Pawn (The Pawn Series Book 1) Read online

  "Don't clap too loudly," I said. "Or you won't hear me sing." When they heard the translation, they laughed, but then they all began clapping much more quietly. "You clap for the whole song. Start clapping with me, but then keep clapping even if I change." I had to say that twice, as I left Juleena behind.

  "Now the girl part. You only clap for part of it." I taught them the clap. "I'll point at Juleena when it is your part."

  I looked around. I couldn't believe all of these people were letting me teach them a song. Me? I was just a girl. But I realized something. I was having fun.

  I got the men clapping with me. Then at the right time, I began to sing. Normally the song is sung by a man, and it was about hunting a great bear that had wandered from the forest. Each verse was about the hunt and the danger, and the chorus was about how brave the man was. Then after the chorus was when the women clapped, and their clap was in syncopation with the men. As soon as they heard what that part sounded like, some laughed, some hollered, but I could tell they thought it was fun.

  That was why I had taught it.

  In the end, the hunter catches the bear, but then he sees the bear has cubs, and he lets her go, not killing her. That was always my favorite part, as the bear goes back into the woods and is never seen again.

  After the chorus, I had the women clap their part through twice, and then I jumped up into the air and came down in a hunters crouch, silent. They should have stopped clapping then, but they didn't know. But they realized the song was over, and then they were clapping their joy.

  Juleena stood up, pulled me to my feet, and hugged me. "Good song," she whispered.

  * * * *

  It was another four days of travel before we reached the Wizard's Gorge. We came to a stop near the rim and looked across the great, arid divide. I'd never been here before, but all Arrlottans knew how the great gorge had been formed during an ancient war between mighty armies of wizards.

  We all stared out. The floor of the gorge was so far below us, I couldn't appreciate the distance. The steppes didn't have such elevation differences, so I had no way of measuring such a distance. A thousand feet? Five thousand feet? I didn't know.

  The walls were steep, sheer in some places, but here and there were places one could descend, with great care. The place we found ourselves was not such a place. It wasn't straight down, but it was a steep drop for a long way. We would travel another half day before we would find the place to descend.

  The bottom of the gorge was not smooth, not by any stretch. And in spite of the river running along, it was largely arid, rock and sand. There would be little feed for the animals.

  As I looked across the gorge, the far wall was barely visible in the haze of the day. I could see it was an irregular fissure, with sharply edged canyons branching off here and there.

  It was an inhospitable place. But we were to cross it regardless.

  I turned to Juleena. "Arrlottans raided across here?"

  "Hard to believe," she agreed. "I track. They cross. No shoes on horse. Size Arrlotta horse. Other people see. Tell me. Not kill all people. Only people fight."

  I giggled, wondering what she thought she was saying. Shoes on horses? Who would put shoes on a horse? She must have gotten the word wrong.

  We stayed there at the precipice for another few minutes. Then Juleena turned us to the right, and we began to follow the edge of the gorge.

  * * * *

  We camped early. Juleena only told me, "We want a full day for our descent."

  I used the time to look at the path from the rim of the gorge down to the bottom. I tried to envision riding a horse. I didn't care for the idea.

  I wondered how they got the wagons down and back up such a path.

  I'd been there for a while before Juleena stepped beside me, setting an arm around my shoulder. I wasn't at all accustomed to that type of affection, but it felt good. I leaned against her.

  We stood quietly looking out at the gorge. I was afraid she'd charge me more words if I asked questions, so I didn't ask about the wagons. I'd see for myself in the morning. But then Juleena said, "I need your help."

  "Mine?"

  "Yes." She gestured. "This place. Is not good place."

  "No," I agreed with her.

  "This place," she said, gesturing back towards the steppes. "This good place Arrlotta. Bad place Framara."

  I bristled at that, but she stepped sideways to me and caressed my hair for a moment.

  "I know," she said. "Your home. Good home Arrlotta. But so different Framara. So different. No water. Grass but no trees. You see?"

