Chapter Eleven
xxxxxUpon waking, I slip out of my tent into the crisp, early morning air and feed Black Robin a few carrot pieces. From the position of the moon and slowly appearing sun, I judge the time to be about five in the morning.
xxxxxSuddenly Black Robin pricks her ears and tenses slightly.
xxxxx“What’s up?” I pat her neck reassuringly, but she only grows more agitated, until I finally release her from the tree and leap
astride her back; she gallops into the trees.
xxxxxI suck in a sharp breath and duck close to the horse’s neck to avoid a low-hanging branch; feeling her silky mane brush against my face.
xxxxx“Woah!” I shout: she’s going to get me killed.
xxxxxBut instead of listening, she wheels around and trots in the opposite direction!
xxxxxI push myself up into a proper sitting position and heave a sigh of relief, At least she’s heading back to camp.
xxxxxBut then she stops before a small bush, lowers her head to peer underneath it, and whickers softly.
xxxxxI start as a feeble, familiar whine meets my ears, and, jumping down, lower myself onto hands and knees to see a half-dead
dog. “Yelena!” I cry, and immediately gather her in my arms, as she attempts to lick my face in a flurry of joy.
xxxxxShe has several infected wounds, plus an ugly looking thorn in her paw, so I’ll have to clean her up once we get back to camp.
xxxxxGlancing back under the bush, I afterward scan the woody horizon, but Flint is nowhere to be seen. I sigh with a sinking heart, realizing that the jaw-bone I had seen in the clearing was his. Flint is dead.
xxxxxI focus on the task at hand to distract myself from the dog’s fate and remount Black Robin—a difficult task to accomplish with a burden—and she gallops back toward the campsite.
xxxxxAs we emerge from the forest, I wind my horn twice, our signal for embarking. “Clear up!” I shout. “We’re starting in two hours!”
xxxxxBlack Robin stops outside my tent and I quickly dismount, setting Yelena gently down on the grassy turf. Slipping briefly inside my tent, I locate a few supplies and back out through the loose flaps.
xxxxxMurmuring condolences, I deftly extract the thorn from Yelena’s paw, smear a healing salve over her wounds, and patch her up. As I start tying a last bandage around her leg, I hear a step nearby and look up to see Sa’an, looking slightly ashamed.
xxxxx“W’a’s up?”
xxxxx“I’m just sorry about the way I acted yesterday; everything’s just—so new and overwhelming! I don’t know how you’ve managed living like this for all these years. So… sorry.”
xxxxxI grin. “That’s okay. Believe me, I know how you feel!”
xxxxxHe chuckles, then eyes Yelena curiously. “That your dog?”
xxxxxI nod. “Yip, I lost her during the battle; forgot to ask Jack about her; and only just found her now, in the woods.”
xxxxxI pat her side as she lets out a small yelp of pain, and quickly loosen the bandage. “Oops, sorry.
xxxxx“Go recruit someone to help you ‘n’ Lexie pack your belongings,” I address Sa’an, trying not to seem too commanding to a prince
who isn’t used to being told what to do. But, to my surprise, his reply is neutral, and slightly excited.
xxxxx“Okay, Captain,” he answers.
xxxxx“Oh, you don’t need to call me ‘Captain’, or ‘Sir’,” I say, glancing up at him in surprise.
xxxxxHe grins. “It’ll be better to, though, won’t it? Your men might get suspicious or annoyed if I don’t, won’t they? Besides, you are my
captain now,” he grins again.
xxxxx“I guess,” I say doubtfully. “Do what you want.”
xxxxx“Yes, Sir,” he says respectfully, before turning and walking away.
xxxxxAfter getting Yelena comfortable and feeding her a bit, I saddle Black Robin, organize my belongings, and roll the tent up;
attaching them in some way to the saddle.
xxxxxThen I sit, wondering how to transport Yelena, and what we’ll do in the forest. Find another band and spread the news of traitors?
