The group had left the village behind and had now been on the road for about two weeks. Although they often had to take longer breaks, because not all of them were physically able to walk long distances, they made good progress so far. Now and then Cale had met Anuxer he recognised and exchanged some brief words with them before moving on. Even ordinary people who lived in the surrounding villages seemed to know him and speak to him very respectfully.

The group itself, especially Alette, also seemed to like Cale quite a bit. They had told each other funny and sad stories, usually when they talked over dinner, since those the conversations were always the longest. Ben and Philippa joined them quite frequently, only William had some problems socializing, as he was not really a man of many words. Therefore, he was mostly the one who went to bed first at night and accordingly got up first. To his amazement, Cale was also awake relatively early, sometimes William wondered if the latter had slept at all, which made him nervous.

"Doesn't look that good."

Aletta sounded much more worried than she was this morning. For two days the sky had been getting darker and today it was almost pitch black. The clouds almost completely swallowed the suns rays, adding an unpleasant chill to the oppressive feeling.

"Yes, unfortunately. I was really hoping we would reach the mountains before the rain starts."

Inevitably, William followed Cale's gaze to the sky as he rubbed his arms. There was almost nothing to see, it had been so dark all day, you'd think it was night.

"We have no choice, the storm will be upon us in the next few hours, that much is certain. Either, we start running like maniacs right now or we rest and try our luck when the first wave of rain passes. I'm afraid, however, that the rain will catch up with us in both cases."

Cale's explanation was matter-of-fact, yet somehow frightening. Sylves storms are not to be trifled with. Entire houses can be ripped from their foudations due to the strong winds, with an even worse fate waiting for people lacking shelter from these debris-filled storms. Fortunately, Sylves soldiers were very serious about the situation and always helped people.

"We should rest for an hour and then reach the mountain range as quickly as possible."

Ben fell to the ground while seeking confirmation from Cale. It was as if Ben placed great trust in Cale's statements, as he increasingly asked for Cale's opinion rather than turning to William. The latter nodded in agreement and William also seemed to unintentionally think this was the best idea. There was no point in expending his strength unnecessarily when the rain would catch up with them either way.

"How much further do we have to go?"

Philippa, who was taking this route for the first time and had never experienced this storm before, couldn't gauge exactly how serious the situation was.

"If we hurry, about a day", Cale explained calmly.

Concerned, Philippa looked at Ben, who had made himself comfortable on the edge under some trees and gestured for them to take a seat as well. Now they were very close to the mountains, but the mountains seemed to grow larger and larger with each step. Since this was like a natural shelter preventing the storm from spreading to Altona, it would be most dangerous here in front of the mountains.

Cale was the last to take a seat next to William, after he had spent a few minutes surveying the area. The river, which they had followed so far, could not even be heard anymore, instead the huge fir trees created a spooky ambience. As Cale sat, he leaned back and stared at the sky before closing his eyes and thinking.

William glanced toward the road as he took a sip of water and then cast a worried glance among his comrades. All of them had laid back and seemed to be resting, only Cale rubbed his forehead in annoyance, as if he were thinking about something frantically.

Afterwards, the swordsman also leaned back and closed his eyes for what felt like a moment. Memories of the last weeks came to his mind. He remembered how he had bumped into Philippa and Aletta at the port of Systenzs, who had just arrived in Sylve and were looking for a place to stay for the night. The conversation that evening came back to him and also Aletta's spontaneous question if Ben and he would be interested in accompanying them to Altona. William and Ben had only done missions in Sylve so far, it was the first time for them too, that they would be walking through the mountains.

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"We have to go", Ben called out, shaking William by the shoulder, which made him look up in surprise. He had fallen asleep, so quickly, that the hour had felt like a few minutes. It was obvious to him, but this brief half-sleep felt strange. All of his friends had already gotten up, packed their things tightly, and wrapped themselves neatly in their clothes. Only now did William feel how icy it had become in the last hour.

Ben offered his hand to William, which he accepted and was back on his feet with a jerk. He too began to pack his things neatly afterwards, only he couldn't shrug off the cold. Although he now had on a thick sweater and a water-repellent cloak, he was still shivering.

"Here", Cale suddenly reported beside him, holding out to him a slightly thicker jacket, which was colored a deep, dark brown.

"Don't you need this yourself?"

"I think if I put another layer on, I won't be able to move at all."