  "I guess."

  "There." She pointed into the gulch. "Bad Arrlotta. Bad Framara. More bad Framara."

  I thought about it. I looked back at my steppes. The bottom of the gorge looked dry and rocky, but it wasn't empty. I didn't think I'd like it. But it wouldn't be horrible.

  "What help do you need?"

  "Easy. No complain. Sing at camp. Sing riding. Let me tease. Laugh. Understand?"

  "Yes. No. Why?"

  "Help others. See Arrlotta girl sing. See Arrlotta girl laugh. Must be strong."

  "You want me to be a good example."

  "Not know word. Think understand. Yes. Show good."

  "I can do that," I said. "For a price."

  She laughed. "I learn twenty words?"

  I bumped her with my hip. "I know how to tease, too."

  We stood still for a moment, then she gestured with her nose. "How you go down?"

  I leaned forward a little, giving myself a better look. "I'd pick a path but let the horse decide how fast. Or walk down and lead the horse."

  "We walk come here," she replied. "But signs different. Arrlotta ride."

  "If you made me ride Rillo, I'd walk," I said. "Even if he wasn't stupid."

  She laughed. "He not stupid."

  "Our horses are more agile," I said. "Yours are stronger." I pointed. "Agile better here." I was starting to talk like her. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

  "Yes. How would you get the extra horses down?"

  "I'd send someone first then drive them over. They'll follow."

  "You sure you can ride there?"

  I gave it a good look, mapping my route with a finger. I couldn't see the entire route, so I might have to pull up here and there. But then I nodded. "Yes. I would rather see it from below though."

  "We marked route. You see? Cloth. Red. Green. First is... there." She pointed. I held up a hand to shade my eyes.

  "I see it."

  "Go down, red flag left." She gestured. "Green flag right." She gestured to her other side. "Never green flag left. Understand?"

  "Yes."

  "Is maybe not only path. But path."

  I followed the flags as far as I could see them. The first few were easy to see, now that I knew to look for them, but after that, it grew hard. I looked over my shoulder at all the horses.

  "Taking the wrong path would be bad."

  "Yes."

  "If the horses following go too fast, that would be bad."

  "Yes."

  "If they go too slow, they might not take right path."

  "Yes."

  I shook my head. "I don't like it. There are too many to follow safely, at least until I see the path myself."

  "How many horses you take safely?"

  "Four."

  "Tomorrow, you go fourth. I'd send you first, but that's trusting you too much."

  * * * *

  That night, Juleena slept poorly. She kept rolling over, and the noise kept waking me up.

  "What's wrong?" I finally asked her.

  "Nothing."

  "When I can't sleep, my sister scratches my back."

  "Scratch?"

  I slipped from bed and moved to hers. "What you doing?"

  "Scratching your back," I said. "Lie down on your stomach."

  "On what?"

  I pushed her the way I wanted her. She resisted at first, but then she relented. Then I pulled the co
vers further out of the way and reached under her undershirt to softly scratch her back.

  "Oh," she said. "Scratch?"

  "Scratch," I said. "Shhh. Sleep."

  I scratched for a long time. I felt her body slowly relaxing, then her breathing evened. I let the scratches grow lighter and lighter until I was just brushing her skin with my fingernails.

  I'd done this for my sister from time to time, although most of the time it was her doing it to me. But I'd never done it for anyone else before. I found myself staring down at where she was lying. I couldn't really see her, but I imagined I could.

  I let my touch grow even lighter, my motions slower, and then I stopped entirely, putting my hands in my lap. It can be jarring if I leave right away, so I paused, letting her grow closer to full sleep without the touches.

  "Thank you," she whispered.

  "Sleep," I said, bending down and kissing the back of her head.

  * * * *

  We rose early. Juleena was quiet as we dressed. Finally I asked her if something was wrong.

  "No," she said. "Thank you last night."

  "You're welcome," I said.

  "No one scratch before," she continued. "Felt nice." But then she turned me towards her. "No tell."

