Fearless

by Jennifer Jenkins

  Across the table, Gryphon hadn’t touched any of his food. He held his hands in his lap and politely refused the lamb as well. Gryphon looked up, noted her empty plate, and offered her a slight nod of gratitude.

  He looked so handsome and clean. After spending the last few hours apart, she longed to take his hand and go for a walk in the foothills surrounding the camp. To spend time together without the threat of Clanless and Ram on their heels. To hear his deep laughter—a laugh she’d rarely heard since he’d asked her to be his in the meadow on the night after their escape from his mess unit.

  What would it be like to just live a contented, peaceful life with the person you loved? She let her thoughts travel a little further down that road than she ought—thinking of her and Gryphon spending nights by a warm fire, of him carving a block of wood into some animal form or another while he hummed one of the many melodies he favored.

  But he hadn’t mentioned anything about his request to claim her. And she’d been too shy to ask him to elaborate. In Wolf custom, a man had to gain the permission of the girl’s father or guardian before he could court her. She couldn’t imagine Laden granting such a thing.

  Besides that, Gryphon had been different ever since that night. She’d hoped it was only the looming thought of entering the Allied Camp that had kept him quiet. Even now, when she smiled at him across the table, he seemed to hold something back. Did he regret his hasty offer?

  Laden set down his fork and wiped his mouth on a napkin. “I suppose all that remains to be discussed is the future. I assume you know I can’t let you leave.”

  Gryphon didn’t seem at all surprised by this news.

  “You admit you are loyal to your clan, so you can’t fight for the Allies.” It wasn’t a question. Laden knew better than to assume Gryphon would willingly raise his sword against his brothers. “And you cannot leave, or else we run the risk of you revealing the location of our camp.” He idly stroked the shadow of a beard at his jaw line. “What am I to do with you?”

  “If I swore an oath not to reveal your location?”

  “Not good enough,” said Laden. He thought for a minute then softly tapped the table. “And since we don’t keep prisoners, I see only two options: either remain here and earn your keep by training my men, or we kill you.”

  Zo choked on a half-swallowed bite of potato as the men at the table all murmured disgruntled opinions.

  When Zo found her voice, she rasped, “You can’t do that!”

  “You would trust me to train your men?” Gryphon raised a brow.

  “Should I?” Commander Laden countered. Several men around the table fidgeted in their chairs.

  “I’m a Ram. I doubt they would accept me.”

  “You are Ram and know the strengths and weaknesses of your clan. Who better to train them for combat against the Ram?”

  Zo wanted to reach out to Gryphon. To urge him not to commit to anything on her account. He’d sacrificed enough for her. She’d help him leave the Allies if that’s what he really wanted. No more favors.

  “And Joshua?” Gryphon asked. “What will become of him?”

  Laden didn’t hesitate. “As payment for your service to Zo and Tess, the boy will always have a home and place with the Allies, so long as he keeps our laws.” Laden leaned forward. “But you haven’t answered my question, lad. Can I trust you?”

  “This is madness,” the wiry Raven muttered into his mug before taking a long drink. “He’ll sabotage the camp. Kill us in our beds.”

  Gryphon turned toward Zo, uncertainty etched across his face. Did he hope to find the answer to the Commander’s question written in her eyes? Laden might not be asking him to fight against his people, but training others to fight the Ram wasn’t really all that different. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but not this. Not from Laden.

  “Don’t do this for me,” she blurted. “You’ve done so much … I can’t bear the thought of you sacrificing more.”

  He smiled at that, as though something she said was amusing or perhaps ironic. He drew a deep breath and then said, “You have no chance of victory against my people, Laden. But I will train your men so long as it earns Joshua a permanent place among the Allies.”

  Laden stuck out a hand and Gryphon accepted it in a firm shake. Then Laden addressed the council. “The Ram and his apprentice are under my protection. If any man harms them while they are my guests I will drag them to the top of that mountain,” he pointed northeast, in the direction of the giant mountain range dividing them from the Ram, “and tie them to a tree to await their death.” Laden met eyes with the two Kodiak at the table. “Do we see each other?” he asked.

