Soldier Sworn (The Teralin Sword Book 3)

by D. K. Holmberg

  “As I said, unusual.”

  They started down the slope, and Endric touched Nahrsin’s arm. The two of them slowed, letting the other two continue ahead. “The coincidence between the timing of the merahl abandoning the Antrilii and breeding season troubles me,” Endric said. He glanced down at the cub, who looked up at him, every so often nipping at his leg. The thick, laca fur protected his legs, but that didn't deter the cub.

  “Yes. It has troubled Gron as well.”

  “Gron took the rule of the Antrilii after Dentoun's passing?” Endric asked.

  “Graime was to have led, but he was lost during an incursion.”

  Endric shook his head. “I am so sorry to hear that, Nahrsin. I know how hard it is to lose your brother.”

  “Yes, I know you do.”

  “How did it happen?”

  Nahrsin took a deep breath as he steadied himself. Endric could tell from the way he averted his gaze that this wasn’t something Nahrsin was accustomed to talking about. He probably preferred to keep it to himself, much as Endric preferred keeping the difficulty he had with losing his brother to himself. It was easier when he didn’t talk about it, easier to keep the pain inside, to know that Andril had died for the Denraen, but a death that could have been avoided.

  Had Andril not died, Endric doubted that he would have become the man he had. He would have remained content to serve as a soldier within the Denraen and would have been content to continue causing his father—and his brother—difficulty. Were Andril still alive, would Endric ever have learned of his connection to the Antrilii? Would he have learned that there was another battle that took place, one that few south of the mountains understood? Would Endric ever have cared?

  It was unlikely that he would have learned, much as it was unlikely that he ever would have learned who he was supposed to be. He would have been content remaining the malcontent, jumping from tavern to tavern—and woman to woman.

  Nahrsin and the Antrilii believed in the will of the gods, but could his discovery of his origins really have been the gods’ will? Could they really have wanted him to learn these things at the expense of his brother’s life?

  And how would Andril have felt knowing that it had taken his death for Endric to come to these realizations?

  Endric knew the answer. Andril would have understood. His brother only wanted the best for Endric, even when Endric was not able to want those things for himself. Andril had always been the strong and devoted Denraen, which meant that losing his life for the betterment of the Denraen would have been worth it to him.

  “We returned from the hunt with my father’s body,” Nahrsin started. “There were some who didn’t think we should have risked heading south. They were those who didn’t believe the groeliin had traveled south. The groeliin hadn’t been seen south of the mountains… in a long time. For them to have made the journey like that without any sort of reason was unusual.”

  “It seems there have been many unusual things regarding the groeliin these days.”

  Nahrsin nodded slowly, scratching his chin. “There have been some things that are not easy to explain. I do not claim to understand, but then, I was never meant to lead our tribe. After Dentoun died, it was to have gone to Graime. He was nearly my father’s equal.”

  They reached the small valley, and Barden started them along the valley and continuing to the east. Endric glanced up, staring at the steep grade up overhead, thinking back to the groeliin that had surprised Brohmin and himself on the way through the mountains. They had been in a place much like this. Then he had been surprised to come upon the groeliin. Now he expected it but was thankful that he hadn’t faced them since the night he’d nearly died trying to keep the cub alive.

  “The groeliin have been strange for some time,” Nahrsin said. He had a halting pace to his words that made it seem as if he chose them carefully. “The brood moving beyond the mountains was rare enough, but something the Antrilii are prepared for. That is the reason for our vows. Stranger still is the way they have appeared in the months since them. They have traveled farther north than we’ve ever seen them, appearing in Antrilii lands, lands where they should fear appearing. We don’t have any reluctance in killing the creatures. The Yahinv thinks this is tied to the Chisln.”

  “And this is the breeding season?” Endric asked.

  “The Chisln is unusual as well. The merahl are often found wandering, but I can’t believe that they would choose a place to breed this close to the rest of the Antrilii. We have never heard of such a thing before.”

  “What do you think changed?” Endric asked.

  Nahrsin shook his head. “As I said, I’m not one who understands such things. I have not studied the groeliin the way some do.”

  “There are those who study the groeliin?” Endric knew he shouldn't be surprised. The Antrilii would need to study them, especially if they intended to prevent another attack. They would have to understand the movement of the groeliin and would have to understand where they bred.

  In that way, Endric saw it as no different than his father planning for different attacks. Wouldn't Dendril have taken the time to have gathered all of the information that he could to make an informed decision? The Antrilii would need to do the same thing.

  “If you planned to travel to the breeding grounds, you can't have done that by yourself,” Endric said.

  Nahrsin shook his head. “No, we didn't plan this by ourselves. The other tribes also intended to meet, but we haven't encountered them yet.”

  “There was the tribe of Antrilii I came across. I wonder if they were heading toward the breeding grounds.”

  “It's possible, but we've been here now for the last two weeks, and there's been no sign of other hunters.”

  They fell silent as they continued east, and Endric didn't say anything more.

