Eight years ago, in the vast desert of Evegor, the Golden Serpent Tribe was attacked by the Lizard’s Claw tribe, their worst enemy. They had been attacked in the middle of the night so the Lizard’s Claw had had the advantage of surprise. Both Tribes were evenly matched but the Golden Serpent lost many. Men, woman and children were ruthlessly slaughtered.

The battle had raged until the sun rose and finally both sides retreated. The battle had been fierce but no one had come close to winning. It had been one of the worst battles in the history of Evegor.

The Lizard’s Claw left them in ruins. Bodies lay everywhere and the yellow sand had turned red with blood. The tents were burning and thick grey smoke rose into the air, and in a flat desert everyone could see it. Soon all the raiders, traders and tribes knew what had happened. Nearly two thirds of the Golden Serpent Tribe were dead.

Commander Shikan searched the dead, looking for his son and brother. The commander suddenly saw his 8 year-old niece, Kara, kneeling beside a body. She was crying and was hugged her father’s sword in its sheath.

The commander walked over to his dead brother with tears streaming down his cheeks. This was normally considered weak but Commander Shikan was the toughest, cruellest man in the Tribe. He went over to Kara and easily picked her up in his muscular arms, he would not let her die like the rest of his family.

It was early morning and a loud gong rung out through the Golden Serpent Tribe’s camp. The men got up ready for the daily patrol.

In the Commander’s tent Kara leapt out of her cot wide awake. She quickly pulled on her breeches and a loose shirt. She grabbed her thick leather pads and strapped them onto her shins and lower arms. She then picked up her sword and sheath and attached it to a belt round her waist.

Kara hurriedly pulled a comb through her brown, wavy hair and tied it back with a piece of ribbon. She reached out for her bow and quiver and slung them over her shoulder and she strode out the tent.

Today was Kara’s 16th birthday but she had decided to ignore it. She looked round the camp and sighed. This had been her way of life, everyday, for eight years following her parents’ death at the Battle.

Kara had now come of age and despite her age she was unsociable, short-tempered and silent most of the time. For eight years all she had got was a sharp tongue and the sharp edge of her uncle’s belt. She had never been given any care or love and in return she gave none. Most girls her age were married and some even bearing children but Kara wasn’t. She was the leader of a patrol. The closest relationship to a man she had ever had was her friend, Kran. The only love she had shown was for her horse.

When Kara was 14, one of the patrols found a beautiful mare wandering the desert so they brought her back to the camp. The Tribe tried to break her in but she was completely wild and untameable. Everyone who had experience with horses tried but it was no use. They were going to kill her but Kara had stopped them. She had reached out to the startled horse with kind words and tried to make it feel calm and put its trust in her but something strange had happened. Kara had suddenly felt the horse’s fear and anger. She suddenly saw the horse’s vague memories. In fear Kara had withdrawn from the creature’s mind but ever since that moment her horse had stayed devoted to her. Kara had named her Destiny because she knew, somehow, she was meant to be with that beautiful mare.

Kara put two fingers in her mouth and let out a high-pitched whistle. A few minutes later her lovely mare came trotting over. Kara got her bridle, hanging from the post outside the tent, and Destiny’s saddle. She laid the saddle on her back. The saddle wasn’t much, just a piece of leather with a girth strap to put round the horse’s belly. It was basically there to give horse and rider more comfort.

Kara vaulted on and gathered her reins. She urged Destiny on to the centre of camp where the rest of her patrol were patiently waiting.

Kran guided his horse over to her.

“Happy birthday Kara. You have finally come of age!” he said.

“Shut up!” she muttered.

“Oh, Kara’s grown up,” said Ned.

“So how’s your love life going then, Kara? Surely you should be married by now, especially a woman as beautiful as you,” Rick said, smiled at her.

“Don’t patronize me,” she said flatly and kicked her horse into gallop.

“Oh, I wasn’t,” he smirked as the patrol followed her out the camp.

As they got further out from the camp and right into the open desert, Kran joined Kara at the front.

“Ignore him, he’s an idiot,” he said to her.

“Don’t worry, if I was that bothered, the Commander’s dogs would be eating his head for breakfast right now,” she replied but inside she felt hurt.

Kran just laughed and looked at Rick riding behind them.

