Altered Destiny

by Shawna Thomas

  Without looking back, she headed north as quietly as her unsteady legs allowed. Svistra were faster than humans. If she didn’t find safety by sunrise, she never would.

  At the sound of horses approaching camp, Jaden looked up. A mixture of relief and dread set his nerves on edge. The sun had set, and the tent was dark. He rose, straightened his tunic, smoothed his still-damp hair—now pulled back and wrapped in a strip of leather—and breathed. Would his father welcome him?

  Ignoring the fire spreading through his muscles in increasing intensity, Jaden stepped out of the tent.

  Dust from the horses’ hooves misted the clearing and the fires had died, leaving only the light of the stars. A form approached. He stiffened. It wasn’t his father. Too slender and without the slight limp…

  Jaden’s blood iced, but he fixed a smile on his face. “Keldar.”

  “Brother Jaden. Welcome.” Keldar’s eyes gleamed brighter than the stars.

  “I’m here to seek audience with my father, the commander,” Jaden said.

  “And indeed you shall have an audience with the commander.” Keldar bowed.

  “Where’s Father?”

  Keldar stepped close and bared his teeth. “He walks the land of mists beyond the sun, brother Jaden. I command now, and I’ve been told you have a gift for me.”

  Jaden’s stomach clenched and he fisted his hands. Grief stung his eyes. He hadn’t agreed with his father about many things, but he had loved him.

  “What happened?”

  “Ah, something a good son would know, don’t you think? But then you’ve been rather, shall we say, distant of late.”

  Jaden held Keldar’s dark gaze. “What happened?”

  Keldar’s expression hardened. “Ambush. Humans. You know those people you insisted on protecting? They killed our father, Jaden, but not before he made me second.” He drew his sword. “And now commander.”

  The ancient sword of his ancestors gleamed in the moonlight. Jaden recalled the scores of times his father had pleaded with him to take it. Tinlor had finally given up.

  Father.

  The breath caught in Jaden’s lungs. His half-brother was lying. He wasn’t sure which part of the tale was a lie, but it was there.

  “And now, Jaden, I believe you have a gift for me?”

  Oh gods, Selia, be far from here. Jaden swallowed. He would grieve for his father later. “I’m sure you are weary from your hunting. The gift is tied. She will be there come morning.”

  “Nonsense. After a day of hunting, successful I might add, there is nothing better than invigorating entertainment. And I have heard she’s quite acceptable, even for a human female.”

  “She’s not prepared properly. Dirty, unwashed, you know humans. Let the women bathe her first.”

  Keldar laughed. “She’ll only get dirty again. Oh, that reminds me. One of the women here is an acquaintance of yours. But first, my gift.”

  Jaden put a hand on Keldar’s arm.

  “Brother.” Keldar’s voice deepened. “I’m beginning to suspect you don’t desire me to have this noble offering. I assure you, I will enjoy it, possibly even more than Father would have. He was a little squeamish about certain things. Did you know that?” He pulled his arm away. “Tamoth!”

  The Svistra emerged out of the shadows near Jaden’s tent.

  “Lead, please.” Keldar took two steps then turned. “Aren’t you coming? This is, after all, your gift.”

  Jaden fell in step behind his brother.

  Selia’s heartbeat echoed in her head, her lungs aching, yet she kept up the pace. Her hand continued to bleed. She pressed it up against her tunic, but she needed her arms for balance. The trees were relatively far apart and the ground level, but roots, stumps, undergrowth and even small saplings littered the spaces between trees.

  She stopped to listen for the sound of running water; a river to hide her scent. Yeah, and one running north would be nice too. She sent the thought to any god or goddess who might be listening, glanced at the moon for bearings and continued her wild trek through the forest.

  “I don’t understand. She was right here.” Tamoth held up the cut rope, disbelief etched on his face.

  Jaden hid a surge of relief then clenched his teeth together. It wasn’t hard to manufacture a surge of anger. “Treachery. Your men—”

  “That’s a serious accusation, Jaden.”

