He could hear his brother’s growls and roars of anger as the first wave of the creatures overran them. Both males disappeared almost immediately beneath the limp, writhing, pale bodies, and the squeals and shrieks were the only sounds that could be heard as they were thrown back. Orth bellowed as two leaped upon him, their hands gripping his fur as they climbed him. He yanked one off brutally, snapping its neck as he slammed it against the ground. He tried to reach for the other one, but not before pain seared his ear.
Growling, he clawed at it as its teeth sawed into his ear. Blood trickled down his neck as another creature hissed, baring its teeth hungrily as it sprung. Its body collided with his, and then another gripped the fur along his back. His lower hand caught one of the creatures attempting to advance on his flank, gouging into its thin chest. Jaws clamped onto his collar even as he beat back another. Although he killed many, he knew he was being overwhelmed.
“Orth!” a feminine voice shouted out to him.
“The door is open!” shouted another… a male… Gund. He was saying that the door was open.
Throwing himself forward, clawing and biting at everything nearby, Orth surged toward the light spilling into the tunnel.
A dark shadow passed before him, snarling as it ripped away more than one of the creatures attached to him. Orth dropped his head, his teeth snapping deep into the throat of the creature that clung to his collar. Its blood welled up in his mouth and it gurgled as it flailed. He dropped it contemptuously, his eyes seeking out their female.
As he pressed forward to the opening, he tore into everything that stepped in front of him. It didn’t protect him from the ones that bore spears with sharpened stone tips. He used them to his advantage, catching and yanking a spear forward to deliver a death blow to its wielder, though other spears bit deep into his thick hide. His fur was slick with a mixture of his blood and the gore of those he killed.
But he wouldn’t leave, not without his brothers… and not without Heidi. He needed to find her and pull her out of this abyss of horrors.
He scanned the throngs of pale males and females, their bodies barely distinguishable from each other. He ripped one away, and then another, tearing through delicate necks with his fangs, crushing the chests of others as he searched for her. He didn’t see even a hint of her dark armor or pale hair. The torch had long since extinguished, but the sun coming in provided just enough light to see.
Just in front of him, several of the creatures went flying as Tah burst through, every inch of his pale fur dyed crimson. Orth let out a relieved breath as he rushed forward and gripped his brother’s forearm. Tah squeezed in return, his pale blue eyes searching restlessly around them.
“Where is my female?” Tah rasped.
Orth slapped away another attacker. “Your female?”
“The female—the huntress,” Tah amended before he snapped his teeth into a narrow shoulder, rending the flesh before tossing the pitiful creature aside with a hard jerk of his head. He spat the blood from his mouth and glowered at Orth. “Where is she? She was at your side.”
Orth leveled a suspicious look at his brother but shook his head as he gripped the jaw of one of the creatures and wrenched its head ruthlessly to the side, delivering a satisfyingly loud snap to his ears. “We were separated!” he shouted.
He crouched down as a small male with a spear in each hand leaped upon him. Orth managed to snap one spear and caught another. Drool dribbled out of the creature’s filthy lips. Its mouth rounded and it choked, gurgling before it fell limp. Orth kicked the body out of his path just as a familiar figure stepped forward into the sunlight.
“It is a good thing I can look after myself then, isn’t it?” Heidi stated with a feral grin. Blood was splashed all over her armor in thick patches of dripping gore with bits of tissue clinging here and there, and her face had several freely bleeding cuts. Yet, in that moment, she looked unconquerable.
“Come on!” Gund shouted as he snatched the huntress off her feet. She let out a surprised shout and dug her fingers into his fur, and he hauled her into the daylight as another wave of the creatures descended behind them. Orth and Tah sprang after him, dropping to all six limbs to race effortlessly over the distance. They were only slightly quicker than Gund, who ate up the ground at an impressive speed despite being limited to five limbs, since one was busy keeping Heidi tightly bound to him.
The sun, even as low as it was, blinded Orth after all the hours in the darkness. He continued to race ahead despite the tears in his eyes. The creatures were still coming, and he could feel himself tiring from the loss of blood. He stumbled, falling to the ground.
“You cannot just lie here,” Tah snarled.
Orth looked up to tell his brother to leave him be when a flare of light caught his attention. Flaming wings lit across the sky as several creatures descended with angry shrieks. They didn’t attack them but swept by, striking the creatures that had emerged from the tunnel. Fiery weapons flashed through the air as the avian beings ruthlessly struck the hill dwellers. The carnage was brief, brutal, and merciless.
Orth was immensely grateful. He sank into Tah’s embrace with a groan of pain. He could feel his brother’s hands inspecting him as a flare of light came closer before fading to reveal a creature that looked like a human—and yet not. Their build was similar, far more like a human than a Ragoru. Its body had several large, feathery crests running up the sides of its legs and arms, and tiny feathers in various places over its golden body. Its face was similar to a human’s except its hooked nose had a bony plating that ran down it, and a similar plating on its chin. It didn’t possess a human mane, but long lengths of feathers that billowed down the back of its head. But the most noticeable difference was the pair of giant wings that it folded up, tucking them in close to its body.
