Chapter 20: Demon Riders (Part 2)

Zechariah departed to finish packing, leaving Justin alone in the rain. The sword hung heavy at his side, interfering with his center of balance. He looked down at the metal-woven basket-hilt on one side and the dirk's knobby handle on the other. Days ago, the thought of carrying a sword and a knife might have sounded exciting. Now, they just made him feel dirty.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bright flash. Half a minute later, the rumble of thunder reached his ears. He tightened the hood over his head.

When everything was packed, with nothing left but a circle of charcoal where their fire had been, the four travelers mounted their steeds. Justin grimaced as the pains of yesterday rubbed against the saddle.

Ahlund looked at Leah. She nodded, and Ahlund rode forward. Leah and Zechariah did likewise, and Justin's steed obediently followed.

It didn't take long before Justin was cold, wet, and miserable. As their pace quickened, the rain came at Justin from above and in front. It found ways to splash into his face and run down the front of his shirt. The mounds marking the graves of the enemy soldiers disappeared behind them as the world grew darker.

***

The sun's position was hidden behind the clouds, and time seemed an endless circuit of grassland flowing beneath and rain falling above. The only change came from behind, as the ocean of black clouds drew ever nearer. Never had Justin faced such a storm out of doors. After a while, he dared not look back to see how close the lightning struck, and the thunder was so loud it hurt his ears. Curtains of rain and cloud veiled the path ahead. Lightning sparked horizontally in the clouds above.

Ahlund raised his hand and began to slow down. The others followed his example.

Looking over his shoulder, Justin saw the blackness behind illuminated by a bolt of lightning that sizzled from the sky like a crack through an eggshell. An explosion of thunder rocked him not ten seconds later, setting his heart racing. The storm was moving faster than they were. He didn't want to stop. He didn't want to give it a single moment's advantage. The crazy idea came to him of whipping the reins of his steed and rushing past the others to make a break for it alone.

Get a hold of yourself.

They came to a stop and, still on steedback, crowded into a tight circle. The steeds sucked in air through their trunks and shook water from their long faces.

"Irth is close," said Zechariah. "But we will not be safe there."

"We won't?" Justin blurted. "What do you mean?"

"The gate is our only chance," Ahlund said, ignoring Justin. "It's the only pass for a hundred miles in either direction, right?"

"Right," said Zechariah.

"What's going on?" Leah said, yelling to be heard over the storm. In her barely disguised fear, it came out closer to a demand than a question.

"They are following us, my lady," Ahlund said.

"They?" Leah said.

"The dark presence," said Zechariah. "It is black aurym, belonging to multiple beings. They're coming this direction. They use the storm as cover."

Justin swallowed hard as thunder crashed like a timpani.

"Irth," Leah said. "They will have a town guard. If we alert them to the danger-"

"No militia could hold back the things hunting us," said Ahlund. "We must reach the mountain gate and shut ourselves off from them. My lady, I swore to protect you with my life. This is our only choice."

At the word "hunting," a shiver ran up Justin's spine that had nothing to do with the cold or the rain.

After a moment's consideration, Leah nodded. Ahlund looked at Zechariah and said something in that strange language. Then he yelled and slapped his steed. The animal started galloping. The rest followed, this time with Justin and Leah in the middle and Zechariah at the rear.

Justin held tightly to the reins, trying to keep his hands from shaking. He had seen these men kill without mercy. He had seen Ahlund charge into a burning building. He had seen Zechariah get cut by an enemy blade without making a sound. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with-yesterday's massacre of a dozen enemy soldiers could attest to that. What could make these two retreat?

Justin could hardly see anything. The rain fell in stinging sheets. The sounds of thunder exploded at almost the same instant as the lightning flashes now, shaking the ground beneath him, making him flinch and wonder each time if the next would be his last. It was all he could do to keep an eye on the shadowy figures of Leah and Ahlund ahead of him and, if he looked over his shoulder, Zechariah close behind. Justin's fear was steadily transforming into something more: a cold sickness in the pit of his stomach. It felt like doom. Unnatural. Ethereal. Hanging in the air.

Am I feeling it? he thought. The dark presence?

A shout from behind brought Justin's attention around.

"Faster!" came Zechariah's voice on the wind. "They're right behind-!"

The rest of his words were cut off by the snap-boom of electrical impact as lightning struck, and the world around the old man became momentarily illuminated. Burned into Justin's retinas for a split second was a jagged line of light drawn from the blackened sky to the ground less than fifty yards behind Zechariah.

And in the aftermath, he saw them.