Anna straightened her sleeping roll. “I went for a walk.”
“You won’t believe the story Aquilla just told me,” Penelope Ann breathed. “I couldn’t stop laughing all the way home.”
Anna looked up. “Really? Was it something that happened on the frontier?”
Aquilla waved his hand. “Nevermind. I don’t want to tell it again. Let’s eat something now, because I have to meet the Guard later.”
Penelope Ann jumped. “Why? I thought you were staying home for a while. You’re not going off on another patrol, are you?”
Aquilla took the bowl from her hands. “I’m meeting them here.”
Penelope Ann stopped in her tracks. “Here?”
“We’re meeting to discuss that prisoner,” he told her. “I knew you didn’t want me to leave home again, so I arranged to have the meeting here so we don’t miss one instant of our precious time together.”
Penelope Ann shook herself and held out a bowl to Anna, but Anna shook her head. She couldn’t even look at the food. “I’m not hungry.”
Penelope Ann eyes widened. “Are you sick?”
“I’m just not hungry,” Anna replied. “I don’t have any appetite right now.”
“You have to eat. You have to keep up your strength or you’ll get sick.” Penelope Ann set the bowl on the counter and took her seat next to Aquilla. They both ate.
Anna sat on the floor against the wall the way she usually did, but she said nothing. If only she could run away somewhere, she wouldn’t be here when Aquilla discussed Menlo with his Guards. But someone had to keep an eye on them. Aquilla could do anything, and no one else would do anything to stop him.
Aquilla and Penelope Ann murmured low into each other’s ears. They couldn’t be talking about Menlo or anything else unpleasant. They were too full of each other and their romantic whims to notice anything but themselves.
All at once, Aquilla shot off the couch. He startled Penelope Ann, and Anna stiffened. He slammed his bowl down on the counter and made for the store room.
He dragged Menlo back into the room, slashed the cord binding his hands behind his back, and stood him on his feet. He pointed into Menlo’s face. “Stay there.”
Menlo stared him down, but he didn’t move. Anna could barely look at him, but her eyes instinctively migrated to his face. To her relief, he looked stronger, more fortified by his meal of eggs. His predicament didn’t rattle him as much now that he could face Aquilla on a full stomach.
Aquilla confronted Menlo. “You fought in the last war between the Avitras and the Ursidreans, didn’t you?”
“I fought in the last two wars,” Menlo replied.
Aquilla waved his hand. “I don’t care about that. I only want to know about the first Ursidrean war against the Avitras. You admit you fought in it.”
“There never was an Ursidrean war against the Avitras,” Menlo countered. “The Ursidreans never made war against the Avitras. The Avitras attacked the Ursidreans in both the last two wars. In the first one, we beat you back and fought you on your own territory. In the second war, the Avitras broke our peace agreement and launched a surprise attack on our city. That’s the only reason we fought that war on our own territory.”
Aquilla chopped the air with his hand. “I’m not here to argue over details. You fought in the first Ursidrean war, so you must know about the Ursidrean military structure. What do you know about the commanders of the divisions who fought in this part of our territory?”
Menlo shrugged and looked away. “I was a common soldier, and the war was a long time ago. How am I supposed to know who commanded what division?”
Aquilla took two rapid paces across the room. He glared at Menlo. “You know, all right. Don’t waste my time denying it. Who commanded the division that breached our border along the Eastern Divide?”
Menlo lifted his eyes to Aquilla’s face. He locked his gaze on the Avitras. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Aquilla grabbed him by the back of the neck and shoved him to the window. He pointed over the expanse of treetops to a line of mountain peaks in the distance. “That is the Eastern Divide. If you fought in the war the way you say you did, you know that perfectly well. It’s the line between Ursidrean territory and Avitras territory, and that peak there is Corbell’s Crossing. That’s where the Ursidrean battle column breached our border for the first time. Now tell me the truth. Who commanded the division that crossed it first?”
Menlo gazed out the window. “I can’t remember. It was too long ago.”
