Page 56

M orning could not come soon enough, for Jai could hardly sleep for the nerves. Fortunately, he’d used the time to soulbreathe, topping up what he had acquired in his two days of waiting. By now, his core was over half full, and he was feeling far less vulnerable than before. Winter had been kindly sending him every bit of it that she had, and he was grateful to her for it.

It was a chill dawn, the sky dark and foreboding with clouds. If a rainstorm were to hit him on his ascent, Jai knew he might find himself on a fast descent to the bottom.

He spat upon his hands, then rubbed them in the dust at his feet. He looked up the rock face, pressing his face close. It was angled in his favour, but he knew he could not follow the terror birds’ path so easily – the distances between each outcrop were too great for him to leap between them as they must have.

No, Jai would have to climb between each ledge, using them as stopgaps to catch his breath. Winter was watching him with growing alarm, for though she had sensed his intentions, she disagreed with his plan entirely. Even now, she nipped at his breeches, and a word, or intention, was pulsed down to him at regular intervals.

No. No. No.

Jai sent a pulse of disagreement back, insistent, sending her images of Erica in danger, until at last, he was blessed with silence, if not the depth of her unhappiness that he could sense regardless of her intent. By now, Navi had been freed of her saddlebags, and the same, alongside his blade, were strapped to his belt.

He had a small, curved blade, one used for eating and other such needs, that he had tied to a long leather strip harvested from Navi’s reins. In a pinch, he hoped to drive it into cracks in the rock, with the other end tied about his waist.

A poor anchor, all told, but he had to make do. He had wasted enough time, waiting in the shadow of the mountain.

With no wild khiroi to tame, he could only hope that in the process of rescuing Erica, he would encounter an enemy worth enough of his Rite. One whose head would serve as proof of his success. The reason, he now knew, his people were known as headhunters.

He kissed Navi’s snout goodbye, for she could not follow him. He dared not leave her tied and helpless, for a predator might easily take her. Instead, he had tucked a scribbled note into her saddle, so his people would know his plans.

‘You get home safe, old girl,’ Jai whispered, letting her hoary lips nuzzle his palm. ‘I won’t be needing you where I’m going.’

He slapped her rump, sending her off, back to the Kidaran camp. It was visible at a distance, and after a few hesitant looks, Navi trundled on towards the grasses, eager for a meal.

Jai turned back to the wall.

‘Ready, Winter?’ Jai asked.

He received only a remonstrative look back. Sighing, Jai lifted a foot, resting his boot on a hump within the rock, and levering himself upwards. He jammed his fingers into a crack that had been out of reach, and grunted as he lifted himself upwards, finding purchase.

Winter shoved at him from below, and Jai stretched out another hand. And began the long climb upwards.

***

JAI’S ARMS BURNED LIKE fire. He panted, and shifted his weight to his feet, only for one to slip away, sending a jolt of terror through his gut. His straining fingers held their grip, crying out in protest as his full weight was thrust onto them. He clung to his precarious hold, the precipice yawning beneath him.

Breath came in ragged bursts, harsh pants in a rhythm that struggled to keep pace with the heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Even as a soulbound, he was struggling. For someone who had spent much of his short life cooped up in a single chamber, this was far beyond anything he had ever attempted.

With a grunt of exertion and a litany of curses, he slid his wayward foot back onto the shallow indentation in the cliff face. Leaning into the cold, unforgiving stone, he used the meagre foothold to push himself upwards, letting his battered fingers claw their way to the next sanctuary.

With a final surge, he clambered over the edge and onto the narrow strip of safety, pressing himself against the rock as if attempting to melt into the mountain itself.

Beneath him, Winter’s call echoed off the stone walls, the worry and admonishment clear. Only by pulsing thoughts of Erica’s rescue did he give the dragon pause, a reprieve from her ire.

Joining him on the slim ledge, Winter pressed her sleek form flat as she went, her belly pushed against the rock. The space was narrow, a mere two feet wide, just enough for her to perch precariously without falling into oblivion.

