Dozens of men along the wall fell in seconds as the Helcat danced through the courtyard. A reserve guard, just two dozen men, charged from behind buildings and shops. To cover Hitomi, Naoko leapt atop a roof, out of their reach.
Laughing with excitement, Hitomi whirled into the oncoming men. She cut and bludgeoned, letting Naoko take anyone clever enough to flank her. As the rest of her forces poured into the courtyard, they gathered to watch the turquoise-haired Helcat in action. In a handful of bloody minutes, Hitomi stood against the lone, remaining soldier. He dropped his weapons, holding his hands to the sky in surrender.
In a rage, Hitomi attacked him with her bare hands, slamming the man against the wall of a building and gripping his throat. Her fingers dug into the soft flesh of his unguarded windpipe and she howled in his face as the cartilage broke and pale, bubbly red fizzed from his mouth.
Hitomi flung him to the dirt and turned to her warriors, raising her fists to the air in victory. “I have no use for prisoners… and no mercy for cowards.”
One of her Blade Dancers, a young novice, ran to hand her a skin of grog. Hitomi drank deep before crying out again. Naoko dropped from the roof to her side, bumping into her with excitement.
In the next instant, Hitomi grabbed her by the waist pulling her close. Her hands gripped Naoko’s dark hair as her mouth found the archer’s. After several seconds of heat, Hitomi pulled away wide-eyed.
Naoko stared back at her, the corner of her mouth curling up. “Well fuck, Commander, now everyone is going to know.”
“I, uh… fuck it, let them talk.” Hitomi released Naoko then pulled her naginata from the ground, holding it over her head. “The fort is ours. Sweep the grounds for stowaways. And get the Gimlet skinners in here. I believe I promised to redecorate.”
Chapter 14
Nero and Chev’El stood outside of her hut on the hill looking down toward the husk of Duransk. The chill morning air bit at Nero making his healing arm ache.
Chev’El whispered a prayer to the spirits of the forest. She bid them to ignore the heritage of Sevictus and accept her father into the World Beyond the Trees. She lifted her head, then opened the front door, tossing her torch inside the hut. The dry hay and kindling inside went up quickly as she turned away to joined Nero.
“You sure about this, Chev’El?”
She did not look at him when she marched north. “I’m never coming back here again.”
The two made their way north. At first Nero needed to take numerous breaks. He felt embarrassed that the small Twileen girl so easily outpaced him, but she never made mention of it and never pushed him further. Most of the game fowl had flown north and deer were too cumbersome to carry on a trip. Chev’El would take down a squirrel or bush rat to roast in the evening.
Nero felt a stronger urge to move the colder it got, as if racing against the weather. They followed the road to Ft. Augustus, trekking through more destroyed villages as they travelled. The Greimere moved with unspeakable quickness, plowing through settlements, moving on in a day. Nero worried they would walk right upon the enemy encampment, but they did not catch sight of even a scout until they were a day from Augustus.
They heard the drums well before they came in sight of the battle. Making a detour, the pair went to high ground and gazed toward the massive military base as dusk set in. Campfires ringed the entire fort, too many to be just the force that had sacked Duransk. Nero could not make out much more than the specks of light, but Chev’El could see some activity along the wall tops.
“They’re under siege. It doesn’t look like the walls have been breached, but the ones inside are stuck.” Chev’El called down to Nero from her perch at the top of a cedar.
“I don’t understand. The entire 7th Regiment should be there; more than that if Rellizbix is aware of Invasion.” Nero looked out over the forest and then back up to Chev’El. “Why aren’t they taking the battle to this enemy?”
“How large is the 7th Regiment?” Chev’El asked.
“About ten thousand men, if fully staffed.”
“The 7th isn’t there, then.” Chev’El started back down the tree and Nero stared at her in disbelief. “I don’t know what a fort normally looks like, but this one looks all but abandoned. There is hardly any movement. Could they be somewhere else?”
