by Auryn Hadley
Zep roared with laughter and walked away. Sal sighed. "Yes. If you tell me about the mission."
"Right. They said the hypnotizing would prevent you from reading us. We were supposed to surrender, claim that we wanted out, and poison you. The elites that hired us, they think your death will stop the army. That's all I know."
Sal pulled her hair away from her ear. The man touched it gently, and Zep cackled again.
"So soft. The pena is very thin but cupped to enhance the sounds. Your hearing is excellent, yes?"
"Yes. Which unit? The Terran elites, which ones?"
"Red and Black spider on the shoulder?" he said, staring at her ear.
"Fuck." Sal turned away before he was done. "Professor, I think you need a nap. When you wake again, I'll let you examine me, ok?"
He suddenly blushed scarlet and looked down. "Uh, Kaisae. I didn't mean to offend."
"You're fine, Ashir. I just need to get some work done. I have some books you might find interesting, too. Journals really, as they've not yet been peer reviewed." She turned to the men around her. "Someone put him to bed? He needs to sleep off his first real meal."
"I'll get it," Rayna said, stepping up.
She grabbed the man's shoulder and turned him gently, guiding him away. When she was out of hearing range, Sal spoke again.
"The Black Widow Company is here. Pig? Send them all. All of you, stay alert and clean them out."
"They've probably moved on by now, Sal," Zep said.
"Maybe. I'm not willing to take the risk. See if Razor can get a read on them. Fuck!" She slapped her hand down on the table and snarled.
"Mead first, demon," Zep said, pushing her back into the chair. "Let the Shields and Dogs handle this. Jase and I are with you, but you have to see the citizens."
Sal nodded.
"When was the last time she slept?" Pig asked Zep.
"Baby?"
"I got a couple of hours last night." Sal waved it off.
"And before that?" Pig asked.
Sal just shook her head.
"Have you eaten?" Zep asked, squatting beside her.
"I'm fine, Zep. Let's just get this over with, ok?"
"She will na eat while they're battering her mind," Jase said, moving to her side. "Let her be, Zep."
"Fuck, Jase. She's about worn herself out."
Jase nodded. "That's how it goes. All of ya have yer orders. Razor can na sense anything, but it looks like they have a new trick. Do na trust that they're gone - this is how Black Widows work. They hide out and attack when it's na expected. They got Zep in Zaqala, so they're good. No one goes anywhere alone until we've swept everything. Grauori with each group, we'll need their noses. Move."
"Yes, sir!" The elites hurried to follow the Ahnor's orders.
"Zep. Coffee and mead for Sal." Jase touched her cheek gently. "Bring cheese too, she needs somethan. Sal. When you're done, you're done. If you will na take care of yerself, we will. Got it?"
She smiled up at him and grabbed his hand. "Yes, sirs," she told her mates. "I'm ok. I'm tired, but I'm still ok. Just bring them to me in small groups?"
Zep nodded, staring at nothing for a moment. "I'll send the first group in and be back."
"Thanks, big brother," Jase said, meaning it.
"They always blame me," Sal grumbled as she waited for the first citizens to make their way to her.
"Nah, kitten. They just know ya'll listen. They hate him, they just can na make him feel their pain. Now, can ya lock down, or do I need ta ask Arctic ta do it?"
Sal shook her head. "I think I'm ok. I'd just like a few days of calm." Sal chuckled, seing the first citizen approaching, and looked up at her lover. "Yep, this one's going to be bad."
The iliri-crossbred woman stormed at them, her husband following meekly behind her. Sal sighed as she waited for the woman to get closer.
"You took too long!" she screamed.
Sal nodded. "I'm sorry. We came as fast as we could."
"Two days ago, they killed her. They killed my baby girl! You call yourself a Kaisae and they killed her." She glared at Sal.
"I'm sorry," Sal said again. "Two days ago they also cleared out an entire town just outside here. They razed the fields to the north. We came as fast as we could, but we had to push them back before us."
"But you took too long," she wailed.
"Yes," Sal said, meeting her eyes. "We did."
"I hate you," the iliri woman growled. "You ruined my life! You took too long and now - "
"No," a voice snapped. "You will not blame her." Shade pushed her way around the woman.
