In Thy Name

Chapter 14 - Storms

The sky was justbeginning to lighten when Sareb was awakened by Stormwind's sharp voice. As they took their breakfast of drybread and pluma, he noticed Stormwind's eyes lingering on her brother's face, which was visibly less red and swollen, even in the low light. When she turned her gaze on him, Sareb glared at her, although he felt something less than irritation. He just didn't want to talk about it, that was all. But Stormwind said nothing, and Frostarrow acted as though nothing had happened.

They took flight before the sun rose. Djusra protested at the early wakening, but complied with a few complaining squawks. Even she was getting tired now, but she flew doggedly on.

After their noon-time rest, the mountains, which Sareb had been hungrily searching for since mid-morning, became visible on the horizon, hazy peaks too sharp and close together to be sand dunes. He pointed and shouted to Stormwind in front of him and Frostarrow behind him—and saw, as if an opposing force, the last thing he had wanted to see on this journey: a great cloud blossoming out of the horizon behind them, growing every second. Frostarrow caught the change in his expression, wheeled around to see, and then zoomed up front to Stormwind. The two falcons wheeled around again and hovered on either side of Sareb. He glanced back again, and then told them his plan.

"We must fly north to escape the storm. When we reach the mountains, we will turn east again. It will add some time, but we should be able to find water in the mountains."

Stormwind glanced meaningfully back at the cloud, and then fixed her gaze on Sareb.

"We must try to outrun it. I don't know if we can, but unless we see some sheltering rocks, we have no other choice."

The falcons dipped their heads in assent. Sareb spurred Djusra on, and all three of them sped forward with renewed vigor. Djusra had not seen what was behind them, but she surely sensed their anxiety, and perhaps knew by some animal sense what was coming. Sareb continually turned to look behind him, until he gave up steering Djusra entirely, knowing he could trust her to keep the course, and twisted around to give the storm his full attention. The cloud now filled half the sky, and it twisted and roiled as though alive. It seemed to move with dreamlike slowness, and yet it was much closer than before. But its center had shifted—it had moved from the western side of the horizon, to fill the entire sky behind them. "Northwest," Sareb shouted, steering Djusra in the new direction. "We should fly northwest. Perhaps it will pass behind us!"

The falcons veered with him, and they flew on, each wingbeat a prayer for safety. Behind them, the cloud of sand continued to grow, covering the world, moving with the slowness of earth. The wind began to tug at them, trying to force them to fall in line with the storm. The falcons struggled, their eyes squinted against the stray bits of sand that were now flying through the air.

Djusra was still making headway, though, even against the wind. They'd have a better chance of outflying the storm on their own...

And then this would all be over. He could go back to his home in the desert, and Teshem would come back. Everything would be like before. He would never have to think about the two Northern Gladiari again. He could forget about all the trouble that had come of saving Stormwind, and about how he had burned Frostarrow's face.

Except...

He glanced over at Frostarrow flying to his right, buffeted by the wind, wings beating hard. He remembered the Gladiar's intent look, how he had really seen him. Not just a Masunyi or a powerful mage, but he himself, like no one except Teshem had in a long time.

Teshem would be disappointed, distraught, maybe even further disgraced if the two Northern Gladiari disappeared.

But at least if disgraced, he would still need Sareb as his friend...