《Warrior's Touch (Deadly Touch 2)》


 1: Costly Entertainment

    The great Syakara ¨C a race blessed with the strength of ten, maybe twenty of their ungifted peers, and speed enough their limbs blurred ¨C locked in fierce battle. A beautiful sight to behold.


    The battle between Jonas of Quaver and Karlani of Wherever was not fierce, but no less beautiful in its way. Llew found some delight in militarily trained Jonas beating down street learned Karlani. But she found it damned near repulsive to watch the father of her unborn child leading the other woman in slowed break downs of the moves he¡¯d successfully used against her. They moved together like dancers, then. Like lovers, if Karlani had her way ¨C or just about anyone else¡¯s way, if one were to ask around. And, from a distance, it was often hard to decipher Jonas¡¯s preference.


    It made sense. The only two Syakara known to exist should be together; should ¡­ procreate.


    It made sense, even to Llew. The continued existence of an entire race was more important than the feelings of one young woman. But it hurt in an almost physical way, as if an invisible hand reached from Jonas to Llew and wrapped around her heart. Every time he shared a smile or a laugh with Karlani, that hand squeezed and tugged.


    Jonas invited the Syakaran woman to use a move he¡¯d just taught her against him. Karlani gave him little respite before taking him up on the offer, tumbling past him to throw him off balance before returning to attempt the move. Of course, Jonas had a counter move prepared that her feint failed to weaken, and Karlani went tumbling again with less grace this time. The gathered audience chuckled and clapped. So far from Quaver, where the Karan race originated, the attendants of Lord Gaemil Tovias¡¯s court in Rakun, Brurun, appreciated the chance to see the two Syakara in action. For them, watching these two physically superior specimens was nothing short of stunning. For Llew, as the pair came together for Jonas to show Karlani how he¡¯d defeated her once again, it was pain, and she turned her back.


    As a child of the streets, Llew hadn¡¯t had time for deep friendships, and certainly not lovers. The one friend she¡¯d allowed close had betrayed her, sending her to the gallows.


    But she¡¯d survived. Not initially, no. No one survived a broken neck and suffocation. But Llew, herself, was a rare breed. One of only two Syaenuks. The other was her mother, whom she hadn¡¯t seen in some fourteen years, now held captive in Turhmos, somewhere.


    While the Karan race had superior speed and strength of muscle, the Aenuk race could heal ¨C themselves and others ¨C at an advanced rate. But it came at a price many could not tolerate. Life¡¯s essence couldn¡¯t simply be created, it had to come from somewhere: the surrounding vegetation, an animal, or another person. Most Aenuks only healed non-mortal wounds, while a death blow was still that. But, as the Syakaran was to the Karan, the Syaenuk exceeded the abilities of their Aenuk brethren. Syaenuks could come back from death.


    Llew had died about four times now, which meant she had killed. Mostly plants and insects, and a few carrion birds, but there had also been the girl playing in the grass over a hill from where Jonas had placed Llew to recover. Neither of them had known, and they both bore the guilt.


    She¡¯d killed her own father, too. That burden Llew carried alone. She hadn¡¯t even been dead, had simply had a small self-inflicted wound from Jonas¡¯s knife on the palm of one hand. Such a blade caused wounds an Aenuk could not heal supernaturally, not even a Syaenuk. And through the lightest of touches, Llew had drained her father¡¯s life as they slept.


    Given that the ability to heal, albeit significantly slower, was innate to all, many felt that the give-and-take nature of Aenuk magic wasn¡¯t worth it. And Llew was inclined to agree. She¡¯d even asked Jonas to take her life once.


    The leaders of Turhmos didn¡¯t feel that way. They boosted their armies with Aenuks, able to maim and kill their opponents as they healed themselves and continued fighting. And they had little need for army medics.


    All known Aenuks belonged to Turhmos. All except Llew, whom the rest of the world had been unaware of until recently, when she so publicly survived a hanging.


    Beyond surviving, though, Llew had made friends. On the run after her execution, she had been lucky enough to meet not only Jonas but the cousins Alvaro and Cassidy, and Jonas¡¯s captain Aris ¨C though she hesitated to call him friend. She had also met Anya, a well-to-do socialite of Cheer¡¯s ¨C rather minuscule ¨C upper class. From Cheer¡¯s streets, Llew hadn¡¯t expected to find anything in common with the other girl. But, as impossible as it had at first seemed, a bond had formed between them.


    Llew left the training pit, a silent guard her shadow, to visit Cassidy now. His cold body, laid out on the cold stone platform in the cold stone crypt, was never too busy to hear Llew¡¯s concerns. Her guard waited outside, allowing her discretion.


    She always started with the apologies. Sorry I didn¡¯t wake in the night to check on you. Sorry I couldn¡¯t heal you fully in the first place. She¡¯d been trying to keep what damage she did to the landscape minimal at the time. Sorry we stopped for the night. We should have kept going.


    She offloaded her concerns about Jonas and Karlani, and her frustrations at being so dependent on Jonas to protect her. Now the world knew she existed, several elements would want her; want her or want her dead. Jonas had the power to protect her. But only if Aris let him, and Aris was ensuring Jonas kept busy elsewhere.


    Feeling little better, she left the crypt, crossed the cobbled courtyard ¨C shadowed again ¨C and took the low, sweeping staircase up to the mansion¡¯s main entrance. Nearly twice as tall as Llew and framed in heavy, dark-stained wood, the glass in the doors was of a quality Llew had seen nowhere else. There was barely a ripple in it. One of the uniformed guards swung a door open for her. It awed Llew to see such heavy doors pivot so silently and smoothly on their hinges.


    Inside, the solid stone walls and high ceilings were at once both comforting and cold. The solid structure gave her a sense of safety she needed now, but the hardness and straight edges left her hankering for her Spot on the shore of Cheer¡¯s Big River, where rounded stones shifted beneath her feet and tussocks bowed out of her path when she made her way for her daily swim. She was a long way from the streets of Cheer, and as much as she may have wished to return, she couldn¡¯t deny she had landed on her feet. These hallways of marble floors and heavily decorated walls were a shrine to money.


    Immense paintings dressed the corridor walls. Men peered down at her from gilded frames. Most merely depicted a head and shoulders, looking upon those below with disdain. Some were full-length portraits of one man or another standing beside a prized horse, often wielding a sword, and wearing a heavily medaled uniform. Occasionally, a proud man might stand behind a chair, with a woman cradling a baby seated upon it.


    Llew eased her grumbling belly with a snack from the kitchens before heading out again to visit her horse, Amico, in one of the estate¡¯s large corrals, and then spent the rest of the afternoon reading, or staring into space. Jonas was being kept busy, and Anya had a whole new life to settle into, what with learning her duties as the future wife to Lord Tovias. She had a new city, region, and country to get her head around. All so much bigger than the rustic Cheer she and Llew had recently departed.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The following morning at breakfast, Llew¡¯s thoughts, as was often the case these days, turned inward, silently probing the baby, asking if it was alright, if it thought it could have a happy life with her. No one noticed. She never seemed able to get a seat close to her friends, and none of Lord Tovias¡¯s guests seemed interested in getting to know her. Besides, she was afraid if they did talk to her, all she could talk about was this baby, as it seemed to have hijacked most of her thoughts. But neither she nor Jonas were ready for others to know.


    Jonas stood by the doorway as she went to leave and tugged her sleeve to move her from the thoroughfare.


    ¡°You¡¯re not eatin¡¯ enough,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hello to you, too. Don¡¯t tell me what to do.¡± They¡¯d hardly spoken in days, and he started with a demand?


    ¡°Sorry, I know. I¡¯m workin¡¯ on it. Some time.¡± His resident scowl settled in place. ¡°You got Syakaran strength and speed, now, so you got Syakaran needs. That means more food. Okay?¡±


    As much as she wanted to remain indignant, Llew conceded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try to eat more.¡±


    ¡°Jonas.¡± Aris stated flatly from outside.


    ¡°I gotta go.¡± At least he looked disappointed.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Llew did her best to smile. She appreciated that he¡¯d made the effort to speak to her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡± He placed a hand on her shoulder as he stepped around her and through the door.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Whenever later meant.


    Their conversations often went like this now. Stilted. Stunted.


    Llew wasn¡¯t blameless in this. After being abducted and used by Jonas¡¯s half-brother Braph as a substitute for her mother, whom Braph would claim to love, Llew sometimes struggled not to see glimpses of Braph in some of Jonas¡¯s expressions. And when that happened, she shut down. Sometimes it was easier if they didn¡¯t bother, if only doing so didn¡¯t hurt her heart so much.


    Hisham, Jonas¡¯s best friend and fellow Quaven, gave her shoulder a squeeze as he left, somewhat unexpectedly, since Hisham still didn¡¯t like Aenuks. And Llew was, once again, left with the urge to speak with Cassidy.


    <hr>


    <div>


    Truth was, Llew had barely touched the other woman. It hadn¡¯t even been a fight. Karlani had simply run into Llew¡¯s fist. Served her right for showing off.


    She gazed across Cassidy¡¯s limp form to the rows and columns of concrete drawers and tried not to think too much about their inhabitants. She couldn¡¯t help wondering, yet again, if they all looked as well-preserved as the recently embalmed Cassidy. Each day her fingers itched to slide one open and see for herself, but the space had such an ancient quality, she was scared it would crumble if she dared touch anything besides Cassidy, his platform, and the seat for mourners.


    This place had a history Llew couldn¡¯t fathom. Her hometown of Cheer had existed for perhaps three generations and was built with no intention of standing through many more. Lord Gaemil Tovias¡¯s home and all its outbuildings on the hills of Rakun were built to last. Llew¡¯s own presence there would be fleeting.


    A crypt was no place for one to spend great lengths of time, really, and an embalmed body offered little conversation. Llew was lonely.


    Jonas and Anya. That was it, now. Cassidy was dead. His cousin, Alvaro, hated her for letting him die. And Hisham would always despise her for what she was.


    Cassidy¡¯s non-judgmental ears had been a good place to unload her troubles. She was a long way from home, and her future was only certain in that it would almost certainly mean captivity or grave danger. Or both. As always, Cassidy offered no advice or alternative perspective. Llew puffed out a sigh. She¡¯d been fretting over the aftermath of her altercation with Karlani for a week. Nothing had happened. It was time to let it go.


    ¡°I wonder if Alvaro will come to collect you.¡± What could she say to him? Apologize? Would he want to hear it?


    Inside the estate, she paused before a family portrait; the man standing tall and proud behind his wife, who smiled down at the tiny infant in her arms. Not for the first time, Llew¡¯s hand went to her own belly, and she wondered if one day she would gaze upon her and Jonas¡¯s child with such love, or if the sick feeling would remain. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to have his baby; she just didn¡¯t want to do it alone. But the chances of Jonas being allowed to be a father to her child, their child, were minuscule. As minuscule as the child itself. Her belly remained flat, the only outward evidence of the baby¡¯s existence: Jonas lived. A fact taken for granted by those who had yet to learn he had died. Aenuks could not heal Kara. Unless the Aenuk carried said Karan¡¯s unborn child, it seemed.


    ¡°Llew.¡±


    She dropped her hand to her side and turned a weak smile she hoped didn¡¯t look too guilty on Hisham. Slightly darker in complexion than Jonas, Hisham wore his naturally ringleted, shoulder-length black hair tied back in a half ponytail. Quaver had sent a small contingent of soldiers to help shore up Lord Gaemil Tovias¡¯s security while Jonas and Aris visited Brurun. Hisham was one, and Jonas¡¯s best friend.


    As excited as she was to see a familiar face, she was disappointed Jonas wasn¡¯t with him and failed miserably in hiding it, but it only seemed to make him smile. He beckoned Llew to follow him. She gave him a quizzical look, but, with a teasing smile, he had her interest piqued, and she followed him to the stable where her horse waited, already saddled. She didn¡¯t question where he was taking her and mounted, steered her horse to follow him across the courtyard cobbles, around the fountain, and through the gate, the guards and Hisham exchanging salutes.


    Outside the stone walls, they turned from the road that led to Rakun¡¯s town center, circumvented the estate, and started up the lush green hill behind. The air was crisp with the dry chill of winter, the sky cloudless. Clear of the estate¡¯s walls, Hisham kicked his horse into a brisk canter, and Llew followed suit, reveling in the cold air breezing through her hair. It was getting long; the ends touching her jaw and collar. Now she was safe among friends, she didn¡¯t need to trim it. She may have missed her home by Big River, but she didn¡¯t miss the Cheer locals, most of whom saw women as little more than a costly entertainment, which was one reason Llew had taken to being one of the boys.


    They crested the hill, and Llew adjusted her seat for the downward slope only a little late, narrowly preventing a fall from her saddle. Amico threw his head once to show his contempt before continuing on with the rolling gait into the heart of the valley and up the next hill. He nearly unseated her again when he kicked his heels at the chance to run.


    Hisham pulled up on the hill¡¯s rounded peak and waited for Llew to rein in beside him, letting her take in the view of the meandering river below. She hadn¡¯t seen anything so beautiful in nearly two months.


    Llew beamed a wide smile at Hisham, which he returned with a knowing one of his own. Her freedom had been severely limited lately. She needed this, and he knew it. He also knew where he was taking her, and she was more than a little eager to find out. She was almost certain it was something to do with Jonas. About time, too.


    Hisham continued at a walk, and Llew followed, breathing in the clean smell of fresh water surrounded by greenery ¨C trees, grasses, and shrubs, all benefiting from their proximity to the river. It smelled like home.


    At the base of the second hill, Hisham turned to lead Llew around a small forest, sparse enough to see the water rushing past on the other side of the trunks, yet dense enough to block out the roar. The trees followed a bend in the river and nearby, in a small clearing past the apex, Jonas¡¯s horse grazed. Llew looked to Hisham, who returned a cryptic smile, despite any sense of mystery having scarpered. She twisted one way and then the other, trying to locate Jonas himself. Hisham dismounted and took Amico¡¯s bridle while Llew swung from her saddle, then he hobbled her horse beside Jonas¡¯s.


    ¡°This is where I depart,¡± he said. ¡°I think you¡¯ll be wantin¡¯ to walk through right about ¡­¡± He crouched and pointed through the trees. ¡°There.¡± Now she knew where to look, she saw the silhouette of a man in a wide-brimmed hat sitting on the bank of the river.


    Jonas.


    Hisham was already mounted when she turned back. He gave a small wave, turned, and kicked his horse into a full gallop.


    Jonas wouldn¡¯t bring her all the way out here to tell her he was going to do his duty and be with Karlani, would he? No. Llew was sure he wouldn¡¯t go to all this trouble to give her that news. He wouldn¡¯t do that to her.


    Something in her stomach fluttered to think of a romantic getaway. Now all they needed was to leave Karlani and Braph behind them.


    She found that her hand had come to rest over her lower belly.


    ¡°Time for you to take a step back, too,¡± she murmured, ran her hands down her dress, hoping it was enough for the occasion, and made her way through the trees.

 2: What Choice Did She Have?

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    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


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 3: Only Aris

    Aris walked his horse across the stones, reined in and sat for several moments, letting his obvious disapproval do his talking. The older man had perfected the art of combining parental and military control over the years; quick to remind Jonas that his heritage and his fame gave him no free passes. When Jonas fired up, Aris cooled him down. When Jonas bolted for trouble, Aris held a tight rein. Only Aris could bring together the soothing calm of a mother, the stern pride of a father and the hardline captain into one package. Even his body reflected this in his straight bearing and slightly portly tummy.


    Only Aris knew Jonas better than Jonas knew himself.


    Jonas was almost driven to apologize without his graying captain uttering a word. He clamped his lips tight.


    Karlani brought her horse alongside Aris¡¯s, her appreciative glance making Jonas pull his shirt on and button up in a hurry. The Syakaran woman looked past him and glared full hatred at Llew, her dark eyes even darker under a furrowed brow. Jonas took the half step required to block that line of sight.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Aris spoke just loud enough to be heard over the river. ¡°Hisham. Take Llew back to Gaemil¡¯s.¡±


    Jonas went to protest, but Aris leveled a no-nonsense look at him and Karlani moved her horse a couple of steps closer, like a menacing bodyguard. Like Jonas would¡¯ve only weeks earlier.


    No harm done letting Aris send Llew back to the mansion. Their afternoon was over anyway.


    He nodded to Hisham, as if his friend had been waiting on his okay. The Karan lieutenant was already following the order, and Llew, thankfully, wasn¡¯t protesting.


    Jonas watched Hisham lead Llew back through the trees, then he turned back to Aris.


    ¡°So,¡± said Aris, ¡°this is what you¡¯ve been doing instead of running the training exercises with Gaemil¡¯s staff.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve run exercises every day since I got back from Turhmos. I needed a break. Nobody can work the schedule I¡¯ve been keepin¡¯ without a rest.¡±


    Aris grinned. ¡°I should have you arrested on the spot. It is Quaven army policy that a soldier takes leave only at the say so of a superior officer. You may be Quaver¡¯s hero, Lieutenant, but you are still my bitch.¡° Aris¡¯s smile turned ugly, doggish, before transitioning to something approaching sympathetic. ¡°And we both know why, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Jonas nodded. The hot-blooded Syakaran needed a firm hand, lest he make monumental mistakes in the blink of someone else¡¯s eye. And Jonas had made mistakes.


    ¡°Need I remind you, that you owe Quaver a Syakaran male child to lead the next generation of soldiers?¡± Aris waved a hand at Karlani.


    Jonas stared flatly at Karlani. The woman looked like the cat that¡¯s left a rat at the front door; all sensual pride.


    ¡°That you owe Quaver their next hero?¡± Aris pushed.


    Jonas thought back on all those nights he¡¯d come home to his late wife, Kierra, when she believed he¡¯d been off doing as Aris asked ¨C whether or not it was true that time. He thought back to those nights of her sobbing over dinner, of her crying herself to sleep. He¡¯d hated it. Hated himself for doing it. He hadn¡¯t known how to stop it. Could he stop it now? For Llew?


    Karlani helped. The thought of that woman boasting to Llew made Jonas feel ill. Never mind the part he¡¯d have to play.


    ¡°Well?¡± Aris said. ¡°Do I need to remind you that only Syakaran women have Syakaran sons?¡±


    ¡°What would a Syaenuk have?¡± Jonas found he¡¯d said it aloud. What would Llew have?


    ¡°Nothing. Llew will have nothing, not with you.¡±


    ¡°But what if she did?¡±


    Aris narrowed his eyes, but Jonas returned only open curiosity.


    ¡°Like I said, probably nothing. Or some inferior hybrid. Like a mule.¡±


    ¡°Mules are kinda useful,¡± Jonas murmured, still trying to get his head around the possibilities.


    ¡°Mules don¡¯t lead armies. They bring up the wagons at the rear.¡±


    What would Llew have? A Syaenuk? A Syakaran? Or something else entirely?


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste our time even thinking on. Your country needs you to be a soldier, not some over-sexed young buck off gallivanting with the enemy!¡±


    ¡°Llew¡¯s not¡ª¡°


    ¡°Llew is Aenuk. She¡¯s about as far from our ally as it gets. And it¡¯s time you acted like it.¡±


    ¡°She ain¡¯t like other Aenuks.¡±


    ¡°You think the crowd that made their way across Quaver to kill your folks was like other Aenuks? Them folks passed for normal. We still don¡¯t know where they crossed the border, and Aldia¡¯s a long ways across Quaver, from any direction. They didn¡¯t raise a single eyebrow.¡±


    Fifteen years and the wound was still raw. Jonas felt very small, standing before the two riders. Like the seven-year-old he¡¯d been when his parents were murdered.


    ¡°We¡¯ve let Llew closer to you than any Aenuk should get. I think it¡¯s time we start behavin¡¯ like we remember what she is and what she can do. That ¡­ girl has the power to kill you with a touch. She could siphon your life from you faster¡¯n you can draw breath, let alone a knife. And, yes, I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about you, not just anyone. You.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But she¡¯d saved his life. The only reason they hadn¡¯t told Aris was because it would mean telling him Llew already carried his child. They hadn¡¯t had time to come to grips with it themselves, let alone deal with what Aris would have to say.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been tellin¡¯ you since the day we found out what she was that girl would bring trouble. Are you going to listen this time?¡±


    Out of arguments, Jonas nodded.


    <hr>


    ¡°It¡¯s a big change for him, Llew.¡± Anya turned another page of the book laid out on the table in front of her.


    The table stood at the center of the estate¡¯s library, a vast room, three mezzanine levels tall, walls packed with row after row of books.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of reading about Quaver, and they¡¯re all taught to hate Aenuks from a young age. That¡¯s what Aris has known all his life. That¡¯s an awfully long time.¡± Anya pressed her lips together. ¡°I suppose he¡¯s not that old. Still, it¡¯s a long time to hold a belief. Hard to shift.¡± She returned her attention to the book, running a finger down the page, on the lookout for something of interest. ¡°Now, Karlani might be a problem. It¡¯s well-documented that Syakaran male children have only ever been born to Syakaran mothers. So, it makes sense for Jonas to, ah, spend time with Karlani.¡± Her finger continued down the page, then jumped to the top of the next.


    Llew didn¡¯t need to hear this. What was best for Quaver certainly wasn¡¯t best for her. Whose business was it who Jonas ¡­ spent time with, anyway?


    Anya paused in her search, resting a sympathy-laden gaze on Llew.


    ¡°It¡¯s what happens, Llew. I always knew my husband would be chosen for me. The gods know there wasn¡¯t anyone suitable in Cheer. I got lucky, I guess.¡±


    That was a surprise to hear. When they¡¯d first arrived in Rakun, Anya hadn¡¯t exactly been overjoyed at the age gap between herself and her intended. Sure, she¡¯d known Gaemil was older, but after traveling several weeks with Jonas, Alvaro, and Cassidy ¨C three men only a handful of years her senior and of some physical appeal ¨C meeting the somewhat portly, somewhat balding thirty-something lord had come as a bit of a shock for Anya, to say the least.


    Anya smiled as if she¡¯d been reading Llew¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve looked at him the way I do. Especially not with your head already turned.¡± The sympathy returned and she placed a hand over Llew¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m sure once Jonas has done what he needs to do, Aris will be much more lenient about the two of you.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t helping. Anya seemed to sense that, as her reassuring smile faltered.


    ¡°I mean ¡­¡± Anya sat back. ¡°You know what? To hell with what I mean.¡± Her cheeks colored. ¡°How does he know you and Jonas wouldn¡¯t make perfect babies? What does anyone know? There simply hasn¡¯t been a case of a Syakaran and Syaenuk, ah, marrying before. Nothing I¡¯ve read, anyway.¡° She leaned forward again, wide-eyed and eager. ¡°Gosh. You could have anything!¡±


    Llew lowered her gaze, resisting the urge to place a protective hand over her baby. It didn¡¯t need to hear everyone¡¯s speculation over what it might or might not be. It just needed to get born, preferably free and preferably with a pa. Actually, Llew had known plenty of fatherless children, even more parentless altogether, and they¡¯d mostly managed alright. It was Llew who needed her child¡¯s pa. She wasn¡¯t sure she could do this on her own.


    ¡°Of course, I suppose it could be like how you can¡¯t heal him,¡± Anya continued, off in her own trail of thoughts. ¡°Perhaps you can¡¯t even have children together.¡±


    Llew looked up, keeping all expression from her face. Jonas had said the same, right before he realized what she was telling him. But Anya didn¡¯t have the benefit of knowing Llew had healed Jonas, had brought him back to life, and could do so because she carried his baby. But she couldn¡¯t tell Anya. Not yet. She didn¡¯t know if the news would stop at Anya, and sure wasn¡¯t ready for Aris to know.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there are plenty of happy childless couples out there,¡± Anya was saying. ¡°But Aris is right. Jonas is Quaver¡¯s future, and if you can¡¯t give him Syakaran children, then ¡­¡± Anya stopped, pressed fingers to her lips, then gaped at Llew, all wide-eyed shock. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Llew. I was thinking aloud. Just thoughts. No harm done, right?¡±


    Llew gave her a weak smile. Speculation that she and Jonas may not be able to conceive was an argument already lost.


    ¡°Forgive me, Llew,¡± Anya pleaded. ¡°I grew up believing people fell in love despite being married, rather than getting married for love. Forgive me?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Anya was only saying what everyone else would be thinking. Better to hear it from a friendly source.


    ¡°Thank you. Now, we just need to find out something useful about Aenuks, or better yet, Syaenuks, like you.¡± Anya looked down at her book, flipped a couple of pages, then looked back up at Llew. ¡°It would have been nice to have parents to learn from. But the next best thing is books. We¡¯ll find something.¡± She patted Llew¡¯s arm.


    Resting her head in her palm, Llew attempted to return her attention to her own book. She needed to learn about her power. If nothing else, it would provide a distraction. The fact remained; she was little more than a passenger in her own body as things currently stood. Her power flowed through her, with or without her say so. She¡¯d managed a measure of control when she¡¯d brought Jonas and Cassidy back to life without fully restoring their health, in an effort not to leave too much death behind them. But she¡¯d needed Hisham¡¯s help to stick to that plan. Anya was so sure there would be something in Gaemil¡¯s library. He certainly had enough books.


    Llew puffed out a hefty sigh and let her eyes move down one page and the next. The words blurred together. So many words.


    ¡°You¡¯ve not spoken of your time in Turhmos,¡± Anya said.


    ¡°And I won¡¯t.¡± Keeping head in hand, Llew swiveled in her seat so her arm blocked Anya¡¯s view.


    Flown ¨C yes, flown ¨C into Turhmos by Braph with his magic device powered by Aenuk blood, Llew had few positive memories of the country. In his ¡®home¡¯, lined with copper piping that tinkled with running water, Braph had enslaved her. First for her blood, which he collected via blood-sucking mechanical spiders. Second for her body, which he had used as a substitute for her mother, whom Llew was to replace. The only good thing that had come from being there had been finding out that her father hadn¡¯t abandoned her five years prior, but had instead been kidnapped himself after trying to lead Braph astray the first time he had located Llew. For five years, her father had been providing Braph¡¯s supply of Aenuk blood. But it wasn¡¯t enough for Braph. He¡¯d still craved the power of the Syaenuk blood he had drained from Llew¡¯s ma. And so, he had sought Llew again.


    Llew had escaped Braph¡¯s home, accidentally killed her father, and allowed Cassidy to die. The entire journey, adventure, whatever one might want to call it had left her feeling like a failure. And still a little dirty, like she couldn¡¯t wash Braph¡¯s touch from her skin.


    She didn¡¯t want to think about what had happened in Turhmos. She most definitely didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    ¡°I¡¯m here if you ever need to.¡±


    Llew shot up from her chair, slammed her book closed, and let her scowl tell Anya what she thought about talking. Over dramatic? Perhaps. But clear.


    Anya looked mildly uncomfortable about returning Llew¡¯s gaze, but otherwise she simply returned kindness. Now Llew had made a spectacle, she couldn¡¯t sit down and pretend nothing had happened.


    ¡°I¡ª I¡¯m getting a headache. I¡¯m going to have a lie down.¡±


    ¡°Of course. You should relax. I¡¯ll have a bath sent to your room.¡±


    Llew left the library unable to decide whether to accept or decline Anya¡¯s offer. It grated to think of Anya trying to understand what being in Turhmos had been like for Llew. No matter how much Anya wanted to help, Llew would rather protect her friend from the knowledge of the things that had happened to her.


    She paused under the family portrait again. The woman looked so happy. Mothers always seemed happy. Maybe something happened when you had a child. Maybe it would all work out.

 4: All Better Now

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 5: Just How Dead Were You?

    ¡°Shit, shit, shit, shit ¡­¡±


    Jonas had to laugh at Llew¡¯s whispered curses. Doing so gave him the balance of perspective he needed to think clearly. He needed his wits about him now. While Llew fell apart, he couldn¡¯t afford to.


    ¡°Open up!¡± Aris bellowed and rattled the door with his fist again.


    ¡°Shit, oh shit, oh shit ¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh. We got this.¡± Jonas gripped Llew¡¯s arms and held her so he could look at her properly. ¡°I died. And you saved me. He can¡¯t fault that. What¡¯s done is done, and it¡¯s good, right?¡±


    She looked scared. But her breathing slowed even as the room echoed with another round of banging, and she nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± she whispered, though Jonas couldn¡¯t tell if it was to agree with him or reassure herself. Either worked as far as he was concerned.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he raised his voice and moved to the door, resting a hand on the handle and a shoulder into the wood. ¡°I¡¯m gonna unlock the door. Let¡¯s all be civil, alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± came the grudging reply.


    Jonas looked to Llew, seeking her go ahead. She looked like she was going to be sick, all goggly-eyed and choked up. She seemed about as ready as she¡¯d ever be.


    ¡°Here goes,¡± Jonas murmured under his breath as he turned the lock.


    Aris stepped into the room, throwing the door wide. He acknowledged Jonas with a glower before laying all his attention on Llew.


    ¡°Apparently you did that. How?¡± He flicked his head to indicate Karlani behind him.


    The Syakaran woman¡¯s face bloomed in shades of purple and red, with a couple of finger-shaped burns ¨C a dead giveaway to who had caused the damage. Llew had done a real number on her. Jonas bit down on the pride threatening to lift his face in a grin. Llew did that! She had only had the use of the Syakaran power for a few weeks and already she knew how to use it to great effect.


    Llew swallowed. Jonas scratched at his jaw. A silly nervous twitch.


    There was only one explanation he could think of for what Llew had done, and that was the truth.


    ¡°I, uh ¡­ I, uh¡ª¡± Llew began.


    ¡°Quit your singin¡¯ and get to the point,¡± Aris said.


    ¡°Look.¡± Jonas stepped between Aris and Llew. ¡°You gotta understand, if it weren¡¯t for things bein¡¯ as they are, I¡¯d have died in Turhmos,¡± he said. ¡°Or, more truthfully, I¡¯d have stayed dead.¡±


    Silence settled like a rain-laden cloud while Jonas let his words hang, and Aris¡¯s lips shaped the words in miniature.


    ¡°You died?¡± Aris finally asked. His fury eased. He even paled slightly. Jonas dying was possibly Aris¡¯s greatest fear. At least, that was what he was counting on. Hopefully, Aris would be so grateful that Jonas still lived that the how-so would be trifling.


    Jonas gave a bashful nod.


    ¡°How?¡± Aris asked, eyes narrowed, but the heat had gone out of him some.


    ¡°I fought Braph, and he won.¡±


    Aris mulled things over for a moment, then his eyes narrowed to mere slits. ¡°Just how dead were you?¡±


    ¡°Dead dead.¡±


    ¡°And she healed you?¡±


    Jonas could nearly hear Aris¡¯s thoughts. Aenuks could not heal Kara.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I think that would be best discussed in private.¡± Jonas jerked his chin at Karlani.


    Aris peered at their audience. ¡°Alright. Karlani, wait outside with Hisham.¡±


    Jonas hadn¡¯t noticed Hisham outside the door. So, Aris had brought a little back-up. Hisham was Aris¡¯s man as much as Jonas was. Only now, it seemed, Jonas was on the out.


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Karlani pointed to her bruises.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Aris waved her out.


    She clamped her mouth down on further complaint and stepped back into the corridor, muttering.


    The three of them waited while the room emptied and the door closed, then Jonas flicked Llew another look before turning back to Aris. She looked scared, but there was no way out of this. ¡°Remember this is a good thing, right?¡±


    Aris nodded slowly, apparently not entirely convinced. He folded his arms.


    ¡°Well, it seems ¡­ It seems Llew might be ¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t believe how hard this was. All his life, Aris had wanted nothing more than for Jonas to procreate. What was the difference in truth? For all they knew, Llew¡¯s baby was exactly what they wanted ¡­ unless it was Aenuk. Aris would be furious at that.


    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant,¡± Llew¡¯s quiet voice came from behind.


    Aris stood perfectly still, his expression in stone, staring at Jonas.


    After a seemingly interminable silence, Aris spoke. ¡°And you just assume it¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Of course it was his.


    ¡°Braph had her, what, a week? Ten days? You don¡¯t think he didn¡¯t feel he had needs that needed met? He¡¯s your brother. What do you think happened?¡±


    Jonas didn¡¯t need to think. He knew. The rage settled in his gut. Not helpful. Not now.


    ¡°But she saved my life.¡±


    ¡°So? For all we know an uncle could be a close enough blood tie to break the barrier. How many Aenuks have you known to carry Karan children?¡±


    ¡°None, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Jonas didn¡¯t know what to say. He¡¯d been so sure the baby was his. He still was sure, mostly. It was his. He¡¯d been with Llew first. And she had Syakaran power, not just Karan. It was his. It had to be. He¡¯d already lost one child, to lose even the promise of another would be devastating. Llew¡¯s child was his.


    But Llew was Syaenuk. Could what made her Sy boost what made Braph Karan? Would that be enough?


    The rage cooled in his confusion. He wanted Llew¡¯s baby to be his but wanting didn¡¯t make things true.


    ¡°So, what happened, Llew?¡± Aris asked.


    Jonas glared at Aris. How dare the old man ask? He should have said something, shut the questions down. But, he was ashamed to admit, some part of him wanted to hear the truth for himself. So far, they¡¯d only spoken in insinuations. He wanted to hear the truth. It was only natural.


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    Was there a chance she was carrying Braph¡¯s child instead of his? Ugh. Of course, there was a chance. But what did that matter? Aris had him reeling.


    ¡°See? Her silence speaks volumes.¡± Aris smiled, like he¡¯d won one of those team games he got the Karan soldiers playing to keep them fit. Never Jonas. That wouldn¡¯t be fair.


    ¡°But the¡ª¡± Llew began.


    ¡°This changes nothing.¡± Aris returned his attention to Jonas. ¡°The future of the Syakaran line rests solely with you and Karlani. We don¡¯t want Turhmos gaining Llew, so we will take her to Quaver. Assuming, of course, you do as you¡¯re told. You know Quaver has no use for Llew, or her ¡­ child.¡± Aris¡¯s voice wavered on the last word, his attention shifting over Jonas¡¯s shoulder to Llew for a moment, calculating, thinking. Perhaps only now realizing that a child of Llew and Jonas could be more powerful than either of its parents.


    Jonas let the thought curl his lips. Yes. Their child.


    ¡°This is why I told you to keep your hands to yourself,¡± Aris hissed and Jonas¡¯s triumph hot-footed it. ¡°Nothing good will come of this. Quaver won¡¯t accept it. I doubt even Turhmos would. You¡¯ve complicated an already difficult situation.¡±


    ¡°Aris. I¡¯d be dead if it weren¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been in Turhmos to be killed if it weren¡¯t for your getting involved with her.¡±


    ¡°Braph still would have come for me. He would¡¯ve killed me, and there would be no comin¡¯ back if Llew weren¡¯t carryin¡¯ my child!¡±


    ¡°Every cloud, I suppose,¡± Aris muttered. ¡°This changes nothing,¡± he said louder. ¡°You have a duty to Quaver. We have fed you, clothed you, trained you, given you everything from the day you were born. Don¡¯t go thinkin¡¯ you can turn your back on that.¡±


    Duty. Always duty.


    ¡°What about what I want?¡± Llew asked.


    ¡°As far as Quaver is concerned, what you want don¡¯t hold water. You¡¯re Aenuk. You¡¯re less than the mite ridin¡¯ the ant that shovels shit.¡± Jonas opened his mouth to object, but Aris silenced him with a raised hand. ¡°But, for what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯ll listen. What is it that you want?¡±


    ¡°I want my life.¡±


    Aris broke out laughing. ¡°I think you are going to have to come to terms with the fact that¡¯s well past. Even if you weren¡¯t Syaenuk, you¡¯re about to have a child. You think you can just pop one out and carry on your way? Have another think, girl.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant,¡± Llew said. Jonas turned so he could see her. ¡°I want to live free of cages, or prisons, or¡ª¡± She glanced around her room. ¡°Prisons ¡­¡±


    ¡°Which brings me back to the point that you are Syaenuk. I ain¡¯t gonna sugar coat it for you. Face the facts, girl, and you, too, Jonas. Turhmos will cage you, Braph will cage you, Quaver would sooner kill you than keep you, but, for Jonas¡¯s continued loyalty, I have managed to have them consider letting you live.¡±


    ¡°For my loyalty?¡±


    ¡°Is that blackmail?¡± Jonas and Llew spoke in unison.


    ¡°I simply speak fact. It¡¯s the two of you against the world or with Quaver¡¯s backing. Which is it to be?¡±


    Jonas had to look away from Llew again. She thought he could protect her. As if stronger muscles made all the difference.


    She¡¯d lived several years alone, but now that everyone knew she existed, there was no returning to her seemingly safe, solitary life. He could sense her wanting him to join her in that life. A life on the run. Hiding when they could, fighting when they had to. Fighting the whole of Turhmos, maybe even Quaver if they took great umbrage at his disloyalty. And they would. But even Jonas, with all his advantages, couldn¡¯t stand alone for long. And Aris was right. Jonas owed Quaver everything. He owed Aris everything.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s sorted,¡±¡ªAris, apparently satisfied, brought his hands together in a muted clap¡ª ¡°you still have training exercises to run.¡±


    ¡°I need to talk to Llew.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aris said, his voice cool. ¡°Between now and us leaving for Quaver, you are not to be seen anywhere near Llew. She is Aenuk. She is Quaver¡¯s enemy, while you are Quaver¡¯s son. I have been too lenient, and see where it¡¯s got me. You want Llew safe? You¡¯ll do as you¡¯re told.¡±


    Jonas¡¯s fists balled, but he couldn¡¯t lash out at Aris. The older man had always been there, the one steady, reliable feature in his life. The one person he could count on. The captain¡¯s presence giving structure to every other aspect of his life; the steady head when Jonas was too fired up to think straight. Always right. Always solid. Jonas needed him.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Aris smiled. ¡°Good. Prove you can behave yourselves and I might make concessions on our journey to Quaver. Now, Gaemil¡¯s troops.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t as if they¡¯re ever gonna see a battlefield¡ª¡±


    ¡°Brurun shares a border with Quaver and Turhmos. We made a commitment to Gaemil and we are going to keep it! Now get!¡±


    Jonas didn¡¯t look back at Llew before he left. He was doing the right thing. If he kept his head down, did as he was told, life would be more comfortable for them all.


    He was barely through the door when Karlani stepped in front of him.


    ¡°Your boys did what they ought to, huh?¡± she said, reaching for his balls.


    He gripped her wrist and twisted, forcing her to spin and pulled her into him.


    ¡°What my boys do and don¡¯t do ain¡¯t none o¡¯ your business.¡±


    ¡°Aris might beg to differ.¡±


    ¡°Then Aris can beg.¡±


    ¡°Jonas!¡± Aris roared from Llew¡¯s room.


    He released Karlani, giving her a shove for good measure. He stalked down the corridor. Hisham followed silently behind. Jonas might have to appease Aris when it came to fraternizing with Llew, but Quaver could be damned if it wanted kids out of him with that woman, or any others.


    For a moment, Llew couldn¡¯t tell if the heavy feeling in her belly was her growing child, or a physical ghost of the metaphorical kick she¡¯d received. Tears burned her eyes. She was trapped in more ways than one and could see no way out.


    Anya stepped timidly through the door, closing it behind her.


    ¡°I heard. Just a little ¡­¡± Anya said as she crossed the room. ¡°Is it true? You were able to bring Jonas back to life?¡±


    Llew nodded. She had a feeling that that fact should have been the one to cling to, but right now she couldn¡¯t see past the fact she was alone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him upset you, Llew.¡±


    Llew looked up at Anya¡¯s reassuring tone. How could she not let him upset her? Jonas had wanted to talk to her, probably about Aris¡¯s suggestion the baby could be Braph¡¯s, and Aris had shut him down. She needed to reassure him. She was sure.


    Llew hadn¡¯t recognized them at the time, but the signs had definitely been there before Braph took her that way. She had broken the leather straps he¡¯d used to tie her so his mechanical spiders could drain her. That must have been her baby¡¯s Syakaran strength manifesting.


    And Braph had insisted she compare a red crystal he made from her blood on the first day he¡¯d drained her against the purple of the crystal she¡¯d supplied the second day. She didn¡¯t know how, but somehow, despite it being at least a week since she¡¯d been with Jonas, one day she hadn¡¯t been pregnant, and the next she had.


    ¡°Your mother produced these for a while. Not quite as dark ¡­¡± Oh no. The significance of that statement had been lost on her at the time. If her mother had created darker crystals than usual, then ¡­


    Llew didn¡¯t even want to think it.


    ¡°He just never expected you to become a part of Jonas¡¯s life, that¡¯s all,¡± Anya continued. ¡°I think he had it largely mapped out, and he could never have anticipated you turning up, never mind Jonas liking you. Give him time. He¡¯ll come around. I really don¡¯t think it¡¯s as bad as he is making out.¡± Anya watched Llew, a smile spreading her lips. ¡°Did Karlani guess right? You¡¯re pregnant?¡±


    Llew shrugged and nodded.


    ¡°Are you not happy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I should feel.¡±


    Anya eased herself beside Llew on the bed. ¡°To be perfectly honest, neither do I. I mean, I suppose I should be scandalized, you not being married, but ¡­¡± She sidled closer to Llew, head down, a sly smile lifting her cheek. ¡°My cousin Dayna, from Ryaen, was supposed to marry Gaemil, but she couldn¡¯t ignore a local lad she fancied, especially when he returned her interest. And do you know what?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They went on to marry. And they¡¯re very happy. And she¡¯s expecting another child, in wedlock, soon.¡± Anya lifted her head, pleased with her announcement.


    ¡°Okay ¡­?¡± Llew had no idea what that had to do with her.


    Anya¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°What I mean is, I know life isn¡¯t like the Aghacian highway. In Phyos, the highways branch in all sorts of directions. And sometimes, you can take a dozen turns and make several stops along the way and still end up in the same place you could¡¯ve got to if you¡¯d taken the straight line, just maybe not as fast.¡± Anya¡¯s smile returned and she slipped her hands around one of Llew¡¯s. ¡°I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is that I understand. It feels like I was always meant to be here. Maybe that wasn¡¯t my parents¡¯, or even Gaemil¡¯s original plan, but it¡¯s working out. Now, maybe you should have made Jonas court you, or maybe he would never have been allowed to. Either way, you now carry his child, and that child saved his life, and there can be no greater outcome than that.¡±


    There was one positive in the horrible, horrible thought that her mother could have carried Braph¡¯s child. Llew and her mother were Syaenuk. If her mother had created paler crystals than Llew, it must have been because she had carried the child of a Karan, while Llew carried the child of a Syakaran. Llew carried Jonas¡¯s child. Not Braph¡¯s.


    Her body relaxed. In her heart she¡¯d known the baby was Jonas¡¯s. Now her head was sure, too. Now she needed to make sure Jonas knew it, too.


    Anya gripped Llew¡¯s shoulders, recalling her to reality. Then Anya stood and, grabbing Llew¡¯s hands, pulled her up from the bed. ¡°You¡¯re going to have a baby!¡± Her eyes sparkled.


    Llew rewarded Anya¡¯s enthusiasm with a tentative smile.


    Anya pulled Llew into a full embrace.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, Llew. You¡¯ll see.¡±

 6: Game Changer

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 7: Youre Enough For Me

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


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 8: You Did This To Me

    Jonas was woken by Llew clambering over him to vacate the bed.


    ¡°What are you doin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Going to the chamber pot, if you must know,¡± she snapped. ¡°You did this to me.¡±


    Probably best not to comment. He¡¯d been here before with Kierra. There was no winning, and no benefit in pointing out the equal participation in the causative event. And definitely not the time to point out that his trousers were bunched funny, and his belt was digging into his hip.


    Not long after, Llew was climbing back across Jonas to snuggle up between him and the wall. Jonas had a moment of wishing they were back in Aldia already, and this was their life, before he succumbed to the folds of sleep once more.


    He woke with a start in the dark before dawn. Tempting as it was to stay, he silently thanked whatever had woken him and slipped from the blankets. Llew stirred but didn¡¯t wake.


    He paused to watch her, for once totally relaxed. He wondered what she dreamed of to look like that. It seemed every aspect of her life brought a ton of worries and stresses. How far back did she have to go to find safety in her dreams? Back to when she still had a ma? Or did she see a future in which she was truly free?


    Her eyebrows pinched together at some thought or other, and Jonas reached out to brush the crease away. Somehow, it worked. She even smiled a little. So did he. But he had to go. He needed to be in his room when the call came to get moving.


    He was pulling the door closed as near silent as possible when another door cracked open farther along the corridor. Aris emerged. From Karlani¡¯s room.


    Jonas was too stunned to move. Aris, too, closed the door silently. Then he looked up.


    The two men looked at each other a good few moments.


    One part of Jonas prepared to counter Aris¡¯s reprimand, while another tackled the disturbing thought that there was only one reason his captain was leaving Karlani¡¯s room, desperate though he was to come up with another.


    Aris broke the look first, turning away to head to his room.


    Jonas stood a moment longer struggling with the notion that, while he was grateful for the dismissal, it meant his hunch was right. He couldn''t put a name to his discomfort, though, so he shook it free and headed for his own room.


    The call to wake and get moving came all too early, and Llew was alone in her bed. Here, Jonas had rebelled against Aris for a mere cuddle, but hadn¡¯t stayed long enough to face his captain in defiance? Llew didn¡¯t understand, and she fumed. Better for him not to have come at all. She could have been on her way to a different Brurun town by now, dreaming up ways to get by alone, not this push and pull of being drawn to a man who wasn¡¯t allowed to be with her.


    She had no belongings of note to gather and stood by her horse under a shadow of resentment. She should¡¯ve been gone, alone, not waiting to ride into a lion¡¯s den.


    While Aris was preoccupied packing his saddlebag, Jonas sidled up to Llew, placed a hand on her belly and gave her a light peck on her lips. Looping behind her, he pulled her hip into his and smiled at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna be fine,¡± he said in a hushed tone. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Reluctant as she was to believe him, his touch and words had the desired effect, and Llew relaxed, even almost looked forward to the journey. But he stepped back, half turning away, as Aris finished his task, and his departure left her cold. Damn him. She swung into her saddle and Amico snorted and threw his head.


    ¡°Me, too, boy. Me, too.¡±


    The air was cold, the horses¡¯ and riders¡¯ breath visible. The sky was clear, the stars still out, and a light shimmer appeared on the ground as a frost settled.


    Gaemil¡¯s kitchen and stable staff had been up especially early to see them off comfortable and well-provisioned.


    A light tap-tap-tap grew into the louder slap-slap-slap of Anya¡¯s night-shoes as the girl ran across the courtyard, appearing from behind the huge fountain and making little attempt to slow as she approached the horses.


    Llew slid from her horse and Anya ran into her arms.


    Next came Gaemil, striding across the bricked yard. And behind him, Emylia.


    Llew had hardly seen the woman since she¡¯d returned from Turhmos. From Cheer to Rakun, Emylia and Aris had barely been separable. In fact, there had been mention of her going on to Quaver with them. What had changed?


    She gave a stiff curtsy before Aris, then shook the hands of Hisham, Jonas and Karlani warmly. But she didn¡¯t look at Aris again as she pulled Anya back from Llew. They¡¯d both known it was coming, yet the act of parting still came as something of a shock and Llew''s heart settled heavy. Regardless, staying with Anya had never been an option.


    Once Llew mounted again, the group gave a final wave to those who had woken early to see them off, turned their horses, and headed from the estate.


    Rakun was a ghost town in that hour between the night and day. The only people up were the bakers with bread ovens adding the final crust, and a few others stumbling home after a too-long night.


    Free of the city limits, the small group let their horses stretch, eating up the miles. The Brurun townships were strategically spaced along the main route, meaning comfortable accommodation would be the norm rather than the exception.


