Wild Within

by Mima

  “There were people back there, but I don't think they were fighters. They're probably helping her right now.”

  Vyur gave a final gasping shudder and dropped his hands to his lap, looking up at the Alpha, his face wet with tears and completely unselfconscious about it.

  “Are you ready to help your promised-mate? You have control?”

  “I am. I do.” Vyur was flat once again.

  “This way. Follow me.” They set off toward the far door, KarRa towed in his unbending grasp, tripping to keep up.

  “Perhaps I could keep up on my own?”

  Scaly looked at her, surprised. “Of course, Lady. My apologies. I’d like you to stay with us. Vyur knew you. Do you know his promised?”

  “She’s a friend. I was trying to keep her safe but this body came flying out of nowhere.”

  “You are in no way to blame. Pol!” He called to another man crouched near some bloody bodies. “There were more women near. Find them!”

  Down a hall, a short flight of stairs, another left, and they were in a huge room full of open barrels and tables piled with food. Ovens and kilns and open roaring flames under grills took up the far side of the room. KarRa was fascinated by the variety of dishes and utensils and the mounds of food.

  Suddenly, Vyur was running ahead toward the cluster of people at the far end. “Freezha!” His cry cleared the way as he leaped what must have been four body lengths to land and stagger to his knees next to Freezha's whimpering and shivering body.

  She had never seemed so tiny to KarRa, as she lay crumpled on the stone floor.

  “Vyur! Oh Vyur! My leg! I'm sorry!” Freezha began to babble and cry hysterically as he sought to soothe her with shushing noises, his hand going to her abdomen to press gently to keep her in a reclining position, while the other went to hover up and down her leg, which was black, swollen, and seeping.

  “I forgot everything you ever taught me. I was useless. KarRa had to save me. KarRa put me through the window and something landed on my leg—I think it was a person! KarRa stayed out in the fighting. She never came through. You have to find her!”

  “I'm right here, Freezha,” KarRa called as she and Scaly arrived.

  Vyur was firm now, his hand hovering over the middle of her shin, where blood was soaking damply. “You must be still, Freezha. A bodymage will be here soon. Your friend is fine and I am here. I order you to stop talking and breathe with me. Nice and slow now…”

  “KarRa!” Freezha ignored everything he said. “You're all right? I'm so sorry I couldn't help. I loved it when you pounded that redhead in the throat and he fell to his knees gasping! Oh, it was so wonderful! I completely fuzzed out!”

  “Freezha!” Vyur and KarRa shouted together and stunned her into momentary silence.

  “Who has sent for a bodymage?” Scaly asked.

  “We sent our youngest boy some minutes ago, Lizzeed. Maybe he was needed in the food hall first.”

  Vyur turned soothingly toward Freezha. “Breathe with me. The pain is better, yes?”

  “Yes! Oh it's just a little ache now! Do you think I should get up?”

  “Freezha! Stop! Your leg is broken. Just look at me. Look at my eyes. Breathe. In. out.”

  Vyur finally mesmerized and focused Freezha.

  Just then someone came bustling up behind them and sank down next to Vyur.

  Pol came up to the serving window from the other side and said, “We found the women. They had gone out the North door.”

  “Meet me there.” The Alpha spun so fast KarRa tripped as she danced to get out of his way. “Please come.”

  Back the way they came, a bodymage was now talking to Pol, who looked bigger when KarRa could see more than just his face.

  The men turned to them and said “Sto,” bowing their heads once sharply.

  “The women?” he asked.

  It was the bodymage, a warrior obviously not a Lizzeed, who answered. “Have been escorted to their rooms. Some minor bruises and the mage was fatigued from being out of practice. She shielded some of them from the start, propelled nearby fighters, and finally sealed the doorway so the fighting couldn't spill back toward them once the last woman made it through.” He looked curiously at KarRa. “Or at least most of the women. She'll be fine after some sleep, and the others are already healed.”

  “My thanks, Groundbear. Please, I ask you to go to the kitchens, where Vyur’s woman has a badly broken leg.”

  The man paled, but nodded once and left.

  “Well?” Sto turned abruptly to Pol.