It cocked its head, looking at him with large green eyes. “What are you, and what are you doing with a human?” a deep, resonant voice demanded. The crest on its head rose in what appeared to be a challenge, and Orth sighed.
It didn’t appear that they were out of danger yet.
17
Tah growled, his grip tightening on Orth’s arm as he squinted against the brilliant light of the winged males sweeping through the tide of the creatures spilling out of the tunnel. The cry of alarm went up first as they tried to escape, but to no avail. Those who had followed them out of the hill were at the mercy of the winged ones. Those that weren’t slain by the fiery weapons seemed to burn to a crisp at contact with the newcomers. He wrinkled his muzzle, trying to recall what Heidi had called them.
Atlavans.
They embodied a fierceness that he could respect if it weren’t for the fact that they were currently threatening his triad. Orth could barely stand, and yet the one demanding information had a massive metal spear pointed directly at him. Tah wanted to rip the weapon out of the male’s hands and return the favor, but they were surrounded. Instead he settled for glowering and snarling at the Atlavans. It escalated to a threatening growl when the second male of the duo slid his gaze speculatively over to Heidi.
The male froze and hissed menacingly as his green eyes snapped over and fastened on Tah, the diamond-shaped pupils narrowing to a slit. His wings beat the air, sending small licks of fire off the tips of his feathers in an obvious warning.
Let the male warn all he liked. Tah was not backing down. All four of his arms flexed out from his side, lethal claws fully exposed. Beside him, the scowling huntress tightened her grip on her weapon.
“You have no business in the southern hills, Ragoru,” the first male spat. “So, I will ask again, and only one more time. Why do you have a human female, and what are you doing here?”
The fact that the Atlavans recognized their species surprised Tah, but he didn’t let it show. The first rule of negotiating with potentially hostile males was to not show any weakness. Demonstrating a lack of knowledge could get one killed as quickly as not observing the proper social order. Since it seemed that they we
re intruding on Atlavan territory, he would have to play his interaction with them as politely as possible, submitting to their authority. Doing so without letting them have the upper hand, especially with their female vulnerable at their side, was going to be tricky. At least parts of it would be no different than soothing the egos of Ragoru males whose territory his triad were occasionally forced to pass through.
Keeping his secondary eye on the other male, Tah turned his head just enough to politely address the first. “We mean no harm. My triad is only passing through. We are following this track to our destination, and it unfortunately brought us within your territory. We have every intention of being out of your territory as soon as possible.”
“And the human?” the male asked.
“The human is our companion, and a guide of sorts for us in this venture,” he explained. “Our relationship is one of necessity.”
The Atlavan’s mouth twisted in a humorless smile as he cast a gaze over those gathered around him. Wings rustled and several males nodded their heads in rapid bobs as if encouraging him. Eventually, his eyes once more fell upon Tah.
“Ragoru do not belong in Atlavan territory… but we shall overlook it. We will even be so merciful as to transport you to the border of our territory. For a price.”
“What price do you seek?” he rumbled suspiciously.
The male’s smile grew, but there was nothing soft nor kind about that smile as his eyes landed on Heidi. The huntress stilled. With his secondary peripheral eyes, Tah could see her hands knotting into fists at her sides. Gund glowered at the males and slid her over, partially concealing Heidi behind his bulk as he looked at each of them with outright hostility.
“In recent years, we have lost many females to huntsmen. Our females are not graced with wings as our males are. We protect our mates with a pair of males to each female and yet it is still not enough to keep them safe from the Order. They scale our nests, no matter how high we build them or how much we fortify them, and take great pleasure in killing females and young.”
“The Order reaches this far south?” Heidi broke in, her expression puzzled.
The first cocked his head at her, studying her. Then he nodded, turquoise feathers mixed among the red flaring with the movement as he addressed her. “To the south is a Citadel. There are no known paths that cut to it, though we have seen the odd human come and go, hauling supplies to the Citadel’s valley. Possibly huntsmen, although we can never be certain. Even so, in what numbers they have, the damage they have done is insurmountable. Our kind does not produce enough females to keep up with such devastation. It is rarer of late since we have started to roost higher in the mountains, but the damage is done. Each additional loss is one we cannot afford. My ahaku and I lost our female six solars ago. You are an acceptable female for our nest.” The male looked careless toward the triad. “The Ragoru will be free to leave with our assistance and blessing.”
Shock rolled through Tah, followed promptly by harsh denial.
They could not have her! Her smiles when she teased him, her ferocity in combat—it was all his! She was his rya!
Tah jerked as he felt the affirmation flow through him. Yes, this was the female he wanted before all others. The female who fought by his side in the tunnels, who looked after Orth and supported Gund. The female who played with him and teased him into following his desires.
She was his! Even if it meant he would be cast out from his triad, he wouldn’t let her go. Never.
