Suddenly, I catch a movement on the cliffs above us. I turn to look, but all I see are rocks. I squint for a better view. It could simply be my imagination, but the hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end.

A crack rends the air.

At the front of the line, Arxa stiffens and then raises a red flag above his head. March faster.

A second crack sounds, so loud as to make my ears hurt. And then the whole mountain comes down on us.

A sheet of rocks and dirty snow dislodges itself from the crag above. As dust explodes around me, I lunge for a steeper section of the cliff wall and press myself against it. I can’t see a thing, and the ground vibrates from falling stones.

When the dust finally clears, I feel as if I’ve been thrown inside a drum and rattled around. My ears ring, every part of me is covered with dust, and I can barely see straight. Coughing, I finally push away from the wall. It seems our section of the trail escaped the worst of the landslide. Rocks and snow cover the ground, but we’re all standing. When I turn though, my heart sinks. The trail behind us has been completely buried. The dirt is piled higher than my head, and there’s no sign of the soldiers who’d marched behind me.

Ahead of me, Arxa coughs and pulls Prince Kiran to his feet.

“Dineas,” Arxa says. “Is the trail completely blocked?”

“Completely, sir.” I’m frantically trying to remember who was marching behind me. Naudar and Walgash are in front near Kiran. But where had Masista been?

Then a battle cry splits the air. Armed men and women rush at us, some from the trail ahead, and some falling on us from above. It’s my first look at the rebels. They’re wild looking. Their clothes are mismatched, but there’s something in their eyes that chills my blood. I know, in my bones, that they’re kindred spirits, born fighters like me. But we’re on different sides.

Two of them attack me. I barely manage to get my sword up in time to avoid getting my head sliced off, and the force of impact nearly knocks me down. Thankfully the wall of dirt behind me catches my fall. I cut down the first man when he loses his balance, and then his comrade as he looks at his dying friend.

“To Pisinah!” Arxa shouts.