In Ashlynn's arms, Heila's eyes fluttered open as the oppressive cold that trapped her in dreamless sleep faded away like mist dispersed on the wind. What she saw, however, left her uncertain whether or not she'd truly woken.
"Lady Nyrielle?" Heila whispered, staring wide eyed at the winged figure hovering before the icy monstrosity and radiating a dark aura of menace.
"She came for us," Ashlynn said, relieved that Heila seemed to be recovering. "Hauke," Ashlynn called. "It's not safe there, come here."
Not far from where Nyrielle had launched herself into the air, the young Frost Walker stood with his mouth agape in a horrified daze.
"Ancestors," he murmured, looking at the abomination his revered ancestors had become. Was it true? Was he like them? Was this the fate that awaited anyone with an iridescent horn? His heart shook as he wondered if the horn he'd taken as a blessing all these years was actually a curse.
