Redemption: A Malvers War Story

by Tora Moon

  The first brecha broke from the cover of the trees. It caught their scent, and changed direction to barrel directly toward them. Behind it, three more brechas ran into the low-lying brush.

  “Steady … steady,” Zehala said. “Let them come. Kehali, add a bit more fire to your blade to draw out the janack.”

  Kehali’s helbraught glowed brighter. Histrun paced, hating the need to wait, but they needed all the monsters in one place to begin the battle. The janack rolled into view, its tentacles reaching forward, slime marking its trail. Already the grass and brush behind it had wilted and browned.

  The first brecha reached them. Lestrun howled as he met it head on. Histrun waited for the janack to get closer.

  “Now!” Zehala yelled.

  A ring of fire blazed up, surrounding the monsters. A brecha, disoriented, backed up into, yowling as its rear haunches caught on fire. Dorstrun and Alixstrun pounced upon it, striking it with their long claws, quickly ending its misery. Histrun ran to the janack, tearing at its tentacles with his claws. Chestrun and Eidelstrun joined him in battling the janack. A tentacle quested toward Histrun, wrapping around his ankle and jerking him off balance. He screamed, more in anger than in pain, as it dragged him toward the huge maw filled with sharp teeth. A moment later, he heard the whooshing sound of a swinging helbraught blade, and his forward momentum stopped. He looked up to see Zehala’s blade dripping with green ichor from the severed tentacle.

  “Well, are you just going to lie there, or are you going to fight?” She held out her hand to him and pulled him to his feet.

  Together they tore into the janack. Less than half an octar later, the janack toppled over, dead. Histrun surveyed the battlefield. All the other monsters had been killed. He didn’t see any Posairs lying on the ground, a good sign no one had been killed. The new method allowed them to keep the monsters in one place and not have strays attacking from behind, so there were much fewer casualties or injuries.

  The fire-ring dwindled and then went out. The scorched ground marked where it had been, but no other fires had been started because of it. He whistled in appreciation of the women’s tight control. The Reds, joined by Maheli and Andriel, walked across the field, burning any monster debris to ash so the malignant magic wouldn’t pollute the ground or endanger other animals. Zehala passed him in her rounds, and tossed him a canteen of water and a rag. He looked down at his pelt, checking for monster ichor. The damned stuff was acidic and toxic. His fur protected him, but if any touched his human skin, he’d be in trouble. He smirked with satisfaction when he could find only a few, easily wiped off drops. He glanced over at Alixstrun and hurried over to help the young man clean off a large patch of ichor from his upper back.

  Once finished, Histrun shifted back to his natural form, and caught up to Zehala.

  “I’m impressed with the control you and the other Reds showed.” He slipped an arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into a quick hug. Any more of a public display of affection made him uncomfortable.

  “Me too. We’ve come a long way since those first attempts.” Zehala laughed, her brown eyes crinkling with amusement. “You remember that time when instead of forming the fire-ring, I turned the practice sand into small globules of glass?”

  Histrun rubbed his cheek and grimaced. “Yeah, I remember. The damned stuff rained down on me. That’s where I got this.” He pointed to the scar on his cheek.

  Zehala kissed her fingertips, then gently pressed them to his scar. “You’re still the handsome man I adore.”

  She turned away from him, walked to the blackened ground, and crouched down to examine it. “It’s still hot and could start a fire if the wind picked up. We need to experiment more. Perhaps a cold-fire at the ground level and then a hotter flame as it extends up.” She stood up, and brushed the soot off her fingertips.

  “You know what this means, don’t you? We’ve been worried the Haaslair aren’t using the Zehis method out in the plains for fear of setting the whole thing ablaze. But finding a different way to cast the fire-ring would allow them to fight the monsters better.”

  “You’re smart. If anyone can figure it out, it will be you.” Histrun brushed a quick kiss on the top of her head.

  “We need to perfect the cold-fire portion first. I’ll have to think about it. Hey! Kehali!”

  “Yes, Alpha?” she called, trotting to them when Zehala waved her over.