  They both nodded and in mismatched harmony replied, “We see you.”

  To the two Ravens seated at the table, he kissed the tips of his fingers and touched his forehead. They did the same and said, “By the spirit of our ancestors, we will support you.” And lastly, to the five Wolves, he stood and shook hands with each. Everyone in turn rumbled the same, “A promise,” before taking his seat. Three different cultures, three different vows that, when boiled down, all meant the same thing: Gryphon and Joshua were safe.

  The tension in Zo’s body unwound.

  When Laden reached the head of the table again, he dismissed the company with a charge to pass along his orders to their men. Laden’s system of governing worked so that the information would be spread throughout the ranks of his loyal men within the hour.

  Zo took Gryphon’s hand and led him to the far corner of the tent, away from the exit and the ears of the leaving men. “Are you sure about this?” she exclaimed, before he had a chance to say anything. “I can talk to Laden. I can convince him to change his mind.”

  Gryphon shook his head. His wrist brushed her cheek as he ran his fingers down the length of one of her many braids. “So beautiful.” Bending down, he placed a chaste kiss upon her forehead. “Until seeing you tonight, I had thought your disguise inside Ram’s Gate almost laughable. It was so obvious how attractive you were.” He smiled and kissed her check. “Now I can see it was actually a valiant effort.”

  Zo hadn’t expected this reaction from him. It took her a moment to remember why she’d pulled him aside. Her hand went to her flaming cheek and she whispered, “Please don’t do this for Laden on my account.”

  Gryphon straightened. “Laden’s terms were reasonable. I never expected protection and shelter from the Allies without a price attached. Besides, it gives Joshua a chance at a decent future. At least until Laden decides to go to war against my cl—” His voice cut out and he closed his eyes. “I mean, the Ram.”

  Zo thought of the scars on her hands. “That day might be sooner than we think.”

  Gryphon nodded. “I agree.”

  When she noticed Laden approaching from the corner of her eye, Zo took a small step away from Gryphon, putting a little more space between them.

  “You handled yourself well tonight, Ram,” said Laden.

  Gryphon offered Laden a clipped bow. “Thank you, sir.”

  “My trust isn’t easily won. You will be under the protection of my guard, day and night, until I decide otherwise.”

  Gryphon, ever the soldier, did well to mask his annoyance, but Zo recognized the slight crease in his brow. The way his breath deepened and his nostrils subtly flared.

  “That’s not necessary,” she blurted. “Gryphon isn’t a threat. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt Joshua and my people.”

  Laden turned a gentle eye on Zo. “You sound just like your trusting mother when you say such things.” He raised his hand to her cheek and kissed the top of her head like he had a hundred times when she was a child. “I’m so relieved to have you home.” To Gryphon he added, “My guard are waiting outside to escort you to your tent. You’ll shadow me tomorrow before we put you to work.”

  When Gryphon didn’t make a move to leave Zo’s side, Commander Laden added, “You’re excused.”

 
Gryphon looked over at Zo and back to Laden, as though he might chance defying his first order.

  “I’ll find you tomorrow,” Zo supplied. She wished she could hug him and reassure him that this new life would be a happy one as Gryphon stepped away from her side and toward the tent flaps.

  “One last thing, Gryphon,” said Laden.

  “Sir?”

  “I’ve given the order of your protection, but you’ll still need to guard yourself. At this moment you are the most hated man in my camp.”

  “I understand, sir.”

  Four guards filed out behind Gryphon, leaving Zo and the Commander alone in the tent.

  Without thinking, Zo blurted, “I want to share a tent with Joshua and Gryphon.” The unplanned words surprised even her. Heat rushed to her cheeks and she struggled to meet Commander Laden’s eyes. More softly, she added, “They are like my family. Joshua is like a brother to Tess and me. It might help him adjust.”

