Forest of Demons

by Debbie Cassidy

  Aryan glanced sharply at him. “If you wish to progress in ranks, then you need to think with the serenity of your mind, not the fire of your heart. Fighting would have been the moral choice. It would have resulted in all our deaths. Standing down was the tactical choice. It saved your lives.” He dropped his chin. “This will not go unpunished, I promise you.”

  “I don’t think I want to go on a discovery run again . . . I don’t think I want to sail either.”

  Aryan’s heart echoed Fen’s words. He had nothing in common with the warriors that had disembarked from the discovery ship, and the thought of becoming one of them chilled his blood.

  He and Fen continued in silence, each lost to his own thoughts.

  Aryan approached Marduk’s office just as Gunhild was leaving. His heart stalled as the warrior’s eyes met his. He had given his word not to report them. If Gunhild found out, there would be bitter blood between them, but the older warrior didn’t even flinch. His gaze slid off Aryan like syrup, and then he was striding past and out the force headquarter’s doors. Aryan watched him leave, confused with the lack of reaction.

  He took the puzzle into the office with him.

  “Aryan, how can I be of assistance?” Marduk asked from behind his opulent desk.

  Aryan wondered how much wood had been used on the excessive piece of furniture; surely a simpler design would have served just as well. In fact, the whole office seemed overly excessive—tapestries, plush cushioned seats, and several carefully carved ornaments.

  He realized with a start that Marduk was still waiting for a response, his lean face arranged in a picture of enquiry.

  “I wish to make a report.”

  “A report?”

  “Yes, about our escort run.”

  Marduk leaned back placing his hands flat on the desk. “Go ahead.”

  “On the way to the coast we were attacked by ice wraiths.”

  Marduk’s brows shot up, unease flickering across his features, but it was gone in a blink, replaced by an incredulous smile. “Ice Wraiths? Surely not. You must be mistaken. Pray tell, was there a blizzard?”

  “Yes, almost blinding.”

  Marduk shrugged. “Well, there you have it. You must have been mistaken.”

  Aryan’s cheeks flushed with annoyance. “We were attacked. That is not something I can be mistaken about.”

  Marduk chuckled. “Of course not. What I meant to say was that you were mistaken about what attacked you.”

  Aryan shook his head. “No.”

  “A giwulf, maybe?”

  “They were ice wraiths. Their screams paralyzed our men. We were lucky to get away with our lives, although Vidar was lost to us.”

  Marduk frowned. “Vidar? He’s one of Kemp’s Hand? Gunhild reported a full crew left on the discovery ship.”

  “He’s lying.”

  Marduk cocked his head. “Now, why would he do that?”

  Aryan knew this was the moment he could hold his peace to prevent bitter blood but he couldn’t lie. “I don’t know, but he wasn’t himself. He allowed his men to violate the cargo. I was powerless to stop them. My Hand was outnumbered.”

  Marduk sighed. “Please sit, Aryan.”

  Aryan took the offered seat, folding his large body into it uncomfortably.

  “You are a pious man, a devout man, and I admire your tenacity, your faith. But you must understand that out there, across the sea, our faith is tested, our morality is stripped away layer by layer until there is little left but the primitive beast beneath. The men who take on this terrible task do their utmost to remain true to The Divine, but it is not always possible. I assure you, however, that The Divine is aware of this horrific price and will be channelling more of his divine light into those who sail. He will help cast away the shadows and keep them strong. Gunhild, Harlow, and their Hands have been thoroughly cleansed, and the females will be tended to and cleansed shortly.” He threw up his hands. “No harm done.”

  “No harm done? These females were degraded, violated. You didn’t see their fear, their desperation! No one should have to experience that. There’s no excuse, and if the warriors knew that they would become monsters, I’m sure they would not wish to take the risk.” He tried to contain the heat in his words but failed.

  Marduk slowly got to his feet, leaning over the desk, his face a mask of barely restrained fury. “And where would that leave our race? Dead, that is what. Without fertile wombs, our populations will dwindle and we will die. This is the price we pay for our continued survival. I think when faced with the choice any dedicated warrior would take the risk!”

