I leaped backward as he reached for me with both arms. If he got me on my back, he’d happily pummel my face until it was nothing more than a piece of chopped meat with my brains leaking from my ears. That was his intent: overpower me with sheer brute strength. He may have controlled his arrogance and rage, but he couldn’t control the talela singing in his blood. If I hammered at his gut long enough . . . .
Permitting him to come close, his huge arms reaching, I pumped both my fists into his lower belly. I took his wind once more and the soft muscles surrounding the talela shuddered. But it wasn’t enough to stop him from grasping both my shoulder and my hair. His strength took my breath away as his body struck mine, aiming to pull me down with him. Only my knee to his groin shocked him into releasing me.
Illan’s mouth worked soundlessly as he urked in silent agony. His hands clutched himself as he bent over at the waist, shielding his jewels. I struck him across his left ear not with my fist, but with the heel of my hand. In a move I didn’t expect him to have the strength to consider, he rammed his head into my left shoulder.
Knocked off my feet, I rolled across the sand. My brains rattled from the impact and my shoulder on fire, I staggered upright. I caught my balance with an effort, my collarbone either badly bent or broken. Either way, I could rely on my left arm no longer. I moved it, albeit with difficulty, but that didn’t reassure me much. It could still be broken.
My two hits slowed Illan down. His balls doubling him over and his ear ringing, he staggered toward me with his huge hands reaching. I didn’t try to escape. Instead, I lashed out with stiff fingers into his vulnerable eyes. He voiced a choking scream as blood coursed down his cheeks, effectively blinding him. A man doesn’t need brains to fight, my arms master murmured. But he can’t fight without his eyes.
With only three working limbs, I decided to use the strongest of them. I spun around to his left, ducking to avoid his left arm, and slammed my boot into the side of his left knee. I both heard and felt the crunch under the impact. Illan screamed again and went down, hard.
He hit the sand on his right side, his ham hands leaving his bloody face and cradling his knee, now bent at a peculiar angle. If he could put weight on that leg again, I’d be surprised. Bending, I picked up a rock that filled both my fists. We entered the human arena with no weapons. But nothing was said about finding them already there.
I closed in on him, preparing to bash his arrogant head in with the stone. Blinded, crippled, he lay on the sand as helpless as lamb he once thought I was. Easy prey for the vixen. Sucks to be you, eh?
Illan’s legs lashed out and caught my ankles. The rock spilled from my hands as I tumbled and fell, and struck the ground hard on my broken shoulder. Pain flooded my body. I think I screamed, but I couldn’t be sure. Blind with agony, I thrashed and moaned, trying to get up as Illan’s shadow cast me into darkness.
“Bitch,” he gritted past the blood covering his face. His eyes gleamed though the raw wounds my nails created. Though my fingers raked gashes across them, I hadn’t actually caused permanent damage. He staggered, his injured leg still held him upright and walking. Gods above and below, he’s tougher than I thought.
I read his intent. I was down, helpless, on my back as he wanted. Once he fell on me, my death followed on swift fists. He bent his healthy right knee, ready to plant it in my vulnerable gut. His sheer weight ensured my internal organs would rupture at the same time he beat me to death.
Flailing wildly, I used my legs as pistons to scramble away, out from under his shadow. My hair, oily with sweat, hung in my face. Grinning through his own blood, he followed, bent at the waist. He dove at me with fists at the ready, expecting to fall on my defeated body and finish me off.
I curled my legs tight to my torso, my knees at my throat. As Illan fell with his hams reaching for my neck, my boots caught his hips. Using his own momentum against him, I kicked my legs up and out. I caught a rapid glance of his startled face before I sent his body sailing up and over to slam on his back on the sand.
A long low groan emanated from him as I hastily scrambled to my feet, ready to fight on. I’d no need, however. Illan landed with his spine cracked against the rock I thought to brain him with. Under the blood on his face, the blood under his skin drained away, leaving him blanched and pale. His eyes rolled back in his head as his mouth worked soundlessly. His fingers scrabbled uselessly in the sand and his ankles twitched. So his back wasn’t broken.
