Chapter 15

Naomi’s jaw jutted out. She wanted to argue the lunacy of evil kangaroos with Yula, but the wagon hit a bad bump, and they both fell down. She crawled to the back to see what was going on. The soldiers were falling back as they fought with the Umbreks. Tavik was easily recognizable on his large black charger.

She watched as as an Umbrek rushed him. Tavik stabbed at the Umbrek, only piercing it shallowly. The thing leaned back on its tail and lifted its feet to kick Victor. The horse was hit but part of the blow was deflected by Tavik’s long swipe that slashed the Umbrek’s legs. The Umbrek fell back into an ungainly heap. Tavik wheeled Victor around and sliced the thing’s throat.

Another soldier was not as quick to slice and stab an Umbrek. The Umbrek kicked the horse down, and the horse fell with his rider pinned underneath. Before the horse could stand back up, the Umbrek was upon them. Naomi turned away. The wagons continued to race down the road, leaving the soldiers behind.

Not all the Umbreks though were left behind. Several were following them. They leapt and crashed a wagon. Its contents spilled across the roadway. It had not been the last wagon but the third to last. One of the wagons behind it lost a wheel and floundered while the very last ploughed through the wreckage. They were down to eight wagons now. Naomi hoped the drivers of those two lost wagon were able to defend themselves. The Umbreks were easily catching up with them. If they hadn’t been trying to kill them, Naomi would have been amazed by their speed. They were stronger and faster than Earth’s kangaroos. They did not hop. They pounced. They could jump twenty feet into the air and span about twenty feet.

Again Umbreks fell upon the last wagon and smashed it. The horses screamed as they were jerked down with the wreckage. Naomi watched the Umbreks fall upon the helpless driver and horses. With sickening horror, Naomi saw that what Yula had said was true about how the Umbreks used their pouches. Now Naomi and Yula’s wagon was the last in line.

“Get out of the way, milady!” shouted Yula. Naomi turned around to find Yula hefting one of the trunks that had been stored with them. Naomi moved to the side, and Yula threw the thing out.

“We need to lighten the load,” she told her. She turned back to grab another chest.

“Wait!” Naomi said.

Yula cast a dark look at her. “None of this stuff will do us any good if we’re dead.”

Naomi nodded but flipped open a chest and began to rifle through it. “Yes, but lets put them to good use.” Naomi hefted a candelabrum and threw it out the back and almost hit an Umbrek. It shied to the side to dodge.

Yula quickly got the idea. While she dug through the chests for useful throwing items, Naomi threw as hard and as far as she could, and the Umbreks would have told you, if they could speak, that she did not throw like a girl. Every time she hit one she gave herself a point. The other wagons caught on to what she was doing and soon shoes, cups, plates, spoons, combs, and even bars of soap were whizzing through the air at the Umbreks. None of the beasts were killed, but some now had black eyes and a couple landed on the discarded objects and got twisted ankles, forcing them to fall back. Naomi was up to six points, but soon the wagon was completely empty except for the driver and the two women. The Umbreks quickly regained the distance lost.

“Crap!” Naomi said in frustration. Now what were they supposed to do?

“It was a good effort,” Yula said.

Naomi wheeled around on the old woman. “We are not giving up.”

Yula looked around the now empty wagon. “We don’t have anything else to throw at them.”

“We can’t be that far from the castle.”

“The horses can’t keep up this pace, they will start to falter.”

“If you think we’re done, then why don’t you jump out the back! It’ll lighten the load!”

Yula’s back stiffened. “Girl, accept the—”

An Umbrek crashed into their wagon, breaking it in two. Luckily the women were in the front of the wagon and not the back when the Umbrek crashed through. Naomi barely had a second to loop her arm about the front wagon bow of the bonnet and grab Yula’s arm. The back half tumbled away. As the front half now dragged on the road. Yula had to curl her legs up to keep them from dragging them across the ground.

“Lady Alyssa!” the driver shouted.

“Don’t you dare slow down!” Naomi ordered.

“I don’t think I could if I wanted to. The horses are running wild. Thank the gods the roads straight. Where is Mistress Yula?”

“I’m still here, Dennis,” Yula answered.

Dennis turned and leaned back. His eyes widened when he saw Naomi holding onto the wagon bow and Yula. He reached and got a hand under Naomi’s arm. Naomi thought her arm would be pulled off as Dennis dragged her onto his bench. They both helped Yula up. The driver’s bench wasn’t wide enough for all three of them. Naomi feared one of them would be pushed off.

“Ma’am, we have to leap onto the horses and cut the wagon loose,” Dennis said.

She looked at the two horses galloping in front of them. “I don’t know how to ride.”

“Well, learn quickly,” Yula snapped. The old woman suddenly did a full body leap and landed diagonally on one of the horses. She clutched the harness to keep her balance. She turned herself around and got her legs to straddle the back.

“Now you, miss,” Dennis said taking her arm. Naomi stared at the back of the draft horse in fear.

“Jump!” Yula shouted back at her.

“Please miss, the wagon is coming apart.”

“Oh, God.” She bunched her leg muscles and leaped toward the other horse’s back. She crashed onto the heaving horse. Her hands scrambled to find something to hold onto. She actually landed better than Yula and only had to spread her legs and swing them down over the horse’s flanks.

“Dennis, hurry!” Naomi called.

She didn't know what to do. The horse was running wild like Dennis said. She wrapped one hand around a harness strap and tangled the other in the horse’s mane. Dennis climbed onto the wagon tongue and unhooked the chains. He held onto Yula’s horse, and as the wagon tongue fell away, he pulled his body onto that horse’s back.

“Dennis!” Naomi screamed. She'd thought he would come up with her. She could not control the horse at all.

“Just hold on, Lady Alyssa!” Dennis shouted once he had gotten himself straightened out and up behind Yula. Naomi stared at the pair on the other horse with wide eyes until the Umbreks caught her attention again.

Most of the Umbreks had stopped pursuit, but two were still hot on their heels or hooves rather. Without the weight of the wagon, the horses picked up a bit of speed, but they were not out of the woods yet, quite literally.

They raced through the forest, but the Umbreks were relentless. Naomi could not believe how tireless they were, and unfortunately, the horses were tiring. With alarm, Naomi saw that the horse carrying Yula and Dennis was falling behind. Her heart wrenched with the realization that this was why Dennis had picked the other horse. It was to give her the best chance of escaping.

“No!” Naomi screamed as she watched them steadily fall behind.

Continue to Chapter 16.