by Tora Moon
The others gave her a grateful look.
“There’s a spring over there,” Laynar said, indicating a spot across the meadow. She led them to the spring which was shielded by large boulders.
After they had eaten and rested for almost an octar, Rizelya wearily woke everyone from their nap and urged them back on their horses. They needed to get down the mountain and to a safe house before dark. Mindful of Laynar’s warning about the Strunven Keep Alpha, she had them pull out their barding gear and put it on their horses. They hadn’t bothered with it since Strunell Territory since everyone they had met had been so friendly. They were, after all, part of the same Clan, Strunlair. They might have had more trouble if they had been traveling in another Clan territory such as Posanlair.
“I can take the lead,” Laynar offered when they were mounted again. “I have visited Strunven Keep several times before as an emissary for my grandmother. I know the way.”
Rizelya gladly accepted and let the others ride slightly ahead of her. She didn’t feel like talking. Her leg hurt, her arm ached, and she was exhausted. It had been a long trip already filled with danger. And they still had another chedan or more until they reached Strunlair Keep. She hoped when they did, they would be able to stay put for more than a day or two. She and her people needed to rest and she needed to heal.
Chapter 12
The trek down the mountain was uneventful. An octar before dark they approached the safe house. It wasn’t empty. A Strunven fighting force was milling around the courtyard, caring for horses and cleaning off monster gore. They would be testy after a fight.
Rizelya could see a funeral pyre being readied and several bodies on the ground next to it. She was glad they had bothered to put the barding on their horses. It would proclaim them as friendlies.
She and Laynar rode forward, pacing each other. Aistrun rode just behind Rizelya. A few paces behind him rode Dehali and Eidstrun, with Leistral and Keandran bringing up the rear. The jingle of the horse’s headgear alerted the fighters to their presence. Two Reds rushed to the gate, their helbraughts blazing, flanked by several men. In front of them, a few men were in their wolf form, pacing back and forth blocking their way.
More fighters came up behind the guards, blocking the gates, but they made way for a man and woman to approach the riders. The man was tall, even taller than Aistrun, with long golden-red hair he wore loose and that reached to his waist. The woman was almost as tall and was willowy thin. Her hair was same golden-red, only a bit darker. They had the same facial features: high cheekbones, slightly slanted green eyes, thin lips. Alpha partners weren’t necessarily lovers and quite a few were, as these two appeared to be, siblings. Their thin lips were pulled in a tight line of antagonism.
“Greetings,” called Laynar, holding out her hands palms up, showing she wasn’t armed. “I am Laynar de Strunheim. We come as friends.”
“As they should know,” grumbled Aistrun just loud enough for Rizelya to hear.
Ignoring him, Rizelya held out her hands in the same gesture. “I am Rizelya de Strunland. We come as friends. These are my pack.” She indicated those behind her.
The woman turned to Rizelya and sneered. “We have heard of a Rizelya, daughter of Histrun. Are you she?”
“I am.”
“You will get no welcome here.”
Rizelya’s anger rose. “It is night. All may seek the sanctuary of a safe house,” she said coldly. “We will enter.” She put her hands down where she could easily grasp her helbraught from its holder on Kymaya’s saddle.
Aistrun urged Jezhan forward a few steps. “Hey, we are all part of the same Clan. There’s no need for hostilities. We have traveled a long way. We need a place to stay for the night. We’ll leave in the morning.”
The man crossed his arms and growled, “No, you will leave now. We will not let the spawn of Histrun enter our house.”
Rizelya looked at Laynar. “You weren’t kidding when you said they didn’t like Histrun. I can’t think why they wouldn’t,” she said sarcastically. “Sometimes I don’t like him. Some help here would be good.”
“You know me. You know my grandmother,” Laynar said. “We can both vouch for the integrity of these people. They have come here at great peril to help you, not harm you.”
“You’ve been having monster problems, haven’t you?” Rizelya asked.
