by Kate L. Mary
Zaire looked from the other man to me. “Have you decided to join the Mountari tribe?”
“We have not.” While I wanted to keep my explanation brief, I was compelled to let Zaire—as well as the rest of the Trelite—know we would not be joining his or any other tribe. “We have formed a new tribe. The Windhi.”
“A tribe of women.” Zaire gave a slight shake of his head. “It is unthinkable.”
Roan stepped forward, putting himself between me and the Trelite man. “It is true, and the Windhi have created a treaty as well, with both the Mountari and the Huni. We have come to ask the Trelite to join us.”
Zaire’s eyebrows jumped up, causing the passage markings as well as the deep lines on his face to shift. “A treaty? It has been many decades since a new treaty was needed. How did this one come about? Has there been an altercation we are not aware of?”
“There has not,” Roan said. “We have joined together with the plan to take the Fortis out.”
The men from the Trelite tribe said nothing, not even Zaire, but their shock and doubt rang through the air so loudly that it seemed like they were screaming.
Roan paused, waiting for the men in front of him to react, when they did not he said, “Can I discuss our plan with your Head?”
Zaire nodded once before shaking his head, almost like he did not know what to think or how to respond. “This is most surprising.”
He turned and headed back toward the village without asking us to follow, but Roan was not a timid man, and he went after Zaire anyway. Xandra and I did as well, but the second Roan had made it through the crowd of Trelite men, they blocked our way, leaving us to walk behind them.
“They will not join us,” Xandra whispered as we followed the men into the village.
“Perhaps not,” I replied, “but I think bringing Roan was the right choice.”
“I agree.” She arched her eyebrows at me, and the corner of her mouth twitched like she was holding in a smile. “Even if he tried to proposition you.”
I rolled my eyes but made no reply. There was nothing to say, not when she had witnessed it firsthand.
Xandra gave me an appraising look as her mouth stretched into a real grin. “Both the Trelite and Mountari Heads have shown interest in you. Perhaps Ontari will be the next to try and win your hand? Or maybe I will try my luck?”
“I would not dare take you away from Gaia.” This time when I rolled my eyes, I also found myself smiling.
Xandra let out a small laugh that was coated in pain. “It will be a relief when she is with me again.”
“For all of us,” I said, putting a hand on my friend’s arm. “Because it will mean our people are free.”
Just like the last time we were here, the group in front of us stopped when we had reached the center of the village. Once again all the men had gathered with spears, and the ladders that led into the trees had been pulled up. The Trelite men were no less hostile than they had been before, only this time their angry gazes were focused on Roan instead of Xandra and me.
Even when Zaire went off to find Cruz, Xandra and I stayed behind the Mountari Head. He did not look back or acknowledge us in any way, and had I not met Roan in his own tribe, I would have assumed by his cool exterior that he found us as beneath him as the Trelite did. Since I knew better, I did my best not to take offense at his attitude. It was not an easy task, not after all these months of proving my strength.
By the time Cruz appeared, it felt as if the hostility would set the whole forest aflame. He looked past Roan to where Xandra and I stood before focusing his gaze on the Mountari Head. Even though the Trelite were not hunters, the look Cruz gave the other man told me he was considering his odds. They were not good, at least in my opinion.
“I am Cruz, Head of the Trelite,” he said when he had stopped in front of Roan.
“Thank you for seeing me. I am Roan, Head of the Mountari, and I have come with Indra, Head of the Windhi, to ask you to join our cause.”
Cruz nodded my way. He barely focused his eyes on me when he did it, but I took it as a sign to step forward anyway. Knowing who I was dealing with, though, I chose to stay a step behind Roan.
“Zaire tells me you have formed a new tribe and you plan to fight the Fortis?” Cruz frowned, pulling the many markings and scars on his face down. “Was this your idea, Indra of the Windhi?”
“It was,” I said.
Last time we were here, the Trelite had made a point of telling us that women should only speak when spoken to, and even though Cruz had addressed me directly, I chose to keep my answer short. There was no point in pushing my luck.
“What arrogance and foolishness your husband instilled in you before he died.” Cruz’s eyes were filled with disgust when he shook his head. “He would have done well to teach you your place.”
“Her place is beneath the Fortis and the Sovereign,” Roan said, his voice only slightly louder than necessary. “Just as mine is. Just as yours is. It is something we want to change, and it is what we have come here to discuss.”
Cruz narrowed his gaze on the other man. “You have encouraged this? Do you want the blood of these women on your hands?”
“It is not my hands that will be stained if they die.” Roan waved behind him, toward Xandra and me. “It is the hands of the Sovereign and the Fortis. They have done this. They have killed all the men of Indra’s tribe and forced her to take the position she now finds herself in.”
Cruz’s frown did not ease, but his mouth did tighten like he was considering Roan’s words. “You speak the truth, but you cannot possibly think we are any match for the Fortis. We are not warriors.”
“You are not.” Roan paused so he could pull his shirt over his head, revealing the dozens of lygan teeth pierced through his skin. “But we are.”
