by Kate L. Mary
“They have been made dependent,” Ontari ran her hand over her smooth scalp, “and now they are useless except for their brawn.”
“Centuries of conditioning,” Mira said. “Like us. We have been told we were nothing for so long that it never occurred to us to try.”
“Until Indra,” Xandra said.
My friend’s eyes were on me, as were the gazes of everyone else in the clearing. Their admiration made me shift. Not just because Roan was once again looking at me with obvious appreciation, but because everyone else was as well. Yes, I had been the one to start this war, but I had not done it alone. Mira had suggested uniting the tribes, and Xandra had been at my side, leading with me for months. This was not just my doing. We had done this together.
“We are not nothing,” I said, hoping to break the silence. “Together we are an army.”
“Yes,” Roan said, finally pulling his gaze from me. “What about the Fortis and Sovereign? Combined, how big can we expect their army to be? Four hundred?”
“Around that.” I looked back at Xandra, and she nodded in agreement. “Because of us, the Fortis numbers have gone down greatly over the last year.”
“That is good,” Ontari said, and then asked, “What will our numbers be? Do you know?”
“Unfortunately, the Windhi will not be able to contribute much,” I said sadly. “There are only seventeen of us capable of fighting.”
“Seventeen women have brought down hundreds of Fortis?” Roan looked my way, but I avoided his gaze so I did not have to acknowledge the appreciation in his eyes. “That is impressive.”
“It was survival,” I clarified. “Nothing else.”
“You have brought us together. That is a contribution,” Roan assured me. “With all able-bodied men and women fighting, there should be around four hundred Mountari.”
“We have nearly six hundred,” Ontari said.
“The Trelite will only have men,” I said, “so I would put their numbers closer to two hundred.”
“Even without their women,” Roan said, shaking his head like he could not believe what he was about to say, “we will have three times as many fighters as the Fortis do.”
We fell silent. It was unbelievable. I had always known we outnumbered the Sovereign and Fortis combined, but faced with the numbers, I felt like a fool for not listening to Mira months ago when she first brought up the idea of uniting the Outlier tribes. It was wasted time, another wasted opportunity.
Ontari was the one to finally break the silence. “I still cannot believe no one ever considered this before.”
“We did not work together,” I pointed out even though I agreed with her. “We have always been too focused on surviving to think about knocking the Sovereign off their throne.”
Even to my own ears, the excuses sounded trivial.
21
With the worry of unifying the tribes now behind us, we switched our focus to training. Roan sent men to the Trelite tribe so they could learn to shoot a bow and wield a sword, while the rest of us met in the clearing to train. My own tribe was small, meaning all the Windhi warriors were able to attend, but with hundreds of Huni and Mountari fighters, it was impossible for them all to come at once. I knew, however, that they were busy training in their own villages. Each time I met with the other Heads, I respected them more, and they would no doubt put everything they had into preparing their people for battle.
The first time we met in the clearing, we started by demonstrating our skills. My tribe was practiced with the bow, and while the other tribes also used bows, I soon learned it was not often their weapons of choice.
The clearing was crowded with warriors as Ontari approached the front of the group, a spear in her hand. She lifted her weapon, but paused before throwing it so she could look back over her shoulder, her eyes focused on me.
When she smiled, her teeth were starkly white against her dark skin. “This is how I take out any marsoapians that wander into our village.”
She turned back, pausing just long enough to aim before hurling the spear and sending it sailing through the air. The point stuck in a nearby tree with a thud that echoed through the forest, which was quickly followed by the squawk of a rawlin.
The bird burst from the tree the spear had just hit, and I pulled an arrow from my sheath as it flew in circles above us, screeching. I took aim, focusing on the red bird, and released my arrow only a moment later. It hit the mark, sinking into the bird’s body and sending a burst of red feathers through the air.
When the animal had dropped to the ground, Ontari turned to face me, eyebrows raised. “I see why so few Fortis hunters make it out of the wilds alive.”
“They are even easier to kill than the bird.” I waved my bow toward the carcass. “Not only are the Fortis bigger targets, but they are also fools who think they are invincible.”
“They will not think that for long,” she said, smiling.
Like Ontari, all the members of the Huni tribe proved to be efficient hunters. Spears were typically their weapons of choice since they often went up against the large creatures inhabiting the wastelands, but they were also experienced with bows and knives. But while the Huni were undeniably tough, they had never had to fight another person. Which was what made the Mountari shine.
Lygan were wily creatures and more difficult to kill than the animals in the wastelands, and most of the Mountari men preferred knives—enjoying the closeness that came with the kill—meaning they were much better at dodging an attacker than the Huni were. Still, it was the Mountari women who really stood out. Since they regularly fought one another to claim a mate, their skills in hand-to-hand combat were impressive, something Zuri demonstrated on our first day of training. She may have been twice my age, but watching her go head to head with another Mountari woman made me understand how she had won the right to become Roan’s mate, and why no one had been able to defeat her since then.
