“That’s it? Just…tell her?” Emerian narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t look at her. His eyes were still on the sky, where large, white fluffy clouds passed by.
“Yup.” Mave put the wineskin back down, smiling as Trevan grabbed it and took a long swallow. With that out of the way, she could talk to her Elvasi. “How are you?” she asked her friend with a smile.
“Good. Good.” He smiled in return. “Really like having an afternoon off. Sorry for not getting Dave to the village. Can’t fly like this. We got drunk before they even showed up.”
“No worries,” she said, deciding to sit next to him.
They spent the rest of the afternoon finishing off the wine, Mave taking solace in the people she liked and staying far away from her blood brother.
7
Emerian
Emerian blocked Trevan’s swing, grinning. He shoved the Elvasi back and was fast enough to get his scythe to the man’s neck before Trevan could bring his sword up. He was able to stop the swing before accidentally beheading his friend, something Luykas had trained into him hard when they trained with less lethal versions of their weapons. No contact in training at all. Training injuries were too common in the village, and it was slowing warriors down. Plus, there probably wouldn’t be a healer in the village willing to treat Trevan, but that didn’t bother Emerian for the moment.
He’d finally beaten Trevan in a sparring match.
“Yes!” he said victoriously as Trevan lifted his free hand in defeat. “I won!”
“You did,” Trevan agreed as Emerian lowered his weapon. “You’re good enough now, I bet human soldiers wouldn’t stand a chance, and you could take most of the lower-ranking Elvasi. Good work.”
“It’s all thanks to you,” Emerian said, his smile refusing to fade. “I mean, you’ve put the time in with me every day since we met. I didn’t get very good in the pits, but I think it helped, too.”
“It’s not all thanks to me. You were already strong from your time in the fields. You honed that strength in the pits, training with me every day. Now, you have a weapon that feels comfortable, and you’re beginning to excel with it. Plus, the lessons from Matesh and Luykas have been amazing. I’m a better swordsman now than I ever could have dreamed. So, don’t give me all the credit.” Trevan patted his shoulder as they walked off the field. “How does it feel? This is the first time you’ve beaten me.”
“It feels good,” Emerian admitted, smiling. “I wonder if they’ll let me go on any of these campaigns coming up. I think I’m ready.”
“Don’t get hasty,” Trevan chuckled, shaking his head. “There’s no reason to rush into battle until you know what battle you want to fight.”
“I…” Emerian took a deep breath, still a little pumped from the victory against Trevan. “I feel an urge.” It was growing. Every time he sparred, the more he learned, the more Andinna he was around, the more the urge grew. “I want to fight.”
“You’re Andinna. You are warriors in your souls,” Trevan said, picking up a skin of water. He took a swallow, then held it out for Emerian. “And there’s nothing wrong with that if you don’t fall to its weaknesses. In the same way, the Elvasi can be vain, Andinna can be headstrong and cocky. I can’t tell you how many times I saw gladiators bite off more than they could chew because they were in the mood to fight. Even if the fight was a loss, they wanted it. You have to be careful and learn to pick the battles you want.”
“Sometimes, it’s like you know more about Andinna than I do,” Emerian said, sighing as he turned back to the field.
“I spent several hundred years watching them, learning about them in the pits. It probably wasn’t the best place to really know who they are, but it taught me things. You spent your entire life avoiding this half of your nature, even when you were forced to quarter with them. You didn’t want to see or to learn. I’ll remind you that when we met, you believed Andinna were mindless, aggressive killing machines. So, you saw it. You just couldn’t relate to it yet.”
“Yeah…” Emerian said softly. “I’m learning more now.” He had a lot of people to thank. He saw what a good Andinna male was in the warriors around him, Matesh, Luykas, and the rest of Mave’s family. The king, who always stopped to ask him if he was having a good day, had a soft spot for mutts. His brother and consort were mutts. Emerian had no intention of becoming a consort of the king, but it was nice their ruler took the time to check on him. He also monitored Emerian’s education, sometimes asking questions.
He also had her to thank—Mave.
Emerian tried to beat down the growing tidal wave of lust, but it was hard. When she had talked to him about females, he’d nearly gotten an erection at her grey-blue eyes. Some called those eyes cold steel, and some days, he wanted to agree, but most days, they were just her eyes, and they stood out.
Emerian didn’t think she was classically beautiful, not like Elvasi wanted women to look like. She was too hard, all power. There wasn’t a piece of her that wasn’t made for war. But then she turned those eyes on him, with all that dominant energy, and he wanted to fall to his knees and beg for her attention, just a kind word, a simple touch.
“If there’s one you’re particularly interested in, let her know.”
That had been Mave’s unasked for advice. He hadn’t known why she brought it up. He’d seen the females staring but never had the impression it was a good thing. Her advice was laughable.
I don’t see just walking up to The Champion and telling her how I feel is going to really help much. In fact, I might as well shove my tail in my mouth now and choke on it before even attempting because that’s how it would end up.
But he wanted, wanted with an urge that felt dangerous. Just like trying to join a campaign and heading off to battle, he wanted the supremely dominant Mave Lorren.
