1
Zara
There was something about living under the constant threat of violence that desensitized you. Maybe it was because there were only so many times I could wake up in a cold sweat in the night, sure thatthisnight would be the one where the eagle warriors would descend and destroy everything I loved. Eventually, I had to shove all those fears to the very back of my mind for my own sanity.
After years of unending war, I had to trust that my mother’s ability to keep our tribe hidden was everlasting. I never thought they would find us.
I should have known better.
As the morning dawned with a red-streaked sky, I traveled the short distance from our camp to a nearby stream. My blood bay mare Shazeera carried me at a leisurely gallop—we never walked when we could race across the plains, the long grasses parting for us like waves. The sky rapidly changed to blue as the sun rose. It was empty, for the moment, of clouds, making it easy to see that no enemy would swoop down on us.
Still, with a war that had raged for over a hundred and fiftyyears, we could never afford to let our guard down. Even within my mother’s protective wards.
Wards that wouldn’t last much longer if the queen’s health was any indication. As her power waned, mine was meant to replace it. When it came to the powers that should be my birthright, though, I was completely useless.
Not useless.Shazeera interrupted my thoughts with a swish of her tail.It will come in time.
You may be the only one left who believes that,I thought.
She shook her head, her long black mane brushing the tops of my leather-clad knees.Considering I’m always right, isn’t that all you need?
I laughed in spite of myself.I just wish there were some evidence of my supposed powers.
You come from a long line of First Daughters with powerful defensive earth magic. We wouldn’t have bonded if you weren’t meant for greatness.
I smiled inwardly at her proud thought. Shazeera was descended from not only the greatest endurance horses, but also the fastest.
She slowed to a springy trot as the stream came into view, and before I could even let out a yelp in surprise, she continued into the water with a powerful splash, carrying me with her. As the cold water droplets hit my bare arms, goose bumps immediately sprang up. The sun had just risen, and it was still unpleasantly cool outside.
Did you think I needed a bath, or what?
A little cold water might help clear your head,she replied, before shaking off and lowering her head to drink.
It’s you who isn’t seeing the situation clearly,I grumbledmentally as I jumped from her back onto the bank. I wanted to avoid getting my boots even wetter than they already were.
I crouched down and cupped water in my hands to drink, closing my eyes as the refreshing coolness slid down my throat. It always tasted better fresh from the source. Rising, I scanned the distant hills to the east, where a line of trees met the plains. Beyond that rose the mountains. I couldn’t see them from here, but I imagined them soaring high above the foothills, just as they did on the map my mother—Ama to me, but Queen Rana, the Queen of All Queens, to everyone else—often brought out whenever General Isa came to talk strategy. In my mind, I could see the many clusters of triangles that represented the Angora Mountains to the east, where the Zephyrian Empire’s capital city of Naharu and its palace clung to the highest peak of Crane Mountain.
As the sun rose higher, warming my dark hair, I tried to imagine what it would be like to live in the forest, constantly shaded. Out on the plains, the trees were few and far between. Generations ago my people’s territory had expanded as far as the Black Forest to the north and the Ridgeline Foothills to the east. Now, the enemy’s territory surrounded us on three sides. Shazeera and I had explored as far as the foothills, but that had been far more dangerous than I had anticipated.
Far, far away, a giant eagle screeched, and we both froze, as we’d been trained to do from a young age. A strange tension coiled in my chest, and I couldn’t say it was entirely due to fear.
I reached out with my mind to feel for my mother’s protective wards as she had taught me, but as usual, I could sense nothing at all. Even the weakest earth magic user could sense the protective shields that hid our people from our enemy. The fact that I couldn’t was endlessly frustrating—especially to my mother. AsFirst Daughter, how would I ever take over forming the wards if I couldn’t even sense them?
The wards are still strong,Shazeera said gently. She knew how worthless I felt when I had to rely on her senses instead. The horses were born being able to sense earth magic—no training required. At least one of us could.
Her ears pricked toward the east as she listened for a moment, detecting another screech that I could barely make out.The eagle is flying away from us.
We both relaxed. It must have been a wild eagle, then. They were still dangerous, but not nearly as much as one carrying a Zephyrian rider. Our camp was currently only an hour away from the mountain foothills, where many wild eagles nested.
Just once, I would like to take a drink from this stream without worrying that a giant eagle was about to swoop down on my head,Shazeera said with an irritated swish of her tail.
Maybe none of them would be as hostile if it weren’t for the Zephyrians.
The Zephyrians flew to our continent of Equnox on the backs of giant eagles a hundred and fifty years ago, from their much smaller continent of Darkhan—one of the four continents in our world. When they found our lands to be populated by mostly peaceful tribes, they returned with battalions of highly trained infantry by ship. The Angorans of the eastern mountains were the first to fall under their rule, followed by the Nazcas of the northern forests, and then the Semalians of the western coastline. Only three tribes remain free.
Once, we had been known by our individual tribes, though we were all descended from the first six daughters who had been given magic by the Earth Mother. Out of necessity, we hadbanded together as the Children of Earth against our common enemy. And our numbers were dwindling.
Shazeera turned her head toward our camp, growing still as though concentrating.