  “Use your cold-air trick to freeze the ground where we burned it. We need to leave if we’re going to make it to the safe house before dark, and this is still too hot to be left safely.”

  “Sure thing.” Kehali was almost more of a Yellow Talent with her dark strawberry-blond hair and yellow eyes. She had just enough Red Talent to become a fighter. Only women with Red Talent were allowed to join the fighting-packs, as their fire magic was the only Talent effective against the Malvers monsters.

  Histrun made the rounds to check on his people and assure himself no one had been seriously injured. Ten milcrons later, they were remounted, and riding the few measures to the last safe house in their territory.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning Histrun had his people put their barding on their horses. They would be entering Haaslair Province just a few measures from the safe house. The decorative reins, saddle blankets, breast collars, and breeching proclaimed them to be from the Strunlair Clan. The rose-and-turquoise pattern, and the symbols embroidered on the saddle blankets indicated they were from Strunland Keep. Although the Supreme disliked fighting between clans and highly discouraged it, it still happened occasionally. The barding would help keep any misunderstandings to a minimum.

  Over the past thirty years, as the monster nests had spewed out more monsters than ever, and travel between Provinces had become almost non-existent. People only journeyed from one province to another to reach the Sanctuary and the biannual Alpha Competitions. Histrun had seen the lack of travel and exchange of ideas spawn distrust and misunderstandings between the various clans. He didn’t remember that being the case when he was a young man. He hoped their method would help return the nests to some semblance of normal, and travel and trade could resume.

  The short grass and brush quickly changed to the long, golden grass of the plains as they entered Haaslair Province. The terrain appeared flat, but in fact it gently rolled from one hill to another. A few trees dotted the landscape. The only breaks in the grass were where janacks had trundled across it, killing it.

  Herds of wild horses roamed the grasslands. A wild stallion reared in the distance and Telen answered the challenge with a loud whinny. A jerk on the reins and a sharp command settled the horse, although he pranced and watched until the wild stallion ran from view. The majority of the horses Histrun’s people rode, including Telen and Kylara, had been bred by the Haaslair. A while later, he caught a glimpse of a man astride a golden horse on a hilltop, watching them pass. The man waved in salute, then rode off. The Haasper alphas would soon know they had visitors traveling through their territory. Histrun didn’t plan on stopping at Haasper Keep; it would take them too far out of their way.

  At mid-morning, they stopped to rest at a cairn that marked a small spring. While they waited for all the horses to be watered, Zehala experimented with creating a fire-ring that could be used on the plains. Blue flames licked her helbraught blade and Histrun could feel the cold radiating off it. She touched the tip to the ground, drawing a small circle. It instantly froze, the grass blades snapping like icicles. She knitted her brows in concentration. Suddenly, a fire raged within the circle, eating hungrily at the grass within it, and threatening to escape.

  Maheli, watering her horse at the spring, quickly pushed its nose away, scooped water out with her hands, and tossed it at the fire. It sizzled and steamed. Another scoop of water doused the fire.

  “Damn! I thought that would work.” Zehala sank to ground, her shoulders hunched.

  “You did manage to create cold-fire,” Naila said, awe tinged her voice. “I haven’t
ever heard of anyone doing that before.”

  Zehala glared at the soggy, blackened ground. “That was the easy part. As soon as I added heat, which we need to keep the monsters in line, the spell fell apart. You saw the result. There has to be a way to do this!”

  Histrun patted her shoulder. “You’ll figure it out.”

  “Yes. Yes, I will.” She surged to her feet, determination on her face as she paced. Her forehead crinkled in thought.

  Later, when they stopped under the shade of a large tree, she tried again. This time, when her spell fell apart, the flame exploded and leaped high, reaching for the tree branches. People scrambled out of the way, cursing.

  Kehali flung out a hand, surrounding the fire with cold air, and then she squeezed her hand closed. The air responded to her will, collapsing to suffocate the fire.

  “That was quick thinking, Kehali!” Histrun turned to glare at Zehala. “I think you need to be more careful. That could have set the entire plains on fire.”

