Raene and the Three Bears (The Alder Tales Book 2)

by RS McCoy

  Then she realized how it looked. She’d spent the night in Hale’s tent, in borrowed clothes, only to be dragged away by Da in the morning. They had words for such women in Pyrona, though Raene had never thought to have anyone think them about her.

  A second later, Hale cupped his hand against her cheek. His sage-green eyes were soft and wounded, like he thought he’d personally offended her. Raene felt her humiliation fade to warmth under such a gaze. She closed her eyes as he whispered, “You will never be treated this way again. I’ll make sure of it.” Despite the morning chaos, Raene felt her pulse slow and her anxiety slip away, if only a little.

  “Time to go!” Da interrupted with an invincible smile. “Let’s go, child,” he said to Raene.

  Raene tried to pull her hands from Hale’s, but he held tight. “Just stay calm. Don’t let anyone get you fired up. The Mother will protect you. You’ll be fine.” Then she realized he worried she would transition in anger again.

  He couldn’t know how she shared that worry.

  “I’ll do my best,” she replied, though it sounded inadequate, even to her. When she could stall no longer, Raene turned to go, but that didn’t keep Hale from planting a sweet kiss on her cheek.

  Raene tensed in surprise. She hadn’t expected such a display of affection from him, especially not after their already tumultuous morning. As always, Hale was calm and confident in himself. He smiled warmly as she left, and she was not at all sure if she should kiss him back.

  Following behind Da, Raene put her hand over her cheek, at a loss as to all that had happened this morning. When she looked up, she saw Parson standing before his tent, watching her pass without a word. Their eyes connected for a moment, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d seen Hale kiss her.

  Raene dropped her hand and continued to hurry after Da and Lathan, both marching through the camp like they were on their way somewhere very important. She trotted to catch up.

  On the edge of camp, Da pulled himself up into the driver’s seat of an alder wood cart with wheels as high as her chest. At the front, two pairs of horses stood waiting in their harnesses. In the back were boards of rough-cut alder wood, long enough to build a house. Even Raene knew such wood was insanely valuable.

  “Up here with me, my daughter,” Da said with an amused smile and an outstretched hand. Raene didn’t like to be addressed as his daughter, but she knew he didn’t mean it unkindly. She accepted his hand and hoisted herself into the seat beside him.

  “Today, we meet a Hydra clan for a trade. It’ll be good for you to see how our clan works.” Da didn’t wait for a response as he grabbed hold of the reins and snapped them to spur the horses into motion. “And I thought you could use a day away from them.” He leaned in and said it like a secret despite how he yelled over the rumble of horse hooves.

  Raene kept both her hands clasped on the cart rail to keep from bouncing around so much, but soon enough, the horses settled into an easy trot. Great big alder trees passed one by one, and every few minutes, she’d find a stray beam of morning sunlight that managed its way through the canopy. Even in the shadows, the lovely alder blooms colored the branches so that it appeared they moved under a stunning pink ceiling.

  “Parson told me what happened at the cut yesterday,” Da announced quite suddenly.

  Raene’s mouth fell open for a half-second as the shock struck her. Parson had kept her transition from Hale only to tell Da? She should have known he wouldn’t really keep her secret. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” she said in her defense.

  Da’s happy smile faded into a confused look. “What ever do you mean, my child?”

  Oh no.

  With a cringe, she realized she’d misunderstood. “What did Parson say?” She hoped distracting Da with questions would make him forget the idea entirely.

  “That he suggested you choose Hale as your husband.”

  Oh, that.

  “Yes, he did.” Raene worked to keep the wound hidden. She had no real desire to marry Parson, but it hurt that someone—even him—would reject her so easily.

  She was lucky that at least Hale seemed interested in getting to know her.

  “You don’t know my sons well yet, but you will. And you’ll learn they are all good men. Lathan has a bear’s quiet presence, and his senses are second-to-none. Parson has the strength and rage of his bear, though he’s also fiercely protective. And Hale has a bear’s size and keen mind. They are all bears, but they are all so different. You’ll have to know them better to see it. I’m sure Parson meant no disrespect. He said it because he thought it was right.” Da smiled, as if he was proud of Parson. “But I want to be clear. Your uncle and I agreed, and on this point he was adamant. Your husband is to be of your choosing.”

