Chapter 2 #2
“Stay safe,” she whispered like a prayer, and then she slumped forward onto Nafalla’s neck, completely unconscious.
“Ama!” I cried, heart in my throat.
General Isa hurried toward her and put her hand on her wrist. “She’s very weak and needs more healing than we can give her right now.”
“Nafalla will never be able to travel swiftly now with Ama lying on her neck like that,” I said, my hand tightening on Shazeera’s mane.
Nafalla is strong, Shazeera said. She can adjust her gait to accommodate your mother. She’ll likely have a terrible neck ache by the time they reach the canyon, but I’m sure she’d rather that than be separated.
General Isa added another strap that went around Ama’s upper back and around Nafalla’s chest. “The queen is secure,” she said. “Now we must go.”
I looked at Ama, normally so vibrantly full of life that she was like the sun that everyone gravitated toward, and now so helpless and still as she lay strapped to her horse.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible would happen, that we stood upon a precipice and were about to be pushed over.
Nafalla will guard her with her life, Shazeera said, conveying Nafalla’s thoughts to me. I had no doubt of that, but I dreaded a situation where that could be the outcome.
“I love you, Ama,” I whispered, tears blurring my eyes. “Stay safe.”
Nafalla nuzzled my leg before pivoting gracefully. The warriors immediately fell into a circular formation around Ama as they rode southwest.
“We will head due west,” General Isa told the camp after squinting at the cloudy sky.
To the five remaining warriors, she said, “Three will stay with the camp caravan, and two will accompany the First Daughter and me.” The remaining soldiers divided themselves up without being specifically told who would go where.
Finally, she turned to me. “Ready?” When I nodded, she said, “Then let’s move.”
Kamil shot forward, while Shazeera and the other horses followed.
General Isa set the pace, which was just short of neckbreaking.
Every mile between us and our former camp brought thoughts of Mya and her injuries.
That gaping wound had been caused by an eagle and its rider, and at any moment, they could appear.
I focused on the weak sunlight glinting off the sharp points of General Isa’s sword and the spear across her back.
Memories flitted through my mind of Isa’s prowess with the blade, of teaching me the basics of archery and swordplay, and then drilling me on it nearly every day for years.
She was my mother’s closest friend, and I trusted her with my life.
More importantly, I trusted her to keep Shazeera safe.
The wind whistled loudly in my ears as we galloped. There was a strange quality to it that made me strain to hear.
The screech came soon after, far in the distance, but close enough that it would only be a matter of moments before it arrived. Shazeera’s fear flooded her system, transferring to me through our bond. My own panic stole the breath from my lungs.
“One?” I asked as Shazeera and the other horses listened hard.
An eagle screeched before it arrived to flush out prey—to catch the prey’s frantic movement with its sharp eyes.
Even surrounded by armed guards, I knew the odds of us coming through a battle with a giant eagle would almost certainly result in casualties.
Only one so far, Shazeera said, and Kamil snorted her agreement.
“I want you to run,” General Isa said, her gaze never leaving the skies, though the steel-gray clouds made it impossible to see. She held a long spear with a wicked blade at the ready. The other five warriors had drawn their spears, too.
“I can help,” I said, but the expression she gave me was cut from ice.
“Your duty as First Daughter is to live. Ours is to fight. You will run for the trees and leave the battle to us.”
Shazeera didn’t need further convincing. She sprang forward powerfully, headed east for the cover of trees.
We’d made it only a couple of lengths when a war cry split the quiet of the plains. I looked back to see Kamil holding her ground as an enormous eagle bore down on them from above. The other warriors flanked General Isa, expressions grim.
Should we turn back? I asked Shazeera, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt.
And risk your life? There is a time to stand and fight, and there is a time to run. Right now, we run, she said, continuing her ground-eating strides.
Our horses were not only faster on land than any other animal on the continent, they also had the most endurance.
Across the sea, there were horses that were incapable of communication and bonding who could only gallop for a mile or two before becoming fatigued.
