by A. G. Henley
“Adar, please! Don’t waste this opportunity!” I yell, but the wind flings my voice away.
I step forward again, now-empty hands raised. Someone howls, Scourge-like, in front of me. I cringe, waiting for the Sister’s blow. Instead, I’m yanked back.
“Do you have a death wish? Stay behind us!” Kai shouts.
The Sisters’ feral battle cries tear through the air as they run at us. Spears and staffs clash just in front of me—Kai and Amarina. The men seem to be fighting back now, too. I hear them struggling and shouting through their gags; a Sister cries out. Derain, or maybe Moray, bellows.
My friends can’t last long against a group of seasoned Sisters. This will be a bloodbath.
All I had were words. I used them, and they weren’t enough.
Chapter Thirty-One
The fighting rages in front of me, and I’m helpless. We’re all tumbling toward the Eternal Flames, and a fiery death.
“Stop!” Kai’s voice cuts through the violent noise. “Adar—call them off or Alev is dead!”
From the direction of her voice, she sounds like she must be standing by the cliff’s edge. The Sisters shout at Kai, stamping their spears again.
“Back off, or Alev will end up broken and bloody on those rocks down there!” Kai yells.
“Do as she says,” Adar barks.
The cries and clashing of weapons fades. The Sisters’ must be slowly backing away from us. Amarina moves close to me again, breathing hard.
“Fennel tried to reason with you, but you wouldn’t listen,” Kai says. “Now I’ll tell you how it’s going to be. You’ll allow us safe passage to the gate, then fetch Frost and our children. We’ll take Alev with us on our journey home. If you don’t follow, we’ll release her at the end of the first day. Those are my terms.” She pauses. “Adar, you asked if I have sisters. I don’t, but I know this much—you love yours. Let us and our children go, and you will have her back alive.”
No one speaks, but at least they aren’t fighting. Kai’s given me one more chance. I push my wind-whipped hair out of my face and, swallowing hard, step forward again.
“Please, hear me out, Adar. I propose an alliance between the anuna—the people of Koolkuna—and the Fire Sisters. We don’t have to be enemies. We can work together, learn from each other, stand together when adversity strikes, as it will.”
Would Nerang, Wirrim, Kadee, and the rest of the anuna support the idea? I think so. They took us in, after all, and they were willing to welcome even more Groundlings and Lofties, if they’d come. Surely, they’d see the benefits of befriending the Sisters. They would be powerful allies, and our children would be safe from any future Gatherings. Maybe we can even persuade them to stop the practice all together.
Adar doesn’t respond. Did she hear me? Am I missing something? As the silence grows, my body tenses.
“Sisters,” Grimma says, “we have fought to keep ourselves and our home safe for many years by cleaving to our traditions. But the world is changing. The wailers do not come to the Cloister as often as they did, which I think means other groups will begin to appear, as these people have. We can’t fight them all. At some point, we must learn to live with them.”
One or two Sisters shout in agreement. Only a few, but it’s a start. Thank you, Grimma. I could kiss her.
“We cannot seriously consider an alliance!” Golnar says. “Who are these people? What can they offer us that we don’t already have? Once we open the gates of the Cloister, we will never be able to stem the tide. We will no longer be safe.”
“Or we could become better versions of ourselves, Golnar,” Alev says. “Sisters, I did this girl, Kaiya, a terrible wrong by Gathering her from her father and people. She has every reason to hate me. By freeing her, I did not intend to betray you—merely to do what I thought was right. I love the Cloister and you, my Sisters, with all my being, and I tell you now, I think we should listen to Fennel’s proposal. We do not have to change; we can live as we always have, if that is our decision. But an alliance does no harm, and we might gain great benefit from it. We lose a few daughters and Initiates, but we gain friends and partners. Adar, it does not make you any less of a leader to show restraint and compassion.”
“Some would say it makes you more of one,” I say. Isn’t that what Kai was telling me?
“Restraint? Compassion?” Golnar’s voice rises as she speaks. “Adar, this is madness. The Cloister is in grave danger. We must fight—cut their treacherous tongues from their mouths!”
