The Rivers of Zadaa by D.J. MacHale Page A

the giant opening in the wall of Xhaxhu and went right back to the Ghee stables where the horses were kept. As I think back on what happened next, and I think about it a lot, I can’t believe how dumb I was. I guess I have to give Loor some of the blame too, but it was mostly my fault. It was a simple, stupid mistake that could have been easily avoided. But it wasn’t. I messed up, and I paid the price.
    â€œRokador!” a gruff voice screamed.
    We had just gotten off our horses. I looked around, wondering what Rokador would have been idiot enough to stroll into the lion’s den, the home of the Ghee. There were none to be seen. That’s because the person being called out, was me. I was the idiot. I instantly realized my mistake. I had taken off my dark cloak out in the sandy farm. There was so much to get my mind around back there, I had forgotten to put it on again. It was still lying out there in the sand. Loor’s mind must have been elsewhere too, for she didn’t even notice. So here I was, looking all sorts of gleaming-white, having strolled right into the belly of the beast.
    â€œI will handle this,” Loor whispered to me. “Say nothing.”
    A tall Ghee warrior strode up to us with madness in his eyes. As luck would have it, this guy was bigger than Loor. She stood in his way, saying, “I am taking this Rokador to the superior for questioning—”
    The guy didn’t stop. He blew past Loor, knocking her out of the way like she was a doll. Whoa. I had never seen that happen before. This day was full of a lot of things I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t like any of them. As this angry giant strode toward me, I was like a deer caught in the headlights. I backed off, and hit into my horse. There was no place to go. The guy grabbed me by the front of my Rokador jacket and lifted me up until I was on my toes.
    â€œHow dare you?” he seethed. The guy was out of his mind. That much I could see. “You ride into the Ghee compound? On a Batu horse?”
    Loor tried to get between us, saying, “He is my responsibility. I brought him here.”
    The Ghee warrior looked at Loor and said, “And you will bring him out, when I am finished with him.”
    The guy held me tighter and dragged me out of the stable and into the light of the compound. By now, several more Ghee warriors had heard the commotion and started to gather. Loor trailed behind, trying to take control.
    â€œWhat is your division?” Loor demanded. “Who is your commander? This is my prisoner. Your superior will punish you for standing in the way of—”
    â€œSomeone quiet her!” the tall Ghee shouted.
    Instantly Loor was jumped by two big Ghees. Whatever was going to happen, Loor couldn’t stop it. The tall Ghee dragged me to the center of the compound, and threw me to the ground. I landed hard, rolled once, then popped back to my feet ready to, well, I’m not sure what I was ready to do, except run. That wasn’t going to happen because we were quickly surrounded by Ghees. I was trapped inside a circle of enemies, with a very big guy facing off against me.
    â€œNever let it be said that the Ghee are unjust,” the tall warrior said with a sneer. He walked to one of the other warriors and yanked the guy’s wooden stave from the harness on his back. He walked back into the circle and tossed the six-foot stick at me. I caught it, if you could call it that. It was more like I stopped it from hitting me in the head by blocking it with my hands. The weapon fell to the ground. The Ghee warriors laughed.
    â€œL-Look,” I said nervously. “I have agreed to speak with your superior and tell them all I know.”
    The tall Ghee laughed and slowly walked toward me. “That is good to know,” he said with a chuckle. “And I will allow you to do that. But first, you must get past me.”
    The guy suddenly shot forward, grabbed my jacket,