Selia rose and made her way slowly back to his room. She didn’t know what to expect, but not Jaden sitting cross-legged on the middle of the bed with his eyes closed, seemingly at peace. She glanced around but could find no trace of the rabbit, blood or even a struggle of any kind. Everything appeared just as she left it except for a peculiar odor in the air. Her gaze lingered on the fire. By the time her search of the room led her back to Jaden, he was watching her.
“Do you feel better?”
“Much. Thank you. It will take a while before I’m myself again.” Jaden smiled. “This is twice now I owe my life to your excellent aim.”
She shrugged. “If you like I’ll teach you sometime.”
“I would like that.” Strong emotions softened in Jaden’s eyes.
Selia’s face warmed. “The men set up some snares in the garden. I didn’t tell anyone why I needed the rabbits.”
“I knew you wouldn’t say anything if you could avoid it and if you couldn’t,” he paused. “Then you would have had no choice.”
She tilted her head and neared the cot, tentatively touching Jaden’s face. Somehow touching an almost healthy Jaden was very different than touching a weak, invalid Jaden. Her body warmed and her voice lowered to a whisper. “Will you be all right now?” Her fingertips tingled.
Jaden closed his eyes again then opened them. “A few more rabbits and some time…” He smiled. “Yes.”
“When you were in our barn, we never gave you any—”
“No. And I wouldn’t have asked. I didn’t know you as well then. Once or twice, at night, I hunted my own food.”
“Had you been unable to hunt, you would have died?”
“At that time I didn’t have much to live for. But yes.”
“How—er, often do you need to hunt?”
“It varies. Usually once a week.”
Selia thought back. “When we traveled north, did you hunt at night while I was sleeping?”
“No.” His gaze didn’t leave her face.
“Why?”
“I couldn’t leave you alone for that long.”
“You make me sound like a helpless child.” Anger touched her words.
“You are far from helpless, but you aren’t invincible. Besides, you have something that Svistra prize very much. It goes back to the times of the kings’ war.”
“My virginity.” She almost laughed.
“Yes.”
“If I’d known being a virgin would cause so much trouble—”
“It saved your life.”
“Humph.”
Jaden cleared his throat. “If I may ask?”
“Please. I think we crossed the line of convention a long time ago. What is it?”
“Why are you still a virgin? I mean, unless you’re quite a bit younger than I assume, it is a bit unusual, no?”
Selia sat on the edge of the bed, curious. “Very. How did you know?”
“Virgin humans have a scent about them. I’m assuming you don’t smell it.”
“No. I can’t.”
“It is a pleasant scent and makes you a prize among the Svistra.”
“So I’ve noticed. Are you suggesting I go and offer myself to some man so I’m not as…enticing to the Svistra?”
“No.” Jaden’s answer was swift and firm. For several heartbeats the only sound in the room was the crackling of the flames.
“I suppose it has something to do with my mother. She was a whore. You know what that is?”
Jaden smiled.
She took that as an affirmative. “I loved her. She was a wonderful woman. But what she did, it just didn’t seem…I couldn’t have. Not even to eat. My mother made sure I never would face that choice. But still, my whole life I had to prove I wasn’t for sale.”
Jaden put a hand on her arm.
“It’s not that I’m shy about it, but who would I have? One of the passing travelers? A soldier? It would feel too much like what my mother did. Someone from the village? I’ve known those men all my life, and they’re like brothers or cousins. I suppose if Oren’s dad had lived he might have arranged something, but as it was…” She shook her head. “Oren and I were on our own, and that was good enough for both of us.”
“You don’t quite fit in with your own kind as I’m a misfit among mine.”
“Are you a virgin?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
“Before Svistra youth leave our mother’s dwelling we are given to the teachers.”
“Teachers?”
“To teach the ways of the body. The men are taught how to please a female, and the females are taught how to please a man.”
Selia struggled to keep her mouth closed.
He chuckled. “This is never done among humans?”
“Well, no. We figure that stuff out for ourselves.”
“You are taught to fight, to cook, sew, hunt, no?” Jaden’s eyes twinkled.
“If you’re in love…” Selia began. She was out of her element.
“That adds to it I suppose, but the mechanics—”
“Enough. I understand.” Her face warmed. It was one thing talking about sex, quite another to go into detail with the scent of sandalwood and musk surrounding her. “It’s my turn to ask a question. The Svistra don’t need human blood to survive.”
“That isn’t a question but I’ll answer what’s behind it. We need blood, but not necessarily human blood. How do you think we survived in the Telige Mountains where there are no humans?”
It seemed obvious now. “But why?”
“I suspect, like with many things, the history of our race has been blurred by time. But when our race was young, we discovered we needed blood to survive. Blood from an animal with fur who bore its offspring live.”
“The mark of the sun god.”
“Yes. The healers have long studied the problem. Our blood lacks something essential found in other creatures. Human blood is the most nourishing and quite frankly tastes the best.” He stopped. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
Selia nodded.
“Over the years we’ve learned the blood from a still-beating heart is best. Only those who are depraved would feed off a dead creature.”
