The sky darkened with rain clouds that snaked up through the narrow mountain passage like fronds of dew. Erean frowned at it. Rain was seldom good in the mountains. It meant rockslides and lightning, both of which were capable of ending his search before he had a chance to complete it. He hoped that the two would be back with the birds before the weather had a chance to turn. They were taking an awfully long time. He patted his horse's neck.

The baying of the dogs caught the horses' attention before it caught Erean's. He swore under his breath. Dogs. Of course they brought dogs. Both horses' ears cocked, then both heads turn simultaneously toward the sound. He grabbed Patches' bridle and swung himself painfully onto her back. He knew that look. Something was coming, and whatever it was, it was not Rannok or Sasha or the crow. His mount stomped her foot against the ground, sending a tremor through his legs.

They would have to wait, or to find him later. He gave the older grey a smack across the flank, then held his horse back as it ran down the passage. Perhaps it would hold off whoever was chasing them. Curse Sasha, and curse the boy for putting up with her. If he had known, he never would have let her come with them.

"Run," he whispered to his horse as he booted it hard in the ribs. She took off like the lightning he could feel coming, his still-aching legs barely able to keep up as they scrambled up the steep slopes. Rocks slid under her feet as they scrambled up the pass and around the ridgeline. He only hoped they could beat the storm before it made the road too slick to climb and the horse too frazzled to continue.

The animal's body bristled underneath him as her sure feet picked across the rocks. They were not moving fast enough. He pressed his heels into her flank. She picked up the pace slightly, but just slightly. He dug his heels in just short of hurting her. The horse tossed her head, then broke into a trot he barely trusted would keep them from tumbling down the side of the mountain and into the ravine below.

But men with dogs would only be marginally slower. They had to get far enough away that they'd lose their scent, or decide the road was too difficult to follow. There was always the chance whatever Sasha had been running from would notice she was not with him...but it was just a chance. There was also the chance they would notice a broken man on a stolen horse in the mountains alone, and find that as suspicious as he knew it was.

A rumble shook the sky. The horse started a bit, jostling him in the saddle. He dug his heels in again to keep it moving. The air around them seemed to glimmer with unshed moisture. It stuck to his skin like a heavy blanket. The path widened ahead, and disappeared down the other side of the mountain, which was laden with trees and nowhere near as steep.

He hoped the storms in the mountains were not like the storms in the southern plains. He remembered when his children were small, having to carry them in a basket through floodwater that reached to his chest. He remembered the painting and drawings they'd lost, the years of research washed away in the waters. And when it receded, they'd spent weeks picking up the carcasses of chickens and cattle, where they weren't simply left to rot in the streets.

His face fell just enough that he could feel the heaviness of it in the corners of his eyes. He did not have a map, and the trails branched in a hundred different directions. It was hard to tell, as he looked down the crest of the mountain, which of them were trails and which were simply deer tracks. The storm would wash away his horse's tracks. The dogs would not be able to find him, but neither would Sasha or Rannok. At least not in a way that left any kind of haste.

He did not have time to lose anymore, not when the attacks had gotten so bad he could scarcely breathe. He did not have time to waste searching for a lost horse, or wandering on trailheads so the dogs would lose his scent. He did not have time for storms, or to only have one horse, when they found him. He did not even have time for them to only have two horses. And he did not have time to wander in the woods while they looked for him, simply because she had the map.

It was almost enough to make him wish the crow was here. He couldn't let him into his mind completely. He could not lose himself to it, as Rannok had. But perhaps he could let him see his pain. Perhaps the creature would take pity, seeing the broken body of the little girl. Feeling his screams as the spasms racked him. He would not be able to hide it from Rannok and Sasha forever. Maybe even not that much longer. But perhaps the crow could make them understand.

The sky grumbled its discontent again. Erean pulled his horse back to a fast walk and let it disappear into the treeline. He sighed in relief as the branches overtook him, hiding him from the view of anyone standing on the mountain above. It would be much easier to travel, with cover, and he would not have to travel far. They would not look while there was thunder, not if they had any sense.

The first drop of rain landed on his cheek. He wiped it away with his hand and stared up at the sky. There was not time to worry, just like there was not time for anything else. He had to find shelter before the storm hit and lightning presented a danger. He hoped the two searching for him had sense to do the same.