by Claudia King
“Who do you serve, Alpha?”
A pause. “You, Den Mother.”
“Then choose another victor. This one is coming with me. She will answer to my sisters for what she has done.”
Orec crouched down beside her, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Please, Adel, do not douse my clan's spirits. At least let them have this one night to celebrate.”
“Celebrate one more worthy of it.” Adel finally rose to her feet, gesturing Vaya forward with her knife. The huntress looked to Orec, but all he had to offer was an apologetic shake of his head. Behind them the pack was cheering again, believing that Adel had finally risen to acknowledge Vaya's victory.
Vaya could barely hear them. For a few precious moments she had been their champion, and then the den mother had stripped away her honour once more.
For once she did not feel angry, only defeated. No matter what she accomplished, the witches were there to deny her. She had put everything into her fight with Rook, all of her strength and patience and courage, yet it was not good enough. Nothing ever would be. Hunting was all she knew, yet to women like Adel it meant nothing. The pain in her arm throbbed hot and loud once more.
“With me, Huntress,” the den mother said, turning away from the fire.
“I will send some warriors with you,” Orec began.
“No need. She will not be able to harm me with that arm of hers.”
Vaya swallowed the bitterness in her throat. At any other time perhaps she would have tried to kill Adel. Yet in her defeat she was reminded of the one duty she still had left to fulfil. If she was to be stripped of this victory, denied her honour forever, then at least she could ensure that Kiren did not suffer for her transgressions.
Those few brief moments of contentment had reminded her of the way she felt when Kiren looked at her with pride and admiration. A small thing, often overlooked, but it had always felt good, had it not? Better than anger. She had felt that way too when she was telling Claw her tale in the cave. If only she was still back there with the little pup.
The cheers of Orec's pack trailed off in confusion as Vaya followed Adel out of the firelight. The alpha raised his voice again to try and muster enthusiasm for another champion, but Vaya was not listening. All she heard was the rain beating down upon the back of her neck, stealing away the warmth of the fire as it trickled beneath her clothes and soaked into her hair. Adel's dark silhouette walked ahead, barely visible once she threw up the hood of her cloak. Vaya's anger had always protected her, but she had no anger left for this.
For the first time in many years, she regretted making an enemy of Adel.
—13—
Adel's Decree
The rocks were treacherous near the top of the ridge. Wind buffeted Vaya to and fro as rain whipped into her face and stung her skin. She could not have heard Adel over the howl of the elements even if they'd had anything to say to each other. By the time they had squeezed through the hidden pass and made the descent down into the valley it was well into the night. Vaya was numb with cold, her shoulder aching terribly. Mud caked her moccasins all the way up to the knee. Even the foreboding sight of the witches' den filled her with relief, for at least it promised warmth and shelter.
Adel led her toward the glowing caves honeycombing the far side of the valley, many of which now had screens made from leather and leaf pulled part way across their entrances. When they reached the largest of these dwellings the den mother told her to wait outside, and Vaya tucked herself back into a nook at the edge of the rocks. The alcove offered precious little shelter from the cold, but it hid her from the eyes of the seers who began to hurry back and forth in Adel's wake.
Gathering all your followers to witness my shame, Vaya thought.
The curtain of chimes and talismans hanging around the cave's entrance rattled in the wind. A purple-stained feather blew loose and landed in a puddle. What awaited Vaya inside, she did not know. Exile. Death. But perhaps that was a price worth paying for Great Rook's defeat. She had been allowed to feel content for one precious day, had she not? That was more than she'd had in a long time.
Eventually the splashing footfalls of the women hurrying in and out of the cave ceased, and Adel emerged once more.
“Come out, Huntress,” she called. “Don't make me come sniffing through the shadows.”
Scowling with indignation, Vaya stepped forward. She had not been hiding, she had only wanted to stay out of the rain. Yet protesting seemed pointless. Why bother? Nothing she said would make Adel think any differently of her.
