Watt-Evans, Lawrence - Annals of the Chosen 01 (50 page)

"How
close
is
it?"
he
called.

"Flickers
on
the
horizon,"
the
Archer
replied.
"And
we need
to
put
an
overhang
on
this
thing—I'm
getting
soaked!"

"We'll
do
it
at
our
next
stop,
then,"
Breaker
said.
"You'll survive
one
day,
won't
you?"

"Do
I
have
a
choice?"

Breaker
felt
a
moment's
guilt
that
the
Archer
was
working in
the
rain,
while
he
was
safe
and
dry—albeit
crowded
and likely
to
get
bruised
from
banging
against
wooden
boxes
as the
wagon
bumped
along.
"I'll
take
a
turn
later,
if
you
show me
how,"
he
said.

"I'll
..."
the
Archer
began,
but
then
a
sudden
flash blinded
them
both
for
a
moment,
and
half
a
second
later
a crash
of
thunder
broke
over
them.

"Closer,"
Breaker
said.

"Just
ahead,"
the
Archer
told
him.
"I
saw
it."

It
occurred
to
Breaker
for
the
first
time
that
the
Wizard Lord
didn't
need
to
hit
them,
or
their
wagon,
to
slow
them down—if
he
were
to
knock
down
trees
and
block
the
road, that
would
certainly
delay
them,
though
it
might
not
stop
them.

He
didn't
say
anything,
however,
for
fear
the
Wizard
Lord might
be
listening.
The
Seer
hadn't
mentioned
the
Wizard Lord's
presence,
but
Breaker
was
not
at
all
certain
she
always
noticed
it.

And
then
another
flash
came,
and
a
blast
of
thunder
simultaneously
shook
the
wagon,
which
jolted
and
slowed,
but did
not
stop;
the
Beauty
shrieked,
and
the
Leader
cursed, and
Breaker
heard
a
strange
crackling.
He
had
been
looking out
at
the
rain
when
the
flash
came,
and
now
he
found
himself
blinking
at
pink
afterimages
of
the
Archer's
silhouette; his
ears
were
ringing.
He
did
not
resist
when
the
Leader pushed
him
aside
and
barked,
"What
happened?"

The
Archer's
voice
was
little
more
than
a
croak
as
he replied,
"The
cage
works."

"Are
you
all
right?"

"I
think
so."

"Good.
Keep
going!"

"Yes,
sir."
Breaker
heard
the
Archer
calling
to
the
oxen, but
the
wagon
did
not
seem
to
pick
up
any
speed.

And
then
another
bolt
of
lightning
crashed,
deafeningly close,
and
the
Archer
screamed.
The
wagon
jerked
to
a
halt.

"What?"
the
Leader
demanded.
"What
happened?"

Breaker
thrust
himself
forward,
close
beside
the
Leader, as
they
both
heard
the
Archer
cursing
elaborately.

"What
is
it?"
Breaker
called.

"The
cage
doesn't
cover
the
oxen,"
the
Archer
called back,
as
he
clambered
from
the
bench.
"One
of
them
is down."

"Oh,
by
the
black
ler.
.
."
The
Leader
and
Breaker
both climbed
out,
and
a
moment
later
Breaker
found
himself slogging
through
mud
in
the
torrential
rain,
helping
the Archer
cut
the
smoking
carcass
of
a
dead
ox
from
the
yoke and
traces,
while
the
Leader
calmed
the
three
surviving
animals
and
held
them
back.