by Tora Moon
“You went into convulsions while that thing burned,” he told her. “They really don’t like you.”
“The feeling is mutual,” she croaked. Her throat was raw from screaming.
“How are you feeling?” Shaydan asked.
“Head and throat hurts, tired,” she groaned. She tried to sit up and couldn’t. She didn’t dare try using her magic. She wasn’t quite as drained as the first time, but was close enough.
Aistrun scooped her up in his arms and started walking. “This is getting to be a habit, Little Red,” he chuckled. “One I like.”
“Well, I don’t.” She weakly slapped his chest. “Don’t get too used to it. You and I are only friends.”
“Hey, that’s what you keep telling me, and then you end up in my arms. Be careful, Little Red, this big bad wolf may eat you.” Aistrun made chomping noises with his teeth and nuzzled her hair and neck.
Laughter bubbled up and out before Rizelya could stop it. “Ow! Don’t make me laugh. It makes my head hurt worse.”
“Poor Little Red,” he crooned as he pulled her tighter against him.
Rizelya drifted to sleep. She woke when she felt herself transferred to someone else. She opened her eyes to see it was Drustrun and then looked around to see they were in the horse corral. Aistrun was getting on his horse. She couldn’t see Leistral, Eidstrun, or Keandran. “Where’s the rest of our pack?” she asked.
Drustrun turned a bit. “There,” he said.
Eidstrun was in Tejen’s saddle with Keandran draped in front of him, sporting new bruises on his face and a cut over his eye. Eidstrun’s face was tight with anger. He blotted blood from his cut lip.
“Leistral and Eidstrun dragged him back unconscious. I don’t know what happened,” Drustrun told her as he lifted her up to Aistrun.
“I sent them after him. He was headed to the swamp,” Rizelya said as she settled more comfortably on the saddle in front of Aistrun. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she was in no shape to ride alone.
Drustrun’s eyebrows rose. “Why was he going there?”
Rizelya shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“We’ll find out at the safe house,” Drustrun said. “There’s something wrong with that boy.”
One of the young men brought Drustrun’s horse to him and he mounted. “Let’s get you where you can rest.”
“Good idea,” Rizelya mumbled.
Chapter 6
The Brown healer attached to Shaydan’s platoon was good. Rizelya’s headache was gone, and after a nap she felt fine. Rizelya wandered over to the stove and dished up a bowl of stew. She inhaled deeply the rich aroma, and her mouth watered in anticipation. Either Leistral or someone else with Green Talent had cooked. Fresh biscuits sat in a covered basket, still warm. She hadn’t slept long, then.
Rizelya looked out the window and swore. She’d slept all day. This was the evening meal, not midday. She looked around the large room and saw the other alphas and her pack at a table in the back. It was conspicuous in the sea of empty tables surrounding it. Rizelya carried her meal to the table.
“He’s still out. I had to hit him pretty hard,” Eidstrun was saying to the group around the table.
“Who’s still out?” Rizelya asked. Aistrun looked up and saw her and scooted over on the bench to make room for her. She sat down and started eating.
“Keandran,” Eidstrun elaborated. “The fool was running into the swamp. We”—he indicated Leistral and himself—“had a helluva time getting him out.”
“He fought us,” Leistral grimaced. She held up her left arm, which was bandaged from her wrist to her elbow. “He sliced me open with his claws.”
“I finally had to knock him out in order to stop him from dragging us all into the depths of the swamp. There were strange things waiting for us in there.” Eidstrun shuddered. “That’s twice I’ve had to drag that moron out of the swamp.” He slumped back with his arms folded across his chest. He looked at Rizelya and Aistrun. “He may be part of our pack, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to keep dragging him out of the swamp every time we come across one.”
“He kept yelling ‘I’m coming.’” Leistral shook her head. “There wasn’t anyone around.”
Rizelya looked sharply at Leistral. “What did he say?”
“‘I’m coming.’ It was really weird.” Leistral rubbed her face. “He didn’t seem to recognize either of us. He was in his warrior form and had a wild look in his eyes, almost like he was feral.”
