Toward the base of the mountain, the glacier ramped down toward a crevasse. I hoped it would be too narrow for the dragon to follow, although I was still in trouble if she decided to breathe another blizzard in my direction.

But what did I have to lose?

As I listened to Aeyan’arric’s screams, I realized Xaltorath might have had good reason to be upset. I could easily die here while accomplishing nothing. That I’d somehow survived for this long was a miracle.

I ran into the crevasse as Aeyan’arric’s shadow covered me. She was just seconds behind. I tripped and cried out as a sharp ice shard ripped open my shin, proving I possessed no great immunity to normal damage.

Aeyan’arric attempted to claw at me through the opening, but the crevasse indeed proved too narrow. Her efforts gouged huge ice chunks from the opening, until sparks flew as she hit granite. I shuffled backward, leaving a blood trail behind me on the ice to mix with the meltwater left by my passing.

Then the attack stopped. I heard wings beat as she flew away.

I waited.

I didn’t go back to the opening to make sure she’d left. I’m not a fool. But I sat there in the cave for several minutes, listening, naked and shivering from cold that would have slain most people.

Then I heard footsteps. Footsteps from behind me as a warm light cast shadows on the cave wall before me.

I pulled myself up into a crouch.

A woman entered the cave, holding a lantern in one hand and a long, curving sword in the other. Her dark skin had a blue-gray cast, and her black hair was matted into thick, felted wool plaits. She dressed in chain, under a coat of interlocking metal plates. She looked Khorveshan, but more notably, she appeared frozen, with ice rimming her face and snowflakes sparkling on her dark lashes.

She also looked very dead, but that status didn’t seem to be proving an inconvenience.

“Well, then,” the woman said. “What has little Aeyan brought me today? This isn’t a safe place for you, young lady.” She smiled. “Although you living this long is an accomplishment. Especially dressed like that.”

“Who—” My teeth chattered to speak. “Wh-who are you?”

The dead woman motioned me to follow her. “I’m Xivan Kaen. Now why don’t we find you something to wear.”

“I thought—” I cleared my throat as I followed the woman deeper into the crevasse, which had in fact turned into a fine cave mouth, no longer ice, but solid rock. “My apologies. I thought—”

“Let me guess. Someone told you Duchess Xivan Kaen had died.” Xivan shrugged. “They didn’t lie to you, now did they? And who are you?” She pulled a scarf from her belt. “For your leg.”