The next day, they packed camp and moved south. Tama and Nokom rode at the head of the band with Kellen and Kiypu while Shani and some of the other hunters guarded the rear. The remaining warriors fanned out to either side, boxing in the old and the young along with the pack animals and sleds carrying everything they owned.

In his time with Gray Dawn, Kellen had learned that, aside from the number of Beastcallers a tribe or a band claimed, the number of storm horses they owned was the next highest measurement of wealth, followed then by the overall number of people who followed the chief. They’d been fortunate that none of the attackers had made off with any storm horses in their night raid, though they’d made off with several regular horses. The dozen storm horses were relegated to the warriors, leaving Kellen on an old buckskin mare. This was just fine with him.

His horsemanship had improved leaps and bounds since he’d transported to Oras, but he was an economy car guy, not a formula one racer—the best comparison between a normal horse past her prime and a storm horse. He’d grown attached to the mare, even giving her a name: Spirit. No one but Vex knew that, and Kellen had threatened his Mana Beast to secrecy. Gray Dawn only named their storm horses, and even then, it wasn’t a common thing. Kellen got the impression that naming his worn out old mare would be akin to naming a pair of shoes to them. They thought he was weird enough already.

“Someday, I might be big enough for you to ride,” Vex said, bounding along at their side. Curiously, since reaching companion-strength, he’d yet to change form to any type of winged variant like the volleyball-shaped bat he’d frequently popped into as a Ward strength Mana Beast. Kiypu had no explanation for it, but then again, no one knew why Vex could do it then, either. Also, Kiypu didn’t have explanations for a lot of things. For the time being, everyone chalked it up to an odd-quirk that he’d left behind when he advanced.

“You wouldn’t be offended by that?” Kellen asked, somewhat surprised. He’d have thought Vex’s pride wouldn’t let him function as a beast of burden.

“I said I’d let you ride me. I didn’t say I’d haul stuff like a pack mule,” Vex said, glancing back at the column of horses and mules dragging heavy travois sleds through the tall grass.

“Nice to know you’re willing to take one for the team,” Kellen joked.

Vex paused mid-step just ahead of Kellen and shot him a look. “Does that mean you’re going to carry me half the time?”

“Did you forget like a month ago when you were literally a fluffy ball the size of a football? I carried you everywhere! It’s about time you pulled your own weight.”

“Well, I weigh a lot more now,” Vex grumbled.

“It is good to see that some things do not change,” Nokom said, reining her horse next to Kellen.

“What do you mean?” Vex and Kellen asked in unison.

The old woman smiled and lifted her head to point them toward the spot where Ira soared overhead on his battered, bat-like wings. Next, she inclined her head behind her where Myri rode with Chief Hannup, Mehna nestled in her arms, asleep.

“We have known much sorrow these past seasons, and it seems to never have an end,” Nokom said. “But then I look at the new life, the new Beastcallers and even at Ira. It gives me peace to know that no matter what may come our way, life carries on.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Vex asked her. “You’re not…” he glanced at Kellen and lowered his voice to a poor attempt at a whisper. “She’s not dying, is she?”

Before Kellen could chastise him, Vex yelped as a blast of wind mana lifted him up and spun him around. Spirit snorted, but otherwise paid no wind to the shrieking Mana Beast as he spun like a top.

“I’m going to throw uuuuuppppp!”

“Does it feel like I’ve lost my touch?” Nokom cackled as she continued to spin Vex around. “There’s enough life in these old bones to put you in your place, you rude young pup!”

Ira swooped by, snatching Vex out of the dust devil by the nape of his neck, then dropped him. Vex shouted, legs flailing as he fell several yards to the ground. Like any good feline, he landed on his feet. Knowing he was fine, Kellen couldn’t contain his laughter.

“Point taken,” Vex said, still swaying on his feet. He slumped on his side in the tall grass. “I’m going to just stay here until the world stops spinning.”

Grumbling, Nokom pointed her storm horse back toward the head of the column. Kellen nudged Spirit to catch up.

“What about Shani and Inferi?” Kellen asked. This was the first time he’d been around Nokom without Shani there, too. With her guarding the rear of the band, there wouldn’t be a better time to ask.

“What about them?” Nokom asked.

Shani and Inferi’s relationship was night and day to Kellen and Vex, in most ways. Vex and Kellen’s abilities were related to sun mana. They’d discovered after Shani’s Beastcaller awakening that Inferi was a shadow Mana Beast. This made no sense given Shani was a full-blooded Storm Horse who should have developed a storm mana affinity and had a storm Mana Beast as a partner. That, aside from their odd confrontational relationship, was enough to be odd, based on what Kellen knew about Mana Beasts and their Beastcallers from Kiypu and Nokom.

“Well, they seem… different from other Beastcallers and Mana Beasts,” Kellen said, even though he was certain Nokom knew exactly what he’d been getting at. “They don’t really get along all that well unless they’re fighting something.”

