to carry delicate medicinal roots across the pass before the freeze. Kael was the specimen of the title—broad-shouldered, young, and capable of carrying eighty pounds without breaking a sweat. Elias was older, wiry, and moved with a hitch in his left hip.
"It’s suicide! Only the strong survive this mountain, Elias. If we’re weighed down, we die." Only the Strong
"No," Elias said, his voice quiet but cutting through the wind. "We keep the packs." Elias and Kael were three days from the