  “I understand.” It wasn’t much of a decision anymore; there was nothing Raene could do about it now.

  “Do you? The choice is yours, Ms. Randal. You can have any Frane son you like. Technically, you could even choose Lathan.” Da nodded to where Lathan and a half-dozen other young men each rode horses to the side and rear of the cart. “But to tell you the truth, I would absolve the contract before allowing it. Still, the choice is yours.”

  Raene blinked at him. “Are you suggesting I choose a husband that doesn’t want me?” Surely he didn’t mean for her to choose Parson after he’d already declared his disinterest in her?

  “I’m suggesting you know the specifics of your arrangement before you make your decision. They are both good men. They will both make good husbands. It will be up to you to decide what you want.”

  Raene didn’t know what to say to that, but Da didn’t let her sit in silence for long.

  “Your uncle must care for you greatly to make such a trade for you. I’ve never seen such conditions for a marriage arrangement.”

  “That didn’t keep him from sending me away.” The words tasted like vinegar, and she regretted them as soon as they passed her lips, but she knew they were true nonetheless.

  “Ah, but that’s the way of it, my dear.” Da’s voice turned from amused to soothing, like Olin’s would have been. “In the beginning of the realm, when a trade was made, daughters would often steal away to their home clans. To secure their trades, the clans agreed that they would draw up contracts, and the daughters would never see home again. It was the only way to assure loyalty to the receiving clan. The long-distance trades are the most sacred because they are the most secure, as yours is. It is a great honor to have such an alliance, for you and Blossom both.”

  Raene didn’t feel honored. She felt discarded, thrown to the wind without a care. Of course, she knew better, but that didn’t keep her from feeling that way.

  When Da went quiet, Raene thought she was in the clear, but of course, she wasn’t that lucky. “Now, what is it you wanted to tell me, dear?”

  Raene groaned inwardly. She was usually so much more careful than this. Since when did she get herself into these situations? All her years of careful practice and coyness, and she’d let it all go to waste after only a few days in the Bear Clan.

  “I transitioned at the cut yesterday, after Parson—”

  When Da’s eyebrows went up in surprise, Raene knew he hadn’t heard a word of it from Parson or anyone else. Raene had shot her own damn foot.

  For the first time since she’d met him days before, Da appeared genuinely concerned. “Do you see that young man there?” He pointed to the brunette boy riding a sandy mare at the back of their group. When Raene nodded, Da continued, “That’s Endel Carson of the Bear Clan. Along with his sisters, he has a beaver totem. He is a talented carpenter, and even at only fifteen, he’s been a great asset to us at the cut.”

  Raene nodded, at a loss to why he was telling her all this.

  “That one there is Tanner Grace, a green anole. Do you know what that is?”

  “A small lizard,” she answered over the trotting hooves of the horses.

  Da nodded. “And him, Orren Dean, a possum. Asla there is a
n elk. Loren is the last of a family of raccoons. The Connors are rabbits. You see, my daughter, within the Bear Clan, there are many totems. Some small, some large, some slow, some fast, but all of them are here for the protection of the bears. They live and work amongst us so that we will keep them from harm. My sons and I each took an oath to protect any member of our clan from danger. As one of the Bear Clan, you must always be the protector, never the predator.”

  Raene felt shame creep into her chest and settle there. She killed an elk, and she just as easily could have killed any of the totems with them now. Maybe Olin had been right. Maybe she should have run. Sooner or later, she would kill someone.

  Because at her core, Raene knew—she was a predator. She had claws for slicing and teeth for ripping. She had ears that could find any prey and strong, agile legs to chase down any that dared run from her. She was a tiger, a killing machine.

  But that wasn’t what Da wanted her to be. “I understand,” she replied. It would be hard to stifle her urges, but she would do it. She had no choice. She couldn’t be a murderer.

