by K. F. Breene
They’d reach the Mugdock lands soon, engaging in just one stage of the overall plan. They would be asserting themselves as Chosen at last.
She tore another leaf apart.
All the things that could go wrong filtered through her head, one by one. They were a small host, and even combined with the Shadow, and reunited with more of her people, they wouldn’t have enough. There was no way they’d ever be able to enter into a straight fight with Xandre and win.
So the question was, how could they even up the disastrous odds and stay ahead of an incredibly strategic mind, to complete her life’s duty?
It didn’t seem possible.
But then, it never had. Somehow, she’d made it to Cayan, and together, they’d made it farther than she could ever have expected. Ever hoped.
Taking a deep breath, she allowed a tiny kernel of hope to work into her middle. Her duty still seemed impossible, but…
She let the wind take the fragments of leaf as the two boys drifted within view, quiet as field mice. They stopped a moment. Leilius examined a tuft of grass where she had trodden earlier, then looked around the area, unaware of where to go from there. She hadn’t tried to hide her tracks, but she hadn’t advertised her position, either. She hadn’t wanted to be disturbed by busybodies like Sanders, who had already wandered by an hour ago. He pretended to hate the very thought of her, but then worried when she went missing. He was a severely emotionally repressed individual.
Leilius shrugged. “I think she was here, but then her tracks just vanish.”
“Do you think maybe she made it this far and an animal killed her?” Gracas said with wide eyes.
“There’d be blood, you moron.” Leilius peered through the bushes in front of him.
“Oh yeah.”
“She has to have gone somewhere.” Leilius sounded completely put out.
“What’s the point of finding her, anyway? This isn’t a training exercise. She’ll probably kick us in the head if we disturb her. Remember that time we caught her peeing in the Shadow Lands?”
“She didn’t care that we found her that time. She cared that you pointed at her and stared.”
“Well? How was I supposed to know women squat to pee?”
“You sound like you’re twelve. They don’t have dicks. What did you think they did? Dribble down their legs?”
“She still had her pants on, you idiot.” Gracas punched Leilius. “How the hell was she not peeing all over her clothes?”
“They learn how to do it out of necessity. And they’re smarter than you. It’s a wonder you don’t pee all over your pants even with a dick!”
They were yelling, and if they had been in enemy land, they’d be dead. It was funny, though. And a great distraction. Instead of letting them move on, as they were about to do, she used a soft, raspy voice and said, “Oooooh!”
Gracas jumped so high he was airborne. Leilius dove into the bushes.
Both boys froze for a moment. Not even their eyes moved.
A second later Gracas charged into the bushes directly under Shanti’s location. He stomped the ground like a madman, tearing at foliage and roots and weeds, looking behind and under everything he saw. He never thought to look up.
Leilius, on the other hand, did. His gaze went skyward, looking through the leafy trees. He wasn’t looking high enough, though. She could never jump down on them from her height, so he didn’t think of anything above the lower branches as a threat. He’d forgotten about the use of bows. She’d have to rectify that.
Sweaty, with leaves and branches sticking out of his shirt and the waistband of his trousers, Gracas marched back toward Leilius. Hands on hips, chest heaving, he said, “What the fuck, right? I mean…” He looked around as if his horse had gone missing. “You heard that, right?”
“I’m in a bush, aren’t I?”
“She would’ve pounced on us by now. Shit.” Gracas’ eyes widened. “What if it’s one of those cats? Or one of the beasts?” He froze, his body rigid, staring out to his left, listening. One quiet beat, two…
He jumped at some phantom sound, and then surged right, without any destination in mind. He just sprinted away from whatever imaginary thing he thought he had heard.
Leilius poked his head through the top of the bush like a mole, first looking where Gracas went, then turning just his head, swiveling on his neck, looking back in terror in the direction Gracas had been looking when he startled. He was frozen for a second, listening.
A rodent scurried away into the undergrowth.
“Shit!” Leilius started thrashing, trying to escape the bush, squealing like he was being eaten alive.
