"Another thing you must learn. There is no Enyalian boy. Not everyone who seeks shelter here is Enyalia."
"I thought –"
"I understand that's what you thought. But Enyalian is our word for warrior. A woman must earn the word. As for the boys, they aren't used to being addressed without purpose. They must think you mean to kill them."
"With kindness?"
"They are kind to the sheep before the slaughter."
Alaysha nodded silently. She tried to offer the boys a look of apology, but they had scuttered to another corner where a pile of straw afforded them some sort of bedding. Alaysha was grateful that they at least had something to sleep on; she wouldn't put it past these women to make children sleep on hard ground. Her own childhood wanted to worm its way back into her memory, but she squashed it down determinedly. She would learn from those hard lessons, but she would not be broken by them.
Cai stood in the middle of the room and for a second seemed to be trying to make a decision, then shrugged her shoulders and fell into a series of stretches and squats the like Alaysha had never seen. The hand movements alone were a thing of beauty, but when she combined them into fluid motions of her feet and arms, and all those worked with her sword and blade, Alaysha could see that it wasn't just brute strength that gave the Enyalia an edge, but the combination of every sense that made up their body. She had the feeling she was watching something very sacred and when the woman stretched finally, the tips of her fingers scrabbling at the thatch of the ceiling, Alaysha squeezed her eyes closed just in case the woman looked her way and caught her watching.
Alaysha waited for what seemed like hours for the woman to fall asleep. The boys had gone under seemingly as soon as their heads touched the straw, and in the small amount of light from the fire that burned in a hollow in the ground and sent its smoke through a makeshift chimney, she could see that they were wrapped around each other, one of them sucking his thumb.
After what seemed an eternity, Alaysha got up and fed the fire with peat just in case any of them grew cold and thought to rise through the night. She wanted to get to Yenic before morning came. She wasn't sure where he was being held, or if he was being held somewhere at all. It was this realization that made her decide to wake one of the boys.
She chose the one sucking his thumb because he was the one who hadn't jumped when she'd thanked the other. She touched his shoulder gently and his eyes flew open immediately. She put a finger against her lips to indicate she needed him to be quiet. "I need you to gather some herbs for me. My belly hurts and I need to make it better."
It wasn't true, of course, but she couldn't very well ask him where Yenic was, not here in Cai's Lodge. The last thing she wanted to do was alert the woman, or to get this boy in trouble. He got up quickly and without bothering to wipe the sleep from his eyes, trudged toward the door. Alaysha followed him and when the flap lifted to the sound of frogs calling for mates in the distance, and they had cleared the Lodge and were making their way into the forest, she caught up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
"I don't need herbs," she admitted. "I need to know where they keep the solstice men."
He had an intelligent face, eyes that showed deep thought processes beneath his brow. The moon was turning full, offering plenty of light to see by, and Alaysha realized why tomorrow would be the beginning of the solstice, set by the rhythms of the moon and the coming of warmer nights, longer days. She could see the boy was afraid to speak, obviously uncertain of what would happen to him if he told.
"It's okay," she told him. "I won't tell anyone. I'll tell them you gathered me some herbs for my sore stomach and then went back to bed."
He looked back over his shoulder to where several of the warriors were tending the fire and keeping watch.
"Never mind them. They'll be my problem."
He bent over and leaned towards a short bush where a few spindly flowers clung. They must have been bright pink during the daylight, but looked more like the color of a sick ear now. He picked a few and pressed them into her hands. "There's a small hut just past the tiltyard. He will be there."
Alaysha made a show of rubbing her stomach, just in case the women were watching, and she whispered a thank you to the boy. He reminded her of Aedus, not scrawny-looking or as ill-fed, but with that furtive kind of fidget to his posture that she'd had when they'd first met. He said nothing in return, merely shuffled back off toward the lodge and disappeared behind the flap. She hadn't expected him to say anything, actually, and in truth thought it was very smart of him to act as though he had done exactly what she'd asked.
