Book One – Chapter 17

Yu knew that Imbiad was a water elementer, but he had never felt his power, not like this. On the journey here, he had been sparing with his craft, conjuring little more than a thin veil of rain to block the worst of the storm, or a slick of ice when shelter was scarce. Unlike Fallem, he had never flaunted his abilities, which had been a constant source of friction between the two wizards. Where Fallem needed to be restrained with his shapeshifting, Imbiad had been meticulous, almost paranoid — too risky, he had said, too likely to draw the Shaira’s attention.

But now, he did not hold back.

Even to Yu, untrained and oblivious to elemental control, the sensation was staggering — it was raw violence running through the ice underfoot. Every fragment of frost on the ground and in the air seemed to sharpen, like blades pushing against his skin. It was too much. Yu could not stop shaking. Ice was all around them. The whole mountain was Imbiad’s weapon, and he had just put up arms.

The travellers felt it too — they had stopped in their tracks.

The ker remained motionless, his expression calm but his stance taut. The beastkin and the borman, on the other hand, looked around as bewildered as Yu had been. The beastkin’s fur bristled and his tail lashed wildly as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. The borman repatedly adjusted his grip on his bundles. Their postures were coiled with readiness, yet they held their ground.

The brief pause gave Yu a chance to examine them more closely. All of them carried tents, backpacks and weapons bundled to their backs or strapped to their various belts. There were hatchets and hunting spears like those that Yu’s own party had repeatedly used for support when walking or to test the treacherous ground. The ker’s coat was frosted and stiff, the beastkins’ furs sodden and soaked with melted snow. The storm had worn them down. The beastkin looked one gust away from collapsing.

And then there was another figure, standing in their backs.

The fourth who walked among them was the witch.