Free A Gathering of Wings by Kate Klimo

eases the snake back down, releasing it and standing back to give it a wide berth as it slithers off into the grass. “It strikes with the points of its teeth to knock its prey senseless, then it squeezes the life out of it and gobbles it down whole. I’ve lost more than a few colts to these monsters.”
    “Snake, dear, do you hear me?” Zephele says, looking off into the grass. “If I promise never to make a pair of boots out of you, do you promise not to hurt me?”

C HAPTER 6

Too Beautiful to Kill
    In the lowering rays of the sun, Neal leads them past a massive termite mound where a fully grown female leopard lounges, staring at them with her great, unblinking golden eyes.
    Zephele shrinks away, but Malora reassures her. “Don’t worry. She’s already eaten. See?” And she points to the tree from which hangs the carcass of a half-eaten eland. The she-leopard has obviously just sated herself and then dragged the remains of her meal up into the tree, out of reach of hyenas, wild dogs, and other poachers. Zephele shudders. Neal calls back to them in a way calculated to make Zephele shriek yet again. “Now
that’s
a sight to make a Flatlander’s mouth water for dinner. I think it’s time to look for a place to camp.”
    “What an excellent idea, Captain Featherhoof!” Zephele calls back to him serenely.
    They continue at a slower pace, giving Neal a chance to size up the terrain as they go.
    “What’s taking him so long?” Zephele says, her stride flagging.
    “We need a place close enough to the river so we will be able to have cooking and bathing water,” Malora explains, “but not so near that we are overrun by the wild animal traffic going to and from it.”
    Zephele replies wearily, “Oh. Well, in that case, let him take his time and choose with the greatest possible care.”
    Neal settles for a hard, barren swath of earth studded with sparkling pink rocks.
    “Here?” Zephele asks. “Isn’t it a bit bleak?”
    “It’s hardly that. Rose quartz!” Honus cries. No sooner has Honus slipped off Raven’s back and turned her over to Malora than he hobbles off to fill his arms with glittering mineral specimens.
    With Lemon’s help, Malora rigs a roped enclosure for the horses, strung with bells that will jingle should a predator attempt to broach the perimeter. Then she fetches a bow and quiver from the wagon and goes off with Neal to hunt dinner, leaving Orion and Zephele to collect firewood, Dock to guard the camp, and Lemon and Sunshine to erect the tents. There is one tent for the Twani, another for Zephele and Malora, and a third for Orion and Honus. The Peacekeepers will sleep outside and take turns standing watch. When Malora and Neal are out of earshot of the others, Malora says, “I think Zephele did quite well on her first day, don’t you?”
    Neal grunts. “We’ll see how she fares tonight. I don’t think she’s quite realized that the bush does not come equipped with a marble convenience.”
    “Aren’t you being a little hard on her?”
    Neal’s lips twist into a smile. “I’ve been teasing Zephie since she was three years old. She’s used to it.”
    “But she’s grown up now. Isn’t it time you stopped?” Malora asks.
    “When she acts like a lady, I’ll treat her like one,” Neal says shortly. He takes out the familiar zebra-skinned flask and holds it to his lips, drinking sparingly.
    “Is that gaffey?” Malora asks.
    He nods and wipes his mouth.
    “Orion told me you had none left.”
    “This is the dregs,” he says. “I’ve been nursing it for weeks. Care for a sip? It’s quite potent.”
    Knowing that visions derived from drinking this beverage, according to Orion, may hold the key to Sky’s whereabouts, she reaches for the flask. Perhaps this will save them a trip to Kahiro. Zephele will be disappointed, but Sky will be located that much sooner. Closing her eyes, she puts out the question silently—where are you, Sky?—then tilts her head back and lets