Should have gone off without a problem, Skies damn it.
He knew the two warriors who were gone would be welcomed with open arms by Kristanya in the afterlife. He knew they would be given a warrior’s welcome by her, or so said their beliefs.
He rode beside Mat, and they pushed their horses to get them out of the valley and farther away from the Elvasi. As they came over the top of the small hill that marked the edge, Zayden felt chills run down his spine at the screech of a gryphon.
He knew that sound all too well, and it was all too close.
“Someone, tell me that was a wild gryphon,” Kick said, gruff and anxious at the same time. Zayden recognized a little of himself in it.
“Let’s fucking hope—”
A hunting horn sounded and echoed off the surrounding mountains—another screech, then another.
“I didn’t see any fucking gryphons in the camp,” Mat snapped. “Ride. Everyone ride!”
Zayden spurred his horse on, looking over his shoulder.
“Neither did I. Do you think they were patrolling and just missed us while we hit them? Did we really get that lucky?”
“Apparently, and I’m blaming this on you, asshole. You had to mention the fucking gryphon riders, and here they are!” Mat yelled and pushed his horse to start in a hard gallop, passing everyone and taking the lead, making a path for everyone with his charge.
Zayden couldn’t argue. He had astoundingly bad luck sometimes. It always paired with freakishly good luck. Finding the maps of Lothen’s plans and having to fight for his life to get out of that camp. Finding out Rain and Alchan were fucking, but also getting the female of his dreams as his wife.
Now, he had successfully snuck by a gryphon rider unit, only for the riders to track them down.
Sounds like a normal mission for me. Tell me, Goddess Kristanya, what did I ever do to deserve this? What have I done to incur the wrath of the black dragon?
They rode hard, barreling through the trees, but it wasn’t enough. Another screech told them they were being followed. He looked up to see one soar over his head, going over double the speed of their horses.
“How?” a warrior yelled in frustration and shock.
“Gryphons are aerial predators,” Kick answered. “Elvasi know how to use it.”
They burst into a clearing, and Zayden pulled his horse to follow Mat as he cut to the left. A screech, a horse’s neigh, and a scream right behind him had him kicking his horse to move faster.
All I have is a fucking dagger. I can’t take them in a fight right now.
“Ride harder!” Mat roared from the front.
It wasn’t enough. Two more riders swooped down into the clearing, and Zayden was knocked from his horse, sent flying as talons tore open his shoulder. He pulled out his dagger as he tried to get up, knowing his horse was either dead or running for its life. He blinked, trying to clear his vision as he moved, heading for the closest treeline he could see. A horse ran up beside him, and Kick was suddenly at his side, throwing an arm around his waist.
“Don’t stop,” the old male ordered. “Don’t stop. Keep going. We can get into the trees.”
“Your horse, you idiot,” Zayden growled, looking for where it went.
“Fuck the horse.”
Zayden and Kick kept moving, breaking through the treeline and into the underbrush. Before Zayden could let out a relieved breath, he was shoved to the side. Mat was there, his sword drawn, staring down the gryphon riders in the field. Zayden tried to count who was dead and who was alive, but he couldn’t get a good idea. Mat was with him, and so was the older male, Kick.
“What the fuck are we going to do?” the old male asked, staring down their enemies as the Elvasi let their gryphons gorge on horse meat while the riders stared down the Andinna.
“If we run, they’ll chase,” Zayden whispered.
“And they know they’ll catch us, which is why they’re letting the gryphons have a snack,” Mat said, panting.
“Where the hell is your horse?” Zayden asked, a little pissed that both of them lost their way out of this.
“Jumped off it behind you, and it probably already ran off.”
“Fuck. You could have made it back to her.”
“Not without you,” Mat hissed. “Don’t be fucking stupid.”
“Both of you boys need to stop bitching at each other and start thinking of a way to get us out of this mess,” Kick growled. “Do you think anyone else made it out of the clearing?”
“No idea. There are four gryphon riders in front of us, but they normally run in larger groups. Who knows where the others are at this point? Hopefully, running for their lives and not getting eaten.” Mat sounded stressed, not that Zayden could fault him. “Let’s just walk away slowly. Maybe we can bait them into getting to a place where we can kill them.”
Zayden looked down at his dagger and sighed. It wasn’t a good option, but it was the best one they had.
They had gone from over a dozen to three.
They began to back away, and one of the Elvasi laughed. It was Kick who was brave enough to turn his back on them and start running first.
“They want to play with us,” Zayden pointed out as the Elvasi didn’t follow.
“Then we need to win.” Mat thumped his shoulder as they ran. They went deep into the trees, not paying attention to the direction. They jumped a river, using their wings to catch the air, and kept moving. Zayden’s arm began to throb, and his vision went blurry again. He wobbled once, bumping to Mat, who grabbed his arm silently. There was no way they could stop and look at his shoulder, not yet or probably any time soon.
They finally had to stop as the sun was beginning to drop again.
“We need to stop and rest,” Mat said, panting hard. “Why haven’t they followed us yet?”
“Maybe they have orders to stay near their camp?” Kick offered, shrugging. “We need to look at that.” He pointed at Zayden.
