Tenacity
Date: 2016-12-23T18:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Science Fiction; Romance
Description: WAR, HEARTBREAK, MORE WAR…AND A NEW FRIEND In the fifth epic of the Rise of the Iliri, Auryn Hadley interjects a compelling sci-fi action fantasy with a heart-warming tale of everyday community and the heart-wrenching reality of war—and the loss it mandates. A jarring emotional roller coaster, Tenacity tells the age-old tale of pure love amidst a struggle between good and evil—but with a heaping dose of the light-hearted, cross-cultural birds and bees. This one has plenty of laughs. And plenty of heartbreak. Slowly, region by region, the Lieutenant Salryc Luxx and her elite Black Blades are pu

Rise of the Iliri

Book Five

Auryn Hadley

Spotted Horse Productions

Tenacity is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2016 by Auryn Hadley

All Rights Reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher and the copyright owner constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author's intellectual property. Thank you for your support of the author's rights.

Published by Spotted Horse Productions

First Edition: December 2016

Cover Art by Spotted Horse Productions

Edited by Kathryn Cox

In every great journey, friends will fall to the wayside, others will join the march, and some will trudge beside you the entire way.  Cherish them all, because none of us can do this alone.

I hope you all know which one you are.

Introduction

S ince the dawn of time, the iliri have been called beasts and treated as either pets or livestock.  The only things we knew about ourselves came from whispers spoken softly, far away from human ears.  Even our own language was hoarded like some treasure.  From mother to child, everything we'd experienced was passed down quietly, giving us some hold on our history, but it wasn't enough.  Often, the stories felt more like wishes than reality.

Until she came.

Nothing about her should have been a surprise.  Always, when we needed help most, one female would rise up to lead us.  We'd recognize her by her scent, that of hope and dreams, and we'd call her Kaisae.  In the past, she'd been just like us – but now we were different.  Our people had been diluted, changed by generations of crossbreeding until we weren't sure what we were anymore.  She didn't have that problem.

One look at her reminded us all of what we were supposed to be.  The pride in her eyes proved that we hadn't always been property.  We hadn't been created to live as slaves!  Once, long ago, we were the ones in charge, and it had been women like her who'd kept us safe.

But that was before humans fell from the stars.  Everything they needed, they brought with them – or so they thought.  From the crops they planted on our soil to the animals that grazed on our hunting grounds, what had once been ours, they took as their own.  It was never enough.

They wanted metal.  It held up their homes, powered their machines, and made them stronger than us, but our world didn't have much.  No matter what name they used, iron, copper, and even gold were things we'd never seen until humans came.  They swore it existed, but it seemed there wasn't enough to go around.  They decided to use us instead.

They hunted our prey, destroyed our homes, and killed our culture to make us serve them.  When we objected, they twisted us, forcing us to stand taller, bleed more red, and even speak their words.  Soon, we replaced their machines, and the humans were finally happy with their easy lives.

In only a few generations, we became their greatest tool, kept in check by our primal needs and shackled by our own minds.  Our species learned to submit.  Humans were stronger, so we had no other choice.  We still tried to resist, always relying on the best of our women to show us what to do.  Over and over, we failed, forced to become meek and obedient until we eventually forgot there had been any other way.

The stories of our history became myths.  Mothers gave up whispering them to their babies.  Our grandchildren ignored us when we tried, and theirs called them lies.  It didn't happen fast, but after many, many lifetimes, the humans had finally won.  The iliri, a once proud species, had become the pets humans had always called us, tamed through generations of domestication.

And that's when she finally appeared.  With her eyes locked on the ground, no one would have guessed that the worthless bitch was a threat.  We'd fought for so long, biting, clawing, and killing to keep what little pride we had left, but she'd learned something new.  She'd figured out how to be overlooked.

In other times, our people never would have chosen her.  In other circumstances, she wouldn't have been good enough.  Lucky for us, she was all we had, because that one unimportant girl was about to become the hope of an entire species, and it only happened because no one told her it couldn't.

Raised by humans, she was ignorant about her own species.  All she knew was her shame for being different, but now she had a pack she could lean on.  The Black Blades had spent nearly a decade proving they were the perfect soldiers.  Since she'd joined, they'd become so much more than just a military unit.  They were a family, and they succeeded because they were no longer ashamed to be iliri.

Our masters weren't happy about it.  They tried to break the Black Blades.  When nothing else worked, they sent her away, thinking her nothing more than a beast that needed to be tamed.  To Anglia, they said, that archaic country to the north.  Using the war raging on the other side of the continent as an excuse, they claimed she was the only one who could do this.  What they didn't realize was how right they were.

Her job was to replace the King with one who would support the Conglomerate of Free Citizens.  Instead, she found an ally, and along the way, she discovered our history.  It came on four legs, covered in hair, proving we really were the beasts humans claimed.  Called the grauori, these wild creatures were our best chance at stopping the war destroying everything in its path, but she'd have to face the consequences of her actions.

Yet humans wouldn't give in.  Convinced they were the strongest species on the planet, some would rather face an un-winnable war than see the iliri treated as equals.  The Black Blades were disbanded.  The Kaisae was attacked.  The alliance nearly collapsed, but there was one last option: Anglia.

The nation that had fought beside our Kaisae gave her a crown and offered our people a home.  The world noticed.  The balance of power had just shifted to a country where three species lived together as one.  Human, iliri, and grauori soldiers fought side by side against the extermination of the iliri, but the Emperor of Terric just kept coming.

He wanted to see the iliri wiped off the face of the planet, and one small, pale girl wasn't going to be enough.

– Excerpt from The History of Salryc Luxx, by Ilus Molis Cernyn, Professor of Iliran history at the University of Arhhawen.

Chapter 1

It was quiet.  The soft drizzle of rain caused a hushed static that kept their ears from ringing and the squelch of their boots in the mud told the tiny, white woman that it wasn't a problem with her hearing.  Step by step, they pushed through the town with swords drawn, tense, seeking any sign of movement.

A shutter flapped in the wind and one of the men, Razor, twitched.  All eyes jerked to the threat.  When Sal looked back, her brother was blushing at his reaction.  He caught her eye and shrugged.

They pushed on.  Blaec had ordered them to secure the town - if the small cluster of buildings even qualified as such.  The streets were empty, there was no smell of humans in the air, but the earthy scents of iliri seemed to permeate everything.

Just as the unit began to relax, Blaec's voice sounded in their minds.  Zep, Razor, Arctic, check the - he gestured to the large building in the middle of town - tavern, inn, thing.  Whatever that is.  I need two grauori maargra, at least, to sweep the houses.  Hwa, you're in charge of them.  Audgan, Geo, head over a street.  Sal, Cyno with me, and I want Shift and Risk to float as needed.  Keep your senses open people.  There's supposed to be a unit of Terrans here.

I'm not getting shit, Razor replied. You sure we're in the right place?

Blaec glanced over his shoulder and looked at his soldier. Your skill, man, not mine.

With a grin, Razor nodded and closed his eyes.  They all paused, checking their surroundings while they waited.

I got nothing, LT, Razor thought, finally.  Faint tug to the northeast, but it sure as shit ain't close.

You just looking for Terrans, or humans? Zep asked.

Terrans, or those in the Terran military.  Trust me, it works.  Doesn't matter what citizenship they claim.

They stood motionless for a second before Blaec sighed.  So?  Move, guys.  I need a full sweep.  Let's act like elites!

That was enough.  They all began drifting in the direction they'd been ordered, Sal sliding her sword back into the scabbard, feeling more relaxed.  Signs of recent habitation were everywhere.  Clothes hung wet on lines, windows stood open with drizzle soaking the curtains inside, but the buildings were in good repair.

When did it start raining here? she asked.

Two days ago, Jase said following her eyes. Ya think they all just left?

She shrugged.  There's something here, but I couldn't tell you where.

Blaec was listening.  Friend or foe?

I'm not sure, love.  I just feel like something's here.  I can almost hear it.  She looked at him, meeting his eyes. Yes, it's been going on a while.  No, I'm not making a deal out of it.  Yes, we will talk about it later.

Blaec ducked his head to hide the smile but nodded.  Gesturing for them to follow, he slipped inside a building.  As soon as they passed through the door, scents assaulted her: wood, cloth, foodstuffs, and more.  When Sal sneezed, both men glared at her, but she just sighed and walked across the building.  This one was clearly empty, so her mistake hadn't alerted anyone to their location.

Yanking open the door to the stairs, she knew why.  "I think we're too late."

Blaec and Jase both moved to her side, the scent of decomposition wafting down to them.

"Fuck," Blaec grumbled.  "This place was supposed to be Iliran."

Sal nodded and stepped through the door.  "Hence the death," she tossed back as she jogged easily up the stairs.  At the top, she paused.  "Shit."

We have dead, Blaec told his men through their mental link.

Us too, Geo replied.  Family.  Even the kids.  It's pretty gruesome.

Torture is more like it, Sal agreed.

Jase brushed past his commanding officer and up the stairs.  With a glance behind him, Blaec followed.  In the apartment above, the smell was stronger.  An elderly couple lay dead.  Sprawled across the floor, their blue eyes stared at nothing.  The three soldiers stood silently, each trying to come to terms with this in their own way.

"I want to die like that," Sal said softly, then stepped toward the corpses.

Blaec's head snapped to look at her, his expression confused.  The skin had been flayed from much of the victims' bodies.  The man's legs had been broken, and the woman had been repeatedly lacerated.  Fingers were scattered on the floor around them like debris, their blood had splattered across every surface in the room, even the ceiling.

Sal stopped beside them and looked down.  The older man's mutilated fingers rested against the woman's palm, her thumb crossed over the back of his hand.  They'd died together.

We have more, Hwa thought.  Looks like they tried to hide over here.  He projected a location to them on the far side of the town.

How many? Blaec asked.

More than ten.  Hard to get a count unless we try to piece them back together, but I smell at least ten different people.

No, Blaec said. We can let the greens worry about that.  We have any signs of life at all?  Silence met his question.  Then keep looking.

"Leave them?" Sal asked.

"Yeah.  You smell humans at all, sweetness?"

She shook her head.  "No.  With the rains, any trail would be gone.  Hwa might be able to track something, but I can't."

She barely finished the thought before a rush of fear hit her like a hammer.  Both she and Jase turned to the wall beside them instinctually, then spun and ran down the stairs.

I'm fine! Zep's thought cut through them, and the pair stopped before they even had reached the bottom.  Sal, I think we're going to need you, though.

What did you find? Blaec asked.

I don't know.  There's a girl.  His amusement leaked through the link.

He forgot to mention the explosion, Arctic added wryly.

Iliri? Blaec asked.

No fucking clue on this one.  Can't get close enough, and she doesn't look like anything I've seen before, Arctic answered.

"Go," Blaec told his partners.  "I'll check the next building."

Sal and Jase shared a look, and he nodded.  "I got yer back, LT.  We'll know if anythan' touches her before she can think it."

"Thanks, man."

When they left the shop, the men turned right.  Sal went left.  She jogged through the rain, mud splashing against her ankles, to the large tavern.  When she reached the door, she paused, listened, then entered.

Where are you? she asked.

Downstairs, Arctic said.  Zep, don't.  You're freaking her out, man.

Sal looked around the empty room and found the door standing conspicuously open.  Heading that way, she could hear voices from the basement.  A girl growled in something that sounded Iliran, but the words were jumbled by distance.  The stairs were clear, so she trotted down, her feet barely making a sound.

"You will burn!  I will pull you apart and make you burn!"  The accent was thick but the words were true Iliran.

Sal walked through the narrow hall, turned a corner, and paused.  Zep, Razor, and Arctic crouched beside the corner of a door as if seeking cover.  She walked up behind Zep and rested her hand on his shoulder.

I'm here.  Catch me up.

Crazy bitch in there is pissed, Zep said.  I went to open the cage, and I think she tried to fry me or something.  He pointed at his chest and the heat stress lines across the resin.  Seems to be line of sight.

Sal shook her head.  We don't have skills like that.  Audgan's is about the most aggressive I've ever seen.

And ripping someone's thoughts from their head is passive, Sal? Arctic asked.  Catch this.

He tossed a memory into her mind: Zep walking into the room, a cage in the back corner with a girl in it.  Her hair was a strange color, almost red, but blonde at the same time.  When Zep saw her, he rushed over and grabbed the door, trying to open it.  That's when his armor started to smoke, and Zep backed out of the room quickly.  Arctic glanced at the girl.  Their eyes met.  His nearly white ones locked to hers - one ice blue, one pale amber.  She snarled, and the table behind him had exploded into shards of wood.

Sal sighed and rubbed her eyes.  "Why are you in a cage?" she yelled at the girl in Iliran.

"I'm not your pet!" the girl called back.

"No.  You also didn't answer the question.  My Taunor wanted to let you out, and you threatened him.  Why are you in the cage?"

"Do not pretend with me.  I know you killed them all.  Soldiers!  You think because I am different, I am evil?"

That was more than she could take.  Sal marched forward, brazenly heading for the girl's room.  Behind her, the men just sighed in defeat.  When she pushed the door open, the strange girl's eyes were waiting.  Even when they widened in surprise, she didn't look away.

Sal was impressed.  She also wanted to make the point very clear.  "No.  I do not think different is evil."

"There was a human!" the girl rambled in her native language, looking toward the short hall.  "He was just in here, and a part-human with him.  They'll come back!" she cried, grasping at the bars, her panic showing.  "Let me out before they come back!"

"They're with me.  They are iliri.  I know Zep looks human," Sal touched her own head, "but he's iliri here.  I won't let you out if you're going to hurt my pack."

The girl sat back and pushed the mass of curls away from her face.  Streaks of red, blonde, and white ran in stripes through her hair, made obvious when she held it against her scalp.

"Nee," she said softly.  Please.

"What's your name, girl?"

"Shaden Lesedi."

"Ok, Shaden."  Sal squatted before the bars.  "Why are you in a cage?  It looks like mostly iliri lived here."

Shaden jerked her eyes to the side.  "I'm dangerous.  I'm twisted."

"Explain."

"Look at me!" she screamed.  "I'm striped like a cat, my eyes don't match.  I'm evil."

Sal shrugged.  "I'm white, my eyes look like a cat's, I have ears that make yours look normal, and I've been called evil a few times."

Shaden's shoulders sagged as if defeated.  "It's not the same."

The sound of soft footsteps behind her made Sal flick an ear back.  It was Arctic, walking slowly into the room.

"I can't follow all of that, your Iliran is too good," he said in Glish.  "She ok, demon?"

Sal shrugged and answered in the same language, "I'm not letting her out until she explains a few things."  She looked back at the girl.

Shaden's eyes had gone wide as she pressed herself against the back of the cage, looking at Arctic.  She was breathing fast but trying hard not to show it.

"Back up, Arctic," Sal said softly.

He dropped his eyes and stepped back until he was pressed against the wall.  Shaden relaxed slightly, but every muscle in her body was tense.

"Why are you scared of him?" Sal whispered.

"I'm not," the girl insisted.

"We can smell it, Shaden.  He's iliri.  As Iliran as it gets now.  He won't hurt you."

The girl's mismatched eyes met Sal's quickly, then looked back at Arctic.  She said nothing.

Sal kept her tone gentle.  "Let me say that a different way, I will not let him touch you.  He can not unless I allow it.  I am Kaisae."

At those words, the girl seemed to collapse on herself.  A strangled sob leapt from her throat, and she buried her head in her hands.  That was all the proof Sal needed.

"I need Rayna and Roo at least.  Meia would be good as well.  All of you men get the fuck out of this room.  Now!" Sal ordered.

They moved quickly, the sound of their steps retreating up the hall.  The further away they got, the louder Shaden allowed herself to cry.  Sal didn't bother thinking about it, she just opened the door to the cage and waited for the poor thing to crawl out, then pulled the girl into her arms.

"The Black Blades are good people, Shaden.  None of them will hurt you.  I swear it.  Now, I have friends coming, and they may be humans, but they're Anglians.  Do you know what that means?"

Shaden nodded.  "Yeah.  Anglia is coming to save us."  Both of her hands were pressed over her face.  "And if we can just hold out, Salryc Luxx will set us all free.  Is she here?"

"I'm right here."

Shaden gulped and wiped at her eyes quickly.  "You're…"  She looked across Sal's face.  "But?"

Sal offered her a sympathetic smile.  "I'm Sal.  Those men you tried to burn?  That's my pack."

"You're the Kaisae!" Shaden said, pulling away.  Then she suddenly switched to Glish.  "Your Majesty!"

Sal changed languages to match.  "Oh no.  I'm just Sal.  I'm not a queen, I'm not a ruler.  I'm a pissed off bitch who likes to kill Terrans.  That's it."

"But, you're like the queen of Anglia, aren't you?"

"Kaisae.  There's the King and the Orassae, too.  Now, what are we going to do with you?  Can you even be around a man?"

Shaden looked down, her shame showing.  "I'm fine."

"No.  You're not.  I'm not sure exactly what you are but fine is not one of the options.  Shaden, I was a slave.  I know.  I've been there, ok?"

"They said I'm not iliri because I'm like this."  Shaden picked the part of Sal's comment she felt most comfortable addressing.

"And your skill most definitely isn't Iliran, but you smell a bit like us."

The girl shrugged and wiped at her nose again.  "Not enough to be a part of the pack."

Sal reached up and touched the girl's cheek.  Through that gentle contact, flashes of Shaden's thoughts, concerns, and memories flooded into Sal's mind.  They'd cast her out the first time her talent showed itself, terrified of the destruction she could cause.  After that, she spent years chained to a boulder in the hills beyond town.  When she learned to control it, they brought her to the basement, chained her up, and gave her to the Terran soldiers repeatedly in order to save their own families.  To get food, she was forced to lock herself in the cage three times a day before they'd open the door.

"When was the last time you left this room?" Sal asked.

"I was sixteen.  I kept count for two years, thinking when I hit my majority, they'd let me leave."

Sal nodded in understanding, hearing the sounds in the hall change.  "But they didn't.  My friends are coming, ok?  They're human and grauori, but they are my friends."

Shaden just bobbed her head in a weak acceptance.

Roo scampered down the stairs first, Rayna and Meia on her heels.  Sal called out, "We're ok."

"Thank Ayati," Rayna said, pushing into the room.  Roo nudged beside her, but Meia waited at the threshold.

"You have women as soldiers?" Shaden asked, looking up at Sal.

Rayna chuckled.  "What do you think Sal is if not a soldier?"

"She's the Kaisae," Shaden replied, the awe apparent in her voice.

Sal jerked a thumb back at her closest friend.  "And she's the consort.  Meia's elite.  Roo is my gerus."

"What's a gerus?"

"It's an ilus, but with fur.  She's the dam of my kids."

"You really do follow the old ways," Shaden breathed in awe.

"Ya," Roo said around her tongue.  "Carn Rai Toudg oo?"

Shaden shook her head, "What?"

"She wants to touch you," Sal explained.  "She's a linker."

Shaden seemed to pull into herself.  "With them?"

The girl's reaction said a little too much.  "Not yet, Roo," Sal decided.  "I don't think she's ready for the minds of our men."

"Fucking humans."  Meia pushed closer.  "They raped her?"

Sal knew the girl could follow the entire conversation, but they needed to know.  "The iliri helped, but yes.  A lot.  She hasn't been out of this room in years."

"She's staying with me then," Meia insisted.  "I won't let a single man near her."

"I'm not sure you're much safer for her.  She's able to take care of herself.  Shaden, this is Rayna and Meia, both are elite soldiers with the Devil Dogs.  The fuzzy one is Aroora, or Roo.  I swear they're friends.  They've gotten my back more times than I can count.  Can we get that chain off your leg?"

When Shaden nodded, Meia moved to her ankle, pulling a small pack from her pocket.  She set to work, poking and twisting the lock until the manacle sprang open.  The flesh on the girl's leg was raw, not quite bloody, but Shaden reached down and began to rub it.

"Are they all dead?" she asked.

"I think so," Sal told her.  "We found bodies.  I'm not sure if any got away."

"Good.  They weren't real iliri anyway.  You didn't want them."  With that, she stood and tried to dust off the thin shift she wore.

Sal and Rayna both reached for the buttons at their throats.  "I do the cold better than you, Ray," Sal pointed out.  "And she's about my size."

"Fair enough.  Tell one of your boys to get a blanket for her legs."

Sal nodded and passed the word as she pulled off her leather armor and the longsleeve black shirt beneath it.  "Here, Shaden.  It's cold out there."

"Winter already?"

"No, but autumn and raining.  You ever ridden?"

Shaden just shook her head then pulled the shirt over her shift.  Sal put back on her leather and scabbards as she talked.

"Ok.  We need to get you back to the camp.  I can't guarantee that Terric won't come back here.  One problem, though.  There's men."

Shaden's shoulders dropped slightly.  "I'm ok, Kaisae."

"Shaden," Meia said, stepping before the girl.  "Sal's mates, Jase and Zep?  They're safe, ok?  To you, they may as well not even be men."

"What do you mean?"

"They're cessivi," Rayna said.  "They'll only touch her."

The redhead looked up at Sal, daring to hope.  Sal nodded.  "It's true.  The man you tried to set on fire?  That's my Taunor.  He's worried about you - but he thinks of you as a daughter or a sister, nothing more."

"I'm ok," the frail girl said again.  It seemed to be her go-to answer.

Sal met her eyes and held them.  "Just tell me when you aren't."

Chapter 2

The group of women escorted the fragile girl up the stairs.  When they reached the main room, Shaden paused, looking around.  She took a shuddering breath and turned to the main door.  That was the only sign of her nervousness before she led them outside.  The strongest women in the country flanked her as mere guards, but when they passed through the doors, Shaden's facade of strength crumbled.

Under the bright, grey sky, the girl had to use her hand as a shield.  It was enough to let her see, but she stiffened at the sight of so many soldiers waiting in the street before the building.

"The Black Blades," Sal said gently.  "The men in black are mine.  Just black, not the black and purple of Terric, ok?"  When Shaden nodded, Sal moved to her side.  "The big black-skinned man and the little pale one with blue eyes?  They're my cessivi.  The man with reddish hair?  That's my Dernor - and our leader."

Shaden turned to look at Sal, her pupil's constricted to slits.  "Who is the one with iliri eyes?"

Sal made no effort to hide her sharp teeth when she smiled.  "Arctic, named for his cold eyes and calm personality."  She pointed and named off the rest of them, Shaden watching each carefully.

"And grey is different than black?" she asked, looking at the women beside her.

"Yeah," Rayna said.  "Different unit.  They're the Black Blades.  We're the Devil Dogs.  White is yet another unit, the Verdant Shields."

"You gonna link her?" Blaec called.

"No," Sal said, leaving it at that.  "She's riding with me.  We need to find a bunk for her, too."  Sal followed that with a thought to Blaec.  Multiple rapes recently.  She's got a hair trigger on her mind.  I need her close so I can shut her down if I need to.

Yeah.  I can give you my tent and move in with your boys for a bit.  Terric did this?

No, the iliri.  They used her to keep humans from their own kids.

Across the distance, Blaec nodded.  "Guys, can I bunk with you and give the ladies my place?"

Zep winked at him deviously.  "Yeah, LT.  It's always a party at our place, man."

Jase merely watched.  Sal caught his eye, and he nodded.  He had the girl's back.

While Sal was talking to her mates, Rayna grabbed Arden and pulled her to the patio of the tavern so Sal could hop onto the mare's back.  With Rayna's help, they pulled the girl up behind her then tucked a blanket across her legs to shield her from the cold breeze.  When she was adjusted, the group headed back to the Anglian encampment.  The women lagged at the back, Roo trotting along beside them.  Shaden looked at everything around her with wide eyes.

"It's nothing like I remember," she whispered.

"No," Meia agreed, pulling beside them.  "War has been here.  Your town isn't the only one that got hit."

"Their town," the girl grumbled under her breath.

Meia shrugged.  "Unav, in general, has been hit hard.  We're still winning, though."

"So what am I going to do?"

Sal shrugged.  "Anything you want, I suppose.  You're free from that hell."  She chuckled sadly.  "It's time to start on the next one."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing ever works out quite like you wish, Shaden.  Never.  You learn to make the most of what you have, and you keep hoping for better, but"  Sal turned her head enough to see her.  "It's life."

"Yeah.  So being Kaisae isn't that great?"

Meia shook her head.  "She doesn't get to sleep half the time, everyone yells at her - even if it's not her fault - and she lives in a tent."  When Shaden looked confused, Meia waved her off.  "It's not all bad, but it's sure not a fairy tale either.  Our friends die, our families are a long way away, and we spend most days killing people."

"Could I learn to do that?"

"Maybe," Rayna said from the other side.  "Problem is most of the army is made of human men and female grauori.  Sure, hacking down the bad guys is nice, but before you can do that, you'd need to learn how to fight.  That means hours standing around with a lot of guys.  Can you do it?  Sure.  Do you want to, though?"

"But what else would I do?"

"Make things, train horses, teach children?  There's so many options," Rayna pointed out.

The girl was quiet, thinking about that when they rode into the camp.  But Shaden clung to Sal a bit tighter when they passed the lines of soldiers.  Men saluted at the sight of the elites, their fists pressed to their heart, but few lingered long enough to do more than acknowledge the strange face.  When they passed through the line, Sal made her way to the back of camp, next to the Blade's cluster of tents, and halted.

"Let go of my waist and I'll help you down, ok?"

"K," Shaden said, releasing Sal.

She swung her leg over Arden's neck and slid down her side, then turned, reaching up for the scrawny girl.  "I'd say grab my shoulders, but by the time you reached them you'd be on the ground.  Arden, stand.  Just scoot forward into the saddle, then put your foot in the stirrup and step down like it's a ladder.  I'll make sure you don't fall."

Shaden tried, shuffling forward and kicking at the stirrup until she found it with her foot.  Clinging to the mare's mane with both hands, she stood.  Rayna pulled her horse around, hopped off, and grabbed the off-side to stabilize it, but said nothing.  Sal reached up and guided the girl to the ground.

"Now let me show you what we call home."  Sal gestured to the dark tents.  "We color code them like we do our armor.  Makes it easier when you're staggering home drunk."

Meia pointed out, "We're just next door.  The group back here's nothing but good people.  Swear to it.  Men in black, grey, or white can be trusted."

While they filled her in, they guided Shaden toward the fire, then encouraged her to sit and warm up.  She didn't refuse the offer, but a fire wouldn't be all this girl needed.  Sal looked her over.

"She's bigger than me but too lean for Cyno's stuff.  Either of you have something that might fit her?"

"Teya will.  That girl has more clothes than Prin, I swear.  Lemme go borrow some.  Shaden, have a favorite color?"

She shook her head, overwhelmed.

Sal knew the perfect distraction.  "Roo, can you get her some food?"

What type? Roo asked.

"Same as for Zep," Sal said, pulling a chair next to the fire.

At least the rain had stopped while they were inside, but the ground was muddy, and the tents all sagged against the added weight of the water.  It didn't take long before Rhyx appeared, walking carefully on her hind legs, carrying a platter of meats and cheeses.  Raast followed behind her with a large pitcher of clear water in one hand, a mug in the other.

Raast spoke first.  "Amma?  Amma Roo said to bring supper."

"Who's she?" Rhyx asked.

"I'm Shaden.  You're Roo's kids?"  Thankfully the grauori didn't seem to bother her at all.

Both pups nodded.

Sal clarified, "And Black Blades, even if they don't wear much black.  Not all of the grauori are, just these four."

"Is that what the tattoo means?" Shaden asked, pointing to Sal's neck.

"Yeah.  We're pretty proud of it."

"The other ones look like me."  She gestured at the scrolling white lines across Sal's body.

"Got some,"  Rayna said jogging back.  "Pants ok, Shaden, or you prefer skirts?"

The girl shrugged.

"Pants," Sal decided.  "Harder to get into."

"Ah, good point.  Boots aren't as easy.  Grabbed a spare of my own, so they're grey.  But, check this out."  She held up a wad of clothes wrapped in her arms.  "Which one's LT's, Sal?"

"Behind ya."

"LT?" Shaden asked.

"Blaec.  He was a Lieutenant for many years.  We got in the habit of calling him LT, the abbreviation for Lieutenant.  It kinda stuck even though he's a general now."

"Still think of him as a Major," Rayna said.  "Sal, let's get her in something warmer.  You may not feel cold like the rest of us, but that doesn't mean she can't."

Together, they guided Shaden to the tent.  The girl stopped before the door.  "Where is he?"

"Talking to the King," Sal promised.  "He already said you were welcome to his place and he's crashing with Jase and Zep.  He's not coming."

"K," she said, taking a deep breath before entering.

Inside, the canvas tent was a real home.  The bed was against one side, two chairs on the other.  Traveling trunks and chests were stacked up to make tables or dressers.  A lantern sat on the one next to the bed, a book laying face down beside to it.  By the door, two saddle racks sat empty, bottles of oils and rags carefully stored beside them.

"Wow," Shaden said looking around in awe.  "This is amazing."

Rayna chuckled.  "Blaec's organized, I'll give him that.  Where's your stuff, Sal?"

"Mingled.  No secrets in here, so don't worry about it, Ray.  What clothes did you bring?"

Rayna grinned and began to lay things out on the bed.  "Blues, greens, pink - not really Shaden's color, but if she likes it, she's welcome.  Um, and this one."

She proudly spread out a pair of bronze pants with a matching shirt.  Orange flames licked at the edges of the sleeves and around the throat, gold stitching accenting every seam.

"Arctic said she tried to burn Zep.  I thought it was fitting and Teya hates the brown tones.  They're all yours, Shaden.  A gift from a mutual friend."

Shaden turned from the clothes to Rayna, clutching her hands close to her chest.  "Mine?"

Rayna nodded.  "Yep.  Make sure they fit.  If they're too big, we can have someone take them up."

"Roo," Sal said.  "She sews and cooks."

"That's better than my option.  Tyr's the only one I know who can use a needle."

"Tyr?" Sal asked.  "Now that's shocking."

Shaden felt the soft fabrics as if she was scared to truly touch them.  "I'm filthy, though," she said.

"With the mud, there's not a lot to do about that," Rayna assured her.  "Don't worry.  This stuff will wash fine.  Next time we stop, Pig promised a bathing tent.  Sal, you wanna see if the boys will share and we can take the Blades' for the ladies?"

"Yeah.  Pretty sure the guys will be ok with that unless we find housing in town."  Sal kept her eyes on the girl but kept talking, hoping the conversation would set her at ease.  "Granted, we both know my guys will do their best to show off their tattoos."

Rayna chuckled.  "Nothing wrong with a little preening.  Besides, I'm gonna get Cyno to draw me up one. A few of us keep talking about stealing your idea with the mark.  The guys aren't so sure about the neck, though."

As they chattered, Shaden slipped off her shift and began putting on the soft pants.

Sal kept going.  "The neck is an iliri thing.  It's supposed to be the least likely place to be destroyed.  Zep proved that wrong, but hey.  He never has been a proper iliri, right?"

"True," Rayna agreed.  "But having been in a meld with all of you now, I know what you mean about him.  He feels... well... like Jase.  The Dogs feel like a soft couch or something, but yours all feel like teeth in my head.  Zep's not human."

"No.  Especially not after Zaqala."

"Yeah.  That was fucked up.  He still ok?"

"He has some real bad nights."  Sal smiled sadly.  "He also has a thing about sunrises now.  He's been counting, you know?"

"Fuck.  That has to be hard on a man."

Sal nodded.

"What happened?" Shaden asked softly, then snapped her mouth closed.  "Is it wrong to ask?"

"No," Sal assured her.  "Zep tried to die on us a few months back.  He took a sword for me."

"Was it bad?"

"Yeah."  Sal sighed.  "Jase and I held him from death until Raast started his body back up.  That's how he became our cessivi."

"You mean, like a real cessivi?"

Turning to Shaden, they saw the girl's bare skin.  Dark lines traced across it in a V, truly similar to the markings of the cat she'd compared herself to. Rayna glanced at Sal, but her only acknowledgment was that movement of her eyes.

"I'm as human as it gets and I can see it.  The three of them are like one.  Scare one, the others appear from nowhere.  What's on your back?"  She asked like it was no big deal.

"I don't know.  They've always been there."

"Can I see?" Rayna stepped closer.

Shaden shrugged the shirt over her shoulders, exposing her upper back.

Reaching, Rayna asked.  "May I touch you?"  Shaden looked at her, confused, so Rayna explained, "If you're part iliri, I always ask.  I know how Sal is about touching.  Feel free to say no."

"It's ok.  I've just never been asked before."

Rayna gently traced the dark markings on her skin.  "Sal, I think I know what this is."

"Ok, don't keep us guessing."

"Ever heard of chimerism?  Happens in horses sometimes."

"You mean like the brindles?" Sal asked.

"Yeah.  Same thing.  Her hair's the same way, plus the two different colored eyes.  Shaden, did you know your parents at all?"

"Yeah."  Her voice held no emotion.

"One was human colored?  The other pretty pale, right?"

"How'd you know?"

Rayna chuckled.  "I'm pretty sure I'm right.  Ok, get dressed and sit down.  I'll explain it."

Sal grabbed the chairs and pulled them closer then moved the pile of clothes to one end.  While Rayna lit the lantern, Sal climbed on the bed and shoved the pillows around until they were comfortable.  Shaden sat politely in the empty chair, watching them.

Rayna dropped into the last seat.  "Ok.  Iliri and humans typically have children that are somewhere in between for the color, right?  Like if Sal And Zep had a kid, it'd be Razor's color, maybe lighter.  Doesn't always work like that, though.  Sometimes the child is the color of one parent or the other.  You've seen that, right?"

Shaden nodded, listening intently.

"So.  You know there's two types of twins.  Identical... and I can't remember the other."

"Fraternal," Sal supplied.

"Right.  Chimerism is a pair of fraternal twins that grow into one person or thing.  Does she smell odd?"

Sal nodded.  "Strong of both human and iliri."

"Yeah.  I bet I'm right.  Dark lines are the more human twin.  Light lines are the more iliri."

"So explain her talent?"

Rayna just laughed.  "Nope.  Can't.  I can barely wrap my mind around the skills your men have, let alone yours, Sal."

"I just get angry, and things get hot."  Shaden shrugged, looking at them to make sure her answer was ok.

"You have to see it?" Sal asked.

She nodded.

"Does it only happen when you want it to?" Rayna asked.

"Kinda.  I mean, if I get scared, or hurt, but I kinda want it to, ya know?"

Sal nodded.  "Oh, I know."

A soft scratch came at the tent flap.  "Sal?"  It was Arctic.

"Yeah?"

"You need anything?"

"We got clothes and food for her already," Sal answered through the canvas.

"LT's gonna need gear and I've got saddles.  You want to get these, or can I come in?"

Sal looked at Shaden.  "Your call."

"I'm ok."

"Come on in, Arctic.  Flap's open."

He ducked inside and dropped the first saddle on the rack then stepped back through.  Sal heard him take the next from someone and return to set it on the second rack.

"I can either take stuff over to, well, the other tent, or you can.  We really have to figure out which of you claims which tent, Sal."

She pointed.  "Blaec's, and the boys."

"Yeah.  So, you want me to haul shit over there now, or have LT stop by?"

"In all honesty, I have no idea what he wants.  I can take it over.  I'll want to kiss them good night anyways."

Arctic chuckled.  "Aw, what I wouldn't give to see that.  Poor LT and his pride."

Shaden stared at him while they talked.  Arctic glanced at her and dropped his eyes almost immediately.

"The bronze suits you," he said, then turned and walked back through the door.

When Sal looked at Shaden, the girl was smiling.  "I told you he's nice," Sal said.

"He's not like the men I'm used to."

"None of them are," Rayna assured her.  "You can only watch so many of your friends die before you change what's important, you know?"

"Have a lot of people died?"

"Not recently," Sal assured her.  "Zep tried, but we've been lucky enough to stop most of them.  You know about healing, right?"

"Yeah."  Shaden nodded.  "They used to do that to me.  You know, after."

Rayna reached over and rubbed her shoulder.  "Kid, it gets better."

"When do I stop being afraid of them?"

Sal flopped back to rub at her face.  "When you're stronger than them, I think.  Not physically, but mentally.  One day something just changes."

"Go on, Sal," Rayna said.

"I don't really know what more to say, Ray.  I'm iliri.  When I was a slave, I was mad, but not devastated."

"Mmhm," Rayna teased gently.  "How long between the time you were conscripted and when you touched a human?"

Sal laughed.  "Years."

Rayna made a gesture as if that proved her point.

Sal shrugged.  "And that's if you count Zep as a human."

"Nope.  I don't."  Rayna cocked her head, giving Sal an apologetic smile.

Before she could answer, something brushed Sal's mind.  It was a request.  Pulling herself up, she asked, "Ray, you able to hang out with her for a bit?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I dunno.  Blaec just wants me in for some strategy.  I'm betting it's Syhar, again.  We still don't know how to get through the gates."

Rayna nodded.  "Sure.  Before you go, what's the rules on stuff in here?"

Sal looked around the room.  "Don't ruin the books?  Seriously, it's just stuff.  Bed's for you tonight, Shaden.  When you get tired, just climb in, ok?"

"Really?" she asked.  "Where will you sleep?"

"Your choice.  I'll either drag a cot in here, or one in another tent.  Hwa and Roo, the grauori, will make sure no one but Rayna, Meia, or I come in here."

Shaden looked at the floor for a long moment.  Sal smiled, seeing the girl try to find the right answer.

"I'm thinking she wants to be alone," Rayna said.

"Works for me.  If she panics, I can stop her from anywhere in this camp now that I've touched her.  Just warn the Dogs, ok?"

"Can do."

"I don't want to be a problem," Shaden insisted.

Both soldiers shook their heads.  "No," Sal told her.  "Every Black Blade knows what the first day of freedom is like.  Every last one of us.  It's not a problem."  Sal stood, and glanced at the girl.  "Here's all you need to know about us.  If we want to know, we'll ask.  You're always free to answer - or not.  It's really that simple.  If I expect something to happen, I will give an order.  If I ask, it's because I want to know."

Shaden smiled and ducked her head.  "Thank you, Kaisae.  You really are as amazing as they said."

Chapter 3

Sal slipped out without looking back.  She stopped by Jase's tent, grabbed a spare shirt and dropped her leather armor across his to dry, then ducked back out.  The weather was miserable again, but it was more of a mist than a drizzle at least.  She walked quickly, her head down, into the collection of white tents, pushing inside Dom's pavilion.  Ricown jumped to his feet when she appeared before him.

"Sal, lemme get you a towel.  You look damp,"  He grabbed a thick and warm cloth from beside the brazier.

She rubbed the water from her body, looking down as she dried her hair.  Tracks of mud stained the rugs in dark paths from the door to the seating area.  Rragri, Dominik, Blaec, and Pig all leaned over a map talking in hushed tones.

"Thanks, Rico," she said passing the towel back to him.

She unbuckled her scabbards from her chest as she crossed the room, dropping the swords in a chair.  They all glanced up at her, and Sal shoved her arms into the thick wool shirt she'd brought.

"Hang those things, Sal, or you'll get the chair wet," Dom said.  "Rico, get a cloth for her boots, too.  We both know she'll end up curled in that thing soon."

Sal apologized and hung her swords behind her where they dripped softly onto the already stained rug.

Rico tossed the rag to Blaec.  "Sir, you get to pull her boots," he said before moving back to his post guarding the door.

"Pass that over, LT," Pig said.  "Kick one of those things you call feet up here, Sal."

She grinned as she pointed first one tiny foot, then the other at him.  He slipped her boots off easily and set them beside her chair.  As expected, Sal curled into the large plush seat, enjoying the warmth in the room.

"Ok, catch me up?"

Pig gestured toward the plans.  "Short version, can't get through the gate.  Long version, can't fucking get through the gate."

Sal nodded with an impish smile.  "So, I'm getting the impression the gate may be an issue.  Why?"

"It's made of acrylic.  Battering rams just make it flex but do little damage.  In order to open it, we need to be inside," Pig told her.

"How do they open it?"

"There's a room to the side, has the gate mechanism in it."

Sal nodded then looked at Blaec.  "And why aren't we sending Geo in?"

He groaned.  "Problem solved, guys.  I'm a fucking idiot."

What's Geo's skill? Rragri asked.

"He's a friender," Sal answered.

Rragri nodded.  Yes, Blaec, then you are an idiot.  That should work.  My gerus also say that you found something strange on patrols today?

Sal sighed and leaned back.  "Ok.  Her name is Shaden Lesedi.  She's somewhere between 18 and 22 years old, appears to be a chimera according to Rayna - "

"A wha'?" Dom asked.

"Two twins grown into one person," Pig said.  "Khai used to have a horse like that.  Bay with big black stripes across him.  That's why most of us know it."

"Ah," Sal said, suddenly understanding.  "Well, she's got a blue eye and an amber, hair is red, blonde, and maybe white.  Her back is patterned with stripes.  Rayna said it's all the right signs.  One near human, one near iliri twin, combined into one."

"Interesting," Dom said, obviously wondering why this was important.

"She burns things.  Maybe explodes them?  We're not real sure yet, and I don't know if she is either."

"So keep her away from lanterns?" Dom asked.

Her talent you foolish human, Rragri teased.

"Fuck," Pig said sitting forward.  "You just got my full attention."

"Guys, she's not stable.  I need to make sure the men stay away from her for a bit, ok?"

Dominik, Blaec, and Pig all looked down and nodded.  Those simple words were something they'd heard too often in the last few months.

"It's worse than you think.  Her own people chained her down there and gave her to the humans to keep them from their own families.  She's been in the tavern basement since she was about sixteen.  She didn't even know it was autumn."

"How bad?" Blaec asked.

"Pretty bad.  I think she's got control, but I don't want to trust it.  She's with Rayna now, and Meia's taken a liking to her."  The words were barely out before Pig chuckled.  "Not like that, you pervert," Sal told him.  "Meia's feeling protective."

"I know, Sal.  She's also not above trying to convince the girl to her leanings, though.  Just thought you should be aware."

"Not my choice, Pig.  If that's what Shaden feels comfortable with, none of us will complain."

"Yeah we will," Dom pointed out.  "Well, is she cute?"

"She's a redhead," Pig replied as if that was an answer.

"Yeah, then we'll complain.  We won't begrudge her at all, but we'll still complain."  He shrugged, grinning.  "It's how the male human mind works."

"Ok.  Point being, a man grabs this girl, even to be nice, and she'll probably blast him to bits before she even sees him."

I've never heard of anything like that, Rragri said.

"Me either.  Jase hasn't either, and you know how he is with the histories.  When she trusts me a bit more, I'll climb in her head and see if I can figure it out, but even the idea of sleeping in a bed kinda had her on edge.  Yeah, and she's in yours tonight, love."

He shrugged.  "We'll work it out."

"So whose is she?" Dom asked.

Sal shrugged.  "No idea yet.  She's fluent in Iliran though."

"You get all the fun toys, Sal," he teased.

"Usually," she stuck her tongue out at him.  "Ok, so when does Geo go in?"

Blaec answered, "Tomorrow I think.  We've got all the small towns outside Syhar cleared now, so it's just those holed up in there that we need to worry about."

Sal nodded, thinking.  "Get him to grab some intel about the layout while he's at it?  If we can get some other ways in, besides the front gate, the maargra can flank.  Ayati knows we have enough of them."

"Keep this up, Sal, and I'll retire soon."  Blaec leaned back, settling into his chair.  "Good work, soldier."

"Thank you, sir," Sal replied.

"Now," Pig told her, "Figure out what we're going to do with the soldiers to keep them occupied?"

"The weather," Dom grumbled.  "They're all stuck in their tents, and we've had a few issues."

"So that's where Ilija is.  Ok."  Sal had noticed the Colonel's absence but assumed he was still on patrol.  "What type of incidents?"

Pig sighed.  "Remember your little friend from the stables?  Um, Keeya, I think?"

"Yeah," she said leaning forward.

"She knifed a guy.  Guess he wasn't taking no for an answer."

"She ok?"

Pig chuckled.  "Yeah.  Something about cutting a ligament that wasn't fatal.  She's trying to be a little Sal I think."

"You training her yet?" Blaec asked.

Pig looked at him strangely.  "Her?"

Blaec slowly nodded.

"Wait," Dom said.  "You're doing the damned iliri thing again.  Catch me back up."

Pig waved at Ricown and waited.  The Shield brought him a bottle and Pig glanced at Sal before opening it.  "Mead?" he asked, filling his glass and handing it to her, then taking a pull directly from the bottle.  "So, you know about LT's little trick with the future, right?"

"Yeah, I also heard it's pretty unpredictable."

"Yep," Sal said.  "It's also very accurate."

"Well," Pig continued, "he told me to make a girl cry."

Sal held up her hand.  "Pig, watch the girl.  She seems delicate, but if you push her until she cries, she finds it.  Make sure she cries.  You'll  feel like an ass, but only until the next morning," she recited.

"How the fuck do you do that?" Pig asked.

"It's just how our minds work.  When he spouted that, I was linked, so I got a copy of it seared on my brain."  Sal shrugged.  "That's verbatim."

"Yeah," Pig agreed.  "So, now LT says Keeya's the girl.  What does it mean, though?"

Blaec shrugged.  "I can tell you it's her face I saw.  I can tell you I saw you screaming at her, and her crying, then you looking morose, drinking in your tent, and a feeling that the next morning all would be important and good.  That's how it works."

"Oh fuck me," Sal said sitting up.  "I have to talk to Arctic."

"Why?" Pig asked, pushing her boots toward her.

"He got Ray and Dom in the first one, you remember that?" Sal pulled the boots on.

"Yeah," Pig said.

"He told Zep to hang on?"

Pig nodded again.

"Pig, that was Zaqala.  Zep was dying, and we held his soul.  It was like death was pulling him from us, but Jase and I wouldn't let go, and Zep kept telling us we had to or we'd be dragged in.  Neither of us could've held him alone, and we were losing him until Jase told him to trust me - and not to let go.  Zep started fighting.  Raast made it to us, and brought him back."  She looked Pig in the eyes.  "You remember the next one he said?"

"No," Pig shook his head.  "I just remembered mine, the rest didn't make much sense."

Sal quoted, "Arctic, it burns.  You're the only one that can stop it from burning."

The room fell silent, and Sal shoved her heel the rest of the way into her boot, standing and grabbing her swords.

"The girl," Blaec said.  "She burns.  How does Arctic apply?"

"She smiled at him and thinks he's nice.  Not like the other men she's known.  He submitted to her when he brought the tack in.  He can't even meet her eyes.  He refused to stay away, even when he knew I had the situation, and gave her a safe compliment before retreating."

Pig chuckled.  "You iliri are so cute.  So he's got the hots for her?"

"No," Blaec said softly.  "No, that's different.  He's drawn to her.  What Sal just explained is something that means more than just wanting a piece of ass."

Sal nodded.  "Look.  Iliri women release pheromones.  That's why you all adore me - mostly.  I also leak, but that's beside the point.  From a hundred meters away, you could hate me, but if I touch you, I'm suddenly not as bad.  It's an iliri defense mechanism.  It's easier for us to seduce you than to fight you."  She waved that away.  "Thing is, it works with our males, too.  Jase knew when he checked my recruitment papers.  Blaec, well, that's his story to tell.  It's not like they suddenly think they met their dream girl or something.  It's more like they smell us, are madly and instantly in love with us, and there's not a damned thing they can do about it."

Blaec nodded.  "It's like a bitch in heat.  No male can refuse it, even if he hates her otherwise.  Even Risk is susceptible to it."

Sal raised an eyebrow at that, and Blaec nodded.  "Interesting," she said.

"That's why they were careful with you around him for so long.  Being drawn in and being happy about it aren't always the same thing," Blaec told them.

"Explain Zep," Dom said.

Sal grinned.  "He loves me."  She shrugged and headed for the door.  "We're gathering in my place.  Jase's place.  It's the only one with a door open to yours."

When Blaec nodded, she ducked back out into the rain, jogging back to the tent.

Jase, Zep?

Yeah? Jase answered.

Mm? Zep asked.

Party at your place this evening.  The girl is for Arctic.  I need to talk with him.

Sal felt Zep sit up straight in sudden understanding.  She burns.  Gotcha.  We'll move things around so everyone fits.

Thanks, guys.

When Sal made it back to the camp, she scratched at Arctic's tent.

"Come," he called out.

She slipped inside.  He sat on his bed, his legs crossed, in nothing but his pants.  A book lay open before him, and a dark resin blade slid slowly across a whetstone.

"Cute feet," Sal said, walking to him.

He glanced up at her with his pale eyes.  "I'm not going to touch her, Sal.  Not till she's ready, ok?"

"I know."  She sat beside him.  "So you figured it out?"

He sighed.  "Hard not to.  When I saw her, my heart just started pounding.  I thought it was because she was caged, right?  Then she tried to torch Zep, and I assumed it was fear.  But when you started talking to her, I just couldn't stay away."  He sighed again.  "I get it.  I may be a bit creepy for a bit, but I'm not touching her."

"Yeah," Sal said patting his leg.  "Arctic, she burned Zep's armor.  Burned it."

He looked at her blankly for a moment, then the realization hit him.  "Fuck.  She burns.  Ok, so what now, Sal?"

"You're iliri.  Be iliri.  It was humans that did it to her, and that matters, ok?"

"Sal?"

She looked up at him, and he ran his hands through his long hair.

"It's ok.  Ask."

His white eyes slowly raised to meet hers.  "What do I do?  I can't even understand."

"Go slow.  Don't touch her, just show her she can trust you.  Be sweet."

"You ok?"

She cocked her head.  "Yeah?"

Folding the corner of his page, he closed the book and set it aside.  Then he gathered the weapons and dropped them on the floor, clearing space to lean back.  "Come here, demon," he said, patting the spot beside him.

Sal slid next to him, dangling her ankles off the bed.  Arctic wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rested his head on hers before grabbing her hand again.

"You fool them all, you know that, right?  I read your file, Sal.  Before we recruited you, I read all the files and ruled out the ones that were incompatible.  How many times?"

"I don't know," she said looking up at him.  She looked easily into his eyes.  "It's not the same."

"So you say.  I know why you were conscripted.  I've read your tattoos."

"When?"

"When you were drugged, when you lounge around in that short little dress you like so much, name it.  How many times?"

"I stopped counting.  I was a slave, Arctic.  It's not the same."

"Why not?"

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.  "I wasn't chained to a cage.  I wasn't helpless."

"Weren't you?"

"No.  I learned how to deal with it.  Forced prostitution isn't the same."

He chuckled wryly.  "That's the story you're going with?"

"And I'm still not human."

He nodded.  "You don't feel regret.  Got it.  You don't do hate.  Got it.  Here's the problem.  Fear, I've seen.  Helplessness, I've seen.  Sadness, I've seen.  You do those.  What's the difference?"

Sal squeezed his hand.  "The difference is that I won."

"Doesn't make it hurt less, Sal.  If I'm going to help her, I need to understand, and you're the only one I know strong enough to help me."  Arctic leaned forward and looked down at her, waiting until she met his eyes.  "I'll leave it if you ask, but I'm hoping you trust me enough."

Sal looked away.

"It's ok," he promised, leaning back against the pillows.  "This stays here.  Forget I asked."

"I don't talk about it, Arctic."

"Yeah, I know.  Ever think you should?  Having her around is going to be like ripping a few scabs off.  Worst part is you have to be strong for her.  I'm pretty sure Cyno knows, but I don't think Zep or LT do, right?"

Sal chuckled.  "I never really know what Jase knows."

"Ain't that the truth.  I'll make you a deal, Sal.  We have this talk, I'll never speak of it.  I'll let you bury it so far in my mind that even I won't even find it."  He sighed.  "You let her out of the cage as soon as you realized what happened to her.  You didn't get the answers, you just kicked us out and released her."

Sal dragged a hand down her face.  "Yeah, not my best moment."

"I saw the look on your face.  You can't cry, but that isn't the same thing as not wanting to.  Right?"

"Yeah."

"You've only got one problem with the story you've been sticking to.  If you learned to deal with it so well, why were you begging to be conscripted?  Why did you tell him you'd rather die?  It was all there in your file, demon.  The punishment they gave you for that, too.  I also know about the men you tried to kill in that bar your first year.  Your story has holes."

Sal nodded.

"I'm here when you need me, ok?  I've never told any of them, but that doesn't mean I didn't know."

"You know they paid six hundred thousand krits for me?"

Arctic relaxed, knowing he'd just opened the door.  "Pretty impressive."

"Yeah.  You know why?"

He nodded.  "Iliri female."

"Yeah.  And they knew they could make it all back."

She paused, and Arctic rubbed her shoulder gently, waiting.  Shifting slightly, she stared at her feet and then nodded.  Sal used the toe of one foot to shove her boot off, then repeated the process with the other.

Guys, I'm going to be a while, she told Jase and Zep.

Take your time, kitten.  We understand, Jase replied.  His mind touched hers gently, and it was the last push she needed.

Chapter 4

She turned to look at him, then scooted between his legs to lay against his chest.  Arctic made room for her and wrapped his arms around her protectively.  Sal told her story to the walls of the tent.  It was the first time she'd ever really talked about it with anyone.

"It started when I was thirteen.  I've always thought it must have been my birthday, you know?  They acted like a point had been reached that they'd been waiting for.  He said I was old enough." She swallowed.  "It was the master.  I still don't know his name, and I've never bothered to look, but yeah.  That night, I was told I was old enough for my own room.  When I was sent to bed, he came in.  It was almost clinical.  Take off your dress, lay on the bed, spread your legs, this will hurt, don't scream.  Just like that."

Arctic held her just a bit tighter but said nothing.

"So I was laying there, with my arms across my chest, and he just unlaced his pants and leaned over me.  It hurts, you know?  Thing is, I think he threw me into maast and that just makes everything more clear."

"You ok, Sal?" he asked when she fell silent.

She blinked at tears that would never come.  "There was nothing pleasurable about it.  I ripped.  I know that now.  Back then, I just knew it hurt so bad, and I couldn't keep myself from fighting.  We're kinda smaller than human women.  I growled, and he told me he'd beat me.  So I bit him."

Arctic chuckled, but it sounded sad.  "That's my girl."

"Yeah.  He just had me whipped.  The next night, he made me tie myself to the bed.  I stopped bleeding eventually, and he said I was trained."

"Were you scared?"

"Yeah."  She fell silent for a long moment.  "I've been cut, stabbed, nearly killed, and none of it is as terrifying.  It's a different type of fear.  Fear of death can only go so far, you know?  We all meet that every day.  Move too slow, forget to check your back, whatever, and it could be the last mistake you make.  That's why Blaec has us work in teams.  Someone always has our back.  This is different."

He ran his hand across her hair.  "I got you, Sal.  I'm not letting go, ok?"

She nodded and took a long breath.  "There are few things I can compare it to.  Who you love, that's something you get to decide.  No one can choose that for you.  It's not the physical part of it that hurts so bad.  It's more than losing your freedom.  Even as a slave, I could at least hate my masters.  That.  That I couldn't stop.  I only ever got one first time, and it's ruined."

She turned into his chest, and he pressed her head closer.  "I'm not letting go," he whispered.

"It's like pulling your will, your mind, and all your love out and stomping it to pieces.  There's an automatic reaction to desire sex and a revulsion of yourself for wanting it.  It takes everything you know about yourself - what you like, what you hate, what you want, what you fear - and it mixes them together.  Eventually, I began to think I wanted it.  The week before they came to me, I didn't get beat.  No marks, you know?  I started to want that, and then I hated myself for wanting it.  We tell ourselves that sex is love, but it's not.  It's control.  It's power.  I hated myself for being so empty.  I felt like I was rotting from the inside out because I couldn't tell the difference between what they did to me and what was love."

She rubbed at her face and looked up at him.  Arctic never met her eyes.  He just watched her legs curled on top the blankets of his bed.

"It hurts like nothing else.  It's betrayal, but so much more.  It's like taking everything personal and poisoning it, twisting it.  Worst of all, they made me think it's my fault.  If only I wasn't so...whatever.  Some blamed it on my looks, others my species, or that I smiled or looked at them.  They always made sure I knew it's what I did that caused it.  I learned to hate myself, and blame myself, and then hate myself for blaming myself.

"Eventually they started auctioning me off.  Each month we had a grand gala.  I always served the champagne.  They had a little dress for me.  It was white but sheer, and the men would look at me as I held the tray for their drinks.  Not at me, but at the piece of meat they were about to buy.  That night, I'd head up to the guest room and impress them.  If I did well, I got the next day off work and a real bath.  If I didn't, I was beaten.  I learned pretty fast how to do well.  In a few months, I decided I was the one in charge.  I made a game of it.  See if I could make them swear, or scream, and never leave a mark on them.  The price went up, and my master was happy.  I think that's when I realized that they couldn't make me powerless, you know?"

"What's does the purple tattoo mean, demon?"

She smiled.  "The master knew that if he impressed the military, he'd get better escorts for his trade routes and other little benefits.  He still held the auctions but, between them, he threw me at any officer in town.  He'd offer them lodging and have me just slip in their rooms at night.  If he got a deal from it, I was rewarded."  She chuckled sarcastically.  "Usually it was real meat.  Well, one officer came through, and I slipped in his room.  He didn't smell sweet like the others, but I didn't know what that meant.  He was only the third one, and he'd been in combat.  The first two were just requisition clerks."

She sighed and relaxed against him, wallowing in her memories.

"I walked in the room, and he saw me.  I think he was shocked to see a true iliri in all honesty.  I pulled off my dress as seductively as I could and crawled onto him in the bed, but he stopped me.  He asked me why.  I just told him something about how he deserved this.  I can't even remember, but I knew to flatter the men, you know?  He rolled me off him and covered me with the blankets.  I tried again, and he grabbed my hands, then told me no."  Sal smiled sadly.  "He wanted me.  I could smell that he wanted me pretty bad, but he wouldn't.  He told me that he'd fought too hard for freedom from tyranny to participate in it and then he swore it would be our secret.  Arctic, he held me.  He just put his arm around me and held me until I fell asleep.  I think he watched my back the whole night.  When I woke the next morning, he was gone.  He told the master he'd be happy to escort his caravan back to Fort Landing at no charge, and I was spoiled for the rest of the week.

"That's what the purple is.  A man whose name I don't know, but who showed me that not all men are like that.  It changed everything.  To get me to sleep, he told me about the elites, including you all."  Sal chuckled.  "You'd just done a skirmish in the mountains, remember that?  Running over hard terrain, always being where they didn't expect."

"Yeah.  Unav.  We pushed Terric back that day."

Sal nodded.  "Yeah.  It was about a month later, I think.  Least from his story.  I wanted to be a Black Blade then.  Strong, smart, and able to hold back forces larger than me."  Sal pushed herself into him.  "I wish I knew who he was so I could thank him."

Arctic held her so tightly.  "Ayati, Sal.  It was meant to be, babe."

She sucked in a long, shuddering breath.  "Shaden never got there.  She never learned to fight back, she was never given a choice."

"You did, demon."

"That's why I opened the cage."

"Blaec reminds you of him, doesn't he?" Arctic asked.

Sal shrugged.  "In some ways."  She sighed and leaned her head back.  "It's more that I call to him.  Blaec won't submit - and I'm glad for that - but I still call to him.  I never knew why he avoided me in the trials, I just thought it was Circ, ya know?"

"Yeah.  He played that pretty close."

"But as soon as I was in black, it started.  He tried so hard to impress me.  All those hours riding!  I've heard him drilling the rest of you, he's not full of compliments and encouragement.  He pushes.  With me, it was always logic and encouragement.  When he kissed me in the bar?"  Sal giggled.  "That was so hard for him!  He had to completely let go of what was expected, and he was scared to death.  It mattered."

Arctic nodded.  "What about Jase?"

Sal laughed.  "Maast.  I mean literally.  If it wasn't for me being a damned berserker, I would have missed that.  He never showed a sign, other than an offhanded compliment.  Looking back, I know that he was always around.  When I needed a Blade to ask about the trials, he was standing less than two meters from me, hidden in the shadows.  When I got jacked in Eastward, he never left me alone in the camp, and he was there any time panic hit.  I think he's always been tied to me somehow."

"Me too."

Sal sighed.  "Zep was the hard one.  He was my friend and my big brother.  He always kept me at arm's length, but I knew better.  When things finally threw us together, he still said no."

"Why did you say yes?"

"I don't know.  Curiosity?  I feel safe with him?  I don't know."

"He makes you laugh more," Arctic pointed out.

"Yeah.  The strange thing?  I was never afraid of him.  I'm pretty sure I beat him in the trials because he made me angry, but I was never afraid of him.  Even when I slept with him.  He pointed it out to me later, but I never thought about it."

"Because he's iliri?"

"I think so.  And it matters.  When you let me in your mind, you can't hold me.  I'm stronger than you.  All of you.  I'm in control."

"What would happen if you weren't?" he asked softly.

"I don't know.  I don't think it would matter, though, because I could feel it.  The trust, the love, the…" Sal chuckled softly, "the faith.  That's why Zep's name is blue.  It's my trust in all of you.  I believe he's iliri.  I believe in my pack."

"You know that I'm always here for you, right?"  Arctic hugged her gently.  "I know they are, too, but sometimes you can't go to them.  I'm here if you ever need it, ok, Sal?"

She giggled.  "I've misplaced my big brother, you know."

Arctic laughed with her.  "Yeah.  You made him cessivi."

"Yeah."  She closed her eyes and just laid her head on him.  "It's hard to talk about it."

"I know.  I'm glad you did, though."

"For Shaden?"

"No," he whispered, pushing her hair back.  "For you.  This is going to be hard on you."

She just nodded.

"Does it come back still?" he asked softly.

"Humans.  It's just humans.  Arctic, being Kaisae, it makes it worse.  I can link now, did you know that?"

"Since when?"

"When you linked Dom with my help.  I can read by touch and other things.  Add those together, and I can pull thoughts from minds.  Anyone I touch is wide open to me."

He tucked her head under his chin and hugged her.  "Anytime you touch them too, right?"

"Yeah.  I can close it off when I think about it, but brushing past someone, or someone reaching out and grabbing me?  If they touch skin, they're wide open."

"You never show it, Sal."

She shrugged.  "You think I lose all this if I'm not the Kaisae anymore?"

"I dunno.  The problem is, I don't think there's anyone else.  The stronger you get, the more likely you are to stay our Kaisae.  I've heard Cyno talk about the stories.  You're different, Sal."

"Why?" she asked.  The need was clear in her voice.

"Because you were an experiment?  Because the world needs you?  Because you're so damned strong willed that you won't take no for an answer?  I don't know.  But you're not alone anymore.  Those three love you.  Your cessivi, that's obvious.  But LT?  He tries to hide it, but we all know better.  He has this smile.  You'll kiss one of them and he just smiles, knowing you're happy, and it means so much to him."  Arctic chuckled.  "Back in Fort Landing, we thought you'd cured him, but I think it's deeper than that."

"He's scared of me."

"Yeah.  We all are a bit.  I mean, we trust you, but we know what you are.  LT?  It's something else."  Arctic looked down at her, silent until she looked up at him.  He caressed her cheek gently, just watching her eyes.  "You can do it again, can't you.  You could make him cessivi." He said it softly, just a statement of fact.

"Not unless he takes it."

"But if he wanted it, you could do it."

Sal looked down.

"What other secrets are you hiding in there, Sal?"

"I don't know.  I can feel when people are around me.  Not who, or where, just that I'm alone or not.  If I try, I can listen to the links."

"Ours?"

"All of them."

"Fuck.  I can't do that.  I can only hear what passes through me.  You talked to Rragri?"

Sal nodded.  "She shrugged it off, saying it's an iliri thing.  Tseri, the Nuvani Kaeen?  She said that the pack supports us.  The stronger the pack, the stronger the Kaisae.  Something about our link feeds back to me with your respect.  It's like a tithe.  She can hear all of her links too."

Arctic nodded, thinking about that.  "If it's a tithe, then I'll give you everything I have, demon."

She refused to acknowledge that.  "I can control bodies, too.  I thought it was just movement, but I can tell your mind to sleep, or rupture vessels, or hold you still."

Arctic took a deep breath.  "Can you compel thoughts yet?"

"Yes.  Now come on, I'm supposed to be putting you in her line of sight."

He chuckled.  "Ok.  Yell at me if I get out of line?"

"I promise.  Just be gentle with her.  Be a friend first.  The rest will come."

"K.  So, do I get to be your big brother now?"

Sal laughed.  "Sure, but you know he was just using that as an excuse to kiss me, right?"

"Yeah.  Zep sucks at hiding things.  We always just let him think he had us fooled."  He kissed the top of her head.  "I'm pretty good at it, though."

Sal suddenly realized her mind was truly silent.  Since she'd told her cessivi that she would be a while, Arctic had pulled her from the link, locking her mind to just them.

He smiled at the look on her face.  "You leak.  I didn't want our talk to send the entire camp into a self-destructive fit, let alone Shaden."  He tilted his head in a weak shrug.  "I've been doing this a long time.  I know how to be subtle, and I've listened for them calling to you."

"Thank you," Sal said, truly meaning it.

"Nothing from tonight ever will leave this room, ok?"

She nodded.

His eyes didn't budge, but she could feel him working through something.  Finally, he said, "Remember when you were going to run the gauntlet and I said I'd tell you a secret when you got home?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not drawn to you like they are.  I never have been."  He sighed.  "I've always respected you, but I've never been drawn to you - even though they expected me to try.  That's why I kissed you in the cave.  I thought I was supposed to, but I'm glad you chose Zep.  It makes this all work out, you know?"

"Yeah."

His eyes suddenly had trouble meeting hers, and his face became very serene.  "I couldn't do this without you."  He glanced back for a second then looked away and laughed at himself.  "That's the big secret I've been keeping from you.  You said I was beautiful, and all I could think about was how unfair it is to need you so much and not love you like they do."

"Arctic?"

He waved her away.  "You shared a lot with me.  I just figured you should know."

"Karim?"

His real name caused him to look at her.  Sal rested her palm against his face and opened her mind.  Flashes of his self-doubt hit her.  He wasn't as quick as Blaec.  He wasn't as strong as Zep.  He wasn't as agile as Jase.  He didn't deserve to be second in command, not with her around.

Sal sucked in a breath at the strength of it all.  "No," she said shaking her head.  "None of that is true.  You're stronger than you think.  You're kind, but that's not a weakness."

"You just read me, didn't you?"

She nodded, smiling as she stared at nothing.  "Catch this."  She flicked her memories of him deep into his mind, lodging them in a place where they would be felt as well as seen.  "Look at that."

His eyes went distant as he played through her impressions of him.  Her awe at his near perfect beauty.  Her amazement at his tactical genius.  Her fear that he was trying too hard to be someone he wasn't.  As he watched, she turned, facing him.

Arctic blinked and smiled, lifting his pale eyes to hers.  "Thank you, Sal.  Sometimes I need a shoulder to lean on, too.  Too much has happened, and so fast.  I think about stepping down all the time, but this is how you want it."

She nodded.  "I may be the Kaisae, but I'm still third in charge of the Blades.  You're the compliment to Blaec's anger.  You, not me."

He smiled at her but shifted the topic. "So locking you down doesn't stop the cessivi link I take it?  I feel the echo from them."

"Yeah.  There's a big difference between linking a mind and linking a heart.  I can't get thoughts from it, just emotions.  Lots of emotions.  They get them, too."

"I wish I had that."  He chuckled, shoving a hand into his long dark hair.  "This is going to suck with Shaden.  What do I do if she doesn't choose me?"

"I don't think that's a problem.  Just be her friend, first.  Let her tell you when you can take the next step and remember each one will be a very big step for her."

He nodded.  "Yeah, so be patient.  Least we have Syhar to keep me occupied, right?"

Chapter 5

That evening, the Black Blades gathered in Jase's tent.  It was the largest in the unit, but only a single room.  They tied the flaps open, the door facing directly toward Blaec's, and the group lounged across blankets thrown on the floor.  They laughed, a lot.  That was just how the pack was when they had the chance to be together.  It wasn't long before Sal noticed the gap across from them.

You know she's watching us, right? she asked Arctic.

He smiled back and patted her leg where it lay across Zep's lap.  No, but I'm not surprised either.  That's why you put us here.  So what now?

Nothing.  Just let her see that you don't bite.

Blaec passed around a bottle, stolen from Dominik earlier, and they listened to the rain splatter on the oiled canvas. Roo and Hwa had chosen to spend the evening alone, one of the first days they had away from the pups all week, and the men had promised to keep an eye on the girls.  Raast had cornered Razor and begged him to read her a story.  While she sat in his lap, pointing at words, Rhyx stared out at the wet camp.

"Dava?" Rhyx asked.

"Yeah?" most of the men replied.  They chuckled at how well trained the girls had them, but the pup didn't notice.

"I wanna play."  Rhyx pouted.  At 4 months old, the girls were large enough to hold their own but still childlike.

"And what do you wanna play?" Zep asked.

Rhyx looked back at him and sighed.  "I wanna play hunting.  Everyone else got to hunt today but me."

"Yeh," Jase said to her.  "But there's nothing ta hunt, Rhyx.  Game goes to ground in the rain."

"Can we stalk then?"

"Nah," Zep told her.  "It's too wet.  You'd get filthy, and then where would you sleep?"

She growled, and Sal ducked her head against Blaec's chest to hide her smile.  "It's not funny, amma!"  Rhyx insisted.

"It kinda is," Sal pointed out.  "We have a few days of rain, and you're ready to bite your davas.  Why don't you read a book like Raast?"

Rhyx looked at Sal like she was crazy.  "Cuz I'm not Raast, and I don't wanna read Glish.  I read Iliran."  She turned back to the door and sulked.

Jase glanced at Zep, and they both shrugged.  Sal could feel Zep's guilt and Jase's own irritation at being trapped inside.  "It's your call," she told them.  "Just remember that you've got four in here tonight, and not all of us want to sleep in the mud."

They chuckled and climbed to their feet, making their way to the door.  Rhyx looked up with a hopeful expression while they pulled on their boots.

"Yeah, imp," Zep said.  "We'll take you out and play.  You can't complain about being wet or muddy, though.  Deal?"

"I don't mind," Rhyx promised.  "It'll be fun.  I can be the prey, and you can chase me!  I'm fast davas.  And when you give up, I'll come back, ok?  Promise!"

The Black Blades all smiled at her.  When Jase shooed her out, she scampered through the camp, the two men running behind her.  Blaec pulled Sal closer and the group shifted over, taking advantage of the extra space.

"Will they ever grow up?" Shift asked.

"Do you want them to?" Razor countered, pausing in his reading.  "We have little enough with them like this as it is."

"Nah, man," Shift said.  "I'd keep ‘em like this forever if I could.  I just wish sometimes I could bottle it up."

***

Outside in the rain, Zep and Jase stalked the pup.  Rhyx scampered between tents, under bushes, and through the mud.  They caught her twice, gently showing her how to be better each time, and released her to try again.  Their path took them across the large encampment, toward the grauoran side of the army.  Few soldiers dared to venture out in the rain, making the large army base a wealth of amusement for a muddy little girl.

Zep found a puddle.  Jase laughed, watching him splash Rhyx in it.  The two of them jumped and kicked water at each other.  Rhyx had turned to a muddy shade of white, and Zep was soaked to his hips.

"I can na take ya anywhere can I?" Jase teased.

"Nope!" Zep agreed.  "Unlike you, I know how to have a good time.  C'mon Rhyx, bet you can't catch me!"  He laughed and ran off, leaving Jase shaking his head.

"Humans," Jase laughed, jogging slowly after them.

With his link to Zep as an unerring compass, Jase trailed behind Rhyx, watching the choices she made trying to catch the large man.  At one point she doubled back, slipped between two tents, and came at him from the opposite direction.  Zep was truly caught off guard, and Rhyx pounced on him, nearly knocking him off his feet.  He caught her and hugged her close as she chewed gently on his shoulder.

"Thank you for playing with me, dava Zep," she said, hugging him.  "Can we do human play now?"

Jase tilted his head.  "What is human play, Rhyx?"

"Come look.  There's a stream, and we can make things to float in it!"  Rhyx trotted off, her little tail held high, expecting the men to follow.

"Damn, I'm getting too old for this," Zep chuckled, patting Jase's shoulder.

"Looked ta me like ya were doing pretty good playing prey."

Zep grinned.  "Yeh.  Never woulda thought I'd be doing this, bro.  This how you played as a kid?"

Jase nodded, grabbing Zep's shoulder as they walked.  "Yeh.  Were na any kites fer me.  We stalked and hunted.  We did na grow up quite as fast as they do, but a lot faster than humans."

"Think that's the way we treated you all or nature?"

"What do ya mean?" Jase asked him.

"I mean, did you grow up fast because it's just how you are, or because we didn't give you the chance to enjoy being a kid like Rhyx is?"

"Mm," Jase muttered as he thought about it.  "A bit of both.  They're physically mature around two.  Iliri seem ta be ‘round fourteen.  Humans are closer to twenty, yeh?"

"Yeah, give or take.  I mean, most are done growing around sixteen to eighteen I think.  After that, it's nothing but getting old, little brother."

"Sal kickin' the shit out of you again?"

Zep sighed but shook his head.  "Nah.  But we need to send her to Blaec more often so some of us can sleep."

Jase just laughed.  He laughed again when Rhyx yelled in their heads about them being so slow.  Zep grabbed a stick from the ground and began breaking pieces off it.

Hush, I'm making a boat, he told the pup.  "Hey, go find me a branch or flat piece of bark?" he begged Jase.

"Why?" Jase asked, confused.

"You never floated a boat down a stream either?"

Jase just shook his head.

"Ok.  It's like the kites.  It's fun just because it's fun.  Get me something big enough to be like a boat, but not so big it won't float in one of these runoffs."

"Yeh.  Ya'll have to explain this one," Jase teased as he jogged off toward the edge of camp, a line of trees his destination.

Halfway there, movement caught his eye.  Instinctually, Jase crouched, watching.  Jarl slogged through the wet field beside the camp, coming from the tree line.  He pulled at his shirt, inspecting his shoulder as he walked.  Something about the motion made Jase pause, watching.  When the boy got closer, he could see the wounds.

Jase stood, his anger slowly rising.  Jarl had deep punctures across his left shoulder, his shirt hung open to his waist, and his back was covered in mud.  Together, in an army camp, that only meant one thing.  The teenager had been with someone.

Zep, something came up, Jase sent.

Yeh, I felt that.  What's up?

Jarl's been out in this weather, and it does na look like he was alone.

Yeah?  Same with half the camp.  There's more to this? Zep asked, confused.

The heir, from a long line of bastards?  I'm taking him ta talk ta Ilija and Dom.

Jase could feel Zep just sigh.  Fuck, Jase.  You can't tell me you didn't do the same.

Nah, but I want a closer look at his shoulder.  Those are na human bites, man.

Bites? Zep asked.  We have another female iliri besides Sal?

No.

Jase walked right up to Jarl and fell in beside him, saying nothing.  The boy looked at him, trying to act calm, but he smelled of fear and excitement.

"Hey, Jase.  How's it going?" he asked.

"Those wounds need ta be cleaned," Jase said simply.  "Ya can take care of that at Dom's tent."

"Fuck, man.  It's nothing," Jarl insisted.

"I'm sure."  Jase reached out for Ilija first.  Colonel?  Can ya meet me at Dom's?  We need ta talk about yer boy.

Uh, Ilija's confusion came across clearly. Yeah, sure.  Everything ok?

He's na wounded, if that's what yer wond'ring.  I think ya'll wanna hear this in person.

Yeah.  Thanks, man.

Next, Jase reached for Dominik.  I'm bringing yer heir.  We all need ta talk.

Now? Dom asked.

Tell Rayna ta get dressed and find somethan' ta do.  I think this is a men's chat, Jase thought back.

Yeah.  I take it we need to talk about where his dick goes.

Jase didn't bother to reply.  His wet hair dripped into his eyes, and the boy beside him said little.  From the look on his face, Jarl's mind was whirling, trying to find a good enough story to get him out of trouble.  They reached the King's pavilion, and Jase gestured for Jarl to enter first.  Rayna stood just inside the door, pulling on her overshirt.

Boy talk? she asked Jase.

Yeh.  Stop by Sal's.  We may have just found a whole new problem we did na anticipate.

Gotcha.

Ilija pushed in behind him, glancing at the crowd.  "Zain?  Tebio?  Take a break.  We'll be fine for a while."

"Yes, sir," Tebio said, following Rayna from the tent.  Within moments, only the four of them remained.

"So," Ilija said, "heard you're trying to follow in my footsteps?"

"Fuck, seriously?" Jarl asked.  "Dad, I'm fifteen."

"Fifteen, thirty - I don't care," Ilija said.  "You're too young to be trying to make your own bastards."

"It's not like that.  I'm not going to get anyone pregnant," Jarl said rolling his eyes.

"You know how a royal bastard figures into the hierarchy?" Dominik asked.

"It's not going to happen," Jarl said again as if they were too stupid to have understood him the first time.  "I was just out in the woods.  Damn, it's fucking boring as hell in here.  Nothing but tactics and strategy.  I just wanted to get away for a bit, that's it."

"That's not it," Ilija said.  "I know the iliri are all over each other, but that doesn't mean humans can be the same.  We're not as lucky as them.  Their women can control when they breed.  Ours, not so much."

"Dad!" Jarl said throwing up his hands.  "You're freaking out for nothing, ok?  I wasn't with some human girl."

"Then why the hell were you laying out in the mud?"

"I fell, thanks for noticing," Jarl snapped.

"Yeh," Jase said.  "How about ya get outa that shirt and dry off?" He moved to the stack of clean towels beside the door and threw one at the kid, then took one for himself.

Jarl did nothing, just stared at him blankly.  Jase shrugged and pulled off his own shirt, wiping at his bare chest.  Tattoos ran across his left arm and shoulder.  Across his right, small, sharp punctures and scars stippled the skin.  He held Jarl's gaze, waiting.

"I'm good, man," Jarl tried.

"No," Dom said.  "Dry off, leave the shirt, then sit."  He sighed and grabbed a couple of bottles of whiskey from his crate.  "Damn, I'm going to need more of this soon."

Jase nodded.  "Kids, right?  Mine wanted ta play in the rain.  Did na expect ta see anyone out but us.  Na even Sal wants to brave this.  Guess it makes good cover?"

Jarl gave in and pulled off his wet and muddy shirt.  He dropped it in the corner and rubbed at his chest with the towel.  Across his left arm, punctures broke the skin, each in pairs.  Older wounds, now nearly healed, mingled between them.  Ilija sighed and sank into a deep chair.  Dom shook his head, then sat beside him.

Jase just looked at the boy and smiled.  "Might as well have a seat, kid.  Shit is na gonna go away magically, ya know."

"What's the big deal?" Jarl asked.

"Jarl," Dom said, "you're just fifteen!  What are you going to do when you knock her up?"

"No!" he said.  "It's not like that."

"Never is," Ilija agreed.  "Only a couple of problems."  He glanced at Jase.  "Tell me if I'm keeping up here, man, but we have about two hundred iliri crossbreds in camp.  All male.  Nuvani are over a hundred kilometers away, probably farther by now.  Human women don't leave marks like that, not even when they're trying to mimic iliri.  How'm I doing so far?"

Jase nodded.  "So far so good."

"Serious?" Dom asked.  He turned to Jarl, "So, why didn't you tell us you weren't into women?"

"Dom!" Jarl gasped.  "I'm not like that!  I like women just fine, thank you.  You're all making a big deal out of nothing.  I was fucking training, ok?"

"Yeh," Jase said flatly.

"Look, I'm not into guys.  It's not like that.  I was just sparring with the grauori.  That's it.  I got pinned a few times - "

Jase cut him off.  "The grauori part I believe."

His soft words caused all heads to turn toward him.  Jase could smell the change in the humans around him and took a deep breath, struggling to adjust to it.

"Grauori?" Dom whispered.

"Yeh.  Look at my bites, then his.  Both on the shield arm, I'm just left handed.  On mine, the teeth are thin, closely spaced, and multiple marks.  The marks of them are tighter, able to grab the muscle closer to the top of the shoulder.  His?  Large teeth.  They're spaced quite far apart, and the depth of each puncture is nearly twice that of mine.  What I wanna know, kid, is if ya intended it."

Jarl sighed and rolled his eyes, throwing himself against the chair.  "You're ready to assume the worst about anything, aren't you.  I was fucking sparring."

"He smells like her, too," Jase added.

"Who?" Ilija asked.

"Arrnya."

"Rragri's going to kick my ass," Dominik whispered.  "Fuck.  This just got complicated."

Ilija nodded.

"I said," Jarl tried again, "that you all are just fucking perverts, ok?"