Aquilla pushed Menlo back to the middle of the room. “You’re lying.”
Menlo only shrugged.
“Which division did you fight in?” Aquilla asked.
“I was in the Tenth Division,” Menlo replied.
Aquilla’s eyes flashed. “If you toy with me, you’ll find yourself in a very unpleasant position. Which part of Avitras territory did you attack?”
“I’m already in an unpleasant position,” Menlo replied. “My position couldn’t get much more unpleasant.”
Nausea gnawed at Anna’s insides. She clasped her hands together in her lap until her knuckles ached. Aquilla might as well be interrogating her.
Something thumped against on the balcony outside, and a line of Avitras men filed through the door. The first one stood taller than Aquilla himself, and his teal feathers caught the fading sunlight and glowed brighter than Aquilla’s pearly feathers. Anna recognized Piwaka, the Captain of the Guard.
Wrinkles softened his skin with the first signs of age. He surveyed the room in one glance, and he smiled at Anna and Penelope Ann. Anna blushed, but she couldn’t smile back. This was nothing to smile at.
The Guards formed a line behind Aquilla and faced the prisoner. Aquilla threw back his shoulders. “I’ve been questioning our prisoner about his involvement in the first Ursidrean war. He won’t admit it, but I’m convinced he knows the identity of the division commander for the Eastern Divide.”
Piwaka frowned. “Is that true? Do you know who the division commander was?”
Menlo shifted from one foot to the other. “I was just a foot soldier. I had nothing to do with command. I know who my division commander was, but I couldn’t say whether I fought on the Eastern Divide or not. To tell you the truth, I don’t know where I fought. I only know I was somewhere in Avitras territory.”
Aquilla rounded on Piwaka. “Don’t believe a word he says. He’s spinning a yarn to throw us off the track.”
Piwaka shook his head. “You know how it is in combat, Aquilla. Most soldiers don’t know the first thing about their commanders’ plans or where they are. They care about keeping themselves alive, and not much else. You’ve fought in enough border skirmishes to know that.”
“Can’t you see he’s lying through his teeth?” Aquilla shot back. “He’s hedging so we don’t find out who the division commander was.” He turned back to Menlo. “Tell us who your division commander was. If you can’t tell us what part of our territory you fought in, you can at least tell us who you fought under.”
Menlo opened his mouth to answer, but Piwaka interrupted. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. He just said he doesn’t know anything.”
Aquilla narrowed his eyes. “And you believe him over me?”
Piwaka shrugged. “This won’t accomplish anything. Finding your brother’s killer from one lowly soldier will be harder than finding a needle in a haystack. You can’t expect every Ursidrean that walks through your door to know where every other Ursidrean was during the war. It’s impossible.”
Aquilla rushed at Menlo. “You’re hiding something. Tell us who your commander was.” He fell on Menlo with kicks and punches, but Menlo got his arms up in front of his face before he did any serious damage. Piwaka took one long step across the room and hauled Aquilla back. “That’s enough. You’ve done enough.”
Aquilla spun around with his fist raised, but Piwaka didn’t flinch. He
stared Aquilla down with the same quiet smile he gave Anna when he first walked in the door. Aquilla’s fist fell at his side. “You can’t believe a word they say. You know that.”
Piwaka shook his head again. “You can see by looking at him he’s telling the truth.”
Aquilla clenched his fists, but he didn’t raise them again. “You’ll live to regret this.”
“I only regret letting you bring him back here,” Piwaka replied. “I’ve known you since you were a boy, and I’ve stood by you and guided you since you became Alpha of our faction. I wouldn’t stand against you now if you weren’t making a big mistake. We all lost loved ones in the war. I lost my wife in the war. We can all let it go now and live in peace. That’s the best we can hope for.”
Aquilla shook his head. “The Ursidreans have been our enemies for generations. It’s only a matter of time before they lash out at us again. We have to take our stand now while we have a chance.”
Piwaka nodded toward Menlo. “This man never did anything to you. Let him go.”
