Nexus Point

by Jaleta Clegg

  Chapter 20

  Tayvis found a chewed rope and tracks heading off into the hills instead of his horse when we reached the camp. The horse had left. Tayvis pulled his gear out of hiding.

  "Do you think you could ride bareback? That is, if we can catch my horse."

  I shrugged. "How far is it to the base?"

  "Three, maybe four days of walking."

  "You told Will to meet us there in three. Will he come looking for us?"

  "He's an idiot if he does." He tied a few items into a bundle, leaving most of the gear behind, including the saddle.

  "Will works for you, doesn't he?"

  Tayvis shouldered the makeshift pack. "As much as you do."

  "Then he isn't Patrol."

  "Why does it matter, Dace?" He walked away, following the horse tracks into the hills. "He's not officially Patrol, no. He's a student working on field research with Barricion Muir."

  "Robin Goodfellow." I followed Tayvis, picking my way through the conversation and the rocks that lined the trail.

  "Who is exactly what he pretends to be, a researcher turned crusader."

  "So Will can't bring the Patrol looking for us."

  "He'll bring something better, Robin's men." Tayvis looked at the sun which slipped far to the west. "We need to pick up the pace. Ameli can still catch us."

  We traveled too fast for talking. Tayvis' assessment of Will gave me at least a taste of hope. The Patrol might be stuck inside their walls by regulations, but Robin and his men weren't. Will was one of them, one on our side.

  Tayvis stopped near a stream and let out a piercing whistle. He waited, expecting something to happen. Nothing did. He whistled again.

  Hoofbeats approached. Tayvis whistled again. The horse whinnied in return. Tayvis grinned, his teeth flashing white in the darkness.

  "Well trained horse," he said.

  "Horses are rare and very expensive. How did you learn to ride one?"

  "A course I took at the Academy."

  "Along with wilderness survival and sword fighting?"

  "It didn't include knot tying."

  The horse trotted into the stream, lowering its head to drink. Tayvis picked his way carefully towards it, talking softly. He stretched his hand towards the animal. The horse stamped its feet, splashing water around before it lowered its head to breathe into his hand. Tayvis swung himself onto its back, using handfuls of the horse's neck hair. He held his hand down.

  I took Tayvis' hand, trusting him. He pulled. I scrambled onto the horse behind him. It was harder to stay on without the saddle.

  "Hang on," Tayvis said.

  He kicked the horse. It leaped forward. I wrapped my arms around Tayvis' waist. The horse galloped into the woods.

  We didn't stop until the moons were well up. The horse walked slowly, ears pricked forward as it picked its way through the trees. Tayvis finally stopped the horse in a small clearing. I let go of Tayvis to slide down from the horse.

  Tayvis dismounted, holding onto the horse's neck. "Get the rope."

  I fished through his bundle, searching by touch, until I found a length of rope. I handed it to him. He tied the horse to a tree.

  "How do you know it won't chew its way loose again?" I asked.

  "It's a herd animal. As long as we're here, it'll stay."

  "Is there any food in here?" I rummaged through the makeshift bag and found something squishy. It smelled like a very ripe cheese.

  Tayvis sat next to me. "We'll have to get supplies soon."

  "Unless you like living on old cheese."

  "The way you eat, it won't last more than another day."

  I threw the cheese at him.

  He caught it, then broke off a chunk, holding it out to me. "Sorry, Dace."

  I took the cheese. He broke off another piece for himself. We ate in silence, in the dark. It wasn't much. I pretended it was enough.

  "You take the blanket." He unwrapped it from the bundle, handing it to me.

  "We could share."

  "I'll be fine." He moved into the shadows.

  I watched him. Something had changed, but I was clueless to figure out what.

  I spread the blanket on the least rocky bit of ground. I pulled the edge over me, leaving plenty of room if he changed his mind.

  I dreamed of being chased and falling from a cliff into a fire. Ameli's face hung over everything, laughing maniacally. I woke in a sweat, fear closing my throat. I scrambled up, thinking for a second Tayvis had left me behind.

  His horse was a shadow in the night. Tayvis hadn't left. I pulled the blanket over my shoulders. My nightmares were still too close. I didn't want to be alone.

  The night breeze whispered past, blowing clouds across the sky. Moonlight spilled into the clearing. Tayvis lay under a tree on the other side. I picked my way across the clearing towards him. He could make the nightmares go away.

  "Something wrong?" he asked sleepily as I approached.

  "No, I was just . . ." My voice trailed off. I had no idea what lie he would believe, if any.

  I settled down next to him, offering the blanket. He pulled it behind him, wrapping it around us both.

  "Nightmares?"

  I nodded, already falling asleep. Just before I did, he brushed his cheek over my hair.

  He shook me awake what felt like seconds later, but dawn already lightened the sky. He waited only until he saw my eyes open before turning to his horse.

  I yawned widely, my jaw cracking. Some people fantasize about living on a primitive world, becoming one with nature. I'd never thought that. Food was scarce and the sleeping accommodations left much to be desired. I'd be happy to leave Dadilan behind.

  I stumbled out from under the tree, trailing the blanket. The horse stamped one foot.

  "You aren't much of a morning person, are you?" Tayvis asked as he took the blanket.

  I yawned, shaking my head.

  He spread the blanket over the horse's back, then boosted me on. I straddled the blanket and grabbed handfuls of hair. Tayvis swung up behind me. The horse shook its head. He kicked it into a walk.

  Tayvis' arms around me gave me at least the illusion of safety. I dozed off.

  I jerked awake when the horse's pace changed. Golden sunlight spilled across a long downward slope. The forest changed from spiky trees to lacy ones that cast light shade.

