by Davis Ashura
“Not all of them,” the one named Li-Choke said, coming to his feet. “Only the Baels and a fistful of Tigons.”
“Why are you here?” Rukh asked.
“To exterminate you Humans,” Li-Choke said with a grin. Sign did not find him amusing. “Mother commanded that I bring a Shatter north to kill any who escaped Her vengeance. As usual, the Baels have decided to interpret Her wishes in our own fashion.”
“What do you intend to do?” Jessira asked.
“Mother visited me just before I ran into Laya Grey,” Li-Choke answered. “She claimed to have killed any who had escaped your city from the west. She said a few hundred remain of those who fled to the east.”
Sign missed the rest of what the Bael said. A few hundred? Out of forty thousand, that was all that was left? So few. Her eyes welled, and she shared a look of horrified loss with Court. How would they survive? Their people were all but extinct.
“And your suggestion is for us to make for the River Gaunt, where it meets River Heart, and hope some Tigons might save us?” Farn said, his voice a growl of distrust. He stood directly in front of Li-Choke, a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Maybe instead, you can explain why I shouldn’t cut you and your ‘brothers’ down right here and now.”
“My suggestion isn’t without peril,” Choke said, sounding unperturbed by Farn’s threat. “There is a Fracture in that area, but only one. The rest of the Shatter will be otherwise occupied. It is your best chance to escape.”
“We know him,” Jessira said to Farn. “We trust him. You were there when his SarpanKum spared my life and those of my brothers. They weren’t lying then. Choke’s not lying now.”
“I agree. I think we should trust him,” Rukh said.
Sign looked to Cedar, waiting on his judgment.
“I don’t see how we have much choice,” Cedar said with a sigh. “We’re going north to the confluence of the River Heart and the River Gaunt.”
Sign would have expected Farn to ask the opinion of one of the other Kummas, but surprisingly, he turned to Jaresh. “What do you think?”
“I trust Rukh, and he trusts the Bael,” Jaresh replied.
Farn looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. “Fine,” he said as he unclenched his hand from his sword. “I don’t like it, but I do remember this Bael and what Rukh said about him. We’ll go north.” He turned and pointed a threatening finger at the Baels. “But if anything goes wrong, I’ll come back from death’s door and take all of you with me.”
*****
They picked up another sixty-nine Strongholders during their journey to where the River Heart emptied into River Gaunt. Adding them to their original sixty-two, perhaps only one hundred thirty-one out of forty thousand of their people had survived this morning’s slaughter. It was a loss too terrible to put to words, but Cedar had no time to dwell on his grief. He had to lead his people, save them from the noose of Chims ranged throughout the hills and valleys surrounding Stronghold.
Thus far, they had managed the journey north without coming across any more Chims. It was a minor miracle, even with Li-Choke’s promise to keep his forces away from the confluence of the Rivers Heart and Gaunt. Cedar didn’t trust entirely the Bael, not after all the terrible events of the day, and he certainly didn’t expect their luck to hold out. Only an hour earlier, while pinned against the shore of an oxbow lake, he had been certain they had been discovered. A claw of Tigons — herding Bovars harnessed to a large number of wagons — had passed by close enough to count the cats’ teeth.
Even finding the canoes and large rafts Li-Choke had promised ready and waiting along the shoreline of River Heart hadn’t settled Cedar’s fears. Only when his people were on the water and far from here would he believe they might actually survive this disaster. Several of the watercraft had already been launched, and Cedar silently urged those still boarding to greater speed. The center of his back tingled uncomfortably.
His people were tightly packed on a thin sliver of a beach. Around them loomed the walls of a river canyon, widening where the two waters merged. The cliffs extended east and west along the length of the Gaunt, but along the near eastern shore where they stood, the sandstone bluffs slouched down into the water in a gradual tumble of shale and wagon-sized boulders. To the north, mounded hills marched off into the distance, gradually giving way to scalloped mountains. The light was dying with sunset less than an hour away. Shadows stretched long, but on the ravine’s floor, a dismal gloom already held sway. A dull, ceaseless thunder echoed along the canyon’s wall from the whitewater rapids as the Gaunt raced downhill, over partially submerged boulders, and through a constriction directly to the east.
