Warrior's Soul (Book 3 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 21

Dry leaves and twigs scattered under her boots as Leyla ran with Athiri beside her. When the land began to slope downwards, she heard two footsteps behind her and knew instinctively who it would be.

"Keep to the flanks!" Leyla commanded as she drew her sword. An arrow would not pierce Timsa skin, but there was a chance of getting a blade between its scales. "Swords!"
                   
She could hear the Warriors drawing their weapons in unison and for a moment it felt like she had slid back in time. Blinking the strange feeling away, Leyla jumped over a thick root just as the river came into view. Every muscle in her body was tensed and ready to fight, when Malia came into view.
                      
Standing by the waters edge, she was speaking to a tall woman and two young children wearing brightly coloured skirts. There was no Timsa in sight and the only thing in the water of note was a small, but sturdy looking raft.
                      
Leyla lifted her hand to the left and right as she slowed her pace, "Keep watch."

Anna and Peter sheathed their swords and moved into the shadows of the trees on either side of her; their bodies hidden while their gazes remained on the river. The couple may have abandoned the Kingdom many years ago, but they were still Warriors to the bone.      

Having noticed her stillness, Athiri came running back to her side and pushed his nose into her leg. "Ssh," she soothed him, "Stay here, or you'll scare the children." The feline looked up with sad eyes, but lowered itself onto its hind legs obediently. "Good boy," Leyla gave him a final pat, then approached the women slowly.

She was just moving out from under the cover of trees, when her presence sent thousands of butterflies flying in a cloud of purple. The delicate creatures made a circle over the flowing river before recovering their perch on the bare branches of a Neluk tree.                   

"Protector, you are back!" Malia, whose attention was drawn by the butterflies, had finally noticed Leyla's presence. Too late! What if Leyla wanted to harm her? Malia wouldn't have even had a chance at running away. How could such a clever woman be so lacking in self preservation?

Leyla frowned for her worry from earlier had lessened, but not dissipated. If even Malia acted this way, how was the camp going to survive when Leyla left?

Unaware of her brooding thoughts, Malia continued with a wide smile, "This is Su and her two children. They are from the Water People settlement just up the river."

Water People? Leyla looked over the threesome again, noting their high cheekbones and delicate frames. She had read about the small tribe when studying for the Officer Exams and remembered not being able to conceive of a people who refused to take up arms even in defence of their own lives. The Water People built their homes on stilts over the Gaian rivers and spent their days in peaceful study of the world around them. To them love was the greatest good and killing was the highest offense against their Holy Mother Gaia.

Wouldn't they despise someone like her?   

"Protector," Su raised her joint palms in greeting. Her children followed suit, their big eyes wide as they watched Leyla from under sun-bleached lashes. "We have brought you offerings of peace."                

Malia pointed at the tall baskets behind Su that seemed to be filled to the brim with Blom flowers of all colours. The fuzzy round blossoms belonged to a strange plant that thrived when its flowers were picked.

Not having a clue what they were meant to do with the offering, Leyla recalled her studies and brought her palms together and touched first her right, then her left cheek with the tips of her fingers, "Thank you."

The children's eyes lit up at the action and they pulled at their mothers hands with excitement, "It's true, what the elder said! The Protector is blessed by Water, mama!"

Before Leyla could ask what they meant, the sound of cracking twigs had her turning back. Athiri rushed to her side, his ears twitching as he faced the group of ten Hayvani warriors who arrived at a run. What in Gaia were they doing?

"Lieutenant?" Peter questioned. Both he and Anna had stepped out into the clearing, their hands ready to reach for their swords in the face of the Hayvanis who were now pointing their arrows at their chests.

"STOP!" Bloody Diya! Did the Hayvanis think the Warriors had been chasing her? Leyla frowned, moving her hands downwards to communicate with the now confused looking Hayvani. "Weapons down!"
  
Having had a few moments to feel the atmosphere, the Hayvanis lowered their weapons and shifted restlessly.

"Are you alright?" She turned to Su and the children, expecting to find them cowering. Instead, they were all looking at Athiri with sparkling eyes.
                      
"O Hayvan, guardian of Mother Gaia," Su said with reverence, then holding her children's hands she smiled a bright smile at Leyla. "Mother Gaia shields you with a royal beast. We are blessed to be in your presence, Protector."

Blessed because of her? Uncomfortable with the deference in her words, Leyla looked towards Malia, "We should get back to camp. You were gone for a while so the children got worried."

"Ah, yes Protector. Right away," Malia looked like she had come out of a daze.

Giving a final nodd in the direction of the Water people who continued to watch her with bright eyes, Leyla picked up two of the baskets and turned towards the waiting warriors. She had gotten side tracked, but this incident had confirmed what she had been worrying about since the previous evening: the people in this camp were not equipped for survival.

Peter and Anna stepped up to take the baskets from her hands as Leyla looked over the Hayvanis. If they were organised correctly, this group alone could take on a dozen Bone Eaters easily. Plus, there were plenty of trainable men and women and if they put up a wall...

Her mind filled with military strategy, Leyla led her soldiers back to camp.