“But at first Svistra didn’t kill humans?”
“Our races didn’t mingle much. Only the healers who sought knowledge journeyed into other lands and encountered other cultures.”
“What happened?”
Jaden shrugged. “There are many stories, but most of them agree it started with human settlers. Once humans began to seek homes further north, conflict was inevitable. Who was the first to taste human blood? I don’t know. But word quickly spread and after all, we were defending our lands.”
“Have you ever killed for blood?”
Jaden’s golden gaze settled on her. “Yes.”
She swallowed.
His regard didn’t waver. “But I am not proud of it. And, if you are curious, it does have a better flavor and is definitely more nourishing, but not worth the price. Before Svistra acquired a taste for human blood, we lived among and off the creatures of the forest. We were attuned to the land, to its rhythms. We’ve lost that.
“When the human king approached us many years ago, most Svistra had not tasted human blood and had no desire to. It felt a little too much like cannibalism. But after our warriors left to battle, they all came back thirsting for it and introduced it to their children.” He looked up. “There are those among you who have a strong thirst for alcohol.”
“Yes.” She inclined her head in agreement.
“These warriors came back with the same affliction, only it was human blood they craved. Many generations passed, and as I’ve told you, three or four human kings conquered the others and then decided they had enough of war. By the time we agreed to become jailers we were divided. Many of us wanted nothing to do with the humans, while others wanted to use them as…as you use cattle, and still another group desired a return to the old ways of l
iving in peace with the land and with humans. But this last voice was quickly drowned out by the actions of men. The kings took our land and drove us into the northern mountains. It was the first voice that prevailed. We determined to live in the mountains away from humans. We survived on the blood of goats and small creatures that live in the ground beneath the rocks. But as hunger grew, so did dissatisfaction. The second voice remained strong, and people listened. Why should we suffer while humans lived off our lands? Why should we starve when humans were no more than food?”
“Is it forbidden to tell humans you can survive on animals?” Selia asked.
“Forbidden? No. Humans don’t know we can survive on other than human blood because they only remember what they choose to remember and only see what they choose to see.”
She had to admit it was true. As Jaden had said, how else had the Svistra survived in the northland without human occupation?
“But we would not tell them anyway. The Svistra have learned not to trust humans. They have always used our weaknesses against us.”
“You said the kings fed you prisoners, and you began to take on those characteristics.”
Jaden nodded.
“But you haven’t fed on criminals in a long time.” She rose to place another log on the fire.
“We haven’t. Anger has taken its place.”
Selia hesitated, staring into the flames. “But you’ve been feeding on the animals in the mountains…”
To her surprise, Jaden laughed. “Yes. You’ve hit on an old argument. Some of us blame our current diet of small relatively timid creatures for the reason many Svistra continue to hide in the mountains instead of reclaiming their territory. All warriors journey into the south lands from time to time to hunt. And in the far north, on the ice fields, there are large creatures, similar to our bear but deadlier.”
“So there are those Svistra who desire peace?” She returned to the chair next to the bed.
Jaden smiled. “Yes.”
“Besides you?”
“Yes.”
“Will they prevail?”
Jaden reached for her hand. “I don’t know.”
Jaden watched the door close. He’d finally convinced Selia to get some sleep. Of course she would check the snares before she found her bed, and her footsteps in the hall confirmed it.
The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to. And in some ways he treasured his time as a prisoner in the human fortress.
He took a deep breath to fill up his lungs. The strength was returning to his limbs and the pain had faded. He’d drained the rabbit before tossing the remains in the fire. It was enough for now. More, in his current condition, would have made him sick. In a few days he’d be strong enough to leave, to do what he had to do. It would take a different kind of strength to walk away, one no amount of blood could provide. He’d been weak in many ways, but time was running out—not just for Selia but all of them.
Chapter Twenty-eight
“Commander, Jaden wants to see you.”
Nathan scrutinized Deigon, tempted to blame the soldier for his sudden flare of irritation at the mention of the Svistra. He cleared his throat. “Did he say why?”
Deigon’s face flushed but he maintained eye contact. “He is well enough for your promised questioning.”
“I see.” That was fast. Nathan leaned back in the chair and picked up a letter. He didn’t want the Svistra or his men to assume he was at Jaden’s beck and call. “Tell him I’ll be in when I have a moment.”
“He, uh, seemed to expect that, sir.” Deigon fidgeted.
Nathan ground his teeth. What was it about that creature? He even affected the guards. Nathan had only trusted four men with the knowledge that the Svistra was still among them. The rest believed, thanks to a well-placed rumor, that he’d died soon after arriving at Eagle Rock. The four guards rotated shifts guarding him, but even in the short time the Svistra had been here those soldiers had softened toward his prisoner. He couldn’t risk them being lax. Selia might trust the Svistra, but he didn’t.
Nathan nodded to dismiss Deigon and returned to the missive he’d already read three or four times.
When the door closed he stood and threw the letter on the desk. Josiam, the southern king, had sent word to King Leisle. He was having problems with savages on his southern border and couldn’t send any more men. Leisle had copied the missive word for word so Nathan could see in the original paper the added barb between the lines.
