The sand underfoot was as black as tar, and dark clouds were rolling in from the north. There was lightning crackling in the sky above and a thickness to the air Oracus didn’t like.

“What happened back there?” Oracus asked Kivali as he jumped from Bandor’s back. “How did you move like that?”

Kivali shook her head. “Not now. We aren't safe yet,” she said. “We need to get into the mountains and hope Gravaz doesn't follow us.”

“But you teleported,” Oracus persisted. “Why do you have a power?”

Kivali ignored Oracus’s question. Instead, she unfastened his sword from her belt and then lifted his bow and quiver of arrows from her shoulder. “I went back into Thessley after you were taken and I gathered these from your house. You’ll need them if he comes after us.”

Oracus took the weapons but more questions came to him and he failed to hold them back. “How did you both escape from Thessley?”

“Not now, Oracus!” Kivali insisted. “We really need to get away from here.”

She started to run across the sand, and Oracus was forced to pursue her. Close behind them, Bandor followed with Quent still lying across his back.

The mountains seemed incredibly far away, and there was nothing on the landscape to hide them from Gravaz should he come after them. Oracus had been terrified when inside Fervia, but now he was free, the fear was doubled.

Maybe it was the fear that made him look back, or maybe it was the lightning that flashed directly above Fervia, but when Oracus turned, he saw what he had been dreading most. Gravaz was leaving the city through the gate, riding on the back of Lapsin, his Hyena Lavorian.

“They’re coming!” he found himself shouting.

Oracus and Bandor began to run faster, but Kivali skidded to a halt. “Stop!” she yelled.

Reluctantly, Oracus obeyed, and so did Bandor. But Quent was less fond of waiting for Gravaz and he jumped from Bandor’s back to continue his escape to the mountains.

Oracus pulled his sword free of its sheath and cursed when he saw how much Gravaz and Lapsin had already caught up with them. He looked at Kivali. “Why have we stopped?”

“We have to fight them,” she replied. “There’s no way we can outrun them.”

Oracus knew she was right, but he couldn’t help thinking standing their ground would cause them to be dead sooner. He shared the thought with Bandor, but the Lion seemed more confident now the challenge was closing in. “We’ve got this,” he said.

Oracus could now hear Lapsin’s huge paws thundering across the ground, and he could see the froth spraying from the Hyena’s mouth with every stride. His heart was thumping unpleasantly, and his sword was shaking in his hand.

But like Bandor, Kivali seemed to find a courage within herself that Oracus didn’t have. “Don’t let the fire touch you,” she advised. Then she began to take steps towards Gravaz and Lapsin, faster and faster, until she was at a sprint. When her enemies were only metres away, she vanished, and then reappeared in just the right place to strike Lapsin’s front legs with her sword. The blade didn't penetrate the Lavorian’s tough armour, but it was enough to make his legs buckle and send him and Gravaz crashing to the ground. Lapsin’s face churned up the black sand as he skidded to where Oracus and Bandor stood waiting, and Gravaz rolled across the ground until his huge body was face down and unmoving.

For a few seconds, nobody moved, and Oracus wondered if they had been victorious already. But then Lapsin raised his ugly head, and Gravaz started to push himself off the sand.

When Gravaz got to his feet, he was taller and broader than Oracus remembered. He was almost twice the height of a Human, and more than twice the width. And he had a hunger in his eyes Oracus didn’t like. It was then that he unhooked a flail from his belt and let the metal spike dangle on its chain in front of Oracus’s face.

“You almost got away,” Gravaz said in his bellowing voice. “And now I’ll have to kill you.”

The Ulatori swung the flail above his head with one hand and magicked a fireball into the palm of the other. Oracus gulped fearfully.

“He’s mine,” Bandor said inside Oracus’s mind.

The Lion ran and leaped at Gravaz, but the Ulatori struck him in the chest with the flail and Bandor landed heavily beside Lapsin. The Hyena was on his feet now, and he was stood over Bandor with his teeth bared.

“Kill the Lavorian!” Gravaz ordered.

Lapsin’s jaws immediately clamped around Bandor’s neck and Bandor kicked his legs helplessly to try and free himself. He whined in pain, and Oracus felt the Lion’s fear inside his mind.

But the fear was quickly replaced by Oracus’s own fury. He wasn’t going to stand and watch while his Lavorian was killed. He was going to destroy both Gravaz and Lapsin, and there was nothing they could do to stop him.

There was a ruthless determination in Oracus he had never felt before. And at the same time, he could feel a presence in his mind he knew wasn’t Bandor. Like in the council room in Afarra all those weeks ago, he could sense something else was in his head.

As Gravaz stepped towards Oracus, and as Lapsin’s teeth sunk deeper into Bandor’s neck, Oracus connected with the unknown force and suddenly felt his palms become extremely warm. When he looked down, he had a ball of flames clasped in his hands, and although he had never held fire before, he knew exactly what to do with it. With a cry of defiance, he lifted his arms above his head and threw the fireball at Gravaz’s chest. There was a momentary look of shock on Gravaz’s face, and then the explosion came, more powerful than Oracus had expected.

