Mut patted Rahkki’s back, sympathy shining in his eyes.
Koko nodded toward I’Lenna’s boot prints. “Point is, tha’ girl snuck off ta meet wit’ the giants. Why?”
Rahkki grunted, having no good answer. “I don’t know, but it was her choice. They didn’t steal her.” Rahkki’s heart squeezed at the sight of her tiny boot tracks beside the giants’ massive bare footprints. “Whatever she’s up to, it doesn’t change our plan,” he said. “We have to attack now, before the giants move the wild herd, or worse, kill them.”
He leaped onto Sula’s back, noticing that her left wing no longer dragged on the ground. Sula pranced beneath him, her muscles tensed to bursting. “It’ll be fastest if Sula and I retrieve the army on our own,” he said to his team. “Wait here for us. Stay hidden.”
Sula lifted off as soon as Rahkki leaned forward. They sailed between the trees, flying low so that any lurking giants wouldn’t spot them. Rahkki grinned, delighted to be flying. His quick, agile mare responded to his lightest touch with heart-thrumming power, leaving Rahkki breathless. Looking at them now, no one would guess that just a few days ago, he’d been afraid of heights. Gliding fast and true, they soared back to the Sky Guard and General Tsun.
41
To War
ECHOFROST SOARED TOWARD THE WAITING Sandwen armies, her blood on fire. It was happening! She could feel it in Rahkki’s excited muscles, his aggressive posture. Today they would fight to free Storm Herd. She flexed her sore wing. Koko’s treatment last night had helped it immensely.
Tuni and General Tsun met them when they landed. “Where’s the rest of your patrol?” Tuni asked Rahkki, glancing around.
“Waiting on the mountain,” he answered. “We found the wild herd.”
“I knew the viper could do it.” Harak reached out to clap Echofrost on the shoulder.
She beat her wings in his face, pushing him back, and Harak shot her a furious glare.
“What is the location?” General Tsun asked.
“They’re tethered in a huge valley . . . deep within the ridges of Mount Crim. They’re alive.” Rahkki sucked in a deep breath. “We can rescue the herd today, right now.”
But General Tsun frowned. “How many giants are guarding them?”
“Just a small group.”
Harak shook his head. “The hordes have shared soup, yeah. Fire and Great Cave Hordes could be close by.”
Tuni spoke. “My Riders spotted Fire Horde earlier today. They’re scavenging on the north side of the mountains. If we’re quick, perhaps we can contain this battle to just one horde.”
“Let’s go then,” Rahkki said, and Echofrost, feeling his urgency, rattled her feathers. She’d forced herself to behave, and she’d endured the humiliation of captivity—it was almost unbearable to wait another moment.
General Tsun turned to the Headwinds. “Take the Sky Guard and fly ahead, but don’t engage the giants unless you’re forced to. Wait for my ground forces; we’ll be right behind you. Then we’ll attack from land and sky. Rahkki, I want you to go with the Sky Guard.”
“He can’t. He’s the Battle Mage, yeah,” Harak said.
General Tsun thrust out his chest. “And I’m the general. Our Mage has served his purpose. He led the march to Mount Crim and located the enemy. Now I need all winged warriors in the sky . . . where they belong,” he added.
“You’re opposing a direct order from the queen,” Harak said, his face reddening.
“We’re about to engage in battle, Headwind Nightseer, and the queen is not here. Full authority of the armies has transferred to me.”
Echofrost’s eyes shifted from Harak’s twitching jaw to the general’s commanding expression.
“You won’t get away with this,” Harak warned.
“Watch me,” the general replied. He dismissed Harak and the others with a final directive. “Let’s make this quick and clean. Yes?”
Headwinds Hightower and Swift dipped their heads. “Yes, General.”
Harak snarled. “Let’s kill some bloody giants, yeah!”
The four leaders spat on the ground and then dispersed to collect their forces.
“Armor up and follow me,” Tuni called to Rahkki over her shoulder.
He nudged Echofrost with his heels. She’d grown to understand his leg commands and flew to the lime tree where Rahkki had left his things. He quickly buckled on their armor, grabbed his skin of dragon drool and his blow darts, and bagged up his team’s weapons too. Then the Pair flew to Tuni and Rizah, who were hovering just a winglength off the ground.
