The sun slowly inched higher in the sky, the heat rising every minute.

Thaiya stood next to me as I buckled onto the horse.

"Ready?" I nodded at her and she grabbed my waist as I pushed myself onto the saddle, slipping my feet into the stirrups. The horses shifted as she felt my weight press down, but calmed soon after.

I entwined my hands in the long hair of her mane, and Thaiya grabbed the reins. "Focus on squeezing with your legs."

Then she started leading her around the area. I felt the horse's body move beneath me and squealed, nearly falling for the first few minutes. But soon, I got used to it. I had ridden horses all my childhood, and it was slowly coming back to me.

I looked down at Thaiya. "Can I have a go?" She relinquished the reins, smiling. I wrapped the cool leather around my hands and dug my heels into the horse's flanks. she responded perfectly. She broke into a canter, and my braided hair flew out behind me as we flew through the air.

A grin broke out on my face and I beamed. This was so much fun.

"Whoo!" I was giddy with excitement, I loved the feeling of adrenaline coursing through me.

After the lesson had finished, I decided to go to the market that was housed in the centre of the bustling camp. It was midday now, and I was thankful that the cool rocks sheltered me from the blazing heat.

The market was a bustling hub as always, people shouting and advertising their wares. Stalls made of wooden benches and cloth propped up on sticks to provide shelter lined the sides of the cliffs, while people intermingled and exchanged news and gossip in the center. Here people didn't care about money: they traded items for others. A jar of salt for two goat legs, a blanket for a child's rag doll. bartering items was a way of life here: money corrupted in the old world, so why bring that corruption back?

In my tuck I had some dried meat strips that I had planned to eat while looking around the market, but maybe it was time for me to try and trade? I smiled at the thought, and started to wander around. Delightful smells came from every direction: beef stewed with sage and thyme, turnips roasted with salt and butter, freshly baked bread and sweet rolls. My mouth watered and I walked up to the stand of bread. I pointed out the small roll I had my eye set on, a round white one topped with egg, seeds and salt, then gave the trader three of my dried meat strips. He gave me the roll and thanked me. The people here were so grateful, so down to earth. I had four strips of meat left, and I thought over my choices. would that be enough for a small bowl of stewed beef? I ambled over to see. Thankfully it was, and soon enough I had a small bowl of steaming stew I one had, and a bread roll wrapped in paper in the other. Stomach rumbling, I went over to a low rock and sat down to eat.
The food was delicious. As I was scraping out the last of the stew from the bowl, the juices soaking up into the bread, something shifted.

Everything just felt wrong. Not soon after, shouts, murmurs and screams suddenly punctured the silence. People were yelling orders and information. But I only heard one thing.

The Artix had been spotted at the camp border.

Five of them.

It was chaos. But I had to find Thaiya. Surely she was going out to hunt them: she had done it before. As I ran in the direction of our tent, I remembered some information that I had been given on my arrival.

Something that I had thought irrelevant. Something I had all but tossed from my mind.

These people hunted in small groups. She was probably already gone. I started running.

When I got to the tent, I found Thaiya hurriedly putting on her leather armour. Her grim face slackened a little as she saw me. She pointed to another pile of armour. I dressed as soon as I could and followed her to the camp's edge.

She turned to me. "No horses, too noisy." I nodded, the Atrix had sensitive hearing. I knew that first hand.

Taking out my knife, I walked next to her as we walked out onto the rocky plain. The heat distorted everything here: if we saw anything it would likely be some far off rock. In the distance there were many of these, but some seemed to be moving closer, and were a different shade to the rest. It was them, I was sure of it. I silently slid out an arm, pointing. Thaiya inclined her head, showing she had seen. Thaiya fell behind me as I advanced forwards, her flanking me from behind. My palms were sweating and my knife slipped in my hand.
Then I heard the scream from behind me. Such ear-piercing, fear filled sound. I whipped around. Thaiya wasn't there. All that was left was her knives lying abandoned on the floor.
The world around me distorted, tuning blacker, filling with dark smoke. and in the smoke I saw figures: humanoid shapes. And trickling on the floor towards me was bright crimson blood. I dashed towards the figures, the knife shaking in my hand. Just as I thrust out my knife, they dissipated, appearing meters away. I heard the harsh grating laughs and fought the urge to whimper as memories of my enslavement drowned me.

I followed the blood. The colour grew deeper the more I walked, until there on the ground lay a body, slightly stirring at the sound of my footsteps. I crouched down, brushing my hair from my face, and gasped.

It was Thaiya.

Her neck and chest were mauled, the torn, ripped flesh barely visible through the thick layer of blood that coated her. Claw marks ran down her arms, the cuts clean and deep. Fang marks punctured her skin. She was not going to live. And nothing I could say would have helped, anyway.

She grabbed my arm and I looked at her. Her face was twisted in agony; her teeth gritted as she kept the grasp on my arm.

"You have to... kill them. Kill..." She coughed, her wheezing voice grating at my ears. She couldn't breath. "Kill them all." Her hand dropped, limp, to her side and she coughed again, blood running down her chin. "Tell Risha... I love her."

The light in her eyes went out. I put my hand over those glassy eyes and slid them closed.

I stood, a fury burning through my veins that could not be quenched by any river, and turned my gaze to the creatures watching through the gloom. I swear I saw a flame flicker through my fingers, and I thought I saw the darkness balk its light. But that couldn't have happened because at that moment a cold wind washed over me. I stalked towards them. They didn't move this time. As I faced then I slashed with my dagger, catching one of them in the gut, the black-blue blood spilling over me. The warm sticky substance coated my hands, spattering my clothes and face, but I didn't stop. The next one approached me, slashing with its claws, but I ducked, bringing the dagger up from behind, jamming it into its spine. The Atrix howled in agony, twisting, and wrenched the dagger out of my hand. It clattered to the floor, spinning to the feet of the others that just stood there and observed. Slowly, they closed in on me: an ever tightening circle.

I was defenceless. I was overpowered.
One stepped forward, the two beside it closed the gap. The thing circled me, a smile playing on its lips. The Atrix bared its teeth and punched me in the gut. I didn't even have time to register the movement. All I felt was pain, and I fell to my knees. Gasping for air, I waited for the killing blow, but it didn't come. Then all I knew was blackness.

I opened, my eyes, the world swimming and my head pounding. Next to me was Thaiya's lifeless body. Grief washed over me once again. I looked to the sky and wailed. The sound that left me was loss. Pure loss.
I entered the camp, Thaiya's body like a leaden weight in my arms, blue and red gore covering me. I staggered to our tent, whispers following in my wake, and laid her down on the grass. Risha was there, and she looked at me with horror. Tears started to spill down her cheeks. Now I realised how young she was.

"She told me to tell you... That she loved you." I managed to choke out before breaking down into tears myself. I pulled the girl into a tight hug, her head resting on my chest, and cradled her.

I stroked her hair. "Shhh. It's all right."

She hugged me harder in return.
That night I stayed at the tent, watching the flames of the funeral pyre lick the sky, the smoke rise into the air. I couldn't bear to watch her be burned. I just couldn't. Slowly, I covered myself in furs and drifted off to sleep.

Hello! *cries in in I liked Thaiya* How are you coping? I wonder what will happen next and how Kelsie is going to cope! As always feel free to comment, and if yu liked this chapter, a vote would be greatly appreciated!

Your local dragon obsessed writer,

Freja :)