  “It wasn’t what I intended to do,” Zehala huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “The cold and hot fires just don’t like coming together. It’s almost like trying to make water burn. Argh! There has to be a way to make this work!” She tossed her hands into the air and stomped away.

  Histrun watched her for a moment before turning to the other women. “She’s on a quest now, and won’t quit until she finds a solution. I want you to keep a watch on her, and someone who can put out the fires needs to be with her at all times.”

  They nodded solemnly.

  “Maybe if we talk it out together, we’ll find a way,” Naila said. She pushed herself to her feet and hurried after Zehala. Soon the other Reds joined them.

  Histrun watched them form a circle with Zehala, and soon he could see them gesturing as they talked. He smiled to himself. It wouldn’t be long before they found the key. Zehala’s sharp intelligence and persistence in solving a problem had first attracted him to her. But it had been her passion and caring that had made him fall madly in love with her. It wasn’t power that had pushed her to be the youngest person ever to win the Clan Alpha position, but her desire to help and serve her people. At seventy-seven, Histrun hadn’t expected to fall in love and find a bond-mate. It had taken him quite by surprise when he realized he loved his co-alpha. Oh, he’d had multiple lovers over the years, but he hadn’t ever been “in love”. He continued to watch Zehala and the women a few more milcrons before he whistled and waved to call them back. They still had a dozen measures to ride before reaching the safe house for the night.

  That evening when they arrived, they discovered a Haaslair fighting-pack already there. A tall, lean man with pale green hair and amber eyes met them in the courtyard.

  “Bright blessings,” he said, holding up a hand in greeting. “I be Belhaas, Haasper Keep Alpha. Your barding tells me you be from Strunland Territory. Why be you traveling through my territory?”

  Histrun slid wearily from his saddle and gripped the other man’s wrist. “I’m Histrun. This is my bond-mate, Zehala—”

  “You be them!” Belhaas eyes lit up with excitement as he pumped Histrun’s arm and thumped him on the back. “I never thought I’d get to meet the famous Histrun and Zehala. It be my pleasure to meet you. You could have stopped at my keep for a proper meal and a good night’s sleep instead of staying here.”

  “Our apologies, Belhaas, but we don’t have the time. We’re heading to Dehanlair Province—”

  “You mean that old bastard, Mendehan, has finally given up and admitted your method be the best to fight the damned monsters?”

  Histrun nodded.

  “What, it be going on twelve years now since you developed it? He’s always been a slow one to adopt change, if he ever does. We use your method near the keep, but your method doesn’t work out here in the plains.”

  “I’m working on that,” Zehala said. She dismounted and greeted Belhaas. “I’ll find a way soon.”

  “That be good to hear, Alpha Zehala.” He urged them toward the door.

  Histrun absently handed his horse’s reins to Maheli. Andriel took Zehala’s reins from her with a nod. Belhaas led them inside and to a table at the rear of the room. As soon as they were seated, someone brought them mugs of steaming taevo. Histrun sipped his, appreciating the spicy blend of the stimulating drink.

  “We sure could use a better way to fight the monsters and protect our horses,” Belhaas said. “The horse herds be fast. They have to be to escape the monsters, but the herds can never grow to a proper size. If we could protect them better, we’d have more horses to send to the other clans.”

  “The plains-bred horses are the best,” Histrun agreed. “They’re the strongest and have amazing stamina. My Telen, as well as Zehala’s mare, Kylara, are plains-bred, and we see a big difference between them and the other horses. We’re hoping to breed them soon.”

  “The foals from them would be fine animals.” Belhaas wrapped his hands around his mug and leaned forward. “Be there anything I or my people can do to help you, Zehala?”

  Zehala looked up at the ceiling while she thought. After a few moments, she turned back to Belhaas. “If the grasses were more fire-resistant, that would help. I’d hate to cause a wildfire that destroys the plains, and ruins your homes.”

  “That be true. Hmm … fire-resistant grass. We hadn’t thought of that before. We be always fighting fires. Good thing the grasses grow back quickly. I will talk to our Brown and Green Talents, who specialize in plant magic. They may be able to develop a strain that the horses find palatable, and that will survive small fires.” He beamed at Zehala. “That be a very good idea. Ah, dinner be ready.”

