Free Spiral (The Salzburg Saga Book One) by D. U. Okonkwo

troopers.”
     
     
    “She’s waking up again,” was the first thing Nina heard when she awoke a while later. She’d fallen asleep soon after stretching out beside Ange, and she blinked up at the indigo sky above her. She sat up with effort. “What time is it?” .
    Angela sighed. “Don’t know. Don’t want to know. I’d say you’ve only been sleeping for about two hours, though.”
    Nina’s gaze moved to Parker who leaned over Hugh, and she realized it was him who’d she’d heard upon awakening. He was talking about Hugh.
    Glancing across at Emily, Parker gestured toward Jake’s rucksack. “Is there nothing else in there we can give him?”
    Nina gaped at him. He had to be joking, right?
    Emily’s eyes were empty sockets in her lifeless face. “I don’t know, Parker.”
    Justin staggered over to them, collapsing with a loud groan on the edge of the large mat.
    Hugh’s eyes were open and blinking rapidly up at his father.
    Parker leaned over him, gently tapping at Hugh’s cheeks. “Hugh, can you hear me?”
    Justin eyed Emily as he slowly sat up. “You’re angry that my brother survived when your pilot friend didn’t, right?” he asked softly. His face was grim.
    Parker looked up, beginning to berate him, but stopped when Emily only shook her head. “It’s okay,” she said. Her eyes hardened on Justin’s. “Ben wasn’t just a pilot, friend, or a colleague, he was my husband. And the only family I had.”
    Nina sucked in a breath, Angela groaned, Justin looked away and Parker squeezed his eyes shut.
    “Emily, I’m so sorry,” Nina whispered. Reaching for Emily’s hand, she squeezed it gently.
    Emily swallowed, making an obvious effort to continue as Shayna put her arm across her shoulders. “I’ll never see him again.” Her voice fractured. ”I have to try and accept that.”
    Justin stared at the ground.
    “Emily–” Parker began in a whisper.
    But she only shook her head, hunching her shoulders forward, her gaze still on Justin. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not concerned about your brother.”
    “I didn’t mean anything by it. I–”
    “Justin,” Neil called out impatiently. He stood beside Jake, both of them eyeing Justin. “You can’t take a break yet; we haven’t finished.”
    With a groan, Justin rose and staggered back to join them.
     
     
    “We’re ready to build the cave,” Jake told Justin when Justin joined him and Neil.
    Justin squinted down into the dark hole in front of them. “You’re sure it’s several meters deep?”
    Jake didn’t bother replying. “We need shovels,” he said instead. “You have any?” His gaze was challenging on the younger man.
    Justin’s gaze jerked up, his eyes confused. “Shovels?”
    “To dig out blocks for the individual rooms,” Jake enunciated each word slowly as if speaking to a dim-witted child. “I thought you said you knew how to build a snow cave?”
    Justin bristled. “I do.”
    “Right, so you know that using shovels will make this part a heck of a lot easier than using our bare hands.”
    “Of course I know that,” Justin snapped. “But where the hell am I going to magically come up with shovels?” He flung his arms out to indicate his lack of belongings on his person. “Inside my ski boots?”
    Jake’s smile was as warm as the snow under their boots. “Not quite the Boy Scout after all, huh?”
    Justin moved to stand nose to nose with him. “Listen, you arrogant bas–”
    “Stop it.” Moving between them, Neil placed a hand on Justin’s shoulders, shoving him back a step. “We don’t have time for a boxing match.”
    Jake bared his teeth in a feral snarl. “We can make time.” He stepped forward.
    Neil elbowed him back. “I’m serious.”
    Justin’s nostrils flared. “If a fight’s what he wants, I’ll give him one.”
    “We need somewhere to sleep tonight, remember?” Neil reminded them with barely strained patience. “Let’s put our leftover energy into