“Kill him.”
I turned at the sound of Li’s voice. Through the sound of the roaring crowd and barking dogs, I heard him clearly. He stood beside Kel’Ratan a hundred paces away and didn’t shout. “Kill him. This is a fight to the death. It is our law.”
I turned back to Illan, and knelt beside him. He knew very well what the law meant. I won and he lost. His life was mine. I’d earned it. I fought for it.
His mouth worked again, but this time I recognized the word he fought to speak.
“Please.”
I put my strong right hand on his throat and pressed down. ‘Twas an easy thing to take a helpless man’s life. All it took was enough power to shut off his wind. I could do it without breaking a sweat. Under my hand, his breath cut off. His scratched and bleeding eyes widened in panic, in terror. But he could do nothing to stop me.
“Do you want to live?”
His frantic gaze found mine and held on. He tried to nod as much as his injury and my hand permitted him. His lips formed the word ‘yes’, though no sound emerged from the throat I gripped in my hand. His once deadly fist grabbed my arm and held on. He clung desperately, trying not to shake me from his throat, but rather to pull me toward him. To make me see his capitulation, and grant him clemency.
“Before the gods, do you swear off vengeance?”
Again, he tried to nod. I relaxed my grip enough to permit his voice to utter his oath. “I swear,” he croaked.
“Do you swear to obey your brother in all things?”
His voice grew stronger as hope lifted him higher. “I do so swear . . . my liege.”
I took my hand from his throat. “I have taken your life, Illan,” I said. “I give it back to you. As I show you mercy, so shall you live by mercy. And the oaths you’ve spoken.”
Stiffly, I rose from my knees. My shoulder burned with an inner fire and my right hand ached. Come to think of it, my entire body ached. I felt as though Bar had sat on me for eight hours straight and squished the energy right out of me. The roar of the Jha’fhar grew louder though my sight blurred as Kel’Ratan, Rygel and Witraz bore down on me at the run. Silverruff and Thunder passed them by, barking and growling. Over the ruckus, Li’s voice shot through clearly.
“You must kill him. It is our law.”
I glanced down at Illan and met his panicked eyes. He, too, heard his brother’s demand. Though I willingly spared him, he knew I’d no choice now. I must bow low to the law and kill him where he lay. He nodded once, in acceptance, then shut his eyes. The hand that pleaded in supplication fell across his chest.
As the wolves jumped and kicked sand over Illan, and as Kel’Ratan and Rygel reached me, I raised my head and brushed my hair from my face. Witraz gripped my arm to hold me upright while Kel’Ratan tried to both embrace me and support me. I met Li’s dark eyes and scowl across the human-made arena. I lifted my free arm above my head, willing the crowd to silence.
I waited, patient. Ignoring the voices of both wolves and warriors, I remained silent within the confines of my icy focus. Little by little, the Jha’fhar nomads quieted, and hushed their barking dogs. Horses ceased their neighing and the camels quit spitting as all eyes rested on me. Li frowned, no doubt wondering what I was up to. He was the law, and all bodies jumped when he told them to.
All save me.
“I have shared salt with the Jha’fhar,” I said. Though I spoke well below I shout, I knew all around heard me. “Under the law of salt, I cannot be condemned for any crime.”
Li’s eyes widened. Li
ke his brother, he clearly under-estimated the foreign princess. He expected me to capitulate to his demands, forgetting how he absolved me just that morning. Though I told him I was a troublesome female, he yet compared me to his obedient wives. The fool.
“Thus,” I shouted, my voice ringing throughout the camp, “I commit the crime of sparing this man’s life.”
A ripple ran through the crowds. Heads hung together as murmurs gathered and grew, became excited talk and swelled more until the entire camp of nomads screamed and yelled with excitement. The tribal yii-yii-yiiii yipping exploded as warriors seized horses and galloped around and through the milling folk. Amidst the swirling dust, Li grinned. His teeth flashed white and he bowed low, granting me obeisance. Then a rider brought him a horse, he leaped aboard and galloped away.
