Draggah

by Toby Neighbors

  She rolled onto her knees and looked up in surprise. The horses were neighing nervously. They were used to being around other animals, but the Tamakas were strange, new animals. The horses tugged on the tow sack they were tied to. She got to her feet and realized for the first time just how vast the herd was. She felt a stab of terror. If she hadn’t woken up, they would have trampled her to death.

  She was tired, and so were the horses. She knew she needed to walk them, but her body ached all over and she wasn’t sure she could move fast enough that the herd of bovines wouldn’t overtake her. She slung the tow sack onto Shadow’s saddle and then climbed up onto Star’s strong back. She was thankful for the horse’s strength.

  “Okay, Star,” she said. “Let’s find a safer place to rest.”

  The horse started moving, and Lexi slumped in the saddle. She hunched over, staring at the saddle horn, trying desperately to stay awake. The horse wandered. At first she kept her mounts moving at a pace greater than the herd of bovines, but it wasn’t long before she was dozing in the saddle and the horses slowed to a creeping pace.

  When the Tamakas overtook the horses, they were too tired to care. At first, the docile creatures just went around the horses. They weren’t afraid, nor did they seem intent on defending their turf. They were only interested in grazing. As the herd moved further around them, they eventually began to bump up against the horses. The Tamakas were big animals, much heavier than the horses. Their humps were as tall as the back of the horses, so that only the horses’ heads rose above the sea of shaggy bovines all around them.

  Lexi had fallen into a deep sleep that was part exhaustion, part grief. She dreamed about Tiberius. She could see his smiling face, feel his arm around her shoulders. But all she felt was pain. From exhaustion causing her muscles and joints to ache, to the pain of disappointment that pierced her heart like an awl, she just wanted relief and sleep was the only cure. She slumped forward, her thin body resting on Star’s powerful neck.

  She slept there, on the back of the horse as it moved slowly across the plain surrounded by the huge herd of Tamakas, oblivious to what was happening. Then, even in her deep sleep, she felt her body shift in the saddle. Gravity had been slowly waging a war to pull her down, and finally it had succeeded. She woke with a start, just as she began to slide off the saddle. A huge, shaggy Tamaka was right beside her. She scrambled to stay on the horse, her fingers clawing at the saddle, but it was too late; her momentum was carrying her down. She felt the huge herd of beasts around her more than she saw them, but she knew instinctively that if she fell she would be trampled.

  She was sliding to her right, her left leg swung across the saddle, her body twisting as she clawed the horse’s tack, trying to find a solid grip. She managed to take hold of the edge of the saddle, the muscles in her hands straining to hold on, but she knew it was too late. Her left leg was falling off the saddle and she expected to fall to the ground. Fortunately, as she kicked out, trying to find a purchase for her feet anywhere, she managed to kick the thick hump of the Tamaka right beside her. The beast was so heavy she was able to launch herself upward. The Tamaka hardly noticed and Lexi scrambled onto her stomach, one hand on the saddle horn, the other held the horse’s mane in a death clutch.

  For a long moment, she lay stretched across the saddle, afraid to move. The sway of the horse felt so unsteady as she shook her head to clear the cobwebs of sleep. Finally, she hoisted herself up onto the saddle and got her feet back in the stirrups. She let out a sigh of relief and then looked around her. She was in the middle of a huge herd of the shaggy bovines. There was no way to guide her horses out of the mass of animals. Her only hope was that eventually the herd would pass her by. Shadow and Star were moving even more slowly than the ambling bovines. She would just have to stay in the saddle until they were clear of the herd.

  Her body ached terribly, her back was spasming and her bottom was sore. Her eyes burned with fatigue. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep, but she guessed it wasn’t long. She didn’t feel rested at all. Her stomach burned with hunger, but all the food she’d brought was stowed on Shadow’s saddle and Lexi couldn’t reach it without risking falling off. The horses were still tied together by their long reins, but the huge bovines had pushed between them.

