“First of all,” said Khon’Tor, “It is not an offspring of the People, and it has no rights to the contributions of any others. Secondly, if it suffers, it will not be my fault. It will be yours. The Waschini is your responsibility now.”
With that, the discussion was closed. Khon’Tor got up to leave. He had made his decision, and Adia had to live with it. And his statement was not lost on her that if at any time he decided Oh'Dar was a threat, he would kill the offspring himself, without warning or second thought.
As Khon’Tor reached the door, he turned and addressed the group.
“There will be a general assembly tonight, after the evening meal, at which I will announce to the rest of the community my rulings in this regard. I suggest you all be there.”
And with that, he left without a backward glance. Nobody spoke as they got up to go. Nadiwani took Adia’s arm, and they walked out together. Acaraho followed behind the two, intentionally placing himself between them and Hakani.
Forgotten at the back of the room, Acaraho had witnessed everything through the eyes of someone with no personal stake in the proceedings. Three things struck him. First was the undeniable power of Khon’Tor, second only to his ability to make everyone uncomfortably aware of it. Thirdly, the visceral presence of the male was intimidating. Not just his distinct physical characteristics, but his body language, which he used expertly to convey his iron will.
This admission of Khon’Tor’s commanding presence was coming from his physical equal. But though Acaraho shared Khon’Tor’s physical strength, he was not consumed with the need to exert his will over others, as was Khon‘Tor.
Acaraho had been moved by Adia’s speech. Whatever he had thought before of the Healer’s actions in bringing the offspring here, he now saw it through different eyes. He felt sorry for her, though he knew she would not want his pity. More importantly, he respected and agreed with her decision. He realized his opinion was of no importance in the matter, but he knew that if the others—the other males—could have heard her speak, they might feel differently about what she had done, as he now did.
On the way, escorting them back to their quarters, he wondered what would become of Hakani as nothing had been said about her punishment.
Hakani was wondering that herself. She had known going into it that there would be consequences for her actions. She had hoped Khon’Tor’s anger with her would be overshadowed by his resultant anger with Adia. The fact that Khon’Tor did not question Hakani more thoroughly told her that whatever she said would not have changed anything. He had already made up his mind about the nature of her motivations. She did not think he knew what they were—only that he did not want to waste time hearing her excuses. He knew she had acted with malicious intent.
And though Khon’Tor had not declared any ruling on her actions, she knew that did not mean she had escaped his judgment—or his wrath. She was not naive enough to think she had avoided it, or that it would be merciful.
It would not be long before Hakani would find out just how right she was.
Chapter 8
Adia and Nadiwani followed the twists and turns of the corridors that brought them to their quarters, arriving safely under Acaraho’s protection. Adia now could not help wondering what his thoughts were, having witnessed all this as an outsider. She sensed no judgment from him as he walked behind them. Oddly enough, she felt something more akin to compassion.
When they reached their quarters, Adia and Nadiwani went directly to Donoma, into whose care Oh'Dar had been entrusted. They found both resting quietly, Oh'Dar sound asleep in his area, the brown bear-like toy Adia had saved tucked up against him. If Donoma thought anything peculiar about the toy, she kept her opinion to herself.
Both Adia and Nadiwani were exhausted, both lost in thought and reeling from the repercussions of Khon’Tor’s decision. Neither one of them wanted to think about it anymore. They both desperately needed rest. There would be time enough later to grapple with the weight of what he had saddled on Adia.
And there was still the assembly that evening to get through.
As Adia lay down gratefully on her sleeping mat, she wondered if the other females thought the same thing as Nadiwani had on first seeing the Waschini toy—that it carried a resemblance to the Sarnonn, the Nu’numic giants that were reported still to exist in other regions. As far as the People were aware, the White Wasters knew nothing of the Nu’numic’s existence—it was most likely coincidental, the toy fashioned after the common forest bears.
Hulking giants, far larger than her people, the Sarnonn were said to be covered in a much heavier coat and had a thicker build and more solid features. Their spoken language was supposedly guttural and deep in register. Their use of Handspeak was believed to be functional but rudimentary, as they would not have the finer dexterity of either the Brothers or the People. The People had not seen a Nu’numic Sasquatch in generations.
Adia’s People, though they and the Brothers still considered them to be Sasquatch, were not as large and had more delicate features. In many ways, they looked like a mix between the Brothers and the ancient descriptions of the Nu’numic Sasquatch. The People still easily towered over the Brothers and they still possessed far superior strength and speed, but taking away those attributes and eliminating how disconcerting the sheer size of the males was, they could be considered attractive by the Brothers’ standards.
There were ancient stories about why there were different strands of Sasquatch. The People and the Nu’numic Sarnonn did not share identical bloodlines, but the true story of the two lines was buried in the dark period of their history, the knowledge of which was passed down only to a select few.
Back in the Leader’s Quarters, Khon’Tor was waiting for his mate. He was not only waiting for her; he was ready for her. He was standing to the side of the entrance, hidden from view, confident she would be along shortly—where else was there for her to go?
