The Guardian Herd: Landfall

by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

  Star exhaled. He would look foolish if this didn’t work. He dropped his head before the captain in the pose of surrender.

  The blue roan scooted backward, alarmed. The steeds around him gasped.

  Star spoke to the Black Army. “I don’t expect you to follow me, and I won’t lead your herd,” he said. “I don’t want a pact. I just want you to accept me, to stop fighting me.”

  The captain gaped at him.

  Four battle mares galloped to Star, and they bowed to him. “We accept you,” they whinnied. Star exchanged breath with them.

  Then, in a rush, more warriors cantered to Star and bowed to him, including the blue roan. They repeated the mares’ words individually. “I accept you.” Others shook their heads in denial, backing away from Star.

  “You’re free to go,” he repeated, and the suspicious warriors turned tail and galloped away, too wary to accept him.

  When all of the steeds had either accepted Star or fled, the tension evaporated. The United Army rushed forward and welcomed back their past herdmates. The two armies swirled around each other, nuzzling and nickering excitedly.

  Star watched them, feeling pleased.

  Silverlake sobbed into her wings. “It’s beginning,” she said. “One by one, you’re uniting the pegasi of Anok. I knew you could do it.”

  Everyone nickered at that because, even though Silverlake had risked more than any other steed to protect Star, they knew she’d doubted him all along.

  “But the fight isn’t over,” Hazelwind said.

  Star agreed. “He’s right. Petalcloud and the Ice Warriors have arrived at Antler Lake, southwest of the Trap.”

  “Our army has just doubled in size,” said Hazelwind, nodding to the blue roan captain. “Let’s strike first. Attack her before she attacks us.”

  “It’s a good idea,” agreed the captain from the Black Army.

  “We’ll keep watch,” neighed Shadepebble, sidling close to Morningleaf. Hazelwind nodded, and the two small fillies lifted off and darted through the woods, angling sideways when the trees were too tight. There were advantages to being little, Star thought.

  “Assemble your battalions,” Hazelwind commanded. “Ashrain, will you return to the hoofholds?”

  The mare shook her head. “No, the sun has set. After nightfall it’s too dark to throw accurately. We’ll fight on the ground.”

  Hazelwind trumpeted for the warriors to collect, and his words carried the regal bearing of his sire. The two armies merged and advanced as one toward Petalcloud.

  39

  NIGHTFALL

  STAR PRANCED AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE, RATTLING his feathers with the warriors. He would fight to defend his herd, and then he would heal the Ice Warriors—that was his plan. Maybe Petalcloud’s army would make the same choice as Frostfire’s Black Army had, and they’d join him. Hazelwind, Clawfire, Ashrain, and Redfire trotted at his sides, and then they each peeled away, splitting their large army into smaller, more agile divisions.

  Bumblewind, Clawfire, and Brackentail stayed with Star. Dewberry joined the sky herders, in spite of their objections, and Echofrost followed Hazelwind. Morningleaf and Shadepebble had already galloped off to spy on Petalcloud’s approaching army, and it was their duty to update Sunray, who was lodged high in a tree where she could whistle information to the captains.

  The last breath of daylight had withdrawn from the forest, leaving it dim and colorless. Star could not see the night sky overhead, but hints of silver glinted through the thick foliage, telling him the moon was bright. His breath showed in twin puffs of steam, his hooves clunked against small stones and branches, and his ears swiveled round, searching for sounds of Petalcloud’s army.

  Clawfire tensed, raising his wing. The pegasi halted. Star peered into the darkness, seeing shadows. Clawfire crept forward with delicate precision. He motioned with his wings, splitting his group into two and sending them forward.

  With one eye on Clawfire, Star slipped through the woods in the same fashion, lifting each hoof high and placing it slowly down, reducing his noise. He glanced at Brackentail. The brown yearling’s eyes were round and alert, and he kept close to Star, always looking and listening. The forest was silent.

  Bumblewind tripped and crashed onto his knees with a loud grunt.

  The sudden noise caused the warriors to surge forward, thinking they were under attack.

  Star spread his wings. “No. Shh!”

  Clawfire galloped toward Star.

  “It’s okay,” explained Star, “Bumblewind just tripped.”