The woman looked up at her in alarm. Before she could say anything, Rizelya continued. “Bigger nests, spawning more often than usual, and they have a new strange janack that seems to lead and control them, don’t they?” Rizelya could tell from both the man and woman’s face it was true. “Well, we know how to fight them and kill the control janack, without so many people dying. But if you don’t want or need our help, we’ll leave.” She turned Kymaya’s head around and retreated down the road. The others in her pack followed her lead.
They had ridden several horse lengths when the woman called out, “Wait! You know how to kill it?”
Rizelya turned in her saddle. “We do.”
“Then you and yours may enter and find shelter from the night,” the man said formally.
The Strunven alphas shooed all their people back to what they were doing. Satisfied they wouldn’t be attacked, Rizelya turned back to the safe house. She could feel her body starting to shake. It had been a close call if they’d be attacked by people from their own Clan. Most of the fighters’ energy was directed to the Malvers monsters. Once in a while hostilities would break out between Clans, rarely within the same Clan. The Supreme White Priestess highly disapproved of this and the punishment for the perpetrators was severe. The Supreme believed they had enough to do to survive with fighting the monsters; they didn’t need to fight each other as well.
As Rizelya’s pack entered the gates, the two Strunven alphas joined them and paced to the side of Rizelya and Laynar’s horses. Kymaya snorted and tossed her head; she didn’t like strangers near her. Rizelya reached out and patted her neck, reassuring her.
By the time they reached the stable, most of the people had stabled their horses and left. There were a few stragglers waiting to see the strangers. Rizelya ignored them. She grimaced as the ache in her leg flared when she threw it over Kymaya’s back to slide off. Rizelya was glad she was still holding onto the saddle when her leg buckled. She was able to keep from falling in front of these hostile strangers.
“You are injured?” the woman asked.
When Rizelya felt her leg could hold her, she turned around to face the woman. “Yes. I was attacked by narhili beasts a few days ago and am recovering from their poison.”
“And still you rode here?” The man sounded incredulous.
“Yes, we help our clan-mates, no matter the cost. It’s a long story, and I would tell it better sitting down.” Rizelya couldn’t keep the pain out of her voice.
“Our apologies,” the woman said. “When your horses are cared for and you have refreshed yourselves, we would hear your story.” She grabbed the man’s arm and dragged him out of the stable and into the safe house.
Rizelya took a step to lead Kymaya to an empty stall, and her leg buckled again. Aistrun caught her before she hit the ground.
“Hey, you okay? You’re pale and sweaty.”
“I’m fine, just tired and achy.”
“If you say so,” his voice held disbelief.
“I do say so.” She struggled out of his hold. “I need to take care of Kymaya.”
“No you don’t, you need to sit down and get off your leg,” he argued, holding on tighter.
“I’ll take care of Kymaya, Alpha,” Leistral said, taking hold of Kymaya’s headstall and rubbing her nose. “She and I are good friends. Go take care of yourself. We need you to be strong.”
“Eidstrun is taking care of Jezhan for me,” Aistrun told her. “Let’s go in.”
“I’d rather not go into the wolves’ den alone,” Rizelya said. “We need our people to guard our backs. Let’s wait for them.”
He consid
ered it a moment. “Agreed. But you will sit and rest.” His tone told her it wouldn’t do any good to argue.
She agreed and sat on a stool, watching the others unsaddle and curry the horses. When they were done, which didn’t take long, they went together into the safe house. She refused Aistrun’s offer to carry her, but leaned heavily on him as she limped. The room quieted when they entered. The two alphas stepped forward in the silence.
“Greetings,” the woman said, holding out her hands palms up. “I am Saehala.”
“And I am her brother, Saehalstrun. Welcome to our territory.”
Rizelya introduced her squad-pack. As she did so, she continued to lean on Aistrun. His arm was around her waist and his hand gripped her elbow; he was the only reason she was still standing. Formalities over, Saehala and Saehalstrun led them to a table situated to the side, away from the others. As soon as they sat down, two of the younger fighters brought them food and drink. There was an expectant air in the room, as if everyone were waiting to hear what they had to say. Rizelya ignored it and dug into her food.