“Princess?” Rygel asked at the same time Kel’Ratan said, “Ly’Tana?”
I waved my hand toward Illan. “Heal him,” I said, my voice terse.
The dust raised by the rioting Jha’fhar clogged my nose and throat, bringing stinging tears to my eyes. Holding my injured left arm with my strong right one, I stumbled away, my hair hanging in my face. As I knew that to cough was to create an untold amount of burning agony in my shoulder, I swallowed the pressing urge to do so. Thusly tortured, I turned my steps toward Li’s pavilion. I hoped he didn’t mind my using it again.
Kel’Ratan seized my waist. “Just where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Don’t–“ I tried to say.
He scooped me up into his strong arms before I could finish “–pick me up.”
A warrior wise about injuries and moving those injured, Kel’Ratan tucked my healthy right shoulder against his chest and kept his hands well away from my broken left. His other arm supported my legs, with my sore head nestling comfortably under his chin. I breathed shallowly, afraid of a deep breath on several levels.
Through half-opened eyes, I saw Bar half-jump, half-fly across the former arena, Digger, Witraz, the twins and Alun running on his tail. Silverruff bounced up from behind Kel’Ratan’s bulk to whine in my ear just as Arianne, Tuatha over-spilling her tiny arms, staggered toward us. “Ly’Tana,” she called, her voice all but drowned under the tumult.
“You’re a mean bugger,” Bar said, his flared wings casting us into shade. “I’m bloody proud of you.”
I couldn’t manage either a verbal or mental reply, but his words brought a reluctant grin to my face. I could manage that without agony, anyway.
“Where’s Rygel?” Witraz demanded. “She needs healing.”
“Busy,” Kel’Ratan replied, hustling me toward Li’s massive home.
“But–“ Alun began.
“It’s all good,” Kel’Ratan said. “I made plans.”
His words mystified not just me, but everyone within hearing. No one spoke, whined or hissed as Kel’Ratan ducked under the flap and into the dim luxury of the pavilion. Only Bar remained outside, and he made due by sticking his head under the tent’s doorway to watch as Kel’Ratan knelt on the sheepskin. As though I were a tiny infant, he tenderly and carefully set me on Li’s low cushioned couch.
“Easy, girl,” he murmured as I winced and shut my jaw. Despite his care, the movement sent a shock of pain ripping from my shoulder. Hovering close, Silverruff growled and snapped at an inquisitive Digger as Thunder took up his position on the couch’s far side. Left and Right stood at its foot, identical frowns of worry etched across their features. I tried to reassure them with a smile, but their expressions didn’t alter. Perhaps they hadn’t received my message.
“M’lord,” Witraz grumbled, bending over Kel’Ratan’s shoulder and peering down at me. “Rygel should be here. This isn’t right.”
“What’s he doing anyway?” Alun demanded, glancing over his shoulder toward the door Bar inhabited.
“She commanded him heal Illan,” Kel’Ratan answered, smoothing my hair from my brow.
“That bastard should rot where he lies,” Witraz growled.
When I opened my mouth to protest, Kel’Ratan smiled, and shushed me with his hand on my lips. “Chill,” he said simply. “M’lord?”
“I’m here.”
Like his name, Smoke materialized from somewhere beyond my head; another bedroom I assumed. His warm hand caressed my brow and down my cheek as he knelt. I tried to crane my aching head back to see him properly, but only succeeded in making my shoulder pain flare and my head to pound in heavier strokes.
“No, lady,” he murmured, what little I could see of his face smiling. “Rest now. You’ve turned this place on its head, and I don’t see the story shifting for at least three generations. You’ve singlehandedly created more talela consumption than any other event in Mesaan history.”
I tried to move my lips in objection, but it was Smoke’s hand that silenced me this time. “No, Princess. High time you continued your way north. I’d hate to see what havoc you’d create if you remained here a mere week.”
I tried to mouth the word, “Wait.” I didn’t know if I succeeded and the word actually passed my lips. Despite the token protest, his healing power rushed into my body, and dropped me into warm, comforting oblivion.
