Balestone by Toby Neighbors Page A

Rafe argued. “No, we’re from Avondale. We’re free men of Valana, and maybe you weren’t in danger at that moment, but you certainly have been. They could have killed you in their raid. They would have tried to kill you if I had lost the Tuscogee. And they almost killed you with the poisoned water.”
    “What bothers me about the water is that they must have poisoned it before the Tuscogee,” Lexi said. “They were planning on this.”
    “She’s right,” Rafe said. “You got sick too soon after the fight for it to have been retaliation for losing.”
    “Bu’yorgi set things in action as soon as his raid failed,” Olyva said. “He’s a vile man.”
    “You should have let me kill him,” Rafe said.
    “Perhaps, but that wouldn’t have saved the tribe from the poisoned water,” Tiberius said. “And we’ve been trying to operate according to the traditions of the Hoskali.”
    “But now we’re in a fight for our lives and theirs,” Rafe went on. “I don’t see how we can keep from slaying all of Bu’yorgi’s men. If we let them live, they’ll follow us. They’ll get past the fear and come after us again. I know how men like that think.”
    “All we can do for now is follow the plan,” Tiberius said. “We have an obligation to save the tribe. We have to get this water to them and soon.”
    “Well then,” Lexi said. “It looks like we’re in for a long walk.”
    “You think they’re following us yet?” Rafe asked.
    “Dancer will know,” Lexi said, as she flung the small creature back up into the air.
    “You want to tell us about your new friend?” Tiberius asked.
    “And what happened to you and Rafe in your search for water?” Olyva added.
    “It’s a long story,” Lexi said.
    “Like you said, we’re in for a long walk,” Tiberius said.
    Lexi shared her story, emphasizing Rafe’s part in fighting the raiders who tried to intercept them. She had barely seen the creatures chasing her in the night, so she told that part of the story with as few details as possible. Then she told them how she had found Dancer.
    “Hold on,” she said in the middle of her story.
    She leaned on Tiberius and was unsteady for a moment.
    “Lexi?” Tiberius asked. “Are you okay?”
    “She is — wait and see,” Olyva said.
    “They aren’t following us yet,” Lexi said with her eyes still closed. “Most of the raiders have gone back to the camp. I can’t tell for sure from this distance, but it looks like they’re arguing.”
    “How do you know that?” Tiberius asked.
    Lexi opened her eyes and immediately became more steady on her feet.
    “It’s Dancer,” Lexi said. “I can see what she sees sometimes.”
    “What?” Rafe asked.
    “How?” Tiberius wanted to know.
    “I don’t know how,” Lexi explained.
    She continued her story about rescuing the furry creature even as Dancer spiraled down and landed gracefully on Lexi’s shoulder. She stroked the little animal on the head.
    “She bonded with me somehow. I can’t explain it. She sends me images when she's flying and seems to understand what I’m saying most of the time. Don't you, girl? Yes, you can understand.”
    “That’s astonishing,” Tiberius said.
    “And a little creepy,” Rafe chimed in.
    Dancer chirped angrily at Rafe, and everyone laughed.
    “I told you she understands,” Lexi said.
    “I think she’s adorable,” Olyva said.
    “We better take a break,” Tiberius said. “We don’t want to wear out the horses, and without food we’ll get pretty tired by the end of the day ourselves.”
    They stopped the horses, and Lexi took them water. Tiberius sat on the tail of the wagon and watched her. He couldn’t believe how strong she was. Olyva climbed up and sat beside Rafe.
    Tiberius was still bothered by Lexi’s question. Could he have killed the entire group of Rogu? Had they marched after Tiberius and Olyva en masse, he would have been tempted. He could have dumped fire from the portal like a dragon, burning