by P. C. Cast
River ignored Clayton and smiled at the Riders. “You only have about a month until the last day of summer, so practice up, Riders. You’re going to have to compete against a prime stallion’s brawn and the brains of a Lead Mare Rider.”
She turned Anjo with slight pressure from the inside of her calf and the mare galloped from the field, with Ghost at their heels. They didn’t need to jump over the gate again, as April had left it open when she joined her sister. As soon as they were out of view of the stallion Riders, River stopped Anjo and slid quickly from her back, walking toward Ghost, who trotted to her, his ears pricked and attentive.
“Anjo, ask Ghost if he really wants to win the Stallion Run.”
Before her mare could relay his answer, Ghost snorted and tossed his head. River smiled. “I think that’s a yes.”
It is. Ghost wants to win the Run.
“Ask him why he wants to be Lead Stallion.”
Ghost rested his muzzle on her shoulder as Anjo responded for him.
He says the Herd will need a champion, and he believes he is strong enough to be that champion. He wants to protect the Herd—always.
“Good. Then let’s win this. Starting right now. Anjo, I’m going to mount Ghost, and I need him to do as I say.”
Of course! Ghost is honored that you will be his Rider, if only temporarily.
As the golden stallion knelt gracefully so that River could mount him for the very first time, she spoke hastily to her mare, who relayed everything to the stallion …
Later, April told River that just before she and Ghost thundered back to the Choosing Theater, Clayton had been making a lot of noise, saying that no one even knew if she could ride Ghost in the Run. Had anyone seen River ride the stallion? Even once? Anyone?
When no one spoke, Clayton had continued railing against Ghost, saying he was, after all, nothing but a rogue stallion who should probably be put down before he became dangerous.
But the field went silent when Ghost thundered back with River confidently astride. The stallion slid to a stop, snorting and prancing in place.
“I almost forgot to wish my Riders luck.” She grinned at them. Even that short sprint had her head reeling with Ghost’s speed. River was positive no stallion in Herd Magenti—in all of the Herds—had his power and speed. And he’s been letting Anjo win races against him—clever boy! “So, best of luck to all of the stallion Riders racing against Ghost and me, but you’ll understand if I don’t wish you a mare’s luck—I think it only proper that I keep that particular luck for myself.”
She cued Ghost, and like she’d been riding him for years instead of mere minutes, the stallion whirled around and sprinted from the field, throwing dirt and grass behind him and all over the other Riders.
“I’m not sure that was necessary,” River told him as they rejoined Anjo and she slid from his back, petting his smooth neck affectionately.
Not necessary, but fun? her mare asked.
River looked up at the golden stallion and her beautiful silver mare. “It definitely was fun. Anjo, we’re going to beat every one of them.”
Anjo’s response was tinged with humor. Of course you are! The only horse who can beat Ghost is me—and then only when he lets me.
“You know he lets you win?”
Ghost’s snort sounded a lot like laughter, and Anjo nipped him playfully on the neck before her typically confident answer sounded in River’s mind.
I am Lead Mare. I know everything.
CHAPTER 23
ROCK MOUNTAIN PASS—THE PACK
It took two weeks for the Pack to acclimate to the constant climb that was their path through the Rock Mountains. Mari decided it really wouldn’t have been that difficult had they not had a whole world of supplies with them, and because of that it took a while for new blisters and then calluses to form on shoulders and hips from where they’d rigged the straps for carrying the litters. Thankfully, every Pack member’s hands had been toughened from months of using paddles or oars, so getting used to their new method of travel wasn’t too hard. And everyone—even Danita and Dove, who had come to love the water—was happy to be on dry land.
