“So you’ll stay with us?” Estrella asked.
Slowly, both Angela and Corazón nodded.
The horses moved on. The hoofprints of the Seeker’s herd grew fainter and less frequent as the day waned. Estrella was waiting for darkness to fall. She needed to find the stars.
North. North. The only thought in Estrella’s mind was north. It wasn’t enough to have the scent of the sweet grass lingering in her head. Sometimes the scent was quite strong, but other times it faded until it was only an elusive taste on the wind. She needed the guiding star, the star that never moves. The words of her dam came back to her as clearly as if Perlina were whispering in her ears. You know when the groom comes and puts the water in our bucket how he takes that cup, a dipper? There’s a star picture that looks like that, and the cup points directly toward the star that never moves. The men call it the North Star.
Estrella knew now what she must do — find the water dipper in the sky. But first they must get far away from the men. They’d left the tangled world of the jungle, and when darkness came, she would look straight up into the sky and see the starscape, the million bits of light that cut the night. If she could just find the pointer stars in the cup that showed the trail to the North Star. She stumbled.
“What is it?” Hold On asked.
“When darkness comes, help me find the star picture of the water dipper.”
“The water dipper?” Sky asked.
“We know the dipper,” Hold On and Corazón both answered together.
“And so do I!” Angela said.
“It’s grazing wisdom,” Hold On said.
“What’s that?” Sky asked. But Estrella felt she knew what Hold On meant. She remembered her dam telling her about the meadow.
“You see,” Hold On said to the filly and the colt, “in the Old Land, we were taught things like gaits, and then there were things we learned out in the meadows where we grazed. These were the things that humans could never teach a horse. We learned about the changing shape of the moon, about the motion of the stars. Where the best clover grew. When our saddles had been taken off and our mouths freed of the bit — that was when we tasted the life we were meant for.”
They did not have to wait long before the eastern sky darkened — “the sky we left behind,” as Hold On called it. The first stars of the dipper lifted over the dark edge of the night. The horses stood with their tails to the wind as they watched the seven points in the star picture climb. They burned with a bright intensity.
So these, thought Estrella, are the stars I was named for — these and a thousand other stars that will soon scatter through the night. She felt a kinship with all of them and at the same time she sensed that the light was very old, very ancient, and had taken a long time to reach the earth on which they now stood.
Estrella knew that, old as the stars were, the last herd must have seen their same light as well. They were all star-bound, both the last herd and the first herd. Once again, the scent of the sweet grass streamed through the filly’s mind and she felt her heart race. The stars at the end of the dipping cup pointed toward the blazing light of the North Star.
“We have it!” Hold On exclaimed quietly. “We know north for sure now.”
The scent of sweet grass became stronger still in Estrella’s mind. She saw Hold On peel back his lips and tip his muzzle up. He’s caught it! He’s caught it! He smells the sweet grass, too!
With Estrella in the lead, the five horses began trotting at a slow and steady pace north. As the dipping cup rose in the night, they followed the North Star, traveling farther inland from the coast. It was easier without the jungle to hold them back. The ground felt firmer beneath their feet and they could move more swiftly.
The countryside was very different. The dense green of the jungle had been swallowed up and the land stretched out before them, dusky and muted in the moonlight. In the distance, they could just make out the contours of low hills rising slowly against the darkening sky. The land seemed empty, a place of infinite solitude with only the sound of the wind and the occasional cry of a night bird rising in flight to disturb the peace.
When the moon was still high, they came to rest under the spreading limbs of a tree they had never before seen. There were no palm fronds to cast jagged shadows on the ground, but rather tiny, delicate leaves.
Angela turned to Corazón with delight in her eyes. “Corazón! It looks as if you are wearing the finest lace mantilla.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The way the moonlight shines through the leaves has spread a lacy pattern on your back.”
“Maybe it’s a dress rather than a mantilla. No mistress of mine ever wore her mantilla on her back. Only her head.”
