Page 106 of The Twisted Throne

And then it touched the earth.

With violence she’d never seen before, the twister tore up the ground, rock and dirt flying out from around it. But rather than veering out of its path, the herd raced onward, the twister gaining with every passing second.

Terror filled her, because she could not get out of the flow of cattle. James fought the same battle as they tried to break free, but the terrified animals pressed too close.

The wind was deafening, bits of debris cutting into her face, but there was far worse to come.

“Ahnna!”

James’s voice barely reached her over the wind and cries of the terrified animals, but she saw where he was pointing. Anabandoned stone house, the roof long since collapsed. The cattle parted around it, but she kept her horse heading straight, Maven nearly colliding with them as James reined her alongside.

“Get off!” he screamed. “Into the cellar!”

“The horses!”

“Leave them!”

But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t.

Seeing her hesitation, James reached up and hauled her off the side. She fought him, unwilling to abandon her horse to the monster raging toward them, but James slapped both mounts on the haunches, and they rejoined the stampede.

Ahnna stared after them, but James hauled on her hand, dragging her in among the rotting timbers. “Help me!” he shouted. “We need to get in the cellar!”

Fear took over, and Ahnna ripped up a piece of wood, eyes fixed on the salvation that was the hole in the ground even as the twister raced closer. The timbers were wedged in collapsed rock, and Ahnna screamed as she dragged them out of the way, James doing the same. Trying to make enough space to fit down.

There was only one beam left.

“Lift!” James shouted, and Ahnna heaved with all her strength, wood splintering and snapping, moving a few inches to make just enough space as bits of rock and wood and God knew what lashed against her skin.

The twister was here.

James shoved her into the opening. Ahnna fell, landing hard in the rubble, instinct making her roll out of the way as he dropped next to her. Blackness and noise surrounded her, it feeling as though she stood in a void until James’s arms folded around her. Pushed her against the wall, his body shielding hers as the twister roared over them, debris whipping around the cellar. Ahnna’s earspopped, the pressure unbearable as she pressed her face into James’s chest, clinging to him lest the storm try to tear him away.

And then it was over.

As quickly as it had come, the twister drifted away, leaving behind nothing but their ragged breathing and darkness.

Ahnna didn’t let go of him, lingering terror that he’d be ripped from her grasp still filling her veins. Each inhalation brought the scent of soap and cedar, her ears now filled with the rapid hammer of his heart.

“Are you all right?”

James’s voice cut the blackness, his solid chest pulling away from her, though his fingers remained tightly gripped on her arms.

“I’m fine.” She coughed on the dust. “The horses…”

“Likely fine themselves. They do better without riders. I think we disrupt their instincts.” He let go of her, the absence of his hands making her feel alone in the blackness. “Maven will head back to Verwyrd, and Dippy will follow her. With any luck, the storm took care of the Amaridians.”

“Is the twister gone? Will another come?” She hated not understanding the nature of these storms.

“Gone, yes. But it’s not unusual for there to be more than one.” She heard him climb to his feet. “I’ll have a look.”

As he stumbled through the cellar, Ahnna got to her feet and followed him, feeling blood trickling down her face from a small wound at her temple, though it didn’t feel deep. She bumped into James, nothing visible in the darkness.

“There is debris over the opening,” he said. “If I lift you, can you try to clear it?”

“Yes.” Squinting up, she could make out a few bits of light fighting their way through the timbers.

“I’ll…I’ll need to put my hands on you.”

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