Inside the cave the witches stood in lines on opposite sides of the fire, two long rows of eerie animal pelt headdresses extending almost into the darkness at the back of the chamber. Perhaps three dozen in number. Kiren was there alongside the other young apprentices, her face fraught with worry.
“Why bring me here?” Vaya said before Adel could turn around. “So that you may mock me before your witches too?”
Adel came to a halt in front of the fire, taking down her hood before addressing the huntress. “You slew our bear, and so it is us you must answer to.”
If the news came as a surprise to any of the witches, they did not show it. Unlike Orec's pack, a disciplined silence hung over the assembly. Only Kiren and a few others seemed agitated by what was happening. To Vaya's surprise, she realised Netya was one of them. The sun wolf's hands wrung the grip of her staff anxiously, her eyes flitting between Vaya and Kiren.
“I allowed you to stay among us,” Adel continued, “even though many of my sisters would have cast you out. I offered you the freedom to live and hunt as a member of Orec's clan.”
“You gave me no choice,” Vaya growled.
Adel whirled around, an accusatory finger extended toward Vaya.
“This valley is the sacred home of my clan. A place of seers and spirits. You were told to stay away. Not only have you disobeyed that command, you have slain the great beast who watched over our forest. I warned you against crossing me, Vaya. Now you will be punished.”
Vaya held her tongue. Let it be over with, then. The witches could take her life if they wished.
Adel swept her arm sideways until her finger pointed at Kiren.
“She is banished from our valley.”
Even the discipline of the witches could not suppress the momentary ripple of surprise that spread through the cave. All of a sudden Vaya's anger was back, stronger than ever.
“Not her! She won't suffer for my actions!”
Adel smiled. “You hold no power here, Huntress. I told you the day you arrived that Kiren would only remain an apprentice so long as you remained obedient. My faith in you was misplaced, and now it is your companion's duty to bear the punishment.”
“I challenge you!” Vaya blurted out in her fury.
Adel's smile cracked with a cold laugh. “Is that all your simple soul understands? You have already had your challenge; it was to obey me. In that, you have failed.”
Kiren's fists were clenched at her sides, her eyes fixed upon the den mother. Vaya could sense a reflection of her own hatred crackling in the air about her friend, but the young woman said nothing. The witches watched them in silence, haughty and aloof. Judgemental of the two outsiders who had brought this commotion into their valley.
All except one.
“Stop this!” Netya exclaimed. “It has gone far enough.”
Adel regarded the sun wolf for a chilling moment before tilting her head in acknowledgement. “I agree. There is nothing more to say here. Fern, take three of your huntresses and escort these two back to Orec's den.” She turned to Vaya. “Perhaps he will indulge you with his hospitality for a few moons yet, unless you plan on venturing home through the rains.”
Yet another cruel trap. Travelling through rain and snow was difficult at the best of times, but the swamps around Octavia's territory became nigh-impassable during the wet season. Simple exile was too kind a punishment for Adel to inflict. She knew they would be forced to stay in the shado
w of her valley until spring, trapped in yet another invisible cage of her making.
Vaya said nothing. Part of her was numb, the other part simmering. She shivered in the firelight, rooted in place until Fern and the others stepped forward and forcibly dragged her outside. Kiren followed in their wake, her face pale. Vaya felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach, and finally she relented to her captors. As they dragged her stumbling back out into the rain tears began to blur her vision. She had failed Kiren. Her one charge, her one true friend. So blinded had she been by her quest for personal honour that she had failed to heed Adel's threat. Now Kiren had lost her chance at becoming a seer.
“Let go of me!” she yelled, throwing off one of the women and pushing another into the mud. In a flash Huntress Fern was before her, a knife pressed to the base of her chin.
“You know you deserve worse, Vaya,” she scowled, “for what you did to my friend.” The light spilling out from the cave fell upon one side of her face, leaving the other cast in shadow. Wind and rain whispered about them as the spirits of the valley stirred.
“Show me your wolf if you want a fight, Huntress,” Vaya spat. “Or else leave us be. We can walk out of this cursed place alone.”
