Vows in Ash and Salt

As the morning sun crested the eastern horizon, bathing the snow-covered peaks of Morven in a blinding, radiant canopy of rose, gold, and sapphire light, Nikolai took Evangeline by the hand, leading her out of the fortress onto the high clifftop trail that wound toward the North Needle. The air was crisp, clean, and sub-zero, smelling of fresh snow, ozone, and pine needles. The blizzard had vanished entirely, leaving the…