“Time will tell,” Nokom said. Kellen thought she was going to leave it at that. Then she spoke again. “I have discussed this with Kiypu. Were his mind in a clearer state, he might have better answers. Both of us are concerned. Not only is there a rift between them, physically, their different mana divides them as well. ”

“What’s wrong with that?” Kellen asked. He imagined how useful it would be if he could use a different kind of mana than the sun affinity he and Vex shared.

“It is like if you are controlling your right hand and someone else your left,” Nokom said. “And it shouldn’t be possible. To my knowledge, whenever a person experiences an event that awakens their Mana Beast, both beast and caller always share the same form of mana. Instead, they are in opposition. With one using shadow and one storm, there is no way for them to draw from one another to augment their mana pools.”

“Is there a way to fix it?”

“Perhaps. From what little I have gathered speaking with him, there are many secrets among the Beastcallers that were lost between the second and third Noctuns. Kiypu has not said, but I sense he was once a powerful Beastcaller, perhaps even Elder strength. Whether they are mysteries to him as he claims or secrets, there is much we do not know about the ancient one you awakened. But I believe he may have the knowledge to help Shani and Inferi, if he can remember it. Have you noticed anything strange about Kiypu and Shakraa, aside from the obvious?”

A realization struck Kellen. One he wouldn’t have connected if they hadn’t already been discussing Beastcallers and mana types. “They use different kinds of mana!” How had he not realized it before?

Nokom nodded. “Shakraa’s attacks, both when Ubira possessed her and to this day, are of a kind of mana I have never seen. And I have personally witnessed Kiypu use earth, water, and nature mana. I have my suspicions he could do more, though I do not know if he is hiding that from us or still working out how in his broken mind.”

Four different types of mana. How was that possible?

“To have never heard of such a thing and then see it in three different Beastcallers within a season is not coincidence,” Nokom said.

“Who was the third?” Kellen asked.

Nokom pointed to him and Vex, who had returned to walk alongside them. “You! Do you recall the reaction Ira and I had when Vex first assumed his flying form? He used both sun and storm mana in that shape.”

What she said was true. Vex had also known a wind burst attack that he’d used several times. As Nokom said, Kellen hadn’t known enough to realize anything was strange about that, other than Ira and Nokom being unsettled that Vex could change form at will within the Ward strength.

“But Vex can’t take that form anymore,” Kellen pointed out. “We’ve tried and tried.”

“Do you know how much it sucks to walk everywhere?” Vex asked. “Oh, wait… I guess you both do.”

“Even on the paths of storm mana familiar to me, I have walked only a short way,” Nokom said with a shrug. “I certainly do not have answers, but I know enough to have questions. I have already spoken about this to Shani, but if we spend the winter with another band or tribe, it is best to keep these secrets to ourselves. At best, they are a potential strength to be guarded. At worst, they may ostracize us from other Storm Horse groups.”

Kellen nodded in understanding. And speaking of secrets…

“There’s something you should know,” Kellen said. “But please don’t tell Kiypu.”

Nokom’s brow furrowed once more. “Yes?”

“I thought we agreed that secret would die with us?” Vex said so loud Kellen was afraid Kiypu would overhear.

“Well, everyone will know if you don’t keep it down!” Kellen said. “And besides, Shani was there, too, remember?”

“Telling Nokom is a great idea,” Vex said. “Because if Shani knows, Inferi knows. And if Inferi knows Kiypu doesn’t know, then she’s going to use what she knows to blackmail me and tell Kiypu what he doesn’t know.”

“Please stop saying know.”

Vex shook his head. “No!”

Nokom cleared her throat, ending the conversation between them. “Tell me or don’t. At my age, life is too precious to suffer a pair of young fools.”

“We may have accidentally destroyed a mana stone that was storing Kiypu’s memories,” Vex said. “Or something else super important and super old.”

“You did what?” Out of nowhere, Ira glided down and landed, though apparently he’d been following the conversation through his bond with Nokom.

“We didn’t know what it was,” Kellen said.

“And that didn’t stop you from tampering with it?” Ira asked.

“To be fair, Kellen barely brushed the thing with his mana,” Vex said. “It was super unstable from sitting there so long. And how were we supposed to know what it was?”

Ira sighed, but neither he nor Nokom had an answer to that, apparently.

“Are there other ways he might be able to recover his memories?” Kellen asked them. “He didn’t act like it was a lost cause when he found out it was destroyed back in the shrine.”

Nokom shrugged. “I have heard very little of these memory stones and have not been taught the manner they are made or preserved. Perhaps his connection with Shakraa is helping, though that is only a guess. What happened after? Did you experience a vision or something similar?”

“No, nothing,” Kellen said. “There was a whoosh of mana and that was it. I think whatever knowledge or memories inside were lost.”