Hold On snorted — Dresses! Lace! Will these old mares ever learn to forget?
Estrella could read Hold On’s disdain but tried to be gentle with the older horses. “I’ve never seen lace or a mantilla, but I think you look very pretty, Corazón. I really do.”
The nights were clear for several days as the horses followed the dipping cup and the North Star across the sky. They inscribed its path in their minds, so even when it rained and the stars were not shining, they knew the direction they must head.
Estrella had never forgotten that her dam was named for the color of the just before. She made a point never to fall asleep near the dawn, for that was the time when she felt Perlina’s presence most strongly. One morning, after the stars had vanished and the sky was just growing light with the pale pink of the dawn, a silvery glitter streaked the sky. Caught by the light of the rising sun, the streak turned bloodred and glared on the horizon.
“It’s a comet!” Hold On said, shaking himself awake. His ears flattened and he peeled back his lips and tipped his muzzle as if he were trying to smell something. Soon the other horses were awake and looking nervously at the horizon. An owl screeched and flew out from a tree, his white face caught in the reflection of the sun.
“It’s a bad sign, isn’t it? A vile star,” Angela nickered. Estrella looked to Hold On. He flinched from his shoulders to his withers. Five horses stood trembling in the dawn light, mesmerized by the “vile star” that Hold On called a comet. No one moved and no one dared to speak.
Not far away in the City of the Gods, the Golden One, the chieftain of all chieftains, stood on a terrace on his palace in the middle of a lake, trembling in fear as he watched the comet. Two days before, lightning had struck the city’s highest pyramid. Sacrifices had been made — so many that the gutters of the temple plaza spilled blood — and yet the gods were still angry.
“The gods never sleep,” he muttered. And he, the most powerful emperor, could do nothing, absolutely nothing but receive all the dreadful reports from his scouts. His interpreters were busy trying to make sense of all the troubling signs. The first had been a startling dream the emperor had more than a month ago, a dream of a four-legged creature with feathers on its head and a neck like licks of flame. And was not this the year that the god who had deserted them promised to return? But astride this creature was a strange man in a helmet. They were one, fused, man and beast together.
Now there was not just one of these peculiar man-creatures, but many to the south and east of the city, and they had told his messengers they wanted gold. They had pranced along a beach in a mighty display. They had odd machines that disgorged light and fire and stones into the air. It was said they had a disease that could be cured only by gold, and their leader had sent a helmet that was to be filled with gold. Dutifully, the Golden One had done so. But the god returned again with his fearsome man-creatures.
The Golden One did not know what to do. He had ordered the priest to cut out the hearts of countless people. The altars in the temples reeked of blood, and yet the new gods kept coming. Kept wanting more gold, more gold. Every day they drew closer. He had no choice but to open the gates to these gods and their lust for gold. A war between the gods would bring ruin. Not only to his city, but to the universe.
For several days, the horses watched the comet appear each evening, often toward the end of the night in the time of the just before. Would it never leave? It ruined the pearl gray of the skies. In Estrella’s mind, it seemed to taint the memory of her dam and her lovely coat. The filly began to dread the dawn.
Infierno, Hold On thought one morning as they came to a crest. The red of the rising sun spilled across the valley below, like flames from hell. If they descended into this valley, that was what it would be — a hell through which they must pass. Hold On could see that there were human villages scattered throughout. They had to avoid them — there would be either Chitzen or Ibers, and the men would clash and blood would spill. The red streaks of the morning sun were simply a reminder that this quiet valley could turn to blood in an instant.
Still, Hold On believed they had no choice but to move forward. He could smell water in the valley, and the horses were desperately thirsty. Water had been scant the last two days.
The filly seemed nervous. She kept glancing toward the valley and then back to Hold On. All of them could sense that there was water in the valley, but the smell of men had them agitated.
“This way.” Estrella jerked her head. “We’ll go around the valley.”
