Casting a tiny thankful smile his way, she bent over the small pile and worked to start up the fire. She could hear Gund splashing out of the water and his low voice as he spoke to Tah. Within minutes, she had a small but warm fire blazing, and three Ragoru crowded around it with her.
From the other side of the fire, she watched as Orth and Gund leaned into Tah, sheltering him between their bodies. Their hands rubbed against the fur that was wetted nearly to his waist from his mad dash through the water. They each pulled a fur hide from their belongings and rubbed him with it with their other set of hands. Heidi wondered what it would be like to have that sort of connection—others who could be trusted and depended on.
Heidi frowned at the stray thought. It had been many years since she’d entertained such thoughts. She barely retained fragments of memory of her mother before she died and left her alone on the streets. The streets of Wayfairer Citadel, while fair during the day in the better parts of the city, were brutal and unkind to children. The Order was little better, other than the fact that it provided her with shelter, a place to sleep, and food in her belly. Life disabused her of the notion that she could depend on anyone. Yet here she was, envying the closeness of the triad.
Orth glanced at her, his head cocking—perhaps something he saw in her expression. She wasn’t sure what motivated him, but he opened one arm and gestured to her to join him. Caught off guard, Heidi stared. Orth began to drop his arm, but she didn’t allow him to retract the offer. She practically crawled into his lap as she pressed herself beneath the warm shelter of his hold. Gund glanced at them above Tah’s head and made an indistinct noise in his chest. Even Tah only cast a sideways glance at her from his peripheral eye before ignoring her completely, leaving her to settle more comfortably against Orth.
Curled into him as she was, he was warmer and softer than she realized on their quick trip through the melted runoff. The fire at her back warmed her further, easing into her muscles and relaxing her.
She wasn’t trusting him. She wasn’t really trusting any of them. But she could take this offered comfort.
8
Gund narrowed his eyes on Orth speculatively. Although it had been his decision to give Orth the responsibility of watching over the human, he wondered if perhaps he’d been short-sighted. The male was being more attentive to the huntress as the days passed, ever since he’d warmed her by the fire. Gund couldn’t understand the change in the male’s demeanor. With that one action, something changed for Orth that had him hovering closer, often producing small bits of food for her to eat throughout the day. There was no noticeable affection exchanged, but the shift was obvious enough to Gund that he was perturbed by it.
There was at least one thing in their favor: she didn’t show any signs of noticing Orth’s change in behavior toward her. Regardless, it was something that he was going to have to nip before she became aware of the situation and attempted to use the younger male’s softening toward her against him.
With a frown, Gund gestured Tah to his side. They were preparing to break camp, and he wanted to deal with this before they got underway trekking through the forests now that they were finally out of the mountains. Tilting a curious ear, Tah did so, only casting the briefest of glances in the direction of Orth and the human as he strode by them.
“Is there a problem, Gund?”
“I want Orth to take the fore today while you watch over the huntress.”
Tah balked. “I would prefer not to. I have no interest in being in the presence of the enemy more than I must.” He didn’t say anything more, but he didn’t need to. The expressions drifting over his face spoke of every protest he had, varying from alarm to hostility.
Gund growled. This level of outright avoidance of the female was becoming absurd.
“Then consider this one of those instances,” Gund returned sharply. “You will remain by the female’s side for the next few days until I say otherwise.”
Tah’s expression shifted to one of surprise before dropping into a dismayed scowl. He reluctantly inclined his head as he barely contained his mutinous expression. “Very well, Gund,” he replied as he stalked away.
The male was going to hate every minute of the human’s company but, in the end, it would serve their purpose. His brother was, at times, woefully unaware. No doubt he ignored the spark of Orth’s admiration for Heidi, if he even made note of it at all. He knew Tah well enough to know that although he possessed the focus of a great tracker and excelled at speaking on behalf of their triad to other Ragoru, he liked to ignore anything he considered unworthy of his attention. He would ignore anything coming from the human that wasn’t outright hostile.
Gund watched as Tah paused, stepping between the huntress and their brother as he spoke to him quietly. Orth’s brow dropped, and he glanced back to Gund in confusion. Gund sighed as the younger male approached him. Naturally, things couldn’t be done the easy way with his triad.
“What is the meaning of this? You know Tah cannot abide Heidi for any stretch of time. He considers her a coarse and dangerous female. Nor does she care for him, other than to snipe at him for amusement. Forcing them together is begging the Mother for disaster.”
“Then it will do them some good to become accustomed to each other and learn to work together,” Gund said. “And give you time to evaluate your excessive behavior toward the huntress.”
Orth’s face darkened. “What excessiveness are you referring to?”
“The female is an ally and nothing more, and yet you give her consideration as if she were part of our family. She is not ours, Orth. Your time together has confused the issue for you, and you would do well to remind yourself of it.” He leaned forward and grasped his brother, drawing their heads together, and sighed. Foreheads touching, he met Orth’s eyes. “We will use each other for our mutual benefit, but that is all this is, brother.”
