by Ruby Dixon
The Barbarian Before Christmas
An Ice Planet Barbarians Novella
Ruby Dixon
Ruby Dixon
Copyright © 2017 by Ruby Dixon
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Photograph by Sara Eirew Photographer
Cover Design by Kati Wilde
Created with Vellum
Contents
The Barbarian Before Christmas
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Also this month - from The Club!
Cast of Characters
Ice Planet Barbarians Reading List
Want More?
The Barbarian Before Christmas
The growing barbarian tribe is about to celebrate No-Poison Day – a time of love, laughter, and gifts. But all Elly wants is for her mate to be at her side before the brutal season arrives. All Bek wants is a way to quickly return to his female despite the mountains between them. Thanks to the talents of a newcomer…they're both about to get their wish and celebrate the happiest of holidays together.
This novella features characters from prior Ice Planet Barbarians stories and DOES NOT stand alone.
Author’s Note
This story falls a little bit after the end of Icehome #1 (Lauren’s Barbarian). If you’ve been reading along and are all caught up, great! You’ll remember who all these people are.
If you’re behind a few books and just want to read about our blue boys, there are a few newcomers from another slave ship on the far side of the mountains, and Vektal and a lot of the hunters from the main tribe have been away from home helping them get set up to survive. There! Now you’re all caught up. :)
Veronica and Ashtar are mentioned a lot in this particular book, but if you’ve read my dragon series, there’s no surprise as to what Ashtar is. You haven’t missed their book. It’s coming up. I just really wanted to write this story now instead of a few months from now. We’ll circle back to them. I promise.
And a tiny housekeeping note. I try to keep tabs on everyone that moves back and forth between tribes and ages and so on and so forth. That being said, I’ve caught myself in a mistake. In LAUREN’S BARBARIAN and BARBARIAN’S TEASE, the list of hunters that go with Vektal does not include Aehako. I’m not entirely sure why, because in my head, he’s always been there. I wrote this entire story and then realized too late when I cross-referenced my notes that he wasn’t in the list of hunters mentioned there. So I could either scrap the scenes I’ve written for them in this book, or admit my goof.
I love what I’ve written too much, so mea culpa! Please ignore my mistake and pretend like he was there the entire time, just hanging in the shadows. It didn’t affect either one of those stories in any way, shape or form, so I feel comfortable “inserting” him into the storyline.
With all that out of the way…enjoy!
<3 Ruby
1
BEK
I scan the sandy shore, as I do every morning, looking for pretty things. Yesterday there was a rock in the shape of a swirling circle, and the day before, a strange dried creature that looked like a giant pinkish burr. This day, there is nothing of particular interest, and it makes my mood even more sour than usual.
At least if I could find a gift for my Ell-ee, this day would not be a waste. Instead, every day here on the shore, coddling the newcomers, is a day I do not spend with my mate. It is she who should be getting all my attention, not these new tribesmates who scream at the sight of a fresh kill or cringe when something needs to be gutted. At least the strangers from the island are not as bad as the humans, but I have no patience for those that keep me from my mate. Any patience I had disappeared many nights ago.
I kick at the sand with my boot and uncover a large crystalline granule that looks as if it has a hole punched through it. I squat to pick it up, my tail flicking against the rocky shore, and examine it. This could be a necklace, I think. I can braid a decorative cord delicate enough for my Ell-ee's neck, and I imagine placing it against her skin, the warmth and trust in her eyes as she gazes up at me…and I bite back a groan of frustration and anger.
To think that I have spent so long away from my mate, after so many seasons without her. This cannot be borne. I should be at her side, pampering her. Making her feel safe. We have been gone for a full turn of the moons now, and I miss her as if my heart is gone from my chest. More than that, I worry about her. My Ell-ee is brave, but she is fragile in her own way. Who will be there to hold her when she has bad dreams? Who will be there to take a bite of her food so she knows it is safe to eat? She needs me and I…I need her just as badly. It feels as if I am half alive without her.
With a snarl, I straighten and kick the sand.
"Ho," calls Rokan, approaching from behind me. "You stomp like a kit deprived of his favorite toy. What troubles you this day?"
"Do you not know?" I snap at him, irritated. "You are the one that can sense things that cannot be seen. You tell me what troubles me."
He moves to stand next to me and leans on his spear heavily, gazing out into the rolling, endless waters of the great salt lake. "The same thing that troubles me. I miss my mate. I need to be at her side."
I grunt, because as always, he is not wrong. "And yet we are trapped here. Looking after those with less skill than a kit, hand-feeding them and coddling them."
"That is unfair," Rokan chides me. "The human females are new to this world entirely, and those from the island are not used to this cold. They will learn quickly. Already they work hard and need us less every day."
What he says is true, but I cannot bring myself to feel anything less than annoyed at them. I flip the smooth crystal in my hand, thoughtful. "We have not been mates for very long. It is…difficult to leave her."