  The shaggy animals walked forward, occasionally dipping their heads to pick up a mouthful of grass. They chewed, their small watery eyes seemed dull and inactive, but their large wet nostrils perked up as they passed Lexi. She wondered what they thought of her. She had never spent much time around animals and she was relieved they didn’t seem to sense that she was a threat. She just wanted to find a safe place to rest.

  Her eyelids drooped and soon she was hunched over Star’s neck again. The horses seemed just as tired as Lexi did. Only the pushing and shoving of the massive herd behind them kept the horses moving. Lexi feared that they might collapse and then she would be crushed by the huge Tamakas. She was thankful that she wasn’t having to walk like the horses. She knew she simply couldn’t keep going.

  The sunlight filtering through the cloud bank above distributed the light evenly, so there were no shadows and no direct sunlight, but Lexi still felt the light burning into her skin. She wasn’t used to being outdoors too much. She had spent most of her young life avoiding daylight altogether. Her pale skin was turning pink wherever it was exposed, and the heat made her head ache. The blighted lands were much warmer than Avondale, and the heat of the huge Tamakas all around her made it feel as if she was in an oven. Flies buzzed in the fetid air, bouncing into her face, landing and biting any skin she left exposed.

  She had regretted leaving the city to be with Tiberius when he’d crawled into the tent full of women the night before. She had felt betrayed, unwanted, and used. Leaving the tribe had felt like the right thing to do, but now she regretted it even more than leaving Avondale. She could have left the next day; there was no need to slink away in the night. Rafe had obviously won the duel, and Tiberius was now the chieftain of the tribe. She had left without really thinking things through. It had been too easy to do what she was used to doing, and in most cases when the need to escape came to her, disappearing into the night was a good option. But making her way through the crowded lower levels of Avondale was completely different than wandering aimlessly across the wide open plains. She felt lost and exposed. What was worse, she had not improved her position at all. In fact, she was much worse off than she had been, even though Tiberius had turned his affections from her.

  She couldn’t imagine dying, but she couldn’t imagine surviving among the massive herd of bovines either. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to stay on the horse—that much was obvious. She would fall. Her fatigue, brought on by the stress of the last few days and the incessant heat, would rob her of even the desire to fight for her own survival. She would fall to the ground and be trampled to death. The idea seemed absurd, but she knew it was true. All around her the Tamakas grunted, almost like pigs. They huffed, and continued shuffling along. They grazed, always chewing, oblivious to the flies and mosquitos that fed off them.

  Soon, Lexi was in a daze, with no conscious thoughts of her own. She was completely absorbed in just one task, staying on the back of her horse. She didn’t notice when the grunts of the Tamakas grew louder and more frequent. She didn’t turn around to see what was happening behind her. And when Tiberius’ arms wrapped around her and pulled her from the saddle, she closed her eyes and passed out.

  Chapter 5

  Tiberius

  He had followed behind Rafe once the hunters moved in on the herd, but watching the Rogu bring down the massive beasts couldn’t hold his attention. His mind kept returning to Lexi. Finally he decided that waiting simply wasn’t an option.

  “Ultimas Conspectus,” he said in a quiet voice.

  Instantly, his vision began to race forward. The herd of Tamakas seemed as vast as an ocean at first, but soon he could see the edges of the swarming group of bovines. He turned his head slow
ly, looking for any sign of Lexi. He thought she might be fleeing in front of the herd and so almost missed seeing her draped across the back of a horse in the very middle of the massive group of animals. He willed his vision to focus on her and instantly she became clear to him. She looked small and helpless on the horse, which was staggering forward, its head drooping down so that it was hard to make out which animal she was riding on.

  Tiberius knew instantly that he couldn’t wait for help. If he didn’t get to Lexi soon, she could fall off her horse. If she fell, Tiberius was certain she would be killed by the swarm of animals all around her. He kicked his horse forward. Rafe and the Rogu were intent on their hunt and Tiberius didn’t bother them. His only thought was to get to Lexi as fast as he possibly could.

