Peter forced the thraqanonkra to the ground. They whined and complained but he got the felted fur-feather saddle cloths from Girl’s back and down so they could lay the large blankets out in the shelter of steep sided hill. In the lee of the slope the wind and snow diminished, but still swirled and howled around making Peter stagger.

The saddle cloths smelled of sweat and Girl’s musky animal stink. A thraqanonkra took hold of one end and worried at the blanket as if it wanted to make a meal of the felted fur-feathers. Girl took exception to that and snapped at it. But she showed no fear or aggression towards the beasts.

Peter lowered his guard a little, but Tiz kept his aim up. The shot and drugged beast awoke after fifteen minutes and lay panting and shivering in the cold as it got its bearings back.

‘I wish we hadn’t needed to shoot it,’ said Jan.

‘That’s why you wanted the gun? You thought I’d be too trigger happy.’

‘I’m not ready to be eaten either. I’d’ve shot if I thought we were in danger.’ She went down on one knee and studied the groggy thraqanonkra. ‘It’s not so scary when it’s like this. Almost pretty.’

Tiz grunted in derision while Walt groaned and slapped his head.

‘Hey. Cut it out you two. I agree with Jan. Mostly. But now I want you to help with the cloths.’

Peter tied one side to Girl’s saddle webbing, but struggled to remember how Vale and Dusty had done it.

Should have paid more attention.

Girl seemed content to pull herself into a ball and stay still, conserving heat. Her thick fur-feather’s across her shoulders and down her haunch fluffed up as snow began to coat them. She pulled her head around close to where Peter made the tent and looked at him upside down before she closed her eyes.

Walt and Jan rolled up large snow balls to make walls either side of the sloping shelter. It also worked to create a secure barrier all around the shelter to keep the beasts out.

Tiz had long stopped tracking the thraqanonkra movements with the dart gun and had helped finish the inside of the shelter. A thick fur-feather cloth draped across the ground and over some tussocks. He sat sprawled in a hump of the cloth with the gun on his knees.

‘You look like some gangland warlord,’ said Peter as he fell to the ground with a sigh. Jan and Walt followed after they kicked off the clinging snow from their Clan made foot coverings.

‘Any more of that chocolate?’

‘No. It all melted. Sorry guys.’

‘Melted? In this cold?’

‘Melted in your stomachs. There’s none left. Bad planning on my part.’

We should never have tried to go over the pass in the afternoon.

‘There’s just these.’ Peter held out his hand, it held some red pills. ‘Red to warm us up.’

‘They’re M&M’s.’

‘Damn it,’ Peter said with a wan smile. ‘You spoiled the psychosomatic moment of it all.’

They munched in silence as the darkness increased. The tent roof vibrated in the wind but, as snow built up, even that stilled.

‘If you’ve got four red M&Ms then you must have the other colors too.’

‘You’re not wrong. We’ve got orange to wake us up in the morning. And yellow to brighten the day…’

Walt groaned. ‘You’re going to ration them?’

Peter had thought about it. No matter when the last food got shared it would never satisfy.

‘Just something to look forward to.’

They huddled together next to Girl. Peter hoped she would not roll on them in the night but if Duty and Vale had thought it safe then he would risk it too.

There’s not a lot of choice.

He awoke in the night when something buzzed under his head.

The radio. He rummaged for it in his bag, the pitch black hung before his face like something physical.

‘Rock? Rock?’ The radio squawk seemed loud in the emptiness of the snow shelter.

‘Varuk'hat, you woke me up. I hope you have a good reason.’

‘Finally. The storm, it’s killing my beast. The creature that carries me and the zharaqsa is not used to the cold weather. I fear the Arthans will find me, and the catalyst.’

‘Where are you? Did you get over the pass?’

‘Just barely. I escaped the heights and into the forest below. But the storm still reached us. I shelter in the trees, but the creature might not move again.’

‘Where are the crystals?’

‘With me still, but I hid some near the pass. I hope the Arthans will either not find it, or find it and be delayed in their pursuit.’