Demonstratively, Cale raised his hands and moved them up and down before making a few circular motions with his body. Amused at his display, Aletta chuckled, while William gratefully took the jacket and put it on under his cape. He was still cold, but hopefully that would subside soon.

A little more briskly than before, the group walked along the path. William, Ben and Cale had no problem with the half-running pace, but the girls had little strength left after half an hour. They didn't complain, however, because they both knew they shouldn't take a break now. Silently, Cale watched the girls in front of him before extending his hand and looking up at the sky.

"Eh? Rain?"

Aletta spoke out the obvious, causing everyone else to slow down and eventually stop. The raindrops abruptly began to get heavier. Ben cursed loudly while the girls looked worriedly at him. In the next moment, the downpour broke over them. Like loud thunder, the rain shot to the ground accompanied by a few icy drops, so everyone held their hands protectively in front of their faces. William was about to speak up, but Cale beat him to it.

"Ben!", shouted Cale in a serious voice. "Take the girls and run."

Horror etched itself on the faces of the three people in front of him, before Ben began to grin and grabbed first Philippa and then Aletta.

"Ben!", the two shouted his name in sync, but the big man cared little in particular. With a jerk, he shot forward, causing the two girls on his shoulders to start screaming. Cale had to laugh out loud and started running as well. As he rolled up his sleeves, he turned back to William and called out loudly.

"Come!"

William, who was completely perplexed since when Ben got along so well with the new guy, hesitated for a moment before hurrying after him as well. He had caught up with Cale within seconds, which was obviously because the latter was waiting for him.

"That's the plan?", William threw at him questioningly, but then he recognized the latter, stretching his head towards the sky and spreading his hands out to the side as if enjoying the rain. At the same moment, a relentless wind whipped past them from behind, almost pulling Cale from the ground.

"We don't really have a choice. We're not that far from the mountains, this should be quite doable for us", Cale spoke as carefree as if he were telling a story. As if nothing could touch him. William put on speed to catch up to Ben and so did Cale. Somewhat impressed, William watched in the corner of his eye as Cale strode elegantly beside him, as if the wind supported his movements.

As William looked ahead, he noticed Philippa watching the two. Her expression said it all: she had surrendered. She hung on Ben's shoulder like a wet sack, while her long brown hair was blown in all directions.

"Ou, I don't like this at all."

Cale's words caused William to turn to him in surprise. His semi-short hair was stuck to his face and he had to brush it aside with his hand to see properly. But Cale pointed forward instead of continuing with his statement.

The loud screaming of Aletta filled the forest before William could realize what had happened. A large tree toppled to the side, lifting the entire path into the air. Ben just managed to leap over the gigantic roots with a strong jump, causing Aletta to cry out involuntarily. William instinctively grabbed Cale's arm and pulled him aside, at this rate and in the rain it was dangerous to imitate Ben, so he started to run past the tree through the woods. He caught sight of Ben through the thicket, who looked around for them.

"Keep running", he directed his friend, who took a quick glance at Cale and turned away. Followed by Cale, they ran past the trees and tried to fight their way back to the path. William felt the ground startingto shake, which made his heart beat faster. He started to get a little scared. Loud creaks mingled with the sound of rain and wind, which only confirmed his fear. It was as they said it would be. The storm was merciless to nature. Usually he would spend the time in his sheltered home rather than in a forest, so the experience was completely new to him. Immediately he knew how badly it had hit them. The storm was so powerful that it began to rip out trees. Down here, in the shelter of the trunks, the wind might be many times weaker, but the big trees felt the full force.

"How long can..."

"Long", Cale interrupted him, as if he had been waiting for that question. With a powerful step, the newcomer pushed himself off the ground and leaped forward, running a scant meter in front of William. Skillfully, William pushed himself further forward with each step and with a jolt he found himself back on the path.

"I'll match your speed, we shouldn't separate any further", Cale explained calmly, making William realize the ease with wich he was sprinting through the forest. The stranger seemed to have no trouble at all keeping up the pace and what amazed William the most was that he didn't seem to be afraid at all. William was almost relieved that Cale was with him. His presence had a calming effect, but when he realized how far Ben had extended his lead despite the extra ballast, he couldn't help but use his full strength to try and catch up.

In vain.

William realized why Cale thought he was matching his pace. He was rapidly running out of power and unintentionally slowing down, causing Cale to spin backwards. With worried eyes, their gazes crossed, which William didn't like. Nothing made him more uncomfortable than showing weakness.

And it was at that moment that William saw something Cale didn't seem to notice.

"Cale, look out!"