Vedhe rode Kriger in big swooping arcs, giggling the whole time. It was a wonder she didn't fall off, but K'lrsa didn't have the heart to tell her to stop. She seemed happy for the first time since K'lrsa had met her.
It was a glimpse into the carefree girl she'd been before slavers came and took her from her home and men used her body against her will, leaving internal scars to match the external ones.
Badru and Midnight flew next to her. Badru smiled at K'lrsa with a smile that made her tingle all over, and she wished for a moment they hadn't come to the tribes. That they'd gone somewhere where no one could find them and they'd have the time to explore that spark between them. Time to dance and touch and laugh in the real world the way they had in the moon dream.
She pushed away such sad thoughts and focused on the moment, staring in awe at the plains spread out below them, stretching in all directions.
No sign of the Daliph's troops. But there, on the horizon, was a large herd of baru, clustered together, ever wary of attack. And there, at the edge of the plains, a desert cat stalked through the night, each deliberate step a display of grace.
She soaked it up, filling her soul with the pure, simple pleasure of being home.
But eventually K'lrsa's thoughts turned to the future.
What would the morning bring? What would the Riders the Council had sent say? Would they find the Daliph's troops? They had to, didn't they?
And what choice would her tribe make when they did? Would they listen to her about the safety of the gathering grounds? Or flee to the false hope of the Tall Bluff Tribe?
She turned Fallion towards the gathering grounds and the path the Daliph's troops would take.
How far had the soldiers come? Was it already too late to reach the gathering grounds before them?
Badru and Midnight flew along at her side, silent. Badru must've felt her tension because he, too, scanned the land below them for sight of the enemy.
Vedhe followed, still laughing as Kriger swooped and dove like some sort of oversized hawk. Eventually, she too fell silent as they flew onward with no sign of the Daliph's troops.
The moon made her way across the sky until she was high above them, and then she slowly started to descend, but still there was no sign of the soldiers.
Finally, Badru broke the silence. "K'lrsa, we should turn back."
"No. Not until I see them." She didn't bother to look at him, her eyes scanning from left to right, looking for any sign that an army had passed by.
"What if we don't find them?"
"We will."
Somewhere birds called out—night hunters on the prowl—but in the world through which they flew there was no sound other than the steady beat of the horse's wings.
She glanced at the moon now just a hand's breadth above the horizon. She didn't want to be caught on the ground where the Daliph's troops could find them, but she had to know where they were.
She had to see them, to prove to herself that the threat was real, that this wasn't all some sort of weird dream.
She was on the verge of calling for them to turn back when she spotted the large rock formation that marked the gathering grounds ahead.
For a moment, she was relieved. No sign of the Daliph's troops. They still had time.
But as the horses flew closer, she saw the dark shapes of tents staining the ground like a pestilence. Not in the gathering grounds themselves, but just outside, ringing the space so no others could enter.
She flew lower, straining to see who it was. Surely not the Daliph's men come so far in so little time.
No. These were tribal tents. And from more than one tribe.
But predominant amongst them were tents with the markings of the Black Horse Tribe.
She reined Fallion up, fighting the fear and anger that raced through her blood.
The Daliph's troops weren't there yet, but it didn't matter, because the Black Horse Tribe was and they were prepared to block any who sought sanctuary here.
"We're too late."
Badru studied the tents below, his jaw clenched tight. "There has to be a way through."
Vedhe and Kriger trailed behind them, silent, as they passed over the camp two more times, studying the camp for any signs of weakness.
All they had to do was reach the center of that space and they'd be safe, but how? And where were the Daliph's troops if they weren't here?
Shoulders slumped, she turned Fallion back towards camp.
Chapter 27
The moon set and they had to land before they made it all the way back. They landed in a wide-open space, the wind scurrying along the dry, broken ground. If nothing else, they'd see an attack coming in plenty of time to react.
K'lrsa paced back and forth the entire time trying to find a way through the Black Horse Tribe's barrier, but she couldn't think of one.
Badru couldn't either. All his training in military strategy and none of it was any help. The best he could do was suggest that they form a v-shaped wedge of Riders and punch their way through the weakest spot. But what good would that do the children? Or those on foot?
As soon as the sun lit the horizon with the color of blood, they continued onward, making it back to camp as the sun finally broke free to beat down upon them.
K'lrsa's mother and brother were there at the entrance, waiting.
"You shouldn't have left. We had to send the last few Riders we had after you." Her mother glared at her from behind crossed arms.
K'lrsa raised her chin. "You shouldn't have wasted your Riders. You know a normal horse can't catch an Amalanee."
"Where'd you go?"
"Scouting."
Her brother stepped forward. "Well, then, Rider. Report."
K'lrsa bit her lip. Technically, she wasn't a Rider anymore. She'd forsworn all vows when she vowed to avenge her father. But she didn't really want to get into that right now, so she took a deep breath and said, "We went to the gathering grounds."
"The gathering grounds? How'd you make it that far?" Her brother took a step closer, studying the horses. None were the least bit winded or sweaty.
It was like flying somehow rejuvenated them rather than exhausted them.