“Mount up!” Tuni called to Dusk Patrol, her division of the Sky Guard army. Upon hearing her voice, her warriors leaped to their boots. Armor straps were checked, saddle girths tightened, and weapons donned, and then the Riders were ready.
Echofrost watched the Fliers prance and flare their vibrant feathers as the Riders dressed them for war. Rizah swooped closer, her golden hide and silver armor gleaming in the sunshine. Sharp beads had been woven throughout her flaxen tail, but her hooves were rounded and dull.
“You don’t sharpen your hooves for battle?” Echofrost asked the palomino pinto.
She blinked her large eyes. “No. Our Riders have arrows,” she explained. “We fly above the battle while they shoot.”
Echofrost gaped at her. “You mean Kihlari don’t fight?”
Rizah bristled. “Of course we fight! But only when necessary.” She glanced at Echofrost’s hooves. “Is that why yours look so strange, because you sharpen them? How do you do it?”
“We scrape the edges on rough boulders until the sides are sharp enough to cut through hides. My friend Redfire taught me how to do it when we were in Anok.”
The gold-and-white pinto pricked her ears. “Can you teach me?”
“Yes, but there’s no time now.”
Rizah nodded. “Keep Rahkki up high. He’s good with his darts, but he can’t swing a sword well. Not yet.”
The silver mare dipped her head. “I’ll try.”
Tuni leaned over her mare’s wing and motioned for Rahkki and Echofrost to follow her. They soared to a private spot away from the other Riders. “About that blood viper attack,” Tuni said.
“It wasn’t a prank,” Rahkki insisted. “Harak put it there to bite me.”
“Harak?” she asked, seeming unsurprised. “Look, Rahkki, that’s what I want to talk to you about. The giants are the least of your worries today. Some of your own people—warriors like Harak who support the queen—want to kill you. They’re afraid of the Stormrunner name, that your family will rally the villagers against Queen Lilliam.” Her eyes darted toward the armies. “Watch your back.” She donned her helmet, made a fist, and then pointed four fingers down.
“You’re a rebel too?” Rahkki whispered. “Why? You’re sworn to protect our queen, whoever she might be.”
Tuni grimaced. “And she’s sworn to protect the clan and its interests before her own. But she doesn’t, does she? She’s bleeding the Fifth dry, Rahkki. She’s dangerous.” Tuni’s flat tone was final, decisive. With a curt nod, she sailed off aboard Rizah and commanded her patrol, “Riders up!”
The Dusk Patrol steeds galloped forward, flapping their multicolored wings. One by one, they climbed into the sky and joined the other two patrols, soaring up and out of the jungle. Echofrost muscled her way into the sky. The four-day march to Mount Crim had helped acclimate her to the weight of the armor, and the longing to free Storm Herd lent her fresh energy.
As she rose higher and higher, Rahkki released her mane and spread out his arms, riding with no hands.
Rizah nickered. “Look at your Rider; he’s not afraid.”
Pride swelled within Echofrost as if Rahkki were her own colt.
Harak glared at the boy. “Stormrunner! Take up your reins and pay attention.”
Echofrost felt Rahkki clutch the leathers with one hand and check his blow darts and waterskin with the other. Then he urged Echofrost into formation.
A
lmost four hundred Kihlari buzzed their feathers in excitement. Below them, the Land Guard army—four hundred and fifty foot soldiers, archers, and battle horse riders commanded by General Tsun—marched up the base of Mount Crim, toward Storm Herd.
42
Suspicion
ECHOFROST IMAGINED HER ENEMIES—THE RED-TOPPED, pale-skinned Gorlan beasts—and she couldn’t wait to soar into the valley, slaughter the giants, and slash the bindings that tethered her friends to the ground. Pegasi sought to live in peace, but they were born for war. It was a paradox that plagued Echofrost’s kind in good times and bad.
Rahkki wrapped her mane in one hand and her reins in the other, holding them loose so as not to tug on the bit that rested in her mouth. He’d donned leather gloves to protect his palms. Holding on to her during battle would be difficult, but her cub had good balance and thankfully, his fear of flying had vanished.
Echofrost loathed the hard bit resting on her tongue but shook off her anger. This flying army was her herd today. The Kihlari steeds—Rizah, Ilan, and Meela’s gold dun named Jax—they were her captains. And while they irritated her by flying in inefficient formations, she needed them, and so she conformed to their ways.
