Chapter 24: Scattered by the Storm

The sound of hoofbeats thundered closer, tearing through the stillness of the desert night. Kael crouched behind the dune, his breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts. He gripped Frenna's hand tightly as they all huddled together, their backs pressed against the shifting sand.

"Are you sure they saw us?" Tayo whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his own heart.

"Too close not to," Kael murmured, his gaze fixed on the ridge. The silhouettes of riders appeared against the moonlit horizon, their dark forms growing larger with every second. Kael's stomach churned as he caught the glint of weapons reflecting faintly in the moonlight.

Frenna shifted beside him, wincing as her hand pressed against her injured side. Her face was pale, and the bloodstain on her tunic had grown. "We need to move," she said hoarsely. "If we stay here—"

"They'll overrun us," Lirien finished, her silver braids gleaming as she pulled her spear from its sling. "They're not going to stop."

Kael nodded grimly, his mind racing. They had no chance against mounted raiders—not in their state, not here. "The storm," he said suddenly, his eyes flicking to the horizon. The faint roar of wind grew louder, a looming wall of swirling sand visible in the distance. "If we can reach it, we can lose them."

"That's suicide," Tayo said, frowning. "A storm like that will scatter us—or worse."

"We're already dead if we stay," Kael replied sharply. His grip tightened on Frenna's hand, his gaze softening as he looked at her pale face. "We don't have a choice."

Tayo's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "Fine. But we stick together."

"We'll try," Kael muttered under his breath. He helped Frenna to her feet, his arm steadying her as she leaned against him.

The raiders crested the ridge, their sharp whistles cutting through the night air. Kael didn't wait. "Go!" he shouted, dragging Frenna forward as the others sprinted beside them.

The desert wind howled as the storm surged toward them, the air growing heavy with swirling grains of sand. Kael's chest tightened as the first gust hit, sharp and unrelenting. Behind him, the raiders shouted, their voices growing fainter as the roar of the storm drowned everything else.

"Keep moving!" Kael yelled over his shoulder, his voice barely carrying over the wind. Frenna stumbled, her steps faltering, and Kael wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her upright.

"I'm fine," she gritted out, though her face told a different story. Her teeth were clenched, her breathing labored, and blood stained her fingers where she pressed against her side.

"No, you're not," Kael shot back. "Just keep moving. We'll make it."

Tayo and Lirien ran ahead, their forms barely visible through the swirling haze. Kael's heart pounded as he struggled to keep Frenna moving, every step a battle against the shifting sand and the relentless wind.

The storm hit full force.

Sand tore at Kael's skin, stinging his face and arms as he shielded Frenna as best he could. Visibility dropped to nothing. The world became a blur of swirling chaos, the wind roaring in his ears like a living beast.

"Kael!" Tayo's voice cut through the noise, faint but desperate.

Kael turned toward the sound, his arm tightening around Frenna's waist. "Tayo! Over here!"

A powerful gust hit, knocking Kael off balance. He stumbled, dragging Frenna down with him. They hit the sand hard, the grains clinging to their skin and filling their mouths and noses.

"Kael, I—" Frenna's voice was lost as another gust tore through them.

Kael reached for her hand, but the storm ripped her away. His heart dropped as he scrambled to his knees, his hands clawing at the sand. "Frenna!" he shouted, his voice raw. "Frenna!"

There was no answer.

A shadow flickered to his left, and Kael turned just in time to see Lirien's silver braids whip past him before she disappeared into the storm. Panic gripped him as he staggered to his feet, his legs unsteady beneath him.

"Lirien! Tayo!" he called, his voice cracking. The storm devoured his words.

Another gust hit, stronger this time, and Kael lost his footing. He fell hard, the sand shifting beneath him like quicksand. His vision blurred, his throat raw from shouting. The storm howled around him, a relentless force that battered him from every side.

Frenna stumbled through the chaos, her side screaming in pain with every step. She pressed a hand against her wound, her fingers slick with blood. The storm had ripped her from Kael's grasp, and now she was alone, her legs barely carrying her as she fought to stay upright.

"Kael!" she shouted, though the wind tore her voice away. The sand stung her face, blinding her as she staggered forward.

Each step sent a fresh wave of pain through her body, but she refused to stop. She couldn't. If she stopped, the storm—or the raiders—would finish her.

A shape loomed ahead, dark and shadowy. Frenna squinted, her heart leaping with hope. "Kael?"

The shape moved closer, and her hope crumbled. It was one of the raiders, his horse rearing as the wind buffeted him from the side. The man shouted something in a foreign tongue, his voice sharp and commanding.

Frenna gritted her teeth, her hand tightening around the handle of her hammer. "Come on, then," she muttered, planting her feet. The wind howled, the sand swirling around her as she prepared to fight.

But the raider's horse reared again, spooked by the storm, and the man cursed before pulling away. Frenna let out a shaky breath, relief and exhaustion crashing over her.

Tayo crouched behind a jagged outcrop, his arm wrapped around Lirien's shoulders as they tried to shield themselves from the storm. The wind tore at them, the sand stinging their skin.

"Are you okay?" Tayo shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar.

Lirien nodded, her silver braids plastered to her face by the sand. "I think so. But where are the others?"

Tayo's jaw tightened. "I don't know. I lost sight of them when the storm hit."

Lirien's eyes flicked to the horizon, where the faint outline of a dune loomed through the haze. "We have to find them. We can't leave them out here."

Tayo hesitated, his instincts warring with his fear. He knew how dangerous it was to move blindly in a storm like this. But the thought of leaving Kael and Frenna out there, alone and vulnerable, made his stomach twist.

"Let's go," he said finally, his grip on Lirien's arm tightening as they stepped back into the chaos.

As dawn broke, the storm began to ease, leaving behind a desolate landscape of shifting dunes and scattered debris. The wind died down, but the silence that followed was almost worse.

Kael stumbled to the top of a dune, his chest heaving as he scanned the horizon. His voice was raw from shouting, his throat dry and aching.

"Frenna! Tayo! Lirien!" he called, though he knew it was futile. The storm had scattered them like leaves in the wind, and now the desert stretched out before him, vast and empty.

Kael sank to his knees, his fists clenched in the sand. His mind raced with possibilities—had they been caught by the raiders? Had they succumbed to the storm? Were they even still alive?

He couldn't think like that. He wouldn't.

Taking a deep breath, Kael forced himself to stand. He didn't know where they were, but he would find them. He had to.

Far in the distance, the faint echo of hoofbeats reached his ears, sending a chill down his spine.

The raiders were still out there.

Kael's resolve hardened as he turned toward the sound, his jaw set. He didn't know what awaited him in the desert, but he would face it head-on. For his friends. For Frenna.

For survival.