by Kate L. Mary
“We will leave tomorrow, then,” Xandra said. “At sunrise. We can meet at the fork in the river, just outside the valley.”
“We will be there,” the Trelite Head replied, but once again did not look directly at her.
While the others in the clearing shifted as if uncomfortable about the arrangement, I was not concerned. I was confident in Xandra’s ability to look out for herself, and even if the Trelite did not view women as equals, I did not believe the man Cruz intended to send would put her in danger because of it. If anything, he would work harder to protect her because he did not believe she could look out for herself.
The planning lasted only a little longer, and then we broke up. Cruz left without a word, while the rest of us said our goodbyes.
“You and Gaia have just been reunited,” I said as Xandra and I made our way back to the caves. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
She did not look at me, and the way her jaw clenched told me she was fighting against her emotions. “She was held in that prison for a year, Indra. The Sovereign had them locked away like animals.” Xandra’s jaw tightened even more, barely opening when she said, “I will go, and I will find a way to get us into the city so they can pay for this.”
“I believe you will,” I said.
We walked for a few minutes in silence, and it must have been enough time for her to relax a little, because when she spoke again, her jaw was no longer clenched.
“And what of you? What of the Fortis man? I know you warned him about the attack.” When I looked her way, Xandra shrugged. “Emori likes to hear her own voice.”
“She was very angry at me.”
“She is wrong,” Xandra said firmly. “Asa is not a threat to us.”
“I knew that before the attack, but this proves it. He ran. Asa could have warned his people, but instead he fled. If that does not prove to Emori that he is on our side, nothing ever will.”
“No,” Xandra replied, “I do not think anything will be able to prove that to her. She is blinded by her hate.”
“Maybe I can understand that.” When Xandra shot me a questioning look, I shrugged and said, “We both know the things she went through inside the city.”
I thought of the baby that had nursed at Emori’s breast and how the child had come to be. The girl was walking now, and happy, but even after all this time, I could not look at her without seeing Lysander. Maybe that would change once I knew for certain he was dead, but I doubted it. No matter how much I had healed, I would always wear those scars.
It was probably the same for Emori, which was why her hatred of the Fortis made it impossible for her to see Asa clearly. Lysander had been the one to violate her and give her a child, but Fortis guards had no doubt also abused her. I had no way of knowing exactly what she had endured. I did not think I wanted to know.
The next morning, as planned, Mira, Xandra, and I met Cruz and Bowie where the river forked. The man accompanying the Trelite Head was only a few years older than Xandra, but like his leader, nearly every bit of his exposed skin was covered in passage markings. Indicating that he had lived a very eventful life. Hopefully, his experience helped on this journey.
When we stopped in front of the two men, Bowie did not greet us with the disdain we had come to expect from Trelite men, but instead simply bowed his head and introduced himself. The lack of hostility helped ease some of my worries about sending him into the city with Xandra, but not all of them. That would have been impossible.
“Be careful,” I told my friend as she prepared to leave.
“We will not be gone long.” Xandra looked behind her toward the river, which stretched out through the valley. “Aralyn will be able to tell us what is going on, but more importantly, I will be able to warn her to be ready.”
“That is important,” I said, thinking once again of Asa.
Xandra’s hand covered mine, and I looked back to find her eyes on me. “Watch over Gaia.”
“You have my word,” I said.
She squeezed my hand. “And yourself, my friend. Watch over yourself.”
“I have no plans to do anything else,” I replied.
It was not long before Xandra and Bowie headed out, and Mira and I stayed where we were, as did Cruz, until they had disappeared from sight. Once they had, the Trelite Head turned away, barely nodding a goodbye before taking his leave. Mira and I, however, stayed where we were.
“Are you worried about what will happen next?” she asked once Cruz had disappeared into the trees.
“Not about Aralyn. We were in that house, and we know she can be trusted. I am concerned that some of the Fortis did manage to sneak away during the battle, though. Our attack on their village was easy, but that was because they did not know we were coming. If the Sovereign are prepared for an attack, and if they have even a small group of Fortis to help them, it could be much more difficult this time around.”
“The Sovereign are not fighters. What can a small group of Fortis do? How can they stand up to us when we are so many?”
She was right, but I could not shake the feeling that something was happening in the city, and that we were in for a surprise.
“I only know the Sovereign have things we do not even understand. Power and technology from the old world. What if they have something we have never seen before? Something worse than the electroprods? What if they use it against us?”
Mira shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “We must pray that is not the case.”
I did not expect Xandra to return that day, but halfway through the following day, I began to watch for her. When I was out in the woods hunting for game, when I was eating my dinner in the main chamber, after the sun had set and the caves had settled down. She did not come back. By the third day, I began to suspect something had gone wrong, and I could tell by how shaken Gaia looked that she harbored the same worries.
“We need to visit the Trelite,” I told Mira. “To talk to them about Xandra and Bowie.”
“Should we go to the Mountari first? You know Cruz will not like it if we come alone.”