“No!” I say. “There’s no excuse for more violence! Do you want to care for the dead or wounded tonight? Because I don’t. Not my friends, and not any of you. I’ve told you many stories since I came. We have the chance to create a new story—together. One that ends with friendship and cooperation, not destruction or death. No one has to die tonight.”
In a flash, a Sister moves in close to me. I hear her inhale, as if she’s raising a staff or pulling back a spear. I jump back, but too late. Her weapon slices through the air toward me with a whoosh. I stiffen, but instead of pain, there’s a loud crack in front of me, as if the blow was blocked.
“Attacking an unarmed girl, Golnar?” Kai says. “Coward. Try me on for size.”
The Sister doesn’t need another invitation. By the sound of the impact, she strikes hard and fast. Kai must parry her blow, though; at least she doesn’t cry out. Their weapons clash again and again, and their feet move against the rock of the cliff, shifting side to side, each trying to find a weakness, an advantage.
Amarina grabs my arm, pulling me away. The firmness of her grip sends a message: we have no part in this fight. Kai has a score to settle with the Sisters. But to protect me, Kai had to let Alev go. Adar has no incentive to listen to us now.
Bear must have managed to dislodge his gag, because he calls out, “Watch your left, Kai! Keep your staff up.” Sisters urge Golnar on.
The women dart around the area, attacking and parrying. Neither stops, and neither falls. The fight seems to go on forever. Still, as the minutes drag on, the frequency of their blows and the ferocity of their counterattacks slow, until I hear them both gasping for air. The cracks of their weapons finally stop.
“Golnar, stand down,” Adar says. Her voice is hard, flat, difficult to read. Someone staggers toward us, smelling of exertion.
“Well done, Kaiya.” Amarina sounds proud.
I grip the bird at my neck, wondering what Adar will do, praying she’ll listen to us. At least the skirmish seems to have sucked some of the tension out of the air around us, like venom from a bite.
“Where did you learn to fight, Initiate?” Adar asks. “Golnar is one of our best.”
“The Teachers.” The defiance has left Kai’s voice. She sounds exhausted. “I… I never forgot.”
“Stranger or not, I wouldn’t care to see a warrior of such ability felled.” Adar is silent. When she speaks again, her voice is firm. “Fennel, I will not make any decisions tonight. Tomorrow, you will meet with Alev, with myself, and with others, to tell us your ideas for an alliance. You will not be harmed so long as we are in negotiations.”
“And the children?” I ask.
“They will remain in our protection—for now. But I will consider the possibility of their release.”
My heart leaps and my body thrums with excitement; this sounds promising.
“What do you say, Amarina?” I murmur.
“Yes. Definitely.”
“Derain says to take the deal,” Bear calls to me.
“As a show of good will, Adar,” I say, “please release the men.”
She hesitates, and then does what I asked.
I hear a little shoving and a few snarls, but soon the men are freed and beside us. Peree takes and squeezes my hand, giving his silent approval. I’m relieved he doesn’t seem injured.
There’s one more person I need to check with. The wind pulls my dress tight against my legs as I turn to find her. Her ragged breathing makes her easy to l
ocate.
“Kai, I don’t want to agree to this without you.” Of everyone, I think she’s lost the most to the Sisters.
I wait patiently when she doesn’t answer right away. No one ever bothers to ask Kai what she thinks, what she wants. She needs to be heard; she needs to have a voice. We all do.
“Go ahead.”
Bear murmurs something comforting to her.
“Thank you, Adar,” I say. “We agree to the negotiations.”
“Then you may make camp outside the Cloister gate,” she says. “Come in the morning, Fennel, and we will speak.”
“Can Frost join us outside?” I ask.
There’s a pause. “If she chooses to.”
Why wouldn’t she? But I leave it. I think Adar would tell me directly if they were holding her against her will. The Sisters are fierce, but they aren’t really the scheming types.
