A passable point in the Brurun-Quaven border was a little less than a week from Rakun, but the few significant hills leading up to it were no preparation for the imposing mountains that marked the otherwise imaginary line. The weather hit those peaks and dumped all excess weight on the western side of the border, leaving pockets of snow across the tundra and the riders soaking wet and freezing. Snow blanketed the peaks miles above, and the wind bounced back, carrying the icy chill with it.
Despite the heavy layer of ice-filled clouds above, the setting sun hit them full force as they began their ascent of the mountains proper. It wasn’t unwelcome, its heat seeping through Llew’s sodden layers.
They dismounted to lead their horses into the higher reaches and Llew took a moment to look back across Brurun and out to sea. She couldn’t see it, but Aghacia lay out that way, over the horizon. So far away, now.
With enough shelter provided by the tall peaks, a forest put up a brave face at an altitude that would have been bare on the hills below. As they neared the tall, straight trunks, twenty shadowy figures appeared from between them. Llew’s heart was in her throat, but she was too tired to draw a knife or run, and she reminded herself she was technically still among friends. Technically. Same as drinking water from someone’s well was technically thieving.
Amico must have had his doubts, too, as he hesitated, letting the reins draw taut as Llew tried to keep up with Jonas, just in case. If nothing else, his reputation could umbrella her in some semblance of security.
“Come on!” she admonished the horse, but only Hisham and Karlani coming up behind him would shift him. “Some cornerstone you are,” she muttered when he stumbled forward, spooked enough to move toward the unknown terror.
The drizzle had eased, and the first stars were twinkling by the time they reached the shelter of the trees.
The Quavens closed ranks around them.
“Captain.” A blonde woman approached Aris. She was covered in leather, head to foot, only her curved figure identifying her as a woman in the lowering light. Her fitting trousers rippled over strong muscles, and she must have been immune to the cold, for her sleeves were short. She was tall, too; tall enough to look down on both Llew and Jonas.
“Cadyn.” Aris greeted the woman with a nod.
“Cadyn!” Jonas hurried forward to grip the woman’s hand and pull her into a one-armed hug, patting her back. “Been too long.”
“Indeed, Lieutenant Vastergaard.” The woman’s expression showed no joy at their reunion. “And it’s Captain, to you.”
Jonas’s face fell.
“What did you do to your hair?” the captain asked, taking a second to glance at Llew over his shoulder as their hands parted.
“Sorry. Captain,” Jonas corrected, and didn’t seem to know where to look for a moment.
The captain acknowledged Hisham with a nod then turned to Karlani and Llew, her distaste shown only in a brief narrowing of her eyes. There were gruff murmurs among the other soldiers, though. Several brought knives into the open.
Jonas took a step closer to Llew.
“The Aenuk is a Prisoner of War,” said Aris. “She is under our protection, so long as she behaves herself.”
Cadyn nodded her acceptance and, with a gesture, instructed the rest to put their knives away. Then she rested the same hand on the chunky white handle of the knife by her hip. Like Jonas’s.
“Welcome to Quaver,” she said.
“Lead the way, Captain,” Aris prompted.
“Certainly, Captain.” Cadyn saluted and turned on the spot.
The rest of the Quaven soldiers fell in beside the new arrivals, with more than one eyeing Llew suspiciously.
Some of the soldiers took their horses’ ropes to lead them behind the rest.
The trees were well-spaced and the foliage above sparse, the forest floor liberally covered in ferns, grasses, and saplings and, apparently, the homes of various – deaf – small rodents. More than once Llew took a step only to feel something squirming out from under her foot. And more than once she bit down on a surprised yelp. She felt she drew enough of the wrong kind of attention already.
After a time, Cadyn slowed, letting Jonas and Llew catch up. Aris and Karlani continued at the front of the group. Hisham was somewhere amongst their new companions.
“Of all people, Jonas, I never thought you’d cross that line,” Cadyn said after several minutes, glancing at Llew.
Jonas took his time before responding. “Maybe the line ain’t as solid as we think, Captain.”
They pushed through another row of trees in silence. Llew doubted anything she had to say in her own defense would be of help, so she remained silent. The captain was quiet, too, perhaps mulling over what Jonas had said.
