She hated mornings more than anything but the sudden jolt was enough to make her scramble to her feet, pull out her sword and shoot out of her tent. She scanned the encampment and saw that she wasn’t the only one awoken in such a brazen manner. Surrounding them was a group of warriors on horseback. They each had long hair pulled into thick braids hung over slick metal armor with a crest stamped into the front of the breastplates. Shade expected women, but the warriors were all men, all with long, thick, black hair and tanned skin. Almost Native American Indian in appearance, without the intricate feathers and leather moccasins. Shade held her sword up, locating the leader as he made his way toward the front of the group. A ring had formed around the encampment, making it impossible to escape in any direction. “Name yourselves and your destination.” The leader, marked only by a brazen tattoo carved into one side of his face, looked fierce with the white-lined pattern taking up half his face.
