by Tenaya Jayne
When the wolf spotted him, he straightened and gave Shreve a direct probing stare. He held his hand out in greeting.
“Asher,” he said shortly.
Shreve shook his hand, trying to regurgitate a fake identity. It got lodged in his throat.
“What’s your name?” Asher asked.
“I don’t want to tell you.” The truth came out.
“Why?”
“I’m a criminal.”
Asher frowned, but he didn’t recoil or lash out at him. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and continued to look directly at Shreve. “What was your crime?”
“You name it, and I’ve probably done it… But that was before. I’m not like that now. I want to be a good man. I’m trying.”
“You changed Sabra’s whip?” he demanded.
“Yes.”
“Why? What’s your interest in her?”
“I owe her a great debt. One I can never repay.”
“Are you the one she’s run with? The black wolf?”
“Yes. I have run with her.”
“She doesn’t know who you are, but you say you owe her a debt. Explain that to me.”
Shreve swallowed hard. The truth was pushing to come out of him. But at what cost? There was something about this guy that made Shreve want to trust him. “If I tell you, will you promise not to tell her who I am, or that you’ve met me?”
“Give me a good reason to keep your confidence, and I will. I care about Sabra. I’ll protect her. You, sir, are an oddity. Openly you tell me you’re a criminal, one who’s committed every sin, but that you’ve reformed… You’re playing some kind of game with her, right? Trying to make her care about you?”
“I…I don’t know what I’m doing exactly. I want to help her. To ease my conscience, I guess. Running with her wasn’t anything I planned. It just sort of happened. Our paths crossed. I had no idea what that would be like… The connection. I never expected her to come back looking for me last night the way she did.”
Asher held up his hand to stop Shreve. “Wait. You’ve run with her more than once?”
“Yes. As I said, the first time was just a happenstance. Then she came back out again, looking for me. I should have ignored her, I guess. But…”
Asher laughed. “But you just couldn’t resist?”
“I couldn’t. I don’t want it to happen again… No, that’s a lie. I want it more than anything. But I think it’s wrong. I want to help her without interfering in her life any more. I watched you train her. She’s got the wrong sword. The broadsword is too heavy. She needs a katana.”
Asher raised his eyebrows and then nodded his head. “You’re right. That would be much better for her. I don’t have a katana though.”
“I do.”
“And you’d be willing to give it to her?”
“I’d give her anything.”
Asher’s gaze went even deeper. “You’re all alone in the world, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I suppose I am. It’s better than the way it used to be for me…I’m not a threat to Sabra, or anyone else.”
“I know that.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’ve run with her, twice. If there was any malice inside you, she would have been able to detect it easily. She wouldn’t have sought you out a second time. That shows an inherent trust. So, I will go off that.”
“How do you know I didn’t fool her? I’m not just a wolf. Why haven’t you asked me about what I am?”
“It’s not what you are, but who you are, that I care about. And I’ve taken your measure myself. I’m old. The longer you live, the easier it is to spot assholes.”
Shreve smiled. “And what of my past?”
“Well, I’m terribly interested, not gonna lie. But that’s your business to share or not. I will press you for one thing, though.”
“What’s that?”
Asher smiled. “Your name.”
His pulse hammered in his ears. He should never speak his name. But he’d confessed so much already. What did it matter? His heartbeat reminded him succinctly that he was dying.
“Shreve.” He winced as he said it.
“I don’t recognize your name, friend. Your reputation hasn’t preceded you, at least not to me.”
He exhaled, his pulse easing off its gallop.
“I was thinking about making this place more of an obstacle course for Sabra to train on,” Asher said. “Would you lend me a hand?”
Shreve smiled again. “Sure.”
****
Sabra was jazzed. Her muscles hummed with the excursion of training. She managed to sneak into her room and shut the door a second before Tucker got up. She was cutting it close, too close today. She needed to get up earlier tomorrow. Too much was riding on this. Just because her dreams were crazy hot, confusing, and prevented her from getting the rest she needed, she had to push through and get up.
She smiled to herself as she thought of how awesome her whip was now. Her wolf had given her a gift. It had to be him. When she went out to run with him tonight, she planned to force him to show her who he was.
Tucker banged on her door. “Sabra! Get up!”
“Okay,” she grumbled, trying to sound like she was still half asleep.
The day was going to stink. Big time. She wasn’t going to get out of seeing Gahu, or having him parade her around. She would have to smile and act happy at having been conquered. She mentally held on to the feel of her whip, like a safety blanket. When the day became overwhelming and vomiticious, she’d think about her whip and her mystery wolf. Her real life was not in the here and now of the Lair. It lay in the freedom of her own power and running in the wilds at night.
Her morning excursions clung to her in a funky layer. She bathed and got dressed. She surveyed her appearance in the mirror as she put the wooden cuff around her wrist. It was like a stranger looking back at her. This was Gahu’s woman.
Tucker was already gone by the time she came out of her room, dressed and ready for the day. Her cheeks flushed and burned with humiliation as she thought again about what she was about to go through, once she stepped out into the open. Every bad word she knew ran laps in her head.