  “How else do you explain this?”

  “How else indeed?” Keldar walked a few paces then turned to Tamoth. “You inspected the knots?”

  “Yes, Commander, they were sound.”

  “And the woman had no weapons?”

  “Well, no.”

  Keldar raised an eyebrow.

  “No visible weapons. I didn’t search her. She was a prisoner.” He darted a look to Jaden. “And a gift.”

  “I took all her weapons,” Jaden affirmed. “Your men now have them.”

  Keldar’s nostrils widened. “I smell only one human. She did not have an accomplice. She can’t have gone far.” He turned back to Jaden. “You don’t seem overly upset.”

  “On the contrary. In one night, I’ve learned of my father’s death, and my gift has been stolen.” Jaden stepped forward. “Do you question me?”

  “Perhaps, but another time. When we bring her back, I’ll have the full story.”

  Selia’s panic grew with the lightening in the sky. By now the Svistra would know she was gone. Is this what a deer feels when hunted by a pack of wolves? An uneasy sense of danger radiated, not from any particular direction but all around, as though her death lay just beyond the next bend. She was the prey.

  She was terrified.

  What would happen to Jaden? Would they suspect him?

  The ache in her side had grown until it was all she could do to put one foot in front of the other. Her pace slowed to a lurching run. She focused on the thought that every step took her further from the Svistra but couldn’t shake the feeling that she was running in place or at least in circles. She shook her head, sweat flying around her like a halo. No. It had taken her the better part of the night to reach this far. Svistra ran, what? Twice as fast as humans? Which meant she didn’t have much longer to find a place of safety. How far was Eagle Rock? She’d scrambled up the side of a trickling waterfall and then up another shallow cliff some time during the night. The land continued to rise steadily. Boulders and small stones now littered the forest floor. She had to be close.

  By the time she saw the figure dart out from between the trees, it was too late to avoid it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jaden stiffened when the flap opened, but didn’t move. From the light spilling into the tent, it must be well after dawn. He sat with his arms loosely encircling his bent knees, ankles crossed. He knew the visitor’s identity without looking up. Conflicting emotions collided in his mind, all of them evolving into weariness.

  “You still reek of human,” she said.

  Jaden shrugged. “She was a gift for my father.”

  Noe didn’t answer, but let the flap fall behind her as she moved farther inside the tent. He looked up. She’d changed little. Perhaps there was something harder about her eyes, new faint lines beside her mouth. Her hair was pulled back from her face, revealing her prominent cheekbones instead of hanging around her shoulders in golden waves. But she was Noe, and her beauty—even dressed as a warrior—took his breath away.

  Her slanted green eyes narrowed, but a small smile played with her mouth. She knew the effect she had on males. “Do you lie to me as well?”

  Jaden remained silent.

  “Who is she that you would protect her?”

  Pain surged through his body. He struggled to keep his features impassive. “I’m hardly in any position to protect her even if I wanted to.” He stared at the floor between his feet. “I didn’t release her. Ledid will testify I’ve been watched since the moment I stepped into camp.”

  “Yes. Peculiar.”

  “Also—”


  “Yes, I know. Tamoth inspected the ropes,” Noe finished. “Nevertheless, your bird is gone. Keldar’s warriors are tracking her—she went north.” Noe smiled. “There is a blood trail.”

  Jaden met Noe’s gaze. She was telling the truth.

  “So that got your attention.” Noe’s eyes misted as she crouched in front of him and placed a hand on his knee. “You were raised to be a warrior. I was raised to be by your side. Neither of us is living up to expectation. It could be so very different, Jaden, if you would just let it.”

  He breathed in her floral fragrance, suddenly longing for the scent of lavender. “Keldar sent you to convince me?”

  Noe made a noise between a snort and a laugh. “Don’t be stupid. He doesn’t know I’m here. He’s looking for a reason, any reason, to kill you and keep all that should be yours. Do you understand, Jaden? All that should be yours.”

