The others were lucky to be farther away from the cabin's door because Sir Gunnar and Irene were both thrown into a coughing fit that didn't seem to want to cease after being exposed to the elusive smoke.
The girl remained crouched in front of the door, insistent on guarding it as the others looked on.
By the time she was done with her coughing fit, Leif had gone to her side, hovering over her in concern. He then pulled her water skin to the front of her, forcing her to drink something to soothe her throat.
Unfortunately, it also meant she needed to be much more careful. Unless they found snow, there was no water on the mountain for them to drink. They would have to wait to get back to the ground to refill their water skins.
There was a heavy pause as the two righted themselves.
"What now?" Sir Phillip asked, his voice giving away his impatience. "We need a place to sleep. Better to let this air out so we can get inside. I'm going to investigate it for myself."