Try to amass an army? Or wait, and gather my strength before I do anything drastic?
xxxxxFinally, I make up my mind and jump to my feet, weaving through all the bodies and tents—after motioning Black Robin to stay put with Yelena—to the abode of a sharp-eyed bandit named Oliver.
xxxxxHe glances up from tying the bindings on his tent and immediately stands when he catches sight of me. “What can I do for ya, Captain?” he asks respectfully.
xxxxx“I need you to locate a few of my men, with the keenest eyes to scout ahead of us—along with you—to Bluestar River. Immediately.
xxxxx“Recruit a riderless horse to transport your gear.”
xxxxxHe nods. “Yes, Sir.” And, hoisting his tent under his arm, strides through the camp, calling out names as he goes. “Bert! Carl! Hork!”
xxxxxI then locate Jack, and investigate as to how many casualties we suffered during my capture. The answer’s depressing, to say the least.
xxxxx“Seven slain, five wounded, and eight—seventeen taken prisoner.”
xxxxxGroaning in exasperation, I say sarcastically, “Well that’s just great. Now we only have twenty-one able bodied bandits!
xxxxx“I’ll have to find out how good Sa’an and Lexie are in combat,” I finish musingly, then groan again as I remember our scourge of
the traitors. “Okay, scratch that: sixteen warriors fit for combat.”
xxxxxOh, Yahweh, please send help; I don’t know what to do! I groan inwardly, and an idea comes almost immediately.
xxxxxThank you!
xxxxx“We need to recover the prisoners,” I decide aloud. “They’re part of us; we can’t desert them. Besides, they’re needed.”
xxxxx“But—” Jack tries to argue, but his incredulousness irritates me, and I cut him off.
xxxxx“No ‘but’s. That’s final: we’re rescuing the rest of our band, no matter the cost. We’re lost without them.” An image flashes unbidden behind my eyes of one of the bandits; my dearest friend, who was like a brother to me; but I push it down, ignoring it.
Jack has already said he was among the dead. “We’ll get to the Bluestar, first,” I continue firmly, willing my voice not to tremble, “and come up with a strategy there.”
xxxxxJack’s face is resigned, “You’re the Captain.”
xxxxx“Yes, I am,” I agree cheerfully, and begin stalking back to my campsite, but stop when I remember something, and say, without
turning around, “Oh, and outfit Lexie with a horse, Jack. That’s an order.”
xxxxx“Yes, Cap’in.”
xxxxxI’m again relaxing near Black Robin and Yelena, when Lexie trots up on—to my surprise—a spirited bay charger. I know the horse, and, though she’s not quite as chipper as usual, she’s looking a darn sight better than when I saw her as we entered the camp; she was one of the most dejected creatures I’ve ever seen—exactly how Black Robin would look if I had died. Lexie’s almost completely transformed her.
xxxxx“Big horse for a li’l tyke like you,” I remark innocently, although I’ve already noticed her skilled horsemanship.
xxxxxLexie rolls her eyes as she dismounts. “Seems like it,” she says in disgust, “Jack nearly had a fit, and was this close to not letting me have her.
xxxxx“He said her rider was killed in battle.” She sits next to me, grasping the horse’s reins.
xxxxx“Yeah,” I say, and quickly change the subject. “You don’t need to hold her still; she’s not going to run away from you. Like Black Robin,” I explain.
xxxxx“Ha,” she lets go of the reins in surprise. “I don’t know what to call her.”
xxxxx“She’s Thrush,” I say before I can stop myself, and immediately bite my tongue as the horse pricks her ears and gives a low whicker at the sound of her name.
xxxxx“Thrush,” Lexie repeats softly. “How do you know?”
xxxxxI grunt. “Her rider w’s my friend.” I want to stop speaking; to not bring up memories that are now painful, for she belonged to
my ‘brother’; but something makes me continue. “I wanted him to be my second in command, but he wouldn’t accept. Seems he
died.” My voice breaks a little on the last words.
xxxxxLexie says nothing, but hugs me for a long while. It feels good.
xxxxxFinally, I glance up at the rising sun; gauging the time, and stand, freeing myself from Lexie’s little arms.
xxxxx“Mount up!” I call, and blow two blasts with my horn—excitement and trepidation whirling inside me—before swinging myself into
Black Robin’s saddle and whistling for Yelena, who only just has the strength to spring up behind me.
xxxxxI wait for a couple minutes, watching the flurry of activity as my bandits mount their horses; before turning Black Robin and
heading deeper into the forest.
It really means a lot to me <3