For a time, everything went black. There was a painful ringing in Oracus’s ears, and he felt confused and disorientated. No longer was he angry, or thirsty for the death of his enemies. Now he was just hoping he could get up.

When he opened his eyes, he was looking up at the thunderclouds above. He was lying on his back, and his entire body was aching. It took a while for him to summon the energy to stand, but when he did, he was relieved to see Bandor and Kivali were already up and unharmed. Gravaz and Lapsin, on the other hand, were both unconscious, and Gravaz had horrific burns on his face and chest.

“Are they dead?” Oracus asked hopefully.

Kivali shook her head. “They’re both still alive. So we need to get to the mountains before they wake up.”

Oracus didn’t need telling twice. He slid his sword back into its sheath and started walking towards the mountains. A hundred yards in front, Quent was crawling through the black sand, still desperate to get away from Gravaz, but his body not strong enough for him to stand. When Oracus reached him, he lifted him onto Bandor’s back with Kivali’s help, and then they all pressed on.

After what seemed like forever, and what involved a lot of looking back over their shoulders, Oracus, Bandor, Kivali and Quent finally reached the base of the mountains, where the black sand was replaced by refreshing greenery. When they found the path that would lead them south towards Tallarin, white cliff faces appeared on either side of them and made Oracus feel like there was nowhere to hide should he need to.

“What if Gravaz follows us here?” he asked worriedly. “We’re trapped between these mountains.”

“He won’t follow us now,” Kivali replied. “He’ll need to go back to Fervia and take care of his wounds.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“You took off half his face when you threw that fireball at him!” Kivali exclaimed. “He’s in no fit state to chase us through here.”

The concern of whether Gravaz was in pursuit or not began to fade, and with it, Oracus started to wonder how he had used his power again. This time, he hadn’t just thrown a goblet across the sultry council room, he had saved the lives of his friends. But still he didn’t understand how he had done it. And neither did he know what his power actually was. One time he had thrown a goblet, and now he had thrown a fireball. What’s the link between goblets and fireballs? he asked himself.

For more than an hour, the group marched up the path through the mountains until the white cliffs fell behind them and were replaced by patches of small trees and bracken. They were so high now that fluffy grey clouds occasionally obscured the route ahead, and the temperature had dropped several degrees. Having been famished due to his imprisonment, Oracus had taken the earliest opportunity to devour berries from the brambles that grew beside the path, and he had stuffed his pockets with as much fruit as they would hold too. Following that, he had drank all the water from Kivali’s canteen before they reached a stream where they could refill it.

“So how did you escape Thessley?” Oracus asked Kivali for a second time since their escape from Fervia. The path their feet now followed was flat and winding, with thicket and boulders along its edges.

“I assume you’ve realised I’m a Rider?” Kivali prompted.

Oracus nodded his head. “The teleporting thing you do is quite impressive,” he said.

“Thanks,” Kivali replied. “It’s the teleporting thing that got Bandor and I out your house.”

Oracus bit his lip. “How do you make it work?” he asked. “Your power, I mean.”

Kivali quickly interpreted the reason for Oracus’s question. “Are you still struggling with yours?”

“I don’t even know what it is,” Oracus admitted.

Kivali smiled knowingly. “I’m sure you could figure it out if you thought about it.”

“I have been thinking about it. But I don’t know how throwing fireballs is related to throwing metal goblets.”

“Were there people with you when you threw those things?” Kivali asked.

“You know people were with me, you were there both times!”

Kivali laughed and Oracus felt his cheeks flush. “Think about the people who were around you in the council room, and then tell me what happened.”

“I threw a goblet that was on the table,” Oracus said with a theatrical shrug.

“You threw a metal goblet when you were near Torvanon,” Kivali reminded. “And then you threw a fireball when you were near Gravaz.”

Suddenly, it clicked, and Oracus’s mouth dropped open in realisation. “Are you saying I can copy the powers of other Riders?”

“Yes, I think so,” Kivali said with a smirk.

Oracus looked at Bandor as felt his mind begin to spin. The Lion looked as surprised as he did.

“Does that mean I can teleport too?” Oracus asked, turning back to Kivali.

“You should try it,” she urged.

“But I don’t know how.”

“All I do is focus on the place I want to go, and then…” she threw her arms up in the air. “… I’m there.”

Oracus looked back at Bandor for some inspiration. “Any ideas?”

“You felt another presence in your mind when you used your power before, right? Why don’t you search for another presence again?”

Excited, Oracus came to a halt and closed his eyes. He focused himself and felt Bandor’s mind scratching against his own. But then he felt something extra; something unusual he hadn’t noticed before. Oracus concentrated harder and managed to pinpoint the other presence, but as soon as he tried to delve into it, he lost contact and couldn’t get it back.

“I almost had it!” he shouted as he snapped his eyes open. “It was right there and then it… wasn’t!”

