*
One step between the pillars took Zeb from the stone floor atop the dais into snow nearly two feet thick on the ground, and whipping through the air. He stumbled and plowed into the stuff head first, sliding a drift down his chest through the neck hole of his ring mail. His face was buried as well, which at least muffled the profanity.
He snapped his head up but could barely open his eyes as the wind was sharp and icy, and he began to shiver as he was in no ways dressed for the weather. Zeb rolled to a seat and looked back, and thought he dimly saw the outlines of the platinum horns behind him against the whipping wind and night sky. Then suddenly both were illuminated, and Zeb saw that though the shapes were the same, these were two great tusks rising out of the snow on the ground, more massive then those of any pachyderm of which he had ever heard.
Zeb turned around again the see where the white light was coming from, his teeth now chattering and face feeling numb. A figure stood some distance away, tall and bundled in heavy robes of thick animal skin. One sleeve flapped loose in the wind for the figure had but one arm, held high above its head to raise a staff. Bright white light shone from the staff, and threw sharp shadows across the snow from a second figure struggling toward Zeb. This one was dressed the same as the first, bundled in heavy furs, yet its gait seemed to be that of a woman despite the fact that it was made awkward by a pair of snow shoes strapped to her feet.
She was almost on top of Zeb before he could hear her voice over the wind. She was shouting his name.
Zeb tried to rise but it was difficult in the loose snow, and he did not manage it until the woman arrived beside him and hooked her hands in mittens under his arms. She picked up his axe and thrust it into his numbing hands.
“Who are you?” Zeb shouted, for he was actually more curious about that at the moment than he was about his location.
With the light coming from behind her Zeb could not see the woman’s face in a deep fur-line hood, plus she had a snapping scarf wrapped around most of it. She leaned in close to shout by his ear, but not an answer.
“No matter what you see, do not linger! Turn, and flee through the gate!”
“The say what now?”
The woman leaned back and pulled down her scarf. Zeb could still hardly see her as his eyes were tearing up and the lashes had begun to freeze together. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
“Turn and run through the gate!” she shouted, then shoved Zeb hard in the chest with both hands.
The Sable City Page 93