With a backward jerk of his head, Orth growled, his ears flattening just enough to show his displeasure. “You would suggest that we leave her without our protection?”
“No. I am suggesting that we keep our focus true. Our triad is what is important, and the death of the Master. The huntress is, in the end, inconsequential. She is a means to an end, a tool we will guard until the right moment and then put aside when we are done.”
“It is cruel…”
“It is necessary!” Gund snapped his teeth together, daring his brother to continue his protest. Orth’s ears flattened further, his yellow eyes burning angrily, but he held his tongue and refrained from voicing any further objections.
Gund sighed. He didn’t like quarreling with his brothers. “We will not make ourselves weak before her, nor give her an opportunity to use us for more than what we have agreed upon. Our future mate will thank you for this consideration.”
Orth snorted humorlessly. “Our mate will thank me? For showing no compassion to one who bears such noticeable scars inside that are far more numerous than what even we carry on our own hides?” At Gund’s doubtful look, the male laughed dryly. “You would see the vulnerability and fear beneath her icy countenance if you so much as took the time to catch the pain in her eyes before she lashes out. It is enough to earn some measure of sympathy. I do not wish to be a male who is uncaring toward another for no other reason than that I am told I should be.”
“What of the times she has sought to harm you?” Gund challenged, his own anger growing.
“What of it? It infuriates me when she fights me, but I also respect it because, regardless of what its origin may be, there is never cold, murderous hate in her eyes. If our future mate is selfish enough to wish for us to be unkind to another, then this is not a female I want. You may as well submit yourself before a Ragoru and hope she fancies you if that is your preference,” Orth growled in parting as he pivoted and stormed away, pausing to meet the human’s eyes in passing.
The huntress frowned in confusion, her brow drawing low and knitting together as she watched him leave. Then her gaze shifted
to Tah before finally dragging over and settling on Gund. Her lips tightened slightly, and her eyes narrowed with a suspicious light. Unlike other days, this one was warmer, and she had her hood thrown back, exposing her strong features and the short pale yellow hair that fell close around her head. Something shifted in her eyes, but she revealed nothing as she stared back at him, her face hardening a little in response.
When Orth was a suitable distance away, Tah nudged her. The contact was brief, and the male didn’t bother to hide his grimace. Her lips quirked in a hint of amusement as she fell in beside Tah. The entire time, other than that twitch of her lips, her face remained blank, but Gund was increasingly on edge as they passed. There was something in the air, waiting for some sort of action to uncoil. He suspected that when it did, it would be great violence. He would be vigilant, even if his brothers didn’t care to be for very different reasons.
Yet nothing happened.
The rest of the day passed with the same uneasy silence, as did the next day, and the day after that. The huntress didn’t speak, and Tah appeared to relax when it became apparent that she was not of the mind to disturb him, despite it being her favorite amusement just days ago. Instead, she ignored everyone and her eyes skimmed the landscape as she unerringly followed the track.
9
Orth’s fur ruffled in the cool breeze. Despite the wind and the scent of rain that seemed to linger on the air, the sun was warm where it penetrated the forest canopy. For four days now he’d protected their fore as he scouted ahead. He was surprised to find that he missed the female’s company.
At first, he’d objected because he felt like he was being punished, and that the punishment would cause additional problems. He was surprised to discover that first night, when they made camp to rest, not only had Heidi and Tah managed not to attack each other during the day, they seemed to be peacefully ignoring each other.
In fact, the huntress ignored everyone now. She answered in as few words as possible when Gund spoke to her and otherwise kept away from the triad when they all gathered around the fire. She watched them silently as she ate whatever rations they gave her. Tah had made a cutting comment in Ragii that they shouldn’t feed her if she disliked eating what they gave her, but Orth had ignored him. He knew it wasn’t about that. Her nature was accustomed to self-care, and being constrained beneath their watch interfered with that. The flash of anger that occasionally lit up her eyes and slipped into her scent was due to her affronted pride. He had no doubt that Heidi could have fended for herself easily if they ever allowed her out of their sight… and she knew it too and resented their control.
She rarely showed it, but he saw it better than either of his brothers, since Tah and Gund didn’t bother to know her outside of their wary alliance. He’d noted much about the female in their forced time together, but when she crawled into his embrace, almost settling onto his lap in the process, it was the only time he caught a glimpse of the vulnerability she kept hidden.
Heidi was dangerous, but he’d seen enough to believe that she wasn’t a threat to their triad. Not like the humans he scented on the air now.
Orth breathed deep, drawing in the pungent scent of animals mingling with the confinement of many humans together. It wasn’t as strong as the Citadel, but it still made his nose twitch. His instinct demanded that he go another route, deeper into the woods, but the track headed unerringly in that same direction. Heidi had warned them of as much, that to follow the Master they would come near a human settlement.
Frowning, he sat on a fallen tree to wait for his triad to catch up. The settlement was still far enough away that he doubted anyone would notice their presence. How they proceeded from here would need to be decided with Gund.
