The Silk Road by Kirsten Marion

Author:Kirsten Marion
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Common Deer Press
Published: 2022-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Yidi returned to Lucy and Dee with two grooms in tow.

“Saddle these two camels for us,” he ordered the men before grabbing two padded vests from their pegs. “Here, put these on. And there’s something else. . . .” He conferred with one of the grooms. The man trotted off, returning moments later with two pairs of baggy pants, two pairs of boots, and a cloak for each of them. “You’ll need these too. Change and be quick about it.” Then he left for the stable yard to wait for them to change.

When Sparkle and Temujin were ready, and the bags of provisions firmly secured to their saddles, a groom led Prince of Darkness, more subdued now, to join them.

“Have you ever ridden a camel before, Gracious Lady?” The groom leading Sparkle addressed Lucy.

She shook her head.

The groom clicked his tongue and Sparkle folded her legs to lie on the ground. An ornate saddle sat atop a colorful woven blanket on her hump, and woven reins ran from a halter decorated with multicolored tassels. “Fancy,” Lucy muttered before turning to the groom, who gave her a few pointers on camel riding.

Lucy swung her leg over the saddle, settled onto the leather seat, and picked up the reins. The groom gave a strange double click with his tongue. Sparkle awkwardly heaved herself to her feet, almost unseating Lucy by rocking far back to get her front legs under her and then lurching forward to get her back legs up.

Lucy gasped when she saw how high from the ground she was, even on a smallish camel.

Once they had all mounted, the trio filed out of the stable yard, which was brilliantly lit by the rising full moon, and Yidi led them in a brisk trot toward the main gate. “The moon is a blessing and a curse,” he muttered.

Lucy agreed. It gave them enough light to see their way, but it also meant the queen’s guards could see them if they were fast enough. She didn’t have much time to pursue those thoughts as she struggled to find the rhythm of the camel’s peculiar gait, so different from that of the Xami. The closer they got to the gate, the harder Lucy’s heart pounded. The fearsome guard creatures were just on the other side. She remembered the rippling muscles, the silvery white fangs, and the hostile gaze of the beasts. Without the Xami, would they be able to pass?

The night breeze brought the scent of the monsters to the camels, who then pranced and skittered. Lucy’s hands shook as she tried to control Sparkle and urge her forward at the same time. She prayed that she wasn’t urging them both forward into a dreadful death.

As they passed through the gates, the two lines of creatures turned to regard them with their burning red eyes. The largest ones sat by the entrance. The one on the right lifted his snout to catch their scent. He bared his teeth and a low growl rumbled up from the depths of his throat.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.