They leave as a group, torches gliding forward, footsteps echoing as they move. They must use the path that Kai said led toward the corner of the eastern wall and the Eternal Flames.
The others cluster around me, their bodies thankfully cutting the wind.
“So… they still have the children and Frost. Not sure what that accomplished, but good work, ladies,” Moray says.
His voice holds a note of teasing, but I throw up my hands. “What it accomplished was keeping you and your big mouth alive.”
“Shut it, Moray,” Bear says. “They did great. Fenn and Alev can talk Adar into letting the children go. I think she wants to say yes.” His voice grows warmer. “Kai, nice move when you ducked under that Sister’s staff and rolled in to grab Alev. I wasn’t sure how we were going to get out of this alive until then. And that fight with the big one—” He whistles. “You’ve got skills.”
She thanks him, sounding tired but pleased.
“They’re gone. Let’s get out of here,” Cuda says. Peree guides me along the path behind the others, and I’m happy to let him. The moon gives a faint glow to the air, softening the darkness. The wind suddenly doesn’t seem as harsh.
Peree pulls me into his side as we walk.
“Were you hurt?” I ask him.
“Roughed up. Nothing serious.” He pauses. “Amazing.”
“What?” I ask.
“You.”
I’d normally say something about how I got lucky, or that it could have gone a different way, but I don’t. I only squeeze his waist gently. No one was hurt or killed tonight, and it was at least partly due to my efforts.
“You seem really… calm,” I say.
“Do I?”
“Yeah.” Normally, he’d be fretting over me, checking if I was hurt, chiding me for stepping into danger.
“You know what you’re doing, Fenn,” he says. “You always have. It just took me a while to trust that.”
I beam up at him, and he slings an arm around my shoulder. “I’m really proud of you.”
I think of Kai. “I had some good advice earlier, and I took it. But I hope I can get them to let the children go.”
“I think Bear’s right. Adar—is that her name?—clearly listens to Alev, and Alev seems like she’s on our side. We’re a lot farther along than we were when we got to the Cloister, anyway, and it’s thanks to you. If you hadn’t taken the risk to go in there and try to learn more about the Sisters, I’m not sure we would’ve survived this. They seemed to respect you.”
“Yeah? How do you know?”
“Apart from the fact that they listened, I could see it on their faces.”
I groan; apparently, I can’t escape it. “I wish they’d let you be part of the negotiations. I think you could singlehandedly change their minds about all men being dangerous and untrustworthy. They don’t need to allow men in their lives if they don’t want to, but if they don’t learn that you’re not all bad, how will an alliance with the anuna work?”
“So, in other words… you think I’m amazing?” Peree asks.
I sigh and kiss him again. “I do.”
We set up camp in the forest beyond the Cloister gate. Peree and I sleep curled together in our blankets. It’s bliss to be with him again, but at first light, I’m at the walls with Amarina. There’s still work to do.
We decide that Kai should stay outside with the men. No matter what the Sisters might think of these negotiations, they probably aren’t too pleased that she threatened to throw Alev over the cliff and that she took on Golnar. So Amarina and I will talk to the Sisters, work for the release of the children, and find out what’s going on with Frost. She never came out.
The gate limps open. I run a hand through my dirty hair as I remember why it sounds that way.
“The gate. How bad is it?” I ask Amarina.
“Not good. Sections are burnt out, and what remains would not keep rabbits out.”
“Hold on; I’ll be right back.” I walk back toward Peree, who came with us to the edge of the forest.
He takes my hands. “I know what you’re going to say. And yes, we’ll help the Sisters rebuild the gate while you’re talking to Adar.”
I push up to my tiptoes to kiss him. “Now you can read my mind, too?”
“It’s not that hard.”
Maybe that’s not so bad. If my intentions are all over my face, then the Sisters will see how much I want this alliance to happen.
“Don’t get your feelings hurt if they won’t let you,” I joke.
“Good luck in there, and be careful.” His mouth lingers on mine.
