by Auryn Hadley
Pig nodded. "Got it. And our status on the extractions?"
"I need the husbands, a token from each that his wife would recognize, and a letter, along with the exact location or address of their home. I have three men ready to ride tonight, on LT's spare horses, with a grauori at his side."
Pig's mouth actually gaped open. "Wow, ok. Where are they being taken?"
"My place," Ilija said. "Little country province called Valmere. My wife will make sure they're well taken care of, and it's crawling with grauori, so the pregnant one shouldn't have a thing to worry about. Takes a few months, but we'll get updates along the way. Once you're linked in, we'll send them right to the men."
Pig closed his eyes and let a heavy breath just fall out. "Knife me if you want, but," he hugged her. "I've been worried as fuck all day. That's my men's families."
Sal hugged him back. "I understand, Pig."
"Pig!" Blaec said, walking up.
The leader of the Devil Dogs released her and turned to offer Blaec a hand. "LT! Grats on the promotion, my friend."
"Thank you. Let me show you where we have you camped." He looked at Sal with a smile that was anything but professional. "Kaisae."
"Kaisor," Sal acknowledged, smiling at him as he turned and led the officer and Devil Dogs away.
"Sal?" Rayna whispered, sliding around one of the horses.
"What?" Sal fake-whispered back. "Most of us hear better than you, silly human."
Rayna chuckled and jogged to Sal's side. "How would I go about sending a message to a king without all the Dogs knowing?"
"Oh, I dunno. Come with me." Sal turned and led Rayna through the camp. Once at the King's pavilion, she pushed aside the flap to Dom's tent. "Coming?"
"You just walk in?" Rayna gasped.
A voice behind the curtain chuckled. "Yeah, Sal does," Danku said. He gestured for Rayna to enter. "Dom!" he yelled as soon as the women were inside.
"What this time?" Dom asked, stepping out of his personal chamber. He glanced at Rayna, then to Sal. "Uh. Sal."
She laughed. "Don't you go all shy on me now, Dominik Jens. I figured the last time you two saw each other, she was screaming obscenities at me. Wanted to make sure you knew she made it in safe." Then she turned to Rayna. "You crashing here, or just visiting?"
Rayna shook her head. "Nah, I gotta make sure the Dogs all get in." She jerked her head toward the King. "But I had a few things to check on. Mind if I catch up in a bit, Sal?"
"Nope. And so you know, the Shields are very hard of hearing. Have fun you two," Sal said ducking out of the door.
I like this one, Danku told her. She reminds me of you.
Then hopefully it works out. She hasn't told her unit, though, so don't any of you let it slip.
Gotcha. Thanks for the heads up.
Chapter 42
It was late, but there were still a few Devil Dogs making their way over, so the Anglian camp was on standby. Human soldiers and Grauoran maargra mingled easily. Walking among them, Sal heard people laughing. Her attention piqued, she turned that way. She had time to burn. The Blades were helping Pig get things in order, and someone would let her know if she was needed.
In the glow of hanging lanterns, a cluster of bodies made a ring. From the solid thumps and sharp cracks of wood, it sounded like some of the men were sparring. Sneaking up from behind them, Sal touched the closest man's arm. He stepped back in surprise when he recognized her, but before he could call out for the others to move, she stopped him.
"Just wanting to watch, not break it up," she assured him.
He tapped the man before him, putting his finger to his lips, and gestured at Sal. That guy shoved the man ahead of him with a whispered word, and they let her through. She was a head shorter than most humans, so unless she was in the front line, the spectators blocked her view. A man in the first row pulled her before him, carefully touching only her armor, and pushed back to give her room. There, in the center, the little brown girl Sal remembered from the stables in Anglia faced off with another man. Keeya wielded a pair of practice knives against the other's great sword.
He swung and she dodged, knocking the heavy weapon aside but not following through. He swung again. This time, she parried and dodged. The man smiled, pushing harder, and the girl slowly retreated, blocking every swing, but she wasn't aggressive enough to get the kill shot. A few more swings and her opponent figured it out. The man rushed in, knocking her legs out from under her, and held the sword to her throat.
Keeya sighed. "I yield."
"Not bad," Sal called out. "You," she pointed to the swordsman, "need to learn how to cover your openings. And you, Keeya, need to learn how to attack."