Jase snarled and leaned into his face.  "Now is a real good time ta shut the fuck up, kid.  Yer mouth and yer body are saying two very diff'rent things."

"Fuck you," Jarl sneered.

Jase grabbed the boy and threw him out of the chair, onto the floor.  Dominik and Ilija gasped but held their places.  Jase growled and slowly stepped toward him, watching Jarl's eyes widen.  When the boy tried to climb to his feet, Jase pinned him to the ground, his teeth grabbing the boy's throat, just breaking the skin.

"Umso," Jarl whispered.  "I'm sorry, Ahnor.  Umso."

Jase chuckled and leaned back.  "Get up and go sit down."  With a sigh, he pointed to the teen's bare chest.  "Holds are typically on the throat.  You can see my own marks there, now.  Bicep, forearm, and such.  The soft muscles along the top of the shoulder, the back of the neck, and the chest are typically marks we get during lovemaking.  They're dense muscles which can withstand the punishment.  There are few vital areas there, and none we can hit with just teeth."  Jase gestured to his own wounds.  "That means our bitch can get as passionate as she wants, and her instincts push her ta an area that is na likely to kill us.  Now let's try this again?  What sparring were ya doing that caused love bites, Jarl?"

The young man just sighed and shoved his head into his hands.

"You sure, Jase?" Ilija asked softly.

Jase nodded.  "Yeh.  From the looks of him, it was only the second time.  I'm pretty sure both he and Arrnya thought the rain would mask the scent.  Hopefully, she does na head right back to the pack or Rragri will be in here demanding answers soon enough."

"I don't know what I think about this," Dom said softly.  "Iliri are one thing, but grauori?"

Ilija looked up at Jase, concern across his face, "Can they breed?  I know you're so close to them, can it even happen?"

"I dunno, man," Jase said honestly.  "We have so many holes in our history, I do na have any idea.  There's a bigger problem, though."

Chapter 6

As if on cue, Sal stepped inside the tent.  Jarl looked up, then shoved his head back into his hands.

"I'm not sure that's a concern," Sal said as if she'd been in the conversation the whole time.  "Rayna told me something was up.  Jase felt like this was important."

"What's the bigger problem?" Ilija asked, stuck on the last thing Jase said.

"If grauori are like iliri, ya are na getting any heirs from that line," Jase said.

Dominik and Ilija looked at each other, confused, then back to the iliri.

Sal dropped onto the arm of Jase's chair.  "Look, we've talked about this before.  Iliri females produce pheromones.  They're addictive."

"Very."  Jase looked up at her lovingly.  "After experiencing them, we tend ta lose the taste fer anything less.  If the same holds true, Jarl will na be able ta get it up fer a human now."

Sal ran her fingers through his pewter hair almost absentmindedly.  "I don't think Grauoran pheromones are the same.  I'm not sure if they're appealing to humans?"  She looked down at Jase waiting for the answer.

He shrugged.  "He's got it locked back pretty good.  Na a single leak coming out."

"Least there's that," Sal said softly.  "Jarl?"

"Do we really have to do this?" the boy asked, defeated.

"Yeah," Ilija said.

Sal heard the embarrassment in his voice and took pity on the kid.  She moved before him, squatting to meet his eyes.  "Hey," she said.

"She's my best friend, Sal," Jarl mumbled.  "That's it."

She ran her fingers across Jarl's marks.  "I understand that.  Zep is mine."

Jarl nodded, and Sal rested her hands on his knees.

How does she do that? Ilija asked Jase.

She's a Kaisae.  It's those pheromones we were just talking about, na to mention she's already in his head.

Does she do that to all of us?

Jase looked across the room and nodded, meeting Ilija's eyes.  Yeh.  Ever wonder why Dom suddenly decided a pale-skinned woman was the best leader for Anglia's army in less than an hour?  It sure was na her speech.

"It's not the same," Jarl told Sal.  "They all think I'm a pervert, now."  His voice was meant for her only.

Sal shrugged.  "So?  They think I'm one, too.  It takes a bit, but they'll get used to it.  What are you going to do about heirs, though?"

"Why is everyone so worried about that?  Dom doesn't have kids!"

"No," Sal pointed out, "but he has a plan.  It also makes things pretty complicated when the next King is involved with the next Orassae.  How will the people feel about that?"

Jarl sighed.  "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

"She just gets me, ok?  I don't care that she's got fur, and she doesn't care that I don't.  You understand!"

Sal nodded as she grabbed his hand.  "Yeah, I do, but the world doesn't always work the way you want it to.  That doesn't mean you can forget it exists."

"Sal," Jarl begged, "is it really that big of a deal?"

"I dunno," she told him.  "Not many humans or iliri tend to become romantically involved with the grauori.  The younger generation isn't the same as the older, though.  They speak clear Glish, they understand all of our habits..." Sal drifted off for a moment, thinking.  "How old is she, Jarl?"

"She'll be twelve next month, why?"

"Because we don't know if you can get her pregnant.  It works well enough with iliri."

"But they can control it," he insisted.

"To a point.  Look," Sal pulled herself to her feet.  "I'm sorry, but all of you need a biology lesson."

Jase stood and grabbed a bottle of mead from Dom's stores, plus two glasses.  Sal gestured for another, making Jase smile as he added it to his handful.  She waited until he sat and poured the drinks, passing one to Jarl.

"I'll ask Roo, but I'm pretty sure it's the same with Grauori.  When iliri are young, we have limited control over when we breed.  We can control ovulation about like you can control urination."

Dom blushed, taking a long pull from his bottle of whiskey to hide it.  Ilija listened carefully.  Jase, however, reclined as if this talk was completely normal.

"We know when we need to, and we can hold off.  When we're younger, it's not as easy.  Like kids wet the bed, sometimes it slips through when we don't mean it to.  Usually, this happens around thirteen for iliri, until we're about fifteen.  Grauori do it around ten to twelve.  My point is, you start having sex at that age, and there's a very good chance that a slip-up can happen.  The girl thinks she's got it all timed out, and then oops, her body decides it's now.  The longer we work at it, the better we are.  Doesn't mean adults don't have accidents, and we can't hold it off forever."

"Iliri also do na breed real well," Jase added.  "Most crossbreds, either.  My own amma only had me, and she wanted a whole brood."

Sal nodded.  "Neither grauori nor humans have that problem, and we just don't know why.  Both of you breed like rabbits."

"So, what would it be?" Ilija asked.

"Yer grandkid."  Jase's voice was pointed.  That made Jarl's face turn bright red, and the kid buried it in his hands again, so Jase took pity on him.  "Jarl, ya want the good parts of sex, ya gotta deal with the bad ones, man.  This shit," he gestured around them, "it's just how it is, ok?  It's na a thing ta be embarrassed about.  Sneaking around the woods, now that's a whole different deal."

"You wouldn't have said shit if it'd been a whore," he said softly.

"Yeah, I would have," Ilija told him.  "Sorry.  I don't want you to do things like I did, ok?"

Sal looked over to Dom, "And there's nothing wrong with the grauori."

Dom lifted his hands in mock defeat.  "I just can't imagine how that works."

Jarl chuckled softly.

"I bet it's a bitch ta get the hair out of yer teeth," Jase said to himself.  "I think I'd miss the kissing, though."

Jarl blushed.

"Hey," Sal said to the boy.  He looked up at her, and she reached out with her mind. Talk to Zep, ok?  There's things he can tell ya, and he won't make you feel weird, either.  Deal?

What kinda things? Jarl asked.

How to reduce the chance of kids, for a start.  We're iliri, Jarl.  We have a lot less hangups about this than the humans.  Zep's just human enough to remember what it's like.

Thanks, Sal.  Jarl obviously meant it.

She tossed a smile at him before turning to the others.  "I'm going to talk to Rragri.  Our little hellspawn back at camp is passed out, and Blaec's keeping a watch on her."  She stretched, looking almost as beastly as the grauori.  "What a day."  With a kiss from Jase, she left.

"She always like that?" Ilija asked.  "Just dropping in when a word is needed?"

Jase nodded.  "Yeh.  And having her talk ta Rragri is about the best thing Jarl can hope fer.  Prevents a pissed off amma from ripping this place apart."

"Rragri's cool, though," Jarl said.

Jase just laughed, "Yeh, that's before ya were fucking her daughter.  Arrnya is na a gerus, yet."

"Fuck," Dom whispered.  "How bad is this going to be?"

Jase shook his head.  "No idea.  We'll let ya know."  Jase turned to the door.  "Zep?"

The flap pushed in and the large, dark man followed.  "Rhyx is passed out.  I'm taking Jarl, now.  Kaisae's orders," he said as a greeting.

"Yeah."  Ilija waved the boy away.  "Not much more to be said here.  We can't just tell him to stop."  He laughed.  "I know that shit doesn't work well.  Otherwise, I never would have had him."

Dom chuckled and shooed the boy away.  "Go on.  We'll talk more about this later."

Jarl didn't need any more encouragement.  He grabbed his wet shirt from the ground and rushed back out into the rain.  Zep followed behind him.

"Which one's yours?" Zep asked.

"Fuck, you gonna give me shit too?"

"Hell no."

Jarl sighed.  The rain was falling heavier, and both men were slowly getting wet in it.  "This way," he said, giving in.

Together they jogged through the camp then inside a green tent set up amidst the ring of Verdant Shields.  Zep rubbed his hands through his braids and twisted them to get some of the water out.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked the boy.

"Do I have a choice?" Jarl snapped.

"Yeah.  I can head back to the Blades.  Just figured you might wanna vent.  Dom and Ilija just chewed on you a bit."

"And Jase," Jarl pointed out.

Zep nodded.  "Yeah, true, but for a different reason."

"No, it was all the same shit.  They don't like that I'm fucking a damned dog."

Zep laughed.  "Yeah, not quite.  Jase's concern is for you.  Ilija and Dom?  Yeah, from what Jase said, they're a bit freaked out."

"They all acted pretty much the same.  It's all ‘you're wrong, Jarl' and ‘act like us, Jarl' from all of them.  Well, I'm not them."

"Nope, pretty obvious," Zep agreed.  "But the Blades have known that for a while."

Jarl looked at him, confused.  "Why are you damned iliri always trying to be mysterious?" Not waiting for an answer, he threw himself on his bed.

"We're not.  Kinda the opposite really.  I'm telling you shit I shouldn't be right now, so you'll understand that Sal's on your side.  Remember the parley at Barton Meadow?  You impressed the shit out of her.  That's not real easy to do, either."

Jarl chuckled.  "I was too dumb to realize what all was going on.  I just knew they were trying to threaten my uncle, and the ice queen was there, and that you all did some crazy-ass shit.  I figured someone would snap their fingers and send me back or something."

Zep nodded.  "You still trusted her.  You also started having the dreams about that time, too."

Jarl looked at him strangely.  "How'd you know about that?"

"Fuck, man.  We all know you do.  So does your mom.  Probably why you started talking to Arrnya."

"Yeah," Jarl admitted.  "I saw Ilija as my dad, but I thought I was just wishing, ya know?  Still doesn't seem real sometimes.  Then I saw a few other things and realized it wasn't just chance.  I asked Nya, and she said it's a talent, and that I'm part iliri."

Zep nodded.

"But how can I be the human King if I'm part iliri?"

"Dom's doing pretty good.  They're also putting it together so it won't matter too much.  It's less breeding and more society."

"What do you mean?" Jarl's face showed he was clearly lost.

"Raast and Rhyx are iliri.  So am I.  Dominik is human, so is Ricown."

"Yeah?"

"Laws of the Kingdom are the kingdom we claim.  That doesn't mean it's the kingdom we're born into.  Humans.  You all marry, you inherit, and such.  Iliri and grauori?  They challenge.  The next Kaisae will have to fight Sal for it.  If Sal dies before another tries, which is kinda what we all expect, then they'll have to fight each other.  Raast and Rhyx aren't guaranteed to be it.  That's why they're worried about you."

"Because I could choose to be grauori?"

"Or iliri."

"She told me I needed to take care of her people," Jarl said.

"Yeah."

"She didn't mean as the human King, though, did she?"

Zep shrugged but met the kid's eyes.  "She didn't care.  It's your choice.  Your human, you're iliri, or you're grauori.  It's your choice, but if you go iliri, you've got that."  Zep pointed to the blade on the kid's belt.

"It makes me a Black Blade?"

Zep nodded.

"Why?"

"She sees something in you.  Half the time she doesn't even know why she does the things she does, man.  Grauori are the same way.  They act on instinct."

Jarl shook his head.  "But I'm human."

"Are you?  You're fucking a damned mutt."

Jarl laughed.  "It's not like that, Zep.  She's my best friend."

"Yeah, you know Sal used to be mine, right?  I called her my little sister."

"Heh," Jarl chuckled halfheartedly.  "Yeah, things changed."

"I decided to stop saying no, basically."  Zep grinned and closed his eyes, remembering.  "I'd been so worried about Jase and Blaec, and what everyone would think.  The human, you know, trying to get in on a good thing?  Most humans thought I was fucking crazy being into the pale ones.  That's how it is in the Conglomerate.  Darker is better.  So I got a lot of shit, and it stuck in my head somewhere."

"Yeah," Jarl agreed.

"Took half the damned Devil Dogs to make me realize I was being an idiot.  I stopped being just her brother, but we're still best friends."

"You're cessivi now."

"Yeah.  Best shit ever, too, man.  If I'd kept my dick in my pants, none of it would have happened.  I'm just sayin', I'm on your side in this."

"You don't think it's weird?" he asked timidly.

Zep shrugged.  "I like getting bit.  They grab your mind and make you love that shit.  I've seen Rhyx shaved.  She's not that much different from an iliri without her hair.  I figure Nya is probably just a grown version.  There's a lot of men who think Sal is ugly.  I just don't agree with them."

Jarl chuckled.  "The hair is kinda weird."

"That's what Sal said about me.  You know iliri are completely bald?"

"Really?" Jarl asked, sitting up.

Zep nodded, a smile on his lips.  "Yep.  Nothing below the eyelashes.  Razor and I are the only ones in the Blades that even shave."

"So it's like the same thing, other way around?"

"That's what we're trying to tell you.  Iliri kiss, though."

Jarl blushed deeply.  "So do grauori."

"Oh?"

Jarl's answer was a shrug.

Zep chuckled.  "Ok, that's kinda cool.  They also have some serious teeth."

"Yeah."  Jarl laughed, his embarrassment fading.

"I'm still scared to let Sal suck my dick."

"Yeah, they can't do that.  There's other things."

"Yep, there are."

"Does - " Jarl stopped and looked down.

"Go on, man.  It's just us."

Jarl nodded.  "Does Sal go easy on you?"

"Yeah.  She always remembers that my skin can't take it.  I tell her we have enough healers, but she worries."

"Nya too.  I wanna know, though.  I mean, she does this thing, in her head."

Zep laughed and nodded.  "Yeah.  You know about the three of us, right?"

"Not really.  I know Sal you and Jase share a tent, but everyone keeps your personal shit pretty quiet."

"I can see that.  Well, let's just say that there's a reason we don't think you're perverse, ok?"

"You make me put all my shit out there today, and that's the best I get back?"

"Fair point," Zep agreed.  "Jase, Sal, and I are a trio, man.  She links him, she links me, we all go at it.  With cessivi, we even know when we're in the other's way - and no, I'm not doing him."

Jarl laughed, gesturing at Zep that he understood.  "I get it.  So that's the big secret?"

"Yeah.  ‘Cept it isn't really a secret.  They just can't remember that you're not still ten.  You know each mind you add into a link makes it that much better?"

"Really?"

Zep nodded.  "Not sure how it is with the grauori, but yeah.  Iliri... wow.  I kinda don't want to fuck her without him there.  Last time we had a night alone, Jase linked in from another tent.  Ever since the cessivi thing, it's the three of us.  Just how it is.  I mean, he already knows, so it's stupid not to link him."

"Grauori rarely are cessivi."

"Iliri, too.  Sal's kinda breaking the rules."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..."  Zep wondered how much was safe to say.  "The pack gives back to her and makes her stronger.  We've linked humans and grauori now, and her body thinks the entire army is her pack."

"Gotta be the biggest pack ever," Jarl chuckled.

"Yeah.  It's making her the strongest Kaisae ever.  We've found two other examples of a Kaisae with two cessivi.  There's nothing about the males being linked to each other."

"Rragri isn't that strong, you know that, right?" Jarl asked.

"Yeah.  That's why she lets Sal have her way.  They have an agreement between them, because it's what's best for the people."

"So what happens when the war's over?"

"We're going to raise horses."  Zep shrugged it off.

"And she'll still be Kaisae.  And she'll still be made for war.  I'm young, Zep, not stupid."

"Yeah, thing is, we don't have a clue.  Any Kaisae close to Sal?  Bad things happened.  Most died.  One stripped her own mind.  There's no powerful Kaisae in peacetime - no more than Rragri's level.  That's why we love her while we have her."

"Oh."  Jarl sighed.  "Thanks, Zep.  I think you do get it."

"Yep.  I got your back on this."

"You don't think I'm weird?"  Jarl had finally relaxed enough to ask.

Zep thought about that before answering.  "I dunno.  I don't think the grauori are really very attractive.  I mean, they're lovely, but like my horses, not like my women.  With that said, I've fucked some pretty ugly girls in my day.  Truth is, Jarl, you're just the first one we know of."

"What do you mean?"

Zep chuckled.  "Humans have had perversions for a long time.  Whether it's orgies or barn animals, there's someone out there that did it.  You have a partner who is willing, old enough to make that call, and returns your interest.  Who am I to say it's wrong?  I get off on watching my best friend bite my girl."

"I can't help it, though," Jarl said softly.

"Me, either," Zep told him, shrugging it off.

"I mean, the humans are prettier, I'll give you that," Jarl said.  "Nya is just a twig under that hair.  No hips, no tits, none of the stuff I like.  But she's Nya.  It just kinda happened."

"Usually how it goes."

Jarl nodded almost absentmindedly.  "We were out tracking game, and I fell.  We were on this downed tree thing, and I slipped off and fell.  She hopped down beside me and pulled me against her, all worried.  It hurt too.  I mean, I thought I broke my ankle, so I wasn't really thinking about it for a bit.  It was like I realized where I was and looked up, and there were her eyes.  I forgot to submit.  I just thought they were really pretty, and not as white as I thought.  There's bits of color in them like opals."

Zep nodded, understanding completely.

"And she kissed me, and I didn't know they could."  Jarl chuckled.  "I kinda liked it."

"Been kissing a lot of soldiers?" Zep asked.

Jarl sighed.  "I'm the kid in the army, Zep.  They all call me boy - even the whores."

"She your first kiss?"

Jarl blushed again.  "She's my first everything."  Zep chuckled, and Jarl felt his anger rising.  "You try getting laid with your dad and your uncle following you around!"

"No," Zep said, waving him down.  "That's not what I think is funny.  Jase said you've been with her twice.  Just wait till you both have a better idea of what you're doing.  Shit's gonna rock your world."

"Already does," Jarl admitted.

"And hers?"

Jarl hunched his shoulders.  "I'm trying."

Zep reached over and patted his arm.  "Little brother, I'm here for ya, man.  We iliri don't mind talking about this shit."

Jarl didn't need to be told twice.  Having a sympathetic ear was exactly what he'd needed, and Zep wasn't about to judge him.  From emotions to tips, the boy blushed, but talked like an iliri.  By the time Zep returned to his tent, it was late.  Sal lay curled around Blaec.  Jase was nuzzled against her back, but there was still space.  Zep didn't even care that he was stuck on the edge, just so long as he got some sleep before the fight the next morning.  Oddly, he wasn't worried about it.  Dying no longer seemed like something to be afraid of.

Chapter 7

Syhar had been built to be impenetrable.  Nearly two centuries ago, Myrosica and Unav had been bitter enemies.  Being the western-most city, Syhar had withstood siege after siege.  The walls were made of multiple layers of large stone blocks.  The gates were acrylic.  Archers waited on the battlements, the purple and black of their armor contrasting with the pale pink of the stones.  Jase said it was granite.

Arctic stood on the hill, watching the army move slowly into position.  The Anglian encampment had been pulled down that morning and packed into wagons.  All that was left of their most recent home were the tracks of mud on the field behind them.  He felt more than heard Shaden walk beside him and smiled, glancing down.

"I'm sorry we had to wake you so early," he told the ground.

"It's ok," she said, looking past him at the fortress.  "Is that Syhar?"

"Yeah.  Geo's trying to get the gates open."

"Arctic, right?  For your pale eyes?"

"Yeah."  He couldn't keep the smile from his lips, but he didn't look at her - or move.

"It looks like there's men on the walls."

"Terran Archers.  How well can you see them?"

She shrugged.  "As well as I do?  What is the comparison?"

"Iliran sight, or human.  Can you see the bows?"

"Yeah."

He nodded.  "Then you see like an iliri.  You know this is going to get pretty ugly today, right?"

She just shrugged.  "If Geo opens the gates, why would it be ugly?"

"Terric isn't going to run away.  They'll fight to hold Syhar.  There's iliri in there, Shade.  We can't just leave them."

"Why not?  What have they done for you?"

"Nothing.  That doesn't mean they don't deserve to be free.  Same as you.  Same as Sal, or any of us, really."

"I can help," she said softly.

Arctic nodded, glancing at her from the edge of his vision.  She was watching him.  When their eyes met, he couldn't help but look down.

"Why do you do that?" she asked.

He felt his face growing warmer.  "It's respectful."

"The rest don't do it.  Why can't you look at me?  Am I that ugly?"

"No!" he said, turning to her.  He stopped himself before he touched her, but she took a step back.  "Maast, I'm sorry, Shade.  I won't touch you.  It's not because you're ugly, it's because of that.  I have to remind myself that I can't just touch you."  He sighed, and looked back to the walls.

"I don't understand you.  I can smell it."

Arctic nodded.  "I'm sure.  I'm not going to touch you, Shaden.  I hope that one day you'll be willing to touch me, but I'm not going to be the one to do it first, ok?"

"Why?"

"Because no one ever gave you the choice.  You're iliri.  It's your choice.  Not theirs, not mine, and not anyone's but yours.  That, and I'm a linker.  You don't want to be in our heads, then I have to be careful when I touch you."

"Why do you even care?"

Arctic pushed his hair back and stared at the clouds drifting over the granite walls.  Blue sky peered between them, promising an end to the rain of the past few days.

"You smell nice."  He didn't know how else to explain the desires she stirred in him.

"I can help, you know."  She pointed at the building.  "I can see them."

Arctic breathed a sigh of relief at her quick change in subject.  "You ever killed a man before, Shade?"

She laughed softly and shook her head.  "No, but I want to."

Arctic nodded.  "How well can you control it?"  He felt pressure on his armor and looked, shocked to find her hand resting on the resin across his forearm.

"I can do this.  They will burn on the inside only.  I really can do this."  She pressed harder, and he met her eyes.  "I'm not scared of you, either."

He nodded but his throat wouldn't relax enough for him to speak.  LT, he thought instead, I know how to clear the archers.  Shaden's willing to help us.

She offered? Blaec asked.

Yeah and her hand's on my arm.  My armor, but still.  Walk softly, boss.  She's doing well, today.

On my way.

"LT's coming," he said, wondering why it was easier to talk about death than his feelings.  "I told him you offered to help.  He'll need to talk to you, ok?"

She nodded.  "Blaec, the man who gave me his bed.  He's Sal's Dernor, right?"

"Yeah.  You're catching on to this pretty fast."

"Who's your mate?"

He chuckled to hide his embarrassment.  "Oh, boy," he muttered under his breath.  "I'm waiting for her to choose me.  I don't have a mate."

"So, you're waiting for Sal?"

"No.  She's my Kaisae, but she's not for me."

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Um," Arctic glanced behind him, hoping LT would arrive in time to change the subject, but saw nothing.  "She doesn't smell right.  She's strong, she's intelligent, and she's beautiful, but she doesn't smell right."

Shaden nodded.  "You know I didn't really grow up with iliri, right?"

"Yeah.  Sal told me you had a pretty rough start."

"That doesn't mean I didn't pick up stuff in my cage," Shaden said boldly.  "I'm a freak, I'm ugly, and I'm a whore, but I'm not stupid."

"First," Arctic said, lifting his chin to meet her eyes, "you're not a whore.  Whores choose their profession.  Second, you're about the furthest thing from ugly that I can think of.  And third, if you're a freak, then so are all iliri."

"You want me, don't you."

Arctic felt like the ground dropped out from under him.  "It's not like that, Shade.  I want you to just be willing to do this with me and be happy it's me you're talking to.  That's all.  I want to be your friend and for you to trust me."  Her eyes were wide, looking confused, so he rambled on.  "I'm not going to lie to you, ok?  I am drawn to you, but not for the reasons you think."

"Then why?"

He shrugged.  "Because you're different, you're smart, and you're strong.  I want to be your friend, Shade.  I don't care if I'm ever your lover.  Ok?"

"Promise?" she asked him softly.

I can't walk any slower, man, Blaec sent.

"I swear it," he told her, looking down at her hand.  "That.  That's all I want from you, ok?  Now, LT's coming."  To Blaec he thought, You're good.  We're good.  I told her you're coming.

K.  I sure as shit don't want her to blast you one, Blaec said, his amusement crossing the link.  "I heard you can help?" he asked Shaden.

"You want the archers off the wall?"

"In a bit, we will."

"If I can see them, I can melt them."

Blaec nodded at her, standing well out of her personal space.  "How does it work?"

Shaden shrugged.  "I look at them and they get hot.  Some things explode if heated too fast, like the table.  Rocks do it too.  People?  They die before they explode -usually."

"Kill a lot of them?" Blaec asked.

"No.  They always stopped me.  Deer and other animals, though."  Shaden smiled at Blaec coldly.  "I can start the fires, I can cook my own food, and I can make warmth.  I look at something and it feels like it," she made a shaking motion with her hands, "vibrates inside.  The harder I think, the faster it goes.  The faster it goes, the hotter it gets."

"How good are you?"

"I had nothing else to do for most of my life."  She looked pointedly at Arctic.  "Why do you think my room was so barren?"

Arctic told Blaec, "Table, and a cage.  She blew the table when we found her."

Blaec nodded.  "Can you see them?" he asked the girl.

"Yes, and the bows in their hands."

"Can you see the tower on the far side?"  He pointed to a stone spire three stories above the walls.

"Yes."

"Could you make one of the battlements on the top explode when I ask?"

"What's a battlement?"

Arctic answered, "The large stones that stick up.  They're meant for soldiers and archers to hide behind so enemy arrows won't kill them."

"Yeah.  You just want one?"

Blaec tipped his head in a yes.  "Just one, and as big as you can make it.  The louder, the better.  I'm not worried about destroying it as much as I am about distracting the guards.  If they hear the explosion behind them, they may not notice the gates opening.  Blow the rock, then burn every man in black and purple on the walls.  Whatever you do, no citizens and no Anglians, ok?"

With her jaw set, Shaden nodded.  "Ok."

"Arctic, you stay with her.  Until she's linked, I'll need you to relay.  Sorry, brother, you'll miss the battle."

Arctic laughed and clasped Blaec's shoulder.  "I think I'll survive.  Keep an eye on Zep?  This will be his first time back on the front line."

Blaec nodded.  "Sal said the same.  They got his back.  Rragri's got the maargra slipping in through the drains and sewers.  Going to be a lot of bad smelling mutts tonight.  When we're in, can you send the wagons up?"

"Can do.  We taking the courtyard?"

"I wanna see the layout, first.  Probably going to put the greens outside the walls, grauori outside them, but I'll want the iliri inside.  Dom and the elites, too, but I'm hoping we'll find some real beds for us."

"Good call, man.  Where's Shade staying?" Arctic asked gesturing at the girl.

"Shade?"  Blaec noticed the shortened form of her name.

"I like it," she said.

Blaec grinned slyly at Arctic then nodded to the girl.  "I think she's one of us, brother.  She stays with the Blades until she changes her mind.  Anyone touches her, gut them, and let her eat them."

"Yes, sir."

"Eat them?" she asked, looking between the men.

"If you have the preference, yes."  Blaec's eyes never left hers.  "We do things different in Anglia."  With that, he turned and walked back down the hill, calling for soldiers as he went.

"Eat them?" Shade asked Arctic this time.

"I eat humans, Shade."  He turned back to the wall.  "I'm not human, and we eat our kills."

She shook her head.  "No.  No, I can't do that."

"You don't have to.  Most of us want to.  We can't resist the smell of them."

"What about the dark man?" she asked.

Arctic laughed but shook his head.  "Nah.  Zep was born human.  They don't taste the same to him."

"The rest of you?  You eat people?"

"Humans.  Shift doesn't as much as some of us.  Roo always prepares a second meat so Zep and Tilso are well fed.  Sal and Jase tend to eat them on the bone.  I figured I should warn you."

"Just," she made a gesture of pulling something to her mouth and biting it, "to bodies?"

"Humans.  They are prey."

"But not Zep?"

"He's iliri."

"The King?"

Arctic chuckled.  "Nah, he's my friend.  We're hungry, we're not cruel.  In war, we have enough food that we don't have to worry about it.  We're still working out what to do when the war is over."

"You know that's gross, right?"

"No."  Arctic chuckled.  "I don't.  Do they not smell sweet to you?"

"They smell strange, but not sweet."

"Ah, well they smell amazing to us.  When you're ready, I'll share a memory of the scent with you."

"Do I have to link?" she asked timidly.

"Nah.  I have to touch you, though.  I'm not strong enough to throw memories like Sal does unless we're linked already."

"Where?"

"Just your hand."

She took a breath but nodded.  "Ok," she said, holding out her hand.  "Show me?"

Arctic looked at her sweetly.  He knew she was intimidated by him, and her bravado was her way of saving her pride.  His eyes flicked from her hand to her face, then back.  He slowly pulled off a glove and held his hand, palm up, to her.  "It's your choice, Shade.  It will always be your choice."

She rested her hand in his.  As gently as he could, he passed the memory to her, setting it at the very edge of her mind, refusing to go deeper.  Her eyes widened as she watched it and he smiled when she inhaled deeply.

"What do they taste like?" she asked, her hand still in his.

Arctic passed her a pair of memories.  One was of raw human flesh, carved from the kill.  He packaged the scene so only the taste of the meat in his mouth was included.  The other he shared was of Roo's cooking.  Roasted maerte - human meat - seasoned carefully and laid out on a platter after a long fight.  He included the rush that came with the taste and the warm feeling that coursed through his body.

"That's amazing," she said, looking up at him.  "They don't smell like that to me.  Will you show me how you did that?"

"Which?" Arctic asked.

"The sharing thing.  It was like a flame in my head, but it didn't burn, just gave light."

"You've never been shown how to package and share memories?"

She shook her head.  "No.  They didn't want to teach me much.  They were always scared of me."

"I can see that.  You're pretty powerful, and people are often scared of power."

"So why aren't you scared of me?"

Arctic laughed.  "Sal's got you beat.  I've been living with her for a year and a half and have lost count of the times she saved my life.  She didn't start out like this, so I never thought to be scared of her.  Not really.  Now?  She's a pretty tough act to follow."

"But, aren't you worried that I'll get scared and burn you?"  He could hear that she wasn't trying to brag but was honestly curious.

"Yes and no.  I'm worried you'll get scared, but you'd never be able to burn me."

"Why not?"

"Sal.  She'd stop you.  That's why she stayed so close to you yesterday.  Just in case."

"She could stop me from burning?"

Arctic nodded, very aware that Shaden still held his hand.  "Shade, she could stop you from living.  From across the camp, she could tell your heart to stop, and you'd just be dead."

"And," Shaden looked around, "they all know this?"

He nodded.  "Not only do they know it, but they embrace it.  I've seen Sal grab a man's mind and make his body block a death blow.  It just takes a glance from her.  She wouldn't harm them.  She can't, not really."

"Then how could she make me just die?"

"If you threatened me.  She can protect her own.  That's what this entire war is, you know?  It's Sal against the Emperor.  He threatened her people, and she's going to kill everything until she gets to him.  She can't do it alone, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't try."

"Can I try it?" Shaden asked, again changing the subject too fast for Arctic to keep up.

"Which?"

"The meat.  I'm guessing that's what's planned for dinner, right?"  She peered up through her mass of red curls, her mismatched eyes shining deviously.

"Yeah.  If you want to try it, you're welcome to."  Arctic rested his thumb against the back of her hand, slowly letting his arm relax.  She still didn't let go, and his smile grew.  "I'll help if you want to, ok?  Some cuts are better than others."

"Will it make me iliri?" she asked.

"No.  Your mind makes you iliri.  Zep is iliri.  Roo and Hwa are iliri.  The girls are iliri.  I think you're iliri, but you haven't truly chosen, yet."

Gates are about to open, Blaec sent into Arctic's mind.  See if she can blow the battlement?

Will do.

"Do I smell iliri?"

"You smell beautiful.  LT said it's time to blow up the stones."

Shaden grinned at him, her smile finally wide enough that he could see her teeth.  They weren't sharp like Sal's, but they weren't dull like a human's.  She had two sets of clearly pointed canines, but her incisors were flat.  Arctic wondered what they'd feel like and pulled his eyes away.

"How big?" she asked, excited.

"Loud.  As loud as you can.  If that's big, great.  If it's not, that's ok too."

"Ok.  I need my hand."  She slipped her fingers out of his and stared off at the tower.

Touching the tips of her fingers to her temples, she concentrated.  Her pupils constricted, turning to thin lines in her eyes and Arctic smiled.  She was so lovely.  Her delicate, heart-shaped face was nearly dwarfed by the mass of red and blonde curls.  Her nose was small, like a human's, but her eyes were almost too large, making her look younger than she was.  Arctic took a deep breath, enjoying her scent.  She smelled like herbs - tangy, sweet, and bitter all at once, but clean and pure.

The explosion pulled him back to the present, quickly.  Horses screamed, reared, and men staggered to their knees as the ground shook under them.  Shaden stood calmly, a smile on her face as she stared at the walls.

"Fuck!  Grab the horses and calm them down," Arctic called out behind him.

"You said loud," Shade pointed out.

"That was perfect," he assured her.  "Better than I'd hoped."

Gates are coming open.  Can she clear the walls as well as she makes distractions? Blaec asked.

Let's see!  Arctic turned to Shaden.  "You still want to kill men?"

"Yeah."

"Go for it.  Purple and Black."

Chapter 8

Shaden stared at the walls.  "One!" she said, proud of herself.  "Two!"

As she focused, Arctic could hear a small growl in the base of her throat.  The pitch of it was higher than most iliri.  He covered his mouth with his hand to hide the smile.  She even growled adorably!  Shade continued to call out numbers as men collapsed in place on the walls.

She's frying them, Arctic told Blaec.  And she's tickled about it.

Just tell Sal if there's a problem.  She's listening in, just in case.

I've got no secrets from her, boss.

"Twelve!" Shaden called as Arctic saw men moving above the gate.

"Shade, over the gate, you see those?"

"Yeah.  This might be..." she trailed off and her hands went back to her head.  Arctic watched at least eight men fall in their tracks.

"Twenty," he told her.  "More coming up the steps, imp.  Fry them."

"No," she said, pausing.  "Those aren't Terrans."

"Damn."  Arctic realized she was right.  "Good eyes.  See any more?"

She nodded and kept counting.  Below them, Anglians moved forward as the large, acrylic gates swung slowly open.  Men raced to the walls, and Shade dropped them.  The only counterattack came pouring from the gate, mounted.

Cavalry headed at you, Arctic told his pack.  He felt the acknowledgment.

"See the Blades?" he asked Shade.  "All on dark horses, in black armor?"

"Yeah."

"In the front, that's LT, Sal, and Cyno.  Sal's in the middle."

The small group dropped their lances as one and pivoted around Sal, pushing the cavalry into the wall of pikemen.  The Blades hit them hard from the flank, discarding their lances and pulling swords as their weapons became tangled.  The change didn't slow them.  The whole time, Arctic watched Zep closely, gasping when he saw a Terran knock the weapon from his hand.  He took a half step forward wishing he was close enough to help.

"Oh fuck," he whispered.

As quick as it happened, Sal and Jase moved, blocking Zep from the front line long enough for him to draw another sword.  Shift filled the gap the cessivi left until Zep pushed Cessa back into the melee.  Above, Arctic rubbed his hands against this thighs, only just realizing he'd been clenching them.

"Is Zep ok?" Shade asked.

"Yeah.  He's had a rough couple of months.  This is his first time back on the front line since he died."

"He really died?"

Arctic nodded.  "Yeah.  He took a sword for Sal, right across the tattoo."  He gestured at his own throat.

"Why?" she asked.

He looked over at her.  "Zep loves her.  He loves her more than life."

"People really do that?"

"Yes.  They do.  Jase and Zep, they're pretty close in how they love her, but LT's different.  Not better or worse, just different.  We all know it."

"How?" she asked him.

Arctic shrugged, trying to guess the direction of her question.  "It's part of linking.  We meld our minds for battle so we can watch each other's backs.  I can see what they see, they see what I see, and we all share everything at the front of our minds."

"Everything?"

"Yeah, but only at the front.  So, like, I can't just remember a childhood as a slave, but if Sal thinks Cyno's hot with blood all over him, it's pretty clear."

"Ah, I see.  You're ok with that?"

"Which?" he asked, confused again.

"Them knowing what you think?"

"Oh yeah.  We don't keep secrets.  Not really.  So, yeah, that's how I know how much they love her.  We all feel it."

"So does that mean you all love her too?" Shade asked.

"Kinda.  We love her, but for me, it's like my brother's wife.  Shift thinks of her like a sister.  Audgan is pretty smitten with her, but Geo thinks she's too smug.  She is, you know."

Shade giggled.  "She's the Kaisae.  Geo just never looked deep enough."

Her words caught Arctic off guard, and he looked at her strangely.  "Yeah.  How'd you know that?"

Shade shifted awkwardly.  "I dunno.  It's just how she seems.  She has so much but still feels a little empty.  She tries to hide it, but there's something missing for her."

"Yeah.  She doesn't have anyone to lean on.  I mean..."  He groaned, trying to find the right words.  "She's got enough shoulders to cry on, but none of us can give her the answers.  All her life, she had to do it herself.  No one has ever been able to take care of her.  She never had a mother to tell her it was ok.  She never had a father to bite the man who hurt her.  It's always been Sal against the world."

"Arctic?" Shade broke in, sounding worried.  "You see that?"  Archers were swarming across the walls, dozens of them.

"Can you get them?"

"There's iliri in there!" she whimpered.

"Do what you can, Shade."  Arctic reached for his brothers' minds.  Archers on the walls, Shade's trying, but there's a lot.

Pull back! LT screamed at them.

"Shade?"

She said nothing.

Arctic was starting to panic.  "Shade?  They're going to start killing us.  Get real creative, ok?"

"Crap," the girl whispered.

She threw her hands out as if shoving.  A strong wind pummeled the fortress as if she'd pushed it.  The pennons on the lances below whipped furiously, and debris blew across the battle, but Arctic felt nothing on the hill.

"Nice.  Keep that up, vary it a bit.  It'll make it hard for them to shoot."  Then he told his unit, Wind's from Shade.  Should make picking a target a bitch until she can drop them.

Tell her she's amazing, Sal sent.

Arctic chuckled.  "Sal said you're amazing."

She just nodded, focusing on the walls.  Arctic could see her beginning to tire but still she flung out her hands and stared intently.  One by one, the archers fell dead, and, one by one, the cavalry were knocked from their horses.  A lone rider was left standing amid the swarm of Anglians, and he spun, trying to break through the line.  Arctic snarled as the pikemen cut him down.  When he turned back to Shade, she was pale, swaying on her feet.

"Ayati, girl.  Sit.  What do you need?"

She grabbed his shoulder, holding herself up.  "I can't get my new clothes dirty.  They were a present.  Don't let me fall," she begged as her legs buckled.

Without thinking, he grabbed her, lifting her into his arms.  "Fuck," he muttered, looking around.  The girl sighed and relaxed completely.

Shade's out cold.  You still have a handful on the walls, but she's done, he sent to the unit.

I got ‘em, Risk sent back, and Arctic saw a few Blades pulling ranged weapons.

He looked around for a safe place for the girl.  Nothing but wagons, packed full, were behind him.  She weighed nothing in his arms, and her head fell back against his bicep as he carried her down the hill.  Soldiers moved out of his way but his eyes were searching for Tilso.  Passing carts and wagons, knowing that the men around would be too much for her, he kept walking.

"Sir?" a man called out.  "You're over there."  He pointed.

"Ayati, thank you."

"Yes, sir.  Saw her come in yesterday, sir.  I'll tell the men to keep their distance."

Arctic nodded and followed the direction he'd indicated, finally seeing the stablemaster sitting easily behind the team.

"Tilso?" he called.  When the man looked his way, he continued, "Got room in the back?"

"Will in a sec," Tilso said, hopping over the seat to move things.

By the time Arctic was behind the wagon, a small nook had been arranged in the piles of tents and crates.  Tilso tugged pillows from his own gear and shoved them in for the girl's head, to make a small bed.  Arctic placed her in it.

Looking back and forth between the girl and the troops waiting for orders, Arctic was torn.  "Shit man, I gotta get the supplies moved up, and she's out cold."

"Go on," Tilso said.  "I'll stay with her.  I won't smell like a threat, so it should be ok."

"Thanks, brother.  Just remember, she works on line of sight.  If you feel warm, duck behind something."

"I'm good, man.  Tell LT his gear will be late, though.  I'm not pulling her through the middle of them."

Arctic nodded and made his way back up the small rise, standing before the lines of wagons.  "Listen up!" he yelled, getting their attention.  "Humans outside the walls, iliri in the courtyard.  Grauori will have the outer edge.  We're leaving the gates open and liberating this city for the people.  This is not a conquest.  Understood?"

Dozens of men chimed back, "Yes, sir!"

"We've done this before, men.  Don't make me hold your hands.  Let's get these loads moving!"

He pointed at an iliri standing beside his team.  The man nodded, then climbed into the wagon, picked up his reins, and clicked the drafts forward.  Beside him, others were moving into their own places and releasing brakes.  Arctic pointed at a human and gestured for him to start a second line, leading to an area beside the gate.  The driver saluted him then tapped his team with the whip.

The sound of the wagons gaining motion had always been a pleasant one to Arctic.  The creak of leather, the deep snorts of the horses clearing their noses, and the shifting of the loads all meant the combat was done.  The sun was high in the sky now.  Probably just after noon.  This had been quick.

He jogged back to Tilso, shocked to find him sitting on the tailgate of the wagon, speaking softly to Shade.

"Nope," Tilso said to a question Arctic missed.  "Kinda like you feel about Sal.  That's why I smell safe."

"You two ok?" Arctic asked.

"Yeah," Shade said.  "He doesn't smell like most men."

Tilso chuckled.  "I told her it's because I'm onsyc, but she didn't know the word."

"Ah.  You understand it now, Shade?"

She shook her head slowly.  "No."

"Tilso's mate?  It's Risk."

"I don't know her," Shade said looking at Arctic blankly.

"Him.  Risk is the one with white skin and pale gold hair.  Neither Risk nor Tilso will find you sexually appealing at all.  You're not a man."

"And that's ok?" she asked, amazed.

Arctic just shrugged.  "Why wouldn't it be?"

She rubbed her head and sighed, still laying in the small nook they'd made for her.  "It's all so different here.  I feel like I can't keep my eyes open."

"Can you sleep?" Tilso asked.  "I'll watch your back if you can get some rest.  This happens when Risk tries to do too much."

"Why?" she asked.

"Dunno.  It's like you have to pull from your body to make your skill work."  Tilso shrugged.  "Close your eyes.  Arctic and I will make sure to wake you before we get into Syhar.  Probably going to be an hour with the traffic."

"Thank you."  She turned her head and snuggled into the pillow.

Arctic couldn't help but smile at her.

Tilso patted him on the shoulder and moved to the bench seat.  "Hop up here, man.  Least it gives you a place to get off your feet.  The geldings are happy to nap for a bit."

With a word of thanks, Arctic climbed up beside him.  In his head, he could feel the Black Blades cleaning up the courtyard, fragments of conversations trickling through his mind as he checked the links.  "There's still fighting inside but sounds like it's pretty easy stuff."

Tilso nodded, glancing back at the girl.  "She for you?"

Arctic rubbed at his face.  He'd answered that a few too many times, lately.  "Not sure.  I'm for her.  She's got enough shit to worry about right now, and she's damned good with that skill of hers.  We turn her loose, she'll become Anglia's secret weapon."

"Yeah.  Sal said it's not an Iliran skill."

"Not one I've heard of.  Doesn't mean it's not Iliran.  Half the shit Sal does we've never heard of either."

"Good point."  Tilso let the subject drop.

The men sat in silence, watching wagon after wagon move into line and head down to Syhar.  With so many soldiers, the supply train was large enough to be its own army, but it moved at the pace of a snail.  Arctic couldn't help but look at Shade as she slept, her hands curled next to her face.  She was dreaming.  Her fingers twitched slightly, and he listened to her small noises.

"It's gonna be rough," Tilso said gently.

"Yeah.  Sometimes being iliri sucks."

Tilso patted Arctic's shoulder.  "Wouldn't know.  Nothing you can do about it?"

"Nope.  I mean, I could try to ignore it, but that never works out well.  She smells like perfection, man."

"I'll never understand the smell thing, Arctic.  We tend to choose our lovers on their personality."

"Yeah.  Mates aren't lovers."

Like an iliri, Tilso cocked his head in confusion.  "Ok.  What's the difference?"

Arctic sighed deeply and turned to look at the horseman.  "Lovers are for fun.  That girl who picked me up in a bar, the Nuvani after a battle.  Doesn't matter how long it lasts, it's never serious.  Mates are what you and Risk have.  That commitment to stay together.  You know you're meant to be with him, right?"

"No," Tilso corrected.  "I want to be with him."

"Even when he does his stupid shit?" Arctic's brow creased.  Tilso and Risk were known to have some impressive fights, but they always worked it out.

"Even then.  I get mad at him because I love him and we get confused.  He doesn't feel guilt, so when he says something that hurts me, he doesn't understand that he shouldn't have said it.  He just looks at the future and thinks he won't say it again."

"But there's a connection there, right?" Arctic asked, tapping his chest.

"Oh yeah.  But it doesn't just hit us like it does the iliri.  We choose to love.  You're drug into it kicking and screaming because of the damned chemicals in your bodies."  Tilso shrugged.

"So are you.  Love hormones and all that.  Just a slower process.  If I'd never smelled her, I'd never be like this.  If you'd never gotten to know Risk..."  Arctic smiled at his friend.  "Same thing, we're just a lot less patient."

"So what happens if you can't stand her personality?"

Arctic grinned.  "And what, we end up fighting all the time?"

"Yeah," Tilso laughed.  "Good point.  I guess we're not all that different, are we."

"Why do you think we even have the term ‘ayati'?  Some things are meant to be.  You put fire to wood, it's meant to burn.  You throw a stone in water, it's meant to sink.  You put a Kaisae in the middle of war, and she'll, well, become Sal.  It's just how the world works.  Telling me the sky is blue because of the chemical makeup of the air and the light refraction doesn't change that the sky will be blue tomorrow.  Telling you about our pheromones and instinctual drives doesn't change that I'll still be acting like a fucking idiot around her tomorrow."

Tilso nodded.  "I get ya.  You're doing good, though, Arctic.  You're always pretty mellow, but you're..." Tilso chuckled.  "You're being romantic.  It's cute."

Arctic blushed and glanced at his feet.  "I'm not real good at this shit.  I'm not LT, with his charisma, or Zep with too much personality."

"Nope," Tilso agreed.  "You're just a very good looking man, who is kind, caring, and honest.  One is not better than the other."

"You really think so?"

"What, that you're hot, or that you're as good?"

Arctic laughed, smothering it before he woke Shade.  "The first."

"Yeah," Tilso said meeting his eyes.  "Everyone agrees.  The Black Blades?  You got some pretty nice looking men here.  Pretty sure it's the Iliri thing.  They're beautiful, but you're perfection."  Tilso glanced away, grinning.  "If you were onsyc, I'd be all over you."

"Thanks, man," Arctic said.

"Not offended?"

"Nah," Arctic said.  "Not about to kiss you or anything, but it's flattering."  He shrugged, a silly grin on his face.

Tilso nodded at him, his lips pursed together.  He glanced back at the bed of the wagon.  "Ever think that might be how she feels?"

"What do you mean?"

"She's not quite ready for it, but it's flattering.  How often do you think anyone cared to give her a compliment?"  He patted Arctic's knee.  "Two things.  First, I hear flowers are really sweet.  I don't know anyone that can't see it as an innocent gesture."

Arctic nodded, waiting, but Tilso just smiled at him guiltily.  "And?" he prompted.

"Second, you ever decide you wanna try the other side, just let me know.  You have amazing lips."

"Lips?" Arctic asked, feeling his face burning.  "Not eyes, not hair, but lips?"

"Yeah."  Tilso giggled.  "I'm not really into kissing your eyes."

"I'm blushing," Arctic muttered.

"Yep," Tilso agreed.  "Yep, you sure are."

"Isn't it time for us to head down yet?"

Tilso laughed and glanced behind them at Shade.  She lay quietly, but her eyes were open, watching.  Arctic saw her, too, and blushed even more, burying his head in his hands.

"Yeah," Tilso chuckled.  "Ready to head in, Shaden?"

She nodded, looking at Arctic strangely.  "He is very nice to look at."

"You're killing me over here," Arctic said, chuckling at himself.

"He's as nice as he is pretty."  Tilso hugged the man beside him.  "I'm helpin' ya out, brother."

"You're really not," Arctic insisted.  "Maast, I'm so embarrassed.  I thought Sal was hell to be around!"

"Why?" Shade asked him.

"Because she's always giving me a hard time?"

"No."  She paused.  "Why are you embarrassed?"

Arctic just shook his head in his hands and wished he was anywhere but there.

Tilso chuckled.  "He's trying to impress you, Shaden.  He's also trying really hard to be a gentleman.  I'm kinda ruining it for him."

"I think it's cute."  She giggled and shifted forward until she was just behind Arctic.  Taking a deep breath, she reached up and touched his shoulder gently.  "You're nice.  I kinda like talking to you."

Arctic kept his head smothered in his hands, but the heat in his face was suddenly gone.  Her simple words made his heart pound in his chest, and his eyes were acting a bit too human.  He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry.

"Thanks, Shade," he said softly.  "I kinda like talking to you too."

Flowers, Tilso sent him.  I'm telling ya.  I bet no one's ever given her flowers before.

Arctic glanced at Tilso.  Help me?

Always, brother.  We'll go pick flowers.

Chapter 9

With his arms pinned behind him, someone's hand on the back of his neck, the Terran soldier was dragged, staggering, through the milling soldiers.  Three other men were shoved along beside him.  Green seemed to be everywhere.  Armor, clothing, the camp supplies stacked in a corner - all of it was some shade of green.  As his feet scuffed through the mud, soldiers glared at him.  One man spit at him, the wet glob sticking to his chest and sliding slowly down the black and purple armor.  Ashir Doyin clenched his jaw and tried to ignore it all.  He only had a few moments left of his life.

The further they went, the thicker the bodies were, until he was being shoved into men's backs.  The crowd parted before him.  Shades of green armor turned to grey and then to white.   The eyes of these soldiers were harder, colder.  Ashir sucked in a terrified breath.  He had a mission.  If he could complete it, he would die knowing it had been worth it.

When the last man moved to the side, he saw a table covered in papers and maps, a small, tired girl perched in the chair before it.  She rested one foot on the seat, her chest hugging her own leg, dressed in nothing but black.  Pale white hair was tied in a knot at the base of her neck, light wisps blowing around her face in the cold autumn air.  Her skin was even whiter, if that was possible.  It was as if she'd never seen the kiss of sun or the flush of blood beneath her skin.

Her nose was shaped like no humans: elegant but convex, the lines complimenting her face.  Her jaw was slightly longer than expected and peeking through her hair, just above the level of her eyes, he saw the thin skin of her ear.  It reminded him of a mouse's or an otter's.  He knew who she was, but Salryc Luxx was not what he'd expected.  She looked like a child - his own daughter was taller and heavier - or a toy.  He saw no horns coming from her head, and there was no blood splattered across her body.

"Kaisae?" one of the men holding him asked.

The last pure iliri woman looked up, and her eyes fell on his.  Ashir leaned back involuntarily.  Her eyes were white, only a pale purplish line around the iris giving any clue as to where it ended and the sclera began.  Long, oval pupils stood in stark contrast against the abundance of pale shades, enhanced by the dark leathers she wore.

"Prisoners, Dalyr?" she asked the man holding him.

He shook his head.  "They cried umso, but we can't get a read on any of these four."

She cocked her head to the side, the motion reminding Ashir of a dog hearing a strange noise.  Her lips were full and plump.  The kind of lips men dreamed of kissing, he thought as he watched her bite one.  Then he saw the sharp points of her teeth.  His eyes were drawn to them.  They were shaped so like a human's, the incisors flat and wide, but sharp notches edged each one.  Her canines were pointed, like a cat's, a second set behind them.  He couldn't help but wonder if her lower jaw held teeth that matched.  Ashir sighed.  He finally saw a true iliri, and he wouldn't live long enough to record his observations.  The girl's head shifted slightly as she watched him, then she turned her gaze to the other prisoners.  To his right, two men glared at her, to his left, one cowered in fear.

"Why did you surrender?" Sal asked.

Ashir knew the answer to this.  He'd been told, repeatedly, what to say.  "I don't want to fight for Terric," he whispered.  Her presence seemed to leech his courage away.  "I'm iliri."

"They said if we surrender, you'll take us," a man to his right said.  "We all know the word.  We want out."

Sal nodded, then turned back to Dalyr.  "You can't get a thing from them?"

"No.  Nar said it's like touching a wall.  Rragri said you could help."

She pulled off her gloves and sighed.  Pushing away from the table, her head was no higher than the chest of most the men around her.  Ashir thought it might just reach his shoulder.  She walked to the man furthest to his right and looked in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sal," Dalyr said.  "I know you hate touching them, but I don't know what else to do."

She nodded, then gently reached her left hand up and rested it against the Terran soldier's cheek.  Her pupils constricted to mere lines, like a cat's.  They stood like that for a moment, as if lovers, the Terran gazing back into her pale eyes, his face serene.  Her hand moved to her back, and she grabbed an impressive real metal dagger, closing her fingers around it securely.  Still holding his face, her eyes never leaving his, she swung her arm around and up, the Terran gasping as a red line appeared in the path of the blade.

Without a word, she stepped away.  The soldier clawed at his throat, his attempts to scream little more than a gurgle.  When she turned, her pupils were dilated in ecstasy.  Ashir tried to step back, but strong arms held him.  One movement had changed her from a sweet child, so like his daughter, to a feral beast.  She sucked at the knuckle of her hand, stepping to the next man in line.

"What about you?" she purred.

"I'm unarmed," he said.  "We surrendered!"

Sal shook her head.  "He didn't."  She grabbed his face, blood from her hand smearing across his cheek.  Her lip raised, and she chuckled.  "Being human isn't a crime.  Relax."

The man nodded, all too aware of the bloody knife still in her hand.  She held his eyes for a long moment, then her shoulders sagged.  The man whimpered and shook his head, his eyes widening.  "No, please no."  He fell to his knees.  "Not like that."

"Why?" Sal asked.

With little more than a touch, the Kaisae brought the Terran soldier to tears.  He wept openly, his sobs the sound of true defeat.  She stepped back and licked at her bloody hand again, watching him.

"Wait then," she whispered, and his eyes rolled in his head, his body falling limp to the floor.

"He'll be like that for about ten minutes," she told the Anglian woman holding him.  "I'll want him again."

"Yes, Kaisae," she said.

Then the Kaisae turned to Ashir.  Her eyes met his and held them before she smiled.  "You're last, I think."  She moved to the next man.

"How did you know he was human?" the prisoner asked.  "He's pale!"

Sal giggled and gestured dramatically as she said, "It's magic."  A man in grey armor laughed behind her.  "Wanna see?" she asked.

Her hand grabbed his face, and she snarled.  Her eyes had barely locked to the Terran's before she swung the blade.  With a low growl, she turned as he fell dead.

"Give one to Rhyx and one to Raast."  The slip of a woman gestured back toward her table.

Two beasts stood.  Grauori, but these were smaller than most.  At first glance, they seemed so like dogs, but now, closer, they weren't.  Their eyes were large, their noses convex, but their lips were not split.  He looked back to the Kaisae and saw her watching him.

"See something you like?" she asked.

"They aren't canines."  The fear he could hear in his own voice shamed him.

"No, iliri.  Can't you smell them?"

He shook his head.  "The wind's the wrong way."

"Ah.  Why can't we read you?"

"Grant me a boon?" he asked in a sudden rush of bravery.

Sal looked at him, waiting.

"I've never seen one up close.  I've always wondered what they are."  Ashir's eyes flicked to the white beasts.

"Amma?" one asked.

"It's ok, Raast."

The beast on the right walked up to him then stood on her hind legs.  Her head reached to the Kaisae's shoulder, and their eyes were identical.  Side by side, Ashir saw how truly similar they were.  Salryc Luxx had no hair on her body but the shape of the head matched, her nasal structure was more delicate but built with the same arc.  Then he saw the ears.  His eyes went from one to the other, then widened.

Sal smiled.  "Go have lunch, baby," she said to the beast beside her.  "Take them inside, though, you know some still can't watch."

"Ok, amma.  Come on Rhyx," the beast said in clear Glish.

"You're the same," Ashir breathed.

Sal nodded.  "Humans made us from them, thinking they'd domesticated us."

The pups moved to the two corpses and sank their teeth in the armor, pulling at them.  A few men in grey stepped forward, muttered something, then grabbed the bodies.  The grauori trotted ahead, ducking into a large black tent behind the table while the soldiers carried the dead men behind them.

Before he was ready, the guards released him and Sal stepped forward.  She met his eyes first, and he couldn't help but glance down.  Her hand caught his chin, raising his face back to hers.  She smelled amazing.  Ashir had never smelled anything like her.  It was like a summer sky, children's giggles, and flowers in his wife's hair all at the same time, if those things had a scent.  He smiled, suddenly feeling completely at ease.

Then it hit him.  A touch sorted through his mind, seeking something.  He tried to hide it.  He couldn't let her find his mission.  He had to do this.  If he could just do this one thing, Deela and Liani would be safe.  He would die regardless, but he had to do this to save his family.  It was the only hope he had.  A tear ran down his cheek, and he slowly shifted his hand forward, brushing the clasp.  When he felt the click against his chest, he surged, as fast as his Iliran ancestry would let him, grabbing the secret blade and shoving at her.  She was so close, he couldn't miss.

And then he stopped.  His arm out, the thin, poisoned dagger in his hand, still inches from her skin, he just stopped.  Ashir tried to shove closer, but his body ignored him.

"Relax," Sal whispered.  "This is easier if you relax."

The shuffling in his head continued, and he heard the sound of footsteps running behind him, then she found it.  Her mental touch caressed the memory and jerked back for a moment in shock before she grabbed it.  He felt as if she split his mind open and dove inside.

"Where are they?" she asked kindly.

"The gaol," he admitted.

She grabbed the memory and twisted it, just a bit.  With a gasp, he remembered the hypnotism and the conditioning he'd undertaken to hide his surface thoughts from the Anglians.

"Jase?" she said.

A second hand touched him.  "Yeh.  I'm getting the same thing, now, kitten."

Releasing him, she stepped back.  "Ashir Doyin, I am Salryc Luxx, Kaisae of Anglia.  This is my military council.  You already met my daughter, Raast.  The other is her twin Rhyx.  The men in Black are my family, the Black Blades.  Grey is the Devil Dogs.  White is the Verdant Shields."  She turned from him to the men around her.  "His wife and daughter are held as ransom for my death in the gaol.  There may be more soldiers locked behind those doors.  I want them."

"Is he safe?" a man in white armor asked, gesturing to his hand.

"Fuck," Sal grumbled.  With a wave, she released his body and Ashir let the knife fall to the ground.  "What was it poisoned with?"

"Andromedotoxin," he admitted.

A dark man sighed behind him and rested his hand on his shoulder.  "She hates that shit."

Sal scooted the blade away with her foot, looking at it as if it disgusted her.  "One of you humans grab that?"

Zep stepped forward and picked up the blade.  When Sal glanced at him, he shrugged.  "Still human biology, demon."

The small iliri man on his other side, Jase, chuckled.  "So who are we sending for his pack?"

A human in grey stepped up.  "Ryek and Meia are free.  How many in there?"

Sal looked back to Ashir.  He shook his head sadly.  "I don't know."

"Send four, Pig," Sal ordered.  "Better too many, than none return.  Take a healer."

"Yeah.  I'll send two Hounds.  That puts me short.  Just keep it in mind."

"No, we're staying here a while."  Sal turned back to Ashir.  "We're pleased to have you, professor.  Your wife and daughter should be with us shortly."

He felt suddenly like someone had knocked the wind from him.  Collapsing to his knees, he let the tears flow.  "Why?" he asked.  "You killed them.  You said nothing, you just killed them, but this?"

Sal squatted before him, her hands across her knees.  "We're here to save the iliri.  We're here to free Unav.  I won't make you swear to Anglia, but you're welcome to.  Those men," she said with a growl tinting her voice, "want to see all of us dead.  Their minds felt like nothing but hate.  You can't hide it from me if I touch you, Ashir.  I am a Kaisae.  I am a real Kaisae.  It's not vanity that keeps hands from me, it's that I don't want to be in your head all the time.  Ok?"

He nodded.

"Ilija?" Sal asked.  "I want that compartment added to all of our armor.  The girls will set their chest plates aside."

"Can I wait until they're done, Sal?" he asked.  "My stomach doesn't handle that shit well."

Sal giggled and ducked her head. "I don't care.  It's not a rush."

"What shit?" Ashir asked.

"They're eating."  Sal looked up at him.  Her eyes met his and waited.

Realization suddenly dawned.  "The..."  He looked at the deep red stains on the ground where she'd just killed two men.  "Them?"

Sal nodded, and a smile slowly spread across her face.  "Did you want some?"

Ashir looked up at the humans around him, his heart beating faster.  They watched him carefully.  He wondered if it was some kind of a test.  The small, pale man beside him chuckled and grabbed his arm.

"Come on.  I'll make sure my girls share."

Ashir resisted but found his feet under him regardless.  "I'm not a beast," he said, looking at the soldiers around him.

Sal just laughed.  "You are.  I can smell it."  She leaned close to his ear and whispered softly, "It tastes better than it smells," then patted his armor and turned back to her table.

Jase just chuckled and drug him forward.  The scent from the tent was sweet and tantalizing, but all the human eyes made him wary.  Suddenly the pull stopped, and the larger man stepped to his side.  "We're Anglian.  Dead is dead, and they don't care what happens to them.  Sure, the humans would rather not watch our kind feed, but they don't begrudge us what we need.  We are Anglian, not Terran."

"But you're human," Ashir said, confused.

"Nah," Jase said from his other side.  "He's just a really fucked up iliri."

"Fuck you, little brother."

Jase laughed and guided the man into the tent.

Chapter 10

Sal leaned on the table in front of her, feeling so tired.  With her back facing the last prisoner, she glanced over her shoulder.  The look brought him awake.

"Let's try this again, ok?" she asked.

"They said if we killed you, the war would be over."  The soldier sat up, completely awake.

The men around them laughed.

"Nah," Pig said.  "First off, those damned blades," he gestured at the one Zep held, "wouldn't kill her.  Secondly, it'd just make us fight a hell of a lot harder."

"Why?" the soldier asked.

"Because you're killing us," Zep said.

"We're trying to get rid of them."  The man pointed at Sal.  "They're barbaric.  They crave human flesh, they spend their evenings in orgies, and - " the laughter around him made the soldier's tirade fall silent.

Zep just stood before him, grinning.  He shrugged and walked to Sal, turning her away from the table, then kissed her.  She leaned into him for a moment before stepping back.

"Tease," she whispered.

Zep chuckled, then looked at the Terran soldier staring at him.  "I am Taunor, little man.  I happen to enjoy those orgies.  Rather a lot.  I'm also not human."

"So," she said.  "Now that you men are done posturing, what I want to know, Kraiton, is what we should do with you.  You don't want to die, you don't agree with us, but you've lost the desire to kill me.  I don't have room for you.  So what should I do with you?"

He chuckled.  "Let me go?"

Sal stormed to his side, grabbing his jaw in her small hand.  "What would you do if I let you go?" she snarled.

"Go home," he said softly.  "I just want to go home."

She released him and stood.  "Dag, do we have a Terran horse we can spare?"

"Yeah, Rragri had them rounded up."

"Give him one and let him go."  She sighed.  "And a sword.  They've ruined this place.  He won't live to make it home without a sword."

"Can do, Sal," Dag said before jogging through the rows of tents and out of sight.

"Don't try this again," she warned Kraiton.  "I'll kill you next time."

"Why?" he asked, not daring to move.

Zep pulled the man to his feet.  "Why did she let you live?"

He nodded, the look of disbelief on his face mixed with terror, as if he expected to die any moment.

"Regret."

Kraiton shook his head.  The answer clearly made no sense.

"She can't feel it, but you do.  You regret thinking you'd kill her.  Sal can't comprehend that, so she's giving you a second chance.  Anger she understands, and hate.  Love is what she's made of, but she can't understand doing something you'd wish you hadn't done.  Be grateful.  It just saved your life."

"I am sorry," he said.  "I just want this all to end."

"It will," she assured him.  "With each step we take east, that much more of the continent will know peace.  Stop fighting us and start fighting him."  She growled.  "I just don't want to see any more of us dead.  You can't expect I would like it!"

He shook his head.  "No.  I didn't think about it, but no."

"What did you think about?" she demanded.  "What makes you think you can blame an entire species for anything?"

"They proved it.  They showed us how iliri are ruining the world.  How every generation, more babies are mix breed than pure humans."

"Or pure iliri," she pointed out.

"We're dying, and you're killing us!" Kraiton shot back.

"No." She stepped toward him again.  "You have it backwards."  She touched his head and closed her eyes.

A light grew in his mind, forcing Kraiton to look at it.  Flashes of pain and disgust flared through his brain as if he watched through someone else's eyes.  The man's skin felt greasy against him, like rotting meat, but he was a woman and she didn't want to touch it.  He smelled sweet, too sweet, but the breath in his/her face was stale.  When the man kissed him, he felt as if a beast tried to molest him, wanting nothing more than to be anywhere but there.  Her mind wished for death, for release, for anything but the touch of the human.  Kraiton gasped and sagged against Zep's hold on him.

"What did you give him?"

Sal smiled.  "I showed him what it's like to touch a human.  Kraiton, do you believe me now?  We do not want you."

"Then why does it happen?  That!  Why does that happen?"

"Because not every iliri knows how to use a sword.  Because you can't help it.  I can see the flush on your cheeks."  She leaned into him.  "If I asked, you'd be in my bed without a second thought, never worrying about those bastard iliri crossbreds.  I do not want you.  It's you that wants me.  Look in the mirror before you try to cleanse an entire species from the planet, boy."

She turned back to her table and waved her hand.  "Send him home.  That will fester in his mind for a while.  If he comes over, fine.  If he stays home, fine.  If he raises a sword against us again, kill him.  They shouldn't be able to block his mind now."

"Yes, sir!" Dalyr said, taking the man from Zep.

"Hey, Dalyr?" Sal asked before he left.  "You mine again?"

"Nope.  Still grauori.  I'd rather stay, too.  If you're ok with that."

Sal smiled and nodded.  "I'll make it a permanent appointment, then."

"Thanks, Kaisae.  You should wear the crown more."  He turned and directed the Terran through the ranks of Anglian soldiers, quickly lost to her eye.

Sal sighed and shook her head.  "Where were we?" she asked the men around her.

"Iliri townsfolk are begging to speak with you.  They aren't all happy, Sal," Ilija replied.

Her shoulders drooped.  "Yeah.  This is one of those things I can't push off on Dom either, right?"

"Right."

"Ok.  Clean up this mess and start bringing them in.  Ilija, I'm going to need you to deal with the corpses.  Pig, give me a sweep of all the internal buildings.  Use maargra if you need to.  Blaec's got the Blades looking through the main building, sorting documents they left.  Zep?  Find me some mead?"

Sal turned and saw Ashir Doyin looking out from the tent so gestured for the men to wait.  His hands were stained pink, but his face was clean.  She smiled.

"Feel better?"

He blushed brightly and nodded.  "I thought it was a test.  I thought I was about to fail."

Sal shook her head.  "It stops the maast.  I don't know why, but we need it.  They understand that.  You're fine, Ashir.  Just tell me about your mission."

"They took my family and told me I could either kill you or watch them die.  When I agreed, they hypnotized me."  He giggled.  "I feel very strange."

"You're tipsy," Zep told him.

Ashir just nodded.  "Why?"

Sal cocked her head, watching him.  "You tell me, professor.  I just know I can't resist it."

He turned and looked at Zep.  "How is he alive?"

The men all laughed, and Zep shrugged.  "Cessivi."

Ashir's eyes went wide.  "With a human?  That it happened at all is amazing, but..."  He stared at Zep with unabashed amazement.

"Him too," Sal said, gesturing to Jase as he slipped from the tent.  She never even looked in his direction.

"Two?" Ashir gasped.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Pig asked.

Ashir nodded.  "Cessivi are rare.  True cessivi.  Two?  Which is Ahnor?"

Sal nodded at Jase.

"Ah, then you are Dernor," he said to Zep, nodding.

Zep chuckled.  "Taunor.  Dernor is not cessivi."

"I'm so confused.  I think I may have had too much."

"No, you're fine, Professor," Sal assured him.  "I have three mates.  My second is not cessivi, but I love him the same."

"I'm also cessivi with the Taunor," Jase said from behind him.  Ashir's head snapped around and he staggered slightly.  Jase just tilted his head.  "Do you know why?"

"What'd I miss?" Ilija whispered a little too loudly as he watched.

"He's a Professor," Sal explained.  "Formerly of the University of Unav, more recently in Syhar.  His area of studies is Iliran history, anatomy, and sociology."

Ashir nodded.  "But don't tell the Emperor that.  He thinks I study archaeology."  He staggered slightly as he shifted to face Sal.  "Kaisae?  Can I see your teeth?  They are amazing."

Zep grinned and shook his head, but Sal walked toward him.  She lifted her lip up with her hand, exposing both her upper and lower teeth.

"Amazing.  They're all serrated."  He reached forward and Sal opened her jaw slightly, smiling when he gently touched them.  "Sharp, too.  The canines are serrated along the edge.  Fascinating.  How well do you eat?"

"Meat is fine, fruits are sloppy, and I have no taste for vegetables."  Sal was patronizing him.

"Amazing.  No, with those teeth, I wouldn't think so.  A true carnivore.  May I touch your ear?"

Zep roared with laughter and walked away.  Sal sighed.  "Yes.  If you tell me about the mission."

"Right.  They said the hypnotizing would prevent you from reading us.  We were supposed to surrender, claim that we wanted out, and poison you.  The elites that hired us, they think your death will stop the army.  That's all I know."

Sal pulled her hair away from her ear.  The man touched it gently, and Zep cackled again.

"So soft.  The pena is very thin but cupped to enhance the sounds.  Your hearing is excellent, yes?"

"Yes.  Which unit?  The Terran elites, which ones?"

"Red and Black spider on the shoulder?" he said, staring at her ear.

"Fuck."  Sal turned away before he was done.  "Professor, I think you need a nap.  When you wake again, I'll let you examine me, ok?"

He suddenly blushed scarlet and looked down.  "Uh, Kaisae.  I didn't mean to offend."

"You're fine, Ashir.  I just need to get some work done.  I have some books you might find interesting, too.  Journals really, as they've not yet been peer reviewed."  She turned to the men around her.  "Someone put him to bed?  He needs to sleep off his first real meal."

"I'll get it," Rayna said, stepping up.

She grabbed the man's shoulder and turned him gently, guiding him away.  When she was out of hearing range, Sal spoke again.

"The Black Widow Company is here.  Pig?  Send them all.  All of you, stay alert and clean them out."

"They've probably moved on by now, Sal," Zep said.

"Maybe.  I'm not willing to take the risk.  See if Razor can get a read on them.  Fuck!"  She slapped her hand down on the table and snarled.

"Mead first, demon," Zep said, pushing her back into the chair.  "Let the Shields and Dogs handle this.  Jase and I are with you, but you have to see the citizens."

Sal nodded.

"When was the last time she slept?" Pig asked Zep.

"Baby?"

"I got a couple of hours last night."  Sal waved it off.

"And before that?" Pig asked.

Sal just shook her head.

"Have you eaten?" Zep asked, squatting beside her.

"I'm fine, Zep.  Let's just get this over with, ok?"

"She will na eat while they're battering her mind," Jase said, moving to her side.  "Let her be, Zep."

"Fuck, Jase.  She's about worn herself out."

Jase nodded.  "That's how it goes.  All of ya have yer orders.  Razor can na sense anything, but it looks like they have a new trick.  Do na trust that they're gone - this is how Black Widows work.  They hide out and attack when it's na expected.  They got Zep in Zaqala, so they're good.  No one goes anywhere alone until we've swept everything.  Grauori with each group, we'll need their noses.  Move."

"Yes, sir!"  The elites hurried to follow the Ahnor's orders.

"Zep.  Coffee and mead for Sal."  Jase touched her cheek gently.  "Bring cheese too, she needs somethan.  Sal.  When you're done, you're done.  If you will na take care of yerself, we will.  Got it?"

She smiled up at him and grabbed his hand.  "Yes, sirs," she told her mates.  "I'm ok.  I'm tired, but I'm still ok.  Just bring them to me in small groups?"

Zep nodded, staring at nothing for a moment.  "I'll send the first group in and be back."

"Thanks, big brother," Jase said, meaning it.

"They always blame me," Sal grumbled as she waited for the first citizens to make their way to her.

"Nah, kitten.  They just know ya'll listen.  They hate him, they just can na make him feel their pain.  Now, can ya lock down, or do I need ta ask Arctic ta do it?"

Sal shook her head.  "I think I'm ok.  I'd just like a few days of calm."  Sal chuckled, seing the first citizen approaching, and looked up at her lover.  "Yep, this one's going to be bad."

The iliri-crossbred woman stormed at them, her husband following meekly behind her.  Sal sighed as she waited for the woman to get closer.

"You took too long!" she screamed.

Sal nodded.  "I'm sorry.  We came as fast as we could."

"Two days ago, they killed her.  They killed my baby girl!  You call yourself a Kaisae and they killed her."  She glared at Sal.

"I'm sorry," Sal said again.  "Two days ago they also cleared out an entire town just outside here.  They razed the fields to the north.  We came as fast as we could, but we had to push them back before us."

"But you took too long," she wailed.

"Yes," Sal said, meeting her eyes.  "We did."

"I hate you," the iliri woman growled.  "You ruined my life!  You took too long and now - "

"No," a voice snapped.  "You will not blame her."  Shade pushed her way around the woman.

"What do you know!  Anglia gets fed, you're safe, you're surrounded by healers!  You can't understand."

"Shaden," Sal said.  "It's ok."

"No, Kaisae, it's not.  You," and Shade turned to the woman before her.  "What did you do to help yourself?  She doesn't sleep, she barely eats.  She pushes her men as hard as she can so she can save your worthless ass, and all you can do is bitch.  What did you do to thank her?"

"She doesn't deserve my thanks," the woman snarled.

"And why not?  Are the Terrans raping you right now?  Is your mate still alive?  Does none of that matter?"  Shade glared back.  "Yesterday, the Kaisae saved my life.  You part-bred mutts try to act like you're iliri, but you have no idea.  You whine like humans, and you try to blame the one person who is helping you."

"Shaden," Sal said again, trying to stop her tirade.

"I'm sorry, Sal, but this is not right.  Her daughter died because she was weak.  She is not a kaisae.  She can not understand what you do.  She was too scared to die for her own daughter.  She is not iliri, she is human!  Why did you bother?"

"No, Shade. She is iliri.  She's hurting, but she's still iliri.  Asking why she didn't help herself is like asking why you didn't, or I didn't.  We can't always do it alone."

"At least some of us know to appreciate it.  You fed me.  You gave me clothes.  You let me out of the cage!  Sal, you give everything for them, and they treat you like this every time?"

"Yeah," Zep said, walking up behind them.  "Grief doesn't know logic, though, Shaden."  The fiery redhead turned and looked at him, stepping back.  "See?" He lifted a brow before turning to his mate.  "Sal, I brought you coffee first.  Drink something, baby."

"You're going to sit there, drinking coffee, while the rest of us mourn our dead?" The Syharan woman demanded.

"Yeh," Jase said.  "She is.  Sal, Shaden's right.  Ya do na owe them."

"Her daughter just died.  How long ago?" Sal asked the woman.

"Two days, I just told you that!"

"How?" Sal asked as gently as she could.

"They told us to hide the Terrans in our homes.  We tried to say no, and they took Nalia as an example.  They cut her apart and said they'd do that to every daughter unless we housed them."

Sal stood slowly.  "I am sorry.  We tried.  We tried to save them all, but we can't be everywhere."

"You didn't try hard enough," the woman spat and stormed away.  "I hope it happens to you."

Sal just moved back to her chair.  She took a long gulp of the hot coffee then sighed.  "And you wonder why I don't sleep," she told Jase.

"Nah, kitten.  I know why.  I only wish I could make ya stop thinking ‘bout it long enough fer ya ta get some rest."

"Zep?" Shaden asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah, imp?"

"What did you mean, when you said ‘see'?"

"Logic sounds great, but grief tends to distort it.  Why are you scared of us?  I didn't hurt you.  Hell."  He chuckled and looked at Jase.  "Neither of us could get it hard long enough to rape you.  Doesn't work like that for us.  So why are you scared of me?"

Shaden glanced at Sal, who nodded wearily.  "Cessivi."

Zep shifted to face the girl.  "Arctic's never hurt you.  That fool stayed up most of the night watching the door to your tent, worried sick over you, but you probably avoid him, too," he went on.  "It's not because you blame us, it's because of grief."

"I'm trying," Shade said, holding her head up.  "And logic sure helps."

Zep nodded.  "I'm sure she is too, but her daughter just died.  We're the only ones who will listen."

"So what can I do?" Shade asked.

"Listen ta them?" Jase said.  "All of them, the men and the women.  That, and do na shut Arctic out."

"What's the deal with Arctic?" she asked.

Jase smiled and looked in her eyes.  "His instincts draw him to ya.  He's trying ta resist, but he can na help it.  It's a strong pull, little one."

Shade nodded.  "He's nice.  I'm trying."

"I know," Jase told her.

"I'll go talk to them, ok?" she asked Sal.  "I can't bring back the dead, but I'll listen to them so you don't have to."

Sal shook her head.  "Thank you, Shade, but it's me they want to talk to."  She pushed the wisps of hair away from her face.  "I'm the Kaisae.  I'm the one that was too slow.  I need to hear it."

"You don't," Shade said, walking to her.  "Kaisae, you have enough to worry about getting us somewhere without losing half the army.  You don't owe them.  You have it backwards.  They owe you."  She looked up at Zep.  "I'm right, and you know it.  Iliri aren't just good because they're your people.  Not all of them are good!"

"I know," Sal said.

"You don't.  You keep hoping because you can't understand that one thing.  You don't owe them, Sal.  We owe you.  Stop torturing yourself with this.  You want someone to tell you when you're wrong?  Well, I'll do it.  You're wrong on this."

Sal sat in her chair, her mug of coffee cradled in her hands, and sighed.  Jase and Zep looked at her, but Sal shook her head at them, staring at the cup in her hands.  She carefully set it down, rubbed her hands across her ears, pushed back her hair, and stood.  With a deep sigh, Sal walked to Shaden and hugged the girl.

"Thank you," she said.  "This hell just got a bit better.  Thanks for slapping me around a bit."

"Thanks for saving my life.  It doesn't feel like an equal trade, Kaisae."

Sal shrugged and looked up at Shade.  "It never does.  You'll be a great match for him, you know that?"

"Arctic?"

Sal nodded.  "He's a very dear friend of mine.  He needs a little fire in his life, though.  He's too careful.  Too controlled."

Shade smiled shyly and looked down.  "I can touch him.  He smells nice, too.  Safe."

"You're going to look good in black, you know?"  Sal grinned at her.

"Does the tattoo hurt?"

"Only a pinch.  Risk is very careful."

"I like his, um... is that his mate?  I like Tilso.  He's nice, too."

"He's good.  Go tell him to get you a horse.  Ok?"

