Lyra stopped and turned to face her. “Even if this trail isn’t the one I was looking for, it heads north. That means it takes us to Vinacci, or somewhere else that isn’t Kalimar.”
Tiri crossed her arms over her chest, appearing frustrated. “We can’t walk forever. My feet hurt, and I’m hungry.”
“I know.” Lyra sighed. “Even rationing what we’ve got, we’re almost out of food. Worse yet, we’re out of water.”
She turned to face north, trying to decide if the peaks before her appeared familiar. Her thighs already burned after crossing the foothills that morning. It would only get worse with the mountains to their north. For now, the trail followed the valley floor.
“Let’s keep going. Hopefully, we’ll find a stream soon.”
Tiri frowned but remained silent as Lyra led her down the trail. With the sun high overhead, the heat began to wear on the girls, no longer protected by the shade of the surrounding trees. Lyra took her coat off, but felt thankful to have the wide brimmed hat. They crested a small rise and a cacophony arose above the padding of their footsteps and the rustle of the breeze stirring leaves. The downhill slope led them toward the noise, growing louder as they approached a tree that towered over its neighbors.
Dark shiny leaves grew on bushy branches, thick with black birds chirping heartily, the sheer volume drowning out all other sound in the area. Lyra’s gaze shifted past the tree and found a gully just beyond it, dark in the shadows of the surrounding foliage. Without a word, she veered off the trail, toward the tree. When she drew near, the birds burst into flight, a black wave swallowing the sun for a moment. The flock of birds turned and twisted, flying southeast until it faded beyond the hills.
Lyra bit her lip as the birds disappeared behind a hilltop. A flock of black birds was a sign of La Mordai, warning that the goddess would soon greet someone in the halls of death.
“Was that a bad omen?” Tiri asked.
Lyra shrugged. “That depends on what you believe, I guess.”
A new sound arose from beyond the tree, one that lit a spark of hope and brought a smile to Lyra’s face. Before she could say a word, Tiri darted past her. Lyra followed, running through the underbrush and down into the gully. Tiri reached the brook first, laughing as she squatted beside it and began to scoop water into her mouth. Lyra knelt beside her at the water’s edge and did the same, not caring that the front of her tunic received as much water as her mouth.
With their thirst quenched, the girls refilled their water skins, climbed out of the gully, and rejoined the trail that led north.
A crunch woke Lyra, her eyes flickering open in the darkness. She pushed herself up on an elbow and peered over Tiri’s shoulder in the direction of the sound, into the gloomy woods beyond their dormant fire.
Another noise sent her heart racing, the hair on her arms standing on end. She leaned close to Tiri, clamping her hand over the girl’s mouth as she whispered.
“Something’s out there.”
Tiri’s body went rigid, but she made no sound. A rustle and a crack followed, the sound closer than before. Lyra lifted the blanket off her and Tiri, setting it aside as she tugged on Tiri’s arm, indicating that she rise.
As both girls stood, Lyra spotted movement…a dark shape emerging from the trees. Tiri gasped and Lyra’s sense of alarm solidified to ice-cold fear when a pair of glowing red eyes appeared.
Lyra pulled Tiri backward, turning her toward the old oak they had camped beneath.
“Climb up! Now!”
Without a word, Tiri began to climb the tree. Her foot slipped and Lyra scrambled to help her sister, hoisting the dangling foot as Tiri pulled herself up. A rumbling growl drew Lyra’s attention. She turned to find one of Cal’s gigantic dogs glaring at her from across the camp, perhaps twenty feet away.
With a loud, angry bark, the dog leapt toward Lyra. She dove and rolled, rising to her feet as the dog scrambled after her. It launched itself at her and Lyra dove again, rolling into their travel pack. As the dog turned and collected itself for another attack, Lyra hastily pulled the short sword from the pack. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she scrambled to her feet and urgently removed the towel wrapped about the blade.
“Lyra!” Tiri screamed.
The beast charged. Lyra pointed the sword toward it as she retreated, tripping when her heel clipped the rocks surrounding the fire pit. She stumbled as the dog leapt toward her, its massive jaw open wide and its red eyes glowing with madness. The dog struck her and she slammed to the ground, hitting her head as everything fell to blackness.