Zayden didn’t reply for a moment. He found a large rock and leaned against it, panting while he tried to keep his eyes open. He found himself staring at Mat, who had brotherly concern written all over his face.
“It’s not fatal,” he finally explained. “The bleeding slowed down and stopped while we ran. I’m woozy, but I’m not dying. Thank the Skies for being Andinna.”
“Yeah…” Mat walked to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Anything else?”
“Nah. When they flung me off my horse, they didn’t drop the horse on top of me. I rolled, but nothing else.”
“All right. Let’s find a place to sit down for a minute. We’ll move if we hear any of the gryphons.”
Zayden nodded, letting Mat walk him to a fallen log. It wasn’t the best for sitting on, so they sat on the dirt and leaned against it. Kick stayed on his feet, staring in the direction they ran from.
“Do you think they’ll follow us at a distance?” the old male asked after a long silence.
“That would be bad fucking news,” Mat muttered. “But it’s possible. If we give them the location of home…”
“We’ll just keep moving and sleep when we can,” Zayden grumbled. “That’s all we can do.”
Both of the males with him nodded.
“Hey, Kick.”
“Yes?” The old male looked down at Mat, frowning.
“Why do they call you Kick? You promised to tell me if we survived, and here we are.”
Zayden snorted. He didn’t know such a stupid deal had been made, but now he was curious.
“When I was a young warrior, someone startled me when they tried to wake me. I kicked the guy so hard, he lost three teeth and blacked out. When he came to, he told people I kicked like a horse. It evolved from there. It was over three thousand years ago.”
“I was hoping for a better story,” Mat mumbled.
“Yeah, sometimes the mystery makes these things better than they really are,” Kick agreed, chuckling. “But you asked, and a deal was made. Now, we just need to s
urvive.”
They stayed where they were for only a short while longer before getting to their feet and walking again. The night was dark, too many trees blocking the red glow of the moon. They didn’t hear any gryphons or other evidence of the Elvasi, which was a blessing. When dawn came, they all had to admit they couldn’t go any further without getting some sleep. Kick pointed out a cave, and they settled down for a nap.
“It’s going to be a long trip home on foot,” Zayden grumbled.
“Yeah,” Mat agreed. “You two get some sleep first. I’ll stand watch, then wake you, Kick. We need to let Zayden hit a healing sleep.”
“Aye.”
They passed out together, leaving Mat sitting near the entrance, watching the world.
21
Mave
Mave watched the sunset, standing next to Alchan after their training was finished. The sky was a rich medley of colors from oranges and reds to pinks and purples. Clouds drifted across the sky, grabbing the colors.
“Here’s some water,” Rain offered, walking to them as they watched the sun dip behind the mountains. She took the glass from him in silence, nodding her thanks instead. She felt peaceful, even though she had no reason to be.
Another month had rolled by, and there was no word on how the men she loved were doing. Mat and Zayden had not yet returned. Seanev and his entire army were still in the wind, and Bryn’s scouts had yet to find them. She trained every day, both with Emerian and Alchan, and sometimes, she spent the afternoons with Trevan after his own training was done. Bryn and Luykas were both busy, trying to find everything and figure out what the hell Shadra was going to do next.
But for a moment, she felt peaceful.
It’s probably just exhaustion, but I’ll take what I can get.
Mave sipped the cool water, fresh from a stream. Rain backed away, leaving her alone with Alchan again and rejoining the crowd hanging around the clearing where they trained.
It had once again become a bit of a hangout for the Company. Kian was fanning Senri. They had been bored and wanted to watch Alchan and Mave train. Bryn stopped by for a quick snack between meetings. Luykas and Leshaun were reading at the edge of the clearing, in the shade of the trees. Emerian, Trevan, Dave, and now Learen were all hanging out and joking around. The fact Learen found a place with that strange group of friends was promising. He didn’t speak much to anyone, but seeing him near the Company brought the older members joy, especially Luykas and Alchan.
“Today was good training,” Alchan finally commented, breaking her out of her thoughts.
“It was.” Taking another sip of her water, she side-eyed him. “Rain was out here fast enough once it was done.”
“I’m beginning to think he listens through the door, waiting for the moment he can come out,” Alchan said with a chuckle. He turned, and her gaze followed his. Rain was sitting on the steps, smiling as Lilliana walked out with a small plate and handed it to him. He patted the spot next to him and convinced her to sit with him.
“They’re becoming great friends, aren’t they,” Mave said with a smirk. “How are you handling that?”
“Is that the rumor? Friends?” Alchan snorted, shaking his head. “No, Rain has declared Lilliana part of his family because it’s Rain and a female with no one else to turn to. It’s his favorite thing to do.”
“Are you jealous?” Mave gasped.
“No because I know Rain isn’t going to sleep with her,” Alchan retorted in a snappy, immature, and boyish way. He wasn’t jealous, but it definitely annoyed him. Mave knew why. This rooted Lilliana deeper into his household, and he was dealing with feelings he didn’t want to have—wants he wasn’t comfortable with.
“It’ll be fine,” she promised. “If it gets to be too much, we’ll work something out, and if we can’t, I’ll kill you, and the entire problem goes away.”
