Einar stepped forward, surprised, but he didn’t have time to admire the weapon. Shouts of warning from outside his tent caught his attention. He spun around, eyes on Matthew, checking him over to make sure he was armed. Matthew nodded.
“I-I’m o-o-kay.”
Stepping forward, he cupped the back of Matthew’s head, muttering low enough that I couldn’t hear. Matthew looked close to tears, but he nodded again, and when Einar left, he stayed behind with us. Drawing in a shaky breath, he turned to face us.
“L-let’s go.”
We left the tent together, Finn leading the way to a few tents that were already crowded with women and children, along with a few older barbarians who were armed but obviously old enough to not be useful on the front line. They stayed behind to protect those who couldn’t fight.
“Finn!” Patrick called, beckoning the smaller man to his side. I followed, looking around at the groups half hidden in the tents and near the treeline. They were anxious but not afraid. Many of the women, even pregnant ones, had weapons and were ready to defend themselves. These people were worthy of admiration. It made me proud to stand beside them.
“Did anyone say who it was?”
Two older barbarians were speaking low with one another, standing off to one side. I edged closer, hoping to overhear them.
“No. The scouts only saw a crest. A gold sun on a dark blue banner.”
My stomach dropped, and I felt for a moment that I couldn’t draw in a breath. “Say that again.”
The barbarian who’d spoken turned to me, giving me a sympathetic smile. “Be at ease, little tribute. You are safe?—”
I shook my head rapidly, cutting him off, but didn’t make him repeat it. Instead, I ran toward the village center where I might find Uttin. Because if the barbarian was right, the danger that was heading our way wasn’t another clan. It was my people.
Twenty-One
ZAKAI
Most of the village was empty, including the center. It was a little eerie since even when it was snow covered and freezing, there were usually people coming and going all the time, making the space seem crowded. The warriors of the clan stood in the distance, some on horseback while others guarded on foot. They were all armed, but no weapons were drawn. I looked around hurriedly for Uttin, but I couldn’t find him in the crowd. And knowing these overprotective barbarians, if they caught me out and about, they’d move me before listening to what I had to say.
“Hey! You need to return to the others!”
Sure enough, one of the guards closer to the village noticed me and headed in my direction, his expression one of worried consternation. I wasn’t willing to deal with him, not after seeing the shine of gold heading down the hill toward the clan. I needed to get out there before they attacked the people who’d cared for me this past month. Some of the soldiers preferred to attack first and ask questions later.
Spinning on my heel, I hurried toward the field of stallions. I excelled at riding. If I was fast enough, I could meet the soldiers before they got close enough to cause trouble for the clan.
“Zakai? What are you doing?” Godr asked.
He stood near the side of the field where he could see the clan gathered, armed and ready to protect the herd, his expression pensive. And a little confused now that he noticed my arrival. I wasn’t sure I could trust him not to demand I return to where the rest of the clan hid, but he’d been nice enough to give me an idea of how to stay. If he didn’t agree, I’d just steal a stallion and apologize later.
“The army with the gold sun are my people. I need to get out there before they do something stupid.”
His eyes widened, and his head whipped back to where the large battalion was getting closer to the clan, then back to me.
“Shit. Let’s go, then.”
He whistled, calling over a pretty mare with a dappled black and white coat. He gave me a boost, helping me to get situated, but before he could get on his own stallion, I stopped him with a shake of my head.
“Just me. If you come with me, they might think you’re trying to hold me hostage. Thanks for the horse.”
He squawked a noise of protest, but I kicked the horse into motion, ignoring him. Since they didn’t have reins, I had to be careful holding onto the mane while keeping my blades away from the mare, but she was a steady one and headed straight for the group of three breaking off from the rest of the battalion and heading for the clan. Orthorr, Uttin, and another I didn’t recognize guided their larger horses forward, but when they saw me coming, they froze. Uttin looked horrified, and I wished I could explain things to him, but I didn’t want my people anywhere near the clan until they knew the barbarians weren’t at fault for my kidnapping.
“Zakai!” Uttin bellowed.
I ignored him, heading for the emissary and his two guards. He recognized me, and relief flashed across his face, but then his gaze shifted over my shoulder and he shouted out a warning, waving his hand to the archers to get them ready to fire.
Whipping my head around, I nearly cried seeing Uttin chasing after me. He looked afraid, but I was more afraid for him. They saw him as a threat. I couldn’t let them hurt him.
Lifting my voice as loud as I could, I shouted, “Stop! By order of your prince!”
