Curses and Warfare

by Jeri Baird

  The man spit at him. “I’m the one who’ll soon be sitting at your table with your women.”

  An image of Kaiya flashed in Zander’s mind. If the Odwans took over their village what would happen to her? Or to Alexa? He stood and kicked the man in the groin. One way or another, the man would talk. “We’ll see if you’ll cooperate after a few more hours in the dark.”

  He motioned to Fulk and they backed out of the tack room. Fulk threw the bolt across the shut door. In the kitchen, Zander rubbed his tight neck. “Does anyone else know he’s here?”

  Fulk shook his head.

  “Where’s Zeph?”

  “See what a cloudy head does for you?” Fulk snorted. “The boy moved out yesterday. Left without a word, with that donkey of his trailing behind.”

  Where could Zeph have gone? A nagging feeling in his gut told him he should be worried, but Zander had something he needed to do first. He’d find Zeph later.

  He swallowed the rest of the cider, not caring it was cold, and turned to Fulk. “Give the man some bread and plenty of mead, but don’t untie him. Maybe his tongue will loosen. I’m going into the gulch for a few hours to get myself sorted out. Tell no one except Greydon.” After he recovered from his hangover and returned from the gulch, Zander would use his favor on the spy. This was why Moira insisted he keep it. He’d see the man’s secrets.

  “Watch yourself. He may not be the only spy roaming around.”

  “I’ll take Shadow and my knives.”

  “And Zander?”

  He hesitated at the door.

  “You have to break Helios. The men laugh behind your back that you can’t ride him. Not only to show your strength . . . you’re going to need him soon.”

  Shame reddened his neck. “After I return.” He all but ran to his room.

  Chapter FORTY-FOUR

  Zephyr

  Zeph and Dorothy had taken but a few steps toward his father’s estate when Del rode up. All the Protectors had horses, and Del rode a white palfrey. She was a fine horse, but didn’t come close to Helios’s size or beauty.

  Del and Lash. Zeph had two half-brothers, and if his father hadn’t been bragging, maybe every red-haired kid in the shacks was a blood relation to Zeph. What did that mean? Blood relation. He’d wanted a brother for as long as he could remember, but now it felt too late.

  “So little brother.” Del’s smile looked real. “You’ve seen the wisdom of Father’s plan?”

  “What plan?”

  “He didn’t share it with you? No matter. You’ve done the first smart thing in your life. You left the warriors and their deluded leader behind.”

  Zeph stared at Del. He’d seen so many people lie, and now, for the first time, he couldn’t rely on his gift. He wouldn’t know if Del spoke the truth.

  “Let’s find a spot for your donkey in Father’s stable.”

  “Her name’s Dorothy.”

  Del didn’t try to hide his smile. “Dorothy? You got a girl patron?” Chuckling, he turned his horse and headed toward the estate.

  As if planted in the ground he stood on, Zeph waited. Then, Dorothy nudged him, and Zeph took a step toward the family he’d never known.

  He followed Del along a winding path that straightened when it went between sectioned fields. Men that Zeph recognized from the shack houses worked the first segment with plows pulled behind mules. In the next field, women in ragged clothes planted seeds by hand. One had a squalling baby wrapped on her back. She’d been pregnant when Zeph had moved out of his mother’s house. And in the last field on his right, boys not much older than Zeph used pitchforks to spread manure across the newly opened ground. Three of the boys had red hair like Zeph’s. Likely, also bastard sons of Terrec’s.

  With a start, Zeph understood this was his fate. He hadn’t thought past the quest. He hadn’t realized his life would follow those who lived with him in the shacks, working for an elder and kept poor.

  Anger burned in his gut. It wasn’t fair to have no choice in where you worked. No hope for a better life. He muttered, “Damn Moira. This is the life she sentenced these people to?”

  He stopped and Dorothy stuck her head under his arm. He pulled her close and leaned his head against hers. “Dorothy, how do you fit into this? Will you be forced to pull a plow? Maybe it would be better to die in the quest.” He let his tears fall. “I thought I’d make a difference with my life.”

