“Eager to run?” Ilati asked fondly, stroking her mare’s neck. 

Youtab answered with a huff and a toss of her head, muscles rippling with excitement at the idea of a chance to break loose from all the confinement of the trees.

Shir Del laughed. “Bring us back some breakfast if you are going to go darting off, lioness. It will be excellent target practice.” 

Ilati shook her head. She knew her accuracy still left a great deal to be desired, even on stationary targets. She had learned a great deal by practicing for hours every day, but she didn’t consider herself anywhere near the mastery that her Sut Resi friends had achieved. “You mean a way I lose us many arrows? You would be better off sending Roshanak.”

“I said practice, not perfect.” Shir Del stretched lazily on Araxa’s back, eyeing the woods behind them as Kulziya and his men followed them out, still engrossed in conversation with Eigou and Menes. The soldiers of Ulmanna seemed much more comfortable around the sorcerer and the charioteer, not quite certain what to do with the three women carrying weapons in their midst. They were even more careful around the Sut Resi horses, particularly after Youtab had nearly kicked one for coming too close. “We will see you when your wild one is ready to return.” 

There was a certain truth to that nickname for Youtab: the horse was wild in a way not even Thriti or Araxa were. They were fearsome Sut Resi horses to be certain, but they seemed far more used to people and were willing to permit Eigou and Menes close. Youtab barely tolerated even Shir Del’s touch, always warning with her teeth and ears. She was still virtually a feral horse, gentle only with Ilati. Ulmanna would be a hard trial for her. 

The priestess whistled sharply in the morning air, holding on as tightly as she could. The Sut Resi barely had a saddle and no reins or bridle, so staying on was something of an art form. Youtab let out a blown breath of delight and surged forward. The strange, burning connection between horse and rider was always at its strongest in moments like these, when Youtab’s breathless joy crashed into her own exhilaration in a wave of elation. Ilati barely heard Eigou call after her and paid his words no mind, conscious only of moving and leaning in time with the horse beneath her.

There was a rhythm to Youtab’s gait that her body matched automatically, and while she would be sore by the end of the day, her core and legs were finally strong enough to keep her seat properly all day long. She knew to stay as loose as possible and keep her weight in her heels. With her bow slung across her lower back and her quiver secured, nothing rattled or jostled her in a way that risked her balance, and Youtab had been kind enough to practice turns and maneuvers with her many times in the forest since their battle with the demon.

Ilati and Youtab raced forward together, neither aware of a place where horse ended and rider began. There was only the rush of wind, the thundering of hooves, the pulse in their veins, and the sudden delightful thrill of being so vibrantly alive. The grassland went whipping by in a blur as Youtab stretched herself to her full potential after days of being cooped up in confined spaces, Ilati’s laughter caught and carried off by the rushing wind.

The horse only slowed when Ilati’s still healing leg ached, gradually decreasing her pace as they neared a fork from the river so that she wouldn’t abruptly dump her rider. Once they were down to a walk, Ilati leaned forward, stroking Youtab’s neck and then whistled a different cue softly. The horse stopped obediently just before the mud, allowing Ilati to slide off and walk beside her.

Contentment was not an emotion Ilati experienced often these days. Once upon a time, it had been most of her existence. To be Zu’s high priestess was all she could have asked of the gods for a life, closely connected to her family and serving a vital role for her people. It wasn’t as though she had hated it or longed for more. Had the Nadaren never come, perhaps she would have never even dreamed of leaving Shadi or that world. Now? She could not return to it even if she wanted to. That was the question, though.

Would she even want to? 

Ilati leaned against her horse’s side slightly as Youtab stopped at the water’s edge to drink, trying to think of what she wanted the future to look like. Most of the time, her answer was crystal clear: Nysra’s end. It was these rare, brief glimmers of happiness that made her wonder if that was all she wanted. She ran fingers along the scar that tugged at the corner of her mouth, a grimness quickly returning. She had many promises to keep still: to her beloved dead, to her dark goddess, to the one who had abandoned her, to her allies, to her enemies.

