Sten and a number of young male nomads were in the meeting hall. They were gambling in a game that neither Judd nor Giordi understood. The mood was comfortable and cheerful until they caught sight of Giordi and Judd approaching them. Their faces darkened into angry hues and Judd would have sworn he’d seen one of them reach for a hidden blade, ready to exact justice.

  “Sten,” Giordi said brightly and Judd had to admire the downright ludicrous front he was able to maintain in the face of deadly animosity, “in your travels, have you ever seen a minotaur?”

  Sten stood up and his cronies stood with him. Giordi raised his eyebrows and Judd’s hand grasped the hilt of his sword.

  “Giordi Gavoli,” Sten spoke mockingly, “seek minotaur?”

  “Judd LaMogre seek minotaur,” Giordi gestured to his friend, “vouchsafe of Chief Bear.”

  Sten stepped forward, his mouth hardening into a dark line.

  “Chief Arkouda nay exousia.”

  He stood over Giordi, taller and brimming with barely restrained fury.

  “Why don’t we ask patras what he thinks?” Giordi said as lightly as he could but Judd could hear the tremor of nerves in his usually steady voice.

  Sten’s eyes were like blades beneath his heavy brows but he stepped back, hearing the thinly veiled threat in Giordi’s voice. He turned and spoke to his comrades so quickly that Judd and Giordi couldn’t begin to unravel the ancient Terra. Sten’s friends laughed and nodded, leaving the meeting hall. Sten looked back at Giordi.

  “Giordi Gavoli ride with us.”

  “Oh that’s not necessary…” Giordi stopped when Sten leaned forward and nearly spat through his gritted teeth.

  “You ride with us.”

  Judd held fast, watching the stand off, holding his breath. Sten waited until Giordi blinked, unable to keep Sten’s gaze any longer. The brother of Revna made a mocking snort and strode off.

  “Apparently…I’m riding with them.” Giordi shuddered.

  “This is ridiculous.” Judd insisted. “They’re going to get you away from this campsite and beat you to a pulp.”

  “Well…I’m not going anywhere without a mount. I wonder if I might borrow Quell or Zeke?”

  “You’d make a better impression on Xenon.”

  Giordi shook his head. “I can ride but the less tempestuous mount I choose, the more competent I will look.” He paused. “You’re coming with me, right?”

  Judd nodded. “I don’t dare leave you alone with those thugs. I’m guessing we’re heading out straight away. I’ll get Xenon and Quell saddled.”

  “I’ll let the wife know.” Giordi cleared his throat and went back to the tent he’d slept in the night before. Revna was not there. He found her with other women, all of whom were married. It seemed Revna’s wedding had allowed her into their midst, permanently wearing her veil across the bottom half of her face. She was grinding grain in a dish, working the wheel backwards and forwards, struggling with the weight of it but not once complaining. “Revna?”

  She looked up and caught his eye. After speaking briefly with someone who could take her place she stood up and went to him.

  “You want…bed?” She asked softly.

  “What? No!” Giordi exclaimed then cursed his inability to keep his voice down as all the married woman looked at both of them. “Why would you ask that?” He whispered urgently.

  “When husband call, it for bed.” She explained as best she could.

  “I’m not here for that.” Giordi insisted, taking her elbow and leading her aside. “I just wanted to let you know I’m riding out with Judd.”

  There was a flicker of fear in her eyes that Giordi couldn’t quite understand.

  “Be safe.” She said, turning away and fleeing back to her grinding.

  Giordi shook his head then hurried to the tent where Judd had saddled both mounts.

  “Sten and company are already outside the palisade.” Judd warned, mounting Xenon, feeling him tremble with anticipation.

  “Oh…I just need to grab something…” Giordi ducked into the tent and began to rummage through everyone’s pack. “Where is it…ah!” He grabbed Verne’s second bow and quiver of arrows.

  “Just what do you think you’re doing?” Verne demanded from behind. Giordi glanced at him, slinging the bow over his head and arm.

  “Arming myself,” Giordi belted the quiver around his waist, “and not just against the monsters.” He caught Verne’s furious glare. “I’ll bring it back…I promise.”

  “Just keep it.” Verne muttered and left the tent.