  A young woman with long silver hair and emerald eyes appeared in front of Zeph. Moira wiped away a tear on Zeph’s cheek. “And you can. You have a choice to make, Zephyr.”

  “A choice?”

  Moira’s laugh filled him with foolish hope.

  “You may choose who to claim as family.” Moira disappeared. Where she’d stood, a white rock appeared.

  Zeph crouched over the stone. It sparkled as if tiny diamonds were embedded across the surface. Mesmerized by the light, past scenes flashed in his memories. Lash locking him in the shed. Del taking over the warriors. Terrec threatening Zeph’s mother. Alexa bringing him a sugar biscuit. Zander inviting him to live in the stable.

  A cloud floated across the sun and the sparkle faded, releasing Zeph from the visions. He picked it up and dropped it in the empty leather pouch he carried for tokens and omens. He made his choice.

  He stood and stared across the field at Elder Terrec’s house. With Dorothy at his side, he took one step and then another toward his blood family.

  Chapter FORTY-FIVE

  Zander

  Zander washed with cold water. It helped clear his head. After dressing, he slid a knife into each boot and attached one at his belt. He slung the bow over his shoulder and the quiver across his chest to hang at his side. Outside, he whistled for Shadow.

  The coyote danced in circles around him. Zander had a lot to feel guilty about, but neglecting Shadow was one thing he could fix. “Come on, boy.”

  They hiked across Elder Warrin’s land to Elder Terrec’s border. He skirted along the village land until he got to the gulch. Spring rains made the way down treacherous. He slid for a foot or two, grimacing at the mud caking on his boots. As he hiked lower into the shadows, the warmth of the sun disappeared behind the steep walls of the gulch, and he shivered.

  At the bottom, snowmelt had engorged the usually small stream, making it impossible to cross. He followed it downstream until he reached a fallen cottonwood lying across the water. Shadow ran the length of the trunk and jumped off past the stream. Zander followed more slowly, stepping over and ducking under tangled branches. He reeked of stale mead. Disgusted to be reminded of all the times Father stunk in the mornings, Zander swore to stop going out.

  He hadn’t meditated for a long while. And now that he thought about it, since he’d started drinking, Moira had stayed away from his dreams. It hadn’t been so long ago that he’d have thought of that as a good thing. But now, he needed her. Had he lost her favor? And where was Puck?

  He wended through the mud until he reached the oak Moira had led him to in his dream the last night of the quest. So much had happened since the day he’d chosen their futures. He laid a horse blanket on the soft ground and plopped down to sit cross-legged. What if he’d chosen differently? Alexa would still be a fortune-teller and Merindah a nun, but the others would be in apprenticeships now instead of acting as warriors and healers. Kaiya, so strong, would likely have been sent by Moira to work in an elder’s kitchen alongside her mother. It would have killed the spirit he loved in her. He realized with a start that he did love her, and he’d been acting like an ass. As soon as he got himself straightened out, he’d make it up to her and hope she’d forgive him.

  He whistled for Shadow, who’d taken off to explore. The coyote ran up, muddy, tail wagging. Zander scratched Shadow’s head. “I need you to keep watch.”

  Shadow circled once before lying down at Zander’s side, alert and watchful.


  After setting his bow within easy reach and tucking a knife under his thigh, Zander inhaled a deep breath of musty forest air. Already, his shoulders were beginning to relax. He scanned the gulch. Birds he’d startled returned to the tree and settled above him, and they were as good as a second lookout.

  He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. In for five counts, hold for six, and out for seven. He imagined the earth’s energy filling him and realized how empty he was. The energy came in through his legs and traveled up his chest, into his arms and head. For the first time in weeks, his head was freed from the obsessive worries that sent him to the tavern each night. His breath slowed and with it, his sense of time.

  And then, with eyes closed and body relaxed, Zander felt Moira’s energy, calm but focused, surround him. Her words came into his head without actual sound.

  “I’ve waited for you.”

  “I need your help. I’ve lost men and all the women. I’ve been a jerk.”