Shaden looked at Sal.  "A horse?  I don't know how to ride!"

Zep chuckled.  "Tilso will find you a good match and teach you.  You'll have to learn eventually.  Nice work today, by the way."

Shade grinned.  "I tried to keep them medium rare, but a few might be more."

Jase roared with laughter and ducked his head behind Zep's back trying to smother it.

"Was that ok?" she asked.  "Arctic said you eat them."

"I did na expect that," Jase managed.  He wiped tears from his eyes then began laughing again.  "Damn, bro.  Best find ever.  Medium rare!"

Zep chuckled, shaking his head.  "I've never heard Jase laugh like that in my life.  C'mon Shaden, let's go find you a horse."

"K.  But Arctic calls me Shade."  She smiled at Sal.  "I kinda like it."

"It fits," Sal agreed, grabbing her coffee again.  "You were a good find.  Thanks.  I mean it."

Chapter 11

Family after family lined up to either blame or thank Sal.  One by one, she listened.  Just like each place they'd been before, they heard stories of the horrors Terric had inflicted on the iliri.  Children and lovers killed, families broken, hearts ripped to pieces.  These people knew loss like few had before, and they poured it out to Sal's waiting ears.  Jase and Zep felt every pain Sal did, their link sharing it between them.  When the pain came more often than the relief, they stopped her.  Zep sent the waiting citizens away, and Jase convinced Sal to take a break.  Just a little break, he promised her.

Unav was a democracy, so the only beds available were in homes or taverns.  The White Stone Inn stood just off the courtyard.  Blaec had claimed it for the leaders and elite forces.  When Sal walked in, a portly man was bickering fiercely with Shift.

"I said no," the owner growled, his blue eyes staring into Shift's.

"We're not here to conquer you, sir," Shift tried, but the man slammed his fist on the counter.

"Is there a problem?" Sal interrupted.

Both men turned to her.  Shift smiled, but the owner of the inn dropped to a knee before her.  "Kaisae," he whispered.

"Don't kneel to me.  Please," Sal told him.  "It sounded a lot like you two were arguing."

Shift nodded.  "Sal, he won't let us pay him for the rooms or food."

"Serious?  What's your name, sir?" Sal asked the man.

"Laern Derus, Kaisae."

"Ok, Laern.  What's the state of the economy in Syhar right now?"

He shrugged, refusing to look higher than her knees.

"That bad?"

Shift sighed.  "Yeah.  Syhar's been held by the Terran military for at least three months and under Terran laws for six years.  No exports, imports were claimed by the military.  From what we've seen, stores are nearly depleted."

Sal nodded.  "Now, I'm not an economist, Laern, but it sounds to me like a bit of financial influx would be a lot of help."

"I will not take your money, Kaisae.  How can you afford this?  Anglia has crossed nearly half the continent.  You want a few rooms that would be empty otherwise?  You want a few meals that I would've fed to Terrans tonight?"

Jase chuckled.  "Ya cook maerte fer Terrans?"

Laern looked at Jase then over to Sal.  "Maerte's illegal in Unav." His voice was carefully neutral.

"Since when?" Sal asked.

He chuckled, ducking his head in understanding.  "Since Terric."

"Well, then let us compromise, sir."  Sal gestured for him to truly rise from the ground.  "Half price for the rooms, to cover the cost of labor for cleaning up after us.  Anglia will supply the meat, with enough to spare.  The grauori are currently doing that.  One of our own has more than thirty carcasses.  I can claim at least five.  I'm pretty sure we'd all be happy to give them to you."

"Shaden?" Shift asked.

Sal nodded and continued.  "The meat is a gift to you, and you can return the favor with the preparation.  I'll pay you full price for a half of beef and a cask of wine, mead, and either whiskey or ale.  Soldiers will tip the staff for each trip from the kitchens.  We will also need at least two private rooms, kept open at all times for strategy and such.  We will pay full price for those."

"That's very generous of you, Kaisae, but how can you afford it?"

Sal smiled at him.  "We just got a very nice trade deal with Viraenova, our lumber exports are up, and something else."

"Taxes, Sal.  Population boom," Zep told her.

"Yeah.  We're below budget so far.  The support at home has been amazing.  With Grauoran relays, the news comes swift in both directions, and Anglia is acclimating to the advantage.  Sir, I appreciate the offer, but in a week we'll move on, and you will still have a business to run."

Laern nodded at her.  "And maerte's back on the menu?  For good?"

Sal made an affirmative noise.  "And yes, you can put it on the public list.  My humans understand.  Just try to keep the preparation out of their sight?"

He laughed and nodded.  "One more thing," he said.  "I'll take your deal, but as a gift of my appreciation, you accept the five bottles of absinthe I have."

"Absinthe?" Sal asked, having never heard of it.

"Distilled from a wood.  It often affects humans poorly, but it is potent, and not as sweet as mead.  Typically, those with Iliran appetites find it pleasurable."

"How rare is it?"

The man chuckled.  "Not very.  I mean, few produce it anymore, but the process is simple if time-consuming.  It is made from a common scrub weed and flavored with anise."

Sal dipped her head.  "Then I think we have a deal, sir."

"Good.  Let me get you a glass of it, Kaisae.  Sit!  Would you care for a meal?"

"Yes," Zep said before Sal could refuse.   "She'd love one."

Laern looked at him, his face no longer pleasant.  "I asked the Kaisae," he snarled.  "Not you, human."

"Fuck, I'm tired of this shit, Sal," Zep said.  "I dunno how you took it for so long."

Sal waved the man off.  "My cessivi is right.  I should eat.  Laern, Zep is iliri, and my Taunor.  Show him the respect he deserves?"

Laern looked from Zep to Jase to Sal and nodded before turning back to the kitchens.  That was the best apology Zep was going to get, but it would do.

Jase grabbed her hand, leading her to a table at the back, a well-padded bench just waiting for her.  She sank gratefully into the seat, Jase and Zep pulling chairs to either side and Shift took the place across the table.

"So you got your ass chewed all afternoon?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sal grumbled.  "Seems we were too slow.  Terric went on a killing spree the last few days, trying to intimidate the population.  You heard about Black Widows, right?"

"Yeah.  At last report, half the town was considered clear.  Dogs got your Professor's family up to him.  Rayna made sure that reunion went well.  Had a few more locked in there, too.  That damned daughter of his?"  Shift groaned and leaned back in the chair.

"Good or bad?" Zep asked.

"She's like sixteen and chasing pretty much any soldier who's less than completely human.  She already tried Risk.  Can't wait till she sees you, Cyno."

Jase chuckled and shook his head.  "That will na go over so well."

"Yeah.  I guess she's pretty adamant.  Probably in estrus or something - I haven't been close enough to tell.  Risk said he stepped in the armory and she followed him, closing the door and pulling off her clothes before he even turned."  Shift laughed.

"You're not telling that story," Risk groaned, coming down the stairs.

"Yep!"

"Silly girl tried to strip and throw herself on me."  Risk shrugged.  "I asked her if she had a brother.  She seemed annoyed."

Shift cackled.  "She slapped him!"

Sal looked at Jase, a smile at the corner of her lip.

"No," Jase said.

They were all laughing when Laern returned with the bottle and four glasses.  "Should I get more?" he asked looking at Risk.

"Nah.  I'm headed out.  What is that?"

"Absinthe," Sal said.

"Plants."  Risk shook his head.  "Can't do ‘em."

"Nah," Laern said.  "It's distilled, made from wood and flowers.  It's Iliran.  Kaisae, let me show you."  He opened the bottle and poured a glass half full.  He then set a sugar cube on a grate and grabbed a second bottle.  This one had a small spout.  "Simply dissolve the sugar, and the drink is considered prepared.  Please, try it."  He removed the grate and gestured for Sal to taste it.

She grabbed the glass and inhaled before sipping at it.  The rich taste of licorice flowed into her mouth, only a hint of sugar mingling with it.  "That's really very nice," she said, taking another sip.

"Ok, let me try."  Risk gestured for her to pass the drink up to him.  Sal did, and he repeated the process of sniffing then sipping.  "Oh," Risk sighed.  "Yep, we need more of that."

Laern laughed and waved back at the bar.  "I have four more bottles.  Go easy on it, Kaisae.  It packs a kick.  Now, let me get your meals."

Sal passed around the glass as Laern waddled back to the kitchens.  Shift preferred the mead but found it to be nice for a change.  Zep, however, despised the taste.

"Oh no.  That is all yours," he said, making a face.

"What's it like?" Shift asked.

"Strange," Zep said, looking for the right words.  "It's very astringent, like drinking antiseptic.  Tastes like the herbs they use to scent the cleaners in the infirmary."

He gestured to them.  "Fair's fair.  Describe."

Sal giggled.  "I'll do you one better," she said, taking a long slow drink.  "Catch."

Zep's eyes widened for a second, and then he stared at nothing.  "Yeah.  If it tasted like that, I'd gladly drink it.  I guess it's like the wine thing?"

"Probably," Jase said as Laern scurried back to them.

"Um, Kaisae?" he asked, glancing at Zep.

"Yeah?"

"The cook has maerte.  I wasn't sure if you'd want that, with your guest," he said, his eyes never leaving Zep.

"Yeah," Zep said.  "Maerte for them.  Beef or fowl for me, please."

"You do understand what maerte is?" His tone was condescending.

"Laern, I smell like a human.  I hear I taste like a human, but I don't think like a human.  I'm a Black Blade," he said pointing at his neck.  "Or as my cessivi says, a really fucked up iliri.  I don't care if you eat human flesh.  I help the grauori bring it in."

"Really?"

"Yeah.  Doesn't taste the same to me, but it doesn't bother me.  I appreciate the concern and all, but yeah."

"We're berserkers," Jase said to Laern.  "It's nice ta have someone watch our back when we feed."

Laern looked from Jase to Sal and inhaled.

"Ahnor," Sal said pointing to Jase.  "Taunor," she pointed to Zep.  "My Dernor is out somewhere.  Both cessivi.  Yes, both.  Yes, I know it's rare.  There were some exceptional circumstances."

Zep chuckled.  "Yeah.  Sir?  She's starving, and making me that way."

"Oh!" Laern gasped.  "I'm sorry.  Yes, I'll be right back."

Shift smothered his laughter as the man rushed to get their meals again.  "How often does that happen?"

"Every fucking time," Jase growled.  "Either they're trying ta throw Zep out or being overly polite, like this one."

"Fucking annoying," Zep grumbled.  "How many kills we giving him?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Shade got about thirty, according to Arctic.  I got at least five," Sal said.

"Four for me," Shift added.

"Seven."  Jase shrugged.

"So, say fifty?" Sal asked.  "Spread the rest out to the other public places with the condition that they feed the needy?"

"Not a bad idea," Zep said.  "What about humans?"

"There's always the horses," Jase pointed out.  "If they're that hungry, they will na turn their noses up at it."

"True."  Sal sighed.  "Humans are so damned picky.  Horses are cute, dogs are friends, rats are disgusting.  Meat is meat, isn't it?"

"Maerte?" Zep asked, grinning.

"He's got a point, Sal," Shift said.  "Maybe it tastes different to them?"

"Nah."  Zep shook his head.  "It's all in our minds.  We like to think that food just appears on a plate.  I bet humans are a lot more accepting of less popular meats the further east we go.  Idealism takes a back seat to true hunger.  You all should know that."

The three iliri nodded as Laern returned with a young girl beside him.  They both carried plates heaped full.  Laern carefully passed one to Zep.  "Beef, sir," he said before passing the others out.

"I got it," Shift said, digging in his pouch.  He handed a coin to the girl and offered one to Laern.

"No, thank you, sirs.  I'm not staff."  With that, the owner of the inn turned and left them in peace.

"Oh," Jase said.  "This is good."

Shift nodded, and Sal said nothing.  She ate like a true carnivore, barely chewing, swallowing huge chunks.  The only sounds from the table were the pleasant moans at the taste of the food. When their plates were cleared, Shift leaned back and sighed contentedly.

"We're gonna have to call the others in.  I know LT hasn't eaten yet, either," he said.

"Yeh," Jase agreed.  "Zep, take Sal up?  I'll assign shifts to the greens and coordinate with Blaec."

"Mm," Zep said.  "How we dividing rooms?"

"Your life is so complicated," Shift teased before he turned and called at the kitchens, "Hey Laern?"

"Yes, sir?" the man asked rushing over to them.

"I've got twelve Blades, eight Shields, the King, a grauori family, and twenty-five Devil Dogs.  How many can you hold?"

"All of them," Laern said proudly.

Shift nodded.  "Need one room with a bed big enough for three.  Hm, at least two more with beds for two."

"All of our beds will fit two.  I have..." Laern grinned.  "The wedding suite is what the Terrans called it.  Top floor has two rooms able to hold a Kaisae's harem."

"Give one to Sal and one to Dom?" Shift asked Jase.

He nodded.  "That'll work.  I need the key ta one of those, fer the Kaisae?"

Laern nodded and gestured at the girl, who hurried over with keys.  "I have four keys for that room."

"One fer us," Jase said pointing, "and give the last ta Blaec, the General.  He'll want a second room as well."

"Yes, sir," Laern said.  "And," he glanced at the girl quickly as she walked through the kitchen door, "you have humans, right?"

"Your daughter?" Sal asked.

"Yes, Kaisae."

"I have Anglians." Sal clarified.  "They won't even touch her skin without asking proper permission.  If any get out of line, just tell us."

"Laern," Zep said to the man.  "Sexual assault is considered a death sentence.  Anglia executes criminals by bleeding them out."

Laern's mouth fell open before he began to smile.  "How?  Why?"

"No one told them they should hate us," Sal said, the exhaustion in her voice showing.

"I'm sorry, Kaisae." Laern beamed at her.  "I'm being rude.  It's just so nice to have true iliri here, again.  Excuse me."  He backed away, leaving them.

"And you, demon," Zep said, grabbing her hand.  "You're coming upstairs with me."

Sal sighed.  "I can't, Zep, and you know it."

"Nah," Jase said.  "Go.  Just read fer a bit.  Let me sort out the greens.  Ya know ya'll just get in the way."

"Ok," she agreed.  "Just let me know before the sun goes down.  It'll be too cold tonight to listen to the rest of them."

"Gotcha."  Jase smiled at her.  "Shift?  Can I borrow ya?"

"Sure," he said, standing with Jase.  The two of them walked out of the inn, leaving Zep alone with Sal.

"C'mon, kid.  You're either walking upstairs, or I'm carrying you."

Sal crawled from her seat.  She laced her fingers in Zep's, then climbed the stairs with him, floor after floor.  When they reached the fourth, she paused.  The decor was luxurious.  Two doors, one at each end of a short hall, were the only rooms.  Zep checked his key and turned to the right.  He unlocked the door, pushed it open, then grabbed Sal and swept her into his arms.

"Honeymoon suite was the phrase he wanted," Zep said as he carried Sal across the threshold.  He set her down gently on the other side, grinning.  "It's a human thing."

Sal just shook her head and moved into the room, sighing appreciatively.  "Wow, this is nice.  Ok.  So what's the thing?" she asked, gesturing back to the door.

"It's just a thing.  Get out of your armor, Sal.  Boots too."

"Our stuff hasn't made it up yet, has it?" she asked.

"Nah.  But only Jase and I will be running through here.  Clothes only in this room.  No armor.  Leather, acrylic, resin, mail… none."

"Ok!" Sal laughed, peeling down to a pair of soft pants and her tank.

Zep did the same, stacking his boots beside hers.  He flopped on the bed and gestured for her to come closer.  "Cuddle with me and I'll tell you about the door thing."

Sal crawled beside him and tucked her head against his shoulder.  Zep pulled her closer until she gazed up at him, waiting.

"So, as a kid, I always expected to end up human, right?  I mean it kinda makes sense."

Sal giggled and nodded.

"Well.  I wasn't exactly a very popular kid, not with my iliri friends and all, so I didn't do real well with the girls until I joined the military.  That made it something I wanted even more, ya know?  I used to daydream about getting married.  A big fancy ordeal.  I'd have some beautiful bride, pale skin, blonde hair, and everyone would be jealous of how perfect she was."

"You liked the pale ones even as a kid?"

"Yeah," Zep admitted.  "All my friends were iliri.  Anyways, so point being, I was a kid.  Never had a girl before, so that whole wedding night consummation thing, it seemed amazing and romantic, right?"

Sal nodded.

"Thing is, there's some old tradition about how the man is supposed to carry his new bride across the threshold to their room.  I was a gangly, dorky, shit of a kid.  Nothing fit right, and not a damned muscle on me.  So that whole carrying the girl thing seemed intimidating and yet romantic."

"What happened?" Sal asked, poking his broad chest.

"Fuck.  The army, Sal.  Push-ups, hauling my own gear, you name it, I hadn't done it.  I was a spoiled, rich brat.  Thing is, iliri don't get married, you know?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the way I see it, we're about as married as iliri get.  So, since we haven't really had a real door to a room, well, this is the first chance I had."

"I love you, Zep."  Sal snuggled closer.  "I'm glad to be your wife."

He smiled and pulled her tight.  "You're a damned good wife, Sal.  Ayati, I'm the luckiest fucking man ever."

"You're a perfect husband," she whispered, kissing his chest.

"I'm trying, babe.  Now close your eyes, just for a bit, ok?"

She nodded against his side, and Zep lay as still as he could until her breathing slowed.  In his heart, he felt her anxiety and stress slowly fade away to a gentle warmth that always stayed with him, and he knew she was truly asleep.

She's out, he told Jase.

Yeh, I felt that, Jase said. Take a break, too.  I'll trade off with ya in a bit?

Deal, little brother.  This bed is fucking amazing.

Yeh, but Zep?  I'm sending her ta Blaec tonight.

Zep tried not to laugh, fearing he'd wake Sal.  No, I agree, Jase.  She needs him.  Just don't tell me he gets the damned bed.

Oh fuck no, Jase said. His will hold two.

Chapter 12

"Stop acting like common soldiers, and try using yer minds!" Jase yelled as he walked through what was supposed to be the human encampment outside Syhar's walls.  "We need paths through the tents.  Yes the walls curve.  So curve the damned paths.  Na hard, men."

"Sorry, Ahnor," a man close to him said respectfully.

Jase held up his hand.  "Just fix this.  We need ta be able ta move through the camp quickly.  That's why we have structure.  Cavalry, infantry, archers.  Alternate units.  Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" the men around him called out.

Soldiers began pulling tent pegs and shuffling their items, so Jase continued on.  Grauori mingled with the humans, helping to haul crates and stake tents.  Jase laughed, watching one large male dig at the ground in the center of a unit's cluster.  The aufrio paused and looked at him, grinning.

"Fire pit," he said before digging again.

"Nice," Jase agreed.

"We gave him some kills from the battle in exchange," a woman said dropping a load of wood.  "The way I see it, less to clean up out there and a hell of a lot faster to get a regulation pit."

Jase nodded.  "I approve.  Good thinking," he said, moving on.

The next few groups seemed organized, and Jase only had a few corrections to make.  He was almost halfway around the walls, on the south side of Syhar, when a soldier called out to him.

"Ahnor?  Your eyes are better than mine, sir."  The man pointed across the field to the south.  "I swear I'm seeing something out there."

Jase followed his hand.  In the distance, a group of riders made their way toward them.  He could just make out the men on the horses, but the blue of their uniforms was vivid to his iliri sight.

"Nice eyes," he said to the soldier, looking at his shoulders.  "134th infantry?"

"Yes, sir," the soldier said.  "Friend or foe, sir?"

Jase shrugged.  "Conglomerate.  Can na wait to see what they want."

"Fuck ‘em," the soldier grumbled.  "They thought they were hot shit back in Myrosica.  Bet they're here beggin', sir."

"Prob'bly," Jase agreed.  "Thanks fer the heads up."  He sighed and made his way back into the city gates, calling out for Blaec as he did so.  We've got a group of CFC riders coming in from the south.

That's probably not good news.  Where's Sal? Blaec asked.

Sleeping.  Zep convinced her to pass out.

Well, wake her, Blaec ordered.  I'll get the pavilion set up in the square to meet them.

No.  She's working on three hours of sleep in three days.  Dom can handle this with Rragri.  We have secure rooms in the White Stone, too.

Nice, Blaec thought.  Ok.  Send the Dogs out to meet the riders.

Can na.  They're seeking spiders.

Fuck! Blaec growled back at Jase.  Who do we have then?

Jase chuckled.  Grauori.  Lots of them.

Do it.  How Iliran is the White Stone?

Very.  Main room probably smells like roast maerte by now too.  Sal gave him leave.

Blaec couldn't contain his amusement, and it flooded across their link.  Even Pig likes the scent.  Will be amusing when they ask what smells so good.  Ok.  I'll tell the King and Orassae.  Why hasn't Sal been sleeping?

Na us, man, Jase told him.  She's got herself so strung out with leading that she can na stop planning the next move.  We're sending her ta ya tonight.

Gotcha.  I'll have Arctic help me take some of that from her.  Blaec paused a moment.  She's doing amazing, though.  Never would have expected a true Kaisae from that waif a year and a half ago.

Shoulda looked closer, Jase said, breaking the link.

The interior of Syhar was as hectic as the exterior, now.  Someone had raised the wine and jade flag of Unav over the tower, and Anglian soldiers were cleaning up the shattered masonry around it.  Tents for the leadership were stationed across the courtyard to receive guests in the event the weather turned sour again.  He saw a group in grey armor dart between buildings, men in white directing the removal of corpses.  Two teams of drafts hauled open bed wagons filled with bodies laid out neatly.  Ilija stood next to one speaking to the driver and pointing.

"Colonel," Jase said walking up.

"Ahnor, your timing is perfect.  We've got about a thousand salvageable corpses for you all after the grauori took their cut.  Where am I sending them?"

"Fifty ta the White Stone.  Divide the rest among the other taverns in town, but they're welcome ta refuse them.  I do na think many will."

"Ugh," Ilija shuddered.  "Still creeps me out a bit thinking about it.  Better than burial mounds, though.  But we have a group willing to, um, set up a soup kitchen of sorts."

"How are horses fer humans?" Jase asked him.

"You mean as meat?"  Jase nodded, and Ilija sighed before continuing.  "It's not really considered civilized, Jase.  We have enough humans in here that we need to feed?"

"Yeh, from the sounds of it."  He shrugged at the Colonel.  "Can na just feed the iliri, ya know.  We also can na really set up a maerte kitchen in the middle of town, either."

"Tavern down in the poor area offered.  Mostly iliri there.  There's another a few blocks over.  I can talk to them about setting something up for humans?"

"Yer gonna be a lot less biased than us," Jase agreed.  "We just want ta get Syhar back on its feet.  Make sure the soldiers know that these people can na afford ta give gifts.  They will try."

"Mm, demote those taking advantage of them?" Ilija asked.

"Nah.  Just whisper it around.  I think the other men will take care of it."  Jase paused.  "We've got Conglomerate riders coming in."

"What do they want?" Ilija grumbled.

The man driving the cart answered, "Prolly didn't think we'd do it, sirs.  Gotta be hurting with the Blades and the Dogs gone."

Jase waved that away.  "Let's na shock them too much?"

"Simple body removal, sir," the driver said.

Ilija nodded.  "Yeah, Anglians aren't going to make a deal of it.  We won't hide it, either.  They want us, then they take all of us.  Three kingdoms, Ahnor.  All three."

Jase nodded and slapped Ilija's arm before turning back to the White Stone.  He entered the inn and smiled at the aromas.  Laern looked up at the sound of the door and hurried to him.

"Ahnor!  Can I help you?"

"Yeh," Jase answered.  "Remember those rooms?  I need one prepared fer the leaders.  We have diplomats riding here, probably half an hour before they arrive."

Laern looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Have any Anglian banners or flags, sir?"

"Yeh?" Jase asked, confused.

"I can set up the reception hall pretty quick."  Laern grinned at him.  "I just don't happen to have a lot of your shade of green."

"Unavi flags, Laern.  We're here ta liberate, na conquer."

"Yeah," Laern said, "But if they're here to see Anglia, then we need to make sure you're represented.  I'd just need two flags.  Trust me, Ahnor.  This is what I do."

"Ok," Jase sighed.  "Ya get it dressed up in there.  I'll get ya some flags or banners."

Laern turned and began yelling in Iliran, his accent thick.  Jase tried to think of who wouldn't be busy at the moment.  Arctic? he asked.

Yeah, brother?

Can ya find me two Anglian flags or banners?  We have conglomerate soldiers riding in.  Innkeeper said he needs ‘em ta make a proper presentation fer our leaders.  Also, this place serves the best maerte.  Ya need ta make sure the men all eat.

Yes, shit, and will do, Arctic sent back, amusement tinting his mental voice.  Shade's with me.  Have enough time for me to walk her over from Tilso?

Of course.  She get her horse?

Yeah, Arctic beamed.  Tilso found her a flaxen chestnut mare from the cavalry we hit.  Said she's a bit slow in the higher level moves but will improve before Shade's ready.  She wants to be a Blade, man.

Yeh.  Sal's good.  They already talked about tattoos.  Let me check with LT, and if he's good, we'll make a deal of it t'night?

Thanks, Arctic said.  There's a nice little shop in town.  I'll run over later and see if they can make us all a few more sets of blacks.

Flags first, Jase reminded him.

Already got ‘em, brother.  Be there in five.

Jase sank into a chair.  A year ago, he would have preferred to stay in the shadows.  Now, he was one of the top officers of the entire country.  Different country, but a better one.  In five minutes, just as he'd said, Arctic pushed through the door, pausing for his eyes to adjust.  Large swaths of deep green cloth lay over his arms, silver tassels only slightly muddy.

"Best I can do," Arctic said, seeing him.

"Nice.  The gate flags.  Ok, let's take these to Laern," Jase said leading the way to the back.

They walked down a narrow hall and glanced in the rooms as they passed.  A washroom, a wine closet, a few small private rooms, and at the end of the hall, a large reception area was visible through the open door.  Jase recognized Laern's daughter, but he hadn't seen the other women before.  When he stepped through the doorway, they all turned, eyes wide.

"Anglians," Laern said, inhaling.  "And iliri.  Ah, you have..." he held out his hands for the banners and Arctic passed them across with a slightly confused look on his face.  "Nice.  I'll have these washed later, but they'll do for now.  Sarsa, Lamae, Janyl.  I need one of these on each side.  Line the chairs."

"Impressive," Arctic said looking around.

A large table had been moved to the end of the room, directly across from the door.  Unavi banners and flags decorated the walls, and the table had been covered in a jade, a wine, a forest green, and a white cloth, all laid at angles to show the variation in colors.  A woman was setting out bottles of mead and fine crystal glasses before three seats.

"Have you met the grauori, yet?" Arctic asked, looking at the setup.

"No, sir.  I've only seen them in passing," Laern admitted.

Arctic nodded.  "They don't do chairs well.  Their joints are just a bit different.  Usually, they squat or recline on a hip."

"Maast," Laern said looking at the table, thinking.

"Rragri seemed to appreciate a reclining couch in Myrosica," Jase offered.

Laern's face lit up and he yelled at the women again.  Two rushed from the room.  "That I can do.  Going to need to raise it.  Will the height be a problem?"

"Nah," Arctic reassured him.  "Grauori jump like crazy.  She'd hop on that table as easily as we climb up the stairs."

"Perfect.  Let me get some blocks then.  And more cloth!  Can't let them see that we've put the couch on hunks of wood.  It'll be perfect, sirs.  I promise you that."

Arctic and Jase chuckled at him and left the room, leaving the man in a tizzy.  A pale skinned, black haired women looked up from one of the small rooms as they passed.  She gestured for them to wait.

"Sirs?" she said politely as she approached them.  "I'm Sahni Derus.  Laern is my mate."

Arctic nodded and dropped his gaze, gesturing beside him.  "Ahnor Jassant Cynortas, and I am Raewar Karim Chalybs.  Thank you for the use of your facilities."

She smiled at them and met Jase's eyes.  "Ahnor," she said, flicking her gaze to the ground for a moment in a show of respect but not submission.  "Raewar.  I wanted to be sure to thank you.  You have been more than generous with us.  Laern is enthusiastic, and the White Stone has always been his pride and joy, but he rarely looks at the books."

"We're thankful for the kindness he's shown us.  He's been nothing but respectful.  You must be proud," Jase said to her.

Sahni chuckled.  "I am and thank you.  He also told me that our daughter would be treated with respect.  After meeting you both, I feel much more confident about that.  I have one question about our arrangement, though?"

Jase nodded at her, encouraging her to ask.

"For the duration of your stay, would you prefer we keep the building private?"

"No," Arctic said.  "If you can keep the top floor sectioned off, that would be appreciated, but not required.  Feel free to lease any open rooms you have."

"And the general dining hall?  You have two of your rulers staying here.  Syharan citizens will hope to meet them."

"Leaders," Jase corrected.  "They do na rule, they lead.  And no.  There's na a need to close yer doors.  Enjoy the additional customers.  We simply need the two private rooms and the beds fer our elites."

Sahni sighed, relaxing.  "Thank you!  The income we can earn should bring us out of debt.  Terric's visit to Syhar nearly bankrupt us."

"Both Sal and Dom love entertainment.  Seeing citizens enjoying themselves will make them a lot happier," Arctic told her.

"Then I'll have Laern hire a band.  Are there any customs in Anglia I should be aware of?"

"Nah," Jase assured her.  "The grauori will want benches or the floor, and bowls instead of delicate cups.  If ya have crude mugs, those often serve them well, too."

"And keep a list of any debts owed by Anglians," Arctic added.  "If they do not pay, we will settle for them.  Any Anglians."

"Thank you.  I'm sorry for keeping you," she said, returning to her small room and closing the door gently behind her.

"I love this place," Arctic sighed.

"Yeh," Jase agreed.  "Shit works like ya'd expect it ta.  Always confused me when the humans wanted the women ta be passive."

Arctic chuckled.  "Explains why you ended up with Sal.  You're not as submissive as you used to pretend."

"Fuck no," Jase said, grinning at Arctic.  "Just easier ta na say shit.  We're rooming Shade beside ya."

"Thanks," Arctic said.  "I'm supposed to pick flowers with Tilso, tonight.  Fucking CFC ruining my plans."

"Flowers?" Jase asked.  "Why?"

"She's only part iliri, Cyno.  Tilso swears women like flowers."

"Stupid custom."  Jase laughed.

Arctic shrugged it away.  "Sometimes I think we got things all backward.  Zep and Sal?  Me and Shade?  Hell, you and Sal are about the only pair that makes sense."

Jase shrugged.  "Na really.  No one ever expected me ta find a mate.  If I did, Taunor at best.  Cessivi?  Shit, man.  If it was na fer the Blades, I'd be a corpse by now."

"Same for Sal, though," Arctic pointed out.  "No one expected to find a pure iliri hidden away in Merriton.  I mean, Merriton of all places.  Then for her to be a soldier and not a seducer?"

"She's both.  That's what makes her such a good Kaisae."

"Yeah, but still.  Humans should've killed her long before she got conscripted."

Jase just shook his head.  "She's too stubborn fer that."

"Nothing but the truth," Arctic agreed.  "That's nothing but the truth.  Now let's go meet some diplomats."

Outside in the courtyard again, they spotted the King.  Four Verdant Shields surrounded him, and he was greeting the iliri citizens politely.  As they walked toward him, Dom turned to a pale skin woman, then suddenly stood straighter.  They stared at each other for a long moment.

"I suggest ya submit," Jase said softly to her as he made his way over.  "He is Kaisor, equal ta the Kaisae in rank."

"He is human," she growled, refusing to lower her eyes.

"Yeh.  And he lives with iliri.  If ya do na submit, I'll make ya," Jase threatened.

"Who are you?" she snarled.

"I am Sal's Ahnor."

Her eyes fell to the ground, "Ahnor."

"And him?" Jase asked.

"Kaisor," she said angrily.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, kaisae," Dom said.  "I would like to offer you my laetus regardless."

She looked up at him, shocked.  "You'd give me honor and respect?"

"Yes," Dom said.  "You are very obviously the kaisae of your family."

"But..." She looked from Dominik to Jase, confused.

"Humans are patriarchal, kaisae," Arctic said from her other side.  "They are led by males.  He's the Kaisae's equal in their species.  That does not mean he is stupid."

"I'm sorry, Kaisor," she said, looking at him again, then dropping her gaze properly this time.  "Forgive me.  Is it proper to offer you Laetus?"

"No," Dom assured her.  "I'm not iliri."

"Then, well met, sir.  I just came to ask, um," She looked back to Jase and Arctic, then glanced at the King.  "I own one of the taverns in town."

"The menu?" Jase asked.

"Yes, sir.  We've been under Terran rule for almost a decade, but there have been rumors."

"She means the meat, Dom," Arctic said.

"Ah," he sighed, suddenly understanding the problem.  "Maerte can be listed publicly, kaisae.  Jase?  Ilija said something about dispersing the bodies?"

"Yeh."  Jase told the woman, "The Kaisae has divided the human kills among the citizens of Syhar.  We ask that ya clean and prepare yer own carcasses.  Preferably out of sight of the humans, as some of them find it disturbing."  The woman giggled and nodded, so he continued, "Because the meat is a gift, please make sure ya feed those unable to pay?"

"How much of it is there?"

"At least fifty carcasses per tavern in town."

"Ayati.  Yes.  With that much, I'd have to before it spoils.  Thank you, sir.  And... this is truly ok?"

Jase nodded.  "We are a kingdom of three people.  Two of whom enjoy maerte.  We kinda outnumber the humans."

She sighed, a large smile on her face.  With that settled, Jase gestured for Dom to follow him.

"Sire?  I have a Conglomerate delegation coming in.  The White Stone is being prepared fer ya, Sal, and our elites.  The owner has been enthusiastic about preparing a reception room.  Ya want ta clean up b'fore ya receive them?"

"No," Dom said.  "We just fought a damned battle.  If they don't like a little blood on my armor, they can ride their asses back.  How's Sal?"

"Sleeping."

"Finally," Dom muttered.  "Don't wake her.  Am I taking this alone or with Rragri?"

"Wif Rragri," the Orassae said, hopping from a passing wagon.  "Rai heard rai was needad."

"Have your Vargwar?" Arctic asked.

She shook her head.  "Na.  Harrgra ga a wund.  Raewar?  Wahna be vargwar?"

"I'm be honored, Orassae," he said, smiling.  "Give your Dernor my sympathy.  Oh, and did things work out ok with Nya?"

She dopped her head on her shoulders and huffed.  When she looked back at him, her expression was one of exhaustion.  If she can prove her worth, I will ignore her mistake and name her gerus.  I have a feeling she will get the chance.

Me, too.  Dropping not only his eyes but also his head, Arctic stepped back.  "Let's get you two settled.  They'll be here shortly," he said, gesturing for them to make their way into the large, pale, stone building at the edge of the courtyard.  Then, he chuckled, having a thought.  "Would it be impolite to serve maerte to Rragri for this meeting?"

"Ya," she agreed, her amusement returning.  "Vary.  Do eet."

Chapter 13

The Liall Lusarati greeted ten horsemen a kilometer outside Syhar's walls.  Surprisingly, the riders halted politely at their presence, easily identified their leader, and saluted her.  The twenty-four grauori flanked the Conglomerate riders, and together they rode through the Anglian army, into the city courtyard.  The soldiers looked around, pleasant surprise on their face as men in deep green moved to take their horses.

"Welcome to Syhar," an officer greeted the Conglomerate men.  "I'm Lieutenant Dalyr Trant, emissary to the Grauori."

"Well met, Lieutenant," the Captain said.  "Captain Rais Tolan, 112th Mounted.  Obviously of the Conglomerate of Free Citizens."

"Yes, sir," Dalyr said.  "We saw you coming a few kilometers back.  Any special requirements for your mounts, sir?"

Captain Tolan smiled at the soldier before him and said, "Same as the Black Blades and Devil Dogs.  We all learned in the same place."

"The CFC?" Dalyr asked, smiling pleasantly.

"Fuck, no," Tolan said around a laugh.  "Those fools would founder a good horse.  General Sturmgren is who I meant."

"Yes, sir!" Dalyr agreed, his smile finally reaching his eyes.  "If you would follow me, I'll show you to the audience hall.  I assume you're here to see the leaders."

"My message is for Sal, actually," Tolan said, then caught himself.  "I mean the Kaisae."

"Not gonna happen right now, sir.  Dominik and Rragri are available."

Tolan raised an eyebrow at the man.  "First name basis?"

Dalyr chuckled and nodded.  "Most of us are.  They're leaders, not rulers, and they make sure we know it."

"Thanks for the head's up.  Any way to get a message to Razor?"

"Yes, sir."

"After I speak with the, uh, leaders, would it be possible to speak with him?  I owe him a pretty large thanks."

Dalyr smiled and said nothing for a moment as they walked.  With a nod, he spoke again, "Razor said he'll see you after the audience, sir.  Said he's glad it's you."

"Fuck," Captain Tolan breathed.  "All of you?"

"Pardon?"

"The head thing.  All of you do it?"

Dalyr laughed, caught off guard.  "Yeah.  The link is standard Anglian military protocol.  Sal got the last few in back in Myrosica."

"How far does it work?"

Dalyr shook his head.  "Not giving away military secrets, sir.  Sorry.  That we have it is not a secret.  How good it is?  Yeah.  Sign an alliance."

"That's why I'm here, Lieutenant.  I requested the mission.  Sal took care of me back there, and I owe it to her."

"We all do, sir.  She saved my life.  She saved most of our lives at least once - her or one of the Blades.  Now, here we are."  Dalyr led the Captain into the White Stone and to the door of the audience hall.  "Don't kneel, but you can bow.  Titles are King and Orassae.  I think she has Arctic translating for her.  Her mate was wounded pretty bad in battle earlier today.  Oh, and they aren't too happy with the way the CFC treated Sal."

"Thanks, soldier.  Me, either," Tolan whispered.  "Would you kindly make sure my men know the local customs?  Their last orders were to do nothing and touch no one.  Looks like you're a lot more relaxed here than I expected."

"Yes, sir," Dalyr said opening the door and gesturing for the Captain to enter.  "Good luck, sir."

Captain Tolan walked forward, noticing the display of Unav's colors in the room.  The only symbols of Anglia were a pair of banners carefully placed behind the tall table set at the back of the room.  King Dominik Jens and the Orassae Rragri both sat casually, enjoying a meal, but they looked up at the sound of his boots on the floor.  At a respectful distance, Captain Tolan stopped and bowed deeply.

"Thank you for seeing me, sire, Orassae," he said.

"Yeah," Dom replied.  "What does the CFC want?"

"Sire, the short version?  I'm here to beg and grovel for your aid.  I'm a soldier, and I don't do politics very well, but if you'd prefer the formal version I can give it a try."  Tolan watched the King's reaction.

Dominik smiled, but Arctic spoke up.  "Dom, Captain Tolan is with the 112th.  He leads the cavalry unit that we met at the Devil Dog's defection."

"Ah!" Dom relaxed.  "Pull up a chair, then.  Sal had nice things to say about you."

"Thank you, sire," Tolan said, looking around.  Arctic grabbed a pair of chairs and set them across from the King and Orassae at the table.  The two men sat side by side.

"Dom?" Arctic asked.  "Shall I have Dalyr seat his men in the inn's common room?  Blades and Dogs are mingling through there, and I think there's a few friends."

"Yeah," Dom agreed.  "And someone warn them about the menu?"

Arctic grinned and nodded.

"I'm assuming you haven't eaten yet."  Dom gestured to his plate.  "We're just getting to it ourselves.  Had to beat down some Terrans this morning.  Can I get you something?"

"I'll eat with my men.  Thank you, sire."

"It's Dom, or Dominik.  She's Rragri.  I assume you know Arctic?"

"Yes, sir," Tolan said.  "For many years now.  If we're on a first-name basis, sire, please call me Rais."

"Ok, Rais.  What changed?" Dom asked, getting right to the point.

"A few things.  First, Berrik got recalled.  Losing the Viraenovan alliance didn't set well with her constituents.  Second, Terric breached the eastern border.  The Forward Camp, which is basically its own town now, is behind the line.  They're almost to Eastward and looks like they're planning a siege."

"Fuck," Arctic said.  "So they're over the mountains?"

"We're barely holding them in the western foothills.  They hit us hard and fast.  The loss of both the Black Blades and the Devil Dogs hurt.  You know we've been assigned to a non-combat mission too, right?"

Arctic smiled deviously.  "Yes, I do.  Glad to see you recognized the dog."

"Scared the shit out of me to see the Devil Dog.  When he started speaking?"

Rragri whuffed and gestured.  Arctic translated for her, "That was Harrgra, the Vargwar.  He speaks the cleanest Glish of all the Grauori.  Wanted to make sure you got the message."

"I've been in there.  Marnia made sure we all got a tour.  We've been very careful about what comes out right now, but I do have a present for Sal."  Rais grinned.  "She sent something like twenty-five journals and this."

Rais stood and opened a large pouch on his hip, then pulled out a bundle wrapped in blue cloth.  "I heard Sal's unavailable.  I'm hoping it's nothing serious, but Marnia wanted me to be sure these got to her.  She accidentally forgot to list them."  He passed the bundle to Arctic.

The metallic clink made Arctic smile.  Slowly, he unwound the cloth.  When the pair of steel daggers became visible, he didn't seem surprised at all.  "How many more?"

"There's crates of these things.  All stamped on the hilt the same way.  I'm supposed to tell you that there're other weapons, too.  We couldn't slip out too much, so I just brought the pair."

"Whose side are you on?" Dom asked suddenly.  "You're slipping out steel to us.  You're not playing politics like I expect.  Whose side are you on, soldier?"

"The right side, Dominik," Rais said.  "I have no intention of becoming Anglian, nor do my men.  That doesn't mean we agree with the crap they pulled in Myrosica.  We own homes, we have friends and families, and we're willing to work to make things better.  I've known the Black Blades a long time.  I respect the shit out of LT and everything he did.  The Conglomerate is a damned good place, filled with damned good people, but this whole iliri issue has brought tempers to a boil."

"Iliri issue?" Arctic asked, setting his jaw.  "Fuck, Rais.  You know they shit they pulled on us."

"Not that part.  I get that we treated you all like shit.  I'm all for change, right?  I'm just not real happy about the idea that it's us or them, which ever way you wanna make that.  We need to get some liberties for you all, sure, but that doesn't mean we need to throw the humans under the wagons, either."

Arctic nodded.  "Yeah, I get you, man.  Still don't think you humans quite get it, though."

"Probably not.  I've never had to deal with it, but I'm starting to see it now.  Disbanding the Blades was a bad mistake and caused a lot of iliri sympathy.  So," he turned back to the leaders across from him, "Parliament is willing to agree to the terms you set previously.  Recognition of all three species and the three kingdoms.  Diplomatic immunity for all Anglian soldiers.  They refuse to give a blanket pass for general citizens, though."

"I'm fine with that," Dom said.

"Rragri, too," Arctic added.

"And of course, leave to cross our lands.  I'm supposed to make some pleasantries about convincing you to begin mobilizing the military to the border.  It's two weeks mounted back to the line, probably a month for infantry.  Escea will have pushed past Eastward by then.  We're losing soldiers faster than we can train them."  Rais sighed and rubbed his hands through his hair.  "Rumors are saying you lose dozens of men per battle, no more."

"They're true," Dom said.

"How?" Rais asked his desperation showing.  "Fuck, and I'm sorry to hear about Zep," he said suddenly to Arctic.

"Zep's fine," Arctic assured him.

"Heard he took a Black Widow blade for Sal?"

"Yeah.  Fucked his tattoo a bit.  He wouldn't let Risk clean the mess up, either, so he has proof.  He's fine, though."

Rais pointed to his neck.  "The Black Blades tattoo?  Man, how'd he live through it?  What the hell are you people doing up here?"

Arctic held up his hand, asking Rais to wait.  In seconds, they could hear footsteps in the hall outside, and the door opened.  Shift pushed through.

"Yeah, I can do that," he said walking up.

Arctic tossed one of the steel blades at him.  "Use the new toys."

Shift caught it easily and grabbed the first officer's arm.  Arctic shoved his shirt up to his elbow and nodded as Rais watched them confused.  With an impish grin, Shift laid the dagger on Arctic's skin.

"Damn, these things are heavy," he muttered as he pulled the blade, cutting deeply.  "Nice.  They do rip a bit."

"Yeah, now fix that," Arctic growled.

Shift just chuckled then took a deep breath.  As he released it, the wound slowly faded, the skin closing over it.  Rais stared in complete fascination.

Shift looked up with a smirk.  "Simple healing.  Causes vertigo in the patient for about ten seconds.  Fixes minor wounds without issue, multiple healers can coordinate to deal with more serious injuries.  That's how we healed the poison in Sal back in the CFC.  Nice to see you again, Captain."

"You too, Lieutenant.  How many of you can do that?" Rais asked, gesturing to Arctic's arm.

"Shift and Risk," Arctic said, shaking the last of the vertigo from his head.  "A few thousand of the grauori as well.  Approximately."

"Fuck," Rais breathed.  "You even use human medicine anymore?"

"Yeah," Dom said.  "We need someone to pull out bolts and deal with colds and flues."

"Sal's up," Arctic interrupted.  "Cyno just gave me a head's up.  She's on her way down.  Shift, see if Laern has coffee for her?  She ate before they got her to sleep."

"Will do."  Shift walked quickly out of the room.

"Don't push her," Arctic warned Rais.  "She's up to about five hours of sleep in three days.  You push at her and I'll haul your ass out of here forcefully.  Understand?"

Rais waved him off.  "She did good by me, man.  I'm not here to push.  I requested the mission."

Arctic nodded.  "And Rragri says that as far as she's concerned, whether we help you or not is up to Sal."

"Same here," Dom agreed.  "Wasn't me you tried to fuck with."

"I understand," Rais said.

Laern waddled in from a side door with a tray.  He smiled at the leaders and placed it carefully on the table before the empty seat.  "I was told the Kaisae would need coffee.  I brought what I had, and I'm making more, strong.  Do any of you know if she takes cream?  I brought some, just in case.  Anything else I can get for her?"

"You're fine," Dom assured him.  "She usually takes it black, but I appreciate the cream if nothing else."

"Right.  Yes, sire.  Orassae.  I'm sorry for the intrusion," Laern said bowing out of the room.

Arctic wasn't the only one grinning at the man's devotion.  They were still smiling when Sal entered the room.  Her blacks were creased and her wool overshirt hung open, exposing the black tank underneath.  She drug Zep behind her, clinging to his hand.  From the look on her face, she was still half asleep.

"Oh," Sal sighed.  "Coffee!"

"Captain Tolan," Zep greeted the man.  "Why are you here?"

"Let the Kaisae have coffee first," Rais said.  "Nice to see you're doing well."

Zep nodded.  "Dying is good for a man, Captain."

"Rais."

"Gotcha.  We haven't been awake long.  Forgive us," Zep said.

"I'm not in a rush," Rais assured them.  "I did bring a present from Marnia, though."

Arctic slid the pair of daggers across to Sal.  At the clink of metal, her eyes lit up.  "A pair?"

"Yep.  Marnia said there's crates of them.  She's pulling a few out of each.  I could only get the pair across the border, though."

Sal smiled wistfully.  "No, that's perfect.  Ryek needed a pair.  He's a demon with mine."

Rais chuckled, Sal's easy manner setting him at ease.  Her smile was contagious, sharp teeth and all.  He waited while she sucked back a long gulp of coffee.  Finally, she sighed and gestured for him to continue.

"We're here to beg, Kaisae."

"Still Sal.  And what changed?"

"Berrik got recalled.  Three other anti-iliri Reps too.  Toth's close.  Escea, with Terric, broke the border and they're in the western foothills of the Siahies.  We've lost the Forward Camp, and Eastward will fall before we get back unless a miracle happens.  Parliament is willing to give recognition to humans, iliri, and grauori as sentient and sovereign species.  Diplomatic immunity for all soldiers, but not civilians, and permission to move inside our borders as you deem necessary."

"What do they want?"

"The old borders."

Sal nodded and sucked at her coffee again.  "Dom?  Rragri?"

"I'm good with whatever you decide," Dom said.

Sal looked to Rragri then nodded.  "Ok.  They willing to sign it?"

"Yeah.  Hoping you'd return with me, which is why I requested the mission.  Parliament is in a special session about this, waiting for word.  They're willing to sign and hoping Viraenova will follow your lead."

Sal took another sip of the coffee, cradling the cup.  "They let me tell the iliri about the defection laws, and I'll sign it."  She looked over at Rragri.

"Yeah." Arctic drug the word out.  "Rragri and Sal are discussing logistics.  You have numbers?" he asked Rais.

"We've got two units of Escean elites and some specialists from Terric.  Haven't seen Black Widows in a while, though."

"They're on us," Arctic told him.  "Were in Syhar as recently as two days ago.  We're not sure they're gone yet, so make sure your men stick together."

Rais nodded.  "Thanks for the head's up.  Besides that, we've got counts of about three thousand.  Lots of those are assassins.  Movements suggest a lot more, probably around twenty thousand across the entire range."

Sal dismissed that easily.  "It's Escea.  Where's Jurica in all this?"

"His military is on our side of the border.  They've claimed his lands."

"Fuck.  Ok."  Sal looked at Dom.  "You coming with me?"

"I think I need to," Dom said.

"Yeah.  Rragri, you want to stay here and keep this push going?"

"Ya," she said, glancing to Arctic.

Obediently, he translated.  "She says that she'll push to Ryass while we're away.  Tseri is working to Issevi.  She assumes you're going to use maargra?"

Sal nodded.  "At least a couple units of her soldiers.  I'm also taking Devil Dogs, Shields for Dom, and of course the Blades.  I'll also want the 17th and 101st Mounted."

"Take the 257th too, babe," Zep said.  "They're heavy archers."

"Nice.  Ok.  So that's seventy-five mounted, plus the elites.  Rragri, you want to tell some to start heading this way from Anglia?"

"From Anglia?" Rais asked.  "Sal?  Will they make it in time?  That's three months to Prin!"

The Anglians all laughed.  "No," Sal assured him.  "Maargra.  That's grauoran military, Rais.  They'll assist Viraenova until we sign the treaty."

Rais still looked at her, confused, so Zep took pity on him.  "Two days from Dorton to Zaqala.  A week for them to go from the Ahnian Ridge to Prin.  They'll beat us there."

"About five thousand should do for the first push, Rragri.  Assign a temporary leader, if you would.  And a Vargwar for them?"

The Orassae nodded.

"Ok.  We'll leave the day after tomorrow.  That gives me time to settle Syhar.  Does that work?" Sal asked.

Rais nodded.  "I'm just happy you're willing to help, Kaisae.  I can't even imagine five thousand grauori."

"I think we're running about that, here.  Plus one thousand combined iliri and humans."

"Explains the tent city outside the walls," Rais said.  "Nice discipline with so many.  How do you do it?"

Sal tapped her head.  "It gets uncomfortable to disobey orders.  They learn real fast."

"No wonder you're sweeping the continent.  They're impressed in the Conglomerate.  I should warn you, quite a few are wanting your military secrets."

Zep chuckled and patted Rais's shoulder.  "Iliri and grauori, man.  That's all there is to it.  You ever see grauori move?"

"Yeah," Rais said.  "Silent, and damned near invisible.  Like I said, I can't even imagine thousands of them."

"Neither could we."  Dom smiled at Rragri.  "Imagine our surprise to learn how long they'd been living among us.  We done here?"

"Yeah," Sal said.  "And I need to give a present and let the elites know we'll be moving out."

"Poor Laern."  Zep grabbed Sal's hand.  "He's been enjoying having you here."

As a group, they rose and made their way back into the common room.  When the leaders entered, the 112th scrambled to their feet.  Sal waved them back down.

"Thanks for helping back in Myrosica.  We're soldiers, just like you.  None of us want bowing and kneeling and crap."

The men nodded and returned to their chairs, but one dark-skinned man at the back waited for Sal to look at him before speaking.  "Thanks, Kaisae.  We all owe ya a few."

Sal grinned, rushing to his side.  "Blaz!" she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"Looks like you're doing pretty good for yourself."  He hugged her back.

"How the hell is Rax?"

"Lazy?" he joked.  "Nah, he's great, Sal.  Things still ok with you and LT?"

Zep chuckled, "Yeah.  This is going to be fun to explain."

Blaz shrugged, "And Cyno?"

"And Zep, it looks like," Rais said casually.

Blaz looked up to the big dark skinned man, confused, then back to Sal.  The question on his face was obvious.

"Ok, sit. Relax."  Sal sank into a chair and gestured for Blaz and Zep to sit beside her.  "Yes, my three men and I are great.  No, Zep isn't dead anymore.  Yes, the stories are probably true."

The 112th all chuckled.  A man down the line leaned forward.  "You just took Syhar this morning?"

"Liberated," Zep said.  "You all know about the menu?"

Laern heard the question.  "I don't feed maerte to humans, Kaisae!" he yelled.

"Good, just wanted to make sure.  The men in blue won't even know what it is," she called back.

"Don't ask," Zep told the men.  "Just trust that it's not suitable for human systems, ok?"

Most of them shrugged it off, but one man was curious.  "Is that what I smell?"

"Yeah."  Zep grinned.  "Trust me, doesn't taste a thing like it smells."

"Sal?" Arctic pulled her aside.  "You good without me for a bit?"

"Yeah, why?"

He sighed.  "Flowers.  I need to pick some flowers."

Sal laughed and nodded.  "Ok.  You good with linking her in later?"

"Yeah, I think with the flowers, she'll be fine with it.  Cyno and Zep, Risk and Tilso, she trusts them already.  She's touching me, and LT doesn't scare her.  She wants to be a Blade, to pay you back, so I think she'll take the link."

"Good.  Soon as she links in, we'll put her in black."

"Thank you," Arctic said, meaning it.

"Go pick flowers," Sal told him, before moving across the room.

"Rais?"  Arctic gestured for the Captain to follow him.  "I need a favor.  Come outside with me for a moment?"

"Sure.  I'll be back, men."

Together they left the building, pausing on the porch.  Arctic took a long deep breath, then nodded.  "Ok, just you."

"You smell us too?"

"Yeah.  Always have," Arctic said as if it was a silly question.  "Look, when you're back in the CFC, I need you to find someone for me."

"I don't have that high of clearance.  The 112th isn't the Blades."

"No, it should be public record over there.  This is just a personal favor.  It has nothing to do with military, intelligence, strategy, politics.  I just need to know a man's name.  He did a favor for Sal a long time ago."

"So you don't know his name and want me to find him?  Thread in a haystack?" Rais asked.

"Kinda, but it shouldn't be that hard.  Six years ago, about a month after we did the mountain skirmish here in Unav?  There was a specialist, maybe a corporal - I'm not positive of rank, but know he was a minor officer.  He escorted a trade caravan from Merriton to Fort Landing.  I'm not even sure if he's still alive."

"You just want a list of names of people that fit?"

Arctic nodded.  "Yep.  Sal doesn't know I'm trying to find him for her."

"What'd he do that's worth searching for?"

Arctic sighed.  "He's the first person who gave her hope."

Rais let his breath just fall out.  "I don't get it, Arctic.  I can't even imagine what it's like, but I can see it on all of you.  I'll see if I can find something."

"Thanks.  You know how the idea of Terric conquering the Conglomerate makes you feel?"

"Yeah."

"Just imagine if they won, and you'd be close.  That's what we all lived with."

"I'll find it," Rais swore.

Chapter 14

Rais returned to the common room of the White Stone, alone, and the soldiers fell into an easy conversation.  They reminisced, in the way that only those who've faced death together can.  The rest of the elites slowly trickled in as their duties were complete, joining in seamlessly.

"Hey, Sal," Lorenz, one of the men from the 112th said, leaning across the large table.  "Anyone tell ya you broke Eason yet?"

"No?"

Not even Blaz's dark skin could hide his blush.  "Aw, man," he moaned.

"Sorry, boss," Lorenz teased.  "Have to tell her.  Yeah, he has a thing for Nuvani it sounds like."

Sal just shrugged.  "Sounds kinda like he always has.  Started with Jiesa."

"Lieutenant Cymil?  That Jiesa?"  Lorenz sounded shocked.

Sal nodded.  "Yeah, she was Razor's cousin."

Rais leaned forward.  "She didn't really talk about that, Sal.  Only a few of us knew.  But that's why I asked for him, back in Myrosica."

"Ah," Zep said, "Always wondered why they put him in the 112th and me with the Dogs."

Rais just nodded.  "Pig wanted either you or Arctic, and I asked for Razor.  Ran chose you for the Dogs because they don't use snipers."

The door to the White Stone opened again, and a group of soldiers in grey entered.  They paused when they saw the blue uniforms, hands slipping to their waist until they recognized the faces.  Tyr grinned as he headed over to sit across from Sal and next to Rais.

"Hey? You seen Ryek?" Sal asked.

"Yeah, he was up earlier.  Want me to call him?"

Sal nodded.

"You got a job for him?" There was a hint of concern in his voice.

Zep laughed.  "Nah, nothing like that."

It didn't take long before Ryek jogged into the hall.  He looked around and spotted Sal's white head easily.  Tyr waved him over while Zep tried to hide his amusement.

"Kaisae," Ryek said when he reached them.

She set a heavy bundle on the table.  It was wrapped in blue cloth.  "You're going to need to have sheaths made today," she said, pushing it across to him.

Ryek looked at her, confused, then unwrapped the knives.  "You need sheaths?"

"Nah.  I just know you have a fondness for those."

"Getting out of the business?" he asked carefully.

Sal smiled and laid her own pair of knives on the table.  "No."

He looked at the four steel blades, a smile slowly making its way to his face.

Tyr's eyes were wide.  "I will never see that much wealth in one place again.  Damn.  You could buy this entire inn for that."

"Shit," Ryek laughed.  "You could buy Syhar for what's there.  That's almost eight kilos.  Those things are heavy as shit."

"And now four of it's yours," Sal told him.  "Just remember, they don't cut like ceramic.  They'll drag."

"Fuck, Sal.  Why me?"  His eyes were locked on the weapons.

"You like them, you're damned good, and I think they'll make you better.  You still need to get sheaths made. They're longer than most of what we use."

"Congrats, man."  Tyr slapped his back.  "I found a nice little Iliran place that does leather work.  C'mon and I'll show you.  Sal, can I borrow your kid?"

"Which one?"

"Either, or both, actually.  My Iliran sucks.  Rhyx drives a better bargain."

"Just don't let her bite anyone?" Zep begged.

Tyr chuckled.  "Not more than once, right?"

Ryek reached over and set his hand next to Sal's on the table.  When she looked up, he glanced down respectfully.  "Thank you," he said, clearly meaning it.

"You're welcome."  Sal placed her hand on his.  "Go get the sheaths.  We leave in two days."

They nodded and left, Ryek holding the knives tight in his fist.

"You just gave away four kilos of steel?" Celso asked.

Sal nodded.  "It's worth twice as much in that man's hands.  Sparred with him once when he had mine.  I had to work for it.  He's linked now, and he's got steel, so he'll be as good as Cyno."

Blaz grinned at her.  "But not as good as you?"

"I dunno.  Give him a week to learn them and we'll see."

"So what's with the hand?" Rais asked.  "There's a lot going on here that we simply don't understand, Sal."

Blaz answered for her.  "Iliri have some issues with touch.  Strange things happen when you touch them, so anyone with a brain asks first."  He looked at Sal from the corner of his eye.

How's he smell? Zep asked.

Same as always, babe, she assured him.  He's intrigued by me, but not really attracted to me.  You don't need to worry.

Zep nodded, grabbing her hand to kiss it.  I hated it when you were pretending to be his girl.  Not sure if you ever knew that.

She giggled at him, nodding.  Yeah.  I knew.  We all did.

"So, Sal?" Lorenz asked, his tone no longer light.  "Are you coming back with us?"

"Yeah."  She was well aware that each face was trying to hide desperation.  "I've got friends there, too.  We didn't walk away because we wanted to.  We walked away because Parliament gave us no other option."  She stood.  "Speaking of that, Jase is coming back.  I need to talk with him about organizing it."

She patted Zep on the shoulder then headed for the stairs to their room, knowing Jase was thinking of a bath and wanting to be there when he returned.  She heard Blaz excuse himself behind her.  When he caught up on the first landing, she wasn't surprised.

"Hey?" he asked as he grabbed her shoulder.

She leaned against the wall, turning to face him.  "Been a long time, Blaz," she said.

He nodded.  "Yeah.  Things still good with you and LT?"

"Yeah.  I know it's confusing to humans, but yes, things are very good.  He's just handling a few things in the lower district for me right now.  Zep's on guard duty."

"Looks like that's a lot more than just guarding between you two."

"It is.  A whole lot more."  She sighed and pushed her hair back.  "Ahnor, Dernor, Taunor.  That's how iliri rank our mates.  Jase - Cyno - is Ahnor, Blaec is Dernor, and Zep is Taunor."

Blaz glanced away, a wry smile on his lips.  "So you're fucking a human.  Sounds like it's good to be iliri."

"It is," she agreed, amused.

"But, why Zep?"

"Why do you care?" she asked back, tilting her head slightly as she flicked her ears forward.

Her eyes watched every nuance of his face.  His body and his scent were telling her different stories.  If Ran Sturmgren could learn to control his scent, maybe Blaz had as well.  He met her eyes easily, like the human he was, but a few small lines played at the corner of his eyes.

"Just wanted to make sure those bites in Prin weren't a waste of time."  He shrugged.  "And that you don't take the things my guys say the wrong way."

She lifted her chin, feeling her ears turn back as she refused to let him get out of answering vaguely.  "There's been a lot of things they say that don't quite line up with what you do."

"Like what?"

"You don't do favors for anyone outside the 112th.  You aren't known to be especially friendly to outsiders at all, so it's not just favors.  You have a thing for my kind, and Lorenz went out of his way to let me know that.  What game are you playing, Blaz?"

"Sal," he said, stepping closer, "it's not like that."

"The last time we talked, you told me you thought it could be."

"Yeah," he admitted.  "Could is the word, there.  Look.  I was pretty fucked up a year ago, and you helped me through it.  I just owe you one."  He huffed a single laugh and glanced away.  "I assume you don't just go around making out with humans on a regular basis."

"Well," Sal teased, "Zep?"

Blaz shrugged, defeated.  "Point made.  I also wanted to make sure you knew.  That shit you do?  When you touched me?"  He rested his hand on her shoulder and looked at her intently.  "It does work.  Not just at the time.  I didn't want to say anything in front of them, ya know?  But I thought you should know."

Sal reached up and touched Blaz's cheek, curious, wanting to see the memory.  Over a year ago, the man had been a wreck, mourning the death of his lover and superior officer, while Sal had been trying to hide her relationship with Blaec from the CFC.  Blaz had played her lover in public to prevent Blaec from being court-martialed.  To give the relationship credibility, she'd given him lover's bites, seducing his mind as she did it, to mitigate the pain.

With her hand on his cheek, she closed her eyes and sifted through the thoughts that hammered at her.  Blaz had been even more of a mess than she'd known, suicidal with his grief.  Helping her had been his only reason for living.  When she'd made him feel desire again, it had opened up so much more and been the first step out of his depression.  For weeks he'd dreamed of her, wanting the feeling of something, until he'd realized that it was the feeling, not her, that he was seeking.  She caught a glimpse of him with some woman, but the man was suddenly wrenched from her grasp.

"Do not touch her," Zep growled, spinning Blaz to face him, a long ceramic blade pointed at his chest.

"Zep," Sal gasped, her mind spinning as she recovered from being wrenched away so quickly.

Blaz glared at the large man holding him and tapped his own knife against Zep's ribs.  "I won't go down alone," Blaz warned, "and I'm not trying to take your girl."

Jase seemed to appear from nowhere.  His own dagger gently touched Blaz's neck.  "Yeh, ya would.  Now put away the weapons."

"All of you," Sal demanded.  "I mean it."  The two humans glared at each other, unwilling to move.  She snarled and grabbed the knife from Blaz's hand, whispering, "Now."

Zep's hand released his blade, and it fell to the ground, but Jase sucked in a breath, taking a half step back.  His body did not give in to Sal's mental command.  Somehow, he still held his blade.  When he glanced at Sal, the corner of his lip twitched upward, making her eyes widen in surprise.  She'd intended for them both to drop their weapons.  Anyone in a link with her should be under her control, yet Jase's hand refused to release.

The iliri assassin looked at Zep, then put his blade away.  "It's ok, big brother.  There's na there but history."

"I'm sorry, Sal," Zep muttered, stepping back.

Blaz looked between them, confused.  "Ok, first, I'm not dumb enough to touch your girl.  Whoever's girl she is."  He pointed at the knife on the ground, "And that's why.  I just wanted to thank her for something personal!"

"Zep?" Sal asked, feeling his emotions battering her.

"We're good," he grumbled, snagging his weapon from the floor and putting it away.

"No, you're not."  She gestured for him to come closer.  "Here, baby, just look."   She grabbed his hand, pulling him to her, and passed the memory of their talk, embracing the emotions of it.  There's nothing to be jealous of, she assured him.

"Ya good?" Jase asked Blaz.

Blaz just shrugged, holding up his hands.  "Man, every time I think I'm getting used to you all, you pull shit like this.  Seriously.  What the fuck?"

"Ya would na understand," Jase said.

"Try me."

Jase nodded at the pair a few steps away.  "Ya make her happy.  Zep and I can feel it.  He knows he's different from Sal and I, and he worries he's too different.  Feeling another human make her happy makes him worried."  Jase tapped his chest, "In here, man.  The three of us are together in here in a way ya can na understand.  That does na mean we're always together in our heads."

"And LT?"

Jase shook his head.  "Nah, just us three.  Think of it like we mixed our souls up when we kept the dumb fuck from dying."

Zep chuckled, hearing what Jase said.  "One way to put it, bro."

"Closest," Jase said.  "I do na know how to explain it otherwise."

"It's called cessivi," Sal told her friend.  "It means we're always open to each other.  I know where they are, we all know what the other feels, and we know who is feeling it.  They're always with me.  They probably have a pretty good idea of what you just shared with me, too."

"No," Zep admitted.  "I felt your surprise, and that the touch of his skin isn't like the others.  It doesn't bother you."

"And Zep did na like it," Jase added.

Blaz lifted his hands and backed to the wall, leaning against it casually.  "Zep," he said, looking up at the dark man.  "I'll swear something to ya.  Sal and I will never happen.  I owe her a lot, but I have no interest in those teeth fucking me up again.  I have scars from it."

"So does he."  Jase tilted his head to Zep.

"I don't want anymore," Blaz countered.  "We good, man?  I just wanted to thank her for saving my life, in her own way."

"Yeah," Zep said, looking at Sal proudly.  "She does that.  We're good, Blaz.  She showed me."

"She loves you, man," Blaz told him.  "I saw it when you walked in with her.  We all did."

Zep smiled and nodded.  "Yeah, she kinda does.  Still don't know why, but she does."

Chapter 15

The White Stone was busy that night.  Sal sat in a corner booth, sipping at a tall glass of absinthe, leaning against Blaec as they chatted with the men of the 112th.  The door opened, and all eyes turned to it.  Risk and Tilso stepped inside, then paused.  Shaden followed, her eyes wide, but both men put an arm around her and made their way across the room, shielding her from the crowd.

We're over here, Sal sent, and they changed direction.  "Move over," she told Blaec.  "Give Shade the corner."

Aleks, one of the Conglomerate elites, asked quietly, "She have a run in with Terric?"

"Yeah," Blaec said.  "For years."

"Gotcha."  He turned to the man next to him and whispered something softly.  That man nodded and whispered to the man on his other side.

"Thanks," Blaec told them.

"Been seeing it in Escea, too.  We'll keep our distance."

The group shifted, putting Shade in the corner, Sal on one side, Risk on the other.  Shade sighed in relief.  Sal pushed the drink at her as Tilso kissed his lover then left with a devious grin on his face.

"Try it."  Sal pointed at the green fluid.

Shade carefully sniffed at the glass and took a careful sip.  "I dunno," she said looking at it.  "I think I like the mead better."

"Then mead it is," Risk said, gesturing for the staff.

"You ok with the Blades, yet?" Sal asked her softly.

"Yeah.  You're right, they aren't like," Shade glanced across the table, "the other men."

"The 112th are good, too.  They're friends from the Conglomerate.  You won't be alone with them.  They won't let it happen."

"Thanks, Sal."  Shade sighed.  "I'm trying really hard."

"I know.  We're here for you, and we all understand.  You sure you want to stay with us?"

She nodded.  "I spent all day with him, you know?  I like him.  That, and I can help.  You saw what I did this morning!"

"Oh yeah," Sal agreed.  "I'd love to have you with us, but I'm not about to conscript you.  It's your choice."

Shade giggled.  "That's what everyone says about everything around here."

Sal shrugged.  "It's kinda true."

"You want me to link, though, right?"

Sal nodded.  "I want you to.  I can't make you a Black Blade until you do."

"Why not?"

"Hard to relay orders.  Hard to share.  It just makes you a closer part of our family."

Shade nodded, thinking about that.  "Will they always be in my head?"

"Not really.  Think of it like them standing outside a door.  You can open it and they'll be there, but you can close it and have privacy, too."

"Ok.  Arctic said you do a thing where you all share more, sometimes."  She looked up at Sal with her large eyes, trying to be brave.

"Yep.  It's a meld.  They can't hide anything from you.  It's like being cessivi for a moment."

"Does it hurt?"

Sal shook her head.  "In the meld, you can feel their pain and their wounds, but you know it's theirs and not yours.  They're good men, Shade.  Every one of them."

"I'm just embarrassed," she admitted.  "It's that more than fear.  I mean, I'm not a soldier."

"Doesn't matter."  Blaec leaned around Sal to see the girl.  "Tilso isn't either, but he's with us.  So are the pups."

"Can I turn it off if I don't like it?"

Sal paused, thinking.  "Kinda.  You can't turn it off, not really.  We can only drop you from the link.  It's kinda like..."  Sal tried to think of a good example.  "It's like putting you in a house out in the country.  The rest of us are sharing rooms on the same hall here, and while you still have a door, there's no one on the other side."

Shade smiled and nodded, understanding.  "So, can you do it?"

"No," Blaec said, his eyes on Sal.

"Yes," Sal told her.  "I can."

"No," Blaec insisted.  "Let Arctic."

"Why?" Shade asked him.

"It's not her skill, not really.  Let Roo," he told Sal.

"I love you, Blaec, but you have to stop worrying."  Sal gave him a pointed look.  "I can link her as well as Arctic now."

He refused to look away.  "I love you too, sweetness, but you've challenged yourself more than any Kaisae in history.  Each time you push the boundaries, something else comes up.  Don't rush it."

"Time won't wait for me to learn, Blaec.  Terric isn't going to give me a holiday."

He groaned.  "You're right," he said still looking directly into her eyes.

Sal glanced down and squeezed his hand.  "I can do it, Shade."

"Now?" Shade asked.

"Whenever you're ready.  I just need to touch you and have you cooperate."

Shade held out her hand to Sal.  "I'm ready, Kaisae."

The men across the table watched intently, intrigued by the idea of seeing someone added to a link.  A few leaned over to get a better view, but none leaned closer.  Sal held the girl's hand gently and stared into her eyes.

"This is going to feel strange," she said.  "You'll feel something in your head.  It's just me.  Don't fight me, ok?"

Shade nodded, breathing slightly faster.  Sal slipped into her mind, shocked at how different it was than any she'd seen before.  She gently felt for the switch Arctic had shown her and found not only it but other unique structures.

Sal unclogged the entrance to Shade's mind, opening it for their thoughts to enter and hers to pass through, while she also reached for a tether to Arctic's mind.  Linking Shade in, she warned him, then felt him toss her the line.  Sal carefully attached it into Shade's consciousness, securing it deeply into the recesses of her brain.  When she released her hold, Sal asked, Can you hear me? privately to the girl.

"Yeah," Shade whispered in awe.

Sal nodded and relaxed.  "Well, I know why you're talent isn't anything like we've seen before.  Your mind isn't like either a human's or an iliri's."

"So what am I?" Shade asked.

"You're Shaden.  That's all that matters.  Now let me show you how this works."

Sal quietly explained to her about the private and public channels, demonstrating almost everything silently.  Before she took her public, she warned the girl exactly what the others would experience.  When she asked them all to introduce themselves, Shade didn't flinch.  She smiled, instead.

You all feel so nice, Shade told them.

We try, Arctic said.  These are good people, Shade.  I swear.

And tomorrow, we'll ink you in, Risk teased.  I hear silver goes well with red.

Shade laughed at that, patting Risks arm.  "I promise I won't fry you, ok?"

"Deal," he agreed.

They spent the next few hours drinking and dancing.  Zep pulled Sal to the dance floor, first, but Jase cut in.  Blaec soon demanded his turn.  The common room was crowded with both locals and Anglians, most of them male.  While the Blades were enjoying themselves, a Syharan citizen pushed toward the table, obviously intoxicated.

"Hey, pretty one?  Dance with me?" he slurred, holding out his hand to Shade.

She shrank back into her chair, her eyes wide, shaking her head.

"Come on," the man said, leaning closer.  "It's just a dance."

"Back off," Celso, from the 112th, warned him.

"Shut it, human."

The elite stood and pushed the man away.  "Human or not, you don't mess with the Blades.  Now back off, got it?"

"Fuck," the drunk muttered.  "Just wanted to dance."

"Not with the Kaisae's sister you don't.  Trust me.  She's not dancing tonight."

"Fucking humans," the man grumbled, wandering away.

"Thanks," Shade said softly.

"Anytime," he assured her.  "Celso, by the way.  I already heard you're Shade.  We may be in blue, but we got your back."

"Why?"

He shrugged.  "We owe the Blades a few times over.  LT helped us out, Razor served with us for a bit, and of course Sal.  It always comes back to Sal, doesn't it?"

She nodded.  "It's because she's a Kaisae.  So why aren't you Anglian?"

Celso let out a long sigh.  "It's just not that easy.  I've got parents, a beautiful wife, and the cutest little girl you've ever seen.  The rest of them are the same.  Our parents have siblings and parents of their own, plus everything we've worked our whole lives for.  Moving just isn't easy for us."

"I understand," Shade assured him.  "Must be nice, though."

"Most times, but my folks are in Eastward.  Told them to lay low or get out.  They won't leave, so I'm worried sick about them."

"Eastward?"

"Yeah.  It's about to be taken by Terric."

She reached out, touching Celso's hand across the table.  "I'm sorry!"

"Thanks.  We're hoping Anglia will help.  That's why we're here.  Sal said she'd try.  Kicking a drunk off seems like nothing in exchange, ya know?"  He glanced down at her hand and her eyes followed his.

Something about him allowed her to finally relax.  "I know.  She said the same thing to me this morning.  It meant a lot."

"Yeah."  He pulled his hand to his lap.  "We've been in combat a long time.  We understand.  Some wounds take a little space to heal."

"Or a friend." She tipped her head to the dance floor.  "I stumbled into a group of them."

A chuckle made her head snap over.  Zep stood beside her, grinning.

"That what you're calling it now, imp?"  She blushed and nodded, but Zep continued, "She tried to set me on fire."

"What did you do?" Celso asked.

"Thought I was saving the damsel in distress.  Needless to say, I was wrong."  Zep shrugged.

"She throw a lantern at you?"

"Nah."  Zep tapped his head.  "She doesn't need a lantern.  She's our secret weapon, man."

Celso looked confused, so Shade grabbed a glass from the table with a bit of alcohol left it in.  "Watch," she said proudly.  With a smile, she stared at the fluid for a second, and a pale blue flame appeared.  She offered the glass to him, the flame flickering in the bottom.

"Fuck," Celso breathed, tapping the man next to him.  "She just lit it on fire!"

"Yeah, alcohol burns."  He couldn't understand what the fuss was about.

"She didn't have a fire, striker, match, nothing.  She thought it on fire!"

"Serious?"

"Serious," she said.  "It's what I do."

"You people scare me," Rais said from the other side.  "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, man," Zep said, "but we're winning.  Just remember that.  The little imp there took out at least thirty from the top of a hill today.  She can see as far as Cyno and kill anything in sight."

"Thirty-two," Shade bragged.  "Gave em to the pool."

Rais looked at Zep for a long moment.  "What pool?"

"I shouldn't have said that, huh?" she asked Zep with an apologetic look.

He shrugged.  "It's not a secret, they're just new here."

"Zep?" Rais asked carefully.  "What is maerte?"

"You don't want to know.  Don't eat it."

"Zep?" he insisted.

"It's human flesh," Sal said walking to the table.  "Yes, we eat it.  No, we won't eat you.  There's more than enough Terrans to feed Syhar."

"The..." Celso gulped.  "The whole city?"

"The iliri," Sal clarified.  "Remember, Anglia consists of grauori, iliri, and humans."

Rais huffed in surprise.  "That's going to be awkward in the Conglomerate."

"You'll learn to deal with it."  Her tone was adamant.

His shoulders drooped.  "We don't have a choice."

"It's not gross," Shade said.  "See?"  She pointed to a table across from them.  "Laern won't serve it to you, even if you ask."

"Boss?" a man down the table asked.

"Get over it," Sal told him.  "You ever see me berserk?"

"No," Rais admitted, "but we heard the stories."

"That stops it.  We're meant to eat our kills.  I don't know why, but something in human meat stops the bloodlust, so we're clearly meant to eat it."  She cocked her head.  "Still want me to come with you?"

"Yeah."

"But you're not as happy about it."

"I don't really like the idea of being a meal, Sal."  He gestured for her to sit.  "I have to be honest.  I can't help but wonder what that person's family would think."

"It's better to just rot?  Huge mounds of dead littering the countryside everywhere we go?" Sal shook her head in frustration.  "We have a ton of grauori with us.  I'm going to bring thousands to the Conglomerate."

The men of the 112th nodded, understanding military strategy better than the feelings they were trying to ignore.

"How would I feed them?" she went on.  "Each one eats as much as a large man, sometimes more.  The group of elites I'm taking?  Yeah, we won't need near that, and the humans can live on grains and breads for quite a while.  Try to feed me that?  I'd be sick within a week."

"She's a carnivore," Shade said proudly.

"Obviously," Rais agreed.  "So you're saying that without this habit, you'd devastate the country?"

"Yeah."  Sal flicked her ears up.  "Ever wonder why your armies are so small?  Ever wonder why everyplace Terric has been is a wasteland?"

"Yeah, feeding an army isn't easy."

"No, it isn't," she agreed.  "Our way is cleaner, cheaper, and more efficient.  The grauori are amazing hunters.  Three of them can take down a bear.  One can kill a boar.  We don't need supplies, except for the humans and our little luxuries." She held up her glass as an example.

"This is why you want the iliri out of the CFC, isn't it?" Rais asked.  "Because we can't deal with it?"

Sal nodded.  "Ever wonder what happens in Guttertown?"

"I stay out of that place.  It's not safe."

"Right.  We all know about the murders, but what happens to the bodies?"

"Oh crap," Rais whispered.  "Right under our noses?"

"Yeah.  Let me have them.  We keep it out of sight.  You won't see our meals prepared, you won't see anything you can't handle.  Look around.  This is an Iliran Inn.  Those swirls on the front door?  That's our writing."

"What does it say?"

"The White Stone, the name of the inn.  Unav is Iliran.  Viraenova is Iliran.  Anglia is predominantly grauoran.  Get used to it."

Rais ducked his head.  "I'm trying, Sal."

"I know," she assured him, "but we're not human.  I tried and nearly killed myself with it.  We can't be human, and Anglia doesn't care.  We're so effective because we aren't human, and we can do things that you can only dream of.  I'm sure you've heard the rumors."

"Magic," Celso said.  "We've heard, but we didn't believe."

Rais rubbed at his temple.  "I think we should, if what Shift and Arctic showed me is that common."

"Healing with a touch, reading thoughts with a touch, sharing memories clearly - "

"Usually with a touch," Zep finished.  "See a theme here?"

Rais nodded.  "Which is why iliri don't want to be touched.  Yeah, that makes a lot more sense."

"There's more," Zep assured him.  "They kept it secret for over three thousand years.  Sal only shared this when Anglia embraced us."

Eventually, the conversation turned to less delicate subjects.  As they talked, Shade realized she was always included but never expected to participate.  The Blades watched over her, protected her, yet gave her space.  It was what she'd always thought a family must be like.  Most of them treated her no different than they did Risk and Tilso, except they refused to touch her without asking.  Oddly, it wasn't awkward.  It wasn't as if they had to prevent themselves from touching her; they simply didn't.

