Broken Kei

by Jen Wylie

  He's the only one of your pack who is actually a Were? The question in his tone let her know he had no idea where the conversation was going.

  Yes. She paused, trying to think of what to say. You know how the Were have two bodies they shift between. His brows drew down, but he nodded slightly. When he was young, Garen lost his human one. He can't… She fumbled for words again.

  He doesn't shift?

  No, he doesn't. I just wanted you to know. We don't talk about it.

  I see.

  She hoped he did and wouldn't make some stupid comment at some point like he was prone to do.

  They didn't rest for long. After taking some time to eat some cold food, they started back up the trail.

  Garen bounded in front of her. Soon?

  Holding back a laugh, she agreed.

  The path forced them to walk single file most of the time. Aro followed behind Kei, with Baelan behind her, while Garen led them through the twists and turns and false trails.

  "So, what are sleeping arrangements?"

  Aro glanced over her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

  "Are we staying with the Were most of the time?"

  The Elf's question made her pause. "I doubt it. I don't think there are that many villages or whatever. Most nights we'll just set up a camp."

  "I should have packed more blankets," he muttered. "And a pillow. Do we at least all cuddle?"

  She turned again. "Cuddle?"

  "It's cold at night," he whined.

  "No, we don't cuddle."

  "Well, there are other ways to keep warm," he said smoothly.

  Kei looked over his shoulder at her, clearly irritated. Want me to kill him?

  Baelan winked at him and a golden glow rose in the Fey's eyes even as his cheeks flushed.

  She held back a laugh but shook her head. "Why did I say you could talk freely?"

  "Because you like me as I am," Baelan responded happily.

  "You're annoying."

  They came to a break in the trail. Oh, here, here. Stand aside. She grinned at the excitement in Garen's tone as she and Kei both stepped back.

  Baelan tipped his head slightly, wondering what they were doing, but then smiled as he saw Garen the dog running back toward them from up the trail.

  He didn't slow as he approached. Just before he reached the Elf, he dropped the glamor.

  Baelan screeched, throwing up his hands when the large wolf pounced him, pushing him back against a tipping tree, large paws on his chest.

  Garen licked his face and dropped down, tongue out as he laughed.

  She and Kei struggled unsuccessfully to hold their own laughter in as Baelan stared at them all with wide eyes, sputtering.

  "You know Garen," she finally managed to say.

  "Garen…the dog…Garen is the dog…" Shaking his head, he put his hands on his hips and glared at them all. "You are all truly evil."

  His words set off another bout of laughter.

  It was nice to laugh again.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Baelan grumbled as they made their way higher, but didn't appear to be angry. As they neared the top, walking single file along one of the straight paths before another switchback, she tried to keep her thoughts calm.

  They were doing this. They were going to heal the Fey. It wasn't just words anymore. The enormity of it all set her heart racing, but she kept her thoughts there.

  She didn't want to think of the Were king, but the higher they climbed the more thoughts of his upcoming decision plagued her. Would he be waiting for her above?

  She might die. He might not think her worth the trouble of keeping alive. She'd heard enough about him to know the Were thought him a good king, but he could be ruthless. He would have to be to control the tens of thousands of Were he ruled.

  "Rot," she muttered, swiping a hand over her sweating forehead. She'd just have to convince him. She couldn't leave Kei alone. Not after everything.

  She'd promised.

  AROWYN MASON

  She slammed her hands over her ears as the deep voice bellowed through her head, so loud it vibrated through her, stealing her breath from her lungs. A short cry of pain escaped before she bit down on her lower lip. Eyes squeezed closed, she felt rather than saw her boys gather around her. If they spoke, she couldn't hear them.

  Hands pulled the pack from her back. A press to her shoulder bade her to sit.

  "The King," she gasped out, wanting them to know what was happening.

  He won't kill me. He won't kill me.

  She wasn't sure if she spoke aloud or not, but someone's arms wrapped around her and hugged her tight.

  AGAINST MY LAW YOU HAVE CREATED A PACK.

