Page 43 of Tusks & Saddles

Chapter Sixteen

Beatrix

W elborn’s grip tightened a bit too roughly, but Beatrix couldn’t blame him as the horse reared back. The sudden motion nearly distracted her from what had caused the animal to grow skittish. Pulled from the moment with her companion, Beatrix spotted the dust trail.

“—shit!”

A holy man cursing would have amused Beatrix if she wasn't preoccupied with the sight of something unknown burrowing through the dirt straight at them. The desert boasted a few creatures that dwelled in the ground. Prairie dogs, scorpions, rabbits—but whatever was tunneling toward them was much to large to be an ordinary animal. And the distinct tremor vibrating through the horse’s body wasn’t of the animals own fear, but from the earth. Which meant it was most likely—

Beatrix tightened her hold on the reins and managed to regain control of the horse.

She urged it to bypass the row of disturbed dirt, jumping over in a hurry.

Once they crossed, the animal was quick to bolt, hooves pounding on the ground at a pace Beatrix would never insist upon if the matter wasn’t so dire.

Behind her, Welborn bounced with every hard step. Beatrix could tell the young man was holding on for dear life as the saddle only partially accommodated him. But if they didn’t shake what Beatrix suspected was in pursuit of them, Welborn would have more than just a bruised ass to contend with.

“Miss Eaves!” Welborn shouted over the wind. “What was—”

“No time! Hold onto me and keep an eye over your shoulder!”

“For wha—I mean, okay!”

If there was ever a time Beatrix was thankful that Welborn had been born agreeable, it was then. The last thing she needed was to spend her time arguing with him while trying to steer them to safety.

The horse galloped down the long stretch toward the direction of the water tower and Beatrix kept an eye out for any other potential threats as they went. All the while her mind was calculating the likelihood of Bad Company taking out what she very much suspected was a—

Beatrix had less then a few seconds to course correct as out of the corner of her vision was what she feared most.

Breaking the surface of the dirt mound, leaving a trail of dust in its wake was a creature Beatrix had only encountered once before.

Yet there was no mistaking the purple serpentine body, the almost armor plates that stretched across its length.

This monster was large—approximately eight or nine feet long and headed straight at them with an open maw—

Beatrix pulled on the reins, shifting the horse hard to the left and narrowly missing the massive creature that slammed into the hard ground where they had been moments before.

The piercing trill of the monsters displeasure made her ear drums ache.

The sudden change in direction caused Welborn to press closer to her back, his hands desperately holding onto her waist now with an iron-like grip.

“Oh my All Seer!” Welborn exclaimed near her ear. “That was a Giant Slither!”

“Yes, thank you, I’m aware! ”

Welborn was only half right as Giant slithers were named after the terrain they occupied. In the colder climates, they were Ice Slithers but in the Searing Wastelands, they were Sand Slithers. An odd fact that had stuck with Beatrix after her first encounter with one.

Regardless of what they were called, they were dangerous.

A monster that had the ability to move much faster than any man, that could hunt with precision, but most importantly could launch itself out of the ground the way sharks did from the sea.

Rightfully, it was terrifying and Beatrix was determined not to end up as that thing’s dinner.

Steer her to safety, steer her toward the water tower—as close as we can get!

Beatrix liked having a plan but the world often threw those out the window like dirty bath water. Her ability to think quickly on her feet was how she had survived the last ten years without her family. She only needed to outpace the—

“There are two, Miss Eaves!”

“What?!” Beatrix eyes widened.

That explained why Welborn hadn’t warned her of the Sand Slither’s approach. His eyes were already trained on the one that had been following directly behind them. Most Giant Slithers weren’t pack animals so why were there more than one?

“How many dust trails do you see?”

“I—” Welborn’s voice dropped as the horse took a sharp leap over a cluster of dried tumbleweeds.

“How many?!”

“Four!” he shouted.

Four.

Shit.

That meant if Beatrix tried to take a shot, she would have to make it count. There would only be room for two corrections if she missed. Bad Company was a powerful weapon in her hands, but even the firearm came with limitations. She would most likely have to—

“Wait, wait! There’s two more!”

“What in the Dauntless Verity—”

“There!”

Welborn pointed, arm outstretched to the right. Sure enough, there were two large dust trails approaching them from an angle. The subtle vibration of the earth was beginning to grow with every hoof fall of the horse.

“Now would be a great time to ask your god for some aid, Welborn!” Beatrix shouted with a tinge of urgency .

“Okay, okay, okay!”

Beatrix hadn’t been lying when she had told Welborn that they had to trust each other.

Trust was a fine line between life and death in the Wastelands.

A thin bit of string that Beatrix was entrusting to Welborn.

If things got really bad, she had a back-up plan.

Except Beatrix would have to give over the reins to the horse, something she was not willing to do as she was the better rider.

They desperately needed the aid of distance.

Whatever miracles Welborn had up his sleeve, he needed to do it now .

Welborn shifted behind her, body swaying as he lifted a hand from her. She was worried he may fall, but he firmly encircled her waist before lifting his other hand off her hip. If he were to fall, at least he wouldn’t go alone.

