by Emma Hamm
She didn’t want to be a sultana or a leader, but that was the way her life had led. Even the Beastkin had named her matriarch long before she was grown. Her mother had been a leader, and now Sigrid would follow in her footsteps.
Scales melted away, and she stayed crouched so that Raheem couldn’t see her face. She could feel tears leaking from her eyes, and she didn’t want him to see her weakness. Not yet. Soon she would control the tears, but until then, she would stare at the ground and will them out of existence.
This was not the end of her. A man did not control her happiness, her thoughts, or her desires. She was the master of her own fate.
Raheem reached for her, but it wasn’t a hand he offered. Instead, a black cloth fell in front of her vision. “I picked it up off the sands. I thought, perhaps, you might want it.”
Determination filled her with a strength she had forgotten. “No,” Sigrid replied. “I don’t need that anymore.”
She would never hide her face behind that golden mask again. No matter how many people tried to put the symbolic cage on her, Sigrid wanted them to see her face. She wanted them to know exactly who led the Beastkin army, and that she was willing to do whatever it took for their freedom. Even reveal herself and forsake the old ways.
“That’s a big choice,” Raheem said, but let the cloth drop to the ground. “You said seeing a Beastkin woman’s face is punishable by death. What will the others think when they see you like this?”
“Then they will know something terrible has happened. All Beastkin are my family, they may see my face without repercussion. It is everyone else who must see me and all that I am capable of. The Beastkin will know that now is the time for war.”
Even though she desired to keep them all safe, Sigrid knew what this meant. She had revealed herself to the entirety of Bymere. Not because she wanted them to die, but because she wanted them to remember her.
Now, it was time for all Beastkin to do the same. Men and women had to stand together to free themselves. In Bymere and in Wildewyn.
A plan formed in her mind. Crazy, perhaps, but one that would make a statement neither country could back away from. She would put them all to the test.
“Come,” she said, standing up and walking toward the twin elephants. “There is much to talk about with the Beastkin of Bymere.”
Raheem followed her through the sand, a silent shadow who surveyed their surroundings for a potential attack. She didn’t have to tell him that his own skin might be at risk. Raheem was the strange one here.
She stooped through the window and waited for him to fit his bulk into the long hall, then followed the lit sconces on the wall to a larger chamber. Jabbar had not taken her here before. It opened into what had once been the great hall, ceiling high and dark. Cobwebs covered the wall sconces here, for the only light was from a large bonfire in the center.
“Jabbar of Bymere, I have returned,” she called out.
They were gathered in the center around the heat. Some attended the new Beastkin who had arrived. They were laying closer to the fire than the others, a sight she was pleased by. Camilla crouched near a man, laying sheets of soaking wet fabric on his back where whip marks bled freely.
The albino man stood at the far corner of the great hall and made his way toward her. “We did not expect you so soon.”
“I was attacked.”
Jabbar frowned. His hands closed into fists. “They dared attack the sultana? They’ve lost their senses.”
“The sultan ordered it.” Unknowingly, irresponsibly, but it was his signature on the paperwork. And the knowledge still stung. She’d given him too much credit, he was still capable of creating because he refused to think things through.
“I’m not surprised. The man is more beast than any of us here.” He gestured at the crowd of men and animals. “He sees only what he wants to see, not what is in front of his face.”
Raheem emerged from the shadows behind her. “Now that’s not fair, Jabbar. I remember a time when you could hardly see anything in front of your face. The boy is young, and there are many who surround him that are far more dangerous.”
She tensed, wondering how the Beastkin would react. They were sensitive at a time like this, and she hadn’t entered their enclave in a way that would ease Raheem’s presence. If she were honest with herself, she was feeling a little prickly toward him herself. There was a dangerous edge to her anger. It wanted to tear down any human who stood in her way, no matter who they were.
But instead of their anger or disgust, Jabbar and his men smiled at Raheem. The albino leader strode forward and grasped forearms with her personal guard. “Well, I’ll be. I never thought to see your face around here again.”
“It seems no matter how far I try to run, I always end up with a Beastkin woman on my arm.”
They laughed together, and warmth bloomed in her chest. Not anger, but something that rivaled its heat. There was a comradery between these men that she hadn’t seen before. Not between human and Beastkin.
Even in Wildewyn, there was a certain fear when dealing with humans. Both sides were uncomfortable with the other. Earthen folk revered them, wanted to keep them safe from all harm, and use them only if necessary. But by doing so, her people were still imprisoned.
“Jabbar,” she said, “there is much I need to discuss with you.”
“So, you’ve decided to help us after all?” He turned and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll be truthful and admit when you said you were going to the sultan, I was disappointed.”
“I imagine you were. It was foolish of me to think that he would change his mind so easily, simply because of what I know.”
“And what is it that you know?’”
She shook her head. “Some things must remain between husband and wife. I’ll thank you to keep it that way.”
She didn’t want to admit that Nadir was also Beastkin. In some ways, it made his betrayal all the worse. That was a wound which would fester in her own soul, and no one else’s.
Camilla made her way to Sigrid’s side, a cautious smile on her face and worry in her eyes. “Sister?”
