"Leave the horses!" Jabone screamed as he jumped off his. He ran over, grabbed Kasiria by her left arm and dragged her from her horse before they could get to her. "Off your horses!" he shouted again. "They are using them against us." He had killed his first, second, and third man before it even had time to register. Kasiria was at his side and Tarius was at his back, and there wasn't time to think of anything but cutting the next man down. Finally he understood Katabull rage. Everything his madra had tried to explain . . . Everything he had thought he understood he didn't. His mind and body worked as one, he saw, he attacked, he blocked, he moved as if driven by the beast's desire to survive. Together he and Kasiria were making a hole in the Amalites, and Tarius was always at their backs protecting them from rear attack.
When Derek and Richard fell they moved to defend them. He heard Ufalla calling orders from somewhere well behind him, but what she was saying didn't matter because that was a different front and they could only fight one.
Suddenly before them the Amalites seemed to finally realize what they were looking at and as if they were one person they retreated from the Katabulls, fleeing through the woods as fast as they had come. Jabone, Kasiria and Tarius moved to help Thomas's unit to their left where it was being hacked to pieces.
* * *
Jestia was pinned down with Ufalla and Jason's unit. She remembered Ufalla repeating Jabone's order to dismount, and then Ufalla had pulled her off her horse, slapped it on the ass, and sent it running through the Amalites. But either Jason and his men hadn't been listening or they had just been attacked so fast they didn't have time to dismount. Either way they'd paid the price as the Amalites drove spears into their horses, ran up the dying animals, grabbed the men and dragged them to the ground where they were often times as not stomped by their own terrified mounts.
Jestia's heart pounded but she didn't have time for the terror of the moment to seize her. Why would it? She'd seen it all over and over again for weeks. She and Ufalla were alone, fighting back to back. Ufalla was killing five men for every one she killed, but she was holding her own and she began to think that maybe, just maybe, her skill with sword alone might change the dream's outcome. Trees and brush got in the way of their blades and impeded their movement and they only had seconds to adapt to fighting in the woods. Then she felt the big tree at her back and saw Ufalla on her left and her heart caught in her throat. It was about to happen.
The axe hit her blade. She tried with every once of her strength to hang onto it, then watched with a sob as the blade spun out of her hand.
* * *
Ufalla jumped away from the tree, pushing between Jestia and the axe. Knocking Jestia to the ground, she stood over her. She caught the blow and slung it back, but there was another axe, and there was just no way she was going to catch this one. Then Jestia just appeared right in front of her.
* * *
Jestia dove between Ufalla's legs and quickly jumped to her feet, looking at the axe head that was supposed to be for Ufalla and then well she didn't want to die, so she threw her hands in front of herself and cried out in desperation, "Gods damned invisible shield!"
She waited for the crackling nothing that would be followed by the axe slicing into her skull and then watched in amazement as the axe and its wielder bounced back about two feet. He swung again but again his axe bounced off.
"You did it!" Ufalla screamed at her shoulder.
"I did it!" Jestia screamed and felt her powers gather like a storm. She stood to her full height and then raising her arms to the sky called out the very next thing she thought of. "Wall of bats!"
In seconds thousands of bats filled the air, diving on the Amalites, and the remaining attackers, fearing only witchcraft more than the Katabull, ran screaming into the night.
* * *
Jabone started to chase after them still in a Katabull rage but felt his mate's hand on his shoulder. He turned to Kasiria to make sure she was all right and she was except for a nick on her chin. He wiped the blood away with his thumb and saw that his hands had half a dozen cuts on them.
I am looking at my madra's hands and now I know why she sometimes stares into the night as if she's seeing something no one else can.
He remembered Derek, went to find him and knelt by his side. He was barely alive. "Ufalla!" Jabone cried out, and she was by his side in seconds, Jestia running right behind her. He was so relieved to see his friends alive and in one piece that he almost cried.
Ufalla knelt beside Derek and looked at his wounds, especially the one on his neck. She looked at Jabone and shook her head no.
Jabone looked at Jestia. "Some powders maybe?"
