Aquilla stepped forward, and Penelope Ann and Piwaka joined him. Donen took a step, and the whole line matched him until they faced Aquilla in the middle of the rock. “Here we all are.”
Donen nodded. “Thank you for inviting us.”
Aquilla cocked his head. “Don’t thank me until you’ve heard what I have to say. You might not like it very much.”
“I’ll thank you no matter what you have to say,” Donen replied. “I didn’t think you would negotiate with us, and I’m grateful to you for the opportunity. I’m happy to hear whatever you have to say. It’s better for us to talk about our differences openly than to fight each other.”
Aquilla frowned. He wasn’t expecting this. “You want to hear what I have to say? All right. Here it is. This rock is in my territory. The border between our territories is over there, where the hill falls down steep, not back there on the mountain peak where you thought it was. You coming onto this rock was an act of war, and I intent to respond accordingly.”
Donen didn’t flinch. “I had no idea you considered the border farther down the hill until we arrived here. I have no trouble establishing the border down the hill if that will set your mind at ease and give our factions a chance at peace.”
Aquilla glared at him. “So you concede the point—just like that? What’s in it for you?”
“I’m happy to concede a few feet of territory,” Donen replied. “I consider such a concession a small price to pay for equanimity between our factions. I would have done it a long time ago if I had only known you considered this land yours. If we discuss these things in a rational way instead of jumping to war, we can solve our problems without so much destruction and loss of life.”
Aquilla blinked once. Then he turned away toward the Renier. “And the Felsite will have to destroy their city on our northern border. It’s overhanging our territory by a quarter of a mile.”
Renier frowned. “Which city do you mean? None of our cities is anywhere close to your border.”
Aquilla waved his hand. “The city sits on a slope between two mountains at the bend in the Borlass River where it exits these mountains on its way to the southern ocean. If you refuse to remove it, I have no choice but to consider this an act of open aggression.”
Carmen whispered something into Renier’s ear and he nodded. “Oh, of course. I know the city you mean, and we can remove it if it bothers you. We considered that stretch of land unused by anyone, so we built a city there. We never would have done so if we had known the Avitras claimed it as their own.”
Aquilla’s eyes flashed. He said something to Piwaka, and Piwaka murmured back to him. Then Penelope Ann said something.
Aimee caught her breath. It was really working. Kindness and concessions defused Aquilla’s hostility. He came armed with impossible demands, and the other Alphas bowed to his will and gave him what he wanted. He wasn’t prepared for that, but Piwaka was. He spoke up for the first time. “If there are no further difficulties with the borders, perhaps we can move on to the question of how you plan to maintain this peace once you establish it.”
“Once we establish peace, we won’t have to do anything to maintain it, Caleb replied. “That’s the primary reason for us to establish it. We can live in peace without wasting our resources guarding our borders and fighting each other.”
“So you won’t guard your borders anymore?” Piwaka asked. “Will the borders become totally porous, with Felsite and Ursidrean free to cross and hunt in Lycaon territory whenever they wish? Will the Lycaon run through the Ursidrean mountains and sleep in the caves for shelter? Will the Ursidreans share their technology with the other factions so we can all benefit from their labors? Is that what you mean by living in peace?”
“Of course not,” Caleb shot back. “I only meant.....”
“Which part of it did you not mean?” Piwaka asked. “Did you mean you would shoot on sight any Felsite hunting in Lycaon territory? Did you mean the Ursidreans would have the right to track down and exterminate anyone who comes into their caves and takes their technology without permission? Did you mean anyone who wants to cross the border will have to carry a token of permission from the other faction giving him a pass to enter your territory? What exactly did you mean?”
Caleb blustered, and Turk spoke up. “You’re doing everything you can to undermine our negotiation by throwing these impossible scenarios in our faces. We all know none of that would ever happen.”
