Attacked!
Kedriq spurred his pony to the waylaid wagons. His animal stumbled, caught himself and then stopped abruptly. Caught off balance Kedriq fell forward hitting the animal’s neck before tumbling to the ground, landing on his back with a forced exhale. A glance showed an arrow pierced the pony’s side near the off flank. It neighed with eyes circled white in pain and fright as it staggered a few faltering steps. Kedriq jumped up and raced to Tyna. The pony’s distressed sounds followed him until he heard it fall.
Reaching Tyna’s oxen, he didn’t listen to what she shouted, but pulled a knife from his belt and cut the harness, yelling for her to seek cover. She remained, holding the standing ox’s bridle. When the animal stepped out of the hitch, Kedriq grabbed Tyna and hauled her toward shelter beneath the wagon. She pulled away and ran toward the oxen team behind her wagon. Together they prodded the animals forward until they sheltered on the opposite side of Tyna’s wagon. A quick look showed her people did the same with the other wagons.
“Get under the wagon, now!” he shouted.
Arrows thudded into the wagon above him. He pushed her against the wagon and covered her body with his own, throwing arms around his head. A useless gesture some remnant of logic told him with the simultaneous realization they were now attacked from both sides. All about him he heard the yells of the escort riders echoing off the cliff walls, exposing the archers’ positions, driving them from their concealment. But none worked the opposite riverbank from where the new arrows came. He could offer real help, though, and turned to the danger. Tyna struggled to pull him. “Get under the wagon.”
He resisted the drag of her hands. He could do more. He stilled, his body still protecting hers from harm, but he made no move toward safety. He tossed a quick prayer to the Holy One that no marksman targeted him. Ignoring Tyna’s distracting commands to save himself, he calmed his mind and unleashed his mental gift.
As his true vision faded, his Talent allowed another vision to emerge. Strong life energies materialized first. Mental images shimmered in yellow, red and blue shapes as if actually seen, but he could not determine friend or foe. As his Talent unfurled, he detected the subtler energy currents, their strengths branded on his mind in swirling colors.
What now? He gritted his teeth until his jaw felt like breaking. There was nothing he could do. His Talent level gave him ability to see energy, and he should have been able to control it. Instead, an inner disability prevented his mastery; rendered him helpless. Without the rest of his squad, he was as inept as Brenna claimed.
He detected the searing heat of fast-moving energy, sensed its fiery potential, and knew the arrow’s flight held true. It hit the wagon and the fiery head exploded into shards that splashed like flaming water. Kedriq forced Tyna to the ground, landing on top of her. The force brought him back into normal reality. Orange flames quickly spread along the top of the wagon. He felt other fire-charged arrows fly, their energy tracing through his Talent’s awareness. Four missed their intended targets, but a sixth hit another wagon.
Tyna shrieked, he thought in fear. But she struggled from his protection to the steps of her wagon. Her hand touched the door latch. He pulled her away, the door opening with his jerk on her arm. Dark smoke poured from the doorway.
“No, you cannot save it! It is already too late!”
The fire along the wagon’s top crackled and popped in well-fed opulence. Looking into the interior he saw flaming roof slats fall, igniting the interior.
“Let me go! Let me go.”
With her protests he tightened his hold, concerned she would rush to save what she could. It was already too late.
His helplessness fed his anger, fed his fear. Tyna tugged and pulled at his restraining arms, her nails scraping raw stripes of pain on the back of his hand, and her heel struck his shin. The pain made him let go, but he reached for her again. When she didn’t head into the wagon but to the ox team still hitched to the wagon behind to release them from their hitch, he helped lead the animals away from the flames’ reach. His neck itched with a subliminal Talent flaring in recognition of danger. Another arrow struck close by, and he sensed more on the way.
He must stop the archers! His determination gave a spurt of unexpected strength, he sent his Talent reeling outward and collected and combined stray winds. Then he hurled them down the cliff sides with brutal solidarity. The blast hit the cliff with brutal strength. Sand, grit and debris rose in angry clouds that stung eyes and filled screaming mouths.
The unified energy exploded from his control and burst loose in speeding gusts, assaulting everyone in all directions, whipping festooned merchandise into a clanging intensity. Flames consuming the wagons quelled—then rebounded in fresh intensity.
The powerful wind tempest stopped as swiftly as it had started. Abrupt stillness consumed all sense until the sounds of distressed oxen; the now gentle thud of hanging objects coming to rest on the wagons and the roar of fire emerged. As the heat became unbearable, Tyna backed away, abandoning her wagon to the fire. He saw another wagon was also a loss. The workers fought to save the remaining wagons from incendiary embers.
“You did that?” Tyna asked.