  Her laughter filled his soul. “Defender of all, you’ve learned much for your age.”

  He resisted opening his eyes for fear of losing contact. “It’s not enough. We’ve caught an Odwan spy. We’re not ready.”

  “The spy will be of no help to you.”

  Zander opened his eyes. Moira sat facing him, emerald eyes sparkling, long silver hair floating down around her unlined face. She was ancient as the earth itself, but she looked young. For a moment, her gaze enraptured him. He shook his head to break the spell. “Can you stop them from coming?”

  “I cannot.”

  He felt suddenly desperate. “Do we have any chance of winning?”

  She stared at him for several minutes. “Don’t despair. This is only a small moment in time.”

  “What does that mean?” His calm disappeared as a rush of adrenaline raced through his body. “It’s not small to me. The lives of everyone I care about are in danger.”

  Moira reached out and touched his knee. “Lives will be lost. It is the way of war.” Her eyes saddened. “Many wars have I witnessed. Sometimes it is too much to bear.”

  He’d never thought of Moira feeling pain. What must it be like to live forever?

  She brightened. “And then comes a boy and a girl who bring me hope.”

  Her talk confused him. “Me and Alexa?”

  “Who else?” Her smile spread and she seemed to glow.

  “Help us, Moira. Help me save the village.”

  Predictably, Puck chose that moment to moan, “Unite the tribes. Save the village.”

  She lifted her hands and held them out at her side. “The ghost is correct.”

  Tired of riddles, Zander felt his anger rise. “I don’t know what he means.”

  “You’re not using all your resources.”

  He leapt to his feet. “What resources?”

  “Your twin knows. You have one week.”

  And then Moira disappeared.

  Zander kicked at a root of the tree. “Moira, come back! I need help.” He knelt next to Shadow and buried his face in the coyote’s fur. “I can’t do this alone.”

  Chapter FORTY-SIX

  Zander

  After clearing the tumbling thoughts from his head and recovering his calm, Zander spent an hour in meditation. He’d taken to drinking to hide his fears. When he meditated, he faced them. He would need the stillness if he hoped to ride Helios.

  He stood and stretched. “Shadow, let’s go home.” He glanced across the gulch and glimpsed a flash of red through the trees. Stepping behind the oak, he signaled Shadow to quiet.

  Then he heard voices. He peeked around the trunk. Del and Lash picked their way down the north side of the gulch. Very much alive, Lash swore when he slipped and fell on his backside in the mud. They followed the stream away from Zander, and a third person fell into line behind them. Zeph. Three brothers.

  Zeph had joined Zander’s enemies. He bent over, hands on knees, as if he’d been punched in the gut. When his breathing evened, he followed.

  As they climbed up the south side of the gulch, Zander trailed behind. Del and Lash seemed unconcerned with being seen, talking loud enough to scare off all the birds from the trees they passed under. Zander heard his name and then laughter.

  Zeph appeared nervous, looking right and left. Once, he stopped and turned. Zander ducked behind a fir tree just in time.

  As the trio reached the rim, Puck’s ghost moaned, “Beware—the assassin moves among us.”

  Zeph jerked to a stop, but Del and Lash seemed deaf to the warning. They disappeared over the top.

  They couldn’t hear Puck. Zander held back a laugh.

  It was long moments before Zeph moved again, looking determined. Whatever Zeph had planned, he was going through with it.

  Zander just hoped the assassin wasn’t coming after him.

  When the three turned onto the path to Elder Terrec’s land, Zander didn’t follow. He had other things to do—like interrogate a prisoner, ride Helios, and find his twin. He jogged on to Elder Warrin’s land. Ahead, he glimpsed Greydon and Odo. Oblivious to Zander, they held hands. He remembered then that Odo had walked back from the tavern with them that morning.

  Shadow yipped a greeting. Greydon turned and grinned. Odo blushed and dropped his hand, but Greydon leaned in and said something that made Odo stare at Zander in surprise. He waved then and took Greydon’s hand as they waited for Zander to catch up.

