With a nod, Ahjul took up his place beside Terindi.
“The rest of you,” Yhkon led Eclipse over to Talea so she could mount, “we’re going into the village.”
No questions, no objections. Everyone got on their celiths and set them at a canter toward Luriville.
Talea had to swallow the constriction in her throat to get out the question that was nagging her. “What will they do to the San Quawr they find, if we don’t stop them?” Her voice was nearly drowned out by the din of hooves.
Yhkon must have heard anyway. His shoulders were rigid. “Kill or enslave.”
“But we’ll stop them,” Grrake called, from where he and Wylan rode to their right.
Yhkon lowered his head, pulling his hood more securely over his forehead and balling his fist tightly around the reins. “This time.”
Her throat only became even more constricted than before. All the times we can’t stop it…how many will die?
They broke from the trees into the clearing of the village, where knights were gathering up villagers and restraining any that resisted. Eclipse lurched, nearly throwing Talea from the saddle, as Yhkon wheeled him around to avoid the sword of one of the Kaydorians. She gripped his waist tightly as he engaged with the soldiers, her eyes locked on the villagers. There was a sort of calm, a lull, about the situation. There should have been shouting and confusion, instead it seemed the laborers were too stunned to put up much fight. It was the Wardens who were disrupting the strange tranquility. Among the villagers, a little boy stood between an even younger girl and a knight. He tried to shove the man away, to dodge him and move his sister from harm’s way. Instead, both children were grabbed and torn apart from each other. The girl’s screams shattered the serenity of the scene. The stillness was gone. In its place, chaos.
“Go for the celiths!”
Talea heard the shout of the commanding knight, a moment before Yhkon was leaping from the saddle. He hit the ground already moving, attacking the nearest Kaydorians. The other Wardens had dismounted as well, leaving two riderless celiths, Wylan on Grrake’s mount, and Talea still on Eclipse.
The knights trying to subdue the villagers were becoming more aggressive toward their hostages. They were threatening women and children in an attempt to get someone to betray any San Quawr in the group.
“Talea!” Wylan had moved Lenjeya, Grrake’s mare, to Eclipse’s side. “Let’s go!”
She blinked. “Go where?”
He was already kicking Lenjeya into a gallop, straight toward the villagers and the knights surrounding them. Surely he knew they weren’t supposed to use their lightning. So what was his plan? Trample them? Wouldn’t the knights just kill the celiths out from under them?
Yet for some reason, she was urging Eclipse after him.
The soldiers directly in their path drew their swords, backing away. The celiths’ hooves left a wake of dust, stinging Talea’s eyes and clogging her throat. She was coughing and blinking rapidly as they reached the knights, and she still had no idea what they were supposed to be doing.
Wylan didn’t hesitate. He drove Lenjeya straight into a soldier. Clearly the man hadn’t expected such a bold move, which was what made it work. He was sent sprawling by the impact, but before he fell, Wylan somehow managed to snatch the sword right out of his hand.
Now there was just the minor problem that she was still aboard a galloping celith, with about zero seconds to decide what to do. Her hands decided for her, guiding Eclipse to the right, toward the little boy and girl, and the soldiers that held them.
“Talea!” Yhkon’s voice. “What the—”
He probably finished with a curse and an inquiry as to what exactly she was doing. Oh well. Too late to stop now. Eclipse was already thundering down on the soldiers who were hauling the children, writhing and screaming, away from each other.
Well what good was all that training Grrake and Yhkon had been making them do, if it couldn’t help her out here?
She jumped from the saddle while Eclipse was still running. He kept going, knocking a few knights down and one unfortunate villager, while she ended up flying straight into the man holding the little girl. Her shoulder hit his armor painfully, sending all three of them down in a tangled heap. She was already grabbing the girl, fingers prying her loose from the soldier’s hold. Freeing her suddenly, Talea stumbled backwards, with the girl tight between her arms. Her balance was off. It was either fall, or drop the child. Her back met the ground with a jarring thud. Instinct sent her rolling, getting to her knees, her back between the little girl and the men still standing around them.
A hand closed around her upper arm and yanked her to her feet. The shouting and general pandemonium around her had increased. She looked up and sure enough, the Wardens had caught up, and were making quick work of the remaining Kaydorians. Tarol, Larak, Resh, and the twins had ridden into the village too, and were soon using their mounted advantage to force the knights away from the villagers, before finishing them off.
Wylan let go of her arm as soon as she was steady, a hint of a sparkle in his dark eyes. “Did you have a plan for getting out of that, or were you just counting on me saving your neck?”
Her stomach twisted at the same time as she gave him a dazed grin. “You think I had a plan to begin with?” She set down the little girl, who looked at her for just a moment before fleeing back to her brother.
Another hand grasped her arm, tighter. She spun to face the owner: a tense-looking Yhkon. “What on Kameon were you two doing?”
She couldn’t quite tell if he was legitimately angry or only pretending to be. It rather looked as though he wasn’t sure himself. “Um, well, we were…”
When she didn’t come up with some sort of an excuse, he finally rolled his eyes and released her arm. “You did good.” His expression relaxed. “I prefer to be asked, though, when you’re going to perform dangerous heroics, is all.” After giving them a slight smile, he left to rejoin Grrake and Larak, who were addressing the nervous villagers. Among them was the rest of the Vegn family. Jasib wasn’t making eye contact with any of them.
While Grrake had been trying to reassure the people, Yhkon took a different approach. “Alright. We’ve dealt with these Kaydorians, but more will come within days to finish the job. We won’t be here to stop them. If you’re San Qawr, and they find out, they will either kill you or take you prisoner.” He let the words hang for a moment, in the tense silence. “One of our men will be returning shortly with some Elikwai, an elite force of the Calcarian military, who will escort any San Quawr to Calcaria. If you don’t want to go, that’s your choice, but there will be no protection for you here. If you’re coming, pack enough food for two weeks, the materials for a shelter for your family, and only whatever else you absolutely need. Any questions?”
“Um,” a middle aged man with a thick beard spoke almost instantly. “Who are you people?”
Larak grunted from a few feet away, giving Yhkon a disapproving glance.
Yhkon, meanwhile, just looked impatient. He backed up, gesturing Grrake forward. Mumbling an “If you would,” he left Grrake to answering questions, while he approached Tarol and the twins, telling them to go to the Vegns’ home and let them know what was happening.