Mary's lips trembled. She wanted to scold him again, but her throat was too tight, and she couldn't speak.
Instead, she reached out, grabbed his arm firmly, and dragged him back toward the entrance.
The two of them moved slowly, step by step, like people walking through a nightmare. Behind them, the ice world remained silent and glittering, beautiful and deadly, like a frozen trap waiting for its next victim.
When they finally reached the edge of the ice field, Mary sucked in a deep breath as if she had escaped from drowning.
Her face was pale, and her voice came out rough.
"It's too cold," she muttered. "This isn't normal cold. This is the energy stone's power."
She turned to Ryan, her eyes fierce despite the exhaustion. "We're going back to the mindscape. We'll eat first, warm up, and then discuss how to break the ice. We'll ask Peregrine and Aurelius, too. Someone has to have a better method."
Ryan nodded, his expression grim.
