by Anna Carven
“Kalabar.” Unable to help myself, I drink in her appearance, just because I can. I can never get tired of looking at her. Over a warm woolen shirt, she wears a dark blue hunting jacket. Her legs are encased in brown leather trousers and soft leather boots. A thick white fur shawl is tightly wrapped around her shoulders, and on top of that, a vivid red woolen scarf protects her neck.
The hastily-but-carefully chosen ensemble compliments her tan skin and brilliant red hair so very well. I should know. I stole these garments for her.
Amali spins around, alerted by the sound of the horse’s hooves. I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me as Cloud comes galloping in, his loud whinny splitting the wind’s roar.
He comes to a stop right in front of us, and Amali gasps in delight. “I never thought I’d see you again!”
“Hello, mhurrin,” I murmur in Ioni, running my hand along Cloud’s muzzle. “I didn’t think I’d see you again. Are you looking to run? Willing to lend us your speed?”
The horse nickers and nuzzles against my hand, stomping his foot on the ground in greeting. I turn to Amali. “Looks like we have a ride.”
“Bareback?”
“It takes a little getting used to, but I can make it an enjoyable experience for you.” My voice thickens as my slow-burning desire returns. It’s always this way when I’m around her. The desire never goes away.
“I’m sure you can,” she says hoarsely. Although she’s tired, a spark of excitement dances in her deep brown eyes. “You can do anything, can’t you, Kaim?” Amusement dances in her voice. She’s teasing me again.
I lead her to Cloud’s side as the horse waits patiently for us to mount. “I’m not a god by any stretch of the imagination,” I say softly as I unshoulder my pack and secure it to Cloud’s back with a fine Teklen rope, “but for you, I will do anything, even the impossible.”
“You are impossible,” she grumbles as I put my arms over the horse’s haunches and spring up onto his back. I reach for Amali’s hand and pull her up in front of me, pulling her close so our bodies are almost glued together. We fit so well, she and I, as if we were simply made for one another.
“Perhaps, but I’m your impossible, Amali. Come now. Cloud looks well. He’s clearly been running, eating, enjoying his freedom…”
“Making little Cloud babies, I’ll bet.”
“That’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?” I press my nose against her neck and inhale her sweet scent, drawing upon her warmth to make me feel human again.
“Dropping hints already, Kaimeniel?”
I chuckle. She never fails to put me in a good mood. “Just an observation, my love. Come now, you’re nearly home. Let’s go.”
I nudge Cloud’s side with my heels.
It takes barely a touch and we’re off, thundering across the wide Kalabar plains.
To return her to her people at last.
Only now, she is mine.
Forty-Two
Amali
We ride for the rest of the day, across the vast, windswept plains of the Kalabar, across clear rocky streams and over gentle hills and through patches of scrubland, where small green-grey leaved bushes cling tenaciously to the wind-beaten earth.
And although Kaim wants to stop on several occasions to allow me to rest, I beg him not to, because I don’t want to lose a moment more.
He could have frozen time a little longer and carried me further in his arms, but I sense that he’s a little weary from all that running. Even with his incredible stamina, Kaim does get tired from time to time, and while he’s sitting astride Cloud, his arms wrapped around my body, his obsidian hands tightly holding the horse’s mane, at least he is able to rest a little.
Eventually, we crest a hill where the first blades of green grass are starting to emerge amongst patches of melting snow.
I look into the darkening sky and see a plume of smoke rising lazily into the air.
Woodsmoke. The first sign of civilization I’ve seen for a long time.
Excitement rises inside me, and my heart hammers wildly.
Who is beyond that hill?
Kaim takes Cloud over the crest and down the slope. We ride down into a deep valley that’s half-shrouded in shadow. There are structures at the bottom of the valley, sitting next to a wide, shallow river that runs over smooth round grey stones.
Tents.