“I know.” I let out a deep breath, thinking it over, and then shook my head. “Our people are the ones missing, not the Mountaris’, and in this instance, I have a feeling Roan will not be able to help.”
“You think Cruz will pull out?” When Mira’s gaze met mine, the worry swimming her blue eyes mirrored my own.
“I do.”
She exhaled. “As do I.”
Only the two of us went, and just like every other time we had visited the Trelite, our arrival was announced by the sounding of a horn, followed shortly by Zaire meeting us, a group of men gathered behind him.
“Indra of the Windhi.” His words were laced with even more hostility than we had ever been greeted with before. “What brings you to our village?”
“Our people still have not returned,” I replied, ignoring the threatening looks from the men at his back.
“The Head has been concerned as well.” Zaire turned, nodding for me to follow as he made his way back into the village.
“We must meet with the other Heads,” I said, hurrying after him with Mira at my side.
Zaire glanced back, and the look in his eyes told me what I already knew. That would not be happening. Not now, and not ever.
“That will be up to Cruz,” was all he said.
Mira and I waited in front of the wooden throne, sitting on the ground as usual, only this time when Cruz appeared, he did not take a seat. “I can no longer take my people into this battle.”
I stood, not caring if Cruz was offended by the action. “You are backing out of our treaty?”
“I am making a decision for my people based on what I know.” He straightened his shoulders and glared down at me, giving me a look that was meant to be punishing, but only succeeded in making me angry. “I sent a man into the city as you requested, and now he is gone. Without more information, I cannot send anyone else inside.”
“If we ar
e going to find out what is happening in the city, then we must send another group in,” I argued.
“Then you can send one of your people,” Cruz barked. “You do not need us to defeat the Sovereign. We are not fighters, and the Trelite have risked enough.”
I looked past him, back to where the men stood, and then up at the trees. High above us, the women of the Trelite tribe peeked from windows, looking down like scared children. It made my stomach twist. Made me want to kill not just Cruz, but all the men in this tribe.
Only I had not started this alliance with plans to alter the customs of the Trelite, and as much as the men disgusted me, I could not change my mind. It was not my place to tell these people they were wrong. No matter what I thought.
I took a step back and once again focused on the Head. “This is the end, then?”
“It is,” he said.
“Then consider our treaties over. All of them.”
Cruz frowned, and a moment went by before he said, “You have decided not to join our tribe?”
“Joining your tribe is nothing I would have ever considered. We only needed your vegetables. Now that we have formed a relationship with the Mountari and the Huni, we will do our trading elsewhere.”
The expression in the Head’s eyes hardened and he waved his hand in my direction, as if shooing me away. “It is time for you to leave, Indra of the Windhi people.”
I did not even bother nodding before I turned my back on Cruz.
Mira and I were silent as we left the village. The Head’s decision to back out of our treaty had nothing to do with Bowie going missing. Cruz did not like taking orders from a woman, and even if I had decided to take Roan with me today, nothing could have changed that. The Trelite prisoners had been freed, and Cruz knew we would attack the Sovereign with or without him. Pulling out now meant he risked nothing, but he would still gain his freedom from the Sovereign, just like the rest of us.
“He is a coward,” Mira said as we walked.
“Yes. It should not come as a surprise. He refuses to associate with the women from other villages because he knows it will challenge his views.” I scowled but worked to push my anger at Cruz aside. As much as I hoped that one day he and I would come across each other in the forest, I could not focus on him right now. “We need to come up with a plan. We will have to send another group in.”
“Can we risk it?” Mira’s eyes darted my way. “We have already had two people disappear.”
“What if they never even made it to the city?” I argued. “What if they were killed by a lygan or some other creature? Even if they made it, we need to know what is happening inside the walls before we make our next move. There is no way around it.”
Mira ran her fingers through her blond hair and exhaled. “You are right.”
“I do not think we should send someone straight into the city, but we do need to send a small group that way to check things out. We need to see if there are any clues about what happened to Xandra and Bowie, or if there is movement in the Fortis village. We need information.”
I stopped walking and looked up at the trees. Spring was in full bloom, and the branches above us were proof of that. The buds that had sprouted only a couple weeks ago were now well on their way to engulfing the limbs, turning the bare branches into a sea of green.
“We need to talk to the other Heads,” I said, my gaze still on the buds as I thought about how much had changed so quickly.
“I agree,” Mira said.
I tore my gaze from the tree and looked at my friend. “We are closer to the Huni.”
“Then we will go there.”
24
Even unexpected, our arrival at the Huni village was met with warmth. Arkin was one of the first to spot us, and when he led us through the village, very few people even looked our way. Those who did smiled or nodded. It was a far cry from the reaction we received on our first visit, and yet another example of how much had changed not just for me, but for all the Outliers.
We found Ontari in her hut. It was the first time we had been allowed entry into her personal space, and the fact that she did not even stand when we stepped inside said a lot about how comfortable she had become with us.
“Sit,” she said, waving to the floor at her side.