    Unlike Aghacia¡¯s pioneering population, the people of Brurun were largely settled in their cities or out on the land. Aris¡¯s crew had struck no trouble when they¡¯d come from Quaver and there was little reason to expect any this time around. With a group made up of one Karan, two Syakara and one Syaenuk with borrowed Syakaran power, there was little risk of striking trouble they couldn¡¯t subdue.


    Anya stood, staring dumbly at the gates where Llew and Jonas and everyone ¨C it sure felt like everyone ¨C had left minutes earlier. Gaemil had invited her to return inside, but she¡¯d brushed him off, requesting a moment alone.


    Llew was gone. Now what was she to do?


    ¡°Miss Anya?¡±


    She nearly jumped out of her skin.


    ¡°What?¡± Anya turned sharply, and the maid stepped back, as if she expected to be struck.


    Anya could only imagine what terror she had presented the poor maid. She was a mess. Tear tracks had already begun drying on her cheeks, even as more made their way down. She¡¯d woken too late and had to dash out without doing more than throwing on a simple dress and tugging her brush across the top layers of her hair. She hadn¡¯t washed her face or anything.


    She¡¯d clung to her friend, hoping to take an impression of Llew into her own heart.


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    Gaemil was lovely, yes, but they were betrothed. There were certain expectations coming up that Anya simply hadn¡¯t had to think about while Llew was around. It wasn¡¯t as if she hadn¡¯t known Llew would be going, but it still felt like the rug had been pulled from under her. She sniffed deeply and pulled a wrist across her sodden top lip. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Miss Anya.¡± The maid curtsied. ¡°I found something I thought you should see for yourself.¡± She looked nervous, her gaze flitting around direct eye-contact. ¡°Well, really, Lord Tovias will need to see, but he¡ª¡±


    Anya nearly dismissed her. Now wasn¡¯t the time for trivial matters, but the maid¡¯s demeanor had her more than a little curious. ¡°Show me.¡±


    Anya half-ran to keep up with the maid¡¯s determined pace. They headed inside and straight to the library. Anya had seen the library before.


    The maid swung the door open, pressing herself into it to let Anya past.


    The library, as she knew it, stood before her as ever before. But on the table where she and Llew had studied lay a mountain of books. A mountain of black and brown, smoldering books. Burned. All burned.


    Anya felt numb.


    The acrid smoke bit the back of her throat and she coughed, then sobbed.


    Black. So much black. And wet. Water everywhere. Of course, they had to put them out, a part of her understood that, but water and books did not mix! Oh, the poor books!


    A few loose pages floated across the room on the breeze generated by her entry. Who had done this?


    Anya walked to the table and gathered up a couple of tomes that had slid from the pile, luckily leather-bound. The covers were still warm to the touch and slick, but intact. She hugged them to her chest, moaning. Her books. Her precious books!


    She lay the books on the floor, risking damage to one to find out what the pages looked like. She eased a cover open, each creak of the leather firing panic through her, freezing her, but she persevered.


    ¡°No, no, no. Oh ¡­ no.¡± More black. Some brown smears, but mostly black. What words remained were smudged and faded. She pushed the book aside, pulled another closer, but it was the same. Someone had burned them all.


    Someone cleared their throat. Anya turned again to see the maid who had brought her to the room.


    ¡°Does Gaem¡ª Sorry. Does Lord Tovias know?¡± Anya asked.


    The maid shook her head.


    ¡°Well, then.¡± Anya stood and brushed herself off. Some of the ash smeared an ugly black bruise into her dress, but such things were of little consequence when a pile of books lay massacred in the middle of the library. She took a calming breath. ¡°I suppose someone better tell him, then. He won¡¯t be happy.¡± He¡¯d be downright livid if Anya was any judge.


    She gazed at the devastating mess, let her eyes travel past it and up, up, up the rows upon rows of shelves. Her eyes rested on the one shelf devoid of books. She knew that shelf. The one that had held all the books she and Llew had been studying. All the books about Aenuks, Kara and Immortals. She knew who¡¯d done it. Bastard!


    She forced an empty smile to her lips when she turned back to the maid. ¡°Please be gentle in your efforts to tidy all this up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The maid curtsied as Anya left.


    Gaemil was hunched over his desk in his smaller study, the one where he expected to work without interruptions. Anya hesitated briefly before knocking on the ajar door and stepping in. Gaemil spun in his seat, irritation melting to delight before concern made its home.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked.


    Anya sought and found a small stool on which to sit. She didn¡¯t think she could deliver the news standing.


    Gaemil reached out and squeezed above her knees, giving her a big grin that drew out one of her own despite everything. He could still make Anya feel like the most important thing in the world, even when he was supposed to be busy. She took a moment to prepare herself for what she had to say.


    She didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Gaemil, a man of learning, loved his books and, while Anya hadn¡¯t known either of them long, it was obvious he held Aris in high esteem, too. Regardless. It had to be said.


    ¡°Aris burned the books.¡±


    Gaemil blinked. His eyebrows dipped, raised. His mouth curved down, then quirked in a wry smile. ¡°What books?¡±


    ¡°All the ones about Aenuks, Kara and Immortals. The ones from your library.¡±


    ¡°My books?¡± His tone was still light, like he hadn¡¯t yet digested what she had served.


    Anya nodded.


    ¡°Aris?¡± Gaemil¡¯s mouth twisted, dubious.


    Anya nodded again. ¡°They are piled on the ground floor table. I¡¯ve asked one of the maids to help tidy them up, carefully.¡±


    Gaemil¡¯s brow creased, then he stood. With a look he invited Anya to come along as he left the room and started back to the library. His long-legged strides carried him swiftly and Anya ran to keep up.


    At the library door, he stood, staring, for a good few moments.


    ¡°Aris did this?¡± His voice was high and trembled with disbelief.


    ¡°I think so.¡± Anya spoke softly and took a self-conscious step back.


    ¡°You think so?¡± Unable to lash out at an unknown perpetrator, Gaemil¡¯s anger flared in the look he turned on Anya. ¡°You think so?!¡±


    Anya didn¡¯t know what to say. She hadn¡¯t actually seen Aris light the books on fire. All she knew was that he¡¯d shown an interest in them and now they were destroyed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known Aris since I was knee-high to a toad. He wouldn¡¯t ¡­¡± Gaemil turned back to the charred mess. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t ¡­¡±


    He suddenly backed out of the doorway and stormed down the corridor, anyone in his way taking evasive action for their own sakes. Anya didn¡¯t know whether or not he expected her to follow. Was he angry at her for accusing his friend? Or did his anger lie where Anya thought it should: with Aris?


    Her own gaze drifted back through the door to the horrid sight before her. She was supposed to be reading up about Aenuks and how Llew could learn to control her power better, and maybe prepare for whatever this baby of hers was going to be. How could she be of any help to her friend now?


    ¡°Miss Anya?¡± One of the girls in the room approached. She held forth a little blue book, strangely uncharred. Anya took it from her and opened it carefully, half expecting the pages to crumble as soon as she exposed them to air. But this one was still supple, untouched by flame or smoke. Something slipped from its pages, fluttering to the floor a few feet away. She snatched it up, but it was nothing; simply a torn corner of a blank sheet of paper. A placeholder, perhaps.


    She flipped the book open. It was a slim volume. Handwritten. But not Aris¡¯s writing, as far as Anya could tell. Dates, lengths, estimated ages of ¡®infant¡¯ and, later, ¡®fetus¡¯ were recorded along with notes of maternal wellbeing. Clearly a midwifery notebook, to Anya¡¯s eyes. Flipping to the final entry, she found notes on the birth of Gaemil¡¯s younger brother, now a landowner in Neran. The pages leading up to it recorded the child¡¯s development inside the womb. Back another page was Gaemil¡¯s sister, now off married to a prince in some country Anya could never remember the name of. Flipping back a few more pages she found: Gaemil Oswalt Tovias, 7lb 6oz, 21in. Healthy baby boy. She caught herself smiling at the entry, picturing the tall, powerful man as a babe-in-arms, then she reminded herself what she was looking at: evidence. Every book was a clue to what Aris might have been thinking when he decided to set them alight, and only this one seemed to have survived. Untouched, as if it had been elsewhere.


    ¡°Where did you find this one?¡± Anya flipped back through the last few pages.


    ¡°His room, miss.¡±


    Anya looked up, and the maid held her gaze.


    ¡°Rana found it when she was changing the sheets, miss.¡±


    Notes prior to the births mostly referred to maternal health, with a few notes about fetal heart rates in the weeks leading up to the birth itself. Anya couldn¡¯t think of any reason Aris would be interested in such a volume, unless he was taking a strong interest in Llew¡¯s baby, which she supposed he might, given that the child was also Jonas¡¯s.


    The maid who had handed her the book remained in the doorway, another book in her hand, though she lowered it, half hiding it behind her leg when Anya looked up.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Anya asked.


    ¡°What, Miss?¡± The girl pressed her arm in tighter, all but hiding the tiny notebook entirely.


    Anya looked directly at the woman. ¡°The book you¡¯re hiding. Hand it over.¡±


    Cheeks reddening slightly, she held the book up.


    The cover was almost totally black. Anya brushed her fingers over it, lightening it to a shade of brown and revealing a black motif in the shape of a coat-hanger. Unenlightened, she flipped open the cover. Blackened paper fractured and fell away. Brown pages, so damaged that any writing they held was faint or entirely obliterated, crinkled and cracked under her touch.


    ¡°What is this?¡± she asked, scowling at the script. With no answer forthcoming, she looked up. ¡°What is it?¡±


    The maid¡¯s hands were clasped behind her and her eyes darted everywhere while she blinked at something approaching Karan speed. Anya didn¡¯t let her own gaze waiver.


    ¡°It¡¯s a¡ª¡± The maid cleared her throat. ¡°It¡¯s an abortionist¡¯s notebook.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes dared a brief look at Anya before darting down again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t ¡­ oh.¡± The word hadn¡¯t made a frequent appearance in Anya¡¯s vocabulary, but the meaning soon came to her. ¡°Oh!¡± Anya clasped a hand to her lips. She didn¡¯t know where he had found it, but Aris¡¯s interest and attempt to hide it painted a dreadful picture. A chill ran down her spine and a sickly sensation settled in her belly.

 9: Uncertain Company

    Another corner with another double row of doors. So far, Anya hadn¡¯t entered any. More than likely they were private rooms, but Gaemil hadn¡¯t been in either of his studies. She trotted down the corridor, trying to do so silently. If Gaemil was behind one of these doors, she prayed him speak so she might hear. The maid, following close behind, seemed to understand and kept her own kitchen-shoed footfalls muffled with light steps. In the absence of Llew, the woman¡¯s presence was reassuring.


    The communications room door was open. Normally a quiet space between Gaemil¡¯s private quarters and the rest of the mansion, the familiar tap, tap, tap of the telegraphist¡¯s lever diminished against the accompanying crash and crackle of paper being moved in piles and pieces.


    Gaemil riffled through pages, scrunching some into balls and hiffing them aside. Others he flicked into a shorter pile. The rest he dumped aside as he moved onto a new pile.


    The telegraphist hunched in his chair at the farthest point he could be from Gaemil while still performing his job, daring neither to get in the way nor complain. (Free Royal Road edition) Anya, too, was reluctant to venture across the threshold. Maybe it would be better to leave Gaemil be, speak to him later, let his temper peter out. But he only had half the story. And who knew when Aris might act? True, Jonas would protect Llew against any outright attacks, but he¡¯d backed down for Aris before. She couldn¡¯t imagine Jonas letting Aris do anything to hurt Llew or their baby, but what would stop the captain ordering his lieutenant away on some task?


    She cleared her throat and Gaemil froze, one hand still holding up a corner of a stack of paper, the other in the act of pulling a single sheet free.


    He craned his neck ¨C a move that at any other time might have tested Anya¡¯s chastity ¨C turning his glower to Anya. Not on her, no. His ire was directed elsewhere. Still, it didn¡¯t feel much better being the unintended recipient of that look. The maid shifted behind her, and Anya reached a hand back to share a grasp, as much to ensure the woman¡¯s loyalty as to offer any comfort of her own.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Anya kept her voice light even as her fingers curled around the maid¡¯s. Best to focus on him first, draw him out one step at a time. Then she¡¯d pounce on him with their need to follow her friends.


    Gaemil blew out a sigh and continued his turn to face Anya properly. He looked ready to be reasonable. The telegraphist¡¯s posture relaxed, his lean less awkward.


    ¡°I have been sitting on some messages from Turhmos requesting intelligence on Aris and, in particular, Jonas¡¯s movements.¡± He leaned the heels of his hands and backside on the desk, crossing his ankles. ¡°I suddenly had a strong desire to respond.¡± He pursed his lips, clicked his tongue, nodded to himself. He pushed off the desk and turned to one of the pieces of paper. ¡°They know they were in Turhmos. They know Llew was with them.¡± His finger trailed over the shorthand notes. ¡°Something about stretches of dead vegetation, some farm animals. They¡¯ve been itching for an invite.¡± He stabbed at the page a couple of times before turning back to Anya, folding his arms, and falling back against the desk again. It slid the inch or so to the wall. Somehow Gaemil¡¯s balance was unaffected. ¡°They respect my desire and right not to have a blood bath on my doorstep, but they had asked that I keep them abreast of developments.¡± He pressed his bottom lip up. ¡°There would seem to have been a development, yes? At the risk of looking like I was taking sides, I had been keeping silent, but, well ¡­¡± Gaemil looked at the telegraphist, who was quietly filing the piece of paper he¡¯d been working from.


    Perhaps sensing eyes on him, the telegraphist glanced up and away again before anyone called on him. He grabbed pen and paper and pressed fingers to his headset, concentrating on whatever he was, or wasn¡¯t, listening to.


    ¡°You sent it already ¡­¡± A slow-boiling horror settled in Anya¡¯s heart. Like Gaemil, she wanted Aris to pay for what he¡¯d done to the books. But where Aris went, so too did Jonas, and Llew ¡­ ¡°Jonas didn¡¯t burn your books. And Llew, she¡¯ll be caught up in anything Turhmos do.¡±


    ¡°I simply told them he was no longer here. I didn¡¯t ask them to enter Brurun. They can¡¯t send the kind of force they would need to tackle Jonas into Brurun. We won¡¯t allow it. Just don¡¯t ¡­¡± He waved a hand, dismissing the conversation, then lowered his eyes, lips and jaws pressed together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry?¡± Anya asked. ¡°Is that what you were going to say? ¡®Don¡¯t worry¡®? My best friend is out there in already uncertain company. Of course, I¡¯m going to worry about her irrefutable enemies knowing where she is and how protected she isn¡¯t. Oh, Gaemil ¡­¡° She didn¡¯t know what to say. She respected him so much but putting Llew in danger was unforgivable. ¡°I have reason to believe Aris plans to kill Llew¡¯s baby.¡± She raised the evidential booklet.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Gaemil held out a hand to receive the blackened volume.


    ¡°An abortionist¡¯s handbook. It would have held details of how to safely end pregnancy, if it were still readable.¡±


    Gaemil flicked the crispy pages. ¡°I don¡¯t know that this proves anything,¡± he said calmly, and Anya¡¯s constitution did exactly the opposite. ¡°He burned it with the rest. For all we know he took offense to it. I know I do. What is such a manual doing in my home?¡±


    ¡°We need to warn them,¡± she said.


    ¡°Of what? As I said, I don¡¯t think this proves anything.¡±


    ¡°What about your books?


    He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve advised Turhmos of Aris¡¯s most recent status. There¡¯s little more I can do, other than get on with replacing them.¡±


    ¡°What about Llew and Jonas?¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, they¡¯re both capable of looking after themselves.¡± He smiled at her, kindly and somehow managing not to be condescending. ¡°Have a little faith in them, huh?¡±


    ¡°I do. And I may not have known him as long as you, but I have spent enough time with Aris to know he¡¯s capable of more than you¡¯d guess by looking at him. I know it may not seem feasible, but I believe he¡¯s going to kill their baby, and probably before it¡¯s born. Maybe even before they reach Quaver. We have to stop him.¡±


    ¡°Listen. I have more of a right to be angry about that pile of ash than anybody. But how can you go from burnt books to accusing Aris of infanticide? It¡¯s ludicrous!¡±


    ¡°Please, Gaemil.¡± Anya took a step closer to him. She¡¯d seen women use their wiles on men before. She wouldn¡¯t insult him by trying, but by closing that gap she hoped to stand up to him as an equal, not stand back and plead like a supplicant. ¡°Call it a woman¡¯s intuition. Call it what you want. But I feel in my gut that I am right. Please. Can¡¯t we send a messenger after them?¡± It was tempting to reach for his hand, to cool his temper with a touch, but she refrained.


    ¡°If Aris burned those books, the moment he sees anyone come after them he¡¯ll know why they¡¯re there. He won¡¯t let them talk to Llew or Jonas without being there to hear the message himself.¡± Gaemil pushed off from the table and cupped Anya¡¯s shoulders in his big hands. ¡°Whoever I send after them will be putting their lives on the line. Are you prepared to do that? For intuition about something that, even if Aris wants it, we can¡¯t fathom how he could achieve it?¡±


    Anya pulled herself up, tilted her head back and looked him in the eye. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Gaemil watched her for a moment and Anya didn¡¯t falter.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll send a man. But only one.¡± He released her and headed for the door. ¡°A group will spook them. One man might have a chance.¡±


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    ¡°What about a woman?¡± Anya turned to the maid still waiting by the door. ¡°A woman with something Llew may have left behind.¡±


    Gaemil turned back to Anya, a smile curving his lips, pride lighting his eyes. ¡°Yes. Do that.¡±


    Llew was as eager as the other riders and the horses for a break in the road when they stopped for a lunch of ham sandwiches at the kitchen of a small motel sometime after midday. Interestingly, Karlani didn¡¯t take the lunch as a chance to work at Jonas¡¯s affections. She sat beside him at the table, but it was Aris she listened to as he filled her in on the delights she was about to experience in Quaver. Mostly, these consisted of being surrounded by Kara. Llew wasn¡¯t so enthused.


    Sitting on Jonas¡¯s other side, Llew enjoyed his frequent furtive glances and smiles. They kept their own conversations minimal and clipped, allowing Karlani to eclipse their interactions from Aris.


    Emerging into the weak winter sun, Llew was startled to see a woman waiting for them by their horses. Her horse was drenched in sweat and puffed out billows of steamy breath.


    She approached Llew.


    ¡°Miss Anya forgot to give you this.¡± She held out a chain with a chunky pendant hanging from it.


    Looking at the woman properly, she believed she did recognize her from Gaemil¡¯s household. But she¡¯d never seen the pendant before, and Anya hadn¡¯t said anything.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Aris moved in closer and Llew snatched the pendant.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She smiled around at the others. ¡°Anya said she wanted to give me something to remember her by. Not that I¡¯ll ever forget her. Thanks.¡±


    The woman bobbed a curtsy and, with a nervous glance at Aris, hurried back into her saddle, wheeled her horse around and dug her heels into its flanks.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Aris held out his hand.


    Llew brandished the necklace, but kept it well clear of his grasp. If Anya had sent that woman racing after with it, it wasn¡¯t something she wanted falling into Aris¡¯s hands, Llew was certain of that much.


    ¡°A necklace,¡± she said lightly. ¡°Something her ma gave her. She had said she wanted to give it to me, but we forgot in all the excitement of leaving. I guess Anya thought it was more important for me to have it than I realized.¡± She gave a short laugh. ¡°She¡¯s very kind, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Llew pocketed the necklace and swung into her saddle before Aris could press the issue.


    ¡°She is a charming, na?ve girl,¡± Aris said, not looking at Llew, instead watching the trail blazed by the messenger with narrowed eyes.


    Then he clapped his hands for attention, startling Llew and nearly causing Amico to bolt, but she pulled the reins firm before the horse got traction.


    ¡°Time to move on,¡± Aris said, as if nothing had happened.


    Aris booked two rooms at a hotel that night. Men in one. Women in the other. No doubt part of his reasoning was to keep Jonas and Llew apart.


    A less than comfortable silence divided the women as they prepared for bed. At least the room was a good size, with the space between the single beds big enough for two more. On entering, Karlani pressed her fingers into the first bed and Llew headed straight for the second. But as she bent to slip her boots off, Karlani came up beside her and pressed down on that mattress, too. Making an appreciative sound, Karlani peeled back the blankets and ran her hand over the sheet, then she stood looking at Llew, eyebrows slightly raised, as if Llew were some dim-witted buffoon.


    Llew looked back for a few moments. But it had been a long day, and all she wanted was for Karlani to go to sleep so she could find out what Anya had sent after her.


    She collected the boot she had removed and limped back to the other bed as Karlani threw her bag of clothes on her chosen one.


    Despite her best intentions, Llew couldn¡¯t seem to keep her eyes from straying towards the other woman as Karlani turned down the gas lamp ¨C no electric lighting here ¨C and stripped off her travel attire. The moonlight seeping through the shutters bounced off every perfect curve.


    ¡°You want these? You can have ¡¯em,¡± Karlani said, unashamedly giving Llew a full-frontal before pulling on her shift.


    Llew¡¯s cheeks burned like hot coals. She sat on the edge of her bed, her thumb running around the edge of her pendant in her pocket. There was a bump on one side that she was sure was a button.


    ¡°They¡¯re more trouble than they¡¯re worth half the time.¡± Karlani climbed into her bed and lay back, hands behind her head. ¡°I know what your Jonas thinks of my bodices. He thinks I wear them to create a spectacle.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I wear them to avoid one. The fact remains, these like neither centrifugal forces, nor gravity.¡± Karlani turned to face Llew. ¡°Men might notice mine before they see yours but, in truth, men love them all. Big, small, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Llew lay back and pulled her blankets up high, feeling strangely exposed. But she hadn¡¯t missed Karlani¡¯s use of the term ¡®your Jonas¡¯. The problem was, she didn¡¯t know if it was a hint that Karlani was going to back down, or if it was some sort of gibe.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t much impressed by your choice of footwear, either.¡± Llew said it with a light tone, as much curious to talk a little longer with the other woman as she was ready to make her own verbal strikes, if need be.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point in practicing in clothes or boots I wouldn¡¯t be wearing in reality? How absurd to practice in soft pumps when it¡¯s much more likely I¡¯ll be wearing heeled boots should we find ourselves ambushed.¡± Karlani lifted her blankets and slid between the sheets. ¡°Not that it¡¯s likely in Brurun or Quaver.¡± She sighed. ¡°Between you, me, Jonas and Hisham, I¡¯d say we¡¯re a formidable group for anyone with ill intentions.¡±


    Llew grunted her agreement, but otherwise remained silent. Then she lay listening into the dark, waiting for Karlani¡¯s breathing to change.


    It seemed an age before the Syakaran eased into sleep, and Llew nearly drifted off a couple of times herself before she felt it was safe to slip from her bed and to the window. There would be a frost in the morning. On this clear, crisp night, the moon created shadows of everything, and might provide enough light to see what Anya had given her.


    Leaning into the window frame, Llew worked the catch free and eased the shutter open. The night was still, so although the night air froze with its chill, there was no wind to whisk it deeper into the room. Karlani shifted in her bed. Llew held herself firm, ready to declare her love for looking upon the moon, should the other woman wake. But Karlani soon settled again.


    Reaching out so the pendant could catch the moon¡¯s glow, Llew squeezed it until a click announced the opening of the tiny latch. Being careful not to make a sound and holding back the shivers ready to wrack her body in the night¡¯s cold air, she peeled back the pendant¡¯s door.


    Something fluttered to the floor.


    Llew stooped to collect the folded scrap of paper, so small she could hardly believe anyone could write anything meaningful on it. It was folded in on itself several times. She unwound it as she stood. Stretching it flat, she held it out to the light again.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Karlani stood by Llew¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What does it say?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Llew turned to catch a glimpse of the message, but Karlani snatched for it. Llew snapped her hand away, but the note slipped from her grasp, landing on the windowsill. She reached for it again, as Karlani did the same, but the movement created a breeze that sent the note fluttering out the window. Llew pushed the shutters fully open and gripped the windowsill, leaning out. A tiny flicker of white highlighted the note¡¯s descent, until it was lost from view, even before it hit the ground.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    She turned, but Karlani was already by the door.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to go through me to get it.¡± The Syakaran¡¯s voice held a velvety texture that might have been soothing in a different situation. ¡°We can wake Aris. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d like to know about it. He knows your friend¡¯s intended rather well. Are you willing to bet on him having no influence on their future together?¡±


    Llew looked over her shoulder at the still ajar shutter. Had Anya sent the note with or without Gaemil¡¯s say so? There was no way to be sure.


    She turned back to Karlani, who nodded to Llew¡¯s bed. ¡°Sleep. Be a good girl and I might not mention the note¡¯s existence to Aris.¡±


    Llew swallowed. All signs pointed to Anya wanting to get the note to Llew without Aris knowing.


    A note. A note that might simply contain a declaration of love from one friend to another. Or, more likely, a message of warning. Llew could guess at the tone of its contents.


    She returned to her bed, careful not to make sudden movements. After a while, Karlani crossed the room and closed the shutters, then returned to stand by the door.


    Llew lay awake a long time, waiting for Karlani to return to her own bed, but she didn¡¯t. Despite her best efforts, Llew eventually fell asleep.


    Aris woke them early, keen to get on the road again.


    As soon as she stepped outside, Llew swept the ground with her gaze, but Karlani shadowed her every move, with Aris casually watching from farther back. She hoped not to find the note as much as she wanted to.


    And as she squeezed Amico between her calves, a fleck of white tucked under the hotel¡¯s boardwalk caught her eye. With Karlani riding behind, she had no choice but to ride on. She pressed her hand to her pocket with the locket tucked inside.


    I¡¯ll be careful, Anya.

 10: And Its Captain To You

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    Aenuk


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    Captain

 11: Past Is Past

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    ruined

 12: Official Business

    He should¡¯ve known they¡¯d ride past the site of his old home, close as it was to the main barracks. He should¡¯ve told Aris to go a different way, ride around it, avoid it. Maybe he¡¯d hoped someone had rebuilt on it, and he could pass it by, forgotten.


    It had been forgotten. By everyone else. Weeds, waist deep, grew around and over the charred remains of the cottage he¡¯d once called home. Most of the house itself had been piled up to one side of the section, but then, it seemed, whoever it was had lost interest.


    Jonas didn¡¯t know if he wanted to rage or cry.


    But he couldn¡¯t ride by without at least acknowledging what had once been. He steered Chino over to the wreckage and ruin. The members of their escort that had been walking beside and behind him grizzled at the sudden departure, but no one made a real issue of it. Horses snorted behind him, feet shuffled, but all came to a halt.


    He rode Chino up to the old garden fence. They¡¯d had a garden. Well, Kierra had kept one. Jonas had enjoyed her rewards when he¡¯d been around.


    Creepers smothered wildflowers trying to make a mark on the otherwise depressing sight, making it that little bit more dismal.


    He hadn¡¯t been there for her. They¡¯d been married because that was the thing to do when a Syakaran woman was found. Keep the line pure. Keep the line strong. And he¡¯d had every intention of making her happy. If they were going to be married, they were going to be that happy old couple walking hand-in-hand, smiling at the young-uns rushing about without a care.


    But he¡¯d still been in a rush.


    He wanted to fill his pa¡¯s boots, he wanted to please Aris, he wanted to earn the respect of his fellow officers, and he wanted to be a good husband. So many caps. One of them had to slip.


    Llew brought her horse alongside Chino. The two horses touched noses, chatting like they were old friends.


    He watched Llew take in the scene, all serious intent with no understanding. Then her face went slack.


    ¡°Is this ¡­?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°They burned it?¡±


    ¡°Braph did.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The two words were laced with everything Llew felt about the man. She surveyed the scene. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t so bad sharing this part of his life with Llew, after all.


    Returning to his position within the troop, he caught Cadyn¡¯s eye. She gave nothing more than a tiny nod.


    Jonas had caused a lot of hurt in his life. Maybe there was a chance to redeem himself, yet.


    A door banged open, and a group of young men laughed their way down concrete stairs. They were still laughing as they stumbled across the riders¡¯ path. One tripped, catching himself before he kissed the pavement, still laughing. One of his friends went back to help him up. Another turned and stopped, staring as the riders went through.


    ¡°Is that¡ª?¡± he began, following Jonas¡¯s progress.


    The riders continued.


    A tall concrete wall amongst brick and concrete buildings, the Barracks was an unassuming place against the backdrop of Taither. They pulled up outside a heavy, wooden double gate set into the wall. Aris turned his horse side-on and rang a large bell.


    They waited.


    A scrape announced the opening of a peephole at standing eye-height. Aris bent forward in his saddle to peer through.


    Llew didn¡¯t hear if he said anything, but the cover was quickly shut and another metallic rasping was followed by a booming thud, then one of the doors eased open on silent hinges.


    ¡°Aris!¡± A dark-skinned, dark-haired woman smiled broadly at the captain. Then, ¡°Jonas!¡± She walked up to Jonas, clasped his hand, and dipped her forehead to it reverently.


    ¡°Gilana.¡± Jonas bobbed his head.


    Then the soldier saw Hisham.


    ¡°Hisham!¡± She walked over to the Karan lieutenant with her arms spread wide. As she neared him, she beckoned for him to lean down, and they embraced as well as people can when one is on foot and the other on horseback.


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    ¡°Good to see you, too, Gilana,¡± he said.


    ¡°Better damned well hope so.¡± Gilana slapped him on the shoulder as she stepped back from him. ¡°Come on. Everyone¡¯ll be pleased to know you¡¯ve returned.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here on official business, sergeant,¡± Aris said as he turned his horse ready to enter the compound.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Gilana put fingertips to temple. ¡°They¡¯re waiting for you, sir.¡± She bid them enter with a flourish, winking at Hisham as he passed.


    Their group made the barracks¡¯ stable yard feel cramped. Stable hands emerged to take the horses and, as Amico was led away, Llew was suddenly well aware of the distance between her and Anya. Jonas shook hands and shared a few words with the steady stream of soldiers coming out to greet them. Many of those soldiers spared brief, mistrustful looks at Llew before standing to one side, hands behind backs, awaiting further instruction. Jonas returned to Llew¡¯s side, lightly touching a hand to her back before standing like the soldiers around them.


    Cadyn and her crew were dismissed as now off-duty officers, and they headed for the mess-hall for a well-deserved meal and good night¡¯s sleep.


    Llew felt every mile of hostile territory between her and anyone remotely on her side. Kara surrounded her. Vests full of knives. Crossbows at hips. No Syakaran knives, though, once Cadyn was gone. That was some relief. Brief as it was.


    A soldier sauntered arrogantly up to Aris. Llew might have said ¡®swaggering¡¯, but the man¡¯s high boots and long, medaled, dress jacket suggested a class beyond swagger. The white handle hanging from his hip glowed in the airy moonlight.


    ¡°Captain.¡± The mustachioed man nodded to Aris.


    ¡°Lieutenant general,¡± Aris acknowledged the man in return.


    The new arrival placed himself beside Aris as he observed all those gathered in the yard. He dipped his head to share a few words with Aris.


    Military ranks were lost on Llew, but whether the man officially outranked him or not, it seemed Aris was in charge. The other man bent at the waist to listen to Aris¡¯s instruction. The lieutenant general nodded and straightened. He and Aris surveyed the soldiers around them. Then Aris made a gesture.


    Something thumped Llew in the chest, reminding her of the ache she¡¯d felt when watching Karlani with Jonas. She looked to Jonas now. He was looking at two crossbow bolts in his hand, confused. He turned to her, and his face went slack.


    She looked down.


    A crossbow bolt shaft protruded from her shirt, which meant the tip was ¡­ the tip was ¡­


    ¡­ suddenly one of three.


    She stumbled back a step. Her chest ached. Her head clouded. Heat radiated from her belly.


    ¡°Llew!¡± Jonas flung aside the bolts he held and caught her as her legs gave way. He pulled the bolts free, ripping her apart. At least, that¡¯s how it felt. But he couldn¡¯t heal her with the bolts still in place. He pressed his hand to where her jaw met her throat.


    As she died, she began to live again.


    The familiar tingling started under his palm, prickled under his fingers. Her faltering heart fluttered, shuddered, then found its rhythm again as it reformed. She gasped, that first breath painful and exhilarating at the same time. Jonas pulled her into him. He trembled, leaning into her. Weak.


    Bodies moved in around them. Hands gripped her. But Llew was strong. She pulled, she wriggled. But there were, how many? Eight? Nine? Probably all Kara. Their leather-gloved fingers dug in, bruising. Her hands were forced behind her back and cold metal closed around her wrists. Rough, gloved fingers still gripped her arms.


    Jonas, too, was grappled, pulled to his feet, and shackled. He struggled, but he was weakened.


    Quaver had used her power against him.


    Jonas found sporadic strength, growling, and struggling, only to have Karan soldiers clamber over him to hold him down. He faltered under their assault.


    ¡°Aris!¡± he cried out.


    Llew couldn¡¯t tell if it was an accusation or a plea.


    Like her, his hands were pulled behind him and chained together.


    Hisham looked pained but didn¡¯t move from his post amongst the rest of the Karan host. Aris stepped out from where he had been standing and came up between them. Shadowing him, Karlani wore a slight smile on her lips.


    ¡°The Aenuk is an enemy of the state,¡± said Aris. ¡°She is to be held in custody until we reach a decision on what to do with her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Syaenuk, Aris!¡± Jonas growled. ¡°She¡¯s special. And she¡¯s carryin¡¯ my baby!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Aris turned on his heels. ¡°You are under arrest for fraternizing with an enemy. You will be retained in custody until a decision has been reached regarding your future.¡±


    ¡°Bastard!¡± Llew felt she should say something.


    ¡°Take them away,¡± said Aris, not sparing a glance for Llew.


    Jonas struggled against his captors. Only a few could keep a grip on him at a time while they were walking. But for every one he knocked aside, another was ready to step in. They surrounded him, hands gripping arms or weighing down his shoulders. Perhaps if they had been ordinary men and women, he might have broken free. But they were Kara, each stronger than the average in their own right. And his strength had been taken. By Llew.


    They were led through a brick archway into dingy darkness. A soldier went ahead, lighting infrequent candles for the rest to follow.


    As they moved down stairwells, Jonas renewed his fight. Llew couldn¡¯t see, but the grunts, groans, shouts and thumps were clear. Every now and then someone reminded him it would be much easier if he didn¡¯t fight.


    Llew tugged against her metal restraints, but only succeeded in drawing her own blood. Of course, the Quavens were prepared for that, all well-covered and gloved. She ducked and twisted, trying to free herself from their grip, but in such a tight space and surrounded, she didn¡¯t have the room to put her extra strength and speed to use. Hands and bodies closed in around her.


    Metal squealed, and she was shoved into a cell. Three walls were stone, one a row of bars barely wide enough for Llew to fit her arm through past the elbow.


    The barred gate swung closed with a resounding clang and was locked. They hadn¡¯t untied her hands.


    ¡°This is a mistake, Llew!¡± Jonas said, as all the soldiers surrounded him to move him farther along the corridor. ¡°I¡¯ll get us out.¡±


    His attempts to fight free remained ineffective as the posse of soldiers closed around him, moving him through an archway and out of sight and earshot.


    Llew wandered her cage, hands still tied behind her. There was a dankness and odor about the space she couldn¡¯t escape. Water ¨C or something ¨C trickled somewhere. More dripped elsewhere. She almost laughed, thrown back, as she was, to her hours spent with Cassidy. But the occupants down here didn¡¯t need to be kept dry. They weren¡¯t dead. Yet. Soon, her eyes adjusted to the dark enough to see the lighter lines of mortar between the bricks and the darker lines between the floor cobbles.


    Shuffling feet and occasional shouts echoed from the direction the soldiers had taken Jonas until a heavy clanging cut it off.

 13: A Symbol of Quavers Strength

    The cell door swung closed.


    ¡°This is a mistake,¡± Jonas said, looking at each of his fellow soldiers. ¡°Hasiph.¡±


    The medic looked down, scowling. At least someone was troubled.


    ¡°Hasiph.¡± It was a dirty trick, working on the weak link, but Jonas would take anything right now. ¡°This ain¡¯t right. I¡¯m as Quaven as they come.¡±


    ¡°We got orders,¡± said Elliot, a soldier a couple of years Jonas¡¯s junior. Jonas had led him to the Turhmos border on several occasions. He looked a little too pleased to be wearing the leadership shoes now.


    ¡°Who from?¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant General Kane.¡± Elliot smirked. ¡°For gettin¡¯ frisky with an Aenuk.¡± The smirk twisted with distaste. ¡°How could you?¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t as simple as we were taught.¡± Of course, they weren¡¯t about to listen to him, but he had to try. Mountains were moved one grain at a time.


    Elliot was already turning to leave, the rest, bar three, moving to follow. Those three stationed themselves near the door. Three Karan guards, metal bars, brick and mortar walls, who knew how far below ground, and hands still chained behind him.


    He paced his cell. He couldn¡¯t believe Aris would do this to him. Surely, Aris would come see him tomorrow and it¡¯d all get sorted. The old man was just making a point. That¡¯s what this was.


    Images of Llew riddled with arrows flashed in his mind¡¯s eye. Seeing her like that, dying in his arms. It didn¡¯t get any easier, no matter how many times she came back. And Quaver had used that against him.


    His hands started to shake again. He gripped one with the other. Damned having them still chained behind his back.


    Jonas paced. His guards remained silent. He didn¡¯t recognize any of the three. Probably recruited in the last year.


    ¡°Shit.¡± He stopped. ¡°I gotta take a leak.¡±


    There was a moment¡¯s silence while the guards looked at each other.


    ¡°Then leak,¡± one of them said, not moving from his post.


    They had to be kidding, humiliating him like that. He was Jonas. He was their hero. A symbol of Quaver¡¯s strength.


    None of the guards moved.


    Jonas cursed again.


    She¡¯d slept, she was fairly sure.


    By now, her bladder ached. She needed to empty it, but with her hands tied, she could do nothing, unless she wanted to soil her clothing. Against her growing child, she was in agony.


    The footsteps, thankfully, announced a woman carrying a bucket. She entered Llew¡¯s cage and, while she didn¡¯t unshackle Llew¡¯s wrists, she did help Llew find some comfort. Llew thanked her, but it didn¡¯t make the woman any less disgruntled.


    As the woman left, the senior soldier from the night before approached the bars.


    It had been the night before, hadn¡¯t it? Llew had already lost track of time. There had been at least one change of her guards, and the soldier seemed refreshed. He must have slept.


    The lieutenant general. That was what he was.


    He held a child¡¯s hand. A woman stood behind them.


    The child, a little girl, wore a chocolate-brown corduroy pinafore over winter layers. The color reminded Llew of her only experience with the dessert treat. She wondered, for a moment, if she would ever get the chance to taste it again. Would she get to share such an afternoon with Jonas again? Would she see him again?


    The woman, a thin, tired example of humanity, looked nervous.


    The lieutenant general pulled out a knife. He lifted the child¡¯s hand, turned it palm up, and ran the knife across it.


    The girl, already terrified, did nothing more than flinch.


    He pressed the small hand between the bars of Llew¡¯s cage.


    ¡°Heal it,¡± he said.


    Llew could hardly say ¡®no¡¯, but neither could she reach for the little girl¡¯s hand. She hitched up one elbow, demonstrating this fact.


    Annoyance and anger rippled the lieutenant general¡¯s face. He turned to one of the guards and flicked his head at Llew¡¯s cage. The guard hesitated, watching Llew suspiciously, but did as she was instructed. Llew turned and held up her hands for the guard to reach through the bars to free them. The guard flinched as Llew brought her hands up to rub her chafed wrists, as if she¡¯d expected Llew to try to break free. Only then did Llew wonder if she was able. If the Quavens thought she was, then perhaps she was. But if she could break out of there, then why hadn¡¯t Jonas already done so?


    Even if she could somehow break out of the cage, she didn¡¯t fancy her chances of getting past all those trained Karan soldiers. Besides, all it might take was Jonas having a word to the right people and they¡¯d be freed, anyway. But she hadn¡¯t seen anyone walk through to where Jonas had been taken. That didn¡¯t mean they hadn¡¯t been through while she¡¯d slept. Or perhaps there was another entrance. That had to be it. Even now, Jonas was negotiating their release.


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    She stepped up to the bars, giving the frightened girl a sympathetic look. Neither of them knew what this was all about, but Llew knew well how it felt to have to do something you didn¡¯t want to do.


    Still rubbing at her wrists, she said, ¡°I¡¯d heal off her before I fix that cut.¡± She held up her raw skin, broken through in several spots. Trails of dried blood ran up her hands. She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just the way it works.¡±


    Again, annoyance twisted the lieutenant general¡¯s features briefly. Then he gestured to the guard again. She looked like she was about to refuse, but clamped her mouth shut, stepped forward and pulled off her glove before reaching through the bars and gripping one of Llew¡¯s hands.


    The transfer was quick, the damage minor.


    The guard stepped back, rubbing her hand.


    Llew reached for the little girl¡¯s hand.


    Nothing happened.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She looked at the lieutenant general, who shrugged as he pulled the child back and turned back to the mother.


    ¡°Karan,¡± he said. ¡°Well done.¡±


    The girl ran into her mother¡¯s arms. The mother picked her up, sobbing and kissing her fiercely.


    Of course. Llew slumped. Everywhere, people could find a use for her power.


    Over the next several hours, a procession of children and nervous mothers were brought down to her and the child¡¯s hand cut. Those who didn¡¯t heal left secure in the knowledge they could keep their government-provided home. Those whose wounds closed burst into tears along with their mothers. Llew could guess their fate. She¡¯d once shared it.


    Aenuks could not heal Kara. And suddenly, Quaver had a way to test each child before they would otherwise have been certain.


    As a commodity of some value, Llew was provided regular meals and the chance to clean up, though she was under no illusion this was for her benefit. She was hardly any use to Quaver if her starving body stole life from those she was meant to be attempting to heal, and neither was a filthy healer appealing.


    And still, the only people Llew had seen go through the door through which they¡¯d taken Jonas were the changing guards.


    Aris hadn¡¯t come to see him. No one came to see him. He was simply left, hands still shackled, to wallow in his own filth and almost no light. His stomach ached from missed meals, and he felt weak, his muscles already atrophying from a lack of sustenance. And he was thirsty, so thirsty.


    He didn¡¯t know how many days had passed before one of the guards brought a bucket of cold water, a change of clothes and the key to his shackles. He drank first. Chilly water running down his arms, dripping from his elbows. He lacked the energy to do more than gratefully strip off and cleanse himself. The cold water chilled him to the bone, and he had no way to dry himself before pulling on the loose-fitting shirt and trousers. He huddled in a corner, trying to shiver some heat through himself while the guards cleaned the floor of his cell.


    He hated to look at them, those guards. Some looked on him with pity and sadness. It must have stung to see their hero brought so low. Not half as much as it hurt being pulled down. Some hardly seemed to care. Mostly these were the young guards, the ones that had never seen Jonas in the flesh before. Others barely contained their pleasure at seeing the mighty fall.


    For what? For glimpsing the truth?


    A whole lot of truths seemed to be coming into focus as he sat there in the dark, his body aching to be fed. All he¡¯d done was find one Aenuk likable. That didn¡¯t make him a traitor. He¡¯d expected to still be stationed at the Turhmos border and to kill more Aenuks. He was a Quaven soldier, that was his job, it was what he did. He wouldn¡¯t have questioned it.


    But now, it seemed, someone had expected he might. So now he did.


    Perhaps it was time to think beyond what he was and what he was expected to do. Llew had done it all her life. She was a girl, but she hadn¡¯t let that stop her learning her father¡¯s trade. Llew had been left homeless, but she hadn¡¯t let that leave her resourceless. If anything, she¡¯d become a stronger person from what she¡¯d lacked.


    Jonas didn¡¯t have much down here.


    The soldier brought the soup into Jonas¡¯s enclosure and knelt beside him to offer the bowl. Jonas barely had the strength to look at her, such was the peril of a fast metabolism.


    She wore the same long-legged wild dog motif as Hisham on her uniformed shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m Samsi,¡± she said. ¡°Hisham¡¯s cousin. He asked me to let him know you were okay.¡± She smiled, proving the family resemblance. ¡°I can¡¯t be lying to him now, can I?¡± She lifted the wooden spoon to his lips. ¡°Eat. It might not return your strength, but it will help some.¡±


    Jonas slurped the soup. As much as he craved real food, he was grateful for the nutritious liquid. He didn¡¯t know if he had the strength to chew anything substantial.


    ¡°Llew,¡± Jonas said after a few spoonfuls.


    ¡°The Aenuk?¡±


    Jonas nodded.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± said Samsi. ¡°Her power can be used to identify Karan children from non-Kara years earlier than we used to. She is now an asset.¡±


    As relieved as he was to hear Llew was well, anger swelled at the thought of his country using her, especially after his promises.


    ¡°Aris ¡­¡±


    Samsi shook her head. ¡°He won¡¯t see you.¡±


    That hurt more than it should have. Then again, he had few people in the world and Aris had been his everything for so long. He took a moment to let the empty feeling settle. Aris wasn¡¯t coming. Did Jonas mean so little that he could be tossed down here and forgotten so easily?


    ¡°There¡¯s a growing movement looking to get you out,¡± Samsi said, holding the soup spoon up to his mouth again. ¡°They know you made a mistake, but they reckon that¡¯s all it was. Besides, after your wife¡¯s murder ¡­¡±


    ¡°Kierra,¡± Jonas said.


    ¡°Yeah, her.¡± Samsi loaded the spoon again.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± With his stomach now accustomed to the soup, Jonas was starting to wonder when they might bring solid food. ¡°Did I make a mistake?¡±


    ¡°I believe you were under a lot of stress. Not every day your brother kills your wife.¡±


    Jonas grunted. The less talk of Braph the better.


    ¡°I heard you killed him in Turhmos. What were you doin¡¯ in Turhmos?¡±


    ¡°Llew killed him.¡± Jonas didn¡¯t open his mouth for the next spoonful of soup. He watched Samsi.


    Her eyebrows rose.


    ¡°An Aenuk of many uses, then,¡± she said.


    Jonas accepted the spoon. Fact was, he was strong enough to hold it himself now, but he appreciated the company and the chance to hear about happenings outside of his cell.


    ¡°We¡¯re fightin¡¯ an uphill battle, though,¡± Samsi continued. ¡°Aris reckons you betrayed Quaver. Treason, he says.¡± She pressed her lips together and shook her head. Treason was death. ¡°Might be a week or more, but we¡¯ll get you out.¡± She knocked his shoulder with a fist. ¡°Hisham¡¯s a lonely beast.¡± She stood. ¡°Whole Quaven army¡¯s been fretful without you.¡± She stepped from the cell and locked it again. ¡°Even if you are just a symbol. It¡¯s nice to have a guiding light, you know?¡± She stooped for the wash bucket. ¡°Even if you are a bit of a guttering flame.¡±

 14: It Aint Right

    The only clue to the passing of time was the passage of women and children into and out of Llew¡¯s cell. After the last test, Llew would receive a simple meal before most of the candles would be dampened and the guard changed.


    She would be woken for the opportunity to bathe from a bucket of cold water, and to eat a bowl of oatmeal, and the procession would begin again. She couldn¡¯t decide if she preferred the solitude of the night-time hours, or the busyness of the day. She settled on disliking both. It was as bad as being held captive in Braph¡¯s home. There, her body had been used against her will to create crystals for Braph¡¯s magic device, or to sate his physical needs. Here, her body was used against her will to find out whether or not families got to keep their home. And there was no way out that she could see. If she refused them, they withheld food and it wasn¡¯t long before the painful clutches of hunger gripped her.


