by Shona Husk
The archers on the walls didn’t move.
More fire fell from the sky, from what appeared to be behind the enemy camp—the camp woke up. Those who were on fire screamed. Soldiers were grabbing weapons ready to fight, but the night was filled with smoke and fire confusing them.
Some of the soldiers were moving to put the castle walls at their backs, but that was a fatal mistake. The archers on the walls picked them off, swiftly and without mercy.
Bryce smelled the burning cloth, and wood and…person. He’d attended car accidents and fires and he knew that smell.
The car chase and then the roll over. There’d been nothing he could do to help the car thief. The flames had been too much for him to get close. He stepped back into the corridor and closed his eyes. This was a battle, not a car chase. Cars hadn’t been invented here. That didn’t help his brain re-orientate.
Keleti put her hand on his back, grounding him immediately. “We had to strike. You do not start a war without expecting death. The soldiers came here knowing that some would die.”
He knew that, but no one ever thought it would be them. Politicians were always more than happy to send others while claiming the glory. Reading about it in the paper was nothing like this. Playing a game where no one really died was different. There wasn’t the smell or the sound.
There wasn’t real death.
“What will happen to your people on the outside?”
“They volunteered to go out. They will either escape down the cliff, return to the city, or run to the next one. They are expecting them, they promised protection.”
The invaders were managing to rally. Bryce watched as they formed protective shells with their shields. However their tents were burning, along with supplies and weapons.
“Where is Nadri?” Keleti said more to herself than him, but she was still touching him. Her fingers pressed into his arm.
“Where should she be?”
“I would be in the air directing my warriors.”
Of course she would be. “But you aren’t.”
“I was advised that it was too dangerous as the Southerners wouldn’t hesitate to shoot me down.”
“You have smart advisors.” There was no point in risking their Queen for such a planned strike. That the invaders weren’t using Nadri to direct their troops meant that they either didn’t trust her, or they didn’t think that a woman could fight. “I don’t think the invaders would take orders from a woman.”
Keleti nodded, her eyes gleaming gold. “You are right. You have that problem where you are from.”
“Yep, some people are just dicks.”
There was a breath of silence then he realized that she was staring at him. “What is wrong with dicks? Do you not like them? Is that why you covered yours?”
Bryce opened his mouth but had no idea how to respond. “Genitalia is used as insults…male and female.” Which now he thought about it, it was odd. “But my people do like sex. However there is a stigma attached to it.”
Keleti frowned at him. That kind of look he’d given to people who were spouting unbelievable rubbish. She thought he was a freak, but she happily screwed the priests in some kind of prosperity rite. How could he expect to understand their religion in a day, when he didn’t understand the one his parents had tried to raise him in?
A shout went up as a great golden hawk took to the sky.
“There she is.” Bryce pointed, glad for distraction.
“And she is tethered,” Keleti said softly.
He squinted, but couldn’t see anything. However Keleti’s eyes had that glimmer. She could probably see if the soldiers had food between their teeth.
“How far can you see?”
“How can I describe that when you cannot see what I do?” Her gaze never left the bird as it swooped and tuned.
She had him there.
“Is she not strong enough to break free?” Surely a hawk that size could snap the tether and escape? If Keleti could lift him, surely her cousin had the strength to manage the same.
Keleti shrugged. “She would have to want to be free first. They are going after my warriors. This skirmish is over.”
“And they are still at the gates. Nothing has changed.” What was the point?
“Their morale has been damaged. Morale can make or break a war or a man.” She was watching her cousin and the battle, her eyes gold and seeing the details no one else could, but he didn’t miss the barb aimed at him.
It struck true. He had given up on himself. He’d been unable to put his heart back into his work, but he’d known enough to leave instead of treading water.
“They will try to break the gate tomorrow,” she continued.
“Not lick their wounds?” There would be injured to tend and an assessment of the damage to be made.
“Is that what you would do?”
“I would take the time to re-group and to plan.”
“What would you plan?”
“To sneak into the castle and open the gates from the inside. Nadri would know how to do that.” The invaders had a huge advantage, but he was sure that Keleti knew that. “Or sneak in and kill you.”
“I have guards set at the weak points. If I die, my daughter will rule.”
“Steal your daughter. Force you to surrender by threatening her death,” he countered
She glanced at him sharply. “Nadri wouldn’t do that.”
“No, but the Southerners might and they probably don’t trust her enough to reveal all their plans the same way you do not trust me with yours.”
Keleti narrowed her gaze. “Why haven’t you grabbed my daughter and forced me to hand over the key?”
Why hadn’t he? It was a good question. Aside from not having had the chance yet, he didn’t want to be attempting to get the key back by using a child as a hostage. He shook his head. “I’m not that kind of person. Besides, you are probably right. I am here for a reason. What good is having a key that doesn’t work?”
He had to believe in something, and for the moment that was it. He was here for a reason. He had a quest, even if he didn’t know what that was.
