Snow fell so heavily that the world beyond the torchlight barely existed anymore, turning the cliffs and ravines into shifting walls of white and shadow. Wind screamed through the narrow passes hard enough to sting exposed skin raw, forcing the civilians to keep their heads lowered as they trudged through the snow in exhausted silence.
The evacuation line stretched thin across the mountainside.
Children wrapped in oversized wool cloaks clung tightly to their mothers' hands while frightened civilians carried bundles of food and blankets against their chests. Some stumbled from exhaustion. Others cried quietly as they walked.
At the front of the group, Sila led the civilians carefully through the ravine while Mara moved along the middle checking the injured and elderly whenever someone slowed too much.
And behind them—
Elara's panic grew worse with every step.
Her eyes constantly searched the darkness around them.
Every moving shadow looked suspicious.