  “Look behind you!” Clawfire neighed.

  Star and Clawfire’s small battalion of two hundred warriors whirled around, and Star’s heart fluttered at what he saw. Glistening in the pale rays of moonlight behind them stood over two thousand Ice Warriors. They must have been there all the while, waiting, and by chance Clawfire had led his platoon right to them. The front line of white and gray steeds was steadfast, like a mountain range. They clenched their jaws and narrowed their eyes. Clawfire halted, placing himself between the heavy northern stallions and his much smaller squad. “You’re fighting for the wrong side,” he spat at them.

  Their leader’s gaze flitted to Star and then back to Clawfire. “We’ve come for just one thing,” he said. “Give it to us and we’ll go.” He eyed Star’s head, his dark eyes seething with desire for it. The stallion was Stormtail, the giant dapple-gray pegasus with the thunderous hooves who traveled with Petalcloud.

  Star whipped his tail back and forth, frustrated. It didn’t look like Petalcloud had split her army to move through the Trap. They were all here: her healthiest, most powerful steeds. Most of her Ice Warriors hailed from the north. They had survived the Blue Tongue plague and countless frozen winters. They were thick furred and big boned, afraid of nothing, and Star’s small band of warriors couldn’t beat them alone. Star lifted his neck, ready to try.

  Clawfire’s second captain trumpeted for reinforcements.

  A sleek mare trotted forward. Star flared his nostrils, catching her scent. It was Petalcloud. Her gray hide was so dark it looked black. Her stallions parted, letting her through. She reached the frontline and stood facing him, her neck curved in a high arch.

  Silence dropped on them all.

  She pranced with her tail lifted, considering Star and his friends with narrowed eyes. Her violet feathers reflected the silver moonlight, and her white blaze was shocking against her granite face. Star watched her liquid movements as she trotted toward them, her tail hairs fanning like silken spiderwebs. She turned her gaze on her ex-captain, Clawfire. “I’m disappointed in you,” she nickered to him with the lilting purr of a young filly.

  Clawfire pinned his ears. “You betrayed me,” he said. “I accomplished my mission, and you banished me for it.”

  “I sent you on a raid for yearlings, and you brought back one short-winged runt. The fact that she was my sister was only half your mistake.”

  Star peered into the woods, hoping Shadepebble was too far away to hear her sister’s words.

  Petalcloud flicked her silky tail at Clawfire. “Don’t blame me for your failure.”

  Star tensed. Petalcloud was baiting Clawfire, trying to lure him into a reckless charge, knowing his two-hundred-steed battalion was outnumbered by her two thousand. Clawfire’s muscles quivered, but he resisted the bait. Star watched Petalcloud trotting back and forth—this mare who’d rejected her birth herd, cast off her sister, banished her loyal captain, and abandoned her colt, Frostfire—and he wondered how she could lead a herd when she cared for no one but herself.

  Petalcloud huffed and changed tactics. “Star,” she said, pricking her ears forward and widening her eyes. “You look well.”

  Star took a step toward her, and her moose of a guard took a step toward Star. Stormtail was thick and burly, but Star was taller. He lifted his neck, and this forced the dapple gray stallion to look up at him. Malice glittered deep in the captain’s black eyes, and Star snorted, ignorin
g him and speaking to Petalcloud. “You refused my help when I offered to heal your herd of the Blue Tongue plague. You accused me of trying to make a pact with you. If you’re so against pacts, then why are you trying to make one with Nightwing?”

  She snorted. “You offered to heal sickly steeds whom I have no use for. He’s offering the power to rule Anok by his side. I wouldn’t have made a pact with you if you’d asked me on your knees.”

  Star flicked his ears, stunned. “But I didn’t ask anything from you. I just wanted to help.”

  Petalcloud reared and stamped the soil. “Snow Herd is smaller for our losses, but stronger.” She spread her wings to indicate the two thousand vibrant warriors standing behind her. “Your power is useless, Star. It does nothing for the strong. We don’t need you. Anok doesn’t need you.”

  Petalcloud pranced closer, breaking pinecones under her hooves, tired of talking. She raised her wing and whinnied to the Ice Warriors, “Bring me his head.”