She placed her hand on his chest. “War reminds us that life can be fleeting. Remember to enjoy what you have, Bryce.”
He caught her hand. “You are a queen and I am here by chance. I do not know how to play your game without getting burned.”
“You are assuming that sex is like war.”
“Isn’t it?” There was always strategizing and point scoring. Men and women competed for attention. Dating was just a way of making alliances and hoping that it would became more.
“Not here. Your world must be very sad if you cannot play without fear.”
He looked away unable to look into her eyes any longer. “Why would you waste your time with me?”
“Why wouldn’t I try something different?” She placed her finger under his chin so he had to look at her. “If you are not interested, say so. There is no insult.”
Wasn’t there? He knew plenty of women who would take offense. “I would be lying if I said that.”
“I know.” She smiled, then stepped back and melted into the shadows. He stood there watching the burning tents and the archers on the wall with their hand signals for a moment longer. He didn’t understand them in the same way he didn’t understand Keleti.
Did she not care what her people would think?
Or was he worried about what her people would think of him? Here he was, a stranger with weird ears and he was getting a come on from the queen. He didn’t get it. If this had been a dream or a game, he’d have accepted without blinking. Because that’s what one did when it wasn’t real. When it wasn’t real there were no consequences.
That was when he realized that he had accepted that this was real.
This was his life for the moment…and for the foreseeable future.
His head hurt and the smell of the burning army clung to the back of his throat. It was late. He was tired. Tonight there wa
s a bed waiting for him instead of a cave. For all he knew Keleti was toying with him.
But he’d be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t enjoying her company or the thrill of attraction coupled with the edge of danger.
His guards drew closer, and Bryce was guided back to his room. From where he was he couldn’t see the army when he looked out the window. For that he was glad. But sleep didn’t come easy.
Keleti was up at first light, double checking everything. She spoke to all the guards on the weak points. The main doors, the river entrance, and also took a quick flight along the cliffs to make sure that there were no boats creeping up on them.
Everything was clear.
The first of the archers had returned during the night. They gave her a grim account of what they had seen over the last couple of days along with the details of the brief battle.
None of the news lifted her spirits.
She prayed and left an offering of blood in the temple. Then, like everyone else, she went to practice with her weapons. Hopefully they wouldn’t need to fight, but if the invaders got into the city, they needed to be stopped fast.
Several people asked her to bless their weapons.
She watched children with their bows. Her youngest two amongst them.
Even the priests were out.
Many of the men had removed their shirts, fighting bare-chested with curved swords. Keleti danced her way through several sword fights before pausing, out of breath. At thirty-five, she was a warrior of skill, but she wasn’t as fast as some of the younger men and women. She spent too much time running her cities and not enough training.
Frustration burned in her gut. She didn’t know when the reinforcements would arrive. That her cousin had changed sides and knew everything about the city was another layer of anxiety.
She’d thought she’d known her cousin. She’d known that Nadri liked power, but had never thought that she’d try to seize it like this. She’d been expecting Nadri to ask for a city of her own to rule when Driska started flying.
What a fool she’d been.
She took a drink and cast her gaze over what would usually be the market square. There was no stalls today, just an arena for training. The actual weapon training area was also in use. Anyone who owned a sword or bow was out.
The air was sticky, and the sun already too hot.
Her favorite priest came over, his skin glinting gold in the sun. “The Ambassador lacks skill with a sword.” There was a smile on his lips.
“He said weapons were different where he came from.” She walked with him to where Bryce was training.
His skin was flushed pink, from sunburn or exertion, she wasn’t sure. Sweat glistened on him as he attempted to fend off the attacker, who was obviously going easy on him.
Bryce was no swordsman that was for sure. His style was too tight and scrappy. But she still enjoyed watching him. The way his muscles moved as well as the look of concentration on his face. He wasn’t afraid of fighting; he just didn’t know how to use a sword.
He gave up and dropped his blade, the attacker lowered his and grinned. The next moment Bryce had the man disarmed and on the ground. Pinned.
A few of the people who had been watching laughed and raised their fist to acknowledge Bryce’s final win. No one liked to see a warrior getting ground down repeatedly. Bryce got off the other man and offered his hand. Without hesitation the defeated man took it. They spoke for a few moments before separating. That was when he saw her watching.
He didn’t drop his gaze.
She smiled.
He returned the smile with a small nod of acknowledgement.
“There is some fight in him.” The priest was looking thoughtful. “He may be here to do what others cannot.”
“The gods sent you a message?” Would they win? But the words didn’t form. She had to believe that they would.
“I see the way your eye follows him. You could do worse.”
“I have other things to think about besides finding a consort. Besides, he will do what it takes to go home and no more.” Bryce had made that much clear. He’d also refused to take any hint, preferring to remain celibate.
While his ears were ugly, everyone had some flaw they weren’t proud of.
The priest tipped his head. “And yet he is fascinated by our history.”
