Moira tried to smile when she came up to them. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you two. When are you going to give me the rest of my tour?”
Carila looked away without answering. Pariri snapped over her shoulder before leading Carila away. “Maybe later. We’re busy right now.”
Moira’s hand shot out to stop them. “Hey! What’s going on? Why won’t anybody talk to me? They treat me like I’m some kind of pariah. Did I do something to offend you or your Clan?”
Carila pursed her lips and turned her back on Moira, but Pariri rounded on her. “Everybody knows all about what happened, Moira. Everybody knows Yorik challenged Rahni for you. The whole Keep is talking of nothing else.”
Moira stared at her. “They are?”
“Do you know what this challenge means? One of them will wind up dead. Do you hear me? Either your mate or Carila’s will be dead, and if Yorik wins, Carila might as well be dead because her mate will have taken you instead of his own wife. Is that what you really want? Can you really stand there and ask if you did anything to offend our Clan when this is how you act?”
Moira moved again to stop them walking away. “Please, Carila, you have to believe me. I never did anything to encourage Yorik. He forced himself on me in the passage late last night, and when Rahni intervened, Yorik challenged him. I had nothing to do with it, and Rahni says he did it to support Tam. Tam thinks Rahni came here to steal his Clan, and he somehow got Yorik to challenge Rahni to get rid of him.”
Pariri’s mouth tightened into a hard line. “We all know that, Moira. We all know what kind of man Yorik is. Carila knows better than anybody. He’s a marauder, and he’s Tam’s bulldog. That doesn’t change the fact. Yorik challenged Rahni, and that can end only one way. The challenge will destroy generations of peace between Clan Prowiss and Clan Harkniss. Whoever dies, his Clan will probably wage war against the other Clan and that will lead to more deaths.”
Moira opened her mouth to say something, but Carila cut her off. “Just stay away from us from now on, Moira. You’re bad news. You and Rahni never should have come here. You’ve done nothing but destroy all our lives since you first showed up.”
Moira watched them walk away with her mouth hanging open. What could she say to answer that? She never meant to ruin anybody’s life, but Carila was right. Everyone they touched wound up in trouble. Connal was in trouble for supporting their message about the Allies invasion. Rahni was in trouble for stopping Yorik attacking Moira. Now Pariri and Carila, Tam and Yorik’s wives, got dragged into this mess, for no other reason than being married to the players.
Moira turned around with a sigh to find Rahni coming toward her. “Let’s get out of here.”
“But I haven’t eaten anything yet.”
“You can eat in our room. It isn’t safe in there right now.”
At that moment, the hall erupted in loud shouts and crashes. Rahni turned around, and Moira caught sight of a scuffle in progress. Five teenaged boys up-ended a table and leapt across it at a line of three more boys sitting on the opposite bench. Food, plates, and cups of liquid flew in all directions. Women screamed and snatched their children out of the way.
In front of Moira’s eyes, the first five boys pulled knives and clubs from under their clothes. They beat the other three boys and stabbed here and there before the defenders could respond.
Across the room, another table exploded into violence. Two men jumped off their bench and grappled with each other. One man clenched his fingers around his adversary’s throat while the other man pummeled his ribs with his fists. Behind the first man’s back, a woman rose from her bench, pulled a dagger from her waist, and stabbed him in the back.
He shrieked and let go of the second man to confront her when the second man pulled a knife and stabbed him again. The woman and the second man stabbed him again and again until he fell lifeless to the floor.
Across the room, the eight young boys fought a pitched battle over the ruined table. People flooded past Rahni and Moira in their haste to get out of the hall. Rahni ushered Moira away in the scuffle. “What’s going on?”
“Everyone is up in arms over....”
“The challenge. I heard.”
“It’s not the challenge. It’s the news we brought about the Allies threatening the planet. Half the people want Royce to arm the Clan. The other half want to stop anybody even talking about the Allies. Everyone is taking sides.”
“My God! What are we going to do?”