  She wasn’t straight ahead of him. Tiberius had to turn east and ride around the herd before turning back to the north and charging into the mass of bovines. The Tamakas were reluctant at first to move aside. Tiberius on his horse was taller than the huge bovines, but they were heavier and much more powerful. He wracked his mind for a spell that would somehow help him move the Tamakas out of his way, but the only spells he could think of was fire, which he feared might cause a stampede and make things worse, or the cloaking spell, which had made Rafe invisible during his fight with Ummar, but he couldn’t imagine how that would help him plow through the massive herd.

  He guided his horse forward at first, yelling and shouting, but the Tamakas seemed indifferent. He fought his way into the herd, but after a short distance the bovines were clustered too tightly to move through. He was quickly frustrated, but no amount of cajoling could get his horse to push between the shaggy beasts. Then he remembered his whip. He always thought of his whip as a weapon, but in Avondale it was used to drive animals where the cattlemen wanted them to go. He pulled the whip from his belt and swung it around over his head. Then with a flick the whip popped right over the head of one of the Tamakas directly in front of Tiberius. The beast brayed and veered to its right. Tiberius quickly spurred his horse into the gap.

  Soon, Tiberius knew exactly where to crack his whip to make the Tamakas move aside. They grunted and sometimes made a fearful braying sound as he snapped the whip over their heads. His mount and Rafe’s, which he was still leading by the long leather reins, seemed nervous at first, but soon they realized that the loud cracks of Ti’s whip wouldn’t hurt them. Tiberius was careful not to hit the Tamakas with the whip. He wasn’t sure if the shaggy hide would split under the snapping leather bullwhip, but he didn’t see a need to hurt the animals. All he wanted was to move them out of his way so he could get to Lexi.

  Without his far sight spell, he couldn’t see her for the first hour, but slowly she came into view. It took another hour to reach her in the middle of the vast herd. She was swaying in the saddle when he came riding up behind her. He slung his whip around his neck and took Lexi into his arms. She didn’t resist as he pulled her from Star and onto his own horse.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, but she didn’t answer.

  She seemed conscious, but she was in a daze. Tiberius knew he needed to get her out of the herd and someplace safe. She needed to lie down, get some water, and rest. His heart beat wildly in his chest. He had been terrified when she was out of reach, afraid she might fall, afraid he might lose her, but as he held her in his arms he was even more frightened. He didn’t see any wounds, but she wasn’t okay. He’d never seen her sick or tired. Even when her face was swollen and bruised from fighting in Avondale, she had seemed vibrant and full of life. Holding her as she sagged against him, her head rolling from side to side, he felt a terror he’d never fathomed before.

  He wanted to turn the horse and ride back the way he’d come, but that was impossible. Even if he could use his whip and hold on to Lexi, the horses wouldn’t move against the tide of shaggy Tamakas. He would have to find another way out of the herd. He thought again about using the spell to kindle fire, but there was nothing on the wide plain that would burn for long, and the fear of fire might cause the herd to stampede. He could imagine after fighting through the throng to get to Lexi, only to be trampled by the frightened herd.

  He looked to either side, but couldn’t see an end to the massive group of animals. Still, he didn’t want to wait, so after securing Shadow and Star’s reins to his saddle, he began veering to his right. Moving a group of four horses through the massive herd was more difficult than two. Star and Shadow were exhausted and acted almost like anchors, keeping them at a crawling pace. It was difficult to hold on to Lexi, as well as the reins of his own horse and the reins of the other three horses all in one hand, but he needed his right hand free to work his whip. He grew tired quickly. He had to crack the whip with more frequency now that he was moving in a different direction through the herd. He couldn’t risk letting the horses move too far from his own mount. If a Tamaka got between them, he could lose all the horses. Lexi wasn’t making things easier on him either. She was dead weight, and he was forced to hold her tight to keep her from falling off his horse.