As the patrol reached the middle of the desert and the sun got hotter the horses slowed down. Eventually they were stumbling along at walk. The men were mopping their foreheads and drinking from their flasks. Kara just stared at the brick red cliffs in the far distance that surrounded the vast desert.

Midday came and went; the men were slumped in their saddles. Kara was letting her horse choose the way and they were slowly turning back towards camp. Some days would be like this meeting absolutely no one; other days would be full of raiders, traders and other tribes.

There was a loud thud behind her. She looked round to see Ned sprawled across the ground with his horse looking rather annoyed. Ned had never had any skill in fighting and managing a bow and now he had fallen asleep on his horse. Kara wondered why the commander had even bothered to make him join the patrol.

Finally, after Ned’s five attempts of getting on his horse, they set off again.

A couple of hours later, Kran pointed out a dark mass of dust coming towards them at speed. Kara looked and realised they were men on horses.

“Flee!” cried Ned, trying to untangle his reins.

“Don’t be so stupid,” Kran muttered.

“It may be a tribe and if we run, the Golden Serpent will be labelled cowards. And they may be traders,”

“We have nothing to trade,” said someone behind her.

“We could give them Ned, he is no use to us,” answered Kran, and everyone laughed.

“Well, I think they’re raiders,” Ned said.

“Yeah well, our horses could never outrun them anyway,” Kara replied.

As the horses approached they saw that they were, in fact, raiders.

They galloped over and came to a halt in front of Kara.

“Money or your life!” the leader demanded.

Kara looked at his scruffy clothes, dirty face and long matted hair. His horse looked like it was on its last legs too.

“Don’t make me laugh,” Kara smirked.

“Oh, you have a woman leading you. How pathetic and weak,” he chuckled showing his rotten teeth.

“I wouldn’t underestimate me if I were you,”

“You all must be weaklings if you’re lead by her,” he carried on, ignoring her.

“Well, we better be going then…,”

“Give us your goods!!!”

“We don’t have any,” she retorted.

The leader raised his right hand and the raiders strung their bows and aimed at them.

“I’ll do you a deal,” Kara said in a rather bored voice.

“Go on,”

“I will fight you, one on one. If I lose, you get all my goods and my men. If you lose…hmmm…I’m sure you head will look very nice stuck on a pole,”

“What!? Is she crazy?” Rick exclaimed.

“Okay…I don’t know how the hell you think you can beat me. You’re just a girl,” he sneered and dismounted.

Kara leapt off her horse with sword in hand. The Chief raider unsheathed his sword and faced her, grinning mercilessly.

The raider was strong and reckless but Kara had the skill and technique her uncle had taught her. She was younger with more energy and a lot quicker on foot.

They approached each other and eyed over their opponent. Kara was ready and waiting for him to strike first. The raiders and tribesmen watched keenly.

Suddenly the Chief lunged forward but Kara easily defended the blow. She stepped forward and attacked at every opportunity and blocking every blow he tried. He defended himself with skill but his attacking was not so good. He leapt forward and brought his sword through the air and with a clash of metal they were hilt to hilt. The raider was strong and Kara felt like her arms were breaking. She pushed with all her might and the Chief faltered. Kara whirled away.

The raider was panting and sweat ran down his battle-scarred face and his matted hair was dripping.

“I’ll let you go if you surrender,” Kara said wiping her brow with the back of her hand.

“NEVER! I’m not losing to a woman!” he snarled and lunged out.

Kara knocked the blow aside; she could tell he was exhausted.

“Your funeral…literally,” she muttered as their swords clashed together once again.

With each blow Kara found it easier as the raider became weaker. He shouted insults at her to make her angry and reckless but she ignored him.

She dipped her blade under and brought it up with both hands and with a flick of her wrist the raider’s sword clattered to the ground. The raider stumbled and fell and Kara pressed her blade to his throat.

“No one messes with me,” she said and with a quick swipe of her sword his head rolled across the sand. The tribesmen cheered.

One of the raiders on horse-back fired an arrow at her but she just stepped aside and the arrow got embedded in the sand.

“Get on with yer, raider scum!” Kran yelled.

The raiders kicked their horses and galloped away, leaving a trail of dust.

Kara leapt back on her horse and urged Destiny towards home with the patrol following her.

Kran came up beside her on his horse.

“Well you sure showed him!”

“All in a day’s work,” she said smiling at him.