Both seemed equally dangerous at this point.
“You okay?” Trevan asked after a long silence.
“Yeah, I’m fine. You know how Mave was bringing up females earlier? I was thinking about that. I’m not looking for anyone, but what about you? You have a girl somewhere no one knows about?” Emerian tried to grin but wondered if it fell flat at Trevan’s sad expression.
“No, there were never any women for me back home. No one I left behind. Nothing like that.”
“What about here? Do you like Andinna females, or are you going to stay single forever?”
“Let’s not talk about it,” Trevan said, picking up the skin and walking away, heading for the trail to their home.
“Wow.” Emerian started after his friend, throwing an arm around his shoulder when he reached Trevan. “Trevan, come on! We talk about everything. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Which means you’re hiding something,” Emerian pointed out, making Trevan stop. He turned them, making sure the Elvasi could look him in the eye. “What’s up?”
Trevan’s pale gold eyes caught the sun before he closed them and sighed.
“Even if I did have feelings for an Andinna, what makes you think I have any chance with them? I’m Elvasi. The Empress I served for my entire life is the same one who enslaved so many of you and is trying to wipe Andinna off the face of the earth, never to grace the skies again.”
“You only served her to help us.” Everyone knew the story. Trevan had seen Mave fighting in the Colosseum and decided to dedicate his life to the secret movement that hoped for Andinna freedom. Emerian felt it click, and his jaw dropped. “Oh.”
Shit. I have competition, and he’s my friend. What is it about her? How does she drag us all in and refuse to let us go?
“Oh?” Trevan crossed his arms.
“You like her,” Emerian said, a grin forming. “And not just in a creepy, stare at her for centuries way. You like her!”
Trevan grabbed him, smacking a hand over his mouth to silence him.
“If you mean the Champion, I would prefer if you never brought this up again. Ever. L
ook at me, Emerian, I’m not kidding. You won’t mention it to her, her husbands, or Dave. No one.”
Emerian saw the tightness in Trevan’s face, the anger blazing in his pale gold eyes, and felt the strength of his hold on Emerian’s jaw to keep his mouth closed. Emerian tried to nod, and that thankfully appeased the Elvasi, who released him and stomped down the trail. The dramatic exit of the Elvasi soldier didn’t last long. He turned back and sighed.
“Do you want anything specific for lunch?” he asked softly.
“No, I’m fine, thanks. I…I think I’m going to go see Luykas. I’ll pick something up at one of the dining halls.”
Trevan nodded and disappeared down the path, the trees obscuring Emerian’s view.
How long has he been in love with her? From what I know, she didn’t even know he existed until he helped free her.
Emerian jumped into the air, trying not to think about it anymore. His only friend wanted the same female. It honestly made sense. Trevan had thrown away his entire life and future in the Empire for her. Emerian had always found it stupid, but now, it made more sense, but it was also insane.
He went to the war room hoping to find Luykas and instead ran into Alchan.
“Ah, hello, sire,” he greeted. The king looked up from the maps, dark circles under his eyes, his black hair disheveled. The king was exhausted.
“Good…” Alchan frowned, trying to look out a window. “Afternoon? What can I do for you, Emerian?”
“It’s lunchtime, sire.” Emerian’s plans to find Luykas went on hold as he realized the king might need help. “Are you waiting for Rainev? Do you need me to fetch something for you?”
“No, no,” Alchan said softly, rubbing his eyes. “He knows where I am. He just wandered off. He’s probably getting food for me as we speak, but thank you for the offer. So, what do you need?”
“I was looking for Luykas, actually, sire.” Emerian moved to stand at attention for his king, who made a small smile.
“You don’t need to be so formal, Emerian. I make people I dislike do that. I don’t dislike you.” Alchan chuckled, eyeing him as though doing an inspection. “But you’re looking like a proper warrior when you do that. You’ve come a long way.”
“Thank you, sire,” Emerian said, the praise touching his soul.
“As for Luykas…” Alchan looked around the room. “He was just here. He might have disappeared with Rain. Stay, and we’ll ask my consort when he gets back. Sit down and have a glass of wine.”
The war room had stacked simple chairs on one end. He grabbed two, one for Alchan and one for himself. Before he sat down, he grabbed a couple more, knowing there could soon be others. Alchan was already seated by the time Emerian got done.
They sat in silence as Alchan just stared at him. Emerian grew more uncomfortable every moment.
“Is there something wrong with me?” he finally dared to ask.
“Every time Mave talks to me and you’re mentioned, she points out your plain face and her desire to see you get the first of your tatua,” he said casually. “I was thinking about that.”
“Does she?” Emerian swallowed. “Am I ready?”
“No,” Alchan said softly. “What do you need Luykas for?”
“I was hoping to talk to him about my training and possibly getting to go on a campaign this year.”
Alchan’s smile grew. “If he clears you for a mission later this year, I’ll make sure you see combat. Maybe that’s…” His eyes grew distant as he trailed off, nodding to himself. “Maybe that’s what you need. A chance to be a warrior and hear your Andinna blood sing in the glory of battle.”