“An Aenuk, Jonas, really?” Cadyn stopped suddenly.
Jonas nearly walked into her, but he pulled up short, simply standing intimidatingly close, with Cadyn doing the intimidating.
“It’s been little more than a year,” she said. “An Aenuk?”
Jonas scowled into the dark to Cadyn’s left for a few moments. Then he looked up at her.
“I loved her, Cadyn. You know that.”
“But you weren’t in love,” Cadyn said. “She deserved better. She should never have married you.” She spun on her heel and carried on.
“We didn’t have a choice.” Jonas kept a step behind, and Llew half a step behind again.
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“Yes, you did.” Cadyn turned to face him again. “You always had a choice. But you wanted to have your cake and eat it, too. You wanted the wife and child at home while you went out spreadin’ your seed.”
“I never wanted that. Aris—”
“Oh, yes. Hide behind Aris. It might have been his plan, but you could’ve said ‘no’.”
“It was a different time. I don’t do Aris’s biddin’ no more.”
“Why? Because you met an Aenuk you like? My sister wasn’t good enough for you to stop.”
“I was tryin’ to—”
“People die around you, Jonas.” Cadyn spread her arms and her eyes glistened. “You married Kierra, now she’s dead and you move on to an Aenuk. An Aenuk!” She spat on the ground by Llew’s feet.
Jonas was lost for words. Under the captain’s glower, Llew wanted to shrink, or disappear. It seemed Jonas had no more friends here than she did.
“And what about Braph?” Cadyn’s demeanor hardened, despite the trembling glimmer in her eye. “What have you done about him?”
“I killed him,” Llew said.
Cadyn’s head tilted. Genuinely impressed? Llew couldn’t tell.
“Is that true?” she asked Jonas.
“Last we saw him; he had my knife in his gut.”
Cadyn looked at Jonas’s hip.
“You lost your knife again?” she said, exasperated. “Hopeless. It should’ve been locked up with the others.”
“I’ll get it back.”
Cadyn chewed over a few responses.
“Some hero,” she muttered before continuing through the dark to catch up with the rest of their group.
When they emerged into the small clearing set to serve as their camp for the night, Llew cared little that she hadn’t eaten since the morning. She simply craved sleep.
Their Quaven escort had laid out several dry bedrolls – on the inside, anyway. Watch duty was taken care of by the soldiers, so the new arrivals could retire.
Llew did her best to relax. She was tired enough, but she couldn’t help catching the occasional flash of an eyeball glancing her way. Jonas relieved her concern somewhat, by taking the bedroll nearest hers, returning Cadyn’s watchful glare with a defiant one of his own. For some reason, Aris had gone quiet on Llew and Jonas spending time together, opting not to make an issue while they were on the road. Cadyn had yet to make a similar decision, but she let the sleeping arrangement slide.
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The morning broke crisp with developing frost.
Cadyn’s squad already moved around the camp, feeding the horses, preparing breakfasts, and checking and cleaning equipment.
Llew still slept, for now.
Hisham must have been up already making himself useful, as his bedroll was packed away.
Jonas craned his head around to see Aris still wrapped in his bedding with hands behind head, watching Karlani conversing with Cadyn, leaning against a tree trunk not far from the breakfast fire.
Llew took a deep breath and rustled inside her bedroll.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Jonas said when her eyes fluttered open.
She scowled at him, and he laughed.
“I’ve been dreamin’ of showin’ you my home. Guess my dream comes true today.”
“Or my nightmare,” she murmured, though her eyes crinkled in a wry grimace. Naïve as it was to assume Quaver would welcome her openly, it wasn’t Turhmos.
He clambered from his bedroll, crawling to her, and brushed his lips over hers. It was the first open affection they’d shown each other since what seemed like forever. Despite their host, there was something about being back in Quaven air that made Jonas bold.
He stood and stretched, letting the brisk air find its way up his untucked shirt. Sure was fresh, but he needed a little cool down.
“Hmm. Smells good,” he said. “What’s cookin’?” He sauntered toward the fire, leaving Llew to find her courage. No one would touch her, but it would help if he could draw most of the attention for a while. Wasn’t difficult. He’d been away from Quaver for most of the last year and many of their host were new soldiers who’d never met him in person. Gazes ranging from openly awed to guarded suspicion followed him everywhere, depending on the depth of belief in the stories that lay behind them.