As Hakani entered, Khon’Tor abruptly stepped out behind her. She swirled to face him, his height rising nearly two feet over hers. Whatever he decided to do to her, or virtually anyone else for that matter, there would be no stopping him.
Hakani froze while Khon’Tor walked around, and standing behind her placed one hand firmly on each of her shoulders, moving as close to her as he could without actually touching. He was bristling with anger, and he felt his mate stiffen in fear, offering not the slightest movement or resistance.
“Khon’Tor—” she started.
“Shut up, Hakani. The time for your words is over! I think you already know why I did not ask you any questions in there. But in case you have any doubt, let me make it perfectly clear. I now see you for what you are—a liar and a troublemaker, not worthy of the trust I have placed in you. And certainly not worthy of the position of authority you hold as my mate.
“Whatever the reasons for what you did, they are utterly without merit. Nothing can justify the harm you did to our people. My people. Whatever goodwill there was in me toward you is gone. Your conduct displayed utter disregard for the needs or the good of this community. By that measure, you have no right to a position of any authority, over anyone. Your position as my partner, my counsel, is now in name only. As the consequences for your actions, including your attack on Nadiwani, I revoke your authority as third in command.”
He paused to make sure she was listening to him. She was.
“I will allow you to continue living here with me, but I no longer require your fulfillment of your duties as my mate toward my care and well-being. Nor do I desire them. You live to fulfill one purpose and one purpose only for me now,” and with that, Khon’Tor closed the little distance remaining between them and pressed his body firmly up against her back.
“Your one and only function from this moment forward is to provide me with offspring. Up until now, I have respected your refusal of me. While I do not have the right to force myself on you Without Your Consent, I strongly suggest you start giving it.”
&nb
sp; It was as close to a threat as he could get without crossing the line.
Khon’Tor was not done with her. He increased the pressure against her. Then, to make his next point even clearer, he removed one hand from her shoulders and encircled her waist with his arm, pressing himself up against her even harder.
He assumed he was on the verge of hurting her but did not care.
“You may, of course, continue to withhold your consent, which is your right. But if you do, I will exercise my rights and approach the High Council for Bak’tah-Awhidi. Once you are set aside as First Choice, I will take another mate—one who will be willing to provide me with the offspring you would deny me. Do not think my resolve on this matter will soften. I have let your refusal of me go on too long. You have exhausted your last chance of my mercy.” And with that, Khon’Tor released her abruptly and left, leaving her to think about his warning.
Hakani almost collapsed after he let her go. She could not believe what she was hearing. He was withdrawing himself from her completely—from any relationship with her other than using her as a vessel for his seed. It had not occurred to her that she might lose it all—his confidence in her, her role as his mate, her position as third in command. Of it all, losing her rank was the worst. Having lost her status, she had nothing left that mattered to her.
Things had gone from bad to worse. In her hatred of Adia and her wish to discredit the Healer in Khon’Tor’s eyes and the eyes of the People, she had underestimated the consequences of her actions. Her emotions had clouded her judgment.
She had pushed him too far.
As it stood now, she had only one role left to provide for him. And it was one that out of spite she had vowed early on never to fulfill—that of bearing his offspring.
Khon’Tor’s threat of Bak’tah-Awhidi was very real and was within his rights to request. The People were not polygamous, but the Leader had an obligation to produce a blood heir. There were provisions to allow the complete setting aside of a pairing with cause, or if the problem was one of infertility, of allowing the Leader to take a second mate. The bloodlines of the People’s leadership had never been broken.
If the Leader did not produce an heir, one could be chosen from a sibling’s offspring, but Khon’Tor had no siblings. The next Leader of the People had to come through Khon’Tor. He could get rid of Hakani if she refused to allow him to mate her.
“First Choice,” she said to Khon’Tor, though he had left the room. “First Choice,” she said again. “I was never your First Choice, Khon’Tor!” and she spat at the open door through which he had just left. “And you know it. You just do not know that I know it—and have almost from the start.”
Had he still been in the room to hear it, Khon’Tor would have gotten the answer to the question that had confounded him for so long—why did Hakani hate Adia so much?
Somewhere along the way, Khon’Tor had been careless. Somewhere along the way, there had been too many unguarded moments where he had let his feelings toward Adia show. It could have been a moment where he was caught up in watching her, forgetting others were in the room. Regardless, Hakani had learned it was Adia who had been in his heart, and not her. The fact that he seemed to carry animosity toward Adia meant nothing. She knew that love spurned often turned to hatred. In her mind, the two emotions were only a hair’s breadth apart from each other.
When she figured this out, Hakani began to hate him just as he seemed to hate Adia. It was not that his affection was so important to her—it was that she knew she was not his First Choice. And somewhere from that place within herself, she imagined Adia to be a threat, though she had never seen the Healer express any interest toward Khon’Tor in return. Besides which, Adia was the Healer and forbidden to mate.
She was incensed by the realization that she did not have the influence over Khon’Tor that she believed to be her right as a female. It was her hatred of Adia, wanting to see the Healer humiliated and brought down in front of Khon’Tor that had driven her to where she was now.