Chris spoke to him under her breath, but everyone heard her. “It could happen, and it will happen if we don’t agree here and now how we’ll deal with it when it does happen. Piwaka is right, and so is Aquilla. Our borders aren’t firm enough to be secure, and our factions are still too far apart to leave the borders unguarded. We have a long way to go before we can live in peace.”
Piwaka’s eyes flickered over the company. “The Avitras suggest all our border patrols meet and walk along the borders together. The Avitras will meet the Felsite along our shared border, and we will travel it all the way from one end to the other, just to make sure we agree where it is. Then we will do the same with the other borders. You will each meet with the other factions and do the same thing.”
Menlo snarled at the other end of the line. “That could take years.”
Penelope Ann answered him. “It’s the only way we can all be certain the borders are where we think they are and we agree on them. It’s the only chance for any really lasting peace.”
Emily nodded. “Good fences make good neighbors.”
“In the meantime,” Piwaka went on, “we can think about what measures we intend to place on our borders for the other factions to cross into our territory—or not, as we deem fit. We can meet here again and discuss the next phase of the peace process.”
Chapter 11
The Alphas started to withdraw, but Aquilla turned on Piwaka. “We can’t just let them walk away, with no consequences.”
Piwaka faced him. “There is a consequence. They’ve lost the territory they thought was theirs on this side of the rock, and their peace process is delayed by years, maybe even decades. If no one can decide and agree on the location of their borders, the peace process is dead.”
Aquilla thought it over. Then he nodded. “All right. Let’s go.”
Faruk leaned toward Donen, but he kept his voice low. “So that’s it? That’s the end of it? Are we going to let him kill our peace agreement without even a squeak of protest?”
Donen laid his hand on Faruk’s shoulder. “You heard what he said. He said when we finish establishing the borders, we will meet here and discuss the next phase of our peace process.”
Emily came to Faruk’s side. “That means the peace process is still alive. All we have to do is meet each other along the border and make sure we agree where it is. Since the Ursidreans, the Lycaon, and the Felsite are already at peace, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“If it is a problem,” Chris added, “we’d better get any disagreements out in the open now. We have to resolve any border disputes before we can discuss anything else. It’s the perfect test of the peace we’ve already won.”
The whole company turned away, and the Avitras started to retreat. Renier cast a glance over his shoulder at Piwaka and Aquilla still watching them. “I don’t like leaving like this. We’ve come so far. It seems a terrible waste of all we’ve accomplished to be sent packing at his whim.”
“This could be the end of the negotiation with the Avitras,” Carmen told him, “but no one is making us leave. The Felsite, the Ursidreans, and the Lycaon can stay here, well inside Ursidrean territory, and discuss our own plans to settle conflicts across our borders. Aquilla can’t stop us from negotiating with each other.”
Renier’s laugh rolled across the rock, and he threw his arm around Carmen’s shoulder. “You’re right, as always. By golly, we’ll go all the way. We won’t let him stop us from building peace between our three factions. If he wants to drag his heels
, let him. He can patrol his border alone for the next ten years while the rest of us live and thrive.”
The company broke up and headed down the hill. Donen called over his shoulder. “Everyone come back to the Ursidrean camp. I want to celebrate our victory.”
Anna glanced at Emily. “Victory? What victory? He sent us packing.”
“At least he didn’t declare war on us,” Emily replied. “The peace process isn’t over. He only gave us some homework to do.”
The Avitras fell back to the treeline and vanished into the foliage the way they’d come. The Ursidreans led the way down to the camp on the plain. No one noticed Aimee standing in the same place. Piwaka, Aquilla, and Penelope Ann stood still while the Avitras Guard withdrew. Then Aquilla took Penelope Ann by the hand and followed the Guard into the trees. Piwaka stayed where he was, and he and Aimee gazed into each other’s eyes until the last Avitras disappeared. Then he, too, withdrew and vanished between the swaying branches.