  When she finally caught Laden’s disapproving glare, she took an involuntary step back. “To sleep together on a trek across the mountains is one thing. It’s quite another to share a tent in an established camp. Until a man claims you properly and receives my blessing, you’ll stay in the Women’s Tent where you belong.”

  Zo might have argued if her throat wasn’t clogged with shame. He has claimed me, she almost said.

  … sort of.

  “When were you planning to tell me about the blood oath?” Laden asked.

  Zo covered her scars out of instinct. The change in topic left her sputtering, “I … ”

  Laden held a hand out for her and led her back into the heart of the tent. He took two stone goblets from a cabinet near the table, along with an old-looking bottle of weak wine. They sat at the table and Laden poured. He handed her the glass and said, “Start talking.”

  The story of her bargain with Ikatou spilled over her lips like acid. She couldn’t rid herself of them fast enough.

  “Leave it to a Kodiak to rope a desperate person into a promise they don’t have the power to keep.”

  Zo remembered less and less of her father every day, but it was times like these—when she really wanted the sympathy she usually shied away from—that she missed him most. She imagined what it would be like to have someone put their arm around her and simply promise to make the problems go away.

  Laden was amazing in so many ways, but he’d never been that type of a protector. He wouldn’t swoop in and solve this for her. Not because he didn’t care or didn’t want to see her in pain, but because, as much as he loved her, he would always put his cause before any one person. Childish as it was, Zo wouldn’t mind if, just once, he’d put her first.

  “I don’t have the power to fix this,” she said. “But you do. Whether I like it or not, my fate is tied to the Nameless still imprisoned inside Ram’s Gate. There has to be some way you can free them.”

  Laden didn’t speak for several moments. His eyes glassed over, his thoughts drifting to a place beyond Zo’s sight.

  “Laden?” she finally asked, urging him back to present.

  “I will not attack the walls of Ram’s Gate. We can’t breech their defenses—not until the majority of their forces are demolished—and we can’t defeat them as we are. Your boy was right about that much. I need more support from the other clans.”

  “You’re about to have the entire Raven Clan at your disposal. How much more could you possibly need?”

  “I need the Kodiak. And I need time to train the new Raven and Kodiak who’ll be joining us. He looked down his long nose at her with pity.

  “He doesn’t know anything about the oath yet, does he?”

  Zo’s brow furrowed.

  “I’m talking about Gryphon.” He clarified. “You’re in love with him, yet you haven’t told him?”

  Zo pulled her hand out from under his. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, she knew her face revealed the truth.

  “I don’t blame you, child. I know how much you two have been through.” His words were meant to comfort, but the worry plastered to his brow left Zo uneasy.

  “But?” she asked. She had a feeling she didn’t want to hear what he had to say.

  “You care for this Ram. And I believe he’s a good man at his core.” Laden leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table. “But there’s a mystery about him, Zo. Something he’s not telling us.”

  Zo shook her head. “You don’t know him like I do.”

  Laden threw up his hands. “You’re right. I don’t know him.” He leaned in even closer to Zo. “But I know what motivates men. I can see things that others often miss.” He sighed. “Just guard your heart. That’s all.”

  Chapter Six

  Gryphon woke before the sun. No horn calling men to report to the training fields. No walls blocking the loud wind as it shook the tent and howled on its way. No hike up the familiar mountain peak to burn off the palpable anxiety assaulting his body. Only the sound of two boys arguing.

  “How can you possibly expect to save Gryphon’s life?” asked Joshua. “I mean, doesn’t that sound a bit arrogant to you?”

  A calm, steady voice countered in methodic speech. “How does the feather protect the mighty eagle?”

  “Well,” Joshua seemed to consider for a moment. “It doesn’t.”

  Gryphon opened his eyes to find Sani, the Raven chief’s son, who claimed to owe Gryphon his life, arguing with his apprentice. “The feather gives him flight.”

  Joshua stared at Sani, his eyes ready to roll in impatience. “So you’re saying, you’re going to help him … fly?”

