[VOLUME 13: THE PRIMEVAL ASCENSION][ERA: THE POST-DIVINE AGE][LOCATION: THE WHISPERING PASS - ABYSSAL CARRIAGE]
The world outside the enchanted windows of the ironwood carriage was a blur of jagged pines and swirling, violent snow. They had entered the Whispering Pass, the treacherous mountain threshold that separated the mortal kingdoms from the frozen wasteland of the Primeval Sanctuary.
Inside the carriage, however, the air was thick, heated, and heavy with intoxicating tension.
Elara was entirely cocooned in Aldren's lap. The Abyssal King had shed his heavy outer coat, wrapping it around her instead, leaving him in a dark, form-fitting tunic that strained across the massive, scarred expanse of his chest. His arms were locked around her waist, acting as a physical anchor against the erratic, violent jolts of the shadowy steeds pulling them up the mountainside.
Every time the carriage hit a rut, Aldren's grip tightened, his deep, rumbling heartbeat steadying her own.