Aimee watched until she lost sight of him. The negotiation was neither a success or a failure, but that didn’t matter to her. She’d seen him. The connection between them remained alive. When would she see him again? Would Aquilla order the Avitras back to their own territory and leave the other factions to their own devices? She might not see him again for years.
She couldn’t believe that, though. Piwaka pulled the strings behind the Avitras. If he wanted to see her again, he would find a way to turn this negotiation around. He would give Aquilla some hint to keep the Avitras here, where she could find him and where the other factions could convince Aquilla to agree to peace.
The sun rode high in the clear sky. The rock radiated heat, and Aimee turned away into the cool forest. She walked between the trees instead of running. She didn’t want to hurry back to the camp for Donen’s celebration. He and Renier executed to perfection the arguments Aimee gave their mates to suggest to them. But what next?
She had no more suggestions to give her friends on how to swing this negotiation. She wandered in the fog, just like them. She couldn’t face their questioning eyes, but she couldn’t stay away forever. She got back in the late afternoon and found everyone standing around the giant metal box Emily called the store chamber. They all held plates of food in their hands and mingled like colleagues at a cocktail party.
Aimee strolled up to Anna and Aria. Donen, Caleb, and Turk stood on the other side of the circle. “What’s going on?”
“We were just talking about the meeting with Aquilla,” Anna replied. “Some of us think it’s the worst defeat we could possibly suffer. Others think it’s a sign of hope. What do you think?”
Aimee shrugged and looked back up the hill. “It’s hard to tell. I wonder, though, whether the Avitras are still up there somewhere.”
“Why would they stick around?” Aria asked. “Piwaka said we should all go back to our own territories until we have a chance to confirm our borders.”
“That’s what he said,” Aimee replied, “but he could have been saying that for Aquilla’s benefit. He may have other plans.”
Anna and Aria glanced at each other. Donen put down the fruit he was eating. “What do you mean?”
Aimee shifted from one foot to the other. “I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t want to confuse the situation. I delivered the message about Aquilla’s invitation to dialogue, but I didn’t tell you everything.”
Caleb’s eyes widened, and Turk frowned. “What didn’t you tell us?”
“It was Piwaka who suggested the meeting to Aquilla,” Aimee replied. “He’s manipulating Aquilla to bring him around to accept the peace agreement. We shouldn’t leave without giving him a chance.”
Donen cleared his throat. “How are we supposed to find out if they’re still there? We can’t exactly walk across the border and check.”
“I’ll go up,” Aimee replied. “I can cross the border and find out if the Avitras are still there or if they’ve gone back to their own territory. Then we’ll know whether it’s truly hopeless or not.”
“It would only be hopeless for the Avitras,” Anna pointed out. “There’s nothing stopping the rest of us from continuing our negotiation.”
“Give them a chance to join us,” Aimee told her. “If they’re still here, it means Piwaka still thinks there’s a chance to sway Aquilla toward peace. We shouldn’t leave before they do.”
Donen put down his plate. “Okay. You go find out if they’re here. We’ll wait until you get back before we make any decision.”
Aimee studied Anna’s plate. “What are you eating?”
Anna stared at her. “Aren’t you going up the mountain?”
“Not right now. I’ll go later tonight.” She nodded toward the plate again. “Is that spare ribs?”
Anna waved her plate toward the store chamber. “Go get some. They’re divine.”
Aimee turned away, but she couldn’t help overhear Anna and Aria talking behind her. “What do you make of that?”
“She’s spending a lot of time up there,” Aria replied.
“You don’t think....?” Anna asked.
“Why would she?” Aria replied. “She brought that message from Piwaka. We wouldn’t be here now if she hadn’t.”
Her ears burned, and she hurried away. She couldn’t keep her activities secret forever, and she didn’t want to hide them, anyway. Better for everyone to find out the truth sooner rather than later.
She studied the control panel on the store chamber. She’d spent so much time away from camp, she hadn’t learned how to use it. Emily came to her rescue. “Let me show you how to use it.” She punched the control panel, and the unit came to life. “You must be hungry.”