  Why did he have to be so loud? I'm sorry…she began.

  YET, GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, I WILL FORGIVE YOU THIS TRANSGRESSION. WILL YOU AGREE TO FOLLOW MY LAWS AND MY COMMAND?

  Y-yes, she stuttered out through the ringing in her head.

  For a moment, he remained silent and she forced herself to breathe.

  THEN SO IT WILL BE. WELCOME TO THE WERE, ARO-EN.

  She bit into her lip and jerked forward as something swelled inside her, wrapping around her and pulling her in. She could feel the pack bond she shared with Kei, Bo, and Garen grow and tighten around her. Their surprise. Panic. Relief.

  From far away, she could hear the King speak to his Were, welcoming her into their midst, demanding they assist her in her quest.

  The uncomfortable feeling of being somewhere else slid through her. She stopped listening and opened her eyes. Panic clawed at her chest. She had no idea where she was. Spinning in a circle, she found herself surrounded by everchanging images of people and wolves. Voices murmured in the background, too quiet for her to make out what they were saying. Yet she knew these were the Were, welcoming her.

  Something pulled her, drawing her further into them, and she gasped as she felt herself dragged into something…bigger. Her entire being filled with the sense of belonging, of being whole, part of one great community. It wrapped around her, and sucked her in.

  "No, Aro-En."

  She looked up and froze, her eyes widening. A massive white wolf with pale blue eyes stalked toward her, heedless of the constantly changing images around them.

  Something yanked at her hand, gently at first, then with a sharp pain. Suddenly she felt a tug inside of her, desperate, insistent. Come back to me.

  "You shouldn't be here," the wolf rumbled, his words laced with power. "Go back."

  Come back to me. Come back.

  Between the command in his words and the tugging she had no choice. Immediately, she found herself back in the quiet of her own mind.

  Apologizes, Aro-En. The King's voice echoed around her, and though still loud, it no longer boomed within her. I suppose I should have known.

  "Known what?"

  He didn't answer.

  She wanted to go back, to feel the wholeness again, but something held her, pulling her back toward consciousness. A pain in her hand. A pull on her soul. Arms around her. A…kiss.

  None of it made sense. Startled, she pushed herself from her mind.

  Her eyes fluttered open.

  "She's awake!"

  Lips pulled away from hers and she blinked a few more times in surprise at the tortured face looking down at her. "Kei?"

  "You came back," he whispered, his arms tightening around her, holding her close and tucking her head under his chin. "You came back."

  "Of course," she said softly, and would have wrapped her arms around him but her hands were both occupied.

  "I t-told you it would w-work," Baelan stammered out.

  Kei released her, settling her up against the rocky cliff. To her right, Baelan knelt, holding her hand tightly despite his words. Looking to her left, she found Garen lying beside her, her hand in his mouth.

  "Did you bite me?" His head lowered and ears went flat at her high-pitched question. Before he could answer, she pulled her hands free and wrapped her arms around
his neck. "Thank you."

  She kissed the top of his head and didn't comment when he scooted closer, pressing up against her legs.

  Her attention turned back to Kei. He sat back, his face turned away from her, his lower lip between his teeth. She had no idea what went on inside his head, and worried about that.

  "Kei," she said gently, leaning forward.

  His head turned toward her, face pale and eyes glistening, breaking her heart. She didn't know what to say, if she should mention the kiss or just ignore it.

  "I didn't know what to do," he whispered.

  His whole body jerked on a sob and she threw her arms around him, holding him tightly to her for a long moment. Pushing him back, she held his face in her hands and pressed her forehead against his. They sat that way for a while, she didn't know for how long, until she felt him calm.

  Her poor broken Fey.

  Everything is fine. We're fine.

  He didn't answer, just nodded and she sat back. When certain he wasn't going to break down again, she turned to Baelan who watched them in confusion.

  She held out a hand and Baelan didn't hesitate to set his inside it. Giving it a light squeeze, she kept him from pulling back as she felt the dark wrapping around his wrist. Sticky. Wet. She let out a deep breath and looked up as she let him pull away. "I'm sorry."