The man behind her chuckled. "Does this mean we get a demonstration?"
Sal stepped into the ring and offered her hand to Keeya. The girl looked at her wide eyed before accepting it, grinning when Sal pulled her to her feet. "Let me show you," Sal said, turning to the swordsman. "You hit me, you get a raise. Deal?"
He laughed. "Worth a shot, Kaisae."
Sal slipped her daggers into her hand and moved closer to the swordsman. "Keeya, give us a call?"
"Lay on," Keeya said clearly.
The swordsman eyed her for a second, then swung. Sal blocked the weapon with the same move Keeya had used, then stepped inside, slapping the flat of her blade against his arm. He'd never come close to hitting her.
"Keep going, big guy."
He swung again, and Sal dodged, turning toward his off-side which had been exposed. Again he swung, and Sal once more mimicked Keeya's move, following with a dart toward the swordsman.
"I yield, Kaisae," the man said, lowering his weapon. You had me each time, and I'm just swinging trees at you."
"Move faster," a familiar voice said, pushing through the excited spectators. "May I?" Zep asked the swordsman, reaching for his weapon.
"Yes, sir!" the soldier said, handing it over.
Zep turned to Sal and dropped his eyes. "You good?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Tired, but good." His eyes darted up, showing a sparkle that had nothing to do with sparing. "Can the young lady give us a call again?" Zep asked.
"Lay on," Keeya repeated.
Zep swung the same way the soldier had, and Sal countered, but he dropped the tip, closing his exposed arm. She spun, and he swung, following with his leg. It collided with Sal's ankle, making her stagger, and he swung again. Out of options, she threw her body over the arc of the weapon, landing on her feet, balanced once again.
"You want to make this a thing?" she teased.
He waved her closer. "Yeah, bring it."
She snarled and darted in, but Zep blocked her. Their weapons clashed. The moves came faster. He blocked. She dodged. They both attacked at any opening they saw. Sal made a rush, and Zep's forearm crashed into her face with a solid crack. She fell to the ground, kicking out to knock him off his feet, then rolled quickly to her knees.
"Cheap move," Zep pointed out.
"So was the arm," Sal countered.
And their weapons clashed again. They spun and swirled, ducked and hopped, but each attack was blocked by a weapon. The only contact was with their limbs. Finally, Sal saw the opening she was looking for. Zep feinted, and Sal leaned back, dropping her arm for an attack - and he swung at her exposed neck. That's exactly what she'd hoped for. Rushing in, she threw her back against his chest, her offhand behind her so the tip just met his ribs. Her main hand moved lazily to his throat.
Zep froze, except for the rumbling of his laughter. "Ok, I give. What's the fucking counter to that?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her to hug her close. "I yield, Kaisae."
Sal looked back at him with a feisty smile. "I honestly have no idea. No one's ever used it on me."
"Step back and towards your sword," Keeya said, the look on her face one of intense concentration.
"Show me," Zep told her, gesturing for the girl to come closer. "If she comes at me," he moved Sal a step away from hi
m, "like this with two weapons, I can't get my sword around because she's already inside my reach and will just limb me. Where do I go?"
Keeya reached up for his shoulders and pulled him back, turning his torso to make him pivot around his sword arm. "Here. You should be able to pull your blade in," she grabbed his wrist and bent his elbow, tucking the sword to his body, "And counter attack."
Zep smiled, slowly moving his blade at Sal's now unprotected back. "Sweet shit, girl. You're brilliant!" Keeya beamed under the praise, and he repeated the motion, laughing. "I'm serious. I've been working for two years to find the counter to that, and you saw it right away." Tucking the practice weapon under his arm, he held out his hand to her. "Zep, also known as Valcor Zepyr."
She took it, beaming with pride. "Keeya Tikva, sir."
He let his eyes roam across her, taking in the wood daggers tucked in her belt. "Why are you using knives, Keeya? Any experience with other weapons?"
"The two-handed weapons are too much for me, sir," she admitted.
Zep nodded in understanding. "Sal, give her your swords. Let's see how she does with those?"
The Kaisae passed her weapons to the girl, whose eyes lit up. "Are these the same ones?" Keeya asked.