Tears sprang to her eyes. She wanted to tell Camilla everything that happened, but couldn’t. Not while all the others were staring at her and waiting for whatever she would do next.
Instead, she nodded firmly. Her sister wouldn’t push. They knew each other like they knew their own soul. Tonight, she would cry in Camilla’s arms. Now, she would tell these Beastkin her foolish plan and take them away from this place forever.
Squaring her shoulders, Sigrid made her way to the center of the room. The bonfire burned hot at her back, and her dragon unfurled its wings in her breast. Together. They would lead these people together as they should have since she was born.
“Beastkin of Bymere,” she began. “Friends and new family. Today was the first day in a war that we have started. I’ve seen your suffering. I’ve seen the hatred and fear in the eyes of humans. And I watched as they attacked me and not a single person tried to stop them. I asked the sultan to take pity on us, and he refused.”
Murmurs lifted into the air. They had a right to be angry. Nadir was their sultan just as much as he was anyone else’s. And their leader had forsaken them.
Sigrid cleared her throat to gather their attention. “I say you to now, you do not need a sultan. Standing before you is a sultana, and I wish nothing more than to see you safe, comfortable, and loved by your family and friends. There should be no more hunts of our kind. We should not break our backs to sow their fields with food they do not share. I ask you now to unite and follow me.
“It will not be an easy path to walk. I don’t blame any of you if you turn away from this future. Many of us will die in a war against the humans. Those that survive will carry these memories into our old age. But we will carve a path to safety for all who come after us.
“I am the last of the dragons, and I will carry you to safety if I must. But I will not stand by and watch this an
y longer. Beastkin, I ask you now to take back what is yours. I ask you to take back not just Bymere, but Wildewyn and every square inch of land which should have been ours from the start.”
They cheered for her, and she felt the dragon in her chest hum. She wanted to shift, to tell all the others to shift with her and race away from this terrible place. But not yet. The people might follow her, but she needed their leader to believe in it as well.
Sigrid found Jabbar in the crowd. His arms were crossed over his broad chest, his loose-fitting torn shirt revealing pale skin underneath it. He was whiter than snow, and his pink eyes saw too much. He wanted to know more, but he was also reserved.
She understood that they hadn’t been treated well by anyone. And here she was, another foreigner trying to tell them how to save themselves. Again, and again, the Beastkin were tossed between people and they didn’t want to trust.
Jabbar had to support her for all these people to follow. That was the only way she would take this step.
She held out a hand for him and called out, “Jabbar, will you walk by my side? I am young, and not from this place. I don’t know your customs, your rights, your stories. A sultana is no one without someone like you to help guide her.”
“You want me to be an advisor?” he asked, lifting a pale brow.
“I want you to be more than that. Beastkin will never be ruled by a single person who makes all the decisions for us. I ask that you stand by my side and rule our people. Choose another, choose three. However, many people you deem fit to join your side, and we will work through our issues together. I will do the same with Raheem, Camilla, and those I choose once we arrive in Wildewyn.”
The crowd quieted. It seemed for a moment that everyone was holding their breath to hear what he had to say. Jabbar quietly picked his way through the men. Each step closer felt like a victory, although she had no way of knowing what he would say or if he would even agree to her insane plan.
Finally, he reached her side. He sniffed loudly and asked, “Wildewyn?”
“We know there is no safe place in Bymere where Beastkin will not be hunted. Wildewyn is far safer.”
“You keep your Beastkin in glorified cages.” He gestured to Camilla who stood off to the side. “Your sister has told us the tales, and we have no desire to be caged. Even if it comes with food and a bed.”
“I’m not asking for that. The Beastkin in Wildewyn came down from the mountains, and our old homeland is waiting for us. I don't want you or any other Beastkin to be in a gilded cage. I want us to be free.”
Jabbar furrowed his brows. “Then what you are proposing, Sultana?”
“There’s an army waiting for us in Wildewyn. All we have to do is go get it.”
And with those words, she knew she had him. Jabbar met her gaze with the same fire he had when he first saw her as a dragon. No longer were the Beastkin weak or outnumbered. There were many people waiting for her return in Wildewyn, and they were trained warriors like herself and Camilla.
Now, they would return not only as lost sisters, but bringing with them the hope of a people. A new start. A new life.
He turned to his men and lifted his arms, calling out, “Men! We’re going to Wildewyn!”
-----
Many days later, the men were ready to leave. They stood in a crowd outside the place where they had been safe for so many years, then said their goodbyes to their home. Sigrid stood next to Camilla at a respectful distance.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Camilla quietly asked. “You’ve made a lot of promises to them.”
“Ones that should have been made a long time ago. They deserve more than this life.”
“So do we.” Camilla reached out and linked her fingers with Sigrid. “But the journey will be long, and hard.”
“All journeys are. We’ve managed quite well traversing across the countries, finding ourselves sultana and maidservant, finding Beastkin men. We’ve handled ourselves well and we’ll continue doing that as the world changes more and more. I want to see a future where Beastkin can walk the streets knowing that they don’t have to justify their existence. Don’t you?”