Ours came from the very first horses created by the Earth Mother herself; along with their superior intelligence, they could run flat out for at least five miles. But even they had their limits.
Before us, the landscape changed, the relatively flat ground becoming hillier until finally dipping down into a valley. When I turned to look back, I couldn’t see any of the others in the distance. Fear rose up and sank its teeth into me.
We had escaped the battle General Isa and the others were still engaged in, but it did nothing to comfort me. The tree line was still miles away, and we had very little experience with battle.
Part of our training with General Isa involved watching our warriors face down Eagle Riders, but that was from so far a vantage point that we could barely make out the giant birds in the sky—much less the smaller horses and riders.
Because I was First Daughter and without offensive abilities that would be more beneficial on the battlefield, Ama and General Isa felt the risk was too great to have me any closer.
You should reserve your strength, I told Shazeera.
Not until we reach the cover of trees.
Then we heard the second screech. It came from directly above us, loud enough to turn my blood to ice.
My eyes scanned the sky desperately. Though the eagles were enormous, they could fly high, even hiding amongst the clouds. The sky was an impenetrable wall of gray, making it impossible to know if an enemy flew above us.
I pulled my bow from across my back and into my hands. Retrieving an arrow, I nocked it, my muscles tight.
It happened too fast.
One moment, there was nothing but clouds, and the next, a gigantic golden eagle was descending from on high toward us at rapid speed.
Our only hope was to make it to the tree line, but it was still at least a mile away. My legs gripped Shazeera tightly as I leaned over her neck. Her hooves thundered through my body as tall grass streaked past us.
Another piercing cry, loud enough to make my ears ring. Its wings joined the pounding sound of Shazeera’s hoofbeats. Thump, thump, thump.
I turned to look, raising my bow and preparing to aim, but fear wrenched hold of my heart. A man crouched low over the eagle, grasping a long spear. I blinked once, hoping he would disappear into the clouds, begging for this to be an illusion. But he remained.
The truth was illuminated in the weak rays of the sun penetrating the clouds. This wasn’t just a wild eagle—that would be bad enough. This was an eagle and its rider. A Zephyrian.
And we were alone.
Shazeera lengthened her strides, her whole body stretching out until it was as unhindered by the wind as possible. I leaned low over her neck to stay with her, to keep my body from dragging her back. Her mane whipped across my face.
With every stride Shazeera took, the eagle gained on us. My hand tightened on my bow. I knew we wouldn’t outrun it. Our only hope was for me to shoot it down.
I sent Shazeera an image of what I planned to do so she could prepare herself for the sudden change in my weight. Bracing myself with my thighs tightly gripping her sides, I twisted my upper body sharply backward and drew my bow simultaneously, ignoring the screaming protest of my muscles.
My eyes found the place where the eagle’s wing met its breast, and I sucked in my breath. The creature was massive, its wingspan easily thirty feet. It absolutely dwarfed Shazeera. Its talons were as long as daggers. When I imagined them tearing into us, a wave of terror crashed over me.
The wind whispered in my ear, even as it tore at my hair. It felt impossible, but it seemed like I could detect its desperation.
The eagle was closer now, but not enough that I could see the rider with any clarity.
I did, however, see when he raised his weapon.
It looked like a long pole with a noose at the end big enough to wrap around my body.
Fear sliced through me, sharper than any blade.
Did he want to capture me? For what purpose?
I let out my breath and then fired the arrow. It flew straight and true, but at the last moment, the eagle spun in the air to avoid it. My mouth went dry. I’d never seen an eagle make such a maneuver. I reached for another arrow as the eagle and its rider flew closer.
I fired again, but the eagle, despite its massive size, avoided it.
I recognized the move as one General Isa had briefed us on.
Seeing it in person, though, made my chest constrict painfully, squeezing the air from my lungs.
The truth hit me like a blade to my gut.
I was vastly outmatched before we had even really begun to fight back.
The eagle is too fast, Shazeera said, and even her mental voice sounded strained from exertion. Even though it’s the bigger target, your arrows will all go to waste.
