CHAPTER#79

"Give. Us. What?" Orion leaned close, one hand going to a knife strapped to his human waist. Mike could see the fire behind those green eyes, a spark that was looking to grab hold of any kindling.

"...a moment to fix my shoes? I just need to tighten the laces because they got wet." He tried to smile, his heart pounding in his chest. "I'm afraid that humans are rather reliant on our footwear."

Several moments went by, and Orion's hand finally moved away from his knife. "Make it fast. We must return before the sun falls."

"You're the boss." Maintaining eye contact, he stepped back and knelt down to pull a large glop of mud out of his shoe with one hand, his other hand going to the pouch on his waist which was now hidden by Zel's coat. By feel, he could tell which vial was which, and he slid one out, then quickly undid his laces and re-tied them while palming it. Wiping his fingers on his pants, he stood and grabbed Zel's hand, pressing it into her palm. "I'm ready," he said to her.

Zel shook her head, then adjusted the collar of her coat. Her hand was empty when it rejoined his.

The hike down the hill was brutal, to say the least. The centaurs moved just slow enough for him to keep up, and he didn't have any breath left to speak with Zel as they walked. He could feel his shoes stretching apart beneath the soles of his feet, and the chill had seeped through his clothes. Wishing he still had the sun stone, he held tight to Zel until they managed to get a break from the wind behind the first clump of trees.

From farther down the mountain, he could tell where all the water had fallen. A large swath of rock was now exposed, and anything growing along it had been scrubbed away by the torrential downpour. The centaurs stopped for a few moments to take in the destruction, their eyes on the wreckage below. Trees and rocks had been smashed apart into a slurry of devastation.

"For what it's worth, I hope your friends are okay," Mike told Orion.

The centaur grunted, then ordered the group onward.

By the time they reached the Valley, Mike's legs felt like they had been stretched too far. His muscles were already sore and cramping, and his mind was drifting to the possibility of a hot bath once he got back. Naia would find a way to soothe his aches and pains.

A sigh escaped his lips, which earned him a dirty look from the centaur nearest him. Now that the landscape had leveled out, the centaurs seemed a little more relaxed. They followed a river basin that had overflowed and washed out its own banks before emerging into a giant prairie near the bottom of the valley. From here, Mike could now tell that the horses he had seen earlier were actually centaurs, spread across the valley floor. When the hunters grew near, several more came out to join them. These carried a combination of spears and halberds, all of which were pointed directly at Mike and Zel.

"So this is the honor guard," he muttered.

Hooves were stamped and tails angrily flicked as Orion held a conversation with one of the newcomers just out of earshot. The only word that floated across the gap was "parlay", and it was clear that the others were just as annoyed by its invocation. They walked across the long field to a set of over-sized yurts. They were large enough for the centaurs to go inside, but they were led past the yurts and into a thick grove of trees behind them which marked the edge of the forest.

The centaurs were silent as they marched them through the woods. There were several thick trails that led through the trees, easily wide enough for their horse bodies. He wondered if they were technically horse trails because the horse part walked them, or if it was politically correct to call them centaur trails.

He also wondered if they would stab the shit out of him once they got back to their village. Zel remained quiet, her hand tightly clasping his. She stumbled more than once, and he wondered if it was due to being nervous around her own kind. Ratu moved, shifting around on occasion to avoid the end of a spear point. His escort wasn't exactly being delicate about his transport.

Inside the trees was a large clearing with a series of yurts that had been ornately decorated with astrological symbols. The largest yurt had an image of the sun on it, and from it emerged a massive centaur with a thick, wooly beard that just barely covered his massive pecs. He stood nearly three feet taller than Mike, and wore an ornate crown woven from branches that had leaves sprouting from it. He carried a giant staff with a crescent moon on top made of some type of pale white stone.

"Why have you brought these humans to me?" the chieftain demanded.

"They invoked parlay." Orion crossed his arms. "They know much of our laws, Grand Stallion."

The Grand Stallion walked close to Mike and stared down at him. Unsure whether to meet his gaze or not, he settled for sticking out his hand.

"My name is Mike. Nice to meet you."

The Grand Stallion's nostrils flared, and Mike fought the impulse to duck away. He half expected a blow to come from the man, so intense was his gaze. Other individuals came out of the smaller yurts, male and female centaurs dressed similarly but lacking staves of their own. He watched them from the corner of his vision, his eyes on the massive centaur before him.

"Mike," Zel whispered, tugging on his shirt. Mike didn't look back at her, worried that it would be rude enough to cause the Grand Stallion to have them executed or something similar. Centaurs seemed to be a rather proud group, as well as high strung.