I dive through the veil into Puka's senses and immediately pick up a scent both strange and familiar. Somehow, it makes me think of lightning. Dozens of feet pound the earth towards us. With Puka's ears I can even hear hearts beating in big, warm bodies. I wrench myself back through the veil between us and into my human self once more, where my own heart pounds a wild rhythm against my ribs.

Three high, short whistle-trills from the Captain of the Hunter Guard, and two in confirmation from the Rhavani, all five of them. That means I have to get into an armored carriage, any carriage. Now. I drop to one knee and scoop Puka into my arms, sprinting for the nearest one.

But more people are shouting and more signals cut the air, and the world closes in as travelers, akhanas, pack and urabeasts alike crowd together behind the lines of shield-bearing Hunter Guards. High on their pale mounts, Flower Maidens pull and lick their arrows, knocking, sighting, and releasing with entrancing rapidity.

Several somethings roar and screech and drop into the water, falling to the maidens' poison saliva and deadly-keen aim. But there are too many. They slam their hulking bodies against the shields, some of them piercing themselves on pole-arms and spears. With the Hunter Guards pressed back on both sides, we're so crowded together that there's little hope of getting back to the carriage, even if I could reorient myself. I'm overwhelmed. Frozen on the outside and frenzied on the inside. I squeeze Puka close to my chest.

One of the Hunter Guards struggles to withdraw his pole-arm from a beast, stumbling backward with the thing falling on top of him. I stare, only just able to see from between the legs of packbeasts and behind others both mounted and standing.

It was probably a wolf, once. Now it's three times larger than that, its skin ashen-colored and furless save a black mane down its neck and back. Dark, shining things glint from within that fur, catching the lantern light like glass or crystal, and blue fluid weeps from rows of openings down its flanks and legs. It drips down over the trapped Hunter, and he screams as it burns through his breastplate. The beast thrashes and pulls backward, coming away still pierced on the weapon. It drags the Hunter down with it.

For half a heartbeat, reality falters—my mind unable to keep up with what I'm seeing.

The wolf-creature hits the water first with a heavy splat. The man's leg submerges next, and then he liquifies. Within a heartbeat, his body turns to thick black fluid, and he's gone. His empty clothes and armor disappear quickly beneath the water's surface.

As the beast's blood unfurls, twisting and mingling with the water, I see it for the first time. That sheen on the surface, fragmented like tiny bits of swirling, suspended metal in the colors of a melted rainbow.

The water's contaminated with Mire. Stars must have already fallen here.

There's a lot more screaming and shouting. Everything blurs together. I squeeze Puka tighter, and he bleats in protest. The Hunter Guards on that side of the road spread out to fill the gap in the line. Frantic now, I fight to push my way towards the closest carriage.

Everything just keeps getting louder, the crowd crushing closer and closer in as the remaining mirebeasts struggle to get past the Hunter's shields. My lungs feel like they're closing in and my heart batters my chest like it's trying to escape. I push between packbeasts, praying to the Firstborn and Father Void that they won't startle and trample me. Once through, I clamber over a cart with Puka under one arm.

At last I get to a carriage. I haul the door open and heave my akhana through it without bothering to see who's inside. Behind me, someone screams. No, not just someone.

Kaidin.

With a last look at Puka, I close the door—locking him away where he'll be safe. The billowy fabric of my pants tears as I fight my way towards the voice, but I don't slow down.

"Kai! Kai!"

Why do I try to get to him? I don't know. There are Hunter Guards here, so many people more skilled than me, people who could actually help him.

But I can't stop myself. My hands go to my Shakta and chain as if of their own accord.

People are shouting my name, shrieking at me to get back to the carriage. I keep shoving my way towards him. Dragging myself up onto a luggage wagon hitched to the back of a packbeast, I spot him at last.

One of the mirebeasts, similar in ways to the other I'd seen but larger and more warped, has hold of Kaidin's arm, is trying to pull him down and off the road. But he's fighting to pull away—roaring as he puts everything he has into it.

The arm bends and sags strangely beneath the folds of his sleeves. Then the fabric tears away and his arm tears too, and Kaidin is stumbling backward without it, streaming blood. The Mirebeast retreats, but another pushes past it, slavering to take its part. No one else is in a position to defend him—all either crushed in place, or fighting off attackers of their own.

I shout. I wave my arms. The monster's ears twitch, but it doesn't turn from Kai. It crouches, readying itself to lunge. I lash out with the chain, and its weighted end makes impact, dragging at the skin of the creature's shoulder. That gets its attention. It turns on me, its wound oozing dark blood, and issues a low, whooping growl. The sound makes me nauseous. It's almost like a laugh. I brandish my shakta, readying to whip the weighted end of its chain out once more.

But the beast is in the air before I even realize that it leapt. Its massive body crashes into me, and my blade flicks ineffectually off one of its ribs, jamming my wrist sideways. We hurtle through the air, crashing into a pair of Hunter Guards, and tumble—all four of us—off the road and into the miretouched water.