Magnus shot through the sky like a white arrow, his albino feathers stark against the darkness. His wings beat furiously, each downstroke carrying him faster, farther, away from whatever it was the thing behind him.
Fear gripped him. Something that made his bird brain scream predator with every fiber of his being.
For almost an hour now, he had been trying to shake off a certain pursuer.
He had never felt this kind of fear in his life. Not once. Not during assassinations, not during land disputes, not during any of the countless dangerous situations he'd found himself in over the years.
He couldn't even see his pursuer clearly. Just a shape, a shadow. And it moved with terrifying speed.
Was it an eagle beast? It was so fast, it could be a falcon too.
Goosebumps rode up and down his body, and he tried to shake them off, tried to focus, tried to think.