"Amalanee aren't like other horses." She patted Fallion's neck as he danced away from her brother's inspection.
Her mother scoffed. "You want me to believe you went all the way to the gathering grounds. And let me guess. You came back to tell us it's all perfectly safe and there's plenty of food there for all of us and we should leave immediately."
K'lrsa shook her head at how grief had driven away all her mother's soft spots and left only jagged edges in their place.
"Well? Is that what you found?" D'lan asked.
K'lrsa didn’t want to tell them.
She couldn't lie to them, that wasn't who she was. But she knew if she told them about the Black Horse Tribe she'd lose any chance she had of convincing them to go to the gathering grounds.
Badru answered for her. "No, that's not what we found. There's a tribe camped around the perimeter of the gathering grounds. I counted approximately a hundred and fifty tents."
"Around the perimeter? Why?" her mother asked.
Badru glanced at K'lrsa. She shrugged, leaving it to him to answer. "I believe it's so they can attack any who arrive since no blood can be shed on the gathering grounds themselves."
Her mother nodded. "Which tribe?"
"The Black Horse Tribe," K'lrsa forced the words through gritted teeth.
"Well, then that settles it. We're going to the Tall Bluff Tribe."
"Mom, you can't. They'll expel us. And then where will we be."
"You'd rather we fought, tribe against tribe?"
"No, but…"
"K'lrsa. We aren't soldiers. We don't fight."
"But we could. We know how to use bows, we know how to fight hand-to-hand."
"Have you ever killed a man, K'lrsa? Do you know what that's like?"
She nodded.
"Right. I forg
ot."
"Not Dad. K'var."
"Could you do it again? Now that you know what it's like? Could you do it ten times in a row? Twenty?"
K'lrsa bit her lip.
She wanted to say yes, but she couldn't. She still woke up in a cold sweat some nights at the memory of killing him.
Her mother nodded. "We're hunters but we aren't killers, K'lrsa."
"Neither are they."
But as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew that wasn't true anymore.
It had been a member of the Black Horse Tribe who'd killed her father. And a member of the Black Horse Tribe who'd come to Toreem asking for more weapons to attack her people. And it was members of the Black Horse Tribe who now camped around the gathering grounds waiting to slaughter any who opposed them.
Her people weren't killers, but the members of the Black Horse Tribe were.
Her mother turned away and started issuing orders to break camp, sending runners in all directions shouting to awaken the still-sleeping camp.
K'lrsa watched them go, a black wall of despair blurring her vision. Badru touched her arm gently. "We should tell Herin what we saw. See what she thinks we should do next."
He rode Midnight towards their tents and K'lrsa followed, slumped in her saddle as she watched her people prepare to leave.
Why bother?
They might as well stay right where they were. None of it mattered if they didn't reach the gathering grounds.
Chapter 28
When they reached the two tents, only Herin and Garzel were outside. Herin was trying to feed herself a bowl of millet with dried fruit in it. She clutched the spoon awkwardly between her maimed fingers, her hand shaking so badly as she raised it towards her mouth that half of the gruel fell off.
Garzel watched intently, his fingers twitching to help.
Herin saw K'lrsa watching and glared, but she scooped up another bite of food and tried again.
K'lrsa slid off Fallion's back, only now feeling the pain of riding for an entire night. She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was sleep, but that wasn't an option.
Badru didn't seem much better as he swung down from Midnight's back, but Vedhe was practically skipping as she moved to the fire and served herself up a bowl of food.
K'lrsa joined her. She'd decided to leave the talking to Badru. She was tired of talking. It never seemed to do much good. She wanted to act, to fight, to strike down her enemies.
Badru smacked the outside of Lodie's tent. "Lodie. Get out here. You'll want to hear this, too."
Lodie crawled out of the tent, her hair sticking out in funny directions, rubbing her eyes clear of sleep. "Have a little respect, would you?" She took the bowl of millet Vedhe handed her and sat down next to Herin.
Side-by-side it was clear they were sisters. They were both taller than almost anyone else in the tribes and shared the same fierce eyes.
Badru glanced back towards the camp, but no one was paying them any attention. Already half the tents were on the ground with people packing them onto the woven frames that could be dragged behind a person or horse.
"We got the horses to fly. All three of them."
Lodie spat out a small rock that she'd found in her food. "You woke me for that?
"No. We tried to find the Daliph's troops. Flew all the way to the gathering grounds looking for them."
Herin set her bowl down. "And? Did you find them?"
"No. But there were people camped at the gathering grounds."
"The Black Horse Tribe," K'lrsa interjected.
He nodded. "The Black Horse Tribe."
"And then some."
"How many?" Herin asked.
"About twice as many as this camp."
Herin ran her tongue over her teeth. "Well, the annual gathering is soon. Maybe they just got there early."
Badru shook his head. "No. This was a camp ready to fight."
"Pzah. The tribes haven't fought each other for four hundred years."
"I saw the weapons stacked outside each tent, ready to use. Bows. Swords. And the way the tents were configured, too."
Herin pursed her lips.
Vedhe added, "Guards. Watching."