“Oh, Crone’s fires!” Rizelya swore. She looked at Aistrun and then around the table, debating whether she should tell them. They needed to know they were fighting something more than monsters. When she spoke, her voice was low. “Sweet Mother, protect us. There is something—someone—controlling those janacks. When I pass out I see a strange face that looks nothing like us. When I sent Leistral and Eidstrun after Keandran, I thought I heard someone calling. It was … imploring … almost seductive.”
“Why Keandran?” Drustrun asked.
“And why do you hear them?” Shaydan asked.
Rizelya shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Shaydan looked at Rizelya. “I think both of you need to see a Gray or a White when you reach Strunheim Keep. There is some connection between whoever is controlling the janacks and you.” She looked at Aistrun. “Make sure she sees one.”
Aistrun nodded. “Hey, I will, even if I have to carry her.” His grin at Rizelya made her cringe a little in her chair. It was full of mischievous glee. He nodded knowingly at her. “She likes me carrying her.”
Rizelya reached out and popped him on the nose. “No, Wolfie, I do not.”
“Yep,” his voice was smug, “you do.”
Rizelya glared at Leistral and Dehali as they tried to smother their laughter. They didn’t succeed. The rest of the group joined in. Rizelya glared at them all, which made them laugh even more. Finally, she gave in and laughed along with them.
“Well,” Shaydan said, wiping tears from her eyes, “we did learn one thing today.” She turned to look at Kami, pride written all over her face. “You’re a powerful Yellow and did well. Your cold-air shield worked and you didn’t flinch when the fighting started.”
Kami blushed. “I kept begging Alpha Keshanal to let me fight, but she wouldn’t.” She squeezed Dehali’s hand and looked at Rizelya. “Thank you both for giving me some way to fight the monsters.”
“We learned another thing,” Rizelya said. When the others looked at her in confusion, she continued, “The protrusion must be destroyed as well as the control janack. I swear there is a watcher behind the control janack. It means us ill.”
“We’ll make sure to pass this information along to the other Keeps,” Drustrun promised.
“Hey, we learned something else,” Aistrun commented. “Rizelya loves me to carry her off the field.” He grinned at her. “It’s why she keeps fainting when she destroys the protrusion.”
“In all seriousness,” Dehali broke in while Rizelya sputtered in indignation, “you can’t be the one to destroy the protrusion. Next time, let me or Leistral do it. We don’t hear the damn thing. You, it almost kills.”
A young man with pale brown hair approached their table and bowed. “Alphas, Keandran is awake.”
“Bring him here,” Drustrun ordered.
“Sorry, Alpha, he is in no condition to come here. He is still disoriented.” He glared at Eidstrun. “The blow to his head nearly killed him.”
Rizelya stood up. “Let’s go find out what he has to say for himself. No, the rest of you stay here,” she said when Leistral moved to stand up. She and the other alphas followed the young man.
Keandran’s face and chest were one massive bruise. His arms were scraped and cut. Rizelya bet his legs were too. He had a small cut over his left eye and one on his chin.
“Keandran,” Rizelya said, hands on her hips, “you keep this up and you won’t make it to Strunheim, let alone Strunlair Keep.”
“Hey, what g
ot into you?”
“Huh?” Keandran looked genuinely confused.
“Why were you going into the swamp?” Aistrun asked.
“The swamp?” Keandran’s eyes widened and horror filled his voice. “I was going into the swamp? Why would I go there?”
“You tell us,” Rizelya said.
“I don’t know,” Keandran all but wailed.
“What do you remember?” Rizelya asked.
“I shifted with Eidstrun and ran to the nest … and I … fought?” Keandran paused, and when he looked up, fear was in his eyes. “I don’t remember anything after I shifted. What happened to me?”
“You headed into the swamp,” Aistrun told him. “Eidstrun and Leistral had to pull you out.”
“Did you hear anything?” Rizelya asked.
Keandran started to shake his head then stopped. “I thought I heard someone singing. But that doesn’t sound right. Who would sing while battling the monsters?”
