Chapter Forty-Six

In the meadow, the winds seemed to take on a malevolent life of their own, their force intensifying with each passing moment. They twisted and spiraled, whipping through the grass and causing mini-tornadoes to erupt from the churned ground. The very earth under his feet seemed to groan in protest, and the acrid scent of freshly turned dirt mingled with the sharp tang of ozone, assaulting Brodi's senses as he ducked his head against the maelstrom and continued to silently advance.

Above, the heavens were entirely shrouded by roiling, malignant clouds that seemed to devour any trace of starlight or moonshine. Leif and Astrid appeared to him only in the stark, searing flashes of the lightning overhead. The thunder that followed was a deafening roar, so powerful that it resonated deep within his chest, but still he stalked toward his prey. Squinting against the flying debris, he finally saw his brothers and the warriors in position against the backdrop of the ancient tree, whose gnarled b