Cedar watched as another raft was launched. It raced away, making it through the center of the narrowing channel before being lost to view. None of the Ashokans had yet taken to the water. They stood facing back in the direction from which they had come, bows uncased and arrows nocked.
“Just a few more rafts, and all our people will have boarded,” Jessira shouted to him over the rushing roar of the rivers pouring together.
Cedar nodded acknowledgement. Just a little bit longer.
As if in response to his burgeoning hope, from the bluffs to the south rose the hooting cries of Balants. Cedar’s gaze snapped in the direction of the sound. Standing atop the mesas, were Balants, Tigons, and Ur-Fels dancing about with excitement.
Cedar’s heart sank. Their luck had run out. Down on the floor of the ravine, hundreds of Chims appeared. They had their quarry in sight, and they swarmed down the banks of the Heart; minutes away. The basso roar of a Bael calling the Fan Lor Kum to battle rumbled on the wind.
“Get the women and children aboard first!” Cedar shouted. “Warriors of Stronghold, form a line. Bows!”
Farn Arnicep was also calling for his Ashokans to battle. Their bows were held in steady hands. The Kummas clustered in groups of two and three, standing eerily silent. “Watch our backs,” Farn said to Cedar. “Keep them off the bluffs so they can’t get at us from behind. We’ll hold the ravine.”
“There’s too many to fight on your own. You’ll be destroyed.”
Farn unlimbered his bow. “We’ll hold as long as we must,” he said with grim determination.
“We can help,” Cedar insisted. “We aren’t cowards.”
“I know,” Farn said, “but bravery alone won’t win this day. Your warriors would do the most good on the cliffs.”
Cedar nodded reluctantly, knowing Farn was right. “We’ll keep them off your backs,” he promised. He was about to lead his warriors to the slopes of the surrounding bluffs, but he paused and turned back. “Thank you, Farn,” he said, staring the Kumma in the eyes and infusing his words with all the gratitude he could muster.
Farn briefly squeezed Cedar’s shoulder before turning away.
*****
It had been weeks since Aia and her brothers had found Rukh and Jessira in the wilds to the west of the Privations. After their initial meeting, the Kesarins had left the two Humans, wanting to see the high country where so few of their kind had ever been. Their exploration had been a revelation. The mountains were ominous and powerful, with jagged rocks and swift running water. They could end the life of the unwary as easily as any predator. And while game was plentiful, it was hard to catch. Mountain goats could evade the Kesarins without any effort. Lunging down steep cliffs or climbing ragged hills was not something at which Kesarins excelled. Thankfully, herds of antelope and deer also made their homes along the shoulders and valleys of the high country. They were slow and tasty.
Eventually, Aia had seen enough of the lonely mountains. It was time to go and reclaim her Human.
This morning Aia and her brothers had intended to meet Rukh and Jessira in the hills north of the stifling caverns in which he denned, but those plans had quickly went awry. Nails had clawed their minds. A howling scream had reverberated over the mountains. The Demon Wind. Aia and her brothers had fled, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit her fear.
No one challenged the Mistress of the Nobeasts, the Sorrow Bringer as the Humans named Her.
Later, when they felt themselves a safe distance away, Aia had time to worry about Rukh. She searched for his thoughts and found them seething with anger and implacable resolve. Rather than flee from the Demon Wind, her Human had placed himself directly in Her path. For a moment, Aia had wondered if Rukh actually planned on fighting the Sorrow Bringer. Thankfully, he had only worked to save as many of his kind as he could. Eventually, Rukh had retreated along with his mate and several others.
Afterward Aia and her brothers had no time to spare for idle thoughts. The hills crawled with Nobeasts. There were far too many for three Kesarins to handle on their own. Even the entire Hungrove Glaring might not have been able to defeat so many. Once again, Aia, Shon, and Thrum had been forced to flee. It left a bad taste in all their mouths. The Kesarins were hunters. They were never hunted, and to behave as prey was to be humiliated.