Pain. Lyra felt pain and wondered, Am I supposed to feel pain if I’m dead? Breathing was difficult, almost impossible. Something jutted into her stomach, causing more pain. Her head hurt, thumping with the beat of her pulse. A pulse. I’m alive. I’m alive and it smells like dog.
Lyra opened her eyes to a face full of black hair, nasty and smelly. Breathing was difficult with the weight of the dog on her, even worse with the pain of whatever was digging into her stomach. She heard Tiri crying from somewhere nearby.
“Help,” she croaked, lacking the air Lyra needed to shout.
Hearing no response, she gathered as much air as she could muster, her chest aching with the weight on it.
“Help,” Lyra’s voice squeaked.
“Lyra?” Tiri’s voice shifted to alarm. “I’m coming!”
Four painful breaths later, Lyra felt the weight on her shift. Tiri grunted, and the dead dog shifted again. Pressure from object digging into Lyra’s gut eased as some of the weight shifted off her, allowing her to breathe more deeply.
Now able to move her left arm, Lyra pushed on the dog’s body, sliding herself out from beneath it as Tiri grunted and heaved, trying to move the dog in the other direction. When half of Lyra was clear, Tiri stopped pushing on the dog and instead began pulling her from beneath it. With Lyra finally free and clear, Tiri collapsed and hugged her sister as both girls gathered their breath.
“It’s alright,” Lyra took a breath. “I’m alright.”
Tiri sat up. “I was so scared. I thought you were dead.”
Lyra propped herself up on her elbows, wincing as the world tilted. Her head hurt.
“Apparently, I’m not that easy to kill,” she groaned. “But my entire body hurts if that counts for anything.”
“What happened?” Tiri asked.
Lyra found the tip of her short sword poking from the dog’s back.
“I got lucky.”
Groaning as she rose to her feet, Lyra said a silent prayer to Yanetta in appreciation of the luck given. She lifted her shirt and felt her sore stomach, tender but intact. A glance toward the sky revealed a faint glow to the east, a precursor to the impending dawn.
“The sun will be up soon.” Lyra drew the dagger strapped to her leg. “Gather some wood for a fire.”
“Why? Aren’t we leaving?”
“I thought you might like a hot meal.” Lyra grinned as she knelt beside the dead beast. “Have you ever eaten giant, psychotic dog before? I hear it’s quite the delicacy.”
With heavy legs, Lyra and Tiri climbed the saddle that connected two mountains. Despite their relatively low elevation compared to the peaks surrounding them, Lyra felt like they had been going uphill forever. In the lead, she crested the ridgeline first, pausing to gaze at the view as Tiri caught up to her.
To the north and to the west, an open plain spread out to the distant horizon. The wind flowing across the expansive field sent ripples across the green ocean of grass, making it appear alive. The mountain range they stood on encircled the plain, containing it from the east and south edges, while another range, barely visible through the haze, stood to the distant northwest.
“It’s beautiful,” Tiri remarked. “Do you know where we are?”
Lyra shook her head. “I don’t have the slightest idea.”
She spotted dark shapes in the distance, near the eastern boundary of the grassy fields.
Pointing, Lyra said, “I think thos
e are cows.”
Tiri peered in the direction indicated and shrugged. “Maybe. It’s hard to tell.”
“Come on.” Lyra began navigating the downslope. “When we get closer, we’ll know. If they belong to someone, people will be nearby. If they’re wild, we’ll have something good to eat tonight.”
Unbidden, thoughts of eating the dog meat resurfaced. Lyra resisted the urge to gag. She reminded herself that they were in survival mode. Still, she found herself praying that they could discard the leftover meat in favor of a side of beef…or anything else.
By the time they reached the edge of the plain, the sun was nearly at its apex. It was warmer on the valley floor, in the open and without any shade. Lyra removed her cloak and stuffed it into the pack in exchange for the sword. She then led Tiri into the grass, the tall shoots coming to Lyra’s chin. Swinging the sword side-to-side, Lyra cut a path toward their destination.
Despite the wide-brimmed hat she wore, sweat poured down Lyra’s face, stinging her eyes. After an hour of cutting a path through the grass, she found herself drenched and exhausted. A sense of relief arose when a black cow appeared less than two hundred feet away.