Nero tried to shake the dismay from his mind to think. He had been looking forward to rejoining Command for weeks. The fort was right there, a half day away. They could reach it by midnight if they tried.
“Perhaps they’ve mobilized. Maybe… maybe they think the Greimere is somewhere else.”
“Maybe the Greimere is somewhere else.” Chev’El dropped down beside him. “We don’t have any idea how large this force is, do we? What if there is a larger force battling with the 7th as we speak?”
Nero sat down on the ground, dropping his pack beside him. “This isn’t anything like past Invasions. First the 9th is defeated, along with General Tiberius. I am all that is left of Delta Company; all that’s left of the 8th as far as I know. Now Augustus is under siege. It feels like we’re losing at every turn.”
Chev’El knelt in front of him and gazed into his eyes. “I’m sorry, Nero. We can’t go to Fort Augustus. We can’t go anywhere near it.”
Nero shuddered, pulling his cloak tighter about him. “We’ve not seen any other villages, Chev’El. East or west, we don’t know where the Greimere have been and where they haven’t. Winter will catch us in the open soon.”
The girl stood then offered him her hand. “I will take us west a half day and then turn north. That should keep us far enough away from them. Do you know how to get across the river?”
Nero shook his head. “I entered the Wilderness years ago, far to the east, at Ft. Draymmond. After basic training I went straight to Ft. Augustus. I have not been back to Rellizbix Proper since becoming a soldier. I know that the Pisces is the largest river in the world; it is massive with tributaries reaching far out into the plains. There are not many bridges.”
Chev’El sighed and looked north. “Well, we don’t have many other options. We will find a way once we reach it.”
Nero took her hand as she pulled him to his feet. His body ached. His eyes stung with a need to sleep, but they could not linger in sight of the fort. They had to put distance between themselves and the Greimere before they could rest securely. Nero looked out over the forest at the entrenched fort. Moving out felt like abandoning his comrades, but Chev’El was right.
Nero looked away and followed the Twileen girl.
The Pisces River cut into their hopes as fiercely as it cut into the land. As the pair settled near the bank for the evening, the far shore looked as far away as Thromdale.
“I see why there aren’t a lot of bridges now,” Chev’El stated as the sun set and the few fireflies that had not died off flared their green lights.
The temperature near the water dropped considerably lower that night than where they slept the previous evening but they could not risk a fire along the river. Chev’El, with her petite body, felt the cold more than Nero and as they drifted toward sleep, she burrowed up against him, pulling his arm over her. The shared body heat pushed more of the cold out from under their blanket and pushed the thoughts of his failures from his mind. Nero relaxed with the sound of the bubbling river and the feel of Chev’El’s back pushing against his with each gentle breath.
Whether a reflex or an attempt to get comfortable, Chev’El shifted her hips up and down. Nero felt the change right away and tried to shift as well without disturbing her.
“What is that?” Chev’El moved again and reached back. Her hand hit his thigh and she went rigid. “Uh… Nero?”
“I am so sorry.” Nero jerked away, but Chev’El yelped about the cold and grabbed him, pulling him in tight against her again.
After a moment of them both lying as still as possible, Chev’El rolled over and faced him. Her wide, amber eyes sought his.
“What, um… what did that mean, Ne
ro?”
Nero felt like he might puke from nerves. “Nothing. It just happened- er, I mean, it just happens sometimes. I am so sorry.”
“I thought… I don’t know.” Chev’El swallowed and looked away from his eyes for a few seconds before looking back. “Do you like me?”
Nero’s mouth dried out and he wished desperately for water. Chev’El did not look away during the eternity of silence as he thought of what to say; she had to have an answer.
“Yeah.”
Nero’s voice squeaked as he replied and he cursed his nerves. What if that was not what she wanted to hear? What if things were awkward for the rest of their trip? What if she abandoned him?
“Really?” She did not smile or frown or react in any way other than looking down at the almost non-existent space between them. When she looked back up at him, her face seemed pained. “You could have told me before now.”
