"She lies."
"Do you know for certain?"
"How can I? She shoots or captures any man who crosses the border. I can send no one in."
"Then I’ll go."
Garret stiffened. "Dana--"
She kept her gaze on the Northlander. "Let me go ahead and see for myself."
"Seeing is not proof. Will you bring him back?"
"If he is there, yes."
"He is there." Diago’s jaw tightened. "Go, but if you don’t return by morning after next, war starts."
Frustrated, she clenched her fists. "This is pointless! Why do you do this?"
"Zar will not win this battle."
"I need more time."
He gave her a hard nod. "Very well. You have until midday instead of morn, the time we meet at the border. If you appear there with Rominac, I will withdraw my forces. If not, stand aside, for war commences."
"Damn it, Diago!"
"That is all the time you have." Whirling on his heel, he strode away.
Sliding his arm around her shoulders, Garret pulled her into his side. "We’d best make haste to Southland."
"You can’t come."
"You’re not going alone."
"You heard Cina. Any man is captured or shot."
"So I’ll stay in the craft."
"Do you forget our last exit? It wasn’t pleasant. If I’m grabbed, you will be out of the craft and coming to my rescue. No, you must stay here."
"Dana--"
"You must stay and continue to try and talk Diago out of this. If I succeed with Zar and you with him, war can be prevented."
"Bloody hell, this was not how it was supposed to be! I go where you go, remember?"
Tenderly, she touched his cheek. "This is not betrayal, Garret, but us working together. I need you here, striving for peace while I do the same in Southland. Please, my love, don’t fight me on this. Together we may succeed."
She was right. If Zar suspected he was in the fleet craft, things could go worse for both of them. There was no alternative, curse it. "All right, lass, but I will drop you off near the Southland settlement."
"Thank you."
They boarded the fleet craft and were soon on their way, landing a mile from the city all too soon.
"Stay in here," Dana said as the door opened. "Or you might get shot by a sniper."
He caught her to him in a fierce hug, then they were kissing almost desperately, as though it were their last moments together. Which, they knew, was possible.
Finally they drew apart.
Emotion caused his eyes to burn. "I will meet you on the border."
"I love you," she whispered shakily.
One last fierce kiss and then she left. Regardless of her instructions, he stood in the doorway and watched her run lithely into the forest, sword strapped to her back and laser secured to her thigh. Loneliness seeped into his heart.
"It wasn’t supposed to be like this," he said hoarsely. "God go with you, lass."
~ * ~
The tall warrior was discovered not far from the city and an armed escort came out to meet her.
"Well, well, it’s the Reeka," one woman said.
"You look as though you’d never fought our mutant beast," another observed.
"Have you come to join us?"
They waited curiously, wondering at her presence.
"I have come to talk to Zar about this war."
"She is in her home planning strategies," the first woman said. "Undoubtedly she will welcome your expertise."
I doubt it, Dana thought. "Take me to her."
The city teemed with activity, women hurrying to and fro, bearing weapons and leading horses. Almost identical to Northland.
Upon entering Zar’s home, she was led straight to her office.
Glancing up from where she was bent over a map outspread on the table, pale blue eyes widened. "Dana?"
"Shit!" Gera’s lip curled. "Back for more punishment, warrior?"
"Stop it." Zar straightened up taller. "This is a surprise, Dana."
"For both of us." Dana entered the room.
The Southlander raised one brow. "Have you come to hire on as a mercenary?"
"No. I’ve come for Rominac."
"Rominac?"
"Is he here? Do you hold him captive?"
"Ah." Her eyes narrowed. "You’ve been speaking to that bastard Diago. Well, he is mistaken. We don’t have his son, but that fool won’t believe us."
"Why should he? You took Rominac before."
"Before, we let him know, to watch him squirm, as I squirmed knowing he had my daughter."
"Why did you not declare war then? Storm in and take her?"
"Because she was returned to us. Having Rominac turn up was too good an opportunity to pass up. Then Diago sent you, his daughter."
The woman was full of surprises. "You knew?"
"Not then, but I did later." Zar folded her arms. "I don’t have your brother, warrior. Feel free to search the city, but I speak the truth and I suspect you know it."
Gut instinct agreed. "So where is he if not here?"
"I don’t know and care even less."
"So you are forced to fight because Diago won’t believe you? Why not allow one man to enter and search the city?"
Gera laughed. "Why?"
"Then he’ll have to accept it."
Zar shook her head. "No. This has been brewing for a long time, Southland and Northland against each other. War is the culmination."
"But why? This is so senseless! Do you have any idea how many will die from this?"
"There is a history behind this that is finally meeting its destiny. There will be war."
"Please, Zar--"
"The only question is, do you join us?"
"No."
Gera glanced at her leader. "The cells?"
"No. Dana won’t betray us, for she knows what that is like. You’re free to go, warrior."
"But Zar--"
"Quiet, Gera. Back to these plans."
With one last, hate-filled look at the silent warrior, Gera bent over the map once more with her leader.
"I won’t give up, Zar."
"Whatever," was the indifferent reply.