An arrow does not think of what will become of it once it reaches its target, Ilati reminded herself, only the target.

The breeze stirring the surrounding reeds shifted and Youtab snorted a warning, her ears flicking. Ilati unslung her bow in a moment and strung it with a practiced ease. She plucked three arrows from her quiver, letting two hang from her draw hand as she nocked the other on the string. If Shir Del, Eigou, and Menes had taught her anything, it was to trust her instincts. Something wicked stirred in the wind, wreathed in copper stench.

A deep caw split the air above and Ilati glanced up to see a large, dark bird flying away. She didn’t waste an arrow trying to bring it down. She doubted an arrow could fell a bird of ill omen even if one found the creature. 

The priestess took several steps backwards into the reeds, dropping into a low crouch. Youtab circled into the shallows herself, taking a quiet stance shielded from view by thick, tall reeds. The priestess’s leg twinged slightly, but supported her weight with no problem. She let her breathing settle lower into her belly to keep her hands steadier and waited patiently. 

After a few minutes, a man in Nadaren armor strode out into the clearing, followed by several other men wearing the same cut and fashion of clothes as Kulziya. Her eyes traced over him, a sudden hate exploding outward through her veins like the fire of a nova. He was a long-jawed, almost kingly man in his bearing, with striking green eyes and a ring set with several emeralds woven into his square-cut beard. The last time she had seen those eyes, they had danced with the light of flames. 

She knew this one. 

For a moment, the screams of the dead were deafening in her ears. Ilati drew her bow back carefully, pulling it to her cheek. Everything in her wanted to release it, to send an arrow flying into his miserable throat. The quiver of her fingers on the string had nothing to do with weakness of muscles. Her vision narrowed until her eyes focused only on him, as if they were the only two people left in the world. Soon there would be only one.

“Commander, there is nothing here,” one of the Sarrian guards said. “His Highness will be most disappointed if you abandon his hunt to chase thin air.”

The Nadaren man looked down, eyes lingering on the hoofprints in the soft earth. “Prince Zidanta is far more patient than you give him credit for,” he said thoughtfully. “A rider came through here recently. Was a courier expected?” 

“No, Commander Sarhad.” 

The name stopped her just before she let her arrow fly. Ilati didn’t dare move and slacken her arm for fear of revealing her position, but she knew what Nysra would do to the Kingdom of Sarru if she murdered his emissary. They could not yet afford to draw his ire, not without a single soldier to their names. If she wanted Nysra, this miserable creature would have to endure. Ilati swallowed down the hateful notion and thought back to the wilderness. If a lion could be patient as it waited in ambush, so could she.

Sarhad glanced around, but Ilati was below eye-level and well-concealed among the rushes. She knew riverbanks well as a daughter of the Esharra. “Perhaps they were seeking His Highness. Very well. Let us return, and perhaps we will see.”

Ilati waited until they were out of sight to relax her arm, shrugging out the tension in her shoulder and counting the seconds until a full minute had passed before whistling softly to Youtab. The horse emerged from her own hiding place in the shallows, climbing up the gradual bank with a few steps. It wasn’t until she had her fingers in Youtab’s mane that Ilati felt the prickle of tears threaten in her eyes. 

She blinked hard and tucked the arrows back into her quiver. You wept your last tears into the River Esharra, she reminded herself, burning away her feelings with the hate that knotted in her stomach like a writhing coal. When the anger of her grief was all she allowed herself, the tears vanished. Harden your heart, daughter of Shadi. There is much work to be done.

If she was not very careful in Ulmanna, the man could easily recognize her. The scars of K’adau’s claws might not be enough to obscure her identity and exposure could mean death if Sarhad had the princes under his thumb. She didn’t know Tudhaliya to trust in his protection. Ilati rested her forehead against Youtab’s for comfort, trying to piece together a plan. She needed to talk to Eigou without Kulziya nearby, just in case. However amiable the old man was with the captain of the guard, they were no longer guaranteed to be among friends.

