Free The Scorched Earth (The Chaos Born) by Drew Karpyshyn

feet.
    “I’m not going out like this,” she declared. “Not while I’ve still got strength enough left to take one or two of those Inquisitors down with me.”
    The men stared at her in silence. Then Norr slowly stood up beside her.
    “We will die like warriors,” he vowed, gently placing a heavy hand on her shoulder.
    Scythe patted his hand, grateful to know they would face theirend together. Then she turned to Vaaler. He met her eye and gave her a slight nod, then rose to his feet as well. To her surprise, Jerrod joined them a moment later.
    “I thought you’d try to talk me out of it,” she told him.
    “When all hope is lost, it doesn’t matter if we walk the path of a fool,” he answered, and Scythe couldn’t help but smile.
    “What’s our best strategy?” Vaaler asked. “Wait until nightfall and try to surprise them in the dark?”
    “The Inquisitors are disciples of the Order,” Jerrod reminded him. “Once the sun goes down you will struggle to see, but our Sight will be unhindered.”
    “I say we just charge down the path and try to catch them off guard,” Scythe suggested. “Hit ’em hard and fast.”
    “Nobody’s going anywhere,” Keegan croaked.
    His voice caused all of them to jump in surprise; Scythe had thought he’d slipped away into unconsciousness.
    The young man didn’t rise to his feet. He barely had the strength to sit up. His face was pale, his eyes glassy. But his voice was stronger when he spoke again.
    “We need to wait.”
    “If we wait, we die,” Scythe explained, speaking slowly as if to a confused child. “A slow, agonizing death. At least if we fight, the end will come quickly.”
    “Help is coming,” Keegan countered. “I can see them.”
    Scythe tipped her head back to stare out at the vast emptiness of the tundra surrounding them. From the vantage point of the plateau they could see miles in every direction. Her eyes were sharp; she studied the landscape closely, turning slowly in a full circle, watching for signs of movement.
    “I’ve been watching all day,” Vaaler whispered, quiet enough that Keegan couldn’t overhear. “There’s nobody out there.”
    Scythe stepped away from the others and came over to crouch down beside the young mage.
    “Nobody’s coming to help us,” she told him. “We’re alone.”
    “I’ve seen them,” Keegan insisted. “Wolves.”
    “Wolves?” Scythe asked.
    “Wolves,” he insisted. “A pack of wolves, coming to save us. I’ve seen them in my dreams. The pack leaders walk on two legs.”
    “Wolves that walk on two legs?” Scythe said, shaking her head in confusion.
    “He’s probably hallucinating,” Vaaler offered.
    “Maybe not,” Norr chimed in. “Some of the clans use dogs to hunt game. The Pack Masters run with their animals. We call them the wolves with two legs.”
    “Is that what you saw, Keegan?” Jerrod asked, coming over to join Scythe. “Are Norr’s people coming to help us?”
    Scythe rolled her eyes in exasperation.
    “Is this how your prophets see the future?” she demanded. “A few mumbled words, and you feed them a story you hope is true?”
    “They’re coming,” Keegan repeated. Then his eyes flickered and closed, and he slumped forward.
    Jerrod caught him and lowered him gently to lie flat on the cold ground. Keegan gave no indication he was aware of what was happening.
    “Is this possible?” Vaaler asked after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, directing his question at Norr. “Are your people coming to help us?”
    “This is not the territory of my people,” the big man explained. “But none of the clans like outsiders. The Pack Masters patrol this region; they protect it. They will see the Inquisitors as a threat that must be dealt with.”
    “If they even know we’re here,” Scythe objected. “You’re all jumping to conclusions.”
    “Keegan is a True Prophet,” Jerrod declared, turning away from the unconscious young man. “What he sees will come to