"Yeah, from the gauntlet. Zep had them made for me, so they're weighted for a smaller hand and shorter arm," Sal explained. "You see something, don't you, Zep?"
"I think so, but she needs sabers," he said. "Keeya, same idea as with the knives, just more reach. Come at me with gusto, ok?"
"I'm not sure I can pull the shot, sir. I've never used anything like these."
"You're fine. A slice, the grauori can heal, and if I can't dodge a killing shot, I don't deserve to be in black. Deal?"
"Yes, sir."
"Sal, call it?"
Sal moved away and called out, "Lay on!"
Zep swung at Keeya. This time, she blocked him easily, following with a swipe at his arm. Zep ducked, grinning at her. "Close! Try harder."
When he swung again, she parried, stepping around him like Sal had to swing low. Zep hopped over the blade, batting at it with his wooden weapon, then came at her more aggressively. Keeya dug in, finally feeling like she had enough reach to do something. It was the confidence she needed. Each time Zep swung, she countered with a parry and at least one counter attack, sometimes two. Zep tried to press her back, but she stepped over rather than retreating and kept her blades moving. The weapons clashed faster and faster until suddenly, Keeya dropped a sword and gasped.
"Sir! I'm sorry!" she yelped.
Zep glanced at his arm, a thin red line showing beneath the torn cloth, and laughed. "Very nice. I've just been blooded by a," he glanced at her shoulder, "Private using sabers for the first time."
Keeya's eyes were huge, and she looked the Kaisae. Sal waved her down. "Zep, show her. She thinks that's a wound."
He chuckled, gesturing for the girl to grab the sword. "Clean the blood from that," he directed while unbuttoning his shirt to tug it from his pants. When it came free, he pulled it over his head and tossed it at Sal in a smooth motion, turning his attention to the marks on his dark skin. "This, was Escea," he told Keeya, pointing to a thick line across his ribs. "Unav, Escean pass, sparring with LT, surprising the Ahnor at night, Namisa, Unav, Unav, and Escea again. Trust me, the little nick you gave me isn't even worth a heal."
Keeya's eyes were locked on his chest. "What's that one from?"
Zep ran his fingers over the mark on his pectoral. "The maast." He looked at the rest of the soldiers clustered around them. "You all know about that, right?"
Most of the soldier's nodded, but Keeya's mouth parted in a silent gasp. "Is that a bite? Did Hwa get you?"
"No," Sal said flatly. "I did."
"What happened, Kaisae?" the girl breathed.
"She was dying," Zep said. "Another few seconds, and we would have lost her."
Sal cocked her head. "You never told me it was that close."
"Yeah. You stopped breathing on us twice, and there was nothing but blood pouring from your mouth. We didn't think you needed to know that - nor the Ahnor." He met her eyes and lifted a brow, making the point.
"Who did it? Terric?" Keeya whispered.
"No," Zep almost growled. "The Conglomerate. She was jacked in the middle of our own camp."
From the back of the group, one of the soldiers said, "You're Anglians now. Fuck the CFC if they treated our Kaisae that way. We take care of our own here."
Zep chuckled. "Yes, you do. Never met humans like any of you." Then he turned back to Keeya. "You still want to be elite?"
She nodded her head emphatically. "Yes, sir. More than anything else. I'm human, so Blades are out, but I hope to be a Shield in a few years."
"Keep your options open," called someone from the back of the crowd. "Shields aren't the only elites who take humans."
Keeya looked up, but Sal chuckled, gesturing for him to come closer. "Tyr, introduce yourself."
He pushed forward, and the men moved aside, glancing at his grey uniform. When he finally made it through, he held out his hand to Keeya. The girl actually giggled as she placed hers in it. Naturally, Tyr leaned over and kissed it gallantly. "Lieutenant Tyr Aristel, Devil Dogs, soon to be of Anglia. Well, as soon as all of our unit makes it across the great plains out there."
The soldiers behind them murmured. They'd all heard about the new elites, but seeing one standing before them was different. Sal decided to make the most of it.
"These are the men I told you about this morning," Sal told the soldiers. "They watched our backs over there and covered our retreat. Black Blades owe them a few."
"They took care of our Kaisae," a man called out. "That means Anglia owes them a few, too."
She nodded toward the voice. "I was hoping you'd feel that way."