Finally escaping, he ran after Gracas, wild and panicked. Shanti just barely heard, “I think I pissed myself…”
Shanti almost fell out of the tree, she laughed so hard. After climbing down, Rohnan drifted out of the brush, having been completely missed by the boys. A moment later, the dying sun caught a flare of bright orange hair as Sonson strode into their vicinity. “Found you.”
“By cheating,” she said, heading back to camp. “Why is everyone looking, that’s the question.”
“Dinner is being set out. The Captain insists that the women get their plates first. I’m hungry. Chop, chop.”
“Mela loves how the women are favored in this land,” Rohnan said softly.
“Whatever keeps them from bitching.” Sonson flashed Shanti a grin.
Shanti rubbed her eyes as she entered the camp. Steam rose from pots set over the fires as stew bubbled. A dozen or so Westwood women awkwardly held spoons as men scooped up their dinner and slopped it onto their bowl. Other men waited for their turn to crowd in and get some grub.
Shanti met Mela at the end of the line. “Where are the other Shadow and Shumas women?”
Mela pointed off to the right. Another campfire was surrounded by women who were happily talking and eating. “The Westwood women made a fuss that the men wanted them to go first. If it hadn’t been for that handsome Captain, the Shadow and Shumas men would’ve agreed with the Westwood women,” she answered in the Shumas language before laughing. “Such foolery. I’m hungry. If these men want me to eat first, I will gladly oblige.”
“The women don’t want to be treated any differently,” Shanti said, noticing Maggie’s surly, defiant expression. “They want to be equal.”
“They fight the same.” Mela shrugged. “That makes them equal. What does eating have to do with it?”
“Their culture is changing. It is a slow process. Instead of being grumpy, however, the women need to realize that at least they weren’t asked to cook. It is a step forward.”
“It would probably taste better if they had,” Rohnan mumbled, eyeing the lumpy brown stew.
“The food is not good?” Mela bent to the side to see the man scooping out the stew. “The food in the city was great.”
“That was made by cooks. This is made by men who have lost their taste buds.” Rohnan looked away, unimpressed.
“Then maybe I’ll have to cook. Or Sayas.” Mela scratched her jaw, contemplative. She loved her food.
Ruisa slowed in passing, holding a dirty bowl from a finished dinner. She nodded at an uncomfortable Alena, hesitantly holding out her bowl at the front of the line. Ruisa shook her head. To Shanti she said, “This chivalry wears off quickly. I tried to tell them all to take these niceties while they can get them, because as soon as these men think of us as warriors, and not woman warriors, they become men again. The spitting and the farting is annoying. I’m going to enjoy this social etiquette stuff while it lasts.”
“Why did you get to eat?” Marc asked as he wandered closer, shooting a scowl at Ruisa. “You’re not new.”
Ruisa gave Mela and Shanti a suffering look. “See? I’m one of the boys. They pretend I don’t have a vagina.” Marc made a face and stepped away. Ruisa gave a sly grin. “And the younger men really hate the word.”
She started walking again, throwing a verbal vagina at Marc as she pa
ssed. He flinched and then scowled harder, staring after her.
“Strange,” Mela said, glancing at the two younger people.
“Yes. It’s best not to question.” Shanti grinned.
“Didn’t need to be said.”
Shanti grabbed two bowls and went to find Cayan. The flap of the tent sprinkled dirt on her as she moved it aside. Cayan, Daniels, and Lucius stood inside, squinting down at a map.
“Dinner.” Shanti set the bowl on the very edge of the makeshift table, careful not to disturb any of the maps. She would’ve put it on the ground if she wasn’t worried about one of the cats—which were lying, curled up, in the corner—getting it.
All three men straightened up and looked at her as if she’d appeared out of thin air. Lucius stretched, not as worried about being as proper in Cayan’s presence. Daniels rolled his neck, keeping his signs of fatigue to a minimum. He clearly pretended that Cayan couldn’t sense his tiredness and desire to be done with the day.