  Raene could only imagine the look on Hale’s face when someone told him that she’d killed a person. Not an innocent in the forest, but a member of his clan. A person he’d known his whole life. Or worse, what if he saw her do it? Not even Hale could be kind to her after witnessing such violence.

  “I’m glad to hear it, my daughter. I trust we won’t have to have this discussion again.” Despite Da’s gentle nature, his warning was clear enough.

  Simply thinking about how she couldn’t transition into her tiger form made her want it more. Da couldn’t have known how his words would trigger her desire to run and hunt and kill. Less than a day after losing control, the urge grew within her again. Only this time, she knew how to get it to quiet—the one thing Da forbid.

  As Hale suggested, she did her best to stay calm. There was nothing to be angry about, she reminded herself. Da was merely pointing out facts she already knew—she couldn’t go around killing everyone.

  Raene let herself get lost in the rolling motion of the cart and the rhythmic clop of the four horses before them. Thankfully, Da turned to one of the other boys on horseback beside them and chatted with him a while, leaving her to concentrate on the air going in and out of her lungs.

  At midday, Lathan whistled. Like a well-choreographed procession, the horses and the cart stopped. The loudness of their motion became the quiet of the forest. Raene wondered if maybe he’d heard something—some danger, some threat to them. She perked her tiger ears but couldn’t discern more than the usual sounds: bird wings fluttering, frog songs, and tiny feet scurrying across branches high above. Nothing out of place.

  For a good minute, no one moved. Then, somehow signaled, the six horse-riders dismounted in unison. Raene turned to watch as they each tied their horse to the side of the cart before working to pull the rough-cut boards from the back. In pairs, they put the boards on their shoulders and maneuvered them into the open space far to the front of the cart. Without ceremony, they set them into neat piles before returning to the cart for more.

  “What are we doing?” Raene finally asked Da.

  “Trading with Hydra,” he stated, as if it was obvious.

  Raene wondered if maybe Da was starting to lose his senses. Surely this random clearing in the Alderwood wasn’t a suitable place to exchange illegal lumber with another branch. Besides, it wasn’t like there were actually any Hydras present.

  The clan was still unloading the wood when the first glimpses of blue appeared. From the west, a similar procession neared the clearing. Rather than horses, the Hydra men rode camels, and one toward the back was seated high on the back of an elephant. The sight of it only reminded her of the elephant that stopped her from killing Olin at the Syndicate building.

  She winced at the memory.

  At the far edge of the clearing, the Hydra men stopped and dismounted. From the sides of their animals, they unlatched bushels of straw, jugs of water, and dozens of other plants lashed into bundles. Like an intricate dance, the Terra men set about collecting the Hydra goods while the Hydra men worked to pull the alder boards onto some sort of sled hitched behind the elephant.

  No one spoke until an older Hydra man approached. His facial hair was cut along his jaw line but shaved in the center of his chin. He wore a long, cerulean shirt that somehow turned into wide pants that swished when he walked.

  Da climbed down from the cart to meet him. The two stood with shoulders clasped.

  “There are shortages—” the Hydra man began before Da put up a silencing hand.

  “Not to worry, old friend. Our clans have traded for decades and will continue to do so for decades more.”

  “Thank you, Argeran. We’re working on it, I assure you. Next time will be better.” He shot Raene a suspicious glare but didn’t make mention of her Pyro attire.

  “I have no doubt of it,” Da answered with his classic playful smile. They each nodded to the other before returning to their respective parties.

  When Da was seated, Lathan approached Raene’s side of the cart. “You should tell him we’ll have a smaller lot if he keeps this up. We can’t trade a full lot of wood for a half lot of supplies.”

  “Let me handle it.” Da waved him off.

  “If you don’t tell him now, he’ll be offended at the next trade. You should give him some warning,” Lathan continued.

  Raene felt put in the middle of an uncomfortable situation yet again. The two men arguing across her put her even less at ease until she could take no more. She launched herself from the cart and landed on both feet behind Lathan. When he turned and blinked at her, Raene smoothed out her pants and said, “I’d like to ride a horse on the way back.”

