Warlord by Elizabeth Vaughan Read Free Book Online

armored, and bearing lances. Two of the ehats seemed to realize the danger, and were trying to move closer to each other, but the teams were heading them off. Their musk might be gone, but those horns were still wickedly sharp, and the ehats weren't afraid to use them.
    "Any down yet?" Ander asked as he and Yveni joined us.
    "Not yet," Joden responded. "But I think that far one is going down." I looked to see the animal staggering, and the riders crying out as it fell.
    "A quick kill," Marcus said. "Thanks to the skies."
    Yveni came to stand behind me, looking out at the land behind us. She and Ander were taking turns, watching the hunt and our backs. Even here, even now, they didn't let down their guard. They shifted, so that she could see. "Good. The faster the kill, the less risk to one of ours." Joden grunted, but never took his eyes off the scene before us. He was intent, trying to see it all. I knew he would remember it all, and wondered how he'd capture all of this in a song. The air filled with the cries of warriors and the bellows of wounded ehats. Two more went down, leaving the last ehat, the one closest to us, still standing. "What is Iften playing at?" Marcus grumbled. He was right, Iften was in the lead on this ehat. The animal was stamping, bellowing and using short charges to fend off the riders. I watched as Iften came around, a lance in his hand, aiming for the beast's head.
    "He wants an eye shot," Joden noted absently.
    "He cares more for his personal glory over the good of warriors," Marcus snapped. I held my breath as Iften rose in the saddle, raising the lance, headed right for the head. He threw up his hand, brandishing the lance—and dropped it.
    There were gasps all around me as Iften fell back into the saddle, his arm cradled in front of him. But the ehat didn't hesitate. It swung its head hard, and its horn caught both Iften and his horse, throwing them both in a tangle far into the grass. The ehat bellowed its triumph, and swung again, trying to catch another rider.
    "They'll lose it," predicted Joden, as the riders on the team changed their tactics, interposing to keep the ehat from trampling Iften. But that gave the ehat a way out, and it turned to flee. "If it runs, it will be miles before it stops."
    I heard the cry first, a warbling that rang in the ears. It was Keir, racing in on the black, headed straight for the ehat. I held my breath in horror, he had no weapon or armor. What was he thinking?
    But the cry had put new fire in the team, and they surged forward toward the animal, to try to cut if off. One warrior broke off and met Keir, tossing him a lance in mid-gallop.
    "He'll try for it." Marcus spoke in satisfaction.
    Goddess, he was going to do it. My mouth dried as he raced closer and closer to the beast, coming up from behind, under the horn. He seemed to rear up, the lance high, and then he threw. The lance pierced the ehat's chest, just behind the leg.
    "Lung hit," Ander announced with satisfaction. Marcus and Joden both grunted in agreement. The ehat took a step, another, staggered, and then dropped in its tracks. A great shout arose, the cheering of all the warriors.
    Warriors were leaping in the air, shouting and dancing. They were giddy with their success. I shouted too, sharing their exhilaration and relief. But I was made even happier by the sight of Keir heading our way, riding his horse with graceful lopes toward us.
    Until the wind shifted.
    I am a healer, used to the sights and smells of corrupted and sick bodies. There wasn't any putrid substance that I hadn't dealt with before. Still, I didn't dare risk another breath. I'd empty my stomach for sure.
    Yveni stood next to me, and leaned into my ear. "It means much, when one greets a lover covered in ehat musk with a kiss," she said.
    Mentally I rolled my eyes, and wondered if I could make this so called 'sacrifice'. Everyone else drifted back as Keir came closer, even my guards. Not that I could blame them. The stench was