All she had to do was tug Sacha out of the stupor that had come over her, like she had many times before. They would end their game with no winner and go back inside to wait for Mamay and Tayta to come home. Everything was just as it should be.
“Sacha, come. Let’s find Lali and then—”
From far-off, Nina heard the huff of an animal. The whisper of acommand. The shuffle of dirt and rocks. She finally reached Sacha, but Nina’s attention was focused on the bent road, on the things she could not see and the way her imagination filled in the blanks.
Mind racing, she calculated the time of year. There were weeks before the growing season came to an end and their ayllu was required to pay the chani, the price for belonging to the united empire of Tawantinsuyu. The empire took their crops, textiles, knowledge, and sometimes even children. Sons to serve in the emperor’s military, as walla who were trained to fight and defend. Daughters, always the most beautiful, to serve as acllas that were kept cloistered in the acllahuasi, trained to become wives and servants and gifted to houses the emperor deemed worthy.
An honor,they were told. But it hadn’t felt like an honor when the walla had come to take Samaq ten years ago. It had felt like a punishment. Like a price too high to pay. There was nothing left they were willing to give, and so Nina, Sacha, and Lali had hidden during every following harvest on their mamay’s orders.
No one should have been there to collect. They should have had more time.
Andyet.
Nina sucked in a sharp breath as the first beast rounded the corner, just as large and ferocious looking as she remembered, even from such a distance. The achipuma’s sleek black fur glistened in the early-afternoon light. Large clawed paws carried it silently closer. It prowled casually, as if it was in no hurry at all and nothing was important enough to merit its attention, but its pointed ears flicked back and turned from side to side, listening to sounds Nina couldn’t begin to hear. Then its glossy black eyes landed on her, and a chill spread down Nina’s back.
That chill crawled further when her eyes found the man sitting atop the beast, broad shoulders clad in a tunic so red it was almostblack. The sharp lines of his jaw, the length of his hair, the way his body seemed an extension of the beast he rode, all spoke of unfathomable strength and power.
Sacha’s hand slipped into hers, and Nina squeezed gently, painfully aware of how fragile it felt. How small they were in the face of man and beast.
“We should hide,” Nina whispered, voice high-pitched and thin. Standing there in full sight was a slap to the face of their brother—the boy, only eleven years then, who had concealed his fear and followed the men in red on their terrifying beasts, never to be seen again. It was a direct slight against their parents, who made sacrifices to Pachamama and worked tirelessly to gather enough crops to pay the chani and keep them all safe.
Sacha shifted closer. Her hand trembled, but her voice was steady as she said, “There is no hiding from this.”
“Then we find Lali and run. We know these fields better than them.” Nina shifted back a step and tugged Sacha with her. There was defeat in her sister’s eyes, but Nina had never been one to give up so easily. “Please, Sacha. Something isn’t right.”
Sacha’s wide brown eyes met hers. Dark circles rested beneath them from the previous night of restless sleep. She knew Sacha had little energy, that this was a rare day when she felt well enough to play, and Nina would carry her if needed. Even against her will.
After a tense pause that seemed to last forever, Sacha nodded imperceptibly. A simple acquiescence that felt more like a damning. It was all Nina needed. Without another word, they turned and ran, but not before Nina caught sight of a sly smile, a twinkle of anticipation in a pair of dark eyes, a murmured command tohunt.
They ran like the defenseless prey they were. Sacha was slow, and though the beasts and their men were far down the path, she could feelthe earth shake from their bounding leaps. One of the men called out a command, and Nina yanked Sacha forward, hoping she kept her feet underneath her.
The path stretched out before them. If they kept on it, eventually they’d reach their small home with its stone walls and thatched roof, where tiny handprints decorated the step before the door and delicate blue flowers adorned the door casings. It was a safe place, but their home offered no real protection. Their parents were gone, and there were no weapons within. Even if there had been, Nina couldn’t use one, and neither could Sacha.
They had never been taught to fight—only to hide. Their best option was to lose themselves within the cornfields.
Nina veered sharply to the right. A blur of black cut them off.
“Nina!” Sacha screamed, but it was too late. The achipuma’s tail lashed out and yanked her feet from underneath her. The ground slammed into her back and stole her breath. Ears ringing, she rolled onto her side and found Sacha’s arm, ready to tug her to her feet so they could run again.
But Sacha’s eyes were closed, her arms limp. Nina pushed to her knees, ready to crawl, to shove past all her physical limits and drag Sacha away. The sting of cold metal against her exposed neck stopped her in her tracks. “Don’t move,” a voice said.
Nina held herself unnaturally still. Metal scraped across her skin until the point of a wickedly curved blade rested on her throat. Attached to the blade was a tanned hand with several gold rings that glinted in the dying sunlight. At her predator’s feet, a red cloak swept the ground in an errant breeze, the embroidered wings covering the hem fluttering as if they were in flight.
Though tempted, Nina didn’t curse or cry or spit at his feet. She sat back the slightest amount, rested her palms on her thighs, and met theman’s eyes. They were the same she had seen from a distance, set in a face so carefully crafted he looked carved from stone. Dark hair brushed his cheeks and forehead, and even darker eyes held hers. His tunic was sleeveless, and at the center was a golden disc bearing the face of the sun god, Inti. Golden snakes wove around his upper arms.
Behind him were two more men and beasts, but Nina paid them no mind. She knew the man with the blade at her throat was who she should fear, and not only because of his weapon. The urge to glance at her sister, to watch her chest move with breath, was almost more than she could ignore.
“If you’re looking for my mamay and tayta, they are in the fields. They’ll hear if I scream,” Nina lied.
The man didn’t respond.
“You have no reason to be here,” she continued. “The chani isn’t to be collected for several more weeks. We have no debts with Emperor Maicu or any of the nobles.”
It was true. They were nothing but a small farming community, an ayllu far from Amaru Kancha, where the emperor resided. Their family always paid the chani on time. They consistently made offerings to Pachamama. They did everything right.
Andyet.
“Your fields have grown much since the last time I saw them.” The man tilted his head as he watched Nina absorb his words. It felt like he was peering into her mind.
