Before dawn, before the sun climbed over the horizon to bake them, Xerxes climbed into the saddle and took his place with Kashtiliash at the back of the line of troops. It was another day of rear guard duty.

The company knew from scouting that the terrain got rougher ahead. They were leaving the Nergal Badlands behind, which had its ups and downs. They wouldn’t have to deal with scorching heat and dust storms, but now they had a mountain range to cross. Granted, it was nothing like the towering peaks which cradled the Gateway complex. But mountains were still mountains.

Xerxes was one of the first to spot the streak of light overhead. Perhaps he was the first. But he didn’t say anything. At first. After all, falling stars weren’t a complete rarity. He’d even spotted one or two on Sin-Amuhhu.

This one started out somewhere in the distant east, and streaked halfway across the sky before disappearing.

He tracked it the entire time, all the while thinking, It’s a good thing I don’t believe in mystical omens.

His own thoughts triggered that memory of Ligish Castle, with Bel and Captain Ishki.

Above them, a flare of light streaked across the sky.

“Another meteor,” Xerxes said, staring at it.

“If I was superstitious,” the captain said, “I’d say it was an omen.”

Had that falling star on Mannemid been an omen? It occurred mere days before Bel met her end. No, Xerxes didn’t believe in omens. And yet, even if the falling star he’d just spotted wasn’t an omen… what if it wasn’t just an ordinary meteor?

He gripped Red’s reins and scanned the horizon.

A minute passed. Unit One was now in formation and ready to go. Taking his eyes from the sky, he glanced ahead and saw that the column in general was almost formed up. Only a handful of individuals were scurrying about making last-minute preparations.

Another falling star appeared.

It was brighter than the other, but originated in the same part of the sky. Its trajectory was angled steeper and more northward.

“No way,” Xerxes muttered.

“See that?” Kashtiliash said.

“Yeah. Two in a row.”

“Two?”

“There was another one a minute ago.”

“Shit.”

“Let’s just wait and see what happens. It might be….”

He trailed off as three falling stars appeared at the same time. All of them started out in about the same position in the sky, and most streaked in a northerly direction, roughly speaking.

“Look at that,” a Unit One soldier said.

“The ‘ell…” another added.

“Bad omen, that.”

“Omen? Fuck omens. Didn’t you hear the Abhorrent come in falling stars?”

The column as a whole stirred, and many soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons as they pointed to the sky.

“Six meteors,” Xerxes said. “That’s not much. It didn’t look like any of them were big.”

“True,” Kashtiliash said.

Gnawing his lip, he said, “Come on, Gandy, start the drums. No use letting everyone sit around getting nervous.”

A dozen streaks of light appeared in the sky.

“Fuck,” Kashtiliash growled.

The sounds of voices grew louder in the column.

Of the new group of meteors, some flew far across the sky to distant locations. Others landed much closer, all of them to the north.

“I don’t like this,” Kashtiliash said.

“Me either,” Xerxes replied. “Me either.”

Drums pounded from the middle of the column. The call to march. They started moving.

Of course, from the time the vanguard started out until the rear guard moved, several minutes passed. During that time, no more meteors fell.

A few minutes later, a horse galloped by, with one of the light cavalry scouts from Unit Fifteen. Off in the distance, other scouts peeled off toward the north.

“Worst case scenario,” Xerxes said, “we have to fight a few monsters.”

Kashtiliash grunted.

Over the course of the following hour, they moved into the foothills of the mountains. Instead of the dusty brown landscape, vegetation and trees lined the road.

Two scouts returned from the west, within a few minutes of each other. Neither of them was the scout that had passed the vanguard earlier.

A few minutes later, the drums changed, signaling a doubling in speed.

The troops on foot broke into a light jog, while the riders increased to fast walks. Xerxes looked over his shoulder but saw nothing other than hilly terrain.

Not long after, one of the scouts returned on foot from the middle of the procession.

“First Lieutenant,” she said to Xerxes. “Sergeant Stratos. Abhorrent have been sighted. We haven’t seen any indication of coordinated movement. But the Captain said to stay on your toes.”

“Any idea what type?”

“I saw they had fur and claws. We don’t know much else.”

“Size?”

She considered the question. “It was at a distance, looking through this.” She patted a spyglass hanging from her waist. “So I can’t say for sure. Maybe as big as a large cat.”

“Thanks, Private.”

“Sure thing, First Lieutenant. Now, I’m heading out again.” She ran off the road and into the tree-covered hills to the north.

“Cat-sized,” Kashtiliash said.

“At the most, we’re talking about... juveniles?” Xerxes mused. “If we’re lucky they might just be spawn.”

Kashtiliash slipped out of his saddle and dropped to the ground. “I’m not fighting mounted,” he said.

“Me either,” Xerxes said. He extended his hand. “Give me the reins, I’ll take them both up the line.”

He led Red into a trot before arriving where the company’s Unsighted attendants and wagons were. He handed both horses over, then jogged back toward the rear.

As he neared, a soldier shouted.

“Movement sighted!”

It was a mounted scout, returning at full gallop. Closing in on the line, she shouted, “I’ve got some behind me. Tiny fuckers.”

Once past the rearguard, she turned her horse in a circle to slow it.

“What else can you tell us, Private?” Sergeant Stratos asked.

“I didn’t get a close look. They’re small. Like cats. Furry. And they jump.” With that, she headed toward the middle of the column.