A fast wind fled from the northern storm clouds and whipped through her tail. Echofrost shivered with anticipation. Beside her, Tuni’s golden pinto spoke as they coasted up the mountain slopes. “You found the wild herd?” Rizah nickered.
“Yes, in a deep canyon valley.”
Rizah nodded. “Good. Perhaps this will be over quickly.” They flew so low that Echofrost had to tuck up her legs to prevent her hooves from snagging on treetops. The armor, while heavy, was designed not to impede her movement; and she cruised efficiently, saving her strength for battle.
Soon they reached the ridge where Rahkki had left Mut, Koko, Tam, and Jul in hiding. The Sky Guard landed to wait for the Land Guard to catch up. Echofrost touched down on an animal path next to Rizah. The Kihlari steeds spread across the jungle, folding their wings.
“Giants could be anywhere,” Tuni warned the Sky Guard. “Draw your weapons, be ready.”
Mut and the others surrounded Rahkki as he distributed their weapons. “Have you seen any giants?” Rahkki asked.
“No. It’s been quiet here,” Mut answered.
Rahkki dismounted, and Echofrost watched him pour Granak’s boiled drool into each of the quivers that carried his scored darts, soaking the tips in poison. Two quivers were attached to Echofrost’s sides and one to Rahkki’s back. They carried hundreds of darts each.
She glanced from the darts to Rahkki’s face. A light sheen of sweat brightened his tan skin, and the pupils of his golden eyes had shrunk, making the yellow orbs look as huge and bright as suns. He placed a dart in his blowgun, his expression serious, and she nickered softly, noticing that his pulse hammered in his throat. She doubted her cub had killed before. This day would change him forever.
Harak passed by. “You’re going into battle with a toy?” he asked, laughing at the blowgun.
Echofrost snapped her wings at him, and Harak veered away from her, shaking his head.
The sun rose higher, and then the Land Guard army arrived. The Headwinds and Riders gathered around General Tsun, who looked pale. “We passed a dead python just over there,” he said, pointing north. “A monster, forty lengths or so, killed by a knife.” He appraised the group. “Giants don’t hunt with knives, so who did it?”
After a weighted pause, Rahkki stepped forward. “I did it.”
Someone laughed, but Meela’s words shushed him. “Pythons are the guardian mascots for the Second Clan, and that one was big enough to be the Mother of Serpents. Why did you do it, Rahkki? How did you do it?” she added. All eyes shifted to the cub.
Harak leaped off Ilan’s back and shoved the boy. “The Second is Queen Lilliam’s birth clan. Is this a message, Rider? Are you against the queen?”
Tuni scoffed. “Let’s not get paranoid, Harak.”
Rahkki worked his jaw. “I— No, it’s not a message. The snake attacked me.”
Echofrost snapped her head toward Rahkki, noticing the sour tang of his sweat. He’s hiding something from his people, she thought, and she wondered if their senses were acute enough to notice.
“A snake that size, and you survived?” Meela asked, eyebrows arched.
Mut stepped beside Rahkki, crossed his arms, and raised his chin. “Our guardian mascot wouldn’t harm him either, remember?” he reminded everyone. “If Rahkki commands dragons, why not snakes?”
A hush fell over the Sky Guard as all eyes shifted toward Rahkki, some full of fear, others bright with awe. Tuni’s eyes darkened with concern.
“We’ll sort this later,” General Tsun said, shoving between Harak and Rahkki. “We’re more than halfway up the mountain. We need to attack now, before we’re spotted—if we haven’t already been spotted.”
“My patrol will rescue the wild steeds,” Tuni said. “We’ll halter the wildlings and unlash the tethers Rahkki described.” She addressed Dusk Patrol. “Whatever happens, hold on to the wild steeds. Don’t let them go.”
Meela nodded. “My patrol will scout the cliffs. If this is a trap and the giants plan to drop boulders on you, we’ll stop them.”
“I’ll set up a perimeter,” Harak added, “in case any wild Kihlari escape, yeah.”
“And we’ll guard the pass,” stated General Tsun.
