Paladins of the Storm Lord

by Barbara Ann Wright

  “Your god. Are there other human gods?”

  Cordelia shrugged, wondering where this was going. “Some people claim there are, but the Storm Lord’s real. He controls the weather.”

  “None of my people knew of this god before the humans came.”

  “So, what do your people believe in? Like, how do the drushka believe this world was created?”

  She spread her hands. “There was a great tree who grew too big and crumbled, becoming the world. Its seeds split open, spilling out the world’s creatures, and new trees sprouted from the bark of the old.”

  A nice enough idea, even though their great tree would have to have been growing in space. Still, she didn’t want to go poking Nettle’s beliefs. She finished cleaning one plate and set it aside, and the pile between them grew shorter. Nettle leaned back on her elbows, one leg cocked up. Cordelia kept hearing Pool in her head saying, “intimate dance.”

  She tried to think of any of her old lines, but she couldn’t invite Nettle out for a drink or give her a little gift she’d “just happened upon.” She had the strangest urge to fall sideways and rest her head on Nettle’s long torso.

  Nettle caught her glance and looked away quickly, smiling. Then she frowned and knocked one hand against the ground. “You must know, Sa, I do not like lying.”

  Cordelia kept cleaning, waiting for more, her libido briefly suspended.

  “No drushka likes speaking falsehoods, but I do not like when I must keep from saying a thing, as when I had to say leader instead of queen. It has the feel of lying to it.”

  “A lie of omission, we call it.”

  Nettle’s gaze locked on hers again. “Do you know of the scent?”

  “The scent?”

  “I have never encountered it, but some drushka tell stories.” She spread her hands. “They say humans sometimes wish to mate with drushka because of this scent, that it makes drushka tempting to certain humans, very much so. I had to speak of it to you, so that you know that when you look at me, it could be the scent instead of—”

  “You think this scent is controlling me? That I’m irresistibly attracted to you because of the way you smell?” Now that would be embarrassing, but in their brief time together, there’d been a few looks going the other way as well. Maybe Nettle just wasn’t willing to admit it.

  “I thought we should speak before you were tempted.”

  “To what? Lose control?” When she didn’t answer, Cordelia leaned over, stopping a hair’s breadth from her neck, and inhaled deeply, moving until they could stare eye-to-eye. “You do smell nice, but I can keep myself in check. If one of us is tempted, maybe it’s you.”

  The nictitating membrane at the corner of Nettle’s eyes twitched, and her mouth hung open a fraction, just enough for a glint of sharp teeth. “I wanted you to know of it before anyone lost anything at all.”

  With a slow smile, Cordelia straightened and went back to cleaning her armor. Nettle moved away, and Cordelia watched her go, but now she had doubts. What if nothing Cordelia felt for her was real? But wasn’t all attraction just random chemicals? Did it matter if some of them were alien?

  Shiv plopped down in front of her. “Are you speaking to your metal skin? Can it hear you?”

  “No, I was grumbling out loud.”

  “About what?”

  Cordelia paused. This was probably the most willing source of information she’d get. “Do you know anything about the scent?”

  “Ahya. The elders say it makes your people have the liking of my people. Why?” Her eyes grew wide, and she clapped. “Do you have the liking of someone? Ah! Is it me?” She wrinkled her nose so hard her face seemed to turn inward.

  Cordelia sputtered a laugh. “No, sorry.”

  Shiv slapped her thighs. “I would like a human lover. Who is it you want?”

  “I just wanted to know if the scent was real or not.”

  “Only you could say. Do you have the liking of many drushka?”

  “Just one, and now I’m not sure about her.”

  “Tell me who. If she is ugly, it is the scent.”

  Cordelia sighed and leaned forward. Shiv leaned in as well until their faces almost touched, grinning. “Nettle.”

  Shiv sat back, tapping her chin. “The hunt leader does have a nice stride. She is too hard at times, too much the tree. She will not let me do as I please.”

  Yep, that punch, that smile, that take-no-shit attitude, even the way she’d struck first and asked questions later. Yum.