  "I don't understand."

  "Secret. Our secret."

  "Okay," I said slowly.

  They didn't let me help, but I got a hint of how they were going to manage the wagons. They unloaded almost everything. The water barrels stayed in the wagons, very carefully lashed in place, but absolutely everything else came out and was packed aboard the Framaran horses. When they were done, only four of the Framaran horses had an empty saddle, waiting for a rider. I realized one was Juleena's. Mine was the only Arrlottan horse with any burden at all. As a group, we walked to the path leading down into the gorge. It was there that Juleena gathered us around. She turned to me first.

  "Only five riders," she said. "Fifty and nine Arrlottan horses. How do?"

  "That's twelve each," I said. "That's too many."

  "Agree. How do?"

  "Three trips," I suggested. "Change horses at the top." I paused. "I'd have to ride the new horse around a little to calm it down."

  "We don't have spare Framaran horses."

  "And you don't know words for Arrlotta horses."

  "Right. Cannot ride there." She pointed into the gulch.

  "You can't ride a tired horse going down."

  "Agree. What do?"

  "How long did it take to ride up?"

  She puzzled through that. "We walked. All day. Very hard."

  I thought about it. "Do you trust me?"

  "Yes."

  "Really trust me?"

  "Yes."

  I nodded and climbed atop my horse. I turned her away and headed to the waiting Arrlottan horses, being carefully managed by four of the Framarans. "Juleena, tell them to let me take the horses."

  "That's too many, Yallameenara."

  "I know. I want to see them move, just a short run. Trust me."

  She nodded and said something in Framaran. Everyone backed off, and I got all of the horses moving with me.

  Horses are social animals. They like to be as a herd. So if you can get them moving, they'll move together. Of course, I wouldn't normally do this with just me. I hoped this would work.

  "Juleena, if I make a mistake, we'll have to catch all of them again."

  "Don't make mistake," she said. And I nodded.

  Then I yelled. "Hai! Hai!" And I leaned forward, telling my mount to begin moving. "Hai." We moved into a trot, the rest of the horses all trotting with me. "Hai! Hai." And soon we were running.

  I ran them in a circle. A few tried to take the lead, but I cut them off and turned the herd back. Then I slowed them to a trot, bringing them in a circle around the assembled Framarans. Then we slowed, and I moved the entire herd into the little corral of people.

  The horses weren't satisfied. They wanted a longer run. Several of them snorted and pawed the ground, but I moved around them, speaking to them, and they calmed.

  "Juleena," I said. "I need help. Five bridles."

  "Bridle?"

  "To lead five horses."

  "You can't take them on a lead."

  "Trust me."

  And so she directed, and soon there were five Framarans holding bridles at the edge of my little herd. I pointed to the horses I wanted them to bridle. Then I trotted over to Juleena.

  "You picked the fastest."

  "Yes," I said. "The ones who wanted to lead."

  A half hour later, we had everything settled, and the sun was high enough to push away all but the deepest of the shadows. We moved most of the horses well away from the cliff edge. And then, at a signal from Juleena, one of the women began riding down the path, four Arrlottan horses following behind her.

  The rest of us watched. She started slowly, but she let her horse pick the pace, and soon they were moving faster. I glanced at Juleena. She was biting her lip. I stepped closer to her and put an arm around her waist.

  "She rides well."

  "This hard horse," she said. "Fall easy."

  "Trust your horse."

  While I'd been looking at this, I wondered if I'd let the horse run. But the natural reaction was to lean back in the saddle, which would tell an Arrlottan horse to go slow. I didn't know if the Framaran horses took the same signal. Rillo hadn't understood any of my signals, and I'd had to use the reins heavily with him.

  Stupid horse.

  We gave the first woman a five-minute head start. Next went the one man. I could see he sat his mount very well, and he moved more quickly. But I saw also he was letting his horse pick the pace, neither urging it nor checking it. I hoped he didn't rush the first woman.