Comes a Hero
Chapter 5
I woke abruptly, still curled on the stone floor of the cavern.
The fire had burned down low, the glowing coals still offering some heat. I rose, my bones stiff and aching, and stretched.
“Morning,” Tashira said.
I glanced around at him, my tail thumping the stone floor. “Is it?”
“It’s about an hour after dawn.”
The fire needs attendance by opposable thumbs, I guessed, stretching again with my rump high, and yawned. My joints popped audibly in the silent cave.
“You whimper in your sleep,” Tashira commented.
I changed into my human form. On my feet, I raised my arms over my head, feeling my back creak and shift into place. Cold stone floors were definitely not good places to sleep on. It left all kinds of problems behind.
“Doubtless.”
“With three females on your mind, it’s a wonder you slept at all.”
I snorted laughter. “You do get straight to the point.”
“That’s not a problem I’d want to have. If I had three troublesome females on my mind, I’d go stark raving bonkers.”
I rubbed my arms against the cold and stirred up the fire. I added small sticks until I had a decent flame, then built it up to another conflagration. The chamber warmed up appreciably, and while I was cold, I could stay in my human body without the deadly chill of the previous day.
Running my hands through my shaggy hair, I turned back to him, glancing toward the cave mouth. It appeared entirely blocked by snow. “Did the storm blow itself out?”
“Not quite. The wind quit, but it’s still snowing heavily.”
I grinned. “How do you know?”
He snorted. “Trust me. I know.”
“When do you think the snow will quit?”
“A few hours,” he answered.
“Good,” I said, sitting back down by the fire. “I’m hungry. I’ll need to hunt.”
“About bloody time,” Darius commented.
“I’ll have to dig something out of the snow,” he said, shifting his weight to rest a hind leg. “I’m hungry, too.”
I eyed him. “Just how do you expect to survive? Grass isn’t very thick up here.”
“You’d be surprised at what I can survive on.”
“I’ll kill something for you, if you like.”
His ears all but disappeared into his mane as he pinned them. He glared down at me. “You’re not funny.”
“Of course I am.”
“No, you aren’t.”
“Neither of you has a sense of humor,” I grumbled, tossing another piece of wood on the fire.
“Game should be stirring after the blizzard. Nor can anything move fast in all that snow. You won’t have much trouble catching breakfast.”
“What did he say?” Tashira asked.
“Who?”
“That troublemaker in your head.”
I glanced up in surprise. Tashira snorted, his version of Tarbane laughter. “Your eyes glaze over when he’s talking and you’re listening.”
“They do not glaze over.”
“They do. You should see yourself.”
“See this.” I flipped him the gesture that invited him to do the anatomically impossible. Squatting on my haunches, I stirred the burning wood with a long stick, then tossed a few more in.
“Well?”
“He said I’d have little trouble finding something to eat,” I replied. “Game won’t find an easy escape in all that snow.”
“That’s probably true.”
Talking about food made my belly rumble. I grinned sheepishly and rubbed my stomach. “It’s been a while.”
“How long?”
I pondered. “Five, maybe six days.”
“Digging breakfast out of the snow isn’t one of my favorite pastimes.”
“Lazy sod.”
“Kiss my–”
I tossed him a quick grin, then changed forms. Passing the fire, I nosed about the cave entrance, now completely blocked with snowfall. I listened intently. Outside, the snowflakes still fell, falling lightly, and the muted sunlight informed me thick clouds yet covered the sky. However, I scented a warmth soon to come, perhaps by the early afternoon. I scraped at the loose snow, and dug with both front paws.
Loose snow from above fell into the hole I made, creating an avalanche of thick cold white. It fell inward, buying my head and shoulders in heavy snow. Shaking, I sent ice flying everywhere. The fire spat in reply.
“Dammit,” Tashira snapped.
I wagged my tail, but gazed up at the chimney I created. The cave had brightened a bit, but above the hole I made the snow still fell thickly. Heavy slate-colored clouds met my inspection.
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