  Shiv poked her in the arm but kept the claw curled into her palm. “You do have the liking. I see it in your face. Ashki is her name, as the drushka say.”

  Cordelia said it in her head but not out loud, not yet. “How do you know what a human looks like when she ‘has the liking’?”

  “Higaroshi used to look at a drushka that way, but she had the liking of someone else.”

  “Was he affected by the scent?”

  “Who can say? Listen, Sa.” She grabbed Cordelia’s shoulders and put on a serious face. “Do not let it stop you.”

  “I never said I would.”

  “You should speak to others and see if you have the liking of them, too. Then you will see it is not the scent, and you can bite the hunt leader’s ears all you want.” She stood and smacked one fist into her palm, face set in steely resolve. “Then you can make the hunt leader take me to the human lands, and I can find my lover. Ah, Sa! We will sing stories to each other then!”

  Cordelia sighed. Seeing if she was attracted to any other drushka was worth a shot, but she wasn’t up to biting anyone’s ears just yet.

  The next morning, Nettle’s band escorted Cordelia toward Gale, traveling swiftly along the ropy branches. Cordelia split her time among the drushka, mingling even with those who didn’t speak Galean. She excavated the few drushkan words Paul had taught her from the depths of her memory, and with a little pantomime, she could communicate well enough.

  Some were standoffish, some talkative. Most were attractive enough, she supposed, but none as much as their hunt leader with her sideways smile. None of them seemed inclined to talk about the queen or the boggins. Maybe someone had told them to keep their mouths shut, another lie of omission.

  As she watched them, Cordelia thought of how humans would have called the scent love at first sight or soul mates or some other crap. Leave it to the less technologically advanced species to reduce it to chemistry. Whatever it was, she forced herself to keep her mind on her feet rather than her fantasies. They camped for the night on another sparse patch of ground, and Cordelia curled up to sleep alone.

  They followed the Oosjani Road the next day, coming ever closer to solid ground. One of the scouts reported an armored paladin waiting just outside the swamp, and Cordelia was left to advance alone, the drushka preferring to hide during first meetings. When Cordelia spotted Liam waiting for her, she grinned, waving.

  *

  Liam waved back as Cordelia jogged through the sparse trees. His heart relaxed to see her. She could take care of herself better than anyone he knew, but still, he worried. He’d been surprised when his mother didn’t send her any backup, but she trusted Cordelia, something she’d never say about her own son.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve marched through the swamp by yourself!” he called. “Did the drushka abandon you, or did you scare them off?”

  She slapped his shoulder, the armor too bulky for hugs. Her dark brown eyes sparkled as she grinned. “They’re around. They like to watch first.”

  “Kinky. What did you find out?”

  “I’ll give my full report to your mom, don’t worry.”

  “She’ll end up telling me, you know that, probably while yelling at me for something else.”

  “My squad get back okay?”

  “Without incident. So, give us a hint. Where are the drushka hiding?” He glanced around, thought of everything he knew about the drushka, including their arboreal nature, and glanced straight up.

  A green-h
aired drushka lay on a branch some ways above his head, the bright sparkle of its green eyes giving it away as alive. He followed the lines of its sleek body to where its hands curled around the branch, middle fingers tipped with poisonous claws, a female.

  She rolled from the branch and landed on another, just beside him, without a sound. Cordelia didn’t seem to notice, but Liam couldn’t take his eyes off her. Tiny shells sown along the edges of her leather sleeves glinted in the sun. She lowered her face, twisting side to side like a serpent, hypnotizing him.

  Liam liked to think he could resist his nature, resist all the pretty men and women who crossed his path, but they lingered inside him and treaded across his senses, and he always gave in, could no more resist them than he could resist breathing.

  The drushka didn’t tread. She charged, her brightness clouding his vision, the woody scent of her lodging in his throat like candy. Her face hung in front of him, and he memorized the marks upon her dark brown skin. He tilted his face up, just to say hello, but she darted forward and took his lower lip between her sharp teeth. She bit down slightly, a row of sweet agony. He shuddered and closed his eyes.

