catching the nomad woman on the neck.
Roused by the melee, Tamakh appeared in the road. The horse's tail swatted him in the face, and he tumbled backward on the sand.
"Taqeet asah!" said the mercenary in disgust. He grabbed the spear from where Marix had jabbed it in the ground. With the extra reach of this weapon, he could spit these annoying vagabonds without further ado. He singled out the dagger-wielder first, as he was the most seriously armed.
Suddenly, the horse began to buck and shake. It rolled its eyes and shook its head in stark terror. The rider kept his seat, but required both hands to do so. The spear fell to the ground.
A piercing howl arrested everyone in their tracks. The horse neighed and shivered. Jadira turned toward the sound, which came from the dunes on the other side of the road.
A dense black form hurtled through the air, striking the horseman and knocking him from the saddle. He landed heavily on his back with the black thing at his throat. The man screamed once, then lay still. The creature let go of him and retreated to the center of the road. Jadira caught the panicked horse and quickly soothed it.
On his knees, Marix pointed at the big creature coiled in the road. "A panther!" he said.
Jadira found the spear and pointed it at the black animal.
"Wait," said Tamakh. He was kneeling by the dead soldier, offering a hasty benediction. He peered intently at the panther. "Don't hurt her." The panther turned to the priest, and they locked eyes. Tamakh's face registered surprise and the animal's lips lifted in a snarl. Tamakh smiled.
"It's a killer!" said the terrified Marix. "Do you see what it did to that man?"
"She only did what the rest of you were trying to do," said Tamakh. Jadira heard bitterness in his words. "And she is one of us, after all," the priest added.
"What are you saying, Holy One?" asked Jadira.
"The panther is Uramettu."
"By the Thirty Gods!" Nabul made a sign to ward off evil influences.
"No wonder the sultan kept her in a cage," said Marix. "She is cursed!"
"Are you certain, Holy One?" asked Jadira.
"Agma lets me see through such enchantments. This animal is indeed our companion." He looked at each of them in turn. "She is a shape-shifter."
The sun had declined, almost touching the higher dunes. Its rays bathed the motionless panther in brazen color. The magnificent beast shuddered and twisted. Its hind legs straightened and lengthened with ominous pops and groans. The dense black fur thinned and disappeared into smooth dark skin.
"Cursed," mumbled Nabul, turning away.
Jadira watch in horrified fascination as the panther's head lengthened and flattened. Its long teeth and whiskers retreated. Just as she, too, would have looked away, Jadira's eyes found those of the panther. They were Uramettu's eyes. As the animal became a woman again, those warm brown eyes never left Jadira's face. They were the only part of the panther that did not change.
"I am grateful you did not spear me, friend Jadira," said Uramettu. She adjusted the spare scrap of linen that was her clothing and stood up.
"Be grateful to Tamakh. He recognized you, not I."
"My thanks, Holy One."
"Not bad for a fat cleric, eh?" said Tamakh with a wink.
"How is it you come by this power?" asked Marix.
"It is not unknown among my people," the woman from Fedush replied. "While I was in panther form, I was captured by Zimoran slavers. When they saw my true shape, they knew the sultan would pay well for such an addition to his menagerie."
Nabul stripped the dead man of everything he had. Armor, weapons, coins, and clothes he flung in a heap by the road. Tamakh handed the soldier's mantle to Uramettu.
Marix led the horse to her. "Since you defeated the enemy, by right of combat the horse is yours," he said.
"I don't think the poor fellow would appreciate me on his back." As it was, Uramettu's presence caused the horse to roll its eyes and quiver.
"Someone ought to ride," Marix declared.
"If the choice