Fern's eyes flicked between the two of them, waiting until her sisters had regained their footing. Then she lowered the knife and slowly backed away. “Walk on your own then, but we'll be watching. You're not worth the fight.”
“Vaya,” Kiren said softly. Her fingers touched the huntress's uninjured hand. “No more trouble.” The disappointment in her voice hurt more than when Great Rook had wrenched Vaya's arm loose from its socket.
Stumbling backward, she allowed Kiren to lead her away by the hand. There was nothing more left of her to give. Her spirit felt broken, torn asunder by Adel's cruelty. She could bear her own suffering, but not Kiren's too. She had failed everyone.
* * *
“Why?” Netya demanded, unable to believe what her mentor had done. No remorse registered on Adel's face, only a calm, detached expression of understanding.
“I warned Vaya of this. She disobeyed, and so I punished her as promised.”
“Fear is our strength, that is what you always told me! Fear of what we might do, not the wickedness of actually doing it!”
“And what good is fear if my threats are hollow? You speak as if I sent the girl to her death.”
“You hate violence so much, and yet sometimes I think the things you do now are even worse. Women like Vaya and Kiren, they'd sooner face a fight than be humiliated like that!”
Most of the clan had begun to disperse at Adel's command, but a few of the older women still lingered in the seer's cave, listening with concern as Netya argued with the den mother in front of them.
Casting a reproachful glare in their direction, Adel put an arm around Netya's shoulders and led her aside.
“I did not say Kiren was banished forever. I am not so heartless as to give you an apprentice only to snatch her away before a single season's passing. Let the girl stay with Orec for a while. Perhaps the threat of exile will be enough to tame her disobedience.”
“She did nothing wrong!” Netya insisted. “I was beginning to reach her. The only thing she distrusts is... this! You!” She shook her head bitterly. “And what of Vaya? Has she not been humiliated enough?”
“That woman has not suffered nearly a touch of the pain she inflicted upon you.”
“I never wanted revenge. I only wanted her gone.” Netya shivered, her tone becoming grave. “Trapping a foe like a worm beneath your heel, keeping them close just to watch them squirm in pain... that was Miral's way.”
Adel lifted her hand from Netya's shoulder, scowling. “Tender-hearted, but still a foolish girl. I told you, these are the small cruelties we must endure to keep our clan strong.”
“Are they? I may have a tender heart, but I am not a girl any more! And at least my heart... At least it is not made of ice like yours!” She gave her mentor an imploring look. “Leading this pack has changed you.”
For a moment Adel's face softened. Had Netya caught the briefest glimpse of hurt in the den mother's expression? Or was it just her own wishful thinking?
“My heart was kind like yours once,” Adel said quietly. “Your Caspian came back after he was taken away from you. Mine did not. If I must clad my soul in ice, then it is only to protect you from the wickedness I have seen in our people.”
Netya's indignation faltered. Adel was wise and sincere, and she so rarely spoke of her past... but this was still wrong!
“I won't let Kiren think she has lost everything just so that you can punish Vaya,” Netya said. “Banish me too if you must.”
“Netya,” the den mother's voice grated behind her, but it fell upon deaf ears. Netya ran out into the rain, almost slipping as her moccasins hit the wet grass. Taking the shape of her wolf, she relied on her night eyes to lead her after Vaya and Kiren. Too many confusing scents buffeted her muzzle for her to rely on her sense of smell. Everything was soaked through with the scent of rain.
Following a knot of dark shapes in the distance, she hurried toward the end of the valley until she caught up with Fern and the other huntresses.
“Netya, don't freeze yourself out here!” her friend called when she drew close.
Reverting from the shape of her wolf, she allowed Fern to draw her in under the shelter of her cloak.
“Go back to the den,” Netya said. “There's no need to trail after them.”
“Kiren maybe, but Vaya? Who knows what she'll do.”
“Trust me,” Netya said. “Besides, she's wounded. A one-armed Vaya is no threat to anyone.”
