UNDER THE OAK TREE

282 Chapter The blizzard lashed at their dangling bodies. A bottomless abyss yawned below their feet, waiting to swallow them. Maxi stared down at the misty gorge in a daze before shifting her gaze back up. The heavy snowfall made it impossible to tell how far they had fallen.

“Put your arms around my neck,” Riftan said in a strangled voice.

All she could do in response was blink rapidly in terror.

“Now!”

Roused from a trance, Maxi flinched and wound her shaking arms around him. His whole body was as tense as a rock, his neck muscles so strained that she could feel his racing pulse through the bulging veins.

As if afraid he might drop her, Riftan pressed her to him in a suffocating, one-armed embrace while his other hand fumbled the wall. Eventually, he latched onto a protruding rock. He pulled them upward and managed to gain a foothold. Having secured them both to the cliffside, he tightened his arm around her.

The blizzard was picking up speed. Maxi could barely see what was in front of her. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she quietly began to sob. Riftan whispered what sounded like reassurance into her ear, but she could hardly register his words. Even he did not seem fully conscious of what he was saying.

“Hang on a little longer. It’s all right. The mages should bring us up soon. We just have to last until—”

An avalanche of snow rumbled down from above. The hook anchoring them to the wall gave way in the snowslide, plunging them into the abyss.

Riftan’s gauntlet scraped against stone as he frantically searched for purchase, to no avail. Clinging to his neck as if she were drowning, Maxi desperately tried to cast a levitation spell, but the mutinous mana within her refused to bend to her will.

Summoning all the strength she could muster, she finally managed to take hold of her wayward magic. They were mere inches from the ground when they began to float. Riftan promptly secured the hook to the wall and nimbly lowered them to safety.

Surviving the fall was only one of their problems. The avalanche still posed a threat, pouring down in waves of debris and snow from above. Maxi cast a barrier just as darkness swallowed them. Heavy thuds continued outside their protective bubble for some time.

She could not feel a thing. So much so that she wondered if they had died from the fall. The pressure in her ears rendered her deaf, and she could not even hear her own breaths. Petrified, she clung to Riftan until she felt him slowly sit up.

He dug out of the icy mound and hauled her out after him. After a coughing fit, Maxi expelled the snow from her nose and mouth, then shook off the flakes in her hair. With the snowstorm still battering their faces, however, her efforts were in vain.

She looked up at Riftan, her face ghastly white. He had his arm wrapped around her as he gazed up at the rock wall they had plummeted off. Unlike him, she could not discern how far they had fallen.

After staring for some time, his wooden expression giving nothing away, he hoisted her into his arms and began wading through the snow. Maxi realized he was looking for a place to shelter from the snowstorm.

She managed to crack open her frozen jaw. “I-I-I can… cast a barrier to block the wind—”

“Don’t speak,” he said brusquely, quickening his pace.

Though she wanted to make the offer again, she chose to keep quiet when she realized she was almost out of mana. Still, wandering aimlessly until they found adequate shelter did not seem like a sound option.

She fumbled in her pockets, anxiously surveying their surroundings. The firestone nestled against her chest was no longer warm, its mana having been sucked out by the rune. She tossed away the useless stone and hunched her shoulders. Riftan promptly covered her with his cloak to shield her from the wind.

The tireless search continued until they chanced upon an opening in the rock face. Lowering Maxi to the ground, Riftan went in to inspect the cave first. Soon after, he waved to let her know it was safe. The entrance was so narrow she had to crawl through on her knees.

Inside, the cave opened up surprisingly wide. Maxi breathed a sigh of relief and sank to the ground. The fact that it sheltered them from the squall made the dark cave feel like a palace.

Propped against the wall, Riftan took a moment to catch his breath. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I-I’m not sure,” she said, shaking her head dazedly.

She was likely bruised all over from the tumble, but her body was currently too numb to feel pain.

He inspected her for broken bones before asking hoarsely, “What about mana depletion?”

“I-I’m fine. I’ve used up most of it… but I’m not completely depleted,” she replied, teeth chattering from the bone-deep cold.

Removing his gloves, Riftan touched her icy cheek. He furrowed his brow. “Do you have any more firestones?”

“I-In my bag.”

It only occurred to her then to check if her belongings had survived the chaos. Much to her surprise, her bag was still hanging from her waist. Riftan untied it and began rummaging through its contents. Packs of herbs and food, bundled parchment, and a pouch containing various magic stones came spilling out.