At the two-week mark they reached the snow line, which meant they were able to camp every night safely on the ground, instead of climbing into the boughs of the giant pines and strapping themselves there in the travel cloaks the Tribe had called cocoons. But when they came to the snow line, Antreas had explained that the swarm and other predatory insects, like wolf spiders, would not bother them, as they could not tolerate the cold. Even at that altitude there was still plenty of green in the forest around them and the days weren’t terribly cold. The nights got frigid, but the Pack soon learned to circle around a large campfire—everyone close together for warmth. Antreas taught them to build temporary lean-tos using those same travel cloaks the Earth Walkers had been busily weaving all during the trip. They blocked much of the cutting night wind, and made the frosty darkness a lot easier to bear. It was strange for every member of the Pack except Antreas to sleep in a forest and not be either fifty plus feet above the ground or snug in a burrow below.
The morning that began their third week in the mountains, there was a dusting of snow on the lean-tos, though the sky was clear and the sun they greeted painted the sky with watercolors of mauve and daffodil.
“We’re crossing a treacherous part of the pass today,” Antreas told the Pack after they’d greeted the sun, broken their fast, and repacked the litters. “The rail runs along the side of a steep cliff, and then we have to cross a bridge.”
“A rail bridge? How is that still standing and safe?” Nik asked.
“It’s not the original bridge the rails were on—none of those are still standing. Lynx guides built a suspension bridge where the rail ends and anchored it to the other side of the gorge where it begins again. It’s just wide enough to accommodate the litters, but we’ll have to cross in single file. I’m really proud of you. We’ve made better time than I expected. If we keep going at this pace we’ll be leaving the mountains in just two more weeks, at the end of summer—giving us enough warm days left to build shelters for the winter, just as we planned.”
The Pack cheered themselves and then set out. Today Mari and Nik were walking beside a litter carrying Mariah’s eleven pups—as well as their father, Cammyman, after Mari decided that, though his lacerated legs and amputated tail were healing well, he’d walked long enough. Mariah was completely recovered from giving birth, and generally the only time the well-conditioned Shepherd rode on the litter was when she needed to nurse her pups.
“They’re starting to open their eyes!” Mari picked up one of the blond puppies and kissed its nose as it blinked, molelike, at her. Beside her, Rigel whined, and Mari bent so that he could sniff and lick the pup before she put her back on the litter. “That puppy smell—I’ll never get over how much I love it.”
“Apparently, neither will Rigel,” Nik said, grinning at the young Shepherd.
“My Rigel is going to make a wonderful father someday,” Mari said.
Beside him, Laru grumbled, making Nik laugh. “Oh, don’t be so grumpy. Everyone knows you are already an excellent father.”
“Puppy smell is intoxicating, isn’t it?” Claudia called over her shoulder. She and Davis had rigged their litter so that they could share pulling it between them.
“I believe it is how they survive,” said Dove, who was walking on the other side of the litter. One hand rested on its rail. The other held a long stick that she kept sweeping out in front of her so that she knew when to step over forest debris in the path. “They are terribly helpless when they’re little.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think they are so beautiful that we would love and care for them even if they were stinky,” said Lily shyly. Though Dove was becoming more and more independent, Lily chose to remain close to her ex-mistress. The two young women chatted easily and were obviously good friends.
“They’re definitely cute,” said Mari. “I can�
��t wait to see what this litter is going to look like full grown.”
“Don’t you mean who?” Davis said, chuckling softly. “Cammy or Mariah?
From his spot on the litter, snuggled against eleven pups, Cammy barked in agreement.
Mari laughed. “I think we can already guess which ones will take after their father.” She touched the soft heads of the pups as she spoke. “This one, this one, this one, and this one are all blond, and smaller than the others. I’ll bet they’ll look just like their brave father.”
“I hope they take after him, too!” said Claudia, smiling over her shoulder at Cammyman.
Walking beside her Companion, Mariah huffed happily.
“Oh, good! There you are, Lily!” Rose hurried up with one of Fala’s pups in her arms. “Would you watch this little boy for me? His two sisters are sound asleep, but this one won’t settle. He always has been the most curious of the litter, and for some reason today he’s being extra precocious. Fala and I want to hunt ahead, and he’s just not big enough to come with us yet.”
“Of course!” Lily held out her arms and a harried-looking Rose handed the pup to her. The bright-eyed Terrier looked up at Lily, licked her face, and wriggled his whole rear end happily.
