by Auryn Hadley
Sal giggled, knowing they were trying to devise a way to make it even better. True friends, simply enjoying a simple thing, lost to the rest of the world around them. With a grin on his face, Zep's eyes met hers for a moment, then he turned back to Jase. Zep said something and thrust his chin at her, and the pair headed back. The spool of string still led from Jase's hand into the brilliant blue sky. Sal followed it up, watching the kite as it glided high in the blue sky, drifting back on the breeze.
"Hold it," Jase said, offering her the spool.
Sal took it and felt the tension. Her eyes widened, making both men laugh. "It pulls!" she giggled in explanation.
"Yeah," Zep said, sinking into the grass beside her. "That's how it flies. Lift from the wings and tension from the string. Lose one, and the whole thing is shot. As high as it is now, it'd just float away and eventually crash, but as long as you hold that, it stays up."
She pulled, and the kite nosed down, ducking through the air before it floated back to where it rested on the breeze. Jase dropped to the ground and laid back, resting his head in her lap for a more comfortable view. Zep took the spot on her other side, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and guided her back against his chest as he stretched out on the grass.
"Thanks, Zep," she said softly. "You're right, kites are fun."
Jase chuckled, lifting Sal's free hand to his lips. "The first time I saw human kids playing with a kite?" He chuckled again, reaching around Sal to tap Zep's shoulder, "Yer gonna love this. I thought they were teaching them how ta hunt."
Zep groaned playfully. "Why am I not surprised?
"Because humans do na know how to do shit right man," Jase said, his amusement turning into a giggle. "I just thought, that is why they die so easy, they're goin' at it all backwards."
"Bro, I just envisioned a line of humans, weapons in hand, all yelling out a war cry - then turning to run and wondering why we aren't chasing them, with one hand trailing behind them to draw us in." Zep waved his hand over his head, miming holding a string, and almost choked on a laugh.
Sal giggled, too, and Jase lost it. He rolled on his side, gasping between breaths, then pitched his voice to mimic human soldiers. "They keep cuttin' us down. I can na un’erstand why this is na working."
Zep nodded, laughing hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. “Oh damn, that hurts."
"My cheeks hurt," Sal said, rubbing at her face.
"My side, big brother," Jase said, then giggled for a second before sighing. "I have na laughed this hard."
"You two deserve this, ya know?" Zep said softly. He ran his fingers through Sal's hair and reached with the other to ruffle Jase's. "When Rayna told me Sal had never flown a kite, I was shocked. Then she told me you'd been laying out looking at clouds and talking." He held up his hand. "I didn't ask about what."
Sal tried to look innocent. "Oh, men. You know."
He took the spool from her hand and stuck it solidly in the dirt beside him. The kite still drifted high above. "Well, I figured it's the little things, right? I took all this for granted as a kid." Zep took a deep breath, then let it out just as slowly. "And I just kinda wanna make sure you two can do the same."
Chapter 51
"Yeh," Jase said softly, turning to look at Zep. "I can na imagine how you were as a kid, man."
Zep shrugged under Sal. "I wanted to grow up and be a merchant, like my father. I thought soldiers were just big dumb fucks who couldn't cut it anywhere else."
"What happened?" Jase asked, turning on Sal so he could look up at Zep.
"My amma," Zep said. "You know what my mother did to her. That shit messed me up bad, ya know? I learned how to be angry, and I joined up just to get away. Told my father, I wanted to learn about trade routes and security, and he signed me up a year early. Haven't talked to any of them since."
Jase looked over at him. "I'm sorry."
"Nah. When Amma Lei died, I realized the only good humans were dead ones. That's how LT and I got close. Aces gave him hell when he joined us." Zep chuckled. "They tried to jump him, and I waded in to help." He chuckled again. "But he didn't need it. LT took them all out and knocked me on my ass. I yelled back at him that I was on his side, and the look on his face?"
Sal giggled. "Oh, now that's something I wish I could have seen. Blaec caught off guard."
"Yeh," Jase agreed.
Zep kept going. "Then when Arctic came, LT pulled him into our little group. Arctic was insane back then, too. First iliri I heard growl."
"Arctic?" Sal gasped. "Really?"