Camilla squeezed her hand. “Of course I do. I just want to make sure that you really want to take all this responsibility on.”
“I was matriarch, then sultana, then—” Sigrid shrugged. She couldn’t find the words for what she was now. There wasn’t a name for a woman who led a war like this. She was queen, sultana, warrior… A hundred names and more.
“Oh, keep your head out of the clouds.” Camilla jostled Sigrid with her shoulder. “You aren’t some goddess now that you’re the leader of a small group of male Beastkin. Hell, I could even argue you aren’t the leader at all. You’re just the one that Jabbar acknowledges that might have good ideas.”
“Thanks for keeping me grounded.”
“Any time. Don’t need you getting a fat head as well as an army.”
Sigrid laughed at Camilla’s wink. Her sister strode toward one of the men who would likely need assistance on the trip. One of his legs had been broken in three places. Jabbar said it was a miracle he’d even made it to their hidden kingdom. Most people like him would have died in the sands along the way.
She thought he was a horse shifter, even looked like one. His legs were abnormally long for a Bymerian. He stood a good head and shoulders above the rest. Lanky and thin, he might fill out into a larger man, but she doubted it. That was a person destined to remain slim his entire life.
“Sultana?” Jabbar’s voice cut through her musings. “Shall we?”
“You’ve split some of them up to go straight to Woodcrest, yes?” It was the homeland of all Wildewyn Beastkin, and the only place where she knew they would be safe. Camilla would lead them there. Her mother had known where to go, and Sigrid trusted her to bring them to the right place.
“The ones that are healthy enough to travel, yes. There are a few gryphons here that have agreed to carry some additional men who are only ground animals. I’ll take the rest myself.”
Thunderbirds were incredibly large animals. Not quite as impressive as a dragon in size, but he’d be able to carry at least five men on his back, more if he didn’t tire easily.
She nodded. “Then the rest will come with Raheem and I.”
“Are you certain of this? You wish to take our most wounded directly to Stoneholt, the capital of Wildewyn, and convince them to free their own Beastkin?” Jabbar shook his head. “You’re mad.”
“I’m determined. I know my sisters will follow me if I ask them to. It’s not a matter of convincing anyone to free them. The humans don’t have a choice anymore.”
Each word fell from her tongue like a vow, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about them. Sigrid waffled back and forth between certainty that this was the right choice and worry that she might be starting something bigger than herself. Was this the right direction for their people? Was she guiding them to a fate where they would all disappear in a few generations?
War was always a dangerous choice. She didn’t know if this was what she wanted, but knew this was what her people wanted. It was worth it to fight. It had to be.
Jabbar stared at her with an appreciative gaze before he nodded as well. “Good. You’ll have to carry them all yourself.”
“I’m sure I’ll survive the weight.”
“Then I’ll let them know their chariot awaits.”
The longer she was around the man, the more she liked him. Jabbar had a quiet strength. He didn’t have the charisma many of the leaders she’d met before had. He didn’t have to talk or tell people that he was the leader. He simply was, and it made sense that he was.
She trailed after him, searching for Raheem in the crowd. He’d have to ride with the men and make sure they didn’t fall off her back. It was going to be a difficult enough journey without having to compensate for their weakness.
He stood with the seven men they’d chosen to travel with her. Most were on death’s door with a
coughing illness that had spread through the ranks of the Beastkin men. Sigrid had never heard such sounds before. They weren’t wet or croupy coughs, but dry and rattling in the men’s chests.
It didn’t bode well for them. But she wanted to see if the Stoneholt healers could do something for them. Perhaps they knew what this sickness was and could stop it before it spread.
She chewed on her lip and strode forward to stand by Raheem’s side. “Are they ready?”
“We’ll have to tie them to you, Sultana.” He shrugged his shoulders, arms crossed firmly over his chest. “It’s not ideal, but otherwise they’ll slip off, and I won’t be able to catch them. A few are birds and would have made the journey if they weren’t ill. Two are large cats, and one seems to be some form of elephant.”
“Some form?”
He lifted an arm and scratched his head. “Well, it’s not an elephant I’ve ever seen before. We use them in the Bymerian army when we can train them, but this man has more tusks than a male elephant should have. And… Well, Sultana, he’s got fur.”
A gasp escaped her lips. “He’s a mammoth?”
“A what?”
“Native to Wildewyn, they all died out a long time ago.” She searched through the crowd for the man, certain he would be large enough to pick out. “Which one is he?”
Raheem covered his mouth for a moment, then pointed to a small boy who leaned against another man. He was slight with bird-like bones and a forehead already lined from a tough life.
“He’s a child,” she whispered.
“Not that young actually. Well past his sixteenth summer. They didn’t feed him well enough in the family who bought him for sport. Stunted his growth and kept him small so he took up less space in their household.” Raheem spat on the ground. “Awful way to treat a kid.”
“I can only imagine.”
He wasn’t that much younger than her, and yet he looked at least ten years younger. Sigrid made her way to his side and crouched.
“I’ll have you ride at the front,” she said. “If that’s all right with you?”
