Dream Drive Ch. 09

"You led us since I knew what an elder was!" Chaki shouted. She grabbed his shoulder. "You made a mistake. But he was your son. I won't condemn you because you love your son. Until Shaka returns, I am your spirit guide. And these." She pointed out over the group. "These are your warriors. Lead us!"

"I will follow you against the iron men," Hanta said, "as I followed you against the Drawn Bows, and the East Walkers before that, and the iron men themselves before that. Their armor will not save them if we fire enough arrows!"

Hanta raised his spear up with his words, shouting. The other warriors raised their weapons: spears, bows, knives, fists. When the war cry died, there was an energy in the air, almost like the energy of essence, ready to be pushed into a rune, the untapped force of people ready to work together to fight and survive.

Yukatan wiped his face with the back of his hand. He straightened, and looked at them all with reddened eyes. "I want every warrior on his horse! Gather our mounts from the herd! Meet at the eastern edge of the camp!"

The men shouted again. Those on horseback rode back down the main path between the tipis to retrieve the horses. War cries carried into the night.

Yukatan looked at those still gathered. "This is not another tribe. The iron men do not know honor, and they want no part of it. They will not count coup or show mercy; they will try to kill you. And so you must kill them first. Bring your spears, your bows, and all your arrows. Spare nothing. If we don't beat them, we won't lose hunting grounds. We will lose our lives." He looked at Hanta. "We need to coordinate with the other tribes. Ride to the Three Hills and rouse Kunaya, if he isn't already awake. If they outnumber us, we'll have to..."

A commotion in the back of the crowd made Yukatan trail off. Men to the side parted for riders. Chaki was surprised to see Haanak – the man who'd been responsible for the spear tournament's lottery tent. "Elder Yukatan, I've come from Jalak. What caused the warning?"

"The iron men have brought an army to attack us."

Haanak swore.

"But this is good timing," Yukatan said. "Their foolish attack only serves to unite us as one. We'll beat them back once and for all. Tell Jalak we will ride with the Three Hills. Is Kunaya with him?"

"Kunaya is gone," Haanak said. "He and his tribe are nowhere to be found – they didn't even take their tents. It's as if demons stole them into the night. We thought you would know something. Did the iron men already attack?"

"No. No." Yukatan's eyes moved as he thought, jumping between the faces around him. "Boonta. And now – Kunaya. Kunaya has betrayed us." Yukatan's lingering sadness transformed before Chaki's eyes. His expression turned dark, until it was like the black rock of the mountain. "I knew Boonta wouldn't go so far on his own. I left him to Kunaya's counsel, thinking it good for him to know the strength of a powerful leader, but he was a rotten demon all along! Kunaya has given us up to the iron men and abandoned us for dead!"

"Elder!" Haanak said. "No man of the tribes is capable of that much. Not here, under the very sight of Shakhan!"

"Then where are they?!" Yukatan demanded.

"I do not know," Haanak said. He looked out over the camp from atop his horse. "To have moved all their people without anyone noticing...they would have had to start hours ago."

"Then this was well planned," Yukatan said. "They'll know our strategies, our weaknesses. Vuntha!"

"Elder?" Vuntha said.

"How long until the iron men reach us?"

"On horses, soon," Vuntha said. "But most of them are on foot. They'll take longer, perhaps till sunrise. And the horsemen have no bows."

"No bows," Hanta said. "Just as before. We'll ride around them and whittle them down. They won't be able to touch us."

"They have powerful magic," Vuntha said. "They can summon light-spirits that fly like arrows and spew forth fire, but their aim is poor. We have to stay at a distance."

"We need space for that to work," Yukatan said. "They know we have to protect the camp."

"If Kunaya is a traitor, then he will burn," Haanak said. "But that aside, he is only half the Three Hills. Jalak will ride with you. I will gather our warriors. They can't possibly outnumber us."

"I don't think so," Vuntha said, "but it was hard to tell. At least a thousand, maybe more."

"Tell Jalak to send the women and children around the shoulder of the mountain, along the running path," Yukatan said. "We cannot let them be trapped in the valley."

Haanak nodded, turned his horse, and rode off. Yukatan grabbed Chaki's shoulder. "Rouse Landri and the other women. Get them organized, start moving the children out of harm's way. When it's done, get your horse and your weapons and meet us on the eastern side of camp."

