Chapter Twenty-Nine
The sun was beginning to dip down toward the horizon, and Meryl was starting to worry. There was no word from the advance guard, and she wondered if something had happened to them. The thought made her stomach twist. When Asim asked why she was anxious, she hesitantly told him. He looked around the camp for inspiration, and his eyes gleamed suddenly as they alighted on Suzuko, who was stuffing her face with dried figs.
"Sparrow-girl," he barked. "Can you become a bird again?"
Suzuko swallowed and eyed him warily. "Why you want to know?"
"I need you to fly over to the rest of the group and see what's happening," Asim explained. "You're the fastest way."
"I see," said Suzuko thoughtfully. "So if I do this, then you give me something."
"I'm doing you a huge favor just by not turning you back into a sparrow," said Asim roughly.
Suzuko pouted. "Fine, sour face. I be a sparrow and fly to the rest of the fools off there. Then what?"
"Tell them to send up a signal for us to come," said Asim.
"Righty-o."
There was suddenly a blinding flash of light, and a little sparrow blinked up at them from the spot Suzuko had just been standing.
Mokuba rubbed his eyes, grimacing in pain. "Could you warn me before you do that again?" he moaned. The sparrow just twittered mockingly and fluttered off, gone from sight over the rock cliffs.
The next few hours flashed past, a blur in Seto's memory. Not more than two hours later, Azar came back from the hills with a herd of stampeding steeds behind her, stirring up dust with their dinner-plate-sized hooves and snorting like train locomotives. The newcomers were amazed by the horses' sheer size and power, muscles rippling beneath their gleaming coats. The Akaneben made murmurs of pleasure and quickly saddled up their recovered mounts, packing up the fragments of their ruined village with astonishing efficiency.
The trees shaded the group from the scorching heat; they rested lethargically, too tired to move or do anything else. It was not until a small brown figure soared into view that there was any activity. It came in closer, tweeting madly, and seemed to be out of practice in the art of flying, for it did not land until a rather thorny bush broke its fall.
To everyone's surprise, a small, red-haired girl came crawling out of the bush, spitting and hissing madly like an angry cat. Her clothes were torn and she was in the process of removing thorns from her skin. "Dammmit," she mumbled, brushing herself off. Oh, great, Seto thought, as Suzuko straightened up and surveyed them all shrewdly. "I bring message from the great lion fool," she announced in Japanese. The Akanep were starting at her with a sort of preoccupied fascination. "He want know how all you are do, but I see you is alive. Also want you send up for a signal." She finished her botched message and took a haughty bow, plopping down onto the ground.
There was a moment of slightly awed and shocked silence. Then Ramla said with just a hint of amusement in her voice, "Very well, then." She got to her feet and raised her hands above her head, conjuring a sphere of crackling purple fire. She sent it skyward, and it shot up like a rocket, spiraling and shimmering, and then it was coiling itself like some gigantic snake until it was the unmistakable shape of a wolf's head, complete with two purple jewels for eyes. It gleamed in the sky like a great beacon, and they stared up at it in awe. Then, from far away in the hills came an answering signal, a crackling red rope that twisted into kind of an oblong shape that Seto could see was supposed to be a lion's head, although it was only a very vague resemblance. Ramla smirked. "Asim was never one for art," she remarked. "Anyhow, the stragglers should be arriving soon."
They were soon relieved from the heat as the sun began to sink and the sky began to dim. Samira started a fire, and Azar returned with some roots and leaves to add to the stew. When it was done it was ladled into bowls and passed around, and the crew dug in.
A.N.: I am not one for describing eating scenes so I think I'll shut up before it gets any worse.
Before the sun had set completely, the three travelers were seen silhouetted against the night as the camels sauntered onward. Mokuba nearly fell off the camel in his effort to get to his brother. Seto, who was in the action of putting a spoonful of stew into his mouth, nearly spilled it all over himself when Mokuba bowled him over in a hug. Several people hid smiles.
As the brothers were sharing some brotherly love (however grudgingly), Asim helped Meryl down from her camel and they came to the fireside.
Azar said now was the best time to travel and they should get a head start, so as soon as the stragglers were finished eating, everyone remounted and the now rather large group headed out into the desert night, the starts twinkling above them.
As they rode, Seto tried to remember how many days he had been at this, but it was impossible. Everything was starting to blur together in his memory like paints mixing on a canvas…
He felt himself sinking into sleep, but did not try to stop it. He was jerked back awake suddenly when he felt a pressure on his shoulder. "The Akanep are going to raid the Renunep village," the falcon whispered in his ear. "We're almost there. You can hang back or come along."
"Is it safe?" asked Seto, still groggy. He blinked, and his fuzzy vision cleared. All around him in the dim moonlight were the outlines of the Akanep riders, grouping and talking in low, tense voices. A little ways off from the dune on which they stood was what looked like a camp, for Seto could see the hulking shapes of many tents, and the feathery shapes of leaves and their tall, limber trunks. The lights of burning torches flickered from the camp, and a hazy smoke drifted upwards from somewhere in its center. It was the Renunep village.
"Those who can't fight are waiting here," she replied. "You have the Millennium Rod, so if you wanted to come, you could help the Akanep get their children back."
"But won't the Vipers have… swords, and arrows and things?" Seto said uncertainly.
"Yes, but all you have to do is ride in and rescue a child. You might not even have to fight anyone. Trust me, the Akanep are superb fighters. You can help them out by blasting Vipers with the Rod."
"…All right then," said Seto, hiding his nervousness. He had never been in a real battle before. Well, there was always a first time.
Azar, who was at the head of the group, gave a command, and the riders began to move out.
The falcon clicked her beak and the camel kneeled so Seto could dismount. "There's a horse over there," said the falcon. "Mount it from the right side. Put your right foot in the stirrup and swing over. Hold the reins tight. Don't worry, the horse will listen to me, so I don't think it will do anything dangerous."
Her words were somewhat comforting, but as Seto approached the horse his anxiety grew tenfold. As he stood beside it, it snorted and turned its head and ears toward him, as if to size him up. Nervously he took the reins, stepped into the right stirrup, and swung his left leg over to the other side. The horse shifted its weight suddenly, and Seto nearly fell off. "Don't be scared," said the falcon. "She can sense it when you're frightened. Now, hold the reins firmly, and try to move with the horse. That way you'll bounce less."
At some undetectable signal, the horse suddenly began to move forward, and Seto hung on for dear life. It took him several minutes to get used to the rocky bouncing of the horse's trot. They were so high off the ground… he could see the Akanep up ahead, moving fluidly and carefully like liquid shadow toward the Renunep camp.
"I'm going to move her into a canter," whispered the falcon. "Just relax and lean into the horse's movements."
It was easier said than done. Seto felt like someone was shaking him up and down; his brain was jarred and his legs were sore. After about ten minutes of this beastliness that was called "cantering", the falcon finally moved the horse into a full-blown gallop. Seto gave up trying to move with the horse and flung his arms around the horse's neck, praying that he wouldn't fall off. The air whistled past, and the mane of the horse whipped out, her tail streaming behind her like a black flag. Seto caught up with the Akanep and was happy to bring his mount back to a trot. Silently they advanced toward the now-near village. Shouts and unearthly trills and screams could be heard. They made shivers run down his spine.