"Yep. They learned to put on a good show, and in a couple of years, no one even thought of them as iliri. They weren't always so cool on the outside, though." Zep sighed. "Then there was you, little brother."
"Aw, man," Jase groaned. "Do na start with that shit."
Zep ignored him, looking down at Sal. "LT had him hauled in, and they pulled his ass to the trials in chains. He fucking bit a guard on the way, too."
"Oh," Sal teased, "so that's where Rhyx gets it."
"Is na," Jase denied. "Yer worse than me now. She even says she growls like amma Sal."
Sal tugged him closer until he rested his head on her belly. "I believe it. So how'd he do in trials?" she asked Zep.
"Like a pissed off grauori," Zep said. "His Glish was almost non-existent. It was good LT knew some Iliran, ya know?"
Jase chuckled. "The first time LT went off on me in my own language, I stopped fighting the Blades and started taking it out on the recruits." He chuckled. "Broke a man's leg in the first spar. Fig'red I was gonna put a Blade into the dirt when I went up against them."
"Fuck no," Zep said.
"Yeh. They put me up against Zep like they did with ya. I was all convinced that this slow human did na stand a chance, right? Went at him quick, and he knocked my ass into the dirt."
"Thought I'd broken your nose with that hit, too, and you just kept coming."
Jase laughed. "Ya pissed me off, man. Could na believe some human dared ta hit me."
"Ah, Sal," Zep reminisced. "He never even tried to get up, just pulled me onto the ground and went at me with his teeth. Made me choke him out before he'd quit."
Sal giggled. "Damn, Jase!"
"I came to," Jase said, "and Zep's waiting there. When I opened my eyes, he said, 'yer a mean little fuck, I give ya that. Figure out who ta fight, and I'll be proud to call you my little brother,' and offered me his hand. Soon as I grabbed it, his shit hit me hard." He tapped his skull to show he meant his ability to read with a touch.
Zep chuckled and nodded. "Almost put him back on the ground."
"Saw his own hate of humans, and that he was impressed with how I'd done. Decided I would na try to kill him anymore, ya know?"
"Yeah," Sal agreed.
Zep patted Jase's shoulder. "He told me I'd do well enough for a big brother, and he'd let me live." Zep chuckled. "Well, basically. It was in pretty broken Glish. I'd just dumped his ass into the ground and choked him out, and the little shit meant it."
"Yeh, man," Jase said. "Ever think we'd end up here?"
"No," Zep and Sal said together.
"I'm on a first-name basis with the rulers of Anglia," Zep said. "That shit's crazy."
"Just a first-name basis?" Sal asked, tilting her head back to see his.
"You're fuckin' the queen of all iliri," Jase said.
Zep shrugged. "Yeah, I'm not so worried about that." He sighed, turning more serious. "Guys, I'm laying in the grass, flying a kite, with the most amazing people I know. I somehow managed to convince the most beautiful woman to even notice I exist, and she loves me." He kissed Sal's head against his chest. "I've got a friend who talks me through this shit and makes me feel like a part of his deal."
"Ya are, big brother," Jase said. "Ya belong with us."
Zep sighed, happy. "I love you both, you know that? I don't want this to end."
Sal rolled over, making Jase lift his head, and kissed Zep. "Take Taunor, Zep?" she asked him quietly.
"Yeh," Jase said behind her. "She's na gonna replace ya, bro. Ya fit with us."
Zep met her eyes, and his face softened. "I can't, demon. You could have someone so much better for you."
"Yer wrong," Jase said. "She can na." He leaned in close and kissed Sal's neck, then shifted to sit beside Zep's shoulder. Grabbing Zep's arm, Jase tucked it around Sal and leaned back. "LT does na share. Audgan and Geo are out - Sal's got na a thing fer either one. Risk and Tilso do na count. Shift thinks she smells like his two sisters. Razor and her are friendly, but they do na have anything between them, ya know? That leaves ya and Arctic."
"Sal," Zep said to her. "Why me? Why not Arctic?"
"Why Arctic? Why not you?" she countered.
"He's iliri."
Sal shook her head. "So are you. He's pretty, sure, but he's too much like LT. I don't want that. I don't need serious. I want this, Zep."
Zep turned to Jase as if hoping for support.