There are so many of them; at least threescore by my rough count. It’s a veritable city. Constructed from cured animal hide, they are round and squat like mushrooms. Smoke rises out of small chimneys in the center of the tents as children run amongst them, shouting, laughing, playing hide-and-seek in the deepening shadows of the afternoon. Not far from the tents are various animal pens constructed of wood that hold goats and sheep.
And beyond in the vast grasslands of the valley, horses are grazing.
In the distance, the valley narrows into a rocky canyon where the shallow river narrows and becomes deeper.
There isn’t a single tree in sight.
This place… it’s so different to the Komori.
My heart starts to beat a little faster.
Are they really here?
As Kaim asks Cloud to slow, a dozen horses and their riders appear from seemingly out of nowhere, galloping furiously toward us. The riders raise thick curved swords that glint menacingly in the dying light. Braids fly. Colorful checkered scarves flutter behind them.
But although their swords are raised, they don’t seem entirely threatening. They appear more curious than anything else, staring at Kaim and I as if we’re strange beings from an otherworldly dimension.
Well, one of us is, at least.
“Kaim,” I whisper nervously, but my mate doesn’t seem worried in the slightest.
“The Tenggu,” he says softly, giving my hand a squeeze. “Do not worry. They know me.”
He pulls Cloud to a halt and waits for the riders to reach us. Suddenly, they’re all around us, circling, whooping, saying things in their strange Tenggu language.
The lead rider is a woman.
I stare at her, fascinated to see one of the notorious Tenggu up close for the first time in my life.
This woman… she rides so fluidly, so naturally, as if her body and the horse were one. Her black hair has a shock of white running through the middle, even though she looks young; barely in her thirties. She wears a tanned leather riding jacket and tight breeches that are molded to her powerful legs. A checkered purple and blue scarf is wrapped around her neck, providing a striking flash of color against her business like outfit.
“Well met, Kaim of the Black Mountain,” the woman says, pulling her horse to a stop in front of us as the rest of the warriors continue to circle around. “You look different,” she says gruffly.
“Shuguri,” Kaim replies, inclining his head in greeting. “All is well?”
“All is well,” the Clan Leader says, her grin turning fierce. “But only just now. You sent us quite the storm, Anangu.”
“The storm was always going to come your way. I just sped things up a little. Better to get these things over with quickly, no?”
“We could have been wiped out,” she hisses, the grin evaporating from her face. “A thousand Midrian soldiers appeared out of nowhere and tried to take our lands. They gave me this.” She lifts her vest to reveal her stomach, which is wrapped with thick bandages. The blood has seeped through in some places, leaving tiny red spots. “If not for Enak and the mercenaries he brought from the coast and the dragon…”
My breath catches. My heart swells. Enak… he made it. I knew the healer was an honorable man. I just knew it.
“I sent you the dragon too,” Kaim says, his tone deceptively mild. Beneath it all I detect just a hint of cockiness; even amongst allies, he knows he’s the most dangerous one in this valley.
Shuguri stares at him a little too long, her brown eyes narrowing. Then she looks at me, and her frown deepens. “And you have brought yet another Tieglander.” Her voic
e becomes surly, her voice sharp, as if my presence here is unwelcome.
“The Inshadi halfling is here because Amali sent him.” Kaim’s arm tightens possessively around my waist. He’s having none of it. “She is my chosen mate.” The last two words are accompanied by that magical deepening of his voice that I’m so used to now. Kaim’s voice resonates with power, and it makes the fierce Tenggu stop dead in their tracks.
The men surrounding Shuguri are all big, brawny warriors, with hardened faces and jet-black hair and the battle scars to match. As Kaim stares coldly at them, they seem to shrink away a little.
Shuguri drops her gaze for a moment, a tiny concession on her part. “Do we get an introduction, then?”
“This is Amali of the Komori, and she is my chosen one. The Tieglanders you have extended your protection to are her tribe, and therefore they are my tribe too. You have chosen wisely, Shuguri.”
“What other choice did I have? It was you who sent them here.”