  He shrugged a shoulder, glancing away. "So you're a pack?"

  "We are." Her eyes widened. "Bo." Bo!

  It took a moment for him to respond and her heart nearly beat out of her chest. All good here, pup. Was just a bit startling. Banged my head off a shelf in the storage room. Elaina is taking care of me, he finished with some amusement.

  We're almost up the ridge. All good here, too. Will talk later. Love you.

  Love you, too, pup.

  Finally, they reached the top of the cliff. With a headache her power wouldn't cure pounding her skull with every step, it seemed to take forever. At least they made it before the sun set.

  After moving quickly into the trees, Aro finally stopped and abruptly sat down. Squeezing her eyes closed, she pushed her fingers against her temples.

  Kei crouched beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Aro?"

  "Just a headache. I'll be fine." Even though he didn't reply, she still felt his worry through their bond.

  Hands lightly cupped her cheeks and she opened one eye to find Baelan's beautiful face intent upon hers.

  She jerked back at the feel of him pushing at her mind. His admonishing look made her relax. He couldn't hurt her. She needed to remember that.

  "Your mind is a bit…raw. Nothing serious." He nodded once, silver hair flipping over his eyes. "Some sleep and you'll be fine." Lowering his hands, he shifted back on his heels and brushed hair from his face. "Considering what was done, and the amount of power used by the king, I'm not surprised."

  We have company, Garen interrupted.

  Looking beyond the Elf, she saw a Were walking toward them and she pushed herself to her feet. "Our guide, I presume."

  She didn't recognize him. Tall, broad shouldered, and attractive, he stopped before them.

  He dipped his head in her direction, not meeting her eyes. "Welcome, Aro-En," he said quietly. "I have taken the liberty of setting up a camp. If you will follow me, it's not far."

  "Thank you." They followed the silent Were as the sun set to an open area between the trees. A small fire crackled and she smelled something cooking. Their two Elven horses whinnied a welcome and a small smile crossed her lips, remembering Prince.

  She dumped her pack on the ground. "What is your name?"

  "Gillis," he answered, again quietly and not looking at her. Would she ever get used to how the Were would now treat her as an alpha? "Please, eat and rest. We will leave early to make it to Waycross before evening. Rhee-En will meet you there."

  "Waycross is…?"

  "East of here."

  She didn't know what else to say and was too tired to try to carry on the awkward conversation, so moved to sit beside Kei. She worried about him, for so many reasons, but also knew her worry would only irritate him, so just sat and ate in silence.

  "I'm fine," he offered after a while.

  She smiled over at him. "Good." She turned back to her food. "Just remember if you ever aren't, I'm here."

  "I know," he whispered. After a short while he shifted a little closer, his shoulder brushing hers. "I'm…confused. About so many things," he said, keeping his voice low and not looking at her. "There is…so much I don't remember. I don't know who I am."

  His words came out painfully slow, twisting her insides. "You'll remember. It will just take some time. And I'll be here, I'll always be here." She cupped his cheek. "That's one thing you never need to be confused about."

  He nodded and looked away. "I shouldn't have kissed you. I..." His brows drew together as he shook his head. "I'm sorry."

  Reaching over, she squeezed his hand. "I'm not angry. I understand. Besides," she leaned back and smiled, "it did bring me back."

  His lips curved a little, but he didn't reply and focused on eating, the conversation apparently over.

  She held in a sigh. At least he'd spoken about what he was feeling.

  After eating she had a quick goodnight talk with Bo and then gathered her thoughts for a moment before contacting Roan.

  Good evening, Roan.

  And to you, Arowyn. How did everything go today?

  I'm rather irritated with you, she answered after a moment.

  Silence, until finally, And why is that?

  All the men, guards. I'm not angry you did it, more that you failed to mention anything about it last night, she explained.

  He chuckled. Apologies. I knew you would argue with me about it.

  No, I wouldn't have. I'm not sure why you keep thinking I'm stupid.

  I don't think that, Aro. But, you are stubborn and you don't like asking for help. Did you have any trouble?