Emerian didn’t say anything in return, keeping his mouth shut as Luykas and Rain walked in, holding plates.
“We grabbed food from the dining hall,” Rain said softly, his eyes only for the king. “Eat something, please. I can’t stay. I need to make sure our new housemate is feeding herself.”
“It’s her first full day here,” Alchan said in a whisper. “Don’t railroad her if she’s not eating. We’ll see her at dinner if she’s not feeling like eating lunch.”
Rain nodded and walked out of the room again before Luykas even found a seat, never once looking Emerian’s way. It was Luykas who noticed Emerian, sitting beside him.
“You can share with me if you haven’t eaten,” the other mutt said with a chuckle. “What are you doing here?”
“He wants to see if he’s ready for combat and came looking for you,” Alchan answered for him. “Do that. If he’s ready, I’ll see which campaign could use him.”
“Let me think on it,” Luykas countered. “If he’s ready, I think I know a few Andinna who aren’t going to appreciate you picking him without their input.”
The brothers stared at each other until Alchan nodded.
“Then I’ll leave it to you. Emerian, do well.”
“I’ll do my best, sire.” Emerian tried not to smile.
Seanev walked in, and Alchan stood. The glares between the two of them spelled trouble.
“Let’s go,” Luykas ordered, tapping Emerian. “Now.”
Emerian followed him out, both nearly knocking over their stools. Before they made it out the doors, one of the males growled. When they got outside, the shouting match had started.
“What in the Skies?” Emerian said, looking back as he walked away with the other mutt.
“Those two have always found stupid reasons to get into heated arguments, even when they liked each other and were friends,” Luykas explained. “Yesterday was bad with his arrival, so Seanev kept his mouth shut, but now? Yeah, they’re probably just going to argue over bullshit until they both exhaust themselves. Seanev might have found out Alchan isn’t dealing with the priesthoods, passing it on to Varon or something.”
“You don’t seem worried,” Emerian said, looking back again. Even as they moved away, the shouting was loud enough to hear.
“Them arguing is better than them not arguing. It means they’re rebuilding their familiarity. Seanev was always a hothead with opinions. He loved and respected his father, but he also wasn’t afraid to argue with him. He’ll lose, but he knows if he argues well enough, he’ll place a seed of an idea in someone’s mind that could change something later on.” Luykas shrugged at the end. “So, you want to see if you’re ready to go to war?”
“Not just that,” Emerian admitted.
“Ah…” Luykas nodded slowly. “And what else do you want from me?”
“Is it normal for Andinna males to…be attracted to really dominant females? Like…”
“You get a boner when Mave yells at you or makes you put your eyes down,” Luykas said without skipping a beat. “Yeah, it’s perfectly normal—”
“I didn’t say it was Mave,” Emerian growled.
“Ha. Mave is the only female you talk to.” Luykas smiled. “Don’t worry. You and half the males in this camp fall on themselves when she’s involved. Or Allaina, actually.”
“So…why don’t either of them ever complain about males?”
“Mave had some problems while on her campaign, actually. Males approached her because her husbands weren’t around. She wasn’t interested, though none of us would have gotten upset if she found a road companion.” Luykas looked down at his food. “Let’s find a place to sit and eat.”
They walked through the village, then turned to leave it, heading for a large training field Emerian never went to. Luykas found a log to sit on at the edge of the field, staring at the warriors on break before their afternoon training.
“So, you fancy my wife.” Luykas chuckled as Emerian sputtered. “It’s not a problem, but I think this is where someone tells you the most important part of Andinna culture. You fancy her dominance, which is inherently attractive to you. You weren’t exposed to much of it growing up, so you don’t know how to either approach her or ignore it because you might not be a good match. Attraction doesn’t always need to be acted on. This is when you start paying attention to conversat
ions you have with her to see if she might be compatible with you. If it becomes apparent you couldn’t deal with her all the time, you move on. You’ll always be attracted to her.”
“If we’re all attracted to dominant females like that…why did the gladiators treat her so badly? Why didn’t they worship the ground she walks on?” Emerian frowned, then realized he touched on a bad subject. Luykas’ expression grew cool.
“They were attracted to her. That was the problem,” he said softly. “They were angry at their circumstances and hated their attraction to her because of her position in the pits, so they took it out on her. They took it out on her every time they had the chance. She still avoids them. We keep most females away from any place the gladiators congregate to commiserate their previous suffering. We don’t know how ingrained that response is, and we don’t want to take any chances.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be. It’s a legitimate question. Also, Emerian, see if there are any other females you might be interested in. Don’t focus on only her and ignore other possibilities. It’s easy to get wrapped up in a female like Mave and think no one else is right because they aren’t her. I’ve seen royal females just as dominant, even more dominant, with stalkers who needed to be handled. They grew obsessed with serving a powerful female and thought the inherent sexual attraction was so strong, it must have been love.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now eat. Once they’re done with their break, I’m going to have you spar a few of them to see your skill level. If you really impress me, you’ll have your answer today.”
Emerian shoved half of the steak in his mouth and started to chew, making Luykas laugh as he went in on the other half.
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