The black wolf did not stop running until they reached the high, barren ridge of the broken peaks, miles above the river border. He bounded up the final incline of jagged granite, his massive chest heaving in deep, ragged drafts as he broke into a small, wind-sheltered stone hollow.

The moment his paws cleared the threshold, it dropped his left shoulder to the dirt, giving Nila just enough room to slide off its back.

Nila hit the ground, her knees giving out instantly. She collapsed onto the cold gravel, her hands scraping against the loose stone as she scrambled backward until her spine hit the solid rock wall of the...