by P. C. Cast
The crowd spoke in hushed voices, wondering if any of the six missing teams had had fatal accidents, but they silenced the moment Dawn raised her hand.
“Now, following Herd tradition and law, the Mare Council will retreat to the tallying tent to confer,” Dawn said. “And when they emerge it will be with the name of the victor of our Mare Test.”
The Council disappeared into their tent and the Herd settled in to wait.
“Okay, I’ve splinted your ankle and cleaned your foot, but you’re going to have to stay off of it for at least six weeks. And drink this. It’ll help with the pain.”
River brushed away the mug of tea that was heavily laced with something pungent that would definitely put her to sleep.
“Thanks. I’ll be careful with my foot, but I can’t drink the tea. Not yet.” She didn’t add, because there is still a small chance I might be named the winner and then I’ll have to awaken a crystal—which I can’t do if I’m asleep, but the Healer understood. She patted River’s knee.
“I’ll have the tea sent to your tent. Drink it tonight. The pain in your ankle must be terrible.” She paused and then asked, “Did you really run a mile on it?”
“Yeah, but Anjo helped me.” It was then that Anjo reappeared, snorting at the Healer and then nickering softly and nuzzling River.
“See, I told you I’d be fine. But you’re going to have to carry me around for the next six weeks.”
Always. I will always carry you.
“I know, my sweet, strong, wise girl. I know.” River kissed her mare’s nose.
“Well, she can start carrying you now. I have a place all ready for you,” April said.
River smiled at her sister. “Thank you for cooling off Anjo. She looks great.”
“A lot better than you. Hang on a second. Let me try to fix you.” April dunked a clean bandage in a tub of fresh water and set about cleaning her sister’s face. “How did you get all bruised? And what did you do to your hands?”
“It’s a long story. And quit fussing. All the teams are going to look rough.”
“Uh, yes. But not half dead. Hold still. I’m going to rebraid your hair. When they call your name you can’t look so crazy that you frighten the Herd.”
River snorted. “They already called my name. Anjo and I finished second.”
“You know that means nothing until the Council stitches a name on a ribbon and hands it to Mother—and even then that Rider has to awaken a crystal,” April said as she quickly braided River’s long, dark hair.
“Alani’s ten years older than me. I’m positive she can awaken a crystal,” River said softly, staring down at her lap.
April tugged on her sister’s newly plaited braid. “Hey, that won’t matter if they call your name instead—and Alani is twelve years older than you. It took two Rendezvous until Doe came along and Chose her.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Well, let’s go out and wait for the Council. I’ll bet your Herd will make you feel better.”
Anjo knelt for River and April gently helped her sister mount. Then they made their way to a bench and table that April’s filly and Ghost were standing beside.
“Thank you, clever girl. Good job keeping the table for us.” April rubbed her filly’s broad forehead.
Ghost says he is the reason no one took the table.
“Well, don’t tell Deinos that,” River whispered to her mare as she gingerly slid from her back. Then April supported her while she hobbled painfully to take a seat at the bench.
“What can I get you? I’ll bet you’re really thirsty,” April said.
River had opened her mouth to say yes—and hungry, too—when the people started coming.
First came Cali. Her mare, Vixen, was not with her, and the young Rider looked pale. She placed a big wooden cup full of fresh spring water before River.
“I heard what happened out there. Luce told me. And I thought you might like some water,” she said shyly.
“Thank you, that’s nice of you, Cali. How is Vixen? I thought I saw that she’d injured one of her hocks.”
“Yes, her hock is wounded. We had to raise the white flag, but she’s resting in our tent.”
“She’ll be fine?” River asked.
“Yes. So will Luce and Blue—thanks to you.” Cali bowed her head respectfully to River and added, “Do you mind if I wait here with you?”
“I don’t mind at all,” River said.
“Hey, what’s this about Luce and Blue? I haven’t heard anything—been too busy watching the finish line,” April said.
“They got caught up in some goatheads. Anjo and I were there, so I helped.”