    The life she now lived was her nightmare, and yet she couldn¡¯t bring herself to refuse to eat and end it. Whether it was because it was more than just her life on the line, or some bizarre need to live no matter how miserable, she didn¡¯t know.


    Somewhere in the back of her mind she held out hope that Jonas would find a way out for them. He knew these people. And if that no longer held sway, he was still Syakaran. Surely no cage could hold him for long.


    And while she carried his baby, she, too, had Syakaran strength. She walked up to the bars of her cage, gripped two and pulled outwards. The whole metal wall rattled at the points it connected with the stone.


    ¡°Hey! Stop that.¡± One of the guards stepped forward.


    Metal squealed, and Llew was almost sure her hands were farther apart. She renewed her efforts.


    ¡°Stop. Now.¡± The guard¡¯s arm swung up, holding a small crossbow pointed at Llew¡¯s head.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± One of the other guards began and was waved silent by the first.


    Llew didn¡¯t stop. If she had the strength to get through this iron wall, she had both strength and speed to deal with the guards.


    ¡°I said stop.¡± The first guard lowered the crossbow and fired.


    The bolt sunk into Llew¡¯s left forearm, missing the bone; the point entering where her muscle bulged and exiting just below her elbow, like a sewing pin.


    Pain, frustration, anger, and sorrow exploded from Llew in a bellow that reverberated around the room as she released the bars and fell back on the floor. Barely thinking, she ripped the bolt from her arm and hurled it back at the guard with a growl. The bolt clipped a bar and fell to the stone floor, landing across the line between inside and outside her cage. She lay back covering her eyes with the forearm of her right arm and cried.


    Peering out from under her arm, she watched drops of blood add to a growing puddle, the time between each steadily growing. It didn¡¯t bleed for long, mustn¡¯t have clipped anything major.


    They would send someone to heal her soon. They had to before she was expected to test any more children. And so, she lay, trying to ignore the pain and the cold stone beneath her, and waited.


    And waited.


    They left her; didn¡¯t bring anyone to heal her.


    She was teetering on the brink of sleep, attempting to use the power of her mind to transport herself from the dark, dank basement back to her little piece of paradise on the banks of Cheer¡¯s Big River ¨C long tussocks, soft clovers, the fresh scent of the river ¨C when the main door opened and brought her crashing back to reality. Morning already?


    While she couldn¡¯t see them, the rustle of the guards¡¯ clothing suggested uneasy movement as the footfalls grew nearer.


    A figure blacked out the entrance to the small room.


    ¡°Go.¡± That voice. Aris.


    Llew froze.


    The three guards hesitated then headed up the steps, and Aris stepped forward with Karlani a half-step behind him.


    Llew pushed herself up from the floor. Her arm ached, but it was ignorable.


    Aris lifted something, handing it to Karlani. In the dull light, Llew could hardly see it, but the flash of orange candlelight off a metal blade left little to decipher. They were there to kill her.


    Aris pulled out a set of keys.


    Llew¡¯s body prepared her to run. Muscles tensed, heart beat stronger. That part of her brain that had been holding out hope screamed at her to do something, but she didn¡¯t know what. She was surrounded by stone and iron. The only way out was through Aris and Karlani.


    She crouched, ready.


    Aris stepped back from the gate, letting Karlani move in.


    As soon as the Syakaran stepped through the gate, Llew ran at her. But, this time, Karlani knew what she faced, and she planted her feet, holding her ground. Llew crashed into her, pushing her back a step. Karlani spread her arms, catching herself against the bars. Then she swung wildly with the blade, catching Llew under a breast. Llew jumped back, Karlani moved with her. Aris took the chance to lock the gate between them and him.


    Llew wasn¡¯t ready to be a lost cause. She crabbed around the enclosure. Karlani turned to keep facing her, knife held ready.


    ¡°The girl¡¯s got some fight left in her,¡± said Aris, leaning against the bars.


    Figuring on the latch being the weakest part of the cage, Llew prepared herself for a lot of hurt. And if she failed, well, it was die easy or die hard, and she wasn¡¯t going to die easy.


    Coming around enough to have a straight line to the latch, Llew launched herself at the gate. Karlani rushed at her, knocking her aside and following her down, striking with the Syakaran blade.


    The metal tore through Llew¡¯s chest below her right shoulder, broke bone and sunk deeper. Pain. Hot, cold. It didn¡¯t matter. All she knew was the pain. She lay on the cold floor, scared to take a proper breath.


    Keys rattled, ringing around the small room, and the gate swung open.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the job¡¯s done,¡± Aris said as he entered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± Karlani laughed, like Aris could be joking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make the killing blow.¡±


    All humor left Karlani¡¯s face, and she returned to good soldier, stepping out of his way.


    ¡°Good. Good.¡± Aris knelt beside Llew. He pulled the knife free.


    Llew gasped as the pain she¡¯d been trying to avoid fired through her. Her right arm was useless, and every breath hurt. She waved her left arm at Aris, trying to brush him aside, but her attempt was feeble, and she failed to connect, let alone push. Blood seeped from the reopened crossbow bolt wound.


    Aris held the knife over her, taking great care positioning the blade over her belly. Calling on all her strength, she batted the knife aside. Karlani positioned herself at Llew¡¯s head, gripped her forearms in gloved hands, and pinned her to the floor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make this harder on yourself,¡± Aris said. ¡°If you¡¯re lucky, you might get to say goodbye to Jonas.¡±


    The knife hovered.


    Finding its target, the knife plunged into her belly.


    Llew¡¯s body arched, and she screamed. She pulled one arm free of Karlani¡¯s grip, but it flailed weakly, striking nothing. Karlani pushed it down again. Aris frowned at his hand gripping the knife handle. He held it a few moments, watching, watching.


    He pulled the knife. Llew heard a trembling whimper in her own voice as the blade slid free.


    This wasn¡¯t happening. It was some crazy dream. Heat spread across her shirt. Some part of her knew it was her blood, yet she felt detached, like it was happening to someone else.


    Aris guided his knife a little over from his initial strike, his brow furrowed.


    Llew tried to move again, but Karlani still held her, and even tiny movements were agony.


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    Aris drove the knife down again. A fresh wave of pain rushed from Llew¡¯s core, compounded by sorrow at the certain knowledge she had lost her child. She started to tremble, her ears ringing, her vision tunneled. She couldn¡¯t breathe.


    A blue spark shot up the blade and disappeared into Aris¡¯s wrist. Gasping, Llew peered at him as his lips spread in a devilish grin. She looked back at where the blade disappeared ¨C into her, but her brain still wouldn¡¯t accept that fact ¨C and a purple lightning bolt shot up, from her belly into him. His eyes grew bright with triumph while her vision darkened.


    ¡°What the hell is happening?¡± Karlani asked.


    Aris didn¡¯t answer, just kept grinning down at Llew as more power slipped beneath his skin.


    ¡°They¡¯re killing her!¡±


    The iron door swung into the wall, jolting Jonas awake. It took him a moment to register what Samsi had said. But once he did, he was on his feet.


    She ran to his door, fumbling with the keys.


    ¡°Samsi!¡± One of the other guards, a younger one Jonas didn¡¯t know, gripped Samsi¡¯s wrist before she could get the key in the lock.


    Samsi brought her other hand around, catching him under the jaw and throwing him back. She returned to her mission; jaw set in determination.


    ¡°I heard something. Wasn¡¯t right,¡± Samsi was saying while she sorted through the keys again. ¡°Aris. The Syakaran woman.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Hisham said she¡¯s alright. For an Aenuk. It ain¡¯t right.¡±


    The third guard didn¡¯t seem to know what to do. He hovered over Samsi¡¯s shoulder, apprehensive, but he wasn¡¯t stopping her.


    Samsi found the key and swung the door open.


    Stepping from the cell, Jonas pulled two knives from Samsi¡¯s vest and ran up the dark corridor. Not Syakaran blades but, against Aris and Karlani, just as effective.


    He flung the door to Llew¡¯s chamber wide, catching it on the ricochet and flinging it back again.


    ¡°Aris ¡­?¡±


    ¡°Jonas,¡± Aris croaked out before sucking in his breath as purple lightning shot from Llew and into him.


    None of it made sense. Aris straddled Llew, his hand gripping the handle of a knife in her belly. The scene before him was so bizarre, Jonas couldn¡¯t grasp a single coherent thought. Aris. Llew. Knife. Llew¡¯s belly. Their child ¡­


    Jonas lunged forward. He was still dazed by what he saw, but anger didn¡¯t need to understand.


    Karlani moved to block him. Jonas went to brush her aside, but she dug in her heels and shoved him back. Damn woman! And damn Aris! The old man had always said he loved Jonas as a son. But a father wouldn¡¯t do this. He lashed out, flinging Karlani aside, rage providing him a strength starvation had sapped. She landed in a heap on the floor, but was up again in an instant, dragging on Jonas¡¯s forearm, slowing but not stopping his advance. He twisted, trying to shake her off, but she held on, slowing him enough for Aris to keep harvesting the lightning.


    Aris¡¯s knuckles whitened around his knife handle. He growled through his teeth as more lightning shot into him, then chuckled as it fizzed up his blade and across his skin as if it tickled. Finally, he released the knife and sat back, hands resting on thighs like he was taking a break from a job well done.


    Hisham arrived in the doorway, a small contingent of soldiers with him. Taking little time to assess the situation, he ran in, knocking Karlani aside, freeing Jonas to go after Aris.


    Aris started to stand, but not before Jonas got to him, sinking both blades into him, one in his chest, one in his gut.


    Aris coughed. ¡°Ow.¡±


    Jonas released the handles and stepped back, shaken by what he¡¯d done. He looked from the knives to Aris¡¯s paling face, struggling to believe the knives were really there, in Aris, and he¡¯d been the one to put them there.


    Karlani roared as she ran at him again, but Jonas was struggling to pull his eyes from his captain. Luckily Hisham was there, and Samsi rushed in to help. No one else seemed to know what to do. Probably for the best. In the moment, the right thing to do would be to arrest Jonas.


    Jonas had seen the shock of realization as a life ended enough to know it when he saw it, and he wasn¡¯t seeing it now. Aris frowned down at the knife handles, reached up and pulled one and then the other free. As the wounds began to heal, he looked at Jonas, then he looked back down at Llew. Jonas felt sick. Aris was healing and Jonas was disarmed.


    ¡°Looks just like how we found Kierra.¡± Aris studied Llew as if she were a curiosity, or perhaps a piece of art, seemingly ignorant of his wound. ¡°Just like Kierra.¡±


    Aris was healing like a Syaenuk, but he wasn¡¯t draining anyone to do it. Jonas had never seen anything like it. So engrossed in the impossibility before him, he almost missed what Aris had said. But they hadn¡¯t found Kierra. Jonas had returned home to a smoldering mess. There had been no Kierra left to find, or so Aris had told him. Aris had told Jonas not to look, that it would be too painful to see. You don¡¯t want to remember her that way. Aris had told him, and Hisham¡¯s silent nods had assured him it was best. And Aris had presented the knife, giving Jonas something to do with his anger.


    Jonas felt the fool. Everything he knew was lies.


    Whatever Aris was, he was still an old man. Jonas stepped forward again, but Aris dodged him and was standing in the outer chamber in an instant, the big blade dripping blood by his side. Karlani stood by him, her glare daring anyone to try anything, though her gaze kept flicking to the man beside her, as if she wasn¡¯t sure he was real. In the midst of the confusion, Aris bent his fingers in a wave and dashed through the door at Syakaran speed, knocking surprised soldiers aside, Karlani at his heels.


    Everyone remained frozen, dumbfounded for a moment. Jonas was still struggling to reconcile all he¡¯d seen and heard.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± Someone finally voiced what they were all wondering.


    ¡°That looked like Captain Aris,¡± someone else said.


    ¡°It was Aris,¡± said Samsi.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    But Aris wasn¡¯t Karan, nor Aenuk, and yet what he had done couldn¡¯t otherwise be explained. He was also gone, and Jonas needed to focus on Llew. He let the bemusement fade into the background and turned to her. She was a mess, the entire front of her dark with blood, and a pool spreading on the bricks beneath her. She was bleeding out, fast.


    ¡°Llew!¡± He landed on his knees beside her, took her hand in his. Her skin burned his like hot coals. ¡°Ah!¡± He flinched back. Of course! She was Aenuk and he could heal her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡± Her protest as ineffective as his touch seemed. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t your knife. It was supposed to be your knife!¡± She was talking nonsense.


    ¡°You¡¯re not dyin¡¯, Llew. Get a doctor!¡± Jonas called over his shoulder.


    Hisham immediately turned to direct soldiers back up the stairs. Jonas was pleased to hear urgency in his voice. With Hisham there, Jonas could focus on Llew.


    Hardly thinking, he pulled her shirt up, exposing her lower belly. ¡°Sorry.¡± He placed his hand on her belly, fighting the urge to snatch his hand back from the pain, and watching the wound intently. But it didn¡¯t matter where he touched her, the wound wouldn¡¯t heal. Aris had used a Syakaran knife.


    His eyes rested on her belly where their child grew, had been¡ª


    He cut off his thoughts there, the potential destination unbearable.


    Llew cried out again and Jonas screwed up his face at his impotence.


    He ripped his shirt, pulling it into two parts. One, he wrapped one hand in and clasped hers, willing her to hold on. The other, he pressed to her chest wound, trying to slow the blood.


    Shuffled feet and murmuring voices continued behind him; the room filled with Quavens who wouldn¡¯t understand. Hisham crouched beside him.


    ¡°What can I do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Make sure the doc gets through. I don¡¯t wanna hear nothin¡¯ about Aenuks and Turhmos and won¡¯ts and shouldn¡¯ts until Llew¡¯s stable.¡±


    Hisham nodded and stood. The murmurs behind Jonas died down.


    It seemed an age before a bedraggled-looking man with a bulky leather satchel stumbled into the room. The man¡¯s loosely curled hair hung over one eye and he still wore pajamas, but as soon as he saw Llew any thoughts of himself and the sleep he was missing vanished, and he and his bag were at her side in an instant.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°She was stabbed,¡± said Jonas. ¡°She was ¡­ She¡¯s pregnant.¡±


    The doctor surveyed the scene before him. The glance he gave Jonas before turning to fish through his bag held a great deal of doubt.


    He came up with a small bottle and passed it and an eyedropper to Jonas. ¡°A few drops of this on her tongue. It¡¯ll help,¡± he reassured him.


    Jonas popped the bottle¡¯s bung and gave it a sniff, his breath catching on the bitter scent. He looked at the doctor dubiously, who nodded. Having no reason to doubt the man and every need to ease Llew¡¯s discomfort, Jonas slid the eyedropper into the bottle and, his hands trembling, put it to Llew¡¯s lips. Everyone waited.


    Llew¡¯s eyelids flickered, and her eyes rolled back. Jonas¡¯s breath caught, thinking she might be dying. Idiot. She was dying.


    ¡°You have to save her,¡± he muttered.


    The doctor was smart enough not to respond. He reached forward to begin his work but snatched his hands back the instant he came in contact with her.


    ¡°She¡¯s Aenuk,¡± Jonas said.


    The doctor¡¯s eyes widened before narrowing. He shook his head and snatched his bag. Jonas gripped the doctor¡¯s arm before he got fully standing.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t goin¡¯ nowhere till you¡¯ve fixed her.¡±


    Hisham stepped in close behind the doctor. ¡°You heard the man,¡± he said by the doctor¡¯s ear.


    Reluctantly, the doctor knelt beside Llew again.


    ¡°It was a Syakaran knife,¡± said Jonas, folding and unfolding the fingers on one hand, testing and displaying the result of having touched Llew himself. The skin was pink, raw, blistered in places.


    The doctor said nothing, just gave Jonas a dark look. Jonas looked back.


    The doctor puffed his thoughts out with a sigh, shaking his head and working his jaw as he reached into his bag and pulled on a pair of rubbery gloves.


    ¡°You do realize,¡± the doctor said, not even trying to disguise his anger, ¡°that open abdominal wounds are almost invariably fatal. It could take minutes, it could take weeks, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s the way it is.¡±


    ¡°I hope you realize the day she dies is the day you die.¡±


    Again, Jonas held the doctor¡¯s glare. Jonas had no time for whether or not his terms were fair. What mattered was the doctor not taking shortcuts because Llew was Aenuk.


    Jonas leaned close to Llew, murmuring reassurances. She looked like she was out cold, but maybe she might hear him.


    He wasn¡¯t disappointed when Hasiph crouched beside Llew, opposite the doctor. Jonas had been to the Turhmos border with the young medic several times over the years and knew him as a competent medical professional. Hasiph returned Jonas¡¯s nod before settling to following every instruction the doctor gave.


    They cut and tore her clothes, wiped away what blood they could. Hasiph focused on her chest wound, while the doctor worked at her belly. All Jonas saw was off-white cloth going in and coming out dripping with dark blood. They requested more swabs.


    Jonas¡¯s nerves wound tight. He felt sick. So much blood. A Syakaran blade. Was he about to lose Llew and their baby? He didn¡¯t think he could stand it. His parents. Kierra and their child. It was almost enough to make him believe in gods. Could they hate him so much? He was a man who¡¯d made mistakes, but they¡¯d been made in ignorance. His enlightenment had begun the day Llew had lived in Stelt. Was he meant to have atoned for all he¡¯d done already? He needed more time.


    ¡°Oh.¡± The doctor¡¯s muted exclamation brought Jonas back to the cold, dark cell.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The doctor murmured something, too quiet to hear. Jonas leaned closer. The doctor lifted the cloth in his hand. In it, lay a perfectly formed, tiny human being, still connected to Llew via a fleshy tube from its belly.

 15: Are You Ready?

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    You don''t want to remember them that wayJust like Kierra

 16: Alive. Not OK.

    Closing the book, Anya read the telegram again to be sure she¡¯d read it right. The book was proving of little help. It had interesting pictures but was written in a language from across the seas, one she¡¯d never come across before and doubted she¡¯d see again. But since Gaemil had bartered hard to get it for her, and it was about Aenuks, Kara, and Immortals, she was doing her best to interpret it. While Jonas had been both brief and deliberately obscure, the message only for her, the telegram was simpler to divine meaning from.


    ¡®L¡¯ clearly stood for ¡®Llew¡¯, and ¡®bb¡¯ must have meant ¡®baby¡¯.


    Incredible sadness turned her lips down without her say so.


    The next word was ¡®dead.¡¯ There was no other way to interpret that.


    Anya rolled her eyes to the ceiling, blinked away the gathering tears, and sniffed before re-reading the next part. ¡®L hurt but OK.¡¯ Anya wasn¡¯t too sure about that. How could Llew be okay after her unborn child was murdered? Perhaps he should have said ¡®alive¡¯. That would have been far more accurate. Hurt but alive, Anya could believe. Not okay. Llew was not okay.


    The next part read: ¡®Ars Immtl???¡¯. Clearly, Jonas had no clue when it came to rules of punctuation.


    She was stalling, her eyes still burning from her first interpretation of the message. Poor Llew! In the middle of Quaver, too, with only Jonas by her side. Certainly, Jonas was a good choice, but Anya couldn¡¯t imagine him being there for Llew quite the way she could. She had to go. She simply had to go. And take books. Lots of books. Except, she couldn¡¯t, because of what Aris had done.


    ¡®Ars Immtl???¡¯ Jonas thought Aris could be an Immortal. It certainly seemed likely. Jonas hadn¡¯t taken the time to elaborate in the message, perhaps avoiding widespread panic, or simply not wanting to call attention to Llew¡¯s vulnerability. But it would explain Aris¡¯s desire to obliterate information about the previously extinct race.


    It irked Anya to have so many new questions and no readily accessible way to answer them. If all the Immortals had truly been killed, how had Aris become one? Did that mean anyone could become one? That was a terrifying thought.


    If Aris had been Immortal all along, how had he lost his powers? Had the answer been in one of those books? She couldn¡¯t remember seeing anything along those lines, but she hadn¡¯t read every book in Gaemil¡¯s library yet. And now she never could.


    Quaver would have books, about Kara at least, although if they were smart, they would have information about Aenuks, too. Turhmos might loan her books, but only while she remained in Brurun, and she couldn¡¯t do that, not now. Not when Llew needed her. Jonas hadn¡¯t specified that she was required, but she would be damned if she was going to let Llew go through this alone. If Llew was hurt, as Jonas had indicated in the telegram, then she had been injured with a Syakaran knife and it could take her months to heal. Longer, if she was struck down with infection.


    Luckily, Gaemil had no argument against her going to Quaver to support her friend. All she had to do was pack, lightly, and head out the following morning, with Gaemil and a sizable escort, of course. But she would ride horseback. While many still frowned on women of both her societal and marriage status straddling a horse, Anya was not about to let the trip take any longer than necessary.


    Someone sat on the edge of Llew¡¯s bed, near her knees.


    She wiped away the crusty sleep holding her eyes closed and blinked into the room, dully lit by the emerging sun through the heavy curtains. Lit enough to silhouette her visitor. The figure turned its head to the accompaniment of creaking leather. It wasn¡¯t Jonas. She turned to the side of her bed, but he wasn¡¯t there. The figure sat between her and Jonas¡¯s little cot, but she was willing to bet that was empty, too.


    ¡°Morning. I¡¯ll leave you to decide whether or not it¡¯s good.¡± The cool, deep voice was undeniable. Like Jonas¡¯s, but not.


    Llew tried to scramble from her bed, moaned in agony, clutched her belly, and fell back onto her pillow, her entire body and mind screaming at her to get away, run, fly, die, anything to not be in the presence of the man before her.


    ¡°You are ¡­ injured?¡± Braph sounded concerned.


    ¡°Get away from me you ¡­ you monster.¡± It was pitiful, but this wasn¡¯t the time for clever insults. She desperately scanned the room again, even though it was in vain. How had he arranged for her to be alone? Jonas would never have agreed to it. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    And how had he made it to the heart of Quaver? Then again, the man did know how to fly.


    ¡°Looking for Jonas, but I don¡¯t know where he resides now. I¡¯ve followed a trail of crumbs to you, and I figure he¡¯ll show up here some time. Besides, gives us a chance to catch up.¡±


    Llew couldn¡¯t see his features against the dull light through the curtains. Didn¡¯t much matter; she could hear his smug amusement. She glared her deadliest glare at him, confident he would be able to see her well enough.


    ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Come within reach and I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    ¡°A Syakaran knife wound? Did you and my darling little brother have a fight? But wait ¡­¡± He cocked his head. ¡°His knife is ¡­¡± He put a hand to his hip. ¡°¡­ right here.¡±


    The Knife. The knife Jonas had sworn to keep in his possession, under his control, to stop it from killing any more of his loved ones. Llew had stuck it in Braph and left it there. She had thought him safely dead. When she¡¯d turned from saving Jonas¡¯s life to see nothing but a smear of Braph¡¯s blood left behind, she¡¯d thought surely, he couldn¡¯t make it far. Surely, though perhaps not dead there and then, he was as good as. Clearly, she was wrong.


    That knife had killed Jonas¡¯s parents, his wife, his child. Jonas believed it cursed to take the lives of those he cared about, including Llew. Unless he possessed it.


    And here it was, on Braph¡¯s hip.


    He looked off into the center of the room for a moment, then turned back to her, studying her. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Like you have any right to know. Get out or I¡¯ll scream.¡± She didn¡¯t consider herself the screaming kind, but this seemed like a good time to try.


    ¡°But I¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡± His voice carried a smile.


    ¡°Ha¡ª! Ooh!¡± Pain fired through her.


    ¡°I just want to talk to my brother.¡±


    ¡°I doubt he has anything to say to you. You better be ready for the arse-whipping he has in store for you.¡± She fought to keep a confidence in her voice that wasn¡¯t there. Where was Jonas? She looked to the empty chair by her bed. Her hand reached out to the edge of the bed, where his head often lay.


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    ¡°How sweet. You Syaenuk women do have a mysterious power over us Vastergaard men, don¡¯t you? Ah, well. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll return soon. I can be patient.¡± He shuffled his seat looking like he intended to stay put.


    Llew¡¯s bladder was waking up, but she would rather pee herself than have Braph assist her. She clamped her mouth tight and tried to think about something else, like what the hell Braph could want to say to Jonas now that he¡¯d killed him once already. Was he here to kill Jonas again? But Llew wouldn¡¯t be able to heal Jonas now she wasn¡¯t pregnant with his child anymore! She tried to steady her breathing and not let him pick up on her panic. ¡°You lay a hand on him, and I will kill you myself. And I¡¯ll make sure of it this time.¡±


    Braph smiled at her. ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t kill me. But you rest your weary head. I¡¯m not here to kill him. I came to ask his help.¡±


    Llew snorted and winced. Despite her vast improvement over the course of the week, her failed attempt to get away from Braph must have torn something.


    Braph narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°You¡¯ve lost the child.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lose anything.¡±


    ¡°That does put a dampener on my plans ¡­¡±


    ¡°To hell with your plans! To hell with you!¡±


    Braph sat back at leisure, unresponsive to her outburst, looking her up and down. ¡°History repeats ¡­ Tell me, if you will¡ª¡±


    The door swung open, pushed by Jonas¡¯s shoulder as he stumbled in.


    Jonas took a couple of giddy steps towards the bed before bracing himself, hands on knees. He probably should have let himself sober up before coming back, but he was tired. He let a belch slip through his lips. Nothing grotesque, but it felt a whole lot better.


    He straightened, throwing his head back, stretching his gut out, finding some comfort as whisky and bread and whatever else he¡¯d eaten settled.


    Proud of himself? Not at all. But he needed some way of coping with everything. Normally, Aris would have been there to direct his energies, if not offer soothing words. It was hard to believe that, this time, Aris was the problem.


    He puffed out another whisky-laden breath and brought his head down.


    Braph was sitting on Llew¡¯s bed.


    He didn¡¯t even have to clarify the thought.


    He launched himself at Braph, threw him over his shoulder, sending him flying across the room, crashing into a wall and to the floor. He gave his brother time to clamber up. Somehow, behind a grimace, Braph managed a laugh, his teeth framed by blood. In the dark they appeared sharpened, with blackness between. Jonas gathered himself to strike again, suddenly quite sober.


    ¡°Jonas.¡±


    Jonas raced across the room, lifted and threw Braph to the floor. He followed him down, crouching over him, prepared to administer a world of pain. But his brother blinked up at him and the fight went out of Jonas.


    ¡°Jonas!¡± Llew called. She went to clamber from her bed but fell back.


    ¡°Llew, don¡¯t¡ª¡± He stumbled forward, tripping over Braph on his way to her. ¡°Lie down. You¡¯re still sick.¡± He caught himself on her bed, swaying slightly, and gently pressed her back, then braced himself as he attempted to regain control of his swirling head. He was so tired.


    ¡°You¡¯re drunk.¡±


    He nodded, not bothering to raise his head.


    ¡°My pa used to drink.¡± Llew braced herself on her elbow. ¡°Never did anyone any good.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry.¡± And he was. He shouldn¡¯t have been such a mess.


    ¡°He wants to talk to you. But you¡¯re in no condition for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done talkin¡¯ to him.¡±


    ¡°Jonas, look at him,¡± Llew whispered harshly. ¡°His arm is gone. His magic device is gone.¡±


    Jonas looked at Llew. How could she stand the man being in the same room as her, let alone suggest Jonas talk to him?


    ¡°The sooner you talk the sooner he¡¯ll be gone.¡±


    He nodded again. Sounded like sensible thinking.


    What had she said about Braph¡¯s arm?


    He looked over his shoulder. Braph had picked himself up off the floor and stood, bruised, and battered, awaiting Jonas¡¯s next move.


    A small crowd gathered at the door. Hisham pushed his way into the room. Seeing Braph, he tensed. Jonas shook his head. Leave him to me. He was his brother, after all.


    Jonas pushed up from the bed, turning to face Braph. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I like the hair,¡± said Braph, with a contemptuously annoying smile.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jonas repeated.


    ¡°I need your help.¡±


    The room settled in a tense silence. Even the audience at the doorway hushed.


    Part of Jonas wanted to laugh. Braph wanted his help? After everything he¡¯d done. But he couldn¡¯t deny an interest in the plea. His eyes settled on Braph¡¯s truncated arm. Only weeks before he¡¯d worn an unusual device on his forearm that when fueled by Aenuk blood gave him the power to do just about anything, even fly, and control minds. While Jonas couldn¡¯t bring himself to feel sorry it was missing, the reasons for its disappearance would no doubt be of some interest. Braph was now merely a Karan. A crippled one, at that.


    ¡°Turhmos has taken my home and everything, and everyone, in it,¡± Braph said. ¡°As you can see, I am ¡­ disadvantaged in my efforts to reclaim it. I hoped that the knowledge that one of its inhabitants is, in fact, your son, might persuade y¡ª¡±


    ¡°Son?¡± The pronouncement knocked the wind from Jonas.


    Braph nodded.


    Jonas narrowed his eyes at his brother. ¡°Don¡¯t you lie to me.¡±


    Braph shook his head.


    Jonas didn¡¯t know what to think. His son was alive? But how? He looked at Braph. His half-brother looked smug as ever, but there was an earnestness and honesty there, too. He turned to Hisham, whose head hung low, an admission of guilt if Jonas had ever seen one. He¡¯d known something all along, and never said a word.


    Jonas thought the bottom had fallen out of his world the day he¡¯d returned to his home in flames. And it certainly had when Llew¡¯s babies had been killed by none other than Aris himself. Now his mind reeled from the truth, unable to accept it, except that in Hisham¡¯s attempts not to look at him, his best friend confirmed it. His son lived.


    Jonas slammed Braph into the wall and held him there, a forearm across his throat. He would deal with Hisham later.


    ¡°You stole my son and expect me to be grateful when you turn up beggin¡¯ for my help?¡±


    Braph tried to speak but had to settle for coughing through his crushed windpipe. Jonas eased off him a touch.


    ¡°I expect nothing but ¡­¡± Braph gasped in a raggedy breath. ¡°¡­ your love for your son to bring you to his aid. He needs you now.¡±


    ¡°He needed me a year ago!¡± Jonas took a moment to calm himself, breathing through his rage. The whisky must have boiled from his blood, and yet his mind struggled to find a clear thought. His son lived?


    Braph managed a conceding nod.


    Jonas turned to Hisham. ¡°Get him out of my sight.¡±


    Hisham moved swiftly, eager to please. It would have been satisfying if he hadn¡¯t been keeping such a devastating secret for more than a year. The betrayal cut deep.


    Jonas eased off Braph only as Hisham stepped in, though it was clear his brother had no intention of fighting. Hisham hooked a hand under Braph¡¯s armpit and hauled him across the room.


    ¡°And don¡¯t come back,¡± Jonas said.


    Hisham nodded, head down like a puppy caught making a mess inside. Then he reached down by Braph¡¯s hip and brought up a knife. Jonas¡¯s knife.


    Jonas crossed the room to claim it. As Hisham left with Braph, he cradled the knife. The knife Llew had left sunk in Braph¡¯s gut. The knife that had killed his parents and wife, and countless Aenuks. The knife he still feared was destined to take Llew¡¯s life simply because he cared for her. Despite all that, a smile curled his lips as he held it again. The blade had history. A painful one. But all those deaths had occurred when this blade had been out of his possession. In his hands, it had killed none but Aenuks. In his hands, it would stay that way.


    He hadn¡¯t been wearing his knife-belt since its loss, so he slipped the weapon behind his belt and turned to Llew.


    ¡°Did he hurt you?¡±


    ¡°No. Just gave me a fright, is all.¡±


    She was putting on a brave face. Still, it was something of a relief that she didn¡¯t need him to be strong for her because his sobriety was wavering, his consciousness much preferring to run and hide than face facts. Braph was alive and had made it inside Quaver, right into Taither¡¯s barracks, and into Llew¡¯s hospital room. That alone filled his head with chaos. And now he had been told that his child, a son from his marriage with Kierra, had survived. It seemed simplest to shut down for a while.


    He swayed slightly where he stood, then crossed the room and kneeled by Llew¡¯s bed.


    He had time to think how disappointed she must be in him, and to say ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± before his head got too heavy to hold up anymore. He let it hit the mattress. Then he sent his hands out, grabbing sheet and seeking hers. After a moment of fumbling, she reached one of her hands to his, clasping tightly through the sheet.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he whispered again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± she said.


    He sunk into darkness.

 17: Sorry

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    did


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 18: Never A Father

    Braph peered at where his hand should have been. He flexed the elbow resting on his thigh a couple of times. It felt for all the world as though his hand and forearm were still there. In fact, sometimes, he thought he could even see the fingers move. Like right then. He could picture his hand, palm towards him, fingers in a relaxed curve. He flexed one, touching the non-existent tip to his palm that wasn¡¯t there and he laughed ¨C he could feel the movement, both the fingertip touching his palm and his palm being touched. He could feel it, but it wasn¡¯t happening. The hand wasn¡¯t there. The finger wasn¡¯t there. The palm wasn¡¯t there. His right arm, from below his elbow: gone. He considered pumping magic through his veins, regrowing his arm and hand. Ah, but he couldn¡¯t do that because the device wasn¡¯t there, either. Besides, regrowing limbs wasn¡¯t something Aenuk magic could do. Still, he would love to try. Aenuks couldn¡¯t fly, either. But with their magic, Braph had.


    Inclining his head, he tried a different tack. His imagination came to life, picturing not just his hand and device back, but a replacement hand and a replacement device, all one; pistons, cogs, and springs, working together to flex metal fingers, articulated on metal hinges, iron and copper, brass, and steel; stronger than his original hand, better than his original hand. A smile touched his lips. He could do it. He had the skills. He had the tools. He could build himself a new hand ¡­ When he got his home back. It would be a challenge one-handed, but he could do it.


    The main door to the cells opened and Braph looked up. Ah, Jonas. He¡¯d wondered if his brother would come. He¡¯d assumed so, but this was Jonas, after all. Braph didn¡¯t really know him anymore.


    More than a day, by Braph¡¯s guess. Not that he could tell for sure down here. The rhythms of changing guard and small meals gave him some clue.


    Part of him was surprised to see Jonas at all, half-expecting him to be a good ways across Turhmos by now. But he couldn¡¯t do that and leave his little Syaenuk behind.


    Perhaps he knew Jonas well enough, after all.


    Jonas strode down the corridor, grabbed a wooden chair, planted it before Braph¡¯s cell and straddled it, a stern look on his face. His short hair still made Braph take another look. He¡¯d worn it long as far back as Braph could remember. In fact, it had still been long when Braph had killed him back in Turhmos. It suited him short. Brought out the family resemblance.


    Braph watched from where he sat at the back of his cell. Jonas toyed with something in his hands. It was too dark to see properly at first, but after the item did a couple of rotations, Braph recognized the wooden toy gryphon he¡¯d swapped for Jonas¡¯s knife many years before. His brother had always been sentimental. It was his soft spot, his weakness. Why had Jonas brought it with him now? It was probably meant to make him feel bad about killing Jonas¡¯s wife simply because they were brothers. Jonas should¡¯ve known Braph would never forget. When everywhere you turned you saw your brother showered in glory, you never forgot. But Jonas wouldn¡¯t understand. He brushed off the worship, the pandering, as nothing; never realizing how much others craved it and that his demeaning of it only made it worse. Maybe if he¡¯d celebrated it. Maybe if he¡¯d shared it with Braph. Maybe they could have been a team.


    ¡°What did you call him?¡± Jonas asked without meeting Braph¡¯s eyes, his voice thick with emotion.


    Ah, of course. Jonas didn¡¯t even know his own son. Braph supposed it would weigh heavily on his mind. ¡°Joelin. After ¡­¡±


    ¡°Grandpa.¡± Jonas nodded, looking at Braph then, and the tension in his shoulders seemed to ease. The wooden gryphon continued its steady rotation through and around his fingers. He watched Braph a few moments more. Braph found himself wishing his cell were a little deeper. Not that he feared his brother. Well, maybe a little. He was at a distinct disadvantage for the time being, after all.


    A deep shadow settled over Jonas¡¯s features. ¡°Why?¡± His voice rattled around the word. One word. And only one incident he could have been asking about.


    ¡°Would it truly make a difference for you to know?¡±


    Jonas¡¯s eyes flashed. He stood and swung the chair into Braph¡¯s cell bars, wood fragments flying. The gryphon fell, skittering along the floor. ¡°Why?! If you wanted to kill me, you could¡¯ve waited!¡±


    Braph nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think you could ever understand what it¡¯s like to both love and loathe someone so much, only to realize you fear them, too.¡±


    ¡°I got a taste of that when you had Anya stick a knife in Emylia on the boat.¡±


    Braph couldn¡¯t suppress a smile. Jonas had feared him.


    ¡°I guess I was just feeling impulsive that day,¡± Braph shrugged. A nonchalant manner seemed to wind his brother up the most. ¡°What can I say? You and I both inherited our father¡¯s temper. I was ¡­ disappointed by your absence.¡± Looking back now, Braph suspected that had been the plan the whole time. He¡¯d been told Jonas would be there. Of course, Aris hadn¡¯t been ready to give up his Syakaran pet for the baby. But Braph had been too eager. And it had cost him. Now he had an extra mouth to feed, and he still hadn¡¯t fought Jonas in a fair fight. Oh, they¡¯d fought, but with Llewella in the picture, it hadn¡¯t been the one-on-one Braph desired. He was somewhat pleased the girl had managed to heal Jonas. It meant there was still a chance to do it over. Braph just needed his magic back.


    Jonas fidgeted while he processed that, drawing a smirk from Braph. They sure were quick to fire in their family. Although, Braph had to admit, Jonas¡¯s military training did him well. Still angry, yes, but the reactions were slower, more purposeful. For a Syakaran, anyway.


    ¡°Why do you do Turhmos¡¯s biddin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I do my own. Why do you do Quaver¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re Quavens. We¡¯re Kara.¡± Jonas¡¯s voice rose in pitch, weakened by confusion.


    ¡°We¡¯re Kara,¡± Braph agreed. ¡°That we were born in Quaver was a mere consequence of geography. But have you ever stopped to wonder whether Quaver really is better than Turhmos? Have you ever asked yourself, are you fighting for the right side?¡±


    Jonas shook his head. ¡°You swapped sides to prove a point?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t swap sides.¡± Braph snarled. ¡°I went where I could pursue my goals. I picked me, which is all any of us can do. You chose your country over yourself, and where has that got you? Working for you, is it?¡±


    ¡°You come in here, talkin¡¯ all pious ¡­ righteous. But a man¡¯s gotta stand for somethin¡¯ besides himself.¡±


    ¡°What about his future, his sons?¡± Braph stood from the bench seat, approaching the bars, stopping a little over an arm¡¯s length back. ¡°Don¡¯t you want your son to grow up in a world free from wars?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you talk about what I want for my son.¡± Jonas¡¯s knuckles turned white around the bars. ¡°You gave up what rights you might¡¯ve had when you kidnapped him, leavin¡¯ me homeless and believin¡¯ him dead.¡±


    ¡°Ah, now, that last part wasn¡¯t me.¡±


    Jonas rocked back, head down, eyes and weight shifting. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°But you haven¡¯t known long.¡± Which would go some way to explaining why Jonas hadn¡¯t come looking for Joelin. Jonas was meant to have come looking for him so Braph could prove to the world where their family¡¯s true strength lay. And Braph had been stronger. When they¡¯d finally met for that glorious showdown, Braph had what it took to bring Jonas down, if it hadn¡¯t been for Llewella¡¯s condition. He hadn¡¯t accounted for her, although the crystals he¡¯d attained from her had powered some addictive magic. For a short while. Now she lay bedridden, clearly no longer pregnant.


    ¡°What happened to our Llewella?¡±


    Jonas looked for something else to throw, but there were no more chairs in this section and, otherwise, the corridor was bare. He gripped the bars. ¡°She doesn¡¯t exist for you. The next time you even think about her, I will kill you.¡±


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    ¡°Now, now. Let¡¯s not be unreasonable.¡±


    Jonas rattled the bars, but they didn¡¯t bend. He was capable. So restrained. Trained, at least.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m sorry if I spoilt her for you.¡±


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ you could do would ever ruin Llew for me.¡± Jonas turned from the cage, took the two strides to cross to the opposite wall, then turned back to Braph. It seemed he had more to say, or ask, but he had yet to shape his thoughts into something coherent.


    ¡°Not that I did much.¡± Braph feigned examining the quicks of his fingernails. The more relaxed he appeared, the more fired up Jonas became. ¡°Everybody knows you can¡¯t rape an Aenuk.¡± Of course, Braph knew that statement to be utterly false. Partly it depended on how much pain the transgressor was willing to accept in return for the attack ¨C and Braph had met plenty of people who would add that to the pleasure. And, of course, Turhmos with their years of breeding Aenuks for their military had come up with ways to impregnate unwilling Aenuk women while reducing the risks to the men, but none of the gratification. Oh, there were ways that removed risk altogether, but Turhmos had found a drop in male volunteers, and it didn¡¯t increase the women¡¯s inclination to offer their wombs to the nation.


    If he was honest with himself, Braph supposed that was why he had subdued Llewella with his magic. He supposed she wouldn¡¯t have volunteered her body to him. But she was so like her mother, and it had been too long.


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I was thinking about someone else at the time.¡±


    Jonas held Braph¡¯s gaze with a flat one of his own.


    For a moment, Braph considered picking the scab once more, seeing how much it would bleed. But sometimes it was best to let things fester. Besides, Braph really had no interest in the girl, and there were other matters to dig into.


    ¡°What does Aris have to say about all the goin¡¯s on, eh?¡± Urgh. Five minutes with his brother and he¡¯d already slipped back into the clodhopper tongue of which he¡¯d spent years cleansing himself. Regardless, it pleased him to see he¡¯d hit another nerve. There was something in the way Jonas¡¯s eyes twitched, the way he grimaced, a clear sign of another wave of anger swelling, but not quite breaking. ¡°What did he do, then?¡±


    Jonas looked like he might fire up again, but suddenly relented. ¡°He killed our babies.¡±


    That was unexpected. Braph had known Aris all his life. Aris, who¡¯d dedicated his life to preserving Syakara, to nurturing Jonas¡¯s bloodline, had killed Jonas¡¯s child? Wait ¡­


    ¡°Twins?¡± Braph asked. A great-aunt had had twins, so it wasn¡¯t unheard of. Still a surprise.


    Jonas¡¯s face screwed up. He¡¯d said too much? Then he nodded. Braph got the feeling Jonas wanted to talk to his brother about it ¡­ but perhaps not Braph. Such a shame they were one and the same.


    Still, Aris killing Jonas¡¯s children didn¡¯t make sense. He loved their family for reasons only he knew. Even when he¡¯d declared disinterest in the fate of Kierra, he¡¯d insisted Jonas¡¯s child live. But these children hadn¡¯t only been Jonas¡¯s. They had been Llewella¡¯s too. And Aris had never made excuses for his loathing of the Aenuk race.


    ¡°Always fathering, never a father, eh?¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t never been what I wanted!¡± Jonas clenched his fists.


    ¡°So, why did he do it?¡±


    Jonas folded his arms, evidently still struggling with his desire to open up to Braph. ¡°We think it made him Immortal.¡±


    Braph felt his face slacken. This was a situation that required careful consideration. Aris had killed Jonas and Llew¡¯s children. Simply ridding the world of a future Aenuk might have been enough for the old man, although it would have put Jonas¡¯s loyalties to the test. Would Aris risk that simply to eliminate Aenuks? Unlikely. Much more likely if he were to gain from the exercise.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He stabbed her¡ª¡±


    ¡°With a Syakaran knife ¡­¡± Braph nodded, his mind chugging over like the wheels of Turhmos¡¯s new steam engines. Llewella couldn¡¯t heal from the wound, that much was clear. The true origins of the knives less so.


    ¡°With a Syakaran knife.¡± Jonas¡¯s lips curled.


    ¡°Then what?¡± The Immortal hypothesis seemed sound, but Braph wanted more. If Aris could become an Immortal, could anyone? Could, say, a Karan?


    Jonas shrugged.


    The memory of Llewella¡¯s blood pulsing through his veins made Braph salivate. ¡°With a Syakaran knife? I wonder if that was relevant ¡­¡± Braph nodded again, the pieces coming together. A child of Jonas and Llewella could contain the powers of the Immortals. Such powers couldn¡¯t be contained by just any vessel. ¡°Assuming Aris has always been an Immortal and had somehow lived all this time, though powerless, it seems he has his powers back.¡±


    Jonas gave a grim nod.


    Braph stepped away from the bars, feeling the familiar warmth that came with deep thought. At the same time, he wondered if his own son to Orinia could be Immortal as well. Highly possible by the sound of it. ¡°Interesting. So, he¡¯s got the Karan internal magic, and Llewella¡¯s external magic combined ¡­¡± Jonas looked at him like he was speaking another language, but Braph continued. ¡°He¡¯ll be fast and strong, but he¡¯ll also be able to heal ¡­¡±


    ¡°But he don¡¯t drain.¡±


    Braph¡¯s eyebrows rose of their own accord. ¡°Huh. Interesting. I wonder what other advantages he has. For instance, does he need to eat as well as you to support all that magic? I can¡¯t imagine him not needing to, but I can¡¯t get my head around healing without draining, either.¡± Braph took a moment to think about it. It would take something to heal at an accelerated rate. Maybe Aris would need to eat even more than the Kara. Or would he take his energy from somewhere else? ¡°Regardless, he¡¯ll be close to invincible. And with that will come the assumption that he¡¯s better than everyone. The world, brother, is about to get a reminder of what it¡¯s like when immense power is wielded by the arrogant.¡±


    ¡°Someone like you?¡±


    ¡°Now, now. I worked hard for my power,¡± Braph said, playing up his hurt. ¡°Unlike you, I wasn¡¯t born with it; not enough of it, anyway. It¡¯s easy for a man given immense power to think he deserves it just because he has it. He can think it is his right to laud it over others, as if by some godly decree. I¡¯ve only ever wanted to make the world a better place.¡±


    ¡°Aris probably thinks so, too.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no convincing some people, is there?¡± Not that Braph had expected Jonas to see his side of things. To date, his brother had never swayed from the straight and narrow set down by his lineage and upbringing, unless you counted his relationship with the Syaenuk girl. Braph had come to assume he and Jonas would be on opposite sides of any argument. This Aris issue was looking set to change that. Braph had no doubt the return of someone of such power was bad news for both of them. ¡°This does put a dampener on our plans, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Not mine,¡± said Jonas. ¡°I just want my son back. Tell me where he is.¡±


    ¡°At a cost to everyone else?¡± Huh. Braph had to stop and take stock of his own feelings for a moment. The possible return of Aris¡¯s powers scared him. Really scared him. He was here to bring Jonas and Llewella back to Turhmos, and yet he found it necessary to advise his brother to take care of Aris first. How strange.


