One moment, Elric was anchored by Verona's jasmine perfume and the warm sun pressed gently against his skin. The next moment, violet lightning split the world apart, followed by a wave of bone-crushing cold. The sudden drop in temperature was so violent it felt like a physical blow, snapping against his skin and lungs like the lash of a whip.
"Form ranks!" Elric's voice roared, a sound torn from his throat that seemed to challenge the very blizzard screaming around them.
His horse's hooves hadn't even fully touched the frozen soil of the High Pass before the Duke was back in his element. The "Wolf" of the North had returned. Around him, the Aldenar soldiers guard spilled out of the shimmering violet rift like a silver tide, their breath instantly turning into thick plumes of white vapor.