Jai took deep, sobbing breaths, letting a pulse of mana soothe the muscles of his arms. He wanted to drop his blade, and the contents of his pack, now cinched to his belt. But he could not bring himself to just yet. He needed the water and food. And the blade would be his only defence when his mana ran out.

Jai jammed the smaller blade into the rock, though its purchase was unlikely to hold his weight. But the leather line about his waist was chafing him, and he’d be damned if he didn’t make use of it. The tenuous lifeline was all that might keep him from falling should the ledge crumble, or he lose his balance on the precarious precipice.

As he rested, he found his gaze drawn downwards to the deadly plunge that awaited a single misstep. A vertiginous abyss yawned beneath, a stark reminder that failure was not an option.

In the distance, Jai could see an ominous clot of storm clouds darkening the horizon, their melding shapes riven with streaks of lightning. The tranquillity of the steppe below would soon be shattered by the furious might of the heavens. He could already hear the distant grumble of thunder, as if the Mother was angry at his antics.

It was here, high above the world, that he resolved this was what he sought to preserve. The way of life he had come to love. The fierce people that were his family, with their deep connection to the land they inhabited. So deeply rooted in the soil that its flora and fauna depended on their stewardship, trusting them to disseminate life-giving seeds and vital oases before the voracious grasses claimed their bounty anew.

There would always be that anger deep within, like an ember in his heart that seared the names of his brothers, of Balbir, over and over again. But the wound it made had scarred, and he could bear the thought of them now without that rage overwhelming him.

He had a higher purpose now. To continue his father’s legacy. Finish what he’d started. Taking several profound breaths to still his heart and steel his resolve, Jai turned back to the wall. He had climbed through the heat of the day, the sheen of sweat so thick that encrusted salts shone stark against his skin. The grit of dust had long been replaced by a slick sheen on his palms.

He dried them as best he could, and looked up the wall. It was impossible to tell from here just how far he had to go, but based on the number of ledges he’d reached, he was a little over halfway.

Another rumble. Closer this time. There was an ill wind in the air, the first gusts of the coming storm.

A sense of urgency seized him. He could not afford to be clinging to a stone wall when the deluge hit. With a surge of adrenaline, he pressed himself closer to the wall, his fingertips seeking the next hold above, the other hand yanking the blade from its anchor.

Swiftly, he began his ascent, no longer pausing to consider each movement. He called upon every ounce of his strength, propelling himself with a burst of effort that left his muscles screaming for respite, and his lungs burning.

Ledge after ledge slipped by beneath him as he climbed, Winter in his wake, her mind a maelstrom of rising panic. His sweat, once hot with exertion, was now chilled by the initial rain spatters licking the nape of his neck.

‘Come on!’ Jai hissed between his teeth, pulsing more mana to recover his strength, sapping his reserves.

He found a good hold, and dared glance behind him. The storm had drawn nearer, its dark heart pulsating with delayed rumbles of menace. By now, the time between flash and rumble was momentary. Lightning forked across the sky, casting the landscape in a surreal tableau of blinking light and shadow. Wind whipped around him, tugging at his clothes and sending small pebbles scattering down from above.

Even Winter, her form pressed to the rock beneath him, seemed to sense the urgency. Her claws scrambled against the rock, the sound adding to the cacophony of the encroaching storm.

Time lost all meaning as Jai willed himself higher.

By now, he had no idea if it was night or day. The sky grew ever darker and the wind stronger, until it was a savage animal, howling and tugging at him with relentless fury. The rain came in torrents now, a stinging lash against his skin, the wall becoming a slick, treacherous adversary.

Winter too clung for her life, her cries of concern lost to the storm’s symphony. Yet, despite her own plight, her concern for Jai echoed loudly in his mind, such that he was forced to close her from it. Her terror was a palpable force that compounded his own, leaving him in doubt of every move he made.

As the storm raged around him, Jai roared his defiance, pushing on in the face of the heavens themselves. Each boom of thunder was a call to arms, each lightning flash a beacon guiding his path. This was a trial, a brutal baptism by wind and rain, and he was determined to endure.

