He rolled his eyes. "You need to do this without them. Meeting the Overlord of House Luatha is an important opportunity, one best accomplished without their polarizing presence."
Kira hesitated, part of her wanting to cling to the familiarity of Jace and the others’ presence. The rest of her understood what Graydon was saying. Until she understood more of what fueled the dislike in the Tuann toward humans, she would be best served perceived as a neutral party. Staying on the Luathan's good side would increase the chance of her attaining her twin goals.
Still, something bothered her about the request. It was like being asked to forget the things and people who defined her—to put them aside because they no longer served her purpose. He was asking her to bury the pieces of her history that had shaped who she’d become.
Humans, whatever they might mean to the Tuann, had saved her. At her lowest moments, they'd found her, given her warmth and companionship. Not just once, but many times. She'd sacrificed more than Graydon would ever know for humanity's cause, for their very survival.
She might have distanced herself from them, but it didn't mean she'd forgotten. Nor did she plan to leave them behind because it was convenient.
Graydon waited patiently as she worked through her possible responses, making no move to hurry her along. He gave her the time to come to her own conclusion even when the Luatha stirred, impatient.
His understanding was what decided her.
She inclined her head. For now, she'd follow his lead.
It was a trust she didn't bestow easily or lightly.
Approval moved across Graydon's face before he looked away, already issuing orders. Two of his people stepped aside to wait as the Curs disembarked, while the rest of the oshota flanked Graydon and Kira as they followed Roderick.
The Luathan warriors fell in behind Graydon's people, unobtrusively surrounding them. For their protection or the Luathan's, was hard to tell.
The green synth armor did a good job of blending into the trees as they moved through the forest. Only the cape Graydon had called ridiculous, stood out like a sore thumb.
They stepped onto a dirt road filled with several odd-looking vehicles. They appeared to have been lifted from a mad scientist's fantasy-filled dreams, wheel-less and attached to a creature that was a cross between a woolly mammoth and a bison—its fur shaggy and long. Only its ears, snout, and horns peeked out from under the furry length.
"Whoa, that's not something you see every day," Jin said, making a circuit of the beast.
"Jin," Kira cautioned when several of the Luatha looked over, their gazes ranging from mildly suspicious to hostile.
"What? I call it like I see it."
Kira shook her head in dismay, even if privately she agreed.
One of the beasts gave a low coughing sound as it dipped its head and lipped at some grass at its feet. Its partner rubbed one horn against a foreleg before stamping the leg down again.
"They're ooros," Graydon said. "They're mostly harmless."
"Mostly?" Kira asked.
She'd have preferred entirely. The creature outweighed her by several hundred pounds, dwarfing her in size. It looked like some prehistoric grazing animal, only more dangerous. If it decided to take a sudden dislike to her, it would be difficult bringing it down without a weapon.
"They were once used for warfare," Graydon continued with a faint smile. "Don't disturb it during feeding time or mess with its young, and you'll be fine."
Well, that should be easy. Kira didn't plan on ever being around them again if she could help it.
"What are those?" Kira asked, nodding toward where a creature nearly as tall as the ooros stood. Several Luathans were fiddling with saddles as they prepared to mount.
The horse creatures had long, slender limbs similar to a horse's, but their manes and tails were much thicker and coarser, similar to a Friesian, a breed of horse from old Earth. These creatures were more primal and rugged looking than any horse Kira had ever seen—something that might have evolved in an alternate primeval version of Earth in an environment ten times more dangerous.
Around its chest and below the knee, its coat was thick, coarse and hairy like the ooros. A set of four white horns jutted from its head, two pointing straight up while the other two curved forward.
Along the edge of its mane, white symbols appeared, almost glowing, even in bright daylight.
The horse creature pranced in place, dangerous and beautiful. Kira itched to touch, to stroke, and pet it. She would have given anything for a ride on one of these proud, terrifying creatures.
A snort above Kira's head sent her stomach flopping as she froze in place. Jin's ominous silence warned her of the danger she was in. Somehow, one of the alien horses had gotten close without her knowledge.
She didn't move as a soft muzzle pushed aside her hair, the creature snuffling along her neck. She remained still despite the ticklish sensation, her face calm while inside hyper-alertness beat at her.
Graydon had tensed beside her, his face expressionless even as his tightly coiled body warned of how precarious her situation was.
Adrenaline surged through Kira.
"What do I do?" Kira mouthed at Graydon.
"Don't move," he mouthed back.
She had visions of being impaled by the creature's massive horns or being stomped to death under the lethal-looking hooves. How ironic would it be for her to come through a war, only to be killed because an alien horse decided it didn't like her scent.
One of the Luathan warriors advanced cautiously as his gaze moved from Kira to the giant monster standing over her.
He said several soft words in his own language, a loving croon in his voice.
The alien horse snorted and dipped its head, dropping its muzzle over Kira's shoulder. His head was heavy, the lethal horns inches from her face.
"Sarath is asking to be petted," the Luathan warrior said.
Kira gave him a dark glower. She didn't care what the damn creature wanted. He could ask for affection from his own people and leave her alone.
"He likes when you scratch his neck and jaw," the warrior offered.
Kira sighed. She really didn't want this. Given the monster showed no sign of moving away, she was left with no choice. Kira reached up and gave a small scratch along the jaw.
The monster made a happy sound and moved closer, jostling Kira. She tensed again but settled when the creature did nothing more.
"Just like that," the man said.
With nothing else to do but satisfy the horse's wishes, Kira continued petting him, making sure her movements were slow and nonthreatening. To her surprise, the alien horse's jaw was soft under her hand, like warm velvet.
The horse lifted its head and then sneezed all over the side of her face and hand.
There was a strangled noise from the warrior as Kira remained motionless as the big monster trotted away, its horse-like tail partially raised in satisfaction. Her glare could have lit the damn thing on fire. For a long moment, she fantasized about going after the horse, teaching it a thing or two about manners.
"You'd better run," she muttered at him. If that creature came near her again, she wasn't going to be responsible for what she did.
"I'm so sorry. Sarath does that to the people he likes," the warrior said, not sounding apologetic enough, given the laughter she could hear in his voice.