"You'll have Chaki fight?" Hanta asked.

"You trained me yourself, Hanta," Chaki said. "I can wield a spear at least as well as Vuntha."

"I am not questioning your ability to stand with us," Hanta said. "The children will need someone to protect them."

"Shaka and the others cannot emerge until the sun rises," Yukatan said. "Only magic can counter magic, and we will need a healer. Until she returns, Chaki is our spirit guide."

"As you say, elder," Hanta said.

"I don't think they'll send their horsemen far from their footmen," Yukatan said. "They'll not want to let their troops be vulnerable to other horses. We should have a short time to prepare before they –"

Another horn sounded from the eastern side of camp. This time it was three notes, high, low, and then high again, a pattern used only when the tribes made war. Enemy sighted.

"Demons and dead suns," Yukatan swore. "To the east, through camp! Chaki, stay here and get the children away! Meet us when you can!"

The warriors rushed off, Hanta and Yukatan leading them between the tents. Others were still coming in from the sides, many on horseback. Some led trains of horses that had been tied together in an attempt to get them where they were needed. Men haphazardly hopped onto animals that weren't theirs. It was a serious breach of decorum, but there were only two categories of things that mattered at the moment: first, protecting the camp, and second, everything else.

Chaki rushed to Malaki. She'd stopped crying, but she was huddled on the ground, head folded between her legs. "Malaki."

"Get away from me!" Malaki slapped her hands away.

"We have to move. The iron men are attacking!"

"He's dead," Malaki said. Her voice cracked. "My husband is dead!"

"He died to protect you!" Chaki said. Malaki looked up at that. "He used his last strength to make sure Vuntha would make it back and warn us. He is a hero. Are you going to waste his sacrifice sitting there, or are you going to get up?"

Malaki took Chaki's outstretched hand and got to her feet. Chaki ushered her forward. "Get your family, tell them to warn everyone else. Do you understand?"

Malaki nodded, sniffing back the tears and wiping her nose with her hand. "I hear your words."

"We're moving behind the mountain," Chaki said. "Drana, you do the same for yours." She looked between them. "We can't waste time checking tipis over and over. If a tent is empty, tell the family to just leave the entrance flap untied and open. We'll be able to tell at a glance."

Drana nodded, jogging at her side as they went. The camp was boiling with confusion. The warriors had shouted words at a few people as they went, but most didn't know what was happening. "Chaki," Drana said. "I'm sorry. About before."

Chaki shook her head. "I was wrong, the way I...we can talk about it later. After this is over."

"After," Drana said.

Malaki pointed. "There! On the next hill!"

The sky was just starting to take on the grey haze of dawn marking the start of a cloudy day. Against that backdrop, Chaki could faintly see men on horseback, hundreds of them clustered together. In front of them was a long slope downhill, which flattened for a short stretch, before rising up to another hill on which most of the camp was located.

For a moment, Chaki was afraid that they'd been caught unprepared, but warriors of the tribes were massing on their own side of the dip. Men and horses from each of the five tribes were pouring in from all sides of the encampment. Spears and packed quivers were being slung at everyone with empty hands. They formed a line at the edge of the high ground.

It was a relief to see the enemy hesitating. They seemed disorganized from their long ride, milling at the top of their hill. High pitched horns squealed out in an attempt to instill some kind of organization in their ranks. Perhaps they didn't expect such a speedy response to their presence. Chaki's heart rose further as she observed their own numbers – those already gathered outnumbered the enemy cavalry three to one.

Drana, Malaki, and Chaki split up, running through the camp and shouting warnings. Chaki found her own tent – Landri and Palla were already outside, throwing water containers and a few sacks of wasna together on a litter.

"Chaki, what's happening?" Landri said.

"You can see them!" Chaki said, pointing. "The iron men have come to attack us. Yukatan wants all the women and children behind the shoulder of the mountain, out of the way of the battle."

Landri nodded. "Are you to be with us?"

"I'm going to help them fight," Chaki said. "Tell everyone to leave their tent flap open if they've left."

Palla picked something up off the ground – their father's spear. "Mother, I'm going to fight!"

"Absolutely not," Landri said.

"Jackson is in the mountain!" he said. "I have protect our family!"

