Ember

“Ember, when will Mom come home?” Violet asked, looking up at me with her big, child-like eyes. She was my little sister, my precious flower.

“After the tournament, this afternoon. She’s going to kick everyone’s asses and bring home the prize,” I said, stirring the pot.

“What’s the prize again?” she asked, plopping herself down on a chair.

“Two thousand myrcha. It’ll be enough to keep us fed for three months!” I replied, lifting the spoon out of the pot and offered it to my sister.

She sipped the soup. “Needs more salt.”

I added more salt, and poured out the soup for both of us.

“They’re scary. I don’t want to,” Violet said, backing away.

“Come on, he won’t hurt you. Horses are our friends, they’re our companions. Wanna hear a story?” I asked, tying the horse’s reins to the post.

“Yeah!” she said, sitting on the ground.

“Once upon a time, there was a woman.

“She was the leader of her clan. Her weapon of choice was the bow and arrow, and her hunting skills were unmatched. She was nicknamed the “Lioness,” for taking down men who were killing lions for their skins.

“The Lioness lead her clan with skill and pride, until a day came where a foreign man on a four-legged beast came to challenge her. He bet that he could beat her in a fight of strength, bare-handed. If she lost, he would have control of the tribe. If he lost, she and her clan would get “horses,” the strange, four-legged beast that the man rode on.”

“She’s not going to do it, right?” Violet asked, interrupting my story. “I mean, that’s her family.”

“Her family wanted her to. They believed in her,” I replied.

“Anyway, the clan encouraged her to do it. They knew she was the strongest among them, blessed by the gods. So they fought.

“They were evenly matched for awhile, neither gaining the upper hand, until the man began to grow tired. He knew he was going to lose. So, he pulled out a knife.”

“No!” Violet gasped.

“Yes! He pulled out the knife, prepared to stab her, when the horse that he had rode in on saw the glint of the knife. Trumpeting, the horse galloped over and struck the man’s hand with her hoof, causing the knife to fly out of his hand and land in the dirt for the clan to see. Enraged, the clan captured him and left him to the mercies of the desert. That day, the horse willingly bonded itself to the Lioness, and they were never separated until the day they died.”

“Woah, the horse really saved her life?” Violet asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Yep. And each of our family has bonded with a horse since. They are our partners. We travel with them, we fight with them, we die beside them. So it is good to know them well,” I explained. “Are you ready to ride now?”

“Yes, yes!” Violet said, jumping up and grabbing my hand.

“Ember, I’m scared,” Violet said, holding my hand.

“I know. We’ll get through this. I’ll find some way for us to…” I trailed off, eyeing the guard.

She squeezed my hand, and I squeezed her back. There was only one guard and the driver, and he couldn’t fight. Letting go of Violet’s hand, I leapt and tackled the guard out of the wagon, rolling in dirt and fighting with him tooth and nail.

I heard a whinny and rolled off the man. One of the horses that was hitched to the wagon came galloping over and trampled the guard.

Looking up, I saw my sister, cut reins, and an unconscious driver on the ground.

Swinging up on the horse, I grabbed my sister and our bag and raced out of there.