“Are we set for tomorrow?” Shanti asked, sinking to the ground in the corner, cross-legged. Her cat looked in her direction. “Don’t get any ideas, you.” She pointed at it before hunching her food away a little.
“Please excuse me, sir.” Daniels nodded at Shanti as he ducked out through the flap of the tent.
Cayan glanced back down at the map. “It’s a two-day trek. We’ll stick to a relatively unused travel-way. The land is easy to traverse. It mostly skirts along the base of a mountain. I doubt we’ll see anyone tomorrow. That is, if the Mugdock have been taken over, as I fear.”
“You fear? I thought you didn’t get along with the Mugdock?” That was a nice way of putting it. The two peoples had been at war for generations. Shanti speared a soft potato.
“No one deserves to be taken over.” Cayan took up his bowl and handed it to Lucius.
“No, go ahead.” Lucius waved the stew away. “I’ll get mine shortly. I’m sure they’ll save some for me.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Shanti warned. “The younger men can eat more than is natural.”
“More than Sanders?” Lucius grinned and made for the flap. “I can’t believe it.”
Shanti noticed his grin and the elation pouring off him as he left. He wasn’t like most of the others, somber and slightly anxious. He was almost joyous at the prospect of action.
She shook her head and speared a soggy carrot. “He’s happy you brought him. He can do more than fret in a prison cell, is that right?”
“Yes. I should’ve left him behind to help run things. A lot falls on Commander Sterling, but…” Cayan lowered to the ground next to Shanti, for once adopting her way. Usually he’d insist on bringing over a chair and getting her out of the dirt.
“You want a childhood friend around, or is it you couldn’t deny him coming?” Shanti nudged Cayan with her shoulder. “Getting soft, Captain.”
Cayan nudged her back. “Both, I think. I thought he’d died at one point. That…hit me. I didn’t make the decision with logic, as I should’ve.”
“We’re human. Sometimes we need to feel our way instead of think it.”
“I’ve come to that conclusion.” Cayan gave her a sideways glance before digging his fork into a piece of meat. “What do you think we’ll find in the Mugdock lands?”
Shanti’s hunger evaporated. She pushed the contents of her bowl around. “You were there when we took down the Inkna-occupied city. You saw it firsthand.”
Cayan’s eyes went distant. A spark of rage flared inside him. He bent to his bowl and lifted a piece of carrot slowly to his mouth.
“We should have less trouble than with that city,” Shanti said quietly, forcing herself to eat. “From what I’ve heard, the Mugdock don’t have much of worth. The Inkna or Graygual will only be there as a gathering point closer to the Westwood Lands. I doubt Xandre has filled it with competent fighters. Not yet, anyway. As you said, he couldn’t have moved so many across the land that fast. Not without us hearing about it.”
Cayan didn’t speak for a moment. He finished the rest of his meal in silence, and then just sat for a moment, waiting for Shanti. When she’d finished, he rose and helped her up before opening the flap for her to pass through.
“Your women are unhappy you let them eat first,” Shanti said, forcing a lightness to her voice she didn’t feel.
“They aren’t used to army life, and the cooks never make enough the first couple nights. I didn’t want them to be pushed to the back and then go hungry. Plus…I want them to fight for their pecking order. I don’t want it given to them.”
“But aren’t you giving it to them now by making them go first?”
“I’m making them angry. The anger will overcome any hesitation to assert themselves. Hopefully. Do you want to sleep among your people, or inside my tent?”
Shanti slowed as her cat glided ahead of her. Two army men backed out of the way, and then swiftly changed direction. Cayan’s people were still leery about the animals.
Cayan’s expression was unreadable, and strangely, so were his emotions. She couldn’t decipher what his intentions were. “Why, don’t you want me with you?” she asked.
She could barely make out the ghost of his dimples in the flickering firelight. “I will stay with you. I wondered if you wanted us to be among your people?”
“Oh.” His forearm was smooth as she let her fingers drift down and into his hand. She wrapped her fingers between his. “Your tent. I was never one of the pack in that regard. It has always made me stand out.”