"I fucking love this country, Sal," Tyr said. "Good soldiers," he glanced at Keeya, "beautiful women, and more white than I know what to do with. You've made your mark."
"See me tomorrow, Keeya," Zep said, trying to ignore Tyrs flamboyance. "We'll get you some weapons suited to your size and start showing you some basics with them."
But that caught Tyr's attention. "Oh, I'm coming. You're teaching her sabers?"
"That or short swords. She seemed to do well with Sal's." Zep pointing to his arm.
"Nice! Well, I happen to know a saber specialist. Pretty sure we can hook her up." To make sure no one misunderstood, he pointed to his own chest with both hands.
Zep laughed. "Keeya, Tyr's an arrogant prick, but he has every right to be. He really is as good as he says." He shook his head as if he hated to admit that. "Oh! And we need to put her on a horse."
"I've never ridden!" Keeya said.
Zep shrugged. "Use - "
"Do not say your new mare!" Sal cut him off. "Put her on Arden. She put up with me, so she'll tolerate anything."
"Nah, Sal," Zep assured her. "I like this one. I wouldn't let her ride my horses. Come on, let's let them continue having fun. I mean it Keeya. Tomorrow, find me when you're free."
"Yes, sir!" Keeya said, passing the weapons back.
Tyr grinned at her and fell in beside Zep and Sal. "Hey, I'm supposed to find Rayna. Seen her?"
Zep glanced down at Sal.
She nodded. "Yeah. She's busy."
"Oh! She didn't say she'd made friends over here already. Guess her little dinner date went well then?"
Sal shrugged. "Not my story to tell. She just said she didn't want to bias anyone for the vote."
"Fair enough. Valcor, you know you don't have to play all perfect gentleman around me, man," Tyr pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I'm about to start pawing the Kaisae in front of the soldier's. Even Cyno and LT are careful about that. Don't want anyone getting the wrong idea, you know."
Tyr nodded. "Just making sure. Also figured I'd mention that I saw the Blade slip in the other morning. Knew him by the tattoo." Neither Sal nor Zep made any attempt to deny it, so Tyr tried a
gain. "I'm guessing that's Cyno?"
"Yeah," Zep said.
Tyr laughed. "I'm so living vicariously through you, Valcor. I don't know what shit you all get up to, but damn. You fell into the shit feet first, man."
Chapter 43
Eventually, all of the Devil Dogs made it over to Anglia. Sometime after that, Blaec finally pulled Sal into his tent. She spent the rest of the night letting him distract her, and it worked right up until the sun started to warm the canvas. That's when she crawled from sleep, pulling herself out of the abyss of loneliness in her mind. When her eyes opened, she sucked in a quiet breath, feeling the weight in the mattress beside her, but it wasn't enough. The sensation of being abandoned persisted. Sal turned her head to Blaec. He appeared to sleep peacefully, but she knew better. Twisting in his arms to face him, she ran her hand lightly across his bare shoulder, watching his serene face. His eyes cracked open, and hers were there to meet them as the feeling faded.
"You have horrible dreams, love," she whispered.
Blaec smiled slowly, then brushed his lips over hers. "Among other things. You're the one who wanted in, Sal."
"Yeah. Does it feel like I'm pulling away?" One finger traced a line down his neck. "Is it always like that?"
Blaec groaned and rolled over on his back. She wouldn't let him off that easy. Tucking herself against his chest, she waited. He wrapped his arm around her, his fingers tracing her bare hip as he sorted out his thoughts. "No, but more often than it isn't. You don't dream either?"
Sal shrugged. "Not that I know of."
"I'm sorry I woke you, love. The dreams seem to be worse the better things are. How much did you get of that?"
She shrugged against his arm. "Loneliness. Intense loneliness, but that's all. It wasn't shocking, just persistent. Want to tell me?"
"No," he admitted. "Not really, but I will. I've always wondered if it's a vision. Same dream, over and over. Life is perfect - and then I'm alone. It's like a void, not even a room, and I'm locked in it. Nothing to see, nothing to feel except the knowledge that I'm alone. Completely, totally, and eternally alone." He looked down at her, his face strangely calm. "I've always thought it's what happens after death. I think I'm seeing what will happen just after I die."
