Shubnalu’s Trap (Part One)

Cold mountain wind caressed Nyrielle's dark feathers as she soared through the night sky, racing away from her army and her lover in the hopes of confronting her former mentor as far from the people she cared about as possible. 

A year ago, she might have acted differently. She might have let him come to her, arrogantly challenging him to prove that she was no longer the young girl who sat at his feet to learn the mysteries of Blood Sorcery. 

A few months ago, she might have attacked Ritchel's ice tomb directly, snatching Ashlynn out of harm's way before launching a combined assault on the Frost Walkers, ensuring that they understood their place and never dared to challenge the Vale of Mists again.