  It wasn’t long before his hand was cramping. He’d been hot riding through the herd, but holding Lexi so close only made it that much more miserable. Sweat ran down into his eyes and the flies buzzed around them incessantly. Still, he forced himself to keep moving. He told himself that the herd couldn’t go on forever, and eventually he was right. It was growing dark when he finally spotted an end to the massive throng of bovines.

  “Look,” he said excitedly. “We’re almost there. We’re going to make it.”

  Lexi stirred, but didn’t answer. Tiberius kept moving and at the fringes of the herd he was able to move more quickly. Star and Shadow were at the extremes of their endurance, but they too sensed safety ahead and kept pace with the other horses. When they were finally out of the herd of Tamakas, Tiberius led them several hundred yards away. The wide open plain was dark without stars in the sky overhead, and there was no shelter to be found, but Tiberius didn’t care. He stopped the horses and slowly slipped off the saddle. His whole body ached. His left hand was stiff and weak. He pulled Lexi down and helped her stretch out. They were out of the path of the roving herd of Tamakas, and the grass was a little taller, the turf a little softer where it hadn’t been packed down by thousands of heavy hooves.

  Tiberius unsaddled the horses in the darkness, but left their bridles on. The horses were tied to their saddles and given enough rein that they could move around a little and graze. Tiberius went through the pack that Lexi had taken. There was food and water, even a couple of blankets. He spread out a blanket and then dribbled some water into Lexi’s mouth. Her tongue moved, her dry lips working to help her swallow. Finally, her eyes fluttered open.

  “Hey, there you are,” Tiberius said. “You scared me to death.”

  “What are you doing?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

  “Giving you some water. It’s been a long hot day and you need it.”

  “No,” she said, waving a hand as if to swipe away cobwebs. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came for you, Lexi. What did you expect me to do?”

  “I saw you,” she said.

  “I know,” Tiberius said, his shame abundantly clear. “But I promise you nothing happened.”

  “Why didn’t you come for me?” she said, as tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

  “I did, I’m here now.”

  “No,” she said. “Last night. After the duel. Why?”

  “I wanted to,” Tiberius said. “But Rafe was hurt in the fight and I had to help him. Then, when the tribe saw what I could do, they brought me all their sick and injured. I was so exhausted when I finished and they gave me their liquor. It went to my head and I feel asleep.”

  “I saw the women,” Lexi said. “Some of them are just girls, Ti.”

  “I know, but I swear to you nothing happened.”

  She looked away. It was almost impossible to see in the darkness. To Tiberius, Lexi was nothing more than a black silhouet
te in his arms, but he could tell she was angry. Her body was stiff and her head was turned away from him.

  “We’ll go back to the tribe,” Tiberius said. “You can ask them yourself. They were Moswanee’s harem, but you are the only woman I love.”

  “How am I supposed to compete with a dozen other women who all want your attention?”

  “Look,” Tiberius said. “All that matters to me is you. If you don’t want to stay with the tribe, then we won’t stay. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, I promise. Just don’t leave me again. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  They were too tired to keep fighting, so after they had some more water, they lay down together and slept. The next morning came too quickly for Tiberius. He was stiff and sore. His back ached from the long day of riding. His shoulder was stiff from using his whip for hours and he could barely move the fingers of his left hand.

  He sat up and rubbed his eyes. The herd of Tamakas was gone. He looked in every direction, but there was nothing in sight, just flat, grassy plains as far as Tiberius could see. He got up and stretched his back. Then he checked on the horses. They all looked tired, but Star and Shadow had thick foam in the corners of their mouths. They needed water, Tiberius knew that much, but he had no idea where to get enough water for the horses. He had some water, just the small water skin that Lexi had packed, but it was barely enough for the two of them. In fact, he was planning on going as long as he could without drinking so that Lexi had enough.

  He searched the pockets of his tunic and finally came up with the list of spells that Princess Ariel had given him. He unrolled the little scroll of parchment and found what he was looking for.