Jase shrugged. "Why do ya want her and na some dark skinned girl? Fer years, ya avoided women that most men woulda killed ta have. Why?"
Zep swallowed, turning his eyes to the kite still in the sky. "They weren't her. I didn't know what I was looking for, but I knew they didn't have it. But I'm not Sal."
Jase patted the arm Zep had draped across Sal's back. "Na, yer not. Yer taller for one thing,"
"Fuck off," Zep said, smiling gently. "You know what I mean. There're a million tall, dark men out there wishing they could get with an iliri. Why me?"
Sal decided the easiest answer was to kiss him. Beside them, Jase smiled. "Because she loves ya, brother. Ya make her laugh."
"Ayati, Sal," Zep whispered against her lips. "I love you so much, demon. I love this," he said. "I don't want to get in your way, though. You're too important to us."
"We need ya, Zep," Jase said before Sal could. "Yer the part that's been missing. Take Taunor, big brother."
"Promise me something?" he asked, glancing over to Jase. "If she changes her mind..." He paused, swallowing as if to steady his voice. "If there's ever something better for her, promise me you'll tell me?" He turned back to Sal. "Both of you? I know this isn't a promise to just one of you. I want you to be sure."
Sal whispered, "Yeh. I'm sure Zep. I've been sure since you waited for me on the road from Escea. You just kept saying no."
Zep nodded, his eyes flicking between both of them. "They're gonna give me so much shit, you know that, right?"
"No," Sal promised. "They're all waiting for it."
Jase leaned forward. "Zep, we do na think of ya as an outsider. Yer na just hanging on. Yer one of us. Ya always have been. Can we tell them?"
"Yeah," Zep said softly. "I'll take it, Sal." He pushed her hair back from her face, smiling at her. "I've always wanted this. I didn't know half of this shit, but I've always wanted just this, I think. Enough freedom to not feel caged, and this," he made a circle with his hand between the three of them. "I can't even explain how right this feels. It's like having what he has, ya know?" Zep kissed her, pulling Sal across his chest. "I'll be your Taunor, little demon. Just be gentle with me."
"Always, Zep," she swore softly.
"Ah fuck," Zep sighed, blinking quickly. "Come here you little shit." He yanked Jase's arm, pulling him across Sal, and hugged them both together.
Jase laughed, squishing Sal between them. "He's right, Sal. This does feel right."
"I know," she said, looking at Jase over her shoulder. "I love you both. I could just stay out here forever."
"Nah," Zep said. "Nothing to kill out here, demon, and your people still need you."
Jase chuckled, shoving Zep's elbow up slightly to wrap his arm tighter around Sal. "Ya realize yer the Kaisae's consort now, right? Ya just got upgraded, man."
"Fuck," Zep moaned. "Don't tell me I have to do those dress-up functions."
"Oh yeh, big brother. Yeh. But ya have got ta see the dresses. It makes it all worth it," Jase assured him.
"Maybe on my floor."
Sal shrugged. "That's usually what happens."
"Mm," Jase sighed, rolling onto his back, his head still on Zep. "I wanna watch that."
Sal pulled herself up to look down at her men, sprawled together so comfortably. "What am I, some kind of play toy?"
"Nah," Zep said. "You're our excuse. I'm changing the subject, though, Sal. What happened with Dom?"
Jase chuckled. "She's a Kaisae. That's what happened."
"I was linked with Arctic when he pulled someone in," Sal explained.
"Yeah, but pretend for a minute like I'm not cessivi and I can't just know what you know," Zep said.
"I was there Zep." Sal paused, trying to find the right words. "My mind was following Arctic as he pulled Dom into the link. I saw how he did it, and now I know what he does."
"Yeah, but I was linked, too, and it didn't rip me up like that."
"No." She caught his arm, forcing him to listen. "That weird stuff my brain does? Like grabbing people's minds, always leaking in the back of your heads? It's part of it. I saw what Arctic did, and I was there. My mind. I did it, too."
"Still not getting it, Sal."
"Zep, she linked Dom," Jase said softly. "Na Arctic - Sal. She does na have that skill, but she took Arctic's and linked Dom."
The big guy let out a shocked breath. "Fuck. Does that mean you can use anyone's?"