The Southlander wasn’t going to listen anymore. Dana decided to wander around the city and try again later. In fact, she might try and find Cina.
No sooner had she left the room than the girl appeared at the end of the corridor, gesturing wildly. Dana went to her and was pulled into a room.
"You came!"
"I told you I would. This doesn’t look good."
"My mother didn’t listen to you?"
Mother? Her eyes widened. "Zar?"
Cina nodded.
Now it was starting to make more sense.
"You are Zar’s daughter and you love Diago’s son?"
"Yes."
"Well, this is a mess, isn’t it?"
"You have to stop this war before someone is hurt."
"War has the unfortunate habit of doing that. Have you told Zar that you love Rominac?"
She shook her head. "She’d order him shot on sight."
"Damn it, you know that--"
"I know her better than you do. I’ve seen her with the male slaves. There’s no mercy if she deems it a threat to Southland." Cina’s eyes dropped, a flush rising in her cheeks. "Surely you’ve noticed the young slaves in the house."
"They are a little hard to miss."
"She only buys handsome ones to serve and pleasure her, whether they like it or not. No mercy, no sympathy."
"Why is she so bitter?"
Cina hesitated then lowered her voice. "Zar was a slave of Diago’s and he kept her for his own personal pleasures, until one day he returned from a trip with several more slaves and gave her to a visiting friend for the night. She killed his friend and escaped with me, releasing more slaves as we went. Many Northland masters were killed that night. We came here and started Southland, using the men and tools we’d s
tolen. That is all I know. The valley between our land and the men’s marks the border. If either sets foot over the boundary, they are captured."
"An uneasy alliance."
"Existence, more like."
Studying the girl, Dana noted the dark circles beneath her eyes. "Do you know where Rominac is?"
"I wish I did."
"You haven’t heard from him?"
"No. I’m so scared, what if he’s dead?"
"You don’t know that. Have you searched everywhere?"
"Yes."
"Let’s look again. Mayhaps you have missed something."
Together they scoured the city, but by nightfall Dana had to admit that her brother wasn’t being kept captive in the limits. Where the hell could he be?
Entering Zar’s house, she came face to face with her.
One brow rose. "I see you’ve met my daughter."
"She’s been keeping me company."
"Has she? Where do you stay the night, warrior?"
"I haven’t thought about it, but I’ll find a place."
"You’re welcome to stay here."
"I am? Why?"
Zar laughed. "I like you, plain and simple. It’s not your fault that bastard is your father, and I don’t hold it against you."
"Thanks."
"You can stay in the room you had before." She slid an arm around Cina’s shoulders. "Join us for the evening meal."
There was no reason not to do so.
~ * ~
He moaned and the old woman peered closely at him. The young man was getting better, she felt it in the cooling of his skin. The fever that had been raging through him was fading. Good. She removed the bandage from his arm and as she suspected, the purulent exudate was easing, the smell fading with the infection.
"It took a long time, my boy, but you’re lucky. Heaven’s gates don’t open for you this time." She smiled and laid her hand upon his brow. He reminded her of the son she’d left behind some years ago. How she missed him. But thinking about it did no good. He had died in the uprising of women against men.
~ * ~
"You realize that Dana has endangered herself by trying to stop this senseless war?"
Diago looked at the trader sitting across the table from him. "This is not her business."
"Rominac is her brother and that makes it so."
"He started this."
Garret raised his brows. "How so?"
"The fool fancied himself in love with a slave I bought for him."
"Love comes to us all."
Sharp eyes studied him. "You care for my daughter, trader?"
"‘Tis more than that, but why should it concern you?"
"She’s my daughter."
Garret pushed the plate of untouched food away. "You gave up the right to be concerned a long time ago." His gaze hardened. "You betrayed her and her mother. I won’t."
"I’m not getting into this argument with you."
"And I don’t want to hear it. Dana is my concern, not yours, and ‘tis because of her that I am here now, trying to talk you out of this madness."
"This madness, as you so eloquently put it, will end in one way only. Either Southland will win, or us. Either Zar will die, or I will."
"That’s the answer?" Garret asked in disgust. "What is it between you two? Why can’t you live together in peace?"
"Peace? There is too much bitterness for that to happen."
"Such as?"
He gazed down into the wine goblet clutched in his hand. "The relations between man and woman are complex. One must rule, the other obey."
"They are equal, Diago. There doesn’t need to be submissiveness on one side."
"Man cannot live relying on a weaker helpmate. It has been proven--"
"Bloody hell! Where do you get these stupid ideas?" Garret flung one hand out in an encompassing gesture. "How many worlds are there out there that survive happily, even thrive, through equality? Through recognizing the worth of each other?"
Hard eyes flashed dangerously. "How can you, of all races, say that? Do you think I don’t know how the Daamen females are kept on their own planet, only allowed away when in the company of their males? How they are protected by their menfolk? How--"
"That’s the keyword, Diago. ‘Protected.’ We take care of our wenches, ensuring their safety at all times. They don’t leave our home world or travel anywhere unaccompanied because of the dangers of space pirates. We would die for them. But they are respected and their opinions valued." A long finger stabbed in his direction. "Never presume that we would subject our lasses to the indignities you have bestowed upon your own. Tis the reason you are where you are now."
