“There’s my boy.” His father’s expression lit up. “Want to help me beat this motherfucker?”
“No one beats Bryn at cards. You should stop trying, bodra.” Rain smiled and slid onto the stool next to Zayden. “Alchan is about to sleep, so I am too. Is there anything to eat?”
“Yeah.” Bryn grabbed a bag and slid it across the table.
Rain caught it before it went off the edge and opened it to find nuts, something easy to munch on. It would put something in his stomach, at least. Shoving a handful into his mouth, he leaned over to look at his father’s cards.
“This one,” he said, pointing to a wyvern.
“You always say that one,” his father muttered, shaking his head.
“Yeah, it’s the best card.”
“If he puts down a wyvern right now, I’ll win,” Bryn said casually, smirking over his cards. “Don’t give him bad advice.”
Rain chuckled. “Who would you put down?”
“A warrior, a female one.”
“I bet.” Zayden put his hand down. “I’m not going to win, am I?”
“No, but then, ya never do.” Bryn showed him what he had, and his father started cursing. Bryn never cheated, but he was lucky, and he was smart. He knew how to play and steal money from any unsuspecting fool willing to try him. Within the Company, only Zayden continued to play him—his father liked to play and didn’t care about winning, even if he never acted that way.
“That’s mean, Bryn.” Rain took all the cards from them, his fingers grazing lightly over the well done, delicate art painted and preserved on them. Luykas made them. He didn’t do artwork often, but he was very good at it. Rain figured the cards were the last thing he ever did and showed anyone.
“Give those back,” his father ordered.
“No. If Alchan is getting sleep, I’m pretty sure we all should.”
“He’s getting uppity,” Zayden muttered to the rogue, who only laughed.
“He is. Let him exercise some of the power he’s been given. Listen to yer boy and go sleep.”
“And you?” His father was glaring now.
“I don’t sleep well on ships. I’ll have to go get Mave. She won’t want to lie down, and sleep won’t be had anyway.” Bryn smirked, showing off a canine. “Ya know how these things go.”
“Yeah, like the entire ship does at this point,” Rain mumbled, smiling to himself. The only sex life anyone had was listening to Mave’s. They weren’t too loud most nights, but sometimes, they got rowdy. He knew she had thrown at least one of them out at some point on the trip, but the reasons were unknown, and none of them would talk about it.
It added a brightness to the journey they sorely needed. Between hard days training, staying sharp while on the ship and the long nights hoping Leshaun received word that would help them, they needed at least one happy thing. Not even Nevyn and Varon were their usual selves, having lost the closeness of their oldest friend.
“Don’t start,” Bryn said, reaching out to thump him on the shoulder. “She’s yer big sister.”
“No,” Zayden groaned, dragging it out like a youngling complaining. Rain snorted as exhaustion passed over his father’s face. “Stop. I am so tired of hearing about this. Can’t wait to be off this damn boat, even if it means I might die.”
“Okay, I’m going.” Rain pocketed the cards and started walking away. He stopped, reaching to grab the bag of nuts. “I’ll take these, thanks.”
“Hey!” His father started to stand up, and Rain practically ran from the room. Making his way back to his cabin, he stepped into the dark, windowless space, sighing happily. It was cooler than above deck and didn’t have a dominant male in it. It was his space, one he no longer had to share with anyone, not even his father.
When we get back to the village, I won’t be living with him anymore.
Something about that seemed amazing, but it also hit him with a pang of sadness. He was going to move in with Alchan and continue his duties as the king’s nemari. That was the scary part—he was going to live with Alchan.
“Thoughts for another time,” he decided, talking to himself. He fell onto his mattress on the floor and ate nearly half the bag before closing his eyes.
He couldn’t sleep. He wasn’t tired, his mind racing with ideas about the night ahead, wanting to be in the action and trying to find a way to get there. He didn’t question his orders, but he wanted to. He loved what he’d done at Blackstone. He’d loved every moment of watching their enemies run screaming.
He wanted it again.
That was all he could think about as he tried to sleep. How good it had felt and how much he craved more of it. Not even being Alchan’s most trusted warrior made him feel as good as being in his wyvern form. When his previous friends and peers had seen what he did in Blackstone, they finally showed him respect. It was never a secret he could shift, but they had never seen what he could really do.
Now, they looked at him with some fear, and he liked that too.
When people feared him, they didn’t try to hurt him.
29
Mave
Night fell, and Mave was told to go below, but she couldn’t do it. There were no ships on the horizon yet, and no one had spotted land, but she knew just out of sight, the Empire waited—Ellantia and its ships, lords, and merchants—another port city. This would be her fourth in less than a year. Or maybe it was a year now since she left the Empire through Myrsten and went to Namur. She didn’t recall, having never paid attention to a calendar. The Empire made one, but the Andinna certainly didn’t follow it—at least she didn’t. Time passed, and she tracked those days but not with much accuracy. It was how she always forgot her birthday until the Empress decided to celebrate the defeat of her people. That always reminded her another year passed.
Either way, she felt like she was returning home in an awful way that made her stomach roll—the Empire, the place where she spent most of her life. It was full of people she knew well, for all the dark things they tried to hide from the light of day.