Chaki grabbed the spear and pulled it from his hands. Palla tried to take it back; she flipped the end and bopped him on the side. He took a step away from the strike. "Chaki, give it back!"

"No," Chaki said. "This spear is mine. It will be yours someday. That is not today."

"It is my right!" Palla shouted. "I am the man of our tent. I have to fight!"

Chaki grabbed Palla's arm and waited until he looked at her. She let his wrist go, then leaned forward and cupped his cheek. "My brother, you are going to listen to me, and you are going to do exactly as I say. You are going to go with our mother and protect the women and children if the iron men try to go around us. Do you understand me?" Chaki searched his eyes. "Do you understand?"

Palla nodded. "Yes."

"I love you," she said. "You're strong, and you never give up. You're just like father."

Palla's eyes widened, and his lips trembled. Chaki glanced at Landri; her mother gave just a single nod.

Chaki forced her feet to move before they rebelled against her control, leaving her family behind her. She ran through the camp, shouting at tents that had closed flaps, double-checking those that had been left open. She ushered them to abandon their possessions and flee with whatever water and food they could walk with.

When she looked back over the way she'd come, there were two waves of people. One of fighters, bearing spears and bows, riding horses, headed for the eastern edge of camp. The second was all women and children, rushing through the tents between the lines, retreating to the west and around the mountain.

The high-pitched horn squealed again. Chaki whipped her head back the other way. The iron cavalry had formed up and were charging down the hill in a massive arrowhead made from horses.

Chaki frowned. Something wasn't right. They'd have to charge all the way back uphill to get at the tribes, and surely they knew they'd be doing it under a rain of arrows. It was a horrible tactical decision.

No time to debate strategy – that was what Yukatan and the elders were for. She joined a group of warriors headed for the front lines. By the paint on their faces, she thought they might be from the Dust-Gatherers. They recognized her status as an apprentice from her neck-beads and clapped her back in welcome.

They could hear the hooves in the distance. The ground rumbled. The charge was gaining speed. Shouts went up from the tribesmen that had already taken position, orders to hold ground and prepare to fire. Hundreds of bows were nocked.

"Chaki!"

Chaki looked over – another apprentice. She was about the same height as Chaki, a bit thinner, her hair woven in a long ponytail. They'd met at one of the meetings; she was an apprentice from the Drawn Bows. "Fenay!"

Fenay joined her side behind the spearmen. "Today we get to kill iron men," Fenay said. "It's about time. I'm sick of our own tribes making war!"

Chaki thought that the bravado was best saved until after the innocent were safe from harm, but she forced a smile. "I can only hope it goes well."

"This is good for you," she said. "Wasn't your father killed by the iron men? I'll help you get your vengeance!"

Vengeance again. Is that what I want?

"They're coming," Chaki said. "Get your runes ready."

"Ah," Fenay grunted. "I wish we could help our warriors, but we have to be defensive for now."

The apprentices were all taught a certain way. Alongside a general education regarding the lore and history of their people, there were the runes. First they had to memorize all the runes, and then they practiced healing, repaircraft, and magical defense. Only when they became full spirit guides were they shown how to enhance the fighting power of a warrior. It was the most fearsome and dangerous magic, and the knowledge therefore carried great responsibility. Their powers would have to be enough to hold until the spirit guides returned.

They had made it to the back of the lines. The spearmen merged with those already in position; most had laid those weapons on the ground and drawn their bows.

Chaki was tall enough to see how they'd arranged themselves. Their horsemen were at the center, facing the point of the iron men's oncoming wedge. Warriors on foot stood on either side in a long line. More were joining as she watched, thickening the force at a tremendous rate.

Chaki looked back over the field, watching the oncoming soldiers. Even with all the defenders standing before her, the huge weight behind the oncoming charge made her heart skip up in her throat. They all wore the same colors – dark green, or black. It was hard to tell in the low light.

She was warm from running, but the air was cold. It was sharp on her nose, and scentless. She could see her breath, and the breaths of the men around her, almost like little clouds of white essence coming from their lungs.

There was a shout from the center. It was repeated down the line, called out by the elders and head warriors in turn.

"Loose!"

"Fire arrows!"

"Fire!"

Chaki watched in a sort of fascinated horror as arrows flew into the sky, more than she had ever seen in her entire life. They were a pointed flock of vipers hissing up into the air, thin snakes barely visible against the clouds. Each sting meant death.