“You did a lot more than that.”
River looked up in surprise to see that Luce had joined their table. One of the Rider’s arms was bandaged, as well as her thigh and both of her hands, but she was carrying a tray filled with spring berries.
“Luce! Put that tray down—that has to hurt your hands,” River said. “How’s Blue?”
“Because of you, she’s going to recover. The Healer said had Blue struggled any more she would have sliced open a vein and bled out. You saved my mare’s life—and mine as well, as I couldn’t live without her.”
“Oh, hey, anyone would have—”
“No! That is absolutely not true. Other riders passed us. You were the only one who stopped. Thank you. For what you did today you will forever have my loyalty.”
River was so taken aback by Luce’s words that she could only stutter, “Th-thank you.”
“May I wait with you?” Luce asked.
“Sure!” River said.
Cali and Luce were only the beginning. As the evening stretched toward dusk, other Herd members paid tribute to River. Some just stopped for a quick word of congratulations, but many brought offerings—special tidbits of food, mulled wine—and as the wind increased, cooling the prairie, blankets were wrapped around her shoulders and pillows were put under her injured foot.
Anjo, too, was treated with care and respect. Sweet spring carrots—her favorite treat—were piled before her until the mare couldn’t eat another.
Absent from the respectful tribute being paid to Anjo and River were Clayton and the group of young men who seemed to follow him everywhere. When River looked around for him she saw him sitting beside Alani, laughing at something the mare Rider had just said.
“Don’t let him bother you,” April whispered.
“Oh, he doesn’t. He’s only doing what comes natural to him—pandering to the Rider he thinks will benefit him the most.”
“He needs to do a lot better if he thinks you’ll ever be his friend again,” April said.
“I’m pretty sure he’s not interested in my friendship.”
“His loss,” April said, and turned her back on Clayton.
River and April were deep into a discussion about how Anjo crossed the suspension bridge when Skye’s voice interrupted.
“River? How is your foot?”
“It’ll be fine—and it’s mostly my ankle.” River nodded at Skye’s arm, which was in a sling. “How’s your shoulder.”
“Sore, but it’ll be well a lot faster than your ankle.”
Beside Skye, Scout moved forward and reached her neck long so that she could nuzzle River.
“Scout says she’s really sorry she hurt you.” Skye spoke softly, obviously on the verge of tears.
River caressed the mare’s nose, rubbing her forehead affectionately. “Oh, Scout, I know you didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Thank you, River. If you hadn’t helped me I’m pretty sure I would have died, and Scout was so panicked she would have gone over the edge after me. Daisy’s Strawberry died today. She broke her leg so badly in a gopher hole that she had to be sent to the Mother Mare. Daisy is missing—they believe she threw herself into the gorge. Th-that would have been Scout and me if you hadn’t—” Skye had to stop and bite her lip to keep from sobbing.
“Oh, no
! May the Great Mother Mare welcome Daisy and Strawberry joyously.” River closed her eyes and prayed. When she opened them again tears were running freely down Skye’s face. “Hey, you didn’t die. Scout is well. Everything’s okay.” She and Skye hadn’t been close since they were children, but she hated the guilt and despair she saw in the girl’s eyes. “It isn’t your fault I stopped. It was my choice, and I’d make the same choice again—I’d just be more careful with my feet,” River added with a smile.
Skye returned River’s smile. “May Scout and I wait with you?”
“Sure, if you can find room,” River said.
The large crowd that surrounded River had begun to shift to make room for Skye and Scout when a rustle of excitement skittered through the Herd.
“Dawn and Echo come!”
“She holds the ribbon!”
“The Council has chosen!”
River clutched April’s hand.
“Oh, Great Mother Mare—this is it,” April said. She turned to face her sister. “I want you to know that no matter what name Mother reads, today you and Anjo acted like a Lead Mare-and-Rider team.”
River couldn’t speak. She could only nod and hold tight to her sister.
“The seven teams who finished the Mare Test—come forth!” Dawn called in a clear, calm voice.