Except Arctic.  When they'd been together earlier, she'd seen him reach out to her and pause a few times.  Shade watched Sal with her mates and recognized the same habit.  Apparently, to the iliri, touch was a very important and personal thing.

And there was something about Arctic she liked.  He was so careful, so kind and considerate.  When he made a mistake, he admitted it, without letting her feel like she was wrong.  She looked around the room, wondering where he was but was too afraid to ask.

When he returned from his trip with Tilso, she noticed as soon as he walked through the front door, then watched as he made his way to the table looking embarrassed.  Politely, Arctic asked her to step outside with him.  Blushing, she agreed.

With the sounds of the inn fading behind the closed door, he asked, "You're ok alone with me?"

Shade nodded, smiling at him.  "Yeah.  And I can call for help, now.  I didn't know it would matter so much."

"Well, I got you something."

He looked at her shyly, then held up a finger, begging her to wait while he ducked around the stone staircase.  With a boyish grin, he retrieved a bouquet and handed them to her.  Pale white and pink flowers were tied in a small bundle.

Her eyes grew wide.  "No one's ever given me flowers before."

He shrugged, unable to hide the silly smile.  "I just thought you might like them.  Tilso said it's a thing."

"I do."  She looked at Arctic for a moment, then hugged him in a rush.  Wrapping her arms around his, she pinned them to his body.  His grin only got wider.

"I feel like an idiot around you, Shade.  I'm sorry."

"Why?"

He laughed.  "An idiot because I can't think straight.  Sorry, because you deserve to have someone impress you."

"Arctic.  You make me feel ok, you know that?"

"I'm not being too creepy?"

"Nah."  She leaned back to see his face.  "Jase said it's instinctual."

"Yeah."  He chuckled at himself.  "It is.  Doesn't really affect the women, but iliri men all are driven by it."  He shrugged.  "I know that, but it's not what it feels like, you know?"

"What does it feel like?"

He reached up and shoved his hair out of his face.  "I can't stop thinking about you.  I want to protect you and take care of you."  He turned his face to the stars peeking out from between the dark clouds.  "I want to always be where I can smell you.  I know that sounds stupid, but..."  He shrugged.

"You want to fuck me," Shade said softly.

A strangled sound came from the back of his throat.  "Yes and no."  He gestured for her to move over to a bench and sit, then lowered himself to the ground in front of her.  "I'm iliri, and we don't handle things like this the same as humans, ok?  There's no shame in talking about it, so I'm going to answer your question as well as I can."

Shade nodded.  Oddly, she felt no fear being alone with him.

"Would I like to have sex with you?  One day.  Not now, and not anytime soon.  The idea of you being terrified of me disgusts me.  The thought of you trusting me enough for that?  That's what I want."  He held up a hand to hold off her comments.  "Thing is, our drive to find a mate?  It's not just about children.  Iliri bond for protection.  That's why LT has us work in pairs.  Very few couples ever have kids, and those who do?  It's usually just one.  Our instincts are about protecting the pack, not really about breeding."

Shade nodded again, trying to take it all in.

"You smell nice in a way I can't even describe.  I need that smell like a fish needs water.  But it's not just your smell, it's to see you happy.  You ever see the guys with Sal?"

"Her mates?  Yeah."

"No, the rest of us."

Shade thought about it and nodded.  That's what had made her decide these men were so different.

He wrapped his arms around his knees.  "We like to touch her.  We hug her, we kiss her head, and we just like to be near her.  That's what I want.  That contact."

"But not sex?"

"No.  I want the trust, not the act."

"What if I never want it?"

He shrugged.  "Then you never do."

"And you're ok with that?"

"Yeah," he promised.  "I really am.  I'm not the type of man to jump in any woman's bed.  Ask Sal."

"She said you're too careful."

That made him laugh.  "I believe it.  That, and too serious.  She accuses me of both on a regular basis.  She's right, too."

Shade giggled, making him smile at the sound of it.

"So you're still ok with me?" he asked.

"Yeah."  She sniffed at the bouquet in her hand.  "I like you.  I think that instinct thing kinda works both ways, we're just not as smart about it."  A tiny smile touched her lips.  "Did you really stay up all night watching my door?"

"Fuck," he groaned.  "How did she know that?"

Shade shrugged.  "Thank you."

"I'm gonna take care of you.  I can't help it.  I'll give you space, but I need to do this, ok?"

"I like it," she whispered.  "No one ever tried to take care of me."

He nodded but looked up again, blinking.  "Fuck," he whispered, then wiped at his eyes.  "Damned human ancestry."

"It's ok.  I won't tell anyone you cry, if you don't tell when I do?"

"Deal," he said, rubbing at the other one.

"Will you sit up here?"  She shifted over to make space.  "I don't mind."

"You sure?"

She nodded.  "I'm not scared of you.  Not really."  He moved to the bench and sat stiffly next to her.  Shade leaned her head on his arm.  "I haven't seen the stars in a long time, you know that?"

"No."  He acted like he was scared to move.

"Or flowers."  She smiled up at him and pulled his arm around her, laying back against his chest.

"And your first day we throw you into a battle."

"Yeah.  It's ok.  I liked helping, and it's what I can do.  I like all of you.  You don't make me feel like a freak."

"Ayati, Shade, you're not a freak.  You're amazing.  What you do with your mind?  I've never seen anything like it.  You saved so many people today, you know that?"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah.  Archers can kill a couple dozen men before we can get healers to them.  We only lost eleven."

She sucked at her lower lip.  "What's normal?"

"For us?  About twenty-five to fifty.  For, like, the Conglomerate?  Hundreds if not thousands.  We cleaned out over three thousand Terrans."

"Good."  She said nothing for a long time, and Arctic just sat there, looking down at her.  When she finally spoke again, it was almost a whisper.  "How do we know which ones are the good guys?"

"We can smell things on them.  Fear, hate, things like that."

"I can't.  How do I know?"

"I dunno, Shade.  I've always been able to smell it."

"Now that I'm in the link, does that make it easier to share?"

"Yeah," he said.  "Wanna see what hate smells like?"

She nodded against his chest, still looking at the stars.  When he offered the memory, it felt like pressure and light in her mind.  She looked at it, then inhaled as she experienced the memory.

"That's what Terrans smell like.  What do I smell like?"

He smiled and placed that memory in her mind, saying, "You smell like perfection."

She leaned her cheek against his chest and breathed deeply, this memory was longer than the one before.  "Like sunshine?"

"Sunshine, smiles, and a good friend.  You smell like fresh herbs and hearing my brother is safe.  Like the first flowers of spring, or a clean creek on a summer's day.  You smell like..." he trailed off, unable to explain it.

"Like love," Shade whispered.

"Yeah," he said, kissing the top of her head.  She smiled.

Chapter 16

The hour grew later and the celebration began to die down.  Devil Dogs, Verdant Shields, and Black Blades seemed to hover in every corner of the room.  Even in their time off, few of them were able to truly relax.  Any sudden gesture drew their eyes and hands had been resting where blades should have been all night.  Sal was glad so few of them were carrying.  Not that it made any of them less deadly, it just made them less likely to cause an accident.  They'd been in a combat zone consistently for over two months.  Not a day went by without bloodshed, but so far only one hundred and seventy-three of their Anglian soldiers had been lost.  It was still one hundred and seventy-three more than Sal wanted, but it was so much less than what she'd feared.

"Have you seen Shade?" she asked Blaec as she leaned against his arm.

"She went out with Arctic a while ago," he told her.  "You can't hear them?"

"Nah.  Arctic knows I can listen.  So they haven't come back in yet?"

Blaec shook his head.  "He's not going to hurt her, love.  You know that."

"I do.  Question is, does she?"  Sal sighed and pulled away, tossing back the last gulp of mead in her glass.  "I'm gonna check."

"I'll go with you," he offered.

Sal held up her hand.  "You know she doesn't do too many people well.  I'm also a lot quieter than you."

Blaec laughed and nodded.  "Fine, you win.  Don't stay out too long, ok?"  Sal raised her eyebrows at him, and Blaec shrugged.  "I was hoping to convince you to check out the common men's rooms."

With a laugh, she kissed him.  "Oh love, there's nothing common about you.  Jase and Zep already headed up.  Did you all plan this or something?"

Blaec just smiled at her, his guilt showing.  "Maybe."

"Ok.  I'll be back soon.  I just want to make sure she's ok."

Sal stood and made her way through the room, using a small side door instead of the crowded one at the front that the Syharans were using.  Laern smiled when she passed, his face weary but pleased.  The White Stone had been packed that night.  Probably for the first time in years, if Sal had to guess.  All of the staff looked exhausted, but in a satisfied way.

She hoped this was a good sign for the future of Unav.  If they could rebound from Terran oppression so easily here, then there was hope for the people further east.  Terric had only held Syhar for three months, though.  The other side of the mountains had been under the Emperor's hand for over a decade.  Each step east would make it that much harder to repair the damage.  Shade was just one example of what people had suffered.

The door at the end of the hall led onto a small garden between the inn and the stables.  She pushed it open just far enough to slide her body through, then eased it closed behind her.  The evening was cool enough that Sal tugged her shirt closed and hugged it to her as she walked lightly across the gravel.  In the darkness, the city turned to shades of grey, her strange eyes losing color but not perception.  When she stepped from the stairs, she saw them sitting casually on the bench, Shade resting against Arctic's chest.

"I hear you," Arctic said softly. "Checking the horses?"

"Something like that," Sal agreed.

"I like the stars," Shade told her, turning to Sal with a smile on her face.

"You good, kid?" Sal asked, nodding at Arctic.

"She can't see you, demon.  Shade, she means with me."

"Yeah," Shade admitted.  "You were right, Sal."

"About which?"

"Things change.  Knowing I'm stronger helps.  Knowing I'm not alone helps.  Knowing I can scream in my head?"  She shrugged.  "I don't like all the men in there, but I'm ok like this."

"Ok," Sal said.  "It's getting late you two.  Guards are bedding down soon, and grauori are patrolling.  Don't stay out too long."

Shade sat up and glanced over at Arctic.  "Can I talk to Sal for a bit?"

He nodded, a smile on his face like Sal had never seen.  "I'll grab a drink and show you up to your room.  Sal's right.  Don't stay out too long."

"We won't," Sal promised.  Arctic smiled at Shade again, then looked at Sal guiltily before making his way back inside, leaving the women alone.

"I like him," Shade said, gesturing for Sal to sit.

"Good.  I was hoping you would."

"I mean, I like to touch him.  He showed me what I smell like."  Shade giggled.  "I think he's in love with me."

"Probably.  It's how they are."

"He doesn't really want to sleep with me, though."

"No," Sal assured the girl.  "Arctic doesn't take that lightly.  He never has."

"But," Shade grinned and glanced down.  A giggle slipped out.  "Why him?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've got some issues, Sal, but I'm not blind.  He's gorgeous!  Why him?  Why didn't you take him, or one of the Viraenovan women?"

"He's not for me.  We've been friends for a long time, but," Sal shrugged.  "There's nothing between us like that."

Shade nodded, a faint smile still on her face.  "And he's really not upset?"

"No."  Sal knew Shade meant her issues with men.  "He'll wait as long as you need.  He'll take care of you as much as you let him.  He'll be jealous."  Sal chuckled.  "Oh he'll be insanely jealous if you choose someone else, but this is how Arctic is.  He really is that good, Shade."

"I like him," she whispered.  "I like all of you, but," She shrugged.  "I'm ok with this."

"You know his room is next to yours, right?"

Shade nodded.  "Yeah."

"You know it's ok if you want to visit him.  I'm not saying you will, but there's nothing wrong with talking, or staying the night - just so you have someone watching your back," Sal clarified.  "We're not your mothers, and we aren't human.  We won't tell you how to act."

"Thanks, Sal."

"You're welcome.  Now let's get inside.  I need to head to bed soon."

They stood, and Shade hugged Sal quickly before turning to the door.  Sal couldn't help but chuckle.  In less than a day she'd already healed so much.  Sal understood.  Knowing you had people to rely upon mattered more than anything else.

Shade pulled open the door and was halfway through when the smell of humans hit Sal's nose.  She barely identified it before a hand slapped across her mouth, smothering her in the scent of iliri.  Shade's eyes widened, and Sal dove into the girl's mind, taking control of her body, forcing her inside to lock the bolt behind her.

Sal! Shade screamed at her.  Let me go, I can help.  Sal!

She couldn't focus on the girl and the men at the same time.  Rooting deep in Shade's mind, the world around Sal faded to a blur.  The door was locked, but Shade fought Sal with everything she had.  As soon as Sal released her, Shade would rush back out, right into the enemy.

I'm sorry, Sal thought, forcing Shade's mind to sleep before she wrenched herself back into her own body and began to struggle.  A strong man held her, dragging her slowly behind the building, another moving at his side.

Jase! Sal screamed.  Blaec!  She felt their worry, she knew they were coming, and she sent all of her perceptions to them, hoping it would help.

With a growl, she bit the gloved hand, trying to break through.  She needed to touch his skin!  Her captor grunted at the pain and cracked her upside the head, still dragging her slowly backward.  Sal could hear two more men fall in beside her.  There would be more close by.  No matter how hard she struggled to break free, her arms were pinned and her captor held her just high enough that her feet only barely touched the ground.

Jase! she thought again.

We're coming! he promised, his panic crossing the link.

"Knock her out, we need to move," a man said.

Blaec burst through the door, his sword drawn, and Razor growled as he hit her attackers from the side.  Her captor held her too tight for her to look, but Sal could hear bodies falling.  Her ears flicked, trying to follow the sounds as she threw their minds together, giving them the advantage of a mental link.  Razor downed another man and then became a flare of pain.  Blaec didn't pause.  He was fighting for his life.

"Drug them!" the man ordered.  "They can't use their tricks if they're sedated."

A soft voice whispered in her ear, "Forgive me," as he lifted a damp cloth to her face.

Sal thrashed her head violently, the hint of fumes searing her nose.  She exhaled, refusing to breathe it in, seeking a way to get fresh air.  They're drugging us! she warned her brothers.

Go limp, Blaec ordered.  Fake it, Sal.

She did, relaxing completely in the arms of her captor, still holding her breath until the cloth was well away from her face.  She forced her body to breathe gently, slowly, instead of sucking in the deep gulp of air it desired.  Razor's mind faded from the link, and she knew he'd succumbed to the effects.  Blaec still fought, and the rest of her unit were scrambling to reach them.

"Kill him!" the leader ordered.

"No!" Sal's captor snapped.  "He's leverage.  She won't talk to save herself, but she will to save him."

The man chuckled.  "Nice thinking, Narnx.  You heard him.  Let's bring Blaec Doll along for the ride."

The soldiers surged forward, swarming over Blaec.  Sal felt them pummeling his body and gasped.  Her captor slapped his hand over her mouth.  "This is chloroform, not andromedotoxin," he said under his breath.  "Breathe it in or things are going to get really bad, really fast.  Do you understand me?"

She opened her eyes and looked up, meeting his.  Narnx was pale, his hair almost white.  His eyes were tinted, but in the dim light, she couldn't make out the color.  His face showed no emotion, nor did his scent.  He was nothing more than a walking statue to her perceptions.

"They don't know you're awake, let's not change that."  Sal closed her eyes and nodded, and he lifted the cloth gently toward her one more time.  "Breathe, and I won't smother you."

She breathed, the fumes harsh, burning as she inhaled.  As her mind drifted, she sent one last thought to her mates.  They have an iliri, Razor's wounded.

Blaec felt Sal's mind leave his awareness as the Terrans overtook him.  He couldn't fight off that many, no matter how he tried.  Four men held him to the ground and shoved something across his face.  He growled and struggled, but eventually he had to breathe.  The taste of andromedotoxin hit his tongue before his mind, and he dropped from the link, the silence ringing in his ears even over the sounds of the men around him.

When he tried to breathe again, his eyes grew heavy and his arms refused to obey.  He heard men laugh and felt his body hefted over a large shoulder.

"Good thing the damned beasts are small," the Terran joked.

"No shit.  Throw them in the wagon.  We've already taken too long.  Damned scrubbers will be pouring out of that place in a moment."

They lay Blaec and Sal side by side and pulled a tarp over their bodies.  The group acted efficiently.  The wagon was moving before the men were mounted, all of them heading south.  Blaec tried to warn his pack, but his link was simply gone.  The Black Widow Company had done their research.  They'd found the one way to render iliri skills useless.  He clung to consciousness as long as he could, hoping to remember the path they took, but his eyes failed him before they even made it out of the city walls.

Chapter 17

Jase shoved through the door, scents of humans and blood hitting him like a wave.  Growling, he moved into the shadows, seeking the feeling of Sal, but was unable to find her.  A second later, Zep followed, rushing boldly to Razor's side.  Behind him came a herd of frantic soldiers.

Risk! Zep called out, hitting all of their minds.  Razor's been gutted.

"Fuck," Jase breathed, scanning the other bodies.  One man was still alive, but barely.  Shift, I need enough of a heal ta question this one.

The healers moved as ordered.  Risk turned his attention to Razor, Zep and Arctic holding the man down.  Shift knelt at the Terran's side and shook his head before laying his hands on the man's skin.

"Just enough ta get something," Jase reminded him.

Shift nodded but didn't speak until the man was in one piece.  "Where's Sal?" he asked.

"With Blaec," Jase said softly.  "Gone, and I can't feel her."

"Razor's mute," Zep called over.

The enemy soldier chuckled.  "Guess that means it works.  Andromedotoxin really does fuck you people up."

Jase lunged forward, grabbing the Terran's shoulder in his jaws and bit down, listening to the bones break.  The man screamed, swatting at Jase's face uselessly.  With a twist of his head, Jase pulled away, licking the blood from his mouth.

"Let's try this again," he snarled.  "Ya answer my questions and I will na eat you alive."

Shift chuckled, but it wasn't intended to be friendly.  "You help us out, and I might even fix the damage he does to you."  Then he looked over his shoulder.  "Shade dear?  Have the innkeeper brew more coffee and find us an empty room?  There's going to be a lot of blood and screaming."

Shade stood in the middle of a group in blue: the 112th.  At Shift's command, she nodded, but the dark man beside her stepped forward.

"I'll go with her," Blaz offered.

"We're helping," Rais said.  "Don't leave us out of this."

Jase's nod was his only response, then the little man turned to their grauori.  "Hwa, I want someone seeking a scent.  Fill Rragri in.  I do na care if she's screwing her mates, I need her now."

"Ya," Hwa said, sinking to his haunches to reach out for the Orassae.

"Pig?  Ilija?" Jase asked.

"Yeah?" Pig said, moving to his side.

"What can we do?" Ilija asked.

"Pig, carry this man inside.  He's Black Widows, so expect tricks.  Put Tyr and Ryek on him.  Rayna's na ta leave Dom's side."

"Yes, sir," Pig agreed, securing the soldier.

"Shields are the closest linked with Sal," Jase told Ilija.  "I need anythan.  Blood, hair, bread crumbs…  Listen fer echoes in yer head, emotions that seem out of place, anythan."

"Yes, sir."  Ilija gestured for his men to move out.

Jase finally slumped.  "Arctic?"

"I know," Arctic said softly.  "I'll notify Dom.  The Blades are yours, Ahnor."

Jase just wiped at his eyes, refusing to allow himself to feel sadness yet.  They may have taken her, but he would get her back.  "Tilso, tack the horses.  We have one day ta find a trail.  Let's move, people."

"I don't feel her," Zep whispered.

"Me, either," Jase admitted.

"Andromedotoxin is lethal."  Zep grabbed Jase's shoulder, his hand trembling.

All he could do was nod.  "We just have ta find her, Zep.  Wherever she is, Blaec is.  Razor will na be able ta point out anything fer three days, at least."

"Why can't I feel her?"

Jase reached up and palmed the back of Zep's neck.  "It's ok, big brother.  She's still there.  Yer heart is still warm, right?  Ya do na feel a void where she is, just a silence.  She's unconscious, that's all."

"It doesn't feel like she's asleep, though."

Jase shook his head.  "It will na.  When she's sleeping, she's still there.  She can feel pain, she can hear sounds.  Right now, she's drugged, so there's nothing of her mind sending back to us.  She's still alive, Zep.  I swear it.  It'll hurt worse than Circ if she dies."

"Blaec," Zep whispered.

"Hopefully, she'll keep him safe.  Let's go ask a few questions."

Together, they returned to the inn.  Laern gestured to them to follow him.  "I thought the preparation room would be appropriate, Ahnor."  He led them through the kitchens to a thick, wood door in the back.  He opened it partway then looked at Zep.  "You may not want to see this."

"He took my cessivi," Zep growled.  "I'll butcher him for you."

Laern nodded and walked through.  There was a narrow hall with small doors on either side, the stone keeping it all cool.  They followed the innkeeper to the last one, where he gestured for the men to proceed him.  Jase stepped inside and smiled to see two preparation tables, one with a partially butchered human body on it.  The Terran soldier was being secured to the other in the same fashion.

"You know they eat your kind here?" Zep asked, moving to the corpse.  He grabbed a knife from his belt and cut off a long strip of meat then passed it to Jase.

The man's eyes widened, and he shook his head, struggling against the bonds.  Jase took the raw meat and bit a chunk from the end, chewing slowly.  While Pig completed securing him, Jase ate the entire piece, making a production of savoring it.

"It's better fresh," he told the man.

Laern shifted to Zep's side.  "Would you like the butcher's knives?"

"Please.  My brother likes his meat still warm, and I'm happy to prepare it for him."

Laern finally showed his respect.  "Yes, Taunor."

Pig grumbled under his breath.  "Gonna take a bit to teach the Unavi that we don't care what happens to Terrans."  Then raised his voice.  "Ryek and Tyr are on the way.  They're yours for as long as you need, sir."

"Thanks, Pig," Jase said.  "Work with the 112th.  Tell Arctic ta have Roo link them all and have Rragri loan them a grauori."

"Just find them," Pig begged before walking out.

Jase cruelly looked back to the man.  "What's yer name?"

"Marin Celik, Corporal, Black Widow Company."

Jase nodded.  "Ya know I'm na bound by the conventions, right?"

"Yeah," he whispered.

"Good."  Jase purred the word before leaning closer.  "Ya took my mate t'night, and that makes me very angry.  My big brother there is gonna remove all of yer clothing.  When ya answer correctly, we'll have ya healed.  If ya take too long or do na answer right?  I get ta eat ya.  They did na feed me recently, either."

He stepped back and let Zep begin cutting the man's clothes away with his dagger.  Before he was bare, Laern returned with a set of butcher's knives, laying them on a table behind them.  He set a large platter next to it.

"I assume the rest of your family would like to partake of the criminal's flesh," he snarled, glaring at the soldier before leaving.

Jase chuckled.  "That, Marin, is how a proper iliri male acts.  Me?  I was na considered proper.  My own amma said I was barbaric."

"What do you want to know?" Marin begged.

"Where are ya taking my mate and brother?"

"I don't know," the man gasped, his eyes turning to the blade Zep held.

"The calf," Jase suggested.  "It's always lean and tender.  Goes well with eggs fer breakfast."

Zep nodded and grabbed the man's knee, holding it down with one hand, wielding the knife with the other.  Marin screamed as his flesh was cut away, trying in vain to struggle against the bonds, but Pig had tied him too well.  The entire muscle of his lower right leg was removed, the scent of blood filling the room.

"Damn," Zep muttered.  "Nicked the artery."

Jase reached into the man's mutilated flesh and pinched off the flow of blood, holding it long enough to seal.  His hands were not gentle, his fingers deep under the soldier's skin.

"It's good," Jase said.  "So where are ya taking Sal and Blaec?"

"All I know is southeast," the man gasped against the pain.  "Said we'd get more when we were safely away."

"So he does na trust his men.  Interesting.  Too bad it's na a good answer."

"They aren't going to kill her!"

Zep set down the knife.  "Now we're getting somewhere." Then he turned to open the door just as Shift stepped through.

He cradled a cup of coffee, inhaling the scent of human blood.  "You do good work, Zep."

"Thanks, bro.  Laern brewing more of that?"

"Yeah, man.  Fresh pot.  Said he's serving Terran for breakfast, on the house.  Guess since you can't eat him, you get to carve him."

"Basically," Jase agreed.  "Hit him enough to stop the bleed out?"

"Yeah."  Shift rested on hand against the man's bare leg, closing his eyes.  The flesh healed slightly, but the arterial bleeding stopped.  Shift didn't put in enough effort to replace the lost muscle, though.  "Risk is gonna come spell me if we need it."

Jase nodded and held out his hand to Zep.  With a grin, Zep handed him a long, thin blade.  Jase's eyes were dilated in excitement as he said, "Next question.  What are they gonna do with Blaec?"

"I don't know," the soldier said.  "They didn't plan to take him, but Narnx said he'd keep the girl in control."

"And?" Jase pressed.

"They'll probably kill him when they get what they want from her.  The Emperor promised the girl to Narnx."

"Why?" Jase growled.

"He's iliri."  The man swallowed audibly.  "Narnx is the only iliri officer in the Terran military.  The Emperor promoted him personally and assigned him to the Black Widows."

"And what do ya think about that?"

"I dunno!  Narnx is like the rest of us, but he knows all about you people.  That's why they brought him.  He said the bitch - I mean your mate, whatever - they said she can't use her tricks on him."

Zep sighed.  "I did want to watch you cut his balls off."

"Yeh," Jase agreed.  "Me too.  Fix him up, Shift."

"Can do."  Shift closed his eyes and exhaled, repeating the process until the man's leg was completely healed.  He patted him and stepped back, sipping at the coffee.  "Ok, next round."

"Where's the Emperor now?"  Jase leaned close, smiling large enough to show his teeth.

The man closed his eyes, feeling the cold blade pressing against the base of his testicles.  "Rumor said he's in Escea, but I think he's at the Nebula II."

"Where's that?"

"Hurracan River.  I'm not sure exactly where, but it's near the Escean border at the Y of the Hurracan.  That's close enough, right?"

Jase nodded.  "Where's the main army camped?"

The soldier sobbed and shook his head.  "They were near Issevi before Viraenova pushed in.  I know they moved, but I don't know where."

"What do you know?" Zep asked.

"We staked out Syhar for two weeks waiting for you.  Captain Vitus said you'd come this way.  We've been hypnotizing soldiers and telling them to surrender, hoping one would make it through to sedate the girl.  The Emperor said her abilities are amazing, and he wants control of them."

"He has no idea what he's playing with," Zep said softly.  "If they hurt Blaec, she'll go feral."

Jase nodded.  "And make them all pay."

"She can do that?" the man gasped.

Shift chuckled, the sound cruel.  "And more.  My little sister could make you beg to cut off your own balls just to please her.  She's a nasty little bitch.  Trust me, we've got nothing on her."

"Why are you hitting the Conglomerate?" Zep asked.

"The Star Fall."  He looked up at Jase, his eyes pleading.  "It's in Fort Landing.  Nebula II is almost empty, and the Emperor needs more steel."

"Where's all the metal going?" Jase asked.

"I don't know," the man said softly.

Jase gave a feral smile.  "Good."

He reached down and grabbed the man's testicles in one hand, slowly cutting with the other.  The soldier screamed louder than before, his back arching away from the table.  "No, please no!  Stop!" he begged.

Jase stopped, the blade partway through.  "Where's the metal going?"

"I don't know!  We don't have steel weapons.  We don't have steel armor.  I don't know where it's going!"

Jase began cutting again.  "Guess," he said.

"The treasury?  He's buying food from Namisa and building something in Terran City!"

The blade stopped.  "Building what?"

"A temple," the man sobbed.  "He said he'll return to the gods with it."

"Heal him."  Jase tossed the knife on the table and looked at Zep.  "Where would they take her?"

"Sal would know," Zep almost whined.  "He's building a temple to the founders, trying to steal the abilities of the Kaisae..."

"Which means he must have control of an iliri," Shift said.

Jase turned back to the man on the table.  "Heal him, and leave him there," he told Shift.  "Tyr and Ryek can play with him until we need more."

Shift nodded, and the cessivi left the room, Zep trailing behind Jase.  They stormed into the main dining area of the inn to find nothing but friendly faces.  Laern and his wife stood at the side looking grim.  Rragri, Nya, and a handful of grauori lay around the floor.  Dominik sat at the back with Rayna at his side.  Every face showed exhaustion and worry.

"We closed the building to only Anglia," Sahni, Learn's mate told them.  "The White Stone is at your disposal, Ahnor."

"Thank ya, kaisae."  Jase turned to the soldiers.  "Rragri, we need ta continue the push ta Ryass.  Nya, I need ya ta collect an army of maargra.  Pig, ya will lead them.  Rais, I'm giving the 112th command of the Devil Dogs.  Take them back ta the Conglomerate.  Head through Issevi, see if ya can reach the rebellion.  Update Teseri and Viraenova while yer there."

Sahni sucked in a quick breath and, with her eyes wide, she looked around the room.  "We're not supposed to speak of it before humans, Ahnor."

"We already know," Zep assured her.  "We've known about the rebellion for two years.  It's time to put it into action."

Shade took a small step forward, drawing all eyes to her.  "How do we find Sal?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Zep rested his hand gently on Jase's shoulder, and the two men shared a look.  "We do na stop looking," Jase swore.  "Until we find them, we do na stop looking."

Razor snarled and slammed his fist into the back of a chair.  "I'm fucking mute," he growled.  "I can't even sense the table in front of me!"

"It'll come back," Arctic assured him.

"But we need it now!"

"Hey."  Geo clasped his friend's shoulder.  "They planned this.  Those two will hold out until we can get to them.  They're Blades, brother.  Trust in them."

"She's somewhere around the Nebula II," Zep said.  "Not sure how close, but Issevi, Rok, Lennig - that area.  It's too easy for them to run to Escea from where they are."

"I'm going with the Shields to Issevi," Dom said, finally speaking up.

"No," Rayna cut him off.

He patted her knee gently.  "Yes, Ray, I am.  I need to reassure the people that we're here for them, not to replace Terric.  They won't trust a handful of human soldiers to speak for me."

"He's right," Ilija said.  "Pig?  Can I take Rayna?"

Pig gestured dismissively.  "She's more yours than mine lately.  Her place is at Dom's side.  I'll need to find a replacement for her eventually."

"Ok!" Arctic said, standing.  "At dawn, we move.  Jarl will come with us.  Nya, follow when you have the maargra ready.  Rragri, the iliri are yours."

Thank you, she said.  And I will make sure Aroora and your pups make it to Issevi.

Arctic nodded.  "Thanks.  The kids can't move fast enough, yet.  I owe you, Orassae."

Rragri just twitched her head, dismissing that.  You have bigger things to worry about, and the maargra will feel like they're helping.

My unit will catch you by the evening, Nya promised, looking up to Jarl.

The boy chuckled.  "I know.  Guess you get to be Orassae pro-tem, huh?"

Basically, she agreed, then looked to her dam.  I will do this, amma.

Rragri just nodded.

"We'll split in Issevi," Arctic continued.  "The 112th, Devil Dogs, and maargra will head south.  The rest of us will spread out.  Viraenova will likely offer us as much help as we need.  We are not alone, and they can't hide from all of us."

The soldiers began to disperse, slowly making their way to their rooms to prepare to leave.  The First Officer watched them go, his gaze locked on the glass before him, one last swallow of green liquid sitting in the bottom.  He wiped at an eye and touched both it and the tumbler next to it.  They were the last things Blaec and Sal had used.

"I don't want to lead the Blades," he said softly as Jase sank into the chair across from him.

"I know," Zep assured him, moving to his side.  "You'd be a great kaisor, though."

Arctic shook his head.  "Raewar.  I will never be a kaisor.  Blaec is the only king the iliri will ever have."

Jase dropped his head into his hands.  "Ya know that each day that passes, Zep and I will lose more and more control."

Arctic nodded.  "But you're the only link we have to them."

"I won't let him go feral," Zep promised.

Arctic raised his white eyes until they met Zep's nearly black ones.  "You know how much it hurts.  When one of our pack dies, it's more pain than we can handle."

"I know," Zep said.  "I remember Circ."

"I can't cut Sal from the link, Zep.  No matter how hard I try, I cannot do it.  If they kill her..."

"Then Zep and I are already dead."  Jase grabbed his big brother's arm.  "Blaec, too.  If Sal dies, the Blades will lose four.  We all know it."

"What about the rest of them?"  Arctic gestured to the stairs.  "She's linked with them all.  Will it cripple the army?"

"No."  Jase gestured for him to relax.  "She's only in our family.  She's linked ta the rest through hubs, so they will na feel it.  They may know when it happens - if it happens - but they will na feel it.  Humans also do na link the same way."

Zep chuckled wryly at that.  "So Tilso might be ok?"

"I do na know," Jase admitted.  "He's been with us too long and too often.  I do na know how much he's changed."

"What I'm worried about is Shade," Arctic said.  "If she frenzies, what can she do?"

"Fuck," Zep breathed.  "You need to stay with her."

Arctic nodded.  "She burns.  I don't like what that implies."

"Me either," Zep agreed.

"Do we tell the humans?" Arctic asked, his eyes on Jase.

"We have to," Zep said.  "If the worst happens, they'll need to understand.  Otherwise they'll try to help."

"And we'd kill them all."  Arctic touched the glasses again, his hand closing around the taller.  With a snarl he slung it across the room, shattering it against the wall.  "I will make them pay," he growled, shoving at the chairs.  "Terric will not win.  If they take my pack, we will fight harder.  The Blades will win!"

Jase looked at Zep, their faces serious.  With or without us, he promised his cessivi, we will win this.  They will remember ya as iliri.

I'm not dead yet, Zep told his brother.  Neither are you.  Let's make the most of the time we have.

Jase climbed to his feet, nodding his head to the stairs.  Slowly, the three of them made their way up.  None of them said another word, but their anger was simmering.

Chapter 18

Sal woke, confused and disoriented, to a tan light and the feeling of drowning.  She jerked her eyes open and took a shallow breath, turning her head slowly.  Wheels creaked beneath her, and she bounced against the wooden floor, the sensations pulling at her memories.  She was in a wagon, covered with canvas, and she smelled Blaec beside her.

Blaec? she begged, hoping he was ok.

She couldn't feel his mind.  He lay next to her as still as a corpse, but his presence in her link was still there.  Narnx's words about the toxin trickled into her head.  She knew it was fatal to pure iliri, but it was considered an effective sedative for part-breds.  What most humans didn't know was that it smothered their abilities for days.

She shifted closer to Blaec.  Her arms were bound behind her back and her legs tied securely.  She could free herself, but without knowing her situation, that would likely cause more problems.  She needed to check on Blaec first.

She pressed her face against his, their skin meeting.  Closing her eyes, she tried to remember how Shift had healed.  She looked for the well of life and the source pooling into Blaec's body.  It was tainted and foul, the poison coursing through his blood.  Raast said they did it wrong, but no matter how hard Sal looked, she couldn't think of a better way to purge the toxin from his system.  Instead, she forced his body to metabolize it.  He groaned softly as she worked, drugged, but slowly pulling himself back to consciousness.

Love? she begged.

I can hear you, he replied, but it sounded as if he was speaking from far away.

They drugged us, and I don't know where we are.  It's andromedotoxin.  I can't purge it.  I can only speed up your body's ability to heal.

His head turned to her.  Did they give it to you?  She could feel the worry in his mind.

No, she assured him.  The iliri gave me chloroform, but I think the rest assume he did.  He made sure to tell me it wasn't the toxin.

Then don't give them a reason to drug you again.  I can take this all day long.  He smiled at her weakly and pressed his lips to hers before calling out, "You boys want me to piss all over this wagon?"

"He's already awake?" one of the Terrans muttered.

"Pull him out of there and check on the bitch.  The Emperor wants her in one piece."

Jase?  Zep? Sal called, hoping she could still reach them.

Oh, Sal, Zep responded, his relief washing over her. I just got Jase to sleep.  Where are you?

She listened to the soldier dismount beside the wagon and followed his footsteps closer.  No idea.  Blaec's with me.  Black Widows got us.

I know.  Sal, Razor's out of commission.  Did they give you the same thing?

No.  There's an iliri here, and he used something else.  They don't know I'm awake, but Blaec is checking the situation.

You've been silent for almost three days, Zep told her.  I don't know how much longer we're going to be able to reach you.

The cover was yanked back violently, and Sal held herself still as if she was unconscious.  Bright light hammered against her lids and she fought the urge to squint.  The scent of humans surrounded her, increasing when they leaned in to grab Blaec.  He was pulled from the wagon before it even stopped moving.

"Ya gonna give me the use of my hands, or you wanna hold my dick?" Blaec taunted.

"Don't trust you scrubbers," a man sneered.  Sal heard the rustle of cloth and the men laughed.  "Lean over or piss yourself like an animal."

"Typically," Blaec said around a sigh, "animals are notoriously fastidious.  Especially predators."  The stream of liquid ended and Blaec chuckled.  "Wanna give that a shake for me?"

The Terran shoved his fist into Blaec, the sound of flesh meeting flesh carrying to Sal's ears, then she heard them fussing with his clothes again.  "You gonna ride quiet now, or we need to drug you and that bitch again?"

"I'll ride quiet enough.  It's an iliri thing," Blaec promised, hinting at their ability to speak in their minds.

The scent of another iliri drifted to her just before the shadow crossed over Sal's closed eyes.  "She's still out," he said before taking a long deep breath.  "That shit's going to knock her for a loop."

"Sayin' you want some, Narnx?" the first man teased.

"No," Narnx told him.  "You've already smothered her mind.  You'll be lucky if you don't kill her with that shit."

"What are you talking about?"

It was Blaec who answered.  "Andromedotoxin is lethal to purebloods.  At least when ingested."

Sal? Zep asked, wondering why she'd gone silent.

Hang on.  Something's happening, and I'm not sure what.  Before you worry, it's not dangerous, yet.

"What else do we have?" the Terran asked.

"Chloroform," Narnx said.  "Will give her one hell of a headache but she'll live to get there."

"K.  Use that on her from now on.  Obviously, she's not dead."

"Yet," Blaec muttered.

"Nah," the man laughed.  "She's about to be a very special guest.  The Emperor wants to show his army what happens to those who try to oppose him."

I get to meet the Emperor, she told Zep, trying to make a joke of it.

He didn't see the humor.  She felt his worry and knew he was waking Jase.  Did they say where? he asked.

No.  I can feel that you're southwest of me, but that's all.

Issevi? Jase asked, his mind joining them.

Middle of nowhere, she explained. I'll ask Blaec if he can see the mountains.

We need ta move, Jase told Zep.  Three days by wagon is two by horse.  We can catch them.

There's at least twenty men here, she warned them.  Black Widows - and they have guards mounted around the wagon carrying us.

The voice of the leader came again.  "Wake the bitch up, and let's empty her out, too.  Don't want the stink of them in the cart."

Rough hands grabbed her, and Sal slowly cracked her eyes, pretending to force herself awake.  My turn to piss, she told her mates, her eyes scanning the landscape.  I can just make out the mountains, but no landmarks are familiar.  There's a herd of cattle if that helps any?

"Don't touch her skin," Narnx warned them.

Damn it! Zep raged, and she felt him throw something in his anger.

Send the grauori, Jase suggested. I do na know what else ta do, kitten.  I will find ya.  I swear it.

I know, she told her mates while the men half carried her to the side of the road.  I love you both.  I'll survive this.  Help the 112th.  We need to protect the CFC or Terric will get behind our line.

Not real worried about that right now, Zep thought.

Well, you should be.  Sal swallowed, trying to keep her face stoic.  We can't lose the war because Terric got two of us.

Four, Jase reminded her.  We lose you, we lose us.

I know.  We'll get through this.

"Thought that shit took away her powers?"

Narnx laughed.  "It should, but do you want to test it?  She's a Kaisae.  They don't play by the same rules."

"What can she do?"  This voice sounded younger.

"Kill you," Narnx said coldly, "with just a touch.  She can seduce you with a thought, or control your body and make you attack the rest of us.  Each Kaisae gets her own powers, but those are the most common."

"Those are myths!" the young soldier said.

Narnx chuckled at his tone.  "So are the other things iliri do.  You really want to be the one to test it?  Don't worry.  Just touch cloth and you're ok."

Sal turned her face to the pale man, shocked to find him waiting.  His green eyes stared into hers for a long moment before he glanced away, a hint of a smile teasing the corner of his mouth.  He pulled a bottle from his pocket and shook it gently before pouring a bit onto a cloth.

The men holding her yanked at her breeches, pulling them to her knees but they refused to release the bonds on either her ankles or wrists.  "Now's the time to piss little bitch," the older one said.

She flicked an ear at him and shifted her position, urinating without shame before them.  She'd been the only woman in a camp full of men for too long to find it degrading.  When the man bent to pull her trousers back up, she lifted her lip in a snarl, intending to strike quickly.

"Don't," Narnx warned her.  "Don't even try that."

Sal lifted her chin.  "You won't kill me."

"No," he agreed.  "They'll kill your mate."

She felt her ears sink against the side of her head.  "You know what that does to us?"

Narnx shrugged.  "They don't believe me.  They think you'd cry your little eyes out."

"I can't cry."  She glanced to the men beside her and saw the confusion in their eyes.  "I'm not human.  I can't cry."

The iliri smiled at her cruelly and sucked at his teeth.  "Then let's not try to push your luck.  You kill one of ours, and we'll kill one of yours."

"You're playing for the wrong team," she snarled.  "When they're done with me, they won't need you anymore."

Narnx laughed.  "Am I?  Looks like I'm the one in charge right now, Salryc Luxx.  I'll keep you alive until Makiel Geirr is done with you.  After that?  He promised to make you my plaything.  Trust me, you're going to be useful for a very long time."

Sal met his eyes and smiled.  "I can work with that."

He shook his head.  "Your tricks won't work on me, little beast.  We all know you can't affect other iliri."

She licked her lips and nodded.  "And that's why they let you live, isn't it."

"I'm useful."  His green eyes were intense.  Every time she thought he was challenging her, he dropped his eyes slightly, his mannerisms keeping her confused.  "The Emperor has been pleased by my results."

There's an iliri here, and I think he's trying to tell me something, she told her mates.  He's playing it too close for me to be sure, and his scent isn't giving me a damned hint.

Any idea where you're headed? Jase asked.

None.  I just know I'm going to see the Emperor.

Narnx gestured, and the Terrans forcefully hauled her back to the wagon.  They tossed her in, her head smacking the bed hard.  Sal growled, but Narnx hopped beside her, the damp cloth in his hand, his back to the Terran soldiers.

"Work with me," he said under his breath, holding the cloth where she could see it.  "I don't want to hurt you, but I will."

Sal looked up at him once more, terrified that this would be the last time she got to speak to her mates.  I'm going to take another nap.  I will make it through this.  I love you both.  Be strong.  She felt their emotions hit her and blinked away the anguish.  "What will it take to get my mate free?" she asked her captor.  "Whatever it is, I'll do it."

Narnx shook his head slightly.  "That's not an option, now.  He goes with us or he's considered useless and killed."  He met her eyes.  "Since he's the only reason you're being so nice, they've decided to keep him for a while."

Sal held his gaze.  "If you hurt him, I will make you pay.  You know that, right?"

"He's already asleep," Narnx told her.  "If you cooperate, we won't hurt him.  But I won't give you my word because it wouldn't stop them."

"I understand.  Where am I going?"

He shook his head.  "East of the Siahies.  That's all I know."

Sal quickly sent that to her mates, hoping he wasn't trying to deceive her.  He held up the cloth again, and she turned her face into it, breathing deeply.  As she sucked in a second breath, Narnx whispered, "They won't find you.  This was planned too well.  I'm all you have."

Chapter 19

Zep stood, facing the direction he'd last felt Sal, and Jase knew his brother's heart was racing to match his own.  "North of Issevi," Jase whispered, his frustration building.  "We're going the wrong fucking way!"

"Jase," Zep said emotionless.  "Are you sure she's north of Issevi?"

"No.  Why?"

"Because if she is, they aren't stopping."  Zep stared at the horizon over the back of the picket line.  "Razor, can you feel anything yet?"

"No," he said groggily, their chatter having pulled him from sleep.  "I'm as deaf as a human."

"Catch us up," Arctic demanded, shoving his hair back.  "Is Blaec still safe?"

"So far," Zep said.  "Sal's worried about him, but they're trying to use him to keep control of her.  They have an iliri."

Arctic shook his head to show his confusion.  "Another?"

"In the Black Widows," Zep clarified.

Bound in the middle of their group, the Terran chuckled.  "Narnx.  Lieutenant Narnx to most of us.  He doesn't care for your kind."

"Thought you hated us, Marin?" Shift asked.

"Pretty much," Marin agreed, snidely.  "Kinda a thing in Terric, you know?  We tend not to like the people who try to eat us."

"So I've heard.  Ironic that you're now traveling with us, isn't it?"

"After you cut off my leg?" Marin snapped.  "Not exactly my choice.  Besides, what am I going to do?  Run?  You've kinda mentioned how that would end.  I think I'll just annoy the crap out of you all until I get eaten."

"You're leg's fine now," Shift said, rolling his eyes.  "We were in a hurry.  We fixed it.  You saying you would've been any nicer?"

Zep held up his hand to stop Shift from taunting the human.  "Bro, it hurts more for us.  Human skin and all that.  Leave the prisoner alone.  We don't want him to clam up if we need any more information out of him.  Takes too long to torture him."

"Pick a side of the fence, Zep," Shift grumbled.

"Human biology, iliri soul.  Now can we please find the other part of it?  I'm supposed to die fighting, not from a broken heart.  She's that way."

Arctic followed Zep's line of sight, pulling out a map.  He glanced around, measuring the angle of the sun, comparing it to landmarks, and quickly lost himself in trying to calculate where Sal was currently.

"Romantic," Marin sneered.  "She really that good in bed?"

"Yeah," Zep said wistfully.  "There's nothing like it.  She's that good at everything.  It's like having the sun buried inside your chest."

"Cessivi," Risk told the human.  "You cannot understand."

Marin looked confused.  "He's human."

Risk shook his head.  "Not really.  Have you ever loved someone so completely that you'd die for them?"

Marin looked at Risk for a long moment before answering.  "My wife," he said, holding the iliri's eyes.

"Imagine if you could feel everything she did.  Her pain, her pleasure, her secret embarrassments.  Imagine if she loved you enough to share that and let you into her mind.  No secrets.  No betrayal.  A promise of a life together and a guarantee of complete understanding."

"That shit's only in books."  Marin tried to shrug it off.  "Besides, my wife has one hell of a temper, she'd make my life hell."

"Well, that's what they have, except it kinda prevents all those normal relationship problems.  Hard to be angry when you understand your lover's reasons."

From the way the man's eyebrows shot up, he was honestly interested.  "Cyno and Zep?"

Risk nodded.  "They're bound to Sal and to each other.  They have no secrets.  The three of them are basically one and the same inside."

Marin looked at the pale man beside him, then back to the cessivi.  The men moved in unison, their actions always perfectly coordinated.  They never fumbled or got in each other's way, yet they were rarely more than a pace apart.

"They're gay?" Marin asked.

Risk chuckled.  "No.  Trust me, I wish."

"You're gay?"

"Onsyc," Risk said.  "I've always found the human term to be crass."

"But they're linked, and share a woman, and..."

"And nothing.  Their bed is large enough for the three of them.  They know what the other is doing, even if they aren't in the same room, so why not enjoy it."

"Damn," Marin mumbled.  "That's the orgies they always talk about?"

Risk nodded.  "We don't love like you.  Oh, we fuck like you, but we love stronger.  We love completely.  Our females are like swans, they choose their mates, and keep them for life."

"But not the males?"

Risk shrugged.  "We recover easier.  It's still a heartbreak, but we can learn to love again.  But sex is not love.  Don't confuse them.  Our women will entertain themselves where they desire, and the children are usually better for it."

"What, you just raise them like a pack of wolves?"  Marin laughed at his own joke but stopped when he saw Risk nodding.

"The dominant female decides who can breed, including herself.  Those females chose their own partners, but the children are either accepted by the pack and raised as children of them all, or shunned, and sent to live elsewhere."

"Shunned?"

"Usually because they're too closely related.  The dam can either raise the children to maturity or move with them still nursing."

"What if it's the alpha bitch's kids that are the problem?"  The man was truly becoming interested.

"Doesn't happen," Risk assured him.  "Males are chosen for a pack to complement the kaisae.  Even I could produce accepted children with Sal."

"Thought you were on-seek or whatever."

"Onsyc," Risk corrected, giving the proper inflection to the accent.  "Doesn't mean I couldn't go through the motions.  Kinda why iliri women are such an attraction - even to humans."

"Tell him about our other problem," Arctic said without lifting his head.

Risk laughed and leaned back.  "Yeah.  The stories about iliri raping human women?  Not true."

"Oh really?" Marin drawled, not believing him.

"Doesn't work like that.  It's physically impossible."

Shift chuckled and leaned over.  "Least for those over a quarter."

"Rub it in," Razor said.  "Shift's the only one of us that can get laid anytime he wants.  Well, except Sal's mates."

"Why?" Marin looked at the men around him, shocked into showing his true interest as they spilled the secrets of their species.

"Can't get it up," Razor said.  "Girl has to smell right or the shit doesn't work."

"Smell right?"

All of the Iliri men just shrugged, looking between them for one of them to explain it.

"Shade smells like sunshine and a fresh breeze.  Like happiness and peace."  Arctic finally lifted his head, looking over at the girl.

"Like love," Shade whispered, but the iliri could all hear it.

"Yeah," Razor said.  "When they smell like your happiest memories, your dick starts to work.  If not, there's nothing that'll make it happen."

"We're controlled by pheromones," Jase said, pacing.  "Sometimes we smell a mate that we're destined for.  There's na a way to describe it ta yer human senses."

"Once we smell that," Risk said, knowing Jase was too distracted to finish explaining, "there's no one else for us.  Most of us, we find a woman that smells nice, entertain ourselves, and call it a good night.  Once a man's found the woman he's meant for, nothing else will do.  His body will not respond to anything else."

"Nothing?" Shade asked.

"Nothing," Arctic confirmed.

"We may recover from loss faster," Risk went on, "but we pay in other ways.  Nature made us fiercely loyal to the women we love."

"And all of you feel this way about Salryc Luxx?" Marin asked.

"No," Risk answered, laughing a bit.  "No, she just smells nice to all of us.  It's just Jase and Blaec that are destined for her.  Arctic is meant for Shade."

"Human," Zep said, still looking at the horizon.  "I only know the scent from Jase's perception."

"So I bet you look forward to the chance of being free of it," Marin taunted.

Jase turned, his lips raised in a snarl.  "No, ya fool."

"No," Arctic agreed.  "When you find the mate you're meant for, it's exhilarating and fulfilling, even if nothing has happened.  Just knowing she exists is a kind of pleasure in itself."

"And being free of her means death," Risk told the Terran.  "It's one thing for Arctic.  It's something completely different for Jase and Zep."

Jase growled.  "Being destined and being cessivi are na the same.  If Sal dies, we die."

Risk nodded, watching Marin's reaction, hoping he wouldn't think too hard about what Jase had just let slip.  "They share everything.  We don't know how it happens, but their hearts even beat in time."

"Usually," Zep said.  "How much longer, Arctic?"

"I know which pass they're using," he told Zep.  "Razor, Jase, Zep, Marin, and Risk.  Idiptu Gap.  Take a pack of maargra, and go.  The rest of us will hit Issevi."

That was all they needed to hear.  The men began to scramble, moving as if they weren't relaxing a second before.  Marin watched it all with awe, still sitting with his hands tied before him.  Risk tossed his bedroll to Razor then moved to Marin's, offering a smile as he bent to help the man up.

"Same rules apply, you know?"

Marin tossed a fake smile to his captor.  "I run, I die?"

"Yeah.  Sorry man, but we can't have you warning them.  Not yet.  When we find her, you can return."

The Terran paused.  "You're going to let me go when this is all over?"

Risk shrugged.  "Won't need you after that.  Get your family, cry umso to an Anglian, and come to the right side of the line, or return to the Widows and die like the rest of them.  It's your right to choose.  Let's go."

In less than five minutes, the men were mounted and moving, a group of pale beasts running easily beside their horses.  Jase set a fast pace, pushing them as hard as he safely could.  Tied to his horse, Marin clung desperately as Risk led the gelding.  Behind them, the rest of the Black Blades, the Verdant Shields, and the Devil Dogs watched them go.  All of them hoping they'd make it in time.

"What'd they find?" Pig asked, walking boldly into the Blade's camp.

"Sal was able to reach Zep," Arctic said.  "From her position, they're headed through Idiptu Gap, toward the Hurracan River.  Hopefully, the Terran will be able to get them through."

"You trusting him?"

Arctic shook his head.  "Not yet, but Risk is on it.  He'll be a scrubber lover before they cross the Siahies.  His scent already reeks of curiosity."

"If not?" Pig asked.

"Jase'll kill him."  Arctic shrugged it away as if inconsequential.  "Sal hasn't tamed him that much."

Pig nodded in understanding.  "We heard the commotion, and we're all up.  How long until we move?"

"How soon can we be ready?"

"Ten minutes," Pig said, sending mental orders back to his unit.  "Arctic, Idiptu Gap is covered in Terrans."

"I know," Arctic said softly.  "We have to figure out how to get through."

It wasn't long before they were packed and moving.  The Verdant Shields encircled Dom and Rayna, but the group rode hard without breaks.  Late in the day, a group of golden horses raced toward them, their coats gleaming in the setting sun, the pale armor of their riders looking ethereal.  Arctic refused to slow, forcing the Viraenovans to fall in beside him.

"I need to speak to Tseri," he called to the woman beside him in Iliran.

"Where's the Kaisae?"

"Taken by Terric."  He looked over, refusing to submit.  "Anglia needs our sisters."

She nodded.  "Then you shall have them.  The Kaeen is in Issevi.  We will be there by nightfall.  I have already told her."

They didn't speak again until the horses clattered through the gates, stars fighting to be seen through the heavy clouds blowing in.  The woman escorting them cried out, still in Iliran, demanding their horses be walked out, and pale soldiers hurried to obey.  Arctic slipped from Bazya's side and patted her wet neck before following the Captain who'd led them in.  The rest of the elites scurried to catch up, Dominik included.  They entered a common building at the side, and the Kaeen of Viraenova rushed toward him.

"Is it true?" she asked, speaking in Glish.

"Yeah.  Black Widows got Sal and Blaec.  Jase, Zep, and Razor are trying to find them.  Risk went, hoping he could help."

"But that's not all," she said, quickly understanding.  "What do you need from us?"  She glanced up to Dom, acknowledging his presence.

"They need iliri soldiers," he said.

Tseri nodded, lowering her eyes as she sorted through her mind.  "I can give you five units.  It will take a day to free up more, but they're yours.  Viraenova will not abandon our Kaisae, but we do not want to lose this war."

Dom lifted a hand reassuringly.  "The Blades will find Sal.  I'm here with the Shields to assist you and organize something with the Conglomerate."  He tilted his head to the man in blue standing behind the rest of the Anglian soldiers.  "Rais Tolan, of the 112th, and Sal's friend."

Tseri glanced up, running her eyes over the man.  "Is that so?"

"Yes, Kaeen," Rais said.  "She saved my pride and my friend.  Now she's offered to save my country.  I'm kinda invested.  The 112th will not stand across the line, but we will stand with her."

The Kaeen of Viraenova smiled, but it looked nearly as feral as Jase usually did.  Slowly, she nodded, once.  "I want to meet all of your men, to touch them.  After that, you will be allowed through our ranks."

Arctic spoke up.  "Kaeen, I'm sending the Devil Dogs with Rais, back to the CFC.  Terric is pushing their border.  We have to at least hold it until we get Sal and Blaec back."

Her face fell.  "They have Blaec, too?"  She paused, her eyes drifting out of focus before snapping back to Arctic's face.  "Take what you need.  Tell me how I can help best."

"Find the Unavi rebels," he told her.  "Show them Dom is not like other humans.  Teach them that Anglians are to be trusted.  And above all else... Hold the fucking line."

"I swear it, Raewar."  She blinked her eyes over to Dom.  "Sire, you're about to become my very trusted friend.  I'll have your men bunked with mine."

"How long are we staying?" Ilija asked.

Arctic answered.  "The 112th and Devil Dogs can stay for the night.  Shields?  Until something changes."  He waited for Ilija to nod, then took a deep breath.  "Sal had a plan.  I'm assigning the grauori to Pig, and ordering Pig to obey Rais."

Ilija sucked in a breath.  "That means - "

Arctic nodded, cutting him off.  "The grauori will be bound by the human conventions of war and operating directly under CFC orders.  I know.  I trust Rais, even if he isn't Anglian."

Rais raised his chin, aware of the serious looks in the room.  "I won't let her down.  I swear, Arctic.  If you all trust me with the safety of your people, I owe Sal too much to let her down."

"Yeah," Arctic said, his exhaustion finally reaching his voice.  "If for no other reason than Blaz would kill you."

"And Sturmgren.  Regardless of what our politicians say, the 112th will always be an ally, sir."

"I know, Rais," Arctic assured him.  "I just don't want to feel them die.  I'm trusting all of you to handle this war, because I have to find her."

"All iliri do," Tseri added.  "No matter what we call ourselves.  She is the last Kaisae."

Chapter 20

Sal woke again.  This time the canvas was dark.  She felt Blaec beside her, but he was unconscious.  Her ears flicked and swiveled, listening for some hint of movement, but there was none.  Breathing deeply, she smelled smoke, burning meat, humans, and horses.

Jase?  Zep? she tried, but felt nothing.  Panic welled inside her.  She was too far to reach a link!

Her mind searched for a hub, something she could use to enhance her mental reach, and found nothing.  For kilometers on either side, she couldn't feel a single iliri or grauori mind.  She could feel her cessivi's emotions, though.  Somehow she knew they were aware of her, both straining to make sense of what they felt.

She was alone, so focused on that.  It was only her and Blaec, and he was unconscious.  In the pit of her stomach, she felt Jase understand, and relaxed, knowing that at least she still had some way to communicate with them.

"She's awake," Narnx said, his voice coming to her from a distance.  "She's also scared."

Blaec? Sal asked, hoping he would respond.

The cover was yanked back, a dark cloud-filled sky the first thing Sal saw.  The second was worse.  Narnx leaned over her with a hard resin collar.  "You can't reach your friends from here.  You can't harm us or we kill your mate.  So, why don't you be a good little girl and put on your new necklace so I can take you for a walk?"

She snarled, leaning away from his hands.  "Treat me like a beast and I will act like one," she warned him.

"Do not tempt me," he growled.  "Put on the damned collar."

Her eyes flicked to his shoulder, seeing nothing more than the red spider on his black uniform.  "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Lieutenant Narnx Zaryn, second officer of the Black Widow Company, thanks to you."

"To me?"

He nodded.  "You killed Jakabsin in Yager's crossing, giving me the promotion.  You really going to make me put this on you?"

"Why are you giving me the option?" she asked softly.

He smiled.  "You were promised to me, if you live through this.  I'm hoping to see that you do."

"Then you can chain me yourself."

He sighed and held up the resin collar, glancing at the men by the fire.  "Sal, I do not want to be the man to put you in chains.  You play your part; I'll play mine.  Let's just make this work?"

She shrugged her hands free of the ropes, both of them well aware that they'd never held her, and reached up to touch his face.  Her fingers met his skin, and she clenched her jaw against the gasp,  Her eyes darted between his, seeking some external sign of what his mind held, finding nothing but a flawless facade.

"I didn't know you could read," he whispered.

"Among other things."

Narnx nodded.  "Willing to put this on, now?"

She nodded and took the collar.  Narnx's mind was filled with nothing but his confusion about his people.  He'd been kept isolated, forced to pretend to be human, but his instincts hammered at him.  He had no love for Terric, but he'd never had a reason to get away, either.  He also knew that he was drawn to Sal like a moth to a flame and he held onto the idea of her the same way she held onto the hope of freedom.

She closed the collar around her throat, and Narnx locked it with a key.  Sal's eyes followed the ring as he returned it to his belt.  He knew she could enthrall him, yet he made no effort to stop her.

"I need to pee," she said innocently.

"Robson?" Narnx called.  "We're gonna walk the bitch."

"Yes, sir," the man called back, pulling himself to his feet.

"We aren't allowed to be out of sight with you," he told Sal.  "Always in pairs, so you can't control both of us."

"Since you have me on a leash, does that mean I get my legs free?"

Narnx looked at Blaec's body then shrugged.  "Sure.  You won't leave him."

He shoved at her hip, rolling her face down on the wagon bed, and worked the knot at the back of her legs.  She felt the bonds loosen and blood rushed to her legs.  With a sigh, Sal flexed her ankles, testing them for soundness before she turned to her back and slid toward the tail of the wagon.

"You hurt him, and I will kill all of you.  You know that, right?"

Robson laughed, walking up.  "You say that, yet you're the one wearing the leash."

She paused, the man's scent hitting her.  "I remember you," she growled.  "You sang so sweetly.  Did you tell your unit what happened?"

He hit her, his fist slamming into the side of her face, and Sal snarled, lunging at him.  Her teeth grabbed his shoulder, sinking deep into the flesh before the collar began digging into her neck.

"Let him go," Narnx ordered.  Her only response was to growl and bite deeper.  "Captain Vitus has a dagger to Blaec's throat.  You don't let go of Robson and your lover's blood will spill."

She halted the growl and released the man, slowly looking up.  A dark skinned human leaned over the edge of the wagon, one hand holding Blaec's head up, the other pressing a blade against the soft flesh of his neck.

"Heal him," the captain demanded.

"I can't," Sal said.

"Heal him, or I bleed your lover dry."

"I fucking can't!" Sal roared.  "I'm a shifter, not a healer.  You picked the wrong iliri."

The Captain looked to Narnx, and he nodded.  "Kaisae's skills and shifting are the only things we've heard of.  Shift and Risk are their healers."

"Then how did you survive Anglia?" the Captain asked.

Sal chuckled.  "Grauori."

"Dogs?"

She shrugged, looking at him innocently.  "My ancestors.  I really am part bitch.  I'm surprised Judoc didn't make that more clear."

"He's mad," Narnx said.  "You sent him back completely broken."

"Shame."  Sal wiped her hands together and lifted herself to her feet.  "Can I find a tree to hike my leg against, now?"

Narnx sighed.  "Someone clean up Robson's shoulder.  Who's coming with?"

"I'll go," a large man offered, walking up beside Sal.  He looked down at her and laughed.  "Pretty sure I'm stronger than you, so let's not try any shit, ok?"

Sal's eyes rested on his bare hands as she took a long, deep breath - tasting his scent - then nodded.  "Deal."

She turned for the trees, walking before them even as Narnx held the end of her leash.  He tugged at her neck occasionally, but always gently, refusing to let her get too far ahead.  When the light of the fire was no longer visible, Sal found a depression and turned to the men, fumbling at her pants.

"You humans have some strange fetishes," she told the big man.  "Never could understand the things that get you off."

"It's called guard duty," he replied.

"Don't try it," Narnx warned her.

Sal just shrugged and shoved her pants to her ankles, squatting in the short grass.  She honestly needed to relieve herself, but it had never stopped her before.  This time, it was simply a good excuse to get away from the ears of the Terrans.  With a satisfied and overly dramatic sigh, she stood and pulled her pants up, well aware that the human was looking at her pale legs.

"You can't read the tattoos," she told him, concentrating on how harmless she was.

"You did that on purpose?" he asked.

She pushed at the sleeve of her shirt, exposing the swirls along her arms, surprised at how easy the man was making this.  "Yeah.  It's the story of my life, written in my language.  White is for love, red is for pain."

"Huh.  Is that red?"  He reached out to grab her.

His fingers closed on her skin, and his eyes rolled into his head as he crumpled to the ground.  Narnx surged forward, yanking at her throat.

"They will kill Blaec for that," he hissed.

"He's asleep," Sal said.  "That's all.  He'll wake and only remember what I tell him.  I plan to give him a memory of me jerking away, you stopping me, and him slipping.  That's why he's on the ground, nothing more."

"Shit," Narnx breathed.  "You can do that?"

Sal nodded, stepping closer to the iliri.  "That and more.  Now start talking."

"Your leash is in my hand, and you think you're giving the orders?"

She closed the distance between them quickly, her hand grabbing his face.  "Yes," she whispered, locking her eyes to his.

Through her touch she shoved at his mind, making him delirious with his need for her, seducing him completely.  It was one of the strongest defenses her people had, making their leaders sexually desirable to both iliran and human males.  Science still didn't completely understand how it was possible, but Sal knew it was through the abilities of her mind, not her body.  It worked as well on Narnx as it had on every man she'd ever tried.

He stepped into her, his hands wrapping around her back, dropping the end of the leash as he bent his mouth to hers.  Sal nipped at his lip and released him from her spell as she stepped away, the free end of her tether now in her own hand.

"So, can we talk?" she asked.

He looked around, confused, his fingers touching where her teeth had grazed his mouth.  "How?  Wha?"

"Yeah, I forgot to mention that part.  What the hell are you doing?  I'm assuming we'll be missed if we don't return, so talk quickly."

"Makiel assigned the Widows to hunt you down and bring you back.  He's convinced that possessing you will halt the usurpers."

"So what game are you playing?"

Narnx sighed, glancing over his shoulder.  "My hands are tied.  I have no interest in wiping out my own species, but I'd rather not die, either.  I'm doing what I can, Sal."

"You're the only one that knows about my species, aren't you?"

"Yeah.  That's why I was sent.  I don't know if I'm going to be able to get you free.  Makiel did promise that when he's done with you, I could have you.  Worst case, I'd planned to set you free then."

"And Blaec?"

Narnx shook his head.  "I convinced them not to kill him in Syhar.  I'm trying, but I don't know how long I can keep him safe.  Blaec Doll has hurt the Empire too much, and we've lost too many men."

She sucked in a shuddering breath, hearing the truth in his words.  "Get him free, and I'll do anything you ask.  Please, Narnx.  Just save him."

"I'll try, Kaisae.  Wake up Themis and let's feed you."

She tossed him the end of her leash and turned to the man on the ground, gently touching his hand, altering his memories of the events.  "He's going to come awake quickly," she warned.

The words were no sooner out of her mouth than he groaned and surged to his feet.  "Cunt!" he snapped.

"Don't ever touch me," Sal warned as Narnx yanked her back.

Themis grabbed her, his hands on her bare flesh, and looked at her tattoos.  His fingers pressed hard into her skin, intentionally trying to bruise her, and Sal dropped her ears, trying to pull away.

"You're just a little thing, aren't you," Themis hissed.  "You'd snap like a twig.  Don't know why everyone thinks you're so damned special."

"Let go," Sal begged, tugging at her arm just hard enough to make the man think she was trying.

"Corporal," Narnx said.  "The bitch is done.  We're supposed to keep her in one piece until we get back."

Sal's ear flicked to him and the human laughed.  "She doesn't even know where she's going."

Narnx chuckled cruelly.  "You get to see the Nebula II."

Sal forced herself to look confused, turning from one to the other.  "I don't know where that is."

"Good," Themis said, leading the way back to camp.  "C'mon now little bitch.  If you sit nicely, we'll even give you scraps."

She emerged from the trees to see Blaec with his own collar on, chained to the side of the wagon.  Humans were throwing the bones of their meal at him, but he was still too groggy from the drugs to dodge.  Narnx drug her next to him and locked her resin leash to another ring.

"Blaec?" Sal asked.

"My head's fucking killing me," he told her.

"Shut it," Narnx warned.

Sal moved closer, stretching her leash to its limits, and Blaec shifted toward her.  They were just able to reach, and she pressed herself into his chest.  They won't hurt me, she told him as she worked to flush the toxin from his body again.  But, love, you're not safe.

I got that.  I'm not leaving you, Sal.

You are if you can get free.  It's the only way you can save me.  I'm pretty sure we're still in Unav.

He nodded.  Or Escea.  I think we're near the border.  We just passed over the mountains.

I'm also pretty sure Narnx is on our side, but I wouldn't trust him too far.  He's confused and thinks I'm some kind of icon for what he could become.  I'll use him as long as I need to.  If that will get you free, you have to go.

They'll hunt me down, baby.  I'm not Cyno to disappear into the landscape.

She growled, realizing he was right.  So what?  If you stay, they'll use you against me.

He sighed, looking at the men.  How many can you enthrall?

If they aren't in a link, only one at a time.  It takes too much concentration.

Ok.  So we use that as a last ditch effort.  If you can thrall them, you can kill them, right?

She caught his eyes and nodded.  It's all the same thing.  I just tell their brain to rupture or their heart to stop, but it takes focus.  Narnx has some ideas of what I can do, but he's not sure what's an act and what's real.

Blaec chuckled softly.  Can't you just seduce them?  Kinda hard to keep our hands off you when you do that.

I've never done that to you.

He kissed the top of her head gently.  Well, there goes that excuse for my stupidity.  Guess you're just that good in bed?  Get some sleep, Sal.  I'll watch your back.

She curled closer.  Wake me if one comes near.

"Promise," he whispered, tilting her head up to kiss her.

Sal kissed back passionately, aware it might be the last time.  She tried to memorize the feel, scent, and taste of him.  "I love you, Blaec Doll," she whispered before pressing her head against his chest and forcing herself to relax.

Across the fire, Narnx watched the pair casually while he ate.  Blaec looked up and met his eyes, then wrapped his arms tighter around Sal's body.  "Mine," he mouthed.  Narnx glanced down and nodded slightly, acknowledging the Dernor's claim on his mate.

"Don't tell me you're soft on that girl?" one of the soldiers teased.

Narnx grinned.  "Soft isn't the problem.  Not my fault I wasn't born into the right species."

"Oh!" the man said, laughing.  "You mean you wanna fuck the little white bitch?"

Narnx lifted his pale eyes, the corner of his mouth turned up slightly.  "Kinsa, you trying to say you wouldn't screw that?"

"Fuck no," Kinsa said, shaking his head.  "She's got a head like a damned mouse, and the ears to match.  Don't tell me you missed those teeth."

Narnx smiled.  "You know we don't feel pain the same way you do, right?"

"Serious?"

Narnx just nodded.  "Let's just say those teeth are about as appealing to me as a tight virgin is to you."

Kinsa slapped Narnx's shoulder.  "All this time I thought you'd been tamed.  Guess you can put a dress on a monkey, but you can't make it sing."

Narnx shrugged away the insult.  "I still sing better than you.  And dance.  And shoot.  Yeah, pretty much everything.  So who's the monkey?"

"Go feed your pet," Kinsa grumbled, no longer enjoying the conversation.

"Not a bad idea," Narnx agreed.  "I hear that's the best way to tame a wild creature.  Build trust with food."

He stood and filled a plate with the undercooked portions from the meat over the fire, heaping it full, then grabbed a pitcher of water and made his way toward the wagon.  Blaec watched him, waiting until he was sure the meal truly was for them before he woke Sal.

"Sweetness?"

"I haven't slept yet," she assured him.

"Food," Narnx said, setting the plate before them.  "Water.  Sorry, no cups."

Blaec grabbed a well-cooked piece and nodded for Sal to take the nearly raw meat in the middle of the pile.  She did, glancing at him appreciatively before turning back to Narnx.

"Are we going to be drugged again?"

He nodded.  "Chloroform.  No more andromedotoxin.  I've explained how it can become fatal, and that Blaec is our best asset right now to ensure your cooperation.  I don't think they truly believe me."

Sal growled as her mind worked.  "So you feed us one day in six - "

"We left Syhar almost ten days ago," Narnx said softly.

Sal's ears drooped.  "That's worse.  You want to keep us weak.  You keep us drugged, making it impossible for us to get the upper hand.  How long until we reach our destination?"

"You'll wake up there next."

"Fuck," she hissed.  "Get him free, and I'll stay with you, Narnx.  I'll be your play thing in ways that you can't even imagine, just don't let them kill Blaec."

"No," Blaec said, but Sal glared at him.

"It's not your choice," she snarled.

"To live or die is my choice.  I will not leave you in chains, Sal.  I'm in the middle of this war to make sure that our people don't have to live in chains."

"Narnx?" Sal asked.  "Please."

He shook his head.  "Eat.  Drink.  Sleep.  We'll be there in four days."

They're going to torture me, Sal, Blaec told her.  It's the only power over you they have.  Make me sleep, baby.  It doesn't hurt if you knock me out.

She nodded, the truth of his words too painful for her to bear.  I promise.

And don't tell them anything, he insisted.  They can't get to Jase and Zep, sweetness.  If they do, they can kill you.

Blaec?  You can't leave me here alone.

He sighed and looked up at the cloudy sky, a handful of stars peeking through a break in the clouds.  You're never alone, Sal.  Jase and Zep are with you even now, and you know it.  You're the greatest assassin on the continent.  You'll be fine.

We'll both be fine, and I'll make them all pay for this.

He closed his eyes.  I know.  I saw.

Chapter 21

"Any ideas?" Zep asked, looking down at the soldiers filling the pass below.

"Maybe ask the Terran?"  Jase glanced behind him.

Zep moved away from the ridge.  "Guess it couldn't hurt."

Quietly they climbed back the way they had come, carefully making their way down the sheer face of rocks.  Razor and Risk rested their legs, sitting on rough boulders while the horses ate their ration of grain.  Marin, the Terran soldier, lay on the dirt, his eyes closed as he napped.  He wasn't chained.  He was still guarded, yet he made no effort to leave, not even with his countrymen less than a kilometer away.

At the sound of their feet, Razor looked up.  "Yeah, your faces say it all.  So how are we getting through?"

"Told ya," Marin said, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"I only have one idea left."  Jase looked higher up the mountain.

Zep groaned.  "Means we lose the horses, which will make us slower on the other side."

The four Blades looked at each other, trying to decide their best option.  Risk sighed and wiped at his eyes before shoving his head into his hands.  Razor shifted over and rubbed the pale man's shoulder, offering what emotional support he could.

"Razor, you'll need to take the mounts back," Zep said.  "Everyone's headed to Issevi, so meet them there.  Swap mounts and keep moving because it's too dangerous to stop.  Risk, Jase, and I will continue.  We can grab something on the other side, I'm sure."

"You'd better make it back safe," Razor said.  "I can't take another loss.  You've got to save them."

"This means that much to you?" Marin asked, sitting up.

Jase nodded and sank to the dirt, wrapping his arms around his legs.  "It does.  Blaec is my brother.  He gave me respect and made me see that while I was na like the rest of our people, that did na mean I was less.  He taught me ta be proud of what I am."

"He was good at that," Risk agreed.

"He gave me a purpose ta live fer and made me feel like I mattered.  I stopped trying ta die and started learning ta kill.  Within a year I was the best assassin in the CFC."

Marin nodded at that, simply accepting it as the truth.  "What about the girl?"

Jase sighed and looked back up the pass.  "She's my life.  She's ever' thing good in the world, all in one place.  She smells like hope.  Hope and fresh snow."

"She's my sister," Razor said.  "LT's my brother.  Marin, our families aren't like yours.  We're tied together so closely that it's physically painful to lose one of us."

"And we love stronger," Risk added.  "Humans are always changing your mind, but iliri don't.  Once we commit to love, it's for eternity, and the loss of it can't be explained.  It hurts so bad."

Zep nodded.  "The closest thing for most people is that love of a child.  You're meant to protect them.  If one dies, it tears you apart from the inside out.  You may have another child, just like we have other brothers, but the loss of one isn't lessened by the love of the other."

"They say you're just beasts, though."  Marin looked at the group of men so willing to openly display their worry and heartache.  "Everything I've heard says that you just kill for fun, like a pack of rabid dogs."

Jase turned his eyes to the human.  "Sometimes.  Ya ever go hunting?"

"Yeah?"

"What does the deer's family think about humans afterwards?"  Jase paused to let that sink in.  "Humans are our prey, but it does na mean we can na like you."

"Yeah, but I hunt for food," Marin shot back.

Jase just raised his head and looked at him.  "Then we are na so different."

Zep sighed drawing their eyes to him.  "Go home, Marin.  Go back to your unit, your wife, or whatever."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because we can't get over the mountains with you.  If we're climbing, you'll only slow us down, and that could make us too late to help them.  I'm sorry I carved up your leg, but if we don't find them..."  Zep wiped at his face.  "I can't live without her, and I've known Blaec most of my life.  We just want to be left alone and to have you stop killing our people.  None of us want to lose anyone else.  We're just trying to survive.  We don't want to kill you."

Jase reached over and palmed the back of Zep's neck, nodding as he spoke as if to convince them both.  "She'll be ok.  She has to be."

"And Blaec?" Zep asked softly.  "Damn it, Cyno, he's the first person who understood me.  He let me stay, even after he made the Blades all iliri.  He wasn't even pissed when Sal fell for me."

"Ya took a sword fer her," Jase whispered.  "Do na deny him the same."

"Echo Gap," Marin said suddenly.  "Damn it, I shouldn't be doing this, but I can get you through Echo Gap."

Razor stood, his eyes going wide.  "What?  How?"

"Black Widows have some passwords that override our appearance.  It's the emergency route back home.  They won't even look at your tattoos if we have them."

"We?" Risk asked.

"I'll have to ride through with you."  He moved to stand beside his horse, checking the girth.  "My daughter got sick when she was just over a year old.  She was dead within three months.  No one should know what that feels like."  He let his head drop against the saddle.  "Isn't the same when a Widow dies.  I don't even know half their names, but you act like these people are your family.  I'll get you through Echo Gap.  Just don't get me killed for it."

The Blades moved quickly, scampering onto their mounts, letting the Terran soldier lead the way.  The horses fell into a comfortable line, picking their way back down the narrow path into the mountains, cold wind warning of a storm coming.  Zep was second in line, just behind Marin.

"Anyone ever tell you how the iliri feel about life debts?" he asked.

Marin looked over his shoulder.  "No.  What constitutes a life debt?"

Zep shrugged.  "This."

Marin shook his head and shifted in the saddle to see behind him easier.  "Because I'll get you through a pass in the mountains?  That's a life debt?  If we get caught, I'm telling them you forced me."

Zep waved that away.  "It still counts.  You know why we're doing it, so you're willing to help.  That kinda makes it apply."

"So, how do the iliri feel about it?" Marin asked.

"It matters," Risk said, raising his voice so it would carry to the front of the line.

Zep chuckled.  "Yeah, that.  When they say that, what they mean is that you changed their life for the better and they owe it to you to do the same in return.  You do something that gives them hope - they're pretty big on hope - and they'll die for you.  You gave their life meaning, so you own it."

"All Iliri do this, or just the Black Blades?"

"All of them," Zep said.  "It's instinctual.  Once you get past the sharp teeth and strange mating habits, iliri are probably the most loyal creature in the world.  More than your damned dog."

Marin laughed at that.  "Dunno, my dog's pretty loyal."

"Would your dog raise an army and march across the continent to prevent you from being harmed?"

"Of course not.  He's a dog."

Zep lifted a brow pointedly.  "They would.  If Sal said she needed to help you because it mattered, every iliri that heard about it would join in to help."

Marin turned forward again and rode nearly a kilometer in silence.  They reached the base of the mountain then turned to follow the foothills.  That's when Marin pulled his gelding alongside Zep's mare again.

"That's why the Emperor wants her, isn't it?" Marin asked softly, looking at the other three men.  "He wants to use her to control the iliri?"

Zep nodded.  "But it doesn't work like that.  Sal's power comes from her pack.  In her case, it's the army.  If they lose faith, she loses the strength they give her.  The downside is, she's as much their tool as they are hers.  She cannot harm her people.  She'd die first."

"Even if her lover was threatened?"

Zep nodded.

Jase kneed his mare, pushing up to Marin's other side.  "Death does na scare her.  The loss of love terrifies her, but death does na.  If she had ta choose b'tween killing us - and she knows that her death would do that - or saving her people, we'll all die and be proud ta do it.  Our names would be remembered and our stories would be passed down as the mates of the strongest Kaisae in history."

"I'm the only one that does this by choice," Zep told him.  "The rest of them?  They can't help it, man.  It's their nature."

"I don't get it."  Marin turned to Jase.  "You're saying that you love her so much that if she dies, you'd kill yourself?"

"Nah," Jase said.  "I'm saying that we joined our minds together so tightly that our bodies no longer understand where one stops and the other begins.  Our hearts beat in rhythm.  If hers stops, mine will as well.  If her mind drops from the link, mine will follow, because my tie ta her is stronger than anything else."

"Kinda like being tied to an anchor and dropped in the ocean," Zep said.  "The weight of her death on our minds will pull us over.  I almost did it to them but, together, they were strong enough to hold me and the anchor above the water until they could get me free from the pull."

Marin nodded, looking between the two of them.  "Wanna know something crazy?" he asked.

Zep chuckled.  "What, that it doesn't sound like a bad deal?  A lifetime of happiness to know you'll die together?"