Finally, he saw it. The summit. It loomed ahead, tantalisingly within reach. His heart pounded with renewed hope. He could do this.

Jai’s fingers slipped. For a single, heart-stopping moment, he scrabbled for purchase. Found none. Then he was falling, into the dark.

WINTER’S BODY SLAMMED INTO him, and for a moment, they hung in the void, suspended in a cruel mimicry of flight.

Then she too was falling, their bodies entangled, her claws seizing his arms. The grip was harsh, sudden, her talons digging into his flesh.

Her wings flared, their spread enormous against the canopy of the storm. Jai felt her strain against the wild winds. Somehow, she managed only to temper their swift descent into a slower, spiralling tumble, but still they spun in the heart of the tempest, a leaf in the gale, the ground rapidly rushing to greet them.

Blind panic surged within Jai, his vision reduced to a mess of flashing light and relentless rain. The world spun, his senses engulfed by the tumultuous descent, swamped in a disarray of frantic thoughts. He clung to Winter’s claws, her body a lifeline in the chaos.

Jai willed her strength. And mana. For the first time, going to her, and not the other way around. It pulsed down their umbilical, sent unthinking, in silent prayer. The effect was immediate, her wings thrashing with renewed vigour. Their descent slowed, the howling winds serving to buoy them rather than cast them down. They were no longer falling... but gliding.

The storm’s fury was no longer their enemy, as the winds swept them up, higher and higher. With a triumphant roar, Winter soared, buoyed by the mana Jai forced to her with panicked abandon. Beneath them, the unforgiving ground receded, replaced by an expanse of storm-wracked night.

The respite was fleeting. The storm, momentarily tamed, was far from a benign ally. Winter struggled to maintain control amid the turbulent gusts and savage torrents of rain. The tempest tossed them about like ragdolls, every violent swerve and sudden drop a cruel reminder of their precarious balance upon the tide of wind they rode.

Jai could only cling tighter to Winter’s legs, his heart pounding out of his chest, his racing pulse echoing in his ears over the roar of the storm. Blinded by rain, he pressed his eyes shut, the flashes of lightning casting silhouettes through his eyelids.

A sudden gust drove them sideways, smashing them into the mountain. Pain wracked Jai’s body as his back made contact with the unyielding surface. He dared release a hand, flailing to find a hold upon the slick rock. His fingers slid over cracks and crevices, but the deluge made the wall treacherous, and he found no purchase in its deceitful promise.

Again, they tumbled, until Winter managed to right them once more, her wings battering against the gusts as she sought some semblance of control. By now, Jai’s mana was reaching its dregs, and Winter’s own reserves were spent.

Blinded both, they were as a single, flailing entity, clawing for survival in a world that had turned against them. Amid the wild dance of the storm, Jai held onto what shreds of hope he had, praying to the Mother as Winter forced her way upwards, her great chest heaving with every beat of her wings.

Jai could see his mana ebbing away, the golden liquid within his core fading fast. This was going to end soon, whether he wanted it or not.

Blinking through the onslaught and the boiling darkness, he could see the ghostly outline of the mountaintop, and the distant carpet of the grasslands below. He could just as easily be dashed against the ground in a descent. He had to choose... and he chose the summit.

His heart hammered as he willed more of his mana to Winter, hoping that the final infusion of energy could propel them to safety. It pulsed down their umbilical in a great bulge of blinding light, the effort enormous, such that Jai almost lost his grip.

Winter let out a hoarse roar, her wings redoubling their frantic beating, her sinews creaking beneath the strain. Their ascent became a desperate race against the storm and their dwindling reserves. Winter’s breaths came in gasping, shuddering gulps as she strained against the tempest, her great wings beating against the torrent.

The world swayed and pitched in tandem with the storm’s fury. But amid the madness, they were drawing ever closer to the top. Each agonising moment brought them nearer, and then, in a heart-stopping instant... they crested the heights. Jai’s view filled with the white expanse of the tundra beyond.