Cadyn lounged by the fire while her subordinates darted about packing away camping equipment, rotated some sort of animal on a spit over the fire, or turned a stack of stale bread into mouth-watering toast. She peered at Jonas, openly eyeing him up and down.
Karlani relaxed beside the captain, her own interest in Jonas decidedly cooler since they’d left Rakun.
“By my reckoning, your holiday ended the moment you crossed the border, Lieutenant.” Cadyn brought her hand to her lips and sucked deeply on a cigarillo. “Does warm a soul on a winter’s morning,” she said, raising the cigarillo, her voice croaking as she curled her tongue around the smoke lingering in her mouth. She breathed it out and clamped her teeth on the end, drew her Syakaran knife, pulled a white stone from a small bag and began sharpening, her eyes briefly flickering to where Llew was extracting herself from her bedding. “This is my crew. Aris is a guest. Karlani here is a civilian, as is your pet Aenuk, until I decide otherwise. But you ain’t. On behalf of Aris and Quaver, I’m commandeering you, and I expect you up with the rest of us.” Scrape, scrape. The stone slid along the length of the blade. “And there will be no fraternizing with our guests. Is that understood?” Her words hissed and slurped around the cigarillo, but they were clear enough. She lifted the blade, turned it one way, then the other, making a show of studying its edge.
“Cadyn—”
She pulled the cigarillo from her teeth. “Captain Cadyn, to you. Or ‘sir’.” The cigarillo was replaced, and she returned to the task of sharpening the knife. “I prefer ‘Captain’. Especially from you.” She glanced up as Llew approached, and tilted the knife to catch the morning sun, ensuring it didn’t go unnoticed.
“Yes, Captain,” Jonas said.
Cadyn hid none of the pleasure she derived in asserting her dominance.
“Good. Good.” She slid the knife back into its holster. “You may have your breakfast rations.”
Jonas acknowledged her with a stiff nod.
“And, for this morning, you may act as Quaver’s emissary to the Aenuk guest. You may offer her breakfast, also.” Once dominance was established – in front of Llew, no less – Cadyn could be quite lovely.
Jonas gave her an empty smile and turned to the fire.
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“Why do you let her talk to you like that?” Llew asked as Jonas lowered himself beside her with a plate piled high with food to share.
“She’s the captain.”
“But you’re their hero. Isn’t that meant to mean something?” She plucked a chunk of lightly toasted bread off the plate and bit into the oversize crouton, crumbs flying every which way.
Jonas laughed, pausing in selecting a juicy piece of meat. “It means I’m Syakaran. It means I got strength and speed that can cause all kinds of trouble if left unchecked.” He picked his morsel but didn’t bring it to his mouth immediately. “I’m still a lieutenant for a reason. With my age, experience and trainin’, I could be a captain, but that ain’t what Quaver needs.” He sunk his teeth into the meat, fatty juices spilling down his chin.
“That’s Aris talking,” said Llew.
He stopped chewing, dragged his sleeve across his chin, and looked at her. He chewed again and swallowed. “He’s right. I need someone keepin’ me in line.”
Llew watched Jonas chew his way through another gristly piece of meat.
“Maybe.” She reached out for her own piece. “Maybe when you were my age, I’m sure a firm hand helped. But you’re a man now.”
“I was a man a year ago,” Jonas stated. “Some might say not much of one.”
“Your wife had just been murdered.”
“And if I’d stopped and listened to Aris, he would’ve told me it was Braph. Instead, a bunch of Aenuks died at my hands. At the time …” He paused, grimacing at Llew. “At the time, I didn’t pay no mind. Even when I knew they weren’t at fault, they were still Aenuks.”
Llew gave him a weak smile. He sought her forgiveness, but she couldn’t give it. The Jonas who had killed those Aenuks was not the Jonas she knew. Forgiving the man beside her would only insult the lives he had taken and would benefit him not at all. The Jonas of today had no need of her forgiveness.
“I think you’re a better man than you think you are.”
He grunted and tore into a chunk of bread.