But Hakani had an incredible knack for turning defeat into victory. Thinking for a moment, she said to herself, “Well, Adia, I will have the last laugh after all. You may still be Second Rank, and I may lose my official rank entirely because of you—but there is one position I can hold that is even more powerful than yours. I did not see this before.” And with that, Hakani spoke out loud the words, Asdza Ayashe Aama—Mother Of His Offspring.
The females who usually gathered to prepare the evening meal were huddled together, astir with conversation. What had Khon’Tor decided about the Waschini offspring, the Healer, and his mate’s inexplicable behavior? Word had spread that he would be addressing everyone tonight after the meal was over, which raised conjecture to an even higher level.
As caretakers of the young, the females had quickly come to see the Waschini offspring as Adia saw him: the innocent victim of an unfortunate circumstance. They looked at his needs from their natural inclination to respond to the weak and helpless. Waschini or not, they had the same urge to care for him as they would feel the need to help a wounded fawn or wolf cub.
Donoma, Haiwee, Lomasi, and Mapiya, the four females whom Adia had taken into her inner circle, listened to the conversations intently—not trying to sway them, only trying to get a feel for their support of the Healer. The four agreed that the other females were overwhelmingly in favor of Adia, not only because of her role as Healer but perhaps also because they knew she was deprived by law of having her own offspring. Aside from the fact that the offspring was nearly unbearably ugly, maybe this was the Mother’s way of letting Adia fulfill a female’s natural yearnings for an offspring to care for.
If the opinion was going in Adia’s favor, it was going against Hakani. No matter how they looked at it, the females could see no reason for Hakani to have created such a spectacle. They could find no justification for her not going to Khon’Tor in private to tell him what she had discovered. They all saw her disruptive actions as disrespectful to Khon’Tor—not only as Leader but also as her mate.
Regardless of Adia’s breaking of the law against contact with Outsiders, they saw her motivation as coming from love. On the other hand, Hakani’s motivation was entirely self-serving.
No matter how they spun it, the consensus was that the drama Hakani had caused was somehow its own reward. But why she would want to create such trouble for the Healer and for her mate, they could not fathom.
That evening, unaware that Hakani had found a way to twist her defeat into victory, and thinking he had her back under his control, Khon’Tor went to the community meal feeling he had very effectively turned the situation around.
Now he had only to announce his decisions to the assembly, while also making it clear the subject was not open to any more discussion. After yesterday’s debacle, it was vital that he reassert his power and leave no doubt about who was truly in control.
Khon’Tor scanned the room. Adia, Nadiwani, and Hakani were all noticeably absent from the shared evening meal. It did not surprise or alarm him. He imagined they were avoiding the inevitable questions about how they were doing, what they thought was going to happen, and more. However, just as the meal was ending, he saw Adia and Nadiwani enter the hall together, escorted by High Protector Acaraho. At least they had the good sense not to bring the Waschini offspring.
Still conspicuously missing was Hakani. No matter. She will be here. She is not one to miss important events, especially when they concern something as crucial as her position of authority.
Khon’Tor waited until everyone was done eating, and the leavings had been cleared away. He demanded everyone’s full attention and nothing less.
As he was about to get up and start the session, Hakani entered from the tunnel that led to their quarters. He imagined this meant that after their ‘talk’ she had spent the rest of the day there. He took this as further proof she had submitted to the pressure he had exerted on her.
Finally, Khon’Tor stood up, and silence fe
ll immediately. All heads turned to watch him stroll to the front. He did not signal for any of the others to join him. He did not want to give them another chance to usurp him, though he was confident they would not try it after this morning’s meeting.
He raised his left hand as was his custom. A chill of foreboding ran through the crowd when they realized he was holding the Leader’s Staff. Something of dire significance was about to take place.
“Thank you for joining me again so soon. For those of you who were in attendance yesterday afternoon, you are aware of what took place here. For those of you who were not, I am sure you have heard by now,” he began.
“Adia, Healer of the People, has broken one of our Sacred Laws. For anyone to break a law is a serious offense. For someone to do it who is in a position of authority and respect as she is, makes it altogether more serious,” continued the Leader.
“The laws were given to us by the Ancients for the orderly conduct and mutual benefit of our people. The First Laws are immutable and were established eons ago during the time of their rule. The Second Laws were added by later generations. They were also created for our mutual benefit, though they address the hierarchy of authority within our community, as well as establishing rules for personal relationships.”
He was not stating anything they did not all know. He was only setting the stage for what he was about to declare.
“Adia, Healer of the People, has broken the law forbidding contact with Outsiders. More serious than breaking the statement of that law at its face value, she went further and brought an Outsider directly into our midst—a Waschini offspring. Yesterday, I shared with you information from the High Council meeting about the heartlessness of these creatures, and the threat the Waschini present to us and the Brothers. The Healer has explained the reasons for her actions, and what she asserts is true; as she has said, it is only an offspring.”
Khon'Tor's Wrath Page 9