The leaders slapped hands, and then the Fliers lifted off, the foot soldiers donned their helmets, the saddle soldiers mounted their warhorses, and everyone drew their weapons. Mut, Koko, Tam, and Jul raced to Rahkki’s side. “This is it,” Jul said, grinning.
“Gonna kill some giants,” Koko drawled, and then spat.
“You all should stay hidden,” Rahkki advised.
Mut frowned. “And let you have all the fun?”
Rahkki blanched. “Fun?”
Koko shrugged. “We’re soldiers, Rahkki.”
“That’s right,” Jul added.
The boy nodded. “All right, but be careful.” Rahkki clasped his blowgun in one hand and Echofrost’s reins in the other, and he leaped aboard her back. Perching forward, their eyes met. “Ready?” he asked her.
Echofrost nuzzled him, grateful he’d made her fight his fight. But what would this war cost her cub? She blinked hard. Don’t think about it. All that mattered was freeing Storm Herd. But her heart tightened as she realized that was no longer true. Rahkki also mattered, more than she’d ever believed possible. As his thin arms encircled her neck, she made a silent vow to protect him, wondering at the same time what that promise might cost her.
43
Battle
GENERAL TSUN SIGNALED BOTH ARMIES FORWARD, and Echofrost thrilled at the bite of the wind, the rattling of feathers, and the challenging brays of the Kihlari army as they soared toward Storm Herd. With no giants yet in sight, it was possible her friends would be free in a matter of moments! Finally, she’d fulfill her promise to Storm Herd.
The Sky Guard army reached the canyon valley first. They crested the edge of the high cliffs and dived straight down. The riders whooped and hollered, their hair flapping from beneath their helmets.
Below, the Storm Herd steeds threw up their heads, and Echofrost’s heart squeezed. There was Dewberry with her huge swaying belly and Hazelwind, proud and defiant. Anok wasn’t home, this blasted continent wasn’t home—Storm Herd was home; Hazelwind was home! Echofrost would never leave him again. She whinnied to her herd, full of joy.
They whinnied warnings back to her, and Hazelwind flung back his long forelock. “Stop!” he brayed. “It’s a trap!”
“No, I have two armies with me,” Echofrost whinnied back.
Hazelwind stomped his front hooves. “Get out of here!”
Echofrost’s mood curdled. Something was very wrong. Dusk Patrol touched down in the valley, and Echofrost galloped to Hazelwind’s side, drinking up his scent in a huge breath.
Rahkki slid off her back a
nd unlashed the bindings that secured Hazelwind’s legs to a heavy boulder. “Halter that stallion,” Tuni screamed at him.
Rahkki refused to look at Tuni. Instead, he ran to another pegasus and freed her too. But all around him, Sandwen Riders were slapping halters onto Echofrost’s friends.
“Please let the wildlings go!” Rahkki cried.
When Dewberry reared, her leather halter snapped in half. She stomped the Rider who had slid the contraption over her head, wheezing with the effort. “This is no rescue!” she neighed.
“Stay calm,” Echofrost blared at the pregnant mare, but she was confused. Rahkki was trying to free the herd, but his people were not.
Then came the roar of the giants.
Echofrost spun a circle, wings flared, and Hazelwind rattled his feathers.
Chaos erupted as a heavy net, a hundred winglengths long, dropped from the cliffs overhead. It thudded upon Echofrost and Storm Herd and the Sandwens, ensnaring all of them.
Next, the sky filled with burners. The colorful little dragons swarmed the valley’s egress, shooting hot-blue flames. Fire roared across the grass, blocking the Land Guard from entering the valley to help.
Then the screeching of cats filled Echofrost’s ears. She swung her netted head toward the far end of the valley. There, tucked in the shadows, she spied the mouth of a cave that was so recessed it had been invisible from the ridge. From it poured a battalion of massive fanged felines ridden by young giants. The cats charged toward her, jaws hinged wide open.
Echofrost gasped, swallowing air. This was a trap, a horrible trap! She flared her wings, becoming further entangled in the nets, and she trumpeted a furious battle cry, blasting her frustration across the valley. Hazelwind’s voice joined hers.
Rahkki’s pulse whooshed between his ears, pushing out all other noises. He whipped out his sawa sword and hacked at the heavy netting with mad fervor while the tan-striped saber cats galloped across the grass toward him, their long fangs exposed.
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