  Sani, ever patient in an almost condescending way, sighed audibly. “I’m saying sometimes small things can make a big difference.”

  Gryphon chose that time to stretch in his bedroll and sit up. “It’s a little early, isn’t it, boys?”

  Sani and Joshua both had the decency to look ashamed. “Good to see you again, little chief,” said Gryphon to Sani.

  Sani folded his arms across his chest. The skin of his forehead crinkled around the braided leather band he wore. “You intentionally left our Flock in the wilderness. I am your ‘Atiin. You must allow me to fulfill my purpose.”

  Gryphon lay back onto his bedroll, his head already pounding. “I don’t want an ‘Atiin, boy.”

  “And yet fate has deemed one necessary.” Sani rolled out his bedroll, placing himself directly in front of the tent flaps.

  Before Gryphon could ask him what he was doing, Joshua pulled a fresh shirt over his head and pulled on his boots, saying, “Does he always talk like this? It’s worse than lessons.” He joined Sani by the tent flaps, as though they had somewhere to go.

  “What’s the hurry?” Gryphon raised a brow at his apprentice.

  “Chores.” Joshua shrugged, as though Gryphon should expect nothing less. “Sani and I are assigned to help the ironworkers sharpen blades, and then both Tess and I have to take a shift in the fields,” said Joshua. “And once I’m done, Tess is taking the three of us hiking to a lookout point to watch for the Raven. Tess said, before she left for Ram’s Gate, she had a fort up on the ridge with a view of the whole camp.”

  Gryphon’s jaw hung open. “Who gave you orders? When will you train?” Gryphon had never imagined Joshua doing farm work. Inside Ram’s Gate, his only job was to grow his strength and skill so that one day he could join a mess and become a Ram warrior. It was the only way to gain full citizenship within his clan.

  Gryphon had never agreed with his clan’s practice of keeping slaves, but he’d also never considered life without someone who tended the crops and performed other menial tasks.

  “Are there others your age here?” He tried to remember seeing any another children or youth in the camp, but couldn’t.

  Joshua shrugged. “Not unless you count a few Nameless refugees and Sani.” Both boys were only thirteen years old, but they couldn’t be more different. Where Joshua was vivacious and carefree, Sa
ni was somber and responsible; Joshua tall and gangly and Sani more compact and coordinated. Opposites in every way.

  “Sani trains alongside his brother and sister,” said Joshua. “Laden doesn’t let women and children join the Allies. They stay back with their families within their clans. That’s why you don’t see children running around.”

  Gryphon sat on the edge of his cot and laced up his boots, contemplating Joshua’s information. Joshua and Sani went to leave the tent, but Gryphon called him back. “You and I are still training every night after dinner, do you understand? Sani, you can join us, if your father approves.”

  Joshua smiled. “Wouldn’t miss it.” He exited the tent at a run with Sani trotting behind.

  How did the boy know where to find breakfast? How did he seem to know his way around the camp? They’d only arrived yesterday and already the kid seemed so happy and light. Perhaps the life of a Wolf farmer would suit him more than that of a Ram warrior.

  He cringed at the thought, but also had to admit that it was better to have the boy surrounded by Wolves and farms than bloodshed.

  He’d try to diminish his lingering prejudices surrounding the Wolf way for Joshua’s sake. If nothing else, at least Gryphon knew he was doing right by the boy. That there was hope for happiness in his future.

  As for Gryphon, he’d never felt more homeless, even in the wilderness. He lay back in his bedroll and watched the flapping ceiling of the tent, pondering his decision not to tell Laden about the Ram leaving the Gate and moving against the Wolves. His first reaction was to think of his brothers. Till now every betrayal he’d committed was done out of necessity for Zo or Joshua. No one was supposed to be punished for his actions except for him alone.

  Telling Commander Laden about the Ram moving out against the Wolves was entirely different. If the Allies had time to join the main forces defending the Wolves, then the Ram would suffer enormous casualties. With numbers stacked so heavily in the Allies’ favor, they might even have a chance at victory.