"What do you know! Anglia gets fed, you're safe, you're surrounded by healers! You can't understand."
"Shaden," Sal said. "It's ok."
"No, Kaisae, it's not. You," and Shade turned to the woman before her. "What did you do to help yourself? She doesn't sleep, she barely eats. She pushes her men as hard as she can so she can save your worthless ass, and all you can do is bitch. What did you do to thank her?"
"She doesn't deserve my thanks," the woman snarled.
"And why not? Are the Terrans raping you right now? Is your mate still alive? Does none of that matter?" Shade glared back. "Yesterday, the Kaisae saved my life. You part-bred mutts try to act like you're iliri, but you have no idea. You whine like humans, and you try to blame the one person who is helping you."
"Shaden," Sal said again, trying to stop her tirade.
"I'm sorry, Sal, but this is not right. Her daughter died because she was weak. She is not a kaisae. She can not understand what you do. She was too scared to die for her own daughter. She is not iliri, she is human! Why did you bother?"
"No, Shade. She is iliri. She's hurting, but she's still iliri. Asking why she didn't help herself is like asking why you didn't, or I didn't. We can't always do it alone."
"At least some of us know to appreciate it. You fed me. You gave me clothes. You let me out of the cage! Sal, you give everything for them, and they treat you like this every time?"
"Yeah," Zep said, walking up behind them. "Grief doesn't know logic, though, Shaden." The fiery redhead turned and looked at him, stepping back. "See?" He lifted a brow before turning to his mate. "Sal, I brought you coffee first. Drink something, baby."
"You're going to sit there, drinking coffee, while the rest of us mourn our dead?" The Syharan woman demanded.
"Yeh," Jase said. "She is. Sal, Shaden's right. Ya do na owe them."
"Her daughter just died. How long ago?" Sal asked the woman.
"Two days, I just told you that!"
"How?" Sal asked as gently as she could.
"They told us to hide the Terrans in our homes. We tried to say no, and they took Nalia as an example. They cut her apart and said they'd do that to every daughter unless we housed them."
Sal stood slowly. "I am sorry. We tried. We tried to save them all, but we can't be everywhere."
"You didn't try hard enough," the woman spat and stormed away. "I hope it happens to you."
Sal just moved back to her chair. She took a long gulp of the hot coffee then sighed. "And you wonder why I don't sleep," she told Jase.
"Nah, kitten. I know why. I only wish I could make ya stop thinking ‘bout it long enough fer ya ta get some rest."
"Zep?" Shaden asked, looking up at him.
"Yeah, imp?"
"What did you mean, when you said ‘see'?"
"Logic sounds great, but grief tends to distort it. Why are you scared of us? I didn't hurt you. Hell." He chuckled and looked at Jase. "Neither of us could get it hard long enough to rape you. Doesn't work like that for us. So why are you scared of me?"
Shaden glanced at Sal, who nodded wearily. "Cessivi."
Zep shifted to face the girl. "Arctic's never hurt you. That fool stayed up most of the night watching the door to your tent, worried sick over you, but you probably avoid him, too," he went on. "It's not because you blame us, it's because of grief."
"I'm trying," Shade said, h
olding her head up. "And logic sure helps."
Zep nodded. "I'm sure she is too, but her daughter just died. We're the only ones who will listen."
"So what can I do?" Shade asked.
"Listen ta them?" Jase said. "All of them, the men and the women. That, and do na shut Arctic out."
"What's the deal with Arctic?" she asked.
Jase smiled and looked in her eyes. "His instincts draw him to ya. He's trying ta resist, but he can na help it. It's a strong pull, little one."
Shade nodded. "He's nice. I'm trying."
"I know," Jase told her.
"I'll go talk to them, ok?" she asked Sal. "I can't bring back the dead, but I'll listen to them so you don't have to."
Sal shook her head. "Thank you, Shade, but it's me they want to talk to." She pushed the wisps of hair away from her face. "I'm the Kaisae. I'm the one that was too slow. I need to hear it."
"You don't," Shade said, walking to her. "Kaisae, you have enough to worry about getting us somewhere without losing half the army. You don't owe them. You have it backwards. They owe you." She looked up at Zep. "I'm right, and you know it. Iliri aren't just good because they're your people. Not all of them are good!"