“And Rohnan?”
“He’ll probably stay with one of the women. Which one, I have no idea. He always has more than a few options.”
Cayan’s deep chuckle drifted into the night. “Then let’s retire. I have some things I want to do with you.”
As always, her worry about what lay ahead shed from her like a coat in summer. Cayan’s gentle tug into their secluded quarters turned into a loving embrace and a deep kiss. His hands roamed her body before shedding her clothes, coating her skin in a soft touch. She slipped into their furs and accepted him between her legs, sighing when his body entered hers. It was hard to imagine she could ever cross the line into being the monster Xandre could create with Cayan to keep her grounded.
Hard, but not impossible.
Her climax stole her breath, but the horrors Xandre was capable of were not erased from her mind. The worst might yet be to come.
7
Sanders held up his hand to stop the train of horses behind him. He braced in his saddle as Shanti jumped off her horse—that bastard animal who wouldn’t let her ride any other stallion, regardless of the fact that he was still injured. She paused beside him and placed a hand on his foot.
Her gaze scanned down the line. “There are bodies within our mental range,” she said in a low voice. “I think they are Graygual. I can’t be certain from just their minds, but there is a familiarity that I wouldn’t have with the Mugdock. It is likely this place has been conquered, as Cayan thought.”
“Okay.” That was why they were here.
“I realize your people don’t like the Mugdock, but they are not complete strangers. There is no telling what we will find in that city. If the Graygual are of a lesser caliber…it might not be something your army will want to witness. Knowing the victims, no matter how disliked, will hit harder.”
Sanders blew out a breath and leaned back. “What are you thinking?”
She glanced back at Cayan, and then at Rohnan. “We’ll take a team closer to feel what we can. If possible, we’ll go so far as it takes to be able to see. It depends on whether there are Inkna. We’ll take the hardest fighters in first, and see what we’re up against.”
“And you’re asking me which are the least sentimental?” Sanders turned in his saddle. The more experienced men would have no problems. His gaze skittered across a few of the women, and kept going. Except for one.
He did a double take on Maggie. She sat straight and tall in her saddle, her eye
s hard, her mouth set. In one hand she held an explosive, not armed. She was fast and deft at mixing the chemicals now, with perfect timing in her throw. More than that, she was open to the ways of the army, to the Shadow, and somehow fit with Shanti’s people. She was a career man, dick or not.
He nodded to himself before scanning the boys and picking out another handful of people. “Horses?”
“No. We go on foot.” Shanti tapped his toe. “My damn horse might follow anyway, though. I can’t get rid of the bastard.” She turned back to the Captain.
Sanders jumped down from his saddle and rounded up those he’d chosen. If it proved to be too many, he knew who he’d leave behind, in order. As he motioned Maggie down, Alena said, “What about me?”
Sanders didn’t bother looking at her. “No. Thank me later.”
“But—”
Sanders caught her gaze as his temper rose.
“Don’t push it when he looks at you like that,” Marc mumbled, turning his gaze to the horn of his saddle. “Trust me.”
Alena’s mouth had already snapped shut, though. Unlike the boys, she wasn’t an idiot.
“Let’s go.” Sanders led the dozen to a gathering in front of the horses at the head of the line. Half the Shadow, all the Shumas, and the higher officers waited on Sanders to stop within their fold.
The Captain said, “We are going in waves. Shanti, myself, and her kin will go in the first wave. Sonson, organize your team to follow.” Sonson reached back to tie his hair in a bun at the top of his head. The Captain’s piercing blue eyes hit Sanders. “You will come with Shanti and I, and Lucius will lead our army. You’ve been within the Shumas before.”
Sanders grunted. It was disconcerting when a group of people expected you to know what they were doing without actually telling you. It involved so much more work than just talking.
He got all the shitty jobs.
“We are just gathering knowledge,” the Captain said to those gathered. “We will not be engaging, if at all possible. I want to know what we’re up against.”