Quickly, April helped her sister stand. Anjo knelt and River mounted. They joined the other six teams who faced Dawn on her Echo. River could see the wide purple ribbon folded in her mother’s hand.
“I have in my hand the name of the team the Mare Council has chosen to be Lead Mare and Rider, but before I read it Morgana would like to speak.”
River felt a jolt of surprise. Morgana was the leader of the Mare Council, and the oldest person she’d ever known—though she didn’t know her well. Her mare, Ramoth, used to be a bright red sorrel, but now her coat was flecked with white. Herd lore had it that Ramoth was over sixty years old, but no one really knew for sure, and Morgana refused to say.
The old woman rode her mare with dignity, though. And though Ramoth was stiff with age, she carried her Rider with pride, holding her head high. They took their place beside Dawn and Echo, and then turned to face the curious Herd.
“Today one team has shown what it is to be a true leader—to put compassion over competition and selflessness over selfishness. Today one Rider stopped to rescue not one, but two teams. Both would surely have perished without her aid, and that would have been a terrible loss.”
River listened—confused at first. Someone else saved two teams? Was it Alani and Doe?
She speaks of us. Anjo’s voice was rich with satisfaction. And she should. We did well today.
River was about to say But we didn’t win when Morgana nodded to her mother. Dawn raised her hand and let the ribbon unfurl as her voice, filled with joy and pride, rang through the Herd.
“The winner of the Mare Test is River and Anjo!”
The Herd erupted into uproarious cheers. River felt her body go hot and then icy cold as Anjo pranced forward. Eyes shining with happy tears, Dawn presented the purple ribbon to her daughter. Incredulous, River looked down at the letters that spelled out first her name, and then Anjo’s.
“You have one more Test to pass, my darling girl,” Dawn said. “But I believe in you and know you will have no problem doing so.”
Then she moved aside so that Morgana could approach her.
“River, are you prepared to prove you are a Crystal Seer, and worthy to lead Herd Magenti?”
“I am.” River was shocked that her voice didn’t shake, as she had to ball her hands in Anjo’s mane to keep them from trembling.
“Do you have the crystal you wish to awaken?”
For a moment River felt a terrible sense of panic. How could I have forgotten the crystal?
Anjo’s strong voice steadied her. You did not forget. You have the perfect crystal around your neck.
“Yes!” River said quickly. “Yes, I do have my crystal.”
Behind the old woman and her ancient mare the other eleven members of the Mare Council trotted up, forming a circle around River and Anjo.
“And what crystal will you awaken?” Morgana asked.
River reached up and touched the center stone in her grandmother’s necklace. “Amethyst.”
Morgana nodded her head in approval. “Then you must simply awaken your crystal so that the Council feels the properties of amethyst. Whenever you are ready, mare Rider, you may begin.”
River closed her eyes, and her hand fisted around the crystal that rested a little above her heart.
Amethyst is a stone with many properties. It can balance the mind, the emotions, and the bodies of people in need. It clears auras and bestows stability, strength, and great peace. It helps in meditation and focus and can even enhance cooperation and unity. But one of its greatest properties is the ability to bring a great sense of contentment if wielded by a powerful Seer.
Show them how powerful you are. Show all of them, Anjo said.
Smiling at the trust and belief that filled her mare’s words, River drew a deep breath and called the stone to awaken. It instantly heated. She cupped both hands around it as she concentrated, finding her way into the crystal, and then with a powerful mental push River flung her arms wide, imagining that she was washing her Herd in that unique, spectacular contentment her grandmother’s stone possessed.
River heard the Council gasp—and that sound was followed by the susurrus of the Herd, as contentment filled not only the twelve members of the Mare Council, but every member of Herd Magenti.
You did it! We did it! Anjo’s happiness filled River’s mind, and she opened her eyes to see every member of the Council of Mares smiling at her.
“Herd Magenti Central—behold your new Lead Mare and Rider, River and her Anjo!”