    ¡°Everyone else ain¡¯t my problem,¡± Jonas rumbled. ¡°Llew, my son; they¡¯re all I got. I ain¡¯t losin¡¯ no one else.¡±


    Braph was almost hurt that he wasn¡¯t on that list. Almost. But most importantly, he couldn¡¯t let Jonas rescue his son without going along with him. It would defeat his whole purpose of coming to Quaver. ¡°And Llewella¡¯s mother?¡±


    ¡°Her, too.¡±


    ¡°I think you need a plan. There is too much at stake to simply go racing across Turhmos. Let me think.¡± He gripped the iron bars while he contemplated all of Jonas¡¯s issues, not least of all his most trusted guardian¡¯s sudden conversion into a dangerous enemy. ¡°Your son is there. For now, I have no reason to believe he is unsafe. Your lady-love¡¯s mother is there. Now, her health I can¡¯t vouch for, I¡¯m afraid. Llewella¡¯s father suffered even in my care, and I put only a fraction of the demands on him that Turhmos will have put on her.¡± Saying it aloud meant thinking about what Orinia could be going through, considering how many half-siblings his own son might have by now, and how many times Turhmos might have drained her, either to create new crystals they still didn¡¯t understand how to use or to heal their soldiers. Braph didn¡¯t like how it made him feel. He drew scant comfort from the knowledge the Quaver-Turhmos border had been quiet of late. ¡°Might I suggest, then, that you consider a future mother-in-law rescue before going in to reclaim a small child that would only hinder you in your other rescue efforts?¡±


    ¡°You might.¡±


    ¡°And might you take such a suggestion into consideration?¡±


    ¡°I might.¡±


    ¡°Then that will leave Aris out there. Doing, or at the very least planning to do, whatever it is that he will be inclined to do. And on that score, I must admit, I have no notion, other than that he will no doubt wish to assert himself as a power to take seriously. What he will do with that we can but wait and see.¡±


    ¡°What would you do with it? What were you gonna do with the power you took from Llew?¡±


    ¡°My goal was simple, brother. I wanted my love back.¡±


    ¡°Your love ¡­?¡± Jonas looked at Braph sharply, a brief query instantly quelled by disgust. ¡°Llew¡¯s ma.¡±


    ¡°You judge me for my heart¡¯s desires? You? The Quaven who fell for an Aenuk?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between a captive and a lover.¡±


    ¡°As there may be between organic and arranged marriages, wouldn¡¯t you say? And yet you would proclaim you loved ¡­ What was her name?¡±


    ¡°Kierra.¡± Jonas¡¯s inability to leave the woman unnamed was somewhat endearing.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Kierra.¡± Jonas¡¯s face darkened at Braph¡¯s use of the name. He was fun to play with. ¡°You loved her, did you not? And yet what was she to you?¡±


    ¡°She was my wife.¡±


    ¡°By whose decree?¡±


    ¡°She was my wife!¡± Jonas slapped a hand against one of the cell bars, rattling the entire row of cages with a deep thrum. He glared at Braph, top lip curling like he was going to say something else, but instead he turned and left without a backwards glance.


    Braph grasped a couple of bars and pressed his face into them to watch his brother go.


    ¡°Let me help you!¡± But Jonas neither faltered in his step nor acknowledged Braph in any way.


    Braph¡¯s eyes fell to where the discarded carved gryphon still lay on the concrete floor.


    ¡°Huh.¡±

 19: Got It Out Of Your System Now?

Never did anyone any good


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    He

 20: Was Gonna Tell You

    Llew continued to come in and out of consciousness, the passing of time as vague as any of her thoughts. It felt as if her life had become about sleeping, bathing, and barely functioning in a drug-addled semi-consciousness. She slept. She woke. She slept again.


    A week after the attack, her medication was reduced and she began to get out of bed for short walks around her room, supported by Jonas, his hands always gloved in leather.


    Her belly ached, firing sharp pains with nearly every step in her efforts to get out of bed, but she was sick of being bedridden. She had to move.


    All too often, her body ached for another reason. That strange love that had appeared out of nowhere no longer had a direction and she didn¡¯t know what to do with it. As the drug haze wore off, the sense of loss moved in and settled. Llew, the strong, independent child of Cheer, regularly turned into a blubbering mess wrapped in arms unable to give any real comfort through leather and cotton.


    They spoke little about what had happened. Jonas hardly talked at all. Llew guessed his thoughts were consumed with all that he¡¯d learned in those days. He¡¯d looked up to Aris all his life ¨C his mentor, his Captain, his father figure ¨C and Aris had kept possibly the biggest secret ever from him: that he was something more. If that wasn¡¯t bad enough, Hisham¡¯s silence about Jonas¡¯s son certainly was.


    Betrayed by the those he trusted most; Llew had some sense of how he must have felt. She used to think her parents had betrayed her, and her supposed friend Kynas certainly had.


    Cadyn came by almost daily, growing more agitated. Once, when Llew was emerging from a sleep, she heard the captain urge Jonas to leave her, head for Turhmos and bring back Cadyn¡¯s nephew.


    After that conversation, Jonas, it seemed, was always there, curled up on the floor by her bed, propped off the chair, or in his own cot under the window. She hadn¡¯t heard Cadyn make a threat against her, but the clues were there to make her wonder.


    When Anya walked into Llew¡¯s room, Llew had to blink and look again. Anya was really there.


    Anya gave her a tight-lipped smile, her eyes sparkling. Then the smile turned down and she came to Llew¡¯s bed.


    ¡°Oh, Llew. It¡¯s so good to see you.¡± Anya bent to kiss Llew on the cheek.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯ll burn you.¡±


    Anya stopped, only an inch separating them, then pulled back and sat in the chair by the bed. Seemingly not quite sure what to do with her hands, she rested them on the edge of the mattress.


    ¡°How are you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Better,¡± Llew said honestly.


    ¡°Do you need anything? Have you eaten?¡±


    Llew smiled. ¡°They¡¯re looking after me.¡± She was eating and drinking, but only small amounts, and only when the hunger or thirst got too much. The problem with things that went in was that they had to come out, and everything hurt.


    ¡°And so they should.¡± Anya put on a stern air briefly before softening to a friendly smile again, though her pity wasn¡¯t far from the surface.


    For the first time since she¡¯d met her, Llew felt an awkwardness in Anya¡¯s presence. They both knew why Anya had come all this way, but neither of them knew how to talk about it.


    Jonas, who had been asleep in his cot, stirred. ¡°Anya?¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Anya waved.


    Jonas rid himself of his bedding and came across the small room, arms spread in a clear suggestion of a hug. He wore only his drawers.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Anya blushed. Then she composed herself and stood to accept the greeting, even giving a tentative hug in return.


    ¡°It is so good to see you.¡± Jonas pulled Anya into a firm embrace and Llew felt the sting of jealousy.


    ¡°You, too,¡± Anya croaked out, unable to catch a breath. She patted his bare back.


    Jonas released her and studied her a moment, as if he, too, had to make certain she really was there.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave you two girls to ¡­¡± He turned and pulled on his trousers, leaving the room, half-dressed and without finishing the sentence.


    Anya brushed herself off. ¡°Um. Right.¡± She sat back by Llew. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Llew.¡± She started to reach for Llew¡¯s hand, stopped, and returned her own hand to the mattress. ¡°So sorry.¡±


    More thin smiles passed between them. Anya¡¯s gaze shifted to the head of Llew¡¯s bed, where the locket she¡¯d had rushed to her in Brurun hung from a hook in the wall.


    She looked down, her fingers fidgeting. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t give a clearer warning. I didn¡¯t really know what he had planned, and I had to fit it on such a tiny note. When I hadn¡¯t heard anything from you, I¡¯d hoped you¡¯d run with Jonas. But I guess I should¡¯ve known. If you¡¯d got away, Gaemil would have heard something.¡±


    ¡°I never got to read it.¡±


    Anya looked up. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There was never a chance to look without Aris or Karlani seeing, and I figured you didn¡¯t want them to see. I tried to be vigilant, Anya. But it¡¯s so hard when everywhere I turn, I¡¯m surrounded by hate.¡±


    Again, several moments of silence passed between them. The easy openness was shattered; for the time being, anyway.


    ¡°All the books we were reading ¡­ They¡¯re gone. Burned.¡± Anya took a deep breath, like she was suppressing an outburst. ¡°The library smelled terrible. Actually, I quite liked the smell, but I suppose I shouldn¡¯t, should I?¡± She took a moment to ponder that. ¡°No,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I knew it was Aris. And I knew he was planning something. I sent a message to Quaver, too, but clearly that achieved nothing.¡±


    Anya fumed silently for a few more moments. Llew didn¡¯t have an answer. They¡¯d barely been inside the barracks before Aris turned on them. Who knew what Anya could have hoped to achieve from Rakun?


    ¡°I planted my Ajnai seed,¡± Anya said after a while. ¡°Goodness, they grow fast. You should see it. It¡¯s already practically a full-sized tree. It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°And, while I thought nothing of it at the time, it burst into seed days before I got Jonas¡¯s message. Almost like it knew. So, I brought some with me. I know Quaver destroyed all the Ajnais they found, but surely times are changing. I mean, you and Jonas. And Aris. Whatever the books say, there¡¯s something going on and the Ajnais are part of that. As were your babies.¡±


    Something dropped in Llew¡¯s stomach, and she almost forgot to breathe.


    Anya lifted a hand to grab Llew¡¯s, offer her comfort, but remembered in time that Llew was still injured and withdrew.


    ¡°Maybe you should plant one for them. It would be a fitting memorial, don¡¯t you think? It would be nice, wouldn¡¯t it? To give them a proper funeral?¡±


    Llew opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn¡¯t shape that word: babies. Anya looked back, her expression pained, mirroring Llew, though she clearly didn¡¯t know why. Llew changed tack. ¡°Them?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Anya¡¯s fingertips went to her lips. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Hisham briefed me on my way in, so I thought ¡­¡± She slumped, full of sorrow. ¡°I thought you knew.¡±


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    ¡°Them?¡± Llew repeated. She¡¯d been mourning the loss of one child already. Three weeks had now passed, and she hadn¡¯t even known about another. Surely, she should have. Shouldn¡¯t she have felt something, known something?


    ¡°I thought Jonas would have told you. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t have forgotten. He probably didn¡¯t want to upset you. And here I come along ¡­¡± Anya stopped.


    ¡°I needed to know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. But maybe not from me.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    Anya inhaled and shook her head one way, then relented.


    ¡°Aris killed one,¡± Anya continued, her eyes boring into Llew, seeking signs she¡¯d said too much, but Llew wanted to hear. ¡°There was a second, but the doctor said you wouldn¡¯t be able to carry it safely. There was no way you could heal and grow a baby at the same time. I¡¯m so sorry, Llew.¡±


    Aris had only killed one of her babies. And the other? The other had died because she was too broken to save it. She rolled over to face the wall, risking the pain to curl in on herself.


    ¡°Apparently, the doctor said we were lucky to still have you as it was,¡± Anya murmured. ¡°Well, not in those words ¡­¡± Anya let her voice fade away and rested a hand on Llew¡¯s shoulder while sobs shook her.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jonas asked from the doorway.


    Llew rolled to her back, wiping her tears away with the back of her forearm.


    ¡°I told her. There were two,¡± Anya said over her shoulder. She turned back to Llew and squeezed her shoulder.


    Jonas crossed the room to Llew¡¯s bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Llew. I was gonna tell you.¡± He crouched, grabbed some loose sheet, and clasped Llew¡¯s hand.


    ¡°See?¡± Anya smiled.


    ¡°There was never a right time. I dunno¡ª¡± Jonas shrugged, and his face pinched against so many unspoken words. ¡°¡ªI guess there¡¯s never gonna be a right time. I guess ¡­ I just want you to get better.¡±


    Llew didn¡¯t know what to say. Some part of her wanted to be angry at Jonas. But how could she be? All she could do was mourn anew, for the child she hadn¡¯t known needed her tears. Her vision wobbled, and Jonas leaned in, placing one arm over her, and resting his head on her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll um ¡­¡± Anya began, and then she slipped from the room, leaving the couple to grieve.


    ¡°Oh, this is ridiculous!¡± Anya threw her pen down, sending flecks of ink flying out from the fountain tip, decorating the pages splayed before her. The pen rolled, settling in the spine. She sneaked a look over her shoulder, but there was no one to bear witness to her defacing of a sacred tome. Sacred to someone. Completely useless to Anya. Still, she tried to blot up the ink drops as best she could with her handkerchief and quietly commended herself for choosing to conduct her research in the privacy of her room. This hadn¡¯t been her first outburst, and she couldn¡¯t have forgiven herself for breaking the sanctity of silence within the military base¡¯s library, no matter how underutilized. So, it seemed, she had made a very smart decision. Smart to study where her outbursts wouldn¡¯t offend, perhaps. Less so to be attempting to make sense of the volume before her.


    It wasn¡¯t even written in Rilish. While a smattering of words seemed familiar enough for her to make some sense of them, the sentence structures and frequency of completely unfamiliar words made it impossible to piece any real information together. At least the words Aenuk and Karan seemed to have been conserved across languages, and another word, Imeniss, appeared alongside them enough to hint that it might be the language¡¯s word for Immortal. This assumption did little to help her understand what any of it meant, though.


    Of the few books Gaemil had managed to procure since Aris¡¯s burning of his own collection, this was the only one that seemed to hint at a recorded history different from that taught within Quaver, Brurun, or Aghacia ¨C the little island across a narrow sea that had been Anya¡¯s home until recently. She wished she could access Turhmos¡¯s libraries. She was almost certain they had a different perspective, but they hadn¡¯t been forthcoming before Anya had had to dash to Quaver to ensure her friend was okay and more than merely alive. And so, all she really had, was a book full of gobbledygook. And pictures.


    Something told her that the simple fact that she couldn¡¯t read this one meant that it contained exactly the information she needed. She narrowed her eyes at the text, cursing it silently.


    ¡°Eldemaire.¡±


    Anya nearly leapt from her seat.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Gaemil stepped up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He squeezed the balls of his hands against her shoulder blades, giving her a slight tingle, but also inviting her to relax into his touch as he leaned forward to give her a light kiss on the cheek. Almost scandalous, but no one else was there to see. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to sneak up on you.¡±


    ¡°Eldemaire?¡± Anya fought against a faint but growing desire for more unseemly behaviors. Llew was in more need than ever for her to find answers. And she could wait. One day she would marry Gaemil and none of this carry on would raise an eyebrow. Well, not entirely true. There were always some eyebrows just looking for an excuse.


    ¡°The language of Eldem,¡± Gaemil supplied, keeping his hands in place, though his touch lightened. Absolutely platonic.


    ¡°Oh. Yes, of course.¡± It made sense he would know the language of the book¡¯s country of origin. Her brief excitement that he might read it evaporated.


    ¡°Any luck?¡± Gaemil grabbed another chair and sat down beside her.


    ¡°Well ¡­ no.¡± Anya half stood, gripping her chair¡¯s arm rests to turn it to face him. ¡°At first Llew and I were trying to find something that might help her learn how to control her power, but ever since this business with Aris, I feel there is so much we don¡¯t understand. We¡¯ve made this assumption that he¡¯s Immortal, but even that doesn¡¯t make complete sense. I mean, how could he keep that kind of secret?¡±


    Gaemil smiled warmly. ¡°You forget what little attention people pay one another.¡±


    ¡°Really? You think people just never asked?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t, and I¡¯ve known him, what? Twenty years?¡± Gaemil splayed his hands in an exaggerated shrug. ¡°I guess it helps he¡¯s already of an age where appearance isn¡¯t expected to change much. And goes to show people don¡¯t make a habit of looking past their own noses, no?¡±


    Anya gave a short giggle. ¡°No, I suppose we don¡¯t at that.¡± She returned her attention to the book, satisfied enough for now. ¡°Alright, then. My next question is: why does this book keep referring to the Aenuks and Kara alongside the Immortals, when those variants of the races didn¡¯t exist until after the Immortals were destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I suppose we also need to ask if the terms Syaenuk and Syakaran would have been used if there weren¡¯t the stronger and diminished races to distinguish between.¡± Gaemil pursed his lips. ¡°Maybe what we call Syakaran was simply known as Karan a thousand years ago.¡±


    ¡°Or ¡­¡± Anya flipped through the book, looking for an image she¡¯d glimpsed earlier. Somewhere past halfway through the book she found it. A half-page woodcut showed two people standing by a tree. One person had one hand on the tree and the other wrapped around the wrist of the other. Around the hand gripping the wrist were clear symbolic bolts of lightning. Magic.


    Anya had spoken to the guards in Llew¡¯s cell the night of the attack to find out everything she could about what had happened, and they had described lightning in blue and purple zigzagging from Llew¡¯s belly, slithering up the knife and disappearing into Aris¡¯s skin. Magic.


    ¡°That tree must be significant, which makes me think it¡¯s an Ajnai. And we know Aenuks have a special relationship with Ajnais, which makes me think this person is Aenuk.¡± She pointed to the figure with a hand touching the tree. ¡°What if a regular Aenuk took power from an Immortal, and became a Syaenuk?¡± She turned to Gaemil. Then hefted a disappointed sigh. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t explain the Syakara.¡±


    Her hand brushed the page, looping it in a soft fold, and let it fall, showing the next page.


    ¡°And it doesn¡¯t explain Aris.¡± She looked down at the page now displayed. ¡°Oh! What is that? Ew.¡± She made a face.


    Gaemil made a strange noise in the back of his throat.


    Taking up one whole page of the book, a woodcut depicted what Anya could only describe as a person exploding. A pair of legs were where they should have been, as was an arm holding a knife buried in another person. But the rest of the ¡­ Well, Anya could only assume it was the Aenuk from the previous page, the rest of whom seemed to be flying about the page. ¡°How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess, um.¡± Gaemil shifted to the edge of his chair, and studied the image, his brow deeply furrowed. ¡°I guess the power contained within an Immortal is quite immense.¡±


    They looked at each other. Gaemil looked as disturbed as Anya felt.


    Anya peered at the image again. There was nothing to suggest anything special about each of the people ¨C or bits of people ¨C shown, but the words Aenuk and Imeniss both appeared in the caption. She reminded herself that Llew, Jonas and Aris all looked like normal people. Her mind was making unpleasant connections.


    ¡°So, what it¡¯s saying is that if Llew ever found herself with the opportunity to reclaim Aris¡¯s powers and did so, then ¡­¡± Boom. She may have been able to stop herself saying it aloud, but the word was so clear in her mind, along with the image of Llew being blown to pieces.


    ¡°What if it was a Syaenuk, rather than an Aenuk?¡± Gaemil asked.


    Anya turned to him; her mouth slightly agape. He made a good point. If the Sy versions of the races hadn¡¯t existed in the times this book discussed, then it would never have posed that question.


    She clamped her mouth shut and turned the page. So many words she couldn¡¯t draw meaning from. She turned another page. Another full-page wood-cut illustration showed the tree again, this time with the lightning appearing to have an outward motion, leaping out at two figures. One was of a running man, laden with spear and shield. Doubled, no, tripled lines along the figure¡¯s shins seemed to indicate speed. At least, that was how Anya interpreted it. The other figure knelt by yet another person, prone. The healer. But nothing to prove superior healing.


    She scanned the caption, finding the words Aenuksi and Karansi. Syaenuk and Syakaran.


    Somehow, the powers of an Immortal had been absorbed through an Aenuk, into an Ajnai tree, then spurted back out into another Aenuk and a Karan, creating the augmented versions of those races. But the Aenuk conduit who first stole the Immortal¡¯s powers had been destroyed in the process. As a method of subduing Aris, Anya thought it stunk.

 21: Thank You

    The gate hung from one hinge.


    Aris should have taken that as a sign right there.


    Then there were the dusty corridors, the empty mess hall, the rats, and the airy silence. Any one of those signs could have told him the place was deserted. He could have chosen to turn back, abandon this stretch of his search, begin his hunt for the next Aenuk camp. But he had to know for sure. He would not leave a single Aenuk alive. If they were here, they were dead.


    He stood at the entrance to one of the sleeping rooms. Bedroom seemed a too intimate word for it, even to an amateur wordsmith as him, when it was a hall with fifty-odd trundler beds in varying states of made, unmade, upright, or upturned. Signs of a quick getaway, perhaps. Or signs of a massacre.


    On closer inspection, the floorboards were stained in blood. A little over a year had left it looking like a design choice, rather than inflicted by an enraged Syakaran. Now Aris was here, and had all his powers back, it irked him that Jonas had taken some of his fun. He pictured Aenuks trying to flee for their lives, the determination to burn him in retaliation when he caught and squeezed the life from them, then the surprise and fear when he healed as fast as they drained. It almost saddened him to have to kill them all. If he could leave some alive, they would spread word of his return. He would evoke fear and awe simply by showing up.


    He remembered those days well.


    They would come again, once all the Aenuks were dead.


    No more Ajnai trees. No more Aenuks. Aris could sire a new generation of Immortals on Karlani, and then Jonas¡¯s Syakaran daughters once they came of age. The age of gods on earth would return, and he would be its Father.


    But there was one Ajnai left, and he had no idea where. Neither did Turhmos and its Aenuks, by the sounds of it.


    Karlani stepped past him into the room. ¡°Abandoned?¡±


    ¡°Abandoned.¡±


    Jonas hadn¡¯t killed them all. He¡¯d swooped in, in a rage, lashed around with his knife, killed, and injured many, but not all. The maimed had touched him, burned him. Some had earned themselves death. Others had beaten him back, drained and scorched him enough to send him scurrying.


    Aris could imagine the anger and frustration the Syakaran boy must have felt at the time, unable to fully revenge the people he held accountable for his wife¡¯s death. By the time he had returned to Quaver, though, guilt had taken fury¡¯s place, especially once he realized that Aenuks had not been to blame. And by then he¡¯d cooled off, listened to reason, done as he was told and let Aris smooth things over. It had led to a good year, really. Never had Jonas been so compliant. Until that Syaenuk girl came along.


    ¡°So, what are you?¡± Karlani asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure somewhere in that pretty head of yours you¡¯ve got some idea.¡±


    ¡°Some. Where to next?¡±


    Good question. He¡¯d only known the approximate location of this camp thanks to Jonas¡¯s efforts the previous year.


    He looked around at the carnage and emptiness one last time.


    ¡°We regroup. We use our heads,¡± he said. ¡°There are other camps. We just need to find them.¡±


    Jonas helped Llew from her bed. She could now take herself to the chamber pot, although she still needed help to stand after. Then it was time for a sponge bath and finally he helped her into a light, white, shapeless dress ¨C something that wouldn¡¯t put pressure on her damaged belly.


    ¡°How many street kids you think get a daily bath?¡± Jonas asked quietly, standing behind her, running a comb through her short, but growing, hair. Standing before her wardrobe mirror, she saw the smirk touching his lips. He was back in the habit of shaving. Llew liked it better, mostly because Braph tended to let his grow.


    ¡°In a city? I guess they don¡¯t get much chance to. But I lived by a river; I¡¯ve always bathed regularly. A girl could get used to not having to do it herself, though.¡± She caught his eye in the mirror, giving him a shy smile. A risky move, given her current condition, but worth it to engage in friendly banter again. It had been too long.


    He leaned in close to her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it. My designs center more on gettin¡¯ you dirty.¡±


    Llew¡¯s breath caught and, when she risked a glance in the mirror, Jonas¡¯s face was aglow, and he wouldn¡¯t meet her gaze for more than a fleeting moment. Perhaps the words had come as much a shock to him. Llew closed her eyes to silently suffer a painful cramp.


    She had been getting used to, and comfortable with, Jonas assisting her, bathing her, dressing her. However, neither of them had yet dared dance the lines of sexual innuendo since the attack, and Llew found that doing so made her belly ache; any hint of pleasure wiped out by the painful reminder of all that had been lost. Every time Jonas did something or said something to spark desire, pain fired through her, effectively training her to consider him little more than a helper, a nurse.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jonas said, scowling at the floor. Then he suddenly looked up, determined and with a confidence Llew didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever seen in him. ¡°No. I ain¡¯t sorry. I want to be with you. Mind, body and soul.¡±


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    Llew turned and let him draw her into him, pressing her ear to his collarbone, listening to the distant tha-dub of his beating heart. Despite all that had happened, she was beginning to feel okay with letting herself want what he wanted. It didn¡¯t seem to matter how many doubts she had, how many men had hurt her; he kept being there for her, and she was beginning to think her heart might be safe with him.


    ¡°No one¡¯s seen or heard nothin¡¯ ¡¯bout Aris. Seems he¡¯s gone into hidin¡¯.¡± Jonas must have sensed her reluctance to act on their teasing, as his change of topic was abrupt, and he stepped from the embrace. Turning her from him again, he resumed her pampering, concentrating on his real gloved hands, rather than the reflection.


    What they weren¡¯t discussing was why Llew was heading out of doors for the first time since Aris¡¯s attack.


    Anya had arranged a funeral for their children, to be held at the site of Jonas¡¯s old home, the one he¡¯d shared with Kierra. In part, it would double as a funeral for her. It was a nice touch, Llew supposed, though Jonas had given no indication of how he felt about the choice of location. If they had to bury their children in Taither, it seemed the best option, and Llew was making peace with that, even with the lingering ghost of Jonas¡¯s first wife. She¡¯d never met the woman and, if anything, Llew was grateful for her sacrifice. If Jonas had any objections, he¡¯d kept them to himself.


    Jonas gave her a gentle squeeze and helped her into a brushed leather coat before offering his leather-gloved hand. Something about those black fingers seemed so impersonal, so inhuman. She missed his touch.


    Looking up at him as she reached for his hand, she saw that he was too choked up with emotion to even ask if she was ready to go, and her own throat constricted. She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but if hers was only as effective as his, then it achieved little.


    She took that hand. So close to touching him, and yet unable to do so without the risk of killing him. She sucked in a shaky, wet breath, and they left the room in silence.


    They were escorted to a covered carriage drawn by four black horses, which would save Llew an extensive walk she wasn¡¯t sure she was ready for, as well as offer Jonas some privacy. Llew had heard a few murmurs and giggles among her regularly rotating security and concluded that Jonas had struck some trouble when he¡¯d attempted to leave the barracks recently. It seemed he was too famous for a quiet stroll around his hometown. Llew didn¡¯t know how he could stand it. She treasured her solitude.


    Their silence continued throughout the carriage ride. Occasionally an encouraging smile would pass between them, and Jonas held her hand the whole way, but words were still a challenge beyond them for now.


    The carriage pulled up at the center of a row of others, and the soldier that had ridden with them opened the door.


    The whole street was cordoned off, with a narrow corridor formed between two rows of soldiers leading from their carriage to the entrance to what used to be Jonas¡¯s home. Anya and Gaemil followed Llew and Jonas as they made their way between the soldiers.


    Llew was not pleased to see the lieutenant general from her first night in Quaver. As far as she was concerned, he¡¯d been in cahoots with Aris all along. But Jonas returned his respectful salute with a muted nod. Llew glared at the man when he nodded her way. He smiled.


    Hisham also formed a part of the corridor. At least he had the decency to look humbled.


    The property was fronted by a low concrete fence, but temporary sheeting had been strung between tall posts, hiding the old destruction from view. At the open gateway, they paused.


    All the charred concrete, iron and wood had been cleared away, or put to use in some way. Transplanted bushes were interspersed with naked saplings, spaced with room to grow around the edges of the garden. In an approximate circle a step in from those was a mix of flowering plants waiting for spring mingling with early-winter flowers. And in the very center, a clearing with a potted, white-barked sapling already most of a yard tall, and a hole dug ready to accept it. Under the cool sunlight filtering into the garden, the tree looked almost pearlescent, with pale pink and blue hues.


    Llew looked over her shoulder at Anya. Had she brought the tree in its pot all the way from Rakun?


    ¡°Grow fast, don¡¯t they?¡± Anya whispered. She nodded at the tree. ¡°Three days since I planted it.¡±


    Llew turned back to the garden, amazed, both by the tree and the landscaping. Anya must have recruited an army of her own to achieve it.


    Llew took it all in. Beside her, Jonas stood like a rock, tense. She hoped he liked it. It had been his home, after all.


    They stepped onto the garden path and took up a place around the center clearing. Anya drew Llew into a hug, rubbing her back and not protesting when their cheeks touched briefly. She stood beside Llew with eager pride bubbling beneath her carefully schooled subdued calm. Gaemil shook Jonas¡¯s hand firmly, rested a hand on Llew¡¯s shoulder as he gave her a sympathetic look, then took his place on the other side of Anya.


    Hisham entered and stopped a couple of strides back, his glance darting between Jonas and some other spot in the garden, awaiting a clue that forgiveness was on offer. It didn¡¯t come. Jonas made eye contact with no one. Any thoughts he had were his alone.


    Hisham took his place in line.


    After gracing Llew and Jonas with an acknowledging nod, Cadyn stood stoically beside Hisham. No doubt she was pleased the pair were moving a step closer to finding her nephew.


    A pair of sober-looking men entered the garden. One carried a small leather-bound book. But despite her best efforts, Llew couldn¡¯t pull her eyes from the wooden box carried by the other. It was barely bigger than the book, was varnished to a high gloss and had a burnished brass plaque on the lid. Her babies were in there. Twins. She still couldn¡¯t believe she hadn¡¯t known until they were gone. The spell broke as burning tears blurred her vision. She blinked them away and looked to Jonas, then Anya, finding comfort and strength.


    The undertaker placed the tiny, dark-stained wooden box on a small concrete pedestal and Llew swallowed down a lump. She looked at Jonas again. He seemed to be struggling to know where to look. They were surrounded, and it seemed he still sought to avoid eye-contact or resting his gaze on the box.


    ¡°I think this is everyone.¡± Anya spoke quietly to the minister.


    He nodded and began: ¡°The loss of a child is always hard to bear ¡­¡±


    Llew closed her eyes as tears threatened once more and clenched her jaw tight. The celebrant¡¯s speech seemed to go on for hours, and then she was invited to speak, and she stepped a little closer to the tiny box.


    No longer flanked by Anya and Jonas, she focused solely on the box, shutting out everyone else in that garden. Just her and the box. Just Llew and her babies.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to say,¡± she said to the box. There wasn¡¯t much one could say about someone, someones, you didn¡¯t know, had never met. And yet the love Llew felt for those they were burying that day was very real. ¡°Except ¡­ Thank you.¡± She looked up at Jonas, letting her gratitude to the children that had saved his life be fully realized. For the first time since they¡¯d arrived in the garden, Jonas looked back at her.

 22: Only Love

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 23: I Gave Them Everyting

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 24: In Essense

    Jonas walked a lap of the barracks before heading for Llew¡¯s room. Problem was, he was no closer to knowing what to do.


    Braph was right, he did need his brother. Maybe not Braph. But he needed someone.


    And maybe he still had Hisham, but it took too much effort to look past the year of lying. Hisham would have to earn his way back in.


    ¡°You trust him?¡±


    Funny thing, really, that Llew¡¯s first response was to ask him his thoughts after everything Braph had done.


    ¡°Not a whole lot, no.¡±


    Her whole bearing relaxed, but she still looked haunted.


    He scratched an itch on his hairline, shifted his seat on the chair by her bed. She was still mostly bed-bound, and he was getting sick of the sight of the hospital room, but the barracks didn¡¯t have anything better to offer. Besides, she was still delicate. Could be for months.


    At least she was sitting, if hunched against the wall since Jonas had broached the subject of Braph, her knees to her chin, arms around her shins. She¡¯d need help extending out again, but she was up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to trust him,¡± he elaborated. ¡°He needs somethin¡¯ from me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jonas shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But he ain¡¯t safe in a Quaven gaol.¡±


    Llew sat with that statement of fact briefly. ¡°And what if just getting you into Turhmos is what he wants?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my brother.¡±


    ¡°Half-brother. Who killed your wife ¡­ and you!¡±


    Jonas sat back, looking at his knees.


    ¡°He¡¯s my brother.¡± Jonas hated himself for pulling out such a weak argument, but Braph had little else going for him. ¡°He¡¯s my blood. I¡¯m not like you, Llew.¡± He leaned forward again, real close. ¡°I think you¡¯re amazin¡¯, the way you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get on bein¡¯ your own foundation, your own home, but I ain¡¯t you. I need people. The people in my life: my folks, my wife ¡­ Hisham and Aris; they¡¯re either gone, or my faith in ¡¯em is. I know in my head what Braph did, to me, my wife¡­ to you should be unforgivable. It is. But he¡¯s my brother, and he¡¯s come to me in his time of need. I can¡¯t turn him away.¡± Truth was, Jonas was scared. He needed Braph.


    Llew swallowed, but she didn¡¯t seem to have anything to say. Jonas suspected she knew his truth.


    ¡°He¡¯s got ideas. More¡¯n I could ever come up with.¡± Jonas sat back a bit. ¡°He¡¯s got a way to slow Aris down when the time comes. He knows about Turhmos. He¡¯s got smarts. He¡¯d be invaluable to have along.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me.¡± Llew glared at him, but her words lacked conviction.


    ¡°Llew ¡­¡±


    ¡°You know what he did.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He bit off his own words. It seemed easy to follow Braph¡¯s hint. You can¡¯t rape an Aenuk. It was such a widely accepted, often repeated anecdote. But the way she¡¯d reacted to Jonas and his similarities to Braph since she¡¯d returned, the haunted look in her eyes ¡­ ¡°He won¡¯t touch you again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Just the thought of him makes my skin crawl.¡±


    His jaw clenched tight. Thinking about it made him rage. He took a deep breath and blew it out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t take back what happened. I wish I could. Look, I¡¯d leave him behind in a heartbeat if I thought we could.¡±


    ¡°We can.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got people expectin¡¯ me to fight Aris, Llew. Not the old man we knew, but someone as fast as me, probably as strong, who heals like you. And it looks like he¡¯s got Karlani to back him. How do I fight that?¡±


    Llew opened her mouth, but she didn¡¯t have an answer. ¡°Do you have to face him alone?¡±


    Jonas pressed his lips together. ¡°How many lives should we put on the line?¡±


    ¡°Yours is worth so little?¡±


    ¡°No. It ain¡¯t that.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You know I¡¯m the only one with any chance.¡±


    Llew sighed. ¡°And still too little.¡±


    ¡°We could go in with numbers, but only so many are gonna get near him at any time. He¡¯d knock ¡¯em down one-by-one, maybe in twos, but they¡¯d fall.¡±


    Llew sighed again. Fidgeted. ¡°And what can Braph do?¡±


    ¡°Well, we haven¡¯t made a plan. There¡¯s a lot we don¡¯t know for sure about Aris. We thought ¡­¡± He shifted in his seat. ¡°I figure there¡¯s time to work things out on the journey.¡±


    They fell silent, eyes locked in a relaxed kind of staring contest, each too deep in their own thoughts to try to project anything at the other.


    Llew was right to be worried about Braph. He was a bad man who¡¯d done bad things, but Jonas struggled to hold a grudge. If he held grudges against everyone he battled, he¡¯d be weighed down in ill thoughts. Sure, few of his opponents were still breathing at the end of a confrontation, and only Braph had killed him. And yet, there was something about still being alive that made it possible to let that go. Braph had wanted a fight. They had fought. Done. And done.


    ¡°Would you have killed him?¡± Llew asked.


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°¡®When?¡¯¡± Llew shook her head in derision. ¡°If his magic hadn¡¯t been enough. If he hadn¡¯t had his back-up ridiculously loud devices. If he didn¡¯t win. Would you have killed him?¡±


    Jonas had to think about that. Braph had done a lot of hurt and wrong in his life. He couldn¡¯t deny that. Plenty of it had fallen in his own lap. And yet, the thought of killing Braph with his own hand hit an impenetrable wall each time it did the rounds in his head.


    ¡°No.¡± He had to be honest. Maybe if he¡¯d known everything Braph had done to Llew at the time, things might have been different in the heat of the moment. Maybe. But one fact would never change: Braph was Jonas¡¯s brother.


    They held each other¡¯s gaze for a long few moments again.


    ¡°Fine. Alright!¡± Llew burst out. ¡°I hate him.¡±


    ¡°I know. And I understand, I do. If I could see another way ¡­¡±


    Llew¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°I get it.¡±


    Jonas nodded. He had nothing else to add.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t let him make himself more powerful than you.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. He¡¯s there to help me. That¡¯s all.¡±


    They waited in the carriage while the guards emptied the garden of visitors.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear.¡± A guard poked his head in and held the carriage door open for them.


    Jonas stepped out first and helped Llew down the steps. As always, these days, his hands were enshrouded in leather. She accepted his offered guidance with some reluctance. She couldn¡¯t refuse the leather fingers, or she would still be stuck in her bed, but it rubbed her the wrong way to be so close to human touch, and yet so far. It barely mattered whose anymore. Llew was well aware of the distance between herself and the rest of the world. She was as cut off as she ever had been.


    They walked into the garden with a more relaxed air than the first time. In fact, Jonas almost seemed happy to be there. He smiled at her once or twice.


    His old home, once left as a mangled monument to the horrific events that had occurred there, was now a place of beauty to be shared by all. And in the center, an Ajnai tree. There was no placard, nothing to identify it, just their own knowledge and a round-the-clock guard to prevent defacement, or worse.


    Two days after its transplantation, the tree was up to Llew¡¯s chest, though the trunk was still only a couple of inches thick, and she already knew it wasn¡¯t ready to help her.


    Oddly, the tree seemed to pulsate with a pale glow, more pronounced than the shimmer she remembered from the Turhmos tree. She blinked, and blinked again, sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. She peered around the garden, seeking a pool of water or some other explanation. There was a small trickling pond, but it was off to one side, in a corner and nowhere near the tree. The trunk shimmered under the shifting light filtering into the garden, but there was something else going on.


    Jonas must have seen it, too. His eyes were narrowed.


    Llew stepped forward and kneeled before the tree. She opened her mind to the tree¡¯s babble, its song oscillating as the light did over its bark. As with the tree in Turhmos, she found its chatter uplifting, filling her heart with love and hope. And there was something more from this tree, another layer to its talk, like a second voice, and the pair of them were tripping over each other to talk to her.


    ¡°Shh. You¡¯re talking too fast,¡± she said, very much aware that she was talking to a tree again. And this time Jonas was there to see and hear her. ¡°I can¡¯t make out what you¡¯re trying to say.¡± She looked up at Jonas. ¡°It¡¯s speaking gibberish. I can¡¯t ¡­ I can¡¯t make out what it¡¯s saying.¡±


    He looked down at her with tolerance, maybe even full acceptance, but she still felt silly. Nothing in his expression suggested he could hear anything unusual.


    After a few minutes, the sapling seemed to calm, though the other voice kept crying out, cooing, and generally trying to be the center of attention. Llew found herself smiling, and with a strange desire to cradle the tree in her arms. She shifted her focus entirely to that voice, and suddenly it was the sapling¡¯s turn to sulk. Tears sprang to her eyes as she felt a sense of a tiny, perfect person snuggle into her heart, pulling it tight about itself like an eiderdown. She knew, she just knew, that her child, the one Aris hadn¡¯t put the knife through, somehow still lived. In essence, at least.


    The chatter died down. That second voice, the one of her child, now silent, content to snuggle. While still holding a grudge, the tree¡¯s own presence acknowledged Llew¡¯s need to connect with her child with a reluctant calm. Then, with a hint of sorrow, it flickered an image of the Turhmos Ajnai, its own parent, in her mind. It followed up with a flickering glimpse of itself, blackened and shriveled, silenced, and her child silenced, too. A warning of what would happen if she attempted to heal from it while it was still young. It needed a chance to grow first.


    Llew rocked back on her haunches, extending the distance between herself and the tree, alleviating its fears.


    She looked up at Jonas, deaf and blind to her conversation. ¡°We have to go to Turhmos.¡±


    Any confusion he felt passed quickly and he helped her to her feet. ¡°You alright?¡±


    Her throat hurt from the pressure of the lump forming there, so she nodded. How could she explain to him that his child lived on, in a way, but that he would never see it, touch it, or sense it?


    They left the garden and returned to the barracks for Llew to rest up and preparations to be made for their journey.


    <hr>


    And at that thought, she puffed out a frustrated sigh, turned to sift through her things and pulled on her gloves. Feeling defeated, she reached for Amico¡¯s head again, this time with a protective barrier between them. He stretched his head forward, joying in her scratches. She hated it, though. Just another thing between her and the rest of the world. Sure, Jonas had taken to wearing gloves any time he was with her, but he could take them off, he could touch Chino or ¡­ or anyone else with his bare hands. Anyone, but not Llew.


    The sooner she got to the Ajnai tree the better.


    Llew wore a brushed-leather jacket provided by one of the Quaven soldiers. It was better than any jacket Llew had ever owned.


    The night air was settling in to be freezing by the time the sun rose again. The stars twinkled about as clear as Llew had ever seen them. Thinking on it, this was the first night sky she¡¯d seen in Taither, and it was her last. They were riding out at night to avoid a scene in the streets. She¡¯d heard Jonas could attract quite the crowd. She was a little saddened not to see it herself. She could do with a laugh. Except that laughing hurt.


    Her legs were still cold. She couldn¡¯t stand to wear trousers over her damaged belly, and so she was in a wool dress. It was surprisingly non-scratchy ¨C wool from some special breed of sheep, apparently. Still, a dress left her legs exposed to the cold. She could have worn leggings, but they were no better than trousers as far as her belly was concerned. She had a clean shirt and trousers packed, anyway. She could wear them once they¡¯d stopped by the Ajnai tree.


    ¡°I wish I could ride there,¡± she said, idly rubbing Amico¡¯s fluffy head. It didn¡¯t feel right, through the leather, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    ¡°I know.¡± Jonas paused in his work to share his sympathy. ¡°Ridin¡¯ away¡¯ll have to be enough.¡±


    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not riding with her.¡±


    Llew froze at the horribly familiar voice. Hisham and a Quaven soldier stood either side of Braph, his one hand cuffed to the guard and Hisham clasping the bicep of the shortened limb. Jonas straightened from his work.


    ¡°Who knows what she¡¯ll do to me, given half a chance,¡± said Braph, perhaps only half-jokingly.


    Jonas feinted a lunge and Braph tried to pull back, fear scrawled across his face, but his escort held him firm.


    Jonas smiled. ¡°Hisham will ride with Llew,¡± he said, straight-faced. ¡°You¡¯ll ride where I can keep an eye on you.¡± He took Amico¡¯s rope from Llew and led the horse to the rear of the cart. Llew¡¯s saddle was already secured on the back of the cart, along with tack for Hisham¡¯s horse and supplies to feed both the horses and the people in the group for a fortnight. Llew didn¡¯t relish living off travel rations, but their goal was to get to the tree as quickly as possible. There would be little time to stop to catch fish or hunt game and stopping amongst civilization was almost certainly out of the question.


    ¡°The thought of touching you sends shivers down my spine.¡± Llew surprised herself, calmly holding Braph¡¯s gaze as she pulled her hands free of her gloves. ¡°But seeing the life drained from you ¡­ That would be worth it.¡± She kept her expression flat and lay the gloves on the cart, letting her bare hands speak all the words she wished she were brave enough to say. But this was Braph.


    He didn¡¯t smile. Perhaps he couldn¡¯t tell whether she was joking, which was exactly the effect she was after. Jonas turned from them both. Llew caught the flash of moonlight on his teeth. Seemed he didn¡¯t think she needed his help in this. While she trembled and squirmed on the inside, her bravado must have been succeeding.


    Anya was due to leave for Rakun in the morning, and yet she still hadn¡¯t been satisfied with simply saying goodnight and goodbye and getting a good night¡¯s sleep. She couldn¡¯t resist giving Llew a farewell embrace, even if it hurt when they came cheek-to-cheek. The contact was brief enough she didn¡¯t suffer lasting damage, and she brushed it off like it was nothing.


    Jonas lifted Llew into her seat at the front of the cart and Hisham settled beside her. Then Jonas and Braph struck out and Hisham snapped the carthorse into life behind them with a half-dozen soldiers trailing behind as an escort to the border.


    Jonas had successfully negotiated to take leadership of the expedition, and to keep the group small. His argument was that the fewer Quavens that crossed the border, the fewer bodies there were likely to be. A small group would be more likely to go undetected, and they weren¡¯t going there to raise tensions between nations. Kane and his superiors had been more than pleased to find a way to sweep their little misunderstanding under the rug. Putting as few obstructions in Jonas¡¯s way as possible suited them, so long as his focus was anywhere other than revenging his and Llew¡¯s incarceration.


    Of course, he hadn¡¯t forgotten, but he wasn¡¯t immune to taking advantage of opportunities, either, and doing things their way without interference was a big one.


    As the gate closed on the barracks, Llew felt they were leaving a door open, not so much to welcome them back, but because there was so much they were leaving behind; their children and a certain kind of innocence, both for Llew and Jonas, who¡¯d had complete faith in Aris until the attack on Llew. His world, everything he had believed and held dear had come crashing down around him.

 25: This Is What I Do

    ¡°She¡¯s not dead.¡± Aris let the front door slam behind him as he strode down the short corridor of the cabin to the room he had designated his office, holding the small slip of paper carrying the news. ¡°The leech isn¡¯t dead.¡±


    Karlani emerged from the room they shared at nights. ¡°But it was one of the Immortal knives, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Aris sucked his rage up his nose and blew it out through his mouth. ¡°Yes, of course. But they must have stopped her bleeding out. I would have finished the job myself if it weren¡¯t ¡­¡±


    Karlani moved in close to him, but she had the wherewithal to know now wasn¡¯t the time to touch him. ¡°It¡¯s not a weakness to love. You were practically his father.¡±


    ¡°More so than his own ever was.¡± Despite his best efforts, he was calming down. What was it about the soothing words of a good woman? ¡°That girl¡¯s been trouble since the moment she got under Jonas¡¯s skin. Now, with him I knew where I stood ¡­¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve got me now.¡±


    Aris turned to her, appraising her figure. ¡°Yes.¡± He drew her into him, kissed her lips. She, along with the return of his powers, made him feel young again.


    ¡°Is it true the tree can heal her? Even from wounds inflicted by Immortal knives?¡± To anyone else, it might have sounded like a passing comment, an innocent question.


    Aris looked at Karlani now. The woman was beautiful, it was true, but she also had moments of being useful. His eyes dipped to her cleavage ¨C the woman knew how to dress ¨C and lifted to meet her eyes. Multi-talented.


    ¡°He will take her to it,¡± he said, a smile warming his face. ¡°She lives, but he won¡¯t leave the little leech to heal on her own. He will take her to the tree and we will follow. And then we will get there first.¡± He pulled the Syakaran woman into him and kissed her deeply. ¡°You, my enchantress, are¡ª¡± He breathed her in, like a drug. ¡°¡ªperfection.¡± She beamed back at him.


    Impending victory always did make for good lovemaking.


    Taither was still hours away from waking. Unlike the ex-gold mining town of Cheer, the military-dominated Taither had a much quieter nightlife. A few youthful soldiers were still stumbling their way back to the barracks, but only a few, and all off duty, Llew guessed.


    A small crowd, however, did stand at the entrance to the Ajnai garden. Kept at bay by tall iron gates and a pair of sober, on-duty guards, they milled, peering in at the glowing tree. Its pulsating light bounced off their cheeks and wide eyes. Luckily, everyone seemed to be regarding the garden with wonder, not hostility, easing Llew¡¯s nerves.


    Jonas reined Chino in.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Braph asked.


    Jonas looked over his shoulder at Llew. She couldn¡¯t see his expression in the low light, but figured he was questioning the light. She shrugged at him. She didn¡¯t fully understand why the tree glowed, either, although its twin voices went a long way to filling the blanks.


    Jonas turned back. Even a good ten yards back from the garden gate, a soft glow lit his features. ¡°It¡¯s Llew¡¯s tree,¡± he murmured.


    ¡°Llew¡¯s ¡­¡± Braph began. He turned to Jonas sharply. ¡°Ajnai¡ª?¡±


    Jonas hushed him.


    ¡°They don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°The citizens don¡¯t, no,¡± said Jonas.


    Although, Llew doubted it would stay secret for long. Hopefully they could spread the truth about the trees before anyone did anything drastic. Right now, though, the Quaven public wasn¡¯t ready to hear what an Aenuk had to say. Even an Aenuk standing beside their Syakaran hero.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know they glowed like that.¡± Braph sounded awed, as he should.


    Llew kept her lips sealed. Mercifully, Jonas did too.


    Without looking, Llew could hear their escort shifting in their saddles, no doubt curious, too.