She smiled in appreciation as Aistrun’s friendly, talkative nature saved her from any awkwardness. He kept the conversation to small talk and funny stories. Soon the Strunven alphas were relaxed and laughing and so were quite a few of the Strunven fighters who were close enough to hear.
He winked at her, as he launched into another story in which she had a key role. She laughed as much as anyone else. By the time Aistrun finished his tale, the meal was finished and dishes were cleared away.
“So, why are you here and how can you help us?” Saehala asked. The room suddenly became quiet again.
“It’s a long story and it’s for all to hear, Saehala,” Aistrun said. “Let’s gather around the fire to find what comfort we may. Our story isn’t an easy one, or even a happy tale.” Without waiting for an answer, he left the table, grabbed a chair, took it to the edge of the large fireplace, and sat down. It was the traditional storytellers’ position. Within moments tables were moved. Quite a few of the fighters found pillows or blankets and threw them down on the floor in front of Aistrun. Benches were carried to the center of the room, creating a circle around the fire. A chair was set next to Aistrun for Rizelya.
When everyone was settled, Aistrun began. “One cold morning, a fighting force left Strunland Keep to kill a nest of monsters a few measures away. What they found was like nothing they had ever seen. The nest was three times the normal size. Ten janacks at least tumbled out of the nest.
“In the center was a huge janack, twice the size of all the rest. On its head was a strange protrusion. One brave Red”—he glanced meaningfully at Rizelya—“vaulted onto the back of the janack and raced to the head. Daring the wrath of her alpha, she did the only thing possible: she blew up the janack!” He made explosion noises. “That was the first control janack we saw, but not the last.” He proceeded to tell them of the charge Histrun had given them, their discovery of the cold-air and fire shields, and their journey through the territories. “And so we are here, in Strunven Territory, to teach you how to protect your fighters and kill the control janack,” he concluded. A log shifted and fell, sending sparks up the chimney. It was the only noise in the room for a long time.
“We have fought such as you describe,” Saehala said into the silence, “and have lost many. We’ll take you to the keep and vouch for you to our alphas.”
Noise erupted as the fighters cheered. Rizelya heard more than one, “Thank you, Mother!” It seemed the fighters were anxious to find a way to fight the new menace with fewer causalities.
***
A relaxed and friendly Saehala and Saehalstrun led the fighting force out of the safe house the next morning. Rizelya and Aistrun rode at their side. After ten measures of riding they entered a grassy plain. A herd of billocks thundered away from them, then stopped when no chase was given to graze once more on the lush spring grass.
“So why does your alpha hate Histrun so much?” Rizelya finally asked when the pace slowed to a walk. She wanted to be prepared to refute whatever it was when she met her.
“Ah, she’s quite vexed at him,” Saehalstrun muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Oh, tell it like it is,” Laynar quipped. “Sujeen is a woman scorned and is still holding a grudge after all of these years.” She huffed. “Grandmother thinks she’s quite silly. She would know. She knew them all.”
“Hey, a love triangle, awesome,” Aistrun said, grinning.
“Yeah, something like that,” Saehala admitted. “Mother thought she and Histrun were bond-mates when Zehala came along and proved her wrong.”
“Not only did Zehala have the effrontery to beat out Mother to win the Clan-Alpha competition—when she wasn’t old enough to compete,” Saehalstrun said, “But she added insult and stole Histrun away too.” He sounded like he had heard the complaint many, many times. He turned to look at Rizelya and said, “Sorry about last night, sister.”
“Sister!” Rizelya exclaimed as she rocked back in her saddle. Histrun never talked to her about his life. She hadn’t known he had a family before mating with Zehala, but she should have guessed. He had been an old man of seventy-five when he met Zehala. She knew Zehala had other children long before Rizelya was born and she liked Naila. When this danger was over, she really had to sit down with her father and find out more about him. She kept getting surprising information about him. She thought about his taciturn nature around her and decided she’d get more out of Layhalya. She looked more closely at the twins wondering if he had spent time with them as children. Had he held them, loved them, as he never had done with her?
“Sister. We are Histrun’s ‘get’ also.” He sighed. “Which is why we’re sent from the keep as much as possible.”