She stole a glance towards the women around the fire; they were looking in her direction as she expected, but they paid subtle attention without making a great show of it. Even still, they didn't seem overly worried or concerned that one of the newcomers was up and about the middle of the night.
She wasn't foolish enough to think that Yenic would be alone. She moved toward the trees, working her way into the few shadows the tree trunks made with the shrubberies. And hoping the warriors around the fire had assumed she'd gone back to bed. It was interesting that at night there was more fragrance in the air than during the day; she noted several whitish blooms spread open and stretching toward the moon. The smell was almost intoxicating. Without thinking, she brushed her hand along a row of them and lifted her fingers to her nose, inhaled deeply. But for the circumstance, she could have enjoyed this quiet evening.
She picked her way along from shadow to shadow, finding her way even further into the woods surrounding the village. She'd begun to think she had veered off into the completely wrong direction when she caught a lick of flame off toward her left. A small fire, indeed, but enough that she realized she had indeed gone too far left as well as too far ahead. She backtracked, keeping her eye on the bit of flame that showed through the trees. She got close enough that she could see a single warrior squatted directly in front of the lodging made entirely of spindly poles and animal skin. A makeshift lodging if she'd ever seen one, able to be erected quickly and taken down without much effort. Several of these could be made, she realized, depending on how many were needed, and then disassembled without leaving a trace.
She'd undoubtedly found Yenic, but how would she ever get inside with this brute of a woman sitting in front? She'd have to get around from the back, maybe slip beneath. But of course, if she could slip in, then was very possible the occupant could slip out. There had to be something more keeping him here than just the single woman in front of the fire.
She studied the area carefully, scanning it in small blocks moving from one grid to the other with painstaking care. It took long, exhausting moments that frustrated and tested her patience; she went over the area three times before she saw it: two seemingly naturally occurring bits of debris at the back of the dwelling. They both pointed distinctly toward each other, but far enough apart that an unsuspecting eye would never notice they were a pair. Alaysha worked her way backwards from the lodging, taking great care to study anything that looked out of the ordinary. When she saw the thin bleached ligament stretching from the edge of the animal hide up into the trees, she realized what the danger was to an unsuspecting eye. The Enyalia had assumed that anyone wishing to rescue a man from that tent would be in enough of a rush not to take the time to check for traps.
She smiled to herself and crept through the trees, hoping the woman in front wouldn't decide to do a check. Instead of the back, Alaysha would move slightly to the side. Since the side closest to her had too much noise-making leaf litter, she opted for the one furthest away. She was so focused on making as little noise as possible, and keeping her eyes out for the sentry, that she didn't see the nearly invisible ligament stretched chest high from tent to tree. When it brushed her shoulders, it rattled what Alaysha took for nut casings just above her in the trees.
She cursed to herself and froze. It was useless, however. The sentry came around with her hands on her massive hips, staring directly
at Alaysha as she stood midstep with one foot in the air.
Just her fortune, the sentry was Enud, and the Enyalian looked incredibly pleased to see her.
"No doubt you saw the whip trap," she said grinning.
Rather than answering, Alaysha's eye went to the tree. Now that she looked closer, she could see several sharpened stakes attached to the top of the thin sapling.
"We always make that one easy to spot; then the other one becomes much more effective."
"And what if I'd not spotted the first?"
The woman sent her fingers trailing across the circlet on her thigh, making the teeth rattle. "Then I suppose you would be dead."
A chill went up the back of Alaysha's spine. "I want to see Yenic."
"What is a Yenic?" The woman pronounced the words carefully.
"Yenic. The man inside. I want to see him."
"Plenty of time tomorrow. Plenty of time, plenty to see, tomorrow."
Alaysha heard a sound come from inside and then Yenic was peering around the side, looking sleep deprived and haggard. Even though she'd seen him just that afternoon, she drank in the look of him.
"I'm alright Alaysha," he said. "Except for being unable to sleep, I'm fine."