"It does not grow easier," Rokan tells me. "My Li-lah is about to give birth to our kit soon, and I think of her constantly. Her and my little Rollan. I hoped to be home before they celebrate No-Poison Day. Rollan loves it so much. It is a joy to watch his face when the decorations are hung."
Ah yes. The human celebration in which they decorate a puny tree and wish for showers of plants that are not poisonous to show that they are loved. It is a bizarre thing to celebrate, but the humans have many odd habits. I think of the small gifts I have been acquiring for my Ell-ee every day. I have many pretty shells for her, odd trinkets, and a large bag of salt to flavor food. I think of the No-Poison Day and wonder if my Ell-ee would enjoy it. I like the thought of showering her with plants so she will give me kisses. I want to make her feel as special as the other human females do. No, even more so, because she is mine. "No-Poison Day will be very soon now," I say, and my tone is surly. "It is yet another thing we miss out on."
"I do not think so,” Rokan says, gazing out at the water again before turning to me. "I must return. You and Aehako as well. We are needed."
My heart seizes in my chest. I clench his arm, terrified. "What have you seen?"
"Nothing bad," he reassures me, prying my bruising grip off of his bicep. "Just that you are needed at home. It is a feeling I have. And I feel my Li-lah needs me at home, as well. I think our new kit will be coming very soon. I plan on speaking to Vektal about this. Will you join me?"
I nod. It would take being swallowed by a sky-claw to keep me from this. Even if Vektal says no, I will venture home anyhow. If my Ell-ee needs me, I must be there.
Most of the newcomers are busy crafting huts along the distant cliff so that all of the island's tribes can be housed warmly. It is a task that has consumed many days, but there is much laughter and joy from them as they work. It just reminds me that we are not needed here as badly as we are at home, and I am all the more convinced that I should return to my Ell-ee.
We find the chief sitting with two of the newcomers, the golden male called Ash-tar and his female, the human Vuh-ron-ca. They gesture that we should join them near the fire on the beach. I sit down, and Rokan immediately leaves. "A moment," he says, and then I am left staring at the others. They look at me expectantly.
I cannot help but scowl. Rokan has a smoother tongue than I do. He should be the one talking, yet here I am alone. I consider for a moment, and then say, "I wish to return home to my mate.".
"You think I do not?" Vektal's tone is even and full of humor. "It has been far too long since I have laid eyes upon my Georgie and my daughters."
"Not all of us are needed," I continue, when Ash-tar and Vuh-ron-ca remain silent. "Some of us can start the journey home. We have been here too long already. These others can join us at the village," I say with a flick of my wrist to indicate the newcomers, "Or they can stay here to survive, but I will not remain."
Vektal's mouth flattens with displeasure at my tone. It sounds very much as if I am challenging him, but I cannot hold back. My need for my Ell-ee is too great. But Rokan returns a moment later, with a sweaty Aehako at his side, and they thump down by the fire next to me.
"Now we are all here," Rokan says. "So we can discuss our journey."
I notice Ash-tar puts a hand on Vuh-ron-ca's thigh, gazing out at us with a calm expression. His eyes seem to change color, which is odd to me, but there are many odd things about these newcomers. She puts her hand over his and clears her throat. "We were actually just talking with Vektal about traveling to the village. I wish to study with Maylak, learn more about healing."
My sister? Eh? I have forgotten that Vuh-ron-ca has a healer's gift as well. Excitement flares in my chest and I look back to my chief. "There is talk of a journey, then?"
"There was, before you came and sat with your demands," he tells me. "Eventually all will be returning. A few will stay—I have talked to Farli and Mardok, and they will stay for now to help the others. So will Buh-brukh and Taushen, since they are newly resonated and do not need to worry about a kit for now."
"The females Leezh and Har-loh are very pregnant. They will not wish to make the long journey back on foot, either," I suggest. If others will stay then that means I can go.
Vuh-ron-ca and Ash-tar exchange a look. "It doesn't exactly have to be on foot," the human female says slowly, and twines her fingers with her mate's. I notice they have the same number of fingers—unlike the sa-khui, who have four fingers to the human five—but his are larger and claw-tipped and far more dangerous. She continues, "There's another way."
"I do not mind staying, if I must," Aehako says, speaking up for the first time. "I miss my mate and my little Kae fiercely, but they will understand if others must remain. These hunters from the island are good at many things, but have you seen one of them get caught in a snow drift? It is the most amusing—"
"No, you must go with us," Rokan says, interrupting. "You are needed back at home."
Aehako goes still, and the friendly, open expression on his face disappears. "What have you seen?"
"I have seen nothing bad," Rokan continues. "But I know that you are needed at home, as is Bek."
Aehako exchanges a look with me, and his smile is gone. His jaw clenches and he rubs a hand along it for a moment, then says, "I can be ready to leave before the suns get high in the sky.”
I grunt agreement. He is like me—nothing comes before a mate. Nothing.