“She says we remind her too much of him,” Saehala said with a grimace. “I don’t see it. I think we look like her.”
The only resemblance to Histrun Rizelya could see were their eyes. He had the same slightly slanted, grass-green eyes like theirs.
“Wait,” Aistrun said, “if Sujeen was Clan Alpha, why is she a keep alpha now?”
“She wasn’t,” Laynar answered. “Oh she tried, many times, but Zehala beat her every time. She lost her keep when she tried for the Clan-Alpha position and it took her years to get one again. She hates Zehala more than Histrun.”
“Oh, great,” Rizelya said with a grimace. “So it isn’t just that Histrun is my father, it’s also Zehala is my mother. I’m doubly damned. I can’t change who my parents were.” Now she wished she didn’t look so much like her mother. She looked at Aistrun and Laynar in panic. “Why don’t I ride on to Strunlair Keep, or wait at one of the safe houses while you deal with Sujeen?”
“Coward,” Laynar accused her.
“Yep, I’d like to stay in one piece.”
“Hey, if she’s a good alpha and cares about her people, she’ll put aside her differences and listen to what we have to say.”
“I think she will, especially with us bringing back four riderless horses,” Saehala said, sadness creeping into her voice. “They were good fighters.”
“If she doesn’t, we aren’t the only ones who will challenge her at the Alpha Trials this summer,” Saehalstrun said. “We aren’t quite old enough, but the age requirements aren’t written in stone. Look at what your mother did, Rizelya. She became the youngest Clan Alpha ever. We just want to be some of the youngest keep alphas.”
“It won’t help your people now,” Rizelya said.
“We are the fighting-pack alphas,” Saehala told them. “If she doesn’t listen, we’ll go to the district keep, Strunvede, learn your techniques, and teach them to the other territory alphas.”
“Won’t you get in trouble for it?” Laynar asked.
“Of course.” Saehalstrun shrugged. “But she can’t punish us for long when we’re killing the monsters instead of them killing us. She’d have an uprising on her hands and challenge made before the summer trials.”
Rizelya couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Although an alpha, any alpha including the Clan Alpha, could be challenged at any time, it was traditional to wait until the Alpha Competitions. Only when an alpha was hurting their pack was an unsanctioned challenge allowed. Those challenges were duels and, for the men, usually to the death; whereas the competitions were tests of strategy, cunning, strength, and leadership. The competitions provided a way for a change of leadership without the loss of life. The men were more prone to dominance challenges and the competitions kept these in check. As Rizelya thought about it, she realized Sujeen would be hurting her pack if she didn’t allow the new techniques to be taught to her people.
“But what about your male Keep Alpha? Won’t he step in and listen to reason?” Rizelya asked.
“No,” Saehala answered sadly. “He has been thoroughly cowed by Sujeen. He doesn’t do anything contradictory to her wishes.”
“That doesn’t sound much like an alpha to me,” Aistrun snorted.
“Oh, Teraposan is more than dominant enough.” Saehalstrun shuddered. “He enforces her will with a vengeance. They both rule with an iron fist. He’s been challenged before but somehow won the competition.” Saehalstrun’s eyes narrowed with determination. “He won’t this time. It’s time to end their rule.”
Rizelya was surprised all was not well in Strunven Territory. Why don’t the Clan Alphas do something to end Sujeen and Teraposan’s reign of terror? Although if fear, rather than respect, was why Sujeen hadn’t been challenged then maybe they didn’t know what was happening here.
As she thought about it, she realized there were quite a few people who had moved into Strunland Territory from Strunven in the last few years, more than just the usual shifting of fighters. There were also non-fighters which was more unusual. She suspected other Strunlair Territories were experiencing the same immigration. She decided to ask Laynar later since they were riding through the fields surrounding Strunven Keep.
Rizelya approached the gates with trepidation. She braced for the worst, while hoping for the best. She and her squad-pack waited, along with the twins’ fighting force, in the courtyard in front of the Keep House. They wouldn’t dismount until they knew how Sujeen would react.