The Guardian Herd by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

her.
    â€œMorningleaf!”
    Her mother’s desperate cry squeezed her heart.
    Then her friends whinnied and dived after her, and Nightwing trumpeted to his Ice Warriors to stop them and retrieve her. At the last second, Morningleaf angled her damaged wings to make sure she glided straight into the river.
    She hit with a painful splash and sank, her body curling into a ball.
    When her hooves touched the bottom, she swam through the dark depths, hunting for the web of underground rivers that Redfire had told her fanned off the deep waterway. Behind her, she heard the plunking of bodies hitting the water—her friends and her enemies. She had to lose them all.
    Her wings throbbed, her head was splitting, and her chest stung where it had slammed the water. The river was murky from the sediment she’d disturbed, so she had to sense her way through the currents like she was flying, feeling for the crosscurrent that would indicate water flowing off the main channel. She’d spoken to Redfire at length about the aquifers while he carried her through the sky, and she was hopeful she’d quickly locate one. She would hide in it, and when Nightwing saw that her body never resurfaced, he would presume her dead, or she really would be dead—either way, this was her plan.
    She glanced behind her but saw only churned-up mud. Her lungs began to burn. She slowed her swimming and let the water carry her. Ah! Now she felt it, a crosscurrent. It was powerful near her hooves. She dived deeper, and itswept her off and down into a tunnel.
    Relax , she thought. Don’t waste air fighting . She had no strength left anyway.
    Suddenly, Morningleaf’s plan felt hopeless and stupid. But that was also the beauty of it. If she died, it could still be considered a success for the pegasi of Anok. With her out of the way, Nightwing couldn’t use her against her best friend, Star. Yes, she was doing the right thing.
    Morningleaf drifted helplessly. In a minute, maybe less, she’d be out of air. She began to list, her body twisting sideways.
    Then sharp pain sent a flash of energy through her muscles. She hit a ledge with her hooves. Her head rose out of the water. She took a gasping breath and scrambled onto the ledge, panting and huffing. I made it!
    Moments later her eyes adjusted. A soft, luminescent glow brightened the tunnel just enough for her to make out that she was in a large cavern, resting on a ledge that traveled into the dark distance. There was plenty of air and space to rest. She didn’t like that the cavern reminded her of the lava tubes under the volcano Firemouth, but unlike the lava tubes, she had light to see by, and the space wasn’t cramped. Besides all that, she was alone, safe. She could stay here for days.
    Then a head popped out of the water. “There you are,” he said, and he surged toward her.
    Morningleaf leaped to her hooves. It was an Ice Warrior!

9
SURROUNDED
    THE ICE WARRIOR CLIMBED OUT OF THE WATER onto the limestone ledge and shook himself, flinging water off his hairy coat. Morningleaf backed away from him, noting his easy breaths. Something an elder mare named Mossberry told her long ago surfaced in her mind: The northern steeds are the best swimmers in Anok. In the dead of winter they break the ice and dive into the cold blue, feeding on sea plants. They can hold their breath for as long as a full-grown seal. No wonder this blue roan wasn’t panting; the swim had been easy for him. How many more Ice Warriors would follow her here? Her gut lurched.
    â€œYou can’t escape,” he said, prancing and surprisingly light on his hooves for such a massive pegasus.
    Morningleaf’s flanks rammed the back wall of the cavern. The stallion loomed over her, drawing closer. She glanced down the tunnel.
    â€œIf I have to chase you farther, I’ll do more than just drag you out of here,” he warned, his voice echoing in the dim cavern. “I’ll break