At least it’s not Elliar. That helps.
“Mave, come inside now,” Alchan growled behind her. “We need to be below deck.”
“I’m coming.” The first step was harder than she expected. She wanted to be on the deck. She wanted to see. Soon, she would be shedding blood on that soil as she once did on the sands.
The Empire felt like a home she didn’t want to return to, but she would because they destroyed her new home, her perfect home. A home she never thought she deserved. A home she knew for how beautiful it was, and how the small but strong community persevered. A home she knew for all the light it had.
They took it away from her.
So, she was going home to the Empire and was going to kill them for it.
The second step was easier. She couldn’t ruin their plans by staying up for her own personal need. The third step was confident, and she fell into step with Alchan, heading for the door. She opened it, sliding in first and letting him follow.
Once below, she saw the Company waiting. The rest of the males waited below, supposedly to follow their lead. They couldn’t all fit right at the door, so many of them were staying in their rooms with their doors open, ready to move when it was time.
“We’re going to pull as close as we can to Lord Junius’ seaside fortress,” Alchan started. “From there, we fly. Get into windows, doors, and courtyards. Anywhere you can find to infiltrate, take it. You each have males assigned to you who will follow your lead. Mave, you’re going to be with Luykas. Between you, you’ll have half of our forces with you, and I want you to land in the middle of the courtyard. One of our spies says he ‘trains’ Andinna there, so it’s a good place to stir up trouble. I’m taking Kian, Nevyn, Varon, and Brynec down into the dungeon with me. We’ll see the females as we fly in, but there’s nothing we can do for them from the outside. That’s the problem with this place. He bars up the outside, so breaking in from the outside would be slow and dangerous.�
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“Fuckin’ bastard,” Bryn muttered. A round of agreeing noises came from the room. Mave reached out and ran a hand through his hair. He hated the ocean. The idea of prison cells completely exposed to the elements would seem like torture to him even more than to the rest of them. Then again, in Myrsten, they were known to nearly drown Andinna as punishment.
“How does everyone feel?” Alchan asked loudly after waiting for everyone to calm down. “I ask because last year we infiltrated the Empire and took three slaves out from under their noses. It was impressive, certainly. It was foolhardy, and most would have told us it was a suicide mission. Thanks to it, we brought home Matesh, Rainev, and Mave. Tonight, I’m asking you to do something much bigger.”
“We’re here, aren’t we?” Nevyn piped up, grinning in a display of teeth and canines that was anything but friendly. “You’ll have us until we’re dead for whatever you need us to do.” Varon lifted his drink, echoing his lover with the display.
“What he said,” Zayden agreed.
They all sounded off like proper warriors. Alchan turned and looked at her last. She didn’t want to speak up like the rest of them. She just wanted to get started.
“Never again,” she told him. “She doesn’t get to do this to us ever again.”
He nodded slowly.
For some reason, there felt like there was an understanding between them the rest of the room didn’t share.
“Everyone, go talk quietly to the males assigned to you,” he ordered.
“I’ve got ours,” Luykas said to her before disappearing deeper into the ship. She watched as Zayden left as well, then Kian. Matesh walked up to her, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“I’m staying with you tonight,” he promised. “No more of this fighting without me stuff. Please.”
“I’m okay with that.” She ran a hand over his jaw, feeling the roughness of facial hair. The males all shaved regularly, but traveling was taking tolls on them. “Alchan?”
“That’s fine. Three assault groups are more than enough, and Zayden can lead his without anyone’s help. They like him, for some unknown reason.” Their commander found a seat, watching her and Matesh. “Is your family thinking about children?”
“What?” She couldn’t have been more shocked by a question. “Um. No. Why—”
“That seems rude to ask,” Bryn called out from his spot. “Not yer business, Alchan.”
“It is. It would take Mave off the battlefield for two years. I’m honestly just curious, though. Spring came and went, but I never heard any mention of it from any of you. Kian normally talks a lot about how he wants or needs time off to visit Senri during the Spring, just in case.”
Mave studied him, frowning. Was he trying to get to know them better? She wasn’t sure, but he was looking for information, and in the end, that information was fairly innocent.
“No,” she finally answered with much more conviction. “Not for a long time. Maybe ever.”
He nodded slowly, his gaze turning distant. “That’s good to know. Thank you.”
“Okay…” Matesh looked down at her in confusion. She could only give him a small shrug. She had no idea where that had come from.
“Do you know if any of the other females were thinking of trying for children?” the king spoke up again.
“No—”
“Senri always wants to try for a child,” Nevyn cut in before she could finish.
“Senri, I know about,” Alchan replied, leaning over and covering his face.
“Why are you asking?” Nevyn didn’t drop it the way she wanted. Talking about children on the night they were having? It seemed foreboding.
“Thinking about the future. I’ve got a lot on my mind. We’ll talk about it after tonight.” Effectively shutting down the conversation, Alchan leaned back and closed his eyes. “Now, we wait.”
Now we wait, indeed. Mave and Matesh found seats near Bryn. Every moment, their ship grew closer to the Empire. Every moment, she grew closer to a world she had wanted to leave behind.
