The Matterhorn
Ethan scanned the vast, snow-blanketed wilderness stretching before him, the jagged peaks and deep-cut valleys of the legendary Matterhorn Ski Paradise. Three hundred sixty kilometers of some of the most breathtaking, unforgiving terrain on Earth, all centered around the storybook village of Zermatt. A wall of clouds loomed to the east, a silent promise of what was coming. Most skiers took it as their cue to wrap up their last runs, retreat to the warmth of a mountainside lodge, and sink into après-ski revelry—champagne, pulsing club beats, and a roaring fire.
But Ethan saw opportunity.
As The Inkwell Order’s winter survival expert, a storm wasn’t a setback—it was the perfect classroom.
“We need to head higher,” he called out over the wind.
Ava groaned audibly. “Higher? We should be going inside, Ethan. Where sane people go when it starts to look like the apocalypse.”
The rest of the team wasn’t exactly thrilled either. The rest of the team wasn’t exactly thrilled either. They had spent the last few days reveling in Zermatt’s alpine luxuries, hospitality, winter frivolity, and a bit of retail therapy. It had been a necessary break before the grueling training ahead. The Order team was joined by a fresh batch of operatives, Megan, Andrew, Abby from Minnesota, accustoms to the snow, and Chris, Zara, Salma, and Kayan from the United Kingdom, each blending seamlessly into the crowd with their cover identities and assumed professions.
Looking like normal tourists, the group had spent their time sampling Swiss fondue and wine, indulging in rich, melting cheeses and thick, crusty bread—a perfect fuel source for their upcoming alpine test of endurance. Judd had roamed Bahnhofstrasse with Cindy, admiring timepieces from Rolex and Breitling before Cindy surprised him with an Omega Speedmaster—Buzz Aldrin’s moon watch. Meanwhile, Ava led the younger operatives to Bäckerei Fuchs, where the scent of freshly baked pastries and strong Swiss coffee had pulled them in like a siren’s call.
But Ethan had let them have their fun. He’d already briefed them on surviving an alpine storm—how to find shelter, stay warm, conserve energy, and rely on emergency supplies. They just hadn’t realized the lesson was starting now...
Snow spiraled off the leeward side of the Matterhorn, a sure sign that the storm was closing in fast. Ethan grinned. Perfect timing.
Their last chance to gain altitude was aboard the cogwheel train to Gornergrat Station—a steel spine clawing its way up the mountain to 3,089 meters, second only to the Jungfraujoch railway. The cranking of the train’s cogs sounded like the ticking of an altimeter, counting down to their test of endurance.
When the doors hissed open, Judd and Cindy stepped out first—straight into a whiteout. The wind howled with a force that made them instinctively reach for their goggles, their parkas whipping in the gale.
Ava hesitated. “Oh, hell no,” she muttered, tightening her gloves around her poles and eyeing her Rossignol skis like they were the only lifeline between her and oblivion.But something was wrong. Cindy turned back toward the train, her stomach knotting with unease.
“Where’s Ethan?” she shouted over the wind.
Then they heard his voice—barely audible through the howling storm.
“Good luck, team! Remember the training, you’re on your own now! Don’t forget to—”
The wind swallowed the rest of his words. And then the train was gone.
Judd, Cindy, and Ava stood alone on the mountain. No sane person would be out here. No one but them.
Ava zipped her jacket tight, clipped into her bindings, and adjusted her goggles, which were already steaming up from her breath.
“This is insane,” she muttered, pointing her skis downslope. “Let’s get it over with.”
Judd and Cindy followed suit, launching into the abyss.
Under normal conditions, this would be an exhilarating, high-speed descent, a test of precision, agility, and nerve.
But now?
Now, it was a fight for survival.
Judd’s mind flashed to the ill-fated first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865—when Edward Whymper and his team conquered the peak, only for four men to plunge to their deaths on the way down.
Judd just hoped that Ethan’s lessons would translate from paper to reality—before history repeated itself..