“Was it singing or humming?” Rizelya asked.
“Singing … maybe it was humming. I don’t know.”
“That’s okay.” Rizelya patted his leg. “You get some rest.”
Rizelya drew the other alphas into a corner. “I don’t know why, but both Keandran and I are hearing the control janack and what’s behind it. For the life of me, I don’t know what we have in common. We don’t even have the same Talent. He’s a Yellow with some Blue while I’m a Red and Brown.”
“Maybe it’s the Blue,” Drustrun mused. “Both Dehali and Kami are Yellows, and they don’t seem affected. Are you sure you don’t have any Blue?”
“I’m sure. Have you ever heard of a Red with Blue Talent? Fire hates water.”
“You’re right,” Shaydan agreed. “Until we know what it is, we’ll have to keep an eye on all our fighters. We’ll ask around to find out if anyone else hears any singing or humming.”
“Hey, isn’t it unusual for a Blue to be in a fighting-pack?” Aistrun pointed out. “Aren’t they too emotional?”
“Normally, yes,” Drustrun said. “We don’t have any fighters in our Keep who have any Blue Talent. His must be very weak.”
“How could a Blue be so cruel like Keandran has been to his horses?” Rizelya made a face. “There’s something wrong with that boy.” No one disagreed with her.
After leaving the valley safe house, the platoon seemed to be following the billocks herd as they traveled north. They would top a hill in time to see the animals thundering over the next hill. Numerous ruins of ancient villages dotted the low-lying areas, always with a nest site and swamp nearby. Unlike past years, every nest they came across swarmed with monsters in various stages of development. The nests with larvae or juveniles were fired, killing the monsters. A battle raged when the nests had adults, which was more often than not.
Late in the afternoon, they stopped at the bottom of a hill to rest and water the horses. The next safe house was another couple of octars away. A group of men approached Shaydan and Drustrun. “Alphas, the scouts say the billocks herd is just over the hill. May we hunt?” the leader asked.
Drustrun looked at the hill and back at the platoon. “We could use fresh meat.”
The leader motioned to the others and within moments they were in their wolf form and slinking down the hill. It wasn’t long until they heard the howl of a wolf signaling a successful hunt.
When they reached the safe house, the billocks was quickly and efficiently butchered and the carcass spitted. The rich smell of the roasting meat made Rizelya’s mouth water. There were enough people with Green Talent to scrape together a feast from the supplies. A few people brought out instruments from their packs and a small cask of ale was broached. The platoon had been fighting hard and deserved the break.
Many of the men and some of the women took turns twirling Rizelya across the floor. She laughed and took her turn singing. She thought she only had a passable voice and was embarrassed by all the compliments. With a pang of longing she thought how much Kaieli would enjoy the singing and dancing. Kaieli loved to dance.
She watched as Dehali and Kami slipped off together, then Shaydan and Drustrun. Several other couples and a few groups wandered off into the dark corners to celebrate privately. Leistral, Eidstrun, and one of the Reds stopped by and asked her to join them. Rizelya declined; she wasn’t in the mood for casual sex. She missed Kaieli and the closeness they’d once shared. She’d experienced the difference of a deep connection with someone else and wanted it again.
Rizelya sensed someone watching her and looked up to see Keandran glaring at her, hatred filling his eyes. He hadn’t complained when she’d assigned him horse duty during the recent battles to keep him safe from the control janack. Seeing him now, she knew he was just biding his time. He made an obscene and threatening gesture at her and walked off.
“Hey, what was that about?” Aistrun asked, coming up behind her and throwing his arms around her.
“I don’t know.” Rizelya leaned into Aistrun’s comforting presence. “We’ll have to watch him closely when Shaydan’s platoon leaves us.”
“That we will.”
Rizelya turned to look into Aistrun’s face. “Why aren’t you with someone?”
“No one I want to be with,” his voice turned soft and serious, “except you.”
She pulled away from him. “We tried once, remember? It didn’t work out. I like you better as my friend than as my lover.”
“Come on, Little Red, let me in.” A low growl was in his voice.