"Big day tomorrow."
"Something like that." He grinned.
Enud watched the exchange in seeming boredom until Alaysha stepped toward him. Then she came to life like a sun-heated serpent who'd just found its dinner within striking distance.
"I think not," she said, crossing her arms and using her considerable breadth to bar Alaysha's way. "Your little man is mine now."
Alaysha didn't want to think about Yenic belonging to anyone, least of all this snake of a woman. She had to think of a way to let him know she would find a way out.
"I'll be there for you," she said.
Enud made a sound somewhere between a grunt and a chuckle. "It will do him as much good as it will do you," she said.
Alaysha ignored her. "I will be there."
"I know what's going to happen," he said. "On my journey here. Bodicca told me."
This time Enud spat on the ground. "Traitor," she mumbled.
Alaysha turned her. "Without the traitor you wouldn't have this fine man to cast for tomorrow," she said.
Enud leered at Yenic but not with a look of desire, at least not sexual desire, the emotion that burned in her face was one Alaysha understood well, having seen it on Corrin's face as he tortured her, on Yuri's face when he learned of Saxons kidnapping. It was one of revenge, and Alaysha couldn't help wondering what Yenic might have done to make the Enyalian hate him so.
She spoke to Yenic without taking her eyes off Enud's. "Just know that I'll be there. Cai has promised me that Gael will not be cast for. That just leaves you. And I'll be there."
Enud had apparently tired of the exchange and stepped forward so that she towered over Alaysha, looking down at her. She'd eaten onions, Alaysha could tell, and she seemed quite pleased to wash Alaysha from head to toe with her breath. "Komandiri Cai is a woman of her word."
"I believe you." Alaysha stepped away, her shoulder catching again in the ligament line, making the nut casings rattle in the tree. She gave one last look toward Yenic as he backed up and disappeared behind the dwelling. She heard a small scuffle coming from inside and imagined he was settling into bed, thinking about how things would go the next day. Alaysha spared a thought herself for it. She had no idea what it would entail, but she would do what it took to win him away from these warriors, and when she was at last able to have him to herself without interference, they would secret Gael away and rendezvous somewhere in the woods with Aedus. They'd be on their way.
But one thing niggled at her conscience as she made her way back to Cai's Lodge. It was the way Enud had so heartily agreed that Cai was a woman of her word. It made her wonder exactly what had been behind those words that Alaysha didn't understand.
Chapter 17
Birdsong woke Alaysha. She rolled over on the makeshift bed and stared at the thatch of the ceiling. The boys were already up it seemed; she could hear them scuttling around the room. She propped herself up on her elbow and scanned for Cai. The Enyalian was nowhere to be seen.
Alaysha shot out of bed in a panic. How long had she slept? Had she missed the casting already? Apparently even as on edge as she was, exhaustion and fatigue had been quite able to steal her body and lull her to sleep. The battle in the burnt lands, the draining of her power, carrying Gael. Enough to make her sleep for days. Even sprinting to the door, she could feel the effects deep in her tissues as they practically begged her to stop moving. She lifted the flap and stared outside. Plenty of activity, more than she'd ever seen in the hours she'd been here.
Several warriors were sharpening blades, spitting on the edge and rubbing fingers to test sharpness. Warriors that weren't sharpening blades were performing the same strange ritual she'd watched Cai complete before sleep. A couple of stock women stood silently with their arms crossed, spoons sticking up between their bosoms. She spotted Cai standing outside of Thera's hut, both of them in focused conversation. The door flap was open, and women streamed in and out.
Not a perfect development.
She strode across the compound and at Cai with all the defiance she could muster. "Where's Gael?"
Cai looked at her the way one would look at a bothersome child. "Gael? You mean the man?"
"Yes, you know I mean the man. Where is he?"
A woman bumped into her as she exited and knocked Alaysha a couple of feet away from the door. Cai moved to catch her and gathered her beneath her arm, pulling her close. Alaysha could feel the teeth of the woman's circlet digging into her thigh.
