The beast roared, his ursine throat straining as it broke into a dead sprint between moonlit trees. Up the hill, a brown steed galloped up one of Kriedeberg’s winding paths. The silence of the snow was disrupted by the erratic panting of a horse and its rider. Aveline lowered her head, clutching the bundle of cloth. She drew her eyes tightly shut as the fabric wriggled in her arms, and a tiny cry fluttered out like a candle’s flame. It was only a matter of time before the bear caught up with her. Aveline crossed the threshold of the forest, entering a patch of snow-covered gravel.

  Aveline’s horse slid to a stop before a steep drop. A landslide had destroyed what was left of the pass, leaving a deep crevasse in its wake. The inconsolable wall of flesh and fur charged at her and stopped just beyond the tree line. The clacking of its jaw echoed in her bones. A smattering of drool dripped from its long lower lip. The bear pounced on the ground and swatted at the dirt. Deep, conscious eyes stared at Aveline and the bundle. She raised a hand. The heavens above her thickened into a violent maelstrom. Tears clouded her vision as she felt the familiar pins and needles in her arm. She hoped the bear would understand. She hoped he would run away. She knew he couldn’t.

  The bear’s claws pierced the earth, stampeding towards Aveline. Lighting arced between her fingertips. Fur fell away from the bear’s skin, its paw taking the form of an outstretched human hand. The horse began to rear as the once terrifying creature leaped at the saddle, transforming into a man. A golden wedding band shimmered as fingers barely scraped at the cloak in Aveline’s arm. Aveline lost her grip on the saddle, falling from the horse.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Aveline’s startled reflection stared at her from emerald eyes. The hairs on the man’s arm stood on end as the heavens opened into a column of brilliant light. The air roared as thunder split the night sky, striking him with the fury of a god. Flames erupted from his clothing as he was blasted back into the forest. He smashed into a tree, pine needles exploding into a cloud of white powder. His spine snapped against the trunk like the sinewy crack of celery.

  Aveline struggled to move. Her chest ached; her legs trembled. She could hear the horse galloping away, terrified of Aveline’s power. She raised herself off the ground. The cloak she carried sat limply by the cliff’s edge. She pulled it towards her but recoiled at its weightlessness. She gasped, sobbing as she peered over the ledge, into the abyss. Boots crunched in the ice behind her, she looked over her shoulder to the tree line.

  The man reached out from the blood-soaked snow, teeth gritted. The rage and confusion turned to a muffled, half-empty scream of agony that pierced Aveline’s ears. She raised herself from the pink snow, ignoring the savage burn on her arm. She could hear the exact moment he saw the empty cloth. The man’s pained gasps turned into belabored sobbing. He called Aveline’s name, but she ignored it. He slumped into the wet ground as blood from his wounds crept across the snow beneath him. Snowflakes danced in the air, melting once they touched his molten skin.

  Torches illuminated the treeline behind the broken body. The distant shouts of men were dampened by the of snow. The clouds had cleared, drained by Aveline’s power. She stared down at her fingers, reddened by searing burns. She covered her mouth, eyes frozen in silent shock as a stifled whimper leaped from her lips. A draconic voice hissed, poison seeping into her skull.

  Leave him. Death is mercy.

  A ring of light appeared behind her. Aveline stepped into the ring, disappearing as the sun rose against a newborn horizon.