  Giordi made a note to corner the moody archer at some point and, after copious amounts of nomadic ale, pry out what was eating him. But he couldn’t spare the time at that moment, leaving the tent and mounting Quell. The horse that had been one half of the equine gate system of Fort Bastil was not as large as Judd’s stallion but she was no slouch either. The only reason she hadn’t been made a mount for a soldier was because of her and Zeke’s mottled coats. After all the travelling she had done since Fort Bastil, Quell’s strength and stamina had increased greatly. She was naturally intimidated by Xenon but had formed a bond with the robust stallion on the journey from the east to the west and trusted him to be a protector and to take the lead.

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  So when Judd nudged Xenon out of the palisade, Quell eagerly followed.

  Sten and five of his friends were waiting for them. There were several mocking looks at Quell but they held their tongues and began to ride away, expecting Judd and Giordi to follow. Judd, atop Xenon, had a fine view of the prairies and of the top of Giordi’s head. The blond curls bounced around, shinning like burnished gold in the dull grey light. Giordi hadn’t lied about being able to ride. Judd was inordinately jealous that he managed to go from a walk to a trot to a canter without being completely bounced out of his saddle. It had taken three days and an excruciating backside for Judd to master the treacherous trot.

  Aware that Xenon’s stride would fast outpace Quell’s, Judd held the stallion back much to his frustration, not wanting to let Giordi out of his sight. They followed the impatient nomads across the prairies, leaving the palisade and nomad camp behind. It was a little alarming that, in a place which seemed to be so flat, they lost sight of it almost immediately. Judd was relieved he would be able to follow the nomads back to the campsite…but only if he could keep up with them in the first place.

  As if sensing his concern, Giordi spoke. “Give Xenon his head. He’s got energy to burn.”

  “I’m riding out to keep an eye on you.” Judd retorted.

  “You can’t babysit me for the rest of my life. You’ve got places to go, monsters to kill, remember?”

  Judd sighed, knowing it was true. He urged Xenon into a canter, riding rings around Giordi. He was unwilling to lose sight of the minstrel, now nomad, in case Sten and his friends exacted their own form of justice beyond Chief Elk’s line of sight.

  The nomads rode for quite some time then paused in a slight valley. Judd and Giordi approached, Judd concerned that they were setting up an ambush. Sten looked at them. Though Judd couldn’t be certain, he thought that the son of Chief Elk was a little put out that Giordi had, not only kept up with them, but hadn’t been bounced and jarred by the journey.

  “See there.” Sten pointed to the lip of a rise. Judd and Giordi rode cautiously to the edge and peered over. In the long stretch of plain below was a herd of shaggy beasts, none as tall as Xenon but each weighing possibly twice as much. They had stumpy snouts and ears on the sides of their heads, allowing long horns to sweep up from the top of their skulls.

  “Monsters?” Judd asked.

  “No…but I get the feeling minotaur might have been based off them.” Giordi clucked his tongue. “I can’t recall what they’re called but I wager they’re not easy to take down…especially with those horns.”

  They turned back to the others and saw they were readying their weapons. Judd clutched his sword as Sten smiled unpleasantly at them.

  “Giordi Gavoli…”

  Giordi’s eyes widened. “You want me to…” He shook his head. “I can’t bring down one of those things!”

  “You one of us,” Sten smacked his chest and his friends did the same, “or not one of us.”

  Judd looked at the minstrel. “I get the feeling this is a rite of passage…”

  “I thought marrying the chief’s daughter was enough…” Giordi hissed.

  “I’m guessing not so much, not for these young men.” Judd sighed. “You’re not armed for close combat. Stay on the rise and use your bow and arrows. I’ll try to separate a smaller beast from the herd and drive it towards you.”

  “Do you have any idea how you’re going to do that?”

  “None whatsoever.” Judd shrugged. “Look, while you’re up here, the others can’t ambush you. Watch your back.”

  Giordi nodded as Judd, Sten and the other nomads cantered along the valley, heading downwind of the beasts. He counted to make sure all of the nomads went with Judd. Then it occurred to him that all the nomads went with Judd.