Nokom and Ira shared a look, then Nokom sighed and shook her heard. “What’s done is done. You should tell Kiypu what has happened.”

“What if he tries to recover his memories by sucking the mana out of our brains?” Vex asked.

“That is not how it works,” Ira said. “And even if he wanted to, I suspect he’d find both too little brains and mana to be of any use.”

“Well, that’s a relief at least!” Vex replied before Kellen could tell him they’d been insulted. He knew Nokom was right. He’d been dragging his feet on the small chance she offered him an excuse.

“I must speak with Tama,” Nokom said, turning her storm horse away from them. “Let me know what he says when you tell him.”

With that, she left Kellen and Vex alone.

“Worst case, I think I can still take Shakraa,” Vex replied, pulling his face into a snarl and clicking his teeth together.

Strangely, Shakraa, had not advanced past Ward-strength, even though Kiypu clearly had greater power. Kellen guessed it had something to do with the fact the Mana Beast had been somehow stolen by Ubira for a tim. Maybe that was why she’d also gone from a vulture the size of a glider to the skeleton of a crow. Kellen wondered if the experience had somehow stunted her growth.

“We’re not going to fight them, it will be fine,” Kellen told Vex. He wasn’t sure the mummy wouldn’t be mad, but very much doubted Kiypu would try to suck out their brains.

“So, how are we going to break it to them?” Vex asked. “Hey guys, cool story while we’re sitting around the fire—you tell us if you think it’s true or not!”

“I don’t know.”

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully, though Kellen could never shake a buzzing anxiety in him that warned they could be attacked again at any moment. At least it helped him not to think about Kiypu. He constantly scanned behind, ahead and to the sides, looking for any signs of enemy riders, wild Mana Beast, or any of the other dangers found on the Thunder Plains.

After returning from the Wakar Mountains and reuniting with the rest of the Gray Dawn band, their brief peace and safety had lulled him into lowering his guard. At least now everyone was together. He found relief in knowing that, come what may, Nokom, Shani, Tama and the rest of the hunters made his own shortcomings in strength less consequential to the welfare of those who needed protection.

And in spite of his worries, the journey proved breathtaking. Far from flat and boring, the rolling, grass-waving hills of the Thunder Plains held surprises over each rise. For the second half of the day, they traveled at a distant parallel to a massive herd of buffalo, not the mana-enchanted fire bison but bigger, longer-horned varieties similar to those on Earth. The line of dark brown stretched as far as the eye could see, interrupted only by the scattered columns of rock called the Tall Spears that randomly rose all over the plains. Nights Rains, Cohwea and the other hunters begged Tama to let them hunt the animals but the chief would not delay any longer.

Aside from the bison herd, smaller groups of wild horses, deer, antelope, camel-looking creatures and other animals Professor Gates identified as “fauna from the ancient Americas” dotted the grasslands. There were predators too, packs of wolves and coyotes, cougars and smaller varieties the professor called American cheetahs. When they made a small stop, Kellen watched one of the speedy felines chase down a pronghorn antelope at a full sprint. It was like watching a pair of fighter jets dart and weave across the bobbing grass.

“Could you do that?” Kellen asked after the cheetah emerged victorious.

Vex scoffed. “I’d sneak up on it and give it a blast of sun mana rather than chasing it all over.”

“That doesn’t count,” Kellen said. “That’s not a Mana Beast. It doesn’t have that option. I was asking if you were fast enough. And you know I can tell if you’re lying!”

Scowling, Vex thought about it for a minute. “Maaaaybe,” he said.

Professor Gates, who’d been riding beside them, opened up his journal and scribbled down some notes. “I wonder if the Wild Mother made Mana Beasts that didn’t need to eat or drink in order to preserve the ecosystem of this world.” He seemed to be speculating out loud, to no one in particular. “If Mana Beasts of any kind had to eat to live, whether herbivore, or carnivore, their mana would give them a severe advantage over any regular animal. In time, I imagine the ‘normal’ creatures could not compete and would eventually die out. Of course, Mana Beasts can’t breed or produce offspring… hmm. They can’t die of natural causes, either.”

He pursed his lips and tapped his quill against the page.

“Put your scribbling away, teacher,” Nokom said, slowing her storm horse to ride alongside them as she rubbed her hands together. “We need to get moving before the storm hits.”

“Do your mana abilities allow you to sense changes to the weather?” the professor asked, holding his quill posed over the journal, waiting for a response.

“Yes, but I get an ache in my knuckles when a snow’s coming. I trust that twice as much as any mana working. We need to get to shelter beneath a Tall Spear before evening.”

“Snow?” Kellen asked. The day was still mild, even a little warm for autumn. Barely jacket weather. Temperatures changed within a matter of hours back in Idaho, so he wasn’t any stranger to unpredictable storms. Still, there wasn’t even a cloud in the sky or the hint of a breeze blowing a front in.

“Long before morning,” Nokom said. “Mark my words.”