"And if she doesn't?" Naatos demanded.
"Well, we build that bridge if it's needed, all right?"
AaQar lifted his hand. "Is Amelia alone currently?"
"No. QueQoa is with her. She just doesn't know it."
"Go and stay with her. Don't make her talk. Just be there. We'll be finished soon." After WroOth left grumbling, AaQar turned to Naatos. "I have not always been there for you when you needed me, and I have often faltered on this journey. The one thing that has been constant is you. You have held this family together through times I do not even know how we endured. Often on your own because I have not been the best brother and because you were in effect alone."
Naatos scowled, objecting immediately and startled at this abrupt turn of conversation. "You've been—"
"Do you still recognize my leadership over this family, brother?"
"I do." Naatos did not care for where he guessed this was going.
" I believed in what we were doing. I still believe that had we managed to carry out our plans, the worlds would have been better. But we were harsh. We were cruel. We chose efficiency over justice. Had we handled Libysha the way we handled Lescroom or Tu-wai, she would not have objected."
"Lescroom took years to handle. Tu-wai even longer."
"Sometimes such measures require more time. But if she had seen the atrocities in Tu-wai, she would have agreed with our actions. With Libysha, we were heavy-handed. We sacrificed innocents to make a point. We poured them out to make all the rest fall in line. And maybe some were saved. Maybe more were saved than lost. Because of where we stopped, we can't know. But there are some things that we do know. We must focus on those."
Naatos continued pacing. There was an uncomfortable dread creeping up his spine that his brothers were right. He'd been warned about the vestov vow coming, and he hadn't even acknowledged that she had conceded some measures. Her previous requests had involved no compromise of discussion later or legitimate conquests. She'd been disgusted by him and enraged. Hated him. As she had trained herself, she had beaten heavy bags with his name on them and thrown knives at targets with whatever representations she'd managed of his face. Now—well, he'd made her cry now for other reasons.
"Our people started in the wilderness," AaQar continued. "If the myths are to be believed, the garden we came from was the wildest of all. And we ourselves started in a wilderness much like this one. This place may not be our birthplace, but it is so like it that it might as well be. Instead of four children desperate for survival though, we are five adults, all more resilient and powerful than most would presume."
"If I release this," Naatos said slowly. "If—that is the same as saying that all is finished, that our enemies have won. That all of the pain and suffering and deaths were in vain."
"Those who are dead are dead. We cannot help them nor can we harm them. You carry the ghosts of far too many, brother. And you have taken on burdens you should have released long ago. Much like your veskaro. And like her, you're both afraid of each other."
"I'm not afraid of her," he snapped.
"Oh not that she'll kill you. No. She was afraid in part because of the mind shade and in part just because of who you both are that you were going to crush her mind and remake her. That you would in essence manipulate her to accomplish your goals and she would make you stronger. You fear that she will manipulate you. That your feelings for her will betray you. Choosing to love someone is the recognition that one day they will probably break your heart. In some fashion or another. And you know this. Just as you know you will both exercise influence over one another. That is the way of marriage and family. This is not new for you. It is only new for you to do. You want her to trust you, but you must also trust her. Trust that she is doing all she can to reach you. That she will not respond or act against you in malice."
"She should look at where we are and recognize how impossible what she thinks could be is."
AaQar chuckled. "Why should she when you have not given up hope for the Tue-Rah and a reunion of the timelines? A feat which has never been done and which may not even be possible. You like to do the impossible, Naatos. Why wouldn't she believe you'll find a way to try to have it all? You've made it eight weeks since the locking. To my knowledge, that has not been done either. And while you have made questionable decisions and shown poor reasoning at points, you have avoided going insane. WroOth is right. It really is simple. If such a time should come where we have that power again, we will address it. Give her this assurance."
"It will come," Naatos said. He struck his fist against the wall. "It will come, and you would have me risk the sanctity of my union on her being reasonable in the future."
"I think that if that time comes, one of two things will be true. Either it will be as it has been, and it will be simpler to persuade her that this is essential. Or we will choose a different course. Elonumato has made many mistakes so far as I am concerned, but we are not without our own. Perhaps it is not for us to fix all the ills of the worlds and the Tue-Rahs. Perhaps we care for and secure our own family first. Especially considering what we know is coming. Besides, given who she is, I would rather encourage her gentler and more conciliatory goals." He eyed Naatos calmly. "I know you balk at this vow because you don't want to be bound more than you already are. You'd probably balk at the idea of fidelity if it weren't essential, even if you had no desire for another."
"I would not."
"Why did you become a jeweler? Because they said you couldn't."
"It was the only work available." He sometimes hated how well his brother knew him.
"The only work available wherein the owner insulted you, said you were incapable, and where you were chased off initially for fear of theft. You made those pieces to prove you could. You hate to be bound by anyone or anything except yourself, and even then you push those limits."
"It paid well. That is all."
"You drank that poison because the apothecary said you shouldn't."
"You have made your point."
"Remind me why you are mastering immunity to lightning and fire simultaneously?"
"It is efficient."
"No. It's dangerous."
He eyed his brother, his annoyance increasing. "I always have my reasons."