"The man is no concern of yours, little maga. I thought you understood that."
"You said he wouldn't be cast for."
"And he won't be."
"Then what is all this?" Alaysha took a swipe at a particularly large Enyalian, ending up backhanding her across the tricep. The woman spun on her quickly, her hand poised to encircle her neck when she noticed Alaysha was under Cai's obvious protection.
"Komandiri," was all the woman said and strode away.
"What is all this?" Alaysha said again.
"Have you more to say to our bone witch?" Cai said, changing the subject.
"About his mark? You know I don't."
Cai turned to Thera. "Have you more to say to this little witch?"
Thera looked to be considering. She sent her gaze up and down Alaysha's form from foot to face, lingering on the tattaus, and then shook her head. "I think she has nothing to tell me."
Cai's hand went around the back of Alaysha's head, her fingers trailing beneath her hair, tickling just behind her ear lobe. "Then I'm afraid, little maga, that it is time for you to be off."
"No," she said. She thought of Yenic, of her promise. She thought of Gael inside, probably still suffering from his injuries, about to suffer whatever indecencies these women planned for him. "I told you. You know what I can do."
Cai shrugged. "I do. And I also know you won't do anything."
"That's a big risk. But you're not counting on the men themselves. You don't think they'll let themselves be subjected to your whims."
"Many men before them have. You must know little of men."
"You know little of these men."
"Look around you, little maga. Look at how many Enyalia are here still. Your man inside is barely able to lift his head to drink, let alone heft a sword. And your Yenic whom you esteem so highly, was brought in by a single Enyalian so docilely he could have been her pet. I doubt we'll have any trouble."
"I won't go."
Thera tired of the exchange and started to say something when she paused, mouth open, hand already lifted to wrest her away from Cai. But her face changed so quickly, so drastically, Alaysha knew something had to be going on. She pulled away from Cai, who also turned to face what Thera found so intriguing she couldn't even close her mouth.
At f
irst, Alaysha expected it meant they were under attack from the young wind witch. Instinctively, she drew her self together, readying her body and mind to harness the power that she could already feel tingling beneath her skin. She'd do her best, everything she could to keep the power from draining Gael, from draining Yenic, but she had no guarantee she could control the thirst that well. They might well die this day. She swallowed, thinking she'd have to let go before the air began to thin and she couldn't breathe, but when she saw that the bedraggled forms stumbling into the village, her mouth went dry in surprise.
It was Cai who spoke. "Bodicca," she said in obvious confusion.
"And Theron," Alaysha heard herself say.
She was about to rush forward to help him with the still hunched and wounded Bodicca when two warriors stepped toward them from behind, blades in hand and to the ready. They grabbed for both in unison, and pulled them sharply to their backs, meaning to slice the throats of the uninvited interlopers.
Chapter 18
It was Uta's command that saved them from certain death. The chalk witch had stepped from behind Thera's lodge, her arms filled with herbs. She shouted one word: no. Cai made a short motion with her head that indicated the warriors were to bring the two of them forward, then she turned to Uta .
"You put the boar grease to her back yourself, Uta. Why do you save her now?"
"It's not for her I wait."
Alaysha was surprised to see Cai gape at the chalk witch. "The man? Surely not."
"You're too much of a young bitch yet to understand." Uta shuffled forward the few steps to meet with the warriors who brought both captives forward. Alaysha caught Theron's eye as they drew closer, his expression was pinched and determined. Something in his black eyes made her think he was forcing his feet to move step-by-step into what he thought was certain danger. Indeed, it was. But there was something more behind his gaze. Something that made Alaysha bite her tongue so that it wouldn't ask the question that was right on her lips. She had to trust him.
He faced the chalk witch, pointing all the while at Bodicca's still healing back. "Is such a horrible thing as this what was done to Alkaia? Tell us you cruel woman."
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