by B N Miles
Cam stopped paying attention as Haesar and the others discussed plans to break away from the shattered zone and to head back toward the Mansion. Theus suggested that they round up as many wolves as they could on the way back, though what they would do with all those prisoners, Cam didn’t have the slightest idea.
He couldn’t seem to find the energy to engage himself. Not with such small problems. His eyes kept moving over to Brice and the deep gash in her forehead. He kept seeing her lying on the ground, bleeding from her head, unconscious and barely alive. It was a miracle that she was on her feet again only a day after the injury.
Toward the end of the meeting, she caught his gaze, and a small smile moved across her face. He smiled back and tried not to let his anger mar his emotion.
Haesar and Gwedi left after another twenty minutes of discussion. Cam stood and walked to the exit with Miuri and Brice on his heels. The others stayed to discuss logistics for the army.
“What was that back in there?” Brice asked as Cam swept out onto the field. Arter detached himself from the tent and followed the group at a respectful distance.
“What was what?” Cam asked.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know what she means,” Miuri said. “All that about the gods and being unsafe.”
“It’s the truth,” he said. “You saw them. You saw what they can do.”
“Cam.” Brice took his arm and pulled. He turned to her, eyes hard, as she stared up at him. “I’m worried. That wasn’t like you.”
He softened his expression despite the fire raging in his gut. He reached out and touched Brice’s face.
“Don’t be worried,” he said. “I’ll be okay. I’m only thinking about the future.”
“The future is going to be fine.” Brice put her hand on his and drew it away from her face. She held it tight, lacing her fingers through his. “We have each other. We made it through.”
“She’s right,” Miuri said. “We all made it through.”
“Thousands didn’t,” Cam said.
“It was a battle. Death happens in battle. It can’t be avoided.” Miuri touched his shoulder.
He stood there for a moment with his two beautiful girls and looked from Brice to Miuri then back again. He wanted to accept their words, wanted it to quiet the rage deep in his heart, but he knew it wasn’t enough.
“I’ll try and calm down,” he said. “But I can’t stop thinking about what happened. I can’t stop thinking about our vulnerability. I just want to make sure you’re all safe.”
“We’re safe now,” Brice said.
Cam nodded and turned back to camp. He walked slower, took deeper breaths, held Brice’s hand, and draped an arm around Miuri’s shoulder. He tried to see the good in the future, tried to picture himself with his girls in the safety of the Mansion.
But all he could see was flashing lightning and earth shattering like clay.
42
The army returned to the Mansion after several days of marching. Half the men had fled while the goddesses fought, and so the first few days were spent gathering them back together. After that, the army had rolled back through the valley, finding small pockets of wolves and taking them prisoner when possible or killing them when the wolves refused to come easily.
There were few arguments, few problems, and the general mood in the camp was subdued but positive.
Cam felt a strange chill when he saw the switchbacks again. Although they’d been gone for a few weeks at most, it felt like he hadn’t seen them in ages. He marched ahead with a retinue of his personal guard, Miuri, Felin, Key, and Theus, while the army camped down at their entrance.
The looming columns marked the Mansion’s plateau. He felt his heart skip a beat as he stepped between them. The sun was nearly set and dust caked Cam’s clothes, but he felt a strange thrill of excitement. They reached the top and he stood staring across the open plain toward the enormous gaping mouth of the Mansion itself.
Three figures walked toward them. As they got closer, Cam recognized Galla, Dagan, and Kraed.
“Looks like your wife is here to see you,” Key said.
“Our wife,” Cam said. “And she brought company.”
“Is that Kraed? I wonder what he’s doing.”
“I thought he got out of politics,” Theus said.
“I thought so too,” Cam said. “But apparently not.”
Cam strode forward. Galla hurried, her face bright and beautiful. She threw herself at Cam and he caught her, arms wrapped around her soft body, and he remembered all over again what drew her to him in the first place.
“You’re back,” she said. “Gods, you’re back. Is it true, what the scouts said?”
“It’s over,” he said, pulling back to look her in the eye. “I swear, it’s over.”
“They say the gods themselves fought in the sky. That thousands died.”
Cam nodded. “But it’s over,” he said. “The wolves are broken. The land is free.”
She reached up and touched his cheek. “So why don’t you look happy?”
He forced a smile on his lips and hugged her again, this time trying to make himself feel what he was supposed to feel.
The Mansion’s conference hall held every village Elder at its large table. Cam sat at the head next to Galla. Key, Theus, Miuri, and Felin sat to Galla’s left.
The atmosphere in the room felt charged with excitement and uncertainty.
Galla stood. She looked radiant in green and gold. A small circular crown sat perched on her flowing red hair. She practically radiated a firm, gentle power over the room, and Cam felt himself being drawn toward her like everyone else in attendance.
Galla had been busy. The Wardens were overhauled into a personal guard of sorts for her, and each of the Elders had been systematically broken-down then rebuilt into staunch allies. She bribed, borrowed, bartered, and otherwise cajoled every important man and woman in the Mansion, and as far as Cam could tell, she had the place in the palm of her hand.
