Free Aliandra: nymph: Book 1 The Nymph chronicles by Jacqueline Marshall Page B

Ali?"
     
    "The trailing steed spooked at a dead multiped and stepped in a pothole. He is lame, so I was bringing him in slowly" she replied.
     
    "Ali, you do not risk your neck for a steed!" shouted Donny.
     
    "He is just upset, Ali. We will all go in together. Donny, just breathe man. Ali is here and safe. Calm down, brother" instructed Kitch.
     
    As they rode towards the pass movement started around them. The steeds got edgier. Trak, Donny and Kitch got their bows and arrows ready. "We just need to get everyone close enough to the pass. There are wells of tar prepared and when they are set alight they keep the multipeds at bay. Trak and Kitch rode wide and began firing arrows at approaching multipeds.
     
    "Ali, ride on ahead to the pass and I will follow with the lame steed" Donny ordered.
     
    "No! I am not leaving you. Don't you dare ask me again" growled Ali.
     
    "We are going to be surrounded very soon and it's getting dark. The place will be crawling with multipeds" he said.
     
    "I get to practise my aim and we have each other's backs, right?" she replied. "I reckon I can shoot an arrow to hit one of those tar wells. They are those big dark spots in the distance, right? I have two fire arrows with me. Got a light?"
     
    Donny pulled out his flint and struck the sparks onto the arrowhead until it caught fire. Ali aimed high from her mounted position, her steed stood steady, and after a full minute she let the arrow loose. They all watched the arrow arc through the air until it struck its target in the distance. The tar caught fire and smoke billowed over the desert. Trak and Kitch got busy firing their arrows at the now visible multipeds in their path. Donny hitched the trailing steed onto his pommel and began firing arrows as they made steady progress through the now scattering multipeds. Ali stood rear guard firing at any multipeds that charged from behind. The tar fire attracted the attention of the braves at the forest encampment and about thirty rode out to assist them.
     
    By the time Donny and Ali made it through the pass they had used up their entire stock of arrows. When Kitch and Trak had run out of arrows they rode in hard. The rest of the braves continued firing arrows at the multipeds as they backed down the pass. At the mouth of the pass that led to the forest entrance a small wall of glow worms were positioned across their path. As the riders entered the forest the multipeds followed and began greedily feeding on the glow worms. In no time the multipeds staggered away to die. Piles of multiped carcasses soon littered the forest floor.
     
    The braves let out cries of triumph as they rode to the encampment. "Ali, it never gets boring around you. We are going to have to measure the distance for that amazing shot. It could be a record" exclaimed Kitch as he laughed uproariously.
     
    "Good shot" said Trak as Donny scowled.
     
    Ali sidled her steed up to Donny's mount. "Donny, I missed you" she whispered. Donny passed the reins of the lame steed to Trak, pulled Ali off her steed and onto his lap. He tossed her steed's reins to Kitch and took off with Ali at a gallop through the forest. When they finally stopped Donny lowered Ali down and jumped to the ground. Donny determinedly approached Ali, intimidation imprinted in his every step. Ali backed up trying not to giggle. "Donny? Honey? I don't actually mean to worry you. You will get used to it. Maybe?"
     
    Nose to nose he said angrily "Stubborn!"
     
    "As. A. MULE!" she shouted.
     
    "Bossy!" he growled.
     
    "Well, DUH! And double DUH!" she returned with equal fervor.
     
    "Willful!" he scowled
     
    "Determined" she retorted.
     
    "Imp" he snarled
     
    "Nymph!" she corrected.
     
    "Brazen!" he grumbled.
     
    "Exactly! That is why you love me, isn't it?" she shot back.
     
    "Yes!" he said as he grabbed her and kissed her wildly until they were both breathless. Eventually they curled up together and calmed down enough to speak.
     
    "Was that our