Sand and Blood

Chapter 27: Pabinkue Tsubàyo

It takes only a single word to ruin a surprise.

—Ralador Markin, A Girl's Secret

Rutejìmo came sliding to a halt along the flat patch of sand Chimípu had pointed out. It had a thin crust over the top and, when he stopped, it cracked from his weight. He sank into it and felt the softer sand beneath clinging to his bare feet. Some of the projectiles spilled out of his arms and hit the ground in a series of thumps.

He glanced over his shoulder and watched Chimípu circle around to the far end of the arch. A plume of sand and dust rose behind her, billowing out and adding to the haze from a light breeze rippling across the desert. She straightened into a line and sprinted for the arch, her body blurring as she accelerated for an attack.

Bile rose in his throat, and he turned away sharply. As much as he hated Tsubàyo for what he did, kidnapping Pidòhu and killing Mikáryo's sister, he couldn't bear the thought of seeing the teenager's death. Karawàbi's corpse still haunted him. In the last few days, he had realized he didn't have the taste to even imagine killing someone.

He looked back just as Chimípu reached the arch. From their plan, she would draw Tsubàyo out of the darkness and into the sands where he didn't have shadows to hide in. Rutejìmo imagined Chimípu watching the shadows warily as she approached. Her tazágu glinted in the sunlight as she held it ready to strike.

As she came in, the shadows bulged out and Tsubàyo came barreling out of the darkness on the back of his horse. He crouched low on the black animal with a spear in his hand. They moved as a single creature. Rutejìmo didn't know where Tsubàyo had gotten a spear until he realized it was Tsubàyo's knife tied to the end of a tent pole, crude but no doubt effective.

Tsubàyo's horse lashed out at Chimípu, teeth snapping on air.

She dodged to the side. Her momentum blasted her through the sand as she planted her foot on one of the fallen rocks. The impact stopped her instantly, and the rock cracked in half from her speed. Before the sand settled down, she kicked off, rolled backward into a jump, and landed on her feet. Sand rose in the air as she dove underneath the horse and accelerated away from the arch, but at a far slower rate than her top speed.

Tsubàyo charged after her. As he and his horse ran along the dunes, he readied his spear to attack.

Feeling guilty for not responding faster, Rutejìmo grabbed the sling and a shot. He set the bundle in the center of the sling, made sure it was secure, and then spun on his heels. He could feel the shot tugging away from him, but he wasn't moving fast enough. Trying to remember the sensation from when he practiced earlier, he threw himself into each rotation.

When Shimusògo appeared at his feet, his spin accelerated, and the sand rose up in a vortex around him.

Between the rotations, he saw Tsubàyo reach Chimípu and attack. His spear slashed out in a wide swath. It left a faint blue haze as it cut through the air.

Chimípu ducked at the last minute, and the blade narrowly avoided her. She spun on her heels and grabbed at the shaft. She missed but yanked her tazágu up before Tsubàyo's backswing struck her.

Rutejìmo felt himself getting up to speed. With a grunt, he released the end of the sling, and the shot rocketed across the sands. The speed tore up the ground, sucking sand and dust behind it in a long trail as it cracked through the air.

He stumbled as he watched it. It flew straight, but it would miss. Swearing, he fumbled as he grabbed another shot. He jammed it into the sling and violently spun up to speed.

The first shot slammed into the ground a rod behind Tsubàyo. Neither Tsubàyo nor Chimípu would have noticed the miss, but the impact launched shrapnel and sand everywhere. A cloud of rocks and camping supplies blossomed out.