Herin frowned. "You're sure it wasn't the Daliph's troops?"
"Positive."
"Then where are they?"
K'lrsa shrugged. "They must be here, we saw them coming, but they aren't headed to the gathering grounds.
"So where are they?"
Badru met her eyes and K'lrsa felt her stomach drop at the certainty and fear she saw there. He turned to Herin. "They must be circling around, getting behind the tribes. If we go to the Tall Bluff Tribe we'll be walking into a trap." He stood and paced back and forth. "Of course. He's no fool. You said it yourself, Grandmother. And he's not one to accept a stalemate. No, he has to win. He has to obliterate his opponents. Make them crawl at his feet."
Herin growled. "Badru! Stop pacing and explain yourself."
"Aran's troops. They didn't go to the gathering grounds because they didn't need to. They've spread out along this side of the barren lands. They're going to move forward, driving the tribes towards the Black Horse Tribe. Like herding cattle. They'll be trapped with no choice but to fight."
K'lrsa stood. "Which means our only hope is turning towards the gathering grounds now and fighting our way through before the Daliph's troops arrive."
He nodded.
K'lrsa turned towards the center of camp.
It all made sense, but now she had to convince the Council.
Chapter 29
By the time K'lrsa reached her mother—who was standing in the center of the camp issuing orders to everyone she saw—she didn't have to figure out how to convince her to go to the gathering grounds instead. V'kan came riding through the single entrance to camp at the same time, covered in dirt, his horse lathered, slumped in the saddle, his upper arm tied with a strip of baru hide covered in dried blood.
He rode his horse right up to K'lrsa's mother and slid from the saddle.
"V'kan. What happened to you?"
"I was attacked." He paused to take a long drink from a waterskin that someone shoved into his hands.
People gathered around to listen as he continued, "Just a scout, thankfully. But I saw their main camp." He nodded to K'lrsa. "Like she said. Troops from the Daliphate."
"Where?" Her mother asked, her voice sharp.
He grinned. "Near the border with the barren lands. They're behind us and marching south, away from the gathering grounds. We're safe."
A murmur ran through the crowd. V'kan didn't know about the Black Horse Tribe.
K'lrsa pushed forward. "That's what I was coming to tell you. Badru thinks the Daliph's troops are circling around behind the tribes. Once they get there they'll drive us towards the gathering grounds. We'll be trapped between the two forces."
Her mother stared at her for a long moment, clearly thinking through her options.
"Our only hope is to make a run for the gathering grounds," K'lrsa added, glancing around at the crowd to see if anyone else agreed.
"And then what?" Her mother asked.
K'lrsa shrugged. "Fight our way through to safety."
Her mother scoffed. "Oh, just like that?
"I'd rather fight another tribe than trained soldiers. And…" She took a deep breath. "If I have to kill again, I'd rather it was one of the people responsible for my father's death than some stranger following orders from a leader he's never met."
Her mother nodded. She turned to the crowd. "Keep packing. We still leave as soon as we can. I'll speak to the Council about which direction we're going."
K'lrsa hovered nearby as the council members gathered to argue back and forth. She knew she'd convinced her mother with the temptation of revenge, but what about the others? Would they see that this was the safest path for the tribe?
D'lan waved her over.
"Yes?" She glanced at the other members of the council, suddenly nervous.
/> "We think we have a chance," he said. "If we can get the other tribes to the gathering grounds before the Daliph's troops get there we can all band together and force our way through the Black Horse Tribe's guard. But we need the other tribes."
She nodded. It made sense. "How are you going to get them there in time?"
He smiled. "You. As you reminded us just last night, no horse can beat the speed and stamina of an Amalanee. You had to've ridden for the entire night and yet your horse doesn't even look winded."
"Okay. I can go to two of the tribes and Vedhe and Badru can go to the others."
"No. They're outsiders. No one will trust them. It has to be you."
She bit her lip. "Okay. I'll do it. And you'll head for the gathering grounds?"
He nodded.
"Do we know if the other tribes are on our side? Dad said the Tall Bluff Tribe…"
Her mother stepped forward. "Things have changed since your father died, K'lrsa. Those who side with the Black Horse Tribe have already gone over to them. Those that remain are on our side."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. Now, go. Get ready. The sooner you reach the other tribes, the more chance we have of surviving this."
D'lan walked her to Fallion, telling her along the way where each of the tribes should be at that moment—none were in their normal camp site.
K'lrsa listened with half an ear, wondering what she was going to tell Badru and the others. She didn't want to leave them behind, but she had to. At least for a few days.
Chapter 30
K'lrsa threw what she needed into a small pack as she explained to the others where she was going and why.
"I'll come with you." Badru grabbed his own pack.
"No." Herin and K'lrsa spoke at once.
"Why not?"
Herin answered. "We need you here."
"Why?"
"The horses. If something happens and we have to flee, they’re our only chance of escape."
"But what about K'lrsa? Who will protect her?"
"Pzah. She'll be fine. Or hadn't you noticed that she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."
Rider's Rescue (The Rider's Revenge Trilogy Book 2) Page 10