by Chele Cooke
“Dhiren, come on. You know it was for the best.”
“And maybe this is for the best, too,” he said. “Perhaps you will see that later.”
Alec grasped Georgianna’s arm, trying to pull her back.
“Stop!” she hissed, yanking her arm free of his grasp and tripping through the gap in the trees, bursting into the clearing. Edtroka snatched his hand back from Dhiren’s leg and stared at the eavesdroppers, his eyes wide and his mouth open. He pushed up out of his crouch and took a few steps backwards, busying himself with straightening out his shirt. Dhiren glanced at Georgianna, then Edtroka, and laughed.
“Look at that,” he said, pointing the knife between them. “A Veniche makes the big strong Tsevstakre squirm. Who would have guessed?”
Edtroka scowled and turned away from them, fitting his copaq back into his belt. A flush of blood rose up his neck, threatening to capture his cheeks. Georgianna glanced at Alec, who looked suspiciously between the two of them. Dhiren seemed to be the only one who found the comment amusing. Hurrying away from Alec, Georgianna sat down next to Dhiren on the fallen branch.
“What will happen, Edtroka? The Colvohan is already on his way. Will they send him away if we don’t agree?”
“Of course they won’t,” Dhiren said.
“What are you talking about?” Alec asked.
Dhiren glanced at Alec and pointed his knife at the ship hovering above them.
“One of the leaders of the Cahlven is on his way here. None of our exalted leaders were told until just now.”
Alec didn’t look happy about this news but, unlike Edtroka, he kept his thoughts to himself. He frowned and leaned against one of the tree trunks, folding his arms.
“As I was saying,” Dhiren continued, turning back to Edtroka, “you don’t have a decision in this. You can either accept it or you can fight against it. But if you fight they will keep you out of all further decisions.”
“You’re saying I should apologise?”
“It wouldn’t hurt.”
Georgianna grimaced and bit her lip. Edtroka snorted and sneered as his hand went back to the copaq strapped to his hip. He fingered the grip but didn’t pull it from the straps.
“So we just let them come in and take over?” Georgianna asked. “I’m with Edtroka. That’s no better than the Adveni.”
Dhiren stabbed his knife into the ground between his feet and leaned onto his knees, hands clasped together.
“That depends.”
“On what?” Alec asked.
“On how they treat us once they have control,” he said. “If they simply take over the Adveni rule, then true, it’s no better. But if they offer technology and a chance to rule alongside them?”
Alec rolled his eyes.
“And how do we know they’ll do that? If what he’s said is anything to go by,” Alec said, jabbing a thumb in Edtroka’s direction, “they have no intention of letting us have a say.”
“Well, it’ll certainly be more likely if they think they can work with us.”
“So you’re saying I should apologise,” Edtroka said again, rolling his eyes.
Dhiren didn’t answer. He looked at Edtroka unabashed until the Adveni growled and turned away.
“Fine!” he snarled, and stalked out of the clearing and into the trees. Georgianna lost sight of him within moments and Dhiren shook his head, chuckling.
“This is why I usually stay away from people.”
“You seem to have a pretty good handle on him,” Alec said, nodding in the direction Edtroka had just vanished.
Dhiren shrugged and turned instead to Georgianna. “Another lesson?”
“That’d be good. I was in that meeting on the ship all morning and did absolutely nothing.”
“Lesson?” Alec asked. “What are you teaching him?”
Georgianna stood and grinned.
“I’m not. He’s teaching me.”
Dhiren grabbed the handle of his knife and wrenched it from the soft soil. Swiping the blade across his trouser leg, he tugged another knife from his belt. Alec jumped forwards, his hands curling into fists. Tossing the knife blade over handle, Dhiren caught the blade between his fingers and, with a smug grin at Alec, offered the knife handle-first to Georgianna.
“Teaching you what?” Alec hissed. “You know you’re not supposed to be leaving the shield without an escort.”
Georgianna glanced at him, took the knife, and swept her hair back over her shoulder.