"Usually just to prove you can. Why did you kiss Amelia the first time?"
He glared at AaQar. "Some would say it was because our bond called to me."
"Some might say that, but you and I both know the truth. You were proving she had no power over you and that you possessed sufficient strength to resist. But unless you sever that bond, she will always have power over you."
He shrugged. "I could continue on without changing anything. I have not gone insane. Perhaps I will be the first locked Vawtrian to never consummate my union with my veskaro and regain his shifting."
AaQar gave him an incredulous look. "It's been eight weeks. You want to spend centuries at this?"
A poor bluff he couldn't even convince himself of. "No." He hated it when his brother was right. The only thing worse than being wrong was when everyone else was right and he wasn't.
A deep thudding shook the floor and the walls as a faint trickle of sand and silt rained down. Naatos tilted his head back as AaQar looked around. The rumbling grew louder. Something was coming.
60
Stampede
QueQoa had tried very hard to remain inconspicuous while also maintaining a watch over her. Miserable as she was, Amelia didn't have the heart to tell him that his presence was significantly larger than his form. So even though he had turned into a cunningly disguised owl with brown and grey stripes and remained perfectly still in the shadows, she knew precisely where he was.
She kept her focus on the stones in front of her. If she had been in Indiana, she would have gone for a walk to collect her thoughts. But everything was so deadly here that walking without help or rels was like slicing her wrists and ankles before diving into a river of hungry piranhas. What were t
he piranhas like here? They probably called them goldfish.
This position she had taken up between the boulder and the mountain gave her as much privacy as she could hope for. Uncomfortable though it was. More or less what she deserved.
At least the eyeliner was waterproof. Sniffing, she wiped her eyes once more, still taking care not to rub.
Why couldn't she just let this go? Why couldn't she just—she cupped her hands over her eyes as more tears leaked down her cheeks. He wanted her to trust him. She wanted to trust him. But there were too many warnings. It wasn't as if she enjoyed being cautious or worrying or overthinking.
At the moment, all she wanted was the matter settled. Any chance she had of setting aside the request faded because he was not willing to swear he wouldn't do those things. Even good reasons were going to haunt her.
Gah! She clenched her fists and drove them into the ground, sad and furious. Why couldn't this be over?
Should she even be doing this? Was he a good man? Was it enough that he had become good to her? Would that change?
She checked her gun for bullets simply out of habit and because it felt good to do something familiar. Wiping away the tears, she proceeded to clean it again. Though she hadn't used it in days and she doubted she would ever really need it here again, she didn't want it to fall into disrepair. It was one of the last things she had that reminded her of Uncle Joe.
What would he say about all this?
Probably nothing because he would pass out in shock. He'd always been highly supportive of her remaining single. More than once he'd warned her about the risks of falling in love on one world and then being ripped away. Not that he shared much about his own losses in that regard. The fact that it was Naatos she'd fallen in love with, well, that—that made the whole situation significantly harder to pitch.
And yet she would.
If all it took to make things better and ensure all went well was telling Uncle Joe, she'd explain it. And then, just as he had asked her when she wanted to sleep with a bazooka in her bed or insisted on keeping her satchel with her at all times, he'd ask her whether it was for her best.
Was Naatos for her best?
Not a great time to be thinking about that, that much was certain. Certainly not if he couldn't make any guarantees.
Uncle Joe would probably rather her sleep with two loaded bazookas with unreliable safeties than be Naatos's wife. And shouting, no, no, she loved him wasn't going to do much to move him.
The footsteps that drew closer were clearly WroOth's, obvious even if he didn't carry a whole cloud of frustration and kinetic energy with him. He emerged from the cave and turned to her at once, arms akimbo. "So… alone or talk?"
She shrugged and shook her head at him, steadying her voice. "I'm just thinking." If she told him to leave her alone, he'd probably join QueQoa in the tree.
"And crying."
She lifted her shoulder. Much as she hated crying, at least she could around him. "Naatos and I have concluded we don't need vestoving or sex of any kind."
"I am all but certain that was not what he intended."
"We both gave each other ultimatums." How she was going to keep going with this, she didn't know. Probably wind up scratching off her elmis. Unless she could figure out a way to put desire in the same pit that devoured all memory of her typical dreams. "No vow or no vestov."
WroOth shook his head. "That was a very bold move. But, dear heart, he's going to come around. I meant what I said back at the cliff."
"Just because two people are meant to be together doesn't mean they will agree or that they will have a good relationship. They could just make it hell for each other. Maybe I shouldn't have asked for all that, but I have to. And I know I am stubborn. I just—I can't let go of this."
"Yes, you can be a recalcitrant little vespyr made of vinegar and kidney stones, but you've always been that way." He dropped down with his back to the mountain wall. "I know this is not at all the same, but for what it is worth to you, I vow that you will never be my enemy again, dear heart."
She tilted her head, startled. "Where is this coming from?"
"Sometimes it's good to know where you stand. That no matter what happens, you will have someone with you. Especially someone like you. You're a worrier and a doom searcher. It's why there isn't really now. It's now and the future. Mostly the future. And the past sticks to your heels. There certainly are some memories there between you and Naatos as well."