  “Liam,” someone said, maybe the voice of God.

  “Yes, Lord?”

  Cordelia turned him roughly. “Wake the fuck up!”

  He shrugged out of her grasp. “What?”

  She gave him a nasty look, her cheeks a little pink, but he never saw the point in shame, not anymore. Rustling leaves made him turn. The green-haired drushka stood on the ground now, beside another female with short red hair.

  “Forgive us, please,” the red-haired one said. Her hand was wrapped around the upper arm of the green-haired one as if holding her back.

  “No need to apologize.” Liam grinned. “I’m Liam Carmichael.”

  When the drushka didn’t speak, Cordelia cleared her throat. “I call them Nettle and Shiv. They like to let other people name them.”

  Liam’s grin widened, and he winked at the green-haired drushka. “I’m guessing you’re named after the knife.”

  She tossed her head, her gaze kicking him in the gut. “Ahya.”

  “Let’s get moving,” Cordelia said. “Nettle, are you coming with us?”

  “Ahwa. We will remain in the swamp.”

  Shiv glared, her mouth a thin, angry line.

  Liam opened his mouth to argue, but Cordelia gave him a look of pure buzzkill, and he shut up.

  “Will you tell Reach of all that has happened?” Nettle asked.

  “I’ll tell my captain,” Cordelia said, “and then she’ll decide what to do, but I’ll mention that you want Reach to know.”

  “Then we will send word on our own,” Nettle said.

  Liam winked at Shiv again. “I know just the messenger.”

  She licked her teeth, but Cordelia tugged on Liam’s arm.

  “Good-bye, then,” Cordelia said, “and thanks.” She marched Liam along, her face twisting between lots of emotions. It burned in him to ask about everything that had happened, but she’d talk when she was ready. He was happy to let her lead, giving him plenty of chances to look over his shoulder.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Cordelia hustled Liam out of the thick woods, practically towing him toward Gale to keep his feet moving.

  He whistled, still casting looks over his shoulder though Shiv had been lost from view for some time. “I never thought anyone could be so intoxicating.”

  Cordelia fought visions of Nettle and failed. “According to them, there’s a smell that makes them irresistible, like a drug or something.”

  “And it makes you want to have sex with them?”

  “I’m not sure how it works or even if I believe it.”

  “Finally! Ever since I hit puberty, Captain Mom’s been telling me I’m weak-willed, can’t say no to some down and dirty sex. Now all I have to do is date drushka, and she can’t hold me responsible.”

  “So, you want some alien sweat gland dictating your behavior?”

  “Eh, being in love feels like being drunk anyway.” He eyed her, smiling. “How did you find out about this smell?”

  She shrugged, but his grin was inching up, forcing hers to do the same.

  “What did you do, Delia? Or should I say, whom did you do?” When she shrugged, he cried, “Drushka lover! One trip to the swamp, and your trousers fall right off.”

  “Look who’s talking! You fuck anything that looks at you twice.”

  “Anytime. Anywhere. So…” He prodded her arm.

  “I’m not telling you shit.”

  “Oh.” He put a hand to his chest and staggered as if she’d shot him. “Here I am, at the threshold of knowing everything there is to know about sex, and you deny me the final piece: sex with an alien? You should feel happy, nay, honored, at the chance to complete my bevy of knowledge.”

  She sputtered a laugh. “Complete your bevy by yourself. I didn’t have sex with one. It wasn’t even a near thing.”

  He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Tell me what happened, and I’ll tell you where you fucked up.”

  She slapped his hand away but told him all the personal things, knowing he wouldn’t repeat it and knowing he’d sympathize where she needed him to. Their talk lasted all the way to Gale and through it, him nodding all the while and clutching her shoulder when she told him about the prog.

  “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m alive.”

  He nodded but the tightness in his face spoke volumes.

  When she told him about Nettle, he said, “If she doesn’t want you, her loss. There are plenty of lovely ladies to choose from.”