“We’re not leaving the shield,” she said. “Dhiren’s teaching me to fight.”
Frowning, Alec crossed the clearing and took the seat Dhiren had vacated. He slid his hands under his thighs and watched warily as Georgianna and Dhiren circled each other.
“Why? You’re a medic.”
“Because being a medic has protected me well so far,” she said sarcastically.
Georgianna turned the blade in her hand, gritting her teeth and watching Dhiren prowl around her. He tossed his knife from one hand to the other with a casual grace. His mocking grin was infuriating as she had barely managed to even nick him so far. She didn’t want to hurt him, but it would have been nice to know she could actually land a blow. Lunging forwards, Georgianna groaned as he once again slid away from her jab, leaving her stumbling to regain her balance.
“You’re too predictable,” he chastised. “You put all your weight into the motion and give your opponent every clue to where you’re going.”
Georgianna turned the blade around in her hand. Dhiren stopped and shook his head.
“Don’t hold it like that. You don’t have as much flexibility on the angle of the blade from there.”
Lowering her gaze, a warm blush rising into her cheeks, Georgianna adjusted her grip and returned to circling him.
“Why are you learning with knives, anyway?” Alec asked. “The Adveni aren’t going to be coming at you with knives.”
Dhiren didn’t so much as blink before he attacked. He spun his knife and jerked forwards. She jumped away from him, but with better balance than before. Dhiren pushed forwards, driving her up against a tree until his knife was at her throat. Grasping Georgianna by the front of the shirt and holding her still, he looked over his shoulder at Alec.
“Because you need to get close. If you’re going to learn to kill, you have to get close, to know you can do it.”
He patted Georgianna’s cheek and stepped back, scuffing his boots across the littered earth.
“Plus, guns are afternoon training.”
Leaning forwards, Alec frowned.
“How long have you been doing this?”
“About a week,” Georgianna said. “Not exactly a lot else to do while we’re waiting for the Cahlven.”
“But the Cahlven soldiers are giving the others training. Why didn’t you just join in with that?”
Dhiren snorted and pointed the knife at Alec.
“I know how to stand still and take orders, thanks,” he scoffed. “So does George. After your time with the commander I’d have thought you’d have had enough of that, too.”
Alec gave him a wry grin and got to his feet. Dhiren watched him pass by, moving to stand behind Georgianna. He slid his hands down to grasp her wrists, pulling her arms up into a better position.
“You want to protect your core,” he said in her ear. “Getting stabbed in the arm is better than getting stabbed in the stomach.”
Georgianna nodded, allowing him to move her around. He turned her to the side, keeping her arms close to her body. Each touch was gentle, his voice warm and familiar. She leaned back into him, remembering a time when Alec would have been the one to offer to teach her to fight, when he would have thought it was essential she knew how to protect herself from the Adveni. That felt so long ago now. Her breath caught in her throat. Standing close to Alec only reminded her that Keiran was keeping his distance. She wished Keiran was the one standing close, teaching her. The sight of him turning away from her on the ship flashed in front of her.
“You want to keep your weight balanced,” Alec said as he took hold of her hips. “If you overstretch it’ll be easy to knock you down. Get closer to them instead of extending your arm all the way.”
“That makes it easier for them to get me!”
“True, but it’s easier to run when you’re already on your feet.”
Alec stepped away from her, returning to the branch and taking a seat. Dhiren glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.
“Are we ready to go?”
Alec waved him on as Georgianna nodded in agreement. She took smaller steps now, keeping her side to Dhiren instead of facing him, the knives always in the space between them.
“Come at me!”
Georgianna faltered. She didn’t want to attack him when he was ready for it and give him a better opportunity to throw her off. She pushed forwards, keeping the weapon close to her body. At the last moment, she flicked the knife to the side and Dhiren let out a hiss. Georgianna jerked in surprise, her mouth dropping open. He didn’t pause. He grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Twisting around, the handle of his knife came in against her stomach, his lips at her ear.