  “Very well, Lathan can sit here with me. We have much to discuss.” Da pointed toward the cinnamon-colored horse tied to the side of the cart. “That one’s his.”

  Lathan only offered Da a cross glare before he climbed into the cart.

  Raene didn’t waste a moment. She approached the horse and stroked its nose before loosening the reins and pulling herself into the saddle. It had been a few days since her last jaunt on a horse, but already, she settled into the familiar position.

  When the men finished loading the last of the Hydra items, Da started their envoy back toward camp. He had to lead the cart in a wide turn before finding the path once more.

  Raene was initially satisfied to be atop her own horse and have that freedom. Then, she realized, the cart moved at a horrifically slow pace. The four horses hitched to the cart moved at little more than a trot, and Raene was stuck trotting alongside.

  “Did you see Blossom in Pyrona?” asked a voice behind her.

  Raene turned to see a boy only a year or two older than her, his hair the same chocolate-brown as most Terras. She pulled the reins back to slow her horse and fell into step beside him.

  “A little.” Blossom and Raene’s time in Pyrona hadn’t overlapped by much, and what time they’d had was occupied with Kaide or the festival. If Raene had known their time would be cut short, she would have made better use of it.

  When he inclined his head toward a passing alder tree, Raene caught sight of the horned deer tattooed on his neck—an elk. “How is she?” the boy asked.

  Raene’s mind raced with a thousand thoughts. Lost in the world. Probably dead. Maybe worse. But instead, she said, “She was well last I saw her.” That much at least was the truth. “You were her friend?”

  “No, I wasn’t, but Gemini was.”

  “Gemini?” Raene couldn’t recall why the name sounded familiar.

  “The woman I’m courting. They were friends since they were young. You were wearing her sleep clothes this morning.”

  Oh right. “And you are?”

  “Asla Brimmen.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brimmen. I’m Raene Randal.” She extended her hand and shook his, feeling comfort in the habit of such a normal interaction. It was a welcome distraction
from thinking of how good elk meat tasted.

  And then, like it was nothing, Asla spurred his horse to trot away, though he slowed again only steps in front of her. Raene spent the rest of the day staring at his back.

  The slow crawl of the procession left her itching to run. Wedged between two Terra boys—one of them an elk—and under the watchful eye of Da seated high up in the cart, Raene had no choice but to weather the dawdling pace back to camp.

  Golden afternoon light peaked between the branches by the time they arrived. Raene had never been happier to see the moss-green tents of the Bear Clan. Another hour of slow clomping, and she would have lost her mind. She happily dismounted and handed her reins to Asla when she noticed Parson and Lathan talking—well, arguing.

  To Raene, it was clear Parson was going somewhere. He had a quiver of arrows on his back and a large bow slung over his broad shoulders.

  “It’s not a good time to go running off,” Lathan warned him.

  “We haven’t had a kill in days. Someone needs to go,” Parson replied.

  “Go where?” Raene surprised even herself when she interjected.

  “No one is going anywhere.” Lathan’s voice was nothing if not final. He even turned and began unloading the cart, sure the conversation was over.

  Parson grunted his frustration and started to stomp away. Raene put a hand on his arm. “Where were you going to go?”

  “Hunting. Some of us need meat.” He nearly spat the last word at Lathan’s back.

  Raene stepped closer and lowered her voice. She tried not to sound desperate as she asked, “Can I go with you?”

  “No, you heard him. I’m not—” Parson stopped and narrowed his eyes as he realized. He glanced once toward Lathan before he said, “At the stream. In an hour.”

  Raene wanted to ask more, but Parson had already turned to go. Then she saw why: Hale was approaching at a jog. His small smile grew until it consumed his features. “How’d it go?” His hand snaked around her waist as he turned her away from the cart.

  “It was fine,” she answered. As far as she could tell, nothing about the Hydra trade was out of the ordinary. “We saw some camels.” Raene didn’t tell him she’d never seen one in person before.