    One of the on-duty guards saluted Jonas, soon followed by the other. Jonas acknowledged with a salute of his own. For tonight, at least, the tree was safe.


    They exited Taither¡¯s limits in total darkness. The sun was several hours from rising, and the night sky was blanketed in thick cloud. By the time the darkness began to lift, a light fall of snow had begun. Llew pulled a blanket over herself and huddled up as best she could in the bumpy cart.


    They pushed on past the smaller towns huddled close to Taither and stopped for a late breakfast in the middle of nowhere, still avoiding people.


    They were forced to sleep in the open that first night. While there had been towns and hotels, they wanted to go as far as they could each day to reach the Turhmos border as quickly as possible. Hisham and a couple of the guards hunted game, supplementing their rations, and providing the extra needed by the Kara in their group, which was all, except Llew.


    Alongside dinner preparations, they boiled a pot of water and let it sit to cool. Jonas and Llew excused themselves to place a couple of rows of trees between them and the rest of the group so he could clean her wounds.


    Llew stood facing Jonas, who knelt before her. Using a boiled cloth, and with hands gloved, as always, he wiped over her wounds with the boiled water. It was something close to the most intimate touch she¡¯d had in weeks, and still there was a distance. There had to be.


    ¡°The red¡¯s goin¡¯ down,¡± he said. He squeezed out the cloth, and swept it across her belly again, following the line of the cuts, then dabbing lightly across them, shifting dirt and scab alike.


    Scab. Llew had never had a need of the word. Now she knew they itched and stung when she bent or twisted the wrong way.


    Softened by the water, the crusty build-up was swept away by his strokes. Looking down on the top of his head, Llew wondered how Jonas could ever look at her again. Not look at her look at her. Of course he could see her. But how could he ever see past all the grossness and mess to see her as someone he¡¯d like to be close to again? In a romantic capacity. Maybe not romantic, as such. The other stuff. Assuming that would, one day, be an option again.


    Jonas applied a salve given to them by the doctor back at the barracks. It was cold to the touch, not that he would notice, with leather between the cream and his skin. Its tangy aroma wafted up Llew¡¯s nostrils and she sneezed and muttered a quiet ¡°Ow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s lookin¡¯ good.¡± Jonas pushed himself up to standing, fixed her with a gaze somewhere between intense and cheeky fun, lips curled in one corner. The kind of quirk that used to make her fear her own desires. Now it was the look that reminded her of Braph and what he¡¯d done to her. She looked down.


    The Quaven undergrowth was strangely similar and dissimilar to that of Aghacia. There were mosses and ferns of a kind, but not quite the same. Llew barely wanted to spare a thought for the Quaven fauna. Nearly all of it scared her. The huntsmen were at least three times the size she was used to, and never mind snuffling mammals she couldn¡¯t put a name to. It had been one thing to deal with such things on her journey to Taither. It was quite another doing so with brutal injuries preventing her from running or defending herself. It took all her self-control not to be the jumpy girl of the group.


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    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jonas¡¯s hand settled on her shoulder.


    Llew grunted her non-committal reply.


    At least, with such a large group, she wasn¡¯t needed for night watch duty, and a good night¡¯s sleep went a long way towards helping her feel normal. That was, until she struggled free of her bedroll and clambered into the cart, both of which left her achy and frustrated.


    The Turhmos border couldn¡¯t come soon enough.


    Riding through a town a couple of days later, Llew¡¯s eye was caught by a woman maybe a year or two her senior, standing to the side of the road, watching them pass, her hand resting on the shoulder of a child. The toddler¡¯s resemblance to Jonas was almost complete, from the shape of her eyes, the slight up-turn of her nose, and even the shade of her hair.


    It seemed Jonas couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her, either. The mother smiled and waved, and Jonas reined in.


    ¡°Say hello to your father, Immy,¡± the young woman said. Llew had heard such a sentence before, usually spoken in spite. But this woman stated it simply as fact.


    The toddler looked up from admiring Chino and, immediately on making eye-contact with Jonas, turned to bury her face in her mother¡¯s dress. The mother smiled her apologies.


    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful, Lissle,¡± Jonas said.


    Lissle grew bashful. ¡°You remembered?¡±


    Jonas¡¯s cheeks colored. ¡°No one forgets their first.¡±


    Llew looked at Lissle again, seeing the wavy, mousy hair and big brown eyes, and decided that Jonas had been lucky as far as unforgettables went. A flash of pale, loose skin filled her mind¡¯s eye and Llew shuddered. Her first had been a skinny, sickly man who socialized with her pa over cards and alcohol.


    ¡°She looks well,¡± Jonas continued, and waved to the little girl when she peered out. She waved back. Her smile, so like Jonas¡¯s, brought an ache to Llew¡¯s chest and a hollowness to her gut where, only weeks before, she had carried this little girl¡¯s half-sisters or brothers.


    Lissle smiled at Llew like she knew what she was thinking. Llew doubted it. She smiled back, polite like.


    ¡°Is she ¡­?¡± Jonas started.


    ¡°Too early to tell yet.¡± Lissle chuckled. ¡°You should know.¡±


    ¡°Been a long time since I was that small.¡±


    ¡°S¡¯pose so.¡± Lissle reached a hand out to rest on her daughter¡¯s head as the little girl reached for Chino¡¯s lowered nose.


    The young mother gave off a warmth Llew hadn¡¯t expected. She¡¯d assumed these women had been unwilling partners in Quaver¡¯s quest for more Syakara, like the young girl they¡¯d passed on their way to Taither. Or, if they had been willing, she¡¯d been of a mind they¡¯d be jilted lovers left in Jonas¡¯s wake. Not only did Lissle present her daughter with pride, she smiled at Jonas like he was an old friend, nothing more.


    With a friendly wave to the mother and daughter, the group pushed on.


    Not much farther along the road, a smacking sound, Jonas¡¯s puzzled exclamation and Chino¡¯s protest brought Llew¡¯s attention round in time to see the large, soft tomato fall to the mud at Chino¡¯s feet. The question of its origin was soon answered as another tomato came at Jonas. This time more alert, his hand came up to catch it, resulting in not only tomato juice splattering in his face and on his shirt, but juice and pulp oozing between his fingers and dribbling down his arm.


    A woman bent to gather a handful of mud from the road. Hisham was off the cart and over to her in a moment, shaking the mud from her fist and pulling her arms behind her. This was more like the legacy Llew had expected from Aris¡¯s breeding program.


    ¡°You owe me a child!¡± the woman screeched. ¡°A living child!¡±


    Llew couldn¡¯t help it. She felt terrible on behalf of the woman, knowing that Quaver wouldn¡¯t look after her without a Karan child to raise. And the only way she could think to help was one she wouldn¡¯t float willingly.


    Two of their Karan escort soldiers took over subduing the woman, freeing Hisham to return to the cart, and the rest moved onward.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The woman¡¯s desperation turned to accusation. ¡°You just ride on through and ride on out!¡±


    Jonas rode ahead, stiff in his saddle. Llew felt just as bad as he must have, and she wasn¡¯t the one with the power to help the woman.


    They rode on, subdued, the two soldiers they¡¯d left behind catching up when they stopped for lunch.


    ¡°Guess I should be pleased I¡¯m just about home.¡±


    Jonas gave Braph a sideways glance. A long ways from his half-brother¡¯s home, yet, far as he could tell. But he supposed that had been the point of the comment. Was Turhmos truly home to Braph anymore? They¡¯d cut off half his arm. Maybe to claim his magic device. Maybe to render him weak. Either way, they¡¯d achieved both.


    The Kulverdeen River. A massive volume of water that swept from the high-altitude Lake Rhoina ¨C the only landscape feature to touch each of Quaver, Brurun, and Turhmos ¨C out west and joined Lake Kalough, a huge body of water that stretched well into both Quaver and Turhmos and out to the Far Country, giving the two enemies a relatively narrow stretch of shared border.


    The Kulverdeen River. The natural divide between Turhmos and Quaver. The shallowest and the narrowest parts of which were heavily guarded on both sides. And they had a cart to get across without causing Llew any more damage. And picking the deepest, widest part of the river gave no guarantee of emerging on a deserted stretch of Turhmos. More likely, perhaps, but neither side was ignorant enough to leave such stretches of the river out of their surveys and sweeps.


    Which was why Jonas opted to cross alone.


    Llew thought it reasonable to dislike the suggestion, but she had nothing else to offer.


    She was pleased to have a chance to sit off the edge of the stationary cart. Her body felt battered from all the jostling. It didn¡¯t seem to matter how many bedrolls they put under her, the leaf springs didn¡¯t absorb enough bumps to protect her from belly aches, and so she tensed, and then other parts of her began to hurt. Sometimes she wondered if riding would have been better after all. Looking to Amico now, she wished she could. He looked utterly bored tied to the back of the cart. Her hand twitched with an unconscious desire to pat him, and she very consciously curled her fingers. She looked down at them, curling and uncurling them. She could put her gloves on. She should put her gloves on. It was freezing cold. Wearing gloves was what normal people did in the middle of winter. But Llew wasn¡¯t normal. She was an Aenuk carrying wounds inflicted by a Syakaran knife. Wearing gloves might be sensible, but it also signified defeat. And while she felt defeated in many, many ways ¨C needing help to get in and out of the cart, needing help to pee ¨C choosing not to wear gloves constantly felt like a win.


    ¡°I¡¯d save us both the heart-attack,¡± said Hisham, casually leaning against the cart as Jonas made his preparations for the crossing ¨C checking his crossbow and knives. ¡°But at times we have to let those we love do what they do best. If it makes you feel any better ¡­¡± He peered one way and then the other for little more reason than to add a dramatic pause. ¡°It¡¯s just as likely he could come back to find us all slaughtered by some sneaky Turhmosian troops as it is him getting injured on the way over. Which, given we¡¯ve seven and a half Kara here, is very unlikely.¡± He attempted a smile, but perhaps realized his words weren¡¯t all that reassuring and gave up. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Llew watched Jonas reload his crossbow after cleaning it and checking its mechanism. If everything went to plan, he wouldn¡¯t need it.


    He¡¯d removed his shirt and donned his knife vest and Llew lost herself for a moment, watching the muscles in his forearms writhe beneath his skin, the way she imagined his gryphon tattoo alive beneath his leather vest.


    He hooked the weapon to his belt and turned to Llew. Hisham stepped away.


    ¡°I practically lived on this border a few years back.¡± Jonas hooked her hair behind her ear with his gloved hand and she pressed her cheek into the non-touch. ¡°This is what I trained for. This is what I do.¡±


    Llew nodded. She understood. He was a soldier. And he was Syakaran. Didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t allowed to worry.


    ¡°Your tree¡¯s just over there.¡± He pointed across the water. ¡°Your ma¡¯s a little farther afield.¡± He waved his hand, indicating the greater distance, and their uncertainty of her exact location. ¡°But she¡¯s there somewhere, too.¡± He turned back to her. ¡°And my son is there.¡± His eyes searched hers for something. She didn¡¯t know what. All she could do was nod her agreement. Yes, they had to cross. Yes, he¡¯d made his argument for going across alone clear.


    He gripped her thighs gently, leaned close. At another time she might have thought he was thinking of kissing her. Maybe he was. She was thinking of kissing him. But she couldn¡¯t, and wouldn¡¯t.


    He leaned closer.


    Llew drew her chin back. What was he doing?


    He breathed out a laugh as a grin spread across his face. The kind Braph couldn¡¯t do.


    So fast she barely had time to register it, he closed the gap, bringing their lips together and apart again, leaving only the ghost of the touch and the tingle of energy passing between them. He touched two gloved fingers to his lips and pulled them back with a flourish. See? I¡¯m fine.


    ¡°I¡¯m comin¡¯ back for more.¡±


    He turned from her, paused to take a breath, and then strode over to the rest of their crew, where several raised eyebrows and looks of disgust either followed him or lingered on Llew.


    Without looking at any of them Jonas raised a hand as he walked, singling out a soldier. ¡°Hanah, you¡¯re in charge while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    The soldier¡¯s jaw dropped, and she looked to Hisham, who nodded at his own feet, lips tight.


    Hanah looked back to where Jonas was about to wade out into the water and brought fingers to her temple. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

 26: Turhmos. Again.

    Hisham had been getting too comfortable. Truth was, he was the only Quaven Jonas would trust to drive Llew¡¯s cart. But he couldn¡¯t have Hisham believing all was forgiven. Right now, he needed people he could trust till the end of the world, and he needed Hisham to know he still had a lot to prove.


    He reached the water¡¯s edge, his back tingling under the gaze of so many eyes.


    No matter how many times he did it, no matter the physical advantages he had, he still felt a surge of excitement and trepidation when he prepared to cross this border. The river was some hundred and twenty yards wide at the point they¡¯d chosen for this expedition. Despite the width, the water was swift. Because of the width, the opposite shore was difficult to discern with any clarity. One thing he did know was that the forest on the Turhmos side grew right up to the water¡¯s edge, giving their soldiers a multitude of hiding places, if not an endless supply of life to heal from. Most of the trees were dead for miles from the border.


    The Quaven side of the river sloped gently into the water, rounded stones scraping underfoot. He waded out to his waist and dived, surging forwards, fighting the current and the freezing chill. He swam fully submerged, only coming up for air. For the entire swim, he was at risk of arrow fire, if he was spotted. The less of him above water for the least amount of time, the better. Eventually, still alive, he pulled himself free of the water and stood in Turhmos.


    The bank was clear. He stood, the air chilling him to the bone through his wet clothes and waited. No arrows flew from the trees. Had they got so lucky to pick a currently neglected spot?


    He set off to scout the trees, alert to any sound out of the ordinary, and fighting the urge to move swiftly, get it over and done with. Moving too fast would only create noise and alert any scouts or troops to his whereabouts while blinding and deafening himself to them. Using his ears rather than his eyes, he stepped through and around trees confidently ¨C a compromise between using his Syakaran speed to search and relying on it should he alert someone to his presence.


    Nothing stirred except the slight chill breeze.


    Nothing lived in this stretch of forest but Jonas. The trees were dead, the ferns, mosses and saplings were dead. Rabbits, hares, and possums littered the undergrowth. Their lack of decomposition could have indicated recent death, or illustrated the utter destruction caused by the Aenuk race in the absence of their Ajnai trees. Even the insects that would have fed on the bodies were dead in this stretch of forest.


    He was about to turn back, having covered a semi-circle of about one hundred yards from the point at which he¡¯d made land, when something caught his eye. A second look confirmed a boot on the end of a horizontal leg. He picked his way closer, cautious, but not too cautious, with muscles tensed, ready for action.


    The body wasn¡¯t the only one. Half a dozen bodies were strewn around a small clearing. At least a part of a Turhmos patrol group, by his reckoning. All dead. All finished off with large knife wounds. How many were Aenuks, he couldn¡¯t tell. Dead was dead. But if he knew anything about Turhmos patrols ¨C and he had a few years¡¯ experience ¨C they always included at least one Aenuk, usually more. Either someone had used a Syakaran knife, or they had been capable of killing Aenuks without one. Jonas had a fair idea who.


    What he didn¡¯t have a fair idea about was how long ago. Aris could have swept the entire border when he crossed it weeks earlier. Or he could be nearby in that very instant.


    The latter seemed more likely. If weeks had passed, surely by now some sort of death-feeder would have moved back into the area, or a patrol would have found them.


    Aris had been through recently. Within minutes, hours, or a day, or two was the question.


    He made his way to one body and touched it lightly. The skin was supple, but cold. Hours, at least, then. That was a relief.


    And with that thought, he darted back through the trees and dived back into the freezing water. Now was as good a time as any to bring Llew across.


    <hr>


    The soldiers settled down to a meal almost the instant Jonas was gone. Llew supposed she shouldn¡¯t judge them for it, what else could they do? But they didn¡¯t invite her to join them. Neither did any bring her a nibble. Not that she was hungry. Well, she hadn¡¯t been, but watching others eat has a way of making the stomach grumble.


    ¡°What¡¯d you do?¡± Hanah asked Hisham when he sat down with some bread and jerky, but he shook his head and took a bite of the meat.


    Llew managed to slide off the cart and walk around it a couple of times, easing her muscles and getting a feel for how her wounds were healing. Each day she found she could move more before the pain hit. Still, it was incredibly slow.


    She was completing a round of the cart when her foot slid on the wet grass. She threw herself forward and stamped her other foot down, grabbing for the cart. Pain sliced through her belly and she heard herself groan. Missing the cart, her hands landed deep in the wet grass. Her skin burned from the cold and tingled as she absorbed life. Ignoring the searing pain, she pushed herself up, catching the edge of the cart, and stood a few moments breathing through the pain as the aftershocks rippled.


    The clearing was silent.


    She looked over her shoulder. From the brief contact she¡¯d made, a circle of flora around six yards across extended from the point of contact.


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    Where the Kara had been sitting was outside of that circle, yet they¡¯d all scrambled and now stood, silently looking at the ring of death and looking at Llew. None moved to see if she was alright. None said a word. Their eyes made statements of fear, anger, and disgust in their silence.


    She turned back, resting her elbows on the cart and her head on her forearms, and breathed. Her belly burned, and she wanted to cry.


    An almighty splash announced Jonas¡¯s return as he dragged his waterlogged shoes through the last few shallow strides. He clamped his hands around his elbows, clearly freezing. Water drained from a lock of hair over his forehead and cascaded from his clothes. One of the Kara grabbed a wool blanket and threw it across his shoulders. He pulled it tight, then with his other hand he pushed the hair from his face and looked up. His face darkened and he dashed to Llew¡¯s side.


    ¡°You alright? What happened?¡±


    Llew nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just slipped is all.¡±


    He looked at the stretch of deadened vegetation, then up at their audience. No one spoke.


    ¡°Why weren¡¯t you wearing your gloves?¡±


    Perhaps he hadn¡¯t meant her to, but Llew felt duly chastened.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She reached for the gloves, stashed by her saddle in the back of the cart, the cost of her small victory illustrated clearly at her feet. Her defiance at the unfairness of the world had nearly killed their escort. It was stupid and selfish, and it was time she faced facts. She was a danger to everyone around her. She was the one who needed to cover herself. Not Jonas, not the Quaven troops, but Llew.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jonas turned to the rest of the group. ¡°The other side is clear for now. I need help gettin¡¯ the horses and Braph across. Me and Hisham will look after Llew and the cart.¡±


    The clearing burst to life. All the Kara stripped to trousers and knife vests. Chino and Braph¡¯s horse were unsaddled and led to the water to swim across. As soon as Chino was belly deep, Amico rumbled out deep neighs and wouldn¡¯t stand still, his discontent a danger to anyone handling him. In a moment of believing that love could conquer all, Llew wished she could be the one leading him to the water.


    Horse tack and provisions were stacked on the cart. Jonas positioned himself to help Llew and she slapped his hand back. But as soon as she went to lift a foot, pain radiated from her belly and she had to catch herself again. After a brief moment to fume, she gave Jonas a furious but resigned look and let him gather her up and lift her onto the cart. At least he had the decency to say nothing.


    Weeks of healing undone by a little patch of damp grass. It was infuriating. She briefly wondered how much worse it would be if she still had a womb to heal as well but dismissed it before the thought dragged her into despair.


    The cart horse was unhitched and led to the water to swim unhindered. Braph removed his long leather coat and placed it on the cart, giving Llew a warning look, like he thought she might be thinking of offloading it into the river. She hadn¡¯t been, but she narrowed her eyes at him. He glared back a moment and she cocked an eyebrow. Where else was he going to put it? He turned away in a huff, one Karan soldier at his heels to give him support in the water.


    Hanah, who had been tasked with taking Amico across, was struggling. At first, the horse had been eager to be free of the cart and follow Chino, but as soon as his hooves touched the water, he refused to go farther. He tugged on the lead rope and reared, but Hanah firmed her grip. She patted him, talked to him, turned him full circle and pointed him back at the water. This time Amico didn¡¯t even let his feet get wet, and he reared higher, nearly lifting her off her feet.


    Jonas watched, eyes narrowed, then he patted the cart a couple of times and, nodding to himself, headed off down the shore. He approached Amico with confidence, gave the horse a couple of reassuring pats, took the lead rope from the frustrated Hanah and directed his head to the water. Jonas was playing the role of assured leader. Amico was supposed to trust him. The horse remained stubbornly still; feet locked in place. Llew had a feeling that if Jonas wanted him to move, he¡¯d have to lift each foot, one at a time, step by step. Jonas apparently came to the same conclusion as he rested a hand on Amico¡¯s withers, thinking.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± He handed the rope back to Hanah, who seemed utterly confused, and came back to the cart.


    ¡°What?¡± Llew asked, but Jonas said nothing as he positioned himself at the rear of the cart and nodded to Hisham.


    Hisham took up the shaft, and the cart began its juddering roll to the water. Llew lay as flat as she could manage, trying to give her torso as much support as possible, while keeping her head up to watch her horse. Jonas didn¡¯t intend to leave him on this side of the border, did he? Sure, Llew knew she could ride another horse, but she really, really liked that one. If he didn¡¯t tie her horse to the cart or do something about getting him across the river soon, she was going to make a scene.


    Amico stood by the water¡¯s edge, head up, ears pricked, watching the cart.


    As they came up alongside, Hanah asked, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    Jonas smirked. ¡°Keep up.¡±


    Hisham gave a yell as he waded into the freezing water, and it wasn¡¯t long before the cart was floating. And leaking.


    Hisham pulled the cart across the water, while Jonas concentrated on keeping it on course, not letting it get swept too far by the current.


    Amico¡¯s desperate neigh cut above the water¡¯s hiss. Llew risked the pain to look over her shoulder. Hanah stood by Amico¡¯s head, which hung low, watching Llew ride off on the cart, looking for all the world as though he¡¯d been slighted. Or perhaps remorseful for a failure. He nickered, a piercing sound, and Llew¡¯s heart ached. She was about to tell Jonas they had to go back, maybe see if Amico could ride the cart with her, but then Amico turned and approached the water. Reaching the edge, he stepped one way and then the other, throwing his head and neighing again.


    Hanah stood with a light hand on a rope, letting the horse decide what he was going to do about his predicament. Llew could no longer hear Amico¡¯s calls. He swung back and forth a couple more times, then suddenly leapt into the water, nearly pulling Hanah off her feet. She scrabbled to keep up, running beside the horse until they were both chest-deep, then she threw the rope over Amico¡¯s neck and clambered on board, water streaming from her. Amico swam boldly, Llew or, more likely, Chino his only goal.


    Llew shared a wide grin with Jonas and turned back to watch their progress. They were nearly halfway across already and keeping a steady line. Water seeped in through gaps in the floor but, whether by design or Jonas¡¯s efforts, the cart sat light in the water and took on little more than a trickle.


    Braph, the horses and their Quaven support were on the other shore already, stamping feet, vigorously rubbing their arms, or trying to squeeze the biting cold water from their clothes.


    Turhmos. Again.


    Back in the country that wanted her children, with Braph much closer than she would have liked.


    But Braph didn¡¯t have a use for her blood anymore. That was a silver lining, she supposed.


    At Jonas¡¯s confirmation that they were no longer needed, it wasn¡¯t without relief that their Karan escort wished them a cursory farewell and returned to the swift waters to make their home journey.

 27: Love For Simply Being

<hr>


    you


    What¡¯s going on?


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    You


    Come near me and I will kill you. Come near me and I will kill you


    <hr>


    him


    Oh

 28: This Is Gonna Hurt

    The axe cut into the bark with a delayed thunk! Llew gasped and went to jump from the cart, but her body cried out in pain. Jonas was at her side in a moment, a warning shake of his head accompanying a steadying gloved hand on her arm.


    Braph slid from his horse. ¡°This is not good,¡± he stated plainly.


    Karlani, who stood facing the road, looked over her shoulder and said something to Aris. Aris paused his hacking to wave at them, smiling, then he took the axe in two hands and swung again.


    The wood must have been hard, as the axe only chipped away at it. But Aris worked quickly, incredibly quick. A large wedge of wood had already been extracted and every other hack was accompanied by a heart-wrenching creak. How long had they been there?


    Each time the axe cut in, Llew felt sick, but Jonas wouldn¡¯t let her go. He gripped her arm and assessed the situation before them, his gaze taking in the Immortal and the Syakaran woman, and then sweeping across their group; one Syakaran, two Kara ¨C one of which was missing half an arm ¨C and Llew, with her gut injury counting her out of any fighting, unless she could get to the tree, assuming it could still help her. His frozen expression did little to settle Llew¡¯s nerves.


    ¡°What do we know about the girl?¡± Hisham asked, moving up beside Jonas. ¡°I mean, she¡¯s Syakaran, but does she have any training beyond what you were workin¡¯ on back in Brurun?¡±


    ¡°My bet is she could best you in a one-on-one,¡± said Jonas. ¡°No offence.¡±


    ¡°None taken.¡± Hisham didn¡¯t take his eyes off the woman. She stood casually, waiting for them to make their move, bow in one hand, quiver of arrows slung off a shoulder. ¡°This is gonna hurt.¡±


    Jonas stepped in close to Chino. With small, deft movements he detached his crossbow from the saddle and flicked off its safety catch.


    ¡°That won¡¯t have the range to fire from here,¡± said Braph.


    ¡°I know,¡± said Jonas, checking the weapon was ready to go. His cheek rippled as he clenched and unclenched his teeth. None of them knew exactly what Aris was capable of.


    ¡°I offered you the use of my Gaards for a reason,¡± Braph continued.


    ¡°You said yourself Aris would heal easily from those.¡± Jonas said, still fiddling with his crossbow. ¡°Seems to me the best way to slow him down is to do as much damage as possible. Bolts and arrows, they do damage.¡±


    Braph smiled. ¡°I retract any unfavorable comments I may have made about your intellect, brother. When it comes to sizing up your fellow man and how best to injure him, I admit, you are better than me.¡±


    ¡°Hisham, Braph: swap places.¡± Jonas glanced between the two Karan men before returning his attention to his weapons. ¡°Hisham, you¡¯re with me. Take one of Braph¡¯s Gaards and you focus on Karlani and slowin¡¯ Aris down. Braph, you get Llew to her tree by any means.¡±


    Llew opened her mouth to protest but stopped herself. Now was the time to suspend her grudge against Braph. Didn¡¯t mean she had to drop it altogether. She focused all her attention on Aris and her tree.


    Braph reached into the back of the cart for his Gaards and ammunition. He handed one of the devices and a spare cartridge of pellets to Hisham and gave him a swift lesson in reloading. Then he handed the other to Llew.


    She stared at all the metal, wide-eyed.


    ¡°It takes me a little longer to load these things than it used to.¡± Braph gave her a pointed look. ¡°Besides, you may like to be of some help, too.¡±


    Llew looked at Karlani, who had raised her bow and held it drawn and ready. She looked back down at the cold metal in her hand.


    She fought to control her breathing as Braph leaned closer to instruct her in the weapon¡¯s use. Fear and panic were not good lesson companions, but Jonas and Hisham needed her now. She put all her energy into listening. The tricky part was the reloading, with a switch to flick and one cartridge to pull out and another to insert and click into place. She hoped she would remember it all in the heat of the moment. At least the Gaard itself didn¡¯t seem too hard to use. Point it at the person you wanted to kill and squeeze the trigger. Simple.


    She spared another glance at Karlani, still patiently waiting for them as Aris continued his assault on the tree. As far as she would know, Jonas presented her only real challenge.


    ¡°Good,¡± said Braph. ¡°Now, I suggest you lie low. Those arrows are about to come thick and fast.¡±


    Fighting down a moan at the all too familiar pain, Llew swiveled her feet around and lay flat, making herself as small a target as possible. The men had the luxury of being able to dodge anything they saw coming. Llew wasn¡¯t so lucky. Even without the shooting pain, she lacked their Karan speed.


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    All the while, the axe continued to swing. Thunk, thunk, thunk.


    At some signal Llew missed, Hisham and Jonas took off running, and Karlani fired and reloaded and fired again in a blur. Jonas flung an arm out in front of him, knocking arrows left and right. Hisham, slightly slower but fast enough, ducked and dodged the arrows coming his way. Breaking his concentration on the arrows for a moment, he lifted his Gaard.


    Boom! The clearing filled with thunder.


    Nothing happened. There was another and Karlani went down, a shower of red leaping from her chest. A soft schuck announced the arrow she¡¯d loosed before going down sinking into Hisham¡¯s shoulder. He stumbled but kept on, snapping off the shaft and shifting his aim to Aris.


    The meadow reverberated with Gaard-thunder and wood-chopping, broken as Aris paused to heal a Gaard-pellet wound, but it never took long enough, and he was back to his task in moments.


    Jonas raised his crossbow and fired. Aris dropped the axe, stumbling and cursing. He ripped the bolt free, flinging it and a chunk of his flesh away. He reclaimed the axe as Jonas reached him, throwing the spent crossbow aside.


    Braph snapped the carthorse to life. Movement caught Llew¡¯s eye. Karlani was bringing her bow across her body. Llew called out. The tree creaked. Wood groaned, cracked. Aris swung his axe at Jonas. Jonas gripped his wrist and tried to slash at him with a knife, but Aris twisted out of the way, freed his wrist, and came at Jonas again. They moved so fast Llew could barely see the strikes. A horrible recollection of Jonas fighting Braph came back to her. That fight had resulted in Jonas¡¯s death, and there was every chance this would go the same way. She never wanted to relive that memory. This time she wouldn¡¯t be able to bring him back.


    Karlani loosed her arrow. It took Hisham in the side, sending him floundering to the ground.


    Llew remembered the Gaard in her hand. You pointed and shot, and blood spurted from whoever you hit. She remembered Jonas getting hit, the shower of blood and him going down. The thought of doing that to anyone, even Karlani, nearly made her sick. But Karlani had sided with Aris and, right now, little else mattered than keeping Jonas alive and saving the tree.


    She pointed the weapon and squeezed the trigger. The recoil jarred her entire body, again bringing her gut wound to the fore and sending the pellet wild. Burning with pain, she clutched the Gaard in both hands, took aim again and fired. Again, the jar. Again, the pain. And all the while the cart bounced and bucked across the rough ground. She wasn¡¯t going to achieve anything until they pulled up by the tree.


    Karlani dragged herself to her feet. Blood flowed down her front, but she could still move, dashing in to help Aris, only to collapse again at his feet. But he didn¡¯t need her. He swept his axe in a blur, forcing Jonas to dodge and duck, barely giving him the chance to return the strikes. They moved too fast for Llew to see clearly, and whatever damage Jonas inflicted on Aris healed immediately.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you, fool boy!¡± Aris growled, swinging the axe again.


    Braph hauled the cart to a stop just back from the fight, and the tree. Llew lined her Gaard up on the pair, but there was no way she could be sure she would hit Aris and not Jonas.


    Braph scrambled from the cart, ran to where Hisham lay and pulled his Gaard. He crouched, using his stumpy arm to help support the one with the weapon, training it on the fighting pair. But he would fare no better than Llew.


    Jonas tumbled and danced around Aris, trying to wear him down with whatever damage he could inflict, but he was slowing. They both were.


    And then Aris feinted a swing with the axe and Jonas moved to avoid it, only to wind up with the blunt end in his gut. Llew¡¯s breath caught as his expelled. Aris craned back, readying the axe for a final blow. Llew and Braph both had him in their sights, and yet Llew found herself muttering ¡°Don¡¯t shoot, don¡¯t shoot,¡± willing Braph not to take the chance of hitting Jonas. The axe came around, taking Jonas in the side with the dull end, sending him flying. He disappeared into the long meadow grass, and the meadow filled with thunder again as Braph and Llew let loose.


    Aris stumbled back. He dropped the axe. He fell.


    Llew reached beside her for the extra cartridge. Flick, click, shake out the empty one. Thud on the cart¡¯s floorboards. Fit the full cartridge. Click it in place. Flick the switch.


    By the time she looked up, Aris was halfway between the tree and her. His blood-stained clothes were evidence of their attack, but he ran with ease, if not superhuman speed.


    Llew squeezed the trigger. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Aris stumbled, collapsed to his knees. Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Llew squeezed her trigger again and again. Click, click, click. No more thunder. No more pellets. She reached back for another cartridge, but she¡¯d used the only spare. She turned to Braph; he should have had a spare. He was on hand and knees, searching the ground around Hisham. He looked at her and they shared a grim look.


    But Aris was still struggling. He staggered up again. His shirt, or what was left of it, was almost solid red. Even his trousers, already dark in color, had blackened with blood, the tears in them displaying the blood-smeared skin beneath. He groaned as two pellets popped from his chest. He was still healing, but slowly.


    Aris was still down, though fighting to stand all the while.


    Braph ran to the cart.


    ¡°Come on. Time to get you whole.¡± Rolling Llew to her back, he slid his hand behind her shoulders, his stump beneath her knees. He carried her, running half-crouched, and dumped her at the base of her tree. He gathered up one of Jonas¡¯s discarded knives and turned to face Aris alone. Aris stood, gripping his arm, dripping blood, and Braph took the chance to lash at him. Aris jumped back, still alert, still nimble, but once out of reach he stood catching his breath. Braph lunged at him again, and again Aris dodged him. Braph grew bold and had another go. This time Aris swept him aside and turned to finish off the one and a half-armed Karan with his bare hands.


    Llew peered up into the tree. The gaping hole on the other side of its trunk made her want to weep. But if she remained injured, she risked causing too much damage to anyone and anything else she came in contact with. She loved the tree and didn¡¯t know what healing from it now might do to it, but she had to.


    Grunts and mutterings came from both men in equal measures. Aris was weakening, but he was still a tough fight for the damaged Braph. A whole Llew could tip the scales. She pulled her hands free of her gloves.

 29: Is It Broken?

    Llew placed a hand on the bark, and it seemed to shiver under her touch. Nothing happened at first, and then whoompf! Life flooded from the tree and into her. She almost released the touch and fell back giggling as her belly tickled. She lifted her shirt to check, and a few strands of fine cotton and twine fell from her clothing ¨C the stitches that had held her together until now. Her skin was smooth. She was whole. Mostly whole.


    But the tree was still talking to her. Amid the yells, thuds, cracks, and cries, Llew focused on her tree and let it tell its secrets. And Aris¡¯s. Images flashed through her mind, but the most vivid was of the tree itself, and two people. One figure had a hand on the tree¡¯s trunk, while the other hand gripped the arm of a man who was struggling to flee. Aris. The man was Aris. And the other figure was an Aenuk. The way the power flowed through that silhouette; she knew. It was that unbreakable grip. Even an Immortal couldn¡¯t fight that. Power leapt from Aris ¨C just as it had slithered into him that fateful night ¨C traveled through the Aenuk and into the tree. No exploding people here. Perhaps Anya had interpreted the image wrong.


    She placed one hand back on the trunk and stepped around it until she faced Braph and Aris, both taking a moment to catch their breath.


    ¡°I know what to do,¡± she said. ¡°The tree told me.¡±


    Aris sneered. ¡°Do you know how crazy that sounds?¡±


    ¡°An Aenuk stole your power. No wonder you hate us so much.¡±


    Aris laughed. ¡°And do you know what happened to the Aenuk?¡±


    ¡°And do you know what would happen to a Syaenuk?¡±


    Aris flinched with annoyance. He scanned the ground around him, lunged and brought the axe up. Growling, he swung at Llew and the tree. Llew didn¡¯t have the strength to stop him. All she could do was twist out of the way, but she wouldn¡¯t let him separate her from the tree ¨C it was her savior, protector. Braph ran at Aris, shouldering him aside, saving the great tree another injury. Aris stumbled aside and Braph rolled past him, out of easy reach. Llew reached out again, her fingers brushed Aris¡¯s. A vibration tingled between them, but he pulled free before she could get a firmer grip. He spun to face her, panting, and looking very tired, blood still seeping from partially healed wounds. He was no longer healing fully. He looked at her. He looked up at the tree. Braph clambered to his feet behind him.


    There was an odd grumble and squeak. A familiar sound. A hungry stomach. Llew arched an eyebrow at Aris. He glared at her. The cuts on his face were no longer closing and blood trickled from an eyebrow and his nose.


    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m dying to find out how this works,¡± she said.


    ¡°The moment you leave the tree, it and you are dead.¡± Sweat ran down his face, mingling with the blood, and he panted heavily. They¡¯d worn him down. He had little fight left.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m quite happy to stay right here.¡± Llew, on the other hand, still had her health and her tree.


    Braph inched up behind Aris in a half-crouch. He, too, looked battered, but not broken. Aris¡¯s eyes twitched. He knew Braph was there. He looked back at Llew.


    ¡°You can¡¯t trust him,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯ll only use you. And you can¡¯t stand there forever. I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    He ran, no faster than a normal person, but was soon gone from their sight. Llew¡¯s body slumped, releasing the false bravado.


    Braph stood off to the side. Hisham and Karlani lay near each other. And Jonas ¡­ She walked around the tree, still wary of stepping too far from it ¨C both she and it were vulnerable without each other. How long would it take Aris to heal? She hoped a long time but wouldn¡¯t dare place her faith in that hope. They¡¯d slowed his ability to heal, his strength and speed, but what would it take for him to get it back? A decent meal? Or a full night¡¯s sleep? Neither was long enough, yet either would need to be.


    It was too dark under the forest canopy to see anything, and the meadow was full of clumps of tussock, providing perfect hiding places for a body.


    Not body. She couldn¡¯t think like that.


    She¡¯d seen Aris fling him away, but in the midst of the fight she couldn¡¯t remember where to.


    Braph surveyed the ground around himself and shrugged. He started wandering the area, stopping by Hisham first.


    ¡°This one¡¯s alive.¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡± Llew indicated Karlani.


    ¡°Riddled with puncture wounds,¡± Braph said. He crouched down. ¡°But she¡¯s alive for now. Want me to finish her?¡±


    It would be so easy. Have Braph kill Karlani. One less problem to worry about. But Llew couldn¡¯t do it. Despite everything, Karlani on her own wasn¡¯t a bad person. She could just do with choosing her allies more carefully. ¡°No.¡± Llew shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯d be putting her out of her misery.¡±


    Llew shook her head again.


    Braph acquiesced, pushed himself to his feet and continued his reconnaissance. He brushed tall tussocks aside with his foot, wandered in a large arc around Llew and her tree, idly scouring the ground until he paused, cocking his head, and then he stepped across a few rows of tussock, away from Llew. ¡°Oh, here we are.¡±


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    ¡°You found him?¡± Llew tried to stretch taller to see. ¡°Is he¡ª?¡± She glanced around the clearing, making sure there was no Aris to be seen, that it was safe to leave her tree¡¯s side, then she started to walk over, afraid of what she might find.


    Braph poked whatever lay before him, presumably Jonas, with a booted foot. ¡°Seems to be. He¡¯s not in a good way, though.¡± Braph scratched his head. ¡°He won¡¯t fight again for a while, possibly ever.¡± He crouched, assessing the broken Jonas with a certain clinicalness. He looked back at Llew, then off into the distance, lost in some thought. ¡°Unless ¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She could see Jonas¡¯s shirt and trousers, his lines broken by the long grass between them. She closed her eyes, breathing deep, steeling herself for what she was about to see, and stepped forwards.


    Jonas¡¯s hands and face were flecked with blood, but it was the added shine to his leather vest and deep green shirt that held Llew¡¯s gaze. A black stain spread across his middle. The shirt itself wasn¡¯t cut. Silk. Impervious to an axe blade, apparently. Flesh, less so. One of his legs lay at a very wrong angle, twisted from somewhere above his knee.


    ¡°Oh!¡± She put her hand to her mouth stifling a sob. ¡°He¡¯s alive?¡± She fell to her knees by his side.


    ¡°Careful. He¡¯s not dead yet. Move him, he might be. We can¡¯t tell the true extent of his injuries. It could be worse than it looks.¡±


    How could it be worse? Llew stopped herself from scooping Jonas¡¯s head into her lap. She reached out tentatively and brushed the back of a finger across his cheek. He was cool to the touch. Was he dead? She shifted her gaze to his chest. It rose and fell ever so slightly. She kept watching to make sure it wasn¡¯t a trick of the light, or her own hopes making her see things, and she saw it again, and again. His breaths were shallow and stuttered, but he breathed. He lived.


    ¡°Why does this tree not shimmer?¡± Braph asked, now standing, leaning back, studying the Ajnai. ¡°The one in Quaver glowed. This one doesn¡¯t. Is it broken?¡± His gaze lowered to the damage Aris had caused.


    The tree¡¯s normal background murmur suddenly turned into a babble as it dived into Llew¡¯s memories of the Quaven tree with what she could only describe as glee.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. It just¡ª¡± Llew stopped.


    ¡°Just what?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Braph asked.


    ¡°About as far as I could outrun you.¡±


    Braph displayed his silent laughter in an open grin. ¡°You can fix them, you know?¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re Kara.¡±


    ¡°I am Karan, and I¡¯ve used your blood to heal before.¡±


    Llew scowled at him. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Braph swept his gaze over the bodies littering the meadow. ¡°Before I tell you that, perhaps I¡¯d like a little something in return.¡± His eyes settled on Llew. ¡°You buried your babies there, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Llew tried to give him nothing. How did he even know there had been more than one? Jonas. Of course. Llew had been incapacitated and he¡¯d needed to talk to someone, and Braph had been there. He smiled like she¡¯d given him everything.


    ¡°I wonder what it means,¡± he mused. ¡°I really must return, some day, and pay my respect to my nieces, or nephews.¡±


    Llew couldn¡¯t even begin to voice her dislike for Braph considering himself related to her children. He was only Jonas¡¯s half-brother, after all. A very, very small half.


    ¡°How do we fix them?¡± She laced her voice with all the ire she felt, which only served to amuse him.


    ¡°The crystals. All they are is highly condensed Aenuk blood. My device let me extract just as much as I needed when I needed it.¡± He crouched by Jonas again, looking on his brother with something approaching sympathy. ¡°Aenuk magic is all about channeling. You shift life from one place to another. Karan magic is all about beefing up what we already have, but it seems to be centered in our muscles, limiting what we can do. Add a drop of Aenuk blood in there, though, and bam!¡± He emphasized the word, slapping fist to forearm stub. Llew jumped. ¡°We can do anything, including healing ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Do it,¡± she said without hesitation.


    ¡°I need to take one of the horses and head to the nearest town.¡± He swung around, assessing the landscape. ¡°Hinden is my guess.¡±


    Braph had helped them up to this point and Aris still lived. They¡¯d seen him weakened, but it was clear a collaboration was still required to finish him. Llew was almost certain Braph could see that, too. Perhaps trusting him was going too far. Counting on him to save his brother was less of a stretch. One thing that was certain was they would get nowhere just standing around.


    ¡°Do it. Go,¡± she insisted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them die,¡± Braph said. ¡°I need¡ª we need them to live. And they have to be alive to use your power themselves.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Braph almost smiled, then turned and ran back to the horses.


    With a groan, Hisham pushed himself up to sitting. Blood darkened a couple of patches on his clothing, but it seemed the blood wasn¡¯t free flowing. Not while the arrows were still in place, at least.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Jonas?¡± he asked.


    Llew took the steps required to place herself approximately halfway between the two Quaven lieutenants. ¡°Down there.¡±


    ¡°Is he¡ª?¡± Hisham started.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± said Llew. For now.


    Braph kicked his horse into a gallop, wheeling it around to face back to the road.


    ¡°Where¡¯s he going? You can¡¯t let him go.¡± Hisham grimaced and clutched one of his many sore spots.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be back.¡± Llew hoped so. Braph still needed Jonas. They all still needed him. A cold chill settled in her bones. They still needed him to fight Aris. She looked down at the beaten, broken mess of the man and another sob escaped. She clapped a hand over her mouth. She couldn¡¯t afford to break down. Jonas was broken, Hisham was broken. She couldn¡¯t break.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be alright.¡± Hisham went to stretch a hand up, gave a small yelp and retreated.


    No matter how tired she became, Llew didn¡¯t dare sit or lie down. If Aris returned hoping to find the tree unprotected, he would be disappointed. She could feel the tree¡¯s confidence in her and it settled inside as if it were her own. It was mingled with a sadness, though. The tree was aware of the damage Aris had done, and it fell outside the tree¡¯s ability to heal. Llew examined the angled cut, appreciating the tree¡¯s strength while acknowledging the delicacy of the whole thing. The tree was huge, powerful, ancient. And it was immobile. It now relied on Llew to protect it, yet she couldn¡¯t stay. She would have to leave, and Aris would make his move then. The tree needed her, but she couldn¡¯t save it. No, she could only use it and leave it to its fate.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair!¡±


    ¡°N¡ªnuf¡¯s fair.¡±


    She looked down, mouth and eyes wide. Jonas was awake.

 30: Dont Be Dead

    All the usual How are you feeling?s and Are you hurt?s rushed through Llew¡¯s mind, but of course they were pointless. Finally, she settled on something worth voicing.


    ¡°Braph thinks I can heal you.¡±


    A range of scowls crossed Jonas¡¯s face as he processed the statement and tried to manage his discomfort. Llew crouched by him and reached out to touch his cheek lightly, wanting to soothe him, not bring another source of pain.


    ¡°I believe him,¡± she said. ¡°We just have to wait. Stay with me, huh?¡±


    Jonas gave a weak smile.


    The wait for Braph¡¯s return felt like an eternity. It had taken a couple of hours for Llew to reach the tree from Hinden when she¡¯d had Syakaran speed. She didn¡¯t know how that compared to a horse, but she guessed about the same. Braph had to get there, find what he needed, and ride back. Luckily, it was still daylight, still business hours. Jonas remained silent. Llew studied him closely a couple of times to make sure he hadn¡¯t opted out. He stayed with them, but it seemed to take all his concentration to deal with his pain.


    Braph rode into the meadow as the sun began to lower behind the hills.


    ¡°We need to move quickly.¡± He slid from the saddle. ¡°If they get cold on top of trying to hold together, we really could lose them.¡±


    ¡°What do we need to do?¡± Llew asked.


    ¡°First, we need to move them closer to your tree. Then we need to reset any broken bones.¡± Braph stood before Hisham, appraising him. ¡°You first, then you can help me move him. Can you stand?¡±


    ¡°With a little help,¡± Hisham replied.


    ¡°Once we¡¯ve removed these arrows.¡± Braph placed his pouch on the ground.


    With minimal twisting, Braph eased the arrow from Hisham¡¯s side and moved to his shoulder, leaving Hisham to clamp down on the blood flow. Hisham breathed through his teeth as Braph pinched and fiddled one-handedly with the broken-off shaft protruding from his shoulder.


    Braph clamped his pouch under his handless arm and, with his one hand, eased Hisham to the tree.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to you soon,¡± Llew said to Jonas. ¡°So, you better still be here when we¡¯re ready.¡± He didn¡¯t respond. His eyes were closed, but he was still breathing. ¡°You hear me?¡± His head moved a fraction. ¡°Good.¡± She followed the Karan men to her tree.


    Braph crouched by the tree, letting his bundle roll open on the ground. Several glass vials in silver framing rolled free and, much to Llew¡¯s lack of delight, needles. But she would do what needed to be done for Jonas and Hisham. She needed them, but first they needed her. Braph brought one of the syringes and a needle to Llew, brandishing them before her. What was she supposed to do with those? He lifted and let fall again his stumpy arm.


    Under his instruction, she fitted the needle to the syringe, then he handed her a plunger. She pressed it into the open end of the vial and handed the whole thing back to Braph.


    Awkwardly, he manipulated the contraption in his one hand a few times until he had it sliding relatively smoothly. He placed the completed apparatus down and passed Llew another needle, syringe, and plunger to construct. And finally, a third. The last pieced together, he practiced his one-handed plunging action a couple more times.