“Never drop your focus. One cut doesn’t make a win. You don’t stop until they’re dead.”
“Are you hurt?”
He laughed and lifted the knife away from her, releasing her arm. She looked down at his arm and saw a trickle of blood running down to his wrist.
“Dhiren!” she squealed. “I told you we should be using dull knives!”
Dhiren chuckled and wiped his hand along his arm, smearing the blood over his skin. The slash she had given him was superficial, but it didn’t make her feel any better about it.
“I should put a dressing on it,” she said.
“I’m fine, George.”
The ground was covered in leaves but Dhiren jumped to snatch one from a low-hanging branch. He placed it over the cut and held it there, rolling his eyes. Georgianna took a seat next to Alec and used a handful of leaves from the ground to clean off the edge of the knife.
“What happened in the meeting?” Alec asked.
“The Cahlven are sending one of their leaders. They told Olless to stay here until they arrive, which Edtroka doesn’t agree with. He thinks we should fight now, as the Adveni will be sending Agrah. He says once they arrive it will be too late.”
Alec stared at her. When she didn’t say anything, he waved for her to continue. She sighed and shrugged.
“Edtroka and Beck are angry that they weren’t told the plan. Three named leaders and they were given no input.”
“E’Troke and Beck were angry,” Dhiren repeated. “What about Keiran?”
Georgianna turned the knife around in her hand and held it out to Dhiren, handle-first. He slotted it into his belt. Since they began their training, he had claimed many times that he didn’t mind a few cuts, but the sight of his blood made her unwilling to try to spill more of it. Alec was right; she was still a medic, after all.
“He didn’t say much. He just listened.”
“I doubt he cares,” Alec sneered. “He’s been hiding behind Edtroka for years, right? Now there’s someone bigger and scarier to do the job. He certainly knows how to choose the side he thinks can protect him best.”
Jumping to her feet, she spun to face Alec.
“Keiran helped free me! He helped gather information against the Adveni and he helped Edtroka in contacting the Cahlven. We weren’t getting anywhere against the Adveni, and Keiran helped change that.”
Alec flushed and bared his teeth, ready to snap back at her. Georgianna stepped further away.
“If you can take down the Adveni without help, Alec, go do it and show us all. Otherwise, stop acting like you know better.”
She turned away before either man could speak. Twigs and leaves crunched under her boots as she stalked back through the trees. Whether she was angry at Keiran or not, whether he ignored her and she him, Georgianna wasn’t going to let Alec or anyone else diminish what he had done.
Behind her, Dhiren chuckled.
“You know, Cartwright, for someone who spent years being beaten for doing something stupid like using the wrong Adtvenis term of respect, you still have a big mouth.”
Georgianna slowed once she was clear of the trees. Certain that Alec wasn’t following her, she made her way along the edge of the lake. She wasn’t in the mood to get into a war of words with him, especially not about Keiran. Fighting wouldn’t help. It wouldn’t bring Keiran back to her.
Shelters had been erected along the shores of Lake Nyquonat in a way that made Georgianna’s heart ache. A lifetime of living on the trail with the changing seasons had left the Veniche skilled at building their shelters from day to day and it seemed that this had not been forgotten under the Adveni reign. They had returned to their old trades without question, like putting on their most comfortable clothes. Those who were skilled with building helped others in creating temporary homes and were paid with meat, clothing, or whatever was to spare.
A troop of Cahlven soldiers accompanied all hunters past the shields, though the Veniche regularly complained about their loud voices and unskilled tracking. The Cahlven didn’t seem to mind the mockery. In fact, some of the soldiers had become regulars around cook fires in the evenings, sharing stories and listening with interest.
Georgianna returned to the tents they’d set up on their arrival. The supplies Edtroka had hidden in Lurinah Forest just north of Adlai were still scattered inside, including clothes, food, weapons, and a medicine pack that he had given to her. Most of the clothes were far too big for her, but in exchange for healing injuries and illnesses amongst the other Veniche, she had managed to get some of them taken in and shortened to fit her more comfortably.
