Page 80 of Facade

The wind shifted, its speed violent as the cold sliced through all of us from every direction as the sun began to set. Even Dimitri shivered beneath the thick, brown coat of his wolf form.

Snow whipped around, obscuring our view of the path ahead. Aiden held up a fist. His back became my shield from the onslaught of weather.

“Malachai, ride ahead!” he yelled.

I could barely hear Malachai’s horse clomping down the path. Luna came up and nudged me from behind. I turned to pet her muzzle, hand shaking from the cold, but she pulled her head out of reach and nudged me again. Squinting through the snowy night, I peered around Aiden’s shoulder in time to see Malachai returning.

He shook his head, stopping next to us, the bottom half of his face hidden beneath thick fabric.

“The path is clear, but there’s fear beneath the storm. I can taste it.”

How the hell do you taste fear?

Aiden observed the darkened path, but even with his weird eyes, the snow blew too thick and wild around us. Luna nickered and nudged my arm harder. Dimitri paced beside us, little whines escaping him, his ears perked.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing at the moment,” Aiden said tightly, still scanning. Searching. Shadow whinnied beneath him and began to move. Luna pranced side to side.

“Why do the horses seem nervous?” I asked, not sure whether or not I wanted the answer. Aiden ignored my question anyway.

“What do you think?” He directed at Malachai.

Malachai wheeled his head toward the trees to our right, then again toward the mass of fog and clouds ahead of us, his long braids jostling with the movement.

A roar tore through the air, so loud I clamped both hands over my ears.

Shadow reared.

I slid off his back and hit the ground hard enough that I half thought the impact would leave a small crater. Impossible with the frozen dirt, packed hard like rock. Pain splintered through me, jarring my bones, but I scrambled up as Luna hit her muzzle against my back.

“Shit!” Aiden yelled out, holding the reins. His head swiveled my way, eyes wide. Dimitri hunkered down, haunches in the air. His ears pinned back as a bone-curdling growl of his own released toward the dark.

“What was that?” I shrieked as I stood and dusted snow off my pants.

Malachai, ignoring me as usual, focused ahead. His eyes lit up like torches as he kicked the side of his horse and took off at an unrelenting pace—a predator locked in on its prey—Dimitri was on his heels, a howl tearing from his throat that was quickly swallowed by the ferocious wind.

Aiden hesitated.

“Go!” I yelled.

His lip curled, something warring in his gaze. Then his eyes took on the same otherworldly glow as Malachai’s, before he took off after them. He didn’t look back.

My loose hair whipped all around me. I quickly worked it into a braid, then pulled my coat close as I turned to comfort Luna. The Empyrean ducked away from my touch.

“What’s wrong, girl?” I asked, searching her large, blue eyes.

She raked her hoof against the ground and bowed before me.

“What do you want?”

She neighed, bowing further. Understanding hit me.

“I can’t get on your back!” My wrists had that faint burn already, but nothing more thanks to Aniah.

Luna was lying on the ground before me. The wind cut at my cheeks like thousands of small blades. The males were gone, the path obscured by the blizzard. A frustrated cry tore from me as I looked down at the Empyrean.

“Shit,” I hissed.