  Her army obeyed instantly, and they surged past her.

  “Retreat,” Clawfire neighed.

  Star reared and whirled around. There were too many Ice Warriors to fight.

  Clawfire galloped next to Star as their battalion streaked through the woods. “We need to collect our separate units into one,” he neighed. “You’re the fastest. Go. Find Sunray. She can send a signal to the rest.”

  Star lowered his neck, pumping it as he ran. He surged ahead, remembering how much faster he was than other pegasi.

  Star glanced over his shoulder. Petalcloud’s heavy, muscle-bound warriors slowed, already tiring after their first huge burst of speed.

  Star flattened his ears and sprinted through the Trap, dodging trees and leaping over bushes, searching for the tallest tree in the center. Sunray was there, standing in her hoofholds, waiting to relay information.

  Star squinted in the intermittent light from the moon. When he reached the center of the Trap, he scanned the tree trunks for the largest one. There. Redfire had cleared the brush from around its base and stained the bark with the juice of crushed red roots, making it easy to find. Star flew straight up to the top of the tree.

  Sunray was there, her body shaking.

  “What is it?” Star asked, hovering.

  She panted. “Nothing, I just wish I knew what’s happening. Where is everyone?”

  “I don’t know, but we need to gather them. Petalcloud didn’t split her army.”

  “That’s not what we expected.”

  “It’s not,” Star agreed. “Call the battalions to unite and send them west.”

  Sunray lengthened her neck and whistled a series of varied sounds. Each meant something different, and Redfire had trained the captains to decode the signals.

  Sunray inhaled. “Okay, I’m finished.”

  Star jerked his head toward her. “Don’t worry. Whatever happens next, I can fix it.”

  “But—”

  “When you hear Hazelwind’s signal, join us at the River Herd camp. We’re not going to lose this battle.”

  Sunray calmed herself and nodded.

  Star hovered a moment longer, watching the forest below. He couldn’t see through the trees, but he heard the instant galloping of hooves. The captains had understood the message. The small platoons were uniting and heading west, toward what Star hoped was their final battle. He curled his wings and glided to the soil, and then he cantered back the way he had come.

  40

  UNITED

  STAR MERGED PATHS WITH SILVERLAKE, BIRCHCLOUD, and Sweetroot as he galloped east. He nickered to them and they halted. “What’s happening?” neighed Silverlake.

  “Petalcloud is here, and she didn’t divide her army,” he answered.

  The mares nodded with quick understanding and pinned their ears. “We’ll follow you,” Birchcloud said.

  Star led them east. “Stay close to the battle and drag our wounded to the twin pines so I can heal them when this is over. And grab our enemies too; take all the wounded.”

  Sweetroot blinked her large black eyes. “If you say so, Star.”

  “You were once opposed to me healing pegasi,” he reminded her.

  Sweetroot tossed her mane, glowering south toward the Blue Mountains where Nightwing lived. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  Star heard the snapping of twigs, turned, and squinted. There in the dark was the handsome stallion Redfire and his warriors. Star whirled around to join them. “I’ll see you at the twin pines later,” he called over his shoulder to the mares.

  “May the Ancestors be with you, Star,” whinnied Silverlake.

  Star cantered to Redfire’s side. “The Ice Warriors have formed a solid front line,” he reported. “They’re big but slow.”

  Redfire grimaced, his neck pumping as he galloped in the dark. “We’ll divide them.”

  “How?”

  “The sky herders can do it.” Redfire slid to a halt and lifted his head. Piercing whistles rose from his throat and echoed through the forest as he called the swift little mares to the battle. Within minutes, dozens of them appeared, flashing between the trees, and among them was Dewberry. They rushed past Star in a blur, and he thrilled at their agility and speed.

  Redfire charged after them with Star and the warriors galloping behind.

  Two more battalions from the United Army surged from the trees and joined them, then three more found them as they advanced on the Ice Warriors.

  “There!” trumpeted a Jungle Herd captain.

  Ahead, a cloud of dust became visible in the moonlight, and the thud of hooves slamming against flesh carried to Star’s pricked ears. The battle was near and already under way. His heart thumped fast and hard, his muscles loosened and then tensed with anticipation, and his tail clamped against his rear. The steeds around him traded excited glances and rattled their feathers. Star lowered his neck as they burst through the trees and into the thick of the battle.

