Arga

The morning started out so fine.

I'd ridden out into the mist on my own, bow on my back and a fast horse under me. She was my pride and joy, the best of the stock and she had chosen me.

I'd been sitting quietly watching her graze when my husband rode up to us. He is was very handsome… Tanned and muscular, with dark eyes that always sparkled when they looked at me.

We are warriors, and some of the best of the Scyth. Not all the beaten liked us as their new rulers though and our leader sent small parties out to patrol our borders fairly regularly. And that’s why we were here. To keep the peace. Or, rather, to keep the beaten in line until they accepted us.

When I’d asked him if anyone else was coming, he’d nodded and told me they were on the way.

I leaned into him, taking advantage of our moment alone and he pressed his lips to my forehead. I pulled away as I heard horses closing in. He brushed a spot of dust off my worn jacket and straightened the golden brooch around my waist. It was my favorite thing. He'd given it to me. I looked down at the golden running horse with his tail streaming out behind him.

A chill ran down my spine.

The hoofbeats came from the wrong direction.

He noticed mere seconds after I did. I pulled my bow from my back and readied an arrow.

Too close. They were closing in too fast. But finally, I heard our group coming behind me.

Lik called my name and pointed to our left.

I nodded and loosed two arrows in quick succession. Two riders fell, but no less than twenty closed in. Lik, less proficient with his bow dropped two as I let four more arrows fly. I had him beat here, but when it came to hand-to-hand combat, it was hard to beat his brute force.

We mounted our horses in between shots but knew better than to turn our backs. Our horses understood and backed away as quickly as they were able. The others were coming, but our enemies were upon us.

Lik knocked a rider off his horse by grabbing the man’s bow and flinging him off balance. He swung the unwieldy thing-so different than the style we used-and hit another rider who fell with a thud.

We were winning. Our warriors were beside us now and we beat the incoming group back. One member of the group joining us had peeled off and returned home to gather more back-up. At the rate we were going, we wouldn’t need it. We were outnumbered but far from outmatched.

I sliced the shoulder of a rider flying past me and looked to Lik just as a blade pierced his chest.

The sound that erupted from him chilled me to my core. He fell from his horse and the dirt under him darkened as his blood seeped into it.

Something whizzed by my head bringing me back into the fight. With a yell I punched the man who was too stupid to hit me and he jerked his horse, knocking him into the man next to him. They both fell, horses and all.

A whir of blades and blood flashed by with screams and grunts and within fifteen minutes, it was all over. We’d won.

But I’d lost everything.

I jumped from my mount. I called his name and begged him to stay with me. I begged. He never looked at me. He’d already gone.

Now I am alone.