Beck sat in the mouth of a tent, cleaning a rifle with a rag. There were three other weapons on the ground next to him and it was clear he’d been here since leaving the meeting, taking out his frustration on the metal. Lacie sat on his other side, her sunset hair tied back in a neat braid. She stirred a pot of broth and chuckled at something Jacob had said to her. The dark-haired ex-drysta, Jacob Stone, had a collection of plants around him, torn up from their roots. He separated them with nimble and scarred fingers. Georgianna dropped down on the other side of the small fire, reaching out to warm her hands.
“You don’t look happy,” Lacie said.
Georgianna pouted at her.
“Boys are ridiculous.”
Lacie smiled and looked down at her knees. Beside her, Jacob quickly took a deep interest in one of the plants next to him. He spread the leaves apart and plucked off the small buds inside, one by one. Beck chuckled.
“Which one is it, this time?” he asked.
Georgianna grimaced.
“All of them. They either don’t talk or they talk too much.”
He nodded absently and flicked back a switch on the rifle, detaching the clip and setting it on his knee.
“Yes, that meeting was filled with too much talking if you ask me. Too much talking and not enough information.”
Lacie dropped something else into the pot and stirred it before turning to the piles of plants next to Jacob. He handed one to her and she repeated his motions in removing the buds as he watched with an encouraging smile. When Georgianna looked back to Beck he was observing their quiet company with an amused smile.
“Will that change now the Colvohan is coming?” she asked. “There’s no reason to keep plans secret now, is there?”
His laugh was hollow and bitter. He picked up the clip from his knee and gestured with it, waving to the shelters around them.
“When they arrive, I expect the farce of our involvement in this war will finally end. We will be shoved off to the side for our own protection, no doubt.”
“Would that be so bad?” Lacie asked.
Beck placed the clip down at his side and leaned forwards. There was such affection in his face that Georgianna wondered why he had never had a family of his own bef
ore taking Lacie in. He’d never joined, nor had any children. He had always been just Beck before the Adveni arrived.
“If we take no part in this fight, then we will owe the loss or victory entirely to the Cahlven.”
“So?” said Lacie.
“So that will put them in a position of absolute power over us. Which is no better than the situation with the Adveni, now.”
“But what if they’re nice?”
“Physical violence isn’t the only threat of power,” Jacob murmured. “Their manipulation could be quieter and cordial, but it would still make us slaves.”
Georgianna’s eyes widened. Jacob had come out of his shell since beginning to heal, but he was still quiet and private. She rarely heard him speak, especially not in front of people like Beck, who, he had once told her, scared him. Beck gave Jacob an approving nod.
“The boy has it,” he said, ignoring the rising blush on Jacob’s cheeks. “It could start out small but the power would be there. That imbalance would travel generations. They would pass their rules and force their authority by holding this win over us. ‘You’d be slaves to the Adveni if it weren’t for us, so you should let us change this rule to suit us.’ You see?”
“I guess,” Lacie said. “But will that change if we take part? We have such small numbers.”
“The numbers are not as important as you might think.”
“They’re not?”
“No,” Georgianna agreed. She dipped her finger in the broth. Before Lacie could smack her hand away she popped the finger into her mouth and sucked off the juice, grinning at the younger girl. “We have a much better knowledge of the land, of the cities. Our knowledge will help their troops. Their force is in numbers, ours in history.”
Light shot across the sky and the ground trembled beneath them. Beck dropped his rifle and grasped the handle of the pot, holding it steady. The shudders ran in ripples through the ground and lightning forked and flashed over the shield. The giant Cahlven ship looked monstrous with lightning reflected across its smooth, sharp shell. As Georgianna squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, the explosion rocked through her. She lifted her head and glanced at Lacie and Jacob as another flash flooded her eyes with white-hot light.
