the girl called back. She jumped down from the back of the wagon and began to pick up the gargoyles lying on the ground. Yardof ran to his daughter, took her in his fleshy arms and squeezed her tight. “Father, I said I’m all right,” she said, squirming free.
JiNese went to her horse and knelt, running her hand over the huge blood-spattered face. Her shoulders began to shake and she bowed her head.
“Arek was smiling on us this time,” Cirang said. “We lost JiNese’s horse, but at least we are uninjured.”
“They coordinated the attack,” Daia said. Such behavior was unprecedented. This could only mean the beyonders had some measure of intelligence -- and the ability to communicate with one another. “The one with the teeth - it meant to separate us so the others could attack.”
“Which was why I gave you a direct order not to pursue it,” Cirang shot back.
Daia drew back, shocked. “You knew what it was doing?”
“Doesn’t matter whether I did or didn’t. I gave you an order and you disobeyed it, putting our charges and your fellow Sisters in jeopardy.”
“How was I to know? The danger appeared to be gone. What if the thing survived and attacked others?”
“Others are not our responsibility,” Cirang said. “These people and this cargo are. Our duty is to deliver them safely to Tern, and once this mission’s finished, then we can worry about the others who hire us to protect them.”
Daia closed in on Cirang and looked down into her angry dark eyes. “You mean to tell me,” she said in a low voice, “you care only about those we are paid to protect?”
Cirang stood her ground. “My personal feelings are beside the point and so are yours. I have no choice but to report this incident to Aminda and Lilalian when we return.” The two women stood nose to nose, neither speaking. Daia was unwilling to risk disciplinary action for what she wanted to do right now, but slamming her fist into Cirang’s face would feel so good.
JiNese stood and walked toward them. Her eyes were rimmed in red, her cheeks streaked with tears. “Daia did what she thought was right, Cirang. I would’ve gone after it too.”
“Then it would have been your ass in the stockade instead.”
The rest of the journey was quiet. JiNese and Naylen rode in the wagon while Daia and Cirang flanked it. No one spoke until they were almost to Tern. Daia tried again to convince Cirang she’d done nothing wrong.
“We lost a horse because of you,” Cirang snapped.
“I did not kill the horse, Cirang. I wasn’t even there.”
“Exactly my point.”
“The horse might have been killed anyway. You have no way of knowing my absence had anything to do with it.”
“You acted rashly and against my direct order.”
Daia gaped at her across the backs of the draft horses between them. “Rashly? What do you call what you did, then? Screaming like a madwoman and going after the first beyonder without even discussing our plan first?”
“Talk, talk, talk,” Cirang said, wagging her head side to side. “I’m about action. While you stood around wanting to talk, I was trying to kill the thing.”
“And when you failed,” Daia said, “I took the initiative and finished the job while you sat there, talking.” She couldn’t contain her anger or her contempt any longer. If the merchant and his daughter hadn’t been there, Daia would have pulled Cirang off her horse and pounded some sense into her.
“My actions didn’t result in the loss of a horse and the possible loss of human lives--”
“Stop, please,” Yardof broke in with an embarrassed laugh. “We did not get hurt, we lost none of our goods. Our journey was merely delayed a short while. I don’t see any fault in Miss Daia’s actions, and she did return in time to save Miss JiNese.”
“Shut up. This is none of your business,” Cirang said.
“Cirang,” Daia warned.
“Enough. The matter’s closed.”
Chapter 12
While Brodas sat at his desk,
JiNese went to her horse and knelt, running her hand over the huge blood-spattered face. Her shoulders began to shake and she bowed her head.
“Arek was smiling on us this time,” Cirang said. “We lost JiNese’s horse, but at least we are uninjured.”
“They coordinated the attack,” Daia said. Such behavior was unprecedented. This could only mean the beyonders had some measure of intelligence -- and the ability to communicate with one another. “The one with the teeth - it meant to separate us so the others could attack.”
“Which was why I gave you a direct order not to pursue it,” Cirang shot back.
Daia drew back, shocked. “You knew what it was doing?”
“Doesn’t matter whether I did or didn’t. I gave you an order and you disobeyed it, putting our charges and your fellow Sisters in jeopardy.”
“How was I to know? The danger appeared to be gone. What if the thing survived and attacked others?”
“Others are not our responsibility,” Cirang said. “These people and this cargo are. Our duty is to deliver them safely to Tern, and once this mission’s finished, then we can worry about the others who hire us to protect them.”
Daia closed in on Cirang and looked down into her angry dark eyes. “You mean to tell me,” she said in a low voice, “you care only about those we are paid to protect?”
Cirang stood her ground. “My personal feelings are beside the point and so are yours. I have no choice but to report this incident to Aminda and Lilalian when we return.” The two women stood nose to nose, neither speaking. Daia was unwilling to risk disciplinary action for what she wanted to do right now, but slamming her fist into Cirang’s face would feel so good.
JiNese stood and walked toward them. Her eyes were rimmed in red, her cheeks streaked with tears. “Daia did what she thought was right, Cirang. I would’ve gone after it too.”
“Then it would have been your ass in the stockade instead.”
The rest of the journey was quiet. JiNese and Naylen rode in the wagon while Daia and Cirang flanked it. No one spoke until they were almost to Tern. Daia tried again to convince Cirang she’d done nothing wrong.
“We lost a horse because of you,” Cirang snapped.
“I did not kill the horse, Cirang. I wasn’t even there.”
“Exactly my point.”
“The horse might have been killed anyway. You have no way of knowing my absence had anything to do with it.”
“You acted rashly and against my direct order.”
Daia gaped at her across the backs of the draft horses between them. “Rashly? What do you call what you did, then? Screaming like a madwoman and going after the first beyonder without even discussing our plan first?”
“Talk, talk, talk,” Cirang said, wagging her head side to side. “I’m about action. While you stood around wanting to talk, I was trying to kill the thing.”
“And when you failed,” Daia said, “I took the initiative and finished the job while you sat there, talking.” She couldn’t contain her anger or her contempt any longer. If the merchant and his daughter hadn’t been there, Daia would have pulled Cirang off her horse and pounded some sense into her.
“My actions didn’t result in the loss of a horse and the possible loss of human lives--”
“Stop, please,” Yardof broke in with an embarrassed laugh. “We did not get hurt, we lost none of our goods. Our journey was merely delayed a short while. I don’t see any fault in Miss Daia’s actions, and she did return in time to save Miss JiNese.”
“Shut up. This is none of your business,” Cirang said.
“Cirang,” Daia warned.
“Enough. The matter’s closed.”
Chapter 12
While Brodas sat at his desk,
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