The camp was abuzz around us, as the last tents were taken down and packed. I looked around to find Keekai not far, mounting her own horse.
"Xyian."
I turned, and lifted an eyebrow at Iften in surprise.
"If we are attacked by archers, do this." He lay down the length of his horse, his body pressed tight along the horse's spine, his face almost buried in the horse's mane.
I tried it, laying down on Greatheart's back, trying to mimic his actions. Greatheart stirred beneath me, turning his head to look at what I was doing.
Iften rose in his saddle and reached over to press at the base of my spine. "Lower still." I grunted, trying to press myself further down.
"You must be low, less of a target." Iften removed his hand. "The horse is trained to run, if we are attacked and you lay flat like this. Do not try to guide the horse. He is smarter than you are. Your job is to stay on." He sniffed. "If you can."
I sat back up, adjusting my armor, and gave him a withering look. He ignored me.
"Your Guardian is right." Keekai moved her horse close on my other side. "It is a good move for you."
"One thing more." Iften dismounted, and called out to one of the younger warrior-priests. "Dark Clouds, do you still have that spare shield?" Iften turned back to me. "Off." I got off my horse, but I was in no mood to deal with his rudeness. "The shield is too heavy for me. I just end up dropping it."
The warrior-priest approached, as Iften dug in his saddlebags, and waited to hand the shield to Iften. The tattooed man waited patiently until Iften was ready for the item.
"My thanks," Iften said. "Do you require—"
"No. As I said last night, it is an extra. You are welcome to it, warrior." Iften gave him a nod, and turned to me. "Turn around."
"Why?"
He gave me an impatient look. "I will strap this to your back. The weight will not be a problem, and it will provide more protection."
"Oh." I turned and stood as Iften arranged the straps. I stood in silence as he worked, tugging at my armor. If he was going to act decently, so could I. "You get along well with the warrior-priests, better than anyone else."
"Why not, since I was almost one of them." Iften spoke absently as he tightened the strap.
"You were?" I turned, surprised at that bit of information.
Iften frowned at me, not pleased at his little disclosure. "Does it fit? Can you move?" I rolled my shoulders and moved my arms in a circle. "Fine," he said. "Mount." Apparently Iften the Boar had a limit of polite conversation, and it had been reached. I turned and got back on my horse without saying another word.
We rode hard, Keekai setting a swift pace. She was no longer dawdling on an ordinary trip, now she was in deadly earnest. Everyone was on alert. The tension was enough to make my heart race and my stomach knot. I scanned the horizon like everyone else, looking for any sign of a threat. Nevertheless, the horses still took priority. We stopped to water them, posting guards all around us. Each horse was quickly checked for problems as it drank. Everyone switched mounts at that point, quickly changing saddle and tack. I didn't want to leave Greatheart, but I knew he needed a rest from bearing my weight. Still, I was afraid that I would lose him, since they didn't string the horses together. I need not have worried. Whether it was training or herd instincts, the riderless horses stayed with us. Keekai pressed us on, unwilling to stop even for a nooning. Everyone dug into saddlebags and pulled out food that was shared. Cold kavage, gurt, and some type of dried meat. It was very tough and hard to chew, but it took the edge off my hunger.
The warriors remained on alert, but after a while, when nothing happened, I fell into a kind of numbness, watching the never-ending grasslands pass with nothing to mark the land. Other than the streams and ponds that came out of nowhere, it was unending rolling red and yellow grasses. Finally, as the sun neared the horizon, we stopped at a small pond, watering the horses yet again. Greatheart trotted up to me, snuffling my hair, and butting my chest. Keekai walked over and smiled at his actions. "I'll have him saddled for you."
I puffed out a breath. "We're not stopping?"
"Another hour or two, and we will stop for the night." She looked me over carefully. "Can you do that?" I was tired, but I wasn't going to admit to it, especially surrounded by warrior-priests and Iften. "I'm good for a few more hours. But don't expect much from me in the way of talk tonight."
"Aye to that," she agreed wryly.
Our attackers rose out of the grass like specters and swooped around us, screaming and yelling. Startled out of a daze, I twisted in the saddle, confused and uncertain.
But not Iften. He was beside me, glaring. "Ride! Ride!"
Greatheart needed no further urging. He leapt forward at a gallop, hooves tearing at the sod. The warrior-priests surged around me, drawing in close to protect us. Keekai appeared next to me, her horse easily keeping pace with us.
I caught a glimpse of the enemy as one galloped past, aiming a bow in our direction. It was a warrior of the Plains, and I had a moment to wonder that it wasn't a warrior-priest when Iften hissed, "Down." I almost fell forward, crushing my breasts down under the armor. My hands tangled with the reins and the coarse hair of Greatheart's mane. His muscles bunched and moved beneath me. The thud of his hooves vibrated the length of my body. Gasping, I took deep breaths, trying to pull air into my body and quell my terror.
I was grateful for Greatheart's long legs and strength that pushed us forward at such speed. But I knew my poor horse was tired after a day's travel, as were the others.
We plunged on, surrounded on all sides. Greatheart's hooves beat out a rhythm as fast as the beating of my heart. I pressed myself low to his back, my face pressed into his mane. Iften's voice rang in my ears.