Fern sighed into the space beneath her cloak.
“I will send the others back, but I'm not leaving you alone.”
Netya nodded, unwilling to waste time arguing the point, and returned to the shape of her wolf. While Fern called the other huntresses back she ran on ahead, leaving her friend to follow at a respectable distance.
Why had she asked them to go? Just to defy Adel? She shook the rain from her muzzle with a snort. Now she was the one behaving like a reckless apprentice.
I hope this is you guiding me, Mother Syr, she implored the heavens. The moon spirit hid her face somewhere behind her veil of clouds, silent and mysterious as always.
The sight of Kiren and Vaya walking hand in hand brought a lump to Netya's throat when they hove into view. Her apprentice was dragging the other woman along like a mother leading a weary child. Even Netya felt pity for the bedraggled huntress.
“Wait!” she called, rising up out of the body of her wolf. Kiren turned to look back for a moment, then kept on walking. Wet grass lashed at Netya's ankles as she hitched up her gown to give chase. When she finally caught up she was shivering, soaked through from the rain. She could only imagine how cold the two of them were. Putting one hand on Kiren's shoulder and the other on Vaya's, she pulled the two women to a halt.
“You cannot walk back in this rain! Come with me, the mentor's hollow isn't far.”
“We don't need anything from you, Sun Wolf,” Vaya replied in a voice as decrepit as her posture. “Run back home before I kill you.” The threat almost sounded routine. Netya could tell there was no bite behind it. Vaya simply had to say it because she was Vaya.
Pulling on their shoulders a little harder, she was relieved when Kiren relented and helped turn the huntress in the direction of the mentor's hollow. She spared a glance over her shoulder to check for Fern, but without her wolf's eyes she could see nothing through the rain. Her friend was watching from somewhere nearby, no doubt.
Rain had begun to trickle down through the edges of the sheltered nook when they arrived, but the interior was still mostly dry. Ignoring her instinctive urge to make sure the herbs were out of the wet, Netya rummaged in the dark until she found the pyrite and kindling in their usual place. Once a small fire glowed between the three of them she turned her attention to Kiren.
“Adel does not m
ean to banish you forever. You will still have a chance to return to the valley.”
“More lies and tricks,” Vaya muttered. Her eyes glinted in the dim firelight, regarding her rival with hateful intent. “Give you false hope only to snatch it away. These seers, Kiren, they are no different from Ilen Ra.”
“I know,” the young woman replied.
Netya's dismay prevented her from questioning the unfamiliar name.
“I am not lying to you. What Adel did was wrong. Hate her if you must, but have faith in me. I am still your mentor.”
“Not if I am banished. I don't care what the den mother says. What point is there in us staying even if she takes me back? I get to stay, and Vaya gets to keep on suffering for it.” Kiren swallowed, then looked to Vaya. “Let her go home. Stop tormenting her, then I will stay.”
“I cannot make that decision, but—” she saw Kiren opening her mouth to interrupt and raised a hand to quiet her, “—but I have all winter to change Adel's mind. I will make sure Orec's pack take good care of you until then.”
After a moment of silence Netya realised there were tears running down Vaya's cheeks.
“Is this the magic you have, witch? To break a huntress?” Vaya slumped back against one of the racks, the sticks cracking beneath her weight. “I stay and I am tormented. I leave and I forsake Kiren. Now you'd lure us deeper into your web with more forked promises. When does it end?”
“What do you think I should do, Vaya?” Kiren asked.
The huntress tried to voice a bitter laugh, but it was all she could do to keep her voice from cracking. She was shivering terribly. The binding around her wounded arm had come loose and torn part way off.
“I cannot answer. Stay, and brave these demon-women. Leave, and we return home in shame.”
Empty silence followed. Netya feared anything she said would only push Kiren further away. Perhaps now was not the time for words. The distrust that had been sown in her apprentice that night would not be healed by a single conversation. It seemed to run deep, deeper than Netya yet understood.