  He wasn't exactly certain what was taking place, only that the merahl distrusted the Antrilii for some reason, and the Antrilii felt compelled to make some grand gesture to regain their trust. From what Endric had seen, he didn't think the merahl wanted to lose the connection to the Antrilii. They had come to help him. Maybe not at first, but they had. They might have come for the cub at first, thinking to rescue it, but they had remained with him, willing to stay as he continued his journey east. They had gone so far as to help provide him with food. That wasn't the mark of a creature that didn't want to have that connection with him or with the Antrilii. There was a hesitance, but it was one that Endric couldn't fully understand.

  Those thoughts plagued him as they continued east, and he watched Nahrsin, feeling as if there was something his cousin wasn't sharing with him.

  22

  The path Nahrsin took them on was a difficult one, twisting up and over the rocks, forcing Endric to follow carefully, thankful for his boots. As they made their way, they came across no other groeliin. Endric found that odd, especially considering he had come across them three times during his journey to the mountains. Did the size of their hunting party scare away the groeliin? Or was there something else, something that he didn't recognize and something that Nahrsin didn't share with him?

  He noted that Gron led with a confidence that reminded him of Dentoun. He hadn’t known his uncle well, but the little glimpse he had gotten revealed a man who had known what he needed to do and was at peace with that. Gron was much the same way.

  When they camped for the night, Endric found himself sitting away from the fire, once again thinking about their purpose and his own. He needed to do more than simply understand the Antrilii and definitely needed to grasp the entire situation with his father and what had brought Dendril away from the Antrilii. It had to do with the Denraen, but there might be more to it, even, if only he had the time to learn the whole story.

  “Nahrsin tells me that the merahl assisted you,” Gron said.

  Endric glanced at Nahrsin, not surprised that he had shared that with his leader. “They came to the aid of the cub,” Endric said.

  “T
hat's not all they did,” Gron said.

  Endric shook his head. “No, that's not all.”

  Gron worked a long-bladed knife along the surface of a length of stick, peeling away layers of wood. He worked with a casual sort of confidence. Without looking up, he said, “There once was a time when the merahl would hunt with others outside the Antrilii, but that has been a long time. I find it interesting that they would have hunted with you.”

  Endric looked down at his hands. The cub rested near his feet, not having moved in the time since they reached the camp. “I don't know that it's so much they hunted with me as it is that they hunted for me. I think they took pity on the fact that I was unprepared.”

  Gron nodded slowly. “There are some who claim the merahl are close to the gods. That they have a connection to them.”

  “Why do you say that?” Endric asked.

  Gron met Endric's gaze. “I never said I said that. Only that there are those who study such things. They are the ones who wanted us to make this trip. They are the ones who recognized the need for us to regain the trust of the merahl. We have taken our vows seriously, hunting the groeliin for centuries, but it is not something that we could do without their assistance.”

  “How long have you hunted with the merahl?” Endric asked.

  Gron returned his focus to whittling at the length of wood. “We have maintained our partnership with the merahl for more generations than I can count.”

  “Do you know what happened that it changed?” Endric asked.

  “You mean do I know why the merahl have chosen to abandon us? No, I don't know what happened or what changed. We went from hunting with them to losing the connection.”

  Gron continued whittling at the stick, saying nothing as he did. Endric scratched the merahl cub’s neck, ruffling his fur. The cub nipped at his fingers, and Endric jerked his hand back, always surprised by how sharp the cub’s teeth were.

  He laughed softly to himself. He’d never had a pet before and couldn't imagine having a merahl cub as his pet. What would happen when he headed back south? Would the cub follow him? Endric could only imagine the reaction his father and others would have with a merahl brought into Vasha.

  Then again, taking the merahl out of the northern mountains seemed like it would be a betrayal. The cub belonged in these mountains and belonged here, hunting. The creature would become enormous over time and had a purpose that Endric wouldn't necessarily share.

  “What happens if the merahl don't come to your aid at the breeding grounds?” Endric asked.

  Gron didn't look up. “Then we will hunt and destroy as many groeliin as we can.”

  “At what price?”

  Gron glanced up, frowning.

  “If the groeliin destroy all of the Antrilii, what is the price you pay by bringing your men north? How many will be sacrificed in this?”

  “We have fought the groeliin for centuries. The Antrilii know how to face them. We have never found their breeding ground, so if we do, and if only one of us survives, there is value in what we do.”

  Endric believed that there was, but he wondered at the strategy. Something about it felt wrong. He couldn't place his finger on it and didn't know enough about either the Antrilii or the groeliin to know why that should be the case, only that he felt it with certainty.

  In the days following his return to the Antrilii, in the days since he had shown Nahrsin and the others the attack that he had faced with the groeliin, they made good time, continuing south through the mountains. Gron recognized the way through, and he moved quickly, leading them as they climbed around rock, gradually climbing higher. At the end of the second day since rejoining with Gron and the others, they had reached a peak and had begun descending once more.

  “Are the mountains entirely like this?” Endric asked Nahrsin as they walked.

  “The mountains are a continuous chain. There are a few passes that the Antrilii long ago learned.”

  “Where do the groeliin consider home?” Endric asked.

