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Outside the commotion was even louder, and the camp was in disarray. People rushed in different directions and there was a quickness about it that alarmed her, but it didn’t bother the two women. They led her to a large wheelless cart that sat flat on the sand next to the group of the non-horses. The inside of the cart was similar to an open-air carriage—soft brown material lined its floor and sidewalls and a ledge ran along one side to sit on. Cushions and blankets had been placed in one corner and in the other was a squat metal pot with a lid.
Motioning, the women made her step inside and sit down, and then they removed the fabric from her knees and wrists. They moved to opposite corners of the cart and stood guard.
Naya surveyed the camp ground, finally seeing what the commotion had been about. Almost all the tents were dismantled with the one she’d been in and a few others remaining. The people were packing their materials into carts similar to the one she was in, all lined up next to the strange-looking horses. So many people darted about, many more than she recalled seeing when the tents were up.
While they worked on the remaining tents, the stout healer approached her with a knobby stem. It had been cut open, but part of the rounded disk of the root remain attached, like a lid. He handed it to Naya and then pointed to a bracket on the inside wall of the cart.
Naya nodded.
He then imitated drinking from the stem, pointed to his mouth, lowered his finger down his body to his groin, and then pointed to the metal pot in the cart's corner.
Naya half-smiled. So now they cared if she soiled herself. “I understand, thank you.”
He inclined his head and walked away, and the two women moved to either corner of the cart. It looked as if they were both working on something, speaking quietly in their language and then a flash of shimmery magic covered her cart, arced like a clear dome, and the air around her cooled, removing the intense bite of the sun.
Naya sighed in relief, then settled into the cushioned corner of the cart, sipping the delicious liquid in her stem, and watched dismantling of last tent.
The carts were all lined up in rows that extended far behind her, most of them piled high with materials and equipment while others carried people. There were more rows that she could count, and a shimmering magical dome covered each cart. The strange horses were positioned in front of a line of two or three carts, and similar to horse-drawn carriages, the animals’ saddles were attached to rods connected to the carts.
Several people approached the side of Naya’s cart and unfolded long rods that they attached to the saddle of a beautiful non-horse that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. With a rich tan coat that lightened to a creamy beige underside, brown hooves, and short spikes along the back of his neck, Naya had never seen such an animal before. He was striking. This odd-looking horse behaved differently from the others of his kind, too. Slightly bigger, his thicker muscles were more defined, and his long ears stood still on his head, unlike the others whose ears constantly flicked and twitched and rotated. Similarly, his long thin tail, with a tufty tan curl at the end, didn’t move constantly like the others.
After examining him as much as she could, Naya turned back to the camp people, absorbing every detail she could. They used magic over the carts to protect their cargo, but how could they travel at any speed dragging carts along the sand? Surely they’d tip over at some point. She eyed her own cart—maybe it would too. That had to be why they were all checking and rechecking the carts and rods.
As the final checks were made, the beast appeared.
Surrounded by a group of men and women, he walked through the procession of carts and animals, nodding and exchanging words with the people. The group that strode next to him seemed important, too. The stout healer was one of them, but the others she didn’t recognize.
As the beast reached the front of her cart, he strode directly toward her and her heart lurched. She didn’t want to speak to him, not so soon. But he wasn’t heading for her. He swung up onto the beautiful, strange horse, settling into the saddle as the entire camp gathered around him.
There was a moment of silence. Then he spoke, his voice rising into the air.
Naya tensed at the deep, strong tone of his voice. It wasn’t just deep; it was smooth with a distinct richness that made him sound seasoned and wise. The undertone of that smoothness had a textured, gravelly depth that carried the demanding growl of a powerful Alpha.
Naya swayed in the cart, drawing her knees in to protect herself from the fluttering of arousal that appeared just from hearing his voice. She tried to focus on how he was addressing his people in his native tongue.
He spoke with passion, his words rhythmic, with repetitive sounds and emphasis similar to how her father spoke to his people en masse. She watched the surrounding crowd. They were enraptured. Their eyes locked onto him—no one glanced away or fidgeted. All attention was on their leader.
Her knees relaxed back down. His impact on her may be because he was her true mate, but his people’s behavior told her he was a captivating speaker. Naya’s heart sank. Without understanding a single word, she could tell he had the presence of a leader—one who riveted others and compelled them to follow.
The beast glanced in her direction, and the entire crowd turned their heads to look at her.
Naya stilled but didn’t shrink from their gaze as the beast continued talking. Whatever he was saying about her, it didn’t inspire anger or contempt. His people looked at her with determination and a tinge of curiosity, while a tremor of fear flashed in some of their expressions.
As he continued speaking, their attention was drawn back to him. He ended his speech with a crescendo of a repeated phrase that peaked into a roar that tore the air, gritty and textured just like his voice, and pulled on the hair on Naya’s arms and neck. The crowd joined him, everyone still cheering when they made their way back to their carts.
Naya watched the beast’s broad back as he settled on his non-horse and fixed material around his head. Of course, she would be attached to his animal. If her cart tipped over, he would know immediately.
After a few moments, the odd horses began to move.
She braced herself against the side of the cart as it jerked across the sand, but as his animal picked up speed, the cart floated upward. Naya shifted her position to look over the edge of the cart. It was hovering a few feet above the sand!
She stared at the sand rushing by before lifting her gaze to see the other carts all hovering behind their animals as well. It was an incredible sight. Even though the beast said that magic wouldn’t help her here, they’d harnessed it in ways she’d never seen. It was fascinating.
The horse-creatures increased to a full gallop, shooting across the sand at an incredible speed. They moved beautifully and quietly. For all their twitchiness when they stood around, their muscular bodies transformed into a beauty of motion when they ran. Naya marveled, watching them. If she was ever going to travel in this place, she’d probably need one of these creatures. They moved fast and seemed relatively simple to ride. Their gait was slightly different from a horse but she couldn’t see any major differences. She’d love to learn to ride them, but the beast wouldn’t allow that. It would be a fantastic way to escape, however. They were quiet and fast.
Their ears pressed down flat on their heads while they ran and flicked up intermittently as if listening for instructions. Their tails behaved differently on each of them—either straight behind them or flicking side to side.
All the people riding the horse-creatures covered either their whole head or most of their faces, and Naya could see why. Moving at this speed, sand hit the magical dome that covered and protected her.