"I know," Sal said.
"You don't. You keep hoping because you can't understand that one thing. You don't owe them, Sal. We owe you. Stop torturing yourself with this. You want someone to tell you when you're wrong? Well, I'll do it. You're wrong on this."
Sal sat in her chair, her mug of coffee cradled in her hands, and sighed. Jase and Zep looked at her, but Sal shook her head at them, staring at the cup in her hands. She carefully set it down, rubbed her hands across her ears, pushed back her hair, and stood. With a deep sigh, Sal walked to Shaden and hugged the girl.
"Thank you," she said. "This hell just got a bit better. Thanks for slapping me around a bit."
"Thanks for saving my life. It doesn't feel like an equal trade, Kaisae."
Sal shrugged and looked up at Shade. "It never does. You'll be a great match for him, you know that?"
"Arctic?"
Sal nodded. "He's a very dear friend of mine. He needs a little fire in his life, though. He's too careful. Too controlled."
Shade smiled shyly and looked down. "I can touch him. He smells nice, too. Safe."
"You're going to look good in black, you know?" Sal grinned at her.
"Does the tattoo hurt?"
"Only a pinch. Risk is very careful."
"I like his, um... is that his mate? I like Tilso. He's nice, too."
"He's good. Go tell him to get you a horse. Ok?"
Shaden looked at Sal. "A horse? I don't know how to ride!"
Zep chuckled. "Tilso will find you a good match and teach you. You'll have to learn eventually. Nice work today, by the way."
Shade grinned. "I tried to keep them medium rare, but a few might be more."
Jase roared with laughter and ducked his head behind Zep's back trying to smother it.
"Was that ok?" she asked. "Arctic said you eat them."
"I did na expect that," Jase managed. He wiped tears from his eyes then began laughing again. "Damn, bro. Best find ever. Medium rare!"
Zep chuckled, shaking his head. "I've never heard Jase laugh like that in my life. C'mon Shaden, let's go find you a horse."
"K. But Arctic calls me Shade." She smiled at Sal. "I kinda like it."
"It fits," Sal agreed, grabbing her coffee again. "You were a good find. Thanks. I mean it."
Chapter 11
Family after family lined up to either blame or thank Sal. One by one, she listened. Just like each place they'd been before, they heard stories of the horrors Terric had inflicted on the iliri. Children and lovers killed, families broken, hearts ripped to pieces. These people knew loss like few had before, and they poured it out to Sal's waiting ears. Jase and Zep felt every pain Sal did, their link sharing it between them. When the pain came more often than the relief, they stopped her. Zep sent the waiting citizens away, and Jase convinced Sal to take a break. Just a little break, he promised her.
Unav was a democracy, so the only beds available were in homes or taverns. The White Stone Inn stood just off the courtyard. Blaec had claimed it for the leaders and elite forces. When Sal walked in, a portly man was bickering fiercely with Shift.
"I said no," the owner growled, his blue eyes staring into Shift's.
"We're not here to conquer you, sir," Shift tried, but the man slammed his fist on the counter.
"Is there a problem?" Sal interrupted.
Both men turned to her. Shift smiled, but the owner of the inn dropped to a knee before her. "Kaisae," he whispered.
"Don't kneel to me. Please," Sal told him. "It sounded a lot like you two were arguing."
Shift nodded. "Sal, he won't let us pay him for the rooms or food."
"Serious? What's your name, sir?" Sal asked the man.
"Laern Derus, Kaisae."
"Ok, Laern. What's the state of the economy in Syhar right now?"
He shrugged, refusing to look higher than her knees.
"That bad?"
Shift sighed. "Yeah. Syhar's been held by the Terran military for at least three months and under Terran laws for six years. No exports, imports were claimed by the military. From what we've seen, stores are nearly depleted."
Sal nodded. "Now, I'm not an economist, Laern, but it sounds to me like a bit of financial influx would be a lot of help."
"I will not take your money, Kaisae. How can you afford this? Anglia has crossed nearly half the continent. You want a few rooms that would be empty otherwise? You want a few meals that I would've fed to Terrans tonight?"