  Several young fighters carried bowls to their table, and set them in front of the alphas. Histrun’s stomach grumbled at the delicious aroma of rice and bean stew, with chunks of rabbit, wild onions, and carrots. Talk paused as crusty pan bread and fresh pots of taevo were passed around, and people dug into the food.

  Histrun caught Zehala’s eye and winked. He loved her innovative thinking. He never would have thought of making the grass less susceptible to fire. If Rizelya had inherited her mother’s inventive turn of mind, there would be hope for the next generation of fighters.

  * * *

  The next morning when they left the safe house, much to Histrun’s surprise, Belhaas and several of his fighters joined them. As they rode, Belhaas pointed out landmarks. Histrun mumbled a response, but to him the endless sea of grass all looked the same.

  Just after the midday break, Belhaas pulled his horse to a stop at a tall cairn of rocks. “I be leaving you here,” he said. “This be the boundary between Haasper and Haasneh Territories. Keep heading southeast and you’ll reach the Storengher River in another forty measures. There be a small keep on the river with barges you can use. Haasneh Keep be on your route. Alphas Maehaas and Armelya be good folk. They’d enjoy having you stay the night.” He stuck out his hand and Histrun clasped it. “It be a pleasure to meet you two. More down-to-earth than I expected.”

  “Let me know if your earth Talents find something that will work on the grass,” Zehala reminded him as she clasped his wrist.

  “Will do. And when you develop your new fire-ring, teach it to us on your way back north.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  He wheeled his horse around, and galloped back the way they’d come, his fighters in a tight formation behind him.

  “I’m glad he has faith in me,” Zehala said as she urged Kylara forward. “I’m not so sure I can merge cold and hot fire.”

  Histrun reached across the distance and patted her knee. “I have faith too. I’ve seen you do amazing things.”

  She smiled at him and shrugged. “Are we going to stop at Haasneh Keep?”

  He nodded. “The lure of a hot bath and a soft bed is too much to pass by. My old bones could use both.”

  He kicked his horse into a fast trot. There were still thirty more measures to cross before he could sink into a hot tub.r />
  Late that afternoon, Histrun heard a thundering noise. He glanced over his left shoulder, and gasped. A huge white stallion with wide black stripes led a herd of horses on a path that would soon overtake them. Behind the herd, a janack’s tentacle waved as it chased after them. Histrun stood up in his stirrups, and could make out the forms of several brechas cutting through the tall grass. Histrun urged his horse into a gallop, trying to outrun the monsters. A quick glance behind him showed the monsters slowly gaining.

  As the herd caught up to them, Histrun gaped to see a golden centaur, running alongside the herd, his silver tail streaming behind him. He held a long bow and had a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back. Several other fighters came into view, their horses keeping pace with the herd.

  “There!” the centaur yelled, gesturing to a tree. “Go there!”

  Histrun nodded and turned his horse in that direction. His people followed close behind him. Before they reached the tree, the landscape dropped into a hidden ravine. Six Reds waited on their horses at the top, shooing the herd of horses to the ravine. The horses raced down its sides and away. Histrun and his fighters rode into the ravine, and pulled to a stop. He swung off his horse, trusting Maheli and the other teenagers to do their job of tending to the horses. He shifted, then clambered up the hill.

  The battle had already been engaged by the time he reached the top. The Haaslair fighters rode around the brechas and janack, shooting arrows to drive them into a large circle where they could be contained. As soon as they had them surrounded, the men jumped off their horses and shifted into their warrior forms. The women stayed on their horses, firing arrows at any brechas attempting to escape. As Histrun watched, a brecha broke from the rest, and lumbered toward a woman. It arched its back and flung its spines at her. In a smooth move, the woman switched her bow for her helbraught and used it to knock away the flying spines, then formed a fire shield in front of her. Histrun blinked. dumbfounded her horse didn’t rear in fright at having fire so close to its nose.