"We could make large boats out of krystal," Skye said.
Soren grinned at Berit. "Where there's a will there's a way."
"I don't know what that means but they wouldn't float," Berit shot back.
"I made small ones when I was a girl. They floated," Skye said.
"Then why haven't we done it before?" Bellya asked.
Skye shrugged. "Nobody thought of it." She snuggled against Soren. "I’m hungry."
Bellya laughed. "Goodness, Skye. If you keep eating poor Soren won't be able to carry you anymore."
Soren felt Skye draw in a deep breath in preparation of blasting Bellya. He wrapped his arms around her and stood. "That will never happen."
Skye laughed against his neck as he walked away. She looked over his shoulder and sent Bellya a smirk.
"Stop being a brat," Soren said as Pelyn and his brothers joined them.
"I can't help it and she deserves it." She sniffed the air. "Stew. That way." She pointed toward a nearby tavern. "I want it. Lots of it."
"No. Too much will make you sick. Do you feel strong enough to make us a shelter?"
"Of course and I'll make food as well."
"No. I want you to conserve your energy. The shelter is enough."
Pelyn chuckled. "I'll go to the tavern and get food for all of us."
"And, juice, please. I'm thirsty," Skye said.
They walked for several more micro-units then Soren stopped in a small clearing, looked around and asked, "How about here?"
Skye nodded, waved her hand and a shelter large enough for the five of them appeared.
He carried her inside. The outer larger room held three large mats for the brothers. A wall to the side hid a smaller chamber. He stepped around the wall and found a large mat and a steaming tub of water.
"There." Skye pointed to the tub as her clothes disappeared.
He smiled and carefully lowered her into the water.
"You could join me." She fluttered her lashes at him.
He shook his head and moved away. "I'll join you as soon as our food arrives. In the meantime don't go to sleep."
# # #
The room darkened as clouds formed and the sky lit up with lightening and rain began to fall. As it increased in intensity Soren saw Pelyn carrying a large basket toward the shelter. As soon as he entered he set the basket down and shrugged out of his cloak.
"The tavern owner sent a pot of stew, two loaves of bread and a large pitcher of juice," Pelyn said. "There's bowls and spoons in the basket. I told him we'd return them after sun-rising."
Soren thanked him then filled two bowls, poured a tankard of juice and tore off a large chuck of bread. He carried them behind the wall and frowned when he saw a small table next to the tub. "I told you to rest and conserve your energy."
"I'm feeling stronger and it's just a small table."
"Little things add up."
She lifted her hand to remove his clothes but stopped when he frowned.
"I can undress myself." He tipped his head toward the food on the table. "Eat."
She grabbed a bowl of stew along with the bread and used it to soak up the thick broth. Bite after bite disappeared into her mouth as he dropped his clothes to the floor. He slid into the tub facing her and laughed. "You've got food on your chin."
She swiped at it. "Did I get it?"
"No." He tapped the bottom of his chin. "It's right there."
She swiped at it again. "Gone?"
"You smeared it. Now it's all over your chin."
She rubbed her chin again. "Gone now?"
He shook his head and pointed to another place on his chin.
She stared at him and a silky brow flicked up. "Very funny."
He grinned and placed his feet on either side of her hips. "You love it when I tease you. You know you do." He used his toes to tickle her waist.
She grabbed his foot and tickled the bottom.
He jerked it away.
"What's good for the goose is good for the gander."
"I’m beginning to wish I'd never remembered any of those old Earth sayings."
"Too late. The cat's out of the bag." She slid her feet to his belly and ran her toes over the hills and valleys of his muscles.
He rearranged her feet until they rested on either side of his hips. "No sex play. For the next three cycles I want you to eat and rest."
She sat up. "Three cycles? No sex for three cycles?" She shook her head. "I'm not that tired."
"Yes, you are. I want you to rest and grow strong."
"Making love with you makes me strong."
He pulled her onto his lap and hugged her. "Holding you makes you strong."
"Yes, it does."
He kissed her. "Kissing you makes you strong."
"Yes, it does."
He nodded toward the food on the table. "Feeding you makes you strong."
She ran her hand down his cheek to his mouth and stroked a finger along his bottom lip. "Your love makes me strong."
Her movement caused the light to reflect off the gold and platinum band on her arm. He traced the etching but when his finger touched the red and black stone it sent out a small vibration. Surprised he pressed on it and felt it grow warmer beneath his fingertip.
"Have you ever removed these?" he asked.
"No, I haven't even tried to do that. I like them."
He pulled on one and it slid down her arm. At her wrist it tightened and no matter what he did he couldn't get it to move any further. He held her wrist up and examined it. The band had formed to her wrist as if it was a second thinner layer of skin. He slid it back into place and tried to remove the second one with the same results. "See if you can remove them."
As soon as she touched one of the bands it tightened and she wasn't even able to move it. "That's strange." She released it then reached for one of his bands and tried to move it. It didn't move at all. "See if you can remove your bands, Soren."
"I've tried in the past but all they do is tighten then loosen once I release them. Apparently they don't come off once they're put on."
