by Auryn Hadley
"I have no idea," she admitted. "There's no mention of them in those histories you were reading?"
He shook his head. "Na that I know of, but that stuff is so old, half of it does na make a lot of sense."
Sal wasn't really surprised. "They seem as, well, human? Iliri? As we are. They just, I dunno..."
His eyes were on the male. "They're built more like a predator. Somethan between a dog and a cat, I think."
"But look at their faces. Their noses are broad versions of our own. Their lips aren't split. Laying like that, I would never have expected her to use hands. They call themselves grauori? That's what Worau said?"
"Yeh."
Finally, something sparked in her mind. "And the quartermaster warned us about the grauor wolves. I'll bet my blade that it's the same thing."
Jase laughed, startling the male. "Sal, I can na match that, and I do na wanna lose. Strange thing is they know a' us. She knew what iliri are."
"Did you see the pups?" she asked.
"They're cute, but what do ya mean?"
"The female is white. Pure white. The male? He's dark on the points. Looks like his sire is, too. Except for your blue eyes, you and he could be a match."
"Maast," Jase breathed. "I saw but did na think a it like that."
From the line of trees, yet another beast approached. This one loped across the snow easily on his large hands and feet. He too was pure white like the female laying before them. With his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, he yipped a string of words too fast for Sal to translate and rushed to Worau's side.
Politely, neither of the iliri moved, not wanting to concern the grauori. Considering the beasts looked like they could rend a man apart, they didn't want to make the strange creatures any more nervous than they already were.
The male only glanced up at them once before resting his hands on the bitch and exhaling slowly. Sal knew that pose. Both of the medics with the Black Blades could heal with nothing more than their minds. Both naturally found the same posture when concentrating.
"Like us, they seem to have abilities," she said in Iliran, knowing the beasts could hear.
The grauori paused, took a deep breath, and repeated the process. Panting between rounds, it took him no more than four sessions before the wounds on Worau began to visibly close. The female lay on the ground, her eyes held shut and breathing slowly.
"And I bet she's circling," Sal said, still speaking in their common tongue.
"Dizzy," Jase corrected.
"You do this?" The new male asked, his eyes never reaching above her chin.
"I know those who do. I do not," Sal explained.
He nodded, flicking a glance at her eyes before looking back to her chin politely. "You are iliri."
"Yes. And you are grauori?"
"Yes. Your kind is a myth. A story we tell to little ones." Thankfully, he kept his language simple. "Your mate has wrong eyes and bad ears."
"I'm na her mate," Cyno said. From the ground, Worau whuffed, the sound similar to a laugh.
"My apologies," the white male said, then introduced himself. "I am Grauf."
"Salryc"
"Cyno."
Grauf nodded. "Worau will need to heal more. Thank you for caring for the children, but we must return to the den." Like any medic, it seemed his first concern was for his patient.
"Grauf?" Sal asked before he could leave. "How many of you are there? Just you?" She gestured to the grauori around her. "Or are there more?"
His tongue fell to the side of his mouth and the corners of his lips lifted. It was his version of a smile, something Sal wouldn't have thought his face could manage. "Many of us. Thousands. We are all around here. I am thinking you are not from here."
She shook her head. "No, we come from the south, near the ocean."
"Viraenova?"
Shocked that he'd even know the names of countries, she shook her head. "The Conglomerate of Free Citizens."
"Now that is far." Then his head dropped. "And thank you, my cousins. We thought Worau was lost to the humans and her pups with her. We owe you."
With that, he turned, helping Worau to her feet. The males had to nearly stand on their hind legs, human-like, to make sure she had her balance. Once she was stable, they all walked off on four legs. Her mate herded the pups before him. In seconds, the group blended into the pack. Moments later, only the faint tracks across the snow, and the pool of dark blood remained to show that anything had happened.
Chapter 4
"I did na imagine that did I?" Jase asked.
"Not unless we're dreaming together." Sal looked over. "So why did you deny our relationship?"
"Maast. I was hoping ya'd miss that."