Politics. It was an aspect of being a commander he hated with a passion. How dare the southern king imply they’d already wasted an entire regiment of men?
And then Nathan had to consider why King Leisle had let him read the original. Was it to share in his frustration? He doubted it. To shift blame? That was a much more likely option.
He ran his fingers through his hair. The northern army was spread out and ineffective, chasing shadows through the forests yet still failing to protect the villages. Reports of Svistra savagery piled on his desk. His plan was failing. It was time for a new strategy.
After the lull followed by the increased viciousness of the Svistra attacks, Nathan had sent a request to the king to evacuate the northern frontier of all settlements and pull the army back to just south of the river S’ian. The move would force the Svistra out into the open, where Nathan could tackle them head on. To his surprise, and despite what he’d told Selia, the king refused to give up the fortresses or the settlements. Svistra continued to attack at will. Innocent people remained little more than Svistra food.
He’d considered placing a small contingent of soldiers in the remaining villages but knowing how easily the Svistra attacked the fortresses, he discarded the idea. Their strength was in their numbers. The Svistra weren’t invincible. He’d beaten them away from Eagle Rock and taken them by surprise in their camp. But aside from that one victory, the Svistra countered every move he made with ease. A field full of dead Darmin soldiers was proof enough of that.
The Svistra had to have a spy somewhere. It was the only answer. They knew too much. What man would ally with those savages? A cross between a grunt and a curse escaped his mouth. I guess I would. But his reasons were honorable and a last resort.
Nathan rose and moved to the door. “Might as well get this over with,” he grumbled to the empty corridor. He nodded to the sentries and entered the room without knocking.
The Svistra sat on the bed, a blanket covering his legs, but he didn’t give the impression of an invalid. On the contrary, he breathed vitality. It didn’t take much to imagine that the Svistra was capable of springing from the bed and attacking.
“Thank you for coming.” Jaden waved a hand toward a set of steaming mugs on top of a small table. “Selia made tea, would you like some?”
The gesture was so at odds with Nathan’s desire to reach for his sword that he held his breath until the urge passed. “This is not a social call.”
The Svistra inclined his head, but his gaze didn’t waver. “Then why don’t we get started.” He indicated a chair.
Fucking, arrogant Svistra. Nathan was tempted not to sit but dismissed the impulse as foolish. Why am I reacting so badly to a show of manners? But he knew it wasn’t the manners, it was who displayed them, challenging everything he’d ever believed about Svistra.
But Jaden was a Svistra, and Nathan needed a spy. “Well? Don’t waste my time.”
Jaden sipped his tea. Most humans wore their emotions where anyone could see them, this human in particular. “What do you want to know?”
“Who is the Svistra king?” Nathan blurted.
“We have no king.” Jaden gave the commander points for waiting. He’d promised information. He hadn’t promised he’d make it easy. “We have a council of what you might call barons,” he continued.
“Landowners?”
“Something like that.”
“Then who makes the decisions?” Nathan leaned forward, hands cupped around his knees.
“When t
here’s a decision to be made, the barons vote.”
“And if there’s a tie?”
“There can be no tie. There are thirteen barons.” Jaden could almost see the commander’s mind spinning. He wondered how long it would take him to ask anything of importance.
“There’s no baron more important than another?”
“No. Though the land distribution is not equal, all barons have an equal say.” Jaden sighed. “I think what you want to ask is who ordered the attack on the humans.”
Nathan’s color deepened. “It was voted on.”
“Close. My father ordered the attack.”
Nathan’s eyes widened, and one hand moved to the hilt of his sword.
“The council voted to make my father the supreme commander of all the Svistra forces. Those who wanted to fight joined under his banner.”
“Some didn’t?” Nathan’s hand returned to his leg.
The commander could be sharp-witted when he wanted to be. “Some didn’t. But this has changed since my father’s death. He was much loved, and his loss spurred many who preferred peace to choose war.”
Nathan’s eyes narrowed in obvious confusion.
“It surprises you that a Svistra would desire peace?”
“None of those I’ve ever met were exactly the peaceful type.”
Jaden shrugged. “Such is the result of your chosen profession.”
“Who is in charge of the army now?”
“My brother. He also ordered Selia’s kidnapping.”
Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“My brother and I haven’t seen eye to eye in a very long time. If we ever did. Selia’s capture was a personal attack on me and an insult to you.”
The sharp tang of Nathan’s anger tinted the air. “But you are connected? I mean, you have access to the council?”
“Yes. I’m the elder son.”
Nathan’s smile held no mirth. “Is that why it irritates you that I have power over you?”
Jaden set his tea down on the table. “Commander, you have only the power I choose to give you. What irritates me is your ignorance.”
“Ignorance?” Nathan shot to his feet.
Jaden’s blood stirred. He almost hoped the commander would attack. With effort he kept his tone even. “Yes, ignorance. How do you propose to win when you don’t even know what motivates your enemy?”
Altered Destiny Page 24