I gripped the saddle as Rasulla struggled for a hoof-hold on the shifting terrain. With each step the solid rock beneath my horse’s hooves dissolved into a fine powder. Trees beside us plummeted to the ground, sinking like leaden lures into the newly formed sand. An echo of destruction followed close on our heels and dust clouds tumbled toward us, smothering the air.

This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Regular changes of Septerra’s terrain were common, but a shape-shift like this had never occurred without a warning and never so close to the borderland of the Mystic’s Realm. I’d thought it safe to make the short trip to Bridge City without an escort, but my bad judgment had put our lives in danger.

I gave Rasulla rein to go where she would, she knew where to step better than I could guide her and we couldn’t chance a fall. If we went down now, there would be no hope of survival. The wave of land shifting behind us was closing in too fast.

When I glanced behind me, sharp crystals of sand cut through the protective scarf around my face, stinging my eyes. My heart pounded fast and I could hear Rasulla struggling with her every breath. There was nothing I could do to protect her, save to keep her heading away from the destruction.

Rasulla dodged a large boulder that rolled across her path and a rabbit darted from the disappearing shrubbery to our right. Instinctively, I pressed Rasulla to the left and she moved swiftly, respecting my sudden command. Such was the bond we had between us. More than just rider and mount. We were companions. We’d been through worse danger than this and lived to tell the tales.

As we crested a hill I saw the rooftops of Mystic City shimmering in the sunlight and the rectangular shapes of the multi-level buildings on the side of Visionary Mountain. The unwavering blue mist surrounding the mountain’s top meant that safety was no farther than an hour’s ride.

When we turned a bend in the road, I saw a borderland settler’s cottage nestled under the webbed limbs of a large mindan tree. A calm and steady stream of smoke rose from the stone chimney.

A sudden chill crossed over me at the thought that someone might be inside, unaware of the danger or unable to leave.

The ground around the cottage began to shake and the golden leaves of the mindan shivered. A low rumbling spread like fire beneath us. The shift was gaining momentum. It wouldn’t stop before it reached the dwelling. We had no time to waste.

I tightened my legs around Rasulla’s belly and broke into a hard run toward the cabin.

My sword slapped against the scabbard slung across my back and my long cape fluttered wildly behind me. Sand flew from the Rasulla’s hooves, spinning in pale zephyrs around us. I imagined that we looked like the fabled ghost riders from the haunted tales of my childhood.

As we neared the cottage a dark-haired woman appeared in the doorway clutching a little boy in her arms.

"The land is shifting!" I said, reining to a halt at her door. I pointed to land we’d just crossed where the tall pasture grass was disappearing, falling away as though an invisible scythe swept across the field. Birds struggled helplessly in the air, dropping to the ground in the thick clouds of dust. "Is anyone else at home?"

The woman looked past us toward an empty corral where the poles and fencing slipped into the sand. "Taree has taken the livestock to market. Only Kaalin and I are here."

Without asking I reached down for the child and lifted him up in front of me. "We must leave quickly."

"But...my things." The woman looked back toward the open door of her house. "Our home!"

"Now, Mistress! We must go! If the Goddess wishes your home to remain, then it will be here when you return."

The ground rumbled and Rasulla whinnied. The woman placed her foot in the stirrup and as she threw her leg across Rasulla’s rump we began a desperate race toward the center of the Mystic’s Realm and the shelter of the Mystic City.

A flicker of lightning crackled through the air and a clap of thunder reverberated off the hard ground. I heard the mindan tree had given up its grasp on the earth and fall onto the house. I turned just as the smoke from the chimney vanished with a puff and a gaping mouth of sand devoured the debris.

The woman said nothing, but I heard her weeping. It was hard to shield myself from the woman’s grief. Without warning she’d lost her home and everything she’d worked for. Now all she had was the clothes on her back, her child and her hearth-mate.

I looked down at the boy who was holding tight to Rasulla’s mane and my mind flashed back to my own childhood. I had once been like Kaalin, a child stolen away on horseback, headed for a new life. But Kaalin was headed for new adventures, I’d been taken captive as a slave.

I swallowed my memories and ruffled the golden curls on Kaalin’s head and he turned his face up to me. "It appears the Goddess has other plans for your future, little one," I whispered.