  "He should have gone first," I said.

  "No. He take risk. Bad place for risk. Jayora slow. Bizzen slow now."

  I nodded. She knew her people. I didn't.

  Five minutes later, the other woman went. And five minutes after that, Juleena tried to get me to go.

  "Not yet," I said.

  Ever few minutes she tried to say, "You go now."

  "Not yet."

  I gave myself a good fifteen minutes, judging by the sun. Juleena had stopped urging me, but the longer I let it go, the more nervous she became.

  "Trust me," I said to her.

  "You take risk like Bizzen. Bad place risk!"

  "Trust me."

  Then, finally I decided it was time. I climbed onto my mount, nodded to the people holding my other four horses, and began down the incline.

  It wasn't bad at first. I let Zana pick her pace. She moved slowly, and I was willing to let her.

  But then I leaned forward and began whispering into her ear. Between my gentle words and leaning forward, she began moving faster. And then faster still.

  I looked behind, and the four horses were following, one after another, and they were smart enough not to crowd each other.

  There were a few places that scared me. Zana began to slide. We went with it, but I steered her into the hill, watching for places to slow down, places large enough for five horses.

  Long before we reached the bottom, we were in shadow, the sun not yet at zenith as we descended the eastern edge of the gorge. But then, almost as a surprise, the ground grew flatter, and flatter still.

  I brought my panting horses to a stop. Zana looked over her shoulder at me as if to say, "What was all the fuss?"

  "Just you wait," I told her. "We have to go back up and do it again."

  But then I gave a whoop and headed towards the others, waiting near the river. Seeing their friends, my escort ran ahead, but I kept Zana to a trot, not wanting her to tire.

  * * * *

  It took Juleena twenty minutes to reach the bottom after me. I wondered if she had waited as long as I had, but when she approached, she was scowling at me. She slid from her horse, handing the reins to Bizzen, and approached me. "Come," she said fiercely. She turned and began walki
ng away. I climbed to my feet and hurried after her. We went forty yards upstream before she turned to face me.

  "You go too fast!"

  "I let Zana pick her pace," I said. "I told you that's what I would do. Arrlottan horses are more agile than yours, and I weigh a lot less than you do."

  I had spoken too quickly for her to follow, but she got the general idea. Still, she scowled at me. But then she softened. "You scare me."

  "I'm here," I said. "But now I have to go back for more horses."

  "You wait," she said. "We go together soon."

  * * * *

  We rode most of the way, although there were a few places we led our mounts. By the time we reached the crest, both mounts and both riders were done in. We each lowered ourselves to the ground, and a couple of Framarans stepped forward to tend to our horses. I was going to take care of mine myself, but Juleena stopped me with a hand on my arm.

  "Let Allie do it," she said. Then she pulled me to face her. "You need a rest."

  I looked at her for a moment then nodded. But I looked up at the sun. Then I looked at the wagons.

  "Don't worry that," she said, reading my mind. "Need two days Arrlotta horses."

  I smiled. "No, it won't. You worry about your people. Let me worry about the Arrlottan horses. What is the plan for the Framaran horses?"

  "Will lead, one person, one horse. Wagons after."

  "How long will it take?"

  "Two hours horses." She looked at the sun. "Half day wagons. Longer up."

  I nodded. "Send the horses now. I'll rest until they are almost down."

  She nodded. "Good plan." She turned away and began issuing orders. A minute later, that handled, she led me to a small fire. There was warm lunch and cold water waiting for us. But she first handed me a half glass of that fruit juice.

  I eyed it, but she had been quite insistent each day, and so I drank it, made a face, and then accepted water after that.

  Then I lay back in the grass. Juleena rose to supervise her people. I called out to her. "Juleena, tell me when the last horse is halfway down." I grinned. "And you can send the wagons after me."

  She offered a puzzled look. "No understand. Need Arrlotta horses watch."

  "Trust me." Then I closed my eyes.

  * * * *