I understood her meaning perfectly as I shifted the aim of my arrow. This time, I would shoot the rider.
I let it loose, the arrow pointed at the rider’s chest, but the eagle screeched and dove to avoid it.
Fueled by desperation, I fired arrow after arrow, faster than I’d ever done before, but they didn’t so much as clip a feather. And I knew they would catch us. After that, I didn’t dare think about what his plan was.
Too many voices in my head. Shazeera’s fear, which was nothing but sharp talons and darkness, poured into my mind.
My own thoughts were frantic. I wouldn’t let her be killed here.
And then another voice, first a whisper, but steadily growing louder.
I thought of that massive, churning power I had witnessed within my own mind, and I knew it was the wind just as surely as I knew the feel of Shazeera’s bond.
The eagle was close enough now to see the glint in its huge eye, to watch it stretch its talons toward my horse’s flank. I continued firing, though I knew it would dodge the arrows, because it would keep it from tearing into Shazeera.
I was soon down to my last arrow. The rider knew it, too, and he urged the eagle closer.
The rider was now close enough to see his face in detail, and it was disturbingly beautiful, with strong features that made it look like he had been formed from the granite of the mountain itself.
It ignited an anger in me, that he wasn’t as hideous as the things the Zephyrians had done to my people.
Or the things he and his eagle planned to do to us if they caught us.
Shazeera and I fell into darkness as the giant eagle completely blotted out the sun, its enormous shadow threatening to swallow us.
The rider thrust his weapon toward me even as the eagle’s wickedly sharp talons reached for Shazeera.
Fear heightened my senses and made my thoughts race along like lightning.
I told Shazeera to evade their attack, and she obeyed without question, jumping powerfully to one side, which nearly unseated me.
The noose whistled past my ear, treacherously close to my neck.
I let my final arrow fly, and this time, the eagle flew too close to avoid it. Hope blossomed in my chest for one terrible moment. But then the eagle snatched the arrow out of the air with its talons, snapping it as easily as I would break a twig.
I met the rider’s light-colored eyes as he raised his pole again.
Thump, thump, thump.
The eagle’s wings were deafening.
I reached deep within me, the pressure building until it felt like my head would burst, but I pushed on heedlessly.
I would seek out whatever power was inside me that lay dormant—lesser magic or not.
Anything to save Shazeera. Time seemed to halt as I reached for the earth magic that should be mine—the wards I should be able to summon to at least shield us from this attack.
Just like before, there was nothing. Only darkness. I stumbled on desperately.
Suddenly I sensed a vast power, like a thunderstorm rolling in across the plains. Wind, both from the eagle and from Shazeera, swirled around me, screaming in my ears.
Call, it said.
Call and I will answer!
I watched the eagle’s talons reach for my beloved mare even as the noose began to slip over the top of me.
Do whatever it takes to live, Shazeera told me, her mind brushing against mine with a finality that felt like a blade slipping in between my ribs.
The wind cycloned around me, tearing my hair free from its bindings, ripping tears from my eyes. No, I thought to the eagle and its rider. No, you will not kill her.
I raised my arms and opened my heart to the wind. Ama had warned it was a dangerous power, but in that moment, I didn’t care.
If you can understand me, I said, then rip them from the sky. I let out a guttural scream as power seemed to flow in me and through me as the wind responded. It pulled energy from me so hard and fast that I gasped for breath, but I would have given everything to save Shazeera.
All the wind that flowed around me like an inescapable whirlpool burst toward the eagle and its rider. The pole with its noose was wrenched from the rider’s hand, and the eagle was blown back so fiercely that its wings bent at severe angles.
With a tremendous shriek, it somersaulted through the air before finally crashing to the ground in a heap behind us.
The ground shook when the eagle landed, and a wave of dust and debris rose in its wake.
For an instant I thought I saw the rider wrenched from the saddle, his weapon spinning away, before the dust swallowed them both.
As Shazeera carried us far away from the scene of destruction, I watched the grounded eagle and rider for any sign of movement.
But there was none.