Quote:
2. The Arctic Base (A Hunter base against Horsemen)
1-2. 10 years from now
4. Betrayed by another Hunter


It was a dream. She knew that. A nightmare. One she couldn’t possibly look away from. That hand-

***
The wind was cold and biting, finding ways to skin even beyond the coat she wore. “So they were here?” She had to yell the question as the headsets were strangely down. “This is where you saw them?”

“Yeah!” The other hunter yelled back through the wind. “Here!”

Lyra looked around. The ground was hard and frozen, and the wind whipped along it with a fury. There was no sign of Horsemen, just frozen tundra. “What exactly did you see again?” The wind stung her face even as it tried to carry her words away.

”Me.” The word was raspy and slow – heavy. There was something wrong with it. Mostly the fact that it sounded like it had been whispered in her ear – while her partner stood several feet away and in front of her. His mouth hadn’t moved, but his eyes had. He was watching something over her shoulder. His eyes were cold and terrified.

There was a sharp pain in her back – one that began to radiate forward and then all over. And warmth ran down her back – down her leg. She didn’t have to look to know it was blood. She could taste the blood. Through a lung. It was a silly thought, but she knew she was right and she knew it didn’t matter. Whatever this was had got right through her shield like it wasn’t there. She could hear the screaming of her weapon in her head as everything it tried came up useless.

She didn’t fall; she was pulled back. The swirling shadow that caught her – horseman for certain – laughed. It said something she didn’t catch as it ripped whatever it had stabbed her with out again. Lyra felt cold.

Lyra looked back to her partner. He looked horrified, afraid. She met his eyes. Why? She couldn’t voice the word. But he saw the question. “They promised! They promised me – “ The wind dragged his words away.

Idiot. They lie. Didn’t he know that? You can't trust horsemen.

She felt the horseman wrap it’s arms around her, she was dimly aware of the fact that it began to carry her away. They’ll kill you, too, idiot. And I hope they take their time about it. She didn’t have the energy to curse him properly. She was too tired.

She let herself fall asleep. Her very last thought was that she hoped she was dead.

***

Lyra woke up.