Every moment, she grew closer to Elvasi—who were going to die for what they did to her family, her friends, and her village.
Kian, Zayden, and Luykas made their way back into the dining area, finding places to wait quietly.
None of them had anything more to say. Mave focused on her goals for the evening. Attacking a sea fortress was a big event, and she couldn’t do it all. Her job was to attack the courtyard and draw most of the attention of any soldiers on the premises. She could do that. If any Andinna who weren’t in their force came through, she had to protect them and get them moving out of the fortress and to the ship.
She rubbed her hands together, looking down at them. Already she could see red. Already she could feel the sticky warmth of spilled blood.
A shifting of footsteps above made them all look up. The door to the deck opened, and a sailor jogged down.
“We can see the enemy ships. Most aren’t lit. Only a few are on lookout, but none of them are ready for a fight.”
“Land?” Alchan asked immediately. “Do we have sight of Ellantia?”
“Yes, sir. Sen is about to call for us to drop the sails and go full speed. We’re going to go in fast. You’ll need to be ready.”
“Thank you,” Alchan whispered. The sailor nodded and ran back above. Mave caught a guilty look pass over Alchan’s face. “Rain…protect the ship while we’re gone. Brynec, tell the first male down below and have him pass the word along. Swords out and ready. Once off the ship, find the Company male they have to report to.”
“Yes, sir.” The two smaller males answered. Bryn left her, running out of the room.
They could all hear the sails drop and snap in the wind and felt the ship rock hard as it started moving faster. It was time.
Alchan stood up first, Mave and Luykas following his lead before anyone else had the chance. They quickly made a line. Alchan led the charge, taking his place without complaint. She would have done it if she could, but it seemed important to let him be there. He was their leader, after all.
She was the sword. Her hands tightened on the hilts of her moroks. She left the Empire plain-faced, using Elvasi weapons—out of place, unable to speak the language of her birth, ignorant to the life she could have had if Shadra had never taken her.
She was returning a real Andinna warrior—given the black ritual tatua of their people, carrying traditional weapons. She wore real armor of their kind, light leather Mat and Bryn had strapped her into. She felt like she was one of them, one of any number of Andinna. She was a little odd, but she felt like she was in the right place, fighting at their sides, not against them.
One year had changed everything.
The ship kept speed for what felt like an eternity. Closer and closer, the idea of putting her feet on Empire soil was about to become a reality. She couldn’t wait. She was anxious with excitement but calm in appearance, keeping herself schooled and focused. The rage she held back for months now was beginning to fight to come to the surface again.
Soon. I’ll have them soon.
Then the ship began to slow, a splash was heard as the anchor was dropped, and the door burst open.
“We’re here!” a sailor called. She looked up to see him jump out of the way. Alchan stormed up the steps with Luykas on his heels and her right behind him. Mat was behind her, but after that, she didn’t know who was doing what. She ran down the deck and jumped, her eyes focused on the imposing sea cliff in front of her. In the dark night, under the red moon, she could barely make out any detail, unable to see any of the infamous cells she’d been told about. Luykas was right next to her as they caught the wind over the water and soared up. As they rose up, the sky flooded with wings, all catching the updraft against the cliff, letting it take them straight up.
She took only a second to hover, looking over the fortress they were about to assault. The rest of the city didn’t matter to her—all she had eyes for was the imposing castle.
It was impressive—a giant stone structure that looked like it could withstand the test of time for ages to come. It was the biggest thing in the city, which spread out to the south, around the small river delta the city had claimed as its harbor. She pushed forward over the building, looking down for the inner courtyard. It stood out, a large green area in the night, where chairs and tables were seated, along with a number of other devices, ones she knew well—stretchers, a whipping post, and more.
“Here!” she called out, starting her dive, pulling her wings as Brynec had taught her. Behind her, she knew the others followed. They raced toward the earth, faster than she had ever flown before. She barely caught the wind in time to land and picked the center of the courtyard. Luykas landed on her right side, and they hooked their tails immediately. Matesh dropped on her left, staying close, his face grave.
“Cover all entrances!” her partner ordered. “Kill on sight!”
She turned and looked around Matesh as a scuffle was already breaking out. A soldier had been unlucky enough to be patrolling the courtyard as they landed. He screamed as one of their young males slid his sword into him.
That was all it took for the castle to begin waking up. Alchan and his team, with Brynec in the lead, landed next and nodded at her and Luykas. They disappeared into the depths of the fortress just as guards began to yell, and a servant girl screamed as she walked out to the courtyard and saw the Andinna waiting. Mave didn’t go after her, none of them did. She would help bring the trouble to them.
“Are they going to hurry up?” she asked her commander. They were in combat, so he was in charge. That was fine with her at that moment, she just wanted to be a sword. Everything she had ever gone through amounted to being the sword of those who knew how to use her. She trusted Alchan and Luykas knew how.
“Give them a moment,” he replied, his voice taut. “They’ll come.”
She drew her swords, spinning them in her hands to warm up. It was summer now, but they were far enough north it wasn’t unbearably hot. Instead, there was a sea breeze that cooled the courtyard.
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