  The sound of Star’s breathing filled his ears, and it seemed the pegasi around him fought in slow motion. He dodged a kick to his head, whirled around and just missed a blow to his flank. Ice-sharp hooves flew in close quarters, and Star could not get his bearings. He ducked when Dewberry soared overhead. She’d been kicked out of sky herder training, but like everything Dewberry attempted, she excelled at it. Star was stunned but not surprised to hear her already clicking and whistling to the other sky herders in their ancient language.

  Dewberry’s team swarmed like bats, diving at the bulky Ice Warriors and driving them apart. But the stallions seemed ready for this strategy. They allowed the mares to cut out members of their herd and drive them away. Star gaped but realized the problem. The Ice Warriors had not bonded to one another like an army should, so the sky herders could not drive them off as a group. They had bonded only to Petalcloud. This meant that the only way for the sky herders to gain control of her army was to first gain control of Petalcloud.

  Star reared, exposing his neck, chest, and belly; but he caught the attention of Dewberry. “They’re like bees,” he whinnied. “Get the queen. Get Petalcloud!”

  Dewberry nodded and tore off to tell her friends the new strategy, but few were still flying. The stallions were snatching them out of the sky and hurling them into trees.

  Chaos surrounded Star, and he staggered in the midst of it, afraid to let loose his mighty kicks for fear of striking one of his allies. He darted to the side as a pinto stallion charged him. Without thinking, Star whirled and clubbed him between the eyes, knocking him to the ground unconscious.

  Star’s breathing slowed as he focused on the battle, and the sounds around him became clearer. Grunts, moans, sharp whinnies, and shattering bones rocked his ears. Loose feathers erupted and drifted on the currents, sticking to the trees and soil. Star reminded himself that he would heal these steeds later, but there was nothing he could do to prevent the pain and terror of battle.

  “Help!” neighed a yearling colt.

  Star raced to the voice. It was Brackentai
l. A stallion had him by the wing and was twisting it, throwing Brackentail off balance. Star reared and bit the crest of the stallion’s neck. He leaned all his weight onto the stallion and drove his teeth in deeper until the stallion let go. Brackentail kicked the stallion’s front legs out from under him, and he collapsed like a mighty tree. “Thanks,” wheezed the brown yearling.

  Star noticed Brackentail’s wing was torn—the same wing Star had healed once before. He panted, drawing starfire, and healed the orange feathers and bones in a short burst of golden light.

  The fighting around Star paused as every steed turned to stare at him.

  “Seize him!” whinnied Petalcloud.

  Dozens of sky herders regrouped and dropped on Petalcloud from above, striking her so many times that her black eyes swirled in her head. Her warriors leaped to her defense and drove the sky herders off. Meanwhile seven Ice Warriors joined together and charged Star as one. He backed away from them and bumped into the flank of another, and then three more surrounded him.

  “Fly!” Hazelwind whinnied to Star.

  But the stallions were so close to Star that he couldn’t spread his wings, and he couldn’t run. They blocked him on all sides. Star gulped down the foal-like urge to bleat for help. All around him thick-necked Ice Warriors threw off their attackers and advanced on Star, their eyes murderous in the moonlight. His muscles seized, and his blood ran cold. Star had two choices: use the silver fire of a destroyer and win the battle, or fight his enemy with tooth and hoof, and lose.

  41

  DEATHBLOW

  STAR SPUN IN A CIRCLE, KICKING AT THE CLOSEST stallions, trying to think. Hazelwind, Clawfire, Ashrain, and others attempted to lure the stallions away from him. Bumblewind was kicked so hard he flew into a tree and slid to the forest floor. Dewberry charged across the battlefield and landed by his side, fanning his face with her wings.

  Panic flooded Star’s thoughts. He had to stop this. If Petalcloud seized him, her stallions would detach his head, and the pact would be sealed. Star’s guardians would be destroyed or enslaved. He glared at Petalcloud, feeling angry and desperate, and the crackling hum of destructive starfire erupted from his gut, and silver sparks flew from his eyes like tears. She blinked at him, terror and awe in her eyes.