“I didn’t know if I should.” Nero gulped, thinking of all the times he felt guilty about the thoughts he had of Chev’El. She was not his dream girl or anything. He always pictured himself with a good Saban woman, someone like Alexis from the Bay, even after she eloped with Barius when they were sixteen. Chev’El had just sort of grown on him throughout his visits. She paid attention to him, she listened and acted excited to see him. It surprised him the day he realized it all had turned into attraction. “I’m not very good at this.”
Chev’El looked away and turned over. Nero focused on the inch of air between them that she left. He scowled and cursed inside his mind. He had fucked it all up, just like he knew would happen the moment he opened his big mouth. Now, the two would never be able to go back to the way things were.
Before he could finish brooding, Chev’El rolled back over. Her nose touched his.
“Kiss me.”
It looked like fear in her eyes to Nero, but his relief pushed aside his anxiety. He closed his eyes and met her lips with his. She pushed him to his back and she lay half on the pallet and half on him as they continued kissing. Nero could not figure out what to do with his hands at first, but Chev’El went from caressing his face to seeking him out under his pants. Nero pulled her in closer to him as she unbuckled his belt.
“It’s too cold to take everything off. Is that okay?” Chev’El whispered against his ear as he kissed her neck and moved on top of her.
Nero lifted away enough to take in her face. “Are you sure about this?”
Chev’El nodded her head and slid her pants down. “Yes. I want to.”
Nero worried about fainting, he was so nervous. It took longer than he expected to get situated under the sliding blanket. The face she made when he pushed into her made him hesitate, but she urged him to keep going and hugged him with her legs.
As quickly as it began, it ended. Chev’El moaned and Nero’s body reacted. He collapsed on her, gripping her shoulders and back as the spasms took over. Chev’El cried out and then clamped a hand over her mouth.
He tried to roll off her, but she held on, breathing heavily next to his ear. “Stay.”
…
Nero woke to see Chev’El hunkered next to a small fire as the sun breached the tree tops. She turned and smiled as soon as she noticed he had woken.
“Are you okay?” Nero realized how stupid the question sounded as soon as he heard the words out loud.
Chev’El chuckled. “Of course I am. You didn’t injure me.”
A thought dawned on Nero and he went cold. “Do, uh… we didn’t make a baby, did we?”
Chev’El’s eyes widened and her mouth curled into a smile. “It’s rare for a Saban to seed one of us; practically unheard of. I don’t think you need to worry.”
Nero grimaced. “How do you know so much about… this? I’m not your first, am I?”
“In the Tribes, we’re taught about it very early. You shouldn’t hide knowledge of a journey from someone who is about to embark upon it.” Chev’El looked and him and laughed. “Father says Sabans are much more uptight about sex than Twileens are. Maybe that’s why the races don’t intermingle much.”
Chev’El turned away and looked up the river. “I’m going to find us something to eat. I’m very hungry. I think it might be the baby.”
“What?” Nero jumped out from under the blanket.
Chev’El burst into laughter and Nero felt stupid. He went up to her and hugged her close, kissing her. “I would take care of you, if so. I mean, I will take care of you. Once we get to Rellizbix, I’ll get things squared away with Command and we’ll go to my family’s ranch on the Storm Line. You can stay there, if you like, or I can take you south to your clan.”
Chev’El backed away, a concerned look on her face. “I’m not going with you into Rellizbix, Nero.”
Nero scowled at her, confused.
“I’ll get you to a bridge or find some way to get you across. But then I’m going back into the Wilderness.”
“You’re going all the way back to your clan in the west by yourself?” Nero felt like a fool, planning their future together after one night. Letting her try for the west on her own would be allowing her to die though.
“Sevictus was my clan.” Her face grew as dark and still as stone. “The blue-haired warrior you spoke of is the one who killed my father; I’m sure of it. If she didn’t, she watched as someone else did. For the souls of Duransk and on my own honor, I’m going to kill her.”
Nero could not speak. He simply stared.
