“You all ready for this?” El asked as the four hovered just outside the reach of the storm clouds, and checked the rope around her waist.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Laze shouted back to be heard, their communication magic stolen by the storm.

  “What is he waiting for?” Nidina gestured toward the force commander.

  “It doesn’t matter,” El said. “When he gives the signal, we go.”

  “Are we sure the survivors in Aldrana can’t call ahead to warn them we’re coming? They have to be able to see us over here,” Laze said, and pointed toward the not-so-distant city. Half of it was already engulfed in the storm, small bursts of violence erupting as newts tracked down the last remaining golems. Even three full days later, the battle wasn’t completely finished.

  “It’s the risk we’re taking, but I think it’s a safe one,” El answered.

  “Newts did our job for us,” Nidina said as the four of them eyed the city. “Stormbearer hasn’t been seen in days though. You think he’s waiting for us on the other side?”

  “He might be,” El said. “Our only goal is getting the Ember, though. Avoid the Stormbearer at all costs.”

  “You keep saying that, and yet you’re the one who charged right at him last time,” Laze said and narrowed her eyes.

  She still hadn’t quite forgiven El for that it seemed.

  “I learned my lesson,” El said.

  “Looks like it’s go time,” Dayne interrupted. “That’s the signal.”

  El turned just in time to see the first wing vanish into the storm—wing after wing hesitantly following.

  “We’re not going to be the last ones in,” El shouted to her friends, and they nodded back. “Let’s go!” she yelled, then spun and flew into the heavy snow.

  The rope on her waist pulled taut as it reached its limit, then loosened as Laze, the second in line, matched her speed.

  Fifteen seconds into the storm, El glanced back, Laze’s wings barely visible in the snow, then gradually picked up the pace. She couldn’t risk going top speed without being able to see the unforgiving mountains. Even with her flame armor, such an impact could be fatal. Above her, thunder rumbled and lightning arched angrily through the clouds, like the very storm wanted to remind her who was in charge.

  Well, they weren’t planning on being in there long, so let the storm rage. They’d chosen the most direct route, with the least cloud-piercing peaks, to reach the other side of the mountains. As long as they went in a straight line, north, they should breach the mountains in less than two hours at their speed.

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  The wind howled and bucked around her, spiraling the thick snowflakes in every direction, and pulling on her flaming wings. White settled on her shoulders, cool even through her flame armor, and surrounded her wherever she looked.

  Was she still going the right way, or had she already gotten turned around? There weren’t any landmarks. Nothing to orient herself. Just the endless sea of white that stole all sense of positioning. Burn it, she could be flying straight for the ground, and she wouldn’t even know it.

  No. No. The tension on the rope. Focus on that. Every shift pulled it in a slightly different direction. Use that as a guide.

  KAAAAAA-THOOOOOOOM

  Thunder boomed directly above her, so loud her armor turned the force of the sound wave to heat, melting snowflakes in a flash, and lightning split the sky in her path. A gust of wind like a giant clawed hand wrapped her body and yanked her to the side while the jagged afterimage of the lightning filled her vision.

  BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

  More thunder? Wait, that came from below her.

  El blinked and rubbed her eyes to banish the spots.

  BURN IT! Those aren’t spots!

  El pulled hard to the side and accelerated, straining the rope as Laze tried to go in a different direction.

  Leg-sized spears of flame sizzled through the air between them, and El barely twisted in time to avoid taking one in the face.

  BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

  Like the pounding of a drum, the golems’ cannons sounded below.

  One hand on the rope to keep her wings from severing it, El spun and then dove. Well, maybe she was diving, or maybe she was going straight up. It was impossible to tell in the spiraling snowstorm, but she poured on the speed while the salvo of flaming death cut the sky where she’d just been.

  Tension pulled the rope behind her as her friends struggled to keep up. If one of them went the wrong way, they could pull the whole wing into the oncoming fire.

  The BOOMING echoes rattled off in quick succession from below, to the sides, and behind her, and suddenly the sea of white tinged orange. There were golems everywhere.

  Three shards of flame cut the air above her, forming a triangle as they passed each other. Those angles… she really was flying straight down. And she needed to change her course fast.

  Sorry guys, she thought as loud as she could at her friends, though they’d never hear it, then doused her wings and rolled while keeping her eyes on the triangle where the shots had crossed. As soon as her body lined up with that spot, she put a hand on the rope and flared her wings to full power.

  Bursting ahead, she jerked the rope suddenly taut and grunted as it squeezed the wind out of her, but roared ahead. A barrage of flaming spears raced in on her from all sides, only visible as a growing glow of orange.

  Which way?

  …

  There!

  Her flare ended. She twisted her body and flared her wings, once again jerking the line forward at neck-breaking speed.

  Go, go, go, she willed herself to get them all to safety before the net closed. How long was the rope again? Fifteen feet between each other them. That meant Dayne, the furthest back, was forty-five feet behind her. El altered her trajectory slightly and flared her wings for a third time.

  “Come on!” she yelled into the storm as the crossfire of flaming missiles filled the space behind her.

  Distant booms echoed, but the glow faded, and El ignited her wings to keep them moving forward. There was still tension on the rope around her waist, but that only meant Laze was still with her. Were Nidina and Dayne okay? Should she stop to check?

  No. They may have gotten by one line of golem artillery, but that didn’t mean another wouldn’t spot them. She couldn’t stop until they cleared the mountains.

  Not that she could actually see the mountains. How would she know when they got to the other side? That was a question for later. At the earliest, it would still be more than an hour before they should be on the other side. All she could do was hope they were still going in the right direction.