Voices howled in answer.
They will have someone to set forward-they will not relinquish dominance so easily-I might well draw blood this night after all. But none will stand long before me. I am Maral Eb, slayer of hundreds.
The way lies open.
It lies open.
The Barahn warchief led his warriors down into the hollow.
To claim his prize.
Hetan woke in the night. She stared upward, eyes wide but unseeing, until they filled with tears. The air in the yurt was stale, darkness heavy and suffocating as a shroud. My husband, I dreamed the flight of your soul… I dreamed its brush upon my lips. A moment, only a moment, and then it was as if a vast wind swept you away.
I heard your cry, husband.
Oh, such a cruel dream, beloved.
And now… I smell dust in the air. Rotted furs. The dry taste of ancient death.
Her heart pounded like a mourner’s drum in her chest, loud, heavy, the beat stretching with each deep breath she took. That taste, that smell. She reached up to touch her own lips. And felt something like grit upon them.
O beloved, what has happened?
What has happened-
To my husband-to the father of my children-what has happened?
She let out a ragged sigh, forcing out the unseemly fear. Such a cruel dream.
From the outer room, the dog whined softly, and a moment later their son suddenly sobbed, and then bawled.
And she knew the truth. Such a cruel truth.
Ralata crouched in the high grasses and studied the figures gathered round the distant fire. None had stirred in the time she had been watching. But the horses were tugging at their stakes and even from here she could smell their terror-and she did not understand, for she could see nothing-no threat in any direction.
Even so, it was strange that none of her sisters had awakened. In fact, they did not move at all.
Her confusion was replaced by unease. Something was wrong.
She glanced back at the hollow where waited her horse. The animal seemed calm enough. Collecting her weapons, Ralata rose and padded forward.
Hessanrala might be a headstrong young fool, but she knew her trade as well as any Ahkrata warrior-she should be on her feet by now, drawing the others in with silent hand gestures-was it just a snake slithering among the horses’ hoofs? A scent on the wind?
No, something was very wrong.
As she drew within ten paces, she could smell bile, spilled wastes, and blood. Mouth dry, Ralata crept closer. They were dead. She knew that now. She had failed to protect them-but how? What manner of slayer could creep up on five Barghast warriors? As soon as night had fallen, she had drawn near enough to watch them preparing camp. She had watched them rub down the horses; had watched them eat and drink beer from Hessanrala’s skin. They had set no watch among themselves, clearly relying upon the horses should danger draw near. But Ralata had remained wakeful, had even seen when the horses first wakened to alarm.
Beneath the stench of death there was something else, an oily bitterness reminding her of serpents. She studied the movements of the Akryn mounts-no, they were not shying from any snake in the grasses. Heads tossed, ears cocking in one direction after another, eyes rolling.
Ralata edged towards the firelight. Once lit, dried dung burned hot but not bright, quick to sink into bricks of pulsating ashes; in the low, lurid reflection, she could see fresh blood, glistening meat from split corpses.
No quick knife thrusts here. No, these were the wounds delivered by the talons of a huge beast. Bear? Barbed cat? If so, why not drag at least one body away… to feed upon? Why ignore the horses? And how was it that Ralata had seen nothing; that not one of her kin had managed to utter a death-cry?
Gutted, throat-slit, chests ripped open-she saw the stubs of ribs cut clean through. Talons sharp as swords-or swords in truth? All at once she recalled, years ago, on the distant continent they had once called home, visions of giant undead, two-legged lizards. K’Chain Che’Malle, arrayed in silent ranks in front of the city called Coral. Swords at the end of their wrists instead of hands-but no, the wounds she looked upon here were different. What then had triggered that memory?
Ralata slowly inhaled once more, deeply, steadily, running the acrid flavours through her. Yes, the smell. Although, long ago, it was more… stale, rank with death.
But the kiss upon the tongue-it is the same.
The horses ducked and fanned out, heads snapping back as they reached the ends of their tethers. A faint downdraught of wind-the whish of wings-
Ralata threw herself flat, rolled, making for the legs of the horses-anything to put between her and whatever hovered above.
Thuds in the air, leathery hissing-she stared up into the night, caught a vast winged silhouette that devoured a sweep of stars. A flash, and then it was gone.
