The General's Prey

The most feared general in the empire, codenamed “Winter Burial”—no one dared speak her true name. The day I infiltrated the Supreme Command, I thought it would be a routine reconnaissance mission. Instead, she cornered me in the great hall. Those eyes of hers, which looked at everyone as if they were already dead, settled on me with a flicker of a predator’s interest. I fled, burning through every last card I had—even forcing myself to use a power never meant to be revealed in front of others—just to slip from her grasp. Now, standing once more in this room, she has barely regained consciousness after collapsing from complete magical exhaustion, so frail she can’t even form a single shard of ice. By all logic, I should be safe.