“There’s nothing we can do.”
“Let’s get out of here. Let’s go back to Harkniss Keep and leave all this insanity behind.”
“I’d like nothing better, but we can’t leave until I answer Yorik’s challenge. If I ran away, everyone would call me a coward.”
“Let them call you whatever they want. You’ll have to kill Yorik or wind up dead yourself. The challenge will lead to war between your Clans. You can’t want that.”
“I didn’t offer this challenge. Yorik did. If I ran away from the challenge now, that would cause more problems than if I stay and fight. If I beat Yorik in a fair fight in front of his whole Clan, they’ll have to accept the result. Maybe then Royce will listen to us.”
Moira cast a glance over her shoulder. More young people rushed into the hall against the stream of bodies escaping it. They threw themselves into the fight. “Who are they?”
“Those five that started it are Yorik’s sons. The other three are Connal’s grandsons. That man they just cut down over there is Tam’s nephew on his wife’s side. They all want to support their relatives.”
“But they’re all one Clan. Don’t they realize they’re killing their own relatives?”
“That’s exactly why they feel so strongly about everything that happens. It’s the same in every Clan.”
“Not yours. Your Clan doesn’t fight like this.”
“My Clan is too small to fight like this. If we were bigger, we would have the same problems.” He closed the door to their room. “Stay here, and I’ll get you something to eat.”
She caught his hand. “Don’t go out there. I’m worried something will happen to you.”
“No one will touch me. No one will interfere with the challenge.”
“When will you have to fight Yorik?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“So soon?”
“The sooner we get this over with, the better. As soon as I beat Yorik, we can leave.”
“Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“Just stay safe.”
“I can’t stay in this room for the rest of the day.”
“It’s a small price to pay. I couldn’t stand if anything happened to you, and it only takes one of those hotheads to get a crazy idea to get rid of you. It would be all over in seconds.”
Moira sank down on the bed. “I hate to believe it, but after the way Pariri and Carila just talked to me, I can have no choice. They blame me for Yorik challenging you.”
“No one blames you for Yorik challenging me, but they might see getting rid of you as a solution. No one is thinking clearly right now.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Rahni opened it to find Connal standing outside. Rahni stood aside. “Come in.”
Connal didn’t move. “I can’t. I’m already in over my head, so I better stay here.”
“What can we do for you?”
“I just came to warn you. As soon as the challenge is over tomorrow, make for the south landing and beat it out of here as fast as you can. Yorik’s sons are telling everyone they’ll kill you if you win the challenge tomorrow.”
Moira rocketed off the bed. “They can’t do that! They can’t kill him for winning a fair fight.”
“They’ll do anything, and Royce won’t be able to stop them. No one will be able to stop them. Between Yorik’s sons, Tam’s sons, and all their cousins and nephews, I wouldn’t be surprised if the challenge turns into a civil war.”
“What are you going to do? Yo
u can’t stay here with Royce and Rarik against you. You could come to Harkniss Keep, too. I know my mother would love to see you again.”
Connal hung his head. “I have to stay. My own grandsons are arming to fight Tam and Yorik’s sons, but they’re vastly outnumbered. I have to support them. I can’t leave them to die without fighting to help them.”
Moira’s hand flew to her heart. “Is it really as bad as that?”
“I’m afraid so, but you mustn’t blame yourselves. All these elements have been simmering below the surface for years. It only took one spark to bring them out in the open.”
“I only wish there was something more we could do to repay your kindness to us. You’re the only one who believes us.”
“You can repay my kindness by getting out of here with your lives.” He clapped Rahni on the shoulder. “I always liked you, even when everyone else said you were stupid and strange. You have no loyalties here. No one will blame you for killing Yorik and getting out alive. You can fly home and forget all this. I wish I could.”
“I’ll never forget you.”
Chapter 11
Rahni and Moira didn’t sleep that night. They lay awake in one another’s arms. Moira listened to Rahni breathing and followed the rise and fall of his chest with her hand.