“No.” She crossed her arms.
“At least let me lie with you,” Aistrun pleaded. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“Oh, all right. But”—she pointed at him as he started to grin—“keep your hands and other parts to yourself.”
As they cuddled on the narrow bed, she put her hand over his and whispered, “I don’t want to be alone either.”
Aistrun nuzzled her hair and kissed the top of her head. “I know.” His voice was gentle. “Sleep, Little Red. The big bad wolf will watch over you.”
She felt a smile tug her lips. Aistrun was a good man and a good friend. Too bad she didn’t feel any attraction for him. Sighing with longing, she drifted to sleep.
Rizelya’s group left later than usual the morning after the impromptu celebration. Rizelya looked over the fighters as they readied their horses and mounted up. They looked rested and eager to move on. It had been a good decision to allow the billocks hunt and the celebration. As Leistral and Eidstrun packed up, she could hear the easy banter flowing between them. Dehali and Kami glowed with happiness. It would be hard for them to part in a few days. She smiled at Aistrun as she mounted Kymaya. He’d kept his word last night and hadn’t tried to make love to her. She had slept well wrapped in his arms.
***
As they traveled farther north, the hills grew taller and the mountain range separating Strunell and Strunheim grew closer. In the past two days, Shaydan and her team had fought six battles with the monsters, each nest holding a control janack in them. They were now as expert as Rizelya’s team with the new techniques.
During the battles, Rizelya made sure she wasn’t the one destroying the protrusion and she hadn’t blacked out once. Nor had she been carried off the battlefield by Aistrun. She counted it a blessing. After threatening her at the celebration, Keandran kept his distance from her. He continued to seem subdued and on his best behavior. While they had a platoon, Rizelya continued to assign Keandran to horse duty during the battles. This apparently kept him far enough away from the nests to be unable to hear the control janack since Eidstrun hadn’t had to chase after him.
Keandran had even stopped trying to torment Tejen. Rizelya smiled as she watched Tejen slide into a smooth gait and then shudder into a stiff walk. It was as if he’d relaxed and then remembered who his rider was. Today was their last day with Shaydan’s platoon as an escort. They would soon reach the path into the mountains where Shaydan’s pack would turn east while Rizelya�
�s squad-pack continued northeast over the mountain. As they climbed into the foothills to reach the crossroads, the warm spring days became a memory.
Rizelya glared at the sky. A spring storm was billowing over the mountains. If they were lucky, they would reach the safe house before it broke. She shivered as a cold breeze slipped in under her cloak. Although it was unlikely they’d have to fight a nest of monsters today because of the cold, they’d stop and check the nest site a few measures away to be certain.
It was apparent the Keep would need to send out platoons to each district in their territory to prevent the Malvers monsters from overcoming the area. None of the party could recall this many nests active at the same time. A scout-pack on the fastest horses in the platoon had left before they reached the foothills to warn Keshanal at Strunell Keep. If all the nest sites became active, it would be difficult for the fighting-packs to contain the monsters. They may again face monster attacks on the Keeps and outlying pastures. Rizelya shuddered at the thought. It had been a long time since they’d experienced that horror.
“This is the area where we bring our livestock for their summer pasturage,” Shaydan told Rizelya. They were riding in a small pocket of isolation. “What do we do if we can’t bring them here this summer?”
“We do what they did thirty years ago,” Rizelya answered. “Our people stick close to the Keeps and the fighting-packs stay out in the field.”
“But do we have enough fighters? We’ve become so efficient there are fewer people in our fighting-packs.”
Rizelya shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll recruit more fighters.” She glanced back at Dehali and Kami, deep in conversation, holding hands as they rode. “We know we need more Yellows now to fight. Who knows what else we need? The nests are bigger and the fighting fiercer so we’ll need more Browns and even Greens to support and heal the fighters. We’ll survive. We have so far.”
“You’re right. All of our people are trained to fight; we’ll just have to include more in the packs.” Shaydan looked off in the distance then sighed. “Do you think we’ll ever do more than survive? It’s all we do—survive and fight the monsters.”