Page 67 of The Orc's Bonded Bride

“Perhaps.” She shook her head. “But this is different. Not a vision, just… a feeling. Like when you know a storm is coming before the clouds appear.”

Around them, Ulric’s men broke camp with practiced efficiency. The king himself stood at the edge of the clearing, deep in conversation with his captain. They’d be moving soon but the knowledge didn’t appease her growing sense of urgency.

“Perhaps it’s just the weight of everything,” he suggested, though his tone lacked conviction.

She watched a raven circle overhead, its black wings stark against the pale sky. “No. It’s something else.”

Sighing, she carried the folded blanket over to where their horses waited. As she reached for her mount’s bridle, a wave of wrongness crashed over her so powerfully that she staggered.

“Lyric?” He was at her side instantly, strong hands steadying her.

“We need to go. Now,” she whispered urgently, clutching his arm. “The certainty of it rang through her like a bell. “This place—it’s not safe.”

He didn’t hesitate.

“Go to the front of the column with Ulric. I’ll make sure everyone is moving.”

“But…”

She was too late—he’d already disappeared into the still assembling crowd of horses and orcs. As much as she wanted to go after him, this was his world, not hers. The best thing she could do was follow his instructions. With a last worriedglance at the column of warriors, she urged her horse towards Ulric’s banner, weaving through the column of warriors. The strange feeling intensified with each passing moment, a pressure building behind her ribs that made it hard to breathe. She caught sight of Ulric’s massive form at the front, his shoulders squared as he surveyed the path ahead.

“Your Majesty,” she called, pulling her mount alongside his. “We need to move faster.”

Ulric turned, his eyes narrowing. After one look at her face, he ordered his warriors to greater speed before turning back to her.

“The girl with the visions.” His voice carried no mockery, only caution. “What do you sense now?”

“I don’t know exactly.” She glanced back at the camp they were leaving, anxiety clawing at her throat. “But something’s coming. Something?—”

The ground beneath them trembled. Subtle at first, then unmistakable. Her horse nickered nervously, shifting beneath her.

“What in the—” Ulric began.

The rumble grew, a deep bass note that seemed to rise from the earth itself. Her eyes shot to the mountainside looming above their former campsite. A sickening realization dawned as tiny pebbles began to bounce and skip down the slope.

“Run!” she screamed, her voice lost in the sudden roar that filled the valley.

The mountain shuddered. Then, with terrifying speed, the entire face seemed to collapse. Massive boulders, trees, andearth broke free, gathering momentum as they thundered down toward the exact spot that they had left mere minutes ago.

She watched in horror as the avalanche crashed through their abandoned camp, pulverizing everything in its path. Tents disappeared in an instant. The clearing where Egon had held her last night vanished beneath tons of rock and debris. A cloud of dust billowed upward, blotting out the sunrise.

Her heart seized. “Egon,” she whispered, scanning frantically for any sign of him among those who’d made it to the front of the column. Had he escaped? Or had he been caught at the rear, making sure others got out safely?

The thunderous roar gradually subsided, leaving an eerie silence punctuated only by the settling of rocks and the panicked whinnying of horses. Dust hung in the air like fog, choking and thick.

“Egon!” she shouted, her voice breaking as fear clawed its way up her throat.

She slid from her horse before it had fully stopped, her feet hitting the ground hard enough to send pain shooting up her legs. She ignored it, stumbling forward into the billowing dust that hung like a shroud over what had been their camp.

“Egon!” Her voice cracked as she screamed his name, the sound swallowed by the settling mountain. All around her, warriors coughed and called out to one another, dark shapes moving through the haze like ghosts.

Her eyes burned, tears cutting tracks through the dust coating her face. She couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead, but she pressed on, heart hammering against her ribs. A massiveboulder blocked her path—it hadn’t been there minutes ago. She scrambled around it, lungs burning with each desperate breath.

“Egon! Answer me!”

Someone grabbed her arm. She whirled, hope flaring, but it was one of Ulric’s men, his face grim beneath a layer of gray powder.

“The rear guard—” he started.

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