There finally came a time when the Demon Wind left, and it was then that Thrum had argued with Aia when she suggested they help the Humans by killing any Nobeasts who threatened them. To her brother, it made no sense. What were the Humans to them? They owed them nothing, but Aia was firm in her decision. It was something Rukh would have done, and for some reason, his opinion was important to her.
*They will die if we don’t help them,* Aia said. *The Nobeasts seek to finish what their Mistress started. They will kill all the Humans.*
Shon’s ears wilted in sorrow. *Even my Jessira?*
*Even she,* Aia replied.
*They are as numerous as blades of grass,* Thrum said. *Choose another. What difference if these two happen to perish?*
*Because Jessira is mine,* Shon declared. *She will not be eaten.*
*And Rukh is mine. So we will help them.*
*How?* Shon said, ignoring Thrum’s disgusted snarl.
Aia shrugged, a hooding of her eyes. *We’ll know how when the time is right.*
The decision made, the three Kesarins tracked Rukh and Jessira’s company, watching from a distance. The Humans were skilled at hiding but a few Nobeasts managed to pick up their trail. These, Aia and her brothers killed. It felt good to go on the attack after spending most of the day running.
Eventually, Rukh and Jessira were joined by a host of other Humans.
*Is it another glaring?* Thrum asked.
*I thought those who lived in the deep, dank hole in the mountain were their glaring,* Shon said.
*No. These are ones who escaped the Demon Wind,* said Aia. *The ones Rukh helped save. He is the finest of them.*
*No. The finest of them is Jessira, his mate,* Shon noted.
Aia blinked, not sure what her brother was implying.
*As his mate, she must be finer since he chose her,* Shon explained.
Aia rumbled laughter. *You are wise, Shon. The female is always the finer.*
Thrum whoofed laughter as he thumped Shon on the head. *Simpleton.*
The two males tussled for a bit, ending their play when Shon planted a victorious paw on Thrum’s chest.
*They’re moving,* Aia said. Thrum took the opportunity to turn the tables on his brother. Aia hissed, quieting both of them. *Let’s go.*
They followed as the Humans made their way to the confluence of two great rivers. The three Kesarins stood on a nearby summit and watched.
The Humans — almost entirely females and young ones — sought to escape the Nobeasts by floating down the frothy water on spindly pieces of wood — an idea of utter insanity. Other Humans — mostly males — stood facing back in the direction from which they had come. They formed a thin wall, defying the countless Nobeasts racing toward them. Some of the Demon Wind’s creatures even had the heights. They would indeed finish what their Mistress had begun, and yet the Humans refused to yield.
Fools. Why didn’t they flee on their strange, floating, wooden splinters?
And her Human, the greatest lackwit of them all, was scaling the hills with his mate. They planned on fighting. For a moment, Aia wondered what drove the Humans to such foolhardy feats. Was it courage or idiocy? No Kesarin would have risked death on behalf of others the way Rukh and his fellow Humans did.
Once again, Aia sensed his determination. It was like when he had faced the Demon Wind: he wouldn’t quit until he was either dead or he had accomplished his goal. Many of the other Humans felt the same way.
Aia wondered at their unwavering selflessness.
*They will fight so many?* Thrum asked in surprise.
*Rukh nearly killed himself caring for his mate,* Aia said.
*Odd,* said Thrum.
*Do you think they feel so deeply for us?* Shon asked.
*No,* Aia said, *but they can.* She bounded off to where she saw Rukh ascending the shoulder of a boulder-strewn hill. *We will still defend them!*
*****
Rukh was barely panting when he crested the tumbled down cliff. The Silversuns and Shadowcats and other warriors of Stronghold were right behind him. They had to hold the line here, a thin ridge, no more than fifteen feet wide. There was a steep falloff to either side; into River Heart on one and a rocky, maze-like canyon on the other. Only by descending the incline Rukh had just climbed, could the Chims have a chance to get behind the Ashokans and destroy them. The Strongholders couldn’t allow it. They had to defend this position as long as possible; fight off hundreds of Chims with their bare three dozen. Terrible odds, but it was Devesh’s way.