"I like knowing that but I wonder who put them on you and why they split apart so you could put part of them on me." She tried to smother a yawn and failed.
"We won't know that until I get my memory back. In the meantime it's time for you to sleep." Soren stood, stepped from the tub and lifted her out. He carried her to the thick layer of mats she'd provided for them and laid her down. Once they were settled he rolled onto his back, sighed with relief and held her against him.
Skye patted his chest. "I know you're as tired as I am. I was so scared for you today when you were fighting. So many shards came so close to you."
He rolled onto his side and pulled her against him. "But, you protected me, little heart." He brushed a kiss across her lips.
She smiled. "If I have to rest I want you to rest too."
"We can't slow down now that we have them on the run. We'll spend the next few cycles gathering information and planning the next battle but I promise I'll find time to rest. How's that?"
His answer was a soft snore. He smiled and closed his eyes. They were alive and that was all that mattered although he wondered when she'd tell him about the baby. He'd been surprised when she'd let him know the night they conceived. Now just the thought of holding their child made him smile. He couldn't wait to find out if it was a boy or a girl although either would be wonderful.
Chapter Sixteen
Soren moved a chair so it was slightly behind him and helped Skye settle into it before he took up a protective stance in front of her. She and Lalyn had created a secure warrior's chamber inside the huge fortress.
The chamber was round in shape and large enough to hold the enchantresses and their mates while they met and discussed plans for the upcoming battle. It was also a place for all of the Edyn warriors to relax and eat apart from the villagers.
The meeting had begun quietly but now it had broken into two factions, one led by Berit a
nd the other by Magnys. The two groups argued back and forth about the best way to invade the peninsula.
Soren dropped the hood of his cloak and frowned with impatience. "None of these plans will work unless we can invade at the same time from all directions."
"I keep telling you it can't be done," Berit said. "Even if we had a way to transport the warriors there's no guarantee every group would be in place in time to begin the attack."
"Don't forget that the peninsula is only thirty kilometers wide," Lalyn said. "Their enchantresses would sense our presence before we even stepped foot on the shore."
"Do we know how many enchantresses they have?" Soren asked.
"No," Berit said.
"Do we know how many ships they have?" Soren asked.
Magnys shook his head. "We rarely see one. I think they barely have enough to transport their leaders and a few warriors."
Soren smiled. "How many fortresses do we have now? And, how many warriors with enchantresses in each one?"
"Over three thousand fortresses spread out across the land between the mountain range and the coast," Berit said.
Stefyn rolled out the master map he'd kept so everyone could see the pattern of fortresses marked on it. "They're each less than twenty kilometers apart and each has six warriors with enchantresses living in them."
"How many conjurers?" Soren asked.
"Ten to twelve in each one as well as dozens of healers," Stefyn said.
"If we leave four enchantresses and several conjurers and healers in each one and get the others to join us we'd have a large enough force to invade Crimeryn."
"What?" Berit yelled. "That would be an insane move."
"That's why they wouldn’t be expecting it," Soren said. "What do you think they'd do if they received a message that their homeland was being invaded?"
Magnys laughed. "They'd leave the peninsula and return to Crimeryn to defend their homes."
"That's right." Soren grinned. "Even if they left behind a residual force we'd outnumber them." He pointed to the peninsula on the map. "Instead of attacking along the east and west coasts we should attack from the north and south and move toward the center."
Magnys nodded. "We don't have enough ships to do that as well as fly troops to Crimeryn."
"We'd have to make several trips but we might be able to accomplish it," Stefyn said.
"Is there any way to get a few spies into Crimeryn?" Soren asked.
Berit spoke up. "If it was possible we would've done it already."
Magnys stepped forward. "I think we've done enough for this cycle. We need to figure out a way to find out what's going on in Crimeryn before we plan to invade it. I say we meet again in two cycles."
"I agree," Berit said. "Maybe by then someone will have come up with a reasonable plan."
"Your idea of reasonable is predictable," Soren said. "It's time to think outside the box." Several puzzled looks came his way.
Skye spoke up. "He means do something different. Something unexpected. Like invade them."
"I for one like the idea of that," Teryq said. "We've been fighting for many decades and all we've managed to do is survive. It's time we drove them back to their own continent."
"I suggest we begin by contacting the fortresses and having them decide which warriors will stay behind and which ones will join us here," Skye said. "No matter what plan we decide on we'll need all the warriors we can get for the next battle."
They'd just agreed on her suggestion when Soren saw a warrior hurrying toward the shelter. "We've got company."
The other warriors glanced in the direction he pointed then one by one turned away except for Korbyn.
"It's my warrior, Ivyn." He moved toward the approaching male while he requested an opening be made for him.
His mate Falyn created it and Soren watched as the warrior pointed to the sky then toward the far end of the village. Whatever he reported appeared to be urgent as Korbyn nodded, sent the warrior away and hurried back to the shelter.
As soon as he entered he said, "Ivyn reports that a strange ship landed on the beach and a large group of warriors have entered the village. He said most of them are in the tavern but several are standing guard outside."
Bellya stepped forward. "Perhaps they're Crimeryns and they're here to surrender."