They landed in an awkward tumble, Winter’s claws skittering along the stone as she folded her great wings, their bodies rolling along the flat tableau of the mountain’s peak. They scrabbled nail and claw against the rock, their bodies skidding along the slick, rain-pelted surface, seeking an anchor against the gale that sought to hurl them back into the abyss.

Jai’s fingers curled about a rocky outcrop, his breath hitching as he gazed upon the tempest below them. The storm raged on, oblivious to their tiny victory.

But they held fast, clinging with numbed limbs to their fragile purchase, daring not to release and find better ground.

They had nothing left to give, but for now, it was enough. They were alive. They were together. And they had conquered the mountain.

THE PASSAGE OF TIME became an indecipherable blur, as they curled together like frozen anchors, enduring the rage of the storm above. It was a time of misery, of cold, and perpetually tensed muscles, of soulbreathing through chattering teeth and a shaking that trembled through his entire body.

He had focused on survival, gasping in staccato bursts, absorbing the sparse wisps of mana he could draw from the storm-ravaged skies. The mana had been pulled high by the storm from the grasslands below, and wafts would pass Jai by, even as he leaned out, trying to sup at it.

Each breath, each shred of mana he managed to draw in was immediately used, a desperate gambit to keep him alive. These fleeting bursts provided but a fragmentary reprieve, instilling a temporary warmth, a transient surge that kept the biting cold at bay.

So it came as some surprise when he was stirred from his stupor by a growing stillness, an eerie calm that replaced the storm’s riotous symphony, leaving only the distant rumble. A touch of warmth began to seep into his freezing extremities, tentative rays of the morning sun piercing the dispersing clouds above.

Winter stirred beneath him, her rough, forked tongue licking at his face. She had willed him every ounce of mana she’d had that night, for she could bear the cold without a second thought, though her greater size had left her twice as exposed to the wind that sought to dislodge them from the summit. Twice, she had slid away from him, and twice she had clawed her way back, never able to quite reach him until now.

Jai kissed her smooth snout, blinking tears from his eyes as he silently thanked her, pulsing his gratitude and love for the great beast. She pressed closer, finally able to share the warmth of her belly with him, and the pair clung to each other for a while longer, revelling in the life they still clung to, and the closeness of their loved one.

It was Winter that stirred first, giving his face a final affectionate lick before nudging him, almost as if to test if Jai could stand.

With a groan, Jai sat up, his stiff muscles protesting the movement. He forced himself to his feet, his legs trembling, leaning against Winter’s side for balance. The storm had passed, soaring on into a landscape cloaked in white, the empty expanse that he had heard speak of. The Frostweald.

The mountain peak on which they stood was a ragged crest of rock and ice, the slopes on either side descending steeply. Adjacent, the mountains unfolded in a breathtaking range of jagged peaks and valleys, a cold, unyielding scape awakening under the touch of the morning sun.

Who could have thought that dragons required mana to fly? Winter had sent much of her mana to Jai since she’d matured into an adolescent dragon in these few short months, for she’d had little need of it. So too had she only just unfurled her wings from their usual tight-folded position at her sides.

Erica had never mentioned it, but then Winter had been so young, and their journey had been cut short. He supposed it was obvious, now he’d seen it in action.

In the cold light of day, neither had more mana than a few dregs, hardly enough for a small ball of flame. And he was far from the part of clifftop he had been climbing, following their inaugural flight. Jai leaned over the precipice as closely as he dared, trying not to grow nauseated at the sight of the great height he had almost fallen.

It all looked the same. If there were ledges cut into the rock, he could not see them. He was only glad to know that he would be in the vicinity, at least, of what was clearly a thoroughfare for the Caelite tribe. However, there was one tell-tale sign – his own tribe. Visible to his west, their tents like a diorama, though shrouded in morning mist.

It was just as well, for to the east, the crest of the mountain went ever higher, its path nearly as treacherous as the climb he’d made before. To the west was flatter, and wider. Enough room to walk, just about.

On trembling legs, and wishing he could curl back up against Winter’s warm belly, Jai took a few hesitant steps, picking his way across the rubble-strewn ribbon of what passed for a trail along the ridge of the mountaintop.