Suddenly, a man with a shaved head and a black leather vest rose up from the grass, just a handful of strides before them. Other warriors appeared to her left and right, all with tanned scalps, shorn save a single black topknot that hung down the back. In unison, they lifted spears and aimed the barbed tips toward Lyra and Tiri.
“Stop!” the man before her commanded. “What are you doing on our land?”
Lyra glanced at Tiri and found her sister’s eyes flicking about in fear. “We mean no harm. We didn’t know it was your land…in fact we don’t even know where we are.”
“You will come with us.”
The man turned and began walking north. The others holding the spears gathered behind the girls, the tips drawing dangerously close when they hesitated. Finally, Lyra grabbed Tiri’s arm and followed the man.
“Where are you taking us?”
“We take you to the clan leader. He will decide if you live… or if you die.”
32
As they passed the first herd of cattle, two warriors peeled off from the others, leaving Lyra and Tiri with an escort of three. Lyra considered fighting the men, but she had never trained against a spear and felt unsure of the outcome.
After another half-hour of walking, they passed a second herd of cattle. Those tending the cattle raised their fists, holding them high as the group walked past. The man leading the group held his fist high in some sort of greeting.
Over the next four hours, they journeyed north across the never-ending fields. During that time, they passed three more herds of cattle, each with an escort of five men…all sporting a topknot surrounded by a smooth, tanned scalp.
The man turned, and Lyra realized that they were on a trail, the grass trampled in a path three strides wide, wagon wheel ruts marking the edges. They continued down the path for a while before the ground began to slope downward. A low area suddenly became apparent, with more than a dozen brightly colored wagons in a circle at the bottom of the grass-covered bowl. A man with long dark hair emerged from the wagons and a wave of joy washed over Lyra. She burst into a run, darting past warrior in the lead.
“Gar!” she cried, her hat falling off just before she reached him.
“Tali?”
He grunted as she slammed into him, wrapping her arms about him tightly. Her eyes closed in a moment of relief and joy as he returned her embrace. When his arms relaxed, she let hers fall away and stepped back, drying her tears.
“What are you doing here?” He looked her up and down. “And why are you dressed like that?”
“Something happened, and we had to flee Kalimar.” She looked down at herself. “I wore this to disguise myself.”
Gar’s gaze shifted past her, locking onto Tiri. His mouth fell open and something sparked within his gaze.
“Who is this vision that accompanies you?”
Lyra turned toward Tiri, waving her forward. “This is Tiri…my sister.”
Gar’s gaze flicked to Lyra and back to Tiri as she approached. “Sister?”
“Well, not technically. I was…sort of adopted by her father.”
Gar moved forward to meet Tiri, taking her hand and bending to kiss it. He looked up at her with his dark eyes, his smile showing white teeth amidst the dark stubble of his unshaven face.
“Well met, my dear. You truly grace us with your beauty.”
Lyra had seen others react in a similar manner to Tiri’s appearance, but few had Gar’s smooth nature and none rivaled his handsome looks. She felt a stab of jealousy for her sister, who actually blushed at the compliment.
“Thank you, kind sir.” Tiri smiled, a flower blossoming to Gar’s sunlight.
Gar called out, “You can put the spears away. These two ladies are our honored guests.”
Holding out an elbow to Tiri, she took it, and he led her toward the wagons. Lyra frowned and tried to swallow her envy, but found the taste quite bitter.
As they entered the camp, other familiar faces appeared, most with shaved heads save for a single tail, banded at the scalp and hanging down the back of their head. Most were dressed in a black leather vest and breaches, even the women.
“Hello, Flori.” Lyra gave the girl a smile.
“Tali?” Flori’s eyes brightened, and her arms wrapped about Lyra.
Surprised, Lyra silently hugged the girl back. The moment they released their embrace, Midurri slipped in and hugged Lyra.
“I’m happy to see you, Tali.”
“It’s good to see you as well.” Lyra bit her lip. “I’m sorry if this sounds rude…but, why are your heads shaved?”