“Calm yourself,” Bandor advised him. “Maybe you need to be relaxed like when you were in the council room in Afarra.”

“Give it another try,” Kivali suggested. “You shouldn’t expect to do it on your first attempt.”

“You’re right,” Oracus said. He took a deep breath and released his frustration. Then he closed his eyes again and tried to locate Kivali’s mind beyond Bandor’s.

It took a while, but finally the presence he had been searching for revealed itself. As his muscles relaxed more, the presence grew, and Oracus was able to connect.

With the connection came the tingling in his fingertips. He was close now, and he knew it. He could feel the world circling around him, and then he floated momentarily above the ground. But just as he was sure he was going to teleport for the first time, the connection to Kivali’s power broke and Oracus was thrown painfully into the thicket at the side of the path.

From in the bushes, he could hear Kivali laughing. “You should have thought about where you wanted to teleport to,” she said. “Maybe then you wouldn’t have hurt yourself.”

Oracus could only scowl as he returned to the path covered in leaves and dirt. And seeing that made Kivali laugh harder.

“Why can’t you just teleport us all to Tallarin?” he said seriously. “I’m sick of walking now.”

“Unfortunately, my power isn’t strong enough to get us anywhere near Tallarin,” Kivali replied. “Besides, I would have missed out on you making a fool of yourself if I’d teleported us there already.”

After several more hours of journeying south through the mountains, it finally started to get dark. There were plenty of caves to choose from off the beaten path, and Kivali soon picked one that was large and safe enough for them all to shelter in. By the time night had totally fallen, they were eating over a crackling fire in the mouth of the cave, and Oracus was feeling emotional.

“Are you okay?” Kivali asked him, sensing something was wrong.

“It’s just being out here reminds me of when I used to hunt near Thessley,” Oracus explained. “There’s a freedom that comes with nature, and it’s making me think about life before everything bad happened.”

“You’re missing your father?”

“Every day,” Oracus said glumly. “But more so when it’s peaceful like this. I just crave his company.”

Oracus finished eating and left the others in the cave. He walked for a short while and found a ledge that faced west and looked out over the land below. In the silence, Oracus let a tear fall from his eye, then he looked up at the stars that painted a pattern across the sky. When he was a young boy, he used to lie in one of the fields in Thessley and pick out shapes from the stars with his father. They hadn’t done it for so long. And now he would never get the opportunity again.

From behind him, he heard Bandor’s solid paws on the rock. He wiped his face and offered a weak smile to his Lavorian. “It's wonderful, isn't it?” he said. “I'd stand and watch this until I was old and grey if I could. When I see beauty like this, it makes me question all the terrible things that are happening.”

“It’s because terrible people rule,” Bandor replied. “The beauty will be destroyed if we don’t put a stop to it.”

“How do you know it isn’t us who are destroying it?” Oracus asked sincerely.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if Afarra and Tallarin joined Jowra and stopped the rebellion, would it bring an end to all the fighting and death?”

“Maybe it would.”

“Then are we doing the right thing?”

“Yes,” Bandor answered. “Because we’re fighting for the freedom that Jowra doesn’t allow us. Without Afarra and Tallarin's rebellion, he’d control everyone.”

Oracus looked back up at the stars and wondered why he was suddenly questioning the war against Jowra. He was certainly against the King’s reign, but he wasn’t sure sacrificing thousands of soldiers to kill the King was a price that should be paid.

“Oracus, your father died under this man's reign,” Bandor said. “He wasn't killed because he was a threat, he was killed because he was free. Surely that’s reason enough for you to believe what we’re doing is right?”

“I remember how perfect it was in Thessley. And being in these mountains is a reminder of that. We could forget about Jowra and the rebellion and live the rest of our lives here. We could enjoy every night under these stars if we decided not to fight.”

“But you'd know that somewhere else in Pharia, another child's father was being murdered because of his freedom,” Bandor protested. “It's okay to be scared of the task, Oracus, but I think that fighting is the correct route to take.”

“I know it is,” Oracus confessed. “I just wish there was an easier way to do it. A safer way.”

“But we both know there isn't. Jowra has to die, and you and I can’t be living in a cave in the mountains while that happens.”

“Do you think we can do it?” Oracus asked. “Can we kill him?”

“I won't stop until your sword has removed his head from his shoulders,” Bandor said with conviction.

“And if we can't kill him?”

“Then we will leave him injured enough for somebody else to finish the job.”

Oracus couldn’t help but laugh at the severity of it all. Would he really be willing to give his life to ensure Pharia was ruled by someone other than Jowra? Being a Rider came with huge responsibilities he hadn’t asked for. It had been no more than a few months since he had left Thessley and now his life seemed to revolve around the potential comeuppance of a King he’d never even seen or met.

Oracus wondered if it was all just a nightmare he was due to wake up from. Maybe he would soon open his eyes and morning would be dawning on a peaceful Thessley. Under a sky full of twinkling stars, he wished for it to happen, but there was no waking up from this. His father was truly dead, and Pharia would continue to be in turmoil until either the King or the rebellion lost.