  Just the one Elf, which I'm sure you heard about already.

  Yes.

  She smiled. It's going to drive you crazy not having everyone reporting back about me now, isn't it?

  He laughed. Perhaps a little. You will be surrounded by Were though. You will be much safer now. I assume you made it to the forest?

  Yes, all settled in for the night. Tomorrow we travel to a place called Waycross to meet Rhee-En. She paused for a moment. We're a pack now.

  So soon? Is everything good with you and the king now?

  I guess so, she said slowly. As long as I don't mess up. Which I will try very hard not to do. Gah, he was so loud in my head. Do you think that's a king thing? I thought my skull was going to break open.

  Hmm, I don't know. Perhaps. Are you hurt? Concern laced his voice and she hurried to reply.

  No, I just have a headache. Baelan said I should be fine with some sleep. I'm not planning on talking to him again any time soon if I can help it though. He still rather terrifies me, she added quietly.

  I wish there was something I could do to help you with your fear. You do understand he will not hurt you now? You are one of his.

  I know, she mumbled.

  Roan sighed. Just remember the Were will help you, should you need it. You are pack.

  We'll be fine. At least we don't have to worry about Elves trying to kill us anymore.

  Silence.

  Roan?

  Arowyn, he began slowly. Elves may travel within the Were lands. There are no laws keeping them out.

  What? Why would they?

  Some take what they call a Long Walk. Alone or in small groups, they will walk the forest. There are outcasts as well, and… Did Baelan mention–

  That they are hunted? Yes. Do the Were not interfere with that?

  Elven matters are not their concern.

  It's wrong, she stated flatly. Worry gnawed at her stomach. So, they did still have Elves to worry about.

  It's just how things are.

  She didn't have to like it, but let the matt
er drop and changed the subject. How is everything with you?

  Things are…honestly, they are difficult right now, he admitted.

  What's wrong?

  Nothing for you to worry over, Arowyn.

  She didn't like the sound of that. At all. Or the fact he wouldn't tell her. But that, of course, wasn't anything new. Be safe, Roan, she said quietly.

  Of course. There is no need to worry. Be on your guard as well. Get some sleep. Tomorrow your adventure begins.

  Goodnight, Roan, she said with a laugh.

  Goodnight, my Arowyn.

  When she opened her eyes, she found Baelan staring at her, an amused look on his face. She refused to ask.

  "The expressions on your face while you mind-speak are fascinating to watch."

  "Go to sleep."

  "Yes, master."

  "I hate you."

  "If you say so."

  She plopped down on the ground next to Kei in an irritated huff, ignoring Baelan's quiet laugh.

  "I'm still open to killing him," Kei said softly, looking over at her with tired eyes, but a slight smile curving his lips.

  She huffed out a laugh. "I'll think about it. Goodnight, Kei."

  "Goodnight, Aro."

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  They didn't meet any other Were as they traveled the next day. After some protesting, she somehow managed to get Kei up on one of the horses. He still flashed her scowls during the day, mainly because she made him ride with Baelan. He not only needed rest, but riding with the Elf allowed him to work on his memories as well. He wasn't an accomplished enough rider to do so on his own horse.

  Baelan didn't complain at all about his riding partner. She wasn't sure what to think of that.

  Their guide remained quiet. Garen happily roamed around them, delighted to be without his glamor and out of the city.

  For the most part, she walked silently, too many thoughts rambling through her mind.

  Waycross was not what she expected. At first, they walked by the odd house or building. Paths appeared, and then turned into the dirt roads of a small town hidden beneath the trees. The town was loud with voices and the sounds of living; wood being chopped, the clanking of pots, slamming of doors.

  The Were themselves nodded or gave their party short bows, always avoiding her gaze, before returning to whatever they had been doing. A few quiet "Welcome, Aro-En" met her ears, but her guide did not slow, so she didn't have the time to find the owners of the words to reply. The odd giant wolf wandering around amidst the people drew her attention. Though used to Garen, her brain still had trouble dealing with their size.