It was hard going, and cold as anything. He was too disorientated to use the hummingbird technique, and secure a few motes of mana to warm him. So for now, he was forced to endure the cold and dizzying heights, and even his ascended soulbound body was feeling the strain of what it had been put through.

Worst still, he could not lean on Winter, for the path was too narrow and treacherous for that. Still, he let her squeeze past after a time and lead the way, offering him her spiked tail to hold. With each faltering step, his feet knocked treacherous pebbles to plummet soundlessly off the knife’s edge he walked.

It was surreal to walk this high. On one side, the world was one of barren ice and dark skies. On the other, an expanse of fresh-watered verdant green and cloudless blue. It was incredible to see the eddies of the wind swaying the grass in great undulating waves, as far as the eye could see.

Jai had never been so high, nor seen so far.

He struggled on, along the barren mountaintop. It was no wonder the Caelite came down to the Great Steppe to secure food. Nothing could grow here. He was surprised anything could survive at all.

But he had to keep walking. To reach the Caelite, secure their alliance and buy Erica’s freedom. As dusk cast its sombre cloak over the mountain, though, the last of the sun’s glow seeping from the horizon, Jai found himself perched precariously on the brink of slumber, swaying with fatigue.

Even a soulbound body needed sleep, and Jai was worried he might fall from the top in his exhaustion.

The very thought of another night on the mountain filled him with dread, even without the wind and rain. But he knew, he had no choice.

The harsh mountainous terrain offered nothing of comfort or sustenance. There was no wood to burn, and his provisions had been lost in the tempest’s fury. What remained were only a few morsels of once-dried jerky, now sodden from the rains. Half of it he had dutifully set aside for Winter, who had already swallowed it in a single lap of her tongue.

Casting his gaze back at the peak they had descended from, a sobering realisation struck him. Despite their gruelling efforts, they had made what seemed like scant progress.

Yet their journey had begun to bear some fruit. Now he could see the Kidaran camp in earnest, its campfires glowing in the fast-dimming light. This was near where the Caelite hunters had reached the mountaintop, he was sure of it.

Evidence of their presence was etched in the dried white splotches of the terror birds’ droppings, though much of it had been washed away by the rains. Of the Caelite themselves, there was nary a trace.

With the light fading fast, and Winter’s exhaustion compounding his own, Jai finally stopped, settling where the path widened slightly, and there was enough room for him and Winter to make some semblance of a camp.

Winter curled herself in a great semi-circle, and Jai lay against her, glad to have something solid between him and the steep fall behind. Her belly was hot, and Jai revelled in it, shedding his sodden, tattered shirt to bask, pressing himself skin to scale. Her belly was smooth, but softer and more pliant there, and had almost a pink sheen to it.

He closed his eyes, and began to soulbreathe. High up in the mountains, the mana was far more sparse. Still, it might be enough to begin warming his chilled limbs, and bring some strength back to his beleaguered body. If he only—

JAI WOKE TO HIS head thudding into the ground, Winter sitting up in panic. Winter had jerked upright, a wave of raw terror radiating through their bond. He was immediately on high alert, the adrenaline rush eradicating any remnants of drowsiness as he fumbled for the hilt of his sword.

Winter’s growl reverberated through the cold night air in a primal warning. He was on his feet in an instant, eyes darting in every direction for signs of danger. It was only when he saw Winter’s gaze, turned upwards, that he finally saw the threat.

Jai stared in horror. He could see the dark shapes spiralling against the dark sky, and he pulsed mana to discern feathered forms descending in the pall of night.

Winter, having managed to gather a precious smattering of mana, urged him to action. To leap upon her back, allow her to hurl themselves from their seat to glide down to the Kidaran camp far below.

Now! Now!

Jai shook his head, laying a calming hand upon Winter’s side. For these were not Gryphon Guard. They were the Caelites.

Great birds of prey, their wingspans Winter’s own size and half again. A dozen of them, swooping ever closer.