  What could he say to that? It all made perfect sense, except Marduk had still not addressed the issue of the ice wraiths.

  “What about the ice wraiths? Surely we should make the Hands aware of the threat, increase patrol numbers.”

  Marduk exhaled, brushing tendrils of golden hair back from his face. He lowered himself back into his seat. “If, and I stress, if such a threat has arisen, then it would serve no purpose to promote panic among the citizens. People are superstitious and may dredge up all kinds of monstrous tales that could threaten the harmony of The City. I assure you I will speak to the individuals most at risk and monitor the situation personally.” He flashed him a tight smile. “Now, if there is nothing else . . .”

  “No. Thank you, Enforcer.” Aryan stood and inclined his head. “May we meet again.”

  He moved to the door.

  “And Aryan?”

  Aryan paused.

  “Don’t ever question my capabilities again.”

  Aryan lowered his head and quickly strode from the room before his tongue got the better of him.

  He was halfway home before a thought struck him. They could warn the warriors, but what of the initiates out in the Forging? Who would warn them? He closed his eyes, offering a prayer to The Divine for the protection of his son and the other sons out in the wilderness.

  FIVE

  “Chief.” Bojan greeted him as Aryan slipped into the hot water of the baths.

  “Bojan.”

  “Ivor returns on the morrow?”

  “Indeed.” He sank back into the water, resting his head on the raised stone platform behind him and closing his eyes.

  “Mia must be excited.”

  Aryan’s lips lifted in a fond smile. Mia was beside herself with anticipation. The house was so clean that he could eat his meals off the floor should he wish. Their personal stores were filled with tins of biscuit and rock cake, both Ivor’s favorite treats. The woman was possessed with the divine energy. For the first time since he’d come back from the discovery escort over three weeks ago, he felt his loins stir with desire for her.

  The first night back, he’d fucked her hard, taking her in ways that he would never have dreamed, all the while Tiger Eye’s face had glowed in his mind, inflaming him further. Afterward, as they had lain stunned in each other’s arms, he’d felt the cold kiss of guilt on his brow. He had not touched his life-mate since. Mia deserved better than to be an object used in the completion of his fantasies. Two Assemblies had curbed his irrational infatuation, and serenity cocooned his heart once more.

  “How is Earl spending his respite?” Aryan asked.

  “Probably the same way Mia is. The man is behaving like a female while Hera keeps a level head. I swear I think we should initiate the female into our Hand in his place, at least until he regains his manhood.”

  Aryan chuckled. He could understand Earl’s excitement, because he felt it too. The only difference was he was more effective at containing it. He had promised himself one thing upon leaving Ivor to the elements; he’d promised that upon his son’s return as a man, he would finally open his heart to him. There were so many things that he wished to say to his boy, so many things he wished to share. He wanted to hold him tight just once. These things he had denied himself, denied his son, for the greater good. To love him too intensely would have made him weak. It would have made it harder to do what
needed to be done. Now his son would return a man, and Aryan would finally be free to love him.

  “I envy you, brother,” Bojan said.

  Aryan snapped out of his thoughts. “Envy? Why?”

  Bojan’s lips quirked in a sardonic smile. “You have a life-mate that adores you, and a son who worships the ground kissed by your feet. You have family. I’d give anything for that.”

  “And you shall have it soon.”

  “I did, I mean I could have. I just . . . I should have tried harder.”

  “There is no cure for insanity. What happened was not your fault.”

  Bojan met his gaze, something conspiratorial entering his eyes, and for a moment Aryan thought he was going to impart a secret, but instead he relaxed and leaned back, breaking contact.

  “You’re right of course. Next time . . . next time will be different.”

  Respite days came once a month, treasured moments of complete indulgence. Aryan always spent them with his family. He and Mia would make the journey to the edge of the City and visit with Da and Ama, where they would be plied with Ama’s sweet meats and savory cakes, Da’s bitter wine and, on occasion, green tea from some far-off isle.