“If he’s too whiny you can let him walk beside you for a while. He shouldn’t wander—he knows better.” Rose gave the pup a hard look and scratched him under his chin, where there was a grayish-white patch of hair growing like an old man’s beard.
The pup yapped in excitement and wriggled some more.
“Okay, I’ll let you walk, but you have to stay with me, and when you get tired you can curl up with Cammy and the other puppies,” Lily said.
“Whether he agrees or not, that sounds like an excellent idea. I’ll get him when I come back,” Rose said.
“No hurry. I like watching him,” said Lily.
“Hey, you’re not hunting alone, are you?” Mari asked.
“Absolutely not! Sheena and Captain are joining me. Oh, and Antreas said he found wolverine scat. Would you pass that down the line so everyone knows?”
“Sure,” Mari said as Rose jogged away to join Fala, Sheena, and her Captain. Mari turned to look behind her at Sora, who was walking on one side of O’Bryan, with Jenna, carrying her Companion, Khan, on his other side. O’Bryan pulled one of the smaller litters, and the two young women took turns spelling him when he got tired. “Did you hear that?”
“Sure did. Chloe and I will go back and tell the rest of the Pack, and I’ll also tell them to tighten up the line. With wolverines around, we don’t want anyone to be straggling.” She took Chloe out of her sling. The pup touched noses with the little male Rose had dropped off with Lily.
“Khan and I will come with you. He needs the exercise. I think he’s getting fat.” Jenna lifted her pup from her sling and studied his round belly. “What do you think, O’Bryan?”
“I think he’s as well fed as he is well loved.”
“Which means he needs the exercise,” said Sora. “Just like Chloe. Be back in a little while, and then I’ll take the litter for the next few miles.”
“No rush. I’m not tired at all, and Antreas says the bridge we have to cross is pretty close. We’ll all get a short break then while we line up to go across,” said O’Bryan.
“Okay, well, don’t wear yourself out.” Sora nodded to Jenna, and they started down the line of the Pack, passing the news about wolverine sign and making sure everyone remained close and safe, with their pups trotting behind them, chubby butts wriggling in perfect time together.
Mari watched them for a little while before turning to Nik. “Is it normal that I’m missing Rigel’s puppy days? He’s big and magnificent, but I do miss his gangly legs and floppy ears.” She petted the top of her Companion’s head, which was now as tall as his father’s.
“It’s completely normal. Puppies are magickal.” Nik lowered his voice and whispered: “But adult canines are much less trouble.”
“I heard that!” Claudia said.
“Yeah, so did I,” said Davis. “We know we’re in for trouble times eleven.”
They were all laughing when the rail path emerged from the forest and took a sharp turn to the left, snaking along a sheer cliff that ended in an abrupt drop to a white-water gorge far below, with the iron rails reaching out to connect to nothing. Beside the broken rails was a suspension bridge that was swaying gently in the cold midday breeze.
“I do not like how that looks,” said Lily as she crouched to pet the little male pup who was batting around a pinecone at her feet.
“Okay.” Antreas spoke in a booming voice as he walked up and down the paused line. “We’ll cross single file—one small group at a time. Give the group in front of you a few yards before you begin. That should keep the bridge from bowing down or up too much. It’s normal that it sways. And we need to double up on the litters. Don’t drag them over the bridge. They’ll get hung up on the wooden slats and may even pull some free, which is not a good thing.”
“You’re sure it’s safe?” Sora asked.
“It’s perfectly safe—as long as you don’t fall off,” said Antreas.
“Antreas, Bast, and I will cross with our litter first,” said Danita.
Bast coughed and chirped from her place in line, which was always close to Danita.
“That’s right. Like Bast says, we’ll show you how easy it is,” said Antreas. “It really does look a lot worse than it is.”
Mari stared over the edge of the cliff at the rapids below. “It’s a long way down, that’s for sure.”
“It is—so don’t fall. Keep any free hands you have on the ropes that serve as railings,” said Antreas. “Okay, Danita and I will cross. I think it’d be a good idea for Mariah and the pups to cross behind us.”
