Reden pulled his musket from its holster. “The only reason they haven’t opened fire yet is because they want to keep us from the ship—”
“Until their reinforcements come,” Joshen finished for him.
“Back inland,” Mistin cried as she reached them. “They’ll follow us around the mountain and be forced behind us.” She turned her horse and didn’t look back to see if they followed.
“It’s a good plan,” Cord said as he chased after Mistin.
Joshen set his jaw. “Their horses are fresh. Ours are nearly done in!”
“You have something better in mind?” Reden asked. When Joshen didn’t answer, Reden took off after Cord.
After a moment’s hesitation, Senna followed them. And of course, Joshen followed her.
22. Shattered
Two months ago, this stretch of jungle would have been impassable. But now most everything crumbled to dust or shattered like glass when their horses’ hooves touched it. Senna wanted to fall behind, work some seeds into the ground, but she had to concentrate on not being swept from the saddle by dead tree limbs.
She heard the soldiers crashing behind them, coming closer with each of her wearied horse’s faltering strides.
She had to do something! She snatched one of the potion vials she’d stolen from Prenny’s secret cupboard and tossed the contents into the air.
Senna knew the moment the Tarten soldiers passed through the powder. Hacking coughs of men and horses erupted behind them. It might buy a little time.
“Senna!” Joshen shouted.
She whipped around to see a low branch right in front of her. She flattened herself across Sunny’s mane. The branch raked across her back. She gasped in pain.
Finally, they rounded the mountain and started back towards the sea. Sunny plunged into the slimy remnants of a stream that stank of dead fish. They followed the riverbed all the way to the sea and climbed the banks. Sunny floundered in the sand, sinking up to his forelegs. The ocean must be close.
As soon as they reached the beach, Senna took Kine seeds from her belt. Standing in the stirrups, she tossed them skyward and sang the wind to fan them out behind her. Then her song changed into something dark and dangerous.
Kine with biting leaves,
Flesh and blood and bone to seize.
Trusting Sunny to follow the others, she looked over her shoulder as leaves like razors sprouted along the seashore—the plants were a cross between coral and cactus. She sang until she was out of range, then pulled her horse to a stop. Sunny fought her—he didn’t like being left by the others. Keeping a firm hold on the reins, Senna jumped from the saddle.
Unable to slow his horse fast enough, Joshen shot past her. “Senna, you can’t stop!”
She frantically dug in the sand and shoved the barrier seed into the ground. The soldiers were pounding up the shore behind them. Joshen didn’t know they’d hit her Kine shortly, and she didn’t have time to inform him. She started singing again.
Oh barrier tree, I sing to thee.
Stop the men who come for me.
Rounding back to her, Joshen leapt from the saddle. He grabbed her arms from behind and steered her towards Sunny. She didn’t stop singing. The seed was a full-blown sapling now. Joshen had just managed to shove her foot into the stirrup when the screams started.
But it wasn’t the Tarten soldiers screaming. It was their horses. The momentum of the chase had carried the six or so remaining soldiers into the midst of the Kine before the horses had stumbled to a stop. The soldiers were trying to force the horses out. Some were obeying, frantically scrambling, blood running down their forelegs, their hooves shredded. Others were frozen in place, their whole bodies quivering with pain and fear.
Their screams were almost worse than men’s screams. The animals were innocent. And Senna was ruining them.
Joshen let out a cry of protest. It took every ounce of determination Senna had to keep singing. As the shade of the barrier tree slowly grew over them, they witnessed the chaos she’d created.
One of the Tartens shouted orders. Abandoning the horses, the soldiers moved carefully around the Kine. To escape, they’d have to skirt into the jungle. And when they came out, the barrier tree would await them.
Senna had bought herself and her friends enough time to load into the boats without being under fire from the Tartens.
The tree was full grown. Senna stopped fighting Joshen and let herself be hauled into the saddle. They took off down the shore. A little bit farther and they found the Sea Witch anchored in a cove.
Captain Parknel’s waiting sailors took the horses, blindfolded them, and started fighting them into one of the five boats—one for each of the horses—and a smaller, faster vessel for Senna and two of her Guardians. A handful of Barbus seeds in her hand, Senna started off to create a perimeter of plants around them.