  We paused at the bottom.

  Tayvis slid off the horse, then consulted his handcomp. "If we push it, we can be at the base tomorrow. We should reach the edge of the hills by late afternoon. It's probably safest if we avoid the villages, which makes the trip a bit longer."

  He stopped abruptly, on alert like a hunter sighting prey. The handcomp disappeared into his pocket. I wrapped both hands into the horse's hair, ready for trouble.

  "Over there." He pointed to the left under the trees.

  Sunlight flashed on metal.

  "Who attacked Leran's camp?" He slipped the knife from his boot.

  "I don't know. It was dark. I didn't stay to ask questions." I groped for the reins.

  Something zinged out of the trees, a length of wood that stuck in the ground, quivering. More followed, zipping past. The horse bolted. I tried to pull it to a stop. I caught one glimpse of Tayvis, a knife in his hand, before the horse carried me out of sight.

  "Stop!"

  It ignored me and kept running. I drummed my feet against its sides. It ran faster, swerving and dodging through the trees.

  I tried to get it to turn, yanking on the reins and the hair growing down its neck. Nothing helped.

  "You stupid horse," I shouted when it slowed.

  The horse tossed its head and sped up again. I hung on.

  I swore at the horse, using every cuss word I'd ever learned and a few I'd made up.

  The horse scraped me off into a thorny bush. I landed hard, sprawling through the tangled branches. Thorns jabbed into every exposed inch of skin. I crawled out of the bush, gathering more stickers and tearing my clothes.
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br />   The horse snorted before trotting away. I scrambled to my feet to run after it. The horse stopped to eat a mouthful of grass. I snuck up on it. It waited until I could almost reach its rope, dangling enticingly, before it trotted away.

  "Come back here, horse!"

  It laid its ears back and showed teeth. I stopped. The horse bent its head to the grass again. I took a step forward. The horse jumped, flicking its feet out in a lethal kick. I watched helplessly as it disappeared into the woods.

  I tried whistling. The horse didn't come. A bird mocked me from a bush. I gritted my teeth. I wasn't going to die, not here. Horse or not, I was going to the Patrol base. Tayvis had survived before, he'd find a way to survive again.

  I picked stickers out of my hands as I walked. I headed downhill, the same general direction the horse had gone. Maybe if I were incredibly lucky, I could catch it again.

  I found a path and followed it because it was easier than pushing my way through brambles. I crossed a stream, stopping to drink.

  I reached a narrow spot between two steep hills. Bushes and trees choked the hills, forcing me to the path at the bottom. My skin crawled. I didn't like the way the valley looked. I picked up my pace, running for the more open area I glimpsed ahead. Three men stepped out of the bushes in front of me. They had long knives and evil grins.

  Four more waited behind me. Seven of them and one of me. I wondered how many black eyes I could dish out before they beat me senseless or killed me.

  A horse trotted out of the bushes, a black one, not Tayvis' mottled brown. The man on its back wore a uniform of purple and green. He stopped his horse, leaning across the saddle. "Well, well, what have we caught today? Not the bandits we laid our trap for."

  I bolted for the bushy hill. Two men tackled me. I sprawled in the dirt, rolling to my back. I kicked one man and got a stranglehold on the other before two more joined in. They hit me until I quit struggling. They tied my hands before dragging me over to the man on the horse.

  The man swung down.

  I lifted my tied hands to wipe blood from my nose.

  "I think we've caught more than we anticipated." He swaggered over.

  I twisted my wrists in the ropes. Dadilan had too much rope for my taste.

  The man slapped me, knocking me into the dirt. "A runaway from Robin's camp perhaps?" He pulled leather gloves off, flexing his fingers. He tapped the gloves against his palm. "The clothing would suggest such, but I think not."

  The gloves whipped across my face. I licked blood from my lip.

  The man grabbed my face in one hand. "I think the Duchess would be interested in this one. Very interested." He let go of my face, pushing me away. "Bring her," he snapped to his men.

  They dragged me after the man. Their horses waited just beyond the narrow valley. They tied me on top of a packhorse, facing backwards.

  The soldier shoved a knife under my nose. "Just give me an excuse to use this."

  I sat very still. He shook his head in disappointment as he tucked the knife into his belt. I silently plotted all sorts of escapes, waiting for an opportunity to put one into action.

  The land around us flattened. We passed farms and a few villages. The people stared at us. One or two stopped to spit after the horses.

  The horses clattered into a paved courtyard. The immense building surrounding it was ornamented with stone carvings that would make anyone blush. Stone people and animals did things I hadn't even imagined possible.

  I fell off the horse when they cut the ropes, landing on the stone paving. I scrambled to my feet, bolting for the closing gate. The soldier with the knife grabbed my hair, dragging me after his commander.

  They marched me into the building. The huge rooms inside were decorated with more carvings and paintings along the same theme. Panels of filmy material floated between pillars. Several young girls in scanty outfits scurried away from us. The soldiers dragged me through a door into a garden filled with flowering plants and the sound of trickling water. More of the statues stood among the plants. The soldier planted his hand into my back, shoving hard. I landed on my hands and knees.

  "We found her in the hills," the commander said. "I thought you might be interested, my lady."

  "You did well, Jerusha. See my steward to claim your reward." The woman spoke behind me, out of sight.

  The soldiers marched off, their boots clicking loudly on the stones.

  I stared at the ground between my hands. I knew that voice and it wasn't good news. "Shomies Pardui."

  "We meet again, Dace. Only this time, you aren't going to lie to me, are you?"

  I looked at her perfect smile and wished I hadn't. The promise of pain glinted in her eyes, lots of it, with my name all over it.