Cammy barked and tried to get off the litter, but Davis caught him. “Hang on, big guy. The pups are going to need you up there with them to keep them calm during the crossing. You’re a lot lighter than Mariah.”
Cammy huffed but settled again, and the eleven pups quit whining and curled up against him. Mariah came to sniff her family, and Cammy licked her.
“We’re all set,” said Davis. “If the Pack would make way we’ll move up and be ready to start across as soon as Antreas lets us know we should.”
“Shall I cross with them?” Dove asked.
“Yes. How about you let Fala’s pup ride with Cammy and the babies so that Lily can help you across?” said Mari.
“That’s a good idea,” said Lily, picking up the restless pup and plopping him down beside Cammy. The pup instantly flopped over on his side and started batting at Cammy’s long blond beard.
Mari swore she heard the adult Terrier sigh in annoyance, but he continued to tolerate the playful pup.
“You’re a good boy, Cammyman,” Mari said, sending him an image of the extra helping of cooked rabbit that she was planning to add to his dinner.
Cammy’s nub of a tail began wagging, and he gave her an open-mouthed canine grin.
“You’re spoiling him,” Davis said without turning around.
“I can’t help it,” Mari said. “He’s adorable.”
“You won’t say that if he gets fat and you have to take a turn dragging his litter,” Davis said.
Cammyman huffed and sneezed, making Nik chuckle.
“Let’s cross with Dove and Lily. That way we can be on the other side to encourage those who are frightened by heights,” said Mari.
Nik nodded. “Good idea.” They moved into position behind Davis and Claudia as they made their way to the front of the line and the suspension bridge.
Antreas entered the bridge first, moving at an unhurried, but confident pace. Lifting the rear of the litter that held their supplies, Danita crossed right behind, and Bast padded along after them.
When Antreas was several yards out on the swaying bridge, he called back.
“Okay, Davis and Claudia, you can cross with the litter. Mari and Nik, give them a
few yards and then cross with Lily and Dove.”
“Will do!” Nik shouted.
Mari glanced behind them. Spencer and Jaxom were sharing litter duty. Jaxom looked worried, but Spencer just seemed curious.
“Are you two ready to go next?”
“No!”
“Yes!”
They’d answered together, and Spencer pushed Jaxom’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll take the front of the litter.”
Fortina, who was always at Jaxom’s side, barked encouragement. “Okay, then Fortina and I will follow you.”
“Everyone ready to follow Jaxom and Spencer?” Mari asked.
The Pack nodded, though Mari saw several pale faces among her people. O’Bryan, Sora, and Jenna were in line behind Jaxom and Spencer. O’Bryan nodded enthusiastically. “I’m ready to cross! This is lots better than battling Mouths and Monkeys,” he shouted down the line, eliciting nervous smiles and nods of agreement.
“The bridge is really just a larger, longer version of the walkways that connected our nests and platforms,” Nik said.
“It sure is,” said O’Bryan. He looked at the Earth Walkers around him, grinning easily. “This will be easy. Those bridges are sturdy because they have the ability to sway. So, don’t be afraid.”
“Oh, I guess that does make sense,” said an obviously nervous-looking Sora, who had returned with Jenna and their pups to stand beside O’Bryan.
“We’ll cross together,” said O’Bryan. “I’ll show you how.”
“Thank you!” Sora’s voice was filled with relief as she and Jenna tucked their pups back into their slinglike carriers.
“If any of you are feeling too nervous, pair with someone from the Tribe,” called Mari.
“Yeah, I’ll be happy to come back and help you over,” said Nik.
“As will I,” said O’Bryan.
From farther down the line Lydia, Sarah, and Wilkes echoed their words.
Rose and Sheena jogged up. Their hunting satchels were bulging with newly killed game.
“Lily, are you okay to cross with the pup?” Rose called out to her.
“He’s already crossing,” Lily responded. “He’s on the litter with Cammy and the pups.”