For our part, the Windhi were useful in giving the other tribes insight into what to expect from the Fortis. We had gone up against them more times than I could count, and were by now used to fighting. It seemed that the members could not get enough of the stories I told about my exploits in the forest. Roan especially never tired of asking me questions about the Fortis men and women I had killed. His wife, to her credit, watched all of this with an amused smile on her face.
Training continued as the snow began to melt and winter faded. Soon the wilds grew warmer, and with each passing day and each practice session we held in the clearing, I became more confident in our ability to win. With the four tribes now united, we outnumbered the Fortis by the hundreds, but we also had the advantage of surprise. They had no idea the tribes had joined forces or that we knew how to fight, and if we snuck into the village at night while they slept, we would be able to take them completely by surprise.
My only real worry was for Asa. He did not deserve the wrath we were about to bring down on his people, but he would be in the line of fire just like all the other men and women in the Fortis village. It seemed wrong. More than wrong. He saved me when he discovered me in the forest, surrounded by the bodies of his men, and he had come into the woods, risking his own life, to warn me about Lysander. I could not turn my back on Asa now.
My worry multiplied as the day of the battle grew closer until I found it impossible to ignore, and only three days before we were set to attack, I could wait no longer. I needed to warn Asa.
Telling no one of my plans, I left the caves just as the sun was setting and traveled by way of the river so I did not need to worry about carrying a torch. The moon was high by the time I reached the outskirts of the village, but the night was not quiet. The Fortis were loud and rowdy despite the late hour, and it would be a while still before they turned in for the night, but waiting was not an option.
Their voices echoed off the houses and kept me on edge as I moved through the darkness. I was small, and I worried that if I were spotted it would be immediately evident that I did
not belong in the village.
The fear did not stop me, but it did keep me on alert. I stuck to the shadows as much as possible, doing my best to avoid large groups of Fortis men and women who were busy drinking. I had seen Asa come out of his house only one time, but I was confident I remembered which one it was. It was impossible to forget that day, or the cold way he had looked at me.
When I reached the building, I paused before circling around to the front, taking a deep breath as I concentrated on the voices echoing through the dark night. Asa’s house was right on the main road, so close to the open square in the middle of the village that I was certain when I turned the corner there would be a large group standing right in front of me. Only it sounded as if the laughter was coming from further away. Closer to the wall.
I slinked to the corner and poked my head around, my hand on my knife. If I were caught, I would not stand a chance against an entire village of Fortis men and women, but I needed to be ready just in case. After everything I had been through, I refused to allow them to take me down without a fight. Even if I died trying.
Light flickered through the village from the fire burning in the square, distorting the shadows and making it difficult to see at first. After a moment, the picture came into focus and I let out a deep breath. There were men and women on the main street, but further down, on the other side of the square, past the fire. They were talking, laughing, and drinking, and they were so far away that I was confident I would not be spotted.
I turned the corner, stepping out into the open, and gave the house a quick glance. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the building I had seen Asa come out of all those months ago, and so I only hesitated for a beat before opening the door and slipping inside.
He was awake, sitting with his back to me and his shirt off. Light from the lantern flickered across his muscles and the passage markings decorating his dark skin, and memories from our last time together flashed through my mind. This was not why I had come here, but I could not stop from thinking about letting Asa strip my clothes off and carry me to his bed. About being with him one more time before everything changed yet again.
I took a small step forward, and he jerked. In a blink, he was on his feet, spinning around. His dark eyes widened, but he did not move, almost as if he thought he was dreaming and any movement would make me disappear. When his gaze swept over me, the look was like a caress. Like his fingers were traveling over my bare skin.
“Indra, what are you doing here?” He looked past me to the door, before focusing on me again. “If they see you, they’ll kill you.”
“No one saw me,” I whispered, suddenly finding it difficult to speak.
I swallowed, hoping my brain would focus, but it did not help. I had come here for a reason, one that had nothing to do with Asa and the feelings we had for one another, but suddenly that was all I could think about. My brain was all Asa. There was no city, no Sovereign, no Fortis or even Outliers. It was just the two of us.
He took a hesitant step forward, and something about it seemed to help me focus. I had come to warn him, to tell him to leave and hopefully save his life in the process.
“I came to warn you.” I lifted my hand, urging him to keep his distance in hopes it would help me think. “You need to leave your village.”
“Leave my village?” Asa shook his head and then moved forward despite my raised hand. “What do you mean? What are you saying, Indra?”
“I can tell you nothing else.” Shame flared through me, and for the first time in a long while, I was met with guilt over what I intended to do. I had to look away from him when I said, “Do not ask me to say more, because I cannot. But I need you to listen, and I need you to do as I say.” I lifted my gaze from the ground and found him watching me, his eyes still clouded with confusion. “You must leave here as soon as possible. Tomorrow. Pack your things and get out.”
Understanding bloomed in his eyes, and this time he took a step away instead of moving closer to me. “What have you done, Indra? What are you planning?”
“I am planning to stand up for my people.” All the atrocities I had witnessed came back, the abuse and death, and I pushed the guilt away. I straightened my shoulders, trying to make myself taller, and met his gaze head on. “I am setting my people free.”
