of thunder reached the riders as they moved out. The mood within the column was grim, and
even Veremund was sunk in uncharacteristic gloom. Occasionally he exchanged glances with Yr,
huddled behind Faraday‘s saddle.
―Excuse me,‖ Veremund said finally, booting his heels into his donkey‘s flanks, ―I must
talk to the BattleAxe.‖
Timozel turned to Faraday and raised his eyebrows, but she only turned to watch
Veremund‘s back disappear towards the front of the column, a worried expression growing on
her face.
Veremund cantered up to Ogden who was riding a few paces behind Axis and Belial.
―My friend, I do not like what is happening,‖ he said softly.
Ogden gave him an anxious look. ―No. It is not good. These clouds are not natural. We
make a tempting target for Gorgrael—four Sentinels within the vicinity, Axis and Faraday.‖
―What can we do?‖
Ogden shook his head. ―We can but warn, Veremund, we can but warn. Yet I know not
how to warn Axis against what looks like approaching.‖
They both booted their donkeys forward until they were riding next to Axis.
―BattleAxe,‖ Ogden leaned forward. ―I like not the look of this approaching storm. We
are so exposed here—there is nowhere to shelter.‖
Axis glanced at him briefly. He had been thinking the same thing himself, over the past
few minutes the wind had almost doubled in strength so that it now blew around them in
malevolent gusts. He reined Belaguez to a sudden halt. ―Belial, how far out are we from the
Barrows?‖
Belial considered a moment. ―We have hardly seen the sun this morning, BattleAxe, so it
is hard to estimate. But I would think that we have not been riding for much more than an hour.‖
Axis chewed his lip, berating himself for pulling out this morning at all. He had been so
preoccupied with thoughts of Faraday, of the feel of her pressed against his body, that he had
failed to consider the dangers of a march in this weather. What an Artor-cursed fool he was!
―And the storm, Belial, how far away do you think that is?‖
The column of mounted Axemen had started to ride past them now, and the four men
edged their mounts out of the way. Some of the men gave them anxious glances.
Belial squinted into the distance. ―Less than an hour, BattleAxe. The horizon is already
lost.‖
Axis quickly made his decision. ―Belial, get this damned column turned around. Spread
the men out as much as possible so that they don‘t ride each other down. And tell them to ride,
damn it, ride as fast as they can. Those Barrows will give us the only shelter we‘re going to get!‖
Belial turned his horse and started shouting at the men. Axis cursed again. It was
well-nigh impossible to get such a large column turned around and moving fast without some
degree of chaos. Belaguez fidgeted nervously, tossing his head and prancing as the column
slowly, achingly slowly, started to wheel about and spread out over the plains.
―Go, damn you,‖ Axis whispered. ―Ride before this wind!‖
The Axe-Wielders started in ones and twos to push their horses faster. Ogden leaned as
close as he could to the prancing stallion and shouted to attract Axis‘ attention above the
increasing thunder of hooves. ―Axis! BattleAxe!‖
Axis only just heard him and looked down at the two Brothers, still keeping him
company on their placid white donkeys. ―Damn you! Ride!‖ he yelled at them. Belaguez reared
in excitement and fear. He wanted nothing more than to stretch his powerful body out after the
rest of the horses fleeing before the wind.
Ogden wheeled his donkey out from under the stallion‘s hooves. ―Axis,‖ he shouted
again. ―Listen to me! This is no ordinary storm. This is the work of Gorgrael!‖
―Then tell me how to fight it, man!‖ Axis almost screamed at him, keeping his seat on
Belaguez‘s plunging back only through his remarkable gift of balance. ―Tell me how to save my
Axemen from this demon-spawned nightmare!‖ The wind was now so strong that it tore Axis‘
blond hair from its braid, whipping it wildly about his face.
―I don‘t know,‖ Ogden whispered, terrified, ―I don‘t know.‖
Axis stared at him for a long moment, anger and fear battling across his face, then he
kicked the donkey‘s rump. ―Then ride, damn you, ride! It‘s our only chance!‖
He finally let Belaguez have his head and the stallion raced away after the rest of the
Axe-Wielders. Ogden and Veremund followed as fast as their donkeys‘ short legs would allow.