By the time Ilati returned, her companions and their escort had made good time, rejoining the main road to Ulmanna as it followed the edge of the forest down towards fertile pasture and farmland. Farmsteads and the occasional logging camp dotted the area, though few ventured too deep into the forest even knowing how valuable the cedars were, for fear of evil spirits. Those who passed through it used the main road almost exclusively and made offerings to the different gods who warded the woods and travelers alike.

“Are you certain your granddaughter is not Sut Resi, Eigou?” Kulziya said with a chuckle as she slid off Youtab’s back, landing neatly beside them. Her injured leg twinged a little, but so far it wasn’t bad.

Ilati knew she probably looked windblown and wild, a far cry from her old life, but she allowed Eigou to speak on her behalf. They hadn’t exactly agreed what her story was, since the sorcerer had been so busy wringing every bit of news out of Kulziya since they’d begun traveling together.

Eigou chuckled. “I think she is more full of surprises than you give her credit for, Captain.” He seemed to catch that something was bothering her, because his eye narrowed slightly.

“I speak only from what I see. She seems every bit as wild.” 

The old man clapped one hand on Kulziya’s shoulder. “You are not wrong. Will you excuse me, my friend? I must warn her about the men of Ulmanna before we reach it.” 

Ulmanna’s guard captain laughed in good nature, leaning on his spear. “Shall I take offense at that, Eigou?”

“If it pleases you.” Their sorcerer strode down the path, beckoning for Ilati to follow him out of earshot. “If I am not mistaken, my dear Hedu, something bothers you.” 

Ilati followed on his heels, one hand still against Youtab’s neck as the mare kept pace beside her. “Down by the river, I saw Commander Sarhad on a hunt,” she murmured just loudly enough to be heard by her mentor. “I recognized him from the destruction of Shadi.” 

Eigou scowled, immediately recognizing the danger that posed. “Did he recognize you?” 

“I stayed hidden in the reeds, unseen, but that will not work in Ulmanna.” The priestess touched the scar that twisted the corner of her mouth. “I do not know if this will be enough, even with the work of sun and wind.” 

“Your demeanor has changed too.” Eigou rubbed at the back of his neck. “He will not see in you a meek and battered priestess, at least not if you are careful. In my experience, the context of people often is more remembered than their faces. I cannot conceal your appearance without prompting questions from Kulziya that we may not wish to stir. In this, your acting skills are our best defense.”

“And how am I to act?” 

“In this, we will let your goddess be our guide.” Eigou stroked his beard. “I have already planted the seeds and told Kulziya many fanciful stories that he is certain to spread. As far as he is concerned, you have always lived in the wild places of the world, far from the cities of men. Your accent is only Kullan because that is where your mother taught you speech.” 

Ilati felt a pang behind her breastbone as she thought of her mother’s body in her arms, cold and lifeless. “And who was she?”

“An outcast, spurned for casting the evil eye on her husband when he set his affections on another woman. A daughter of a sorcerer is not likely to take such an insult with magnanimity if you believe the stories. Remember what I said to you of shedding that nature like a serpent leaves its skin? So too the fine manners of Kullah must be behind you for the time being.”

“I do not want to offend in a royal court.” 

Eigou waved a hand dismissively. “Remember why we have come here. Impressing King Tudhaliya with table manners is not the goal, and discovery would be far more detrimental than a little rudeness. I will smooth over any ruffled feathers.” 

She sighed slightly. “And if I misstep?”

The sorcerer put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly. “We will devastate that dam only if we reach it, but I have faith in you. Consider it only another test, one where both K’adau and I will be your guides.”

“She does not speak beyond the wild places,” Ilati murmured.

Eigou shook his head slightly. “Her power does. I promise you that Tudhaliya will hear that above all other things.”