Sal shrugged and turned her eyes to Jase. "I don't know." Jase nodded and slammed his soul into hers. Sal gasped at the impact, then giggled. "I take it that's a yes, then. Wait." She followed his mind, looking for what she'd seen with Arctic, and then nestled up close to it. Sal nodded.
"Think somethan good, Zep," Jase said before grabbing the man's arm.
Sal stiffened. Visions of her against a wall and Zep's desire to never look away filled her mind, then a flash of her laughing, her hair flying as she ran with the kite. Bits of images flickered in between, and Sal sat up, sucking for air. She reached out and pulled Jase's hand from Zep's arm, trying to catch her breath. "Fuck," she gasped.
Both of them moved at once, sitting up and turning to her. She tried to wave them off, but Jase pulled her against his shoulder, fading out of her mind. "Zep, grab somethan for her face."
He moved, jogging back toward the trees, and Jase tilted her head back.
"I'm good," Sal assured him. "Fuck he hits hard."
"Yeh. I fergot about that. His memories are so strong. I've grown used to it," he said softly, as Zep came back, passing down a scrap of cloth.
"She ok?"
"I'm fine, Zep. Your mind just hits hard. My nose bleeding again?" Sal asked dabbing at her face. They both nodded.
"Not as bad as last time," Zep said, sitting beside her while Jase wrapped her hand around the cloth and pressed it to her face.
"Well, seems I was right." She chuckled, her voice muffled behind the cloth. Sal dabbed at her nose a few more times, looking at the cloth to see if there was more blood. "Don't you two freak out, but I have to try this. Ok?"
"Nah, Sal," Zep said, but she reached out and grabbed his arm - and gasped.
Her fingers tightened against his skin, and her eyes began to roll into her head. Zep pulled away as Jase grabbed her arm, breaking the contact, and Sal swayed. Blood slowly began to stream from her face, and she was breathing heavy. Jase pushed her hand, the one holding the cloth, back to her face, and kissed her gently. His eyes turned to Zep. Neither said a word.
"You scuffed your knee," she whispered. "You were short, and you were missing a tooth in the front. You were so mad, and your amma, she was patching you up, whispering that it was ok to say it hurt." Sal paused to catch her breath. "She said not hurting is not the same as not caring if it hurts, and knowing the difference is what makes you a man."
"Amma Lei," Zep breathed.
Jase's eyebrows raised. He looked from Sal to Zep, then back to Sal. "I did na get that, kitten."
She smiled, the cloth held to her face. "No, I did. Without you."
<
br /> "Fuck," Zep whispered.
Jase said nothing; he just stared.
Sal nodded at his unspoken words. "I know how to carve your talent into my mind, Jase. It's weak, but it's there. It isn't comfortable to use it, not yet at least, but I know how." She looked at Zep. "This stays between us, ok?"
He nodded. "Yeah. You ever heard of this before, Cyno?"
"Na, man," Jase whispered. "Na a thing even close."
Chapter 52
The army had finally started moving when the three of them returned. Before they left, Blaec had touched Sal's mind, surprised to find it available, and told her that the humans had been herded up the road. That's when Sal told him that Zep had accepted the title. He'd been pleased to hear it. Surprisingly pleased.
She decided not to warn Zep that the word was already out. They all climbed back onto Cessa, laughing like children, and headed back to catch up with their unit. When Zep pulled his mare alongside the Blade's wagon, Tilso looked over and smiled. Jase slid off the back and jogged to untie Veil and Oubliette as Tilso pulled the wagon to a slow stop.
"Knew you'd be catching up, so I had your mares tacked up," Tilso said.
"Thanks, man," Jase called up to him as Sal slid from Cessa.
"No problem. Zep, tie Cessa to the side of the wagon, would ya?" Tilso continued. "It'll keep her out of trouble. The string's pretty tight back there. Your demon horse is at the end. Just Scorch before her, and he won't take her crap."
"Thanks, Tilso," Zep said, dropping from Cessa's back to loop her loose lead through the tie ring on the wagon bed as he'd been told.
"No problem, Taunor. We'll have to work something out with Diva until she learns to stop fighting the world."
Zep chuckled and shook his head. "Who told?"
Tilso just grinned. "Things like that tend to get around. Looks good on ya, man."