The enemy charge had just made it to the middle of the long flat between the hills. There was no way they could stop short – and even if they did, the cloud of arrows was so great that half of them would still be slain.

The arrows reached the top of their arc and began to fall. Many men were about to die. Chaki sucked in her breath and forced herself to watch.

She felt essence.

"Chaki," Fenay said. "Lights. They're using magic!"

"Don't let your guard down!" Chaki shouted. "Watch for magic!"

The warriors near her shifted; some looked her way. A nearby chieftain shouted her warning down the line. She heard it repeated several times.

It was an odd feeling. She was younger than many of them, lighter of frame, without the scars and war paint and feathers that they bore - yet they took her word seriously. But then, it was all they had to go on.

Blue light sparked over the charge of the iron men. It came from two points; one near the tip of the wedge, and one near the back. There was a sound like the crack of lightning, and a blue bolt shot between the two points, connecting them together.

Chaki felt a huge wave of magic pour over her, as if twenty spirit guides had all cast the same spell at once. There was a roar in the air, a reverberating voice, calling out in a tongue that bit at the edges of her soul. Men around her covered their ears. She forced herself to keep her hands at her sides.

The beam of lightning connecting the two riders crackled and snapped, and grew, spreading out over the oncoming horsemen in a massive shield. The arrows fell into the construct and vanished.

No – they were turned to ash, vaporized by the lightning. A cloud of the stuff roiled over the horsemen, and they galloped through it without pause. Some arrows pierced the magic, mostly those on the edge of the spell. A dozen or so riders were culled from the charge, but the wedge was intact, coated in lightning, and halfway up the hill.

The spell didn't fade. Chaki was stunned. There was no way they could maintain that amount of energy between just two spirit guides. For a moment, to shield themselves – maybe. But not sustained like this.

She realized that the lightning was not a shield. It was meant as a weapon. And it was heading straight for them.

Shouts came from the warriors to fire more arrows. Men that had already restrung their bows began to fire. The oncoming charge was pelted with a sporadic wave of projectiles, but they were all destroyed by the crackling heat.

"Fenay!" Chaki said. "The same as me! Repel magic!" She shouted toward the warrior that had relayed her warning before. "Tell them to stop firing arrows and get their spears! Brace with your spears! The apprentices have to repel magic!"

The man shouted down the line, but Chaki could barely hear it. Everyone was shouting, cursing, looking to those at their sides for instruction. The thunder of oncoming hooves and magic rumbled over it all, drowning out individual sounds.

The men directly near her, at least, did raise their spears. She desperately wove runes, working alongside Fenay. They cast nearly the same spell, several lines of symbols that were variations on the same thing: protect the people in front of them.

The obvious struck her with only seconds remaining. Chaki wove another line into her spell. It would cost more essence, but she prayed to Shakhan that it would work better. Repel lightning.

It looked like whoever was at the center had ordered a counter-charge downhill. A wave of their warriors surged forward. It wasn't long before they met the tip of the wedge.

The impact was crushing. Opposing horses, muscled animals weighing dozens of stones, slammed into one another at full speed. The riders were thrown about like twigs. Spears and lances bent, twisted, and splintered. Flesh ripped and pulverized.

The magic sparked, crashed, flashed. Blue light flickered over the front of the wedge, chewing its way across the grass like the maw of a great blue monster. It was erratic, but where it struck, warriors were sent flying backward, their skin cracked and blackened like meat cooked over a fire too long. Chaki saw a man's arm simply explode on contact with the lightning, his spear vaporized, his body trampled a heartbeat later.

Fenay was screaming at her. It was like the distant chirps of a bird under the roar of noise from the colliding armies.

Chaki turned her head to the side. Her hair seemed to whip around her, slowly. Everything was slow. Fenay pointed her finger.

Essence. She hadn't pushed magic into her spell yet. Chaki threw her power into it as the wedge struck their portion of the line.

Fenay and Chaki's efforts produced a purple-tinged glow over their warriors, radiating from their skin like a fog. The lightning snapped against it, then bounced away like rubber, deserting the horsemen. Chaki immediately felt a huge drain on her reserves; the effort had cost her. Her blue essence bar dropped to less than a quarter of its full capacity.