The morning sunlight was cool and bright. She meandered around the edges of the public square. Only a few people were there. They looked at her and then began whispering. She acted as though she hadn’t noticed and looked down at her feet. That was a mistake. She didn’t notice who was approaching until it was too late.
“Sabra.”
She’d expected Gahu. Instead, she looked up into the satisfied face of Silhon.
He grabbed her wrist and held it up. “Look at this!” he exclaimed to his friends behind him. “She’s been cuffed. Our would-be leader.”
She pulled her wrist from his grasp. He stepped into her space, lowering his voice to a whisper. “I’m disappointed. I can’t tell you how much I longed to kill you in the tournament.” She felt him shiver. “The thought really turns me on. You better keep close to Gahu. I’m not happy about being cheated out of my desires. I’m not letting go of the idea, just because you’ve proven to be nothing but a woman wanting to hide behind a man. I still want your blood all over me.”
She sneered. “Of course you do. I know why you hate me so much. I know you wanted me for yourself, tried to convince Tucker to hand me over to you.”
His cheeks reddened. “Like I said. You’d better stay close to Gahu. If I find you alone…” He shivered again. “Oh, how I’m going to make you scream.”
He reached around her and grabbed her ass. Her elbow connected with his mouth, and his head snapped backward. He roared, and his gang pressed in around her, caging her with their bodies.
“Back off!” Gahu yelled, striding toward them.
They parted and shoved her away. He stood protectively in front of her. Silhon wiped the blood from his lip and sneered at him.
“Keep a leash on your bitch, Gahu. Anyone might think she’s too wild f
or you. If you don’t break her soon, just think of the talk. No one will consider you a real man.”
“I don’t care what she did. She’s mine. All of you, keep your hands off her. Or the tournament just might have to come a little earlier than planned.”
Silhon laughed and pushed by them, his gang following in his wake.
She looked up into Gahu’s angry face. “I didn’t do anything. I swear. He came up to me and threatened me. He put his hands on me. Surely it’s okay for me to defend myself.”
“Of course it is,” he said tersely. “Just stay away from Silhon, please.”
“I’m trying to, he sought me out. Trust me, I want none of his society.”
The anger eased off his face. He put his finger under her chin and tipped her head up, pressing a warm kiss on her lips. He took her hand and towed her along, ready, it seemed, to show her off as his property. People gathered around them. It was just how she’d imagined, unfortunately. He was congratulated, and she was hugged by the older women, admonishing her to be submissive and to think about her future role as a mother. Their faces all blurred as her anger began poking sharply under her cool exterior. She took a deep breath, smiled, and thought about her whip.
One face came into focus through the crowd. A young woman was looking at Sabra as though she had just stabbed her in the back. She recognized her and realized she was the one who had been talking under her window yesterday, saying she’d rather die than be handed over to a man.
Sabra pulled closer to Gahu. “I’ll be right back. There’s someone I need to talk to.”
“All right.” He smiled jovially, clearly enjoying all the attention, and released her hand.
She moved through the crowd, locking eyes on the young woman. “Lynne, can I speak to you in private?”
Her eyes widened, but she nodded. Sabra threaded her arm through Lynne’s and directed her away from the main crowd. She turned and looked severely into the girl’s eyes.
She kept her voice low. “I just want you to know, no matter how this looks, I did not betray you or the rest of our women. I can say no more. Just know that things are not how they seem. Changing things is still what I am working for.”
Lynne threw her arms tightly around Sabra’s neck, surprising her. “Thank you!” she whispered in her ear. “Thank you so much!”
Lynne released her and walked away. The weight of the moment fell hard into Sabra’s stomach. Everything she was fighting for was so much bigger than her. It wasn’t just her fate and her future happiness that was on the line. She couldn’t flinch away from the gauntlet before her. No matter what, she had to run through it. She looked back at Gahu. No matter what.
Chapter Eight
Merhl crumpled up the large sheet of paper he’d been writing on and threw it angrily to the floor. He rubbed his aching hands together and tried to focus, but he felt he might burst into frustrated tears. He was in the room Zeren had given him to use as an office inside the Onyx castle. The space was large with an ogre-sized desk on one side. He kept the rest of the room bare and used its dead space to experiment. He’d created lots of new things in the last few months. Many possible concepts to hold back the Wizards from entering Regia. But so far, he’d yet to hit on an idea that he felt confident would actually work.
He could create walls and portals that no Regian, not even Rahaxeris, could get through. But wizards…Zeren kept admonishing him not to lose hope, that he was Regia’s best chance at survival. Maybe he was the most powerful Ogre, but he didn’t have what it took to stop one wizard, let alone an army.
Merhl felt Regia’s best hope was in Rahaxeris, that somehow he could solve the problem. They’d had many long discussions on the matter. He hoped Rahaxeris would come back soon with good news.
He pulled out a new piece of paper and took up his writing stylus again. The blank page was like a barren desert of death. His mind was as blank as the paper.
Someone knocked softly on the door.
“Yes,” he said loudly.
The door creaked open, and Journey peeked around it. “Are you in the middle of something?”