Marin nodded.  "Exactly.  It's just kinda hard to accept that all those stories I've heard are crap.  I mean, we've been listening to it forever.  Every paper has something about the evils of your kind and every gathering talks about how lucky we are to be civilized, but I'm kinda thinking we got it all wrong."

"There's truth to it," Jase told him.  "Yeh, we kill humans and we eat them.  We do na torture our food, though, and we're often friends with humans.  I eat dogs too, and horses."  He patted Raven's neck.  "Would na eat my mare.  Na even if I was starving.  She's my friend."

"I just want to see my kids again," Marin said softly.  "Kinda want them to grow up, get married, have kids of their own, and shit.  I'd really like to see them live in a peaceful world, but I dunno if this war is ever gonna end."

Zep shrugged.  "It will if we stop fighting each other."

They fell silent, putting as many kilometers behind them as they could until the light began to fade from the cloudy sky.  Jase and Risk wanted to press on, but neither Zep nor Marin could see well in the dark and Razor wasn't much better.  While the need to hurry pulled at all of them, the reality of their limitations reminded them that they wouldn't help Sal or Blaec if they never made it.

Jase found a sheltered area nestled deep between two hills where their fire wouldn't be visible.  The horses needed a rest anyway, so they decided to make a quick camp and move again at first light.  Out of habit, Zep tended to the horses while Jase set out to find food.  Razor began collecting wood for a fire and Risk cleared an area for their bed rolls.

"How can I help?" Marin asked.

"Willing to pick out feet?"  Zep offered a resin pick.  "They won't do us any good if one is stone bruised tomorrow."

Marin took it and bent over a horse's leg as if he'd done it many times before.  "Who cooks?"

"Risk, usually.  Probably want to remind him to make sure yours is done well enough."

Marin glanced up with a grin.  "Rare meat works for me.  I'm guessing that's all they eat?"

"Basically."  Zep moved to the next horse, leaving them all to graze loose.  "How do the Widows work, anyway?"

Marin groaned.  "Well, they call it a unit, but it's more like a system.  If you show promise, they put you into training for elites.  There's usually about fifty men in training.  When we graduate from that, we move to delta team."

"How many teams are there?" Zep asked.

"Like six.  Alpha, bravo, charlie, and delta are the main ones.  After that, we have the strike force and the fire team.  I just got on strike force a few months ago."

"Sounds complicated," Zep teased.

"Kinda," Marin agreed.  "The two elite teams are really the only groups similar to Conglomerate elites.  The four main squads are more like rapid response units.  Not much special about them except the cool armor."

"And you never get close enough to value your brothers more than your country, right?"

"Exactly."  Marin glanced up with a disgruntled look.  "Watching you all work together is kinda amazing.  Even just setting up camp.  They say you talk in your mind, so maybe I'm missing some of it?"

Zep chuckled.  "Yes, we can talk in our minds.  No, we can't right now.  We sent the maargra ahead because they can just scale the mountains like they're not there.  The downside is that we lost our link holder when we did it."

"Link holder?"

Zep nodded.  "Takes someone with a special skill.  They kinda tie our minds together so we can hear thoughts.  The strength of the linker determines how far we can reach."

Marin looked at him, confused.  "You supposed to be telling me this?"

"Doesn't really matter," Zep said.  "A weak linker can connect to another and network our minds.  There's no way to predict how far we can reach unless you can guarantee that there's no iliri or grauori within two days ride, bare minimum."

Marin nodded, patting the horse's hip.  "So we're more than two days from anyone, I take it?"

"Yeah."  Zep sighed.  "Including Sal.  Fucking mountains."

Jase returned with their dinner before the humans finished with the horses.  By the time they sat beside the fire, the smell of roasting meat was making mouths water and stomachs growl.  Risk served the men by rank, feeding Marin first as their guest, which made Zep grin.

"You've been promoted from captive to guest," Zep said, gesturing to the food.  "Jase is next, then me."

Risk shrugged.  "He offered to help.  No one made him do that."

"I do na have a problem with it," Jase said.  "He's a friend."

Marin glanced up.  "I take it that's not a casual title either?"

"Nope," Razor said.  "Means we won't eat you.  No one in the Black Blades."

Marin nodded and bit into the hunk of meat, sighing at the taste.  "This is really good.  Please tell me it's not a person?"

Jase laughed.  "Nah.  Elk fawn.  Prolly just weaned."

"And you just caught it?"

"Pretty much.  I had ta stalk it a bit, but the young ones are easy."

Razor chuckled.  "He makes it sound like no big deal, but I can't get close enough to grab them."

"You're too impatient," Risk teased.  "Or it could be because you smell like a human."

"Fuck off."  Razor tossed a stick across the fire at him.  "Least I'm better than Zep."

"I do smell like a human," Zep said.  "Taste like one too."

Jase smiled wistfully.  "She likes it."

"I'll worry when you start trying to steal a lick."

"Things are getting complicated in the big tent, I see," Risk laughed.

Zep shook his head, but Jase nodded.  "Zep's still scared of her teeth."

Razor sat up.  "Seriously, bro?"

"I'm lost," Marin admitted.

Risk laughed and passed out the next steak.  "Zep's scared to let Sal suck his dick."

"No shit," Marin agreed.  "She's got some serious teeth on her."

Razor shrugged, glancing up at Zep.  "But he likes to be bit well enough."

"Gently," Jase teased.  "His skin is fucking sensitive.  Makes Sal go crazy.  She's got a fetish fer the hair too."

"Cyno," Zep warned.  "I'll start talking about your habits if you don't stop."

Jase shrugged.  "Go ahead.  Risk already knows."

"Um?"  Marin looked between them.  "Do I want to know how?"

"He went berserk," Risk said.  "I was kinda the only person around.  Had to talk him through it."

"I got a question," Razor said, leaning forward.  "Your shit still work if you're in maast and Sal's not around?"

"Yeh," Jase said.  "My partner prolly would na live through it, but still gets hard as a rock."

"And Zep would know if you..."  Razor made a stroking gesture.

"Sal too," Jase confirmed.  "Even now.  I can still feel her."

The entire group paused as a hush fell over them.  Zep stared at the fire, but Marin watched them all, looking from one to the other.  The concern of the Iliri was almost palpable.

"She scared?" he asked.

"A little," Zep told him.  "Mostly she's pissed, and planning on taking out the Terran army.  She's exhausted, too, which doesn't help her mood."

"She's worried about Blaec," Jase said softly.  "She can na figure out how ta get him free."

Zep sighed and looked across the fire.  "They're also chained.  Collars around their necks, staked out like dogs.  She thinks Blaec's handling it ok, but it bothers her."

"Yeah," Risk agreed.  "It's kinda the worst feeling ever.  You know that eventually you'll give in.  You can only go so long without sleeping and eating before you'll start doing anything they ask."

"Least she's pissed," Jase said.  "If she can stay angry, she will na lose control."

"What would happen if she did?" Marin asked.

Zep just shook his head.  "Dunno.  She has powers we've never even heard of, and she's making up more as she needs them.  We have no idea what she could do if she got desperate."

"That's why Kaisaes have cessivi," Jase explained.  "She feels our emotions, and we keep her going.  Keep her from exploding from the pressure.  We can na be separated, so it makes her stronger.  If she hurts, we can comfort her.  If she's scared, we can reassure her.  If she's pissed, we can encourage her."

"So you're like her personal support group."  Marin nodded, accepting that.  "So what do you get back?"

"Her," Zep answered.  "Completely and totally, without reservations.  We get the most amazing woman the world has ever known."

"She loves us because we exist, na because of what we can give her."  Jase glanced to the east, following the tug of Sal on his heart.  "She loves us, Marin, and we can feel it.  There are na any words ta describe it."

"But it matters."  Marin nodded.  "I understand, guys.  Not what I expected, but I think I kinda get it."

Chapter 22

Sal awoke in the middle of a large bustling camp.  The collar around her neck was secured to a post in the middle of a large open area.  To her left, Blaec lay in the mud, still unconscious.  It was cold.  A fine mist drifted in the air, making everything damp.  Sal's wool shirt was soaked, and her skin felt like ice beneath it.  She pressed her palms to her ears, trying to warm the thin skin with her own body heat.

Blaec?

Her only response was silence.  She groaned and sat up, the stench of human waste assaulting her senses, making her sneeze.  With a groan, she crawled back to the post and rested her body against it, not even caring that she was covered in mud.

"Like a dog on a chain," a man teased, walking past.

Sal's ear flicked in his direction, but she didn't bother looking.  Humans always thought a snide remark made them sound so tough, but she'd long ago gotten over any pain their words caused.  This man wasn't willing to give up.  He tossed a small rock at her and laughed.

"Fetch, bitch!"

Her eyes tracked the stone by force of instinct, then she slowly turned to the man who threw it.  Just outside the reach of her tether was the last thing she expected.  Lieutenant Foyt Emen, the second officer of Star Fall, glared at her.  When she pinned her ears, he smiled and scratched at his face, his hand twisted slightly.  It was the Conglomerate's signal for "eyes on."  He'd just risked his cover to give her the warning.  Sal snarled at him.

"Come closer, Ace.  I'll show you what it means to play with an iliri."

Emen laughed and kept going, only his face and the one gesture giving her any indication that he wasn't a true Terran soldier.  Watching him leave, she sighed and rested her head against the large wood post.  More footsteps approached, but Sal was too tired to care.

"Oh, you're awake," Captain Vitus, the leader of the Black Widow Company, said as he walked up.  "Ready to start talking?"

She yawned, making a display of her mouthful of sharp teeth, and stretched.  "Not really.  A hot coffee would help speed things along."

"Yeah.  So, where's Anglia headed next?"

"Ryass," Sal said honestly.  "I'll do you one better.  Myrosica's headed to Assey and Viraenova's in Issevi.  This game's easy."

"You don't have the manpower for that."

Sal grinned.  "Yeah, we do."

"You don't have the food for that hard of a push."

She laughed and pointed around the camp.  "Each man here feeds a grauori for three days, or eight iliri for one.  I have as much food as you throw at me."

"And your humans?"

She shrugged.  "It's a small group.  They do well on breads, grains, and wildlife.  The grauori are happy to clean up the boar and deer.  Rabbits work too and, come spring, there'll be a ton of those.  Winter makes hunting bear easy.  One of those feeds three units."

"Why are you telling me this so easily?"

"Because you can't stop us."  She tilted her head up defiantly.  "You just made one of the biggest mistakes ever, and my army will fight that much harder for it."

"And what mistake is that?"

Licking her lips, she stared deep into the man's eyes.  "You kidnapped the Kaisae of Anglia.  That's going to piss off a whole lot of people."

"I think Viraenova would be happy to see you gone."

She shook her head.  "Viraenova has been waiting centuries to see a Kaisae on a throne.  Mine is weak and flimsy, but it matters.  Tseri is bringing thousands of soldiers to make sure we can keep it, and that our people - yes, mine and hers - are able to live free."

"And what of the humans?" asked Vitus.  "What will happen to us when you have your way?"

"Wages will increase?"  Sal held up her hands, at a loss.  "Nothing, you fool.  Anglia has more humans than iliri and more grauori than the rest of us combined.  We exist together fine."

"Where is Anglia hitting next?" he asked again.

"Ryass," Sal told him.  "Rragri and Dominik are securing Syhar right now.  They want to make sure the city is stable before moving on, then they'll send the maargra to Ryass for scouting with the humans coming in behind them."

He nodded.  "And where are you hiding the rest of the iliri."

Sal looked at the man as if he was a fool.  "Unav?  That's why we're here.  We want to take them back to Anglia or free them from oppression.  Our only interest is an altruistic effort to help the people of my species."

"Not to kill the emperor?"

Sal grinned.  "Officially?  No, we have no interest in that.  Personally?  Yeah.  He just pissed me off, but I'll make you a deal."

Vitus laughed and gestured to Sal.  "You're the one sitting there chained like a dog, and you want to make me a deal?"

She nodded.  "I'll stick around and play this game as long as you want, but let my general go."

"And if I don't?"

Sal shrugged.  "I'll make you all pay for it."

"While chained?"

"Yep."  She looked at the soldier walking behind him and smiled.  "I don't need to be free to be stronger than you.  Ask the CFC."

"And how exactly are you going to make me pay?"

She licked her lips and inhaled, seeking the scent of the man she'd knocked out during their trip.  Wafting on the damp air, she caught it, then called to his mind, taking control of his senses.  The man pulled a dagger from his belt and walked behind his Captain to rest the blade gently on his neck.

"Fair's fair," Sal said, distracted with control of the man.  "You threatened the same to my love, so your man will do it to you.  They will all turn on you if you aren't careful."

"Themis?" the Captain asked softly.

"He can't hear you right now," Sal purred.  "He's stepped out for the moment.  You can kill him, but that only helps me.  You can die to him, and that only helps me more."

"How are you doing this?" he asked.

She pinned her ears and snarled.  "I'm the Kaisae of the iliri of Anglia.  Humans made me to be the perfect soldier, and I'm damned good at what I do.  Let my lover go home.  I have not hurt your man and I did not kill either of you even though I had the chance."

Vitus shook his head.  "I can't do that.  Give me back my soldier."

Sal nodded.  "As a show of good faith, I will.  Harm my lover and your men will pay for it.  This is my trade."

She flicked her hand, and Themis gasped, dropping the dagger.  "Sir!"

"How did she get control of you?" Vitus asked.

"What?"  Themis looked around him, confused.

She giggled.  "He doesn't know.  I'll tell you, though."  She inhaled deeply.  "You humans smell so sweet."

"You can't do that," Vitus said.  "My men were all protected against your skills."

She couldn't get them all, but he didn't need to know that.  Sal tilted her head, chewing on her lip, thinking about that.  "Hypnotism.  Yeah, we got that.  It just kinda takes the edge off.  Remember Zaqala?  The men there swore the fear wouldn't affect them.  Most of them were pissing themselves as the Devil Dogs cut them down.  Yeah, your tricks just mean we have to put some effort into it.  They don't stop us."

"But we killed one of yours," the Captain reminded her.

"Kinda.  Took a bit of work to bring Zep back from the dead, and Risk said the tattoo will never be realigned right again."  Flicking her ears forward, she grinned.  "We're better than you.  We're all around you, too.  I smell at least four iliri in this camp.  You made us, but all we want is to be free of your oppression.  Hire us for fair pay, and we'll work harder than your humans.  Respect us, and we'll die for you, but kill us, and we will make you pay over and over."

"So why do you want me to free your lover so badly?"  The Captain's eyes glinted, thinking he'd finally found something to make her break.

"Because I love him," she said.  "It's like a flame that exists in my chest, keeping me warm even when things are at their worst.  He makes me proud of what I am and is there for me without needing to be asked.  He protects me just as I protect him.  I love him, Captain, just like you love your wife and daughters - yes, I know about them.  Why would I want him to sit here in the miserable weather with a disgusting chain around his neck?"

"Don't ever compare your beastly emotions to my family," he warned.  "We are nothing like you animals."

"You're right."  Sal looked over to Blaec.  "We love stronger than anything else.  We love like it's all that matters, because it is.  I love him so much it hurts."

"And yet you love two other men?"

She nodded.  "You love your wife and two girls.  That's three loves in your life.  Why do you think my feelings are so strange?  Is one of them your favorite?  Could you choose between them?"

"That's different."

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm not sleeping with all of them."

"Does that mean you love them less, or more?"

"You're sick."  Turning, the Captain walked away, his spine held stiff.

Sal leaned her head back against the post, sighing deeply.  She paused, a familiar scent mingled in her last breath.  Looking around she scanned the shadows and corners, looking every place she knew an assassin would hide.  Just as she was about to give up, she spotted a common soldier with a face that was too familiar.

Enik Kolton sat on the other side of the clearing, sharpening his daggers.  The last time she'd seen him had been before she rode off to Anglia, right after she'd saved his life.  His eyes watched her as his hand moved rhythmically.  When he caught her gaze, he smiled and ducked his head back to the weapon.  "I have a debt to repay," he said softly.

Even across the distance, she could hear him.  It was almost too far, but she'd been hoping he'd say something and just caught the words.  Sal sighed and closed her eyes.  She was hungry, cold, and miserable, but none of that mattered.  She worried about Blaec, instead.  He couldn't handle the weather like she did.  If he lay in the mud for too long, he'd only weaken, making his escape that much harder.  Maybe Star Fall could help.

She growled softly and shoved the loose strands of hair away from her face, trying to find the answer.  She knew she could get Blaec out if she could solve the right problem.  There had to be an answer somewhere.  The harder she struggled to see it, the more she worried.  She could get free easy enough, but she'd have to leave Blaec.  If she did get free, she'd still have to escape the camp, and there were enough soldiers around that she wasn't positive she could do it.

Snarling, she slammed her fist into the mud, feeling Jase and Zep's concern at her anger.  "I can't do it," she whispered.  "I can't leave him."

Jase understood.  Somehow, Sal knew that he understood what she was feeling.  Unfortunately, he didn't have an answer either, except to let her know that they were coming.  They could feel her again and were trying to get to her, but it would not be easy.  She knew she was more than two days from them because she couldn't reach their minds.  It could be more.

In other words, she was on her own with a unit of humans who despised her and an entire army of Terran soldiers between her and the freedom she fought for.  Sal looked at the cloudy sky and snarled, letting the mist hit her face, pretending for a moment that the water sliding against her cheeks was her own tears.  She wanted to fight, but there was nothing to attack.  She wanted to struggle, but the chain was secure.  She wanted to win, but she was locked to a post in the middle of the enemy encampment, waiting for her lover to wake.

Chapter 23

Arctic stormed into the City Hall.  Dozens of pale-skinned people looked up, a few stepping out of his way.  At the end of a long table, Tseri leaned over maps of the city, pointing things out to the woman beside her.  Halfway there, they both looked up.

"Raewar," Tseri greeted him, straightening.

"Kaeen."  He looked at the other.  "And I'm afraid we have not met."

The woman waited for him to lower his eyes, but Arctic had no intention of that.  Oddly, it wasn't hard.  Even as her lids narrowed, he had no desire to submit.  When a low rumbling started in her throat, the Kaeen took a step forward.

"This is the leader of my military, Raewar.  I'd like to introduce you to Ynta Janoic.  Ynta, the Raewar is the First Officer of the Black Blades."

"Arctic, please," he told both women.  "Or Karim, if you prefer my true name."

The hard look on Ynta's face softened.  "We're sorry for your loss, Arctic.  How can Viraenova help."

With the political posturing finally finished, he got right to the point.  "Sal's either on or about to be on the other side of the Siahies.  The Black Widows abducted her and Blaec from Syhar almost eleven days ago.  As of right now, all I can tell you is that they're still alive.  We need to make a break through one of the passes, and I've got the plan in place.  The problem is that the Terran Empire has been reinforcing them.  I don't think taking Blaec and Sal was done on a whim.  I think they planned this."

"A little too well, from the sounds of it," Ynta agreed.

Tseri, however, seemed distracted.  "Do whatever you need, Arctic, but answer me one thing?"  She gestured to the map.  "Where would you keep the most precious thing if you had to hide it in this town?"

"Precious how?" he asked, shifting over to see the streets drawn across the paper.

Tseri pressed a hand to her lips, slowly wiping away the hint of a smile he saw beneath.  "Iliri.  Arctic, there are rumors of two young girls.  Twins.  Both purebred.  They are completely unrelated to Reko and Sal, or should be."

It took a moment before the implications of that hit him.  Even then, Arctic wasn't sure he dared hope.  "We're not done?  Once they're grown, there's a chance -"

But Ynta's snarl cut him off.  "My mate is not some stud to be used in a breeding program.  We're people, Amma!  You can't do this to me.  I will not share Reko!"

Tseri barely flicked her eyes up.  "Ynta, you can seethe in your jealousy all you want, but if we can keep our species alive, and the pair works, then are you truly so selfish?"

"Amma," the woman growled.  "Don't tell me you'd let Syed just breed with Sal."

Tseri chuckled.  "I would.  I would hate it, but I would, and you will never become Kaeen if you aren't willing to put your people before your own desires."

But while they talked, Arctic had been looking at the map.  There wasn't anything obvious on it, but he knew better.  Scanning the side streets, he looked for a tavern that he remembered a little too well.  One that had a small set of rooms and an owner who had offered them shelter.  Finally, he found it.

"There."

The women leaned closer.  "Why there?" Tseri asked.

Arctic tapped it again.  "That, Kaeen, is a safe house for the Unavi rebellion.  The password is ‘pride' written in our language.  We have a stone that should prove you're trusted.  I'll make sure you get it before we mobilize."

"A stone?"

He nodded.  "It was given to Sal.  Shift keeps track of those things for us, so I'm sure he has it stored somewhere.  Give it back to the innkeeper.  Tell her the Kaisae's pack, the Black Blades, say you can be trusted.  I believe that will be all it takes."  He stepped back, about to leave, but paused.  "After that, you'll have to prove yourself.  They do not trust easily."

"For good reason," Tseri agreed.  "Go.  Do whatever you need.  I've told all of my officers that they're at your disposal."

He ducked his head, dropping his eyes to the ground.  "Thank you, Kaeen."

She just flicked a hand at him, encouraging him to keep going.  "And next time stop worrying about impressing me, boy.  We don't have time for that.  Just get through that pass and get them back."

"That's what I intend," he called back, walking as fast as his legs would take him.

It had taken longer than he wanted to get everything ready.  Viraenovan units had to be called back.  The 112th and Devil Dogs almost had to be forced to leave.  At least the grauori had been easy enough to deal with.  Oddly, it had been the Prince who'd given them the order.  From the way they acted, Jarl's word was as good as Arrnya's, but Arctic didn't have time to wonder about that.

His country was coming together.  Their allies were coming together, but would it be worth it if they lost Sal and Blaec?  No, he wouldn't let his thoughts go down that path.  Sal trusted him.  She'd shown him exactly how much she respected him, and he was going to live up to that.  Nothing else mattered right now.  He just had to make this work.

Outside the city walls, the nuvani crowded around their unit leaders.  In the center of them all was his own cluster of tents.  The black canvas stood out like a shadow in the middle of the Viraenovan gold and ivory, serving as their base of operation.  As he wove through the horses, he saw the only thing that could make him feel a little better.

Shade.

She stood next to Audgan beside Arctic's tent with her head ducked to her toes.  The small, pale boy kept his distance, but his eyes were searching everything around them.  When they landed on Arctic, his body relaxed and he leaned a hair closer to the girl whispering something.  It made her head jerk up.  When her eyes found his, she smiled.  That one little gesture gave him more pride than even Sal's memories - and those were what had been keeping him going.

"Ok," he said as he reached them.  "Shade, I want you to stay with Audgan and Tilso for the trip.  I mean, if you're not with me.  I promise they will keep you safe."

She nodded quickly.  "I know."

Then he turned his eyes to Audgan.  "I'm trusting you."

The boy's chin lifted a bit more.  "I won't let anyone touch her."

"Good.  Now when we get to the pass, I'll need you at the front with us.  Shade?  You'll be at the side with Tilso.  He's not a fighter, so I'm going to need you to take care of him first, but we need you to clear the pass."

"I can do it," she swore.

He dropped his voice, feeling the need to reassure her.  "I know you can.  You're amazing, Shade.  Now on the ride over, I just need you to hold onto the horse.  We'll train you when we can, and I swear that Tilso is not only the best horseman I've seen since Blaec, but he won't hurt you."

"He's a packmate," she told him.  "I like Tilso.  He explained to me that we can only be friends."  Then she giggled.  "And that he had to teach you about flowers."

"He did."  Arctic wanted to say more, but now was not really the time.  Every second he wasted was one more that Sal and Blaec might be suffering.  It didn't make her pull any easier to resist.  "Just stay safe, Shade.  No matter what else, stay safe out there."

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his.  "Not if it will save the Kaisae.  I owe her my life twice.  If it weren't for me, she'd still be here."

"And the Black Widows would've killed you."

She squealed in the back of her throat, thrusting a fist down like she was hitting a table that didn't exist.  "I don't care!  She saved me, and now I'm going to save her back."

"We all are."  He reached up, intending to rub her arm, then remembered.  "We are," he said as he lowered his hand back to his side.

She reached out and caught his fingers with hers, the touch light and timid.  "It's ok, Arctic.  And I'm ok with Audgan.  He's nice, too."

"Bro," Audgan whispered.  His eyes flicked to their hands.  "Nuvani are waiting on us."

"Yeah."

Slowly, hating the way it felt to let go of her, Arctic stepped back.  He wanted to say something, to let her know how much that meant to him, but there weren't words.  Never mind that he should be thinking about Sal and Blaec.  He didn't have time to be infatuated with some woman, but he couldn't help it.  The pull was too strong, too deep to ignore.

But he had a pack to lead.

"Tilso!" he yelled, storming into the middle of his camp.  "Tilso."

"Yeah?"  The man in question stood at the side holding four horses by the reins.

Arctic just pointed back toward Shade.  "Don't you dare let her fall off."

"She's got a good horse, man.  Your girl isn't going to be eating dirt anytime soon.  I promise."

"Good.  Then let's go."  He turned to address the people around him.  "Mount up.  I want to be sitting at the base of the mountains by the time the sun sets.  Someone make sure they can't see us coming."

The words were barely out of his mouth before the military reacted.  Unlike humans, everyone in this push was iliri.  Right now, it didn't matter what they called themselves, they were all iliri, and they all had one goal.  They were going to save the woman who'd spent her life proving that they were better than humans.  Sal deserved nothing less - including having her mate home safe with her.

***

Blaz reined his black stallion close to Tyr's bay.  If anyone had heard anything, he'd be the one to ask.  "Any word?"

The Devil Dog just lifted cold eyes.  "No.  There's a lot of chatter, and it sounds like Arctic's planning a hard push on one of the passes, but no word from Cyno."

"Fuck."

Blaz reached down for Rax's neck.  He hoped this horse wouldn't be the symbol of two losses.  Jiesa had been almost impossible.  If it hadn't been for Sal?  She'd given him a reason to keep going, to hope that in time things really would get better.  And they had.  Until now.

Too many lives had been lost in this war.  That Anglia had been so lucky was hard to believe.  Even with their freakish skills and all of those grauori, it was still shocking.  Somehow, Sal had turned the tide, and without her?  What would happen to the continent if the Emperor managed to kill her?  Never mind those who loved her.  What about all the people relying on her to make a difference.

"We won't quit," Tyr said, almost as if reading Blaz's mind.  "No matter what happens to Sal, Anglia isn't going to quit, you know that, right?"

"How can you be so sure?"

The normally jovial guy shrugged, his face a little too bleak.  "Being one of Anglia's elites, there's a lot of chatter in my head.  Mutts, men, and nuvani.  Dude, you have any idea what happens when one of them dies?"

That was not at all the question he'd expected.  Blaz shook his head.  "No?"

"They frenzy.  From what I can gather, the members of a pack are bound to each other.  If they lose someone, it makes Sal's bloodlust look like a day in the park, man.  But the Kaisae?  She's the glue that holds all of them together."

"Wait."  Blaz kneed Rax closer and dropped his voice.  "You mean if Blaec dies, the Blades are gonna lose it.  But Sal?"

"Yeah," Tyr hissed emphatically.  "Eason, what I'm saying is that if LT is killed, we're going to see everything the Black Blades have been holding back, turned loose in a way you can't imagine.  But if we lose Sal?  Anglia.  Not just the Blades, but all of Anglia - including the Dogs - will fight to our deaths to reach her.  We'll clear Unav and keep going until someone can get to her."

"Even if she's dead?" Blaz asked.

For a moment, Tyr said nothing, the look on his face like he was listening to his mind.  "From what the hounds say, yeah.  Until someone touches her empty body or another Kaisae is chosen."

"But - "

Tyr didn't let him finish.  "There's no one else to be Kaisae.  So think about that, man.  Think long and hard about that.  We have nine million grauori in our ranks who will throw themselves at the Emperor until they get revenge.  This is the biggest suicide squad you've ever seen, and I can't promise we won't cleanse everything off this damned continent to do it."

"So we have to save her."  It wasn't a question.  That was nothing but fact.

Tyr bobbed his head slowly.  "And Blaec, because without him?  There's nothing to hold Sal back.  If Blaec dies, she'll frenzy.  The Blades will frenzy, but that means Sal, too, and she'll pull all of us along with her."  He took a deep breath, then added, "The 112th, too."

Blaz looked around, wondering if the others had heard.  "Then what the fuck is the Emperor thinking?" he asked softly.

Tyr huffed once in what was supposed to be a laugh.  "Man, ain't no one with a clue what those beasts can do.  Not me, not you, and not even Rragri.  The Emperor probably doesn't have any idea what kind of shit he just stepped in, and Sal ain't like most Kaisaes, either."

"Why not?"

"Because she's more.  She's not just leading the iliri.  She's got the grauori, all of us Anglian humans, and every iliri who can sense her in any way.  All three species, man.  That's never happened before.  For three thousand years, her kind kept all of this a secret, but Sal doesn't really like playing by the rules."

"Sure she does," Blaz mumbled, mostly to himself.  "She just prefers they're Blaec's rules, not ours."

"Yeah," Tyr agreed sadly.  "And if we lose either one of them, this whole thing is going to blow up in our faces."

Blaz nodded, his eyes locked on the forested hills around them.  For a while, he just tried to wrap his mind around that, but one thing bothered him too much to let go.  What Tyr had described was giving his life for Sal.  Not just her friends, but her entire country.  It was a stronger chain than any that had held her prisoner, but none of the Anglians acted like they resented it.  He had to know, and if anyone would tell him, it would be Tyr.

"So you wishing you hadn't defected?"

The Devil Dog just shook his head like Blaz was an idiot.  He didn't even bother looking over.  "Nah.  I'm just wishing there was a way to explain how this feels.  When Sal linked me in, I had no idea what she was giving me.  She made it so I'm never alone.  Not even when I am.  There's always someone to listen, to reach out and lean on."  Slowly, he lifted a hand and wiped at one eye; the strong elite soldier unable to hold back his emotions.  "Bro, Zep had the right of it all along.  Humans?  We can't feel this shit without them.  Ain't the same.  We're always thinking of ourselves, but when we finally see that there's another way?"

"Then what?"

Tyr's mouth twitched, trying to smile.  "Then you finally realize that there's so many things worse than death.  I'm starting to think that being human is one of them."

And that, Blaz thought to himself, was why the Emperor really wanted the iliri dead.

Chapter 24

Sal was still leaning against the post when Blaec finally stirred.  Humans milled through the area, all of them wearing shades of purple, laughing at the pair as if they were specimens in a zoo.  She didn't bother looking over; it would amuse the humans too much.

Love? she asked.

My head's killing me.

Yeah.  We're on display.  Figured I should warn you.

He groaned softly and pulled himself from the mud, glancing around.  When he saw the humans, he chuckled and made his way to the post to sit like Sal, sighing as the wood took the weight of his body.

It's freezing.

No, just above, but it's sure not warm.  I think we're near Escea but still in Unav.  We're definitely in the middle of the Emperor's army, though.

Catch me up? he asked.

While she did, a group wandered past.  All it took was one jeer, and the rest decided they'd found a new game.  Someone grabbed a handful of mud and tossed it at her.  When Sal cowered to avoid it, they saw their chance.

In seconds, the group surged in, yanking and shoving at her.  Some tried to grab at her clothes, others, her hair.  Her shirt was yanked off her shoulder, the man's hand brazenly sliding against her arm.  In a moment of inspiration, she refused to bite.  Every brush of skin against her was an opportunity.  They felt greasy and sick, but each was different, and all of them got locked away in her mind.  More targets.  More chances to get Blaec free.  She just needed to feel someone who had that power.

"Enough!" Narnx yelled, storming forward.  "These are prisoners, not toys."  He turned to Sal, eyeing her disheveled clothing.  "Get dressed."

She smiled at him as if she wasn't bothered at all.  "My clothes are wet."

"That's because it's been raining," he said as if she were an idiot.

"It also means they're too cold to worry about.  I'll take your shirt, instead."

He reached out and grabbed her throat, pushing her back to the post.  "No," he warned her.  "I don't know what game you're playing, but it's not a good idea.  You're tied to a post, surrounded by humans who want to do nothing good to you."

She leaned just a bit closer to him, their lips only a breath apart.  "I know.  I counted fourteen of them.  I remember them all."

Blaec laughed, covering his mouth with one hand to hide it, but he couldn't stop the sound.  "Sorry," he muttered, looking at Narnx.  "Fourteen.  Drop ‘em when they aren't close.  That should make a statement."

"Don't want to scare them off too soon," she said with a shrug.  "I'm thinking there's about twenty-five thousand men in this camp, right?  Well, soldiers.  So that means just over twenty thousand men should come past this post in the next few days."

"And if you let them all paw you, what impression do you think that gives them?"

"You're Terrans.  I don't fucking care."  Her lip raised in a snarl.  "But once I touch them, I can use them.  I can get into their heads."

"What are you doing?" he demanded, pressing her to the post.

"Winning."  Her eyes looked deep into his, and the false smile fell away from her face.  "I'm winning."

"Well, I hope you're happy, because you're about to be the center of attention.  The Emperor wants to see his newest toy."

Sal sighed dramatically.  She knew what mattered most right now was looking impervious.  The humans needed to know she wasn't afraid of them.  Jerking her chin at a man passing by, she asked, "Is your shirt dry?"  With a tilt of her head to the side, she made a decent attempt to look harmless.

Narnx shoved her shoulder into the post again.  "Leave them alone."

"Fuck you," she shot back.

"You don't seem to be shivering, so I think you'll live."  Narnx grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look at him.  "Don't fuck with the Emperor.  He's not a man to play your games."

She wrenched her face away.  "That's where you're wrong.  He's the only one interested in playing my games."

"Whatever.  Put your hands behind the post, Sal.  No charging the leader of the free nations today."

She obeyed but laughed cruelly.  "Free nations?  We're in Unav, you moron.  You know, the conquered nation of Unav?  Nothing really free about a conquering army."

"Terric is still a free nation."

"Tyranny is not freedom.  Do not confuse the two."

"And you're saying a monarchy is free?"

Sal shook her head.  "Nope.  I will say that my people have the right to overthrow me at any time.  No elections, just any iliri who is stronger and smarter than me.  Same for the grauori.  Dominik is looking into a similar system, but he hasn't found a good model yet."

When he finished securing her hands behind the pole, Narnx moved to Blaec and did the same with him.  Then, he turned and walked to the edge of the crowd, standing beside the others in his unit.  A Terran soldier pushed back into the mass of people and slowly moved away from Narnx's position.  Sal's eyes tracked the movement, and when a blast of mist hit her in the face, realized the man was moving downwind.

Downwind.  That meant he had something to hide.  She scanned the people, looking for faces she recognized, and saw three, all from Star Fall.  Tharp leaned casually against a stack of crates, wearing the uniform of a Terran Specialist.  Emen and Cheny both were in her line of sight, but none of them acknowledged the others.  Sal's eyes turned to the man who'd moved, and she saw Kolton looking right at her.  He smiled slowly, refusing to break the gaze.

Star Fall's here, Sal told Blaec.

I see that.  The bigger question is why.

Well, since Emen shot me an ‘eyes on' sign earlier, I think they're embedded.  They're the only unit that could pull this off, right?

Yeah.  But are they friends or foes now?

Sal held Kolton's eyes, trying to read something there, and found nothing.  I have no idea, love, but Kolton owes me one, and he's a scrubber lover.

Blaec didn't get the chance to reply as an aged man in a thick oiled coat pushed his way toward them.  The soldiers saluted and pushed back, all of them making room.  He walked directly to Sal.  His scent hit her before her eyes recognized what she was seeing.  He smelled like fresh soil and damp leaves, with only a hint of the sugar she'd come to think of as human.

When he pushed back his hood, she had to fight to keep her face serene.  His skin was fair like Blaec's, and his hair was sandy blonde.  Pale blue eyes sat on either side of a large rounded nose, and when he smiled, he had two sets of dull, human-like canines.  The Emperor of Terric was part iliri.

"Not what you expected?" he asked.

"Makiel Geirr I assume?" Sal asked.

"The proper form of address is Eminence or Emperor."

She smiled.  "I go by Kaisae.  Since there's a rather inconvenient chain around my neck, I just assumed we'd done away with the pleasantries."

He chuckled softly then grabbed her face, squeezing it hard between his gloved fingers.  "Don't try my patience, bitch."

Sal stared at his mouth, her chest rising as she breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of him.  "I like it rough, Makiel.  Don't tease me."

"I may have been born from a beast like you, but I've shunned her ways," he hissed.  "You can't use your tricks on me."

She lifted her eyes slowly to his, tilting her chin slightly.  "I can smell that you're lying.  You want me as bad as any of them, the only difference is that you know why."

"What I want to know," he said, trying to change the subject, "is why you're invading our land."

Sal shook her head.  "I'm not.  I've made no move to enter Terric.  We've come to Unav to offer aid and assistance to the citizens here.  We've also offered to relocate those considered a nuisance to your country."

"You've been killing my men!"

Sal shrugged.  "You killed mine first.  My women, too."

"Tell your army to leave Unav," Makiel warned.  He gestured to a soldier and the man moved to Blaec's side.  "Leave, or I will make you all suffer."

"You can't have all the ships."  Sal raised her voice so the soldiers could hear.  "That's our history, too.  Mine, yours, the grauori, the nuvani - all of ours!  You just want the steel, but some of us want the knowledge that goes with it."

"What do you know of that?" the Emperor demanded.

"Everything," Sal said softly.  "We're almost on top of the Nebula II.  My army is headed toward the Genesis, slowly but surely.  Star Fall has already been excavated and cataloged."

He grinned.  "You missed a bit."

"Valkyrie and New Dawn?" Sal asked.  She shook her head.  "New Dawn is under my home, and Valkyrie is so far behind the line you'll never touch it."

"How do you know about that?" he demanded again.

"I forget."  Sal raised her eyebrow, taunting him.

Makiel gestured to the soldier, and Sal flicked her ear at Blaec, knocking him out before the man drove a dagger deep into his shoulder.

"I will have him plunge that dagger closer and closer to his heart until you tell me where you got that information."

Sal took a long deep breath.  "Who was Judoc?"

"My son."

She shook her head.  Judoc had been completely human.  The Emperor wasn't.  "Try again."

"I adopted him when I married his mother.  He is my son."

She nodded, accepting that answer.  "He ever tell you what happened in Anglia?  Did Robson ever admit how sweet he sang to us?  The real question, though, is why you didn't tell your real son."

She turned and looked at Narnx pointedly.  His eyes widened, but he didn't move.  She looked back at the Emperor and smiled cruelly.  "That's why you let him live, isn't it.  Was his mother one of the first ones you killed?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

Sal said nothing, merely held his eyes, calling his bluff.  In the crowd, men started to whisper, wondering if she was right.  Sal smiled, knowing Makiel could hear them just as easily.

"He's proven his worth," the Emperor said.  "He's shown that he's not a beast."

She dipped her head in acceptance of that.  "Which is why you've refused to acknowledge him.  I understand.  Ironic, coming from a half iliri male.  Did the Black Widows give you my warning?"

Makiel laughed.  "That you'd make me pay for any harm I do to your lover?  Yes, they made sure I knew that.  We thought it was amusing."

She nodded and breathed deeply, her eyes scanning the crowd, looking for the face of one of the men who'd harassed her earlier.  Finding one, she slipped into his head and urged him to grab the blade from his hip.  He judged the distance, holding it carefully by the handle, and threw.  Mere inches in front of her, Makiel gasped and began clawing at his back, the blade buried deep beside his shoulder blade.

"We're even," she growled, leaning into her bonds and lifting her feet high enough to kick the Emperor away.

He fell into the mud, soldiers rushing to his side.  She turned to the man standing before Blaec and saw him staring at her in shock.  When she pinned her ears at him, he backed slowly away from her lover's body, too terrified to harm him again.

For all her bravado, Sal's heart hammered in her chest, begging Blaec to be ok.  She reached for his mind.  The dagger was still in his shoulder, which meant she couldn't wake him.  Panicked, she scanned the crowd again and saw Narnx looking at Blaec intently.  When she looked back, the dagger was gone, making it possible to bring him back.  He groaned as he pulled himself onto his feet and turned to look at her.

"You ok?" she asked.

He smiled weakly.  "That hurts like a bitch."  Your nose is bleeding.

Sal nodded.  She'd pushed her still-new skills too far, and the fear of the situation only made it worse, but with her hands chained behind her, there was nothing to be done.  I kinda knifed the Emperor.

I do love you, Blaec thought.  You scare the shit out of me, but you're amazing.

And someone here is a fetcher.  They pulled the blade from you, and I don't see it now.  Blaec's eyes went to Narnx.  Sal decided to drop the rest of the news on him.  He's the Emperor's son.  I can smell it.  Makiel Geirr is as iliri as you are.

Fuck.

While she dealt with Blaec, the Black Widows had secured the Emperor and removed him from the scene.  Narnx took charge, demanding the soldiers return to their duties, standing guard over the prisoners until the area had cleared.  Sal watched the men from Star Fall leave, hoping they could think of some way to get Blaec free.  When they were finally alone, Narnx stormed to her side.

"You made a bad decision," he snarled.

She pinned her ears and glared back.  "I warned him.  I didn't kill him, I simply inflicted exactly what he did.  One knife to the shoulder."

"That soldier will be hanged for what you did."

"Then he should have cried umso," she snapped.  "I will win!  I don't care if your father hates what he is, we're still better.  I'm still stronger.  I will fucking win this, do you understand me, Narnx?"

"He's not my father.  Just because we're the only iliri here -"

"He is.  That's not a scent you can hide.  How old were you when your mother died?"

He paused before answering.  "Five.  How'd you know?"

Sal sucked in a deep breath, tasting no fear on the man.  "How old were you when he took you into his house to be raised as a servant?"

Narnx's head dropped.  "Five.  The day after my mother died."

"And how did she die?"

He swallowed and took a weak breath before answering.  "Mugged in Terran City."

"Strange how they didn't take the necklace, isn't it?"

"How'd you know about that?"

She tilted her head to his chest.  "I can see the cord around your neck.  Terran men wear little jewelry unless it has sentimental value or is worth a lot of money.  I'd guess that's both.  I'd also guess that he gave it to her."

"You realize you just publicly accused him of an affair with an iliri bitch before the entire army?"

She smiled cruelly.  "And the rumors are already spreading.  I warned him not to fuck with me."

"He'll make you pay, Sal.  He'll make you pay the only way he knows how."  Narnx flicked his eyes to Blaec.

"She'll win," Blaec said, looking up wearily.  "What is my life compared to the lives of all of our people?"

Narnx sighed, pressing his forehead to hers before he reached up and wiped the blood from her face.  "You can't stop him.  Not like this."

"Then get Blaec free," she whispered, her mouth close to his.  "I'll give you anything you want.  Go with him.  Head to the CFC or Viraenova.  Please, Narnx.  This is between Makiel and me, and no one else should be caught in the middle."

"I can't, Sal.  I can't get Blaec through the guards."

She closed her eyes and tried to swallow her desperation.  "Narnx, do you know how we iliri feel about life debts?"

"Yeah," he whispered, turning away.  He left without another word.

She growled and banged her head against the post, still chained tight against it.  She felt helpless.  All she could do was torture the enemy while waiting for him to grow tired of the game and kill her - or worse, kill Blaec.

You can't shift, you can't friend.  How do we get you out of the chains? she asked Blaec.

You don't.  He turned to look at her.  I'm the leverage, Sal.  All he can do is kill me.

She bit her lips and shook her head.  I can't live without you.

You can.  You will.  You have two cessivi, and neither of them is me.  You chose Cyno as your Ahnor because you need him.  You only enjoy me.

Anglia needs you!

No, Blaec said sadly.  Anglia needs you.  Arctic will make a fine general.  The pups will make amazing soldiers.  You don't need me anymore, Sal.  I spent my life doing anything it took to stop this war, so don't you dare give that up to save one stupid iliri mongrel.

"You will not give up," she growled.  I can't do this without you.

Blaec looked up at the sky.  Facing death is not much fun, sweetness, but it's something we all have to do.  Without the keys, you can't get me out of these chains.

And Narnx has the keys, she remembered, hoping that was the solution.  I can make Narnx give them to us.

He shook his head.  I'd still be in the camp, and they all know my face.  I can't change it the way you can.

You can sneak out at night.  You're a damned Black Blade!  You can get out of this.

He took a long, deep breath, not even trying to hide his fear from her.  Circ couldn't, Sal.  We don't always win.  I'm scared to death, but I'm goin to face this like an iliri – with my head finally held up with pride.

Chapter 25

Their hands still locked behind the posts, the iliri stood, exhausted.  Blaec shivered, but Sal's body tolerated the weather.  She wasn't comfortable, but only the thin skin of her ears was suffering from the temperature.

Sal? Blaec asked timidly.

Yeah?

Promise me something?  No matter what, stop this man.  I mean it, love.  If you don't, it'll be Jase next.

She turned her head, looking over to him.  His pale eyes met hers, completely serious.  She clenched her jaw and nodded.  That's a vision, isn't it.  She didn't ask; his tone told her the answer.

He still nodded.  We have to make choices, and this is one.  Sweetness, I've kept journals of all of my prophecies.  I haven't said anything about most of them, but I wrote them all down.  Pig knows where they are.  If anything happens to me, read them, ok?

Her ears hung low on her head when she realized what he was saying.  I will.  Does this mean you aren't going to make it home?

He smiled at her weakly, but there was a hollowness in his eyes.  It's not looking good, sweetness.  If you cripple him enough, maybe you can save me.  Either way, you were worth it, ok?

Sal strained against the bonds, knowing they wouldn't give, but she didn't know what else to do.  You're the first man I've ever loved, Blaec.  The first man I ever chose to be with!  Even the first time, I chose it because I wanted you.  You can't be the first one to die on me.  You can't leave me!

I know.  I'm sorry I held back so much, but I had to.  I'm so glad you have them.  You deserve them, Sal.  You deserve to be loved completely.

She took a long, shaking breath.  I love you so much, Blaec.  I would've made you cessivi too.

I know.  I love you too much for that.  You'll find another.

And you're coming home with me.  She looked back to him, and he nodded, both of them hoping she was right.  But if not, I swear, Blaec.  If he harms you, I swear I will make him pay for it.  I know it matters, so I'll swear it, but I'm going to get you home!

His relief flowed across their link.  Thank you.

Silence hung between them, their emotions saying more than words ever could.  Love was the only thing she had left to offer.  The Emperor had taken everything else.  She barely knew where they were in the world, and their only friends were people who'd once tried to kill them.  Jase and Zep were half a continent away, and she couldn't reach a single mind that wasn't held by the enemy.  If Sal's eyes could've cried, she would have.

But the lack of food was wearing on her.  No matter how hard she tried to stay awake, eventually she dozed off, her legs buckling until the collar around her neck slowly strangled her.  Suffocating, she wrenched herself awake, gasping for air.  A man walking past laughed and she glared at him.

"Pretty brave when you're so far away."  Her desperate anger had no other outlet.

He turned to face her, the look on his face a mixture of anger and disgust.  "Yeah?" he asked, striding toward her.  "I'm not scared of a chained beast.  What the fuck can you do to me?"

He didn't stop until he was in her face, spittle from his lips splattering across her skin.  Sal lunged forward, striking as fast as a snake.  She heard her shoulders pop and felt a flare of pain as one joint was pulled nearly out of place, but she'd judged right.  Her teeth sank into his throat and she bit down, ripping a full mouthful of flesh out as she returned to her position, chewing slowly.

She swallowed and licked at her lips.  "Kill you," she answered, not even caring that the man was too dead to hear.

Beside her, Blaec huffed out a wry laugh.  Jase is right.  You are kinda hot when you're killing.

He'd never told her that before.  They'd been together almost two years and, even though he'd learned to accept her feral ways, that was the first time he'd complimented her for them.  It made her stomach twist.

One down, she thought, trying to push past the futility of their situation.  Unfortunately, that wasn't my best move.  They'll be wary of coming close, now.

Good.  Then they'll stop touching you.

The body lay at her feet for nearly thirty minutes before someone noticed.  A man walking past sounded the alert and it didn't take long before the Black Widows arrived.  The Captain looked from the corpse to her face and sighed.

"Someone get a sword on the beast's throat.  If she goes after one of you, kill her."

"Makiel might not like that," she pointed out.

"Not losing any more men to you."

She shrugged, planning his death in her mind.  "Most of you are pretty tasty.  ‘Cept the traitor."

Narnx laughed and pulled a long, thin blade.  "Then I'll hold her.  Least we know she doesn't eat my kind."

He rested the edge against her neck and Sal leaned into it, feeling it dig into her skin.  For a moment she wondered what would happen if she died.  Would the Emperor stop?  Would Anglia?  Would Blaec go free?  No.  All it would do is condemn her lovers to a slow and painful death.

They removed the man's body, commenting on the wound in his neck with disgust.  She didn't bother to look.  Narnx held her gaze, challenging her dominance.  She had nothing to lose, and if he left, he'd be giving in.  They both knew it, just as they both knew she was truly the stronger iliri.

"Nas gern suma," Sal growled softly.

Narnx glared.  "I don't speak that language, bitch.  You want to talk to me, you do it in Glish."

Sal looked for any sign of an expression on his face but found nothing.  "Good to know.  I suppose this means I'll be getting another visit from your daddy?"

"Dregor," he whispered, showing the lie of his own words.  "I have no father."

Sal cocked her head to the side.  "Is he hoping we die of exposure, or would he prefer we hang ourselves from exhaustion?"

"Both," Captain Vitus said.  "You just killed an officer, bitch."

"He's not the first," she snarled back.  "Jaeger's Crossing comes to mind.  Remember, though, you attacked first."

"Escean Pass," the Captain countered.  "You ambushed us."

Sal nodded.  "Carrying a load of iliri heads.  Again, you attacked us first.  Zaqala.  We were signing an alliance when you killed my Taunor.  You completely ruined my dress doing it."

"You don't sound too upset."

Sal pasted on a smile.  "That's because we brought him back to life."  Then she pinned her ears.  "I will win this.  Do you not understand?"

A deep voice chuckled as he walked up behind her.  Sal recognized Makiel's charming sound, her ears following the squelch of his feet through the mud.  He stayed outside the perimeter of her chain until he was in her line of sight, then gestured for Narnx to leave.

"You won't win," Makiel said.  "You can kill us, but we keep coming.  We will not let your kind ruin the fate of humanity."

Sal chuckled.  "Irony, right there.  An iliri talking about saving the humans from iliri.  I admit, you play the part well - and are pretty convincing - but I can smell what they can't."

"Like what?"

"Arousal."  She met his eyes easily.  "You want to lick the blood from my jaw as you fuck me."  Proving the point, she inhaled again.  "See."

"Disgusting."

Sal just let her eyes drop, running down his body.  "Nice coat.  Bulky.  Concealing."

He shook his head regretfully but stepped close enough to keep their words private, even with the throng of men gathering around them.  "I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work."

"It already has," she promised.  "They're already wondering about your affair with Narnx's mother.  They're already wondering why you're hiding the histories from them.  You see, I hear really well, and men like to talk."

"How did you bring him back to life?" Makiel asked, changing subjects completely.

"Wasn't me.  One of the grauori did it.  I'm not the only miracle worker in Anglia."

"How did you make that man attack me?"

She shrugged innocently.  "Let's call it my amazing charm."

He reached up and grabbed her face, but this time his hands were bare.  Sal gasped as the power of his mind hit her, quickly locking her memories away.  Her lip curled and she snarled, refusing to lower her eyes.  Dozens of images flashed at the back of her mind as his thoughts leaked in, but she ignored them, forcing herself to concentrate on the threat before her.

"Bite me, and your lover will pay for it."

"Get out of my head," she warned.  "It is not a safe place to play."

He smiled slowly as the fingers of his mind sought her memories.  He was trying to use powers that only Kaisaes had ever earned access to.  His talent was rough and fumbling, but Sal had never heard of a male wielding them.  She could only guess it was because there were no other females in his pack.  Blaec had started to experience the same thing in the years before Sal joined the Black Blades, and the Emperor had been at this longer.  The thought of him being able to kill with a touch chilled her to the bone.

"A touch is it?" he purred.

He'd just read her.  She didn't know what else he could do but, obviously, he could read by touch.  Sal turned her mind to plates, remembering the subtle differences that had resulted in her being beaten by her masters, and let it flood her senses completely.

"You'll get nothing from me," she said softly.

He nodded.  "Useful.  Now I know a good way to block readers."

"Only if you're stronger than the reader.  Sadly you aren't stronger than me.  Where's the metal?"

His memories flashed in her mind.  Sal couldn't help but smile.  No matter how hard Makiel tried to block her with surface thoughts, she'd already delved too far inside for that to matter.  He tried to invade her brain with the grace of a sledgehammer, while she'd slipped into his head as gently as a needle, only the initial pinch causing any discomfort to the recipient.  His thoughts told her one story - of his affair with Narnx's mother - while his memories gave her the tactical knowledge and secret intelligence she truly desired.  Each one she copied, packaged, and hid in the back of her mind to go through later.  If only she had a way to get it back to the Blades.

Makiel grinned, thinking he'd bested her, and looked over his shoulder.  His eyes fell on a soldier in the crowd.  "Private," he called, ordering the man to his side.

"Yes, sir?"

"Touch the bitch."  Confused, the man reached up and poked a finger into her arm.  Makiel glared at him.  "No you fool, touch her skin with yours."

Sal inhaled deeply, tasting the man's scent.  "He wants me to kill you," she told the Private.  "He wants to learn how to use that power at the cost of your life."

"Sir?" the man asked, completely confused.

"Just touch her skin.  That's an order."

Timidly, the soldier nodded and pressed the back of his hand to her face.  His fear hit Sal through the touch, mingled with images of two small children and a young wife.  He'd joined the army to support his kids, terrified that he'd never make it home, but hoped that at least the death benefits would see them cared for until they were grown.

"I understand," she told the man.  "The word you're looking for is umso."

Makiel released her long enough to crack her hard across the mouth, making Sal snarl.  As exhausted as she was, her reaction was primal.  For a split second, she stopped thinking about the humans she was trying to convert and wanted nothing more than to kill the man for the pain he'd just caused.

"Do not try to subvert my soldiers," Makiel snapped, the hint of an iliri growl rumbling in his tone.

"Why not?" she demanded.  "It's you that wants me to kill him for your own gain.  If he cried umso to Anglia, we'd return him to his wife and kids where he truly belongs."

Makiel shook his head.  "No, bitch.  You want to kill him.  Don't lie to us.  You eat humans."

"The enemy," Sal clarified.  "Murderous, lecherous, villainous men.  Yes, I do eat them.  I also love humans.  My mate is human.  My best friend is human.  My King is human.  The world is not as black and white as you wish it were, Makiel."

"It can be," he whispered.  "Stick a knife in the Major's shoulder again."

"Did you not learn last time?" Sal yelled, feeling her panic rise.  "I will get closer to your heart each time."

He smiled.  "That will work too."

Her breath fled her body as she realized what he wanted.  No matter what she did, he'd feel it - and copy it.  She couldn't even put Blaec to sleep without giving the Emperor more power over her people.

I'm fine, Blaec thought, understanding the same thing.  You have more tricks than he does.  I love you, my Kaisae.

She nodded, knowing Blaec could see.  "I will not give you more power over humans," Sal swore.  "You cannot touch me forever, and if you aren't holding me, you can't learn what I do."

"Stab him in the gut."

Her ears flicked back, hoping to close off the sound of Blaec's pain, but it didn't work.  The blade pierced his flesh and his muffled scream cut through the noise of the crowd.

"I love you!" she called out.

"Don't let him win," Blaec groaned.  "No matter what, you can't let him win, sweetness."

She nodded again, wishing she could cry.  "I will make you regret this, Makiel.  I swear it," she promised the Emperor.

"On what?" the old man asked.  "You don't believe in a god.  Your vows are empty."

"Ayati," she said softly.  "The nature of the world is stronger than even your made-up beliefs.  You. Will. Not. Win."

"Stab him again.  This time lower."

She roared her rage into his face, but it didn't stop the abuse.  Blaec screamed loudly this time, the scent of his blood drifting to her senses.  When the Emperor smiled proudly, it sent her over the edge.

With her fingers already deep in the recesses of his mind it didn't take much.  She grabbed his heart and froze it, watching the man's eyes widen as the pain hit.  Desperate, she tried to take control of his mind too, but he fought, flinging her attempt at control off.  His heart beat again, but he'd shifted her mental hands to something else.  Something she recognized.

Something that felt a lot like her brothers' skills.

"Copy this," she hissed, wrenching and tearing at the iliri structures in his head, ruining every one.  She moved quickly, knowing the pain of what she was doing would make him break the contact.  She couldn't risk something being left intact.  She didn't have time to identify everything he'd accumulated, but she could feel the pure colors of his skills as distinct from everything else in his mind.  As she ripped, she growled.  She snarled as she pulled, turning his mind into less than a human's in milliseconds.  He screamed and tore at his head, falling into the mud.

"I will win!" she roared.

"Kill him!" the Emperor bellowed.  "Make her watch while her lover dies."

"No!" Sal screamed, realizing her mistake.  Her head snapped to Blaec.  Panic hit her like ice.  "Don't!  Please, not him!"  She surged against the chains.  "I'll fix it!"

It's the only way, Blaec thought, meeting her eyes.  If he kept his skills, he'd win.  I chose this.

Two men grabbed Blaec, one of them removing the shackles on his hands, the other grabbing the resin cable attached to his leash.  He struggled, but the wounds and lack of food made him too weak to do much.  The guards easily dragged him to stand before the crowd.  No matter how hard Sal pulled, she couldn't get free to help him.

This was happening.  Shaking her head, struggling against her bonds, she screamed over and over, "No!" but it didn't slow them.  They forced him, stumbling, to stand right before her.  "I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt him!" she begged.

"We'll get it right next time."  Blaec spoke as if no one else was around, tears welling even as he tried to look brave.  "I love you, Sal.  Don't let this hurt.  I know you're strong enough."

The defeat in his voice hurt too much.  She wailed, struggling against the restraints yet refusing to look away.  Her eyes found his and she held on, begging the world to stop, for time to halt even as the human raised the knife to his neck.

"No!" she begged.  "Please not him.  I love him!"

The Terrans just laughed at her desperation, proving nothing would stop this.  Nothing could turn back time or release their bonds.  All she had left was the power of her mind, and it wasn't enough.  She was chained like an animal, helpless to do anything.

And she had a promise to keep.

Sucking back a deep, painful breath, she wrapped her mind around his - and froze.  "I love you.  I will always love you.  I will make them pay," she whispered, feeling Jase and Zep's terror in the back of her mind as her last bit of hope melted.

"Do it!" the Emperor ordered.

Blaec's eyes were filled with fear as the knife met his skin.  Before the pain could hit, she twisted his soul, knocking him unconscious.  His weight sagged against their hold, but he'd feel nothing.  It was the last kindness she could give him.  The last moment she'd ever have with him.  As the deep red blood started in a slow trickle, she screamed, her wail growing louder as Blaec's life flowed down his chest.

Across the distance, Sal tried to heal him, tried to slow the bleeding, tried to make his body obey her will, but his light was dimming in her mind.  Her entire focus was locked on saving Blaec's life, but she couldn't reach him.  In her head, the smothering of his spark cut at her brain, a wound like she'd never felt before.  She sank to the ground, straining harder with her mind, screaming louder with the pain of his soul being wrenched from her head, leaving an aching void.

"Fuck," Narnx whispered.  "The link.  She's about to lose her ever-loving mind."

"What?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Pissed off berserk Kaisae in the middle of nothing but targets!" Narnx snapped.

One of the men holding Blaec looked at Sal and laughed.  "Serves you right, bitch," he said before nodding to his companion.

They dropped Blaec's dying body in the mud and left.  Sal couldn't tear her eyes away.  Her mind struggled to hold onto him, but he slipped through her mental fingers, too faint to grab.  All she could do was watch his chest still try to rise and fall, her sanity slipping away as her only reason to live died before her eyes.  And she was powerless.

Then, with a searing pain, he was simply - completely - gone from her mind.

His presence was ripped away like a brand inside her skull, searing apart his connection to the pack.  She screamed, slamming her head against the post, lurching against the bonds, trying to make the pain end, but nothing eased it.  She snarled and yanked, pulling her hands through the solid manacles, leaving her skin behind.

Released from the post, she pounced on the Emperor, who still crouched inside the reach of her chain.  Her teeth latched onto the side of his face.  Soldiers yelled and moved into action, pulling her away as they drug him out of her grasp, but she'd gone feral.  She surged forward over and over, blind to any reason, hitting the end of her chain hard enough to shift the bolt in the wood.

"Stop, or we'll kill you," Captain Vitus yelled from outside her reach.

"She doesn't care!" Narnx told him, trying to move the humans back.  "Her link's broken.  She's not thinking like that!"

"Then what the fuck is she thinking like?" the Captain asked, panic in his voice.

Narnx dodged Sal's next attack.  "She thinks she needs to kill us all.  She needs to protect him from the threat."

Over and over, Sal threw herself at them then strained to reach Blaec.  Her only sounds were snarls and growls, the look in her eyes was completely animalistic.  The single thing she was aware of was the searing pain in her head and the emptiness that caused it.  Her Dernor was dead, and she needed to make the world pay.

Chapter 26

They rode through lunch, Jase and Zep pushing the others hard.  With the grey, diffused light, it was impossible to know the time, but the sun was still too bright to be evening.  They could make a few more kilometers before they had to stop again.  A few more kilometers closer to Sal.  A few less to cover the next day.

The cessivi knew something was bothering Sal.  With every hour, her will to fight faded, only a few brief flares of anger giving them hope that she'd survive this.  Jase and Zep didn't talk about it.  They didn't need to.  Their own worries passed easily between them, each one driving the other forward.  Risk and Razor, aware of their troubled glances, made no attempt to slow the pace.

Suddenly, Zep reined in Cessa hard, Jase spinning Raven in place.  "No," Jase breathed, looking to Risk.

His face said everything.  They'd done this before.  They knew what was coming.  Someone was about to die and nothing they could do now would stop it.

"Go," Zep told Marin.  "Don't stop, don't look back, just ride.  Just go!"

"But - "

He pointed to the distance, his eyes growing red and wet.  "Don't talk to me, just get the fuck out of sight!"  He slid from Cessa's side, a sob in his throat, then looked up at the Terran soldier and winced, grabbing at his head.  "Go!"

Marin went.  He kicked his horse hard, pushing it out of sight before pulling up, the screams of torture and anguish behind him neverending.  He almost made it out of earshot before he couldn't take it anymore.  He had to know what was happening.

In a cluster of trees, he tied the gelding and began climbing, making his way along the rocks, keeping the wind on his side.  Where he'd left them, the Black Blades writhed in a pain he couldn't understand.  He had no idea how long they'd been suffering - it felt like hours but probably wasn't - and they weren't done.

Razor lay still on the ground.  Risk clawed at his head.  Zep clung to Jase even as the smaller man bit and clawed at him, surging in the direction of their mate.  Marin didn't understand how they knew where she was, but unerringly, they did.  He'd seen them look that way too often.

The horses had wandered, ignoring the primal noises of their masters for the lure of grazing.  While he watched, Risk went limp, his arm stretching in the same direction Jase was still lunging.  The little assassin kept at it for nearly an hour until Zep began to succumb to whatever disease had taken them.  When the human lost consciousness, only then did Jase's frenzy begin to fade.

With some feral need, he tried to drag his brother another step, but it was too much.  Giving in, the little assassin sank to the ground, pulled Zep closer, and held him until he too could no longer fight the agony they suffered.  Snarling one last time, the last Black Blade fell into an unnatural sleep.

Marin watched them until one of the horses wandered too far.  He shouldn't be helping these people.  They'd tortured him!  They were just beasts, just animals that couldn't be trained.  They weren't supposed to have loyalty, yet he'd seen it.  Even in his last act, the assassin had tried to keep his human friend with him.

They'd also let him go.  No, they'd sent him away for his own safety.

But he was an elite.  He'd spent his life fighting for an idea, and he'd just seen the reality of it before him.  All the lies, half-truths, and propaganda of his country had been laid bare by the honest suffering he'd witnessed over the last few days.  These people weren't monsters, and if they were beasts, then they were the most faithful he'd ever seen.

Making his way back to his own gelding, the Terran's thoughts spun back on themselves.  He should leave them.  He'd ride hard to Echo Gap, get back to the Encampment, and report.  He'd learned... nothing.  The only things he'd heard while held by the Black Blades was what they already knew.  The girl was leading the military, the Black Blades were following her orders, Anglia no longer fought like an ancient military, and the wolves weren't just wolves.

He didn't dare tell his superior officers that the iliri were more complex than they'd been led to believe.  He'd be court-martialed as a sympathizer.  They'd say he was working to help them.  He knew the stories, but they were so wrong.

Consuming human flesh was abhorrent.  The iliri were trying to make all humans into livestock.  They were using people to breed more of their kind and to feed what remained.  That was what the military believed.  That's what he'd been told.  That was what all of the facts supposedly said.

But it wasn't what Marin had seen.

He reined the gelding around, heading back to the cluster of men.  Their horses had spread even farther, but the four bodies lay just like he'd last seen them.  Creeping slowly toward the man named Razor, Marin reached down and felt for a pulse.  He found one, but the man's eyes were still partially open, a dark stain trickling from his nose.  Risk was no better, except it was his ear that bled.  He wasn't brave enough to check on Zep or Jase.

Quickly he caught their mounts.  Leading them to a flat area, he found a picket line, strung it, and tacked down the animals.  Each of the Blades had an efficient set of gear, and in two days of travel, Marin had learned where to find the basics.  A dagger was first.  Then he started a small fire, laid out bedrolls for each of them, cared for the horses, and set out to find a meal.

He took the bow from Risk's pack and began climbing.  The rabbits were too small and fast to hit but, eventually, he found a few large game birds dozing in the underbrush.  He managed to kill two before the rest scattered.

Back at the camp, the iliri still hadn't moved.  He dropped the birds by the fire and headed first to Razor, the least threatening of the group.  Nothing Marin did would wake him, so he gave in and lifted the man over his shoulder, staggering under the awkward weight until he could drop him on one of the pallets.  Risk was light enough to carry like a woman.  The golden man moaned when Marin lifted him, but he refused to wake.

There was no way he could lift Zep, but Jase was the smallest.  Marin debated leaving him for a moment, but couldn't get the vision of Jase trying so hard to move Zep.  He'd said they wouldn't eat him.  Marin whispered a prayer that they were right, then bent to pick up the deadly iliri.

He felt no heavier than a teen in Marin's arms, but the sharp teeth visible in his slack mouth made carrying Jase seem like a foolish idea.  When Marin lay the little man on the bedroll, he backed away quickly, fighting visions of those teeth coming at him.  He'd fought against the Blades enough times to know exactly how lethal they were.  He'd heard stories of the assassin ripping men to shreds with nothing else.

When he returned for Zep, the human was beginning to stir.  "Hey," Marin whispered.

Zep winced, pressing his hand to his face.  "Ah shit.  Fuck."

"You ok?"

"He's gone," Zep whimpered.  "Damn you, Blaec."  He tried to roll to his knees, but his body rebelled.  With a sob, the large man pressed his face into the dirt.  "They killed him."

"Who?" Marin asked.

"LT.  They killed Blaec."

"How do you know?"

Zep looked up with a tear-streaked face.  "He's just gone.  He's not in my mind.  I can feel the hole where he used to be, but he's gone!"

"What about Salryc?"  Carefully, Marin rubbed Zep's shoulder.

"It hurts so bad," Zep muttered, trying once more to climb to his feet.  "Where's Jase?"

He pushed his shoulder under Zep's arm and helped the man stand.  "The rest are by the fire.  I got something for them to eat, but I don't know if they can digest it.  What happened?  You all just lost it."

"Our link broke," Zep said, swaying as he stood.  A sob huffed out.  "Fuck.  I can't do this."

"Yeah.  You can.  I need you to help me, Zep."

They staggered a few feet before Zep began to wilt.  "Oh Sal," he whispered to himself.  "Baby, I'm so sorry.  Don't.  Don't do that, baby."

"C'mon," Marin encouraged.  "Just a few more steps."

"She's trying to die," Zep sobbed.  "No.  I need you, Sal.  I can't.  I need you so much, baby."

"Jase needs you," Marin said.

Those were the words that finally got through.  With the Terran's help, Zep staggered toward the fire, crumpling beside Jase.  Wailing, he grabbed the tiny man's body, pressing his head into Jase's limp chest, sobbing without shame.  Marin left him to his grief, still confused about what had knocked the entire group out, but determined to help in some way.  It mattered, they said.  Watching the pain on Zep's face, Marin realized that he had no idea how strong those words had been.

He placed the first bird on a spit when another voice spoke up.  "Is she alive?" Risk asked.

"Yeah," Zep breathed.

Razor also began to stir.  "Shade," he muttered.

"I don't know," Zep told him.  "Risk, can you feel Tilso?"

"Not cessivi."  He groaned and sat up, looking confused, but tears leaked from his eyes.  "Where are we?"

"I got the horses," Marin said, "and made a camp.  They were starting to wander."

Risk sniffed and wiped at his face.  "How are you alive?"

"I sent him away," Zep told them.  "He came back."

Risk nodded.  "Cyno still out?"

Zep hugged his brother closer.  "No.  He's just not ready to speak."

"How do I cook the bird?" Marin asked, hating to be rude, but unsure of how they would eat it.

"Does na matter," Jase said softly.

"You have to eat," Marin reminded them.  "Even I know that.  Iliri don't do well if they don't eat regularly.  That's why we withhold..." he let the words die off, realizing how cruel he was being.  "Sorry."

"She can na touch him," Jase said, pulling his eyes open.  "Why would they na let her touch him?"

With a sigh, Marin met his blue eyes.  "To make her suffer.  If that's what she wants, that's what they will not give her."

"She'll kill them."

"She hasn't yet?" Razor asked.

"No."  Zep pressed his head against the top of Jase's.  "She got a few, but not all of them.  They have her chained, and she can't reach them.  Star Fall's embedded."

"What?" Marin gasped, sitting up.  "Star Fall infiltrated the encampment?"

Jase's eyes locked on him.  "Friend or na, I will kill ya if ya try ta hurt her."

"I'm here," Marin reminded him.  "I can't do shit!"

"Jase," Risk said weakly.  "He doesn't understand."

"He can na.  He's just Ace."  His lips curled back as he pulled away from Zep.  "She did na kill them all because she had ta choose.  She had ta hold Blaec asleep so he would na suffer, so she did na get the chance to tear them apart.  Her only weapons were men that tried to kill her once, but she did na use them because one of them did na.  Ten men for one act of kindness.  Do ya understand now?  They could have been her arms.  They could have been her tools.  She spared her enemies ta save her friends.  She spared the Terran who did na hate her to - " he paused, his eyes losing focus.  "Narnx."

Zep also stared at nothing.  "Do you think he'll help?"

"Talk to me," Risk begged.

"I do na know.  The Emperor is iliri, though.  He tried ta take her skills."

"He's not iliri," Marin said.  "He's just an old man."

"An old iliri crossbred," Zep corrected.  "Sal's sure of it.  Narnx is his real son.  Judoc was his packmate.  I'm not sure what that means, but that's what Sal feels."

Marin nodded.  "Yeah.  He adopted Judoc, but the Archduke came back from Anglia crazy.  The Emperor swears that's how iliri treat humans and that he was lucky to get away."

Jase snarled and slammed his hand into the dirt.  "We sent him back.  We healed him and sent him back."

"What did you do to him first?" Marin asked, remembering the knife cutting into his own leg.

Jase smiled and licked at his lips.  "We broke him.  A lot.  But he told us ever'thing.  He never said a word, but he told us.  Tell me if that is better or worse than what ya just did?"

"I didn't do anything," Marin reminded him.  "Even after you tried to eat me, I'm still helping."

Risk pulled himself to his feet and staggered to sit beside Marin.  Slowly, weakly, he reached over and rubbed the Terran's shoulder.  "It hurts.  Imagine your best friend died, and then someone cut every memory of him from your body with a red-hot knife."  Risk tapped his skull.  "It hurts in here."  He pulled his hand away and sighed, then rubbed at his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Marin said softly.

Risk's tears came faster.  "He saved my life.  He conscripted me so I wouldn't have to be chained.  He made sure that I'd never be a pet again."  The golden man looked up at the stars, no longer trying to hide the tears.  "Each time the humans tried to beat me down, he was always there with a sword to block it or a word to stop it.  We always have to choose between chains and slavery.  He just wanted to see us free!"

"How did he die?" Razor asked.

Zep pulled in a breath and let it all out before answering.  "In chains.  Sal made him sleep, but she couldn't stop it."

Risk whimpered at that, pressing his face into his hands.  Razor winced from the words, but Jase just stared at the ground.  "He never knew chains," he reminded the rest.  "It was na the same fer him.  He would have hated that he could na fight, but we can na change it."

"But we can make them pay," Razor swore.

"How do I help?" Marin asked.

Risk reached up and wrapped an arm around him, then pressed his face into his shoulder.  "Just go home.  Help us get Sal out of there, then go home."

Surprisingly, Marin put his arm around Risk and hugged the iliri man closer.  "I'll remember his name, ok?  I'm pretty sure I can do something more, but at least I'll do that.  Blaec Doll, the leader of the finest group of soldiers I ever crossed swords against."

Risk's only answer was to sob again.  Razor stood and moved beside them, embracing the pair, not hiding his own tears.  When another hand touched his shoulder, Marin looked up - shocked to see Jase.

Their eyes held for a moment, then Jase shifted his grip, one finger moving to the bare skin at Marin's neck.  For a moment, he was sure the assassin was about to kill him, until those dark blue eyes closed and his body tensed.  When he opened them again, Jase nodded and moved to his brothers' side, wrapping his arms around all of them.

Marin pulled himself from the intimate moment and focused on their meal.  He removed the first bird from the fire, replacing it with the next.  He didn't belong here.  He didn't deserve to see these men like this.  He had no intimate ties with them, yet they pulled at something.

They'd only hurt him to help one of their own.  They'd never been anymore cruel than he'd been to other prisoners - and much more forgiving.  Years of training told him to fear them, but he'd never seen Terran soldiers care so much about the fate of their officer.  All too often, the death of a superior meant a promotion.

He'd heard Robson talk about the failed mission in Yager's Crossing.  Sal had been willing to sacrifice herself for her fellow soldiers.  At the time, Marin had thought it was just a ploy to distract them, but seeing the Black Blades now?  He could no longer think of the iliri as beasts.  No, they made him feel like one.

The thought made his head spin.  The iliri were not the barbarians he'd been told.  They were not vicious animals trying to eradicate all humans from the continent.  They were just people.  Different, but so much the same.  It was too much to take in.  He couldn't blame them for what they'd done in Syhar.  He was the only prisoner.  He was the only possible source of information.  If this was what they suffered when one of their own died, then their abuse of him had been nothing more than self-defense and desperation.

Self-defense.  Chains.  Freedom.

Marin's knees buckled as the words rattled in his head.  Dropping heavily onto the dirt, his eyes locked on the tendrils of flames reaching for the sky.  They'd done nothing cruel - it was always self-defense.  Each battle, each country, each story of the decade-long war, Marin could not find a single example of the iliri attacking first.  It was always Terric.  They were always trying to strike before the iliri could get a foothold, or ambush them, or push them back, or whatever.  It was always Terric slaughtering innocent people.  It was always he who attacked without provocation.

Slowly Marin pulled the dagger from the back of his belt and lay it on the sand.  "Umso," he said softly, more to himself than the people around him.  "I've been fighting for the wrong side this whole damned time.  I surrender."

When he lifted his head, he saw Zep watching.  The dark man nodded.  "Yeah.  I think you get it.  I think you finally understand what this war's really about."

"How do I help?" Marin asked.  "How do I fix this?"

Zep pointed at the ceramic blade.  "Keep that.  You'll need it when we try to cross Echo Gap."

"How can you trust me?"  He looked at the dagger he'd taken while they were all unconscious.

The big man smiled, but it was the saddest he'd ever seen.  "Jase touched you.  That's all they need.  Iliri have no secrets."  Zep sniffed and wiped at his nose.  "Spend too much time with them, and you forget why anyone would hide things like that.  You forget that how you feel is something you should be ashamed of."

Chapter 27

One hundred Nuvani could make an impressive dent, Arctic thought.  Before him, Terrans lined the ridge and blocked the best pass from Issevi through the mountains.  What they didn't realize was that two units had already been decimated.  Tseri's soldiers fought as well as the Black Blades.

Now, they just needed to break through.  Somewhere on the other side was the rest of his pack, but he couldn't think about that, right now.  He needed a plan, and they were all counting on him.  Arctic closed his eyes and exhaled, remembering Sal's praise.  He could do this.  He wasn't Blaec, but he didn't want to be.  He loved his brother, but he shouldn't strive to be like him.  They didn't need to be human, anymore.

I need one unit to flank to the north.  Three units will push the pass with us, and the last will stalk those trying to escape.  Blades, we need to make a hole and get through.  After that, the Nuvani will clean up the mess and return to Issevi.  His orders, thankfully, sounded confident.

A woman's mental voice replied, Raewar, we're at your disposal for as long as you need us.  We're willing to ride to the Kaisae with you.

Not this time, he thought back.  Unav needs you.  The Kaisae's best chance is a strategic hit, not a small army.

I understand.

Her touch faded from his mind and Arctic nudged Bazya forward.  This was it.  The Terrans knew they were coming, but they weren't sure how many, when, or where.  He opened his unit's minds, allowing his men to feel the perceptions of all the others.

The pack was too small, but they were his.  All of them waited.  Before him, a soldier wandered up the wooded trail, completing the round of his patrol.  That's all they needed.  That meant it was time.  This was their best chance to get across the mountains to save Blaec and Sal.

Kill them all, he thought.

Like arrows, the iliri rushed forward.  Nuvani maargra aimed for the stone ridge.  Mounted soldiers spurred their horses.  Together, as silent as a pack of predators, they hit the enemy.  The only warning of their attack was the sound of the horses' hooves.  The small Nuvani mounts wove between the crush.  The heavier war horses of the Blades trampled anything that was left.  Arctic felt the growl building in his chest and hacked at the man closest.

Light ‘em up, Shade.

Standing at the edge of the treeline with Tilso, she'd been waiting for her order.  Beside Arctic, a man's armor burst into flames.  Ahead of him, something exploded.  Arctic swung again, cleaving a soldier's throat, but without Sal, the feeling was numb.  There was no joy in the kill, just a need to keep moving.  He fed it to his brothers.  They just had to make it through the pass and out the other side without stopping.

A high pitched snarl warned him.  Pressing Bazya over, he saw the nuvani leap, grabbing a Terran before biting down on his arm.  She thrashed, jerking her head back and forth for the most damage.  All around him, the same thing happened.  Those on foot picked off the enemy the mounted fighters couldn't reach.  The scent of blood filled the air, driving them on.

They had to push right up the center.  His little army was outnumbered, but they liked it that way.  More meat.  More chances to get a good kill.  Less friends to keep track of.  Arctic could feel Shift, Geo, and Audgan beside him.  The young Blades rose in their stirrups like they'd been taught, using their bodies to give their weapons more power.  They killed.  All of them killed, and still more Terrans came.

The stream of enemy soldiers seemed unending.  What started as a charge was now more like wading.  The horses slowly pushed, but the humans refused to quit.  Just as the Blades reached the edge of the rocky walls, something changed.  In the back of his head, he felt a pull.  Distracted, he didn't see the sword aimed at his mare's legs.

Until the Terran screamed in pain.  Dropping the weapon, the man clutched his burning hand, and a warning flicked across his mind from Shade.  It wasn't enough to stop the headache.  Too late, Arctic understood.

Blaec! he screamed, the thought traveling across all the links.

Around him, the women roared.  His brothers pushed closer.  They had to cross the pass.  They had to stop this.  They had to help their leader, but there were too many bodies.  It was too hot, and there were too many people between him and his closest friend.  It was impossible, but Arctic couldn't give up.  He had to try.  If he turned back now -

A woman's voice took over.  Nuvani, cover the Blades!  Kill the Terrans.  Their link is breaking!

Blaec! he screamed again, knowing it was futile.  He wasn't sure if the cry was only in his mind, but stopping the pain was all that mattered.  "They're killing him," he snarled.  "Make them pay.  Make them all pay for what they've done."