  She gave him a sideways grin. “Like Shiv?”

  “If she ever comes to Gale or I go to the swamp, I am making my play, sweat glands or not.”

  “I admire your tenacity. Listen, I’m going to report before I change, get it over with. Meet you at the pub?”

  “I’ll go with you to Captain Mom’s office.”

  “She’s not going to let you in.”

  “That’s okay.” He followed her into the keep and up the stairs, and she wondered if it was her near-death experience that made him unable to leave her side.

  “Liam, I’m fine. She’s going to yell at you.”

  “She doesn’t need an excuse to do that.” He knocked on the captain’s door.

  “Busy!” Carmichael yelled.

  “Guess I’m getting changed first,” Cordelia muttered.

  Liam leaned around her. “Lieutenant Ross is back from the swamp.” He waited a heartbeat. “Captain.”

  The door flew inward, and Carmichael raked the two of them with her gaze. “Ross, inside. Lieutenant Carmichael, since you clearly don’t know the meaning of the word ‘busy,’ report back here in an hour so I can educate you.”

  Liam’s salute was crisp enough to make any superior officer proud. Cordelia slipped inside the office, and Carmichael slammed the door so hard, the walls rattled.

  “Report.”

  Cordelia told her of the cages, the dead boggins and humans, the theories of the drushka, and how the drushkan leader thought that the humans had contacted the old drushka. She kept Pool and her tree out of it, though she thought of them often, reliving the feel of the roots pulling her underground.

  Carmichael paced slowly, showing every expression from thoughtful to thunderous. “Conclusions?”

  “I think those researchers were doing something to the boggins, maybe with drushkan help, maybe at the request of the yafanai.”

  Carmichael lifted one eyebrow but didn’t offer anything. Cordelia couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew exactly what had gone on out there. Now everyone involved was dead.

  “Captain, am I right?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Lieutenant. I forgot I was supposed to report to you.” She paused, tapping her chin as if thinking. “Oh wait. I’m not.”

  Cordelia swallowed. “No, Captain.”

  “Are you sure? You are a member of the esteemed Ross clan, niece of our mayor. Are yo
u sure you’re not in charge?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “So glad to hear it. Now, with your permission, you’re dismissed.”

  On her way out, Cordelia said, “The drushka asked if their ambassador could be kept in the loop.”

  “And what did you say?”

  “I said it would be up to you.”

  “Well, thanks for that. Dismissed. Again.”

  Cordelia stood outside the door, took a deep breath, and wondered if that was what Carmichael looked like when she felt guilty. But she was the captain. Even if she’d made a plan and it had gone sideways, she didn’t owe anyone an explanation.

  Even if it fucked up relations with the drushka? This could be the end of their alliance with Pool, and then everyone in the swamp would be intent on killing them. Carmichael might only have to answer to the Storm Lord, but she would have to answer.

  Liam waited on the stairs. Before he could speak, she said, “We’ve got time for a drink before you have to report. Let me get the hell out of this armor and do a quick scrub-down.”

  “Naked pub visit. I like it.”

  “Depending on how tired I am after I peel this shit off, it might happen.”

  He followed her to the barracks, and they both stripped, though Cordelia didn’t know if Liam was off-duty yet. As she scrubbed in the washroom, she decided it didn’t matter. He seemed to think that if he was going to be in trouble anyway, he might as well make it worse.

  “How was your talk with Captain Mom?” he asked.

  “As you’d expect.”

  “So, are we getting blind stinking drunk to help you recover?”

  She snorted a laugh. “A quick glass. You have an appointment, remember?”

  “But if I’m drunk, maybe she’ll finally…” He chuckled. “I don’t know.”

  “Just follow orders. It’s not that hard!” Easy to say, but she was the one keeping secrets. She shook the thought away. “Come on. One small drink to strengthen your spirits, go take your licks from Captain Hardass, then we’ll drink until we’re intimately acquainted with the floor.”

  He grinned. “I take back every bad thing I’ve ever said about you. You have the best ideas.”