"Sorry." She turned for the horses. "Does that mean we're back to being just partners?"
He let out a sigh. "I dunno."
"So why didn't you take the title? Back in Prin, why did you even want it?" It was hard, but she tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible. She also refused to look away from her horse's tack. "I thought you wanted to be my second man. Did I screw up somewhere?"
"Sal, he said 'mate.' I'm na that. Blaec is. We both know that. I'm just here ta watch yer back and make sure ya get home ta him. I do na wanna be somethan ya feel ya owe me. Ya already proved it's na like I thought."
"What do you mean?"
A hint of defiance crept into his voice. "I will na sire yer children. Is that na what ya said?"
"Jase?" she asked him gently, "Is that what all of this has been about?"
He sighed, stepped into his saddle, and pushed Raven off, saying nothing. She swung into her own and hurried to catch up. They allowed the horses to use the broken snow to ease their passage. When they reached the road again, she nudged Arden up beside his mare.
"Ok, can we talk about this yet?" she asked.
"LT will be interested in hearing 'bout the wolves, ya know. We should drop him a letter at the next town we pass." Evidently, he was still trying to avoid the problem.
She wouldn't let him off that easy. "Is that what all of this is about? For a year I've held off ovulation, but you're shocked that I wasn't interested in screwing for that one week?"
He sighed deeply before looking at her. This time, his eyes held hers. "Yeh, Sal. It is. Look, I promised LT that I'd take care of ya. I promised him that you'd na forget him. I promised you that I'd stay at yer side, but I do na think I can be what ya want me ta be."
"I'm so confused," she grumbled. "Ok, so what can you be, then? And what are you going to do once we reach Eriwald?"
He shrugged.
"The Jonkheer will be there; you know that, right?"
"Yeh," he grumbled. "He's got a stupid title, but I know who we're gonna kill, Sal."
"Right. Kill. Which means one of us will end up in the bloodlust. Which means both of us will end up naked together – or it always has. Jase?" she asked softly. "Has something changed?"
"Kinna." He paused. "I mean, we both jus' watched ya pull arrows from a beast that spoke Iliran and thought na a thing of the blood on yer hands. If our intel's right, the next'll be an easy job. We just need ta get in without being seen – which should na be hard – then make our way ta Dorton. When we get there, yer gonna hafta get useta being without me around, kitten. I mean, if ya plan ta get that noble prick -"
"Marquis," she corrected.
"Yeh, him. The one we're makin' inta a king. He's never seen an iliri before, I'm betting, but he wants ta. How do ya think we're gonna end up convincing him ta support us?"
"He knows what iliri are. He's probably never seen one of us in person, but you can pass for human if you choose. I don't have that luxury, not with these ears – but I don't plan on sleeping with him if that's what you're worried about. I'm certainly not going to have kids with him!" She clenched her jaw. "And you're not going to get out of this by talking about our mission. I just can't believe you're this upset because I don't want to get pregnant!"
"Sal," he sighed. "
It's na that. I mean, I see ya ever' day, I watch ya sleep, I can na help but see ya laugh, or growl, or any of the other amazing things ya do. I can na help how I feel 'bout ya none, but I can stop what I do 'bout it. If ya do na think I'm good 'nough fer ya, then I'll mind my place. That's all I've been doing."
Her jaw dropped. "But you are!"
Why did she always screw things up when it came to men? Cyno had a strange sense of honor, having been raised as an iliri. Her own upbringing was by humans – as their slave – and she only had her instincts to drive her actions. So many years of conditioning made her act more human in some ways than her partner, regardless of his mixed ancestry, but this was the first time she just couldn't understand him. Sadly, her instincts were always wrong when it came to her lovelife.
"Did I do something wrong? Jase, I didn't mean to!"
"Nah, Sal. That's na the problem. It's that I want all of ya, and I can na have it." He glanced over at her, embarrassment on his face. "Ya saw the pups. I could na help but think how beautiful ya looked holding 'em. I called ya my wife earlier. For the first time in my life, I want somethan humans do. I wanna be yer mate, but I am na, and ya made that real clear."