“I will never let him go,” Aquilla growled.
“How do you think Donen will react when he finds out you captured one of his people?” Piwaka asked. “And it won’t be good.”
Aquilla waved his question away. “I know how to handle Donen.”
Piwaka shook his head again and walked to the door. The other Guards followed him. No one said a word. At the door, Piwaka turned back and gazed at Menlo. “I’m old now, and I’ve fought in many wars. I don’t want to fight in another one.”
A moment later, a gust of air shook the treetops, and the Guards flew away. Aquilla drew close to Menlo and pointed in his face. “You know more than you’re telling, but it’s only a matter of time before I find out what I want to know. Piwaka’s an old fool. He’s going soft in the head, but I don’t need him to deal with you. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I’ll send a message to your Alpha. I’ll tell him you’re here, and we’ll bargain for the man who killed my brother. Make it easy on yourself and tell me who he is.”
Menlo stared at him. Aquilla waited, but when Menlo didn’t answer, he humphed and dragged Menlo back to the store room.
Chapter 7
Aquilla slammed the store room door and stormed back into the house. Anna glared at him from the couch. “Are you out of your mind?”
Aquilla turned away. “What’s the matter with you now?”
“Do you really think you can get away with this?” she asked. “Do you really think you can taunt the Ursidrean Alpha by holding Menlo for ransom?”
Aquilla scooped a handful of nuts off the counter and popped them into his mouth. “Donen is all bark and no bite. He won’t risk another war. He’ll turn over the man who killed my brother to keep the peace.”
“He won’t risk another war, but you will,” Anna countered. “You’re playing with all our lives, and for what? To pay back a vendetta decades old. You’re obsessed with the past.”
“They won’t get away with it,” he returned. “They’ve been waiting for a chance to attack us. I can sense the tension along the border. That’s an Alpha’s job.”
“So you decided to give them the excuse they need to attack us?” she asked. “You kidnapped one of their people from the border. You forced marched him halfway across our territory with no food or sleep. You beat him black and blue and kept him tied up and confined except to interrogate him and beat him some more. And now, to cap it all off, you want to hold him for ransom for a man who killed your brother in a war that you started. You’re out of your mind.”
He turned away. “You don’t know anything about it. You couldn’t understand. You’re not Avitras.”
Anna froze. Her anger evaporated. “You’re right. I’m not.”
Her words jolted Penelope Ann out of a trance. “He didn’t mean that, Anna. Don’t listen to him.”
Anna threw her sleeping roll down on the couch. “Maybe he didn’t mean it, but I did. If this is what it means to be Avitras, then I’m not Avitras. I never was, and I never will be.”
Penelope Ann took step toward her. “Anna.....”
Aquilla caught Penelope Ann and pulled her away. “Forget it. I’m tired and I’m going to bed. Come on.”
Penelope Ann tugged her arm out of his grasp. “I’ll be there in a minute. You go ahead.”
He disappeared into their bedroom. Anna straightened her sleeping roll on the couch and pretended not to notice Penelope Ann hovering behind her. She sat down on the blanket and kicked off her shoes.
Penelope Ann sat down next to her. “Don’t take his words to heart, Anna. You know you’re as much a part of this faction as anybody. You’re as Avitras as I am.”
“I’m not Avitras,” Anna told her. “I won’t be Avitras with him as Alpha. You should wonder at yourself, too. I thought you were better than that, Penelope Ann.”
Penelope Ann looked down at her hands. “I’ve never seen Aquilla like this. He’s always been strong and steady. That’s the man I fell in love with.”
Anna looked up at her. “Can’t you talk some sense into him? He won’t listen to anybody—not even Piwaka. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”
“He told me when we first met that he couldn’t forget the Ursidreans killed his brother,” Penelope Ann replied. “I didn’t know this burning hatred ate him up inside. He kept it hidden all this time.”
Anna touched her hand. “Talk to him. You’re the only one who can. Maybe if you tell him this isn’t the man you fell in love with, he’ll realize he’s crossed a line within himself. Maybe he’ll come back from the edge and realize he’s putting all our lives at risk.”