Jase chuckled. "Ya cook maerte fer Terrans?"
Laern looked at Jase then over to Sal. "Maerte's illegal in Unav." His voice was carefully neutral.
"Since when?" Sal asked.
He chuckled, ducking his head in understanding. "Since Terric."
"Well, then let us compromise, sir." Sal gestured for him to truly rise from the ground. "Half price for the rooms, to cover the cost of labor for cleaning up after us. Anglia will supply the meat, with enough to spare. The grauori are currently doing that. One of our own has more than thirty carcasses. I can claim at least five. I'm pretty sure we'd all be happy to give them to you."
"Shaden?" Shift asked.
Sal nodded and continued. "The meat is a gift to you, and you can return the favor with the preparation. I'll pay you full price for a half of beef and a cask of wine, mead, and either whiskey or ale. Soldiers will tip the staff for each trip from the kitchens. We will also need at least two private rooms, kept open at all times for strategy and such. We will pay full price for those."
"That's very generous of you, Kaisae, but how can you afford it?"
Sal smiled at him. "We just got a very nice trade deal with Viraenova, our lumber exports are up, and something else."
"Taxes, Sal. Population boom," Zep told her.
"Yeah. We're below budget so far. The support at home has been amazing. With Grauoran relays, the news comes swift in both directions, and Anglia is acclimating to the advantage. Sir, I appreciate the offer, but in a week we'll move on, and you will still have a business to run."
Laern nodded at her. "And maerte's back on the menu? For good?"
Sal made an affirmative noise. "And yes, you can put it on the public list. My humans understand. Just try to keep the preparation out of their sight?"
He laughed and nodded. "One more thing," he said. "I'll take your deal, but as a gift of my appreciation, you accept the five bottles of absinthe I have."
"Absinthe?" Sal asked, having never heard of it.
"Distilled from a wood. It often affects humans poorly, but it is potent, and not as sweet as mead. Typically, those with Iliran appetites find it pleasurable."
"How rare is it?"
The man chuckled. "Not very. I mean, few produce it anymore, but the process is simple if time-consuming. It is made from a common scrub weed and fl
avored with anise."
Sal dipped her head. "Then I think we have a deal, sir."
"Good. Let me get you a glass of it, Kaisae. Sit! Would you care for a meal?"
"Yes," Zep said before Sal could refuse. "She'd love one."
Laern looked at him, his face no longer pleasant. "I asked the Kaisae," he snarled. "Not you, human."
"Fuck, I'm tired of this shit, Sal," Zep said. "I dunno how you took it for so long."
Sal waved the man off. "My cessivi is right. I should eat. Laern, Zep is iliri, and my Taunor. Show him the respect he deserves?"
Laern looked from Zep to Jase to Sal and nodded before turning back to the kitchens. That was the best apology Zep was going to get, but it would do.
Jase grabbed her hand, leading her to a table at the back, a well-padded bench just waiting for her. She sank gratefully into the seat, Jase and Zep pulling chairs to either side and Shift took the place across the table.
"So you got your ass chewed all afternoon?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sal grumbled. "Seems we were too slow. Terric went on a killing spree the last few days, trying to intimidate the population. You heard about Black Widows, right?"
"Yeah. At last report, half the town was considered clear. Dogs got your Professor's family up to him. Rayna made sure that reunion went well. Had a few more locked in there, too. That damned daughter of his?" Shift groaned and leaned back in the chair.
"Good or bad?" Zep asked.
"She's like sixteen and chasing pretty much any soldier who's less than completely human. She already tried Risk. Can't wait till she sees you, Cyno."
Jase chuckled and shook his head. "That will na go over so well."
"Yeah. I guess she's pretty adamant. Probably in estrus or something - I haven't been close enough to tell. Risk said he stepped in the armory and she followed him, closing the door and pulling off her clothes before he even turned." Shift laughed.
"You're not telling that story," Risk groaned, coming down the stairs.
"Yep!"
"Silly girl tried to strip and throw herself on me." Risk shrugged. "I asked her if she had a brother. She seemed annoyed."
Shift cackled. "She slapped him!"
Sal looked at Jase, a smile at the corner of her lip.