Thunderlord snippet - Temptation

Please remember that this is a work in progress and drafts have a habit of changing drastically from inception to finished book.

From Thunderlord Chapter 9

Luck rode with them, for when they reached the main track, they saw no sign of their pursuers. Without any need for speech, as if they had one thought, they urged their horses into a rough, ground-eating trot. Edric had already traveled this section of trail twice before, but now he counted every minute, every hoofbeat. The wind fell away, and the air, which had been growing progressively more chill, turned milder, but he was not lulled into believing the clouds would dissipate. This was the pause as the storm gathered force.

“There!” Edric broke his silence to indicate the crossroads, now only a short distance away. The side trail was but minutes away….

Clouds darkened the sky. The air tasted of lightning to come.

Closer, now…Kyria on his heels, the pack horse’s gait jarring his bones… He could see the flat place where they’d camped and the main road leading down and away, curving around the shoulder of the hill --

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Two riders emerged from behind the hill, followed by three more.

Behind Edric, Kyria let out a cry of dismay. Edric hauled on the reins. The pack horse resisted, dipping its head. Kyria’s horse crowded its rump and it threatened to kick. Edric jerked the horse’s head up, trying to think. They had enough room to turn around, but this trail would only lead them back to the fortress.

They hadn’t been spotted, not yet.

He glanced up at the clouds, denser now and laden with promise. The wind picked up again. Use me, pleaded the storm. I am yours for the taking, all the power of wind and lightning….

Something inside Edric yearned to answer the storm, to seize control of it. He had the power to save both of them, to save Kyria, and all he had to do was reach out with his mind. Use his Gift, as he had been born to do….