The desert was restless. Clouds of deep blue gray sped across the skies, but the rain had died entirely for the first time in days. A harsh wind had left the topmost layer of soil dry, and the gusts whipped around sand as mercilessly as they did in Hawk’s dream.

Messages between the Pass and the camp travelled at a frustrating pace. A day and a half had passed since the first smoke signals when a purple-tail hawk, a folded letter tied to one of its feet, reached Hatam-Ile and allowed one of Onniar’s hunters to catch it. The message was short.

The muted hum of rain became pleasant background noise that you no longer noticed once it went on for long enough. Ren’i had felt the same during Hol Saro’s rainy summers, and the rainy season in the Hytherlands was no exception. The mornings he got to spend waking up in Hawk’s arms while rain pounded…

The ringing of alarm bells in the watchtowers had continued almost ceaselessly since daybreak. Oerei felt shame weighting heavily on him, shame from hardly even paying attention to the sound anymore. He’d been woken up by it every single morning during the first week; over time he’d grown numb to its presence.

Drums beat to an ever-increasing rhytmn that reverberated in the soil. Ren’i had felt it already on the other bank of the river through the thin soles of his akheri boots. The sounds of the kantele and the willow reed flute blended in with the drums; a demanding, almost a ghostly tune, yet somehow it…

The glow of fireworks lit their way to the cottage. Colourful explosions left the skies above ashimmer even as they stumbled in through the door and latched it shut after them.

The wistful thrum of kantele strings blended in with the rain, giving them a melancholic ring though the lyrics spoke of dance, drink and glee. Unlike the summer festival, the music had already started at dawn. The restlessness of anticipation was palpable everywhere, and the consuls had to work twice as hard to maintain their…

Rain beat against Ren’i and his Guards’ uniforms when the forces of the 9th and 10th legions came to a halt, bringing their taxing march across the plains to an end, but they hardly noticed the weather. The flags could be seen from afar, the red-and-purple colouration announcing to everyone present that the soldiers belonged…

Very little light managed to filter through the windows of the cabin, but even so Hawk knew upon waking that it was already afternoon. The storm had gone its merry way yet raindrops continued hammering against the windowpanes, making the glass tinkle. For the first time in days he felt fully rested, despite the fact…

The next days dawned just as rainy as the ones before. The fire constantly blazing in the meeting room made the air warm and drowsy, but it was still an improvement in Ren’i’s eyes. The consuls had finally had enough of the dampness that threatened to ruin their maps, and Ared’s offer to relocate their…