  The spoils of discovery were distributed fairly so that every citizen experienced the new and foreign foods and spices at some time. The mill had even succeeded in growing or replicating some of the items found.

  On respite day they enjoyed good food, drink, and interesting conversation, but this respite day was special. This respite day was their last as a family, because Da would be gone before the next. Aryan was just glad that Da would be there to welcome Ivor home and take part in the Conversion ceremony that would brand him a man.

  Aryan and Mia walked arm in arm through The City. He looked down at his life-mate, radiant in her crimson and cream robe, her dark hair piled atop her head in a classic twist that exposed the slender column of her neck. He capitulated to the urge to lean down and place a tender kiss on her nape.

  She smiled up at him, her eyes glowing with pleasure.

  This was how it should be between them. How it had been before.

  Tiger Eyes’ face was a smudge in his mind. He no longer ached for her. The strange fever she had infected him with had finally passed from his system. He wished to never see her again, part of him afraid that he would once again be bound by obsession. The City was vast, but not so vast that he may never glimpse her. He hoped the glimpse would be brief and a long time coming.

  “Love, what are you pondering?” Mia asked.

  “I was wondering when this day would be over so I could take you home and ravish you.”

  “Ravish?” She laughed. “So you’re feeling amorous on the eve of our son’s return? Do you plan on filling my womb again?”

  Aryan blinked in surprise. The thought had not occurred, but now she had mentioned it, the idea of another child did appeal. Tonight when he fucked her he would do it with intent. They would have another child.

  Reading his silence as disapproval she ducked her head. “It was simply a suggestion.”

  He drew her to a halt, tilting her chin up with his crooked finger. “And a wonderful one. We will have another child.”

  Her smile was the sun and her eyes, the stars.

  He leaned in, brushing his lips over hers. Yes, this was how it should be.

  “Mia, you look lovely!” Ama pulled her into a crushing embrace, shooing Aryan past into the house.

  He left them to their reunion in the entryway, slipping through into the family room where Da greeted him with a cup of green tea.

  Aryan lowered his body onto one of the padded seats reserved for his visits. Da had crafted the seat especially for him a few years ago when he had first moved into Transition. Hands brought wood from the other side of the Island once every month. In The City it was used simply for crafting, because, although a source of fuel, it paled in comparison to the black rock and blue fluid that could be found in abundance within the rock walls that surrounded The City.

  Aryan sipped his tea, fragrant and soothing. It cleared his mind.

  “How was escort duty?” Da kept his eyes fixed on his cup. His tone was neutral, but riddled with layers.

  Of course, Da had been on several escort runs in his time as a warrior. He had even been on two discovery voyages. He would know . . . he would know. Aryan tensed. Did he really want to talk about his experience? Did he really want to know his da’s views? Da looked up, and Aryan’s breath caught in his chest because there was too much knowledge in those eyes; a concoction of emotions slipping and sliding over each other.

  He was almost afraid to ask. “Da? What happened to you?”

  Da dropped his eyes. “It doesn’t matter, not anymore. It only matters what happens now.”

  Aryan was still deciding what to say when the words spilt from his lips unbidden. “It was horrific, the warriors . . . they were horrific. I couldn’t stop them. I could have tried but . . .”

  “You knew it would be futile. Did you report it?”

  “Yes.”

  “But nothing has been done.”

  The pit in his stomach grew wider. “Marduk made it clear that there was nothing to be done.”

  Da sighed. “It is the way. It’s accepted. Horrific things happen, and then we are cleansed.”

  “But it’s hypocrisy. It’s amoral. How can we call ourselves true believers of The Divine if we can thwart his word so easily when distant from his presence?”

  “Because our nature is not divine.”

  “What?”

  Da shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, all that matters is that you’re safe. You did what you had to do to survive.” His eyes took on a faraway look.

  He had to know. “Did you do what you had to in order to survive?”