His men obeyed.  He could feel the pain in their heads as well as his own.  By the trees, Shade was screaming.  Tilso was crying.  Beside him, his brothers fought, knowing they were Blaec's only chance, but they'd never make it in time.  It didn't matter.  They had to kill.  They had to do something, and this was all he had.  The screams of the nuvani begged them for more.

Around him, the pale women shoved closer.  One dared to look back.  Her yellow eyes held sympathy.  That's when he understood.  The pain.  It was in his mind.  It wasn't from the link, but his mind.  Blaec was dying.  He was being pulled from them and tearing at their very souls.

But the world was still getting hotter.

Shade!  It was her.  It had to be.  Don't hurt the Nuvani.

It hurts, the girl thought back.  Her mental voice was a whimper.

And the world burst into flames.  Fire and smoke rose like a wave, rushing before him.  Men screamed.  Women roared in fear.  Across the mountainside, the fires raged, growing closer.  In his mind, he felt the woman of his dreams lashing out, trying to kill everything that had ever hurt her, but she was blind with anguish.

The pain was deafening.  Arctic's entire world was blurred by the ringing in his ears and the tearing at his mind, but he could feel Shade.  She was alone.  She needed him, and he'd left her, just like Blaec was leaving them.  The world wavered between the waves of heat that the tears in his eyes, but one thing was clear: he had to get to Shade.

Pull back, he ordered, putting as much command into it as he could.  All Blades, get the fuck out of here before the link breaks.

Despair hit him like a fist as the men understood.  Shift reached out, grabbed the reins to Geo's gelding, and wrenched, turning them both.  Audgan growled, but kept fighting, even as Nazar followed her herd mates, but Arctic couldn't wait.  She was burning.  Soon they'd all be burning.  In a few seconds, Blaec would be gone, and any chance of rational thought would go with him.  Their leader was dying and Sal wasn't stopping it.  He didn't know how or why, but that much he was sure of.

"Move!" he yelled, pushing his mare through the soldiers behind him.  "Get the fuck out of my way or we'll all die!"

She burns.  That's what Blaec had said, and he'd meant Shade.  Only he could stop her, and she burned.  Behind him, the flames crackled, growing large enough to light the trees along the path.

Go, Shift thought at him.  I'll get these two.  You get her.  Just go.

He went.  Nuvani had to jump out of his way, but Bazya knew his need.  She would go through or over, but nothing would stop her.  As Arctic clung to her back, his mare barreled down the hill, heading to the treeline where the last of his pack struggled to understand what was happening.  He knew.  He'd felt it before.  He knew exactly how bad this would hurt, and could only hope it wasn't the first of many.

"Shade!"

Two paces away, he swung his leg over Bazya's neck and jumped to the ground, letting the mare continue.  He only had eyes for his girl.  Her lips were pulled back in a snarl.  Her miss-matched eyes were locked on the pass, and her hands moved like she was throwing things.  At her feet, Tilso lay crumpled, clutching his head.  The whimper sounded like a puppy.  It was driving Shaden on, begging her to protect her brother.

Without fear, he rushed toward her and grabbed her arms.  With a gentle shake, he forced her to look at him.  "You have to stop."

"It hurts!"

He shifted his hands to her face.  "It's gonna hurt a lot worse."

The words were barely out before they were true.  Like a hot knife in his head, the last hint of their leader's connection was wrenched out.  Arctic saw Shade's eyes widen and her mouth part, then her gaze went blank.  All that was left was a beast.  It called to him, pulled at him, and begged him to protect her.  She was all he had left, and nothing would hurt her.

But she'd kill them all.

The thought was little more than a whisper, nearly lost amidst the anguish, but it sounded like Blaec.  It was enough - barely - to keep him sane.  "Put it out, Shade," he begged.  "You'll kill us.  You have to put out the flames."

"They hurt him!  He was kind, and now he's gone!"

Desperate, he did the one thing that would snap her out of it.  Arctic kissed her.  Pressing his mouth to her slack lips, he didn't try anything else, he just kissed her.  She gasped and shoved at him, but his hands held her face.  Then, like a dam bursting, she relaxed.  A second later, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and a sob broke free.

"Arctic," she whimpered.

"Burn the pass, baby, but not us."

"Don't leave me!"

He could barely think.  His head was pounding, but he heard her.  He needed her.  No matter how much he wanted to tear apart the men who'd hurt him, she needed him more.  "Never," he swore.

Her wild eyes looked up, right into his, and she nodded.  Once.  Behind him, the world erupted into chaos.  Flames shot to the sky.  The wind rushed in to fuel it, and soldiers screamed.  Both humans and iliri ran, the sound of their feet like thunder, but Shade held his gaze.  She clung to him, physically and mentally, and he knew he could do this.  Blaec had already seen it.  He could ignore his instincts.  He was stronger than the pain.

"Now put it out, imp."  His thumb traced her cheek.  "Put the fires out and we'll mourn together.  I swear I'll never leave you, but you have to put the fires out.  I'll never let anyone hurt you again, Shaden, if you just make it stop burning."

She gasped and wilted into him, but the flames went out.  For a single heartbeat, the silence was surreal and completely at odds with the pounding of his brain.  Then she let out a sob.  It wracked her whole body.  Pressed against him, he felt it and held her closer.  She didn't even try to fight.

The pass...  His knees buckled before he finished the thought.

The leader of the Nuvani didn't need anything else.  She took over.  The fires are out.  Kill the humans, clean up the wounded, and check the Blades.  Their link is broken.  Have care but get them back to Issevi.

Arctic blinked.  All he could see was blue sky.  He could barely think but knew he was on the ground.  Shade's arm was across his chest.  He couldn't feel her but knew she was still in the link.  That was all he needed.  He blinked again, trying to find his brothers, but the pain in his mind was too much.  It throbbed and burned, blinding him from everything else.

Then a woman leaned over him.  Her pale-yellow eyes were familiar, but her scent wasn't.  In a daze, he watched her gaze flick to his side, then back.  "Raewar?"

The growl that answered wasn't his.  Shade's hand pressed, and from the corner of his vision, he saw her red mane as she struggled to look up.  Her face was on the Nuvani woman.

"He's mine."

The soldier dropped her eyes and nodded.  "Yes, ilus.  I am only here to help.  I was ordered.  I promise I will not disrespect your mate."  She knelt, then looked to Arctic.  "Sleep, Raewar.  It hurts less.  I have your back."

His eyes finally slipped closed.  My mate, he thought.  If only he could have told Blaec.  The tears began to slide down his cheeks.

***

Rais moved his horse beside Pig.  He couldn't see, but the Major could.  Then again, Rais didn't know if that was still Pig's rank.  Anglia didn't seem to care about those things as much.  But what mattered right now was what the grauori could sense.  There were Terrans in the area, and the Forward Camp was gone.

"Anything?" he asked his friend.

Pig huffed under his breath.  "Yeah.  That bastard has the entire border covered.  I think he moved all his units down here to push you, knowing he couldn't stand against us."

"Yeah."  Rais sighed.  "Kinda what I thought.  So, how are we gonna play this?  There's about ten CFC units we can - "

The words fled from Rais's mind when Pig suddenly sat up straight.  His head turned to the northeast and a massive breath slid out.  "No," Pig whispered.

"What?"

When the leader of the Devil Dogs looked back, his eyes were moist.  "Blaec."

The feeling of needles sprang up across Rais's body and the blood dropped to his feet.  "Are you sure?"

Pig thrust a hand out, one finger pointing.  "They are."

From the underbrush, four pale forms slunk toward them.  The bitch in the front had her eyes locked on Pig.  For a moment, Rais heard nothing, until the grauori leader turned to him.

The Kaisae is still alive, but the Black Blades' link is broken.  The Raewar was with the nuvani.  They told the Kaeen who told the Orassae.  The Kaisor is dead.

"What do you mean, the link broke?"

Her head twitched to the side in confusion.  The link.  It binds us, like a safety net.  Together, we are more than we are alone.  It holds us.  It connects us.  The link binds us, and when one is lost, the pain of the break will cripple the pack.  The Nuvani protect the Black Blades, but it will take time before they can help their Kaisae.

Her words gave him one small hope.  "Sal's still alive?"

She is for now, but we can't get over the mountains.

Beside him, Pig's breath shuddered, proving that he was trying hard not to break down.  From the look of the grauori, they weren't doing much better.  All of their ears hung limp, their tails loose against their rumps.  Even though he couldn't understand their words, Rais knew they were all grieving.  It was the least of what Blaec Doll deserved.

"Rais?" Pig asked.  The tone of command was missing from his voice.

"I'm sorry.  I know you two were close."

Pig waved that away.  "They can't get across the mountains."  He took a deep breath.  "You know as well as I do how dangerous it is to be distracted."

"Yeah."  Making decisions based on emotions was the fastest way to get your unit killed.

Then Pig looked up at him.  His hands trembled on the reins.  "The grauori don't need a focused leader to make their decisions.  We need a fast unit with skilled horsemen to retrieve the Kaisae.  The Blades can't get across the mountains, Rais.  They can't, but we can."

Like a hammer to the gut, he understood.  The only way Sal was going to get free from the Emperor was if her rescue came from the Conglomerate.  "Pig, translate for the grauori.  Keep them away from the humans, but hold this line."  He turned his horse, intending to race to his men, but a single grauori blocked his path.

The male twitched his tail, nearly wagging like a canine, then touched Rais's mind.  I can help.

"Ok?"

Pig laughed, but it sounded more relieved than amused.  "He's a linker.  He's also without a pack."  He looked to the female on his other side, nodded, then back.  "Rais, he's yours for as long as you want him.  Rragri will not mind."

"Yeah..."  He caught Pig's eye, then nodded.  "I'll do everything I can.  Fuck politics.  Just stay safe over here."

Pig nodded, his shoulders finally relaxing.  "Just save her.  She's the only thing that can stop this war, and I owe Blaec that much.  We'll work out the details later, but I'm trusting you, Rais."

"I'll make sure you don't regret it."  Then, for the first time, he reached out for his unit with his mind.  112th!  We need to move.  The Kaisae needs us.

Chapter 28

"Makiel Geirr," Sal growled, lunging at the end of her chain.

"Thought you said you'd win?" he taunted, soldiers clustered around him, tending to his wounds.

Sal lifted her lips in a rabid smile and pulled harder.  Behind her, the bolt shifted again, slowly working its way free even as the collar cut into her throat.  "I swore to my Dernor that I would avenge him.  You are what you always wanted now: a human.  You can't even sense my thoughts.  I took it all.  I crippled you," she growled.  "You killed my lover!  That's my mate, and he's dead!  Dead!  You killed him, and I will make you pay for that.  I will make all of Terric pay for that!"  She paused, closing her eyes.

"Oh fuck," Narnx breathed, backing away.  "Not me, Sal, please not me."

From behind the Emperor, a single Terran soldier rushed forward, his knife in his hand.  The guards stopped him - one with a sword to the chest - but another came to take his place.  Over and over, loyal soldiers attacked.  Alone, they were no match, but Narnx understood.

When they killed the fourth, it stopped, or seemed to, until a cry rose up on the far side of the camp.  She'd changed her tactics.  No longer was she trying to kill the most heavily guarded man.  Now, she just wanted destruction.  On the ground before him, Narnx watched the delicate girl's lip curl in a silent snarl.

"Get the Emperor out of here!" Vitus ordered, and men scrambled to obey.

A terrified soldier rushed across the edge of her circle, looking for a quick way out of the carnage.  Instinctually, she pounced.  Leaping at him like a beast, she grabbed his arm, spinning him farther into the reach of her chain.  The man stumbled, and she was on him again, her teeth tearing into his chest, fabric ripping as she sought both revenge and the food she had been denied for days.

"Get her off him!" Vitus yelled.  "Don't let her get the swords."

The Black Widows drew their blades and tried to rush in, but Sal was ready.  The first man swung, but her arm blocked it, the blade hitting bone.  She roared in pain but never slowed, reaching up to break his neck before darting to the next man.  She slapped her hand against his face before he could duck, then hit the end of her chain, but it was too late for him.

With a thought, the soldier turned on his unit, protecting the Kaisae as she walked back to her meal.  Sal yanked open the dead man's shirt, exposing his flesh, and sank her teeth into his soft belly.  She ripped at the human, tearing great hunks away and gulping them back.  After days without being fed, her frenzy needed fuel, but the human meat would dilute her maast.

"I said kill them," she snarled at the soldier before shoving her face back into her meal.

"Kensa," The Captain said.  "Drop the weapon man."

Kensa said nothing.  He lunged forward, attacking with every tactic he'd learned as an elite soldier, slicing one man across the face and cutting deep into the leg of another before Narnx impaled him.

"I'm sorry, my friend," Narnx muttered, easing Kensa's body to the ground.

With his death, Sal sank into the mud, closing her eyes to concentrate on healing her arm.  As an iliri, her instincts compelled her to repair herself even as she longed to die.  When it was whole, she looked back to Blaec, his body just out of her reach.

"Anglia will win this," she swore.

"Give me the swords, Sal," Narnx called to her.

She looked up at him and let her ears droop.  "Would you kill me now?" she asked softly.

He shook his head.  "I can't."

"Kill me, and you can have the swords," she said.  "I'm no more use to you, and he's dead."

"I know."  Narnx stepped closer, well aware that he was in her range but moving slowly to the dead Terran's body.  "I can't change that."

"Me either." Sal shifted slightly, making the soldiers flinch.  "I tried.  I couldn't make him sleep and hold him to life, and there's no one here to repair him."  She pressed her hands against her skull.  "It hurts."

"I know."

"You don't!" she snarled, lunging at him.

Narnx backed up a step.  "I do.  I felt when my amma died, Sal."

She smacked at her head with the heel of her hand.  "He's not there anymore!  It's just pain and nothing.  He's gone!  He's gone and he's not going to come back."

"Give me the sword Sal."

She shook her head.  "I have nothing left.  You already took the things that matter to us.  I'll never be able to pass his sword to his daughter.  I won't be able to give his knots to his brother."  She gasped again, her eyes blinking but dry.  "I'll never feel his hands against me again.  I will never feel his love for me."

"Will you trade?" Narnx asked.  "His knots for the swords?"

Sal nodded, but barely.  "Most of my puppets are dead already.  There's only seven left."

"How many sleepers, Sal?" he asked, moving to Blaec's body to kneel beside it.

She shook her head.  "I won't tell you that.  If I die, they're released."

"I can't kill you."

She watched him remove any items of relevance from the corpse.  Narnx patted at Blaec's pockets and paused, shoving his hand into one.  He pulled out a dark resin chain, a large pendant hanging from it - and Sal wailed.

"Be careful," Themis whispered.

Narnx sighed.  "Have you learned nothing about her while she's been here?  She responds in kind.  Give her compassion, and she returns it.  Give her pain, and she gets vengeance."  He turned back to Sal.  "Tell me about the necklace?"

She shook her head.  "It was our secret.  I didn't know he'd kept it."

He nodded and walked back to her, gently lifting her hand and placing the items against her palm.  "It matters.  I'm taking the swords, Sal."

She nodded and looked up at him.  "I never needed them, Narnx.  I can hang myself from this chain.  I can kill humans with a touch.  I never needed the swords, and I never wanted them.  I wish I hadn't fed, but," she closed her eyes, breathing deeply, "my body is fighting me.  What will you do with him?"

"Nothing," Vitus said while Narnx collected the weapons.

Sal nodded.  "Tola e ayati," she breathed.  "Aussah."

"What did she say?" he demanded.

Narnx shrugged, walking back to his unit.  "I dunno.  Never learned it."

"Leave me," Sal ordered.  "The moons will rise soon."

Vitus laughed.  "You think you're in control?"

Sal's head snapped around to look at him.  Her white eyes cut through them all before her ears locked back and she growled.  "Human, I am a Kaisae.  I'm always in charge."

"Dream on," Vitus grumbled.

"Nieur," she snapped, and Themis pulled a dagger, laying it gently against the Captain's ribs.  Sal smiled cruelly.  "I have no need of dreams.  Beware the sleepers."

"Let him go, and we'll let you grieve," Narnx said.

Sal lifted her hands and gestured around her.  "What do you think I'm doing?" she asked.  "I am not a human you damned crossbred.  I can't cry.  I don't feel it like you do.  I only know about human grief because of my Taunor."  She sucked in a quick breath, and whispered, "I mean Dernor."

Narnx nodded.  "I'm sorry.  We'll still leave you alone."

Sal nodded and gestured, allowing the man to have control of his body back.  Themis gasped, dropping the weapon and looked around, confused.

"That's twice," he complained as Narnx walked over.  "How the fuck do we stop that?"

Narnx shook his head.  "Kill her or release her.  And if you kill her, another will simply take her place."

"What are you saying?" Vitus asked.

Narnx shrugged.  "It's how the iliri work.  The alpha bitch grows in strength.  The larger her pack, the stronger she becomes.  If she's removed, another will simply replace her."

"But we couldn't find any more purebreds.  I mean, if the Emperor knew about them, wouldn't he have already sent us out to take care of that?"

Narnx lifted his chin to meet the man's eyes.  "Doesn't matter.  If there's no Kaisae, another will do.  That's why the Emperor can perform miracles.  Let her grieve."

Ignoring them, Sal slowly crawled forward to the end of her chain, reaching her arm toward Blaec's body.  She strained as far as she could, cries of anguish ripped from her throat as she struggled to reach her lover's body.  Defeated, she lay there, the resin collar cutting into her neck, Blaec's knots and her necklace clenched tight against her body.  She gasped for air, begging the pain to end.

"I can't touch him," she wailed softly.

"If she wants to die, why doesn't she just take control of me and force me to kill her?" Themis asked as they left.

Narnx shrugged, seeing a single Terran soldier sitting in the shadows watching Sal.  The man would be invisible to most humans, but his iliri eyes saw him easily.  Whoever he was, he watched the Kaisae grieve, making no move to either taunt her nor release her, so Narnx ignored him.

"I don't think she can.  I don't think the ability works like that," he told Themis, trying to place the soldier's face.

"Then how does it work?"

Narnx shrugged and turned his attention back to his unit mate.  "She's the first Kaisae I've ever seen.  It's not exactly something you forget."

Themis slapped his shoulder, oblivious to the man hiding in the shadows.  "You sound half in love with the crazy bitch.  Sounds like she has a spot open in her harem."

Narnx sighed and shoved his hair back.  "You don't understand."

"Try me."

"She smells like hope."  Narnx started to walk, dragging Themis with him.

"And?"

"See."  He tilted his head to the side, his eyes flicking back to the crates.  "Told you that you wouldn't understand."

"What the fuck does hope smell like?" Themis demanded.

"Forget it.  Your human senses are too subtle."

"Yeah, so you're half in love with her."  Themis grinned.  "This mean you're going to defect soon?  You know we'll kill you if you fight for the other side."

"I'm not defecting."  Narnx refused to slow his feet.  "My sire is the Emperor of Terric, or did you miss that?  He already promised her to me."

"You mean she wasn't making that up?"

"Nah."  Narnx shook his head slowly.  "Iliri don't lie well.  It's not a habit most learn and their ears give them away.  Everything she's said was true.  She evaded a few things, but she didn't lie."

"How can you tell?"  Themis was honestly curious.  With so few iliri in Terric, their abilities were mostly myths and legends.

Narnx tapped his nose.  "The body releases stress hormones when someone lies.  It smells like rat poison soaked in stale urine.  Kinda hard to miss.  She just smells like hope.  Always."  He chuckled, suddenly realizing something.  "I bet, if you check the private that the Emperor ordered to touch her, you'll find he's perfectly ok."

"Why do you say that?" Themis asked.

Narnx sighed, frustrated at how dense the man was being.  "Because he didn't hate her.  He thought of his wife when he touched her, and his love for his children.  She wouldn't be able to hurt him.  Not until he did something to her or one of her pack."

"You make her sound like the good guy in all of this."

"Isn't she?" Narnx asked.  "Of all the people in this war, she's the only one that's honest."

"Doesn't make her right," Themis pointed out.

"Doesn't make her wrong, either."

His words triggered a memory, and he knew where he'd last seen the face of the man in the shadows.  The only problem was that the guy had been wearing blue back then and standing across the line.  Narnx fought to keep his face still, but his mind was whirling.  Their army had been infiltrated and only Sal's arrival had given the spies a reason to expose themselves, but this could be his chance.

It took nearly an hour before Narnx could find a good excuse to slip away.  Walking calmly through the muddy tracks in camp, he circled around the prisoners, moving more silently than humans knew he could.  He was approaching the center of the camp from the back side, his eyes searching the depths of every shadow.  The soldier was still there and still refused to interfere.

Narnx knelt at the base of a tree, downwind, their scents filling his mind.  Sal called to him in a way that was hard to describe, like a promise that only he could fulfill, but the Conglomerate soldier smelled like a human.  The sugar of his body nearly overrode his unique flavor, but his face brought back too many memories.

The Black Widow Company had come up against Star Fall a few times.  Well, they'd fought most of the Conglomerate elite units.  This man, though, had made sure he was remembered.  Narnx bore a scar across his ribs from their last encounter, the man's dagger as quick as an iliri's.  Now, Enik Kolton sat perfectly still, his eyes locked on the Kaisae.

Sal, however, didn't move.  She lay with one arm reaching for Blaec's body, the collar digging deep into the skin of her neck.  Her breath came short and rough, rasping over the resin, but she refused to stop trying.  Her grief was instinctual, and anyone foolish enough to get close to her would likely pay with their life.  She cried in the only way she could, gasping for air as she whimpered.  She made no effort to hide her pain, knowing no reason to be ashamed of her love for her Dernor.  Instead, the sight brought nothing but sadness.

"I failed you again," Kolton whispered softly, pulling Narnx's eyes to him.  The Conglomerate soldier sighed and shifted to be more comfortable, aware that this would be a long vigil.  "I don't know if I should even try to help you anymore, babe.  Seems I just keep making a mess of it."

Those words were all Narnx needed to hear.  He smiled and drifted into the shadows, taking a long and winding path back to his tent.  Kolton would do.  He felt loyalty to Sal, and he had the skills to support her.  Now, Narnx just needed to make sure she had enough energy to show the human what their kind could do.

Kolton probably had no idea what it would be like to travel with a Kaisae, Narnx thought.  In the state she was in, the human might not make it all the way back to the Conglomerate, but the man wasn't important.  The only thing that mattered was freeing the last Kaisae.  If Sal lived, so would the iliri.

If Sal lived, Narnx could still dream of a life as a free man.  He hoped her word would be enough.  He was the bastard son of the Emperor of Terric and he would be playing the part of a loyal Terran soldier for months if not years more.  By the time he'd be able to flee, who knew if Anglia would even exist, let alone Arhhawen.

North Wind.  The haven of the iliri.  Sal had told enough people that rumors had reached even the Terran army.  It sounded large and cold.  In Anglia they still lived in communal housing, finding it more effective to heat a single structure than multiple small ones.  It was also the perfect situation for a large pack to live happily.

Ducking into his tent, he prepared for sleep quickly, peeling off the damp and muddy uniform.  He crawled into bed, pulling blankets around his shoulders and imagined what it would be like to sleep on a padded mattress and wake to a view of the mountains.  Narnx forced his eyes closed and dared to hope for the future of their kind.

He'd even find a mate of his own.  A lovely, pale-skinned girl with blue eyes who smelled like horses.  A smile slipped to his lips as Narnx rolled over, trying to find a more comfortable position.  She'd be jealous but understand his devotion to the Kaisae.  She'd be strong but not a soldier.  Most of all, she'd love him as much as Sal loved Blaec.  He couldn't even imagine that feeling, but he longed for it.  Even in death, Sal loved Blaec more than anyone had ever cared for him - except his own amma.  Since he was a child, Narnx had been nothing but a burden to those around him.

Now, it was finally time to make them all pay for that.  He was iliri and he was better than the humans.  There might be more of them, but he was stronger, smarter, and had abilities they never knew existed.

The tingle of his iliran skill called to him, taunting his mind as he fell into that place somewhere between wakefulness and dreaming.  Images of pale stone walls and brilliant green cloth covering a massive bed appeared behind his lids.  The woman of his dreams stood there, staring out a window at a sky that was just too blue to be possible.  She heard him stir and turned, exposing a large, round stomach.  A feeling of warmth flooded him.

"Can you see how much longer?" she asked.

"No," he told her, smiling even in his vision.  "He will come when he's ready."

She laughed, her voice like music in his ears.  "I hope he doesn't make me miss the New Year celebration.  Have you picked a name yet?"

"Yeah," Narnx told her, gesturing for the woman of his dreams to come back to bed.  "Blaec.  The Kaisae has always hoped one of her ilus would name a boy for him, and I think your son would be perfect."

"Then Blaec it is."  She rubbed her stomach, smiling gently.  "May he never know war but lead just as well."

Narnx gasped and pulled himself from the vision.  He struggled to remember all the details, but the name Blaec hung in his mind.  As he breathed, the memory came back, filled with the warm embrace of love.  With a sigh, he settled his head against the pillow again, but this time when he closed his eyes, he found nothing more than sleep.

Chapter 29

The next morning, Sal was still laying as close to Blaec as she could reach.  Evidently, she'd fallen asleep at some point in the night.  After the carnage of the day before, the Terrans were scared to enter the center of camp.  Those who did moved as silently as possible.  They didn't understand her abilities, and none of them wanted to be her next victim.

But the Emperor was not feeling generous.  He stormed into the area with a dozen guards surrounding him.

"Get up," he demanded.

"Or what?" she asked, turning her head to see him.

"Or they'll make you," he sneered.

"Ok."  She lay her head back in the mud and closed her eyes.

Makiel sighed.  "Chain her back to the post.  This is disgusting."

The soldiers hesitated for a moment before they cautiously moved to obey the orders.  Two men grabbed her, hauling her forcefully to her feet, trying to ignore the low growl that built as they manhandled her.

"Leave me alone," Sal warned them.

They didn't stop, slowly shifting their holds on her body so they could drag her away from her lover.  Without warning she moved, wrenching her arms from their grasp, slapping her filth covered hands against one man's neck and the other's face.  They froze.

"I warned you.  Leave me alone," she hissed, walking back toward Blaec's body.

"Chain her up," Makiel called.  "We don't have all day."

The men began to move back to her side, but she made a dismissive gesture at them.  Both stopped.  Then, one after the other, they slowly crumpled to the ground.  Sal continued to Blaec's body, straining to reach him, hoping that if she leaned just a bit more, she'd be able to touch him one last time.

The soldiers around the Emperor gasped and shifted awkwardly.  They looked between them, too scared to ask what each of them wondered.  Makiel turned to the man beside him, anger suffusing his features.  "Get Narnx," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the man snapped, rushing off quickly before he could be ordered to die at the iliri's hand.

The crowd stood there, shifting aimlessly for almost ten minutes before Narnx walked up.  "Eminence," he greeted his sire.

"Deal with her," Makiel ordered.

Narnx nodded.  "Looks like she got two more?  I assume you want the bodies back?"

"And her chained to the post."

He nodded again and walked slowly to the girl sprawled in the mud.  "Sal?"

"You going to kill me yet?" she asked.

"Not today.  I need to put you back on the post."

"No," she said.  "Tell your daddy to do it."

"Doesn't work like that, Sal, and you know it."

She ignored that and looked up to him.  "I just want to touch his skin," she whispered.  "I need to, and I don't know why."

"If I pull him close enough for you to touch, will you let me secure you back to the post?"

Sal closed her eyes and licked her lips, her teeth catching on the bottom one.  "Five minutes?"

"I can do that."

Grabbing Blaec's dead hand, Narnx pulled the corpse around so Sal could reach it.  With a strangled breath, she leaned into the chain, straining for him.  Narnx shifted the body until she could touch it without choking.  Her fingers closed on his cold, stiff flesh and she wailed, the sound like a soul that had been wrenched free.

Narnx glanced down, blinking quickly, her anguish breaking his stoic facade.  Behind him, a man sniffed, smelling like sorrow.  It proved the iliri was not the only one affected.  Sal just held Blaec's dead hand to her face, cradling his arm against her chest, and she rocked slowly.

"There's nothing there," she managed between dry sobs.  "He's just gone.  I can't feel his memories.  I can't feel anything."  She sucked back a broken breath and reached for his face.  "I failed you, love.  You saved me, and I failed you completely."

"I don't have all day," Makiel said.

Narnx nodded.  "I understand, Eminence."

Sal heard, so pulled herself to her feet.  "Aussah," she said softly, thanking him before walking to the post.

Narnx followed.  When Sal reached her arms behind her, he re-secured the manacles that she'd slipped off so easily the day before.  He also grabbed the end of her chain and hooked it closer, reducing the amount of room she had.

"She's secure, Eminence," he said, walking to the Emperor's side.

"Is she going to stay that way?" he asked.

"No idea.  We really don't understand much about her kind."

Makiel chuckled.  "Looks like you have a way with her.  How'd you manage that?"

Narnx looked into his sire's eyes blandly, mimicking the human habit.  "Rumor has it that she can't control iliri.  So far, seems to be true.  I'm also willing to make trades with her to accomplish my goals."

"Are you suggesting that I use diplomacy with a beast?"

Narnx held his face still.  "I wouldn't dream of suggesting tactics or politics to the Emperor of Terric."

"Good.  I see we did manage to tame you.  Don't let the bitch give you any ideas, boy."

"Of course not," Narnx agreed.  "If you have no further need of me, Eminence, I was scheduled for guard duty."

Makiel gestured for his son to leave, dismissing him without another thought.  He strode up to Sal confidently, smiling at the pain on her face.  "So, I take it you're willing to give me back my skills now?"

"No," she said.

"You know that I'll have you tortured if you don't."

She turned to him, her eyes vacant.  "I don't care."

Makiel chuckled.  "I don't think you understand quite how good my men are at causing pain."

"Maast."  She refused to elaborate.

"What?"

Sal said nothing, her eyes returning to Blaec's body.  In frustration, Makiel backhanded her, but Sal's head simply rolled with the hit, only the flick of her ear showing she even recognized it happened.

"Return my abilities or I'll have the dogs feed on your lover's dead body," he whispered cruelly.

Closing her eyes, she ignored the man completely.  Makiel gestured to one of his guards and moved away.  With a steadying breath, the soldier moved toward her, a carving knife in his hand.  He wore thick gloves.

"Peel the skin from her arm, let's see if she relents."

The soldier nodded and set to work, shoving the sleeve to her elbow.  With her hands bound tight to the post, he began cutting away the top layer of skin.  The knife traveled a handspan, then Sal took a deep breath, opening her eyes and tilting her head just enough to look at him.  Her pupils were constricted to mere slits.  She held his gaze for what seemed an eternity, then simply closed her eyes again, giving herself to the pain.  He carved away the white skin, throwing it to the ground with a sickening plop, but Sal didn't make another move.

"Eminence?" he asked.

"She can feel pain," he snapped back.

The soldier shook his head.  "She's not even flinching from the edge, Eminence."

He groaned and waved the soldier away.  "Fine.  Let's see how she likes her mate feeding the hounds."

The dogs were brought in, their handlers carrying whistles, and turned loose on the body.  At first, they refused to feed, but one handler sank a dagger deep into Blaec's body, exposing his intestines, and the dogs were convinced.  Chained to the post, the display directly before her face, Sal watched without a trace of emotion.  Her eyes hung on the distant horizon.

At some point, the Emperor left.

The dogs squabbled over her lover's corpse until the sun began to set.  Blowing quick blasts, handlers gathered up the hounds and set off across the compound, none of them showing any remorse.  Blaec's clothing had been shredded and his body demolished, but they left him there slowly decomposing in the late autumn dampness.

Sal refused to move until she saw the moons begin to rise over the horizon.  Staring at the twin orbs, she pinned her ears, the whimper starting in her throat.

"Ayati," she hissed in Iliran, unwilling to let the humans hear her anguish any longer.  "If this is the way things are meant to be, then I quit!  Take the skills.  Take my pride!  I don't want it.  We just throw life after life against this war, gaining nothing.  For every advance we get, I lose something.  For every gift, there's so much pain.  I can't face losing anything else!  I never wanted to be your toy."

She thrashed against her bonds, grief lending her strength, but not enough to free herself.  "Over and over they said this is ayati, but this is not how things are meant to be!  He was good.  He was kind and caring and everything we needed, but you took him from me.  I'm only one person.  I can't change the world on my own!  I will not fight just to get my family killed.  I will not do this anymore if it means I will lose anyone else I love!  Do you hear me?  I will not kill my family for a fate that doesn't care about us!"

Deep in her heart, she felt her cessivi reaching for her.  She knew they'd felt Blaec's loss and hurt as much as she did.  She knew they still loved her, and it was the only thing that kept her going.  Sal took a long, deep breath, staring at the two moons slowly rising in the sky.  They felt like the eyes of the world judging her every move.

"I don't want to do this anymore," she whined.

"But you must," Narnx whispered in Glish, moving behind her.

Sal's ear flicked back to him, and she smelled his loyalty.  This time, he wasn't trying to hide it.  "You have no link?"

"None," he agreed, moving to stand before her.  "I can't help him," he said, looking at Blaec's body.

"It doesn't matter, now.  He's just meat.  I think that's why I needed to feel him, to know he was gone.  It's like we're meant to leave the bodies to nature."

He didn't respond to that, instead, changing the subject.  "I brought something.  Liver and water.  Will you take it?"

She looked beyond him - at the moons - and sighed.  "I guess.  Why can't you just let me die?"

"Because we need you so much that Blaec was willing to give his life for it."  He stepped into her line of sight and met her eyes.  "Don't give up, Sal.  Not yet."

He held up a large piece of raw liver before her mouth, standing close enough to her that anyone walking by wouldn't be able to see him feeding the prisoner.  Sal took it from his fingers and tilted her head back, chewing only twice before swallowing.  Next, he offered a cold metal cup, gently tilting it up until the clear water touched her lips.

"It's not much, but it's what I can do."  He watched her gulp the entire glassful.

Sal took a grateful breath and licked her lips clean.  Narnx's eyes flicked to her chin and, with his bare hand, he reached up to wipe a trickle of water away, his thumb trailing across her jaw.  Sal focused on the sensation and slid deep into his mind, pleased to see that he was already prepared for a link.  With a thought, she secured his mind to hers and heard him gasp as the familiar warmth of the Iliran connection filled him.

"Fuck," he breathed.  "You link, you read, you heal.  What else do you do?"

Her eyes moved to Blaec's body.  "I never managed to get prophesy."

"Sal?" Narnx asked, his voice barely a whisper.  "It's a lie, isn't it.  The rumor about our people being immune to your abilities?"

"Yes.  It's easier to control my own than the humans."

"Why haven't you killed me?"

"Because you dream about freedom," she said.  "Because you offered me kindness.  It matters, Narnx."

"I can't leave," he whispered, glancing over his shoulder.  "I can't defect."

"Why not?"

He smiled sadly and pressed his hand against her face, closing his eyes as he concentrated.  Images flashed in her mind through the contact.  Every day, they trusted him more and told him their plans, giving him the knowledge that could save so many more of their kind.  He would've left - and gladly - only a week before, but now he knew what he had to do.  He was safe in his position, and he was willing to share everything with her, if only he could have a home when the war finally ended.  He was the perfect spy, and he was trusted by the Emperor.  He was third in the line of succession.

"It's called Arhhawen," Sal whispered.  "I promise it to you."

He nodded and smiled weakly.  "I always thought I'd like the snow.  I hope I can live to see it."

The sound of a footstep made him lower his hand, slowly, so as not to draw attention.  Sal didn't flick an ear, refusing to show where the noise had started, but Narnx wasn't oblivious.  He looked around but seemed to find nothing.  With a sigh, he stepped away, catching Sal's eyes only long enough to drop his gaze before leaving.

The area was silent for nearly an hour before the lurker showed himself, moving casually to sit on one of the stacks of empty crates.  Kolton glanced at her only briefly before pulling out a rough wood sculpture and his dagger, passing the time by carving more detail into the piece.

"It's for my son," he whispered to himself.  "Last I heard he's in Anglia, hoping to one day grow up and be an ahnor."  Kolton chuckled.  "He used to beg me to tell him about the time the Kaisae saved me.  He's convinced that she's the most amazing thing in the world."  He held up the wood, and Sal saw it was a grauori, her mouth open, ready to fight.  "I heard what you said.  Don't give up, babe.  We still need you.  My boy needs you to keep fighting."

"I can't," she breathed, sinking to her rump in the mud, aware his human ears would never hear her.

But he turned, his eyes meeting hers, and nodded.  "You can do this, Sal."

Those words made her slump back against the base of the post.  In Iliran, unsure if he'd bothered to learn the language when he married an iliri crossbred, she told him, "I'm chained.  I'm alone, and I'm useless!"

Kolton looked at her and shook his head, proving he was fluent, then continued to mutter to himself so softly that only iliri ears would hear.  "I have a plan.  I'm sorry I took too long."  He paused, his eyes going wide as he lifted his head to look behind her.

Inhaling, she smelled Narnx but couldn't identify the emotions in his scent.  The strangest part was that she hadn't even heard his steps over the other sounds in the camp.  He moved like a predator.

"Private?" Narnx called loudly, gesturing for Kolton.

"Sir?" he asked with an Escean accent, pulling himself from the box.

Narnx stared at Kolton, waiting until the copper-skinned man was before him.  Kolton carefully shifted, feigning nervousness as he positioned himself perfectly downwind.  Narnx just smiled.

"Kolton, isn't it?" he asked.

"Karington, sir," he replied without flinching, the accent perfect.

"Star Fall.  Sergeant now, I believe?"

"Sir?"  Kolton shook his head as if he were confused.

Narnx just smiled.  "I hear as well as she does and move almost as silently.  You can't always stay downwind of me, soldier.  Is the rest of your unit here?"

"I don't understand, sir."

The iliri growled, stepping closer to the spy.  "Today is not the day to play games.  I know you listened to my conversation with Salryc.  You know I listened to yours.  Can we at least agree on that?"

With a smile, Kolton dropped the act, his Conglomerate accent flowing smoothly once more.  "Yeah, we can.  You still won't get shit from me."

"Didn't want to."  Narnx smiled.  "In two hours, you will come to my tent to collect the winnings from our dice game a week ago.  You will call me a scrubber at least once.  I will complain that I have no coin and offer you supplies instead.  You will accept, do you understand?"

"Why?" Kolton demanded.

Narnx just knelt at Sal's side.  "I'll let you explain it to the human.  Put on the necklace so you don't lose it, and wait for him," he said, pressing a key into the lock beneath her ear.  With a turn, she heard it click, but he didn't release the catch.  To most eyes, she still appeared to be as secure as she'd been since she arrived.

"I will remember," she promised. "It matters."

"Two hours," Narnx repeated before turning away, his eyes catching hers one last time.

"Fuck," Kolton whispered.  "This just got complicated."

Sal reached into her pocket for the opal she'd stashed there.  Struggling to make her grimy fingers work the clasp, she looked up from her place on the ground, exhaustion making everything harder.  "He has Blaec's sword and my daggers.  Our kids will want them."

Kolt's eyes flicked over to Blaec's body.  "The last time I saw him, he said the Blades would need Star Fall again."  Then he sighed deeply.  "I think he meant me.  I need to let them know.  You figure out a way to get past the guards."  He paused, and she could smell concern on him.  "I'll be back.  I have one hell of a debt to repay."

Sal's closed her eyes and let her head flop against her knees.  "I just want him back.  I don't want to do this anymore.  I just want Blaec back."

"And your mates want you."  Kneeling before her, he grabbed her arm, forcing her to acknowledge him.  "Don't give up, Sal.  Not, yet, babe."

"But there's nothing left to fight for."

He cocked his head to the side.  "I know a wild pack of iliri who don't agree.  Your brothers need you, Kaisae, and you owe it to them to hold it together long enough to get out of this camp."

Her head jiggled just enough for him to see.  "It just hurts so bad."

"I know, babe.  This time I'm going to take care of you.  I'll be back."  When he walked away, the breeze blew his scent to her.  It smelled like hope.

Chapter 30

Time passed slowly as Sal listened to the wind drift through bare branches and evergreen needles.  She could feel her mates reacting to her confusion and tried hard to shape her emotions well enough for them to make sense.  She was free.  With the collar at her throat unlocked, the Terrans couldn't hold her - but Blaec was gone.

She just hoped Kolton would be able to get her things since it was all she had left of her Dernor.  Nevermind that she'd need his help to make it out of here.  She'd used what little energy she had left trying to save Blaec, and it hadn't been enough.  Now, she was barely strong enough to stand.  She'd find a way to make it happen, but her best chance of escape was with help, and Kolton was her best option.

By the drift of the moons, it was nearly three hours before she heard the soft scuff of a foot.  Kolton walked past her without slowing, heading toward the far side of the camp.  He looked over at her once, feigning curiosity and fear before disappearing into the darkness.  When he was just out of sight, another man passed, and Sal understood the subterfuge.  That one also glanced curiously at the beast on display but never slowed his feet.

When he was gone, the shadows whispered to her.  "One more coming, then we need to move."  Evidently, Kolton had circled around and come back.

Slowly, Sal pulled at her hands, feeling the bruised skin and bones complain they couldn't fit.  Struggling to focus, she changed them, elongating her fingers as her wrists slimmed.  Before the last soldier passed, her hands were free.  He didn't even notice her movement.

When the coast was finally clear, Kolton stepped out of the shadows and scurried to her side.  Releasing the collar, he helped her up and pressed a dark shirt into her hands.  "Put that on.  It's Terran."

She shoved her arms into the sleeves.  While she buttoned it up, he guided her forward, keeping her on her feet.  There was no hesitation, he just steered her straight for the trees.  Sal let him.  She no longer cared if she escaped, but she knew she should.  For the moment, she was just going through the motions.  It was a habit, but she knew it was a good one.

Unfortunately, all she wanted to do was lay down and give up.  The ache in her head still throbbed worse than any headache she'd imagined.  The hole in her heart was worse.  The guilt of knowing Blaec had died to protect her was crippling.  He'd been the greatest soldier the world had seen, and she was just a slave turned conscript, bred to entertain humans.  She was supposed to be some great thing, but she'd fucked it all up.  She'd ruined the Black Blades, and they'd all know it.  Blaec had died because of her.  This was all her fault.

While Sal wallowed in her grief, Kolton kept her moving.  He wove through the trees, somehow avoiding humans just as she caught scent of them.  She knew she should be helping more, but he was doing fine, and it felt good to let someone else take charge.  Right now, walking was about all she was capable of doing, and somehow he understood.

He didn't need her to talk.  They were elites.  Even numb, she could move silently enough, and her iliri nature meant that even slow, she was still fast enough to keep up.  She just had to let him drag her along.  For the first time in over a year, she didn't need to be the Kaisae.  She just had to do what she was told.  He kept the pace tolerable until the sound of gently flowing water drifted on the breeze.

"The river?" she asked.

He looked down, meeting her eyes easily.  "Can you smell the last guard?  He should be on the bank."

"We slipping past, or killing?"

He sighed.  "Slipping past if we can.  Less reason for them to suspect we came this way."

She flicked her ears, searching for sounds in all directions.  When she found it, she pointed and he pulled her behind a tree.  The guard wasn't close, but they didn't need to be in his line of sight.  Hidden, they waited until the man eventually made his way past.

Kolton cocked his head at the retreating guard and made sure the pack Narnx had given him was secure on his back.  When the man moved out of sight, Kolton grabbed Sal's arm one more time and pulled her forward at a jog.  Together they entered the river, slipping under the surface with as little noise as possible.

The water was like ice, jolting Sal's mind awake.  It wasn't enough to restore her broken and weary body, but it gave her a false rush that would do.  Her new protector released her so they could swim, but kept glancing back, always staying within arms reach of her.

It was hard.  All of her reserves were gone and she was working on pure willpower.  Her body begged her to just give up, sink, and stop worrying about what came next.  Her heart told her she had to keep going, to make it back to Jase and Zep.  Kolton's worried glances proved that even if she did stop, he'd only carry her - so she swam a little harder.

When they reached the far bank, the pair paused before emerging, only their heads visible.  "Can you see him?" Kolton asked.

"No," Sal whispered.

He tilted his head toward the bank.  "Get under the trees."

It seemed too easy.  They were across the river and skirting the Escean border without even an alarm being raised.  Sal inhaled the clean air, smelling only herself and the too-sweet scent of the man beside her.  Kolt's head snapped toward her, concern on his face.

"There's nothing around," she said, still keeping her voice low.

"There will be," he promised.  "Those hounds are for tracking prisoners.  We need to get well out of here before they can find us, babe."

She turned her head to him, her ears turning back.  He kept doing that.  Hadn't he learned from their last meeting?  The smallest spark of anger flickered inside her.  "Babe?"

Kolton grinned.  "You are neither a lieutenant, nor even a citizen of my country.  I don't have to call you ‘sir' anymore.  I just wanted to see if it'd get the same reaction."

Sal turned deeper into the woods and began walking, each leg feeling like it weighed twice what it should.  "You shouldn't call me that.  Thought I'd already made that point."

"You did - that you outranked me in the CFC, but we're not in the CFC right now.  Granted, Lasryn - my boy - always wants to know why you didn't bite me."

"Because of Tharp and the problems with Blaec.  I didn't want to give anyone reasons to come down on him for my actions."

Her answer hung heavy between them.  "I'm sorry," he said after a long pause.  "I shouldn't have mentioned it."

Sal kept going.  She'd found a pace and, so long as she put the next foot in front of the other, she could do this.  "It doesn't work like that, and you know it.  The hole in my mind reminds my heart even if you say nothing.  Only time will heal both wounds."

"Yeah, but I don't want to rub salt in them, Sal.  I'd never do that intentionally."

"I know."  She took a deep breath and tried to change the subject to something less painful.  "So how old is Lasryn?"

"Almost seven," he said proudly.  "Got a letter from him just before we left to join Terric.  He sent me a picture of the grauori guarding where they're staying.  Place sounds amazing from what his grandmother said.  Nothing but mountains and the beasts everywhere.  Arnwhen, or something like that."

"Arhhawen," Sal corrected.  "I take it he's pale?"

Kolton shrugged.  "About like Arctic.  Light skin, black hair, but his eyes are blue as ice.  Nimae, his grandmother, said he's called aufrio."

"Like Jase."  The thought of her cessivi brought a weak smile.  "White with grey points.  I'm nacione, or all white.  Risk is rafrezzi, or gold tipped."

"What's Razor?"

Sal shrugged.  "Dark.  You know he's almost half iliri and still darker than most of the Blades?"

"Who's the most human?"

"Shift.  He's the only one that - " she paused.  "Never mind."

"Doesn't have iliri male issues.  I gotcha."

"You know about that?"

Kolton looked down at the log he was climbing over, but couldn't hide the twitch of his lips.  "My boy's well over half, Sal.  I know about that."

"What about your wife?"

He sighed.  "They tell you about the first attack on the Forward Camp?"

"Yeah.  Blades went to help re-secure.  Audgan scared the piss out of an entire unit of Esceans."

He nodded.  "Almost fifteen hundred dead.  Leiona was one of them."

"She was a soldier?"

"Yeah.  Conscript.  I hoped that marrying her would give her some protections, but it didn't.  They put her on the front line.  She was an archer, and they put her on the damned front line because she was blonde."  When Sal paused and turned to him, reaching up instinctually, he grabbed her wrist just at the edge of her sleeve.  "No offense, but I'd rather you stayed out of my head for just a bit longer, ok?"

"I forget."  She lowered her hand.  "I've been with my own kind too long."

"Yeah.  And one day I hope Las can say that."

"Think he's going to be a soldier?"

Kolton turned her by her shoulders and kept her moving.  "He should start learning stances soon.  Have to see if Nimae can get him some blades."

Sal waved that away.  "I'll have the Regent get him a full set of weapons.  I'll also have them take him and his Kauvwe on a tour of the palace and barracks.  I'll make sure they tell him it's because his dava saved the Kaisae's life."

"Thanks, Sal.  That'd make him the proudest boy in the keep."

"So you going back?"

He shrugged that off.  "To Terric?  No.  My cover's blown."

"To the Conglomerate?"

"We'll see.  I never quite learned to live on hope and love like the rest of you.  Let's just see if we can make it out of this alive and go from there?"

She nodded.  "Fair enough."

They walked on in silence for a while before Sal heard the sounds of a hound baying in the distance.  Kolton cursed under his breath, scanning the woods around them.  "Do me a favor?" he asked, pulling the belt from his pants.  "Take a piss by that tree over there?"

"Sure," she agreed.  "This one?"

"Any of them," he said, taking a stance before a tree of his own.

Just as she finished, she stood, lacing her pants, and the hounds bayed again.  "Ok.  What now?"

He pointed to a tall, thick tree with dense needles at the top.  "You're an assassin.  I'm sure you can climb.  If not, I'll carry you up, but I'm trying real hard not to get bit."

Looking at it, up seemed impossible, but she knew better.  With a nod to show she could, Sal pulled off her belt and wrapped it around the trunk, twining her wrists on either end.  Slithering up the limbless tree felt like torture, but she managed.  By the time Kolton started up, she was nearly to the branches above.  He followed, moving deliberately, but was well into the foliage before they heard the dogs again.  Sal clambered onto a branch and waited.

When Kolton reached her, he began breaking off smaller fronds and laying them on the branches below.  As he worked, he explained, "The dogs will bay at the scent of urine instead of the hint of us up here.  They should pass below with only a short pause.  The branches shield us from view.  Belt yourself to the trunk if you aren't sure you can stay still and stable."

"Ok," she said, moving to do just that.  "What about you?"

He shifted easily, sliding to sit behind her so he could drape his legs beside her thighs and latch his belt around both of them.  "I'll make sure you stay up here."

They sat like that for nearly half the night.  The hounds made their way back time after time, but only once did a dog bay at the pair hidden high above.  The handler looked over the trunk seeking signs of cleats or any means for a human to climb the tree.  Finding none, he dismissed the possibility of their prey being so high above.

"They've got nothing but old scents," he called to the others.

"Same here."

"That damned iliri couldn't've just disappeared into the air, could she?  Do they do that?"

"Black Blades were known to move like a thought.  You saw her kill men with a touch.  Who the fuck knows what they can do, and do you really want to be the one to catch her?"

"No," the man below said with a laugh.  "Wanna call it and wait for daylight to find tracks?"

"Might as well.  Heard Narnx is driving the search pretty hard, though.  Guess he misses his long lost love."

"The Emperor's bastard scrubber.  Never saw that one coming."

The men were laughing as they hauled the dogs away from the trees, heading back toward the Terran camp.  That's when Kolton realized she'd fallen asleep.  The Kaisae leaned against his chest, her arms curled against her.  Her head had gone limp, resting on her own shoulder, and his arm kept her from leaning too far to the side.  He tried to stay as still as possible, but eventually he shifted slightly, intending to make her more comfortable, and she tensed.  When one ear flicked back, he knew she was awake.

"Who knew you could sleep in a tree," he teased softly.

"I did."  Her voice was rough.  "Isn't my first time to spend the night in one."

"Mm."  He leaned around, hoping to see her face.  "When was the last time you slept?"

"Got plenty of rest coming to the Terran camp."  She refused to meet his eyes.  "I'm good for another twenty hours before I'll need to worry."

"Hey?" he said gently.  "I know you haven't slept in four days.  Not really."

Those large, pale eyes of hers hit him.  "You were there the whole time?"

"When I could be.  I had to deal with some orders, but yeah.  If I wasn't there, one of the others always was.  We were forming a plan, but there were too many Terrans and it all happened too fast with Blaec."

"I know," she muttered.  "I made a bad decision, but he knew."

"What?"

"A few hours before, he made me swear that if I could stop it, I would.  I had the chance to remove the Emperor's powers, and I took it.  He's as mute as a human now, Kolton, but I should've waited.  I was too rash, and Blaec paid for it."

"Sal, they were going to kill him anyway, they'd just planned to do it slower.  They were going to skin him alive and make you watch.  That's the rumor, and why so many people were there."

"I couldn't fix it."  She pulled in a quavering breath.  "I couldn't save him."

"Sal?" he asked gently.  "What can you do?"

"I dunno anymore."  She shrugged in his arms.  "Just iliri things."

Her feeble dismissal sounded so innocent and fragile.  Kolt reminded himself that she'd killed more people than he had.  She was a soldier.  She'd make it through this, he just needed to keep her moving.  He knew how much it hurt to lose someone, and he'd let her grieve, but he had to keep her moving.  Carefully, he reached around them both and released their belts.

"Time to make our way down, Kaisae.  I'll go first so if you fall, I can catch you."  He chuckled, knowing it would hit her pride and make her prove she was better.

It worked.  They both slid down the trunk without incident.  Sal's Terran uniform was now a mess and covered in bark, needles, and resin, but it was almost dry.  Kolton looked no better.  Thankfully, the cold didn't seem to bother her too much, and she didn't shiver like a human.

"Explain your skills to me?" he asked as they walked.

"I was born a shifter," she said, gesturing to her body.  "I can make this look like what I need it to.  When I joined the Blades - my pack - I began to gain more abilities.  We have two genders of females, you know."

"Yeah.  Women and Kaisaes."

She nodded, her eyes on the ground, but her voice was sad.  "I'm a Kaisae.  A leader.  The more honest I am with my pack, the more they give back, and it shows as these abilities.  I learned to link first, by accident.  Learning a new skill is painful.  It's like I have to carve it out of my mind and then train it up.  Next, I learned to read by touch, to verify that I'd done it right.  After that, Shift taught me to heal.  I tried to get Blaec to show me prophesy, but it's an unpredictable skill, and we were never linked when it happened."

"Who knows this?"

"I dunno," Sal mumbled.  "It's not a secret.  I mean, not anymore.  Anglia doesn't care what I can do, but I kinda do."  She sighed, sounding defeated.  "But no one can help.  My kind always die so there's no one to learn from."  Her voice dropped so low her could barely hear what came next.  "It should have been me, not Blaec."

"But it wasn't."

She shrugged.  "Because he always had to fix the future.  We were all just pawns in his game.  He's the only one who could really save us from the Emperor, and now all we have is me."

"A Kaisae who united how many nations?  I think you're worth a lot more than you give yourself credit for."

Again, she shrugged.  "We'll see what they think when we're closer.  I can't hear them from this far away."

"How much closer?"

"Two days ride."

Kolton nodded.  "So about a week on foot.  We don't have any supplies, Sal, except one small canteen for water."

"There's wildlife."

"No bows," he pointed out.

She flicked an ear at him.  "I hunt better on foot.  I'll find something to feed us."

"Maybe I should try that," he suggested.  "I figure if you can hunt like this then so can I.  If I'm lucky, I'll even be able to climb a mountain fast enough to keep you happy."  He hoped she'd remember how she'd berated him so long ago.

"You weren't too bad," she admitted, proving she did.  "I was just pissed that your officer tried to kill me."

"I know.  I had no idea they'd planned that until after it all went down.  You know that, right?"

"I guessed.  You never told me the second reason."

He laughed and rubbed her shoulder.  "I know."

"You told Shift you can read Jase's tattoos and about your boy."

"I did."

Annoyed, she yanked her foot free from a nest of withered vines.  "What are you playing at?"

"Surviving in the Conglomerate's elite units.  I just want to live long enough to see my son find a mate.  I hope he's a free man when it happens.  My wife never asked what I thought about children or we wouldn't have him.  It's never been safe for the iliri in the CFC.  You know that better than anyone."

"I do."

The corner of his lip twitched up.  "I also know that the iliri are a lot stronger than anyone can understand.  They can survive a lot, and will keep going even when it should be impossible."  He ducked his head to see her face, making sure she got his underlying point.

Sal met his eyes, nodded, then looked back to the ground.  "I know.  You just don't know how bad it hurts."

"No, and while my ears don't work as well as yours, I'm still willing to listen.  I'm in your debt, Sal."

She sighed and walked a few paces before responding to that.  "We've never truly been friends.  We worked together on one mission after your unit tried to kill me.  I smell no hate from you, but I smell nothing but human sugar, either."

"I know," he said with a smile.

"You don't trust me enough to touch me, our countries are barely civil, and you probably have no idea that the CFC just came to Syhar, begging us to push Terric back into Escea."

"Shit," he breathed.  "They crossed the mountains?"

Sal nodded.  "Forward Camp is gone.  Eastward is under siege by now, or close.  They're probably almost to Merriton."

"Are you going to leave the Conglomerate to die?"

She shook her head.  "I told Rais we'd come and ordered the Blades to help.  I can only guess that the maargra are already on their way, but I don't know who's leading them."  She paused.  "Maast.  They all felt it too."

"Felt what?"

Sal looked up, her eyes wide.  "Blaec's death.  The Black Blades were surrounded by humans.  They would have killed them all."

"No."  He grabbed her shoulders.  "Sal, I saw you.  You only killed those who hurt you.  They wouldn't have turned on Anglia."

"Yeah, Kolton, they would.  It hurts so much we can't think.  All that matters is saving him, and since we couldn't do that, all that's left is to fight.  They could have done anything, and the only way I'd know is if one of them died, because right now, I'm all alone."

For a few steps, they walked in silence before Kolton's voice broke it.  "I might not count, but I'm still going to watch your back."

He thought he heard her mumble something that sounded like "thanks."

Chapter 31

They walked for most of the day, pausing to avoid humans twice.  Sal could hear or smell them long before the enemy would notice the pair, so the trip had been relatively easy.  Exhausting, but easy.  Considering she'd started out barely able to function, easy was still more than she could handle.

When the sun was sinking low in the sky, they stumbled upon a small creek with a collection of caves along the bank.  One held promise.  The entrance was short, forcing even Sal to bend low to get inside, but the interior was tall enough for Kolton to stand.

He sighed, looking around.  "Home sweet home?  I think we're staying here until we're both rested enough to pull another all day trek, what do you think, Kaisae?"

She knew it was a good idea, just like she knew she needed to rest.  The problem was that deep inside, her heart was urging her to keep going, to get back to her mates.  It felt like they were the only thing she had left to live for and wasting time here would ruin everything.  She knew that was fear and depression.  Jase had taught her enough about stress responses and iliri hormonal studies for her to recognize the signs, but it wasn't what it felt like.

She felt desperate and alone, and not even the human beside her could fix that.

"Sure," she mumbled, heading toward the back.  "If you want to start a fire, I can find something for us to - "

Kolton just shook his head as he pulled the pack from his back.  "That's not how this is going to work, Kaisae."  He tossed it toward her.  "There's a couple of thin blankets in there.  Make yourself a place to get comfortable.  I'll be right back with wood."

With that, he left.  There was no request, just an order for her to sit down, shut up, and do as she was told.  The problem was that he was right.  She was so tired.  Her head hurt so much it was hard to think.  All she wanted to do was lay down and close her eyes for a minute - and Kolton was giving her that chance - but she couldn't trust him.  The last time she'd trusted Star Fall, his unit had tried to kill her in the baths.

But not him.  Even when his second officer had taunted her, joking about how they'd done it and wouldn't be charged, Kolton hadn't been amused.  He'd nearly kept up with her harried pace across the mountain ridge.  He'd stood up for her to his officers, lied for her to his Captain.  Time and time again, he'd proven that she could trust him, but he wasn't a Blade.  He may have married an iliri, but he was still not her ally.

Could he be?  The 112th Mounted were her friends.  Most of the humans in Anglia were her friends.  For most of her life, everything had come down to human against iliri, but all of that had just changed.  Humans were her allies.  Zep was her mate.  The Emperor was iliri.

While she spread the blankets in a dark, sheltered corner, Sal tried to wrap her mind around that.  For over a decade, Makiel Geirr had been killing her people.  He'd almost singlehandedly wiped out her species, but he was part iliri.  Most people in the Conglomerate of Free Citizens could find an iliri in their ancestry.  This war wasn't about black against white.  The lines weren't decided by human against iliri.  It went so much deeper than that, and someone had to be the first to try to change it.

She had nothing else to lose.

***

Sal was curled up on the blankets when he came back with wood.  Her knees were pulled against her chest, her hands clutched beside her neck, and she looked so frail.  Weeks of captivity had taken a visible toll on her.  The bones of her face stood out more than he remembered and the spark was gone from her eyes, but she was still going.  Kolt knew that most people would've given up long before now, but not her.  Not even if she wanted to.

Trying hard not to wake her, He quietly laid the wood out, tucking kindling underneath.  For a moment, he thought he'd been successful, but when he flicked the striker, her eyes cracked open.  He tried again, worrying less about the sound, and got a spark this time.

"Go back to sleep, Sal," he breathed, leaning back on his heels.  "And crawl under those blankets to warm up."

She kicked her feet under, but little else, those white eyes never leaving.  "What are you doing?"

"Going to find you something to eat.  Hopefully enough that you'll share with me."  He felt his lips curling when she let him stare back.

"And how are you going to do that?"

Dusting the wood chips and dried grass from his thighs, he pushed himself back to his feet.  "Just like you told me to earlier.  Not my first time to live off the land.  Stop worrying and get some rest.  I'm going to need you a little more revitalized for the next leg of this trip."

Sal just lowered her head to the ground and closed her eyes.  "Thanks," she whispered.

Kolt felt his chest tighten.  The last time he'd seen her, she'd been so strong, so vibrant.  Now, the tiny woman was just a slip of herself.  Lines of distress marred her face, showing her pale skin beneath the layers of dust and grime.  Never mind that she hadn't chided him for meeting her eyes or ordering her around.

If she were anyone else, he'd say she'd been defeated, but this was Salryc Luxx.  He'd seen her come back from worse.  He'd watched her pull a bolt from her own arm, enraged that it might slow her down.  He'd heard stories of her in battles, of how even the humans around her were inspired to do more.  He'd been there.  He knew it was all true.  But not right now.

That meant he had to get her back.  The first step was finding something she could eat.  First, he slipped one of her steel knives out of the bag, working hard not to wake her.  Next, under the cover of dusk, he headed away from the creek, seeking the barren grasslands to the north.  Somewhere out there had to be a rabbit, mole, or fox that could keep her going another day.  Meat.  She wouldn't even care what kind, she just needed meat.  More would be better, but he couldn't recall seeing her eat anything besides a few bites of human and a slip of liver from Narnx's hand.

And iliri didn't do well if they weren't fed.  Her body needed the proteins to fuel itself.  Her mind needed the sustenance to stay focused.  Withholding protein was a well-known way to tame beasts like her.  Even the military used it for the punishment of conscripts.  If the iliri weren't fed, they'd grow weak and weary.  In order to eat, they'd become pliant.  In so many cases, a few months was all it took for them to give up, learning to behave to be fed.

But not her.

For days, she'd been hanging from that post, and she'd never backed down.  Even when Blaec had died, she'd only fought harder.  That will, that tenacity, was the only thing that could win this war, and right now, it was up to him to make sure she kept going.

He hadn't hunted since he was a boy, but it was hard to forget.  Smaller animals liked to cluster under trees or in dense brush.  He needed to stay downwind of them so they wouldn't flee from the stench of a predator.  This late in the year, lizards would be gone, many of the birds would have migrated, and larger game would be too fast.  That meant he needed rodents or ground fowl.  Hopefully, the Emperor's army hadn't already decimated the area.

No more than a hundred meters from the cave, he found a stand of trees with briars growing along the base.  Slowly, Kolt moved in, listening for the subtle sounds of movement.  Leaves rustled, proving something was alive in there - then he heard something else.

Back and to his right came a rhythmic swish.  It sounded like the grasses, but he couldn't be sure.  One thing was obvious.  That wasn't just any animal.  It had to be human.

Ducking low, hoping the vegetation would keep him hidden, he moved toward the sound.  When he realized he was headed back toward the creek, his heart picked up the pace.  Alone, Sal was completely vulnerable and too weak to fight back.

Then he saw them.  It was just two men, both dressed in the dark purple of the Terran infantry, and they didn't look like they were being overly cautious.  Unfortunately, their silence didn't convince him that this was just a coincidence.  He had to do something and, aware that he was dressed in a Terran uniform himself, the answer seemed obvious.

Kolt stood up straight.  "Hey, there," he called out in his best Escean accent, waving an arm.

Both men spun, their hands going to their hilts.  "Who's that?" one asked.

"Corporal Enik Karington," he replied, hoping Sal would hear his voice if nothing else.  They were much too close.  "I'm trying to get back to base."

The second man stepped forward, still keeping his hand on his weapon.  "What are you doing out here, Corporal?"

Quick, he thought, think of something.  "Our unit was decimated on the other side of the Siahies.  I've been trying to make it back to report, but it's been a very long walk.  Please tell me I'm almost there?"  He was close enough that the soldiers could see his uniform and they still hadn't attacked.

The first man shifted, moving enough to flank.  The second looked him over.  Kolt just lifted his hands, hoping neither of them noticed the bright steel hilt tucked in the back of his pants.  For a few seconds, the Terrans weighed him in silence, then he saw the man at his side nod.  With a chuckle, the other extended his hand.

"Welcome back, Corporal.  You're about a day out on foot.  We have a camp back there," his head jerked to the southeast, "with some real food that might make you feel a little better."

Kolt pushed out a relieved sigh, then chuckled.  "Yeah.  Nothing like ‘home cooking' after a long hike, right?  You on patrol?"

The two shared a glance.  This time, the man to his side answered.  "Looking for escapees."

"Oh," Kolt whispered, dropping his voice.  "Close?"

"Trail ends by the creek a klick up.  Made camp there hoping one of the hounds would find something, but they've been silent for a while."

Kolt was nodding, taking it all in while trying to look like he was thinking.  "How could someone slip the dogs like that?"

"It's an iliri, Corporal.  The bitch herself.  Sergeant Narnx sent the best units out in each direction, and we're the only ones who've had any sign of her.  She's around here, and we're going to get one hell of a nice bonus when we bring her back."

"Yeah.  If it's her, that means you've got a couple units, right?"

Once again, the men shared a look.  "No, sir," the man before him answered.  "Just us."

"Us?" Kolt pressed.

"Second Tracking Specialists, Corporal.  Our record is excellent at returning escapees."

And that was all he needed to know.  The Second Tracking Specialist unit consisted of ten soldiers and five dogs.  Their combat training was above standard, but much less than even the typical Black Widow received.  While they were excellent in following the smallest sign of a trail, they traveled light and fast, armed only for the takedown.  In other words, they didn't stand a chance.

Bracing a hand on his back, Kolt scratched at his head, drawing both of their eyes up.  The fingers of his other hand brushed the hilt of Sal's dagger, and he worked it closer while he talked.  "So I guess you're just camped for the dogs to have a break, huh?  Not much chance of me getting a full nights rest and a ride back?"

"No, sir.  Sorry, Corporal, we're going the other way.  Unless we happen to find her around here, and that isn't looking likely.  Just us and another pair making sure while the rest eat up, then we're off again.  If you wanted a free meal, better head that way before we start moving again."

"Good to know."  And Kolt jerked the dagger free of his belt, plunging it into the throat of the man standing right in front of him.

Before the other could scream, Kolt ducked, swiping out with his feet as he shifted his hand on the blade.  Together, they hit the dirt, Kolt's dagger placed right at the man's throat.  Just feet away, the first man was gurgling his last breaths in the grass.  Kolt smiled.

"Where did you last see her?" he demanded, the false accent gone.

The Terran's eyes were wide.  "In camp."

"Her trail, you idiot!"

The man closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  "I can't tell you that."

"If you think I won't cut your throat, you're dumber than I first thought.  Start talking or I'll start cutting."  Kolt moved his dagger to rest just under the man's ear.  "And I'll make it slow."

A calmness came over the Terran, and he opened his eyes.  "The longer you take, the better chance of them catching you, traitor."

"Good point."  With a smile, Kolt pressed, slicing deep through the cartilage and tissue beneath the soldier's jaw.

He didn't stick around to see the fear of death in the man's eyes when he realized he was bleeding out.  He didn't bother checking the other to make sure he was truly gone.  Kolt had the information he needed, and a second pair of scouts was out here somewhere.  Probably much too close to Sal.  Ducking back into the tall grass, he ran, weaving like some animal even as he hurried back to where she was.

While he'd been delayed, night had truly fallen.  The stars in the sky were enough to light his way, but there was something else.  From the top of the bank, a pale line of mist crept ever higher.  At least that's how it looked from a distance, but Kolt knew better.  It wasn't really mist.  It was the smoke from Sal's fire venting through some hole.  Even worse were the shadows heading toward it on the bank.

Sal! he thought, wishing he could speak into her mind like an Anglian.  Wake up, Sal, because they're coming, and I'm not sure I'll make it in time.

But she'd never hear him.  As he slipped through the grass, Kolt was sure it would happen again.  Once more, he'd be just a moment too late, and she'd be the one to suffer.  If he didn't figure out some way to distract them, Salryc Luxx, the only person who could stop this war, would die and it'd be all his fault.

As the two Terran soldiers peeked into the first opening along the creek bed, Kolt made his decision.  He stopped hiding and ran harder, clutching the bloody dagger in his fist.  Realizing that wasn't a cave, but just an indentation, they moved to the next, bending to see if the small hole was as useless as the one they'd just found.  Kolt knew it wasn't.  He knew they had to see the glow of her fire.  Any second, they'd rush in to find Sal blissfully asleep, worn beyond anyone's ability to keep going.

"Hey!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.  "You looking for me?"  Covered in blood to his wrist, openly carrying a very well known steel blade, he knew it was a death sentence.  But at least it wouldn't be her death.

Both soldiers looked up.  Kolt had barely enough time to recognize that the smaller was a woman before he hacked at the man.  That was the bigger threat.  He'd be stronger, more capable of fighting back.  The woman would be faster.  She'd wear him out too soon.  The steel grazed the man across the torso just as Kolt felt himself yanked back.

The woman had grabbed his collar, using his own speed to dump him on the ground.  When he hit, something snapped, and his air rushed out, but Kolt knew how to deal with that.  He kept moving.  Kicking at one of the ankles over him, he heard the woman yelp.  Before they could contain him, he slashed out with the knife in his hand.  Their legs were close, easy targets, and he was damned well going to win - or die trying.

Chapter 32

Sal heard a yell in the distance, jerking her awake.  She couldn't remember what had been said - proving she was more exhausted than she wanted to admit - but she knew the tone.  Fear.  She'd been discovered.  Rolling from her makeshift bed, she scrambled toward the packs, shocked to see they'd been opened.  Inside, one of her knives was gone.

But she had the other and Blaec's sword.  It would have to be enough.  The broadsword was too big for her to use effectively as a weapon, but it'd work well enough as a shield.  Leaving everything else, she moved to the side of the entrance, pressing her body close to the wall in the darkest shadow, and convinced her skin to match it.

Then she waited.

Outside, she heard a crash.  Then a yell.  After that came a muffled grunt.  Clearly, someone was fighting.  The problem was that she had no idea who.  In here, all she could smell was smoke.  The acoustics of the cave made the voices distorted so she couldn't even go by sound.  She didn't know if it was Kolton, the resistance, or a group of Escean nationalists.  If she ran out to help, she could easily find herself in the middle of something so much more dangerous than she could deal with.

So she waited.  Another thump, a muffled cry followed by the sound of resin on flesh, and then a wet crack.  For a moment, there was silence.  Shifting her hand for a better grip, Sal took a deep breath, waiting for the enemy to enter her hideout.  Finally, she heard the first step.

Weary and lame, someone shuffled through the low entrance.  All she could do was wait.  Tense.  Ready.  She just had to see him.  When the first hint of a black and purple uniform came around the stone, she acted, pushing into his face with her dagger at his throat as she let her color return to normal.  Holding the sword point down, she kept it ready to serve as a spear.

That's when his scent registered in her mind.  The problem was that it didn't match the human before her.  Kolton slowly raised his hands, one of her knives held loosely in the right.

"Sal?" he asked softly, searching her face.

She just took another breath, feeling the hand with her dagger shake slightly.  She knew that smell.  It was one she'd never forget, and it sure wasn't from a human!  Memories of silk sheets and safety flooded her, but that was impossible.  This was Kolton - or so she thought.  Time and time again, she'd been close enough to know he smelled too sweet to match her memories.  Those were of an iliri - and not just any iliri.  He'd been the man who'd changed her life, and Kolton smelled just like him.

"You're a shifter," she growled, deciding it was the only explanation that made sense.  "Where is he?"

"Who?"  His head shook slightly.

"Sergeant Enik Kolton."  Her ears flicked back.  "What have you done with my human?"

Standing so close to him, it was impossible to miss the shock that flared across his face.  Ignoring the weapon she held on him, he reached for his throat, pawing at his neck as a gasp slipped out.  That's when the stale scent of fear came as the man who looked like Kolton began to step back.

"Sal," he begged.  "I can explain."

Her lip curled.  "It had better be a real good story."

"It's..."  He swallowed, edging closer to the exit.  "I..."

Her eyes just narrowed.  "If you run, I will catch you.  Drop the facade and let me see your face."

"This is my face," he insisted.  "Sal, you know me.  Just touch me and you'll see.  I'm not here to hurt you, babe."

"Don't call me that!"

He paled before the anger in her voice but still reached out his hand.  "My name is Syrik Enik Kolton.  I'm a Sergeant with Star Fall, of the Conglomerate of Free Citizens.  Kaisae, there's six more men just up the creek.  You have to touch me or let me find my necklace so you can understand."

Something in his voice convinced her, but she knew what would happen when her skin met his.  For a split second, she'd be distracted as his memories washed over her.  If she wasn't careful, standing this close to him, it could be enough to lose the advantage.  But she was stronger than that.

A tiny smile curled her lips higher, and she struck, dropping Blaec's sword to shove her arm out and clamp her fingers around his wrist.  As they touched, she forced his body to be still - and images flooded her.  A tree in the middle of the night, her body leaning against his arm hard enough to make it lose circulation.  The sight of her chained to a wooden post.  Her riding over the Unavi hills with Cyno at her side and Blaec watching wistfully.  A black crossbow bolt peeking through the flesh of her arm.  A high cliff, with her in the ravine, slaughtering men as fast as she could reach them.  Her sitting alone in a bar.

It was the final one that made her hand fall from his skin, releasing him.  Saffron yellow silk sheets beneath perfectly white hair as her back pressed against his chest and she slept.  There was no way for anyone to know the color of those sheets, but that was it.  The exact shade, meant to mimic gold, and he knew.  He knew the way their bodies had pressed against each other, the same tuck of silk separating their skin.  In her entire life, Sal had never told anyone about that.  Not even Jase.

"How?" she asked, lowering her other arm back to her side even as her fingers went limp.  The sound of steel hitting stone was loud.

His eyes were locked on hers.  "Ask me again, Sal."

Somehow, she knew exactly what he meant.  Her head raised and lowered in the closest thing she could get to a nod.  "What's the other reason you didn't help your unit try to kill me in the bath back in Prin?"

Slowly, almost timidly, he reached up and pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.  "Because I've fought against tyranny too long to participate in it myself."

Those words were too much.  She was exhausted, aching, and her mind felt like it'd been scrambled, but she'd never forget those exact words.  It's what her officer had told her when he refused her so long ago.  It was his way of saying that she deserved more, that she deserved to be treated like a person, and it had changed her life.  Sal felt her knees give in and she didn't try to fight it.

But he caught her, his hands on the fabric over her shoulders.  "I'm so sorry, Kaisae.  I didn't want you to know, but we don't have time for this right now.  You have to eat something."  He stepped closer and caught her hand, wrapping his around it.  "You're trembling, and I know you're running on nothing.  There's two dead Terrans just outside.  Go sit by the fire, and I'll bring the smaller one in."

"Why?"  Her mind just couldn't keep up.

He chuckled, one hand pointing to her weapons on the ground.  "Because while your wits might be addled, mine are working fine.  Iliri don't do well if they're not fed, and rumors say Anglia collect the kills to share.  I'm giving you one of mine."

"But I can't..."  She managed to step back, keeping her weight securely on her feet.  "I don't eat maerte in front of humans."

Kolton just smiled.  "I'm not human, Sal.  I've just been pretending to be for a very long time.  Go sit by the fire, Kaisae, before I have to carry you there."

The strangest thing was that she went.  It wasn't his place to order her around.  No matter how she looked at it, she still outranked him.  Whether that was politically, militarily, or pack hierarchy, his instincts should be telling him to ask her, not order.  But right now, she needed a little guidance, so she was more than happy to let him take charge.

When Kolton came back, he smelled like the sugar of humans.  Considering he carried most of a woman's lower leg, it made sense, but when he offered the raw flesh to her, he held up something else.  It was just a strand of leather with beads tied halfway down, and the sweetness oozed off it.  Her eyes flicked between the meat and the jewelry, but she couldn't decide which mattered more.

"Eat," he insisted.  "I'll cook it if you prefer, but if you eat, I'll explain."

Sal flicked her eyes over to his and held them.  "Be careful what you ask for."  Then she raised the calf to her lips and bit, tearing off a mouthful of human muscle.

He just chuckled and moved to sit across the fire.  "It's hematite and pyrite.  The yellow stones are typically used in our fire strikers.  The grey ones are sought out for jewelry.  I don't know why they smell like humans but..."  He offered the strand to her.

She inhaled, aware of the faint difference between his necklace and the bloody meat she was holding.  "Iron."

"Metal?"  He looked at the necklace again.

"Have you ever noticed how red human blood is?"  She took another bite, proving the point.  "Iliri blood is more of a burgundy color, but humans have bright red blood.  It's because of the iron."

"Why do they have metal in their blood?"

She shrugged.  "Because where humans came from, metal wasn't quite so hard to find.  They changed almost everything else to do fine on this world, but they didn't bother changing themselves.  Why'd you leave the necklace outside?"

He bit his lips together as he twined the string around itself, making a small knot that would fit in his pocket.  "It wasn't intentional.  I jumped the guy, and the woman jerked me down.  She broke the leather, and I was a little too busy to notice."  His eyes flicked up.  "Until you pointed it out."

"Why were you hiding your scent from me?"  Yeah.  Maybe she wanted to trust him, but she wasn't that stupid.  He'd been a little too helpful on this trip when the last time, he'd taunted her and treated her like any other human.

For a little too long, he didn't answer, but the scent of him said enough.  Shame.  Kolton was ashamed of what had happened so long ago, that much was clear.  Keeping her eyes on him, she continued to eat, well aware that he'd been right about one thing.  She was starving, and if she wanted to make it back to the Black Blades, she'd better fill herself up when she could.

"Eat something while you think," she told him, shifting the human leg slightly as an offer.

He shook his head but moved to dig in his pocket.  The necklace went in.  When his hand came out, there was a small packet with it.  Terran field rations.  She couldn't touch them but evidently, he could.  Sal's eyes flicked from the food back to his face, the question obvious.

"It's grains around dried meat.  I've never hidden how much I dislike green vegetables, and most people think I'm just a typical man.  There's enough human in my lineage that tubers and grains don't make me sick."  Then he unwrapped the end and took a bite.  "And I hid my scent because I hoped you'd be able to forget about your time as a slave."

"Mm."  She wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but she didn't have time to delve into that right now.  "So where's the rest of this unit?"

"Up the creek, less than a klick.  We can either try to ambush them - and your dinner had some weapons we can use - or we can push on."

Sal took another bite then talked around it.  "They'll follow.  How many?"

"Six.  Probably five dogs."

And that was more than she could take on alone right now.  Remembering the lay of the land, she tried to figure out the best way to deal with their current situation.  The scouts were missing, but they wouldn't be expected back so soon.  Her only ally was a man who'd been lying to her for years.  Weapons were in short supply, she was weak and exhausted, but he was a trained elite from the CFC.  That gave them a little advantage - so long as he didn't turn on her.

"Any bows?" she asked.

"Mm."  Kolt wiped at his mouth before answering.  "Two crossbows and a small quiver.  Maybe ten bolts?"

She took one last bite then tossed the meat beside the fire.  "That'll do.  I hope you're a half decent shot."

"Good for a human," he replied as he stood.  "Two daggers, a broadsword, two crossbows, and a pair of brittle sabers.  We can't just pick them apart from a distance, Sal.  We're going to have to fight, and you're not up for that."

She just looked him right in the eye.  "I'm up for surviving.  I've had a nap and something to eat.  I'm fine, and I've handled worse than this."  Wrenching her eyes away, she stormed to where she'd left her weapons.  "And I want my other blade."

He held it up.  When she looked at it, he tossed it over.  "So what am I going to use?"

First, she tucked both daggers into the sheaths on the belt Narnx had packed for them, then she began putting their things away.  "Blaec's sword.  It's too big for me, so you might as well get a little Terran blood on it."

"I can't use that."

"No?"  She sucked back a deep breath.  "Then how exactly are you going to fight the Terrans?  Think those cheap sabers are going to hold up for more than a few hits?  Or do you intend to fight like a human?"

"Sal - " he tried, but she cut him off, storming right into his face with Blaec's sword clutched in her hand.