Two Sisters escort Amarina and me into the Cloister, following a respectful distance behind us—much different from the wary reception when we first arrived. They take us to the great hall, where Adar and Alev wait. Golnar isn’t there; I don’t ask why. The sisters’ reception is guarded, but friendly enough.
As we talk, I tell them about peaceful Koolkuna, about the generosity and openness of the anuna, and how I think we can help each other. I offer to bring a small group to the Cloister to meet once a year, discuss our problems, and find solutions. Help each other, if needed. And that they can do the same. Alev asks repeatedly what we know about the wailers, but I’m not willing to tell them that until they agree to release the children.
We seem to make some progress, but it’s hard to be sure. The best news is that at the end Adar gives us permission to see—and actually talk to—the children tomorrow.
“May we speak with Frost?” I ask, standing, as Adar dismisses us soon after the midday meal. I’m worried about her and the baby. We haven’t heard a thing from or about her. Moray and Conda were ready to blame the Sisters for keeping her from us, and part of me wonders if they’re right.
“She should be waiting outside for you,” Alev says.
The sun is shining, and the smoke of the Flames is not quite as irritating as usual, when Amarina finally leads me down the steps of the great hall. From down the hill, in the direction of the gate, I hear the sounds of sawing and hammering. Good, they’re repairing it. As we reach the bottom of the stairs, Frost runs into our arms. Amarina and I hug her to us.
“We’d like a few minutes,” I tell the guards as I thread my arms through one of Frost’s and one of Amarina’s and lead them a few paces away.
“What’s going on? Are you alright?” I ask her in a low voice.
She clears her throat, but she doesn’t answer straight off.
“Frost?” Amarina asks.
“I… I might stay here.”
“What? Until when?” I ask.
“I don’t know.”
“Frost, why?” I ask. “Is it the Sisters? Are they pressuring you?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I just… I think I want my daughter to grow up here.”
Amarina and I both gasp.
“Your daughter?” I struggle to keep my incredulity under wraps.
“I can tell she’s a girl.” Her voice is dreamy for a moment. “Grimma told me I can stay if I want to, have my baby, and if it’s a boy, or if I’m not happy, she’ll bring us back to Koolk
una. She’s being really nice about it. She told me what happened with you all last night. I thought my staying could help you. I can help strengthen the alliance from inside the Cloister.”
“What if the Sisters don’t do as they say?” Amarina asks. “What if they keep you and your child?”
“I trust Grimma. And Alev. They want to help,” Frost says.
“But, Frost, are you willing to take that chance with your baby?”
She sighs. “I knew you two wouldn’t understand. To you, Koolkuna is the best place on earth. But I like it here. The Cloister feels safe. The Sisters watch out for each other and for their daughters. I want my baby to grow up in a place like this, where she’ll be safe and protected.”
“She will not know you’re her mother,” Amarina says. “The Sisters won’t allow it.”
“That could change. Grimma said there hasn’t been a baby born in the Cloister in a long time. I’ll be able to keep her with me until she’s weaned. And in the meantime, I’ll know she’s safe. I’ll know she’s wanted, by me and by the Sisters.”
I hear something in Frost’s voice for a moment, something deep and painful, the echo of a gaping hole of hurt. I suddenly realize I know so little about her: who she really is or what her life was like in the Lofty trees before I met her. There hasn’t been time. But I remember her father, Osprey, and his reaction when he learned she was pregnant. He didn’t even try to understand or support her. He only cared that she consorted with a Groundling, the worst kind of scum.
The fact that Frost turned to Moray, of all people, in hopes of finding love and companionship tells me something about how she sees herself and her self-worth. Maybe I do understand her decision a little, after all.
I slide my arms around her. Her belly presses against mine, a reminder of her hopes and dreams. And what she has to lose.
Amarina hugs us both. “Send word if you change your mind, if you wish to return with us to Koolkuna.”
I take Frost’s hand. “What do you want me to tell Moray? And Conda?”
“If—when—we form the alliance, then maybe they can come the next time you do. Meet the baby—and see me. This may not be forever, but it feels like the right decision for us for now.”