High above our heads, the Trelite women and children peeked through windows and doors, fighting for a chance to get a glimpse of the Mountari Head. He was a sight to look at, especially for the Trelite who lived so far into the wilds and had so few people working in Sovereign City. They were secluded out here, many of them having never ventured even as far as the pond—the women, especially—and the teeth piercing Roan’s skin was something very few of them had ever seen.
“The Huni, who have also agreed to join the fight, are hunters as well.” Roan tipped his head toward Xandra and me. “And the Windhi have spent their days in the wilds killing every Fortis hunter they come across.”
Cruz focused his disgusted gaze on me for the first time since we had arrived. “I do not believe it. A group of women cannot take Fortis hunters down.”
“You are secluded out here.” Roan kept his eyes on Cruz as he held his hand out to me. “You have not heard the rumors, but in the Mountari village, we have heard about the many Fortis men and women who have come into the wilds only to meet their ends.”
My gaze was focused on Cruz when I pulled the head from the bag and passed it to Roan. He grasped it by the hair, lifting it high into the air so everyone could see. The men in front of us murmured to one another as their expressions changed from hostile to shocked, while in the trees the women and children ducked away from the sight.
“This is what the Windhi have done,” Roan called, his voice ringing through the village. “All three of our tribes have experience as hunters, and we can teach your people as well. Once we have joined together, we can take the Fortis down.” He tossed the head on the ground, and it rolled a few times before landing face up, the lifeless eyes seemingly focused on Cruz. “When they are gone, we will be free to live the rest of our lives as we choose.”
Silence followed the speech. Birds squawked as somewhere nearby one took off, and the beat of its wings seemed deafening amidst the sudden quiet. Cruz stared down at the head on the ground before looking up to study me, and the hair on my scalp prickled under his intense gaze. It was like he was looking me over for flaws. Like he was desperate to find them. Either he did not believe I had done the things Roan claimed,
or he did not want to believe them.
Cruz said nothing to me before turning his gaze to Roan, studying both the other Head and the teeth that pierced his chest.
Finally, the Trelite Head spoke. “I do not know if we can join in this fight.”
He looked toward Zaire, who was standing at his side just as he had last time we were here, and the older man frowned. All around the village the other men seemed as uncertain as the two in front of us did, and I felt their numbers slipping through my fingers the way water did when I tried to scoop a handful from the pond. We could do it without them, and they were the least experienced of all the tribes, but having the Trelite on our side would give us twice as many warriors as the Fortis. It would give us a much greater advantage.
Almost as if Roan could also feel their numbers slipping away, he said, “You will not have to deal with any of the women. My men will teach you the moves you need to fight the Fortis.”
Cruz’s head bobbed as he considered this, and at his side, Zaire leaned closer to him.
“We have people in the city,” he said in a low voice. “They are prisoners.”
Cruz turned to face the older man. “I am well aware of the people we have lost. But do we risk everyone else to get them back? Are the lives of the many worth the freedom of the few?”
“Doing this will give freedom to the many,” I said, suddenly finding it impossible to stay quiet. “You will be setting your children and your children’s children free.”
Cruz spun back to face me, his hand lashing out and catching me completely off guard. The crack of his palm against my left cheek echoed through the forest, and I stumbled back.
“You do not address me unless spoken to.” The words pushed their way through Cruz’s teeth.
I cupped my cheek as I stared at the man in front of me, all the while the weight of the knife on my hip seemed to grow. The urge to pull it out made my fingers tingle, but I fought against it. We were outnumbered. We needed these men to join us. We should work together to fight the Fortis.
The urge did not lessen.
Roan stepped between Cruz and me. “That will be the last time you raise a hand to another Outlier. Our fight is with the Fortis and Sovereign, not with each other. We wish for you to join us, but if you do, you will be agreeing to a treaty. That treaty does not force you to associate with any of the women, but it does mean that you will agree to exist in peace with them.”
“Peace?” Cruz spit out the word like Roan had asked him to do the most detestable thing he had ever heard of. “You mean pretending she is as good as a man? As good as me?”
Roan’s back straightened even more, a feat I had not thought possible considering he already seemed to be standing so tall. “I mean you will not strike or lash out at any member of another tribe. Man or woman.”
“These are not unfair terms,” Zaire said, still speaking low as if he thought it would be able to keep us from hearing him. “And the Mountari Head is right. We outnumber the Fortis. We can win.”
Cruz turned to face him completely, signaling that the discussion was private. “Do you really believe that?”
“I do,” Zaire replied.
The Trelite Head exhaled and turned his eyes to the ground. A moment of silence passed while I held my breath.
Then he lifted his gaze and focused on Roan. “We will join your treaty, but we will not associate with the women of the other tribes, the Huni Head included.”
My face stung where Cruz had struck me, but we still needed him, as much as it pained me to admit it, and speaking out of turn would only make things worse, so I touched Roan’s arm. When he looked back at me, fury simmered in his eyes.
I gave my head a slight shake, letting him know I was okay, and then whispered, “The meeting at the pond.”
Roan’s head barely bobbed before he turned back to Cruz. “We will have to meet on occasion, the Heads of all four tribes. Will you join us for the meeting? It will be tonight in the clearing by the pond.”