It didn’t take Tah long to break through the trees. The male’s eyes widened in surprise as he caught sight of Orth, and even the huntress, her pale hair glinting gold in the sunlight, raised an eyebrow at seeing him perched patiently on the log.
Tah’s ears twitched curiously as he eyed him. “Why have we stopped?”
“Scent the air and tell me what you smell.”
His triad brother inhaled deeply and grimaced. “Humans.”
“We must be near a sanctuary village,” Heidi stated quietly, her eyes roving among the trees along the track. “They dot the wilderness. I am surprised we have not encountered one until now.”
“So we go another direction,” Tah growled. His fur bristled when his demand was met with soft laughter from the huntress.
“It is not that easy,” she said.
“What is not that easy?” Gund queried as he broke through the trees. He gave himself a rough shake to dislodge the bits of twigs and green leaves that got caught in his fur. He peered down the track and grunted. “Humans.”
Heidi nodded. “The route the tracks lie would naturally pass along a sanctuary village, or through, in some cases. The steam engine requires water and supplies. It is also likely that the Master would have made use of the opportunity to avail himself of whatever pleasures he could find among the locals.” Her lips curled into a disdainful smirk. “The Master enjoys the benefits of his reputation and standing.”
It was perhaps the most that Heidi had bothered to say in days, and Orth looked to his triad lead to see what the male would do with the information. Gund’s ears tilted back as he considered the track before them. Finally, his eyes slid to the huntress.
“What action would you suggest?”
Orth stilled in surprise.
“You cannot mean for us to follow her!” Tah demanded, his eyes narrowing on the huntress.
“It is what we made the alliance for.” Gund’s even response silenced the male’s objection. He still cast a suspicious glance toward Heidi but said nothing more as they waited for her direction.
She seemed just as surprised as they were, her pink lips parting for a moment before she pinched them together and pressed one knuckle to her mouth. Eventually, her finger slid down to her chin and she spoke.
“You will not be able to pass through the village. Unlike the Citadel, which is awash in confusing scents, you will have a harder time hiding from the guard dogs. However, we also cannot just blindly circle around without information. We need to know in what direction the track proceeds so that we have an idea of where to meet up with it at a safe distance. I can go into the sanctuary, learn what I can of when the Master passed through, and get the lay of the land before meeting here with you again.”
“And we are just supposed to trust you?” Tah barked out with a sharp laugh.
Heidi’s eyes swung to him in cool assessment. “If you are not willing to allow me to do what I am good at, then what is the point of this alliance?”
“The agreement was clear: you are required to have one of us with you at all times,” Tah challenged, his head whipping around to Gund for confirmation. “She breaks our agreement if she goes into the sanctuary alone.”
The lead frowned, his brow dropping. Orth grimaced. What Tah said was true; it was a stipulation of their agreement, but Heidi spoke accurately of their situation. They would lose more time trying to find the track. Besides which, their triad had always valued being informed as much as possible in every situation. The huntress’s ability to go inside the sanctuary would provide an advantage.
Gund sighed, the sound loud in the silence that had descended among them. The huntress met Tah’s hostile glower with icy disdain as they stared each other down, waiting for Gund’s pronouncement on the matter. Tah glanced at their lead with a peripheral eye.
“She goes in.” His words, though firm, fell among them quietly. Despite that, the weight of them was felt as if it had been a thunderous pronouncement. Tah opened his mouth to object, his fur bristling with indignation. Orth felt a flash of concern for him. Gund was their lead and, though fair and often flexible with his brothers, would not tolerate an act of aggression toward him. He would put Tah in his place. The male seemed to think better of his actions at the low growl that ru
mbled from Gund’s throat, and he backed down, his ire deflating in the face of their lead’s dominance.
Despite the anger that gave his voice a harsh bite, Gund explained his reasoning, though his eyes never left Tah. “The huntress is correct. I will not sacrifice time nor waste an opportunity to gain information. However, I will not tolerate deception either.” His eyes fastened on Heidi, his lips pulling back from his large fangs. “Betrayal will be met with an immediate consequence. I will not hesitate to kill you, along with any humans you betray us to. This is your opportunity to prove that you are not like the rest of your Order.”
Heidi’s head dropped in a short, jerky nod. Her hands rose to her neckline to grip the fabric of her hood before sliding it back over her head and securing it tightly in place, casting most of her face in deep shadows. Orth tilted his head in confusion at the simple, automatic gesture performed so fluidly it seemed more like instinct than reason.
“Why do you do that?” he asked before he could stop the question.
The huntress stilled, her head turning toward him. “Do what?”
“Conceal yourself if you are going among humans. Will it not arouse suspicion?”
“Perhaps this is all a trick, and she leaves a trail for the huntsmen,” Tah snarled. “Reports of a suspicious stranger would be just the thing to leave a trail for them to follow that they may seek to attack us when we do not expect it.”
Orth immediately regretted asking. Even Gund grimaced, though his eyes narrowed speculatively on the huntress’s garb. Orth couldn’t deny that it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. An elaborate charade to lead them into destruction would be just the sort of thing the Order would be capable of.
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