Alchan didn’t get angry at her lighthearted promise—he spat his water out in laughter.
“Only you,” he finally said, wiping his face dry. “Only you.”
“There’s a reason I’m your sister,” she teased, grinning.
“That there is,” he said, nodding as he threw an arm over her shoulder. Together, they looked out on their friends and family.
Mave quickly lost the lighthearted feeling.
“There are too many of them missing,” she whispered. “Mat, Zayden, Nevyn, and Varon. Hell, I would take Seanev right about now.”
“I know. I agree.” Alchan squeezed her shoulder. “But this is war.”
“This is war,” she repeated, sighing. For just a moment, she was tired of war.
“What else is on your mind?”
“I want peace. I’ve never had any, you know. Even when we got to Olost, and I was free, Shadra continued to find ways to get in the way of me living a normal life away from her. She still found ways to hurt all of us. I was thinking…I want just a moment of real peace, with no hidden threats looming over our heads or a battle over the horizon. Just peace.” She took a deep breath. “I want to wake up and see everyone here for no other reason than to be around.”
His one arm hold grew tighter. “Have you ever thought about what you would do with that sort of free time? When we freed you, you were fretting about what you would do with it.”
“I have no idea,” she said with a groan. “But I want to find out.”
Her king was silent for a long time as they watched their friends, and the sun disappeared. When he finally spoke, he said something surprising.
“Give me some time. I think I have some ideas about what you might be able to do once you have a well-earned rest from war and violence.”
“You don’t need to—”
“Yes, I do.” There was something underneath those words, emotions neither Mave nor Alchan really liked talking about in such an open setting and definitely not with each other. There was a deep caring between them. It wasn’t like what Mave had with her husbands, Rain, or anyone else in the Company. Ever since that ride to Kerit, when Alchan had claimed her as his sister, there was a deep, unwavering loyalty and love that couldn’t be thrown off. The connection only grew deeper by the day. It felt, in a strange sense, purer than anything she shared with even her husbands, who she loved more than anything in her life. It was almost unsettling. If it had come about a few years before, it would have terrified her.
Now, standing here and watching everyone, she just felt content for a minute, secure in the knowledge she and Alchan could handle anything thrown their way, as long as they worked together. It was fitting. He was a warrior, and she was his sword, a weapon for him to point, an extension of himself. He was a king, and she was his Champion.
Who knew this would be where I ended up after leaving the Empire? I certainly had no clue.
She finally broke the hold and walked to the group. She smiled at Emerian when he saw her walk by and realized she finally had Leshaun cornered for a minute when she was about to pass him and Luykas. She had meant to talk to the elderly male, her uncle through marriage, but he was a hard man to get hold of now.
“Leshaun,” she greeted, walking over to him.
“Mave.” He smiled, knowing something was coming as he looked up from his book.
“We need to talk, you and I,” she said, pointing a finger between them. “Would you walk with me? Or would you prefer I sit?”
“Come sit,” he said softly, patting a spot on the grass beside him. Luykas looked up and smiled, then went back to his book, ignoring them. She fell to the ground and stretched her legs out. “What do you need?”
“I need you to teach me a couple of blood magic rituals for future reasons.”
“Of course. Come by my home at lunchtime, bring food, and we’ll work it out,” he said simply.
“That’s it?” She frowned. “No argument?”
“I will never pass up the opportunity to teach someone. Plus, it’s you. I never liked leaving your blood magic education to Luykas, but neither of you would have me. I finally
get to see if your chaotic nature is really teachable. You’ll be the most challenging student I’ve ever had. A good thing to try right before I retire.”
“I’m a wonderful student!” she said with an insulted gasp. After a moment, they both laughed. Mave was a stubborn student who didn’t much care for tradition. She cared for what was useful. She was like that with everything in her life except one—the flute. She adored playing the flute whenever she had a quiet moment.
“You’ll be coming by just as the younglings leave to go home,” he smirked. “Maybe you can give them a little bit of fun to get some of that chaotic energy out of you before we have lessons.”
“Sure,” she agreed, shrugging. She didn’t just play the flute for quiet time. She liked watching the young children dance around, living beautiful, joyful lives she had never experienced. “How many children are in the village right now?”
“Oh, only a handful, five or six. They’ll be leaving when I do. They’re going up to Leria’s community.”
“Good, it’ll be safer for them up there,” she said softly. “So, you’ll teach me?”
“Yes. I won’t be able to teach you much before we’re out of time, but if you just want to learn a few of the rituals, I can do that for you. Lesson one can be right now. Intent is the most important part of blood magic. You can take all the power you want from your blood, but if you don’t have the proper intent to focus on the outcome you wish to achieve, it can become a waste.”
“I’ll remember that.”
For a moment, he just stared at her.
“Yes?” she tilted her head, wondering what was wrong.
“Do you want to talk about Matesh and Zayden? I know they’re two weeks late getting back.”
“Have you learned anything that might help with that?”
“No,” he said sadly.
“Then I don’t want to talk about it,” she said firmly. “They’re strong warriors, and they will come home to me. Late is okay, as long as they come back.”
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