“No.” He ran his hand over his head in frustration. “You’re killing my people, Indra. Can’t you see that? You’ve been hunting and killing my people for more than a year now.”
“I am killing the people who have abused and oppressed us for centuries,” I spit at him, suddenly angry. “I am trying to save my people, one dead Fortis at a time.”
Asa blew out a long breath like he was trying to keep his temper in check, but it did not matter because I was already mad. My blood was already boiling. These were his people and he should stand up for them, but I was beyond the point where I could listen to excuses. I had seen too much, bore too many scars.
The thought of those scars made me drop my knife to the ground. It clanged against the floor and Asa’s eyebrows pulled together, jumping up only a moment later when I undid the leather ties that helped secure my shirt.
“What are you doing?” He shuffled toward me, his hand out.
“I am showing you what your people have done.”
I turned so my back was to him as the fur slipped from my body. It fell to the floor, and the cool air in the room sent a chill through me, but I did not move. I stayed where I was, my back to Asa so he could see the scars I wore. He had seen them before, had looked at them the last time we were together, but we had not talked about what they meant.
“Indra,” he whispered, his voice pained. “Please.”
“No.” I looked over my shoulder and found his eyes focused on the floor. “Look at me, Asa.”
He lifted his gaze and met mine.
“Look at my scars,” I whispered.
He swallowed then focused on my back.
We had lain together in the caves, had spent time naked and in each other’s arms, but we had not spoken about the scars. Not even after he had looked at them. He had run his fingers over them, a feather light touch that had sent shivers shooting through me, but he had said nothing about the scars or the day I received them.
“You were there,” I said, still looking at him over my shoulder. “You saw what they did to me. What they took from me. The scars on my back are nothing compared to the ones I carry on my heart. The scars for my father, my mother, my husband. My whole tribe. How can you continue to question me when you know what I have endured? When you have witnessed it?”
Asa lifted his gaze to mine, but even the tears shimmering in his eyes were not enough to make me feel guilty. “We’re not all bad. Aren’t I proof of that? Haven’t I helped you enough?”
I bent down and picked up my knife and the discarded shirt then turned to face him. “I have never seen another Fortis like you,” I told him, holding the fur against my chest. “No one has. As far as I know, they do not exist.”
“You’re wrong, and if you do what I think you’re going to do, innocent people will die. I’ve turned a blind eye to everything you’ve done so far, but Indra, I can’t sit back and watch you do this.”
“Are you telling me that you plan to turn me in? That you plan to bring the Sovereign down on me? To lead the charge into the forest and kill me?” I kept my voice level as I worked to secure the shirt around my body once again. Asa would not turn on me, but I was not ready to walk away yet. Not until he understood what I was doing. Not until I was sure he had heard me. “I will not let them take me back into that city. I will not let them kill me for show the way they did my husband.”
Asa put his hands up and stepped back. “I could never turn you in, Indra. You have to know that.”
His gaze swept over my face, and I saw the measure of his feelings for me swimming in his eyes. It caused a tickle in my stomach. Made me think about how he had held me after we were together, how warm his skin had been agai
nst mine.
I looked away before the memories distracted me again.
“You know what I have been through.” I kept my gaze off his face, instead looking past him. “It is nothing compared to what my people have endured. Think of Ronan, a ten-year-old boy, getting his hand cut off for a piece of bread. His family was starving and his little sisters too sick to sleep most nights, so he tried to help them, and they took his hand for it. He is not alone. You know that. For centuries my people have gone into the city and served the Sovereign, have done everything they said because we had no choice. Do you know Lysander cornered me in that pantry the very first week I worked in the house?”
Asa winced. “Indra, don’t.”
“I must, because it is true. It is what happened, and it did not just happen to me. It happened to almost every girl in that house, and I was there. I stood on the other side of the door and listened to their cries for help, and I did nothing. But I will not do that anymore. I will not stand by and watch my people get wiped out and imprisoned.”
“The Sovereign did that, Indra. Not the Fortis. We are as much at the mercy of Sovereign City as you are.”
“Are you?” I forced my gaze to meet his, and my heart pounded harder. “I know you are a good and honorable man, Asa, and you may be telling the truth. There may be others like you. But do not turn a blind eye to what your people do. They take pleasure in it.”
Asa looked down then, and even if he did not say the words, I could tell he knew I was right.
“I am sorry if you feel like you are caught between two worlds,” I continued when he said nothing, “but the time has come for you to pick a side. My fight with the Fortis has just begun, and very soon I will take it to the Sovereign.”
“You don’t have the numbers to beat us, Indra.”
“You would be surprised what I have.”
Asa’s head jerked up. “What are you saying?”
“I am telling you to get out of the village while you can. That is why I came here. You risked your life to come into the forest and find me, and I have not forgotten it.” My gaze traveled to his lips, and I paused as thoughts about our night together came back. When I spoke again, my voice came out softer. “I do not want you to get hurt. If there are innocent people here, get them out. Run. Leave this village and the monsters who live in it and do not look back.”