Gar turned toward her and nodded. “Yes. We have much to catch up on.” He turned toward the other girls. “Flori. Midurri. Will you please help Tali and Tiri get cleaned up? Also, find them some suitable clothing.” Gar released Tiri’s arm and gave her a bow. “I will meet you ladies beside the fire.” He turned toward Lyra. “We will feast to celebrate Tali’s return…and I will explain what became of the Tantari since our last meeting.”
Tiri sat on the edge of the bed, pulling tall boots onto legs bare below the leather shorts she had been provided. Lyra did the same and thanked the girls helping them. Flori and Midurri exited the wagon, leaving Lyra and Tiri alone. The moment the door closed, Tiri turned toward Lyra.
“Why do they call you Tali?”
Lyra pulled the laces on her vest tight, ensuring no gap remained between the black leather panels before tying them together. “I met these people while I was fleeing Vingarri, focused on evading my father’s murderers. At the time, using a different name seemed a good idea.” She bit her lip as she finished tying the laces. “Once you’re deep into a lie like that, it becomes difficult to tell the truth. I had earned their trust and was in fear of losing it.”
Tiri stared at Lyra for a moment and then nodded. “Very well.” She smiled. “Tali.”
Lyra smiled in return. “Thank you.” She nodded. “Are you ready?”
Tiri nodded and Lyra opened the door, emerging from the wagon to find flickering firelight bathing the camp in orange. Stars dotted the night sky above, like a black canvas with holes punched in it.
Dozens of people milled about the area, many sitting upon up-ended crates or barrels. A full side of beef strung on a spit sizzled over the flames, the aroma causing Lyra’s mouth to water. A woman spread a bucket of potatoes and squash across a metal grate near the beef, the flames causing the vegetables to sizzle in mere seconds.
Squeals and a burst of laughter drew Lyra’s attention to a group of children, kneeling in a circle. She judged their ages to range from four to twelve summers, and every child had a full head of hair. Two of the children stood in the middle, a girl and a boy playing a game of knucklebones. The girl tossed her taw upward, scooped up all four bones in a swipe, and caught the taw. Laughter and cheers erupted a
gain. Some of the children stood to congratulate the winner, patting her on the back. The girl turned toward the fire, and Lyra realized that it was Gar’s sister, Dari. Now a full head taller than when Lyra last saw her, the girl’s expression carried a weight that her younger self lacked.
Gar spoke with a group of Tantarri, the warriors nodding and running off into the night as he approached Lyra and Tiri.
“Hello, Tali, Tiri.” He smiled, his gaze lingering on Tiri. “You two look wonderful.”
Lyra looked down at herself, feeling self-conscious at the way the vest exposed her upper chest. Although the top revealed less skin than some dresses she had worn, the snug fit caused a bulge that made the region more noticeable. When combined with form-fitting leather shorts and tall boots that left her thighs bare – save for the dagger strapped there – she couldn’t decide if she looked silly, intimidating, or overtly sexy. Perhaps all three.
Her gaze flicked toward Tiri, dressed in a similar manner but with a singular result. Despite her sweet, innocent nature, the girl oozed sex appeal. Lyra worried that Tiri’s vest might be unable to contain contents that threatened to spill over at any moment. Lyra’s concern grew to alarm when the girl bowed to Gar.
“Thank you for your kindness, Sir Gar,” Tiri said with a smile.
Two Tantarri men moved to the ends of the spit, grunting as they lifted the side of beef free and carried it away. The woman tending the vegetables gave them a turn, stirring them using a giant spoon with a handle as long as Lyra’s arm.
“Please, sit.” Gar gestured toward nearby crates, arranged in a rough circle. “While we await dinner, I’ll tell you our tale. After we’re done, I’d love to hear your story.” His gaze shifted to Lyra. “I’ve often wondered what became of you, Tali.” The man’s eyes refocused on Tiri. “And I’m curious as to what could possibly force a beauty like you to flee Kalimar.”
Tiri blushed again and Lyra snorted.
“Now, where do I begin?” Gar stared into the flames, the firelight reflecting in his dark eyes. He turned toward Lyra and she saw an intensity in those eyes. “As you know, the Ministry soldiers captured the Tantarri men with the intent of making us fight in their army. Thankfully, you and your friend saved us from that fate, freeing us before things had gone too far.”
Rogue Legacy: The Secret History of Issalia Page 20