"What? How?" She had no idea how he'd come to that conclusion.
Under his breath, he growled. "I promised ta Blaec that I'd keep ya from going feral, but I think it's me. I think I'm the feral one. I can na touch ya, Sal, na if I ever wanna stop, so I just do na start."
"Jase," she said, reaching out to touch his arm lightly. "When have I ever made it about a choice between the two of you?"
"Never," he whispered.
She bit at her lips seeking the words to make him understand. "Not wanting children has nothing to do with who sires them. I would have kicked Blaec out of my tent, too. It's just this damned war. I don't want to have my child sold off as a slave. That's it. Besides, I thought you were ok with being my second man?"
"I am," he said, finally looking at her eyes. "But will ya answer somethan honestly for me?"
"Ok?"
"Is this all we're ever gonna be? Am I allus gonna be jus' yer second man? Are we ever gonna be more than jus' partners ta slack the 'lust?"
She glanced away, thinking about that. The road continued to pass in silence, but he didn't press her. It would be so easy to say yes, but she owed him more than that. Jase was her other half, the person she trusted above all else. Unfortunately, that didn't mean she knew the answer to his question.
"Can I tell you something?" she asked, breaking the silence.
He nodded cautiously.
"He's never opened his mind to me. Not like you do. He's like two men inside, part Blaec, part LT. You've never been like that."
"Is it the mystery then?"
"No, nothing like that. Rather the opposite, actually." She sighed, knowing she could admit her deepest secret to Jase if no one else. "I've found myself reaching out with my mind when we're, you know."
"Yeh," he said, not wanting to hear her speak of intimacies with their commander.
"Yeah, but that's the thing, Jase." She glanced away. This time, it was her turn to speak to the road. "I'm not reaching for him. It's not his mind I keep seeking."
Before he could respond, she kneed Arden into a canter. The spotted mare moved out easily, leaping through the snow on the road. He let her go, a smile on his face.
She couldn't believe she'd just told him that. In her most intimate moments, she found herself still drawn to the little assassin and unable to stop herself. He was shy at times, yet so strong-willed that she could barely make him submit. It was alluring. Most likely, it was the same reason she fell for Blaec. He was the only man she'd ever known who could best her, and she desired her partner to be as strong as she was. Jase could be, she knew, if he tried.
Arden cantered on, putting distance between them, and Jase made no move to stop her. Silently, she thanked him for that. Once out of sight, she let her mare slow, watching the steam rising from the horse's nostrils as Sal patted her neck.
She knew she loved Blaec. Her feelings for him were easy to understand and so amazingly human. The emotions Jase evoked were harder to describe. She could feel it each time he entered a room. She knew that when she needed him, he would always be there. Most of all, she felt no shame in her iliri instincts around him. Only with him could she truly be herself, never fearing that she was acting like an animal.
The thought crossed her mind, and she reined in her mare. She was pure iliri and had always tried to prevent herself from acting like an animal. The grauori they'd met were so similar, yet still beasts, but had hands. Strangely, she'd heard Jase in her head earlier.
Jase? she tried.
The brush of his mind flooded her with happiness. It was an answer, even if not in words. She spun her mare and raced back to him.
"You heard me?" she asked, cantering up. His hands had gone to his blades at the sound of her voice, but she waved him off. "I don't think it's a threat, but think about it. Arctic's three months away. When was the last time you were able to link with me?"
He looked at nothing for a moment, searching his mind before his twilight eyes met hers. "With the grauori. We should be a few klicks from 'em by now, and we were na invited into a link. If I heard ya, it's cuz we piggy-backed on someone else's."
"Right. Could we still be using their link between us?"
"I guess it's possible. I mean, they are na iliri," he explained. "Normally we have ta be within a certain range. It's just an extension a our senses really. The smell of them is enough ta trigger it, and direct touch can set a person inta a link. Well, if ya touch the linker. Ya think it was Worau?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I really don't. I can't explain it, but I'm pretty sure it is a female."
