Two Masters (epic progression fantasy)

Chapter 22: The Shield and the Sharpshooter

Shifra Speartip entered the camp riding Rukin, her favorite gallimai. Not her fastest, but her most even-tempered. She hopped off her back, kicking up dust from the camp as she landed, and pulled an orange out of her bag.

"Good girl," she said. She patted Rukin's neck and tossed the orange in the air toward Rukin's head. She caught and gobbled it with ease.

Qadi however, hadn't climbed down from her mount.

"How do you jump off of these things as if they were nothing?" She looked on either side of her, unsure of where to go.

Shifra stepped forward and helped her friend down, grunting as she caught her foot in her hands and lowered her down.

Qadi almost stumbled as she landed but managed to keep her footing. She stretched her back, wincing as it popped. "I much prefer my own two feet. Or a carriage."

"Both of which would have been much too slow," Shifra said.

Shifra grabbed the reins and turned to the camp. It had taken her and Qadi longer than expected to catch up with the army. The army moved too quickly. She'd hoped to meet her father at Solinia, if possible.

The ground trembled with the footsteps of a brachio. Not far off, one patrolled the edge of the camp, the steady pounding strong enough to feel in your chest. Directly in front of her, saurians and men from the seven tribes of Ateya had gathered to fight. Ankylos and their squat, armored bodies, hunkering along. Their moans a low rumble. A ceratopsian let out a screech as a man stepped in front of it, and the saurian master struggled for a moment to reign it in.

As she and Qadi walked, the soldiers began to recognize her. Those who did placed their hands behind their backs and bowed or said aloud the words "May my service lift you." She found herself nodding and mumbling, "and you also, and you also." Most had no response to Qadi, not knowing her.

As she lifted her head from yet another nod, Shifra noticed a field of makeshift tents, very different from the uniform tents of the military. She turned to a soldier.

"Soldier, what's out there?" She pointed with her free hand to the odd tents.

A soldier looked that way, then frowned. "Refugees from the east. General Omrai said we must protect them on the way."

Shifra squinted her eyes, trying to pick out details. Most of the tents were the black and yellow of Farinia, the far eastern tribe of Ateya. "Are they all Farinites?"

"Most," the soldier said.

She looked him up and down. It was hard to tell what tribe he was from (since uniforms bore no tribal colors), but he had a dark red streak in the center of his brown hair. "Solinite?"

The man nodded. His frown deepened. "My family should have time; they've only just begun attacking Solinia."

Shifra felt a rush of concern. Solinia was the next tribe over. Had this conqueror already taken all Farinia? She looked over at Qadi. Her best friend also frowned. "How did they get so far?" Qadi said.

The man looked at Qadi, confused. He then looked back to Shifra.

"Answer the question," Shifra said.

The soldier nodded. "They have... terrible weapons. They can fly. Their bodies are made of metal."

Qadi hummed in disbelief. "Not just armor?"

"We'll see soon enough. We go to meet Jebuthar the conqueror in a few days' time." The soldier's voice fell almost to a whisper, his breathing less steady.