“We’re gathered here for two reasons,” Galla said, her voice projected over the space. “First, to celebrate Cam’s great victory.”
A cheer rose. Hands clapped. Mugs pounded against the table. Cam gave the assembled men a tight smile, but didn’t feel the joy they showed him.
“And second,” Galla said, holding up her hands, “we’re here to discuss what to do with the prisoners.”
“Kill them all,” the Elder from Waters said. “Why should we bother with them?”
Cam saw Felin grimace at that.
“We can’t just murder a bunch of people,” Dagan said. “Even if they’re wolves, we can’t do it. They’re prisoners now, and we have a duty toward them.”
“Fuck your duty.”
“Enough,” Galla said. “Jamit, your idea is noted. And I know many agree with you. But if we begin slaughtering prisoners, tell me, how many of our allies and our neighbors will want to treat with us in the future?”
“They certainly won’t want to go to war,” Jamit said.
Laughter followed. Cam gave the man a dour stare.
“Perhaps,” Galla said. “Or perhaps they’ll only be more willing to attack us if they believe that we’re a danger to the region.”
“What do you propose, then?” Jamit asked.
“I’m only facilitating this discussion,” she said with a sly smile.
A few chuckles rang out.
“What if we made them vassals?” Dagan said.
There was a short silence after that.
“Explain yourself,” Galla said, a smile on her lips.
Cam got the sense that this was very much a staged moment. Dagan looked uncomfortable, and as he spoke, it sounded as if he were reading from a play.
“The wolves can be useful as… vassals of the Mansion,” he said. “We give them land, but do not let them own it. We tax them heavily, keep them working and under control. Maybe offer… incentives to stay here and work the fields.”
“Sounds lik
e slavery to me,” Jamit said.
“Not slavery,” Dagan said. “We make them vassals. They can keep a share of their work, but the Mansion will take a larger tribute than normal.”
“That’s a nice idea,” Galla said. “Perhaps, in a generation, the wolves will no longer hate us anymore. We can release them from their tributes, and they can become useful members of our society.”
“We don’t want wolves on our land,” Jamit said.
A few voices echoed agreement.
Cam’s jaw felt tense. He looked up at Galla then out at the men. He leaned forward and spoke softly enough so the assembled group had to lean forward to hear him.
“Killing them won’t bring back the dead,” Cam said. “Treating them like dirt won’t keep them from attacking us again. But making them our allies? Treating them like people? That might work, in the long run. We’ll punish them for now, but one day, they’ll be free, and perhaps we’ll be able to count them among our closest friends and neighbors.”
A short silence. Only Jamit laughed this time. “You sound so idealistic, shaman.”
Cam gave him a tight smile. “And you sound like a bloodthirsty, shortsighted moron.”
Jamit’s jaw worked but no sound came out.
“Easy,” Galla said. “We’re all on the same side here. I agree with Elder Dagan that bringing the wolves under the fold will perhaps be a worthwhile endeavor.”
“Make them clear out the shattered lands,” Cam said. “Give those fields to them. If they can clear and work them, turn them into productive farms, then it’ll be worth the trouble.”
A few people murmured agreement.
“That sounds like a good plan,” Galla said. “All those in favor of giving the shattered lands to the wolf prisoners and imposing heavy taxation on them?”
More ayes than nays and Galla beamed at the group. She moved on before the grumbling could get too loud, but Cam caught Dagan giving her a look that he couldn’t quite read.
The meeting wrapped up without much more getting done. The Elders fought amongst themselves like usual and the military kept oddly silent. Key, Felin, and Miuri left to check in on their rooms and the big bed while Cam stayed back with Galla. He put his hands behind his head and watched the others bicker and filter out, and wondered how they could fight with each other so soon after winning an important battle. It was like the wolves had never happened now that they were gone, and it was back to business as usual.
“Strange, isn’t it?” Galla sat down beside Cam and leaned toward him, draping her arms around his neck. “You save their asses, and not a single one of them thanks you for it.”
Cam smiled. “I didn’t do it for thanks.”
“But it’d be nice though, right?”
“Maybe.” He took a deep breath and smelled lilacs and roses. Galla’s big eyes stared up into his and he leaned down to kiss her pouty lips.
She returned that kiss with a sigh.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said. “Keeping these men in line’s been like catching squirrels.”
“I hope they haven’t been too bad.”
She waved a hand. “Dagan was a big help. Kraed too, once Dagan convinced him to get involved again.”
“I was wondering about that.”
“Kraed’s a surprisingly good politician. And now that he’s the head of our little Ur cathedral, he has a little bit of clout.”
“How’d he end up with that position?”
“There was nobody else.” She grinned and kissed him again. “That’s the best way to end up with a job. When there’s nobody else.”
“Story of my life.” He extricated himself from Galla’s grip and stood. His mind was heavy and sluggish as he paced across the room. He could feel Galla’s eyes on him the whole way.
“You seem off today.”
Cam turned to her. “I want to talk to you about something. But I think you’re going to read too deeply into what I’m about to say.”
She chewed her lip. “Go ahead,” she said. “Might as well get it over with.”