’Risky.’

‘I would rather they have none of them, but if they must get it then let them think that they have it all when I escape with most of it.’

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‘Without your gharumal?’

‘I have hope it will revive. If not. I will scatter the crystals further.’

‘I’ll look for the zharaqsa in the pass. Perhaps we can carry it away. Where did you hide it?’

‘Look for the pile of stones that marks the pass. I placed one there, to draw them. The rest are deep within in a crevice in a cliff not far from it. I hope the rock would shield it from their detection.’

‘Where is the crevice? It’s not much point to keep just one from them.’

‘From the stones, look to the rising sun. You’ll find it if you take a line directly to the east. But I fear the Arthans will be there before you, and find you at the pass. Beware.’

Something poked him in the face. Something wet with sharp teeth, and feathers. Peter gasped in surprise, and dropped the radio. It went silent.

The thraqanonkra had got into the shelter somehow. The beast grumbled in a low whisper. He heard the hint of whine.

Hungry… Help… Cold…

Peter held his breath. He could not see anything and so tried to use his other senses to work out where the beasts were. He felt on the ground for the now silent radio.

A hit upon his back shoved him against another cold body in front of him. A sliding movement told him where a beast flowed past. It settled down and pressed against him then grumbled in an almost-purr.

Warm… Safe… Happy…

Peter let his breath out as he gripped hold of the radio.

‘You just want to be somewhere warm?’ His heart raced but began to slow.

I give in.

He collapsed back into a fitful sleep. The Arthans might have the catalyst, and the imp. Altogether too many bad decisions had brought them here for him to sleep well. But he did not remember his dreams when he awoke later with a start.

The roof of the shelter collapsed upon them. The weight pressed down and he fought for breath. They struggled to get out from under the felted fur-feather but floundered until Girl stood up and dragged the cloth from the ground. The thraqanonkra bounced to their feet growling at the sudden brightness.

The storm had blown out during the night to reveal a landscape changed. Tents and the rounded forms of mounts and grazing beasts lay only a few hundred meters away. People moved amongst them.

The Clan had found the same sheltered hillside in the storm. But the Snow Rivers had missed seeing them in the confusion of snow and wind, and in the race to make camp before the blizzard hit.

Peter made ready to leave. Girl tugged the saddle blanket from the ground and swung it over her back with the end still tied to her webbing. It slipped forward over her head, she snorted, and stamped to throw it off again. The thraqanonkra bounced around as if laughing at her. Girl gave a playful snap at one and it rolled away in surprise.

Girl flung the cloth off and this time Peter grabbed it and draped it over her webbing. The mount’s broad back made it impossible to put a proper horse-saddle-like seat, but the soft and thick felt cushioned the bounce and once riders had a firm grip on the webbing it became stable. This time Peter checked his lance sheathed in its holster and loosened it for easy drawing. He found a long blade in a holster too. He had never liked using it and would probably just do damage to himself if he drew it out.

‘I’m no killer,’ Peter muttered as he remembered the imp’s words. He tapped where he had holstered the imp’s gun and it’s seemingly never ending supply of darts. Though he knew it must run out sometime soon.

Jan and Walt had run towards the Clan. They had seen the grazing beasts they had tended.

‘Jan, come back here.’

She ignored him and ran into the herd where she fussed over an animal. Walt walked with more care, he had noticed the looks the Clan gave them.

‘You want me to get them back?’

‘No. I’ve shown I don’t approve of them going to them. But if they can get us some food I’d not be too unhappy.’

While he had focussed on getting Girl ready to leave he had otherwise ignored the Clan, and they had ignored him. But when the thraqanonkra began to circle his mount whining, the Clan began to gather.

‘Great. It’s not what it looks like,’ he said under his breath. ‘Really.’

The thraqanonkra shrank back from Peter as he shouldered his backpack. They had worked out who was top dog, so they bowed and nodded to him, even as they whined and pleaded.