“Then you know that my protection can be a very useful thing.”
“I do, and we, the Broad Sky Clan of the Tenggu, accept.” Shuguri claps her fist against her chest. In a single fluid motion, she dismounts her horse and drops to the ground. The rest of the Tenggu follow.
They bow their heads.
Kaim nods, as if he were expecting this all along. I shift in the saddle and glance at him. What is this?
He rubs my thigh gently, reassuring me. “All is well,” he murmurs. Then he looks at Shuguri. “We have an agreement then, Clan Lord. You give me permission to build a stronghold on your lands. In return, you will have my protection.”
“Agreed.”
“And if the dragon has been here, then you know that Khelion Rel is dead.”
“I know. The young dragon rider told us everything.” Shuguri laughs; a wild, savage sound. “Times are changing. What will you do with the Ven, Kaim?”
“Haven’t decided yet,” he shrugs. “But by rights, they must bow to me, because I defeated their Grand Master. That is Ven Law. I will figure out what to do with them in due course.” His tone tells me he’s already decided what to do with them. He just doesn’t want to reveal all to Shuguri just yet.
How typically Kaim; he’s always planning things in the background.
I smile sweetly at the Clan Leader. “I think you’ve only gotten halfway through the introduction, Kaim.”
“Of course,” he says seamlessly. “Amali, this is Shuguri, Clan Leader of the Tenggu of the Broad Sky Plains.”
Still smiling, I nod toward her. Then I slip out of Kaim’s arms and slide off Cloud’s back, walking across the grass until I’m standing in front of her. The warriors behind her bristle, but Shuguri holds up a hand.
Kaim is already on his feet beside me, shadowing me, moving silently like the phantom he is.
I let him be.
I press my palms together and touch my fingers to my forehead and my thumbs to my nose in the traditional Ven greeting. “It is my honor to meet you. I am forever grateful to you and your clan for giving shelter to my people in the greatest moment of their need.” I bow. “We are in your debt, Shuguri of the Broad Sky Plain.”
Now it is true, I am eternally grateful to the Horse People for taking in my tribe, but I also want these Tenggu to know that I am not just Kaim’s mate.
I am a representative of my tribe. I speak for myself.
And these Tenggu, who are said to be so fierce and dangerous and lethal to outsiders... they should know that my people have nothing against them—so long as they stick to their pledge.
Shuguri’s eyes widen. She looks me up and down, as if seeing me for the first time.
Then she takes a step forward and clasps my upper arm with a grin. “Well met, Amali of the Tieg. Is it true that you are the one who killed Horghus?"
“She is the one,” Kaim says proudly, and this seems to impress the Tenggu, because they all murmur amongst each other in their own tongue. Now they’re looking at me strangely. “That is how we met,” Kaim adds, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “It was not the best of circumstances, but—”
“It was very romantic,” I say softly.
A guffaw bursts from Shuguri’s lips. “I think I’m going to like you, Amali.” She pats my arm. “You should know that I once had eyes for your Kaim, but I was young and foolish then, and my affection was unrequited. He was too aloof; too cold, even for me. I am pleased that you have managed to thaw him.”
I stare at the Tenggu in shock. How easily she just admitted that… but for what reason? “You had better not have any designs on my—”
Shuguri laughs. “Relax, Tieglander. That was long ago, and now I have eyes for another. Besides, have you not seen the way he looks at you? I would not stand a cha—”
Before Shuguri can finish, movement around the tents catches my attention. People are emerging from one of the large tents. I recognize the clothing first; the brown and green hues of the dresses and shirts of my people.
I can see them now; is that Sana with her little one? Tamren the young lad? The Elders?
Even gruff Enak with a rare smile on his face?
I can’t see Velthea amongst them, though…
I glance at Kaim.
At first, his face is hard and cold. He’s still on-guard; wearing the warrior’s mask, the negotiator’s mask…
But then a hint of warmth seeps through, and suddenly, he smiles.