Covering her eyes, she shook her head. "I wonder if it has ever occurred to Naatos that it would have been simpler if I died in the spider pit or somewhere." It was easier to imagine that than think about the fact he wanted her to love him just for who he was.
"Utter falsehood, and you know it. But you were never staying in that spider pit," WroOth said.
"I appreciate your confidence in my ability to get out, but if it weren't for my subconscious deciding to get proactive, I would have been stuck." Those memories lurched up even more powerfully now. What a perfect substitute for all the other miseries she could think about. Blinking, she opened her eyes, unable to send the spider faces away.
"Well it is a good thing your subconscious interfered because, even though I did intend to go down and get you, I grievously underestimated how vicious they would be as well as how to treat you. I'd have killed you unintentionally."
"What do you mean you underestimated how vicious they are? And you were going to come and get me?"
"Hook-fanged spiders are not friendly at the best of times, but they went after you like flies after honey. Whatever it is, even when we were in the temple, you remember how they didn't obey when Naatos commanded them to leave you alone."
"Vividly." She paused, recalling that the same thing had happened in the spider pit. "They take orders well otherwise?"
"Excellently. All of Naatos's creatures do. It was a gift from a Bealorn friend long, long ago. The animals are supposed to obey immediately. But they were more interested in getting bites into you."
"And you were going to come down and get me?"
"I figured Naatos would regret what he'd done. You would realize that you couldn't outmatch him. I could get you all fixed up and bandaged. I know enough about medicine to be better than dangerous. And there we go. It would all be resolved. Really I was shocked he would even go through with killing a Neyeb at all."
She rested her chin on her knees. "I wasn't so much shocked as unenthusiastic about the idea."
He chuckled. "See, laughing is better than crying. And if you should ever get thrown into a spider pit, I swear that I won't finish a sandwich before I come to get you."
It was a little jarring that he could laugh about that, but she appreciated the promise he had woven into it.
"How did you plan on explaining I was alive to Naatos?"
"I didn't really have a plan," WroOth said. "I don't worry about plans for most things."
A low rumble shook the air, similar to thunder except it did not end. Frowning, she stood.
QueQoa flew to a higher branch as WroOth stood.
The sound came from the east, growing louder. A large mass of shapes moved toward them, all jumbled and shades of brown, tan, and grey.
A long wailing shriek erupted from the cave as Proteus raced out. Tacky scrambled after him, disappearing into the underbrush.
"Proteus! Tacky!" Amelia started after them. WroOth grabbed her by the arm, his fingers digging in hard.
"That's a stampede," QueQoa shouted from the tree. "Ilmas! Big ones!"
"Stampede!" WroOth shouted into the cave, still gripping Amelia's arm. "Ilma stampede!" Pulling back, he pointed at the top of the mountain. "We're going up. Don't argue. Just climb."
Her elmis twinged. Turning, she looked up. WroOth froze beside her.
A massive dragon, easily forty feet in length from nose to tail tip, sat on a large ledge overhead, staring down at them. Its head was the size of WroOth in his state of rest. He had a strange skull with numerous protrusions,
almost as if he wore a skull helmet on the outside. Large teeth the size of her hand protruded at sharp angles, serrated and glistening. Its spine had a long hard ridge that resembled steel, and the ribs themselves had similar banding across them inches thick.
Her mouth went dry. "Not a shifter."
"No, that's a wild one, and he's here for an easy meal." WroOth drew Amelia back. "Most likely he'd prefer an ilma, but he probably wouldn't say no to an appetizer beforehand. The rels will keep him back, I think. No sudden moves though."
The dragon blinked his glowing red-orange eyes, its manner lazy yet alert. A ferocious intelligence glistened in those eyes.
"What kind of dragon is he?" She let him guide her away. The dragon's eyes remained fixed on them.
"Never seen that type before," QueQoa said, appearing on the ground behind them. "I'm a little more concerned he got up there without any of us seeing him. Probably used the wind to mask his arrival. Watch out for the ledge." He lifted her down. WroOth moved back even quieter, not jumping off but climbing down.
Footsteps pounded out of the cave as AaQar and Naatos emerged, opi packs slung over their arms.
"Why aren't you climbing the mountain?" Naatos demanded. He grabbed Amelia by the other arm and started to drag her with him but stopped short as he looked up and AaQar reached for him. "That is unfortunate."
Frustrated as she was with him, she was glad he was here. Everything that needed to be settled could be handled later. Right now there were bigger things. Or at least more immediate.
There were other dragons around now. One farther down the mountain. Another in a copse of trees in the center of the grassland a short distance from the rise out of the gully. Yet another in the curve of the mountain down a fair distance from them. Probably more they couldn't see.
Up above, two quetzies circled as well as numerous other broad-winged flyers and dozens of winged serpents. Scavengers and predators alike.
"Pack hunters," QueQoa growled. "Very bad."
"As long as we don't hold their interest, they should leave us alone," Naatos said, his voice firm as if there was no reason to question this statement. The tendrils of awareness warned her he was only somewhat certain though. "They're here for the ilmas. Maybe even started the stampede."
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