Hungry… Help… Food…

‘Yeah. I get it. But it can’t be helped. Tiz. Get up on Girl. I’ll lead her away. Perhaps that will get those two focussed on joining us again.’

The radio buzzed in his pocket. The imp’s voice came out louder than he had expected. The translation came in Thaluk.

‘The Arthans. They see you, and the Clan. They sent mounts to search for the zharaqsa. But now they come to attack the Clan.’

‘How do you know?’

‘I listen. I hear. They’re coming. Take cover.’

Peter pulled Girl to a stop and scrambled up her foreleg and shoulder. He stood on her head and looked ahead where the saddle peaked.

‘Is that a cairn?’ Peter peered against the bright light.

‘Where?’ Tiz said.

‘To the left side of the saddle between those hills. That’d be the entrance to the high pass.’

‘Why would there be a rock cairn there? Does it mark the pass?’

‘Perhaps. But the imp left something there. And we need to get it.’

He sat down behind Tiz and slapped Girl on the flank with his lance.

‘Go Girl. If you’ve got any speed, give it to me now.’

The huge mount lowered her head, bellowed, then reared up on her hind legs and ran through the light powder that had fallen in the night.

‘Do you think there are any tarns up here?’ Tiz said.

They flowed across the ground, Girl’s uncanny smooth run jostled them but did not throw them about. The thraqanonkra ran after them in the furrow Girl plowed through the snow.

‘Yeah nah. Wouldn’t want to fall in.’

The mount ran faster if anything. Behind neither Peter nor Tiz heard the wails of surprise from Jan and Walt. Nor did they see when Grey and Sarah rode up to where they had camped with fifty Clan riders beside them.

All had drawn lances and now waited for orders from Grey.

Once Tiz and Peter reached the piled rock cairn that marked the entrance to the pass, Peter slid down Girl’s flank, and landed in the trampled snow. The thraqanonkra leaped with excitement.

Hunt… Food… Eat…

‘Sorry guys. It’s not food this time.’ He ducked down to imp height and searched for where the imp might have put the zharaqsa, a loose stone, or a glint of green light.

‘I can see to the north now,’ said Tiz. He stood on Girl’s head as if he had become a rider. ‘There’re huge mountains stretching away to the north. And an enormous plain beyond, like the Canterbury plains back home, but bigger.’

‘Everything is bigger here.’ He got down on his knees and had to push an inquisitive thraqanonkra away. ‘Qhayanpa is a continent, bigger than Australia. Maybe as big as South America.’

He edged around the stones and dug amongst the snow at the base. His hands ached with the cold and he rubbed them together to warm them.

‘Peter. There’re riders further down the pass. A lot of them. Ten maybe. They’re getting closer.’

‘Damn it imp. Where did you…?’ Then he saw it. Near the base under the snow. He dragged a stone free and pulled out the zharaqsa crystal.

‘That’s it?’ said Tiz.

‘Yeah.’

‘And the imp put it there? Why did you take it out?’

‘I have a plan.’ Peter looked up. He could see the mounted riders now, even from the ground. ‘Damn it. Can’t get to the other hidden cache of zharaqsa.’

Girl lowered her head and Peter walked up onto her head as she reared up. He turned and saw the distant view for himself.

‘Blackbirders. Damn them,’ Peter slipped in front of Tiz and whirled Girl around. ‘I wish they’d just leave us all alone.’

‘They’re not going to when you keep stealing their catalyst stuff.’

‘No. But this will help this time. I hope. Can’t hurt to have it in reserve. Come on. Back to the Clan. Can’t leave Jan and Walt there alone.’

‘Nah. They might eat all our food.’

‘You really think they’ll feed us? Unlikely.’

‘Not really. But we should’nt leave anyone behind should we?’

Peter didn’t reply and instead lowered his head against the cold of the wind and all thought of his uneasy night fled as they raced the blackbirders back to the Clan.

It never occurred to him that it appeared to the Clan he had led the enemy back to attack them.