"My brother, there are no powders or potions for this," Jestia said gently.
"Kasiria," Derek choked out.
"I am here Derek." She knelt beside Jabone and took Derek's hand.
"Noble Kasiria, I have failed you," Derek said.
"You have failed no one, Derek," Kasiria said, her tears falling so hard they dripped onto Derek's bloody body.
"I must leave you in the hand of the Katabull."
"I would give my life for hers," Jabone said without pause.
Whatever he said next was incoherent. Derek's body jerked a couple of times and then he was still. Jabone knew he was no more. Kasiria collapsed into Jabone's arms her body rocking with the strength of her sobs. There wasn't time for it. His madra's words echoed in his head.
There will not be time to grieve you must leave your dead for the crows and the maggots or be just as dead.
He jumped to his feet, bringing Kasiria with him. He looked over her head and said, "Their fear will only keep them at bay so long and then they will come for us, they have to. They can't afford to let us get back to the garrison."
"What are you saying Jabone?" Thomas asked. He was helping Eric walk—she had a deep cut in her leg. When Thomas got close he saw what Kasiria and Jabone were and he stepped back. "You're the Katabull, you're both the Katabull."
"Yes and Jestia's a witch. Where do you think all those bats came from? Why do you think they ran away in terror. Not because of you with your sword," Jabone said. Now wasn't the time for pretence. "They were petrified, but their need for self preservation will over rule their fear and when it does they will come back. When they do we can not be here."
"Jabone, we can't just leave our friends . . . Derek." Kasiria's voice caught in her throat. "We can't just leave them here to be cannibalized by the Amalites."
"She's right. I don't know about you Kartiks but we don't like our dead to be eaten. These men died in battle they deserve better than that," Thomas said in disbelief.
"They deserve better maybe but they won't get it. We have to save ourselves. Live to fight another day. The dead don't care what happens to them. Only the living matter and we don't have time to cry for the dead now. We don't have time for anything but survival."
"Ufalla, you and Tarius treat the wounded. Nothing fancy, field dress it so they can ride and no more." They nodded and took Eric from Thomas to work on her first. "Thomas, round up all the able-bodied men you can find and strip this camp. Get everything we need, pack it on the horses . . . "
"You aren't in charge," Thomas said angrily.
Jabone pushed Kasiria gently away from him then got right in Thomas's face and growled, "I am the Katabull, the son of Tarius the Black, the Kartik Bastard, the Great Leader of the Katabull people and I am their prince. If I say I am in charge then I am in charge." Thomas just backed up nodding. "Pack quickly but leave no weapons, no armor, and no food for the Amalites. If they have to go back to their lair for supplies that may slow them down."
"You expect us to strip the dead?"
"Of weapons and armor yes. I will help you myself when we have settled everything else," Jabone said. "Now get after it."
"It is near nightfall; how will we move in the dark?" Thomas asked.
"I will ride in the back and Kasiria will lead. If we head south from here we will eventually get to the road, and if we make it to the road then they won't be able to catch us because Jestia was right and they don't have horses," Jabone said. Then as if that reminded him he turned to the witch. "Jestia summon the horses."
"Gather horses," Jestia called, and the horses came back to camp. Jabone and Kasiria gathered up the horses by their reins and Jabone noticed Lex was missing. He went looking for him and found him on his side with a spear through his chest. Jabone fought his tears and walked over to his horse. He knelt beside him and looked into his frightened eyes.
"Oh Jabone, I'm so sorry," Kasiria said at his shoulder. Jabone nodded quietly. He didn't have time for this either. He stroked the horses neck 'til he was calm then punched him as hard as he could between the eyes. Then as Lex died he striped his saddle and gear and walked back to camp to strip the bodies of the dead.
In minutes they were riding as hard as they dared ride through the woods. At night, with Kasiria in the front and him in the rear on the back of a horse that wasn't his. He knew the world was never going to look the same to him again.
