Ember Frost’s POV

I didn’t stop to weigh the risks. None of that mattered. People came first; everything else could wait.

Eira raised her hand and released a sharp burst of magic, scattering the shadows that had been creeping toward us with greedy intent. At the same moment, Elder Harriet and I rushed in, grabbing the nearest frozen figures before the creatures could react.

I had no idea what kind of transformation spell Harriet had cast, but in the blink of an eye, she’d turned into ...