[CHAPTER EIGHT]

Sloane sat peeking out through the gap between the tarp covering the entrance of her shelter and the shelter wall. It was early, dawn was just breaking, and even as she fed the stove the chill lingered and clung to her. The blizzard that had been raging for the last four days was finally dying out. In its wake was a world blanketed in thick white snow.

The snow had piled up, and blown away only to be piled up again as the storm progressed. Currently, the snow was piled up to her shoulder, or would have been had she not made efforts to shovel it away from her entrance repeatedly the past four days.

The snow was pristine, and undisturbed. The frigid air stung her lungs when she pushed the tarp aside and stepped out into the bright morning light. The skin on her face prickled from the cold, she pulled the ski mask up over her nose and tucked it around her ears. Pulling her goggles down she trudged out into the snow, shovel on her shoulder. The path she had dug from her shelter to the barrier was only a few inches deep, but the walls extended up over her shoulders in some places.

Inside the barrier was filled with snow as well. It seemed that the barrier only kept living things out, and didn't prevent weather from passing through. She couldn't see much over the snow piled within the barrier, but smoke rose from fires she couldn't see. She was relieved to see signs of life within the village.

Sloane turned and followed the path she had dug leading to the river's edge. This path was buried quite a bit as she hadn't needed to refresh her water supply for a couple of days. She shoveled the snow aside as she passed along the perimeter of the barrier. As she bent to scoop another shovel full a snowball crashed into the barrier. She jumped and spun. Had the snowball passed through it would have hit her squarely in the face.

A young boy pointed and laughed. He was about ten years old, other children began rushing around, scooping snow, and gesturing animatedly. Snowballs continued to pelt the barrier and slide down. Sloane laughed and chucked a few of her own against the barrier. She continued her work of clearing the path and finally made it to the river.

She stepped onto a rock and broke the ice with her hatchet. She pulled the bucket from her inventory and filled it. She replaced the bucket in her inventory and headed back to her shelter. She needed to warm the water before giving it to Regal to drink, or to drink herself. The children had moved on, to where she did not know. Sloane wished she could have had an actual snowball fight with them. It wasn't something she had been able to do often, and she sometimes felt like she had missed out.

After feeding Regal and having breakfast herself, she let Regal out to enjoy the snow and fresh air. Even though she had been confined mostly to her shelter the last few days she hadn't been idle. She had used items from her inventory to make a thick blanket for Regal. The quality was not high, but it was usable. Regal pranced out into the snow and rolled around, kicking his feet and sending snow flying.

Sloane laughed, continued watching for several minutes, then went back to the river. She hoped to do some ice fishing and replenish her food stores. She moved cautiously to the middle of the river and cut a hole through the thick ice with her hatchet. It took a long time, but she finally got through.

"I'm sure I'm doing this wrong," Sloane mumbled to herself. "Maybe I can ask the villagers to teach me when the barrier comes down."

Sloane sat on a small seat she had fashioned by tying thin cut branches together. It wasn't sturdy, but it was better than sitting directly on the ice. She was prepared to wait, and prepared to have an unsuccessful day. 

Movement caught her eye and she turned. The children had come to the frozen lake to play and were sliding around on the slick surface. Sloane chuckled and watched them while she waited for a fish to bite. Occasionally the children would end up near the barrier and wave at her before sliding away. After several hours something did bite. Excitedly Sloane reeled in the fish. Her back was to the barrier. She pulled the fish out with effort. The fish was as long as her arm from shoulder to fingertip. Excited, she lifted it and turned to show the children.

Something was wrong. The children's movements were frantic, and there was a hole in the ice. An older child plunged his arm into the icy water, but pulled it back moments later. Another of the older children had reached the shoreline and was pushing his way up the snowy bank. All these things Sloane saw and processed in what felt a slow and sluggish manner. Coming to her senses she dropped the fish, pulled out her hatchet, and reinforcing her swing with a lightning technique smashed through the ice. She felt it crack all around her, which was why she hadn't attempted to use this method when cutting the fishing hole. The hole was more than large enough for her to fit through. Hastily she swiped her bracer to unequip all gear and leaped into the water in her thermal underwear.

The cold water was an intense and disorienting shock. Sloane was unsure if the barrier passed through the ice but she hoped not. She pushed forward desperately, and saw the child pass through the barrier. She pushed the dread aside and caught hold of the young girl's arm, pulled her close and swam quickly to the surface. Somehow she managed to drag herself and the child to the riverbank.

Sloane had read once that snow could be used to absorb water. Desperately she rolled the child in the snow, then with shaking hands dragged a blanket out of her inventory and equipped her coat, tucking the child close to her chest.

"Oh come on," Sloane pleaded, "come on, how do I do this?"

She knew she had the special ability "healing aura" but she had no idea how to invoke it. Bending her head and closing her eyes she tried to focus. She was aware that she was intensely desperate. She held the child tighter and stumbled her way to the barrier. A crowd was gathering, Sloane dropped to her knees and squeezed the child. She felt helpless and pathetic. And then a warmth began to spread from her. And a green glow shrouded herself and the child. The child stirred and began to wail, and then clung to her.

The child was alive, relief flooded Sloane but she maintained the focused feeling that she thought was the healing aura. The crowd gathered closer, Sloane looked up, she could see the relief on their faces, and the mood passing between them. 

"How do I get her back?" Sloane asked herself, looking down at the child curled against her chest.

Sloane placed her hand on the barrier. Touching it burned, but it rippled against the pressure. She focused electricity into her hand and a small opening was forced to form next to her hand. Reaching out with her other hand she placed it on the other side of the opening channeling more electricity. The opening widened, the pain was excruciating. Sloane grabbed the edges and using every bit of her control over electricity; she had never attempted to use it in this manner, by directing the current rather than just gathering and generating a charge. It was difficult to focus through the pain, but she managed to open a hole and widen it. The moment the opening was large enough a pair of strong arms shot through and snatched the child. Sloane recoiled and the opening closed. Her hands and arms were covered with burns and blisters. She hugged them against her chest and rocked with the pain.

Movement caught her attention and she looked up. A large man knelt by the barrier, concern in his eyes. He spoke, but what he said she had no way of knowing. Sloane tried to muster up her healing aura again, but it didn't seem to want to respond. It was difficult to stay focused, to stay alert. The cold was setting in and her sodden clothes were dangerous. She tried to rise, and blacked out.