Chapter 104

Ronan's POV

The storm reached us before the refuge did. Mara’s horse slipped near the last bend, and she dismounted to lead it over the ice. By the time we got inside, snow had worked under the collar of her cloak and soaked her sleeves. Lucien stayed with his riders at the southern post to see the guards settled; he promised to return when the pass cleared.

I wanted him gone for reasons I distrusted. I also knew the freed guards needed someone who could keep them warm and answer their questions. Mara had thanked him before we parted. I had done the same, and meant it.

The refuge’s banked fire had gone out. The small rune that normally kept a coal alive in the hearth was dark, perhaps drained when the station sent its pulse south. Wind drove smoke down the old flue, and the wood stacked beside it was damp from a crack in the wall. I tried the tin