Warrior's Heart (Book 1 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 9

The horse slowed its gate, more weary from the moodiness of its rider than from the four hour journey over unyielding ground. Leyla cursed her foolishness for the dozenth time that morning. She had known that Captain Leo would take his anger out on her, but she had not expected him to go to these lengths.

A messenger was waiting for her in front of her quarters that morning with a missive instructing her to deliver a private letter from Leo to the Captain in charge of Outpost 5 on the outskirts of the Greenlands. Of course, it was likely no coincidence that her superior decided to write to the outpost which regularly came under No-Lander attack due to its proximity to Greenland food stocks. It was also hard to imagine it was a coincidence that when Leyla went to gather a few riders to accompany her, all of the soldiers capable of the task had been conveniently sent on different errands as had the horses they would have used.

While Warriors did not cross No-Lander territory on their own, there was no actual law that said it couldn't be done. It was likely that with the new frequency of ambushes, a rule to that affect would soon be put into place, but as things stood it did not exist. There was, however, a law that forbid her from disobeying her superiors order. If she stayed, she would be imprisoned and demoted.

Although Captain Leo had little talent for his job, the skill with which he had plotted his revenge had to be admired.

So here she was, riding into an area which she knew was strewn with No-Lander raiders, all by herself. It occurred to her that Leo was probably hoping she would die. A grim smile curved her lips. Well, he didn't know her well enough. She would survive. She would survive just to spite the bastard.

The horse's pace changed as the terrain underfoot became softer. The grey barren grounds of the Warrior lands had given way to more malleable soil and shrubs some time ago, but now trees were abundant and the landscape had turned green. Leyla had ridden out here on missions before and knew that the trees would only get denser and taller as the next hour passed. Then the streams would appear; offshoots of the Blue River that ran through the heart of the Greenlands. Her gaze wondered over the tops of the trees to the snowy peak of Deadman's Mountain to the right and the far away tips of the Three Sleeping Sisters to the left. The three volcanos had been dormant since before the Blue Men came and Gaia's recorded history began.

A shift in the leaves up ahead, put her on alert. Her expression didn't change, but she slid her right hand down to her belt and tightened her other hand around the reigns. This is what she had been waiting for.

Keeping her expression impassive, she moved her horse slightly to the right, angling away from the taller trees up ahead. Going by the latest raids, she had to be ready for the possibility that there was a Ra-Innu archer among them. If that was the case, the archer would be waiting in one of the trees up ahead.

Another shift in the shrubs to her left. She took deep breaths, keeping her heart steady and slowing her horse while pushing her feet firmly into the stirrups. They were moving behind her; they were going to try to get her to make a run for it, straight wards the archer in the trees up ahead. It was a good plan, but had a weakness. Let's see what you do now. Squeezing her thighs and pulling on the lead, Leyla brought her horse to a sudden stop.

All was quiet for a moment, then a shout pierced the air.

Six No Landers armed with battle axes and swords rushed at her from the shrubs. Leyla turned her horse towards them, letting the beast rear its front legs as she reached for her bow and arrow. The moment its hooves touched the ground once more, she fired. One, two, three, four, five men fell - the sixth fleeing before her arrows could find their marks. No one else appeared, but Leyla knew there would be more of them positioned further up, near the archer. She slid down from her horse and moved quickly.

The injured men on the floor groaned as she approached, each of them had an arrow buried in their achilles tendon and one in their shoulder, ensuring they couldn't stand up or wield a weapon. The scent of blood clung to the air as Leyla pulled her arrows out of the wounded men's bodies. Opening her senses, she listened past pained moans to the sounds further a field. Since she was not moving forward, the rest of them would come to her.

A faint whistle in the air propelled her forward. She rolled out of the way of the deadly arrow and raised her sword just in time to hold off the sixth attacker who had returned with three others in tow. Metal clashed against metal sending shockwaves up both of their arms. The man in front of her was bigger than her, bulkier and taller, but he was slow. She made short work of him and two others, before facing the last man. Slim and dark, he was the fastest of the lot and the smartest. Still he could not compare to a Warrior.

Leyla ducked under his next swing and stepped behind him, putting him between herself and the archer who had yet to show himself. Growling under his thick moustache, the man swung again, then cursed when an arrow flew past, almost hitting his side.

It was the distraction she needed. She bent low, stretched her arms forward then pulled the blade back in a swift move that cut across the back of her attacker's ankles. The man went down with a cry of pain. Leyla didn't pause, there was no time for hesitation. She ran back to her horse, sliding the last few feet and dropping her sword in favour for her bow and arrow. Nothing happened. Sweat dripped down her neck as she calculated. If there were more foot soldiers, they would have come out by now. There was most likely only the archer left, and the pause in his shots indicated he was changing location. But where, where would he go?

She scanned the surrounding shrubs and the smaller trees behind them. He had been shooting from behind a shrub, due west, unconcerned if he was seen since there were others to occupy her attention. Now that all of his comrades were down, he was probably scared. Which meant, he would move further away and if he moved further, the only way to see her without being spotted was from higher ground.

Her arms raised, her bow taught, she scanned all of the trees within sight, looking for one with lower branches that would hold a man's weight. She spotted him just as he let loose of his arrow. Tucking her weapon, she rolled out of its way and fired as she was standing back up. A low cry was followed by the sound of branches breaking.

Certain the archer would not be firing again, Leyla dropped her weapon and ran to her saddle bag. Her breath coming in short bursts, she took her rope then made short work of securing the No-Landers, tying their hands to their feet while they cursed at her.

She was finishing tying up the last man when she felt a vibration beneath her knee. Bloody Diya! Shoving the last tied man away, she lay flat on the ground, putting her ear to the soil. Horses. There were five of them and they were coming her way. Horses were rare in the No-Lander tribes, only the most skilled fighters and tribe leaders would possess them. Could she really be this unlucky? Think, Leyla, think! It was too late to try to escape, the closest outpost was another two hours ride away, she would not be able to outrun them for that long.

She grabbed her bow, positioning herself so that she had a clear shot at the road, but would be difficult for approachers to see. The ground shook. She lined blood covered arrows on the ground in front of her. The chances of her defeating five horsed fighters was slim, all they would have to do was attack simultaneously and no matter how fast she was, she would be dead. If she could shoot far enough, bring their numbers down before she was within their reach, she might be able to survive. But from her vantage point, the only way to do that was to call the Heat.

Once she called the Heat, she would only have moments before the pain that came with it would make it impossible for her to fight. She was going to have to take them all down before she lost consciousness.

Ignoring the burning sensation in her arms, Leyla placed an arrow on her bow, closed her eyes and took a slow breath in. The cries of the tied men, the sound of the wind pushing at the shrubbery, the pounding of horses hooves as the enemy approached...everything began to fade away and a shimmering green-blue streaked the ground.