Cruz’s upper lip curled even as he said, “I will join you.”
“Then we will take our leave,” Roan said.
He stepped back, urging Xandra and me to do the same. No one stopped us as we turned, not that I had expected them to, and silence followed us as we left the village behind and headed into the forest.
Roan pulled his shirt back on as we walked. “He is lucky he was not in my village when he struck you. I would have cut his throat.”
“It is okay.” I was still carrying the empty bag, and I tightened my grip on it. “I knew before going in that I should keep quiet.”
“There is no reason to keep quiet when you are right, Indra. Remember that.”
Roan’s gaze held mine as we walked, his eyes swimming with appreciation for me. It was different than when Asa looked at me, though. This was something else. A man who is used to having the best and strongest women fight over him. I had a hard time imagining I fit that description, even after all this time, but it seemed as if Roan saw me that way.
That night, we met by the pond as planned. Xandra and Mira accompanied me, and we stepped into the clearing to find Ontari already waiting for us, with Arkin at her side. Thankfully, their greeting was much more cordial than it had been the first time we met.
“Indra,” Ontari said, and the nod she gave me was solid and welcoming. “Were you able to get the other tribes to agree to your proposition?”
“I was. Or at least I was able to get the Mountari to agree. Roan, Head of the Mountari, spoke with the Trelite Head for me. He has agreed to join us under the terms that his men will not have to train with any women.”
Ontari’s mouth turned down. “And you have agreed to these terms?”
“I have no desire to change their way of life, even if I think they are fools.”
Her frown gave way to a smile, the second one since we met. Once again, I was struck by how much it softened her looks, something I had not thought possible considering how fierce her shaved head and pierced face made her seem.
“I would think,” she said, “that simply meeting you would change their opinions.”
“I am not sure anything could change the way they view women,” I replied while at my side, Xandra smirked. Which I chose to ignore.
The crunch of footsteps put our conversation to an end, and I tensed as I waited for whoever was approaching to reveal themselves. If it was Roan, there would be no problem, but if Cruz arrived before the other man, we might have an issue continuing with the treaty. The sting of his hand against my cheek had not faded completely. When this was all over, the Trelite Head had better pray we did not meet in the forest, because I would have no problem teaching him a lesson in just how strong a woman could be.
To my relief, Roan broke through the trees only a second later. He nodded to me, as well as to Xandra and Mira, and then I made the proper introductions. Just like when we had first arrived in her village, Ontari was cold toward the other Head when we began discussing strategy, but Roan treated the rest of us like equals, and in no time she began to thaw.
When Cruz finally arrived, Zaire was with him. I had expected as much, just as I had expected him to address only Roan and barely even glance at Ontari. With Arkin at her side, she was invisible to the Trelite Head, a situation I could tell made the slender man uncomfortable.
Nothing could be done about it, though. This was the way of the Trelite people, and I had spoken honestly when I told Ontari that I had no desire to change the Trelite’s views on women, just as I had no wish to make the Huni see sex in a different light. We were all different, but the same in that our customs were sacred to us, and that was something I would not interfere with. Even if Cruz disgusted me.
The other women and I stood back, allowing Roan to speak for us. The Huni Head was more frustrated by the situation than I was. The planning took very little time and did not involve us anyway since Cruz would only accept the help of Roan’s men, and it was not long before the Trelite men took their lea
ve.
After they disappeared into the forest, Roan turned to Ontari. “I am sorry. This was the agreement we made with the Trelite, but know I do not share their opinion. The Mountari have no issue with a female Head and welcome your expertise. We know you are great hunters.”
“As are you.” Ontari nodded to the fangs peeking out from beneath Roan’s shirt.
“It is a wonder we have not met before,” Roan said.
“Perhaps this will be the beginning of a new era for the Outliers,” I said. “We have been separate so long, but who is to say we cannot work together?”
“I agree,” Ontari replied. “Although I do not see the Trelite changing their ways.”
“No. Their treaty with us will end as soon as we have defeated the Fortis and the Sovereign,” Roan agreed.
“When will that happen?” Ontari’s gaze moved to me.
“We must wait for warmer weather.” I lifted my face to the sky like it might tell when spring would arrive. “We do not want to wait too long, though. If we can hit the Fortis before summer, it will make the Sovereign even more vulnerable going into the warm months. They rely on their guards during grizzard attacks, which are more frequent during summer.”
“Your knowledge of the city will be helpful,” Roan said thoughtfully. “What else can you tell us about Sovereign City and the people who live there?”
“The Sovereign’s numbers are small. Perhaps only a couple hundred.”
“Why do the Fortis not rebel?” Ontari asked. “It is something I have always wondered. To me it seems like they would want to free themselves from the thumb they live under as much as we do.”
“The Fortis have no experience with technology, meaning they would have no idea how to use the very items inside the city that make their lives so easy. Plus, there are maybe twice as many Fortis as Sovereign. The city is much too small for them. Even worse, if they were to lose the war, they would be cast out. The only place for them to go then would be the wilds, and they have no knowledge of how to survive on their own because they have never had to do it before.”