  “As you scented, the Wolf younglings dared each other to touch the wall of our lounge. Various reports put the group at four to fourteen. Our younglings on their way to the library caught them on their way out. The fight began on underground two, where several Groundbear younglings joined in, and by the time they made it to the plaza level they'd put out two guards and the Marten younglings had caught up and piled on.

  “Several other small groups of warriors saw the size of the group and pulled off a few at the fringe, then went for an organized muster at a bottleneck, coming around in the front.”

  KarRa had been idly examining the broken skin on her knuckles when she heard her name and a pull of need inside. Waving, she cried, “Here Rylan!”

  Rylan came bounding over the bodies, and to her astonishment leapt nearly the entire length of the room when he caught sight of her.

  In an instant, he was at her side, breathless with laughter. “You’re well! Praise the Waters. Our first Truxet riot and I miss it!”

  He held out his arms and she leaped into the hug, laughing in return. But his hands gripped her tightly, skimmed her limbs quickly, despite his laughter. Putting her down he went to his knees and concentrated, frowning as his hands hovered in several places.

  Looking sharply at the two men he demanded, “Why has she not received healing!”

  “Uh, Rylan, let me introduce you to the Lizzeed Alpha, Sto, and his friend Pol.”

  He stood stiffly, not changing his belligerent face one bit.

  Sto looked at KarRa sharply. “You told me you were not injured!”

  “I'm not!”

  Rylan opened his mouth and KarRa put her hand over it firmly. Even though he angrily twisted his head away, knocking her hand down, she got her words out.

  “I'm fine! Just some bruises!”

  Yanking her tunic up to reveal a bloody scrape down her ribs he shouted, “You are such a rockhead!”

  She hadn’t even felt it yet.

  Pol was open-mouthed and agog at this irreverent, fiery interchange between warrior and mate. Sto blinked, uncertain.

  “I'll be healed when the more needy are attended! It's not like I'm in incredible pain. Freezha broke her leg! I thought Vyur was going to blow an artery.”

  Rylan was instantly concerned. “That's terrible! But remember, KarRa, bodymages here can heal that in a few hours. She'll be completely healed by tonight.”

  “Yeah, that's right,” KarRa was relieved.

  Sto cleared his throat. “You are aware that your mate was caught in the fighting?”

  Rylan looked blankly at the Clan Alpha. KarRa could tell he was about to answer with some sort of sarcastic comment like “she didn't rip her knuckles by herself” or “wasn’t she gardening?” but she elbowed him in a very unsubtle move. He coughed and said, “Yes! I am! And it's awful! Just terrible!”

  He looked at her to gauge her reaction to this pathetically fake response. KarRa got the feeling he was not acting properly fuzzed out over the occurrence of a riot in River Mountain.

  Pol offered slowly, as if talking to a concussed child, “She was trapped in a room full of brawling Truxet. Granted, they were just younglings in warrior training, but still…”

  Rylan made a slashing move with his hand. “What do you want me to say?” When both men were silent, continuing their odd looks, he said, “Thank you for stopping the fight. I’m very relieved she’s not badly hurt. If she hurt someone it was becau
se they were doing something they shouldn't have been.” Snappish and annoyed now, he bowed crisply and pulled KarRa away. “I must attend to her wounds.”

  KarRa snorted but waved to the men as she allowed herself to be pulled along.

  The sea of laid out bodies was impressive, and KarRa and Rylan picked their way through. Calling a mage over, he asked that KarRa be healed when he was done. The bodymage was alarmed at not attending to a woman immediately, but they assured him they wanted the youngsters attended to first.

  Back in her room, he soaked a small towel in cool water and laid it on her ribs, taking the opportunity to kiss a circle around her bellybutton.

  KarRa looked at him fondly when he looked up at her. His eyes were relieved and full of love, and peace washed through her in return.

  As he lay down beside her, head propped on a hand, he mused, “Do we have to live in strife for you to think well of me?”

  KarRa laughed shortly but stopped when it made her ribs sting. She lifted a hand and drew it along his smooth jaw. “Rylan, I've just had a lot to deal with. I thought I was taking all the changes with being in Vladaya as they came and making the best, but when you were there as a real mate, it just—everything was magnified. The one thing I've wanted for so long, now here, when I had been prepared for so long to lose you utterly, it just didn't, I just wasn't…” she sighed.

