Warlord

Night and all over the Plains, in the scattered tribes, people emerged from their winter lodges to participate in this ceremony.
    Keir looked back, to make sure that I was managing. I gave him a wide smile, and he returned it. Marcus was behind us as well, as was every man, woman, and child.
    An odd sense of peace filled me this night. I could almost find it in my heart to forgive Xymund, for all his madness, and his desire to see me dead. But for his decision to sacrifice me, who knows where I'd be now?
    Certainly not at the side of my Warlord, among his people.
    The snow was crisp beneath our feet, and in the light of our torches, I could see my breath. I'd never seen a night so clear, a sky that glittered so. I looked straight up, and all around, and there were more stars than I'd ever known existed. They lit the heavens and the snow with a soft glow. We reached the stone circle, and the others gathered around us, all of us facing Joden. Everyone grew silent as he raised his hands to the sky.
    "We wait for the dead," Joden said, his voice raising the hairs on the back of my neck. "Those who have died in this last season, who have ridden with us all this time. We wait to release them, and our fears, our regrets, our pain."
    I couldn't help it, my eyes filled with tears, which trickled down my cold cheeks. Keir squeezed my hand, and I looked into his eyes. Blue eyes that reflected the stars in their depths, and even as I wept, I smiled at him.
    Marcus was beside me, well concealed in furs. Nothing of his body showed, for he would not offend the elements in any way.
    "Welcome the dead," Joden whispered in the silence:
    Everyone turned to look at the rises that overlooked the Plains. I turned as well, puzzled. What were we looking for?
    I stood, as my eyes adjusted, and held my breath. All of the Plains seemed frozen and still, as if waiting.
    "They come." Joden pointed off into the distance.
    I heard it then, the thundering of hooves, and I gasped to see a huge herd of ghost horses appear over a distant ridge, galloping straight for us. I staggered, but Keir steadied me from behind. It never occurred to me that horses die, too.
    They were coming, wild and free, running over the snow with no effort, manes and tails streaming out, leaving a faint trail of silver light. As they grew closer, my eyes grew wide, and wider still. They had riders.
    With a swirl, the horses surrounded us, galloping in a wide circle around us. I could make out details now. The faces of the riders grew clear as they rode past, pale and white as clouds. But there was no sorrow there, only joy and peace. People about me started to call out names, hailing friends and loved ones. Keir called out too, names I didn't know. So many names.
    Four times they circled us, and then they turned and rode right through our midst. I could see them, riding and smiling, dressed as they had been in life. Isdra with her long braid, Epor with his beard and armor, their faces wreathed in smiles. I called their names as they moved past me, and Epor flashed me a grin.
    "Keekai!" Keir called out, and she was before us, laughing. She reached out and I could have sworn she ruffled Keir's hair in farewell.
    The crowd about me shouted their greetings to their loved ones as they galloped past, and I cried out as well, bidding my friends good bye. I looked around, seeking out. . .
    Gils.
    His horse paused before me, and there he was, his face alight, his curls dancing in the breeze.
    "I'm so proud of you, Gils," I whispered, telling him then what I hadn't told him while he was alive. His eyes lit up, and his smile widened as he urged the horse on. As he swept past, Gils leaned down and cold fingers brushed my cheek. I shivered, blinking as the entire herd thundered past. They headed back to the ridge they'd come over, but they didn't disappear. Instead, they rode up, and up, and right up into the sky, and into the stars themselves. They flowed up, as if with wings, up into the velvet night until their shadowy forms were lost to sight.
    They were gone.
    I wept openly, as did others around me. Tears flowed freely, to have our loved ones gone. I sniffed a bit and then my stomach cramped. Goddess, not now. I fumbled in my satchel for some dried peppermint leaves, and tucked them in my mouth to suck on. When we returned to the tents, I'd drink some tea, but this would do for now.
    A flint struck a stone by Joden, and a flame flared up from a torch. "They have gone, beyond the