Nolan’s frustration soared as he tested the ropes biting into his wrists. His boots offered no traction on the slick ice, preventing him from bracing enough to tug free. He scanned for a dropped blade or any shard of metal, but everything remained maddeningly out of reach.
As he twisted again, pain flared across his raw skin. Every tactic he’d imagined—kicking loose knots, snapping the rope with friction—led nowhere. The polar bear’s roars still cut through the frigid air, mocking his inability to act. Then he heard fresh footsteps crunching through the snow.