  He waited patiently for her to order her thoughts. His eyes searched the depths of her.

  They lay side by side on the bed. She no longer had to keep her hands to herself. Or her mouth. The thrill of her idea caught her breath. Curling her hand behind his neck, she lifted herself up to kiss him, mouth moving hard, tongue reaching. With a gasp Rylan fell forward, allowing her to relax against the bed and wiggle with the ecstasy of his weight on her aching nipples, his mouth opening wider, hot and urgent.

  Breaking off from him she whispered against his lips, “Are you really going to be my lover?”

  He kissed her harder, his tongue stroking deep into her mouth to explore the length of hers. Pulling back he gritted out, “Only me. I'm yours.”

  The kiss had spun on and heated up when there was a startled “Oh! Excuse me!”

  Rylan pulled away, his hand lifting from where he had held her face to just the preferred angle, and slid off the bed. “Greetings, healer. You are not too fatigued?” Rylan nonchalantly wiped his damp mouth as the bodymage chuckled.

  “If I was, I'm not anymore!”

  KarRa laughed in response to Rylan's grimace.

  Only a few moments of relaxation later, all the hot spots and nagging tight places faded. A few more minutes and her skinned knuckles and ribs were unblemished.

  As the mage stood to leave he said, “Sto and Vyur have asked for your presence.”

  KarRa and Rylan exchanged a look. “All right. Are they in Freezha's room?”

  He shook his head. “They are in the Lizzeed caves.”

  They passed signs of the struggle, toppled statues, skewed hangings, flowers trampled, and one broken pitcher of juice. There were even some bodies still lying on the stairs, groaning as people bent to assist them. The deeper they went down the stairs, the warmer it grew.

  At the entrance to the Lizzeed rooms, the archway covered in ferocious mouths and spiked bodies, KarRa pulled Rylan to a stop with both hands. She shook her head at his inquiring look. “I'm not walking in there unescorted. That's how the fight broke out! Is there a way to knock?”

  Rylan frowned. “I've never met anyone at their caves before. If I'm working with a non-Owl, I meet them somewhere neutral.”

  KarRa cupped her hands and yelled loudly “KarRa and Rylan are here!”

  After a moment, a small boy appeared. He stared at KarRa intently, who returned the look. His hair was oddly wispy, like that of an old man, and when he spoke, the words were sibilant as he worked to speak with his strange snake tongue. “Are you the warrior woman?”

  KarRa shrugged. “I can fight if I have to. Sto asked to see me?”

  He nodded in high speed and jumped from one foot to the other. “By Wave and Flame is he mad! Those younglings are so dead!”

  He turned and scampered in, and Rylan held KarRa back so that he could go first. When they came to the three doors, they heard his high voice echo from the far right, “Come on! Lizzeed, they're here! She's smaller than I thought she'd be! She has hardly any hair! Is she like us?”

  There were low rumblings and Sto stepped out from one of the curtains. He looked hard at Rylan, KarRa peeking around his shoulder, then gestured them in. “Greetings. My thanks for your coming. You are healed, I hope, KarRa?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  The room was just the same as hers, but a world different. There was also a low cave hollowed out at the back, about waist high. It formed a deep bed shelf, freeing up more floor space in the small room, and allowing for a much bigger bed. KarRa thought the idea perfectly splendid. It was high enough to sit up in, plus another head.

  The floor was lined with overlapping rugs that reminded her of her brightmoon ceremony. There were many glass planters bursting with growth hanging about the ceiling, the walls were covered with beautiful weavings, and the niches held many trinkets. There was a trunk, and a set of shelves with books. The table and chairs were beautifully carved. For the first time KarRa got a sense of what a real family home could look like. She loved it.

  Freezha was at the back of the bedspace, a tiny pale lump covered mostly by furs, her slender leg exposed from knee to ankle with compresses resting along the length of her shin. When she saw KarRa, her face lit up and she struggled to free an arm from her pile of bedding. Vyur was sitting at her hip and turned to look at them. He was as relaxed as KarRa had ever seen him. Perhaps he feels safe in his lair, she thought.