“I want to be the Lord of this Mansion.”
She let out a little laugh. “What do you mean? I’m the Lord.”
“I know that. But I’ve been thinking about our future.”
“You don’t think I should be Lord?”
He held up a hand. “I didn’t say that.”
“Then what are you saying?” She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes.
He took a minute to compose himself. “What I saw out there on the battle field shook me to the core, Galla.” His voice was strained and tense. “Those two goddesses could have destroyed our army if they wanted. Lycanica was in the process of doing just that, and she would’ve succeeded if it weren’t for Danua. I tried to hold her off, but I was just too weak.”
“You’re not a god, Cam,” Galla said, softening just a touch. “You can’t blame yourself for that.”
“I know. But for a moment, I did hold her back. Just for a moment, my magic was strong enough. Ever since then, I keep thinking, what if I hadn’t been alone out there? What if there were ten others just like me? Or two hundred?”
Galla laughed a little. “Two hundred shaman? Is that even possible?”
“Theus learned,” Cam said. “He learned much, much faster than I did. He’s getting stronger every day. I think I can train more shaman, and I think if we work together, our magic might be strong enough to protect our people from the gods themselves.”
Galla stared at him and shook her head. “That’s insanity.”
“It’s not. I did it, even if it was for just a second. With a hundred like me, we could’ve taken her down.”
“Cam—”
“I know this is a lot,” he said, interrupting her before she could call him crazy again. He didn’t need to hear that from her, he’d been thinking it enough about himself already. “If you let me share the Lordship with you, I’ll use my position to train an army of shaman. We’ll have enough power that nobody in the region will be able to threaten us ever again.”
She stared at him and slowly shook her head. “Nobody will accept it.’
“They will. These are strange times, Galla. Nothing is conventional anymore. They’ll accept it.”
“Share the Lordship… It’s never been done.”
“I know that. We’ve also never defeated a horde of wolves in battle before this.” He held out his hands. “Please, work with me. Give me this power and let me do what I need to do.”
“Why do you need to be the Lord to train shaman? Can’t you just… do it?”
“I need the power,” Cam said, his jaw tense. “If I’m going to give magic to a hundred men, I need to be able to control them. If I’m going to take on that much responsibility, I need the symbolic strength of the Lordship behind me. It’s the only way I’ll stay in charge no matter what happens.”
Galla stood and turned her back on him. She walked off, shook her head, and turned.
“I don’t know,” she said. “It just sounds… you could do it without being the Lord.”
“It won’t work. Not for long, at least. Someone will use their power to do something stupid, and I won’t have the authority to stop them.”
“We’ll come up with a new position for you. We’ll make being the Mansion’s shaman an official position, second only to me, and—”
“Then they’ll always look to you,” Cam said, “and my position will only exist because of you. It’d be a false power, one without the history and weight of the Mansion behind it. I need this, and the Mansion needs it.”
“Are you sure the Mansion needs it? Are you sure it’s not just you?”
Cam took a step back, like she’d punched him in the gut. “I don’t want to take anything from you,” he said. “I want to do what’s best for everyone.”
“And you think I can’t handle it.” Her laugh was bitter and harsh. “Of course you don’t. Nobody does.”
“Galla—”
“Look at what you’ve done. Of course you can handle being the Lord. This is just about something bigger than politics. This is about gods, and power, and magic.”
She waved her hand at him. The tears in her eyes sent a dagger down his gut.
“You can have your Lordship,” she said. “I’d give you anything you asked for and you know it. I just hoped you’d never ask for something like this.”
Cam opened his mouth to tell her that he made a mistake and he was sorry and he loved her and she was a wonderful Lord.
But he shut his mouth again and nodded.
“Thank you. We’ll make the announcement soon.”
Without another word, he left the room.
Galla’s soft crying made him want to break his own arm over a rock. But he knew it was necessary. Galla would forgive him and she’d retain all of her powers.
And Cam would have the authority and the power to begin building his army.
43
“Shut your eyes,” Cam said.
“If you kick me in the back, I swear I’ll light you on fire.”
Cam laughed and nudged Theus with his elbow. “Just do it.”
Theus grunted and shut his eyes. Cam put a hand on his shoulder.
“Raise your fist,” he said. “And call on your fire.”
Theus took a deep breath. Cam began to channel his own power, drawing in as much of the priori as he could, but held off on shaping it. He felt Theus’s body stiffen as flames ran down his hand and rolled across the empty, rocky plains in front of the Mansion. The flame died out after a few feet but the heat was almost unbearable.
Cam imagined pushing power into Theus. He pictured it in his mind and pretended like he was stuffing a shirt full of wool. The energy inside of him crackled and roiled like an angry ocean but nothing happened.
“Cam,” Theus said through clenched teeth, the fire still burning. “What are we doing here?”
“Just hold it.” Cam squeezed his eyes shut harder and concentrated. He grabbed hard on his friend’s shoulder. He pictured taking his muscles and ripping them off his body then forcing them into Theus’s chest. For a moment, he felt something shift inside of him, then—