* * *
Jestia rode somewhere near the middle of the troop—or what was left of it—with Ufalla ahead of her and Eric and then Tarius behind her. Derek was dead; Jason and his entire unit were dead as were most of the support staff. Half of Thomas's unit—there had been nearly sixty of them when the Amalites had attacked and now there were only eighteen. There were a lot of horses without riders but a lot of the horses were dead, too. She looked back to where Jabone was bringing up the rear and leading all the riderless horses that were tethered together behind him. His own horse, Lex, was dead, and she knew how he felt because she knew how she would feel if something had happened to her horse Raven. She'd lost the horse she'd had in her childhood and she still remembered what a traumatic experience it had been. Horses loved you if you grained them and petted them, and they never judged you. If a horse could it would write you a letter and send it to you.
There was no doubt that the attack they'd all been through was going to leave them all with nightmares for the rest of their lives. They had all been terrified in ways most people never would be and she was still shaken to the very core of her being. She had killed men, and she and Ufalla had nearly been killed. She looked at her hands that were cut and covered in blood and then over at her lover who was also cut and covered in blood and her heart wanted to burst out of her chest with happiness.
She was sure it would all catch up with her later and she'd just have herself a good cry, but at that moment she couldn't remember ever being so happy.
She knew it wasn't what she should be feeling so she worked at keeping it from her face, but dammit she just couldn't help it. The battle was awfu,l so many people were dead, but none of those people were them. Not her, not Jabone, or Kasiria, or Tarius and not—praise be to all the gods—Ufalla. Now that it was daybreak she saw no reason to ride single file, so she rode up beside Ufalla and dared Jabone to say anything about it. One battle and he had turned into his madra, not to say that was particularly a bad thing, and he and Kasiria were both still the Katabull for which she was personally glad.
Ufalla, who looked as grave as she was trying to, looked over at her and smiled a smile just for her and Jestia's heart leaped in her chest. Ufalla was still alive. "So, let me guess. That axe was for me," she said more than asked.
"Yes," Jestia said.
"And you were going to eat it for me because we both know that you had no idea that spell would work that time because it never had before."
"I suppose so," Jestia said, smiling as she thought of it. "So the way I see it you just owe me forever."
Ufalla looked at her and growled. "Jestia, if you ever do anything stupid like that again I'll split you." She was mad. Jestia didn't care she could be mad. She was beautiful when she was mad and at least she was alive to be mad.
"No you won't, you'll just be glad I'm not already split and we both know it so you can just lose the attitude right now, or I'll make more bats or . . . something." Jestia was now smiling in that way she knew everyone would resent, so she worked at wiping it from her face.
Ufalla leaned in closer to her and said in a low whisper. "Derek and Richard are both dead, and I know it's crazy because of all the death and blood and stuff, but I'm just giddy inside because everyone I really care about is all right and you're alive and I killed dozens of them and yes they nearly wiped us out but look how many more of them there were than us and you . . . You were amazing. Seriously, who would have ever thought wall of bats would save the day? I'm alive and I had more or less guessed from the way you've been acting lately that you were dreaming I was dead, so I just want to laugh out loud. If you hadn't been with us, Jestia, we'd all be dead." She fell suddenly silent as she seemed to be actually going over the last few days. "Jestia, did you really dream you slept with me?"
"Of course," Jestia said, and smiled at Ufalla in a way she knew gave away her true feelings for the woman to anyone who was looking and said, "and I just keep dreaming it over and over."
"Oh you did not you little liar." Ufalla laughed and then made herself stop, actually cringing a little. She worked at wiping the smile off her face, then she asked, "Do you really care for me Jestia?"
"Ufalla you huge idiot, if you don't know that now then you never will." Jestia smiled then quickly wiped it off her face and said, "How could I not love you? You who shares my problem of having to frown when all I want to do is laugh."
* * *
By the time they got to the road they were hungry. It was near the end of the day and they were so tired they wound up finding a spot on the road surrounded by a field and pitched camp right in the middle of the field on the road. Tarius, Ufalla, and Jestia treated the wounded, this time taking the time to do it right. There were five wounded in all—the worst one a belly wound—but if it was treated properly and they could get him to the garrison he'd make it. If any of them did.