  KarRa approached the opening and leaned her arm against the top, dropping her head slightly into the space. She stretched her hand out toward Freezha, but let it drop since it was obvious their fingers could not touch.

  “KarRa! I've been so worried! I insisted on seeing you myself. Come here!”

  “Uh, no, I'm fine standing here Freezha. I'm not going to climb on Vyur's bed. You saw me already! In the kitchen, remember?”

  Freezha shook her head. “Don't remember that very well. Come here, I want to give you a hug! Vyur won't mind.”

  “No, Freezha. I mind. I'll hug you lots later. I'm so glad you're feeling better. I heard the bone break. Isn't it wonderful living with bodymages all around?”

  Freezha laughed her tinkling charming trill. “I do feel lucky! When he comes back after evenmeal tonight, it'll be strong enough to walk on! Oh KarRa, I just want you to know how brave I thought you were. Rylan! You should have seen her. She was dodging and ducking and swinging like she'd been fighting all her life.”

  There was an awkward beat of silence as everyone suddenly remembered that she had been doing it all her life.

  “She's wild when she's cornered, all right,” Rylan said jovially into the silence. “I'm glad you're well, Freezha.”

  “Thanks. KarRa, I'm sorry I ran out into the middle like that, and then just froze. I couldn't even think of how to get out of there—the chaos! I even failed to use my magic. It just seemed there were people all around. You got me out, and you hit those men who were going to hit me.”

  Vyur was now looking intently at KarRa, who stood back awkwardly from the bed.

  “Well. Uh, actually I think I was just protecting my own face, Freezha.”

  “But you could have just gotten yourself out and instead you went into the mess to fetch me.” She struggled up on her elbows, “KarRa you saved my life.”

  KarRa laughed an awkward fake chuckle. “Those younglings were nowhere near that kind of damage, Freezha. They were mostly just ignoring us. You would probably have been fine if I had left you there instead of getting crushed by a flying body as I stuffed you through the food hole.”

  “No.” This from Vyur and instantly the room was at attention. “There
were several very serious injuries. It was good that she was taken from the fighting. The broken leg was a chance accident. I've found that two of the Lizzeed youth were the ones that threw the Groundbear across the room. They saw him hit the wall and turned away. That none of the youth even cared who was nearby, who was being harmed by their vendetta—it is a basic lesson and one they will not be allowed to ever forget again when I am done with them.”

  Freezha heaved a dramatic sigh and flung one arm over her eyes. She seemed completely uncowed by the two toweringly angry Lizzeed warriors in the room. “They're already scarred for life. They feel horrible.”

  “Not yet they don't. They feel sullen at being faced with repercussions to their perceived justice.” This from Sto, arms crossed and leaning against the wall by the door.

  “Well, Freezha, it was nice to see you. We'll leave you to rest and maybe we'll see you tomorrow.” KarRa kept her voice light. These men were dangerous. She didn’t belong here.

  Turning back toward her, Freezha's face tightened with sincerity, tears dripping in beautiful rivulets out of the corner of her eye. “KarRa, I owe you balance.”

  “Oh, for Shadow's sake! Don't you dare even try!” KarRa was completely discomfited and paced away. She saw Sto raise his eyebrow and spun and paced back to crouch and look Freezha directly in the eye.

  “I tried to protect you. I failed. I'm glad you are not angry with me! I'm glad Vyur's not demanding balance from me! You will soon be well, and that is a source of relief. Now rest. If Vyur thinks you're well enough, maybe I'll let you put one pretty, useless dress in my trunk tomorrow night.” She winked and Freezha laughed through her tears.

  As they took their leave, she was surprised when Vyur leaned down and kissed Freezha's hand gently, then slid off the bed and followed them out. Sto did not lead them to the entrance but further down the hall, through the sitting area where softly murmuring voices fell silent, and into a chamber the size of two bedrooms, with nothing in it. He rolled the rock door shut.

  “I watched you fight,” he said to KarRa. Rylan, staying close, took her hand and squeezed it. She knew the signal at once; he wanted to speak at this meeting.