Forged Destiny [Book 2: Ch. 8]

The blizzard tugged at me, still, dragging me down, but I forced myself to stand, Blake cradled before me. She wasn't heavy, not in the conventional sense, but with my energy as it was, she might as well have weighed a thousand pounds or more. Every step was a torturous affair, and it felt like the wind might send me rolling back down the mountain at the slightest provocation. It wasn't even that steep; it was just that the storm was so strong.

"I won't give up," I promised, pushing ever-forward, one step after the next – one crunch of snow before another. Her raven tresses flapped up into my face, but those too went ignored. I just had to reach that building. I just had to… get her inside, get help. The building revealed itself as a wooden thing, with a sloped roof already covered in a later of white. A chimney peeked over the top, with a slanted cover above it, but no smoke came from within. The windows were iced over completely. I sagged against the door, slamming on it with one hand. "Help," I cried. "Let us in – we need shelter."

—Forged Destiny [Book 2: Ch. 8]