  He blinked but met the accusation in Noe’s gaze.

  “Is it worth so little?” Noe’s voice cracked. “Do you care so little for your people?”

  “I would die to protect them. But my father’s path, Keldar’s path, will only lead to more bloodshed. It would be the final blow to the life we knew.”

  “A life that was taken from us three, four lifetimes ago. This is now, Jaden. There is no going back.”

  “I refuse to be a killer.”

  “Then you are a coward.” She stood and paced the narrow confines of the tent, her polished leather boots making little noise.

  “There are innocent—”

  “There are no innocent humans. Even the young are taught to hate and fear us.”

  “And you wonder why?”

  “What we have done is necessary for our survival.” Her green eyes flared.

  “Is it? That is where we cannot see eye to eye. There can be peace between our peoples.”

  “The girl. A friend? Acquaintance?” Noe’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Lover?”

  Jaden refused to answer.

  “Jaden, I should be your wife.”

  “The ceremonies were never completed.”

  “You left me before—”

  “I had no choice. I—”

  “There are always choices.”

  He remained quiet. The roads in this argument were much trodden, and they each knew the other’s answers.

  “Never mind. When Keldar finds her and brings her back, and he will, then we’ll know. I’ll enjoy questioning her myself.”

  A beefy arm pressed her into a thick body, and a hand covered her mouth. Selia struggled to breathe, inhaling the scent of dirt and odd-smelling sweat. A leather gauntlet encased the arm, but she couldn’t make out anything else about her captor. Slowly she identified the smell: human sweat.

  She fought back a hysterical giggle, stopped struggling and sagged into her jailer. Had she been with a Svistra for so long she no longer recognized her own race?

  Without a word, the person whisked her into the underbrush then crouched silently. Surrounded by his bulk, she could feel his heart pounded through her back. Like Jaden and the cave during the storm. Only now she didn’t feel at all safe. That she would feel safer with a Svistra than with a human was insane. Perhaps she was losing her mind. They needed to leave, and she tried to tell him, but he only increased the pressure over her moving lips.

  “Any others?” her captor asked, his voice rumbling in his large chest.

  She shook her head before she realized he wasn’t addressing her.

  “No. Only her.”

  “Will you be quiet?”

  Selia nodded.

  The man moved his hand and turned her around. Short, grey-flecked stubble surrounded his face like his beard and hair had joined ranks. Blue eyes, dotted with green, stared at her with a mixture of disbelief and suspicion. “Where did you come from?”

  “The Svistra camp.”

  The green-flecked eyes narrowed. “The Svistra camp?”

  She narrowed her eyes in confusion. “The one south. I escaped.”

  Her captor’s face paled. “What camp?” he spat between clenched jaws.

  Oh gods, they didn’t even know a Svistra camp was a day’s run south. “I was…I was supposed to be some kind of gift to their commander.”

  “You expect us to believe the commander of the Svistra is in this forest?” the man asked.

  Why did he think she’d lie about that? “Look I don’t care what you believe as long as we get the hell out of here before they come after me.”

  The man, who she realized had to be a soldier, glanced toward the south then looked at the companion Selia couldn’t see. She didn’t dare look around for fear they’d misinterpret the gesture and think she was looking for someone.

  She cleared her throat. “They said something about expecting him.”

  “We need to get her to the commander, Matias,” the other man said. Fear shadowed his words.

  The blue-eyed man stood, yanking her to her feet. “Do I need to tie you? Will you come freely?”

  Selia stretched out her arms to display the raw skin of her wrists. “I’ve already been tied up. I’d rather get the fuck out of here.”

  The man nodded.

  Selia took a step and stumbled. Her legs shook with the effort.

  “Can you walk?”

  She nodded, willing her feet to move one step at a time. As they walked, every moment Selia expected a Svistra to burst out of the trees and every moment they didn’t, she wondered why not.