‘Wait,’ Jai said, shaking his head as if he could dislodge Winter’s internal screaming.

They were vulnerable here. Out of their element, and out of mana. Weak in body and spirit both.

Yet Jai knew, he had no choice. He was here to speak with the Caelite. And here they were. It seemed his visit to their mountain home had not gone unnoticed.

The first of the great beasts alighted near him, then another and another, encircling him on all sides, their curved, yellow talons clicking as the birds danced for balance, furling their great wings. They were enormous – half again in wingspan compared to Winter.

And on their backs... were people. Sithians, yet not so. For they had no beards, no hair to speak of. Even their brows were shaved away, giving them strange, wide-eyed appearances.

Each held strange sickles in one hand, curved, hook-like blades. And about their wrists, there were coils of tight-wound rope. Their clothing, for want of a better word, was strange and pillow-like, as if they had stuffed their shirts with down.

And all across their bodies were rings upon rings, pierced into their earlobes, brows and lips. Many of these dangled feathers of all kinds, colourful as any on a palace painter’s easel.

Now the sickles fell from their hands, only to stop short, for they were attached to the ropes. These, they swung in their hands, until they spun in glittering, thrumming circles that set Jai’s teeth on edge.

The foremost of these strange figures slid off their mount, landing gracefully upon the icy ground with a soft crunch. They – or rather, he, as Jai could now discern – turned to face Jai, revealing a face made eerie by the lack of hair and the gleam of his metallic piercings. His eyes, wide and dark, bore into Jai’s own, before they swept over Winter with an interested air.

He had the body of a warrior, lean and corded with muscle, and scarred in a dozen different ways. As for his mount, its piercing orange eyes almost glowed in the moonlight, its hooked beak digging amid its tawny plumage, seeking out ticks.

The man’s gaze returned and held Jai’s own, the silence hanging heavy between them, broken only by the soft murmur of the wind and the occasional flap of the roq’s wings. Despite the blade in his hand, there was no hostility in his eyes, only an inscrutable curiosity that Jai found himself mirroring.

They remained in this impasse, the silence stretching. Finally, the man cleared his throat, and Jai realised they expected him to speak.

‘I greet you,’ Jai said, bowing his head with respect. ‘I am Jai, son of Rohan, khan of the Kidara. I come for parlay.’

The response was subtle, a slight raise of the man’s barren brows, his eyes flickering momentarily towards Winter.

‘I—’

A raised palm stopped him in his tracks, and the man finally opened his mouth to speak.

‘Parlay,’ he muttered. He spat to the side, and stalked closer, careless of the low rumble of warning from Winter. He leaned close to her, letting her sniff him.

‘You may follow us,’ the man said. ‘Or stay. Your choice.’

With that, he returned to his mount, a graceful, skipping leap taking him back atop his roq. The colossal wings unfurled, churning the frosty air in powerful gusts that whipped against Jai’s face.

Within moments, the Caelite were airborne, heading west. Jai was alone, on the mountaintop. Without a glance, Winter lowered herself, and Jai eyed the stubby horns that studded her back. He gathered the remains of his tattered shirt, hastily mussing it into a makeshift cushion before perching atop her back, his limbs awkward, mind still reeling.

His legs curved around her sides, his body nearly horizontal against the front of her back, careful not to inhibit her expansive wings. Leaning forward, his fingers wrapped around the sturdy horns at her neck, a silent plea to the Mother whispered under his breath.

‘Winter, I’m—’

Before the words could fully form, the world tilted as Winter propelled herself upwards, her muscular legs launching them into the open air. A single powerful beat of her wings, driven by the scarce mana she had stored, catapulted them aloft. And then... they were flying, the ground falling away beneath them as they joined the flying roqs in the starlit expanse of the night sky.

Jai clung tight to Winter as they careened through the vast heavens, embracing the wild pulse of the wind. They drifted on the generous gales that swept them on like an autumn leaf. It was just as well, for Winter had little mana to spare.