  “They’re found throughout the north. For the most part, they stay within the central portion of the mountains. It's harder for us to reach. That's part of the reason we've been unable to exterminate them.”

  “Would you if you could?”

  Nahrsin turned toward him. “You’ve faced the groeliin. You should recognize the threat they pose. They are a blight upon the world. They twist the purpose of the gods and turn it into something else. This is something that cannot continue. This is the purpose of our vows. This is the reason the Antrilii exist.”

  “What happens when you succeed?”

  Nahrsin met his gaze. He let out a long sigh. “When we succeed? There have been many who have dreamt of that day. There was a time when I dreamt of that day. But for us to reach that point, we must first remove the groeliin.”

  “What happens when you do? What happens when you're successful?”

  “Then we get a chance to have peace. Then we can lay down our weapons, much like the Magi did long ago.”

  “Like the Magi?” he asked, staring at Nahrsin before looking around him at the other Antrilii. Was there something there that he had missed?

  “The Antrilii and the Magi have always had a connection,” Nahrsin said. “They may not understand it, but we have not forgotten.”

  “And what is that connection?” Endric asked.

  Nahrsin shook his head. “It's a connection that you have to be willing to recognize. Even the Magi have preferred to keep that connection to themselves. Those of us who know, those of us who understand, recognize what price the Magi pay by having chosen to give up the connection we share.”

  Endric frowned. What connection could the Antrilii share with the Magi? What was there that would bind them together, other than a similar devotion to the gods? The Magi claimed the ability to speak to the gods, and they claimed the ability to reach them when no other could. Was there something similar in what the Antrilii could do?

  Was it simpler than that? The Magi possessed magical abilities, those that were unlike anything any man could claim. Maybe it was something like that. Maybe there was power to the Antrilii. It would explain why only the Antrilii—and Endric—could even see the groeliin.

  Was that why Tresten had wanted him to come north? The Mage had prompted him to search for his ancestors, had practically told him that he needed to make this journey, even though Endric wasn't certain why or what he would gain from it. Yet, he suspected Tresten had known. He must have known.

  “Can you speak to the gods?” Endric asked Nahrsin.

  Nahrsin shook his head, turning his gaze up to the sky. “There aren't any who still claim to speak to them. There was once a time when those among my people made such a claim, but it has been long enough ago that even that is no longer claimed. It is because of the gods that we have our vow. We remain committed to what they ask of us so that we continue to fight when none else will. That is how we maintain our connection.”

  Endric stared at his cousin. There was more to it than that. There had to be. “Do you have abilities like the Magi do?”

  “You've seen us, Endric. You know the Antrilii do not.” Nahrsin smiled. “We share a similar lineage, but we don't share the same power the Magi possess. They have focused on developing their connection to the gods, while we have focused on maintaining it differently. If we didn't, the groeliin would have overwhelmed everything in the north lands.”

  “Do the Magi even know about your sacrifice? Do they even know what you do?” Endric asked.

  “It is doubtful that any know what we do. For the most part, that is how we would like to keep it. There is a certain protection in our anonymity. If others came to the north thinking that they could understand the Antrilii, they would likely encounter the groeliin, and they would die. It is the fact that they don’t know us that keeps others alive.”

  They fell silent as they climbed, and Endric didn't push but felt a sense of unease at the fact that there was a connection between the An
trilii in the Magi, one that seemed crucial. If the Antrilii were stuck facing the groeliin, why weren't the Magi involved? Why did they not have a hand in this fight as well? Why must the Antrilii die while the Magi thrived? What penance did the Antrilii serve to be forced into such suffering?

  23

  The wind whipped around him. Endric was thankful for the laca fur, appreciative of the warmth it provided. The thickness of it prevented even the bitterest wind from reaching him, especially as he pulled his cloak around him. The rest of the Antrilii didn’t seem quite as comfortable as they climbed higher into the mountains.

  The merahl cub continued to trail him. Endric had begun to wonder whether the cub would leave at some point during their climb, especially as they got closer to the location Gron expected to find the breeding grounds.

  Why was he risking himself to go along with them? What was he thinking? Coming north to learn about the Antrilii didn't mean sacrificing himself so that he could satisfy that curiosity. But he couldn’t leave, not when he still didn’t have the answers he wanted.

  Snow covered everything around them at this point. It crunched beneath his boots, and cold seeped through despite thick Antrilii leathers. He wondered whether the laca fur would have been warmer, much as his cloak was warmer. Perhaps he had made a mistake accepting the boots. Yet his had been poorly stitched, and he suspected wind and snow would have seeped into them, making him uncomfortable.

  They paused, taking a break around midday to eat and refill their water flasks. The Antrilii used snow, heating it quickly so that it would melt. As they waited by the rocks, snow under his feet, the wind whipping around him, a vague sense of unease came to him. The cub whined softly.

  It was the first sound that Endric had heard from the cub in quite some time. For the most part, the cub was silent. It would nip at him playfully and occasionally would growl, usually done in a playful fashion. Most of the Antrilii regarded the merahl cub with acceptance, and all offered the cub food as they traveled. Now, more than a few of the Antrilii glanced over, frowning.