The dying sun drops over the crest of the hills, flaring brilliant red and orange across the valley.
“Go to them,” he whispers. “It’s all right, Amali. You’re safe here.”
My legs are moving before I even realize. In the background, several of the Tenggu chuckle good-naturedly.
I start to run, across the grass, down into the valley.
The wind is at my back.
It feels good.
The solid ground beneath my feet feels good.
Having Kaim at my back, watching over me as the shadows deepen, chasing away daylight’s last gasp—that feels good.
Because he will always keep me safe.
And our new life together is just beginning.
Epilogue
Kaim
In the early hours of the morning; in the darkness, in the cold, in the time when death supposedly peers through the veil at sleeping mortals, an almost-perfect stillness reigns over the valley, interrupted only by the gentle babble of the river.
I lie beside Amali in the small Tenggu-made tent, enjoying the warmth from her body and the coal-filled brazier in the center. My hand is on her, feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest. I listen to the rhythmic sound of her breathing, letting it soothe the cold storm within me.
Although I have subdued my enemies and claimed the northern part of Midria as my own, there is still a sliver of dark unease in my heart.
Mortals I can dispatch with ease, but I am sure there are magical forces lying dormant beneath the centuries-old ash of the Black Mountain. Vyloren and Andoku can’t be the only powerful beings to emerge from their slumber, and if I am the son of a god… then how many others like me exist and don’t even know it yet?
I never hope for trouble, but I always plan for it.
And I will keep Amali and her tribe—my tribe—safe, no matter what it takes.
This is my promise to you, my love.
I close my eyes and let the rhythm of her body take me away.
It’s the most peaceful thing, being here with her while all is quiet.
I have never felt any greater peace than when I’m with her.
I must have fallen asleep at some point, because suddenly I’m back in the soundless place where I always go, only this time, I can hear the rush of the wind and the leaves rustling underfoot.
And this time, the leaves are all the colors of autumn that Amali so loves; as vibrant as her brilliant red hair.
I walk up the gentle slope—that infuriating slope—toward the morning light, and this time the way opens
up for me.
The place that was denied to me for so long… now I walk through it with ease.
“Hello, father,” I say, unable to keep the irony from creeping into my voice. Because although I can’t see him, I know he’s here.
This is his domain, after all, where he holds absolute power.
I reach the crest of the hill and stop.
Below me is a wide valley. Tawny and russet-leaved autumn trees give way to rolling green hills. On the side of one hill, a village of white houses mushrooms out of the verdant landscape, glowing in the bright morning sun.
If I squint hard enough, I can see people walking along the cobblestone paths.
A cool breeze blows, tugging at my unbound hair.
I shake my head. “This isn’t exactly what I’d imagined the afterlife to look like.”
“Did you think it would be an unpleasant place, my son? A hellish place?”
“For the likes of me, yes.”
Death laughs. He starts to materialize out of thin air, shadows coalescing into a tall pale-faced man whose features are so eerily similar to mine. “The afterlife is whatever I decide it will be, depending on who you are. For some, it is not nearly as pleasant. Your enemy Trise, for example. Or that idiotic Khelion Rel. On the other hand, you may tell Amali that the boy called Iyen as already come and gone. He was a fearless one, demanding to be reincarnated. So that is what I did. Tell her not to be too sad. I will give him something better this time around.”
“She will be pleased,” I nod. When Amali told me about Iyen, the only Midrian sailor who had shown her kindness, I wanted to do something for the boy. “You seem to have read our intentions. Do you hear our thoughts as well, then?”
“I know everything before it even occurs in your world,” Death says. “For time is mine, and that which hasn’t yet come to pass in your world has always been a fact of mine.”
I shake my head. “Cryptic again. Why did you only just allow me to see this place properly?”
Why can’t Amali come here, and yet she sleeps soundly beside me?
“She is no longer close to death. You, on the other hand, you are death.”