He couldn’t help but smile at her. “I wish. Come in.”
She closed the door behind her and came toward him. “I have an idea.”
He set his stylus down and gave her his full attention. “Good. Cause I’ve got nothing.”
“I’ve been talking to the Heart.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“Yes. It spoke to me. I think it will again. It asked me to come back. I’m going tonight. I think…I hope…” She paused, fighting to get her thoughts to come out. “There is more power in the Heart than I could have ever imagined. I feel certain it is the reason the wizards desire to conquer Regia at all. They want the Heart…We have to figure out a way to use the Heart to protect us.”
Merhl’s mind began spinning on the possibility. “Of course! Brilliant!”
“I need some more time. The Heart is shy and fractured. If I can heal it. I think it will consent to whatever we need. The Heart is Regia, after all. There’s a consciousness there I don’t believe anyone else has been able to connect with the way I have. Not even the Dryads.”
“So what do we do?”
“I’ll tell you what I learn from our next conversation. I think you should think about the stuff you already know how to make, but with unlimited power behind it.”
Merhl smiled. “You convince the Heart to play along, and I’ll find a way to build the wall.”
She touched his forearm, a frown creasing her lovely face. “You’re worn down. I’m sorry I didn’t notice until now.”
“Did you just read me?”
“Yes. I could give you a story. It will rebuild your stamina and your hope.”
“I’ll take you up on that offer, Storyteller. But not right now. You’ve given me all the inspiration I need to keep me going the rest of the day. I already have a ton of new ideas.”
“Excellent. Then I’ll leave you to it.”
****
Redge leaned against the wall, watching Journey get ready to go to see the Heart again. He was determined to go with her and wouldn’t hear anything otherwise. She fastened her cloak under her chin and took a deep breath, looking at him. He gave her a small smile.
“Are you sure you really want to try this again?” he asked for the tenth time.
“Yes. I know how I’m going to approach it tonight. The history of Shi and Leramiun’s tragic love is more than enough to begin with.”
“You’re honestly not putting yourself in any danger doing this?”
“Well, I can’t say I’m one hundred percent sure. But I’m very confident nothing ill will befall me. I promise you. And you’ll be close by, if I need you.”
One of the castle’s ogres opened a portal to the Wolf’s Wood for them. They walked silently, hand in hand, till the manifestation was visible. Redge turned Journey to face him. He didn’t say anything. He cupped her cheek and kissed her deeply before turning and walking off.
She approached the Heart slowly. The music chiming through the leaves of the crystal trees was a slow sleepy tune. Like a lullaby of the brokenhearted. As she came near, the charcoal flames sparked at the top, and the song ceased.
Journey sat cross-legged on the ground and placed her palms flat on the dirt as she had before. She didn’t have to wait or coax this time. Light spread out from the base of the flames, running on the ground toward her. It grabbed onto her hands and held fast.
Beautiful Alien. You have returned.
“Are you ready to let me in?”
It hesitated. If I let you in, will that be the end of our time together?
“Not unless you desire it to be the end,” Journey said.
I desire more time with you. I am intrigued by what might ensue with letting you use your power on me. I love your flavor, but I will refrain from absorbing you.
A small pang of fear shot into Journey’s belly, but she pushed ahead. She’d been
considering how she would go about this since the last time. It was uncharted territory. She closed her eyes, trying to push back on the light that held her. Not to free herself from its hold, but to reverse the flow back on the Heart. Gold light moved from Journey’s hands and veined down through the white light holding her. The gold slithered toward the flames as Journey began to hum.
Her voice slithered along with the gold light, pressing closer. Journey felt like the ground vanished out from under her as the Heart pulled her inside it like an undercurrent. She was inside a metaphysical womb. Her spirit was engulfed from all sides, and she felt everything. Everything there was in existence to feel. All emotion, light and dark, holy and evil, and everything in between was there. Softness beyond anything she’d ever felt touched her, followed by murderous edges of rage. Ultimate passion and ultimate peace.
Momentarily winded, Journey fought to fill her lungs and tell the Heart a story. She sang of Shi and Ler, and the Dryads. The Heart eased around her, giving her its full attention.
She opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see the wood anymore. Only colors and light. Journey looked all around as she sang. It was like being trapped in a dome of deadly textures. The space around her morphed back and forth. The brokenness, the poisoned places, were like gaping torn flesh, putrid disease visible under the surface.
Her voice reached out to everything in front of her, good and bad, and pulled it into her song. The Heart trembled in response to the story. The notes fell on the gashes like golden raindrops, absorbing into the wounds, pulling at the openness. The light attempted to bind the tear together like a stich. The womb around her convulsed once, and then gave a shallow sigh.
You have an amazing gift, Alien. You taste so good.
The walls around her turned to liquid, rushing on her, holding her. Journey panicked.
“No! Please don’t!” she begged. “Let me go! Please!”
The rushing stopped and retracted. Don’t fear, Alien. I won’t end your life. The love you have for Redge needs to be. I won’t separate you… Thank you for the medicine. I feel better. Will you come back to me and sing again?
“Yes. I will come back.”
