They rode along for 10 minutes, following the same path McVarn and his entourage had, when Thornfang came to a stop and turned. The lieutenant didn’t need to say anything – the front rank followed a few metres behind the beast, their steeds refusing to go any closer, and then backed away a few when they saw her turn on them. Even the guards who rode beside him flinched in anticipation.
“We’re starting with a race.”
He gestured behind him and Corsair gripped the reins harder.
Along the left side of the snowy path cut into the trees ahead was a slope, steeper than the one south of Grand Wolf Plains. Trees, both fallen and upright, dotted the hillside. At the bottom it met the road, not too far away from their destination, but was separated from the mount’s base by an abyss.
“Navigating i