    ¡°This may not be my best work.¡± He looked at Llew expectantly. ¡°Sitting or standing?¡±


    ¡°Standing.¡± There was still the risk of Aris returning, and in the gathering dark they might not see him till he was right on them. And then there was the small matter of Braph jabbing a needle into her. She might have been keen to help her friends, but Llew wasn¡¯t entirely unwary. If he did anything to spook her, she wanted to have a chance to retaliate.


    Braph indicated for her to pull up her sleeve, so she slid off her jacket and pushed up the soft wool sleeve of the dress. Now, on top of being jabbed with a needle, she was going to get cold. Braph had mentioned a good vein in the thigh, but she was not about to let him anywhere down there. Reluctantly, she bared her arm to him.


    ¡°Watch what I do.¡± Braph flicked the skin of her inner elbow with the plunger end a few times, made a growling noise in the back of his throat, looked up at the darkening sky and back down at Llew¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said as he leaned forward, peering at her skin, and taking aim with the needle.


    Llew flinched as the needle dug in, taken aback as much by the sting as Braph¡¯s apology. Braph pulled back on the plunger, drawing Llew¡¯s blood into the vial. She had to look away. She looked across at where Jonas lay, broken, and looking for all the world like he was dead already. Don¡¯t be dead.


    As the blood was withdrawn, a tingling sensation began in the hand she had pressed against the tree and washed through the rest of her. It was subtle, but undeniable.


    Braph withdrew the needle and crouched by Hisham. ¡°Arm,¡± he commanded.


    Hisham presented the crook of his elbow. Even in the low light, prominent veins were visible up his forearm. Braph smiled.


    ¡°This better work,¡± said Hisham as Braph brought the needle to one of the veins. ¡°Gettin¡¯ pumped with someone else¡¯s blood, let alone an Aenuk¡¯s, don¡¯t seem right to me otherwise.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll work,¡± said Braph. ¡°We might just have to do this a few times.¡±


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    ¡°Great,¡± said Hisham, less than satisfied.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m the one he¡¯s taking it from.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you know you can replace it. I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s gonna do to me.¡±


    ¡°Now.¡± Braph withdrew the needle. ¡°Pick a wound, a small one to start, and focus on healing it. Your body should do the rest.¡±


    After a dubious glance at both Braph and Llew, Hisham lifted his other arm, twisting it so he was looking at a small but fairly deep scratch across the back of his forearm.


    ¡°Think about it healing, huh?¡± He peered back up at Braph. ¡°I have no idea how things heal. What do I think about?¡±


    ¡°Just picture it closing.¡± Braph sounded annoyed. ¡°Your body knows what it¡¯s doing. You¡¯re not really telling it what to do, just helping focus the Aenuk power.¡± He moved back to Llew and waved the needle in front of her. He wanted more. Llew presented her arm again. She would have preferred to have seen it work first, but she supposed she could give him the benefit of the doubt one more time. Especially since she really wanted it to work. She didn¡¯t flinch when Braph probed her vein this time, focused as she was on Hisham¡¯s arm, looking ¨C hoping ¨C for a change.


    Hisham sat leaning forward, still, staring intently at his forearm. Then he rocked back, sighing with frustration, and shifted, unfolding a leg from under him, and leaned forward again, determination evident in the firm set of his shoulders and jaw. After a few more moments, the edges of the wound began to rejoin. Llew gasped and yelped. Braph hissed, gripped her arm, and gave her a Don¡¯t do that again scowl, then he continued filling the vial.


    ¡°It stopped,¡± said Hisham, his wound nearly sealed, with a small opening in the center. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to get it to close any farther.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess you need a whole lot more of this.¡± Braph brandished Llew¡¯s blood before the other Karan. He looked up at the sky briefly before continuing. ¡°But I might also suggest settling for mostly healed. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be here all night, and he ¡­¡± He nodded to Jonas ¡°¡­ might not be.¡±


    ¡°Then stop talking and get on with it,¡± said Llew through gritted teeth. Not that she didn¡¯t like Hisham, but she wished Braph had helped Jonas first.


    Braph flicked her a smile, and stuck Hisham with the needle.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t it do much?¡± Hisham asked.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t much blood. Each of my crystals contained the active ingredients of close to half of all the blood in Llew¡¯s body.¡± Again, he looked across at Jonas. ¡°He is going to take ¡­ a lot. But with three of us working on it ¡­¡±


    ¡°Three?¡± Llew asked.


    Braph stooped to gather up one of the other apparatuses as he returned for more blood. ¡°Your turn to help. You draw, I¡¯ll eject.¡± He handed it to her with a quirky smile that on Jonas might have been cute. But he was Braph. He was anything but.


    Reluctantly, Llew took the needle in her right hand, stretched out her left arm and looked for the vein. It was so hard to see with the light continuing to ebb away. Braph pointed with his own needle, giving her a guide. She lined the needle up, making a slight depression in her skin. Taking a deep breath, she pressed. The metal cut into her skin, stinging, burning, somehow even more painful than when Braph had done it. Llew gasped, fighting down the incredibly strong urge to pull the needle free and fling it away. She had to do this. She took a couple more deep breaths, maneuvered her hand into position and pulled back on the plunger. When Braph had done it, she¡¯d had the luxury to look away. Now she had to watch what she was doing. She felt the blood leave her face, paused, breathed, and continued. Finished, she handed the vial to Braph. With accomplished dexterity, he swapped his empty one into her hand as he took her full one and turned back to Hisham, leaving her to comprehend her next move. Several deep breaths later, Llew had jabbed herself with a needle a second time.


    It was fascinating watching Hisham close his wounds one by one, and it illuminated one curious fact: Kara could control Aenuk power. Llew couldn¡¯t decide if this was highly unfair or not. She still didn¡¯t know if controlling her power was something she could learn to do, or if it was completely out of her hands. But Braph could, and Hisham could. Did you need one to control the other?


    She lost count of the number of times she extracted her own blood for Braph to press into Hisham¡¯s vein, but by the time Hisham was merely covered in scabs and scar tissue, the day¡¯s light was all but gone.


    ¡°You stay,¡± Braph said to Llew before he and Hisham went to bring Jonas closer. ¡°You will need to be fully replenished.¡±


    She gripped her tree tight, wishing there was some way to pull extra power into her and concentrate it in her blood for Jonas¡¯s benefit. The tree was getting tired.


    Jonas made little noise as the two Kara brought him to the base of the Ajnai, though his face was drenched in sweat. Llew reckoned that was better than being unresponsive.


    Braph dug through the supplies he¡¯d bought. He had Hisham pry open Jonas¡¯s teeth and stuffed a strap of thick leather between his teeth. Hisham set about helping Braph lie Jonas out straight on his back. As soon as they laid hands on his grotesquely twisted leg, Jonas¡¯s eyes flew open, the whites wide, and a yelp escaped before he bit down on the leather and growled. He hissed out a series of breaths, his eyes glaring bloody murder at Braph.


    ¡°We can¡¯t heal it if we don¡¯t set it first,¡± Braph explained calmly.


    The brothers shared a long glance. Jonas managed a deep sigh and nodded for them to continue. Braph spared one more empathetic glance for his brother, and then the work began.


    Braph steadied the top part of Jonas¡¯s thigh with his one and a half arms and Hisham cut the length of Jonas¡¯s trouser leg with a knife, then gripped the lower thigh and knee and started bringing it round straight again. Despite his skin being whole, it was clear by the strange bumps pressing up under it that the bone was broken right through. Llew had to look away. At first, Jonas growled through the agony, but then an explosive yell echoed across the meadow.


    A rush of movement in the dry grass nearby had them all turning. Karlani stood, bent over, hand clutching stomach, confused and wary. She took in the group before her, looked to either side, saw that Aris had abandoned her, and took off, bleeding and broken. She stumbled, slightly faster than the average human, but she was struggling.


    They turned back to the task at hand. Jonas¡¯s leg was nearly straight. Hisham gripped it tight and pulled, twisted, and shifted it into place. Jonas panted, hissed, and growled. Hisham grabbed some bandages and strapped Jonas¡¯s thigh tight. Then Braph jumped up, threw the syringe he¡¯d been using on Hisham to the Karan lieutenant and scooped up the third for himself. They came at Llew, Braph filled his syringe first, then Hisham, and finally Llew drew her own blood. Between drawings, the tree helped her refill her veins and heal the puncture wounds. Braph took up residence at Jonas¡¯s side, pumping him full of blood and handing the blood-letting apparatuses back to Hisham for refilling.


    Several vials of the blood were pumped into Jonas before Braph coached him through healing the severed bone with more patience than he¡¯d afforded Hisham. Night was settling in, and Llew was well over jabbing herself with needles, when they peeled back the bandages to check Jonas¡¯s progress. If she hadn¡¯t seen the extent of the injury herself, Llew wouldn¡¯t have believed it had even occurred. The skin was as smooth as any adult male¡¯s thigh might be, only a hairless line indicating where a gash had been. Tension washed from Llew. She felt like jumping up and down and screaming with joy. Aris hadn¡¯t won. Jonas would be fine. She could still heal him, and she didn¡¯t have to be pregnant to do it.


    Behind her, something went pop! The Ajnai creaked and groaned, its leaves rattling.

 31: Ive Got Now

    Llew froze, peering up into the branches, but over the hollow hiss of the wind caressing the meadow, there was no other sound. The tree projected a sense of reassurance, but it was the kind of reassurance someone might give as they clutched the entry-wound of the arrow in their chest. It did little to ease Llew¡¯s mind.


    Hisham brushed at her arm, two empty syringes in his hands.


    Llew looked back at the tree. Silence. She turned back to where Jonas lay. His gravest wound was fixed, but he was still covered in gashes and the shine of his shirt suggested he was still losing blood. She couldn¡¯t leave him bleeding out.


    ¡°Okay. Just close your wounds.¡± She turned back to Jonas. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much more the tree can take.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I can live with a few bruises and scars. I used to have ¡¯em.¡± His smile broadened.


    ¡°A few more should do it,¡± Llew said.


    She presented her arm and Hisham set about filling his syringes. He passed the first to Braph, who injected Jonas. He placed the empty syringe on the ground and reached for the last one. He turned back to Jonas and paused, as they all watched the visible abrasions and contusions shrink and fade. Jonas took a deep, fortifying breath, sat up, and beamed at the darkening sky above, like he was drinking in a summer sun, not a murky winter¡¯s moon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember ever feelin¡¯ this good.¡± He stretched his body one way and the other, one arm up, then the other, a chuffed curl to his lips.


    Braph sunk the needle into his stumpy arm and depressed the plunger.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Llew took a step to stop him, and Jonas jumped to his feet, but there was little point; the blood was gone. She watched with disturbed curiosity as he withdrew the needle, inhaled, and blew out a shuddering breath, his face a study in bliss.


    Scowling from Braph to his own nearly smoothed skin, Jonas studied the results Llew¡¯s blood had had on himself. He stretched and jiggled, marveling at his well-being, looked to Braph with wary disgust and Llew with awe. Braph sighed again, but this time his lips pressed together in disappointment. He set about gathering up the vials and needles. Jonas stood over him.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t that I don¡¯t appreciate your help, but that ¡­¡± He indicated Braph¡¯s stump, a dribble of blood trickling over the end. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again.¡±


    ¡°You felt it, didn¡¯t you?¡± Braph squinted up at his half-brother, his narrowed eyes sparkling in the low light. ¡°The power.¡±


    Jonas took his time answering. ¡°I felt it.¡±


    Braph smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it ¡­?¡± He closed his eyes, sucking in air as if he¡¯d injected himself again.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t right.¡± Jonas half turned his head as if intending to look to Llew, but unable to make eye contact. How good did her blood feel to them? ¡°You¡¯re walkin¡¯ a fine line,¡± he said to Braph. ¡°I want you alive for now, but¡ª¡±


    Pop!


    They all looked up at the incredible sound followed by the rattle of shaken leaves. But this time it didn¡¯t stop. A series of ticks and crackles were punctuated by even louder snaps and bangs. The tree started to lean. Llew shrieked. Her tree!


    Jonas gripped her arm and started pulling her away, but she couldn¡¯t move. Her tree was dying, and it was all her fault.


    ¡°I have to¡ª¡± Shaking Jonas off, she ran to the tree and tried to push it back upright. A rational part of her knew it was pointless. In fact, more than likely it was downright dangerous, and she had no way to heal herself without draining a huge area of the Turhmosian landscape and pinpointing her location for anyone interested. But she wasn¡¯t about to stand idly by as her tree toppled. Another part of her hoped that her touch might heal the tree¡¯s flesh the way it healed hers. She could feel something passing between them, but it was so faint she didn¡¯t know if she was mending the tree or if it was making up for the damage done as it bore down on her. Then Jonas was beside her, stretching to his full height to ease the pressure.


    The meadow still rang with creaks and groans like a ship on the high seas.


    ¡°Run,¡± he said through clenched teeth.


    ¡°We have to save it,¡± she began. ¡°Maybe if we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Run!¡± he roared, straining under the weight.


    He was right. As much as she wanted to, she couldn¡¯t deny it. Tears streaming, she ran out into the meadow, turning in time to see Jonas twist out from under the Ajnai, letting it fall with a crash.


    She remained still, staring at where the tree had stood for hundreds of years. Braph stayed back, while Hisham took care of a baser need behind another tree. Jonas came to stand beside her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to tell it about the Quaven tree,¡± she said after another while. The tree had looked, that was true, and it seemed to have caught a glimpse of the other tree with the child¡¯s soul entwined with its own. But Llew was almost certain it had gleaned no understanding about that pulsating tree. Llew barely understood how her child¡¯s soul could talk to her from within the tree¡¯s roots, but it had happened. This tree had only seen that the Quaven tree existed, and that had been enough to make it happy ¨C as trees went ¨C but Llew wished she could have shown it more, maybe asked it what it all meant. Now she would never know if the tree could have comprehended what they had somehow created.


    Jonas had the sense not to speak. It was Quaver¡¯s fault only a single Ajnai remained since the time of the Immortals and, as far as Llew was concerned, Jonas was the epitome of everything Quaven. The part of her that needed to blame someone, anyone for what had happened was waiting for him to give her an excuse. In the absence of a reason to lash out, all she had was disbelief and sorrow.


    ¡°It saved your life,¡± she said.


    ¡°I know.¡± He sounded sufficiently saddened, though she wasn¡¯t sure she detected any guilt for the role he¡¯d played.


    ¡°Twice.¡±


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    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°I wish we could¡¯ve done more.¡±


    Llew gritted her teeth. He had given her nothing to snap at. In fact, he¡¯d said exactly what he should¡¯ve. But she needed to snap.


    After all those years she¡¯d finally found her pa only to kill him as they had slept, his hand resting on her arm, while the Syakaran knife wound in her hand began to fester. Then she¡¯d found this tree. Her tree that had welcomed her as family, and now she¡¯d killed it, too.


    ¡°All we ever did was use it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Its power existed to be used,¡± Jonas murmured. Turning to her, he said, ¡°Aris did this, remember that.¡±


    Llew nodded. It was all Aris¡¯s fault. If he hadn¡¯t killed their children, they wouldn¡¯t have been here to use the tree and he wouldn¡¯t have felt a need to chop it down. Her tree would be standing, and she would still be pregnant ¨C with an uncertain future ahead of her; but who was to say her new future was any more certain?


    Right then, she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d hated anyone more. Even Braph; and that was saying something.


    They were all still standing in silence as darkness settled in fully. Llew was struggling to turn her back on the tree. She kept closing her eyes to say a final farewell, or apologize for allowing it to fall and, each time she opened them, some tiny part of her held out hope that she had imagined it all and the Ajnai still stood. And each time her hope was dashed.


    Braph sighed loudly. They were all tired, spent, but so much had happened Llew couldn¡¯t imagine giving in to the folds of sleep.


    ¡°How long does it take for the Aenuk blood to leave our system?¡± Hisham asked.


    ¡°Your own body has destroyed it and flushed it from your system by now.¡± Braph almost sounded mournful as he waved his hand vaguely at the tree Hisham had been behind moments earlier. He glanced at his stump ¨C the arm where he had worn his device. ¡°Most attempted blood transfusions have been troublesome, but the Aenuk power negates whatever goes wrong in the process. It¡¯s one reason you need to use so much; it has to fix the damage it does going in before you can use the rest.¡±


    Hisham nodded, scowling when Braph mentioned damage but, otherwise, his demeanor relaxed with relief. He caught Llew¡¯s gaze and looked away, scratching at a shoulder.


    ¡°We may as well get some sleep.¡± Jonas gave her a kind smile. ¡°We all need it.¡± His smile broadened. ¡°Though, I¡¯m feelin¡¯ pretty good, all things considered. I¡¯ll take first watch. Once I¡¯ve, ah, flushed my system.¡± He bowed bashfully before stepping away to disappear behind a tree.


    Hisham brought the horses and cart closer, hobbled them near the fallen tree and threw bedrolls in the vicinity of the others.


    On his return, Jonas¡¯s gaze lingered on Llew, somewhere between hungry for more and savoring what he¡¯d already tasted. Llew didn¡¯t know what to say. That look was too close to the way Braph had looked at her. And others before him. Before she took more than a step towards her own bedroll, he gripped her arm and pulled her close.


    ¡°We make a good team, you and me,¡± he said. His eyes shifted across her face, taking everything in under what light filtered down from a mist-blurred moon. ¡°Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°What? My blood and your getting killed?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t dead.¡±


    ¡°Not this time.¡± Her cheeky grin muffled the worry behind her words. They¡¯d done this too often already, and Aris was still out there ¨C and she still didn¡¯t trust Braph. Their ¡­ she couldn¡¯t call it luck, but whatever it was, it had to run out some time.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s usually I¡¯m the one savin¡¯ lives.¡± He released her and brought both hands up to frame her face. ¡°But you¡¯ve saved mine twice.¡± His leather-clad thumb rubbed across her left cheek. He looked at his own digit moving up and down, then pulled both hands back to tug the gloves free, dropping them to the ground and clasping her face again. His face lit up as they connected skin-on-skin for the first time in weeks. He brushed fingers across her forehead, down her cheek, neck, across her shoulder, down her arm, and took up a hand. He warmed her knuckles with a couple of breaths before pulling them to his lips, lingering on the sensuous touch. ¡°It feels so good to touch you again.¡±


    Llew brought her hands to his face, his stubble rough beneath her fingers. Six weeks. It felt like nearly as long as they¡¯d known each other they had been unable to touch. Her fingertips brushed over his face and not a tingle or a zap passed between them. Not of the kind she felt when healing, anyway. She ran her hands down his torso, tugged his shirt free of his belt and slid her fingers up his back to savor that heat he continuously released.


    Hisham and Braph shuffling into their bedrolls pulled Llew from the moment, but she couldn¡¯t pull her eyes from Jonas¡¯s. In a grip somewhere between aggression and tenderness he pulled her to him and pressed his mouth to hers, tasting her, drinking her in. She kissed back at first but was all too aware of their audience. She didn¡¯t know if the other men were watching, but there was little chance they were unaware of the goings on. She pulled back. Jonas gave a pained expression and pulled her back into a full-bodied, if chaste, embrace.


    ¡°Aris can do what he likes, if I could get you alone right now,¡± he rumbled by her ear. ¡°I missed this.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything with him around,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ wrong with showin¡¯ him what he¡¯s missin¡¯,¡± he said, but didn¡¯t force the issue.


    They stood together in silence, holding hands. Now and then, Jonas brushed his fingers across Llew¡¯s forehead or a thumb over her cheek, and then he took up her hand to kiss it again.


    He led her away from the sleeping bodies and eased himself to sit against the fallen Ajnai trunk. Llew¡¯s first instinct was to admonish him, horrified at the disrespect, but the tree¡¯s soul, or whatever, was gone, and she allowed herself to do the same. She rubbed her free hand idly over the thin outer bark.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing there,¡± she murmured. Just a fallen tree. Just wood. The power and the ¡­ personality were gone.


    As Hisham¡¯s and then Braph¡¯s breathing shifted into the deep rhythm of sleep, Jonas said, ¡°You should be sleepin¡¯, too.¡±


    But she wasn¡¯t tired, and after so many weeks laid up in bed, she didn¡¯t relish returning to it.


    ¡°What will Aris do now he¡¯s destroyed my tree?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jonas said solemnly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I never questioned him, Llew. But I¡¯m learnin¡¯. He¡¯s a dead man the moment we figure out how.¡±


    ¡°Him or you.¡± It was a poor attempt at a joke, but Llew didn¡¯t feel like avoiding the issue. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. They were my babies, too,¡± his voice caught on the words.


    ¡°I know that.¡± Just in time she stopped herself from snapping at him. Maybe she had forgotten. She¡¯d slept through most of the normal mourning period, had hardly thought of her babies, so wrapped up in her own damage as she was at the time. And she¡¯d assumed Jonas would be more concerned about his son that still lived. Somehow, in amongst it all, their children had died and been forgotten. But maybe they hadn¡¯t. Maybe all this traipsing, this desire to bring family back together ¨C a mother, a son, maybe even a half-brother ¨C maybe it was all for their children. But that still left Aris out there, and Llew couldn¡¯t get her head around what might happen now he was all-powerful. ¡°What did he do the last time?¡± she asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t he try to take over the world, or something?¡±


    Jonas gave her a pleading shake of the head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, Llew,¡± he said. ¡°Aris has done my thinkin¡¯ for me all my life. I never thought to question him, never thought to learn outside of what he taught me. What I know of the days of Immortals ¡­ It¡¯s not much, and now I know why. But at this moment, he¡¯s not here and you are. And ¡­ I can touch you and it ain¡¯t gonna kill me.¡± He smiled. ¡°And I¡¯m gonna savor it, ¡¯cause maybe Aris will be back tomorrow, or maybe Turhmos¡¯ll declare war. But I don¡¯t wanna think about that when I¡¯ve got now.¡±


    Llew swallowed.


    Something fluttered out from the forest canopy and squawked off into the distance, and a breeze stirred the tussocks into a whispered roar. A leaf fluttered down.


    ¡°Wow,¡± said Llew. ¡°I told you, you always know what to say.¡±


    Jonas silenced her with a shake of his head, and they sat, hand in hand, listening to the sounds of the night. Until Jonas murmured something about his leg being cold. They sought out needle and thread and Llew managed to help mend his trousers while he still wore them ¨C it was too cold for him to sit around butt-naked ¨C without pricking him too much.

 32: Helioraptor

    Llew woke to the scent of roasting meat and toasted bread ¨C and a frosty chill to the air that had her weighing up whether food was that important.


    Hisham had a fire going and was skinning another rabbit for the spit. Braph, still not trusted with watch duty, remained wrapped up in his bedroll.


    Before she could move, Jonas¡¯s arm tightened around her and his breath tickled her neck before he planted a kiss under her hairline, sending shivers of a different kind down her spine.


    ¡°Relax,¡± he murmured. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. And this is nice.¡±


    His arm relaxed its grip, his hand resting on her hip briefly before sliding down her thigh, then across above her knee and sliding back up the inside.


    Llew shivered, his voice, his fingers, and the tickling of his breath firing all sorts of responses she wasn¡¯t prepared to act on in the moment. The developing pressure on her tail bone told her Jonas shared her thoughts. Before Llew had to decide whether to stop his traveling fingers, he planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek and threw back the bedroll cover. Freezing air rushed in.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Llew¡¯s exclamation had both Braph and Hisham looking their way. In an effort to remain a spectacle for the shortest time possible, she leaped up and pulled on her jacket. It was bitterly cold, but as least she¡¯d folded it the night before, so it was only wet on the outside. She felt her cheeks coloring. Rather than facing their audience, she directed her embarrassment into an angry glare at Jonas.


    ¡°Ah.¡± He rolled on his back, linking his fingers behind his head. ¡°Feels good to move like that again, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡ª¡± She was taken aback a moment. It was good to be able to move like that again. But it was cold! ¡°Arse!¡± She gave him a half-hearted kick in the guts.


    ¡°Oof!¡± He over-played his reaction, curling into a ball, a grin creasing his cheeks.


    He clambered from the bedroll and stood, stretched one side of his body then the other, muscles rippling under his skin, making the gryphon tattoo appear alive, and making Llew wish they were alone. How he could stand to be topless in the morning air, she didn¡¯t know, but she could hardly complain.


    She fixed her scowl back in place. ¡°You¡¯re still an arse.¡±


    He scooped up his shirt. ¡°You sound like Alvaro.¡± He slid his arms into the sleeves, then leaned towards her as he started on his buttons, ¡°But you look better naked.¡±


    Llew felt her cheeks grow even hotter. She would have been as tempted as he clearly was to dash off and have a little fun together. But the fact remained they were in the heart of Turhmos and Braph was with them.


    Gently gripping her head, he planted an unselfconscious kiss on her lips. ¡°And I think this time you mean ass, like the animal.¡±


    Llew poked her tongue out. ¡°Arse sounds better.¡±


    Jonas chuckled and turned towards the low campfire. ¡°Rabbit?¡± He strolled over and crouched by Hisham, diving straight into friendly banter with his good friend.


    Llew watched him go. Cocky bastard. She¡¯d saved his life only the evening before and now here he was walking around like he was living his dreams. Maybe he was. Maybe all he needed was a heartbeat.


    He was right about one thing, though. It did feel good to be able to jump up out of bed like that. It certainly had been too long. And she had her tree to thank for that.


    With a hefty sigh, she turned to the fallen Ajnai. Jonas had distracted her from the reality the previous evening, but in the crisp light of a wintry morning, it hit full force. She walked to the tree, reached out to it, and walked along it, trailing her fingertips down its fine, lightly textured bark. Of course, it was silent now. Its soul, or whatever it had had, was gone. Somehow, that felt like a greater loss than a single human¡¯s life. One person, one soul. But her tree had been something more. It had lived through so many lifetimes, touched the lives of so many. Not that she could feel that history anymore.


    Jonas joined her when she reached the jagged foot of the trunk. He slipped a hand around her waist, and they stood surveying the wreckage side-by-side.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bein¡¯ such an ass,¡± he murmured. ¡°Or, what was it, an arse?¡±


    Llew couldn¡¯t help herself. She laughed. So strange to hear his mimic of her accent, and bizarre how wrong it sounded to her ears. Still, she could have some fun with it. ¡°You know an ass is a donkey, right? This¡ª¡± She stepped back a bit and spread the fingers of one hand over one cheek of his trousers. ¡°This is an arse.¡± She stepped back up beside him, keeping her hand in place. ¡°I like your arse,¡± she whispered.


    Jonas smiled at her and his own hand came to rest on her trousers. ¡°I like your ass, too.¡± He smirked and winked as his fingers gave a slight squeeze.


    A rush of signals ran through Llew¡¯s blood, making her warm all over and highly aware of certain parts of her body. Not long ago it would have physically ached. Now the only pang was the knowledge that they stood in a clearing in Turhmos with Hisham and, even worse, Braph nearby. And before them lay the Ajnai, lifeless.


    Llew let her hand drop, growing solemn.


    Jonas let his hand drop, too, though he let it fall right beside hers, so they touched; knuckle-to-knuckle.


    After a time, she said, ¡°It spoke to me, you know?¡±


    He nodded like he understood. Or, at least, like he considered that the appropriate response.


    Llew tried to think what she would have thought had someone said such a thing to her a few months earlier, back in Cheer, before all this. She would have called them crazy, no question.


    Jonas¡¯s hand went to the handle of his Syakaran knife. His eyes were narrowed.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ it¡¯d be a shame for it to all go to waste.¡±


    Her head was already shaking.


    ¡°Llew.¡± He turned to face her, looking her in the eye. ¡°I get it. It was special.¡±


    ¡°That tree stood for over a thousand years. You can¡¯t just go chopping it up for firewood or¡ª¡±


    ¡°Weapons, Llew. The tree can lie here and rot, or it can be put to use, by us or someone else.¡±


    ¡°Us. Definitely us. You think it can still help in the fight against Aris?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°The Syakaran knives have a core of Ajnai wood. We know they kill Aenuks, and Aris used one to get his powers back.¡±


    ¡°And it told me it could take his power,¡± she murmured. But that had been with the tree still whole, alive. The dead wood might do nothing. But it would do nothing if it was left here to rot. ¡°Then do it. But please understand why I can¡¯t be a part of it.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I reckon the horses all need a little extra care this mornin¡¯, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Llew smiled, relieved to have a task not involved in dicing up her tree.


    <hr>


    Hisham and Jonas took turns putting their strength and speed into hacking with the axe or whittling with their knives.


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    Pausing his chopping to wipe a dribble of sweat before it blinded him, Jonas noticed Llew picking her way through the strewn canopy.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doin¡¯?¡± he called over the scratching of Hisham¡¯s busy knife.


    She looked up, her face spreading in a beaming grin as she raised her hand. From the pinch of her fingers hung a bunch of seeds. ¡°There are hundreds!¡± she called back, glowing in her triumph before turning back to her task, twisting off another bunch and dropping them into the breakfast pot. ¡°We could plant a forest,¡± she said, her voice carrying easily over the silence that had settled. Jonas redirected Braph¡¯s energies to helping Llew collect her bounty.


    By lunchtime, well over half of the trunk had been roughly whittled into knife, sword, arrow, spear, or ball shapes, and the cart was overladen with their efforts. Jonas was reluctant to leave any behind. He wouldn¡¯t be the last to admit he wasn¡¯t revered for his wits and he couldn¡¯t help the feeling that if he had thought to use the wood, someone else would likely do the same, and it wasn¡¯t just Aris the wood had a deadly effect on. His gaze drifted to where Llew was eagerly claiming seed bunches, dropping them into the pot now carried by Braph. Part of her appeal was that she was hard to kill ¨C the gods knew Jonas had lost enough people in his life ¨C but hard to kill was not the same as immortal. Aris was closer, and even he wasn¡¯t truly immortal. Difficult to kill, not impossible.


    Thankfully, only they knew what the tree was. Just them, and Aris. That last was risk enough.


    He swept his gaze over their surroundings. The forest at the edge of which the Ajnai had stood was deep, dark, and full of hiding places, but Aris would have to come close to see them and Jonas was certain they would have heard something. The meadow was wide and flat, providing little cover, but another forest began on the far side. The road ran alongside not far from where they worked, the other side of which was fenced-off farmland dotted with large rocks. There was as much chance of Aris watching from there as from the forest periphery.


    Jonas found his hand unconsciously resting on the pommel of his Syakaran knife. If Aris was watching, he knew Jonas was ready. He bent to chopping the trunk again, only to hear something that had him turning again.


    As if conjured from thought, Aris stood in the middle of the meadow, some twenty paces away. Not far enough for Jonas¡¯s liking. He checked where Llew was with a brief glance that Aris shared. She was bent to the task of replanting Ajnais and hadn¡¯t seen the Immortal yet. Did Aris realize what she was doing? Jonas drew his knife slowly.


    ¡°You think you got a shit-show of hitting me, boy?¡±


    ¡°I reckon you think so, or you wouldn¡¯t be standin¡¯ back there.¡± Jonas sensed Hisham come up beside him, though he didn¡¯t dare take his eyes from Aris. Even blinking was risky at the speed the old man could move.


    They stood like that, those three, eying each other. The occasional flicker of light on Aris¡¯s eyeballs told Jonas the old man was checking on Llew, watching her progress, perhaps calculating whether he could get to her and make it count before Jonas caught up and drove his knife into him. Jonas was calculating the same and reckoned he could close the distance.


    Aris¡¯s hesitation told Jonas he feared the Syakaran blade. Good to know.


    The air filled with a tick, tick, tick, and a deep, thrumming undercurrent.


    ¡°What in the¡ª?¡± Jonas couldn¡¯t tell from which direction the sound was coming, but Aris looked up, somewhere over the forest behind them and Jonas risked a glance, too. The cool blue was layered in broken drifts of white, but nothing to explain the noise. The tops of the trees wavered, but there was no earth tremor to accompany it, nor was there any wind.


    He turned. A strange vehicle, like a cart but in the air; side projections, like birds¡¯ wings, but rigid; a blur above it, and making a horrendous noise. Like thunder, cut up with a meteorological axe. Finally, the wind hit them, pushing them down, whipping hair into eyes, and robbing them of breath.


    ¡°Run!¡± Braph roared, as Jonas heard a shout that seemed to come from the flying machine.


    Jonas checked the meadow. Empty. Llew? Running for the trees. No sign of Aris. He joined the dash.


    They hunkered behind thick trunks. All except Braph. He stood, bent at the waist enough to see out from under the canopy. Jonas slunk up beside him.


    ¡°Someone has been sifting through my toy box.¡± Jonas pieced together Braph¡¯s sentence from the bits and pieces he heard, the words sliced apart.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he yelled over the cacophony. The contraption became visible as it passed over the forest on the other side of the meadow. From this new angle, it looked no less odd; like a deep-sided cart with a pole sticking up from the center. It swung a little, allowing Jonas to catch glimpses of what looked like flour mill blades, but lying flat over the cart. There were two of them, one above the other, spinning fast enough to blur. And at each horizontal corner, smaller blades, spinning at various speeds.


    ¡°Seems Turhmos has managed to get my helioraptor going,¡± said Braph.


    ¡°Your what? Hold up. Your helio-what?¡±


    ¡°Helioraptor. My flying device. Please give me a moment while I mourn that others are experiencing it before me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it for?¡±


    ¡°For? Does it need a purpose? Look at it?¡±


    But Jonas had stopped listening before Braph finished talking. The volume had stopped diminishing and was steadily increasing again. There was more shouting, too, though any meaning was drowned out by the machine.


    Chino let out a piercing whistle from where he was hobbled in the meadow.


    ¡°The horses,¡± Jonas said breathlessly. In their panic, they¡¯d left the horses tied in the open, the noise of the machine drowning out the animals¡¯ cries. Of course, they¡¯d been seen. The cart wasn¡¯t exactly inconspicuous, either. ¡°Bring the horses in!¡± The others were moving before he¡¯d finished, snaking back through the trees, snatching up ropes and dashing back. Wild as the horses were, they were keen for the cover of the forest.


    Arrows hit the ground, sinking harmlessly into the soil. Jonas breathed a sigh of relief none of the horses had been struck. Their equipment was still out there, but it would survive with a few holes. Jonas moved back to as close to the forest rim as he dared, hoping to see without being seen. The Turhmosians knew they were there. Didn¡¯t mean they had to be sitting targets. Part of him wanted to run under the forest cover. He had little doubt he could outrun the contraption, as could Hisham and Braph. And with the forest to block sight of them, they could be well away before the fliers knew they¡¯d gone. But Llew wasn¡¯t Karan. And he wouldn¡¯t leave the cart behind. They could replace, or even survive without their equipment, but that haul of Ajnai wood was more valuable than anything else right now.


    Hisham came up beside him. ¡°You want to do anything?¡± Jonas¡¯s eardrum stung under the combination of closeness and volume Hisham employed to be heard over the flying machine.


    ¡°What can we do?¡± He didn¡¯t make much effort to be heard, but Hisham must have read his lips as the Karan¡¯s own drew out in a resigned grimace.


    Movement caught his eye. A rope hung in midair. It swayed gently to-and-fro, then jiggled as something, someone, grappled with the other end. They were coming down.


    A fireball hurtled down, landing in the cart.


    ¡°No!¡± He didn¡¯t have to ask Hisham to cover him ¨C he simply ran, grabbing up a bedroll from the camp to beat at the flames. Hisham came in behind, picked up a bow, strung it, and began firing arrows at the crew of the hovering machine. The first Turhmosian attempting to slide down the rope hit the ground. But more arrows rained down around them. As he flapped out the last flame, another flaming arrow dropped into the cart, right amongst the Ajnai wood. Within little more than a second, disbelief gave way to anger, followed by decisiveness. Jonas spun, whipping a knife from his vest, and flung it up, moving so fast the target had no chance to duck. The knife sunk through skull. The bow and already nocked arrow sailed down to the meadow below, while the bowman disappeared behind the side of the flying machine. Jonas turned back to the burning wood. The second arrow had settled deep, lighting the pile from within. Jonas jumped onto the cart, scraping at the contents to get to the source. Behind him, Hisham kept the arrows flying as fast as others rained down. While Jonas was busy smothering flames, he heard the heavy thuds of a couple more bodies hitting the ground nearby before the flying machine finally veered away, taking its drumfire racket with it.


    Llew and Braph stepped out from the trees, rubbing at their ears.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know what to do,¡± Llew said after a while.


    ¡°Not much you could do but stay alive,¡± Jonas said as he bent to sift through the blackened wood, pinching out any sparks.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here.¡± Hisham strode back to the cart. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take for news to spread, but it¡¯ll spread.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Jonas kept to his task, brushing away charcoal to reveal hidden embers. He didn¡¯t need telling trouble would come finding them now. Problem was, unless they gave up their load of wood, they were limited to taking roads and traveling at the speed of a cart. Not fast. And certainly not hard to find, especially now the men in the flying machine knew exactly the size and make up of their group.


    Finally satisfied their wood was safe, he stood, brushing his hands off on his thighs. ¡°I ain¡¯t about to give up on building an arsenal against Aris just ¡¯cause Turhmos know we¡¯re here. We gotta find somewhere to hole up. It just can¡¯t be here.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°And us a meal,¡± Hisham interjected.


    Llew was surprised, but the thought made her smile. Merrid had been so kind to Llew when she¡¯d been running scared across Turhmos, desperate to somehow get to Brurun without leading Braph and Turhmos straight after her with the trail of destruction she couldn¡¯t help leaving behind.


    The couple had told her they¡¯d met her friends ¨C after making sure she had a good night¡¯s sleep behind her ¨C and directed her after them, all but guaranteeing she crossed their path. She should have guessed they would have invited the group in for a meal.


    Jonas looked stern, but she waited while he appraised her suggestion.


    ¡°It could get them killed,¡± he said finally.


    Llew goggled at him. But, of course, he was right. She should have thought of that.


    ¡°But it¡¯s the best we have,¡± Jonas concluded.


    Llew¡¯s head shook of its own accord, but she couldn¡¯t voice the words. Jonas looked on her with some sympathy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Llew,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best not to bring them trouble.¡± He jumped down from the cart. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s gettin¡¯ late, but we gotta get on the road. We travel at night, when I¡¯m bettin¡¯ those flyin¡¯ machines don¡¯t get out much, and we find shelter before first light.¡± He paused, hands on hips, looking up into the clear blue and the few tatty white puffs above. A crisp day, with a cool breeze that cut right through. ¡°Luckily, this time of year the nights are long.¡± He peered around at his posse. ¡°We can do this.¡±

 33: The Right Thing

    With the evening¡¯s dark settling in, they waited out the day beneath the forest cover, every sense on high alert. Aris didn¡¯t return. He¡¯d achieved his goal in felling the Ajnai, and Llew¡¯s stomach clenched over the thought of his hunt for Aenuks resuming. How long until he found her mother? How long before he learned of the Taither tree?


    They set out down the road at a trot, easing back to a walk when the initial panic subsided. They weren¡¯t free of danger by any means, but there was little they could do about it than be fresh should a fight come to them.


    Llew relished the ride. Her body was no longer in agony and she was whole again.


    They passed Hinden by and stopped in the middle of nowhere to eat a dinner of dry bread and saliferous meat provided by the Taither Barracks¡¯ kitchen far too long ago. They had yet to attempt buying fresh food within Turhmos but, with their dwindling supplies, they would need to soon.


    Jonas suggested they stretch their appetites till they reached Merrid and Ard¡¯s. Merrid would look after them like they were her own children come visiting, but that didn¡¯t make Llew feel much better about the trouble they might be leading to the couple¡¯s door. Still, all things considered, it was the best move they had.


    They rode through the night, the brisk wind whipping at their backs for the first half, an oppressive stillness settling for the second. They sought shelter when a hint of purple touched the horizon, and the now-still air began to condense to a misty fog. Hisham praised the weather for the extra cover it would give them, even as it seeped through their clothes, chilling them to their bones.


    They found a clearing big enough to take the cart into and deep enough to shelter them from the day¡¯s travelers. Now they had been spotted by the flying Turhmosians, they had to assume hunting parties would be seeking them, but with a lack of any magical way to disappear, all they could do was use what the landscape offered and hope.


    Llew was exhausted by the time they stopped, so the fact she would be sleeping by daylight, filtered as it was, bothered her none. Hisham took first watch.


    Sometime later, the deep bass of the flying machine approaching had Llew¡¯s eyes flying open. Jonas¡¯s arm tightened around her middle.


    ¡°Hold still,¡± he murmured. ¡°No point givin¡¯ ¡¯em movement to target on.¡±


    They lay in a tense silence ¨C not that anything would be heard over the racket from the cacophonous contraption. The rumble deepened, was soon joined by the thwack, thwack, thwack of its blades. The treetops above began to sway in its artificial breeze. Llew couldn¡¯t pull her eyes from the gaps created in the canopy. Would they see it? Would it see them? Soon, only the rumble was left, and then even that diminished. Llew breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What is that thing?¡± Jonas asked as the sound faded.


    ¡°I told you,¡± said Braph. ¡°It¡¯s my helioraptor.¡±


    ¡°You made that?¡± It came out as accusing as Llew intended.


    ¡°Dreamed up, designed, built,¡± Braph said.


    ¡°And what other contraptions might they have to hunt us with?¡± Jonas asked.


    Lying on his back, Braph shrugged. ¡°Very little, I should think. I built most of my prototypes with a plan to fuel them with Aenuk blood. It¡¯s possible they got one or two going. But going by their success with the wrist devices, I doubt it.¡±


    ¡°So, what might they possibly have got goin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°If anything, they would only be able to figure out the heliodrone, by my reckoning. Little else would make sense to the uninitiated.¡±


    ¡°And, if they got this heliodrone goin¡¯, what do we need to keep an eye out for?¡±


    ¡°Fragments, most likely,¡± Braph stated without a hint of humor. ¡°Scattered around the base of a building or tree.¡±


    Llew shared a wry look with Jonas. Didn¡¯t sound like they had to worry too much about contraptions from Braph¡¯s workshop. And, thinking of contraptions from Braph¡¯s workshop, Llew shuddered, recalling the mechanical spiders he¡¯d used to draw her blood. Despite her conscious attempts to rationalize why such devices wouldn¡¯t be crawling around the forest floor, she peered into the murky fog around them, half expecting to see several coming to drain her.


    ¡°Get some sleep,¡± said Jonas. ¡°Hisham will wake us if there¡¯s a real problem.¡±


    They were woken sometime later by the machine flying overhead once more, but again it simply passed over.


    Hisham was supposed to wake Llew when it was her turn on watch, but instead she woke alone. Sensing the lateness of the hour as soon as her eyes flickered, she threw her bedroll back and kicked her way free. Hisham gave a small groan at her lack of care for minimizing noise, but otherwise didn¡¯t wake. And Braph, as always, slumbered deeply, safe in the knowledge that he wasn¡¯t trusted to watch over the others while they slept.


    Jonas sat at the base of a tree a few strides from the hub of their camp looking off into the distance. The fog hadn¡¯t lifted all day and the air was still freezing.


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    She walked over and crouched next to him. He smiled at her and patted the ground beside him. She swung down, planting her arse, and drawing her knees up and they sat in an airy silence as was often their custom.


    After a sleep broken by so much noise, the quiet stillness of the early evening was more than welcome, and almost enough to give a sense of security. Enveloped in thick fog, it felt as if they were the only two people in the world. Llew smiled to herself, savoring the moment. There hadn¡¯t been too many like it in recent weeks, and she doubted more would be forthcoming anytime soon.


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± she asked, more to open dialogue than any desire to know the answer. They were chasing Aris down, on their way to rescuing Llew¡¯s ma and Jonas¡¯s son. What did it matter if Aris was more powerful than anyone else in the world and would more than likely kill them all within minutes of them finding him? Unless they got lucky and stumbled upon him after he¡¯d worn himself out, but Llew was struggling to believe they¡¯d get that lucky.


    ¡°The right thing.¡± Jonas sniffed at a drip on the tip of his nose but didn¡¯t bother to wipe it.


    ¡°We¡¯re both a bit daft when it comes to preserving our own lives, aren¡¯t we?¡± Llew sought to keep the mood light.


    Jonas coughed out one laughing breath, still peering straight ahead into the thick murk.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve died, or nearly died how many times in the last few months? And you? Died once, and tried again yesterday,¡± Llew continued. ¡°And now, here we are ¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Llew wasn¡¯t sure if Jonas was really listening. He seemed lost in his own thoughts.


    What little light there was bounced off something twirling between his fingers. The glint had Llew assuming it was Jonas¡¯s little bottle. Disappointed as she was, she could hardly blame him with all they¡¯d been through, but there was still so much more to come. She hoped he hadn¡¯t drunk too much. Looking down, though, she saw it wasn¡¯t glass, but a white flower amongst a small collection of tiny blue flowers. Jonas idly rolled them in his fingers, spinning the flopping flower heads one way and then the other. He must have picked them earlier in his shift, as they had lost their turgor. He turned to her and followed her gaze.


    ¡°Oh!¡± He stopped the spinning and gripped the stems in a fist. He flipped his wrist a couple of times, throwing the flowers this way and that, frowning at their flaccid form. ¡°These are ¡­¡± He made to pass them to her, but stopped, pulling back. ¡°They were ¡­¡± He rolled his wrist a couple more times, demonstrating the bouquet¡¯s tiredness again. ¡°¡­ for you.¡± He grimaced.


    ¡°Can I?¡± She reached a hand out.


    ¡°Um.¡± The flowers flopped once, and again. ¡°Oh.¡± He passed them to her. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re lovely.¡± Or they would have been. Regardless, the sentiment had been. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He peered at her through the low light. ¡°You¡¯re welcome?¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s ever given me flowers before.¡±


    ¡°No one?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Not having nothin¡¯ to compare it to don¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t expect better.¡± He stood and held out a hand. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s find you some more.¡±


    She let him help her up and followed him away from the camp. The sky was still light, but the sun was well down, nearly gone. A bird fluttered up to the treetops. Another took off behind them. In the still, chilly air, sounds were crisp, clear. They would hear trouble coming.


    ¡°Does it still count if I help you pick them?¡± She asked, following the path he was cutting through the swirling mist.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do the pickin¡¯,¡± he assured her. ¡°But I¡¯ll know you¡¯ll get them at their best.¡±


    Still holding hands, he led her through the sparse trees. Their passage disturbed the fog enough to show low-lying bushy, flowering plants growing at the bases of the trees. The white flowers, of which there were few, stood out against the dark trunk of the tree under which they grew, but there were also blues, yellows, and oranges, all tiny, and visible for brief moments as the fog lifted and eddied. Jonas released Llew¡¯s hand to stoop, sift through the bushels and come up with his own personal selection of the best examples available. Satisfied, he gently scraped the withered earlier attempt from her hand and replaced it with the new.


    ¡°For you,¡± he said. He cupped both her hands in his and grinned. ¡°I was gettin¡¯ awful used to the idea that touchin¡¯ you would kill me.¡±


    ¡°And I was getting awful used to the idea that even thinking about you touching me would cause me pain.¡± Her light-hearted smile turned to a sickly grimace. Llew just wasn¡¯t good at this. Yet again, she¡¯d tried to be funny, and it resulted in Jonas looking pained and them both standing there awkwardly not quite looking at each other.


    ¡°They¡¯re beautiful,¡± she tried, raising the flowers, and they shared a brief nervous smile. She settled her hand back into his and they stood, looking down at the wild bouquet.


    Several floundering moments passed with one and then the other looking up only to find themselves trying to give the top of the other¡¯s head a reassuring smile.


    Llew gave up and spoke to her feet. ¡°I hate that Braph is still the last man who touched me.¡± It had been burning at the back of her mind for weeks now. An itch, and her fingernailless.