This could be the last night she held him in her arms. How could she find such love, such belonging, only to lose it just as fast? What would become of her if he died in the morning, now that her team was gone? She was the last human left on this planet, with no way to contact the Allies and get back to her old home.
She shoved that idea out of her mind. She would never go back to the Allies, no matter what happened to Rahni in the morning. She belonged here, on this planet, among these people, the people of the pattern. The pattern was part of her now, and that made her one of them.
Somewhere far to the south, a Clan of these Ingasores lived in peace without all this fighting. If Rahni died in the challenge, she would ask Pariri or Carila or Connal, or even Royce and Rarik, to fly her back to Harkniss Keep. She would tell Rahni’s Clan what happened, and they would take her in. She would make her home with Rahni’s people. She might even go live alone on Rahni’s mountain, the way he used to.
She couldn’t think about that now, with a living, breathing man in her bed. He wasn’t dead yet. In spite of Yorik’s superior size and weight, Rahni wasn’t the least concerned about winning the challenge—at least he didn’t show it if he was. He listened to Moira breathing.
Only once, just before dawn, she let a whispered, “What if...?” escape her.
He laid his finger on her lips. “I won’t lose you. I won’t let them take you away from me. I waited too long for this. Yorik’s hatred can’t defeat what we have.” That’s all he would say about it, and she didn’t have the heart to bring it up again.
That night lasted an eternity, but eventually, light glowed in the ceiling windows and lit the room. Rahni gave her one last kiss and got out of bed. His eyes bored into her soul while he pulled on his pants and shirt. He hung his buckler over his shoulder and positioned his medallion exactly in the center of his chest. He combed his hair back from his face with his fingers and gave Moira a nod. “I’ll see you down there.”
He left Moira in turmoil. She would have torn out of the room after him, but he needed this time to himself. She covered her head with the blankets, but she couldn’t settle down. She threw them aside and paced around the room for what seemed like hours.
When she couldn’t stand waiting any longer, she jumped into her clothes and hurried down the passage. The halls and chambers stood eerily silent. The few people out of their rooms whispered instead of talking. No one paid Moira any attention.
She hurried back to the observation platform where she looked down on the Great Hall. To her surprise, she found Connal there first. He gazed down at the floor.
Moira looked over the railing and drew in a sharp breath. Just below her stood Rahni, her own Rahni. He stood with his feet planted wide and his hands clasped behind his back. Across the Hall, Yorik paced back and forth with his hands on his hips. He glared at Rahni before looking around the Hall again. Rahni followed Yorik back and forth with his eyes, but he never moved.
Moira whispered to Connal, “How long have they been like this?”
“I came down here as soon as it got light, and they were already here. They’ll stay like this until Royce gives them the word to fight.”
Moira spun away. “I have to get down there. I have to be with him.”
Connal held her back. “Leave him alone. This is his fight. Let him fight it. If anyone interferes, Royce will have no choice but to declare the challenge invalid. They’ll have to face off again another time. Better they do it now and get it over with.”
Before she could respond, a bunch of people entered the Hall from the far end. Moira craned her neck to see Royce and his wife Orana, along with Rarik and their closest relatives take their places at the far end of the Hall.
Yorik kept pacing, but Rahni stayed motionless. He never looked right or left, and he never acknowledged his uncles’ presence. He kept his eyes on Yorik to the exclusion of all else.
Royce’s arrival opened the floodgates, and hundreds of people flocked to fill the Great Hall. They lined the walls and left a wide space empty between the two combatants. Yorik kept up his incessant pacing, while Rahni stared him down with maddening composure. Even Connal shook his head. “How does he do it? How does he stay so calm?”
His calm drove Moira out of her mind. Connal restrained her from leaving the observation platform or she would have raced to his side. They would have had to drag her away from him.