This was not how it was supposed to be.
Timozel turned Faraday and Merlion‘s horses about as soon as it became apparent what
was happening, and screamed at their maids to do the same thing. He whipped his sword out of
his weapon belt and beat their horses‘ rumps with the flat of the blade, his too-long hair falling
over his eyes. Every time he looked around the storm clouds were closer, heavier, angrier. Never
had he seen clouds move in such a fashion, or boil in defiance of the wind. Red, blue and silver
flashes lit them from within.
Faraday gripped her horse‘s mane in her hands, terrified by the sudden turn of events.
She remembered the shot of lightning and the anger of the thunder last night when the Sentinels
had shouted their presence at the sky, and she knew that somehow these two events were
connected. ―Oh Axis, please be safe,‖ she cried to herself as she struggled to keep her hands
tangled in the horse‘s heaving mane, ―please be safe!‖ Behind her, Yr clung with her claws to the
saddle blanket, fighting to keep her balance on the horse‘s wildly heaving back, her eyes glowing
deep blue, her lips pulled back in a snarl. ―Jack!‖ she hissed, and her eyes flashed as she spat the
word. ―Help us! Be there for us!‖
It was every rider for him or herself in this mad race. Adding to the danger of a flat -out
gallop of over three thousand horsemen were the packhorses and relief horses, most of which
were running out of control. Faraday prayed that her horse would not stumble and fall. A
terrified shriek sounded behind her. She turned and saw her mother‘s maid disappear under the
flashing hooves of the horses that came behind her. She gave a cry and might have tried to turn
back, if Timozel had not grabbed her horse‘s head and kept it moving forward.
―She‘s gone, Faraday!‖ he screamed at her. ―There‘s nothing you can do. Save your own
life!‖
Faraday glanced across at her mother who, white-faced, was clinging grimly to the
pommel of her saddle. Her fingers tightened in her horse‘s mane until the coarse black hair
started to cut deep into her flesh. She began to cry soundlessly.
At the back of the mass of fleeing riders Axis finally managed to bring Belaguez under
some control. He swung the horse‘s head around to look for the two Brothers, but what he saw
drove all thoughts from his mind. The line of broiling black clouds was now much, much closer.
Frighteningly close. In their centre a gigantic head had formed out of the cloud mass; Vaguely
manlike, although its bulging forehead and massive beaked nose looked almost like those of a
bird of prey, it had a set of vicious tusks emerging from its cheeks that glinted wickedly as it
twisted its head from side to side. Its mouth hung open, a too-large tongue protruding over its
lower lip, canine fangs hanging from its upper gums. Huge silver orbs were sunk into deep eye
sockets. Its skin was leathery and scaled, like a lizard‘s skin. The cloud head was the most
terrifying thing Axis could imagine encountering.
And then it spoke. It saw the solitary man sitting on the grey stallion behind the fleeing
riders and in front of the two small figures on the donkeys, and it spoke.
―Axis,‖ it boomed across the distance. ―My son.‖
―No,‖ Axis whispered, lost again in his nightmare—except that this time the darkness had
lifted, and he could see his tormentor. ―You are not my father,‖ he croaked from a mouth gone
dry and papery with fear. He was no longer capable of rational thought. The writhing, twisting
tusked head held him entrapped.
Ogden and Veremund reached him. ―Axis!‖ Veremund screamed, standing tall in the
stirrups of his saddle to reach up to Axis‘ face and slap him as hard as he could. ―That is not your
father, simply a likeness of Gorgrael created from cloud and ice! Axis! Listen to me! Do not
listen to him—he speaks only lies!‖
―I came to your mother like this,‖ the voice said, long ropes of saliva twisted down from
its tongue. ―I came to your mother like this and she loved me as I am! Yes! She loved me! She
writhed for me!‖
Axis felt the evil presence of his dreams. Despair threatened to overwhelm him. There