“You won’t talk me out of this and you’re not strong enough or skilled enough to stop me, so don’t try.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed, Chev’El. How am I supposed to be okay with that?” Nero could not think of what else to say.
“I can kill her, Nero. I know I can. Rellizbix, the war effort… we will all be better off when I do this. I will make the Greimere suffer. You will go north and inform your command about what is happening here in the Wilderness. We both have our missions.”
“So last night…”
Chev’El reached up and touched his face. “I wasn’t upset because you liked me; I was upset because I had decided on this course the day we left Duransk.
The Twileen girl, who at times was hard enough to kill monsters and Greimere warriors, seemed so fragile and exposed in that moment as she stared up at him. “I have thought about you since the first day you came to my house and we have been on this road together, all alone, for a month. I’m glad you told me last night. I’m happy we did what we did; it will sustain me in the hard times to come. I hope it does the same for you.”
“I’ll come back for you.” Nero’s voice cracked and he looked away to avoid letting her see him break.
She turned his head back to her. “Don’t hang all of your hopes on me, Nero. This is what the Fates gave us.” She paused, then said awkwardly, “I’ll be back with food.”
By the time Chev’El returned Nero had hollowed and stoppered a large enough log to hold his gear.
“What’s this?” Chev’El asked.
“Winter will catch us before we find a bridge and I’m not going to hold you up any further.” Nero turned and stared her down. “I’m swimming the river.”
“You can’t swim the river. It’s a monster.”
“You said I can’t stop you, and you’re right. But you can’t stop me, either; not without ruining your own plans.” Nero smirked. “Besides, I lived on the coast and swam in high tide. This is nothing.”
Chev’El glowered at him. “After all we’ve shared; after I saved your life and after… last night, you’re going to try to kill yourself to get back at me for not running off with you?”
Nero approached her and put his hands on her shoulders, ignoring the feeling that she might gut him. “I’m mad at you for this. I can’t help that feeling. But this isn’t against you. I will swim this river, you have to believe me. And then I’m going to race to Thromdale and come back with every Regiment in the land. I will find you, Chev’El.”
Chev’El lightened a
nd went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I will try not to dwell on the fact that we could have been together this entire time. I will never forget you, Octavius Nero.”
Nero did not dwell with her. He wanted to be with her and take her home, to safety. His inability to get through to her or to settle his own emotions fueled him. The water felt like ice when he stepped in and he hesitated as his balls touched the water. That was always the worst part.
Once his chest submerged, he took off, kicking and stroking. The stoppered log trailed behind him, tied off to his ankle and floating atop the water. He did not look back to see if Chev’El still watched him or if she had already left. He did not want to know. In minutes, the current had carried him out of view anyway.
The cold stole his oxygen and made it harder for him to move than he expected. Fatigue kicked in before he had even made it halfway across. He could not stop though. He thought of Chev’El, of his comrades and of the brave souls hopefully still holding Ft. Augustus. If he failed, no one would know the Wilderness was lost; no one would come for Chev’El.
He pushed on, coughing with each unexpected swell going down his throat. He became aware of a lack of pull in his left leg and looked back to see the log and his gear had come loose from his lanyard at some point and disappeared down the river. There was no turning back.
He reached the far bank, sputtering and crawling to land. The cold wracked his body and the air threatened to freeze him solid. He rolled over at the sound of footfalls and looked up at half a dozen pikes pointed at his face by concerned Sabans in the regalia of the 4th Regiment.
Chapter 15
The open courtyard of Fort Augustus boomed with the sounds of drums and bone flutes. A pyre raged in the center of the buildings and shops and smaller flames lined the ramparts. Blood stained the interior walls black with the picked-clean skeletons of the former inhabitants hanging from spikes. All the Rellizbix regalia had been removed and repainted black and green. In the midst of it all, stood Hitomi in front of the pyre, Naoko and Indie on either side of her. As Raegith and his company rode through the front gates, the entire fort held their weapons forward in salute.
Wrath of the Greimere (Hell Cliffs Book 2) Page 10