Hold On blinked. Were Estrella’s large dark eyes, so like her dam’s, a mirror for another eye deeper in her mind, that storied eye of the time some pale horses were said to possess?
The way around the valley was long and would take them off their course. But the horses followed Estrella, followed her even as the country grew more arid, the grass shorter, and the lace trees and their shade fewer and fewer. They came to the bed of what had once been a river but was now no more than a braided strand of foul, shallow water on beds of sand. The water gave them cramps deep in their bellies.
At times, the way became rocky. Occasionally the land dipped into steep gullies that they followed onto parched sections full of cracks. The sun blazed down during the day. It was hard to think of the water they might have missed by skirting the valley. But Estrella was sure the valley would have yielded blood as well as water. Up on the dry plain, they often saw tendrils of smoke rising from the valley, from villages that had been razed.
The horses’ tongues hung out. Somewhere, they all lost the last of their shoes. Angela and Corazón did not seem to mourn. Their hooves quickly toughened and they felt a more direct connection with the ground and the subtle shifts in terrain and its textures.
Finally, a few days past the immense valley, they picked up the scent of fresh water and headed toward it. Soon they began to see forage — reedy grasses and stunted trees that nevertheless yielded sweet acorns and pine nuts. They came to a hillock and climbed it in hopes of spotting a pond or even a lake. Instead, they saw twin mountains in the distance, capped with snow.
“Meltwater!” said Corazón, and Angela and Hold On nickered in delight.
“Meltwater?” asked Sky. “What’s that?”
“It trickles down from the mountaintops, especially white-capped ones like those. That’s snow!” Corazón explained. The young ones had never seen snow.
Hold On was excited. “We can’t be far from water now.”
The horses kicked into a gallop and headed for the peaks.
After several hours, they spotted a streak of blue glinting across a vast swath of land.
“A lake!”
As they drew close to the lake, the wind shifted and an unmistakable scent assailed them.
“Centello!” Hold On snorted. “The stallion is near.” And so are the men!
“But water!” the colt said. “Water is near.”
Hold On’s and Estrella’s gazes locked and they flattened their ears. Estrella felt her back legs tense, as if her body were telling her to bolt.
The odor of the great dark stallion with the blaze of a lightning bolt on his forehead was thick in the air. Estrella clamped her eyes shut and felt something turn deep in her gut. She remembered vividly the arrogant stallion eating grain from the Seeker’s helmet. She recalled his disdainful glance at Perlina. Estrella’s withers trembled. The stallion’s presence made her anxious, but except for Hold On, none of the others seemed worried at all. They were too eager to get to the water.
Thirst had taken a toll on the two mares. Angela and Corazón were breathing heavily as they approached the lake. Just as they were about to step onto a narrow strip of beach, they heard Centello’s familiar snort.
“Need water, do you? Don’t drink that. It’s no good.”
“It smells fine to me,” Estrella said.
“What do you know?” Centello gave Estrella the same disdainful look he’d cast so often at her dam.
A lot, Hold On wanted to say, but his throat was so parched he could hardly speak. He took in Centello’s recinto, the small enclosure put up hastily by the Seeker and his men.
“It’s agua malo — you’ll founder if you drink it,” Centello called. “Come round to the other side of the recinto. There’s a full trough of good water.”
Corazón, Angela, and Sky rushed over, but Estrella stood her ground. She was thirsty, too, but also fearful. Hold On, however, lowered his head and began to wave it from side to side aggressively. He was ready to attack, but attack what? Estrella tested the air and could find no trouble. Stiff-legged, she moved forward. She knew that Hold On was not following. But she was so thirsty.
Angela, Sky, and Corazón had pushed their muzzles through the recinto fence to drink, and Estrella nudged her way in to take a long draught of water. Soon she felt Hold On’s comforting presence beside her. While they drank, Centello began to speak rapidly.
“This is it. This land is the dream come true! The Seeker’s dream.” Hold On paused mid-gulp to look up at the stallion. There was an odd, frantic quality to Centello’s talk. He tossed his head, his eyes sliding about wildly.
