Chronicles of Han Storm - Leilaka #1 (Fantasy, Adventure, Dragon Riders)

Leilaka *** Chapter 16 ***

These early Autumn showers usually blew over quickly and this was a typical flash storm.

The clouds opened up and the sun peeked out, starting to bake everything as if in an oven.

Within ten minutes steam started to rise from our wet bodies and in a short while we were quite dry again.

I waited until the worst of the water had run off the mountain before continuing to climb this first hurdle.

It took us half the day to reach the flat plateau we had to cross.

Here we stopped for lunch to give the horses an opportunity to drink and rest.

"How do you know where to go?" Marshall wanted to know from me while we stood around, taking our meagre meal.

"I have seen the map leading through these mountains" I explained. It was the truth in one regard, and the easiest way in explaining the unexplainable.

"Where exactly did you view this map?" Ishmay enquired.

"From my father" Habieb answered for me.

I was suddenly very glad that he could now freely communicate with everyone. The fewer questions asked, the better for me to complete my tasks.

Habieb came over to me. "Do you think we will find our rides beyond these mountains?" he asked in the Bedien language.

"I am sure my Huracan is waiting for me. Of others, I have not seen a trace" I replied in his native dialect.

"They must be somewhere for me to have the same marking as you" Habieb stated earnestly. "I wonder if there are others like us. Men with the same markings as us?"

"I do not know. I will find out next time I see Jamal" I replied.

Windshine snorted and walked over to me, smelling the wind coming from the desert.

*There is a foul smell coming from the desert. I do not know such a smell. It is not the smell of death, yet it reminds me of it.*

"*Cudrl!*" I shouted at my men and thought at Windshine at the same time.

"How far away?" Connor wanted to know.

"Still within the desert" I answered while mounting.

The rest of the men found their horses quickly and we raced to the end of the plateau.

There was a deep gorge that had to be crossed and we slid the horses on their haunches down the steep side, our backs hitting their rumps, feet braced in the stirrups not to be flung forward.

We made good timing going down, jumping the stream of water at the bottom to reach the other side.

This was a very steep climb and I slipped off Windshine, asking the stallion to go ahead and climb for all he was worth while I hung onto his tail, allowing him to pull me to the top.

When we were all safely at the top, we followed a wildlife trail around the next peak, leading steadily deeper into the mountains.

Very soon we could not discern one mountain top from the next and, if it was not for the specific markers I had received from the memory of one that had known these mountains, we would have been totally lost.

We stopped regularly to allow Windshine to test the air currents, but he did not receive any whiff of the Cudrl again.

Unerringly, I led the men until I found the cave I was looking for to overnight in. We came across it as dusk turned into darkness.