"Right now, I need an iliri.  I need you to fight like a beast."  Her eyes bore into his with intensity.  "I don't care what you want to be.  I don't care how long you've been lying to yourself.  Right now, I want to go home to my pack, and you're the person who's going to make that possible.  I need my iliri.  I need you to be iliri, so I'm sorry."

Then she pressed her palm against the side of his face and closed her eyes.  Kolton jerked, feeling the invasion in his mind, but he didn't resist.  No, he relaxed, giving over to her completely.  For the first time, Sal didn't have to fight the slipperiness of a mind to find the switch.  She didn't need to struggle to tie him to her mentally.  Kolt was willing to do whatever she asked, and with her thoughts piercing through his, it wasn't exactly something he could hide.

Then she opened him up.  I need you to be one with me, because this is how we're going to win.

His body jerked in shock.  "The link?" he breathed.

"Think it," she demanded.

I'm linked?

Sal dipped her head.  Yeah.  Through me.  Now let's get this done before I crash again, because I don't know how much I have left and my meal just nullified the maast.  We're fighting with a handicap, so we'd better get this right.  Grabbing the last of their things as she headed to the exit, she looked back.  Don't worry.  It's just six humans.

And five dogs, he thought, following behind her.

Chapter 33

The fight was over fast.  Five of the bolts stopped the dogs.  Four went into humans.  One, she'd missed.  It was proof that Sal was pushing herself beyond her limits, but Kolton didn't say a single thing about it.  His shock hit her mind hard enough to make the point.

But they'd had the advantage.  The humans had been blinded by their campfire.  The iliri could see in the dark.  Sal was pleased to find she didn't need to watch for Kolton.  His vision was almost as good as hers, and he knew enough to keep his eyes away from the light.  One by one, they'd killed their pursuers, but it hadn't been silent.  If there were any other groups in the area, they'd be headed this way.  If there weren't, then when the Second Tracking Specialists didn't report in, they'd be headed this way.

In other words, Sal and Kolton weren't going to get the relaxing night they'd hoped for.  They had to keep moving.

At the edge of the camp, the Terrans had tethered their horses.  They'd be the fastest way to leave the Terran Empire behind.  She turned, releasing her new partner's mind as she marched straight for them, but Kolton stopped her.

"What are you doing, Sal?"

She pointed at the horses fidgeting nervously.  "I'm getting a fast way back to Issevi."

He just looked down her body.  "Like that?"

Following his eyes, she realized he was right.  Her clothes were stained with dirt, blood, sap, and other things she couldn't identify.  It would be impossible for her to pass for anything other than an escapee.  Either a Terran army deserter or a prisoner - but neither was the kind of person who went unnoticed.  Sal wanted to lash out in her anger, but she knew that was just exhaustion and frustration.

Instead, she gestured for him to keep going.  "Fine.  What do you suggest?"

He was rummaging in the clothes of one of the corpses.  "Think you can eat a little more?"

Her ears flicked back, and she had to force herself not to growl.  "I'm fine."

"Right, but think you can?"

"Sure, if you do."

His head snapped up.  "What?"

"You're following me around, acting like my babysitter, but what are you?"  She lifted her chin defiantly.  "Still playing the human, Kolton?"

He put a small pouch in his pocket and stood.  "What other option did I have, Sal?"  The look he gave her was almost cruel, but he kept going, making his way to the next body.  "I had a wife and son to support in a world that didn't care if we died, and look at me."  This time, it was a handful of coins he pocketed.  "Look at me, Sal," he snarled, turning to face her.

"I see a human," she spit back.

"Exactly.  I'm too dark for my own people to accept and too beastly to get away with being what I really am."  He grimaced, trying to shake the frustration off his face.  "So I learned to be what I had to.  I did whatever it took to survive and don't you dare begrudge me that!"

Something about the anger in his voice proved he wasn't exaggerating.  "Like what?" she asked.  "What did you have to do?"

"Like leave you there."  He wrenched his eyes away and stormed toward the last body, but when he bent, he proved he wasn't done.  "I tried to tell them.  Anyone who'd listen, I tried to tell them I'd found a Kaisae, but no one believed me.  They all thought I was just trying to earn my way into a pack with lies.  My kind, they said, are just like humans and can't be trusted.  So I became a human."

She took a step toward him.  "What do you mean, your kind?"

"I'm not aufrio.  I'm not nacione.  I'm not rafrezzi."  He looked back, the resentment obvious in those amber eyes of his.  "Even I don't know what I am, Kaisae, but I'm going to make sure you're taken care of this time."

"You're my officer."  She couldn't fathom his resentment – or figure out if it was directed at her.  "You showed me the way out."

"But I didn't!  I left you there at the mercy of that man, knowing he'd sell you off again and again, and there wasn't a damned thing I could do to stop it!  You were my Kaisae, and I failed you.  All I had left was this."

"Kolt," she breathed, slowly putting all the pieces in place.  He'd been alone, just like she had.  Brerror, isolated for reasons beyond their control.

He forced his attention back to the body, patting all the pockets.  "I'm sorry, Sal.  I'm so sorry.  Every time I thought I'd make it up, I just make it worse.  I just have to get you back."  He found something else and removed it, then stood.  With that, he once again became the confident soldier she remembered.  "I'm willing to bet there's a clean Terran uniform in one of those packs.  One of those women had to be small enough for it to fit you."

"Probably in the one with the shortest stirrups," she agreed, heading that way.

"Two horses, clean clothes for both of us..."  He aimed for the opposite end of the string from where Sal was.  "Get cleaned up, eat something, and then be in the saddle by dawn."

She looked up.  "So about three hours?"

"Yeah."  He pulled out a black and purple uniform, holding it against his arm.  "And we stay off the main passes."

"Easy enough."  She fell silent as she tried to find a uniform that would fit, but her mind was whirling.  "Kolt?"

"Yeah, babe?"

She let it go this time.  "When we get to Issevi, are you going back to the Conglomerate?"

He didn't answer for a little too long.  When Sal looked up, he was watching her.  "Yeah, probably," he mumbled, but he didn't sound thrilled.

She finally found the uniform so nodded, showing she'd heard.  She also didn't want to think about her response.  "Don't."

"Don't?"

"Yeah."  Flinging the black and purple material over her shoulder, she pointed out the two best horses.  "That one and this one.  The rest won't move fast enough for what we want."

"Sure," he agreed absentmindedly.  Even as his hands went to work releasing the lead, he wouldn't let her drop the topic.  "What do you mean, don't?"

She tried to put off answering, but by the time she had her own horse free and was leading it away from the line, he still hadn't pulled his eyes away.  She'd started this, and that meant she owed him an answer.

"Don't," she said again.  "I've spent the last six, almost seven years hoping to find the man who gave me a chance, so I could thank him.  I just found out who he is, and I'm not quite ready to call that good enough."

He fell in beside her.  Neither of them looked at the other, and they both knew the way back.  The campfire and corpses faded in the darkness but still, he didn't say a single thing.  She could smell that he was thinking.  The problem was that she couldn't isolate the emotions in his scent.

"How long do you want me to stay?" he finally asked.

She stared at the ground, wondering if he'd think she was crazy.  "I don't know."

"Sal?"

She flicked an ear at him.

"Sal," he tried again.  "Look at me, babe?"

Slowly she raised her eyes to find his waiting.  "I'm not him," he said.

"I know."  Her eyes drifted back to the dirt, but he grabbed her chin, lifting them back to his.

"I'm not him, Sal.  I'm not whatever person you thought you met in Merriton.  I'm not Blaec Doll.  I wasn't good enough to pass the trials to become a Black Blade."  Then his thumb gently slid along the edge of her jaw.  "But if you want me to stay, then I'll stay.  You're my Kaisae."

Slowly, she let her eyes close.  "But you are him.  Every time I breathe, I know it.  You're the man who changed my life - "

"Who almost raped you," he corrected.  "I had no idea that offer was for anything more than a room, but you?"  He scoffed, pulling his hand back.  "I was some scrubber thinking I got a great deal, and then you walked in.  You!  When I smelled you, I thought I was dreaming, and then you did that?"

He meant used her abilities to seduce him.  Shame flooded her as she remembered.  It had been her best trick, making all of her master's guests love her instantly.  She'd please them, they'd offer her master a gift as repayment, and she'd get a real meal for it.

Once again, she looked at her feet.  "I'm sorry."

"Stop that," he hissed, pulling her chin up again.  "Don't you dare lower your eyes to me.  Never, Sal."

"But - "

"Never," he growled.  "Now c'mon.  You need a bath.  I need to cook you something, and I've never cooked maerte before - and we're running out of night."  He offered her a weak smile.  "We'll deal with all the rest of this while we make it to the Siahies, ok?"

"Yeah.  Just so long as we make it."

***

The fire at their cave had burned down to embers.  Almost two corpses - one short a leg - were still laying by the entrance.  Kolt decided that was about as easy as it was going to get for fresh meat, so he pulled the rest of the woman inside.  Sal, he sent to the creek to get cleaned up in private.  She'd tied the horses with some trick she'd learned as a Black Blade.  He didn't know how, and right now he had a few more important things to think about.  Like keeping her from falling apart.

When they'd linked for that little killing spree, he'd felt more than she knew.  She tried to hide the pain in her mind, but it still leaked through enough to be distracting.  Only a thread was holding her together - and it was called willpower.  The desperation?  That nearly broke his heart.

He still couldn't believe she didn't hate him.  For the last seven years, he'd been convinced that he'd ruined his chances of impressing the only Kaisae the iliri had left.  What he'd done that night?  She should despise him for it.  Anyone else would.

Yet Sal only wanted to thank him.  He wasn't sure for what.  She said he changed her life, but he hadn't.  No one had believed she existed.  No matter how hard he tried, he hadn't been able to convince anyone to buy her title or free her.  It made no sense, but this was the second chance he'd always hoped for.  The Kaisae of all iliri had decided to trust him completely, and he wasn't dumb enough to take that for granted.

Kolt turned the steak on the rock he was using to cook it.  Cooking human flesh was another thing he'd never done before, but she trusted him to get it right, so he'd try.  The least she deserved was a half decent meal now that she was heading back where she belonged.  Granted, it had been a long time since he'd cooked for anyone but himself.

And now he was cooking for her.  The little bitch was amazing.  She also twisted his instincts and confused the shit out of him.

Being around her, he should feel special, but he didn't.  He should feel safe, but he felt like it was his job to do the protecting.  He should wilt at her dominance like everyone else, but he found himself staring deep into her eyes.  The thought of her gaze dropping before his made his heart pound.  When she'd done it earlier?  He had to stop her.  She was everything an iliri was supposed to be, and so painfully perfect.

Oh, he'd listened to the guys in his unit make jokes about her alien features, but he could never agree.  She was a predator - and built like one.  Her body was nothing but lean muscle, her face was shaped for maximum carnage, but her eyes... He could spend hours looking for the hints of color in her pale irises.  He also couldn't look away.

Not that she'd submit to him.  He wasn't Blaec Doll, and he'd never be enough of a man to fill those shoes.  No one would.  Kolt was a loner, shunned from the society she took for granted, fumbling through what little bits of his culture he could learn from books.  He'd never had a pack.  He'd never learned the basic things people just expected from others.

In some ways, that isolation made him stronger.

Like every iliri, he knew the Kaisae was their leader, and all males would submit to her... except him.  Sal needed him to be strong enough to take care of her.  That much she'd made clear when they'd been linked, even if she hadn't meant to, and he could do that.

She thought his ability to meet her gaze was a clue to his character.  The reality was that he'd just never learned anything else.  For as long as he could remember, he'd had to fight back or get rolled, and he was sick and tired of being the one wearing the dirt.  He'd learned to keep going because he had to.  He had no one else.  Maybe that's why he didn't fit in.  Maybe it wasn't just his dark skin that convinced the iliri that he didn't belong, but also his stubbornness.

At least it would help him keep her safe long enough to get her home to the men who loved her.  It wasn't much, but guarding a Kaisae had always been his dream.  This was the closest he could get.  As a boy, he'd thought that if he was good enough, one would seek him out, but that was before he understood why men stood on either side of her.  Being the perfect soldier wasn't enough.  Her guardians were also her lovers.

Enik Kolton was nothing like Blaec Doll.  The only thing the two of them had in common was their mongrel ancestry.  He wouldn't be leading anything except the next bar brawl.  He certainly wasn't the kind of man a Kaisae fell in love with – and he didn't want to be.

He was an expert at infiltration.  He could play any part he needed to, and if that's what it took to get her home, then maybe Ayati had picked the right beast.  A man who understood humans better than his own kind and who couldn't take advantage of the Kaisae, even though she was at her weakest.  He could do this.  For the next couple of weeks, he'd even enjoy it.  What he wouldn't do this time, was fuck it up.

Then again, Sal wouldn't judge him the same way humans had.

She was the hope of their entire species, and he was perfect for this.  He knew how to beat the odds.  He didn't have a clue how to be a proper iliri, but he knew how to keep going.  He'd been ostracized from his culture, and yet the leader of it was right outside, depending on him.  If that wasn't proof that Ayati had one hell of a sense of humor, then they were already fucked.

Laughing at his own bad joke, Kolt pulled the meat off the fire and set it to the side.  Her piece was twice the size of his, but she'd warned him that it'd make him tipsy the first time.  The smell was tantalizing, but the idea of eating humans was a bit intimidating, too.  He'd seen hounds get a craving for the wrong thing and have to be put down.  Once he knew if they tasted as good as they smelled, would he be able to stop?  But the only way to be sure was to try, and the Kaisae insisted.  Kolt added another log to the fire, then headed out to tell Sal their dinner was ready.

"Kaisae?" he whispered as he emerged from the too-short passage.

"Mm?"

He followed her voice to the edge of the creek.  The pale light of dawn proved that her uniform wasn't the one she should be wearing.  The purple was too vivid against her white skin, but she'd look amazing in anything.  The problem was the sorrow on her face.  Her eyes watched leaves float in the slow water, proving she was lost in her own thoughts.

"Sal," he tried again, moving closer.  "It's done, I think."

She nodded, but it was weak.  "I miss him, Kolt."  Those big white eyes turned on him.  "I keep wanting to ask him what I should do, or make sure he knows the next part of the plan, but he's gone."  Her voice broke on the last word.

"I know," he told her softly, making his way closer.  "And it hurts.  Not just in your mind, but your heart.  It's ok to miss him, Sal."  Without asking, he claimed the space beside her.

"I want him back," she whispered softly.  "I can't believe he's dead."

Kolt wrapped his arms tight around her, slowly easing Sal against his chest.  "I know, babe.  I know, but nothing will change it, now."

She shook her head, trying to fight the emotions.  "I don't have time for this."

"We do."  He tilted her head up, pressing it against his shoulder, and offered his mind as Sal clung to him desperately.  "We have time for you to grieve."

His words released something in her.  It was like she shattered.  Whimpering in his arms, she pulled his mind to her like a lifeline.  He gave himself over completely, melding with her like they'd done it a million times before, and it hit him.  The wave of sadness was more than he could've imagined, and Kolt pressed his cheek against the top of her head, the tears falling.  He cried for her, there beside the creek, sobbing harder than he ever had before.

Sal felt it.  The tears falling from his eyes, the sob in his throat - it was hers.  For the first time in her life, she could cry, and he was letting her.  The pain of Blaec's loss wracked both their bodies and tore through both of their minds.  Kolton just clung to her, slowly rocking back and forth, knowing she needed the release, and this was the only way she could have it.  He let her mourn Blaec in the only way she could, through him.  He didn't know how much time passed before the pain eased only for a deep smoldering anger to replace it.

"You'll be ok," he promised, feeling the change.  "You'll make them pay."

"Just him," she swore.  "Just the Emperor.  The rest of us are just pawns in this war, but I'll make sure he knows exactly how much this hurts."

"Yeah."  He gently caressed her head, feeling her delicate ears bend beneath his palm.  "And I'll help you as much as I can, but that means you need to eat something to keep you going."

She nodded, for once not trying to deny it.  "And you, too."

"Already made two steaks."  He leaned back to see her face.  "Just don't let me fall off my horse if I'm drunk, ok?  Star Fall aren't the kind of horsemen you Blades are."

Something flickered across her face.  As she pulled her mind back, he caught the smallest hint of it, little more than an image of Blaec walking beside her while she rode.  Training.  Horsemen.  Biting back the groan, he closed his eyes and hoped she didn't notice.  He'd just done it again, reminded her how much Blaec had changed her life.

"It's ok," she told him.  "Those memories aren't the ones that hurt."  When he looked at her, she smiled.  It was weak but still there.  "Regret.  It's pungent, but not in a way I can describe.  Probably because I don't get it."

She meant his scent.  Kolt chuckled, realizing he'd have to remember that.  She couldn't just smell him, she could smell what he was feeling.  "Trust me, it's a very inconvenient emotion.  C'mon, Sal.  Let me feed you.  This is my first time preparing maerte, and I'm hoping it's not horrible."

"Never horrible," she assured him.  "It's better raw - at least to me - but even cooked, it's still tender enough to sink my - "  Her head twitched, and her eyes dropped to his mouth.  "You have human teeth," she realized, studying him.

He chuckled as he guided her back to the cave.  "Kinda.  I filed down the canines, and it's rare for people to look too close."

"We should fix that."

"Healing them, you mean?  Why?"  Not that he was opposed.

She ducked into the opening, not answering until both of them were inside.  "Because it's a lot easier to eat when your mouth works right."  Then she grabbed his wrist.  "And every iliri deserves to have our best weapon.  Close your eyes."

He did, but it wasn't enough to stop the world from spinning.  Sal's hand did that.  Those tiny white fingers held him grounded, finally giving him a purpose.  As Kolt felt his teeth lengthen, realigning his jaw, he couldn't help but smile.  For his entire life, he'd fought against discrimination from both humans and iliri.  Now, alone with the last Kaisae on the continent, he finally had the chance to make his son proud of him.

Chapter 34

Sal ate until she couldn't manage any more.  Kolt ate just enough to start smiling.  By the time the sun was turning the sky pink, they were done, packed, and ready to go.  Unfortunately, they didn't have the time or the energy to bother cleaning up the destruction they'd left behind, but it wouldn't matter.  When Terric figured it out, they'd have a decent enough lead, and the horses were fresh.

Thankfully, Kolt rode well enough, even if his balance wasn't as good as it should be.  Sal, however, was feeling a lot better.  She still ached in her head, and she'd always miss Blaec, but she was going home.  That mattered.  It gave her the hope she'd been missing for what seemed like an eternity - ever since she'd been taken from Syhar.

But since they were traveling in the open, she needed to fix one thing.  Her uniform was Terran, her horse was stolen from the Empire.  The only problem was how she looked.  Her white skin would give her away at a distance, but that was something she could change.  She didn't even have to create a new look.  The visage she'd used so long ago to seduce Blaec would work perfectly.

"If anyone asks," she told Kolt, "my name is Siana Praxis."  Then she changed.

His eyes raked over her, and a smile claimed his lips.  "And it looks like I'm traveling with one hell of a beautiful lady.  Just make sure I don't have to beat off any randy soldiers, ok?"

"Oh hush."  She couldn't help but chuckle, well aware that he was joking.  At least she thought he was.

He didn't offer more.  For the first few hours of their trip, they traveled in silence.  Step by weary step, the horses plodded toward the tall rocky peaks of the Siahies.  A few times, Sal adjusted their course, relying on the sense of direction she'd learned from Razor, but her grasp of it wasn't as fine-tuned.

When Kolt heard she was taking them to a town, he reined his horse to a stop.  She had to convince him it was an iliri town, and that the skill really would work before he'd agree to go another step.  That little disagreement made the awkwardness between them even worse.  She barely knew this man, and what she did know of him was split between two people.  Her long lost officer wasn't supposed to be anything like the arrogant soldier from Star Fall, but she couldn't deny her senses.  It wasn't just her nose but also her mind.

And the rush of iron was enough to make him perfectly happy to travel in silence.  Sal couldn't say the same.  For as long as she could remember, traveling meant honest conversations, and she had a lot of questions she really wanted answers for.

Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore, so started with something easy.  "How'd you learn to link so easily, anyway?  Or is that something that's just instinctual?"

His buzz was fading, but it still took him a minute to reply.  "You mean for conversation, or, um, blending our minds?"

"Like we did in battle."

He huffed a laugh.  "Sal, I have a son, remember."

"Yeah, but..."  She paused at his incredulous look.  "What?"

"Skin to skin, any iliri can link.  Didn't your lovers -"  He closed his mouth with a snap.  "Dumb question."

"I kinda did everything backwards.  So I guess that means it's instinctual."  She tried to rub her embarrassment off her face.  "Kinda like biting."

"Even humans bite."  He shrugged.  "So I guess."

"No, I meant, um..."  Yeah, she was digging this hole even deeper.  "Like how we always know which arm a man uses, so we know which to mark."  She gestured at him.  "I'm sure you know all about that too.  Probably have a nice line of scars there from your wife."

He pulled his shirt back, letting her eyes see his pristine shoulder.  "I don't.  I've never been claimed like that.  I know how to speak our language, and quite a few other customs of our people, but always from a distance.  I've never been claimed."

"But you have a son?"

He smiled.  "I'm starting to think our last meal put me at a distinct disadvantage.  Who knew humans gave such a buzz."

She wouldn't let him change the subject that easily.  "You married her, but she never truly claimed you?"

"Exactly."  He shifted in the saddle.  "I'm a loner, Sal.  I'm too dominant to mingle with most crossbreds, and there aren't enough of us with high percentages of iliri ancestry anymore for me to fit with.  I'm considered to be a bit of an asshole, I guess.  I speak my mind and I refuse to submit to something stupid.  We were married, not really mated.  I'm not exactly the ahnor type."

"What is the ‘ahnor type' anyway?" she asked.  "Because Jase said the same thing, and I proved him wrong."

He took a deep breath, clearly thinking about it.  "I guess it's the type of man you trust enough to share your secrets with."

"I share my secrets with all of my pack."  She wasn't going to let him off with some half-assed answer like that.  "Kinda the point of a pack.  At least that's what I thought."

He huffed, shaking his head.  "And yet you never told them about what happened before you were conscripted?"

She closed her mouth on the reply she'd had ready.  He'd caught her completely off guard.  "Because they'd want to make that human pay and we have more to deal with."

He turned, pointedly looking in her eyes.  "And every man who lay in your bed in Merriton."

"You were the one who said no."

"I almost said yes."  He threw up his hands.  "Fuck, Sal.  I almost said yes to what you were offering, and we both know Cyno will kill me for it."

"He won't.  Zep might, but Jase won't."

Kolton laughed.  "Not sure Zep is any better.  I've sparred with him.  First hit knocked me off my feet.  Cyno's fast, but Zep's a damned mule."

"They already know.  You realize that, right?"  There was no way she was going to let him change the subject again.

"About the first time I saw you?"

She nodded.  "Jase has always known about that time of my life.  Zep is figuring it out.  They don't blame you."

"I blame me," he grumbled.

"And I don't," she reminded him.  "I always wanted to thank the man who changed everything, but I never even knew your name."

He slowly looked up at her, holding her eyes.  "Enik Kolton, iliri in hiding.  My true friends call me Kolt."  He held out his hand, smiling when she moved her horse to rest hers in it.  Without looking away, he lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them gently.  "It was my greatest pleasure to meet you, Kaisae."

"You'd make a wonderful courtier," she teased.

He laughed.  "I've played the part before, but I'll never be one of those simpering fools groveling for a hint of your attention.  I'm not going to just roll over because you tell me to.  I'm the kind of man who'd tell you to bite me instead."

She laughed at his choice of words.  "I think you've been with humans too long."  The confused look on his face only made her laugh more, exposing her sharp teeth.  "You look me in the eyes - a lot - then dare me to bite you?  Just didn't know if you were aware of the connotations of that."

"I'm a dominant male, Sal.  Was never hard for me to mimic the human habit of holding a gaze."

"That's not what I meant."

Kolt smiled.  "It's what I meant.  There's a term for men like me, but I never learned it."

"Brerror," she supplied.  "Loners.  Usually, it's your gift that sets you apart."

"My color."  He gestured to his chest.  "I'm just a fetcher, but my color has always kept me caught somewhere between humans and iliri."

"Wait.  So you..."

He huffed out an annoyed breath.  "Yeah, I just did it again.  Sorry."

That wasn't what she meant.  "You're the one who pulled the blade from Blaec?"

He slowly nodded.  "I thought if they didn't have it, then maybe it'd shock them enough to stop."

"Well, it let me heal him.  I didn't realize you knew your skill.  How iliri are you?" she asked, looking over his body again.

"Mom was three-quarters.  Dad was three-eighths.  Makes me something like sixty-three percent."  He sighed.  "I know you probably don't believe that, but it's what I was told."

"No, I believe it.  I can smell you."  She breathed in deeply, proving the point.  "It bothers you, doesn't it.  Being so dark?"

"Yeah.  Guess it shows?"

Sal nodded.  "Why?  I mean, a year ago, being dark was something we all longed for."

"No," he said, looking directly into her eyes.  "Don't ever think that.  We mutts have always wanted to be pure.  We've always wanted to be more.  We longed to hide because we were so oppressed, but we never wanted to be more human.  What we wanted was what you've done, Sal."

"But - "

"No.  Think about it.  We've always joked about being lucky to be dark but it was hollow.  We wanted to have pride in our species.  We wanted to have the strength to stand up to humans.  Strength comes with breeding, not pigment."  He rested his hand on her shoulder.  "You're proof of that.  As white as fresh snow, yet you changed everything."

That sounded great, and she wanted to believe it, but there was one thing bothering her.  "Why didn't you come to Anglia when the law passed?"

Kolton sighed and pulled his arm back.  "Because by keeping myself safe, I thought I'd ruined all my chances.  I almost raped the last Kaisae, I got her shot, and the unit I'd called friends for years were trying to kill the only pack of my people who were trying to make a difference.  I've been playing for the wrong team for most of my life.  There's no way you'd accept me. "  He lifted a hand for her to wait.  "I now know you don't agree, but that's what my reasons were."

She gestured around them.  "Yet here we are."

"Yeah.  I honestly thought you'd hate me for that night.  I shamed you.  I've dreaded you ever finding out, thinking you'd, I dunno, hate me for it.  I'd taken my necklace off and set it in a safe place, and was not about to let you know it even existed.  I was nearly asleep when you came in.  At first, I thought it was a dream."  He looked up shyly.  "That's the only thing I could imagine smelling like that, but there you were.  I had to be dreaming, I thought, until I kissed you."

Sal looked at the reins in her hands, remembering all too well what she'd done.  As soon as she'd touched him, she'd used the most basic skill of any iliri female.  She'd seduced him to her, but he'd resisted.  No other man had managed to do that.

"My mother," he said softly, kneeing his horse a bit closer.  "She was abused by a human.  She did that and told me about it later so I'd know what it was.  She said our people could hide in plain sight, but we were still their creations, and they knew it."  He turned his head just enough to see her, then looked back to the grass ahead.  "Sal, I've only ever heard of females using that when they were scared."

"I was terrified, but not of you.  Not really.  I was scared that you wouldn't be pleased enough and I'd be starved again.  I was always so hungry that I was nearly delusional.  When you escorted the train for free, they were so happy that I got meat for a week."

He mumbled an affirmative noise.  "I worried about that.  Told the man if he made me the same offer next time I was in Merriton, I'd be happy to help him.  Tried to make it sound like I had a fetish.  He had no idea what you were, but I did.  I knew you were a true Kaisae from the moment you entered the room, I just didn't think you were real."

She chuckled at that.  "You know, you were the first iliri I'd met?  I thought the way you smelled must have been because you were in combat or something.  I didn't realize it was because you weren't human.  Not until I met the Blades."

For a moment, he was quiet.  "Sal, I feel like I'm your curse.  I feel like we keep getting thrown together and every time it happens, things get screwed up.  First in Merriton, then Fort Landing - "

"Fort Landing?"

He nodded.  "I was a novice elite, still trying to prove myself.  Star Fall was stationed in Fort Landing, and we stopped at the bar in town to celebrate a successful training session.  I saw you sitting in a corner."

She gasped, turning with her mouth open.  "A glass of mead.  The waitress said the man who paid for it told me to never give up."

"And you didn't."

"Did you send the practice blades too?" she asked.

"No," he admitted.  "I think I know who did, though."

"Who?"

"That General who always watched over you.  Ever wonder why no charges were pressed when you picked that fight?"

"You know about that?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding.  "That was our regular hangout.  I was up on the second floor that night and couldn't believe you were there.  I had just about convinced myself to talk to you, but one guy kept trying to pick you up.  He wouldn't take no for an answer, so you grounded him.  His buddy joined the fight, and you beat the shit out of them both.  They kicked your ass out, but the first man was a Corporal, the other a Lieutenant."

"Oops," she giggled.

"Ran Sturmgren told them they deserved it and if they pressed charges, he'd never approve their applications."

"Ran?" That was the last name she'd expected to hear.

Kolt nodded.  "The one and only.  He came down on those guys hard, too."

"He's my sadava," she said wistfully.  "He's one of the good humans."

"Yeah," Kolton agreed.  "He really is.  He's the one who changed my species to human."

"He'll change it back, too, when you're ready to leave.

"And where would I go?"

She answered without hesitation.  "Anglia."

He just shook his head.  "I can't.  I'd love to, but I can't.  I fit in with humans better than our kind."

She heard a longing in his voice.  Even as he tried to hide it, he sounded like he already regretted the decision, and she couldn't understand why.

"Do you even want a pack?"

Kolt sighed deeply.  "More than you can know."  He tapped his head.  "This.  Damn, Sal.  It feels good."

"There's one very easy way for you to keep it.  Stay with me.  Help us finish this."

"That's a real tempting offer.  Not sure I can take it, but it's a very tempting offer."

"So you're going to return to the Conglomerate?" she asked, wondering if that's what was stopping him.

"I don't know," he said honestly.  "My son's in Anglia but I don't have a place there.  I'm tired of being alone, so tired of it, but at least I have my unit.  Star Fall isn't much, but I know them, and it's nice to have someone to watch my back."

"Ever thought of becoming a Blade?"

He chuckled as if that was some joke.  "Sal, they won't take me.  I already made enemies there."

"You didn't," she insisted.

He rode a few paces in silence, then spoke again.  "Do you really think they'd take me?"

"Yes.  If I tell them to, they will.  They won't necessarily be your best friends at first, but it won't take long."

"What does that mean?  Years?"

"A week?  Two?  Most of them will challenge you."  She shrugged that away.  Dominance fights were something iliri usually accepted easily.

From the look on his face, Kolt didn't feel the same.  "Won't be easy submitting.  I've always had problems with that."

"Don't," she told him.  "Win if you can.  They'll surprise you.  The strong ones aren't the ones you'd guess."

"What do you mean?"

She glanced back.  "I'm still not sure if Arctic would lose to me."

"Arctic?  But he's..."  Kolt chuckled.  "I see what you mean.  So if I joined, would that make Las a Black Blade too?"

"Yes."

"Forever?"

She nodded, watching him think about the choice he was making.  "Forever, or until he chooses to find something else."

"I'm not good enough to be a Blade, Sal," he said regretfully.  "I've never had the fighting skills you all have."

"That's why we train you.  You never learned to fight like an iliri.  You may know what it's like to share a mind when you fuck, but you've never done it when you kill.  Not until last night.  It's not our physical abilities that make us so good.  It's our minds, Kolt.  It's because we're iliri."

He finally looked at her.  "I'm going to challenge you.  You know that, right?"

She nodded, holding his eyes.  "You'll lose and then you'll try again.  It'll make me a better Kaisae.  I don't need people to tell me when I'm right, Kolt.  I need the ones who will tell me when I'm wrong."

Her words changed something.  She could see it on his face.  Emotions flickered in his eyes, then slowly, he nodded, the decision made.

"Sal?  I'd like to renounce my allegiance to the Conglomerate, if you'll take me."

With their shadows stretching out behind them and the grass stretching onward toward the mountains, she took his oath.  It didn't matter that there were no witnesses.  Her memories would be enough, and this was something she intended to remember for a very long time.  Sal sat up straighter and turned to the man who'd made it possible for her to do this.

"Do you give up your citizenship freely and by your own choice?  Do you swear to honor the King, Kaisae, and Orassae equally?"

He bowed his head.  "I swear I will honor anything my Kaisae tells me to.  I swear I will fight and die so that our people may live free.  I swear that I will respect the country that has allowed our dream to become a reality.  Yes, Sal.  I do."

She reached over and touched his arm gently.  "Then I claim you as a citizen of Anglia and a Black Blade.  You'll have to find your place in the pack for yourself."

He nodded, pressing his free hand over hers.  "Thank you, Kaisae.  I know what place I intend to get.  Kinda nice to know that I'll earn it on my own merits."

"What place is that?"

With a smile, he steered his horse away, breaking their contact.  "If we push it a bit, we might find a town before dawn."

"You didn't answer the question," she said, refusing to spur her horse.

He looked back at her with a devious glint in his eye.   "I know.  Let a man have his dreams."

Chapter 35

They found the small village just before lunchtime the next day, nestled in the foothills of the Siahies.  The pair circled around it, coming in from the north, posing as off-duty soldiers looking to enjoy some time off.  Sal still looked like a typical brown human and Kolt had found a way to fix his necklace, making him smell like one again.

The village was the sleepy kind where everyone noticed a stranger.  They received no greeting and were generally ignored by the population, but Sal's nose told her what her eyes didn't.  Many of the citizens of this small town were descended from iliri.

They found the inn.  Kolt had scavenged just enough money to buy one room for the night and a meal for them both.  When the serving boy came for their order, Sal asked for coffee.  The boy paused, breathing deeply, and she met his eyes, a slow smile reaching her lips.  The teen looked between her and Kolton quickly, then darted back to the kitchen.

When he returned, he carried a large cup of coffee, a cold beer for Kolton, and another glass filled with amber liquid.  "Mead's on the house," he said, sliding it toward her.

"Thanks," Sal told him.  "One of my favorites."

The kid grinned.  "Kinda figured."  He nodded his head and backed away as if this was something he did regularly.

"What's that about?" Kolt asked.

Sal chuckled.  "Kid's probably got a crush on me."  We may look human, but they're letting me know there are drinks here I can tolerate.  Mead and rum are the most common choices for iliri.  It's not a secret.

So he knows?

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.  He can smell it as well as you can.

They spoke little until their food came.  Sal sat with her back to the wall, Kolt beside her instead of across from her.  The dinner was cooked moderately, being neither too well done for their iliri tastes yet not so rare as to draw attention.  Sal noticed, even if Kolt just accepted it.  While they ate, a handful of women entered, many of them glancing at the soldiers before continuing about their business, but Sal could smell the excitement.

Pushing the empty plate away, the vegetables untouched, she slowly ran her hand along the glass of mead, condensation moistening her fingers.  "Looks like a busy place."

"Common in small villages," Kolt said.  "You tended to get the better lodging, but I've spent more time in places like this than I care to remember."

She nodded, her damp finger gently tracing swirls on the hardwood before her.  "Oh, I've done my time.  I just figured there might be something of interest going on tonight."

He tilted the chair on its back legs and stretched.  "Possibly."  His eyes glanced to her hand on the table.  What are you doing?  What does pride mean?

Pretty sure we're in the middle of the Unavi rebels.  I'm just asking if that's true.  We're about to walk a very fine line.

Fuck, he thought.  Warn me next time?

She laughed and nodded, catching his eye.  He held her gaze for a moment, then looked away, refusing to look down.  He might never submit to her, but he always relented.  Sal wondered how many others had just noticed the same.  Her finger traced the word again.

"Can I get ya anything else?" the boy asked, walking to the table.  His step faltered when he saw the damp mark on the wood.

"We're fine," Sal said.  "Just thought we may have friends in the area."

He inhaled again and shook his head.  "No other Terrans here, ‘cept you two."

Sal met the boy's eyes and waited, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold her gaze.  He lasted longer than she expected, but he looked back to the word laying between them evaporating with each breath.

"Never said they were Terran," she pointed out.

"What about you?" he asked Kolton.

The big man shrugged.  "I know my place.  Her friends are my friends.  Bet she'd love another coffee, too.  We've been looking for a couple of days."

"Another coffee it is."  This time he met the eye of a woman across the room before entering the kitchen.

"Do you trust me?" Sal asked Kolt.

"With my life," he assured her.  "You also know a lot that I don't."

She nodded and traced the swirls again.  "It should be jade, not wood.  Would you believe we found it running from you?"

"Not proud of those days.  Tried to quit before that mission, actually.  It's like no matter how hard I tried to get away from you, we just end up - "

A woman shoved her chair back, the screech making Kolton halt mid-sentence.  Neither of them looked up, but they both watched her approach.  When she reached their side, she placed her hand directly across the symbol.

"Do not write that here."

Sal casually rested her arm beside the woman's and looked up.  "It's just a few swirls.  No harm intended.  Breathe, my friend."

She did, dropping her eyes before patting Sal's hand gently.  Slowly a smile spread to her face.  "Your husband?"

"No," Sal said.  "My brother."  Offer her your hand, Kolt.

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am."  He held out his bare hand.

The woman took it, a shocked expression flickering across her face at the touch.  "I believe my son said your room is ready.  If your friends arrive, should I send them up?"

"That would be great.  Thank you."  Sal stood and gestured for Kolton to do the same.  Without another word between them, they followed the boy upstairs to the indicated room, latching the door behind them.  Sal immediately returned to her natural form.

"You sure about this?" he asked.

"The touch goes both ways, Kolt.  We're about to have friends - true friends - visit."

"She knows who you are?"

Sal shook her head.  "She hopes but she isn't sure.  The first person to come in will be trained in combat.  Do not threaten them, because he or she will likely be as lethal as I am."

"I won't let them threaten you, either," he said, strapping Blaec's sword across his back.

"Soon as they see me, you won't have a thing to worry about.  I'm kinda famous now."

He paused, hearing feet in the hall, and gestured for her to move so she couldn't be seen when he opened the door.  Obediently, she climbed onto the bed, sitting deep in the corner as they heard the soft tap.  Kolt cracked it slightly but placed his body to block their visitor's view.

"I was told you had washing that needed to be taken care of?" a young woman asked.

"Come in," Kolt offered, stepping aside and opening the door just enough for her to slip in.

The girl's hair was pale blonde and her eyes were nearly white.  Her fingers twitched slightly as she eyed him, proving Sal had been right.  She said nothing, just waited for the iliri rebel to notice her.

"Your friends said..." The girl paused as she saw Sal sitting in the corner.  She took a long, deep breath.  "Kaisae?"

Sal nodded.  "Was I right?"

"Zensa Ylra," the girl introduced herself.  "And yes, you are exactly right.  The rebellion has been waiting for your word."

"I need to get to Issevi," Sal told her, getting right to the point.  "We know you've been hiding two girls, and Viraenova will protect them.  Tseri Janoyc is a friend and longs to see us restored to pride.  I also found our ancestors."

Zensa tipped her head slightly.  "Yes, I heard about the grauori, although I have yet to see one.  The Kaeen met with our person in Issevi and we learned much.  But not why you are traveling with a human."

"He's not, but it makes for a nice disguise. "  She glanced over.  "Kolt take it off. "  Then back.  "You know I'm mated to a former human."

"Zep.  We know.  He is cessivi, so it is not the same."  The girl turned to Kolt and inhaled.  "So who are you and why are you with the Kaisae?"

"Someone has to watch her back."  He refused to drop his eyes even as he untied the necklace.  "It seems to be my job in life."

She inhaled, her eyes tracking the scent.  "Yet you refuse to submit to her?"

He shoved the necklace into his pocket.  "We're working it out, and it's none of your business."

But that was the wrong answer.  "The Kaisae is my business, you idiot."

Kolt crossed his arms over his chest.  "Then we may have a problem after all.  I kinda found her first."

"He did," Sal said, stopping the argument before it could escalate.  "I need to get to Issevi, and I need a way to reach my family near Idiptu Gap."

Zensa slowly pulled in a breath, turning stiffly away from Kolt.  "We have links, but we've found how to hide them from Terran mutts.  You can't use them unless you've been invited."

Sal's eyes widened in surprise.  "Impressive.  Would someone be willing to show me how?"

"Yes, I would be happy to."

The iliri girl just offered her hand.  When they touched, an entire network suddenly appeared to Sal's senses.  A split second later, a surge of excitement flared back to her from the other linkers along the hub.  I just need a boost, Sal thought to them before reaching for Jase.

Sal? he asked, feeling her.

A split second later, Zep joined.  Sal!  Oh, demon, you're ok?

I'm fine, she assured him.  I'm with Kolton, from Star Fall.  He broke his cover to get me out.

But her mates could feel her emotions.  We know, Jase thought. But are ya ok?

I will be.  She felt her throat pinch, glad she didn't have to speak to talk to them.  I didn't understand how much it hurts.  Not just missing him, but losing him.  Please tell me the rest of the Blades are ok?

They are, Zep promised.  The nuvani helped Arctic's group, and our prisoner took care of us.  We all made it through.

Did we kill anyone?

No one we didn't mean to, he answered.  Sal, you did good.  You kept your wits instead of sending us into a fit, and you probably saved a lot of lives.

She glanced back to Kolt, then over to Zensa, looking to see if they'd heard.  Zensa was nodding.  I did? she asked her mates.  I was just trying to keep him alive.

And na tear down the world, Jase added.  Ya may na have planned it, kitten, but ya did na want ta hurt those who had na hurt ya, and it mattered.

That's a good thing, kid, Zep thought.  Because it sounds like Arctic was in the middle of five Viraenovan units, and Shade almost lost it.

She burns, Sal remembered.  But she made it through, too?

Ever' one did, Jase said.  Now we just need ya back.  Where are ya?

Little town on the wrong side of the mountains.  I just have to figure out how to get across them.

The 112th is moving your way from the CFC.  This from Zep.  They're taking that goat path on the border and heading up the foothills.  When Rragri notified Pig, he asked Rais to help.  The passes were blocked.  Terric has the Siahies.

Sal's reply was nothing but the feeling of shock and confusion.

Zep kept going.  Being spread apart when the link broke, we managed to get a general location, and Rais didn't wait for permission, he just headed out.  Devil Dogs are organizing the maargra and pressing the line to get them through.

So head south, Jase told her.  From where ya are, they can get ya into Issevi in two ta three days.  Arctic put them in a link and an aufrio male declared himself of their pack.

Sal pressed a hand to her mouth.  Brerror, right?

Jase paused.  Yeh, how'd ya know?

Kolt is too, but I'm making him a Blade.

He'd better not get any ideas, Zep grumbled.

Doesn't seem like it.  Sal glanced at Kolt.  He's trying, but he's as proud as I am.

Then I'll kick his ass a few times.  I taught Geo his place, I can show a fucking loner.  Zep's resolve was leaking through.

He saved my life, she reminded them.

Zep wasn't willing to relent.  He owed you.  You kept him from getting killed the last time we had to deal with these mountains.

Na quite, Jase corrected.  She owed him first, and more.

I'll explain when I get home, Sal promised.  For now, I just need you both to get to Issevi.

Jase had more to share.  Kitten, we have an ally in the Black Widows now.  Man named Marin.

And you're sure he's on our side?

Positive.

He took care of us when the link broke, Zep added.

Ok, Sal thought.  The Emperor's son is also willing to help.  He's linked directly to my mind.

She could feel Jase explaining to Zep what her words meant.  Emotions flashed too fast for her to identify all of them.

The Emperor is really iliri? Zep bellowed.

Sal nodded, glancing at the rebel beside her, knowing the girl was listening in.  Was.  He's as mute as a human, now.  Zep, he's more human than you are.  I stripped him clean.  It's why they killed Blaec.

Ah, fuck.  Zep couldn't hide the pain her words caused - or the concern.  Aw, demon, you ok?

Not really, but he was the Lieutenant to the end.  He told me if I caused the Emperor enough pain, it was the only chance of his survival.  She sighed.  He lied, Zep.  His last words to me were a lie to save our people.  I love him for his sacrifice, but it only makes his loss hurt more.

Damn you, LT.  Zep paused, and Sal thought he was trying to halt his tears.  That's why he was the leader.  He gave everything to the cause.

She interrupted his thoughts.  I won't.  Confusion hit her, not only from her cessivi but also from the linkers listening in.  I will not have my hand forced by ayati or anyone else.  I will not be a slave again, not even the world's.  Not even our species.  I can't take another loss.

Then we will na, Jase said to those listening.  Over and over, we have been willing ta die ta save our people.  Maybe this time, we need ta live instead.

Yeah.  She closed her eyes and nodded.  I don't want any more iliri to die because of me.  For the first time, we have that chance, and I want to make sure we all get to enjoy it.

Sal? Zep asked.

Yeah?

Then come home to me?  Just take care of yourself and come home to me?  I don't care what you do between now and then, but I need to see you one more time, demon.

We can na live without ya, Jase thought.

I promise.  Kolt's helping, and I'm going to get there.  Make sure the rest know their Kaisae is coming home.

With that, she released their connection.  Thanking the linkers, she let go, closing her eyes against the hollowness in her head.  Talking to them helped, but it also hurt.  She wasn't meant to be alone.  For more than a year and a half, almost two years now, she'd had the luxury of a pack with her, and she couldn't imagine trying to live without them.  Her eyes turned to Kolt, well aware that's exactly what he'd had to do.

"The 112th is heading up from Escea," she told him.  "We get a night here, then we have to head south."

His eyes flicked to the girl still standing in the room.  "And you want me to come with you?"

"Yeah."

"Then that's what I'll do."  Lifting his chin, he looked at Zensa.  "She's going to need to sleep and a meal before we leave.  A bath would be great, but we're short on funds."

"She's the Kaisae," Zensa reminded him.  "The room is a gift.  It comes with the rest, but our only bathing facilities are communal."

"Good, because I'm not leaving her side."

Sal chuckled, waving off her loyal protector.  "It's ok, Kolt.  Zensa's on our side, remember?"

He turned his eyes to her.  "The only people I trust right now, babe, are your cessivi.  Swore I'd get you back in one piece, and this time I'm gonna make sure it happens.  Be pissed at me if you want, but until then, I'm the one calling the shots."

She nodded, doing her best to keep from smiling.  "Right."  Then she looked over to Zensa.  "Forgive my brother.  He's a little sensitive about these things.  I appreciate all the help you've already given."

"It's our pleasure, Kaisae, and he's fine.  I'm impressed with his loyalty, not offended by it."  She gestured to the one pack laying on the far side of the room.  "That doesn't look like much.  If you'd like, I can find a pair of black shirts for you and a change of clothes while what you have is washed.  Just leave your things in the bath, and we'll take care of the rest."

"Thank you," Sal said.  The idea of a bath sounded blissful after the hell she'd been through.

Zensa dropped her eyes and stepped back.  "Then, when you are ready, just head down the stairs and turn left.  The first door is the bathing room.  We will make sure it's clear."  Her hand found the door, but she paused.  "And you are safe in that form while inside the inn.  No one here will betray our Kaisae."

"Thank you," Sal said again, and the girl left.

Kolt huffed as soon as the door was closed.  "Arrogant bitch."

Sal couldn't help herself; she chuckled.  "I think she likes you."

"Well sucks to be her.  I'm a little too busy to think about whoring right now."

Slowly, Sal's head tilted and her eyes narrowed.  "I can take a bath on my own, you know."

"No," he grumbled, storming over to their packs to pull out the washing.  "If you want me to stand at the door with my back to you, then fine, but I'm not going to take the chance of someone getting their hands on you."

"It's fine," she promised.  "Kinda got used to communal bathing back in the CFC.  I just thought you might need a little time to get to know Zensa."

He growled in the back of his throat.  "No."

"Kolt," she tried, but he cut her off.

"I'm not leaving you," he insisted.  "I did that once and spent the last seven years hating myself for it."  Then he looked up, meeting her eyes.  "Just give me this, ok?"

"Ok."  She crossed the room and rested her hand on his shoulder.  "Thank you.  It matters.  Now, c'mon.  I'm tired of smelling like death."

Chapter 36

At the base of the stairs, a man gestured to a door.  Kolt opened it, stepping through first and held it for Sal.  Four large tubs sat in the room, but only two were filled.  Steam drifted off the water.  Thick towels and soft clothes had been laid out, as well as an assortment of soaps and bathing supplies.  Sal sighed as if she was in heaven, peeling out of the Terran uniform before the door was latched.

Kolt glanced away politely.  "You rarely used the communal bathing chambers in the CFC."

"I did, I just hated being watched so went very late or really early."  She shrugged it away.  "Humans seem to be shocked to learn I have a hairless body."

"Shocked isn't the right word."  He dropped their filthy belongings to the side, then stripped off his clothes.  "Human women often shave to mimic the look."

"That would get old."  Sal climbed into the tub, casually watching as he shoved his pants to his ankles.

"So I hear."  He grinned when he caught her eyes.  "This?" he ran his fingers over the soft fuzz shading his genitals.  "Even the men shave to entice the women.  Trim, I suppose it would be.  They assumed I had a lot of interest because of my ‘careful grooming'.  It made things easier."

"So you don't have a problem finding women who appeal to you, then?"  Sal laughed, slipping her head below the water to wet it.

"Never said that.  Never said I didn't, either."  He claimed the tub beside her.

"Yet you won't even answer a direct question."  Sal worked her hair into a thick lather.  "If I asked you how many women you've had since I left for Anglia, could you even tell me?"

"Sure."

She slipped under the water again, rinsing the grime away.  "Would you?" she asked as she wiped the water from her eyes.

"None."  He shifted to rinse his own body, refusing to look at her.

"Since Merriton?"

He smiled, scrubbing at his body.  "I know that number, too."

Sal laughed and coated her hair in a conditioning cream, inhaling the pleasant scent.  "And you aren't going to offer that answer either, are ya."

"You gonna scrub my back for me?" he asked mischievously.

She pulled herself from the tub, dripping as she took the soap from his hands.  "I just want to know if living like a human has changed more than just your attitude.  I'll trade.  Your back for the answer."

He leaned forward and she lathered her hands, rubbing tension from his muscles as she worked the grime from his copper skin.  He shifted forward at the pressure, and she slipped in behind him, listening to Kolt moan as she worked away months of aches and pains.

"None," he said as she worked at a hard knot.

"That's six years."

"Yeah, I know."

"Your wife only died two years ago."

He nodded.  "Last time I touched her was when she got pregnant with Las.  He was born about four months after you and I met."

"And for all the attitude, you've been with no one?"  Sal's hands paused as she tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying.  "So it's not just the Blades."

"What about you?" Kolt asked.

She forced her hands back into motion.  "Depends on how you count."

"Lovers, not assassinations."

She huffed what was supposed to be a laugh.  "So you were at my trial, huh?"

"When I could be, yeah.  Nice job on the Baron, by the way.  I'd wondered if you were a shifter."

"He was a really bad lay, but sex is a good tool for killing them."

"Lovers, Sal.  How many?"

"Three."

"Since Merriton?"

She nodded.  "Since I got free.  Blaec was the first man I ever chose.  I found Jase because of the maast, but it built from there."  She laughed softly.  "Zep?  He kept saying no.  Jase had to convince him to say yes because I was already in his bed."

"Because of the attack in Myrosica?"

"Yeah.  Pig had no problem with me sleeping in his unit.  Told his men to watch our backs.  I'd just convinced Zep that it really was ok to touch me when they tried again."

"And I guess he got you in maast after that?"

"Yeah, but I didn't hurt him.  I kinda tried to attack him, but I showed him how to stop me, and he trusted me.  Still can't understand why it doesn't bother him when I'm covered in human blood."

"Because he loves you."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and tapped his.  "My turn."

"Gladly."  He lathered her back, then his fingers began tracing the white lines etched into her skin.  "Did I even make a line on your body?"

Sal stood and rested her hip against the lip of the tub then pointed to a spot high on her inner thigh.  Pale purple grew more vivid until the iliran words changed to blue.  He reached up and rested his hand against the outside of her leg, reading the words she'd chosen.

"Who tattooed this?"

"Risk."

"Who designed the words?  That's not common Iliran."

"Jase."

Kolt nodded, his hand tracing the largest line, and he read the words aloud.  "For one night the pain ended, and hope came to me.  He swore there was more and showed me how it could be mine, making promises that I struggled to believe.  The words of my safety, spoken on the lips of a man who dared to care about me.  Those words mattered.  They gave me control of my destiny and taught me that there is always a reason to keep fighting."

She pointed to a line that spiraled away from the main thought.  "Read that."

"It was the first time I had ever felt what it must be like to know love, laying in the gentleness of his hands."  He shook his head.  "I did that?"

"Yeah."  She turned and sank back into the warm water.  "What do you know about Iliran tattoos?"

"Enough to know why you put it there."  His hands returned to her back, massaging her gently.  "You're trying to say that I'm the reason you can still lay with a man, am I right?"

She nodded.  "Jase designed it all.  I didn't tell him what to write, he just read me and made the design.  It took hours to ink it all on.  He started on one leg and passed it to Risk, designing the next while I was tattooed.  We were racing time, knowing they were about to disband the Blades."

"I thought you had that in Anglia."

She shook her head.  "And now you know you can read all of my secrets.  I keep none to myself."

"I'm trying, but I'm not brave enough to share my own story, since so little of it is mine to tell."  He traced a red symbol on her lower back.  "What's this?"

"The maast, and its control over my life."

"Do you hate it?"

"No," Sal assured him.  "I love it, but I love it like an addict loves a fix.  I always need just one more time.  Just one more kill, and while it feels amazing, I hate that I'm powerless against it."

"Yeah," he said softly.  "I know what you mean."

She looked over her shoulder to find him staring at the lines on her back.  "You don't get the maast."

"Go to your own tub and rinse," he said, forcing a smile.

She shrugged and did just that, lowering herself below the water to work her hair clean.  There was only one way his words made sense.  When she realized it, her head broke the surface with a gasp.  "Kolt?"

"Don't ask that," he said, meeting her eyes.  "I'd like to keep a bit of my pride, If you don't mind."

She nodded, understanding how her own arrogance had driven her.  He was pulled even harder by his and she'd almost asked him to give up more secrets than he wanted.  She knew he wouldn't lie to her.  She wasn't sure he could.

"Make me a deal?" she asked.

"Maybe."

"If I push too hard, will you tell me before you resent it?"

He smiled and propped his feet on the edge of the tub, leaning back.  "Yeah, babe, that I can promise.  Anyone who can think of me like you do, I won't resent.  I just hope the reality can stand up to the ideal you've created."

"It has so far."  She stood and grabbed one of the soft towels.  "It's nice to be clean, you know?"

"And before the water is even cold," he groaned, splashing out of his own tub.  "I like the setup, though.  Bet you need a larger tub for both of your men."

She laughed.  "No.  Bathing with the two of them would be dangerous.  I usually shared my baths with Rayna."

"From Devil Dogs?"

Sal nodded.  "Why do you sound shocked?"

"I know Rayna," he said.  "I forgot she'd gone to Anglia."

Sal looked at him and grinned.  "I see she and I will have something to talk about then."

Kolt groaned dramatically.  "It wasn't my best night, I assure you."

Sal laughed, pulling on a long black dress that Zensa had left for her, surprised to find that it was only slightly too large for her frame.  "They got the right color."

Beside her, he dressed in a pair of black pants, pausing to find a black shirt beneath it.  "I don't wear the tattoo."

"I called you a brother.  That means you're a Blade."

He shoved his arms into the sleeves and shrugged the shirt over his shoulders.  "Gonna take a bit of getting used to.  Been Star Fall for a long time."

"They gonna hate you for defecting?"

A lopsided smirk crawled to his lips, hanging there for a moment before he laughed.  "Yeah.  They're going to be pissed.  Even more pissed when they learn I'm not human."

He gestured to her belt, and she buckled it around her waist, glancing in the mirror to see that it complimented the lay of the dress well enough.  Kolton grabbed his sword - Blaec's - and rehung the sheath so he could belt it on instead of wearing it strapped to his back, then he stamped his feet into his boots.  Sal left hers with the other filthy items and strode into the hall with her pale feet peeking from the hem of the long dress.

"Kaisae," a woman greeted her.  "I hope you feel better.  I just heard about your time with Terric."

"It's nice to be clean.  Thank you."  Sal smiled at the woman but continued up to their room.  Kolton followed right behind her.

The dim orange light of sunset tinted everything when they entered, reflecting off the bottle of mead sitting on the small table.  He bolted the door behind them, and Sal sank gratefully into one of the plush chairs before the window.  Tossing a weary smile at Kolt, she gestured to the chair across from her.  With a nod, he took it.

"You still hanging in there?" He asked.

"Yeah.  I'm just tired."  Sal glanced to the stables below, watching the staff scurry about their chores.  "You know we're going to raise horses?  When this is all over, Arhhawen will be known for the amazing animals we produce."

Kolt chuckled softly.  "I'm not the best horseman in the world, Sal."

"You will be."  Her ears were sinking lower on her head, but she refused to look away from the window.  "I'd never ridden a horse when I became a Blade."

He reached across and wrapped his fingers around her small hand.  "And now you have all those memories."

"Of Blaec."  Slowly, she turned to him.  "He'd walk beside Arden with his hand on my thigh, patting my leg to remind me to keep it loose.  He made me spend hours bareback with my arms at my side, learning to trust my horse and my body."

"Hours, Sal."  Kolt squeezed her hand.  "Hours that you had together."

"Hours where he knew this would all happen and never told me."

He released her hand to pour a small glass of mead for each of them, sipping at it before he slid one across to her.  "Would you have wanted to know?"

Her ears flicked forward for a moment, then relaxed.  "I don't know, but I hate the idea of him carrying it alone for so long."

"It's what prophets do, babe.  They catch visions and they try to help the world with it.  That's all Blaec did."

Sal tossed the drink back, her knuckles tight around the glass.  "And this helps the world?"

"Him hiding it did.  He knew you were important, and he made sure you'd be ready.  He knew he wouldn't have eternity with you, so he took what he could get."  Kolt shrugged.  "He trained you to be the greatest Kaisae the world has seen, and gave you everything you need to survive this, including Jase."

As the last words crossed his lips, Sal surged to her feet, the glass shattering in her hand.  "Oh no," she whispered.  "No, no, no, no.  That's not what he did."

Kolt was on his feet beside her.  "What?  Talk to me."

Sal shook her head, a few drops of blood slipping from her forgotten hand, the glass spread around her bare feet.  "I was so cruel."

"Never."  Kolt grabbed her hand, but Sal didn't seem to notice; her attention was on her memories.  "Sal.  You are not cruel.  Not to those you love."

With a long breath, she finally looked at him.  "When the Blades arrived in Anglia, I made Jase my Ahnor and moved Blaec to Dernor.  He told me I made the right choice."

"You did."

"He said that because he knew!"  Her voice broke.

Kolt grabbed the side of her head, forcing her to look at him.  "Yeah, he probably did.  That doesn't mean you were cruel.  That just meant he could relax knowing you had someone to care for you.  He just wanted to know you were loved as completely as you deserve.  We just want to see you happy, Sal.  Jase has always been there for you.  He's the right choice.  It doesn't hurt to know that.  Not for us.  It eases our minds."

"How do you know?" she hissed.  "How would you, of all people, know that?"

"Now you're being cruel."  Kolt's words were gentle but hit her like a sharp blow.

"He deserved more than me," she said, turning away, but Kolt stopped her.

He looked down at the glass on the floor.  "Sit or let me carry you, but you will not ruin your feet simply because you're upset."

"I can heal it."

"And it will still hurt."  Gently he pushed her back into the chair and slid his glass to her.  "You already cut your hand, babe.  Fix that and let me clean this."

Sal opened her fist and looked.  Two sharp slivers were buried in her flesh beside a myriad of small cuts.  She focused on extracting the glass, then closed her eyes to heal the damage.  While she concentrated, Kolt kicked the larger pieces together then grabbed a small hand towel from beside the basin and wiped away the shards that he could find.

With her eyes still closed, but the cuts on her hand healed, Sal spoke.  Her voice trembled.  "I'm scared, Kolt."

He looked up from beside her knee.  "Why, babe?  I won't let anything else hurt you."

"Because I can't imagine living without him.  I loved him so much, and I still lost him."

He rested his hand on her leg, the warmth seeping through the cloth of her dress.  "It's ok to be afraid.  It will never be the same, but that doesn't mean it won't be good again."

She leaned her head on her hands, her elbows on the table, trying to escape the pain that gnawed at her.  "I didn't mean for this to happen.  I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not Blaec.  I just wanted us to finally be free."

"That doesn't mean Terric felt the same."  He ran his hand down the long hair against her back, his touch comforting.  "We can't always stop others from hurting us."

"I will," she vowed.  "I will stop him.  It may take a while, but I will stop him, damn it."

"And it will still never be the same."  His hand gently clasped the back of her neck.  "We can only try to make it better."

She sniffed and turned her head, one hand holding her hair from her face so she could see her guardian.  "I want Las to worry more about selling horses than protecting his people."

"Me too," he agreed.  "I want to go home to him and be proud of who I am.  Sal, you've given me the chance to do that.  Blaec gave me the chance.  He saved Star Fall so I could do this."

Her pale eyes watched him.  Silence hung in their air as she fought for the courage to ask the question he dangled between them.

"What are you doing?" she finally managed.

For the first time, he broke their gaze, dropping his eyes to his hand on her leg.  He didn't quite submit, but it was the closest he'd ever come.  "I'm protecting the Kaisae of all iliri," he said.

"Is that all?"

He swallowed, then took a long breath.  "Yeah."  He still wouldn't meet her eyes.

"I can't smell anything."

He nodded.  "You've done a good job of reminding me that you can smell what I'm thinking."

"Kolt?"

"Don't," he muttered.

"Why are you protecting me?" she asked, ignoring him.

He stood quickly and slid one arm under her legs, the other behind her back, lifting her from the chair.  Sal sucked in a breath and clung to him as he carried her to the bed.  Her eyes searched his face, but he refused to look at her.  The corner of his lip twitched up slightly as he lay her on the soft mattress.

Finally, he answered.  "I'm doing this because you smell like wildflowers and I made a damned promise."

"Why?" she pushed again.

He sat beside her and tugged the long dress back over her calves.  "I'm not the hero you think I am, but I'm gonna fucking try.  I want to have people speak my name when I die."  He closed his eyes and clasped his hands in his lap.  "I just hope that when I do, someone wishes they could cry for me."

"I would," she promised.

"You'd cry for all of your brothers, babe."

"Yeah."  Sal reached up and rested her hand on his back.  "I love them all.  I am iliri.  We love stronger than humans."

He turned to her, his eyes bright and moist.  "I know.  Get some sleep, Sal.  Might be the last good rest we get for a few days."

Chapter 37

The old wood floors of the inn creaked.  The sound brought Sal instantly alert.  Pale moonlight trickled through the window, and Kolt's breath was warm against her neck, but she knew he was awake.  She could feel it.

In their sleep, his mind had joined with hers seamlessly, as if the mere act of touching had brought them together.  He slept on his side, one arm under her head, the other holding her to his chest, his lips beside her ear.  She didn't remember falling asleep, but she knew she'd been alone in the bed when it happened.

Where are your daggers? he asked.

Beside your hand.  The other one.

When did you link me?  His mind was still a bit groggy.

I didn't.

The lock of their door clicked, and Sal heard the grate of a key being removed.  Kolt reached a bit further, grabbing her blades, but paused and feigned sleep when the handle turned.  Sal let her eyes slip closed, following the sounds to track their unexpected visitor.

Light steps entered their room, and the door was pushed closed, gently, barely making a noise.  The feet moved toward them.  Kolt's muscles twitched, but Sal stopped him with a thought.  It was just one person and no match for her.  The steps stopped beside the bed and Sal caught her scent.  Zensa, the Unavi Rebel leaned closer.

Sal's hand whipped out, closing on the girl's wrist, and her mind forced the rebel's body to freeze.  "What do you want?" Sal asked as she opened her eyes.

"Kaisae, Terrans just rode in.  They're looking for you."  Zensa didn't fight Sal's control of her body.

"Fuck," Kolt groaned, sitting up.  "Let her go, Sal."

"Sorry."  Sal released the girl both physically and mentally.  "How many?  Where?  Tell me everything."

"Looks like a full unit, but I only counted twenty-two.  They rode in hard and saw the bays in the stable.  Two men are down there asking a lot of questions and the stable boy said they seemed to recognize your horses.  They asked if we had any Terran soldiers or iliri staying here."

"Shit," Kolt muttered.

"The owner said no.  Said a pair of Terrans stopped for a meal and stabling, said they would return, and haven't been seen since."

"Thank her," Sal told Zensa.  "How do we get out?"

"Blatantly," Kolt said.  "Is there a man in town who's willing to pick a fight?"

Zensa wrinkled her brows.  "Anything for the Kaisae."

"Good."  Kolt grinned.  "Sal will need a dress typical for this area.  I need a man to play the jealous husband.  After a loud and very public beating of her lover - me - he should take her home.  I'll need a place to head when it's over.  Sal and I will meet up not long after and just walk out of town."

Zensa nodded, thinking that over.  "We have a human," she said, tentatively.  "He wouldn't feel the urge to submit at her scent."

"It'll do," Sal assured the girl, "if you can trust him."

Zensa smiled.  "He's my mate, Kaisae."

"Tell him not to be gentle," Sal said.  "I will not be offended, and the Terrans won't understand a forgiving man."

Zensa nodded.  "Fenryn is taking your things to my place.  I will get a dress, but Kaisae, you should look like a crossbred."

"I can't change," Kolt said with a shrug.  "Let's just hope no one recognizes my face."

Sal chuckled.  "Zensa's husband can make sure of that."

"Petric," Zensa said.  "He'll be wearing a blue shirt."

Kolt nodded.  "Tell him not to try to hide this.  We want the soldiers to see.  Call me Syrik."

"Ok," Zensa agreed.  "And your brother will take you home after the fight."

Kolt chuckled.  "Yeah.  This is going to suck, isn't it?"

"Yes," Zensa said, slipping out of the room.

It didn't take long before she was back.  Voices had already started leaking up the stairs from the soldiers in the main room.  Sal changed, giving herself pale strawberry-blonde hair and large blue eyes.  She was curvaceous, but not so pretty as to tempt the Terrans.  Zensa offered a pale brown dress, passing a white shirt to Kolt, gathered their dark clothes, then smiled and left again.

Sal didn't bother putting on the dress.  Instead, she tossed it on the floor and moved to lay beside Kolt.  He smiled deviously and tossed the shirt beside it.  Sal giggled and reached for the laces of his breeches, slowly loosening them.

"You're evil," he groaned.

"You like that?" she teased.

"Last time I checked, I was a man."  He tugged at his waistband.  "And right now, I have a pretty, buxom girl in bed with me."

The board in the hall creaked, warning them of people headed toward them.  "Kiss me," Sal ordered, tugging at Kolt's bare arm.

"Yes, ma'am," he purred, pushing her against the bed.

His mouth crushed hers passionately.  When his tongue traced the tips of her sharp teeth, she couldn't stop herself from nipping his lip.  If he was playing the part, he was doing it very well, Sal thought, leaning into his embrace.  She let out a moan as the door flung open, lamplight spilling across the cheap bed.

"That's my fucking wife!" a man yelled.

Kolt broke their kiss and looked up.  "Not tonight."  He mimicked the accent perfectly.

The man wasn't huge, but he looked like he'd done his share of hard work.  Broad shoulders and strong arms rippled under his very blue shirt as he stormed across the room to pull Kolt from Sal.

"Forever," he snarled.  "That's what those vows meant, you whore."

Sal sat up, making no move to cover her naked body.  "Then maybe you should spend a bit more time keeping me happy, and less playing with the boys!"

Kolt shoved at him, and Petric shoved back, giving Sal time to grab her dress and pull it on.  The men were screaming obscenities at each other, Kolt positioning himself so that with each shove, he was moving into the hall.  Their voices drew people to their doors and brought laughter from the soldiers below.

"Sounds like a bit of fun upstairs," one of the Terrans joked.

"Petric!" Sal whined.  "Don't hurt him!"

"Shut up," Petric snapped.  "If you didn't want him hurt, then you should have kept your legs closed."

He pulled his arm back and punched Kolt right across the jaw, knocking him to the ground.  Kolt grunted as he fell, blood trickling from his lip, but he staggered back up, swinging wildly.  Petric caught his hand and hit him again, this time in the eye.  The swelling started quickly.  Kolt dropped to a knee and looked up, catching Petric's eyes.  He nodded and the human swung again, hitting him hard across the cheek.

"Not in my inn!" an older man yelled from the stairs.  "You two want to duke this out, take it outside."

"Petric," Sal whined, grabbing his arm.  "Just take me home?"

His face was filled with rage as he turned to her.  "Home?  After this?"

"Please?" she begged.

He backhanded her, and Sal reminded herself not to fight it, falling to her side on the wood.  Petric closed the distance and grabbed her, hauling her to her feet, his large hand tight on her arm.

"You are mine," he growled, yanking her down the stairs.  "I catch you with that bastard again, and you can be buried beside him, you understand?"

"Yes!" she gasped, trying to keep up with his long strides across the common room.  "I didn't mean to!"

"Then how'd your dress get on the floor?" Petric growled.  "Stop talking.  You're only making this worse."

Sal clamped her mouth shut, staggering as he shoved her through the door.  Outside, in the cool dark air, he paused long enough for her to find her feet, then grabbed her arm again, this time touching skin.  Images of soldiers around town flashed in her head.

Sal looked up at him.  "I get it.  I'm sorry for all of this."

"I wish it hadn't happened," he said, his voice still rough, his eyes scanning the darkness.  "I don't want this to happen again."

"It won't," Sal promised, knowing that neither of them was talking about the act they were playing.  "I promise, Petric."

"I believe you."  His voice was almost kind.

He led her across the small town to a tiny wood cottage near the edge.  Once inside, he completely dropped the act, sighing and rubbing at his bruised knuckles.  Sal grabbed his hand and breathed out slowly, willing his body to heal faster, for his pain to fade away.

"Damn," he breathed.  "I always wanted to believe the stories Zensa told me, but it seemed unreal."

"I'm real," Sal assured him.

"Yeah.  Tell the other guy that I'm sorry.  I don't really do a lot of fighting.  Zensa said loud, and to hit him hard, and treat you like an Ace would his girl."

"You were great," Sal assured him.  "Kolt's fine.  He stepped into a few of those to get the most damage to his face."

"Why?"

She chuckled.  "Hard to recognize him if he's swollen and bruised.  He spent months with the Terran army."

"He converted?"

She shrugged.  "He was Conglomerate.  He's Anglian now.  He was always loyal."

"A spy?" Petric asked, shocked.

"Yeah.  That's what elites do."

He sighed and sank into a chair.  "I'm just a farmer.  I barely know which end of a sword's safe to hold.  Zensa's the fighter in our house."  He gestured for Sal to make herself comfortable.  "It'll be a bit before your friend can make it here.  I'm sorry you had to be left alone with someone like me."

"Like you?" she asked, confused.

"Human," he muttered.

"Oh!" Sal said, grinning.  "So no one told you about my mate?"

"The guy I just smacked around?"

Sal shook her head.  "That's my brother.  Well, unit-mate, I guess you'd call it.  I just figured someone would have mentioned my Taunor.  He's human."

His eyes widened and his mouth loosened, but he refused to let it fall open.  "No.  She didn't say that."

"His name is Zep.  His parents were proud to brag that they were from twenty generations of pure human breeding.  I'm not worried about being around you.  I'd think it'd be more that you wouldn't want to be alone with me after the rumors."

"That you eat my kind?" he asked.

She nodded.

Petric shrugged.  "Figured that was just Terran propaganda."

"It's not."  Sal tilted her head to the side, waiting for his reaction.  His brow furrowed, but he refused to say anything, so she went on.  "Iliri crave the iron in human flesh.  It smells sweet to us, and there aren't words to describe the taste, but we think of you like our horses."

He choked at that.  "Like horses?"

Sal reached over to pat his arm.  "I won't eat my mares.  I don't eat my friends.  I will eat Terrans.  So will other Anglians."

"Just kaisaes?" Petric asked.

"No, all iliri.  Zensa fights it every time she's with you, but her urges to bite you aren't because of your taste."

The poor guy blushed at that.  "Um," he stammered.

Sal held up her hand, stopping him.  "That's how we claim our men.  Others see the marks and know he's spoken for.  They can also smell her on you.  It's like a wedding ring but more personal.  Just figured I should clarify that."

"Thanks," he chuckled.  "I guess this shit's gonna get pretty intense soon, huh?"

"The war?" Sal asked.  When he nodded, she went on.  "Yeah.  You might want to warn the Unavi about us.  Anglia and Viraenova are coming.  We're on your side, and we have no intention of conquering your country, just freeing it."

"You sure?"  He glanced behind him, looking at the door.  "I mean, rulers tend to change their mind, and Unav was a prize a few years ago."

"You have my word."

"No offense," he said, tilting his head to the side, "but how can you know?"

Sal nodded slowly.  "Zensa didn't tell you who I am, did she?"

"She said we had to help a kaisae, because to not would be a betrayal to her people."

"Not a kaisae.  The Kaisae.  I sit on one of Anglia's three thrones."  Sal smiled gently.  "You can tell your friends that you just backhanded a queen and it isn't that far from the truth."

He paused, not even daring to breathe.  "What's your real name?" he asked.

"Salryc Luxx."

"Oh fuck."  Petric slipped from his chair and dropped to his knees.  "Majesty!"

She laughed, hauling him back to his feet.  "I prefer Sal, and I hate the kneeling crap.  I'm just a soldier, Petric.  The only thing that makes me special is my species."

He paused, holding up his hand to stop her words.  "I think that's your friend."

Through the window, Sal could see a man walking toward the cottage.  He shuffled up the steps and paused, then knocked at the door.  Petric opened it carefully.

"Look, I'm sorry," Kolt said from the other side of the door.  "I had too much to drink.  Can I come in and apologize?"

"Yeah," Petric grumbled, opening the door just enough for Kolt to enter, then closing it quickly.  He twisted the lock and sighed deeply.  "Sorry," he said, turning to look at Kolt in the light.

Bruises colored Kolt's face, and his right eye was swollen nearly closed, but he managed to grin.  "Put more weight into your swing and try to punch through the target."

"I think he did pretty good," Sal said, moving to Kolt's side.  "You look like you got kicked by a horse."

"Cheek's stiff," Kolt agreed.  "Fix me up, babe?"  He offered both hands to her.

She took them, twining her fingers with his.  Sal wasn't a great healer, but she had enough skill to fix bruises and most lacerations.  She'd never used the ability as much as she had in the last week, though, and as she healed Kolt, she couldn't help but send a thought of thanks to Shift for teaching her the ability.  By the time she was done, Kolt looked like his normal self.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"Much."  He turned to her host.  "And thanks, man.  You were great.  The Terrans even bought me a drink.  They never suspected a thing.  Asked if I'd seen an iliri, and I told them I'd been a bit too busy to notice."

Petric grinned.  "Then I'm glad I could help.  Glad Zensa didn't warn me who I was hitting."

Kolt shrugged, a smile on his face.  "Yeah, bet she didn't tell you that Sal's the best assassin the CFC has ever seen, either.  Ok."  He turned back to Sal.  "The horses are a lost cause.  We're on foot again."

"South," Sal said.  "I need our things and to get into some real clothes."

"Oh!"  Petric gestured for Sal to follow him, leading her to a door at the far side.  "Your stuff's on the bed.  I have another pack in the kitchen filled with food.  Feel free to change in there and let me know what else you need?"

She thanked him and stepped into their bedroom, closing the door behind her.  While she dressed, she could hear the men talking in soft tones through the wood.  The dress, she left on the bed, pulling on a Terran shirt and her own black pants in its place.  Her boots had been cleaned completely, and her clothes smelled fresh.  She belted on her daggers and grabbed Kolt's sword - Blaec's sword - then returned to the main room.

"Here."  She tossed the sheathed weapon at her new partner.

He caught it easily and buckled it around his waist.  "Got a dark shirt in there?  I'll glow in this."

She rummaged in the pack and pulled out a matching Terran shirt, passing it across.  "I left the dress on the bed," Sal told Petric.  "How can I repay you for all of this?"

He shrugged.  "Fifty thousand guilders?"

Sal pulled a dagger from her belt and held it out.  "Will two kilos of steel do?"

This time Petric's mouth did fall open.  "I was joking," he breathed, reaching out to trace his fingers along the flat of the blade.  "That's real?"

Sal drew the other as well, holding them both up.  "Yeah, they're real.  What you and Zensa have done?  It matters."

"Like..." Petric looked at Kolt.  "She means that?"

Kolt nodded.  "She'd give you the blades too, if you wanted them.  If you don't name a price, you leave her in debt.  We take that seriously."

Petric shook his head, looking between them.  "The horses," he said quickly.  "If the Terrans leave them, I'll take those.  I need something to work the farm."

Sal smiled and nodded.  "Then they're yours.  They weren't made to pull, though."

"We're kinda short of horses here in Slate Ridge, Kaisae.  Anything is better than doing it by hand.  I'm trying to feed a rebellion here."

"You shouldn't have said that," Kolt told him, laughing.

"Cenla Xie," Sal whispered the town's name in her native tongue.  "I will remember."

Petric pointed at the pack beside Kolt.  "You've got food for a couple of days.  We put some coins in there, just in case.  It's not much, but everyone gave what they could spare.  There's your two changes of clothes, plus a black shirt for each of you.  What else do you need?"

"Some luck," Sal said.  "We just need to make it away from town without being seen."

"Woods come up to the back of the house.  It's about six hours till dawn, and I'm willing to bet the soldiers are winding down.  Keep to the trees until you hit the stream.  That's the Escean border."

Kolt held out his hand, and Petric took it, clasping it firmly.  "Thanks," Kolt told him.  "Tell them all how much they helped."

"And that I'll be sending orders soon," Sal added.  "The rebellion's time has come."

Petric smiled.  "We've been waiting."

Sal nodded.  "For almost two years.  I know.  I was the one who asked you all to have patience.  We just need to save the girls, first, before they understand how organized you all truly are."

She turned to leave, and he hurried to the door, unlocking it for her.  "Be safe, Kaisae.  Laetus, if you'll take it from a human."

Sal smiled and grabbed his arm.  "I'll take it from a friend.  Thank you."

Chapter 38

A cold breeze rattled in the dead leaves that still clung to the branches.  Detritus crunched beneath their feet.  Sal and Kolt moved through the dense forest as fast as they could, but it seemed as if the world was screaming their presence.  Their senses were seeking any hint of pursuit, and the sound of their passage seemed too loud in both of their ears.

Kolt's thoughts broke the tension as he struck up a silent conversation.  When we woke, he asked pausing for the right words, were we linked?

Yes.  Sal didn't know what else to say.

Did you do it?

She looked over at him.  No.  Not intentionally.

He shrugged it off.  Guess there could be worse reactions to a bad dream.

I don't dream.

He stopped in his tracks.  I think you do.

Nope, Sal shook her head as she turned to wait for him.

Yeah, babe, you kinda have to.

Why?

Because I don't think those were my dreams I had last night.  He rubbed his hand across his mouth.  I'm not sure if I should tell you about it, now.

She tilted her head to the south.  Well, it's not like we have anything else to talk about while we walk.

Yeah, but...

It was about Blaec, she guessed.

Yeah.  They walked for a few minutes in silence before he decided to tell her.  You were talking to him.  It was in the middle of nothingness, and you were leaning back against his chest, looking up at a light in the sky.  He kept saying it was ok, he could wait.

She shrugged.  I've never dreamed, Kolt.  That also doesn't sound like I remember death looking like, or feeling like.

So, what do you think happens when we die?

She glanced up at the moons.  They seemed to grow larger as they neared the horizon.  Nothing.  I think we die.  It's a vortex that pulls our minds to it, shredding them when we fall in deep enough.  It's dark and lonely, but it only lasts a moment before we lose ourselves and simply don't exist anymore.  This is it, Kolt.  This is all we have.

Then how did you save Zep?

She smiled, preferring that memory.  I kept him from falling into the vortex.  It pulled at him, but we held him until his body could live again.

Kolt refused to give up.  Then why am I dreaming about your mate?

Because that's what we talked about before you fell asleep.  I've never dreamed.  Jase doesn't dream.  Zep doesn't feel our dreams because they don't exist.  He says touching our minds when we sleep is creepy because there's simply nothing there.

Kolt nodded but had one last question.  So you don't want to know what Blaec said?

She bit her lips together and shook her head.  No.  I want to remember the man I loved, not the pain of his loss.  I want to remember the way his green eyes sparkled, and how he lifted his chin proudly as he laughed.  I don't want to confuse that with dreams that are little more than wish fulfillment.