"Ya did na touch her mate and we know that the other was healing – so not a linker – but both were male. Maast, ya slipped inta ours b'fore ya were supposed ta, so yer obviously good at it. What are ya thinking Sal?"
"Remember the histories we found? That crate of documents in the Escean Pass? Remember what they said?"
"Yeh." He nodded, confused. "I read hundreds of 'em."
"Jase!" she snarled in her excitement. "They said white beasts struck in the night. Beasts, not people. Humans have always referenced us as people – throughout our history – but those papers said beasts. Animals."
His eyes widened as comprehension dawned. "The grauori. They domesticated us from the grauori?"
"It only makes sense. We've never heard of them before, but they knew about us. How often have we both been told to stop acting like animals?"
"More than I can count," he admitted, his mind working. "Sal, can ya feel the link? Think, kitten. Can ya trace the link?"
"I think so."
She let herself drift inside her head, seeking the pull of the mental connection. She'd never consciously followed one before, but the Blades all used a variation of this to know where each other was. This linker's mind felt different, foreign somehow, yet familiar. She could almost feel the female trotting above the snow, her splayed hands open to prevent breaking through the crust. Beside her, a male moved silently. As Sal politely nudged the mind, a flare of panic washed over her – and the link crashed closed.
"I felt that," Jase whispered.
"They're in the trees." She slipped from her horse to head in that direction.
"Sal!" he hissed. She lifted her hand, waving him off.
"Grauori?" she called at the trees in Iliran. "We didn't mean to trip upon you, but we've been a long ages without a link." She spoke slowly and as clearly as she could.
The silence in her mind began to lift. Sal waited, standing in the open snow. Well away from her partner, they were in plain sight of the tree line. Now, with the link open, she could feel them again.
"I know it's just the two of you, and you sense it's just the two of us. I know you're chasing us. We don't care to be enemies, we just never knew you even were until this morning."
"Sa
l, yer Iliran sucks, ya know that, right?" Jase joked from behind her.
She sighed. The pair of grauori were hidden inside the tree line. Both had taken cover. Turning back to Jase, she said, "Yeah, I never really thought I'd have much use of it, and unlike some, I didn't have a mother to teach me."
A trace of thought touched her mind. Sal stopped, opening herself fully, and welcomed the female into her head. Politely, the touch just drifted across her consciousness, feeling only her surface thoughts before retreating. Sal smiled. The female had leaked her emotions with her touch.
Jase, get off the horse, she told him. Our friends aren't comfortable with us mounted.
She knew the linker could taste any thought that crossed his – or her – mind. Arctic had taught her that while she was still a recruit. It was also nearly impossible to lie in that way, and she knew the link holder was listening.
Jase slid from Raven and wrapped his reins around the mare's neck, moving to Arden to do the same to Sal's horse. With a pat, he left the mares and walked over to Sal, squatting beside her.
If they do na wanna come with us, they do na hafta, he sent.
No, they don't, she agreed, but I get the feeling they want to.
As if her thought was the last assurance they needed, a pale form broke from the trees and moved toward her. Behind it, another slunk low to the ground. Neither Sal nor Jase moved, waiting for the grauori to come to them. One of the grey tipped beasts led. Sal thought it was the male. The smaller female crept behind him, similarly colored but in shades of gold. If she had to guess, Sal would say they were young.
"Yous arres ilirri?" the male asked, trying to form the words in Glish.
Sal nodded, "Yes, we're both iliri."
"Whry hiss eyes na..." he paused, glancing to the smaller grauori for help, then looking back to Sal. Why aren't his eyes right? What happened to his ears?
In her mind, his voice was clear and easy to understand, and she was aware that he refused to look at her eyes. He's mostly iliri, my friend, but he can trace his lines to a human.
The grauori looked at each other, weighing that. Then the female spoke. "Hiss a hooman. Ya mate wi' hooman?"