  Da closed his eyes. “I saved your ama. I petitioned for her as a life-mate after her cleansing.” He leaned forward. “She didn’t remember me, but . . . there was something, a spark in her eyes when she was gifted to me that made me believe that somewhere, deep inside, she knew me still.”

  Tiger Eyes’ face flashed through his mind in all its sharp-edged beauty, eliciting a stab of longing that misted his vision. This couldn’t be happening, shouldn’t be happening. He had prayed for these feelings to be taken from him. He squeezed his eyes shut, pressing the image back into darkness before opening them again.

  Da’s eyes flared. He sat back heavily in his seat. “Oh! My dear boy. Who is she?”

  A rock was sitting on his chest, crushing his windpipe, bringing the sting of tears to his eyes. When he finally found his voice, it was an uncertain rasp.

  “What’s wrong with me?”

  Da’s lips lifted in a lopsided smile, his eyes empty. “Nothing, my son. Absolutely nothing.”

  They sipped their tea in silence. “Something is coming, Da. We were attacked on our way to the shore. There was a blizzard, and these creatures, I am certain they were ice wraiths, attacked us. I reported it, but Marduk seemed just as unconcerned about that as the returning warriors’ behavior.”

  Da sat up straighter. “You’re sure? You’re sure they were Ice Wraith’s?”

  Before Marduk he had not hesitated, but now before his da his confidence wavered. “Of course, I’m not certain, no one has seen one in a century, but what else could they be? The other men seemed to think the same. They were . . . .horrific, and the screams . . . they pierced your very soul.”

  Da slumped back. “Yes, the scream of an ice wraith is the stuff of legend.” He shook his head. “Ice wraiths . . . who would have thought.”

  They lapsed into silence once more, both tumbling into their own thoughts.

  That night as he buried his shaft inside Mia, as she moaned with pleasure, clawing at his back, as he rammed into her again and again, it was not her face he saw looking up at him lips parted in ecstasy, it was not her eyes pleading for more, but tiger eyes burning a hole in his heart and squeezing his balls until he was insane with desire. He held onto h
er image and fucked her until his seed exploded from his body in a climax that left him weak and spent.

  As Mia drifted into blissful slumber, he lay alert and conscious, his body coated in a fine sheen of guilt. Da’s words came back to him, words meant to comfort, but that only served to confound him further, because despite Da’s words, there was no doubt in his mind that there was something terribly wrong with him.

  SIX

  Aryan hurried to meet with his team outside the Force Headquarters, eager to be out on rotation, eager to be away from Mia and the constant reminder of his mental infidelity. In a few hours The City would welcome home their sons. Mia was already at the great hall, aiding the preparations for the Conversion ceremony. He’d walked her there. As he’d kissed her good-bye at the bottom of the steps, she’d placed her hand on her abdomen, smiling up at him conspiratorially. He hadn’t the heart to tell her that the last thing on his mind when he had fucked her had been making another child and without his intent there would be no conception.

  The force headquarters came into view, and Aryan relaxed. A normal day of duties would sooth him, and once Ivor had returned, once he had been converted, Aryan would request an audience with The Voice.

  He bound up the steps and through the heavy doors. Bojan greeted him with a raised hand, and Cadoc waved him over urgently. Earl was huddled with them too, but they weren’t by the rotation board as expected. They were stood to one side by the steps that led up to The enforcer’s office.

  Aryan joined them. “Where’s Fen?”

  “Probably recovering from all the cunny he got last night.”

  Aryan frowned. “What? Fen has been gifted?”

  Bojan nodded, his eyes hooded.

  Cadoc grinned. “He received summons during respite. They were bounded the same hour.”

  Bojan was staring at him oddly. Unease squirmed in his abdomen like a tin of worms.

  He swallowed. “Well. I’ll be sure to congratulate him. I don’t suppose you’ve met her?”

  Cadoc shrugged, his expression darkening. “We met them all, albeit briefly.” Silence fell over them, smothering them in memories of their failure.