Note: This is written as if you haven't read the books and don't know what's going on. This of course means it starts a little more slowly than you'd probably like. Sorry 'bout that. There's also not nearly as much dialogue as I'd like, but it will get better, in theory!
Finally, we're on the road again, Daine thought. It had been ten years since she had been in Galla, her home country, and eleven years since she had been in Cria, the capital. Daine had thought being away from Court would be a nice break from fancy parties and important meeting, and it had been, but when she got to Cria everything had flooded back to her. She remembered when Onua had first hired her (in the very same city at the very same fair), when Cria was the first big city she had seen, when she was shy and had no friends other than the animals. If it hadn't been for her Wild magic which gave her a special bond with animals she would have been totally alone. She remembered…her family.
Daine was twenty-three, with chocolate colored curls that fell to her shoulders. She kept her hair back from her face with a head-scarf and was wearing ragged breeches. She had a soft, full mouth which made her look much more defenseless than she was.
George rode up on to her on his chestnut gelding, Beauty's Prince. "You look relieved. Glad to be away from all of the memories?" he asked in a quiet, gentle tone.
She didn't have time to answer him. A glimpse of something shining in the sun caught her eye at the very edge of her vision. She spun quickly and saw about seven Stormwings headed for them. "Onua, Numair, look!" she cried pointing at the oncoming enemies.
Stormwings are the picture of terror with the head and chest of a human and the wings and claws of a large eagle. The worst of it is their wings and claws of steel. The feathers are sharp, sharp enough to cut, and their talons can rip you to shreds. The Stormwings stench alone brings up terror you didn't know you had.
Daine reached for her bow and grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her back, but she wasn't fast enough. George who didn't have time to draw his sword, flicked one of his many hidden knives into his hand and stabbed the Stormwing just before it attacked Daine.
"Good thing I kept some of my habits as a thief," he called to her as he got another knife ready to throw at the next beast that got within his range.
Daine, with astonishing speed, grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her back, put it to the bowstring, and smoothly loosed, hitting her target in the eye. One of Onua's arrows pierced its shoulder and it dropped. Numair's black magic with white sparks surrounded another Stormwing, destroying it. Beauty's Prince reared and kicked a Stormwing with his flailing hooves. Daine and Onua both shot others as Numair made sure the wounded were dead. Daine looked around and saw only one shrinking into the distance. Mounting a stone into her sling, Daine knocked it unconscious. Onua rode over and trampled it.
Numair and George dismounted and inspected bodies. "These are all males," Numair told the others.
"Which means there are females somewhere nearby," George said. "We need to get away fast before the rest of the flock comes."
"Who will I ride?" Numair asked. Everyone knew he was an awful rider. He had been planning to walk.
"You'll have to ride Cloud," Onua told him.
Numair looked at Daine's chubby, gray mare. They weren't the best of friends. She returned his look with big brown eyes. I'll carry the stork man, Cloud told Daine, using her name for Numair since that was what he looked like with such long legs.
"Numair, she says she'll be good," Daine informed her lover. "I'll ride a mountain pony."
They had to wait for Daine to explain to the ponies, which they had bought for the Queen's Riders (a bandit chasing group run by Queen Thayet). She then gave a sorrel mare a lump of sugar and blew into her nose to give the mare her scent as she did with all horses when she first meted them. She jumped onto the mare's back and rode over to Numair.
They all started galloping. Numair bounced all over the place and Daine sent a silent apology to Cloud, who snorted in return.
After galloping for an hour and a half they stopped in Coolspring, a city that would have been a six hour ride from where the Stormwings had attacked them, had they gone at a normal pace. George untacked their sweaty horses while Onua dug into the bags on their pack horses for food. Daine and Numair got water for themselves and the ponies.
They had lunch and rested, too tired to talk, then set out at a walk. Six hours later they stopped for the night in a clearing of trees. They all started their chores. Onua tended to the horses. Daine offered to go hunting and Numair went with her "just for protection." George went to the creek to fish.
They had a dinner of the bass George had caught and the rabbit Daine had gotten. Afterwards, they talked around the fire.
"George, how did you get Alanna to watch Pirate's Swoop for seven weeks?" Onua asked, knowing how much the only female knight, called the Lioness, hated being useless.
Fear and pain filled the common-born baron's eyes. "A spidren's acid web got wrapped around her arm. If it wasn't for her strong Gift she would have been killed, or at least have lost that arm. It would have been eaten away by the acid. She's at home recovering."
Everyone cringed and Onua quickly changed the subject. "Aren't Myles and your mother staying in Pirate's Swoop this summer instead of going to Barony Olau?"
"Aye. Old Maude's sick and Mother's goin' to heal her. Alanna's too weak right now."
Daine had yet to meet the King's Spymaster, but she knew he was the Lioness's adoptive father, as well as George's stepfather. Maybe I'll get to meet him this summer, Daine thought.
After and hour of talking they all turned in, except Numair. "I have to inform Jon about the Stormwings so he can send someone to look for their nests," he explained. Before long the flames of their fire had turned black.
Daine stayed awake, waiting for Numair. "Is all well with Jon and Thayet?"
"As well as can be expected in a war against Immortals. Now, shh," he put his fingers to her lips, keeping her from asking her next question. Then he put his lips to her lips. They didn't sleep much that night.