The Hall filled to bursting with men, women, and children. Yorik’s sons and nephews lined up behind him, while Connal’s son and grandsons lined up behind Rahni. At last, Royce stepped forward and raised his arms. The Hall fell silent. No one moved a muscle.
“We all know why we’re here,” Royce boomed. “Yorik Prowiss has challenged Rahni Harkniss for possession of his mate, and the winner take all.”
Without another word, he moved back into his place. Not a hair twitched. Moira held her breath, but she couldn’t stop knitting her fingers until they ached with the tension. She couldn’t watch this. She couldn’t watch Rahni fighting for his life, but she couldn’t tear herself away. She had to be near him. She had to see him triumph.
Would he triumph? Would she wake up a widow tomorrow morning? Would all her struggles and experiences come to nothing?
Yorik paced back the other way, but he didn’t turn around and come back. He kept walking. His eyes wandered over the crowd until they found Rahni as if by accident. He paced in a circle around Rahni, and Rahni turned to face him.
A crooked grin spread over Yorik’s face and he circled closer. He dropped his hands from his hips, and his fingers flexed. Rahni unclasped his hands behind his back, and hung them at his sides.
Yorik shrugged and moved one hand closer to his sword. Rahni mirrored him until both men rested one hand on their swords. They circled, but neither man made the first move. Moira whimpered in anxiety. At least let them start fighting. She couldn’t stand waiting any longer.
All at once, Yorik stretched his mouth to its widest limit and let out a roar that shivered the Keep to its foundations. In a flash, that mouth stretched wider than his body would allow, and his head stretched along with it. The roar rippled down his body, and his body grew to accommodate it. His head shot up on a slithering neck, and a tail whipped the air. Two giant wings rose out of his back and a black dragon took the man's place.
Yorik’s neck thrashed the air. His head whipped around and lunged for Rahni, but still Rahni didn’t move. He watched the dragon dive at him. Moira screamed, but she couldn’t tell if that scream made any sound or if it existed only in her mind. Why didn’t Rahni change? Why didn’t he fight? Was he petrified with terror?
Rahni stood impassive. The black dragon didn’t concern him at all. H
e watched Yorik’s antics from afar with a sympathetic smile on his lips until Yorik spread his wings and took a rapid dive across the room. Rahni jumped aside just in time to escape the jaws snapping shut on the spot he just stood.
Before Moira could comprehend what was happening, Rahni whirled around. The red patterns swept over his face and down his bare neck and arms to his hands. His arched fingers sharpened into claws, and his mouth yawned open to reveal rows of razor sharp fangs.
The red dragon reared back and screeched at the black dragon. The adversaries exploded into action and hurtled toward each other when a shout went up from somewhere across the Hall. “Stop!”
The two dragons wheeled toward the sound, and the Hall burst into commotion. Royce boomed out, “What’s the meaning of this? Who interferes with this challenge?”
The crowd parted, and a young boy rushed into the Hall. He raced across the field of battle, right between the two dragons. He ran so fast he ran full tilt into Royce.
Royce caught the boy. “What is it? What’s so important?”
The boy panted up at him. “Messenger. Messenger in the landing bay.”
“What messenger? What could be so important to interrupt this challenge?”
Before the boy could answer, the crowd split apart one more time. The whole Clan fell away to make room for a tall man striding into the Hall. His long brown hair swept his powerful shoulders, and he surveyed the crowd with one hand resting on his sword hilt.
Moira ripped herself out of Connal’s arms and raced down the stairs to the Great Hall. She elbowed her way through the crowd into the center floor, where she laid her grateful eyes on the newcomer resting his hand on Rahni’s shoulder. It was Rohn Harkniss.
Chapter 12
Moira hung back in the shadows of a minor hall and listened to Rohn and Rahni talking.
“I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know I was walking in on this viper’s nest.”
“Don’t apologize. You did me a favor stopping the fight when you did.”
“Is Royce really ignoring your warning? How can he be so blind?”
Rhani (Dragons of Kratak Book 3) Page 8