Can’t lose him, won’t lose him.

The air was already filled with dust, but something electric made Beatrix’s hair stand on end.

It was the familiar spark of magic that her father had always told her to be mindful of.

She couldn’t see what Welborn was doing, but as she urged the horse forward, Beatrix knew she trusted him.

Trusted that he could handle the very large problem behind them.

All six of them.

That same current of magic was being gathered by the cleric, energy pulsating just behind Beatrix’s shoulder.

All magic had a tangible sense to it—even to non-casters like herself.

That feeling of something being just slightly off but not being able to place it was a good indicator of such.

However, Welborn’s magic was vastly different from the arcanists and sorcerers she had encountered.

Whether it was the divine source or just a peculiar element of the man himself, she couldn’t say.

Whatever it was, Beatrix welcomed it as the spellwork made her ears ring .

The crack that broke through the sound in her ears made the horse neigh in fright. It was as if a bolt of lightening had struck them, but there was no pain, no fire came to set them ablaze. For a moment, Beatrix wasn’t certain what happened until Welborn let out a whoop of triumph.

“Holy shit. Holy shit!”

“What? What’s happening?”

“I did it! I did it!”

He sounded gleeful, the way Beatrix had felt the first time she had successfully shot an apple off her brother’s head.

Only it had been with a sling shot and not Bad Company .

Mother would have scolded her for ages for playing with firearms at that age.

Father, on the other hand, would have approved under the proper tutors.

“Did what?!”

“I—it’s something I was reading about while I was in Port—”

“Just spit it out!”

“I banished it, Miss Eaves!”

The term was only partially familiar to Beatrix.

She had witnessed a banishment a few years ago—a messy encounter that had happened to the north of Ordia in the cold mountains.

A gnome had cast a spell on a giant that had cut the air with a loud crack and in a flash of brilliant light, the giant had disappeared.

As if he had never attacked their campsite during the night.

“Good boy, Welborn,” Beatrix praised. “Now we just have to focus on getting to the water tower now that they’re gone!”

“Oh, well, about that… ”

Beatrix didn’t like the tone of his voice.

“Yes?”

“Well, the thing is I’ve never cast that spell before and I’m not entirely sure if I can do it again—”

“For the love of—”

“—I was only able to banish one of them!” he exclaimed. “There are still the five to deal with!”

“Welborn!” Beatrix exclaimed in frustration.

Five was better than six, but that didn’t change the fact that there were still Sand Slithers chasing them! The horse wasn’t meant to keep up the pace it was with two riders, not to mention their combined packs.

Adapt. There will be a time where no one will come to save you, my darling. Adapt to the danger and fight with everything you have!

The echo of her father’s words rung in her ears, steeling Beatrix’s resolve. She would have to be quick and make every second count.

“Take the reins and don’t question me,” she barked.

Following her instructions, Welborn leaned forward.

Once he had a firm grasp, arms encircling either side of her body, Beatrix twisted.

She grabbed the front of his robes for support, lifted one leg up and settled into a side saddle position.

Welborn’s breath brushed against the veil near her cheek, but Beatrix had other matters to deal with.

Her sharp eyes spotted three dust trails but the other two were obscured by the cleric’s body.

Beatrix shifted her hips, bringing her other leg up and over until both of her legs were straddling Welborn’s.

He gasped at the movement, twitching under the weight of her thighs as Beatrix was practically in his lap.

She would curse herself for the awkward position later—if there was a later.

Right then, Beatrix had only one goal in sight.

From her vantage point, Beatrix could see all five of the dust trails and subsequent disturbed earth as they rode.

With a quick flick of her fingers, Bad Company found it’s way into her hand.

The familiar weight didn’t calm her rattling heart so much as give her the confidence to handle the current situation.

Now, it depended on them .

The Sand Slithers needed to breach the surface of the earth.

Despite how powerful a weapon it was, Bad Company could not penetrate dirt the same way it did the air.

Beatrix needed to wait, needed to let Welborn stumble his way through guiding the horse.

They needed to create an opportunity for the Sand Slithers to strike and hope that Beatrix was faster than they were.

Sure enough, the labored breath of the horse was growing more frequent, and the slithers were quickly approaching.

Come on… Beatrix thought, arm raised and finger steady on the trigger. Come on, you worm bastards. Come on—there!

The surface broke and a sand slither hurled itself straight at their backside.

Beatrix aimed Bad Company and took the shot.

The bullet managed to pierce through the hard exterior, catching between it’s armored hide and one of the many spikes.

The shriek it let out was wet as it fell back onto the ground.

Whether it was fatally injured or just mortally stunned, it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that it wasn’t pursuing them any longer.

However, there were still the remaining four to contend with.

One of which tore through the dirt and into the air on their left.

Beatrix had barely caught the sound of its cry in time.

Drawing her firearm in its direction, she squeezed the trigger, and this time her aim was true.

The crack of the gun going off was accompanied by the wet plop of the sand slither falling to the ground.

The bullet Beatrix had let off in its open mouth had done the trick.

Three down, three to go.