  When two other soldiers appeared through the trees, she bolted. Only realizing later—as Matias tackled her to the ground—that they couldn’t be Svistra; she wouldn’t have heard them approach. When the Svistra did find her, would they kill her or take her back to the camp? She hoped for death.

  Four more soldiers joined them, their expressions grave and gazes watchful.

  Her body protested every movement, sweat stung the abrasions on her wrists, but it was overwhelming exhaustion that slowed her step. She lost track of time, simply placing one foot in front of the other. The sun was well below the western tree line when the forest opened into a large meadow. Long, thin shadows crisscrossed the path as the trees thinned, allowing more light. A pale yellow glow infused the field, highlighting trampled grasses and what reminded her of a mountaintop, complete with clouds skating along its peaks. The long shadows of the trees stretched toward but didn’t quite reach the stone wall surrounding the fortress. Beyond the fortress, the forest encircled the meadow in a solid green mass.

  As they moved closer, Selia saw what looked like a perching eagle in the rock. So this is Eagle Rock. Is Oren still here?

  Matias gave a mumbled order, and two soldiers melted back into the trees while he and the other soldiers took her across the meadow. They circled the wall until they reached a projection. Scattered across the uneven ground, stumps of trees still oozed amber under the strong light.

  “The light of living sun,” a voice called.

  “Shines on one and all,” Matias answered. “Open the gods’ damn door, Silas.”

  A tiny hairline fracture formed in the rock, then opened wider to reveal a good-sized door.

  They stepped through into a courtyard of sorts surrounding the fortress. Closer, it looked even more like a small mountain. Her two guards waited until the door closed. The man, presumably Silas, rubbed his scraggly beard. “Damn, whenever it’s my turn to hunt, all I get is a deer or a squirrel. How did you two turn up this one?”

  “Where’s the commander?” Matias snapped.

  The face of the man who took Oren flashed before her eyes. What if she’d just fallen into his hands? Her life would be as short and potentially as painful as if she stayed with the Svistra. Does it matter if it’s the wolf that eats you or the bear that mauls you? The question mocked her.

  Silas jerked his head toward the sunken mountaintop.

  Her two guards marched her toward a small archway in the rock wall. The sunlight shone on the stone, releasing the ancient, steadfast tang of
living rock. Her gaze settled on a single yellow flower fighting for life in a crevice of the moss covered stone. Selia’s mind flew to Jaden and his gift of the knife as the men led her into the mountain’s dark interior.

  The sun disappeared behind the western forest. Still no word. Had she made it to safety? From the open flap, Jaden had seen warriors approach then enter Keldar’s tent, but so far no hint of what news they brought. No news was the best he could hope for.

  Keldar. His father. Grief fluttered in his chest. His younger brother had always been something of a mystery to him. Keldar’s mother had been poor, of a class below Jaden and his parents, but Tinlor had been an honorable man and when he found she was with child, set her up in a small house on his land.

  Although Keldar had usually received those things Jaden no longer wanted or had outgrown, he’d never lacked. Jaden supposed even if Keldar had been Jaden’s mother’s son and a true heir of the house, he was still the younger and would have received those things anyway.

  As Jaden neared adolescence, his younger half-brother’s resentment grew, and no amount of effort assuaged it. In retrospect, he supposed the problem hadn’t been his inattention, but rather his father’s. Just before Jaden came of age, Tinlor accepted the title of commander and immediately began training Jaden as his second.

  Jaden’s mother had been of the old nobility, a family of healers who could name their ancestors back eighteen generations. She’d raised Jaden differently than his peers, something Tinlor tolerated only because he assumed Jaden would outgrow the antiquated ideas once he left the world of women. He’d been wrong. Though Jaden excelled in the fighting arts, and loved a good challenge, he never acquired the lust for human blood he saw around him. He’d read the histories, he knew the injustices, but he believed it was possible to bridge any gap with education and diplomacy.

  He’d approached his father with his ideas only once, and that had been enough. He could still remember the cold rage in his father’s eyes. That was the first time he’d left Svistra lands. The last had been to avoid a similar fight.