“You don’t understand,” Penelope Ann replied. “I love him. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love him. I could never do anything to cross him.”
“You can’t put your love for Aquilla ahead of what’s right,” Anna told her. “Would you risk sending your whole faction to war, just to satisfy Aquilla’s lust for revenge?”
Penelope Ann brushed a stray wisp of golden hair out of her eyes. “It isn’t as simple as that.”
Anna smacked her lips and went back to arranging her sleeping roll. “I’m tired of all the excuses. We both know this is wrong, and I won’t go along with it.”
She brushed an invisible speck off her sleeping roll and flipped back the top layer. Penelope Ann stared down at it. Anna forgot she’d hidden the egg shells there. She closed her eyes as tight as she could, but they didn’t go away. They were still there when she opened them.
“What’s this?” Penelope Ann asked.
Anna sighed. “They’re egg shells.”
Penelope Ann frowned. “Where did they come from?”
Anna squared her shoulders. “They came from the stream. They’re skidhopper eggs.”
“I can see that, but why are they in your sleeping roll?” Penelope Ann furrowed her brow. “You haven’t been sneaking eggs, have you? You know the Avitras don’t eat anything that came from animals.”
Anna smacked her lips. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not Avitras. I never will be. I would give anything for a cheese omelet right now. Don’t tell me you’re feeling your best on this diet of rabbit food.”
Penelope Ann’s eyes shot open. “How can you say that? The Avitras diet is the cleanest, most wholesome diet I’ve ever eaten in my life.”
Anna shot her a wry grin. “Come on, Penelope Ann. There’s no one here but you and me. You can tell me the truth. Don’t you dream at night about a nice rib-eye steak, seared medium rare, with a side of creamy mashed potatoes dripping with butter? Don’t you dream about a roast chicken with cornbread stuffing and gravy?”
Penelope Ann clamped her eyes shut and covered her ears. “Stop it.”
Anna nodded. “I thought so.”
Penelope Ann peeked at her. “That’s not reason to go sneaking skidhopper eggs and hiding them in your sleeping roll. What if the Avitras found out?”
“I
don’t care if they find out,” Anna replied. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going back to the Lycaon.”
“You can’t do that!” Penelope Ann exclaimed.
“I can, and I will,” Anna replied. “I made a mistake coming over to the Avitras. I know that now.”
Penelope Ann shook her head. “Wait until I tell Aquilla. He’ll change. He’ll let Menlo go. He won’t let you go back.”
“He has no choice in the matter,” Anna replied.
“That’s not what I meant,” Penelope Ann told her. “I meant he won’t want you to go because of what he’s doing with Menlo. When he realizes you feel strongly enough about this to leave the Avitras, he’ll let Menlo go.”
Anna shook her head. “It’s not just Menlo and Aquilla. I would go back to the Lycaon for the food alone. I don’t belong with the Avitras. Maybe you do, but I don’t.”
“We can’t let this happen,” Penelope Ann insisted. “We can’t let you walk away.”
“It’s already done,” Anna replied. “There’s nothing you can do to change my mind. I suppose I should have found out more about the Avitras before I came to live with them.”
Penelope Ann looked around. “Maybe when I explain the situation, we can work out some way for you to collect your own food from the forest.”
“Where would I cook it?” Anna asked. “No, it wouldn’t work. I was wrong about the Avitras, and it took Aquilla capturing Menlo and bringing him here for me to realize that. I never belonged here, and I won’t stay here.”
“What are you going to do?” Penelope Ann asked. “When will you leave?”
Anna glanced around the room. “I don’t know. I’ll have to figure out a way to get back to Lycaon territory. Maybe Piwaka will help me find my way.”
Penelope Ann’s head shot up, and her blue eyes widened. “These eggs.....they weren’t for you at all, were they?”
Anna turned bright red. “What are you talking about?”
Angondra Holiday Special Page 42