  “Hoy. I need your help.” Zander jogged to meet them. “Odo, can you find Alexa and Kaiya and bring them here?” When Odo nodded, Zander turned to Greydon. “I need Father Chanse to ring the gathering bells in two hours. Can you do that?”

  “What’s going on? Is there news of the invasion?” Greydon glanced worriedly at Odo. “The men are all at the May Day festival.”

  “I have information from Moira. It’s not today, but we don’t have much time. And I have something you need to see.”

  When they found Fulk, he looked grim. He nodded to the open door of the tack room. “I checked on him an hour ago.”

  The man lay limp. Feet still bound, his hands were free, his face pale.

  Greydon gasped. “Is he dead?”

  “I cut the ropes on his hands so he could feed himself. I ain’t no nursemaid. He must have carried poison.”

  Zander rocked back on his heels. The first casualty of the war. How many more would die on both sides? And for what? The control of a small village founded on peace. For a second, he wondered if it was worth the lives it would cost the village. If they peacefully surrendered, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Then he thought of Alexa and Kaiya. What would happen to the women? And as leader of the warriors, he’d likely be executed. He’d fight for Kaiya and Alexa and his mother. His chance of dying seemed pretty equal either way.

  “I got him drunk enough to get some information.” Fulk looked pleased despite his dead prisoner. “The Odwans have been driven out of their lands by the Kharoks. They were a small tribe before the war, and now they only number around a hundred men with twice that in women and children. They want land, and ours, being already settled, looks damn attractive to them.”

  Zander rubbed the back of his neck. “Why didn’t they ask to join us rather than fight?”

  “After a lifetime of war, they’ve forgotten how to make peace. The only way they know is to take what they want.”

  Such a waste of lives this war would be. After Greydon and Odo left to follow his instructions, Zander turned to Fulk. “What do we do with the body?”

  “When you see the Father, ask him to come out and bless it. Then we’ll bury him. It’s only the first of the dead.” Fulk ran his hands through his hair. “I never thought this would happen. There’s going to be a war.”

  Zander met the marshal’s eyes and saw fear where he’d never seen it. If Fulk was afraid, what would that mean for
the others? “It’s time I rode Helios.”

  Resolve replaced the fear in Fulk’s eyes. “Hells, yeah. I’ll get him saddled.”

  While Fulk saddled Helios, Zander brought his energy into his core. The calm he’d found in the gulch flowed through his bones and filled him. He’d never be more ready.

  Fulk stood expectantly, holding Helios’s reins. Zander matched his grin and stepped to Helios’s side. The horse raised his head and nickered. Zander placed a hand on Helios’s neck and let his calm seep into the horse.

  As if surprised, Helios stared into Zander’s eyes. Zander let down his guard and allowed the connection, inwardly cursing himself for not trying it before. Helios had his own secret. He’d been mistreated as a foal by a man with black hair. Zander reminded him of that man.

  While staring into Helios’s eyes, Zander laid both hands on the horse’s face and took the fear into himself. He sent it into the ground and replaced the fear with love. All the tension in Helios dissolved, and he lowered his head. When Zander mounted, Helios remained calm. Zander took the reins from Fulk and urged Helios to the outside ring. When the horse showed no signs of panic, Zander motioned for Fulk to open the gate.

  Helios and Zander moved as one to the field. Zander gently shook the reins. Helios responded by moving into a canter. He pranced along the practice field, past the path to the manor, and on to the border between the village land and Elder Warrin’s newly sprouted fields. Not once did Helios try to throw Zander.

  Lulled by the three-beat gait, Zander realized it was fear that sent him to the tavern all those nights; fear of not being a strong enough leader, that he couldn’t save the village. It was Helios’s fear that made him throw Zander time after time. And Zander wondered then, what were the Odwans afraid of? And how could he use that to win?

  He turned Helios back toward the stable and saw in the distance a small group waiting for him. When he came closer, Greydon and Odo stood with Alexa, Kaiya, and Merindah. Fulk leaned against the stable door looking as proud as Zander had ever seen him.