Jai could feel Winter’s joy coursing through their bond, a heady sensation that was infectious and addictive in equal measure. Soon, he was no longer filled with fear, only the joy of his beast, his other half, discovering her primordial purpose.

This was no mere survival-driven scramble to surmount the rocky precipice. No, this was a different dance altogether. It was the ballet of unfettered spirit.

As they forged ahead, following the fleeting outlines of their hosts, the frost-capped peaks shimmered in pale moonlight – stark contrast to the black ravines beneath.

Already, they were catching up to the great birds ahead, and Winter let out a roar that turned their bald heads. Jai laughed aloud, snatched away though it was.

The formation of roqs veered away abruptly, and Jai’s stomach seized as Winter banked with them. Yet, as the Caelite spiralled down, Jai saw their destination.

The mountainside lay strewn with caves – dark coves embedded into its face. An overhang of jutting rock made up the bulk of the tall peak, rendering a climb from the ground impossible.

Winter followed, awkward in her descent. Her wings struggled as she angled them, fighting against the wind.

Jai’s knuckles whitened as he gripped her horns tighter, his eyes widening in turn with the expanding rock face below. They were limping towards one of the largest caves, the entrance looming dark.

The echo of the roqs’ calls grew loud, eagles’ shrieks that set Jai’s teeth on edge, the sound reverberating as the formation tightened, straightened, and whipped into the cave in quick succession. The coordination was breathtaking, and Winter pulsed with competitive envy.

Her determination set, she dipped her wings, sending them into a deep swoop. Jai let out a gasp, unbidden. His world blurred, the rock rushing up to meet them.

With a final downstroke, Winter pulled them out of their dive. Her talons extended, straining.

A jolt, dust and loose stones erupting as Winter skidded to a halt, her talons scraping furrows into the hard rock. Jai was tossed from her back, wild momentum carrying him across the cave floor. A final jarring roll punched the breath out of his lungs.

For a moment he lay dizzy, hugging the ground, waiting for the nausea that suddenly beset him to subside.

Slowly, the world returned to normalcy, and Jai flopped onto his back, gasping for air. There was light above. Soft... and blue.

A lichen, mossy in its texture, furling along the cavern’s vast ceiling like a carpet in reverse. It glowed with a gentle turquoise light.

Jai sat up to find scores of faces, staring at him, yammering in that same fluting, clicking language he could not understand. Their voices echoed around the cavern, putting Jai in mind of a service within a grand cathedral.

These people were similar to those riding the roqs, but with small, shaved caps of hair upon the tops of their heads, and all wearing the same pillowy clothing. The roqs were nowhere to be seen. Indeed, the people there seemed as shocked to see him as he was them.

Jai was in a cavern of enormous proportions. So large, the imperial palace could be built at its centre, and just about touch the sides.

The ceiling was so far, a strong man might throw a pebble with all his might and never hit it. At ground level, where Jai sat, was a circular space as large as an amphitheatre’s arena. Within its centre lay a clear pool of water, dripping from the ceiling from a great array of lichenous stalactites.

And above all that put Jai in mind of a wasp’s nest. Row upon row of concentric ledges, and each peppered with caves and stairs.

He turned to check on Winter, and found her crouched low, her hackles raised. A score of spearmen surrounded her, their eyes full of fear, their communication whispered.

Already, a dozen more spear-wielding warriors were approaching Jai, shuffling forward with the same hushed trepidation. Jai raised his palms, and attempted a smile through his wind-numbed lips. It did little to help, and he could only shuffle backwards on his buttocks, until he and Winter were pressed together, staring down the forest of spears together.

No sign of those that had brought them. Had this all been a trick to capture him too? He dug into his pockets, finding the remains of a white kerchief. He flapped it weakly, but all that did was spur further whispers.

Then a shout. A burly man barged his way through, his voice deep and booming. Spearpoints lowered at the man’s behest, slapped down by his meaty palms.

He approached Jai with a fixed smile, and lowered himself to Jai’s level.

‘Welcome, Jai, son of Rohan,’ the man whispered, a light accented twang colouring his voice. ‘Are you hungry?’