The male jerked back from Heidi, his head snapping to face Tah. It was only then that he realized he spoke the word “never” aloud. The Atlavan’s crest lifted as he advanced. Even the feathers fanning out and framing his ears seemed to spread farther as he appeared to increase in size. Fire gathered first at the crest before sweeping down the long feathers that trailed down his back until the wings themselves caught fire. The light glinted off the metal bands around the male’s biceps as he spread his wings in threat.
A shadow fell over him as Gund moved in at his side, a rattling snarl issuing from his chest as he grabbed Heidi up against him and thrust her behind them. She protested, but he showed no indication of having noticed. Few things stopped Gund once he determined something was in the scope of his responsibilities. Although Tah knew that Gund did not see the huntress as a mate like Tah did, he felt an upwelling of gratitude. With the larger male at his side, Tah smirked at the Atlavan.
He was done playing nice. The male would not be taking his female!
“All right, you great big fur rugs, move out of the way,” Heidi barked from behind them as she elbowed her way through. Standing between them, she glared up at Gund and then at Tah. Her expression was so fierce that it took monumental effort not to pick her up and hold her close. She turned to the Atlavans.
“As… generous… as your offer is, we are going to have to decline. Even if we have to hike the rest of the way out of the Black Hills, we have business to see to. Besides which, I am not some replacement female to sit in your nest,” she stated firmly. “If you are of the mind to help us, and perhaps in some small fashion help yourselves by causing a significant disruption among the Order, we will accept your aid. But we won’t be bartering me to get it.”
It was wildly inappropriate, but Tah had the impulse to throw her down and worship her right there with his mouth, tongue, hands—any suitable part of his body—for her refusal to leave him… well, them. He grinned and gnashed his teeth at the Atlavan, whose feathers drooped, every lick of fire extinguished.
“You are an odd female.” He looked over to his partner. The other male shrugged helplessly, and he sighed. “I do not think you would be a suitable mate for our nest. Atlavans prefer to live in peace.” He hesitated as he looked her over. Heidi’s expression was stern, her jaw thrust out and her arms crossed over her chest combatively. “We do not think you are a very peaceful sort,” he added with a small smile. “But we do admire you and your conviction to stay with your males. Very well, female, we will assist you to the northern borders of our territory.”
“Excellent,” Heidi beamed. “But first, might you have a safe place we can rest? We are tired, and we need to see to Orth’s wounds.” Orth made a token protest as he struggled to stand, but Heidi stopped him, and he sank back to the ground in relief. “As you can see, we need to recuperate.”
The male nodded. “It was foolish to travel through the under-hill passes. The flesh-eaters are dangerous.”
“So, it seems. It would have been most advantageous to have known beforehand that they were there. Unfortunately, we need to stick to the track to know where we are going, so I doubt that would have deterred us.”
The male made a small cooing sound in the back of his throat. “Poor female. Very well,” he murmured, glancing around the hillside. “We will take you to our roost. It is some distance from here, in the mountains, but you can take a day to rest and then we will fly you to the northern border of our territory. It will save you considerable time in walking.”
“Our thanks,” Tah rumbled, inclining his head as he inched closer to Heidi in a silent demonstration of his claim.
The Atlavan peered at him and slowly dropped his head in response. “Perhaps the Ragoru are not the mannerless beasts that we have thought your species to be.”
The male turned his head and let out a piercing whistle. Two other males flew to his side. “We will go now,” he said as he outstretched a hand to Heidi. Tah bristled but thought better of snapping, especially with Gund now eyeing him carefully. Swallowing back his objections, he watched as the huntress stepped forward and took his hand.
“I don’t suppose you have extra female attire I might use?” she queried as the male settled his arms firmly around her.
The Atlavan drew back his head, looking down at her askance. “Our females dress exactly as the males. Our climate is warm, and we pride ourselves in showing the beauty of the form that the gods have granted us.” He looked at her appraisingly. “You would look lovely in
our attire if you so desire.”
“Interesting choice, Heidi,” Gund remarked dryly. “I am sure it will be memorable.”
Her lips pressed together against her mirth and she shook her head, never breaking eye contact with the Atlavan. “I see. That is quite all right. I think I will manage for now with what I have, but I thank you for your generosity.”
The male shrugged his wings as if the matter was inconsequential and drew her up higher into his arms. Tah’s thoughts were still stuck on what Heidi would look like in nothing but the colorful cloth around her hips, such as the males wore, when he was seized by his escort. It was awkward being transported in such a manner, but he kept his eyes trained on the male carrying his rya. As the male in question turned, he flicked a long tail tipped with feathers before leaping gracefully into the sky with nothing more than a few beats of his large wings.
Tah braced himself as he felt the male holding him coil his muscles. He barely had the opportunity to let out a warning growl before they launched into the sky. As the world fell away below him, his stomach threatened to climb out of his body.
It seemed that Ragoru were definitely not made to fly.
18
The Atlavan city was a marvel; there was no other way to describe it. Spires were carved into the mountains, each one a dwelling—or nest, as they call them—with a network of bridges connecting them all for the wingless females to safely travel throughout the city. The smell of smoky perfume scented the air from the herbs and resins that the Atlavans burned in their homes and the shrines that were easily seen from nearly every point of the city.
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