She’d never seen a storm so alive, so angry.
So ready to cover its enemies in darkness.
He’s mad,Ezer thought of Kinlear,to think anyone can fly beneath that cloud. To make it inside the Acolyte’s domain.
Snow poured from the sky in buckets, concealing the view as the alpine wind gusted past. It rattled the windows, shook the floor, had her shivering even though the dark cloak she wore was well made.
‘Come on,’ Izill said, taking her by the elbow. ‘The sun is about to set.’
Ezer glanced back at Arawn. He just nodded his head towards the window, his eyes on the sky.
‘What are we waiting for?’ Ezer whispered to Izill.
Izill grinned. ‘You’ll see.’
She nodded her small chin towards the view ahead of them, where the sun was slowly dipping behind the Sawteeth. And where, if Ezer dared look down … she could already see the line of ground forces snaking out into the snow.
They were only two stories up, but on their cliffside they stood high enough that the soldiers looked like ants. Horses and war bears rode among them, the ground soldiers in Sacred whites, while thenomageswere in bright, bold red. Like smears of blood in thesnow. They marched towards the black obelisks that were the Snow Gates.
The exit, where the wards would no longer protect them … and death surely awaited the moment darkness struck.
‘Almost there,’ Izill breathed.
All around her, the children were practically giddy, hands pressed to the icy window.
Arawn appeared beside Ezer, his body warm and his shoulder nearly touching hers. She glanced sideways to find him watching, too.
‘Sunset,’ he said, so softly she almost didn’t hear it. ‘The Descent.’
The bleeding sun dipped beyond the Sawteeth.
And then something suddenlyfellpast them, on the other side of the glass.
A blur, a rush of golden color.
A War Eagle, aimed like an arrow as it leapt straight down the cliff’s face.
Ezer gasped and pressed her own palms to the glass, daring to look down as four others followed in a perfect V formation, the eagles’ curled talons so close to the window she swore it rattled in their wake.
Her heart roared in her ears.
She took a step back, because she couldn’t watch.
They were going to fall. They were going to splatter upon the snow.
She clutched her speaking stone on instinct, the warmth her only anchor.
Look, Minder, Arawn’s voice whispered into her mind.
She opened her eyes and gasped.
At the last second, the War Eagles pulled up, snapping out their golden wings.
The children cheered all around her.
The aerie riders were pressed close to their eagles’ backs, expertly staying in their saddles as they climbed into the sky. So fast, they’d fallen past the window, and so fast, they soared back up, sending a wave of snow againstthe glass.
It was like watching the stars fall. Beautiful, lovely, and deadly in their golden grace.