Maxi plucked up a firestone and placed it a safe distance away. A spark lit up the darkness as she infused the stone with a speck of mana, and a flame big enough to serve as a campfire began to blaze. She settled right in front of it but found it was not enough to thaw her frozen body. With a groan, she reached her hands closer to the flames.

“You’ll burn yourself,” said Riftan, yanking her arm back.

She looked up at him imploringly. “I-I’m cold.”

There was a subtle shift in his expression. Sliding his hand under her clothes, he stroked her icy nape and let out a strangled curse.

Her lips trembling, Maxi watched as Riftan hastened out of his cloak and armor, piling them to one side. He then threw off his thick coat and woolen tunic and spread them next to the fire. Maxi stared dazedly at his muscular torso gleaming like bronze in the firelight. He looked like a madman, shucking off his clothes in the numbing cold.

After removing his boots, he tossed them away and motioned with his head. “Get undressed.”

“N-No!” Maxi cried, mortified.

She clutched her robe, but he unceremoniously yanked the fabric from her grip.

“Your clothes are damp from the snow. Your body heat will drop a hell of a lot more quickly if you don’t get them off, so hurry up.”

Maxi regarded him dubiously. Though she was sure he would never do anything to harm her, she could not bring herself to undress. When she remained immobile, he pulled her onto his lap and removed her boots. He yanked off her robe and unapologetically flung it into a corner. Lastly, he unbuttoned her coat and slid his hands inside.

She recoiled at his cold touch. After removing her belt and placing it on the ground, Riftan reached into her tunic and caressed her icy skin. Though the tips of his fingers were cold, his palm and forearm felt like heated bronze. A moan escaped Maxi’s lips as his warmth seeped into her, and she pressed herself flush against his chest.

He pulled her woolen tunic over her head, leaving her with two linen chemises, leather trousers lined with fleece, and a pair of thick leggings. When he pushed his hand inside her trousers, a peculiar expression that was neither smile nor frown rose on his face.

“You certainly bundled up.”

With that, he slid her trousers down with one tug. Maxi gasped in surprise. After rolling her clothes into a ball and tossing them on top of his own, he began rubbing her ice-cold skin. Her cheeks flushed as his hot, calloused hands roamed over her hips, thighs, and calves. Despite having been bare before him countless times, it was still embarrassing.

She stayed on his knee, and he drew her to him in a tight embrace.

“Are you still cold?” he asked, his voice more subdued.

Pressing herself against his chest, Maxi shook her head, waving aside the reality of her chattering teeth. As she continued to shiver, Riftan gave a low groan and went from rubbing her rigid back to tugging at her layer of chemises.

She instinctively clutched at the undergarments, but he was already maneuvering them over her head. He immediately covered the exposed area with his own tunic. Their skin brushed together as he twined his arm around her waist, alighting her senses back to life. The heat from his smooth, burning skin soaked into her bones, and she felt the blood coursing through her veins.

A relieved moan escaped her lips as she melted into his arms. Despite other concerns pushing into her mind, at that moment, she felt unconditionally safe and content. She pressed her forehead to his shoulder, burying her face in his broad chest. Their bodies fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.

She listened to the wind and crackling fire as she caressed his arms, chiseled chest, and stomach. Beads of sweat began to form on his skin. She traced her fingers down his sculpted marble chest and teased his small nipple. Pressed beneath her buttocks, she felt his hardened member grow bigger. After taking a ragged breath, Riftan shifted her to one side and pried her hand off his chest.

“Stop your idle fondling.”

Maxi’s face flushed with embarrassment. “B-But, did you not do the same? I-I certainly… felt your hands… on my hips, my stomach… legs, feet…”

“I was making sure you weren’t frost—”

Riftan pressed his lips together, then knocked his head back against the cave wall, muttering under his breath. From what she could make out, it sounded like the prayer recited at a knighting ceremony. After watching him for a moment, she slowly brought his hand to her breast.

“Then… w-would you like to fondle me as well?”

...

Riftan clenched his jaw when she pressed his hard palm to her breast. His black eyes burned like glowing embers in the dark. Maxi blushed when she felt her nipple grow taut, and she wondered if she was being too brazen.

In the end, her desire outweighed any shame or inclination to maintain her dignity. Perhaps their brush with death had ignited something, as his touch was more fervent than ever.

It felt like an age since she had touched him. She craved the bliss of exploring every inch of each other. If they did not make it through this perilous expedition, this could be their last moment together. A crippling fear crept into her bones at the thought. When she rubbed her lips on his neck to dispel it, she felt a feverish shudder run down his body.