Then, aside from the wooden pillar, there was a ball of light that caught my attention.
It was fire.
'Ah, fire. There's a fire... Warmth.'
My bones were shaking and I hadn't realized it until now. A little more and my teeth began to clatter.
I was cold. So cold.
But I wished my cubs were okay. I didn't want them to suffer.
Fenric moved again, reaching the plateau and slowing to a heavy, panting trot. He didn't stop until we were under the stone archway of the tower's base. The transition from the screaming wind to the sudden, hollow silence of the stone interior made my ears pop.
I felt the vine being sliced—Damar must have shifted back the moment we stopped. I felt his cool, steady hands catching me as I slid off Fenric's back, my legs buckling instantly.
"I have you, Ari," Damar whispered, his voice raspy from the cold.