“Starving,” Aimee replied.
“What are you hungry for?” Emily asked.
Aimee blushed. “Something simple. Maybe some trail mix and a bowl of walnuts.”
Emily frowned. “Are you sure? There’s a really good recipe for skidhopper jerky in here. Marissa swears by it.”
“I never really liked jerky all that much,” Aimee replied. “I’ve always been something of a vegetarian.”
“I know,” Emily replied. “It boggles the mind how you survived in Lycaon territory all these months.”
Aimee smiled. “Well, you know, maybe I didn’t. Maybe some part of me had to die in order to get through it.”
Emily cast a sidelong glance in her direction. “You’ve been spending a lot of time away from camp.”
Aimee’s cheeks burned. “I’ll bet you’re all wondering where I’ve been.”
“Sure, we’ve wondered,” Emily replied, “but it’s for you to tell us when the time comes. Here’s your trail mix.”
“Thanks,” Aimee exclaimed. “Thanks for not asking.”
Emily smiled. “Every one of us has taken a different road to get here. I hope someday you feel comfortable enough telling me about yours.”
Chapter 12
Aimee lay awake on her cot and listened to the camp noises die out beyond the walls of her tent. Under the blankets, she lay fully clothed in her Lycaon skins. They dug into her skin, but her body burned under them. How long would she have to lie here in agony before she got up?
What was she waiting for? Why did she insist on hiding what she was doing from her friends? Why did she have to sneak back to Piwaka under cover of darkness instead of walking straight up the mountain in broad daylight for everyone to see? What was she ashamed of?
The camp settled into silence. What were the others doing? Were they lying awake in their own beds, listening with bated breath for any sound of her guilty departure? What did she have to feel guilty about, anyway? Nothing. She wasn’t ashamed of meeting Piwaka. Why should she be? She told Donen exactly what she planned to do and when. But she hadn’t told him exactly what she planned to do, had she? She hadn’t told him she planned to rendezvous with Piwaka and give her body to him in a frenzy of unbridled passion. Hot blood rushed to her chee
ks at the thought of it.
She held her breath and sat up in bed. What was she doing? She laid back down and closed her eyes. She would wait until morning and let them all watch her walk away. They would never suspect anything if she did. But she couldn’t wait. Her burning flesh forced her to sit up again. She had to find him, to be filled up by him again. She had to go to him no matter where he was, even if he’d journeyed all the way back south to the heart of Avitras territory.
And what would she tell him then? Would she throw herself at his feet and ask the Avitras to take her in? Anna and Frieda went to live with the Avitras, and look how that turned out. Frieda was gone, and Anna had fled the Avitras to rescue Menlo. Some similar fate might await her there.
She pushed herself up onto her feet. Whatever fate awaited her, she had to find out what it was. Whatever destiny awaited her, Piwaka remained at the center of it. She had to go to him and meet her destiny. She paused to listen at the tent door. Then she strode out into the camp.
She placed her feet in all the right places to stop her footsteps making any noise. She’d learned her lessons with the Lycaon warriors well. Only a few guards patrolled the outskirts of the camp. Everyone else slept in their tents. She set off up the hill.
She stopped next to the tree where she met Piwaka the first time. He wouldn’t come to meet her here—not now. He didn’t even know she was there. He might be a hundred miles away by now. She might be the last thing on his mind. She glanced toward the border. Was he waiting over there for her to make the first move? He might be sound asleep right now. He might be annoyed to see her at this time of night.
She waited—who knows how long. Of course he didn’t come. She turned back, but she didn’t leave. She went on to the big rock and waited again. Even if Aquilla ordered the Avitras back to their own territory, Piwaka was over there, in that direction. Her way lay toward him. She could never go back the way she came, toward her past.
Damen (Dragons of Kratak Book 2) Page 67