Taryq patted her shoulder and laughed. "No, little sister, Crimeryns don't know the meaning of the word surrender." He looked around at the other warriors. "It's rare that anyone visits Krystali but in the past when they have it's always ended in a battle so prepare yourselves and your warriors."
Soren smiled and raised the hood on his cloak before he pulled Skye to her feet. "Stay behind me while we check these warriors out."
"You're looking forward to a barroom brawl," she accused and he chuckled.
Berit, Korbyn, Magnys and Teryq joined them. Their mates and Bellya took up defensive positions behind them while the three brothers formed a protective circle around Skye. Soren sent them a grateful nod then motioned for Berit to lead the way.
As a group they walked toward the tavern. Soren took note of the warriors standing on either side of the door. Even from a distance something about them looked familiar. He focused on the nearest one and saw the tattoos on his head and the bands on his arms. The sight and a flash of memory almost froze him mid-step but he forced himself to continue moving forward. Were they friend or foe, he wondered.
He reached behind him and felt Skye take his hand and move closer to him. He linked his mind with hers. "Stay close and don't hesitate to carry out my orders."
"Do you know them?" She looked around him and caught her breath. "They look like you. Same haircuts, same clothes. They're even wearing armbands. Can you see their weapons?"
Soren glanced at the first warrior they passed. "He has a fire sword."
"Do you think they're looking for you?"
"Perhaps. We're going to stay back and let Berit deal with them."
"Do you think they're here to harm you? That you escaped from them?"
"We'll see. Maintain the mind link and stay on your toes."
Skye sent him a reassuring smile. "I've got your six."
"Give me dark kyrstal." He released her hand as they entered the tavern. A nano-unit later he palmed the two shards she'd conjured. They moved to the far side of the room and found a place along the wall in the shadows. Teryq stood next to him with Bellya behind him.
The unknown warriors stood lined up at the bar. The largest of them, obviously the leader, turned, leaned his back against the bar and looked around.
Soren drew in a deep breath when he recognized him. Flashes of images and memories filled his mind, nearly overwhelming him with the flood of emotions that accompanied them.
He remembered where he'd come from and how he'd ended up on Tundra. Most shocking of all he remembered what he'd learned about being claimed and having to give his full, informed consent. Which he hadn't done!
Skye grabbed his arm and pulled him around to face her. "I can explain," she whispered. "Please, just let me tell you why I claimed you the way I did."
"You should have already told me." He leaned down and met her eyes. "Be quiet now. We'll discuss it later."
Next to them Bellya shifted, drawing his attention to her. She shrugged and looked away. Soren watched her for a nano-unit then shoved the hood from his head, grabbed Skye's hand and pulled her across the room toward the warrior.
The warrior watched them approach then moved toward them.
They met in the center of the room. Instead of a warrior's greeting they threw their arms around each other and squeezed until their ribs creaked. Finally, they stepped back and Soren placed his hand on Rolf's shoulder. "It's good to see you, Rolf."
Rolf smiled. "Thorn insisted you were still alive."
Soren laughed and waved his arm indicating the warriors in the room. "As you can see I found good company." He waved Berit, Teryq, and Korbyn forward and introduced them before he pulled Skye in
front of him and pulled the hood from her head. "Skye, this is my first-in-command, Rolf Stenson. Rolf, this is my mate, Skye."
She squeaked with surprise when Rolf grabbed her and lifted her until they were eye to eye. "Are you responsible for saving this rogue's life?"
"I am if you think that's a good thing?" she said.
Rolf laughed and released her. "You found a mate with a sense of humor. I like her."
"She risked her life to save me." Soren pulled her back to his side.
The other two Zarronian warriors approached them and Soren grasped their forearms, greeting them.
"Skye, this is my navigator, Rune."
"You remembered the path through the stars?" Skye asked.
"Yes," Rune said.
She grasped his hand in both of hers. "My thanks."
Soren pulled her away. "No touching the strange warriors. They'll get the wrong idea."
Rune laughed. "We're not strange. Just a little odd."
Soren chuckled and turned to the last warrior. "This is my brother's navigator, Ronin."
Skye turned to face the last warrior. He smiled and she thought wow. If the gods had created the perfect male he was standing before her now. She swept her eyes over his face, taking note of his light leaf-green eyes, straight perfect nose and oh-so-perfect lips. He was tall and muscled and had an incredible set of abs that showed between the edges of his black leather vest. She watched them for a moment then looked at his face again and just stared.
Soren snorted and pulled her back against him. "Stop staring and keep your distance."
"I'll try," Skye said.
"I wasn't talking to you, little heart."
She leaned against him and linked her mind with his. "You know you're the only warrior I love but your friend Ronin is going to be sought by many enchantresses."
"He'll survive the experience," Soren thought before he turned back to Rolf. "My brother didn't come?"
Rolf laughed. "He couldn't. Daria is pregnant again and Thorn was, uh, indisposed when we left Zarronia."
Soren laughed. "I'm sorry he's not here but the news of another child is welcome." He looked down at Skye. "I'm going to be an uncle again.
Soren's Bondmate Page 15