And while dusk settled over the Plains of the Wind Riders, a great cheer went up from the Herd as they greeted their new leader. Tears of joy blinded River, so that she didn’t see Clayton and several of his friends leave the celebration—as did Skye, hanging her head in shame as she backed slowly away from the group of merrymakers to follow after Clayton.
CHAPTER 20
PRESENT DAY—THE SALEESH VILLAGE AT BONN DAM
As dusk settled over the Umbria River, Death consumed the first Saleesh village. It took them five full days to reach the Bonn Dam, and in that time they lost one of the Tribe’s repaired boats and three rafts—though the God didn’t appear upset at all about the loss. Not of human and canine life, nor of the boats. Instead He mysteriously kept saying that there would be plenty to take the place of those lost.
And that wasn’t all that was mysterious about Death’s behavior since they’d entered the Umbria River. The God had taken to sitting on the driftwood throne that had been moved to His raft, ordering His Attendants to leave Him be, and then speaking to the empty air around Him as if it were filled with people.
Ralina observed these bizarre one-sided conversations many times. Death spoke softly, assuring invisible hordes that He was coming and that He would set them free. Ralina hadn’t asked Him to whom He was speaking or what He was saying. There was something about Death’s tone, which was almost fatherly, that sent chills of trepidation over her skin. She suspected the God’s answer would be life-altering and, most likely, terrifying—and after His immolation of the Tribe Ralina wasn’t sure she could survive many more terrors, or at least survive them with her mind intact.
There was something about the Umbria River that made her blood feel cold and her heart empty, as if despair fell like spring rain over the entire area. At night she was glad that she had to pretend Renard was her lover. The God watched them, often—not so much with an eye looking for subterfuge, but more in a disturbing camaraderie, as her taking a young lover was a sign of strength to the God. And though she and Renard were not lovers, the time they spent together was pleasant, because they were definitely allies against Death, and slowly becoming friends as well.
/> The day had been clear and warm, and the setting sun washed the darkening sky in orange and pink and yellow when they docked their flotilla at a well-tended beach filled with beautiful boats of different sizes and shapes just before the ruins of the dam turned the Umbria into a white-water nightmare.
“Storyteller!” Death roared from His raft.
“My Lord, I am here,” Ralina said as Renard and Daniel paddled their little boat beside the God’s spacious raft.
“Ah, excellent. Storyteller, I would that you remain close beside me, as what will happen here will be an important chapter in my tale, but I also would not have you injured.”
His words made Ralina feel ill with foreboding. “Are you expecting that the Saleesh will attack us, my Lord?”
“They might try,” came Thaddeus’s snide response. He’d joined Death on His raft earlier that evening. The two of them had been speaking for hours, but Ralina had not been invited to listen and record their conversation, which was as disturbing as it was odd.
“Yes, and in their trying I do not want my Storyteller injured,” Death said. “Thaddeus, I had thought to allow you to lead my Reapers into the village, but perhaps I will task Iron Fist with that job and instead you will remain by the Storyteller’s side so that I can be sure she will come through the day unharmed.”
“I will do as you command, my Lord.” Thaddeus spoke the words and bowed subserviently, but the look he shot Ralina was venomous.
Ralina’s heart was pounding so hard she was amazed the God didn’t hear it. And then Renard spoke up.
“My Lord, I ask that you grant me that honor. Kong and I would die protecting Ralina, and I am sure Thaddeus would serve you better at the head of the Warriors.” The young Warrior bowed deeply to Death. On his ballast, Kong did the same.
“Your lover has an excellent idea. Who better to protect you, Storyteller? I accept your offer, but know, young Renard, if my Ralina is injured today I will repay you tenfold,” Death said darkly.
Renard bowed lower. “I understand, my Lord.”
“Good!” Death clapped His hands happily. “And now let us go to shore. Thaddeus, as we discussed, you will lead the way. Warriors—stay close to him. My original Reapers—remain beside me and Iron Fist. The rest of you run the boats aground near this fascinating group of crafts that are already beached, and remain in the shadows until you are needed.”