  “They wouldn’t beat him up just to spite me…would they?” Giordi suddenly feared. “Chief Bear would chew them to pieces…but not before Aalis unleashed her fury. Still…would they dare?” He urged Quell back up to the top of the rise, seeing that the beasts had veered off slightly and were no longer moving directly towards him. He drew an arrow out of the quiver and readied it, his hands shaking. “I’m not an archer. I’m not a warrior…I’m only a nomad by a ridiculous set of circumstances conceived of by a universe with a cruel sense of humour…What in Maul am I doing here?”

  Then he saw the nomads galloping down the farthest slope towards the beasts, Xenon striding ahead of all of them with Judd managing to keep his seat and look the part. It was astonishing that only a few weeks ago, Judd wouldn’t have been able to ride a pony and yet here he was, maintaining pace and even outstripping the nomads on a tempestuous stallion.

  Giordi’s jaw firmed. “Man up, Gavoli,” he said sharply to himself, “Judd LaMogre is out there being a better friend than you deserve. You can do this.”

  Xenon outpaced all the other mounts, cutting off the herd’s direction. Giordi was deeply impressed that, with so little intimidation, the beasts were already baying, turning their heads and coming towards Giordi’s position. For someone who couldn’t even say what the beasts were called, Judd was doing a remarkable job of herding them. Giordi could even see the surprise in his eyes that it was working so well. He urged Xenon to keep pace with the herd, thundering alongside it, turning the herd so that it would pass by Giordi which would allow the novice archer to let a few arrows fly.

  The baying of the beasts was a cacophony of fury and fear and their hooves crushed the ground beneath them. Giordi raised his bow and sighted down the arrow shaft. He had seen a smaller beast near the back, possibly an adolescent and hopefully, easier to kill. The horns would not be as impressive as a full grown bull but Giordi figured it was a decent compromise. His blue eyes darted along the arrow shaft, waiting for his prey to come into view…

  …when he saw another pair of eyes with the same expression.

  A pair of yellow eyes in a shroud of pale gold that were following Xenon and Judd with a hungry appetite, fangs appearing in a mouth that trembled with anticipation.

  “Judd!” Giordi yelled. “Judd!”

  But Judd couldn’t hear him over the roar of the herd and the howls of delight of the nomads as they began to lay into one of the beasts, toppling it. Judd was oblivious to the fact that while he was hunting, something was hunting him.

  Giordi kicked his heels deep into Quell, yelling an apology to the mare as she leapt into a gallop, streaking down the slope as fast as her mottled legs could carry her. He ignored the herd that was thundering past him or the mockery of the nomads. He waved frantically, trying to get Judd’s attention.

  “Judd! Behind you!”

  Judd finally looked up, confusion on his face when he saw Giordi riding towards him. He began to mouth ‘what’ when he realised Giordi was pointing at something behind him.

  Even as he started to turn to look, a wild scream tore through the air. The beasts became even more frantic, scattering as fear surged through their ranks. Not even Xenon could not restrain himself from a violent rear that threw the unsuspecting Judd off his back as the giant wild cat burst from the long grasses, its lightning fast forearms and powerful back legs no more than a blur, its jaw wide in anticipation.

  Giordi fired an arrow at it which missed. He urged Quell forward towards the wild cat that was bearing down on Judd so fast Giordi didn’t dare to blink. He fired another arrow and another even as the cat leapt towards Judd who threw himself out of its way, thrusting madly with his sword yet hitting nothing but air. The cat landed in a tangle of its own limbs yet launched immediately out of its sprawl like a restrained coil let loose. It charged at Judd, huge claws as big as his head, swiping at him yet knocked sideways when one of Giordi’s arrows finally hit home.

  The cat landed on the grass and twisted, hissing at Giordi who sat astride Quell. The poor horse suddenly realised the enormity of the danger it was in and was shaking harder than Giordi was. The giant cat’s jaw quivered, huge fangs dripping with anticipatory saliva and Giordi had a terrible blackout moment when he suddenly wondered what he would taste like.

  “Gavoli!”

  Giordi blinked and let loose the arrow in his bow and then another and another, the wild cat dodging and weaving before going into a single, long leap, jaws aimed directly for his throat.

  Giordi drew back on his bow and fired.