    In the still, cool air, she heard Jonas swallow. ¡°I won¡¯t deny I want to help make that right,¡± he said, his voice thick. ¡°But I can¡¯t. Not before you¡¯re ready.¡±


    She lifted her head, the movement drawing his gaze up in return ¨C in sync, for once ¨C and somehow, she managed to speak without a tremor in her voice, or her cheeks flushing. ¡°Make me ready.¡±


    For a moment she thought he was going to dispense with niceties and just take her; his hunger was so vivid. His throat bobbed again; his lips parted. Llew found herself swallowing her own nerves, too, and she couldn¡¯t decide if she was desperate to get on with things or nervous as all hells. Actually, she was almost certain she was both.


    But instead, he shook his head, and a combination of relief and disappointment surged through her. Mostly disappointment.


    ¡°Not here. Not now,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Llew took a step back. ¡°Dumb idea. Time we were moving, anyway.¡± She turned to head back to camp.


    Jonas grabbed her hand before she took another step and tugged, swinging her back into him. She crashed into his chest, expelling the wind from them both. At least it was funny enough for them to laugh once they had their breath back. Then Jonas¡¯s hand gripped the back of her head, and they engulfed each other in their eagerness to taste, and their denial of their desire to strip off, to make love. Llew had to concentrate to keep her grip on her flowers, her hands wanted so badly to start working on his shirt buttons, no, better yet, straight to his trousers. But they wouldn¡¯t. They mustn¡¯t. Now wasn¡¯t the time.


    He released her and they stepped apart, panting. Llew rubbed the back of her hand over her lips. Not to wipe him off, to check they were still there.


    ¡°I hope this Merrid and Ard are real accommodatin¡¯, ¡¯cause I don¡¯t think I can wait till this is all over.¡±


    ¡°I know I can¡¯t.¡± Llew was breathless.

 34: I Envy You

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    Days


    <hr>


    Nonot

 35: Hes Been Good To Me

    They reined in outside Merrid and Ard¡¯s farm an hour or so before sunup. The house cows were already baying, and the glow of a lone candle seeped through the gaps around the kitchen shutters. They waited not long before the cottage door opened and old Ard stepped out, carrying a covered milk bucket and, without looking up, turned to face the door as he closed it quietly. Then he turned back and froze.


    Llew slipped from Amico¡¯s back and started up the path. Ard dropped the metal bucket on the porch and armed himself with the pitchfork.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Ard,¡± she called. ¡°Llew ¡­ Llewella.¡±


    ¡°Llew¡ª?¡± His voice shook with uncertainty. She moved closer and his face softened in recognition. ¡°What¡¯re you doin¡¯ back, girl? You¡¯re supposed to be safe.¡±


    ¡°Something came up.¡± She stepped into his embrace. ¡°We didn¡¯t want to bring trouble, but we hoped you could put us up. A shed will do.¡±


    ¡°Pah! Merrid wouldn¡¯t hear of it. You have a bed here. We¡¯d be just as happy if you¡¯d never needed it again, though, eh.¡± He looked beyond her.


    ¡°Jonas of Quaver.¡± Llew indicated the Syakaran.


    ¡°Aye, we¡¯ve met.¡±


    The two men nodded once to each other.


    Hisham jumped from the cart and, as he came near, Ard beamed.


    ¡°Lieutenant.¡± Ard stepped forward, clasping Hisham¡¯s hand in both of his. ¡°Good to see you again. You know, Merrid made a big batch of that stew you liked so much just yesterday. We were goin¡¯ to be eating it for lunch and dinner today, maybe again tomorrow. As much as I enjoy it, I like it better when we change things up a bit. I¡¯ll be glad for your help in gettin¡¯ through it.¡±


    Hisham laughed. ¡°Be glad to.¡± He patted Ard¡¯s arm.


    Ard looked back to where Jonas still sat astride Chino, beside Braph. ¡°No Cassidy this time?¡±


    The heavy heart that accompanied every mention of Cassidy settled in Llew¡¯s chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Cassidy didn¡¯t make it out of Turhmos the last time,¡± Hisham said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ard¡¯s brow creased. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I liked Cassidy. Good man, he was. And his cousin ¡­?¡±


    ¡°Alvaro,¡± Llew supplied. ¡°He¡¯s back home with his family. He hasn¡¯t forgiven me for Cassidy¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°Aye?!¡±


    ¡°It weren¡¯t Llew¡¯s fault,¡± Jonas said, stating fact so firmly Llew was almost convinced herself. ¡°There was a misunderstandin¡¯ and Alvaro had to place blame somewhere.¡± He brought Chino a pace closer. ¡°We¡¯d like to get the horses and cart off the road before it gets light.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You can put ¡¯em in the stable out back,¡± Ard said, friendly enough, though it looked as if Jonas rubbed him the wrong way. ¡°But I¡¯d like to know who I¡¯m welcomin¡¯. Who¡¯s this?¡± He nodded to Braph.


    ¡°That¡¯s Jonas¡¯s brother,¡± Llew said. ¡°Braph.¡±


    ¡°The magician.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Jonas, Llew and Braph said in unison. Braph lifted his stump to illustrate.


    That seemed to please Ard some. His lips stretched a little. His gaze slid to Jonas again, no doubt making a mental black mark for his relatedness to Braph. ¡°Alright. Well, you lads can settle your mounts in the stable corral. Llew¡¯s gonna come help me with my ladies.¡± He collected the milk bucket from the porch, still clutching the pitchfork in the same hand, and rested his other hand on Llew¡¯s shoulder to guide her to where the cows waited, pausing a moment to direct the men where to go when their paths diverged.


    ¡°We need somewhere to shelter the cart from pryin¡¯ eyes.¡± Jonas waved a finger at the sky. Llew wasn¡¯t sure if Ard would know what he meant, but the farmer didn¡¯t seem confused at the suggestion of eyes in the sky. That worried her. It suggested the flying machine had already been over their farm, and likely would be again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve a three-sided shed the other side of the stables. There¡¯s space there if you move a few things, gentle like.¡± Ard indicated the cart¡¯s load. ¡°If you want to use any of that wood, you¡¯ll need to dry it.¡±


    ¡°You got a way we can do that?¡± Jonas asked.


    Ard smiled. ¡°I reckon I can wrangle somethin¡¯.¡±


    Jonas smiled and nodded his thanks and turned to help with leading the horses and cart to the stable.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t want any of you goin¡¯ into my home without my say so. You¡¯ll give Merrid a heart attack, you lot wanderin¡¯ in there. You finish with your horses, you come find me an¡¯ Llew. We won¡¯t be long.¡± The farmer guided her on, one hand on her shoulder, the other still carrying bucket and pitchfork. ¡°Merrid will be right pleased to see you, but I meant what I said. You weren¡¯t supposed to come back. They know about you now. They¡¯ve been lookin¡¯.¡± He waved the pitchfork in a generally skyward direction. Damn. Llew had wanted to be wrong. ¡°And now I know you¡¯re here, I reckon it¡¯s for you in particular.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Llew said. She opened the wooden gate and the two cows pushed through, eager for breakfast and to have their udders eased. ¡°We ran into a patrol last night,¡± she continued, turning to follow Ard and the cows to the open shelter, which was a roof suspended over a pad of compacted dirt, where they would be fed and milked. ¡°That¡¯s why we were hoping you could shelter us a few days. There¡¯s more at stake now than just me or my life.¡± She leaned against the stable wall as Ard poured a measure of dry feed into a trough for the cows.


    ¡°Here we are, girls. Eat your fill, there¡¯ll be more bad weather comin¡¯.¡± Nodding his pleasure at seeing the cows tuck in, Ard entered a tiny storage shed that, from the outside, looked barely big enough for him to stand in, never mind storing things around him. He came out with a second bucket and two wooden stools.


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    ¡°You done this before, girl?¡± he asked, placing a stool on either side of the cows, alongside the buckets.


    ¡°Done ¡­¡± Llew looked at the scene again: two cows, two buckets, two stools ¡­ two people. ¡°Uh.¡± She could hear Hisham, Jonas and Braph talking while they unsaddled and brushed down the horses around the corner. Not their words, just voices. She would rather be there with them. She knew what to do with a brush and a hoof pick.


    ¡°Take a seat.¡± Ard bent to pull one of the stools back, as a gentleman might for a lady. ¡°Best place to ponder the world¡¯s problems is with a fist round a teat.¡±


    Llew baulked, but she could see no way out. Before her rear touched the seat, Ard shuffled the stool closer to the udder before her, so she was perfectly positioned to begin work. He placed one of the buckets ready to catch the morning¡¯s yield and set about explaining ¨C with a demonstration ¨C how to draw the milk down and out from the teat. He had Llew demonstrate what she had learned before he moved to the other side of the cows to start his own work. The task had Llew¡¯s own breasts tingling in sympathy.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt them?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Oh no.¡± Ard chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s leavin¡¯ ¡¯em full that hurts. They let me know if I¡¯m runnin¡¯ a shade late of a mornin¡¯, and Merrid used to moan when our babes first slept through the night.¡± He laughed again, setting a steady rhythm with his milking. Llew tried to match it. ¡°You¡¯d think she¡¯d be grateful for the sleep, but her bosom had other ideas.¡±


    A snort behind her nearly had Llew toppling from her stool. Amico¡¯s head hung over the fence, a look of accusation in his eyes. Why hadn¡¯t Llew been the one to groom him? No doubt the men hadn¡¯t spent long enough, having their own mounts to care for.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she murmured.


    Llew¡¯s cow shifted her hind foot, giving Llew another start, but the animal was just shifting weight, not fixing to kick, so Llew settled back to work.


    ¡°You¡¯ll learn all about it when you have tots of your own,¡± Ard was saying.


    Llew felt the pang in her gut, no less fresh than the moment she had felt her children perish. Her fingers squeezed as tight as her jaw clenched while she focused on blinking away tears. The hoof came up, stomped the ground, and came up again, wavering with threat. Llew eased her grip and the foot lowered.


    ¡°What¡¯s so important you had to come all the way back to Turhmos, then?¡± Ard asked. ¡°And a dead patrol behind you. That¡¯ll only attract more trouble.¡±


    ¡°It was us or them.¡± Llew kept concentrating on the rhythm set by the farmer. She was still wrestling with how much to tell. In the little more than a month since she¡¯d met Merrid and Ard, so much had happened. Though she hadn¡¯t known it at the time, she¡¯d already been pregnant when she stayed with the couple. She didn¡¯t know how they would feel about her being in such a condition without being married and, for some reason, Ard already seemed wary of Jonas. Telling them the full story seemed to be asking for trouble. ¡°A very powerful and dangerous man has come to Turhmos. We don¡¯t know what he¡¯s going to do. All we know is that he hates Aenuks more than anything else and, as far as we know, Jonas is the only one with any chance of defeating him.¡±


    ¡°Then Jonas should have come. He didn¡¯t need to put you in danger.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more to it than that. Jonas needs me.¡±


    ¡°Every man needs a good woman. He can need you just as well from across the border.¡±


    Llew switched to working the other teat pair as the first seemed to have run dry. Ard didn¡¯t think Jonas was looking after her well enough. She congratulated herself for not mentioning her pregnancy. She could imagine the farmer striding round the corner to give Jonas what for. ¡°The man we¡¯re chasing is an Immortal. He¡¯s as strong and fast as Jonas and can heal himself, without draining anything. Jonas can¡¯t fight him alone.¡±


    ¡°What can you do against an Immortal? Aenuks can¡¯t heal Kara.¡±


    ¡°Braph showed us that we can, but it¡¯s ¡­ complicated.¡± Llew didn¡¯t think Ard would take too kindly to blood injections, probably even less so to her pregnancy. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s nowhere safer for me than by Jonas¡¯s side. Turhmos could find me in Brurun. They nearly found me in Aghacia. And there¡¯s no saying what Quaver would do with me if Jonas abandoned me there.¡± They¡¯d incarcerated her once already. ¡°We¡¯re doing the best we can.¡±


    ¡°Still no reason he couldn¡¯t make it an honest pairing.¡± Ard scraped his stool back. The cows must have heard the sound thousands of times, as both girls remained placid. ¡°It ain¡¯t right, a single girl travelin¡¯ day and night with three men. If I had a say, I¡¯d have that Hisham courtin¡¯ you. Now, there¡¯s a nice lad.¡± Ard brought his pail of milk around by Llew and pressed the lid into it. ¡°But your heart¡¯s been with the Syakaran from the get-go, so I s¡¯pose there¡¯s no changin¡¯ your mind.¡±


    Draining the last of the milk, Llew sat back flexing her hands. They¡¯d done a good morning¡¯s work and the sun was barely above the horizon. ¡°He¡¯s been good to me.¡± She looked Ard right in the eye. ¡°Honest truth.¡±


    ¡°Well, it sounds to me as if you¡¯ve got somewhat more to worry about than some Turhmos patrol.¡± Ard pulled Llew¡¯s full milk pail out from under her cow and set about pressing the metal lid in place, sealing it firmly. ¡°You¡¯ve always got a place here, Llewella. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Ard.¡± Llew embraced the farmer as he stood, seeking strength against the chill that shook her at his use of her full name as much as thanking him for his words.


    ¡°We best get you inside to Merrid. She¡¯ll be right mad at me if I keep you all to myself any longer, especially wet as you are from the rain.¡± He scowled at the blood stains and tears in her shirt. ¡°Been good to you, huh?¡± He scratched at his stubbly chin.


    He shooed the cows back to the paddock where they were to spend their day, then Llew waddled alongside him, her full pail hanging in front of her legs so she could grip the handle with both hands. He¡¯d offered to take it, but it would be poor form for him to carry both while she carried none. No matter how much he assured her he did so every morning she insisted on doing her bit and he politely let her, even if walking at her pace made the job doubly hard.


    Their loads were lifted when they reached the point where their path merged again with the men. Hisham took Llew¡¯s pail and Jonas took Ard¡¯s. The two Quavens carried the milk pails as if they were empty, though Llew thought she caught a slight wince as the thin metal handle settled in Jonas¡¯s burned grip.


    ¡°Our horses need new shoes,¡± Jonas said as they walked.


    ¡°What you¡¯re askin¡¯ is if I have my own forge and tools. Which I do. And iron. But I¡¯m guessin¡¯ you¡¯re lookin¡¯ to work somethin¡¯ else, too.¡±


    Jonas¡¯s smile said You¡¯re onto it and Llew felt a warm glow. Ard was the closest thing she had to a father now hers was gone, and that made her want Jonas and Ard to get on that much more.


    ¡°And none of you can make the trip to Hinden without likely attractin¡¯ some trouble.¡±


    Jonas smiled again, clearly not feeling a need to confirm as he and Hisham eased the pails down on the porch.


    ¡°Alright. What do you need?¡± Ard asked as the two Kara straightened.


    Jonas turned his gaze to Braph, who said, ¡°Lead.¡±


    Ard¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°That right there.¡± He pointed to his own forehead. ¡°That¡¯s the look I¡¯ll be gettin¡¯ around town with that request.¡±


    Jonas wasn¡¯t the type to slump, but he did look disappointed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mean I won¡¯t do it.¡± Ard¡¯s surprise turned to disgust. ¡°Right, clean up your grubby mitts and let¡¯s get inside.¡± He indicated the pitcher of water and wide bowl on a table beside the door.


    Everyone took their turn at washing their hands and freshening up before presenting themselves to Merrid. Jonas took his time, letting his scalded hands soak in the cool water. They must have been stinging, but he wouldn¡¯t admit to that.


    When everyone was ready, Ard pushed open the door.


    Merrid looked up from her breakfast preparations, a welcoming smile becoming wide-eyed wonder and flustered apron removal and wide arms as she came to the door and pulled Llew into a hug that nearly winded her.

 36: An Honest Woman

    Merrid¡¯s enthusiastic greeting brought a smile to Jonas¡¯s lips and a little warmth to his heart. They were in deepest Turhmos, danger coming at them from all directions, and in the middle of it all was this couple. He didn¡¯t understand how, in the midst of such a hateful nation as Turhmos, there could be folk like this; folk so loving they looked right past all their differences and simply saw folk. Ard was still wary, that was clear. He couldn¡¯t blame the farmer. Jonas had been rude the last time. Not that he hadn¡¯t been grateful for their hospitality, but his mind had been elsewhere, with Llew still missing at the time. Yet, despite that, the farmers were inviting him into their home again.


    Merrid released Llew and beckoned them all in, but Llew remained in the doorway.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t cry,¡± Merrid pleaded. ¡°You¡¯ll get me started.¡±


    Jonas stepped up behind Llew and, with a hand to her lower back, guided her deeper into the kitchen so the rest of them could fit in behind her. Jonas pulled Llew into his side, an arm across her shoulders as the others entered, filling the kitchen to full. Ard¡¯s appraisal wasn¡¯t accusing, but it still made Jonas feel as if he¡¯d done something wrong and he removed his arm, nearly laughing out loud to think the farmer could have such an effect on him.


    Merrid had Hisham lift down another saucepan.


    ¡°We will need some more bacon,¡± Merrid said pointedly to her husband.


    Ard jumped to comply, giving Jonas a look as he opened the door, and Jonas moved as swiftly to follow. Ard led the way to a cool store. A pig¡¯s carcass hung inside, salted and smoked.


    ¡°Might as well put you to use.¡± Ard snaffled up an old, large ¨C and still plenty sharp despite its tarnish ¨C knife and handed it to Jonas. The farmer scooped a fistful of muslin off a bench and bent to spread it over the rim of a wide bowl, which he scooted under the pig, and Jonas stepped in to start slicing. He worked methodically, slowly. His palms were still raw, but not so bad as to prevent him carrying out such a basic task.


    ¡°You tread carefully with my Llew, y¡¯hear,¡± Ard began as soon as Jonas was engaged in his work, apparently not intimidated one bit about being in close proximity to a fully trained Syakaran soldier holding a sharp knife. ¡°She has it in her mind that you need her in your fight against this Immortal, and she needs you to protect her.¡±


    Jonas focused on his slicing, working at normal speed. Something told him Ard had a lot to say and he wasn¡¯t about to stand around with nothing to do while the farmer tore strips off him the way Aris used to. He¡¯d continue to do as much to the pig, even if it meant exposing bone.


    ¡°Need ain¡¯t love, nor respect.¡±


    ¡°I respect her.¡± Jonas couldn¡¯t help himself, even though he felt he was being baited.


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    Jonas paused long enough to give Ard a flat look. The farmer was pushing his luck. Didn¡¯t he know who he was talking to?


    ¡°You¡¯re Syakaran.¡± Evidently, he did. ¡°It would be easy to think that a Syakaran and a Syaenuk would make a good match. A powerful match. Maybe even a dutiful one,¡± Ard continued. ¡°And it would be easy for a man used to getting his way to use his power to convince a young girl she wants that, too.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t about duty,¡± Jonas almost snarled, Aris¡¯s demands for duty still fresh. ¡°And I ain¡¯t tried to convince her of nothin¡¯. Whatever Llew thinks she wants, she¡¯s come to it on her own.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t tryin¡¯ to say you ain¡¯t a good man,¡± Ard surprised Jonas by saying. ¡°I haven¡¯t been averse to readin¡¯ a few of your tales that¡¯ve found their way this side of the border. You¡¯ve played the role of dutiful soldier well. Shame it got in the way of bein¡¯ a good husband.¡±


    Jonas¡¯s teeth clenched and his knuckles whitened around the knife handle. Ard was walking a thin line. He¡¯d done as Aris told him. The young Jonas thought it a fine idea. Kierra was beautiful. What more could a young man desire? It was only after they wed that Jonas realized he also wanted a happy wife and that Aris¡¯s requests conflicted with that. He¡¯d had much to learn about women. For some reason, simply being married to the Syakaran hero of Quaver hadn¡¯t been enough for Kierra. He had more understanding why, now.


    ¡°You think you can do right by Llew when you couldn¡¯t before?¡± Ard asked. ¡°Think you can treat her right and forsake all others?¡±


    ¡°I already do.¡± Jonas paused, turning to face Ard. ¡°Are you after a proposal of marriage, or somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I think with the way you two look at each other you should be goin¡¯ beyond mere proposin¡¯.¡±


    Jonas chuckled. ¡°What are you, a farmer-celebrant?¡±


    Ard shrugged. ¡°Well, not right now. But they know me in town. Know I¡¯m of sound mind and good character.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Llew would laugh at him if he even tried to propose. They¡¯d only known each other a few months. And in those months, lived a lifetime.


    ¡°As serious as you are,¡± said Ard. He patted Jonas¡¯s shoulder before opening the door and gesturing him to exit back into the fresh air. ¡°You¡¯ll do what¡¯s right.¡± Ard gathered up the muslin sack of bacon rashers and led the way.


    They had kind of messed it all up, hadn¡¯t they? Doing everything backwards ¨C getting pregnant, losing their babies, then courting properly ¡­ They weren¡¯t even doing that. They were too familiar. They¡¯d skipped several steps. Did that mean he should bow out gracefully, admit he¡¯d done her wrong and make way for a better man? Or did it mean he needed to become that better man?


    Back in the kitchen, eggs were cracked and bread broken, and Jonas sat across the table from where Llew sat between the farming couple and wondered if what he wanted was right. He wanted her. More than he¡¯d wanted anyone. But Ard was right. There were social conventions they¡¯d skipped right past. Were they there simply to make others more comfortable? Or did Ard have a point? If they truly loved each other, perhaps they should make it official.


    Despite everything, it was the best breakfast Jonas had had in weeks. The food was fresh and the company chipper.


    Merrid and Ard delighted Llew with tales of her folks, riveting even Jonas with the role the couple played in Llew¡¯s father¡¯s defection from the Turhmos army and later smuggling her parents across the border.


    ¡°Orinia never felt safer,¡± Merrid was saying. ¡°And surrounded by the enemies of their enemies, I suppose they couldn¡¯t have been. But it made correspondence almost impossible.¡±


    ¡°When did you last hear from her?¡± Braph asked.


    Llew stiffened and Jonas glared out the corner of his eye. He didn''t want to make a scene at this table.


    ¡°When Llewella was perhaps four winters. Orinia was put out that Llewella was developing into a real daddy¡¯s girl, always down at the forge, always by her father¡¯s side.¡± Merrid¡¯s smile dropped when she caught the glimmer in Llew¡¯s eye, and she ran a soothing hand over Llew¡¯s head and down her back.


    ¡°I think I met her once,¡± Braph said.


    The mood around the table became tense. Llew¡¯s gaze grew steely. Hisham grew still and Jonas readied to knock his brother¡¯s teeth out. Ard leaned forward to shove a chunk of buttered bread into his mouth.


    ¡°Llew looks a lot like her.¡± Braph picked up a chip of bacon from his plate and popped it in his mouth, chewing it loudly. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t think it likely I¡¯d stumble upon the one Syaenuk in a place as big as Quaver, but what kind of place would the world be without wonder, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Merrid continued to soothe Llew with her caresses, oblivious to Braph¡¯s hints.


    Jonas didn¡¯t know what his brother was trying to achieve. Except, perhaps, a rearranged face.


    Llew¡¯s eyes threatened bloody murder at the one-armed Karan. She threw a crunchy piece of bacon between her teeth, initiating a renewal of everyone else¡¯s appetite.


    Until the staccatoed thunder cut across the sky above.


    Llew froze mid-chew. Ard held a butter-dipped knife over another chunk of bread. Hisham paused with a scoop of soft egg nearly to his lips.


    Eyes scanned the ceiling, directing the ears¡¯ focus, but it was little use. The sound was loudest through the open window. There was no sense of direction or proximity.


    Jonas thought of the horses in the corral ¨C Llew¡¯s golden and white hack and his own bay and white warhorse, too distinctive to miss ¨C and he was out the door and in the yard in a second. Chino, trained and used to his Syakaran speed, walked calmly into the stable when directed to do so.


    Llew¡¯s horse presented a different challenge, but not one Jonas couldn¡¯t handle. Grateful that he¡¯d left the panicking animal¡¯s halter on, he gripped the leather and pulled. Wild eyes cast over him, not really looking, only seeing terror, terror everywhere, bearing down from above, coming up from below ¡­ The horse was no match for him. If only it would see that, it would know the fight wasn¡¯t worth it. Clicking his tongue ineffectually, he tugged. The horse¡¯s hooves dug into the loose grit. And skidded.


    A tremor of surprise went through the beast, but still it tried to fight him.


    He pulled, and the horse followed, leaving a trail of scrapes through the sand. The horse finally relented as a shadow fell across its head and he led it to one of the stalls.


    Chino stood in another, calmly awaiting instruction.


    Still the sound reverberated around them. Jonas took the chance to poke his head out of the stable.


    The sun was a white glow through the featureless grey shroud. No flying object. He inhaled readying a sigh of relief. Then he saw it. A dot. Hovering a little north. Right about where they¡¯d met the patrol last night. He had little doubt that through the shifting mist, the flying machine¡¯s crew could see what had become of their countrymen in the night. He also had little doubt that from the two sightings, they could calculate direction and the likely speed of Jonas¡¯s crew. He cursed under his breath.


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    The flying machine ¨C Braph¡¯s helio-something ¨C swung out of its hover and started moving closer, following the road. Jonas¡¯s breathing became slow and deep, as if that would be the difference between being spotted and remaining free. He¡¯d never faced anything like this.


    The flying machine was perhaps still a half-hour¡¯s leisurely ride away when an almighty bang rocked the landscape and the thunderous thrum sputtered, the growing dot plummeting, wavering, recovering some height despite the continuing troublesome sounds. It diverted from the road, swinging away over the fields.


    Jonas took the distraction as a chance to race back to the kitchen. No one had moved, all still rooted to their bench seat. All except Braph, who stood at the door looking out.


    ¡°They¡¯ve broken it!¡± Braph declared. ¡°I barely got to try it over ten feet, and they¡¯ve gone and broken it! Louts, the lot of them.¡±


    Jonas pulled up short in front of his brother. ¡°Can they repair it?¡±


    ¡°They got it going so, yes, they can get it going again.¡±


    Jonas pushed past. ¡°Then we¡¯ve got to move.¡±


    ¡°Where will you go?¡± Merrid shot to her feet. ¡°There is nowhere safer than here.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll come. It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°And we will shelter you.¡± Merrid sidled out from between table and bench. ¡°Come.¡± She walked through the front door, oblivious to Braph, and Jonas went after her.


    In a narrow alleyway of long grass and weeds, between the rear of the house and its out houses, and behind a thick but yielding bush, was a pair of rusty iron doors. Small. Each barely big enough to permit Jonas ingress, though both open were a snap. He levered himself down, disappearing into darkness. Ard followed, along with a chorus of grunts and shuffles. Then there was a scratch, a flare of light, a cry of metal, the hiss of gas. Ard turned, his kerosene lamp illuminating only a small quadrant of what Jonas sensed was a large room of sorts. Behind them, directly beneath the entrance, the walls and floor were concrete. Where Jonas stood, farther in, was dry dirt.


    ¡°You might get the sense that Llewella¡¯s folks ain¡¯t the only ones we¡¯ve helped out of Turhmos.¡± Ard swiveled, his dull yellow light falling on cots all made up, waiting to provide much needed rest to someone ¨C or several someones ¨C on the run. At the foot of each cot, a chamber pot. And in the corner of the room, a table and chairs. Almost cozy.


    ¡°How many?¡± Jonas¡¯s cultivated hatred for Aenuks fought against his newfound acceptance that they were innocents that Turhmos used and Quaver killed.


    ¡°Who knows? We ain¡¯t taken to countin¡¯. Two or three every year or two? We can¡¯t afford to advertise. We just collect ¡¯em as they stumble by. The well¡¯s a big draw, aye, Llewella?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Llew got down on her knees to stick her head down. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    Jonas moved back under the hatchway. Llew flinched when he suddenly materialized below her. Thanks to the shade from the house and out-buildings, Jonas could see everyone looking down from above.


    ¡°There¡¯s a whole bunker down here.¡±


    Merrid smiled down at him.


    ¡°And you men can sleep down here.¡± Ard stepped beside him and shut off the gas. ¡°There¡¯s a bed inside for Llew.¡±


    Jonas opted not to comment, pretending he wouldn¡¯t miss sharing Llew¡¯s warmth.


    Now that his eyes were accustomed to the low light, Jonas easily located the metal steps embedded in the bunker¡¯s concrete wall. He helped Ard out and closed the hatch, and they all reconvened on the other side of the bush.


    ¡°Turhmos have never found it?¡± Hisham asked.


    ¡°They¡¯ve never had a reason to look,¡± Merrid said.


    Jonas looked over his shoulder to where the hedge hid the bunker entrance. ¡°We might be about to put it to the test.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re gonna look, they¡¯re gonna look. And if they find it, Merrid and I are in trouble,¡± Ard said. ¡°Whether it¡¯s empty or occupied.¡±


    They stood a moment, appreciating the silence. Whatever the flying machine¡¯s fate, it was no longer a concern of theirs. Wild birds fluttered into the air, squawking as they went. Merrid and Ard¡¯s chickens clucked. Llew¡¯s horse whinnied, punctuating the country silence with a disgusted snort. Right now, there was nowhere safer to hole up than here.


    They divided to get on with their tasks.


    After setting Ard on his way to Hinden, Llew seemed torn between helping the men convert one of the smoke houses into a kiln or assisting Merrid with the breakfast clean up, even at the woman¡¯s brush-off. Her tune changed, however, when Jonas mentioned training.


    ¡°Training. Like army training?¡±


    ¡°Very like.¡±


    ¡°With you?¡±


    Jonas was unsure how to respond. Was she questioning the pairing because she thought any scuffle between them would likely devolve into very un-warlike behavior, or was it the fact that in a real scuffle he would easily overpower her? He decided to respond to neither. ¡°Well, who else?¡±


    ¡°Not Braph.¡± She was quick to respond.


    ¡°Obviously. This is serious. I don''t want you to end up face-to-face with Aris, but you might. We gotta build a plan.¡±


    She opened her mouth to argue, but stopped, breath in-drawn. ¡°Sounds like fun,¡± she relented, though he detected an edge of sarcasm, and tuned for their designated training paddock.


    ¡°Well, it could be.¡± He followed.


    Llew spent much of the rest of the morning on her back, or at least it felt that way. She supposed, though, that to land on it so many times, she must have been on her feet in equal measure.


    She had asked Jonas to teach her some of the moves he¡¯d taught Karlani. In her mind she¡¯d pictured the times when the pair had looked like dancers, pairing up and measuring out the steps of each move. She remembered them moving together, like lovers. She¡¯d forgotten that such moments had been punctuated with Karlani hitting the ground. Hard.


    Llew was certainly hitting the ground a lot. Something about the importance of knowing how to take a fall. She¡¯d rarely had a problem taking a fall before, but Jonas had donned his gloves, so each impact compounded on the last. Figuring she could only bruise so much, she too wore gloves and was holding out on healing till they¡¯d finished, hoping it would mean less damage to the farm.


    At least Jonas hadn¡¯t insulted her by apologizing, though he was tempering his strength and, while she wasn¡¯t ungrateful for it, she couldn¡¯t help feeling cheated. If it came to it, Aris wouldn¡¯t go easy.


    They ate a light lunch at a quiet table with Ard away. With his long list of tasks, which included sending a telegram of their progress to Anya, he wasn¡¯t expected back for a couple of days. Llew hoped that would be the case and that he wouldn¡¯t be held for questioning or otherwise strike trouble.


    Merrid directed them in tasks that needed doing around the farm in Ard¡¯s absence, and every spare moment was spent in play-fighting or whittling the Ajnai wood into useful shapes and sizes.


    When they returned to their training a couple of days later, Hisham and Braph came to watch. This time, Jonas taught Llew how to use his momentum against him. He ran at her and she twisted and followed his motion with her whole body, sending him sailing past. It reminded her of the first time she¡¯d seen him fight weaponless, when he¡¯d faced a man three times his size. The difference was, while Jonas had been smaller than his opponent, he¡¯d still had the advantage in strength, not that Llew had known it at the time. Neither had his opponent.


    When he went into a roll and shot back up to his feet, of course she demanded he teach her that, too.


    ¡°It¡¯ll come,¡± he said simply.


    By the time Ard¡¯s mule-drawn cart pulled into the farm¡¯s stony path, Llew¡¯s whole body ached with fatigue and developing bruises. Hisham and Braph moved immediately to help unload the cart and sort the items Ard had bought. There was new iron for horseshoes, new leather for tack repairs and some other plans Jonas had ¨C which had gone right over Llew¡¯s head when he¡¯d described them, so she was going to wait and see and nod appreciatively when they were done ¨C lead for the Gaard pellets, and, possibly, news of Aris. Llew hoped for none. Then they could focus on recovering her mother and Jonas¡¯s son.


    But since when had life delivered on what Llew wanted?


    She knelt in the corner of the paddock, pulled off a glove, and sunk her fingers into the grass. A circle of death spread around her, a little beyond her shadow¡¯s perimeter. Damaged blood vessels closed. The blood that had already pooled into bruises wouldn¡¯t go anywhere, but it wouldn¡¯t get added to, either. Her marrow accelerated its processes, replacing what had leaked. Muscles recovered from damage sustained. She would sleep well that night ¨C especially with a real bed to look forward to.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve done that for you.¡± Jonas had pulled off his gloves and held a hand out to help her to her feet.


    She stood without accepting his help. Something about the country air and Ard and Merrid¡¯s hardiness inspired her to develop her own.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. You¡¯re still recovering from the last time.¡± And she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he could have avoided the arrow he¡¯d taken on the road if he hadn¡¯t been weakened from helping her. Jonas shrugged her concerns away.


    The mule was already unhitched and snacking on a bucket of chaff or other some such mule treat when they arrived at the corral. Hisham was unloading the cart¡¯s contents to their correct homes or stacking them inside the stable door, ready to be put to use the following morning.


    Ard met Jonas and Llew halfway, two bits of paper in his hand. One was stiff and the size of a standard letter with a bold insignia on it. The other was thinner and larger, clearly a news release. Ard flashed the first piece at Jonas, along with a broad grin before folding it and stuffing it in his pocket. But it was the second that held Llew¡¯s attention. What news?


    Ard¡¯s expression turned grim, and he tried to pass the paper to Jonas first, sparing Llew a brief pitying glance that had her hackles raised in an instant. Jonas unfurled the page and Llew snatched a hold of its edge so he couldn¡¯t turn and hide its contents from her. Clearly this was something she needed to see, too, and she wasn¡¯t about to let the men protect her from it. The headline read: Aenuks Slaughtered In Barracks. Llew¡¯s blood ran cold. It had to be Aris. It was what they¡¯d suspected he would do. Sure enough, scanning the article, Llew saw words like ¡®whirlwind¡¯, ¡®unstoppable¡¯, ¡®brutal¡¯. Words that could apply to Aris on their own, but together left no doubt.


    She snatched the paper from Jonas and turned her back on him, scouring the article for clues. Would they mention the loss of the Syaenuk? Did the rest of the country even know they had one? The words blurred as tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of a hand. Her nose was running, too. Let it run. She had to know.


    ¡°Llew.¡± Jonas tried to catch hold of her hand before she gripped the paper again. She batted him away and brought the paper up, but her eyes betrayed her again, the words wobbling, incomprehensible through the tears yet to dampen her cheeks.


    They were so close, and yet her ma could already be dead.


    She sniffed, swallowed a huge gob of mucus, though she¡¯d already lost control of the liquid running to her lips, and wiped away the threatening tears again. As fast as she wiped, her vision blurred, and she cursed. Her mother probably still lived and Llew was bawling like a baby.


    Jonas shadowed her but she kept turning and walking, keeping the paper to herself until she could read it. Finally, she sniffed and wiped her right eye, her left, her right again, and she could read. And there was nothing. No mention of a Syaenuk. Barely a mention of the Aenuks beyond the headline. Just the aftermath of someone incredibly fast and impossibly strong. Jonas was mentioned, and readers reminded that some twelve months earlier he¡¯d done the same, though to a less devastating effect, and at a barracks much closer to the Quaven border, now abandoned. There were questions of Quaver¡¯s involvement, and whether or not Turhmos could, and should, retaliate. Who would ally with them if Quaver had developed a weapon such as this? Was it the only one? The article speculated whether Jonas himself could have become such a force. Some mention of a weapon designed specifically to tackle him, though no details were given. Another that he was rumored to be within Turhmos and to report him if sighted.


    But nothing, nothing about the Aenuks killed.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Braph¡¯s voice shot like a spear down Llew¡¯s spine. He stood by her right shoulder, Jonas to her left. ¡°The barracks. Where is, or was, it?¡±


    Llew scanned the article again.


    ¡°Peria.¡±


    ¡°Then she lives.¡± The same relief Llew felt was evident in his voice. ¡°Orinia is housed in Duffirk, in a barracks attached to the central governmental compound, The Palace. It¡¯s well guarded, but about the easiest to find.¡± Braph¡¯s voice quivered as he brought Llew¡¯s own fear to the surface again.


    ¡°How far is Peria from Duffirk?¡± Llew turned, for the first time truly facing Braph as an ally. ¡°How long do we have?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a week of steady riding, or Syakaran, or, rather, Immortal running.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re about that far from Duffirk, aren¡¯t we?¡± Llew hadn¡¯t exactly kept track of time when she¡¯d stumbled away from Braph¡¯s home and then her father¡¯s body.


    ¡°There abouts,¡± said Braph. ¡°Although, we don¡¯t know how much hiding he¡¯ll do. That would slow him down.¡±


    ¡°And us. We can¡¯t afford to be seen.¡± She glanced at Jonas. He might have cut his hair off the last time he was in Turhmos, but he had the darker skin of the Quavens, and that confident bearing.


    ¡°When I said the Duffirk barracks was easy to find, I didn¡¯t mean simple. We do have an advantage in my having been there before.¡±


    ¡°He found the Peria one. He can find the Duffirk one.¡± Llew wasn¡¯t going to pin her hopes on Aris¡¯s incompetence. ¡°We have to stop him.¡±

 37: You Dont Need To Ask

    With shelves of wood stacked in a smoke house and hot coals in a covered iron skillet underneath, they retreated to the kitchen for a hearty dinner of thick, meaty stew. Hisham was especially pleased. So pleased, in fact, that he jumped at the chance to thank his hostess by helping with the cleanup. Merrid flushed at the handsome young man¡¯s enthusiasm and the pair settled to a pleasant discussion of meat cuts and spices.


    ¡°This Immortal¡¯s bad news, ain¡¯t he?¡± Ard asked, pouring water into a pot on the stove. He picked up a jar of ground coffee beans and a spoon and raised his brow in question. Llew shook her head as Jonas and Braph nodded, and Ard put three heaped spoonfuls of the coffee into the pot before seating himself back at the table.


    ¡°For Aenuks, at least.¡± Jonas sat forward, leaning his elbows on the now empty table. ¡°Hard to imagine he¡¯ll stop there, though. What do you reckon you¡¯d do if you were stronger and faster than everyone and knew you¡¯d live another thousand years?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯d be pretty satisfied with my lot,¡± said Ard. ¡°My home satisfies my needs, and I have my best friend to see me through the quiet times.¡± He threw a smile up at Merrid who returned a warm one over her shoulder. ¡°Stronger and faster, you say? I s¡¯pose that¡¯d make the farming a little easier.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Ard.¡± Jonas rocked back in his seat, his eyes sparkling. ¡°Reckon the world would be a better place if it had more men like you in it.¡±


    Llew smiled to think of the farmer as an Immortal. She believed he truly would be satisfied to live his extended life just as he did now.


    Ard stood again, lifted the lid on the pot, stirred its contents, lined up three metal cups, and poured a measure of the rich brown liquid. ¡°Cream?¡±


    Jonas opted for black, while Braph accepted cream. Ard placed their cups before them and turned back for his, grabbing up a small box on his return. ¡°Anyone up for euchre?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m at a disadvantage for such games.¡± Braph lifted his stump from the tabletop.


    Ard¡¯s face dropped, then lit and he stood again, going to a shelf. He returned with a board covered in ivory and black squares, and another box. ¡°Checkers?¡±


    Braph smiled. ¡°Now that I can do.¡±


    Fear flared in Llew on seeing that smile. As usual, though, anger swiftly took its place. The sight of it fired memories she wished she could erase.


    Jonas stood abruptly, excusing himself and Llew. He slid his jacket on and held Llew¡¯s for her, which she slid into gratefully. Despite the darkness outside, he gathered his hat in one hand and collected his coffee with the other. He reached past her to turn the handle. What? Was she incapable of turning a simple brass knob? She screwed up her face at him and he tipped his cap to her. She felt his hand pat her arse as she took her first step outside and bit her lip on the thrill of the touch. They shouldn¡¯t insult their hosts, she knew that, but there were other needs that had to be addressed, too, and patience was wearing thin.


    Llew¡¯s feet crunched down the cart-way, her knuckles pressed into her trouser pockets. Jonas took a couple of skipping steps to catch up beside her. With his empty hand in his pocket, his other kept warm by coffee, he knocked her shoulder with his, enticing her to share a flash of teeth. Then he pulled his empty hand free, slid it down her arm till she relinquished her own fingers to the cold night air, and he locked his in between.


    ¡°One way or another, it¡¯ll all be over soon.¡± He swung their hands, forcing a sense of the carefree.


    ¡°That sounds ¡­ ominous.¡± Llew scowled into the night, the twin green flash from the back of an animal¡¯s eyes had her fingers tightening on Jonas¡¯s for a moment. She schooled herself to loosen her grip. She¡¯d lived over half a decade on her own amongst the wilderness. Llew didn¡¯t jump at silly tricks of the night. Much.


    ¡°It¡¯s realistic.¡± Jonas stopped and turned to her. They¡¯d barely made it past the rear of the house. The dark alley to the underground bunker lay behind him. ¡°I promise you I will give my all against Aris, and we¡¯re gonna go in there as prepared as we can be, but I ain¡¯t gonna pretend that a few untested munitions are gonna be enough to drastically alter the outcome.¡± He sucked down a sip of coffee, glancing into the dark like they were chatting over the family finances. Grimacing at the taste or temperature, he turned back to Llew. ¡°One way or another, are you prepared to spend an eternity with me?¡±


    Llew spat out a laugh. Jonas looked at where some of her spittle had landed in his coffee. She pressed the back of her free hand to her mouth, watching him over it. ¡°Was that ¡­ Was that a proposal, or ¡­?¡± she asked, the words muffled by her hand. She was lost for words. She hadn¡¯t been one to dream of the day this would happen, but if she¡¯d ever considered it, it had never gone quite like ¡­ this.


    Jonas shrugged. ¡°Well, I figure over the next week we die together, or we scrape ourselves up from wherever we¡¯ve landed, fight our way out of Turhmos and, well ¡­¡± He shrugged again, scowling into the dark liquid briefly. ¡°I just reckon it¡¯s easier goin¡¯ into a fight to the death knowin¡¯ there¡¯s somethin¡¯ to go home to at the end. Some sorta ¡­ soft landin¡¯, I guess.¡±


    Llew dropped her hand by her side. ¡°And here I thought we were coming outside so you could hurl me on the ground a few more times. For training, or ¡­ other reasons.¡±


    Jonas gave her a patient look. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer me.¡±


    And she didn¡¯t want to. Marriage meant submission, and Llew was not ready to submit and doubted she ever would be. Quite simply, marriage didn¡¯t feature in her plans for her future. Didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t want to be with Jonas, maybe even forever, but she would not marry. She would not submit.


    Llew stepped in, gripped the rim of his coffee mug between thumb and forefinger, swung it out beside her and dropped it. The liquid dulled the metallic ring. ¡°More importantly, right now, I don¡¯t want to die with Braph having been the last man who ¡­ touched me.¡± She gripped his shirt and swung into the dark of the narrow alley so her back was against the house. His hands caught the wall either side of her.


    They stood like that for a moment, eyes locked on each other¡¯s, both breathing fast and shallow as if they¡¯d already done the deed.


    ¡°What if it don¡¯t fix it?¡± Jonas asked.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t fix it then I¡¯m in exactly the same place I¡¯m at now. You can¡¯t make it worse. Besides,¡± she pressed a hand to his cheek, ¡°I¡¯m not dying without knowing your touch again.¡± She let her hand slide down, down his neck, down his shirt, slid her fingers behind his belt and tugged his hips towards her.


    His eyes flared, then he shook his head at the ground. ¡°I was gonna be the better man. Show you the respect you deserve ¡­¡±


    ¡°You do.¡±


    His eyes shifted across her face, but his thoughts were turned inward, like he was planning his next words carefully.


    ¡°I¡ª¡± The utterance went all to pieces around a thickening throat. He turned his head to clear it, and turned back to her. ¡°I¡ª I¡¯d like to kiss you,¡± he said, his voice trembling like he¡¯d never been with a woman before.


    Llew felt the warm glow of desire and an overwhelming urge to laugh. It was either the sexiest or the silliest thing she¡¯d ever heard.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I do.¡±


    The urge to laugh disappeared.


    The first man to kiss her, other than her father, had done it while he knelt over her in her childhood bed, his lips wet and squishy, his breath putrid. Her friend, Kynas, had initiated their intimacy with ¡®Let¡¯s practice some kissing,¡¯ which, Llew supposed, was asking her, in a way. Kynas¡¯s way. He hadn¡¯t expected, and probably wouldn¡¯t have accepted, a ¡®no.¡¯ Her first intimate encounter with Jonas had been spontaneous and what she wanted, but it had not floored her like this.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to kiss you,¡± he repeated, more confident this time.


    Llew nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± she said, breathless. She cleared her throat and repeated, matching his confidence, ¡°Okay.¡±


    He pushed off the wall and rested his hands on her shoulders, slid his fingers down her arms and, clasping her hands down by her sides, he brought his lips to hers. The three-point contact set Llew alight like she hadn¡¯t felt since the afternoon of Gaemil¡¯s ball, possibly not ever. This was different.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She had half-believed, when she reached this moment, that thoughts of Braph would flicker in her memory, diminishing, if not obliterating, her enjoyment. That wasn¡¯t to be. Any similarity between what Braph had done to her and what she was experiencing was non-existent.


    Jonas kissed tenderly at first, teasing, testing, tantalizing. He tasted of coffee, which was enough like chocolate to elicit memories of a certain afternoon. She parted her lips and he enticed her with his tongue. And just when she wanted him to taste her deeply, he bent to trail kisses down her throat and chest, peeling her shirt back and leaving her wanting even as he delivered.


    Stones scuffed and a throat cleared.


    Jonas straightened and they turned to face Merrid, the dull light of the cloud-covered moon illuminating one half of her, and a heavy, smoking pan held awkwardly by her hip. The heat of guilt warmed Llew¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°Was coming to add some coals to the drying shed.¡±


    Llew and Jonas shuffled deeper into the alley, fingers knitted. Jonas swept the drying shed¡¯s door open for the farmer¡¯s wife. They smiled friendly smiles and struggled to make eye contact with the woman, even though it made little difference in the dark.


    Merrid bent to slide the pan beside the other one, stepped back, and pushed the door shut.


    She cleared her throat again. ¡°I know all too well that when two young people want to be together, they will find a way. I don¡¯t know how it is in Quaver, but here in Turhmos unmarried couples are discouraged from carrying on with each other. Much as we disagree with Turhmos on some things, that is mine and Ard¡¯s way, too, and we would ask that you respect that.¡± With a curt nod, she turned to head back up the cart-way.


    With the woman¡¯s back turned, the thought crossed Llew¡¯s mind that they could just carry on, but somehow the very fact that Merrid trusted them not to made doing so impossible. She cursed and ran after her. ¡°Merrid!¡±


    The farmer¡¯s wife turned, a placid smile on her face.


