the curtains of sleet and rain blinded him and veiled the light , so that it flickered like a guttering candle , but tavi kept his eyes doggedly locked on his destination lightning snarled among the clouds m treacherous , blinding flashes , while the wind-manes howled out their wrath overhead tavi could hear the slave 's labored , gasping breath even through the wind-she was evidently at the end of her endurance her footsteps staggered , as they grew closer to the glowing firelight in the darkness , the wind-manes screeched , and tavi looked back to see one of them swooping down through the sleet , its face twisted into a grimace of hatred and hunger the girl 's eyes widened as she saw tavi 's expression , and she began to spin about-but she was too late , her reaction too slow she could n't possibly turn to defend herself in time tavi reached back and seized her wrist in both hands with the weight of his whole body , he hauled her forward , past him , and sent her stumbling toward the light ahead `` go ' '' he shouted `` get inside ' '' the windmane hit tavi , and there was suddenly no air in his lungs , no warmth in his limbs he felt his feet leave the ground , and he went tumbling , jouncing , and bounding down the slope and away from the shelter at its summit , blown like a leaf before the power of the storm he rolled , arms and legs loose , struggling to keep from stopping too abruptly , to guide his fall down the hill and to its base a grey stone appeared before his eyes in a flash of emerald lightning , and he felt himself scream as he flinched away from it he caught a flash of light reflected on water , on the ground , and aimed himself toward it through the half dark , desperate and terrified he came to a halt in the mud pooling at the bottom of the hill beneath a finger-width of freezing water , his arms sinking into it halfway to his elbows he struggled and heaved them free of the muck , turning in time to see the windmane descend on him once more tavi rolled to one side , the sludge slowing his movements , and felt the wrndmane 's deadly chill settle around his mouth and nose , cutting off his air he thrashed and flinched , but accomplished nothing he could no more keep the fury from blocking his air than he could spread his arms and fly above the storm tavi knew that he had only one chance , and that a slim one he struggled to his feet , then leapt into the air and hurled himself sprawling in the muck cold , oozing mud and chilled water slithered over him , churned to the consistency of thick pudding by the storm he wriggled down deeper , forcing his face into the mud , then rolled to his back , covering himself in it and suddenly , he could breathe again .