It was one thing to hear that Keir would be riding bareback and weaponless, with no armor, but it was another thing entirely to see it. He looked small and vulnerable, and I sucked in a breath as he and the other riders with him galloped toward the ehat.
They swept around the animal at a full gallop, yelling and waving their arms. Some threw stones, more to annoy than to hurt, since they seemed to bounce right off. I could see Rafe and Prest in the thick of things, trying to anger the beast.
The ehat raised its head from the grasses, its nostrils flaring as it took in their scent. It had a short, stubby tail that fluttered in annoyance at being disturbed. Even at this distance I could hear a deep growl, and then the animal snapped its head to the side, sweeping its horns at the nearest rider. Dearest Goddess, it wasfast.
Far quicker than I'd assumed it would be. I must have spoken out loud, because Marcus agreed. "They are, Warprize. It's tricky, it is. They need to be close enough to anger, but far enough to avoid the horns or being trampled." Joden nodded in agreement.
The other teams were also moving, but I watched only Keir as his team circled yet again. My heart stopped as Keir charged right into the ehat's face, and the black reared to paw at the sky, neighing a challenge.
The ehat's head came down with a terrific snort, and it stamped, as if preparing to charge. But Keir and the black had already moved off, to join the others circling back behind the animal, beyond the reach of those horns.
"That's done it," Joden said.
"How do you—"
"The tail." Marcus pointed.
I looked in time to see the stub of the tail stand straight up, and a thick stream of yellow ichor shoot out at the riders. Keir was missed, but others weren't so lucky. Prest seemed to be dripping in the stuff.
"Two left," Marcus commented.
"They can do it three times?"
Joden nodded, gesturing off to one of the other groups. "Looks like Prest took a full hit to the head." I couldn't tear my eyes away from Keir. The ehat he faced was fully aroused now, stamping, and spraying out at anything that moved. I watched as everyone was sprayed, including Keir. As soon as it was certain that the animal had exhausted its supply, the riders moved off, away from camp.
"Normally, they'll not bring that stink to camp," Marcus replied to my questioning look. "They'd find a place to rub in the dirt and use crushed grasses on their skin and the horses. It takes the worst off."
"Oh, the poor horses."
"They're better off than the warriors. The stink doesn't seem to cling to horsehide as bad."
"What about water? Soap?"
Joden joined in. "Water seems to make it worse. After a few hours, the dirt and grasses absorb it, and then they'll bathe."
"But this is not a normal hunt." Marcus pointed off where Keir and the other musk teams had gathered.
"They'd not miss this."
"Who would?" Joden agreed. "Simus will rage that he missed this."
"The kill teams are moving in." Marcus pointed, standing up, and waving to let Ander and Yveni know they could join us.
We'd crawled up the rise so as not to spook the prey, but that wasn't a worry now. I stood with Joden and watched as the next teams swooped in, full armored, and bearing lances. Two of the ehats seemed to realize the danger, and were trying to move closer to each other, but the teams were heading them off. Their musk might be gone, but those horns were still wickedly sharp, and the ehats weren't afraid to use them.
"Any down yet?" Ander asked as he and Yveni joined us.
"Not yet," Joden responded. "But I think that far one is going down." I looked to see the animal staggering, and the riders crying out as it fell.
"A quick kill," Marcus said. "Thanks to the skies."
Yveni came to stand behind me, looking out at the land behind us. She and Ander were taking turns, watching the hunt and our backs. Even here, even now, they didn't let down their guard. They shifted, so that she could see. "Good. The faster the kill, the less risk to one of ours." Joden grunted, but never took his eyes off the scene before us. He was intent, trying to see it all. I knew he would remember it all, and wondered how he'd capture all of this in a song. The air filled with the cries of warriors and the bellows of wounded ehats. Two more went down, leaving the last ehat, the one closest to us, still standing. "What is Iften playing at?" Marcus grumbled. He was right, Iften was in the lead on this ehat. The animal was stamping, bellowing and using short charges to fend off the riders. I watched as Iften came around, a lance in his hand, aiming for the beast's head.
"He wants an eye shot," Joden noted absently.
"He cares more for his personal glory over the good of warriors," Marcus snapped. I held my breath as Iften rose in the saddle, raising the lance, headed right for the head. He threw up his hand, brandishing the lance—and dropped it.
There were gasps all around me as Iften fell back into the saddle, his arm cradled in front of him. But the ehat didn't hesitate. It swung its head hard, and its horn caught both Iften and his horse, throwing them both in a tangle far into the grass. The ehat bellowed its triumph, and swung again, trying to catch another rider.