Let him talk, thought Hold On. All Hold On wanted to do was drink and then get away as quickly as possible.
“You’ve never seen such a city in your life!” said Centello. “Temples gilded in gold. It makes the cathedrals of the Old Land look like peasant huts! And the chieftain of chieftains, he wears shoes with gold soles —”
“So?” Hold On cut in.
“‘So’? What do you mean ‘so’?” Centello asked.
“Why are you telling us?” Hold On asked. Estrella thought it was a good question. She kept her head down and continued to drink.
“Aren’t you surprised to see us?” Sky asked. “We didn’t drown….” He hesitated. “Estrella’s dam was killed by a shark. That was terrible.”
“Oh, yes, I’m sure. How awful for you.” Something in the stallion’s tone made Estrella flinch.
Hold On slid his eyes toward the darker horse. What’s he up to? Hold On wondered.
“You should stay,” Centello said.
“Why?” Estrella asked. “What is there for us here?”
“Little one, you know nothing.”
The stallion’s arrogance made her bristle.
He turned his attention again to Hold On. “Listen to me, Gordo —”
“That’s not his name anymore,” Estrella snapped. “It’s Hold On. Espero.”
“Espero,” Centello sneered. “Is that espero as in ‘hope,’ or ‘wait’?”
“A little of both, I think,” Hold On replied evenly, and lowered his head to drink again.
Centello poked his face through the gap, drawing in close to Hold On. “This land is where dreams come true. This is where we belong. This is better than the Old Land. You don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand, Centello?” There was an edge in Hold On’s voice. A few other horses in the recinto had drawn closer. They were looking at the newly arrived horses as if they’d never expected to see them again.
“We are gods here!” said Centello. “The new men think we’re as powerful as the Seeker.”
The two mares were making gusty puffs in between their deep swallows of water, but Estr
ella could see they were listening.
“¡Estúpido!” Hold On replied with a low snort.
“Don’t call me stupid!” Centello snapped. “Let me tell you something. There’s a village back near the coast. The new men tried to attack our foot soldiers. Then the Seeker led the charge out from the trees where we had been hiding. We came galloping and the new men saw us for the first time. They were stunned! They’d never seen a horse before. And Alvaro — you know Alvaro? He rides Grullo, over there in the corner of the recinto.”
A dun-colored stallion with high-set eyes and curved ears turned toward them but didn’t come over to listen. If he’s a god, Estrella thought, he’s an indifferent one.
Still, Estrella was becoming increasingly nervous. She didn’t like the way Centello’s story was going or the way Angela and Corazón were looking at him with a kind of wistful longing. Even Sky seemed intrigued. “Well,” continued Centello, “Alvaro somehow falls off Grullo, but by the Virgin if he does not jump right back on!”
“So?” said Hold On again.
“Don’t you understand? They thought Alvaro and Grullo were one! That they were a god that could split apart and rejoin as it pleased. A god that could break in two and survive! They believe we are immortal. You should have seen them. I repeat: We are gods here!”
“Then tell me this, Centello.” Hold On lifted his head high. “If you are gods, why are you and Grullo in the recinto, and the Seeker and Alvaro are not?”
Just then, like flying snakes, a flurry of lassos whipped through the air.
“¡Perfecto!” someone behind them yelled as loops settled on their necks.
Hold On shrieked and reared, but the loop had him firm. One loop caught Estrella and one caught Sky. Corazón was lassoed, too. The loop for Angela had missed her head entirely, yet she stood there docilely.
Estrella and Sky reared, but their front legs became hopelessly entangled and they collapsed onto the ground. Estrella kicked out wildly and tried to roll back on her feet. She’d never been on her back in her life. She was terrified, and Sky kicked Estrella as he writhed to right himself. Another loop landed on Estrella’s hind leg and pulled tight. She tried to yank out of it, but her leg was caught fast, pulled taut behind her.