As Durmer Volk would have said ‘Life only grows easy when we die’. Rukh smiled in remembrance. The past was a rose-tinted heaven, so much sweeter than today’s carnage and pain.
“What a fragging, terrible reunion,” Jaresh said as he reached the summit.
“Why aren’t you with the other Ashokans?” Rukh asked in surprise. He still had trouble believing Jaresh was actually here. Any other time, he would have been overjoyed to see him and hear stories from home. Today was not one of those moments. He was grateful for the presence of his fellow Ashokans — without them, the Strongholders would have long since perished — but part of him wished they had never come. At least that way, Jaresh, Farn, and all the rest of them would be safe.
“You’re my brother. Family should fight alongside one another,” Jaresh said with a grin. “Besides, Amma and Nanna would kill me if I came home without you.”
Rukh smiled. “So now it’s you who protects me?”
“It goes without saying,” Jaresh said.
Jessira reached the top of the cliff along with the rest of the Stronghold warriors. “Why aren’t you with the Ashokans?” she asked of Rukh. “You could Annex with them.”
Rukh’s heart thudded. Jessira had lost everything, but nothing in her expression revealed her pain. Her eyes and stance were focused and unyielding. She would die here on this ridge if it would see her people survive. Her presence in his life was a precious blessing. “You’re my wife. My place is by your side.”
Wordlessly, Jessira took his hand and squeezed it in gratitude as she rested her forehead against his.
“We’ll make it,” he whispered to her, his words a prayer.
Cedar had already set the other warriors in their positions. Only seconds remained before the Chims were within bowshot range. What looked like a several hundred of Suwraith’s warriors rumbled along the clifftops toward them, the Tigons in the lead. “I need you to hold the center of the line,” Cedar said to Rukh.
“I’ll stand with him,” Jessira said.
“I wish I had one of Durmer’s aphorisms right now,” Jaresh said. “A moment like this demands one of his pithy warrior phrases.”
“There is an old one that should do,” Rukh said. He filled his lungs and shouted, “Unto the last breath, wield the wild sword and scream defiance!”
There was moment’s pause before the warriors answered, Jaresh the loudest of them. “Until the sun’s demise or Suwraith’s death, we war!” they responded.
Rukh conducted Jivatma, letti
ng it fill him. Time slowed, the world grew sharper, as the skies reddened with the setting sun. The ominous creaks of bows pulled back to their full length grew louder. He Shielded, and his hands glowed with Fireballs.
“Now!” Cedar shouted.
Rukh hurled Fireballs, incinerating the center of the first two rows of the oncoming Chims. Bows twanged. Arrows took down dozens of the beasts. Many more replaced them. A guttural roar shook the air.
*****
It had taken the Kesarins time to skirt the Nobeasts — race downhill to the banks of the larger river, then up the incline of the crumbled cliff. Finally, Aia, Thrum, and Shon arrived upon the slip of stone where Rukh, Jessira, and some of the other Humans battled an endless swarm of the Demon Wind’s creatures.
Arrows filled the sky, and the air burned with balls of fire. Rukh.
The Kesarins roared. Their deep-throated cries rose above the battle’s din, and for a moment, both sides halted as they sought the cause of the sounds. Aia didn’t give the Nobeasts a chance to prepare themselves. She ran full speed. Alongside her was Shon, a tawny blur, and Thrum, a russet shadow. They leapt the Humans and charged. Tooth and claw ran red with the blood of Nocats, Nodogs, and Nosnakes. Even the horned Kezins died beneath the sudden, vicious attack by Aia and her brothers. The Nobeasts faltered. Their charge broke, and they pulled back.
It bought the Humans precious moments to regroup and retreat. Aia led her brothers back to their line, facing the Nobeasts the entire time. *I couldn’t let you fight alone,* she said to Rukh, who appeared stunned to see her.
*No one kills my Human,* said Shon.
Except for Rukh and Jessira, the rest of the Humans had pulled back from the Kesarins. Fear poured off them like smoke from a fire, but down below where more Humans battled, many of them had minds that were strangely quiet. Aia couldn’t understand why their thoughts were silent.