    ¡°We don¡¯t mean any disrespect, but we might we dead by week¡¯s end, and ¡­ he¡¯s asked me to marry him when this is all over, so, do you think, maybe, this time, you could overlook ¡­?¡±


    Merrid¡¯s eyes looked over Llew¡¯s shoulder, to the darkness of the alleyway.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you stay skulking back there. Come out where I can see you.¡±


    Jonas stepped up beside Llew, head down, hands behind his back like he¡¯d been caught doing something wrong, which Llew supposed they had, but she¡¯d never been one to understand why, given how right it felt. With Jonas, anyway.


    ¡°You love her?¡± Merrid asked, to which Jonas nodded with the same confidence he¡¯d mustered for Llew moments earlier. Merrid turned to Llew. ¡°And you love him?¡±


    Llew froze. Love. The concept still gave her pause. To love was to need, and to need was weakness. Besides, what did love have to do with fulfilling a physical need? Even as she thought it, she knew she was deceiving herself. If this was merely about a physical desire, then it would do nothing to erase what Braph had done. What was love? Was it the garden Anya had built for them? The warning she¡¯d sent after Llew? Was it Jonas entering Turhmos to find her after Braph captured her? Was it in risking their lives to protect each other? Maybe it was all these things, or none. Maybe it was in wanting to be together, and the heartache that arose when they were parted. Llew didn¡¯t know, but she knew what she wanted in that moment.


    She nodded.


    ¡°Well ¡­¡± Merrid¡¯s fingers looped and unlooped in the front of her skirt. ¡°You know where your bed is.¡± Llew nodded. ¡°The men sleep in the bunker.¡± Jonas nodded. ¡°And just so you know, we¡¯re all heading for bed soon.¡± Merrid looked pointedly between them and they both nodded, receiving her suggestion clearly ¨C the alleyway by the bunker was not a good place to carry on. ¡°Hm. Well.¡± Merrid brushed imaginary flour prints off her skirt. ¡°There is ¡­ There is a nice stack of straw round back of the chicken shed,¡± she rattled out quickly, then turned on her heels and walked briskly back up the cart-way.


    Part of Llew wanted to follow the woman back to the kitchen, apologize, but a much bigger, more forceful part of her needed to do this, and if Jonas was willing ¡­


    Llew turned one hundred and eighty degrees, the toes of her boots making a tight circle in the loose dirt beneath them. Jonas turned a moment after and she held her hand out between them, brushing his to let him know hers was there. He gripped it.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± She gave him a sly look.


    His eyes sparkled as she imagined her own must and they walked with a distinct skip in their steps past the stables and around the back of the chicken coup, where, sure enough, a stack of straw piled high against the wall.


    Llew turned to face him, eager to continue from where they had been interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ¡­¡± She licked her suddenly dry lips. ¡°¡­ undress you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Nervousness reigned as Llew stepped closer to him. Excitement, too, but tempered excitement. Somehow it felt like so much rested on this moment. Like it was the difference between her feeling like a normal human being or pleading with Jonas to kill her, kill her now, she was broken, never to be fixed.


    A smile lifted the corners of Jonas¡¯s lips as he watched her, waiting for her to make her move.


    She lifted his hat and tossed it aside so it wouldn¡¯t get rumpled, then she worked down the buttons of his coat. His deep, relaxed breathing eased her nerves.


    With the jacket slid free, she started on his shirt.


    Shirt off left him with his warm undershirt. She wanted to take it off, see and feel the skin beneath, but that would leave him exposed to the night¡¯s winter chill. She peered up at him, asking permission, and he nodded. She loosened the few buttons, and he swung his arms up so she could pull the undershirt up and free, the move bringing them nose to nose, breath to breath, making a kiss a tempting next move, but she didn¡¯t. Not yet.


    She gazed down, lingering on the thick black lines that made up the gryphon rearing up on his chest. It was such a part of him and spoke of his strength and heroism, she sensed herself slip into another stage of calm.


    Watching for his reaction, she reached for his belt. Whether he found all this permission-seeking amusing or not, he didn¡¯t let it show. He nodded.


    She slipped the buckle, pulled the leather through the trouser loops, then she stepped back, looped the belt in her hands, crouched, and gently laid it silently on the ground.


    One challenge overcome, she stood and stepped close to him again. He shifted before her, using one foot and then the other to slide his boots loose and kick them free.


    While her fingers loosened the buttons of his trousers, she leaned closer, bringing their lips to a hair¡¯s breadth apart.


    Buttons loose, she placed her hands on his hips and pushed down, sliding the heavy material far enough for him to shimmy them lower and step free.


    Naked, he stood at ease, watching her.


    She went to reach out to touch his skin, hesitated, cocked her head. ¡°Do you mind?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Again, no humor.


    She placed her hand on the head of the gryphon near his armpit, followed the sweeping line as if caressing the great beast. Jonas¡¯s jaw rippled, and he swallowed as her hand passed around his rib cage, but he didn¡¯t flinch. She worked her way behind him, tracing the great wings that dominated his back, down, down to the wingtip below his left buttock. Unlike the first time they had been together, his skin was mostly smooth, like he¡¯d never seen a day of battle in his life, an impression easily supported by his light frame. Certainly, muscle rippled under every inch of skin, but the fact remained he was little more bulky than Llew. Those muscles worked overtime now, fighting to keep him warm in the night air.


    Llew continued around until she came to face him, brought her hands up to undo her own jacket. Still Jonas stood before her, content to watch. Jacket, shirt, undershirt slipped to the ground. She kicked off her boots, stepped free of her trousers, and stood naked before him.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d like to share your heat. Can I ¡­?¡± She smiled. It was odd, this talking about things, asking permission. Maybe it would come easier with practice. ¡°Can I cuddle with you?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± He smiled, spread his arms, and stepped forward to meet her halfway. ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡±


    She stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and his came around her, pulling her close. While their exposed skin froze, chests, bellies and arms warmed.


    Jonas risked the cold to pull his head back. ¡°I¡¯d like to show you something.¡±


    Llew let him press her back into the wall of the chicken shed.


    He kissed her once, twice, then left her wanting as he trailed little pecks down her chin, throat, between her breasts.


    She felt exposed, and not only to the cold. Leaning on the chicken shed wall, in the middle of Merrid and Ard¡¯s farm, in the heart of Turhmos, she was caught in a limbo between desperately wanting to experience Jonas¡¯s touch and a need to cover up and hide. For the moment, the want was winning.


    Jonas moved down, down and a mix of cool air and warm breath swarmed between her thighs. He planted a kiss where no one had kissed her before and Llew squawked and clamped her hands over her mouth. But she didn¡¯t move. She waited. Warm breath blew over icy cold wetness. She didn¡¯t know if she liked it, but she was willing to give herself the chance to find out. He didn¡¯t disappoint, his tongue teasing, his hands exploring, but never quite delving to do more than draw out her need for more, and she wanted more. Legs desperate to part rather than hold her weight nearly buckled. She let herself slide down the wall, settling in the scratchy straw. Slowly, ever so slowly, trying to shift positions without interrupting proceedings. A sharp burr broke skin on her shoulder and she stifled a yelp. He grunted as her skin closed again, then crawled over her and took her mouth with his. He tasted funny now, and Llew didn¡¯t know if she liked it, but she didn¡¯t not like it all that much, not enough to turn him away, anyway. He kissed her again, and again, his hand continuing the work begun, fingers dimpling her thigh, trailing the crease where hip and leg met, making her hunger for progress. She pressed her hips up, naked in the freezing night, somehow not bothered by that, her only concern that she was about to go beyond ready and into frustration.


    Jonas was still working his kisses back down her belly, too slow, too slow. She reached down, slid her fingers into his armpits, tugged lightly, trusting him to know what she wanted. A breathy laugh tickled her tummy, then cut off sharply. Had he heard someone approaching? Llew froze, listening into the dark, but could hear nothing.


    She was about to sit up to see what the problem was when warm breath tickled her belly, nearly sending her into fits of laughter, but his mouth hovered over where their babies had been. It was strange, in this moment, to be reminded of something so deeply sad, but it was a sadness they shared and instead of making her burst into tears, despite the lump in her throat, it filled her heart. In the fates of their children, they would be forever connected. Shared loss. Shared love.


    Coming out of whatever reverie he¡¯d been in, he scooted up, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. She wrapped her legs about him, pulling his hips into hers and they moved together, sweaty in the freezing air, clinging tight, and still Llew wished they could get closer. Just like every other time, and yet not like every other time, not at all. The mechanics were the same, but it was a part of something so much more.

 38: Good Morning

    Llew smiled, enjoying the sensation of oneness as she lay on top of Jonas, his fingernails trailing up and down her shirt-covered back. The night air was cold. As soon as they were spent, she¡¯d covered her shoulders again. It seemed her rump was immune to the cold, though. Or perhaps it had something to do with the warm hand resting there.


    The sounds of sheep and cattle calling through the night lent a strange comfort to their situation. Llew had never thought herself a farmer before, but time spent with Merrid and Ard cultivated a desire to emulate them. And so, she lay, listening to the baying and baaing, and tried to imagine herself milking and mustering, and she smiled.


    The fingers on her back contracted. That drew an even bigger smile, and she lifted her head to look at him.


    ¡°I love you,¡± he said.


    ¡°I thought those you love ended up dead.¡± Even as she said it, she wished she could take the words back. They were sharing a moment, a perfect moment, and she¡¯d gone and killed it, like she killed everything. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He moved to sit up, forcing her to scramble off him. He gripped her wrist before she got too far and nodded to the thinly spread straw beside him. She sat. ¡°But I been thinkin¡¯.¡± A knuckle caressed her jaw, neck, collarbone, breast, belly. He gripped her thigh lightly. ¡°You¡¯re in trouble anyway.¡± He kissed her. ¡°So, I figured I might as well get somethin¡¯ out of it, in the meantime.¡± He kissed her again.


    ¡°In the meantime.¡± However long that would be. Not long by the looks of things. Llew let him guide her to straddle him, her belly welcoming the heat his torso radiated as he kissed the dip at the base of her throat. ¡°My history with men doesn¡¯t bode well for you,¡± she said.


    ¡°What¡¯s life without a little risk?¡± He nibbled her earlobe, hard enough to hurt, but only just, illustrating his point nicely.


    Before the night chilled them to the bone, they parted ways, Jonas heading to the bunker and Llew letting herself up to her room.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Llew slid onto the bench seat opposite, a bright smile spread across her face, every facet lit. She reached for a hard-boiled egg and began peeling, still smiling to herself.


    ¡°Seems to be.¡± Braph bit into a fresh-baked scone.


    Jonas took a deep gulp of coffee, watching Llew over the rim. She watched him back, her smile growing sly, almost suggestive. He recalled her once saying it was just sex. In Jonas¡¯s experience, just sex didn¡¯t usually make girls quite this happy. Flattering enough, if it did, but even the Quaven girls who¡¯d begged him to give them Karan babies hadn¡¯t glowed the way Llew did. More often than he¡¯d care to admit, they¡¯d cried. Not before. Never before, or during. But after, sometimes. Sometimes, they¡¯d begged him to stay, begged for it to be more than a hero¡¯s obligation. Sometimes, they¡¯d pitted their regular strength against his Syakaran power even as he¡¯d walked out their door.


    He shook his head clear. Now wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking on such memories when he had Llew¡¯s love to bask in. No, she hadn¡¯t said it, but he¡¯d never had a woman respond to him the way Llew did, not even Kierra, and they¡¯d worked at it. As nice as it would be to hear it from her lips, he was content in accepting what evidence he had. Llew felt what he felt.


    ¡°What?¡± Those lips shaped the word and then half-curled into a sardonic ¡­ something. Not quite a smile, but she was on the verge of laughing at him. Again. Llew was about the only girl who¡¯d ever laughed at him. He¡¯d been looking at her lips too long.


    ¡°Nothin¡¯.¡± He sat straighter, more commanding. ¡°Got a couple days before the Ajnai wood is dry enough to be any good to us. Braph and I have a project we¡¯re workin¡¯ on today. How about you keep up the trainin¡¯ with Hisham?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She watched him; eyes narrowed. Seeking some ulterior motive.


    He looked back, giving nothing.


    The horses were all itching to get back on the road. Even a run in the larger, farther paddocks would have been good, but they needed the horses close. They needed the horses ready. Just in case. They¡¯d managed a couple of rides around the farm, especially when Ard needed a hand mustering his sheep, but it wasn¡¯t enough for these horses who had grown used to life on the road. Jonas promised Chino it wouldn¡¯t be for much longer when the horse dipped his nose over his shoulder.


    New weapons. Just in case the Gaards weren¡¯t enough. Just in case a knife or sword was knocked from a hand, they were building new weapons that would strap a stake of Ajnai wood to their forearms, secret until required.


    As with everything, it was a work of faith. Fact was they didn¡¯t know the rules when it came to fighting Immortals. Did it have to be another Immortal at the other end of the weapon to drain the power from the dying? Was dead Ajnai wood enough? Did it need a metal coating? Any metal? Or a particular kind?


    There was so much they didn¡¯t know. But time was running out for Llew¡¯s ma, if it hadn¡¯t already.


    Jonas hammered the leather punch, creating a hole, popped in each half of the rivet, and hammered it closed, fixing the leather fast. The work was satisfying, but took more effort than he expected, and his muscles ached already.


    Something was wrong.


    He punched another hole, lined up another rivet and hammered it closed.


    Braph paused in his sewing, giving Jonas an appraising look. Jonas looked back, silently telling his brother to mind his own business.


    Something was very wrong. Each day now, he¡¯d been feeling it coming on, but denied it. He felt heavier on his feet. Climbing from his bed felt like work. Crouching to evacuate his bowels had his thigh muscles aching. As for getting into Chino¡¯s saddle, Chino wasn¡¯t a short horse, and Jonas wasn¡¯t a tall man, but it had never been a problem before. Physical exertion. That¡¯s what it was now. Exertion. Wearying. Frightening.


    At first, he¡¯d thought it maybe a side-effect of a poor diet on the road. But they¡¯d eaten several of Merrid¡¯s meals now, and instead of feeling better, he felt a whole lot worse.


    The ease with which a child crouched to sort through his favorite stones, Jonas had kept that into adulthood. That¡¯s what he¡¯d been born to, what others expected of him.


    Confidence in his abilities to protect himself and those he loved. He¡¯d had it, he¡¯d projected it.


    But he was losing it.


    He stood, making a show of flexing his stiff fingers. Even the Great Syakaran could only put up with finicky work for so long. He stretched his arms behind his back. Pressed one behind his head, then the other. Completely normal actions for anyone carrying out such work.


    He walked to the corral fence.


    Hisham and Llew were in the house cows¡¯ paddock. As he would with any non-Karan trainee, Hisham was taking things slow, showing Llew the precise moves she needed to practice rather than going at her with speed and force. Learning such moves was meant to give even the least physically gifted person a chance against a strong opponent. Jonas knew those moves; he¡¯d taught them for years.


    He turned back, resting his gaze on the studious Braph for a moment before leaving the corral.


    A large sack of chicken feed leaned against the stable wall. Jonas stopped beside it, looking down at it out the corner of his eye. It mocked him, that sack sitting there, plump with feed. Or did it? Maybe he was just off his game. They hadn¡¯t been eating well until recently, maybe it wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought. He reached down, folded the top of the sack over in his fist and lifted. It came up easily, but his arm trembled under the weight. It was ¡­ heavy. What was it, a hundred pound? Featherweight. Or should¡¯ve been.


    Arms trembling under the weight, he dumped it down. It landed on an angle, chicken feed cascading from the open top. Cursing, he bent to scrape what he could without contaminating the feed with too much soil and dumped it back in the sack. He folded the top over, leaving it as he¡¯d found it, except for a scattering of feed spread about its base.


    He stood looking down at the sack a moment longer. He wasn¡¯t ready to fall apart over an unfounded fear, but he sure felt nervous.


    What was a Syakaran without elevated strength and speed? Nothing. A nobody.


    Llew would go to pieces if she found out. If it was true. She, more than anyone, needed a Syakaran at her side. If Turhmos came for her, he could no longer stop them taking her. And no one in Quaver would tolerate her without Jonas¡¯s endorsement. Would his word count for anything in Quaver anymore?


    And Aris. How could he fight Aris if he really had lost his speed and strength? From where he stood, he could see no way.


    He took a step back to look at Braph still sat at the workbench. His brother struggled to write and draw with his left hand, and yet he struggled on anyway. Always thinking. Always planning, despite his disability. Braph would have ideas. Maybe he would know what was wrong and could help. Or he¡¯d take advantage of Jonas¡¯s weakness.


    Braph looked up and Jonas nodded, encouraging like. Like he was still in control.


    Braph turned back to his work.


    Jonas scowled at his own feet. Maybe things weren¡¯t all that bad. Maybe he was overreacting. He turned his back on the forge, left the corral. Where to now? Something heavy. A real test of strength. He turned for Ard¡¯s three-sided shed. Apart from the cart, which wasn¡¯t difficult to move even for Ard, there wasn¡¯t much in there that was especially heavy. The horses would be a good test, but he could guarantee that the one time he wanted Llew¡¯s gelding to fight him, he wouldn¡¯t. Besides, he didn¡¯t want to make a spectacle of himself in front of everyone. He remembered a heavy rock round the back of the chicken coup.


    Walking round back, he faced that rock. He planted his feet and looked down on it, squared off against it. It wasn¡¯t so big. Shorter than arm-length. Perhaps as thick as a chubby thigh. Not so big. So why was he still standing over it?


    He bent and wrapped his arms around it, hugging it, and heaved. Nothing happened, except his own strained grunt. The rock was buried in the ground, anyone would struggle with that. He stood and kicked it, hard. The blow reverberated up his leg. He felt his knee twinge. But the rock had tilted. That was something. He kicked it from the other side. It leaned again, the ground loosening. He bent and wiggled it, hefting it one way and the other; grunting, sweat springing up on his brow, down his back, under his arms. He got it in the air, lying across his arms, which quivered under the weight, muscles straining. Muscles in his back spasmed. He dumped the stone back to earth, leaned against the shed to catch his breath.


    Something was very wrong, and he didn¡¯t know who to talk to about it. They all needed him to be strong, and fast. He could bet he wasn¡¯t that anymore, either. But how to test without the others seeing? He¡¯d have to take a late-night run.


    He cursed, punched the wooden wall. He normally would have put a hole through it. It shuddered but held firm.


    ¡°You look like you need to talk to someone.¡±


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    Jonas spun around. Braph. Shit.


    ¡°Your brother, or the genius inventor?¡± Braph¡¯s lips curled in smug satisfaction.


    He knew something.


    ¡°Neither,¡± Jonas said, wary. ¡°Maybe both.¡±


    Braph peered at him, reading him like a book, as he always seemed to be able to do. Jonas felt like a disgraced schoolboy under that gaze, which slipped down to the rock and back to Jonas¡¯s moody demeanor. Jonas lifted his chin, cultivated a neutral bearing. He¡¯d been right not to go to his brother. He couldn¡¯t trust him.


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t need to talk. Maybe you need to hit something, or someone. Are you looking for a fight, Jonas?¡± Braph closed the distance between them. Jonas backed up. ¡°Do you want a brotherly scuffle? A skirmish? A brawl?¡± Braph stepped in again, getting right in Jonas¡¯s face the way he had when they were little. And Jonas still had to look up at him. ¡°What do you say? Shall we rumble?¡±


    For the first time, Jonas felt fear before a fight, because a fight was surely coming.


    Braph¡¯s left hook was good, sure, powerful. It came up under Jonas¡¯s jaw, threw his head back, made his ears ring, made him stumble to keep his feet. Braph stalked after him, clocked him in the nose, not giving him a moment to recover or defend. Pain radiated across his face.


    Years of training, and a naturally quick to fire temper kicked in. Instead of defending, Jonas struck back. Braph twisted, ducking the move smoothly. And too quick for Jonas. He came in low, winded Jonas with a gut shot, again sending him staggering. He only had one arm, but he moved so fast, Jonas felt sluggish by comparison, like he was in slow motion. But he wasn¡¯t down, so he wasn¡¯t out. He swung with his left, a solid, hard punch, and Braph¡¯s stump came up to meet it. The magician¡¯s own left pummeled Jonas¡¯s side. Something went crack and pain radiated through his chest. Historically, Jonas would fight on, unbothered by pain, knowing he could still win, but this time he had doubt. Worse than doubt, because, this time, he was certain he would lose.


    Braph had all the advantages in this fight, and both knew it. Jonas dug deep, calling on the lessons he¡¯d instilled in others less strong and less fast than himself.


    Braph lunged and Jonas twisted, moving with his brother, gritting his teeth through the pain. Lashing out as he sent the one-armed man past, he caught Braph¡¯s chest with his palm, and Braph went down, rolled, and jumped to his feet. Braph¡¯s fist took Jonas in the face again, his nose crunching. The stump came around to distract him. So fast, so fast he didn¡¯t have time to react before the fist came at him again, into his gut, winding him.


    It was like fighting Aris. For the second, maybe third, time in his life, Jonas was being outfought.


    He went down on hands and knees. Braph¡¯s boot caught him in the guts, and he went down on his side, curled up like a baby.


    Braph knelt at Jonas¡¯s back, gripping his hair, and pulling his head back.


    ¡°Had enough?¡±


    Jonas hesitated. Bravado would dictate his usual response here, but his denial caught in the back of his throat. He coughed on the blood trickling from his nose. ¡°Yes,¡± he croaked. He sounded weak. He was weak.


    The stump wavered like Braph was going to hit him. Frustration rippled across his brother¡¯s face. ¡°I guess you have, then.¡± He threw Jonas¡¯s head into the mud and stood. ¡°I can¡¯t even kill you, now. There¡¯s no challenge in it.¡±


    Braph dabbed a cloth under Jonas¡¯s bleeding nose, while Jonas pressed a wet cloth to his temple, trying to stifle the bruising around his eye.


    His face hurt everywhere. His body hurt in multiple places, and like nothing he¡¯d ever felt before. Sure, Aris had broken him, but he¡¯d done a proper job of it and left Jonas barely conscious.


    Braph had helped him to his feet and to sit in the shade of the stable, out of sight from Llew and Hisham.


    ¡°This was for your own good.¡± Braph dabbed at the corner of Jonas¡¯s lips. ¡°You needed to experience this. And I am only a one-armed Karan. Aris will be ten, twenty, a hundred times worse.¡±


    ¡°He said he didn¡¯t want to kill me.¡± He was clutching at straws, but right now, he had little else.


    ¡°He will when you come to kill him.¡± Braph leaned back, examining his handiwork. ¡°Mmm. Pretty.¡±


    Jonas said nothing. Any response would be a win to Braph. His brother was enjoying this.


    ¡°The world is suddenly running short on heroes. Right when we need them, too.¡± Braph stood and took a step back, leaning so he could see Llew and Hisham. A smile touched his lips. They were still occupied. ¡°You and I both know what needs to be done. But you need to sell it to our Syaenuk.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jonas didn¡¯t have to think before answering. Whatever was going to happen, Llew had to be kept out of it.


    ¡°Good to hear you¡¯ve prepared yourself for her death, then, because that¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. Aris is going to keep pushing his way across Turhmos and he is going to wipe out each and every Aenuk, including your dear Llewella. And her mother.¡±


    Jonas glared at Braph, trying to put as much threat and defiance into that look, but it was pointless. Braph had the upper hand now. And he was right.


    ¡°Now,¡± Braph knelt before him. ¡°You can help me give us a fighting chance against Aris, or you can fight me the whole way, but this ¡­¡± Braph snatched up his sketchbook, brandishing it beneath Jonas¡¯s nose. ¡°This is happening.¡±


    On the open page was a sketch of one of Braph¡¯s magic devices, like a chunky bracelet, but with tubes and cables, modified for the shortened arm, and a place to fit a vial of Aenuk blood.


    Jonas shook his head without conviction. What other option was there?


    ¡°Normally, I¡¯d make one for myself and let that be that. But I believe you are the better man to fight Aris, so I will make you one. Who knows? Maybe it would give you your Syakaran powers back, and then you¡¯d be more powerful than me again.¡± Braph looked a might miffed.


    ¡°Reckon it¡¯s about time you were the one to put a man down.¡± Jonas met Braph¡¯s eye. ¡°You ever done that? Put a knife in a man and watched the light leave his eyes?¡±


    Braph held his gaze a few moments and ran his tongue around his teeth. ¡°I killed you, didn¡¯t I? You think killing your own brother comes easy? I felt ¡­ something.¡± He shifted his weight on his feet. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy seeing your old mentor off. Takes a certain kind of man to take a life and feel nothing. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that kind of man. But I do think you¡¯re the kind of man as can do what needs doing. This needs doing.¡±


    True as it might be, Jonas was no longer equipped for it.


    ¡°Do you think it would?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Give me my powers back?¡±


    ¡°Jonas.¡± Braph¡¯s voice held the same exasperation Jonas had heard from Aris many a time. ¡°With this, you wouldn¡¯t need them. You would be able to heal, run fast, lift incredibly heavy weights, and do ¡­ just about anything. Limited only by your imagination. You have one of those, right?¡±


    It sounded too good to be true and, of course, there was a catch. ¡°With Aenuk blood,¡± he finished for his brother.


    ¡°Llewella¡¯s blood. You would need Llewella¡¯s blood. Regular Aenuk blood would be near useless to you. You¡¯re too weak.¡±


    Jonas grimaced at the word. Never had it been used to apply to him.


    ¡°Would it work for me? No one else has ever got it to work.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll work, because I believe that while you may no longer have your Syakaran powers, you are, in essence, still Karan. And, from my understanding, that is the one ingredient that has been missing in every other attempt.¡±


    Jonas trailed his eyes over the sketch and tried to picture the device on his own arm, its tubes diving under his skin, connecting to his bloodstream, to feed Llew¡¯s blood into it. He closed his eyes, remembering that sense of power that had come with her blood coursing through his veins. As a Syakaran, he was powerful. But Llew¡¯s blood had added something. It had felt incredible. Addictive.


    He opened his eyes, locked them with Braph¡¯s. ¡°No.¡±


    Braph blinked slowly, sniffing dramatically. ¡°Your loss. But you will help me build mine?¡±


    So much of Jonas wanted to say ¡®no¡¯. He wanted there to be another option. But Braph had just beaten him in a brotherly scuffle. Aris would trample him like a bug.


    He scrambled for alternatives. Llew, pregnant with his child was one. Somehow it seemed wrong to bring a child into existence for such a purpose. Even to save the world. What else was there? Who else was there?


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Braph gripped his shoulder, giving him a tooth rattling shake. ¡°Excellent. The Vastergaard Brothers at it again, eh?¡± He gripped Jonas¡¯s chin, lifting his head, tilting it one way then the other. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to come up with an excuse for this, though.¡± He stood, holding out a hand to help Jonas to his feet. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we tested our prototypes.¡±


    Llew being neither Karan nor a trained soldier, Hisham didn¡¯t strike hard, or particularly fast. Instead, he would swing in slowly, giving Llew every opportunity to parry or step out of his way. Each time she succeeded, he came at her faster and with less warning, until she failed and they started over, counting her in to help her find the rhythm. The cows watched on with idle curiosity.


    ¡°One ¡­ two ¡­ three ¡­ hmm.¡±


    Llew stepped, blocked, twisted, and was about to surprise Hisham with an attack, when he stopped, facing the corral. She followed his gaze to see Jonas and Braph practicing some sort of hand-to-hand combat, parading around each other, launching each other into the air, and stalking each other on the ground. They moved fast compared to Llew, but nothing like as fast as they had when Braph had used Llew¡¯s power to boost his own. And had two arms.


    In one smooth move Jonas flung out his left arm at Braph, a foot between them still, and something shot out from Jonas¡¯s wrist. A stake of wood jutted from the under-side of his wrist. Ajnai wood, of course. Jonas cursed and shook his right arm more violently. And again, fist down. A twin stake shot out, pointed at the ground. Jonas raised his arm, shook it, and the stake disappeared. He shook his arm again. Nothing. Again. The stake shot out. He shook his left. Stake gone. He shook it again. Stake out.


    Jonas relaxed his fighting stance and he and Braph stepped in close, examining the malfunctioning weapon on Jonas¡¯s right wrist.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Llew asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. But I hope they make me some.¡±


    ¡°Me, too. I think.¡± Llew pictured a fight with Aris, the Immortal convinced of his superiority, and perhaps being right. Up until the moment she surprised him with the hidden weapon.


    Jonas and Braph moved back to the bench they¡¯d been working at, and Hisham resumed his stifled strikes against Llew.


    Merrid constructed a fulfilling dinner for their midday meal and Ard mustered his sheep, bringing the herd closer to extra feed for when the expected snow arrived. Llew helped him dish out the feed before heading in for dinner, finding a sense of satisfaction in watching the animals indulge in food she had provided.


    Llew ran to catch up to Jonas. Was he walking with a bit of a limp? Surely not. She met him halfway up the cartway. He tried not to look at her, but he didn¡¯t have to. His face was blotched with deepening bruises and smeared blood, and something was definitely up with his nose.


    ¡°What in the¡ª? Did Braph do that?¡±


    Jonas hissed a laugh and brushed her hand away.


    ¡°That bad, huh?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Bit tender,¡± he conceded.


    ¡°Then why¡¯d you let him do it? And why doesn¡¯t he look like that?¡± She looked over her shoulder, where Braph walked several paces behind with Hisham.


    ¡°Aris ain¡¯t gonna go easy on me, is he?¡± He snarled at her. His whole face twitched as he wrestled control over his temper. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Was that really all? It didn¡¯t ring true to Llew, but she couldn¡¯t think of any reason Jonas would let Braph better him in a fight.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s not. But that¡¯s no reason to get yourself beat up before you face him, is it? Don¡¯t let Braph do it again.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Hisham was only slightly more eloquent than Llew when he caught up to them.


    ¡°I gotta learn to take a hammerin¡¯, don¡¯t I? ¡¯Cause that¡¯s what Aris¡¯ll give me.¡±


    Hisham crooked an eyebrow but made no more comment until they reached the farmstead. ¡°Better reset that nose,¡± he said as they approached the door. ¡°Can¡¯t promise you¡¯ll still be pretty.¡±


    Jonas gave him a withering look.


    Braph glanced at them as he splashed water on his face and rinsed his hand in the wash basin Merrid left out for the purpose, then he let himself into the kitchen and closed the door behind him, saying nothing. Ard skipped up onto the porch behind him, suddenly sprightly for his age. Seeing Jonas, his mouth dropped open a little, but he was far too focused on not leaving Braph alone with his wife to stop.


    ¡°Probably best if you sit.¡± Hisham directed Jonas to sit against the wall of the house as the door closed again. ¡°Now, you¡¯ve got to work with me, here.¡± Hisham shuffled himself in front of Jonas.


    Hisham grabbed the washcloth to wipe Jonas¡¯s face free of blood, revealing the crooked cartilage and bone. With a murmured instruction to hold as still as possible, Hisham lined his thumbs up either side, counted down and applied pressure. Jonas merely inhaled a breath, the first time.


    It took four attempts to satisfy Hisham, by the end of which Jonas was hurling curses and threats.


    Despite an immense urge to look away through the entire procedure, Llew found she couldn¡¯t. Each time Hisham pressed, she had to see if she would see Jonas¡¯s nose move, and each time she didn¡¯t. All she gained was an ache in her own nose. It looked a lot straighter when Hisham announced he¡¯d done as much as he could, but the swelling made it impossible to tell how straight it would heal.


    Llew was so engrossed in proceedings, she didn¡¯t even think to fetch one of Braph¡¯s syringes. But, of course, once Jonas¡¯s nose was straightened, she could heal him. Hisham dashed around the back of the house for the instrument.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what you were thinking. Why did you let him take it so far?¡±


    ¡°Leave it, Llew.¡± He plastered that faraway look on his face, the one that said he had nothing more to say on the matter, which told Llew there was plenty more that could be said on the matter. But with Hisham already on his way back, she left it.


    She drew her blood and pumped it into Jonas¡¯s arm, once, twice.


    Jonas¡¯s color improved, though there was nothing they could do about the bruising. At least it would get no worse.


    ¡°Better?¡± Hisham asked.


    Jonas nodded.


    ¡°Your ribs?¡± Llew asked.


    ¡°Better.¡± Jonas pressed his side without flinching to illustrate.


    ¡°Alright. Well, we¡¯ve got a lunch to eat, and two farmers to explain this to.¡± Hisham went to the wash bowl and started scrubbing the blood from his hands.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ needs explainin¡¯.¡± Jonas pushed himself up to stand, brushing away Llew¡¯s hovering arms. He was fine, of course. ¡°We were trying out Braph¡¯s new weapons, and we got a little carried away.¡± He leaned over Hisham¡¯s shoulder to peer in the tarnished outdoor mirror and grimaced at what he saw. ¡°Ain¡¯t tussled since we were kids. That¡¯s all.¡±


    He pushed the door open and disappeared inside, leaving Hisham and Llew to share dubious looks.

 39: For All Our Sakes

    Pls dnt meet hm


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    you


    Can you save it?Can you save it? No


    Can you save it? Can you save it?No


    Can you save it? No.


    Can you save it? No.


    Fly, sweet bird


    Fly high, sweet bird


    You may always come back


    To me, sweet bird.


    You¡¯re loved, sweet bird


    But not bound, sweet bird


    Sweet bird


    You¡¯re loved, sweet bird


    But not bound


    You


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 40: Who Am I?

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    Calm down?!

 41: This Is War

    Llew moved close to Jonas.


    ¡°Llew¡ª¡± Jonas started.


    ¡°Let me protect you,¡± she murmured.


    In truth, she was unsure who should place themselves in front of whom. He was still stronger than her, but they already knew he couldn¡¯t defeat Braph. Whatever happened, Llew could heal. Besides, Turhmos still wanted her alive. She edged forward.


    Hisham stepped backward, his sword raised and ready, as Braph moved forward.


    ¡°You know how this works, Llewella,¡± Braph purred. ¡°If it were up to me, Turhmos would return Orinia to me, and you and Jonas could run off back to Quaver and live happily ever after. I think we both know that¡¯s not going to happen, don¡¯t we? And with Aris in the picture ¡­¡± He shrugged and took the time to look troubled. ¡°Llewella is of use to us. Jonas isn¡¯t quite so much, anymore, but Turhmos will still have its show.¡± He turned to Hisham. ¡°You, on the other hand ¡­¡±


    ¡°I vowed to die for my country,¡± Hisham said.


    ¡°Yes. Fighting Aenuks. And what of your vow when you die protecting an Aenuk?¡±


    In the glance Hisham afforded her, Llew saw none of the hostility that normally resided there. Replacing it was a new resolve.


    ¡°I¡¯ve discovered a certain plasticity to the concept of right.¡± Hisham turned back to Braph. ¡°And you, my man, are not it.¡± He had reached Jonas and Llew and placed himself between them and Braph.


    Braph gave that infuriating smile he always did when he knew he was the most powerful man in the room. He flung out his whole arm, catching Hisham¡¯s side and sending him flying with a strike reminiscent of Jonas¡¯s Syakaran power. Then he held the hand before him, palm up, as if waiting for Llew to take it. He was from another planet if he thought she would. But then her hand was moving towards his and no matter what she did, even gripping her wrist with her other hand, it kept reaching out to him.


    ¡°You will come. And he will follow,¡± Braph said as a statement of fact. His fingers closed around hers and he turned to the bunker entrance.


    ¡°I thought this one wasn¡¯t meant to give you as much power.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised¡ª¡± Braph cut off as Jonas lunged at his back, a knife in hand. The knife skittered across the floor and Jonas stumbled back. ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me, Jonas. My brotherly affections only go so far.¡± He kept walking, Llew with him. ¡°The Turhmos president has plans for you.¡±


    Braph¡¯s control only extended as far as Llew¡¯s wrist. She dug her heels into the ground, but he kept walking, dragging her with him until she toppled, one hand still in his grasp, and only one to catch her fall. He kept on. She scrabbled to right herself before she was dragged along the floor.


    Jonas grabbed her wrist and pulled, trying to add his weight to her efforts. Hisham joined him. Llew¡¯s arm hurt and tingled in cycles as the men healed the damage they were doing. Jonas tried to peel her fingers from Braph¡¯s, then Hisham had a turn, but nothing worked. Four hands gripped her forearm and pulled. She gritted her teeth against the pulsing pain. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She didn¡¯t want to go with Braph. She tried not to, but she cried out in pain and frustration. And then they were at the bottom of the ladder. Braph released her, physically. Hisham and Jonas released her as if repelled, stumbling back, and Braph guided Llew to the steps, until her body took over, one step at a time, at his beckoning.


    ¡°As I was saying, you might be surprised how little power it takes to control you. Besides, I don¡¯t plan to fly across a continent anytime soon.¡± He didn¡¯t follow her up straight away. To Jonas and Hisham he said. ¡°You¡¯re out-numbered. Sooner or later, you¡¯ll fall. If you want the chance to say goodbye, you¡¯ll come up. Stay here and I can¡¯t control what happens.¡± The bottom step struck a discordant tone under his boot. ¡°The choice is yours.¡±


    Calloused hands clasped Llew as she emerged topside. Turhmos troops crowded the narrow alley. They passed her along to where the main body of men waited.


    Merrid crouched over Ard¡¯s still form by the old house cows¡¯ paddock. She looked up at Llew, her own face bloodied and bruised, while tears ran down her cheeks.


    ¡°Is he alive?¡± Llew asked. No one answered. ¡°Let me heal them.¡±


    ¡°They are traitors,¡± one of the soldiers growled. ¡°We don¡¯t waste Aenuk magic on filth.¡±


    ¡°They are loyal to the Aenuk race and are more deserving than any of you lot.¡± Llew peered around at the hardened faces. ¡°Besides, the only damage will be to their own fields¡ª¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re not evicted.¡±


    Llew spun to face Braph.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± she pleaded. ¡°It¡¯s all they¡¯ve got. Please, let me heal them. I¡¯ll use an Ajnai. It might reduce the damage.¡± A ripple ran through the tight-knit group. It was likely they knew the word, even if none of them had recognized the saplings they¡¯d passed. ¡°I won¡¯t run.¡± Llew glanced at Braph¡¯s device. The blood vial was nearly empty.


    Braph held up another vial, full. Behind him, a soldier extracted more blood from his own vein.


    Loud enough so even Jonas and Hisham should hear, and without breaking eye-contact with her, Braph said, ¡°If my brother and his loyal puppy come up, then Llew may offer the farmers her services. If not, then we will just have to see how they fare on their own.¡± He looked over Llew¡¯s shoulder to Merrid. ¡°My guess is, not well.¡±


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    A silence settled over the mob. A few moments passed before a rush of movement announced Jonas¡¯s surrender. Braph took the shift in attention as an opportunity to extract the nearly spent blood vial and replace it with the full. He handed the empty vial to another soldier already waiting with sleeve rolled up and syringe at the ready.


    Jonas stumbled forward on a wave of shoves. Hisham, treated little better, followed not far behind.


    ¡°The Syakaran ¡­¡± Braph pointed to his half-brother, as if the soldiers couldn¡¯t recognize the highly popularized hero. ¡°¡­ is no longer a threat of any consequence.¡±


    Jonas continued forwards, propelled by rough hands, showered in jeers. He disappeared into the crowd, tripped, was hauled up, shouted at, spat on.


    Llew called to them to stop, leave him alone, but her words fell on deaf ears.


    She kept losing sight of him. Every glance she managed was met with an expressionless stare. Jostled this way and that, his eyes never left her, except when he stumbled, or disappeared altogether. Every time he regained his feet, he sought her out. But he wasn¡¯t asking for help or assigning blame. In this moment, all they had was their lives.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Braph bellowed and a hush descended immediately. His device returned; he was suddenly a worthy leader. Llew glared at that blasted device. When she looked up, Jonas mouthed, I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°This one we let live with the knowledge that he was once powerful. Believe me, it¡¯s unpleasant.¡± Braph¡¯s last words were lost in a cheer. He raised a hand to silence it. ¡°Exact your revenge if you must but leave him alive. Your country still has plans for him.¡±


    The reaction was swift. Jonas went down in the middle of a dozen soldiers. Llew felt sick. Again, she tried to fight free, but she was held firm.


    ¡°And this one¡ª¡± Braph looked to Hisham. His hand lowered to his hip and came up, passing a Gaard to one of the men. ¡°You know what to do,¡± he said, his voice low so it was possible Hisham hadn¡¯t heard.


    ¡°No!¡± Llew called, but a new tide had already branched off, pushing Hisham towards the corral. ¡°This is murder!¡±


    ¡°This is war,¡± Braph snapped as ropes were bound about Hisham and a fence post. ¡°And he is the enemy.¡±


    ¡°That is murder!¡± she screeched.


    Braph turned a strange smile on her. ¡°You want me to let him run? Give him a chance? Very well.¡± He pushed his way through his men. A ripple of nervous laughter washed around her when Braph reached the captive. ¡°Let him run!¡± Braph announced, driving an increase in his popularity. Across the satisfaction-hungry men, he grinned at Llew, and flashed the Gaard now reclaimed by his own hand. Freed, Hisham looked around at his audience, and paled at the raised weapon.


    ¡°Run, run,¡± Braph urged. ¡°We want to see your celebrated, superior Karan speed.¡±


    Hisham pushed his way through the Turhmos troops. Realizing that Braph had no plans to shoot him while he was still enmeshed in the crowd, he grabbed one of the soldiers and held him between himself and Braph.


    Braph laughed and strode straight towards Hisham, Gaard raised and pointed at his head, troops sidled out of his way, smoothing his path.


    ¡°Run, little Karan. Or we will find out how much of a shield your brain is for the men behind you.¡±


    A path cleared behind Hisham.


    Braph reached Hisham and pressed the Gaard tip to his forehead.


    ¡°You can fall here, or you can test my long-distance aim. It¡¯s up to you. Three ¡­¡±


    Hisham chose to attempt to cross deeper into the farmland, perhaps seeking eventual shelter.


    ¡°Two ¡­¡±


    Braph let him jump the fence into the paddock Llew had half-killed.


    The Gaard trembled in his long-held grip, the weapon trained at Hisham¡¯s back.


    ¡°One.¡±


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Hisham made it a few more quick strides before a shower of red popped from his back and he went down, disappearing over a rise. A sob escaped Llew, and she strained against her captives.


    Braph strode back to her, the sea of soldiers parting for him.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± He extended his whole arm, inviting her to make her way to Merrid.


    Time to focus on what she could do something about. She couldn¡¯t save Hisham. Merrid, and maybe Ard, she could.


    ¡°I need someone to shift him to the tree.¡± She ignored Braph¡¯s offered arm and spoke in a steady tone, betraying none of her distress ¨C she hoped.


    Braph sent a small group of soldiers to subdue Merrid and shift Ard.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± one of them said when he went to lift the farmer.


    ¡°Are you a doctor?¡± Llew snapped.


    Braph gave her a wry look, which she returned with a pointed one of her own. No one would be declaring Ard dead until Llew had had the chance to bring him back. Unless she was too late.


    Merrid joined the throng around Llew at one of her newly planted Ajnais. She didn¡¯t know if the sapling could help, but at least the possibility had been enough to convince Braph to let her try.


    She knelt by the tree, mid-thigh height and a little over an inch thick. She closed her eyes in a silent prayer, though she knew little of gods. She wrapped her fingers around the tiny trunk. The sapling gave an eager vibration, like a child allowed to help with dinner for the first time. Llew smiled, a warm glow of motherhood of a different kind going through her. She sent it a message to calm, this was serious business, and dangerous. The sapling sobered a little, a determination to make her proud pulsating from it.


    Holding back a delighted laugh, Llew reached for Ard¡¯s hand.


    Nothing happened.


    She was starting to wonder if he had died, and had been dead too long, when the tingle prickled her skin, faint at first. The power flowed through her, from tree to man, from one hand, up her arm, across her heart and down the other arm. Her muscles ached from her awkward crouch. She shifted her weight. The power flowed. The sapling radiated pride.


    Ard gasped. Llew got such a fright she nearly leaped back, but she held on. The power flowed faster for a time, then it ebbed again. The grass around the base of the tree began to curl and turn brown. The sapling itself felt brittle. Still, the power channeled through it, through her.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± said Braph.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± He sliced his hand down where she touched Ard, breaking her hold. ¡°He¡¯s alive. That will have to do. The tree is dead.¡±


    She cursed him under her breath, but he was right. The sapling had gone silent, dead by her hand. Llew stood, closed her eyes in a silent thank you and farewell, but she didn¡¯t feel sad. The sapling¡¯s own conviction to their task protecting her from sorrow. And Ard lived. No other outcome would have satisfied.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± Braph announced.


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Llew looked off to where Hisham had fallen, then around for Jonas, who stood deflated. Powerless and beaten he had no fight left in him, and Llew struggled to find her own. What could she do against a powerful Braph and a horde of Turhmosian soldiers? She could think of nothing. And so, she let herself be pushed back to the corral.

 42: Weve Got An Immortal To … Mort

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    You willYou will


    Mine

 43: Fly, Sweet Bird

    Bastard


    lost


    sheYou


    poweredAnd


    powered


    bug


    you


    Would


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    But not bound, sweet bird


    What would you do, Ma?


    Fly, sweet bird


    Fly high, sweet bird


    You may always come back


    To me, sweet bird.


    You¡¯re loved, sweet bird


    But not bound, sweet bird ¡­


    Braph

 44: A Demonstration

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    is


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    him


    him


    ma


    II


    Damn BraphDamn Turhmos

 45: Not The Man He Was

Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡­ Fly up to the moon


    But see me soon


    Sweet bird

 46: You Still Have A Job To Do

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    here

 47: Fight Me

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    can¡¯t

 48: Not My Son

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    Boom! Boom!


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Click. Click. Click

 49: Theres An Exit

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    known


    half-brother


    Shoo

 Epilogue

    ¡°Thank you, Orin.¡± Braph accepted the vial of blood and fit it into his device.


    He sat back in the chair and waited for his son¡¯s blood to mingle with his own.


    Orin slid from his own chair and set about exploring the room.


    Braph gasped as the Immortal blood met his. From his stump, up his arm, across his chest. Pow! His heart felt like he¡¯d just run forty miles and could keep going. Elation. That¡¯s what you could call it. He felt healthy, he felt strong, he felt unstoppable. He felt more powerful than he ever had.


    He watched his son taking an interest in his crystal-making machine. He had no use of that, yet. Not until he modified his new device. Then he would talk to his son about donating more power. Power Orin couldn¡¯t use yet. Oh, he could heal, which was useful to any child. But the full measure of his power had yet to manifest. It was how the Immortals had been defeated the last time. The children were weak, easily targeted. But with his device, Braph could use his son¡¯s power now. His son, an Immortal son of a Karan and a Syaenuk, with the added power of another Immortal. No one alive contained more power.


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    Only one thing might, and Braph was keen to find out.


    That tree back in Taither most definitely pulsed with a pink and blue fluorescence. The one in Turhmos had not. Jonas had mentioned a twin. It taxed Braph¡¯s brain little to connect the dots.


    That tree could provide an endless supply of power.


    Or perhaps it would just take one strike with a Syakaran blade in the hands of an Immortal.


    Braph looked down at the knife across his lap. Aris¡¯s blade.


    Orin had picked up one of the mechanical, blood-draining spiders and was turning it over in his hands. He wore Jonas¡¯s knife strapped to his hip. A gladly accepted gift from his father.


    By the door, Joelin and Orinia played with a wind-up, four-legged version of the spiders. He giggled as the critter hopped and jumped over the hard floor, and Orinia smiled, delighted by the child¡¯s glee.


    Braph slid down in his chair, savoring the sensation of immense power as it coursed through his blood.


    A happy family and incredible power.


    What more could a man desire?


    <hr>


    End of Warrior''s Touch


    The story continues in Magician''s Touch.