The Northlander stood up abruptly. "You wouldn’t understand, trader. There is nothing that will stop this war. It has been brewing a long time and has finally come to a head. That is the end of it."
"Shit! Do you know that you’re destroying Dana’s life once again? You have no idea what she’s given up--"
"I never asked her to. She did the job I asked of her and there’s nothing more to be said." Diago strode angrily from the room.
Fuming, Garret stormed out into the night. Once again he searched the city of Northland for any sign of Rominac even though he knew it was hopeless, previous searches having proven that. But he needed a way to work off his fury.
He slept little that night in the fleet craft. The bunk he’d shared with Dana was lonely. He missed her sharp wit and the softness of her body, the love that shone in her eyes, the way she sought to do little things to please him. He even missed her biting comments because it was another part of her he loved.
Up before dawn, he started to scour the countryside in the hope of finding Rominac, but as the sun rose higher, his spirits plummeted. When the sun set, he knew that the Northlander was nowhere in the vicinity.
Where the hell was he?
~ * ~
Catching the stirrup, Dana looked up at Zar mounted on the warhorse. "Don’t do this. It’s not too late to stop it."
"Why does this worry you so much, warrior? You know your brother is not here, and he is not in Northland, so it stands to reason he is safe from the forthcoming battle."
"Because so many will die needlessly."
"Needlessly?" Gera snorted from beside her leader. "This is partly a battle to end the Northlanders’ dominance."
"And what is the other part?"
"Old grudges," Zar replied. "Old wounds still bleeding."
"Given the right circumstances, those wounds can heal."
The warhorse shifted restlessly and Zar gathered up the reins. "The battle starts at midday. Do you ride with us?"
Releasing the stirrup, Dana stepped back. "Only to the border. I won’t fight a war I don’t believe in."
"Odd." Gera sneered. "You’ve fought in many wars for money, Reeka. What is the difference now?"
Mounting the spare warhorse, she leveled her gaze on the Southlander. "Times have changed, and so has my perception on what I deem important."
"Time is also moving." Zar raised one gauntleted fist. "Move out!"
Dust filled the air as two hundred warhorses trotted through the city and out into the country.
Dana would have dropped behind but Zar gestured her forward to ride beside her at the head of the army.
"I’m surprised that Cina does not ride with us."
"I wouldn’t allow it." Zar caught her surprised look. "I have some feeling inside me."
"You made her stay behind?"
"She was most upset, you can be sure."
"I didn’t see her in your home."
"I left her with an old woman who lives in the forest. If we lose, she will keep Cina hidden."
"You have this well planned. What about you if Northland wins? You’ll be enslaved again."
Zar smiled mirthlessly. "I’ll no doubt be amongst the first to die, so that is the least of my concern."
"What of the others?"
"They go to battle expecting to win but k
nowing the consequences of losing."
"A grim choice."
"One the Reekas knew well during their outlaw years. You of all people understand."
Yes, she did.
The rest of the journey was continued in silence, the thud of horses’ hoofs and the clink of weapons the only sound.
Deep in thought, Dana’s horse dropped behind several paces and she glanced up when a woman appeared on her left side.
"I am Deidra."
"I don’t think you need an introduction from me."
Deidra laughed. "You are well-known. Quite famous, in fact. We have all heard of the Reekas’ exploits."
Dana shifted in the saddle. ‘Don’t believe all you hear."
"I would say it’s mostly truth." She hesitated. "You spent some time in Northland?"
"Enough."
"I see." She glanced around before dropping her voice. "Did you happen to meet any men?"
"That’s a little hard to avoid, under the circumstances."
"Sorry. I know there are many there."
A sudden thought occurred to Dana and she cast the woman a speculative look. "Was there someone in particular you wanted to ask me about?"
"I... yes." She lifted her chin. "A boy. He has brown hair with gold highlights and blue eyes. He would be ten years of age now. Did you notice him while in Northland?"
The breeze stirred a stray strand of golden hair that found it’s way free of the tight braid. Surely it wasn’t possible? It was too much of a coincidence...
Deidra sighed. "It’s just a query. There are too many boys there for you to notice just one."
"The boy is your son?"
"He is." She looked down at her hands. "I haven’t seen him for three years."
"What of the father?"
A sad smile pulled at her lips. "I have never forgotten Kal."
"Damn it all to hell," Dana muttered. What were the odds?
"Think me weak, warrior, I don’t care." Deidra raised her chin defiantly. "I never stopped loving him, and miss him still. He was caring in his way, never harsh or cruel, never forced me."
"So why leave?"
"Freedom. What life for my daughter who was born there? I left for her. She is free, no chattel for any man."
"You didn’t trust Kal enough to keep her?"
"Oh, he’d never have parted with her, would have killed any man who dared try and touch her. But what if something happened to him? Who would look after us, and keep us safe? I made a choice for her benefit."
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