Mira and I did as we were told, taking a place across from her, a steaming pot of stew sitting between us. Arkin took his place at Ontari’s side and began to dish out the food, making a bowl not just for himself and Ontari, but one for Mira and me as well.
“What is it you have come to discuss with me?” Ontari said as Arkin passed out the bowls.
“The scouts we sent into the city have not returned.” I took a bowl when it was held out to me, but my focus was on the Head. “We went to visit the Trelite today, hoping to discuss the next course of action. It made sense, to me, to go to them since Bowie was their man.”
“They have pulled from the alliance,” Ontari said before I could give her any further details.
“They have,” I replied.
She exhaled and set her bowl down. “I am not surprised. Cruz was never comfortable with it. It challenged his views too much.”
Mira paused with a bowl poised in front of her mouth. “It showed him that his views are wrong.”
Ontari’s lips twitched, but I could not tell if it was from amusement or pride. “Yes, it did.”
“What will your next move be?” Arkin’s gaze was focused on me, his own bowl clasped in his hands and seemingly forgotten.
The thin man was twice my age, and even after all the changes, after becoming the leader of my new tribe, killing Fortis hunters, and unifying the Outlier tribes, having him turn to me for strategy decisions still did not feel right. But I knew the responsibility rested on my shoulders more than anyone else’s. I started this when I chose to defy Lysander, and when I released that first arrow and killed the Fortis hunter in the woods. It was up to me to see it through, even if I was not confident in my abilities.
“I think we need to send another group out,” I said, my gaze moving between Arkin and Ontari. “We have no idea if they even made it to the city, or if all the Fortis are dead. We need to see what is happening.”
“I agree,” Ontari replied. “Will you go yourself?”
“I will.” Putting myself at risk when my tribe was on such shaky ground might not have been the best idea, but I wanted to see what was happening—if anything—with my own eyes. “As will Mira.”
Ontari turned her gaze on Arkin. “We will send men with them.” She looked back at me. “Not because you are not capable, Indra of the Windhi, but because a larger group will be better. Especially if the first two ran into trouble.”
I gave her an appreciative smile. “Thank you.”
Arkin loaned us the two best hunters in the tribe, and together the four of us headed off. We did not go straight to the valley, though, but instead headed for the Mountari. Not just because I wanted to let Roan know what had happened with the Trelite, but because I wanted to keep him informed of our plans.
Like Ontari, he agreed that we needed to send another party out and gave me two men. Also like the Head of the Huni tribe, Roan did not express any surprise that Cruz had broken our treaty.
“He is a coward,” Roan said, mimicking Mira’s words.
“He is afraid of what he will lose.”
“As he should be.” Roan gave me the same appreciative look he always did, unconcerned that Zuri stood at his side. “You have shown his people what strength is, and he does not like it.”
“I am not alone in that,” I said, nodding to Roan’s wife.
To her credit, Zuri only smiled placidly at the exchange, once again seemingly unconcerned by her mate’s obvious admiration for me. It was a difficult thing to wrap my head around, knowing I would not have liked it if Bodhi had shown another woman the same kind of attention, but I understood why it did not bother Zuri. Their customs said I would have to challenge her if I wanted Roan, and since I was no
t from their tribe, it was not an issue.
With the four hunters in tow, two from the Huni and two from the Mountari, Mira and I headed out. The Valley that would lead us to Sovereign Lake was lined by the wilds on one side, and the lygan Cliffs on the other, with the river running through it. Since the scaled creatures living in those cliffs came down often to hunt, I was careful to keep an eye out not just for them as we walked, but also for any signs that Xandra and Bowie had been attacked. There were none, though. No blood, no torn clothing, no bodies. We made it to the lake at the end of the valley without finding a single clue as to what had happened to our friends.
Not far from the edge of the lake sat the outskirts of the Fortis village. Now nothing more than charred remains and ashes, it was crawling with grizzards that had come in from the wastelands to pick the bones of the dead Fortis clean, and the sight of the large, black birds caused a shudder to go through me as I thought about how close I had come to being speared by one of these very creatures the day the city had been under attack.
Seeing the birds made me think of Asa again, made me wonder where he was and how he was doing. As I thought about him, a sense of guilt washed over me that I had not experienced in a long time. The sight in front of me felt irreverent. My former tribe, the Winta, had held human life in high regard, yet we had left the bodies to rot in the hot sun. Even worse, these had been Asa’s people, and despite my burning hatred for the Fortis, I could not help feeling remorse that their remains were currently being picked apart by birds. We should have gathered them as we had done with our own village. We should have burned them. It would have been the right thing to do.
I did not say this to the others, though, not even when we paused beside the lake to eat. The sight of the birds picking their way through the fallen city made it difficult for me to choke anything down, but I could not look away. Not when I was searching both for signs of our missing friends, as well as for any indication that some of the Fortis might have survived the attack. Thankfully, the birds seemed to be the only things moving, and from where we were sitting, there was no sign that anything other than animals had been back to the village since we burned it a few days ago.