“Ha, perhaps he should be a priest.”
“He has no magical ability. We tested him quite thoroughly.”
“I didn’t think he would. No one shapeshifts where he is from.” She glanced at the priest. “What of his theory? This genetics?”
“It is not the first time those ideas have been raised.” The priest opened up his hands. “But who can tell what seed takes hold. The Ambassador mentioned they have a machine like a telescope that can see into blood. That is how they tell those things.”
“We are vulnerable with so few Heavenlies.” With Nadri gone, there was one less.
“I know. We can divine a way forward when we have rid ourselves of the Southern scourge.”
“If we had more Heavenlies, then we would be able to fight them more effectively. How goes the bomb?”
“It goes well. We have tested several over the cliff. The magic works, but they will be lethal. They are the kind of magic that once deployed, it will be hard to stop the spreading use.”
“If we were to be at war amongst ourselves...” If Nadri managed to turn a city against her, or if one of the other Queens decided that she wanted a bigger territory, those bombs could be used on her people. She blew out a breath. The crawling tension was back. “Send Bryce to the archers; let us see if he can hit a target.”
Before the priest could reply, Keleti walked over to the woman coordinating the fights and put her name down for the next round.
Bryce wiped his forehead, not that it made any difference. It was humid and hot, and as soon as he wiped himself, his skin was slick again. Now he had grit stuck to his face from grappling with the last man to fight with him. At least he had won that fight.
His hand, wrist and arm ached. He was sure that come this evening, the rest of him would be hurting too. Using an actual sword was very different to pretending to use one in a game. He had a couple of nicks on his arms to prove how sharp the swords were, and how skilled the people he’d been fighting were.
He took another long swallow of water.
He needed something to eat. A sugar hit…he was missing the prepackage snacks of home. He wanted a burger and fries. Chocolate, and salty chicken flavored chips. He settled for sitting down. He’d get food later and a wash, although it wouldn’t be a bath. They weren’t wasting water on anything as frivolous as a relaxing soak.
Not that he would be able to relax. All of this fighting was for one reason; to make sure those fuckers on the other side of the wall didn’t kill everyone.
If it came to sword fighting, he was so very dead.
He’d faced that fear before, but somehow it had never seemed quite so real. His life before coming here was fading as though it had been a dream.
Keleti glided through a series of elegant attacks and defenses. The sword appeared to be part of her. Weightless and fluid. If he had even one per cent of her skill…
The blue eyed priest, that obviously had a thing for the queen, strolled over. Bryce kept his gaze on the fight. He was getting blisters on his palm from holding the sword all morning, the skin swollen and tender. But he wasn’t going to complain. He’d already given everyone more than enough entertainment.
He could’ve excused himself, but he wanted to know if he’d be able to defend himself. The answer was a big, fat no with a side mocking laughter—which had only been in his head because everyone was far too polite.
The priest stood next to him for a moment before speaking. “Today the first time you’ve held a sword?”
“Yep.”
“What about a bow?”
Bryce nodded. “I did archery through high school.” He’d liked the way he didn�
��t need to rely on anyone else. It was just him and the target. When his parents had separated he’d spent a lot of hours at the range just to be out of the house. The money had dried up and he’d had to quit. The bow had been sold so he could buy his first piece of junk car. “But that was a long time ago.”
“Well, perhaps you’d like to try again.”
Did he want to pick up a bow again? What if it had been too long or the bows were too different? He forced out a breath and glanced at the priest. Saying no wasn’t really an option.
Keleti’s round ended. While everyone knew she was the Queen there didn’t appear to be any concession made. Keleti had lost.
The priest nodded. “The man she was fighting is one of our best swordsmen. If he’d let her win she’d have been horrified.”
“Where I’m from, He would’ve had to let the Queen win.” People let those in power win all the time, even if they didn’t deserve to. Money and power bought a lot in his world. Here, the dynamic was different, and every time he thought he had it nailed down, he realized that he didn’t.
“That proves nothing and shows no respect to either fighter.”
“It shows obedience.”
“And what good is that in a fight?”
Bryce shrugged and picked up the shirt he’d tossed on the ground. Fighting in a skirt wasn’t as hard as he’d thought it would be. There was a definite freedom that pants didn’t have. Not that he would ever admit to it when he went home, but he was starting to like wearing a skirt.
He followed the priest to where people were practicing with their bows. There was a steady drum of arrows hitting the targets. Then silence as the bows were lowered and the arrows collected. It was all very smoothly run. He wasn’t given a very powerful bow and he was taken through the basics, which started to come back to him.
He remembered the feel of the bow, and the lining up of the arrow.
And then the sting as the string snapped against his forearm. He bit back the curse, but didn’t stifle the whoop when he realized that he’d hit the damn target—only just but it counted. Maybe today was looking up.
All he had to do now was repeat that feat, and gain some accuracy, to prove it wasn’t a fluke.