“Let us not go to extremes,” Vektal interrupts, raising a hand. “Rokan says it is nothing bad and he would know. There is no need to race out unprepared. The others that cannot go back will wish to send things along for family. I have already spoken with Leezh and Raahosh, and they are disappointed they cannot return yet, but they will stay for now and send gifts back for their girls. We will need food and supplies, and we will need a sad-full.”
Vuh-ron-ca clears her throat delicately. “Um. Saddle. A big one. Actually, Ashtar and I already have something in mind. We can be ready to go in the morning.”
I scowl at them, because a human female—especially this one, who is clumsy and weak—will only slow us down. “We do not need you to come with us. We will go faster without you.”
Ash-tar bares his fangs at me, his eyes growing dark. Vuh-ron-ca squeezes his hand and gives me a funny look. “How do you think you’re going to get there without us? You need Ashtar, and he won’t go without me.”
“Bah. We do not need either of you.”
“We do if we wish to get there in a much shorter period of time,” Vektal corrects. He frowns at me as if I am making things worse with my protests. I do not care—all I can think about is my mate and how she has been alone all these long nights.
“I do not understand,” Aehako says slowly, leaning forward. “Do you two know of a secret path?”
The mated pair exchange a glance. “Something along those lines,” Vuh-ron-ca says. Vektal rubs his jaw and smirks, glancing over at me.
I do not trust this. Something is afoot. And yet… “How much quicker?” I ask, because this has my interest.
Vuh-ron-ca looks to her mate. Ash-tar thinks for a moment, and then says, “We can be over the mountains in a matter of hours. To your home in a day or so, provided the weather is clear.”
A day? I could be holding my Ell-ee by this time tomorrow night? “Whatever it is, I will do it,” I say quickly, before anyone can change their minds.
“I thought this might be so,” my chief says in a dry voice. “How many can you carry, Ash-tar?”
The golden male does not hesitate. “Four, along with my mate. We can judge future trips based off of this one.”
“Hold a moment…carry?” I sputter. I must misunderstand, because this makes no sense to me. The golden male wishes to carry us across the mountains?
“Carry,” Ash-tar agrees, and there is a smug look on his fanged face.
I am speechless…but it does not matter, because I am going home to my mate. If he said I must carry him on my back through the churning salt waters, I would, as long as Ell-ee would be waiting for me on the other side.
2
ELLY
The stars aren’t the same without Bek here at my side. Alone, they seem less bright, less welcoming. Then again, everything does. All the things that I took great joy in a few short weeks ago seem unable to bring me happiness anymore. Clear, starry nights are unexciting. Sunny, windy days hold no joy. The warmth of hot tea or the laughter of friends mean nothing. I thought that after I was free from cages and slavery that nothing in the world would bother me ever again…but I was wrong.
I miss Bek. I miss him so much that I hurt. I miss him so intensely that I want to just crawl into my furs and sleep and sleep and sleep until he returns. I know this isn’t healthy. I know that I should be strong and independent and spend my time helping out the others, like Gail and Stacy and Claire and all the other tribeswomen. Bek loves me. He is going to return. He promised.
But the waiting is so, so hard. Lately it seems harder than ever, because my stomach has been growing increasingly upset, and I want fresh, raw meat…but Bek is not here to take a bite of my food and make it safe for me. He is not here to wrap his body around my cold one at night and keep me warm, and I do not trust the others enough to share heat. I am not good at being alone. Not anymore. Not when I had a glimpse of what life is like as his mate.
I close my eyes and huddle in my blankets, dreaming of him. His proud, stern face. The sm
ooth arch of his tall horns and the long, dark braids he ties back along his temples to keep his hair out of his eyes. I think of the way he feels when he nuzzles me early in the morning, his velvet-soft skin brushing against mine, his tail tickling along my thigh. He holds me so tenderly and caresses me, murmuring a morning greeting before kissing every inch of my skin and showing how much he missed me while he was asleep. My throat knots up just thinking about it and hot tears seep out between my lashes and crust into ice. I rub it away with my fingers.
I don’t even mind the cold when he’s here. When he’s not…well, I mind everything.
“Ell-ee,” a little voice bellows outside my hut. A small hand scratches at the privacy screen. “Wake up! It’s time to go catch dirtbeaks!”
Erevair. I haven’t forgotten about our little morning “date.” It’s just that some mornings it’s harder to crawl out of bed than others.
I pull myself from the blankets and put on my boots, then push my hair out of my face and go to the screen, pulling it back so my young visitor can enter.
“About time,” Erevair declares as he enters, and he sounds just like Claire. Behind him trails a little girl with a long, silky brown braid and pale blue skin. It’s Kae, Kira and Aehako’s daughter, and she’s as quiet as Erevair is noisy. “Have you eaten today, Elly?” Erevair moves next to my firepit and stirs the coals with my fire-stick. “It’s too cold in here. Bek wouldn’t like that.”
Kae squats next to Erevair, content to watch him putter around my house as if it’s his place. It’s rather amusing to watch him. It’s like he’s trying to make up for the fact that Bek is gone by taking care of me. It’s sweet, really.