I can see that.  Kolt turned his eyes back to the path and trudged on.

It was nearly dawn before they found the stream.  It was probably only a couple of meters deep, but it was enough that neither of them wanted to wade into it.  They turned west, hoping the rising foothills would make it easier to find a way across.  The first rays of the sun were long behind them before they found a shallow spot.

Once on the other side, Sal reached out with her mind.  Rais?  Blaz?  She knew those men the best and hoped they'd be able to hear her.

Sal?  It was Blaz.

"I got the 112th," she told Kolt, then sent to Blaz, I can't tell you how nice it is to hear your voice!

No shit, he agreed.  So, if I understand this right, you're kinda close to us, right?

Depends on how strong your linker is.

A rough voice slid into her head.  Not that strong.  Laetus, Kaisae.  I am Murah.

Thanks, Murah.  I think we just crossed into Escea, Sal told them.  We're in the foothills, traveling south near the edge of the forest.

Then we're about a day away, Blaz told her.  You have horses?

No.

Fuck.  Blaz's mind drifted away as he thought.  Then you can ride double with me.

I have a friend, she told him.

Blaz accepted that, but a flow of sorrow leaked across to her.  Sal?  I'm sorry.  You know that, right?

She stopped walking, his emotions hitting her too hard.  I know.  You're leaking, Blaz.  I can't do that right now.

Fuck.  He tried to close down his emotions, and almost succeeded, only a hint of the pain tinting his mental voice.  So, does your friend know how to ride?

Sal glanced at Kolt.  Well enough, I suppose, although Star Fall was never known for their horsemanship.  Kolton learns fast enough.

Enik Kolton?  He didn't even try to hide his shock.  Sal?  Why does his name keep popping up?

What do you mean?

Arctic asked us to find someone.  Rais did some digging when we passed through Prin.  The only person who matched his criteria… was Kolton.  Six years ago.

She chuckled.  I know, Kolt already told me.  Thank you for finding it, though.

Wasn't me.  Rais did that on his own.  He also didn't believe it.  He said we were looking for an iliri, not a human.

He's iliri.  He just knew how to hide better than we did.  She wondered if she dared tell Blaz the rest, and decided she could trust him.  He's defecting to Anglia.

Blaz's relief hit her.  Good.  We were told to find the man that did you the biggest favor in your life.  If that's Kolton, then I'll talk to Sturmgren myself about his records.

It's him.  Blaz, he's the one that showed me how to get out of those chains.

Then tell him the 112th has his back.  We'll make sure he's cleared before the rest of his unit is in the country.  You've taken care of us.  We owe you.  Hell, she could feel his laugh, I have a damned mutt trotting at Rax's shoulder who keeps trying to tell me he outranks me.

Murah? she asked.

Yep, Blaz grumbled.

He's Brerror - dominant males, usually, who don't tend to play well with others.  Seems they don't do the pack thing.

Yep, sounds like Murah.  So how do I prove my place as the first officer?

Sal ducked her head, looking at Kolt from the corner of her eye.  You beat him.  Probably a lot.  Don't drop your eyes and don't back off.  If he challenges you, then force him to submit, violently if you have to.

I can do that, Blaz thought.  He's kinda slow for a grauori.

Sal laughed, trying to keep it quiet.  Then you'll be fine.  I've seen how fast you move.

Had a blade in your ribs a few times, if I recall.

I'll deny it until I die, she teased.  Ok.  One more day, then I can stop walking.  Sit deep, Blaz.  Ride safe.  I'm ready to see my mates.

You too, Sal.  Don't ever scare me like that again, ok?

Ok, she agreed, letting their link dissolve.

"So you reached them?" Kolt asked.

"Yeah."  She sighed, feeling some of her tension fade away.  "They're about a day out.  They also promised to have your species changed so you can properly defect."

"Why?"  He grabbed her elbow, helping her balance as she stepped over a downed tree.

"Because that's what friends do."  She smiled up at him appreciatively.  "They take care of each other."

"You seem to have a lot of friends."

"They know you helped me in the past.  Blaz knows you helped get me out of the chains.  They all know you helped get me out of the camp.  The 112th will never be across the line from Anglia, we've sworn that to each other."

"Did you sleep with him?" Kolt asked, sounding almost jealous.  "In Prin, when he was groping you every chance he could get, did you really sleep with him?"

Sal chuckled.  "No.  I bit him, then we had a few drinks.  We told a few secrets to each other and decided that maybe being from two different species didn't mean we had to hate each other."

"That's it?"

She nodded.  "The crap you saw in Prin was all just for show."

Kolt grabbed her arm, halting her.  "He was riding your horse, Sal.  The Blades never let others ride their horses."

"I did."  She tugged her arm away.  "We had to stop the steel, and he was the second officer of the 112th.  I needed to make the world think I was in his bed and it worked.  He's enough of a horseman that he figured out I was sleeping with Blaec because of my stupid ears.  I figured he could handle my mare if he can read me that well."

"Then how'd he know all that other stuff?"  Kolt lifted his chin.  "He had no problems sharing the stories about how iliri women are in bed."

She laughed.  "I had to tell him.  He blushed brilliantly at even needing to ask."

"You forget that I'm iliri enough to smell it.  Your scent on him.  Your marks on his body.  His desire for you as he talked."

"Jealous?" she asked, the set of her ears showing she was not amused.

"No.  I'd just rather you didn't lie to me."

"I'm not.  I will never lay with a human again," she swore.

Kolt nodded.  "Then you'd better tell Blaz that.  I bet he still wants you."

"He's a friend."

Kolt shook his head and started walking again, his back stiff.  He was almost out of her range of hearing when he muttered, "Being a friend never stopped a man from dreaming."

She growled and stormed after him.  "You gonna be a dick about every man I talk to?"

He slowed a bit, letting her catch up.  "Just the humans."

"There's a lot of humans in Anglia," Sal reminded him.  "Dominik Jens, the Verdant Shields, and most of my soldiers."

"That's different."  He refused to look at her.

"Kolt?" Sal asked.  "Why are you so pissed about this?"

He turned quickly, grabbing her shoulders and stepping close enough so his chest almost brushed hers.  "You're too good for them, Sal.  You're my Kaisae - our Kaisae.  You don't need a damned human."

She lifted her chin defiantly, glaring into his eyes.  "You forget about Zep already?"

Kolt glared back.  "He's not really human.  I've known that since I failed out of the Blades.  It's the rest of them.  All those men who think they own you.  The ones who think you're some toy they deserve to play with."  He growled, his lip lifting enough to expose the line of his teeth.  "Like Blaz."

"Like Emen?" she shot back.

"Fuck Emen and the rest of Star Fall.  If they try to lay a hand on you, I'll kill them."

"No," she snarled.  "You do not get to decide who I talk to, or even who I fuck, do you understand, Kolt?  It's not your place."

He leaned closer, his deep eyes flickering with rage.  "It is now," he promised.

She pushed against his chest, but he would not move.  "It is when I say it is."  She refused to wince at his hands crushing her arms.

"It is until you make me stop."  His gaze was challenging.

She didn't dare look away, not now.  She couldn't let him win.  "Stop what, Kolt?" she asked, daring him to answer.

"Protecting you."  He smiled when she shoved at his chest, and pulled her closer, crushing her against him.  "I'm stronger than you, babe."

Those words made her heart beat faster, even as Sal tried to ignore it.  "Blaz has been nothing but good to me, Kolt.  You can't hate him for the desire I set in his mind.  Don't ask why, because it's not my story to tell, just trust me.  He smelled like desire because I made him."

Kolt's eyes flicked to the side quickly, breaking the challenge, then returned filled with nothing but concern.  He bent his head, standing so close to her, his breath touching her lips.  "Were you scared?" he asked softly.

"No," she whispered.  "I can use it for more than protection.  Desire can heal, too."

His eyes scanned hers, looking for a sign she was lying.  Finding nothing, he released one of her arms and cupped the side of her face, his thumb trailing across her cheek bone.  "Babe, I'm gonna take care of you, even if you hate me for it.  I'm trying to be a good man."  He closed his eyes, and the next words came out as little more than a breath.  "I just don't know how."

"You do," she told him.  "Stop trying to be human, and you know what to do."

"I can't."

She pressed her palm against his chest, feeling his heart hammer beneath her hand.  "I think you can."

He shook his head and wrapped his arms around her, resting his lips against the top of her head.  "No, babe.  If I stop thinking like a human, I'll fuck this up.  Just let me get you home, to the men who really love you."  He drew in a long breath.  "I won't kill him, ok?  If you want to fuck the human, I won't stop you."

"I don't."  She wrapped her arms around his back, and leaned into his strong embrace, inhaling the scent of him, like a violent storm in her mind.  "He just knows this pain, Kolt.  He lost the woman he loves.  He's the only person I know who can understand."

"I just don't want to see you hurting anymore."

Sal nodded.  "I know.  I also know you'll take care of me, ok?"

"Yeah."  He kissed the top of her head and stepped back with a sigh.  "Ok, little one."

She grabbed his arm, her fingers resting against the bare skin at his wrist.  "You could have won.  Why did you look away?"

He smiled at her words.  "Because that's not the fight I wanted to win.  C'mon, babe, we have a few more kilometers to cover."

He tugged her forward, his mood changing as fast as any iliri's.  Sal fell in step beside him.  They walked in silence, but she wondered what it was he wanted so badly that he would challenge her for it.  He showed no signs of wanting to control the iliri or even the Blades.  He was protective of her, but just like her brothers were, if a bit more obvious about it.  The problem was that nothing he did made sense.  She didn't understand him, but somehow Sal knew she could trust Kolt completely.

Eventually, her thoughts forced her to ask.  "What fight do you want to win?"

He chuckled.  "Can't leave it alone, can you."  He walked on without giving her an answer.

"I can't stop wondering."

"Well..."  He sighed.  "I realized that if I won that fight, I'd be able to tell you who to sleep with and when you could love.  Sounded a bit too familiar for my tastes.  Figured it was just best to let it go."  He looked at her, a hint of regret on his face.  "I've fought too hard against tyranny to participate in it myself.  It wasn't a fight I wanted to win, Sal."

"You didn't want to be like my master."

"Never.  I would rather die than do that to any of our kind."

She reached up and grabbed his shoulder, her touch gentle but firm.  "Sounds to me like you have that good guy thing down."

"I get pissed at you for being friends with a human, and you say I'm a good guy?"

"Yep."  She smirked at him.

"You're insane."

Sal shrugged.  "Someone who spent his life watching over me worried about a man he had reason not to trust, so tried to protect me from my own foolishness.  When everything was explained, he realized he might be overreacting, and apologized.  What's not good about that?"

Kolt reached his arm around her and rested it lightly on her shoulder.  "Yeah.  I like your version better.  I don't remember apologizing, though."

She tapped the top of her head with one finger.  "That little kiss?  Yeah.  Pretty sure it wasn't you trying to get into my bed.  I think it counts as an apology."

"Or maybe I'm just more devious than you think?"  He winked at her.  "Get you to lower your defenses and make you fall madly in love with me."  He grinned.  "Leave your mates and run away with me to live on the beach?"

"Shit."  She giggled and pressed her shoulder into his ribs.  "You already know that wouldn't work."

"Meh, doesn't mean I can't dream, right?"

"Are you serious?"  She bit her lip and looked up.

"I really have to teach you to enjoy a joke."  He smiled, but his focus was on the path ahead of them.  "Don't tell me that's a human thing?"

"No.  It's just that you confuse me sometimes.  Your actions, your words, and your scent rarely make complete sense to me."

He nodded, accepting that.  "Well, how's this?  I swear to you, Kaisae, that I will never tell you anything that isn't true.  I also kinda like this."

"This?"

"Yeah."  He squeezed her shoulder gently.  "Feeling like I'm not a fuck up.  Feeling like if I want to touch someone, it's ok.  Feeling like my instincts are right for once in my life."  He smiled again.  "Feeling like there's someone in my life I can actually trust completely."

"You mean a friend?"

"More than that.  I had friends in Star Fall, and I didn't trust them.  I don't know what the word is, but I like being with you.  I hate why, but for the first time in my life, I feel like I belong somewhere."

"The word we use is brother."  She shrugged.  "That's why the Blades are so close."

"You're too cute to be a brother."

She felt her pulse quicken again and flicked her ears forward, trying to understand her reaction.  "Sister?" she offered instead.

Kolt shook his head.  "I'll stick with Kaisae until I get something better."

"Too formal," she teased.

"Well, I figured the other options were too much of a mouthful."  He shrugged.  "And no, I won't tell you what they were."

"You're so bad," she laughed at him.

"Told ya.  But it's good to see you smile again, babe."

Chapter 39

Sal set up a place to meet with Blaz and expected to find them around late afternoon.  They were making good time now that the 112th knew where she was.  The iliri were able to travel easily through the slumbering forest.  They were almost to the agreed upon area when Sal smelled a hint of smoke in the air.

She stopped, grabbing Kolt's arm.  "Breathe," she whispered.

He did, tensing at the scent.  "Campfire."

"Yeah."  She glanced around, her ears working furiously.  Blaz?

Yeah?

There's someone around here.  How close are you?

Half hour out? he thought back.

Kolt was slowly moving forward, his steps light, but still audible to Sal's ears.  He held up a finger, begging her to wait, while he moved closer to the source of smoke.

We might need to find somewhere else.  Kolt's checking, she told Blaz.

We'll swing wide, just keep me informed.

Kolt crept up to the edge of a small rise and crouched in a cluster of cedar trees.  He looked back at her and shook his head.  Terrans, he warned.

How many? she asked.

‘Bout fifteen.  Means there's probably ten on patrol.

Sal moved closer to the large tree she stood beside, scanning the area with all of her senses as she changed her appearance to look like a Rokish woman.  Behind her, she heard what could have been a branch falling, and her heart stopped.  And I think we're way too fucking close, she warned Kolt, spinning in place.

The silhouette of a man drifted between the trees.  He didn't seem to be aware of her, but Sal wasn't willing to take the chance.  She moved around the trunk until it was between her and the soldier, glancing over to Kolt.

He nodded.  I see him.  What now, Kaisae?

Now, we get the hell out of here - like iliri!

Together they retreated, slowly, but silently.  Leaves crushed under their feet and they staggered their steps to keep the rhythm irregular.  Both of them took long, deep breaths, trying to find the scent of their prey.  They'd gone half a kilometer when a man's voice rang out.

"Halt!" he yelled.  They froze.  Above and downwind from them, a dark-skinned man in purple and black pointed a loaded crossbow at Sal.  He sat in the lowest branches of a large tree, a smile on his face that wasn't friendly.  "We've been looking for you."

"Our horses were killed.  We're trying to get back to the camp," Kolt said with an Escean accent.

The man smiled.  "All stray soldiers in this area are suspect.  Besides, why were you moving away from our camp, not to it?"

"What camp?" Sal asked.

He shrugged.  "They told me you could change shape, bitch."  He glanced over, seeing something from his vantage that they couldn't see on the ground.  "Caught two," he yelled out.

Sal reached out with her mind, marking her location.  Blaz, it might be time to hurry.  We found Terrans.

Fuck!  He didn't bother to send more.  She could feel his urgency and knew the 112th was coming.

You warn them? Kolt asked.

She just nodded, refusing to take her eyes from the loaded weapon.  I'll get this one, you keep the incoming from my back?

Deal.  He offered his mind, blending with hers as soon as she felt it.

"I think you made a mistake," Sal said, walking toward the man's tree, her arms to her sides.  "We're just trying to get back."

"Stop," the soldier warned.  "I will fucking shoot you."

"What the hell?"  Sal looked back to Kolt, still playing the part.  Remember I'm not a human, Sal warned him.  "Can't you see the uniform?  I'm Terran!"

The soldier shrugged.  "Bet the iliri bitch would say the same.  You move again, and I'll put this right through you, get me?"

Sal smiled.  "Yeah, Ace.  I'm gonna get you," she snarled, surging forward.

He pulled the release, and she threw herself to the side, feeling the impact slam into her shoulder.  Sal gasped as the maast flooded her, but never slowed her feet.  Two steps took her to the base of the tree, and she climbed, her fingers digging into the bark, her knees clasped tight to the trunk.  Letting go of the shape, she hoped she reached him before he could load the weapon again.

She did.  He was fumbling with the string when she wrenched the crossbow from his hand, throwing it deep into the forest.  The Terran looked up, pure terror on his face, and Sal leapt at him, pushing away from the trunk of the tree, a growl in her throat as her hands closed on his head and neck.  Her weight pulled him from the branch, and for a moment Sal felt the rush of air as they fell.

She hit the ground hard, but the crack of the soldier's neck gave her time to suck in a breath.  Men's voices were screaming through the woods, headed toward them, and she couldn't find Kolt.  Her head spun and her shoulder burned, making it hard to focus.  The clash of resin pulled her back to reality.

Kolt held Blaec's sword with both hands, blocking blows from a brute wearing the Terran uniform.  Sal pinned her ears close and struggled to her feet, her hands seeking the blades at her waist as she ran.  Kolt knew she was coming, he could feel her in his head so turned, moving the man's back to her.  It was too easy.  Way too easy.

She buried one blade next to his spine as she sank her teeth deep into his arm, her other hand feeling weak.  She pulled away as Kolt ran him through, the black resin glistening red as it protruded from his back.

"You're hit," Kolt said, removing his sword.

"Later," Sal told him.  We're under attack, she sent Blaz.

On our way!  Blaz shot back.

The grauori's voice soon followed.  Almost there, Kaisae!

"Incoming," Kolt warned, moving to stand between Sal and the eight men rushing toward them.

She knew they were yelling but the maast blocked it from her.  They were prey, not worth listening to.  She growled and shifted her grip on the daggers, glancing at her shoulder.  Six inches of dark wood protruded from her skin, black feathers clipped close to the shaft.  It would be easy to pull, but until she could, it'd make her weak in her main hand.

"I fucking hate getting shot," she snarled.  "Make them pay, Kolt."

"Gladly."

Together they moved forward, meeting the Terrans head on.  Sal ducked a ceramic blade, spinning out of Kolt's path, and his sword smashed against it, cracking the enemy weapon.  Never slowing her motion, she sliced across a man's arm, moving quickly to the other side to cover Kolt's off hand.  Kicking a man away,  she plunged her main hand dagger into another.  Fire screamed in her arm and Sal roared, wrenching her blade free.  She saw a man on the far side moving, but she knew she wouldn't make it, warning Kolt with a thought.

He ducked just in time.  Then a flurry of white joined the fight.  The grauori landed in the middle of the enemy, attacking with teeth and claws as he offered his mind to Sal.  She took it and felt the 112th seep into her awareness when she joined the meld.  They were close, but not close enough.  Good thing the three of them could handle this.

Nine down, probably twenty-five total, Sal warned the Conglomerate unit.

Yes, sir, Rais replied.  You heard the Kaisae!  Let's clean this shit up!

Kolt glanced at Sal, smiling as he thrust at another Terran, making pride swell inside her.  She couldn't help but grin in response, darting in to cut a man's throat.  Murah flowed with them, a true beast in battle, killing almost as many as Sal, until there were none left.  She sighed and dropped to her knees, wiping her knives across a Terran's uniform before storing them at her back.

"Nice timing, Brerror," she sighed.

"What?" Kolt asked.

"Not you.  The other one."

Thank you Kaisae, Murah thought, his tongue lolling from his mouth as he gasped for breath.

A surge of panic hit her.  Both Kolt and Murah raised their heads, all of them turning in the direction of the 112th.  Something was wrong.  She clambered to her feet and was running toward them, the grauori streaking past her easily, Kolt on her heels.

Extraction incoming, Rais warned.  We've got a lot more than twenty-five here, Sal.  At least two units, one's heavy.  You with Blaz, Kolt with me.  Damn Kolt, I hope you know how to do a running pickup.

Sal's right arm is wounded, Kolt shot back.  And yes, Tolan, I know how to get the fuck out of here.

The sound of hooves reached her before she could see the horses.  Blaz and Rais were at the front, leaning low on their mounts' necks.  Sal and Kolt kept running but moved apart, giving the riders room to work.  She reached up her left hand, catching Blaz's eye, and focused her attention on his arm as he pushed Rax right at her.

He braced against the stallion's neck and reached out, their wrists slapping together.  The speed of the horse's momentum carried Sal from the ground.  She twisted in midair, pulling herself closer, and grabbed the horse's back with her knees, struggling into position.  A grunt crossed the link, and she looked over to see Kolt settle behind Rais, his large horse never slowing.

"You're hit?" Blaz asked.

"Right shoulder," Sal told him.

He dropped the reins and reached one hand up and back, his other grabbing her thigh to hold her close.  "Can you heal and ride?"

Sal guided his hand to the end of the bolt.  "Guess we'll find out."  His fingers grabbed the shaft, sending a flare of pain down her arm.  "Pull hard," she snarled.

He did.  The head of the arrow cut as it came free, Sal's pain leaking across all of their minds.

"Sal!" Kolt gasped.

I'm fine.  Blaz pulled the bolt, she thought and felt the men all relax.  With her good arm, she clung to her friend, shifting closer until her legs hung next to his.  "No jumping for a minute," she warned him.

"Bite if you need, Sal," Blaz said over his shoulder.  "Just don't fucking fall off.  There's at least thirty behind us."

She nodded, knowing he'd feel it, and pressed against him, breathing deeply.  The sweet smell of human wafted from him.  She healed, slowly with her attention divided between riding and repairing, but she healed, clinging to him as the vertigo swelled in her mind.  When she was done, she tested her arm, feeling it move easily.

"I'm good," she told Blaz, leaking it to the rest of them.  "Let's get back to Issevi!"

The 112th put heels to horses and proved why they were renown for their riding ability.  They raced through the forest, taking paths that even the Blades would have avoided, always pushing higher into the foothills.  There were small trails through the mountains here, Sal knew, but few of them were something any sane rider would take.  Luckily, none of the 112th Mounted were sane.

They broke from the tree line and skidded to a halt.  The path was just beyond, but five men crouched against the rocks, longbows trained on them.  "Move!" Rais yelled, turning his horse back into the trees.  Arrows sank into the ground around them, encouraging the horses to hurry.

The rest followed, but the Terran cavalry had closed the distance.  Sal could see them now, following the blatant trail their mad dash left.  She leaned forward and grabbed the crossbow that lay in front of Blaz's leg.  He unhooked the quiver of bolts from the other side, and moved it to his belt, within her reach.  They didn't need to talk.  They were elites and knew what had to be done.

She turned, flicking the safety bar, and took aim.  The men behind her moved, giving a clear shot, and she squeezed, feeling the string twang, a cry of pain proving that she'd hit her mark.  Sal reloaded the weapon, clutching Blaz for support, while her mind sought a safe path back to Issevi.  She'd just set the bolt into the rail when she found it.

Rais! she thought, showing him the route.  It's the safest, fastest way across.

But how safe is that? he asked.

No idea, but it's on the maps so can't be too bad.

Murah broke in.  Show me, I'll check.

She did, and he darted ahead of them, slipping between trees and underbrush that the horses couldn't fit through.  It didn't take long before he was out of sight.  Sal kept firing on the Terrans behind them, risking a shot anytime she could see them through the trees.

It's clear, Murah said.  Take a straight path here, but spread out, we can only fit one at a time.

You heard him.  Celso first, then Blaz.  The rest of you cover our backs.

Hand me your bow, Kolt thought.  Then we'll at least have a rear guard.

Blaz chuckled.  Think you can shoot as well as a Kaisae?

No, but I'm not as bad as a human, either.  Kolt looked over, his expression showing that he was only partially joking.

Blaz just laughed.  Coulda fooled me.  Last time I saw you, I seem to recall a lot of big words and not so much action.

Stop, Sal warned them.  I've had enough of you males posturing for one day.  I just want to go home, ok?

Sorry, Blaz and Kolt sent to her at the same time.

She flipped the catch on the crossbow, preventing it from accidentally firing, and clipped it to Blaz's waist, then pressed her cheek against his shoulder.  She closed her eyes as they moved, watching their path from his eyes until they reached the tree line.  They'd ridden faster than the Terrans, increasing their lead, giving them enough time to make it into the narrow ravine without being spotted.

When they were well into the crevice, tall rock walls reached up on either side of them, and Sal asked Blaz to stop.  "Let me off and give me a bow," she begged.

"We can't turn the horses in here, Sal."  He shook his head.  "Our best plan is to keep moving."

"Yeah," she agreed.  "But your backs are exposed.  I can pick them off and meet back up with you."

She can, Kolt sent.  She can also climb like a freak of nature.  Just give her a damned bow?

Do it, Rais agreed.

The man behind her, Lorenz, offered his over his horse's neck.  Sal leaned back and took it, smiling when he tossed a full quiver of arrows next.  She slipped the string over her shoulder and clipped the quiver to her belt, then shifted to her knees on Rax's hip.  Moving carefully, she stood on the stallion's back, then jumped, easily grabbing a ledge in the cliff wall.  With a glance over her shoulder, she smiled and began climbing, testing each hold before she asked it to bear her weight.

The walls were only about ten meters tall, but it was enough to make the humans stare at her in awe.  At the top, a broken ledge ran most of the length of the ravine, large boulders the only obstacle to her.  Sal jogged back the way they'd come, crawling over the rocks when she could, climbing around them when she couldn't.  When she reached the opening, she was pleased to see two large stones placed perfectly.  They would hide her from view and enemy weapons.

She nocked an arrow and waited.  The 112th was well into the narrow pass before the first Terran broke from the trees.  Sal took her time lining up her shot.  When she released the arrow, it sank deep into his chest, piercing the Terran's heart.  The man was dead before he hit the ground.  Quickly she grabbed another and another, taking out three men before they knew what was happening.

Their confused words drifted up to her.  She couldn't make out what they were saying, but the tone was unmistakable.  The had no idea where she was or how many soldiers were in the rocks.  Sal waited.

She managed to get eight total before they called a full retreat.  She heard it, and her ears followed their horses as they raced to find another way through the mountains.  Unfortunately, in their mad dash, the 112th had already shown them one.  Most likely, the Terrans would be waiting for them on the other side of the Siahies.

Sal hurried back to the men, able to move faster on foot than the horses could on the broken rocks.  When she caught up to Blaz, she could make out the exit, only a few dozen meters ahead of them.

They fell back, she told them, leaning over so they could see her.  And we're almost out of this hell.  I'll meet you at the end.

Sal! Blaz thought.  Check for Terrans, girl.  We don't know if they're waiting for us.

What do you think I'm doing? she asked, jogging ahead.

The far side of the pass was clear.  Sal pulled the bow across her shoulders and quickly climbed back down, reclining against a boulder as she waited for them to reach her.  The sun was warm on her black clothes, but a cool breeze prevented it from feeling truly good.  At least she had the moment to stop moving.  She breathed deeply, trying to calm her mind and push away the desire that was screaming at her.  She wanted Jase.  She needed to feel his teeth against her as she tore at him.  She could almost imagine how he -

Sal? Kolt's voice was amused.  Lock it down, babe, or you'll drive these men crazy.

That's her?  She recognized Lorenz's voice.

Sorry, she told them.  That's the bloodlust.  Thanks, Kolt.

Welcome.  You were making Tolan start to look appealing, so I knew it wasn't me.

She laughed and turned to see Celso guiding his gelding from the pass.  No, it's me.  Combat's over, the exit is clear.

How long can you hold it? Kolt asked, but his question was for her alone.

I need maerte or to sleep.  I can hold this for days, though.  We're ok.

K.  Then I'm getting you back to your mates.  If you can't take it... He didn't finish the words, but she felt the thought.  He did not want her to lay with one of the human men.

She needed him to understand that wouldn't happen.  I'd kill them.  Kolt, if I bit one, I wouldn't stop.  That's why I won't touch humans.  I'm gonna need you to make sure I don't forget.

She felt something trickle into her mind but couldn't quite identify the emotion.  I can do that, he promised, catching her eye as they emerged from between the rocks.

Blaz reined Rax toward her.  "Ready to keep going?" he asked, kicking his foot out of the stirrup and offering her a hand.

"Always," Sal replied, accepting both.  She settled behind him easily, breathing in the sweet sugar of humans.

Her stomach growled, and she released the meld, reminding herself that these were her friends, not her meal.  Rais moved back to the front, the rest of the unit forming around him, and they continued on at a walk, giving their horses the chance to catch their breath and relax.  Sal wrapped her arms around Blaz and closed her eyes, reaching out for the Black Blades.

Arctic?  Jase?  Zep?

Will I do? A gentle voice asked back.  Sal smiled as she recognized Audgan.  You're almost home, Kaisae.

Chapter 40

We just crossed the Siahies, she told her brother.  I'm with the 112th, heading to Issevi.

I'm relaying, Audgan told her.  You're just outside of everyone's range.  Arctic has a few of us scouting with the nuvani.  Dogs are in the CFC.  Tseri is using Issevi as her base of operations.  Dom and the Shields are assisting Viraenova.

How far out is Jase?

Audgan sent his relief. He's coming from the north, you from the south.  I think he'll beat you by an hour.  They're fine, Sal.  Jase and Zep are fine.

Blaec's not.

His sorrow hit her.  I know. We felt it, Kaisae.  I won't even ask if you're ok, but the concern is there.

I'm healing, she promised him.  How's Arctic?

Strong.  Audgan sounded a bit surprised at that.  He hurts as much as the rest of us, but he's held us together.  He's a good Raewar.  He'll do.

I'm bringing us a new Blade.  The man who saved me, Enik Kolton.

A human?  Audgan didn't sound pleased.

An iliri who knew how to hide better than we did, she corrected.

Razor says you're a bit over two days out, Sal.  Don't ride all night, ok?

Promise, she told him, then let the link dissolve.  "We're two days from Issevi," she told the 112th.

"You sure?" Rais asked.

"Razor judged it.  I can't do that, but he's pretty damned accurate."

Rais nodded, accepting that.  "Then we push until night, camp, and ride hard tomorrow.  You two up for that?"

Sal tilted her head and shrugged.  "Always, Captain.  I'm riding under your unit, so follow your orders."

Blaz chuckled a bit at that, but Rais shook his head.  "Kaisae, let's not lie to ourselves.  We both know the whole unit would defect if I tried to tell you what to do and the damned soldier at my back would probably gut me."

"I would," Kolt promised.

Rais grinned at her.  "See?  Don't know what the fuck you do, but the 112th is yours, sir."

"Thanks, Rais."  Sal glanced at Kolt.  "I don't know what I do either, but it seems to be working."

"Yeah," Blaz agreed.  "You're winning.  We're not."

"Audgan said the Devil Dogs are in the CFC?"

"Yep."  Blaz glanced over his shoulder at her.  "They're clearing the Siahies, making a path to the Forward Camp.  Technically they're under our command, but we needed to take a slight detour."

"I'm glad you did."  She pressed against his back.  "I have a few things to deal with in Issevi, then we need to take care of the Conglomerate."

"What things?" Rais asked.  "Put another way, can we help?"

"Not your skill set," Sal told him.  "Unless you happen to know how to make the nuvani and the Unavi Rebels play well with each other."

"I'm not so good with iliri relations." Blaz looked back and winked.

Sal patted his shoulder.  "Thing is, we have a couple of purebred girls in Issevi.  Viraenova wants to protect them, but the rebellion is worried -"

"No shit?" Celso asked.  "The Unavi rebels are real?"

Kolt chuckled.  "Of course they are."

Celso glared at him.  "Don't tell me we're the only people who didn't know!"

"Most iliri have known for about a while," Sal said, easing the tension.  "They've been waiting for my orders."

"Yours?" Lorenz asked.

Sal nodded.  "I'm the only Kaisae left.  There's no one else to direct us."

"Damn, Blaz," Lorenz teased.  "You make some powerful friends.  Or should I say make out with them?"

"Guys."  Blaz was starting to blush.  "You all know there was nothing to that."

"Bullshit."  Lorenz wasn't about to let up.  "We all know nothing happened, but only because Cyno's a mean shit."

"Told ya," Kolt said, his eyes on Sal.

"She fixed me, ok?" Blaz snapped, slowly looking at all of them.  "She got Jiensa out of my head so I could move on.  The night I met Sal, I was trying to drink enough to find the courage to fall on my sword.  My only concern was that I'd miss.  I didn't plan to see another day until I realized she needed a friend as much as I did."

His words silenced them all.  Sal wrapped her arms around him and put her chin on his shoulder.  "Ayati," she whispered.  "I needed you.  I still do."

He nodded.  "I know.  Felt it when you thanked me for pulling that ape off ya.  Fucking steel blade at your side and you let me feel like I'd saved the damsel in distress."  He chuckled wryly.  "I haven't thought about killing myself since, Sal.  I told you.  You saved me."  He grabbed her hand, pressing it to his chest as he leaned his head against hers.

"That's why you've been so devoted?" Lorenz asked gently.

"It's her."  Kolt looked at Blaz without the animosity he'd had before.  "It's why you're all here.  You can't smell her like we do, but your body knows it.  I don't know how.  It's never affected humans before."

"The pheromones?" Sal asked.

Kolt shrugged.  "I don't know what it is.  I just know that the way they act is how I felt about the other Kaisaes.  You, though?  You're different."

"What do you mean?" Blaz asked.

Kolt sighed and explained to the humans how Kaisaes tug at iliri males.  He told them about the need to obey, like a child would their mother, but the unrelenting awe and love that came with it.  They covered kilometers while he told stories of the Kaisaes of old and the men who followed them.

"Ok," Aleks said, looking at his fellow soldiers.  "I can't be the only one to feel that way, right?"

"No," Celso said.  "Back in Syhar, some guy wanted to dance with the new girl, and I couldn't help myself.  I wanted to beat his ass because no one threatens Sal's sister."

"Thank you," Sal said.  "Shade has been through too much."

"So have you," Blaz whispered, but Celso heard.

"They treat you like that, Sal?"

She shrugged.  "They tried.  I was a slave for a long time."

"Leave it," Kolt warned.

"Yeah."  Celso looked away.  "Just don't get it, Sal.  I mean, kinda sounds like humans have been shit to you, yet you keep taking care of us."

She hugged Blaz.  "Not all humans.  The 112th has been good to me.  Devil Dogs, too.  Anglia.  All of Anglia makes me feel wanted."

"Ran."  Rais smiled as he said it.  "That man adores you, Sal."

"Yeah.  Blaec never told me why."

Rais shrugged.  "You need to ask him.  To quote the Blades, it isn't my story to tell, even if I know it.  He has a good reason, though."

Sal nodded and pressed her head back to Blaz's shoulder, her hand catching in the laces of his leather armor.  She sighed, and let her eyes slip closed, feeling the movement of the horse rocking them together.  Slow, rhythmically, almost begging for her to sink her teeth -

"Sal!" Kolt hissed.

Her eyes snapped open.  "Fuck," she growled.

"What?" Blaz asked.

Kolt looked at her, knowing the maast was still humming in her veins.  "Don't do that, Kaisae.  You'd regret it."

"Do what?"  Blaz looked back at her.

"I need to kill something," Sal told him, her tone sweet even if her words weren't.  "I'm assuming none of you will mind fresh meat for dinner?"

"Fuck no," Lorenz said.

She patted Blaz's shoulder and slipped from Rax's moving back, not even warning her friend before she did it.  He pulled the stallion up and turned, but Sal waved him ahead.  "I'm ok.  I just really need to kill something."

Aleks found that amusing.  "Not every day you hear that line.  Whatcha need, Sal?"

She inhaled.  "I smell boar.  How far to camp, Captain?"

"Shit, you kill a pig, and we'll camp where ever you want."

"Not yet," Kolt said.  "We need to get to Issevi, not take a vacation.  Can you hold out, babe?"

"Just don't let me bite them."  She looked at the humans.  "None of you.  Do not let me bite you, even if I make it sound really appealing."

"Why?" Celso asked.

"I wouldn't stop."

She turned to track her prey, leaving the mounted soldiers behind, but could hear Kolt talking to them.  "She's still fighting the bloodlust.  Her body thinks she needs to eat you all."

While Kolt explained, Sal tracked the boar's scent.  It was a young one, no larger than she was, but supple and tender.  She caught it rooting at the base of a tree, just one hill away from the 112th.  The fight was intense but over too soon.  Sal simply pounced on it, holding herself against it's back as she plunged her dagger repeatedly into its heart, the pig struggling the entire time.  She held it as the animal died, unable to stop herself from sinking her teeth into its neck, ripping out a chunk of flesh.  The taste of raw meat gave her some release, but not enough.

You boys want to come get this? she asked.

She heard the horses before they crested the hill but didn't bother getting up.  Its blood seeped into the grass, and she wanted to lick at it.  The smell of men was driving her crazy with her need for more.  She growled and took another bite, not caring that the humans were watching.

"Fuck," Aleks breathed.  "That didn't take long."

Kolt jumped from the horse's back.  "She's a hunter," he said, moving to Sal's side.  "Babe?  You hanging in there?"

She nodded.

"Well, you're covered in pig."  He knelt before her and wiped at her face with the sleeve of his shirt.  "You're a messier eater than Las.  The food goes in, not on, little one."

She looked up at him, desire in her eyes.  "Either works," she whispered.

Kolt grabbed the side of her head, staring into her eyes.  "Breathe, Sal.  You're stronger than your instincts.  Two days.  Hell, less than that now."  He leaned closer.  "Can you make it?"

"I don't have much choice, do I?"

His thumb traced her jaw.  "You do, but it's your choice, Kaisae."

"Hey, Celso?" Blaz asked.  "Mind a second?"

"Her?"

"No, me."  Blaz tilted his head toward Sal.  "I'm thinking that Kolt's the only one of us she won't try to eat.  Figured it might be better to let her smell him for a bit."

Kolt looked back slowly.  "You'd give me your horse?"

Blaz shook his head.  "Not you.  Her."

"Can you work with that, babe?"

Sal nodded and pulled herself to her feet.  "Yeah.  Just lose the necklace.  It's the smell that's killing me."

Kolt removed it and pushed it into his pack, then walked to one of the other men.  "I need this to stay at least two meters from her."

"Can do, sir."

"Which one are you?" Kolt asked.

"Sergeant Lance Shern, sir."

Kolt chuckled.  "I'm a sergeant too, Shern.  Not a sir."

"And wearing black."  Shern shrugged.  "The 112th knows better."

"Not a real Blade yet, so you can relax and call me Kolt.  Now, you willing to help me get this pig on a horse so we can get out of here?"

"Can do," Shern agreed.

Together, the men shuffled everything around.  The boar ended up behind Rais, Blaz rode behind Celso, and Shern returned to his gelding with Kolt's pack secured behind him.  While they did all of that, Sal lay in the grass, her eyes closed, breathing deeply, reminding herself that she was stronger than her urges.

"Time to go, babe."  Kolt held out his hand.

She took it and let him pull her to her feet.  When they reached Rax, Kolt motioned for her to mount first.  She settled into the saddle, and he climbed behind her, his hands resting gently on her waist.

"Thanks, guys," Sal told them.  "I'm trying, but this is why Blaec paired me with Cyno."

"Why?" Lorenz asked.

Sal chuckled and squeezed Rax forward.  "So we could fuck each other's brains out and both live through it.  He's a berserker, too.  So are the grauori."

Not the same, Murah said.  Maast takes our fears and enhances our senses, but it doesn't drive us like it does the iliri.

"How do you know?" Kolt asked.

Murah looked up, letting his tongue fall to the side to show his amusement.  I was at the first battle of Anglia when Rragri brought the Kaisae and Ahnor to our minds.  None of us feel like that.

"Iliri have always been more impulsive than grauori," Sal told him.  "We're more violent, they're more stealthy.  It kinda applies to everything about us."

Being away from the humans helped more than Sal wanted to admit.  The scent of Kolt behind her teased at her mind but didn't drive her to distraction.  She managed to keep her wits about her until well after the sun was down and Rais called a halt.

Kolt slipped down Rax's hip and reached up, pulling Sal into his arms.  "How are you?" he asked, his face so close to hers.

She offered him her mind in answer.  He took it, gasping at the strength of her need, his hand tightening on her arm.  "Damn it, Sal.  How do - " he paused, turning to see Blaz walking toward them.

Blaz moved to the saddle, loosening Rax's girth.  "Can he handle you?" he asked under his breath, his words for Sal.

"I won't kill him."

Blaz nodded.  He pulled the saddle from his horse's back and rested it against his hip.  "They all know, Sal.  None of us will judge you."

"She's so close to home," Kolt said.

Blaz shrugged, chuckling softly.  "A day is a long ass time.  If she's resisting this because of us, she needs to know there's no need.  We've always known you're not human, Sal.  We don't expect you to be."

"Is it that, babe, or something else?"

Sal relaxed her neck and let her head fall against Kolt's chest.  "I don't know.  I can't think straight with them around."

"Blaec wouldn't care," Blaz told her.  "You know that better than I do.  Nor Cyno."

She shook her head.  "I know."

"Zep?" Kolt asked.

She lifted her head and met his eyes.  "You."

Blaz laughed, smothering it quickly.  "That's my cue to leave."  He grabbed something from his pack and handed it to Kolt.  "Next rise over.  I'll tell the men to stay away.  You two sort out whatever shit this is, and keep her from eating us."

Blaz led Rax away, stepping unevenly with the saddle against his hip, leaving Sal alone with Kolt.  A rolled blanket was in his hand, the gift from Blaz, and he waved it at her.  "So, explain that to me?  What do you mean I'm the thing stopping you?"

"I'm supposed to be stronger than this, but I'm not."  Sal turned away, but he held her.  "I just need some maerte."

"Unless you want to eat the 112th, you're screwed. "  His fingers slid along the back of her neck, deep into her hair, as his mind brushed through hers.  "I just don't know if I can help you."

"Then I need sleep," she snarled, but her thoughts clung to his.

He chuckled, tilting her face up to his.  "Bullshit, but if that's how you want to play this, I'll stay up with you all night."

"Why?"

"Because every man has a dream, and mine is to make up for my mistakes."  He paused, searching her eyes.  "And if you want more than that, I'll do my best, but I'm not him."

"You're nothing like Blaec," she grumbled, trying to pull away.

His grip prevented that.  "I meant your officer.  I'm not a hero.  I'm not a young boy too stupid to know what to do with a Kaisae."  Then he leaned closer, breathing deeply.  "But I love wildflowers."

"I won't pay you back by forcing myself on you."

He pulled her against him, his voice a growl.  "If you want me, Sal, then I'm yours.  If you want to make this go away, I'm yours.  If you want me to be someone else, then I'm the wrong fucking man for the job.  You have to take me as I am, because I'm sick and tired of pretending."

She bit her lower lip, her teeth drawing blood.  Slowly she looked up at him.  "Kolt?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Why?"  Her eyes searched his.  "You don't really want me, but you'll do anything I ask."

He grabbed the back of her head and forced her mouth to his, his teeth slicing the edge of her tongue before he bit at her lips, kissing away the blood.  He growled, the rumble passing from his chest to hers, and refused to release her until she stopped fighting him.  When she sighed, he pulled back.

"Why do you even care?" he asked.  Sal started to look down, but he stopped her, holding her face to his.  "You know I'll fall into your bed.  Why would you think I'm willing to do that?"

"Maast," she breathed.  "You feel it through me.  Without the maast, you have no interest.  I don't want to take advantage of you."

"Oh Sal," he breathed, kissing her again.  This time, his lips were gentle, but his hands were hard.  "I swear to you, you are not taking advantage of me."

"But you don't want me."  She lifted her chin, daring him to deny it.  "You're loyal, to a fault, and you can feel the maast inside me.  That doesn't mean you want this."

"I swore I'd take care of you."

She nodded.  "And I will not take that for granted.  I can hold out, but you have to stop kissing me."

"Is it Jase and Zep?" he asked.  "Are they telling you not to do this?"

She shook her head.  "No.  They're worried about me.  Jase thinks you're what I need."

"And Zep?"

She tried to look down again, but he refused to allow her eyes to fall.  With a sigh, she looked into his.  "Zep wants me to come home."

"Me, too."  He smiled as he leaned to her again, kissing her cheek.  "Body and mind, Sal.  I want to get all of you back to the men who really love you."

"And I don't want to lay with a man out of duty."  She tilted her head away from his lips.  "It's no different than Merriton, except the other way around.  I just need to be alone."

Kolt pulled her hips against him, proving his desire was very real.  "You don't need to be alone.  I'm strong enough to take you, Sal."

"And I'm strong enough to resist you."  Her lip lifted slightly.  "I told you, I have no interest in laying with a man that does not want me."

"Oh, I want you," he whispered.  "I'm just not willing to sell my soul to you."

"I don't want your soul."

He nodded.  "I think you have enough of those already."

"What do you want?" she asked, leaning into him, her resolve weakening.

He kissed her again, hard, like an iliri.  "I want to feel you in my arms, with your mind twined so deep into mine I can't tell us apart."  He took a long breath, looking up at the sky.  "I just want to make you happy, Sal."

This time she kissed him, tangling her fingers in his hair.  "Make it stop, Kolt.  Show me what it feels like to be taken care of."

Chapter 41

He ducked low and lifted her over his shoulder, then carried her over the hill, out of sight of their camp.  Sal didn't try to struggle.  She knew she couldn't beat his strength and liked how it made her feel.  She wasn't in control.  For the first time in years, someone else was willing to take charge, and she let him.

The sounds of the humans faded and the night sky enveloped them.  Kolt finally set her down, tossing the blanket away and spinning her in his arms.  Sal tried to face him, but he held her, her back to his chest, and drug his mouth against the edge of her ear.

"I can feel what you want," he whispered, pulling her ass hard against his pelvis.  "I can hurt you, Sal, and you're begging me to."

She moaned, grinding her hips against the ridge in his pants.  "You can't hurt me, Kolt.  I'm not human."

"No," he purred, "you're definitely not."

"Make me feel it," she begged.

He lowered his mouth to her neck, kissing gently, and she tried to pull away.  Then he bit down, sharp points piercing her flesh, his erection throbbing between the crush of their bodies when she whimpered in pleasure.  The tip of his tongue traced the blood across the wound, and Sal pulled again.  This time, he laughed softly before he bit, his teeth pinning the tendon at the back of her neck, making her press into him.

Lifting his mouth from her body, he asked, "Like that, do ya?"

"Yes," she breathed.

He ran his mouth up the length of her jaw, to her ear, and nipped gently, the thin skin too delicate for the abuse she wanted.  "I like how you whimper under my teeth, begging for me.  You want to submit, don't you?"

"No," Sal breathed.

He shoved her into the grass, dropping to his knees behind her before he caught her again.  With a strong arm around her shoulders and neck, he pulled her to his chest.  "Don't lie to me, Sal.  I can feel you in my head.  You want to submit to me."

"Yes," she moaned.  "But I want you to make me."

"Then that's what I'll do."

His teeth found the other side of her neck, sinking deep, and his hands moved to her waist, unbuckling her belt, fumbling with the laces of her pants.  She tried to help, but he growled a warning, shoving her arms away.  As soon as her pants were loose enough, he pushed them to her knees and pulled his teeth from her skin, his arm returning to hold her against him, never letting her go.

"You're such a little thing."  His free hand caressed her bare ass.  "Just like I imagined."  Fingers slipped between her legs, sliding over her ass to the wetness beyond, teasing the sensitive skin there.  "And you want me so damned bad."

She groaned and tried to thrust herself onto his hand, but he held her.  Instead, she reached behind her, grabbing him through the fabric.  Running her hands down his length, she felt his hips press into her.

His mouth grabbed her, this time on her shoulder, and his frantic hands worked free the laces of his breeches.  She could hear the cloth against his skin, but his teeth held her still.  Her hands wrestled with his, seeking bare flesh.  When she found it, he thrust into her palms, extracting his teeth from her skin.  "Harder," he demanded, and her fingers tightened around his shaft.

Kolt sucked in a breath, releasing her from his control as he leaned into her touch.  Sal pressed back, pinning her hands between their bodies, stroking him slowly.  He clung to her, grasping her shoulders, as his mind begged her to abuse him.  Each time her hands slid down his length, his fingers tightened, begging for more.  She felt him, thick and solid, swelling in her grip as his awe filled her mind.

Without warning he shoved her forward, forcing her to release him.  Sal tried to lift away from the ground, but he held her down with her face against the dirt.  Kolt's strong hand wrapped around the base of his dick, his eyes on her ass.  Slowly he leaned forward, sliding across her, sending shivers down her spine as he teased her.  Then he paused, looking into her eyes before he thrust, impaling himself in her.

Sal groaned, pressing herself onto him.  With both hands on her hips, he pushed her away before yanking her back, his fingers bruising her skin as he filled her completely.  She lost herself in the pleasure he created, closing her eyes so nothing could distract her, clenching her teeth to keep her cries to herself.

For just a moment, nothing else existed.  All of her pain and memories faded beneath her primal need, and she let them, banishing them before the reality of what she was.  Right now, she needed to forget, and Kolt was begging her to.  She just had to let go, but it was so hard, so far outside what she knew.  He just rammed her harder, growling when she refused to call out.

Each thrust pressed her further into the ground until his body covered hers.  One elbow held him off the dirt as his hand slid forward until their fingers twined together.  She felt his mouth brush against her neck as he rocked, his body shielding her from the world.

"Scream for me," he growled softly.  "I want you to come so hard you can't stop it.  I want you to stop thinking about anything but me."

As the words passed his lips, he dropped the last of his mental walls, his emotions hitting her like a wave.  Fear, desire, and awe mingled with the pleasure he felt seeing her beneath him.  The sensation was too much.  Sal gasped as he moved inside her, feeling how she teased him, feeling his need to please her.  Feeling his need to possess her completely.  Feeling how good he felt with her.

She moaned, her mind begging him to move faster and he complied, struggling not to lose control.  She could feel the orgasm building but didn't know if it was hers or his, and didn't care.  She gave herself to it, writhing at the pleasure, losing her need to kill in her need for him.  She wanted him to be strong so she didn't have to.  She wanted him to take care of her.  She wanted everything he was giving her, and the pleasure built higher.

His incisors grazed gently against her neck.  "Always," he swore, then buried his teeth deep in her flesh and shoved into her one last time.

Sal's eyes flew open, and she cried out, her voice knowing no words as her body tensed around him.  She gasped, her hips tight against his pelvis, Kolt's breathing heavy against her skin.  As the spasms of pleasure subsided, she melted into the ground with a smile on her lips.

"Never," he panted, "think I wouldn't want that."

With one last kiss on her neck, he pulled away, sliding out of her gently. He didn't bother to lace his pants before falling beside her, sucking in long breaths of air, then chuckled.

Sal pushed herself to her knees to pull her pants back up.  "What?"

He held up the rolled blanket.  "Oops."

"It's not too late," she told him.

Kolt turned his head to her and smiled.  With a nod, he sat up and flared the blanket against the ground, shifting to lay on it, then he patted the spot beside him.  "Don't tell me you don't cuddle."

Sal moved to his side but lay on her back long enough to lace her pants.  "I wouldn't.  I won't lie to you."

"Not intentionally," he corrected.

She turned and lay her head on his shoulder, smiling when he wrapped an arm around her.  "No, not intentionally."

"So I get to be a sap for a bit after that, right?"  He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek.

"Yeah," she agreed, snuggling deeper into his arms.

"K.  Because..."  He swallowed and took a breath.  "Sal, you're not alone, babe.  I'll be as strong as you need me to.  You won't break my heart or hurt my feelings.  My place is to take care of you, body and mind."

"Why?" she asked him again.

"I have no fucking idea.  You keep asking that, and I don't have an answer to give you."  He tilted her chin up.  "Never thought I'd be sticking my dick in you, but I've always known that I need to make sure you're ok."

"I don't understand."

He smiled.  "I'm sure.  You're a Kaisae.  You don't get this like we do.  I figure it's like how you feel that you need to save the iliri from Terric.  You don't know why, you just know you should, right?"

She nodded.  "Yeah, but I think that's kinda selfish.  I mean, I don't want to be the only one anymore."

"Same thing, then.  I want to be here because I don't want to know a world without iliri.  You, my Kaisae, embody us.  You are what makes us different."

"I'm just a soldier," she protested.

"I know."  His hands held her tightly.  "You're just the best damned soldier the world has seen, because we need you to be.  You're the mead to our honey."

Sal chuckled.  "That's a really bad metaphor."

He laughed and nodded.  "Ok, it really was.  Sal, stop worrying about me.  There's nothing sinister here.  I'm just a really good friend who wants to keep you happy.  I sure won't say no if that means I get laid to do it, ok?"

She shrugged. "So why the six-year dry spell?"

Kolt groaned and looked away.  "After my wife had our boy, she turned into a real bitch.  I don't mean the iliri kind either.  I couldn't do anything to make her happy.  I mean, I didn't change Las's diaper right, or I should have made something else for dinner, or her favorite, I shouldn't spend so much time with my unit."

"Thought you were only with them for work?"

He nodded.  "Pretty much.  After a couple of years of that, I started hanging out with them outside of missions, which is why I was always in that damned bar in Fort Landing.  Trying to avoid her, basically.  If Las wasn't awake, I tried not to be home."

"Why didn't you divorce her?"

Kolt shrugged.  "Las needed his amma, and I hoped that being a human's wife, she'd get to live to be an old woman.  That's why I'm not so crushed about her death.  I miss my boy, though."

"I can tell."  She pressed her head against his chest.  "He sounds like a good kid."

"You'd make a good amma."  He laughed at the shock on her face.  "You would.  Imagine how proud Las would be to tell the other kids that his amma was the Kaisae of all iliri.  Bet you'd even give him reasons to brag."

"And he'd have sisters with fur."  Sal poked him in the ribs.  "You get a tattoo and Las can call me amma."

"Deal."  Kolt tugged her across his chest and hugged her tightly.  "One last kiss, then I should take you back."

Sal leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, her tongue tracing the edge of his mouth.  Kolt sucked in a breath and rolled into her, guiding her onto her back.  He devoured her mouth, making pleased noises when she nipped at his lips.  That one last kiss became two, then more, and soon they were both breathing heavier.

"Damn," he whispered.  "Thought I'd already cured your maast."

Sal pushed his shirt aside, her eyes on his smooth shoulder.  "You did."

He turned to look at her hand.  "Sal…"

"She was a fool.  Your wife.  I would have put my claim all over you."

For a moment, he said nothing.  Then, "I won't stop you."

She ran her hand over the dense muscle again.  "Why not?"

"Because from the moment I first saw you, you changed my life.  I'm not your mate, but I'm still yours in my own way."  He leaned closer, sliding his mouth up to her ear.  "Even if that meant staying away."

That was all she needed.  Sal bit, sinking her teeth into the flesh along the side of his neck.  Then again, just where it met his shoulder.  Each time, he sighed, a hint of a moan coming out with it, but before she could bite a third time, he pulled away.

"Unless you want another round, you'd better stop," he teased.  "And I think your excuse is gone."

Giggling, she pushing him off her.  "I think you like it."

"Maybe.  We'll call it one hell of an afterglow."

Sal glanced back at the camp, the light of the fire tinting the sky.  "It's why I cost so much, Kolt.  There's two types of iliri, seducers like Blaec, and fighters, like Jase."

"So you're a seducer?"  He sounded like he couldn't believe it.

"I'm both."  She sat up.  "I was an experiment.  I'm not sure what they were trying to do, but they kinda made the perfect soldier.  I can kill almost anything, and there's something about me that makes others want to please me.  That's why the 112th is so loyal."

"But they're human, Sal.  It shouldn't affect them."

She shrugged.  "Blaec did.  The CFC loved him."

"How?  It's never touched humans before, not in all of our history."

Sal shrugged again, but this time she was smiling.  "I have a theory, but no way to prove it."

"Care to share?"

"We link humans, Kolt.  The Blades?  Yeah, we got Zep in a link, which means we know how human minds work.  I think it changed something."

"And you can do it?"

She nodded.  "Linking is easy.  Healing is a lot harder.  We're not meant to have all the skills, so some work better than others.  Thing is, the more I have, the more I can do."

He grunted at that.  "Like kill with a touch."

"Shit."  Sal looked at him.  "Fetching.  You touch things you can't reach."

"And?"  He wrinkled his brow in confusion.

Sal pressed her lips together, her mind spinning.  "I can kill with a touch, you can touch things far away.  If I could fetch, could I kill the emperor without needing to touch him?"

"Do you want to?" he asked softly.

"Him?  Yeah."

"Then you can have my skill, Sal."

She shook her head.  "Not now.  It hurts too much.  I need to be someplace where I can relax a few days."

"Does it hurt as bad as the link breaking?"  He stood and offered a hand to her.

Sal took it.  "No.  Nothing hurts like that.  But copying kinda feels like a dagger in the brain.  Knocks me out for a bit.  The more skills I get, the more the next one hurts.  It's like the world's way of preventing us from going out of control."

He grabbed her belt from the grass, passing it to her, then turned to grab their blanket.  Sal buckled it around her waist, wondering what the humans would say when she returned with leaves in her hair.  Kolt didn't seem concerned, draping the blanket over his shoulder as he tossed his arm carelessly over hers.  He walked beside her over the hill, making no effort to hide what had happened.

"You're the Kaisae," he said.  "What you choose to do with your body is no concern of theirs."

"It just feels embarrassing."

"Why?  That you get off on killing?  You're a predator.  You think you should be ashamed of it?"

She chuckled and shook her head.  "No.  Thanks, Kolt, you always seem to say the right thing."

They crossed into the light of the fire and the men all looked up.  Blaz caught her eye and smiled when he saw she was more relaxed.  Rais looked over them both then returned his attention to his sword, scrubbing at a delicate groove in the blade.  The other men couldn't hide their grins, though.

"Have fun?" Lorenz asked.

Sal tugged at her collar, exposing the wounds across her neck.  "Yeah.  You want a round?"

The men all looked at Kolt.  He tossed the blanket on the ground, laughing.  "Keep guessing, guys.  Just be glad she won't kill you, now."

"It's really more the eating them than the killing," Sal teased.

"Serious?" Celso asked.

Sal tilted her hand in the air.  "Yes and no.  The iron in your body stops the maast.  My instincts demand that I keep killing until I can claim my prize."

"Fuck," Shern muttered.

"That works too," she said with a giggle.  "Instinctually, we're driven to seek the claim.  Whether that's a kill or a man, doesn't seem to matter.  Probably some holdover survival instinct."

"And that's the only way to stop it?" Blaz asked.

"Sleeping works, but it's not always easy to do.  The longer we try to hold off, the more our bodies fight us, demanding something."  She lowered herself to the ground, leaning easily against Kolt.  "Blaz, let me show you something."

She reached for his mind, not surprised at all when he gave it to her easily.  She wrapped him in her senses and leaned to the man next to her, Aleks, and inhaled.  The delicious sweetness of human flesh flared in her mind, and Blaz gasped.

"What the fuck?" He sat up.

"That's how humans smell.  None of you noticed the scent when we were in that meld?"

"Yeah," Celso admitted.  "Didn't know it was us, though.  Figured it was some strange iliri thing.  You gonna share with all of us?"

She opened their minds, pleased to notice how easily they formed a battle meld, and breathed in Aleks again.  The men all groaned.  Sal pulled her dagger from her back and smelled it, too, then laughed as the men's eyes grew wide.

"Steel smells like us?" Aleks asked.

"Yeah," Kolt said.  "It's not the same, but pretty close."

"What does meat smell like?" Lorenz asked.

Kolt leaned forward and pulled a slab of pig from the fire.  "It's not done," Rais warned, but Kolt shrugged it off.  He shuffled it from hand to hand until Sal skewered it with her dagger, leaving Kolt to blow on his singed fingers.  She inhaled, savoring the aromas, then took a bite from the edge.

"Well, fuck me," Shern said.  "And everything is like that?"

Kolt grabbed her hand, taking the dagger from her.  "Go look at the stars, Sal."

"Oh, right."  She stood and gestured for them to wait as she walked out of the glare of the flames.  As the darkness surrounded her, Sal closed her eyes, letting them adjust, and tilted her head up.  When she opened them, the field of stars greeted them all.

"What color is that?" Aleks asked.

"Which?" Sal called back to him.  "Focus on it, and I'll know."  He did, picking out one of the stars in the sky.  She looked at it closely.  "Ultraviolet, I think.  It's half that, half purple, kinda like orange is half yellow and half red."  She turned to another star, the deep pulsating color one of her favorites.  "Pretty sure human eyes don't see that one either."

Aleks couldn't contain his interest.  "What color is it?"

"No idea," she admitted, turning back to the camp.  "I didn't have parents, and the humans who raised me only taught me Glish.  Since you can't see it, you don't have a word for it.  I haven't really had time to learn all the things in Iliran that aren't a direct translation."

"Sal?" Rais asked, looking at her with a smile.

"Yeah?"

"Would you look at the trees the next hill over?"  She did, and the Captain started laughing.  "You see in the dark, too?"

Sal turned to him, her eyes constricting against the light.  "Yeah.  Not all crossbreds do, but most of us."

"Yes," Kolt told them.  "I do, too."

"That fucking bastard," Rais muttered.

She released their minds and sank to the ground again, this time on the blanket Kolt had spread.  "What'd Blaec do this time?" she asked.

"Saved our asses," Rais said softly.  "Told us the Blades had trained in an area so knew it like the back of their hands, which was how they got us through the enemy line."

She chuckled.  "That was a weak excuse actually.  Taking soldiers through enemy patrols takes our night vision, usually Razor's tracking, our sense of smell and hearing, and Arctic's link so we can communicate silently."

"How did he keep it from us for so long?" Aleks wondered.

She just leaned back into the blanket.  "Humans didn't want to know, so you always explained it away.  That's why we cut ourselves to prove it.  Hard to explain a wound healing before your eyes."

"Well, I for one, am glad you stopped hiding," Shern said.

The rest of the men agreed.  Sal finished her meal feeling better than she had in days.  The world really was changing, even if Blaec wasn't around to see it.  He'd proven they could do it and she'd proven that humans would accept them.  By the time she finished eating, her eyes were too heavy to keep open.  She fell asleep lying before the fire, curled on her side.

"Here."  Aleks offered a small pillow to Kolt.

"She'll need this too," Shern said, passing across another rolled blanket.

Kolt looked across the flames and saw Blaz smile.  "You hurt her, and I'll kill you," Blaz told him.

"Never," Kolt said.  "I'd rather die."

Blaz tilted his head to the side, the corner of his lip tightening.  You'd also better pull your head out of your ass.  You can't follow her around like a lovesick dog and think she won't notice.

Kolt lay back, shifted the pillow, then moved Sal against him.  Worked well enough for you.

Blaz chuckled.  The difference is, I'm human.  I know better than to fall for her.  It's not like that between us.

Us either, Kolt assured him.  She just needs someone to lean on.

Just don't tell me you're her big brother.  Zep already tried that.  Blaz shrugged.  Cyno said she can't change her mind.  If she claims you as hers, it's for life, so think real hard about what it is you're doing, Kolton.

Kolt looked at the delicate girl in his arms.  I am.  She deserves something better than me.  He kissed the top of her head and sighed, closing his eyes, begging for sleep to take him.

Chapter 42

The next morning they were up before dawn.  The first pale light tinted the sky when Blaz shook Kolt awake.  He reached for Sal, but her eyes were open, watching him.

"Morning, Kaisae."

"Morning Blaz," she said.

"You willing to ride with me again, or you gonna try to eat me?"

She yawned, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth.  "I'm good," she promised.

"Who'm I riding with?" Kolt asked, his voice rough from sleep.

"I'll take him," Aleks offered.  "My girl's fresh still."

Rais laughed as he tied his things behind his saddle.  "You're taking that hunk of man from me?"

"You can have him if you want, Captain.  Didn't know he was your type."

Rais shrugged.  "I like them tall and dark, but I prefer the kind with tits."

Sal giggled.  "Trying to say I should ride with you?"

"Nah, too short and a pale."

"Still missing Rayna?" Blaz teased.

Rais shrugged.  "Only in the mornings.  Not many women can ride all day, then ride all night, and still wake up with a smile in the morning."

"I'm gonna tell her you said that," Sal teased.

Rais groaned.  "Shit.  I forgot you two are close now."

Sal pulled herself to her feet, patting Rais's shoulder as she made her way to the bushes beyond.  "Yeah.  Where do you think I learn all the kinky shit?"

"Fuck."  Rais leaned his head on his saddle.  "Kolt, please tell me she's joking?"

"Probably not, but I wouldn't know.  I think Rayna's got shit on every man in the elites."

"Wouldn't shock me if Sal did too," Lorenz said as he saddled his horse.

"She's not like that," Kolt insisted.

Blaz chuckled.  "She's not, but she still has shit on us.  You know she's a reader now, right?"

"What's that?" Shern asked.

Reads thoughts with a touch, Murah explained.

"It's only skin to skin," Kolt told them.  "She also tries not to look."

Lorenz grinned.  "Oh, protective now?"

"Isn't a new thing," Kolt assured him.

"He's been watching my back for six years," Sal said, striding back into the camp.  "If you count, you'll realize that was before I was conscripted.  Yes, Kolt and I have some history."

"Sal?"  Rais turned to her.  "I was asked for a favor."

"Blaz told me.  It's ok."

The Captain nodded.  "Just wanted to make sure I hadn't crossed the line or something.  Kolt?  When did you change your name?"

"Fuck," Kolt muttered.  "When I failed out of the Blades.  Thought it was a species thing so started using my middle name."

"Syrik," Sal said, remembering the alias he'd used.  "Syrik Enik Kolton?"

"Yeah.  My sire was Enik, so my amma used her last name, but took the human convention of three names."

She nodded.  "Wondered how you'd gotten such a human name."

Blaz tossed the last blanket into his pack and turned to check his girth.  "So which do you prefer, Sal?  Enik, or Syrik?"

"Syrik," she said without thinking.  "But I also know what it means."

"Oh?" Kolt asked.

She refused to look at him when she answered.  "It's a type of   thunderstorm."

"Huh," he mumbled, walking toward his ride without another word.  "Never knew that."

Blaz swung into the saddle, moving to let Sal up behind him.  "What'd I miss?" he asked her softly.

"When he's not wearing jewelry, Kolt smells like a storm."  She settled against his back.

"And?"

She shrugged.  "And Enik isn't a very Iliran name."

"And?" Blaz asked again.

"And he's spent most of his life pretending to be a human.  A lot of iliri would resent him for that.  Hearing I don't?"  She bit at her lips, remembering how it had felt when the Blades had accepted her.  "It's nice, Blaz.  Confusing, but nice."

They moved out as soon as the sun was truly above the horizon, Sal's senses guiding their way.  They talked as they rode, keeping the conversation light, making the kilometers pass quickly.  The men of the 112th Mounted had no fear of her, even if they didn't truly understand her species, but instead of guessing, they asked.

First, it was Celso, curious about their language.  "So how did you communicate with the grauori?  I mean when you first met them?"

Murah whuffed in amusement.  Same way you do, human.  You're hearing Grauoran thoughts right now, but they make sense in your head.

"Figured a brerror wouldn't bother to learn Glish."  Sal cocked her head at the male, teasing him.

"I kahn spheak da werds," he tried.  It's hard, though.  My mouth wasn't made for all the letters.

"Sal?"  This time it was Blaz.  "What does Iliran sound like?"

"Beautiful," Kolt answered.  "She speaks it perfectly too, with the right accent."  He turned to her and switched to Iliran.  "Everything still good between us?"

Sal smiled and answered in the same language.  "Yeah.  I owe you again, but it's good.  I'm a little embarrassed, but that's it."

"No reason to be," Kolt assured her.  "Just friends, Kaisae."

"Thanks."  She glanced at the faces listening, all too aware how personal their words were.  "It matters, Kolt.  You keep saying it doesn't, but it matters."

"So do you."

"What does il bax genause mean?" Blaz asked.  "The inflection on that makes it sound powerful."

Kolt looked at Sal and raised his eyebrow.  "You started this."

She nodded.  "It translates to ‘it matters,' but it's not exact."

"What is exact?" Blaz asked.

Sal tilted her head to the side and chewed at her lip.  "Um, the closest in Glish is ‘you altered my destiny,' but that's not quite what it means.  Kinda like the phrase about hitting the road."

Kolt nodded, thinking about it.  "It's pretty close, Sal.  I'd translate it to ‘you earned my fate.'"

"Yeah," she turned her eyes to Blaz.  "When we say it, it means that we owe a debt stronger than our lives.  That the actions of someone have changed the world and we will repay them until things between us are balanced again."  She shrugged.

He nodded.  "Then il bax genause, Kaisae."  Blaz smiled at her over his shoulder.

Our debt is even, Sal told him.  Your pain for my love.  Your horse for my pride.  There is no debt between us, which is why you've always been a friend.

And yet I still want to pay you back over and over.  Maybe some things can't be repaid, and we're left with nothing but trust.

She nodded and leaned against him.  Then il bax genause, Blaz.  You do matter.  You always will.

He patted her leg.  "So what do you think of my boy?"  He glanced at her, seeing if she accepted the change of subject.

"He's almost as good as mine," Sal said.  "And yet we both wish we didn't own them."

"Blew that one, didn't I?"

"It's ok," Sal told them all.  "I don't have a need to avoid the thought of Blaec.  It doesn't hurt any more or less if I hear his name."

"They mourn their dead by telling stories of their lives," Kolt said.

"They?" Aleks asked.

"Yeah."  Kolt gestured to Murah, trotting between the horses.  "Your mutt and I have a lot in common.  We're called brerror."

"Were," Sal corrected.  "Murah chose the 112th, you chose the Blades."

Kolt shrugged.  "Still, I never participated in a lot of our traditions because I had no pack."

"What's brerror?" Lorenz asked.

"Loners."  Sal looked at Kolt, and he nodded for her to go on.  "With grauori, they can end up brerror for any number of reasons.  Loving the wrong colored mate, having a skill that's too powerful, or even just refusing to drop their gaze.  Once they're run out of a pack, it's hard to find another, and the title hangs over them."

My amma dared to mate with a rafrezzi, Murah explained.  I am aufrio but shunned because of it.

"What about you?" Lorenz asked, unaware of how delicate the subject really was.

Kolt shrugged.  "For some reason, our line has dark skin.  We look like humans."

"So did Jiesa," Blaz pointed out.

"And her cousin, Razor."  Sal flicked her ear back, checking to see if Kolt put it all together.

"Where'd they come from?" he asked.

"Lewes," Sal said.

Kolt sucked in a breath.  "So was my amma.  She moved north to Yarrin when she got pregnant."

"Gotta be something in the water," Aleks teased.

"Yeah," Sal muttered.  "Geo's got relatives that way, too."

"And he isn't exactly pale," Blaz agreed.

Sal wondered about that as they continued on.  Maybe it was simply a family trait, like how some humans had large, hooked noses, even though most didn't.  It didn't seem like being dark skinned made them any more or less iliran.  Just like the color of their hair didn't seem to matter.  She decided it wasn't worth worrying about so pushed it from her mind.

Just after midday, Sal saw the first signs of Issevi on the horizon.  The silhouette of the town walls just broke the line of trees around it, a few taller buildings reaching toward the sky.

"Almost there," she breathed.

"You can see it?" Blaz asked.

Behind her, Kolt chuckled.  "I can't even see it yet, Sal."

"Only a few more hours," she told them.

Rais nodded.  "Then warn the Blades, because I'd rather get there sooner than later."

He squeezed his horse into an easy canter, the rest following a pace behind.  Sal felt a weight lifting from her shoulders, but another was slowly trying to take its place.  She couldn't help but wonder if her brothers would blame her.  She should have protected Blaec.  Instead, she was returning with Kolt.

Sal? Jase's voice filled her mind.  Oh kitten, are ya really so close?

I can see Issevi, she told him.  She felt him grab Zep, the two of them scrambling.

We're coming for ya, Sal.  Do na even think we will love ya less, ok?

Zep's voice joined his.  None of us blame you, demon.

I blame me.  She ducked her head behind Blaz, blocking the wind from her ears.  He died because I made a bad decision.

No.  Jase stopped her before she could even start.  They killed him because they hate us.  It would na matter what you did.

But -

Zep cut her off.  He's right.  If you'd answered their questions, they would think you lied.  If you didn't, they would have tortured him for the answers.  If you cooperated, they would have assumed you were holding back, if you didn't, they would have tortured him to get more.  There was no right answer, Sal.  There was no way to stop them.

Just revenge, she swore.

Jase's mind enveloped hers.  Justice, he told her.  When what yer doing helps more people than just ya, it can na be revenge.  Ya've never been that shallow.

But how do I tell the rest?  She meant her brothers.

One word at a time, Zep thought.  And only when you're ready.  They know how much you hurt, baby, they won't make it worse.

Now stop worrying and stay on the horse.  Jase pulled himself away, and she could feel her mates tacking up their mares.

"They know we're coming," she told the men around her.  "Jase and Zep will tell the Blades."

"What's the state of the town?" Rais asked.

"I didn't ask, but Viraenova holds it."

He nodded.  "Then we'll find out if anything's changed when we get there."

They rode for two hours, Issevi growing before them with each step.  The walls were massive, meant to withstand generations of war, but the town had nearly outgrown them.  A cluster of tents spread outside the walls, most in shades of ivory and gold, but a spot of dark canvas caught her eyes, looking like home.

She also saw a pair of dots moving toward them.  Slowly they changed to riders and eventually she could make out the colors of the horses.  One blue, one dark, she knew it had to be Jase and Zep riding to meet her.  It seemed to take forever before she could see their faces, but when she did, all she could focus on were their smiles.

"I think we've found your men," Blaz said.

"Yeah," she agreed, a grin on her own face.

They slowed, but Zep charged right into the group, dropping from Cessa's back at a trot.  He ran to her side and pulled her from Rax, crushing her to him.

"Oh demon," he breathed, his face buried in her neck.  "I love you, Sal.  I love you so much.  Don't ever leave me, baby."

"Never," she promised.

Jase hit the ground next, wrapping his arms around them both, pinning Sal between them.  He didn't say a word, but she felt his emotions.  Somehow, she pulled herself from Zep to twine her arms around Jase and breathed in the scent of him.

"I'm home," she sighed.

He nodded.  "And I'm never letting ya leave me again."  He looked deep into her eyes, his hands cradling her face as he pressed her against Zep's chest.  "I love ya more than life, kitten."

He kissed her, his lips soft.  She gave herself to them, feeling Zep's hands on her waist a moment before his mouth brushed her neck.  Together, her mates surrounded her with love, their hearts filled with nothing but happiness at having her back safely.

"Damn," Aleks said, looking over his shoulder.  "That's normal?"

Kolt nodded, unable to pull his eyes away.  "Very.  There's more iliri men than women.  We're made to share, but it's not usually that fair."

"Fair?" Aleks asked, looking from Sal to Kolt.

"Yeah."  Kolt wrenched his eyes away.  "They're cessivi, so know what the other feels.  One doesn't take too much because he can feel the other's need."

"How would you even fit a third in there?" Lorenz asked.

"You're a dick," Aleks told him.

"Yeah, maybe.  Doesn't mean you weren't thinking it, too."

Kolt rubbed his hands across his face.  "Taunor usually waits his turn.  Ahnor always gets preference, then Dernor."

"Doesn't sound like such a good deal," Lorenz said.

Kolt shrugged.  "I guess it's better than being alone."

Zep suddenly laughed, turning to the cluster of men.  "She can hear you."

"Ah fuck," Lorenz groaned.  "Sorry, Sal."

She waved it away, but Zep had to answer.  "She always made it work.  That's just how Sal is."

"Blaec preferred to take his turn rather than trying to push in."  Then Sal gasped and turned to Zep.  "You're wrong, you did not push him out!"

He wiped at his eyes.  "I kinda did, demon.  Before I got mixed up in this, you spent a lot more time with him."

"She did na."  Jase grabbed Zep's arm.  "Na alone."

"Kinky," Lorenz muttered, moving his horse away.

Sal flicked an ear at him.  "Not Blaec, I assure you."

"No," Zep said.  "That's me."

Jase laughed and tugged her toward their horses.  "They have been waiting fer ya.  Come see yer brothers, kitten.  We all missed ya."

"That would be nice, actually."

"Then she rides back with me."  Zep grabbed Cessa's reins, raising an eyebrow at Sal.

"Deal.  But when we get there, I get a damned bath."

Both Jase and Zep turned to Kolt, their eyes hitting his.  "Brerror," Jase snarled.

"Ahnor," Kolt said respectfully.

"Grae il settivo!"

Kolt ducked his head.  "I do, Ahnor.  I know my place well."

"Take her home," Jase said, gesturing for his cessivi to mount.

Zep settled on Cessa's back, but before Sal could swing up behind him, Jase moved to her side.  His hands closed around her waist and he lifted, Zep pulling her before him, across his lap.  His arms wrapped around her and he turned his mare back to Issevi, kissing her until she giggled.

Jase smiled, then swung onto Raven's back.  He moved her beside Aleks, but his eyes were on the man sitting behind him.  "Ya do na know what ya play with," he growled.

Kolt shrugged.  "I kinda do, Ahnor."

"I don't want to be in the middle of this," Aleks said, leaning away from the object of the assassin's anger.

"Yer fine," Jase told him, never looking away from Kolt.  "And I know about Merriton.  Does na mean ya understand."

"You know about Fort Landing?  You know about Prin?"  Kolt refused to drop his gaze.  "You have no fucking idea what I've done, Cyno.  She doesn't even know!"

"I know ya can take the maast."

Kolt chuckled, shaking his head.  "That's what this is about?  It's not your fucking place."

"It is na yours either."

"It is when she says it is!"

"And what about when she does na?"  His lips lifted, exposing sharp, deadly teeth.

Kolt shrugged.  "Then we're back to Merriton."

Jase stared at him, his deep blue eyes boring straight into Kolt's soul.  They said nothing for a moment, then Kolt looked away, his eyes finding the ground.

"Ahnor," he whispered.

"I think ya do understand.  I will na stop ya.  We're good."  Jase turned Raven and kicked her, rushing to catch up with Zep.

"What the fuck?" Aleks asked.

Kolt let out a long, deep breath.  "That's how the Black Blades welcome a new member."

"I thought he was going to kill you!"

"Yeah."  Kolt drug his hand across his mouth.  "Me too, man.  I guess that means I answered right."

"And if you hadn't?"

"Then he would have killed me."  Kolt shrugged.  "Murah got off easy."

They all turned to follow the Blades back to Issevi, Blaz falling in beside them.  "That because of last night?" he asked.

Kolt looked over at him.  "Not really.  It's more because of the threat to Sal."

"You're not a threat," Aleks said.

"Not me.  The little trip she just took.  Their leader was killed and their Kaisae was taken from them.  The Blades aren't going to be real nice for a few."

"You hear that?" Blaz asked the others.  "Walk softly around the Black Blades."

"No shit," Celso muttered.  "Who's keeping Cyno in check now?"

Kolt chuckled.  "Sal.  Bigger question is who's keeping her in check."

"What do you mean?" Celso asked.

"Every Kaisae has someone that can stop her.  She can't go against his word, and she has almost no power over him.  For Sal, that was Blaec."  He sighed.  "Problem is, if she has a bad day, she can kill everyone she's ever touched.  She doesn't realize that yet, but she can."

"Fuck," Blaz muttered.  "How?"

"Because she's been in my head.  She thinks she needs to copy my skill, but she doesn't.  She can use it through me.  She'd probably kill me if she tried, but if she frenzies, she won't really be thinking like that."

"Like if another Blade dies," Rais said, his voice carrying to them all.  "I don't think I even need to tell you all what to do.  How long will this last, Kolt?"

He shrugged.  "Until Cyno figures it out, or someone else steps up and challenges her."

"Can more than one person stop her?" Blaz asked.

"I don't know."  Kolt closed his eyes, letting the tension of his talk with Jase flow away.  "It hasn't happened before, but that doesn't seem to stop her at all.  I can tell you that it won't be Zep."

Blaz nodded, turning back to the city before them.  You need to get your shit together man, because it doesn't look like they're playing nice.

Never stopped me before, Kolt thought.  Sure won't stop me now.  I made a promise, and I'm going to keep it.

Chapter 43

The 112th arrived in Syhar only minutes behind the Blades.  Arctic met them at the gate, Zep standing beside him.  Sal and Jase were nowhere to be seen.  Except for the two mares standing relaxed, there was no sign that they'd made it to the town safely.  Kolt dropped from the horse and waited to be acknowledged with the rest, wondering what the Blades would do to him next.

"Rais," Arctic greeted the Captain of the 112th Mounted.  "Owe you one, sir.  Thanks for taking the detour."

"Glad we were in the right place at the right time," Rais said, slapping Arctic's shoulder.  "Brought you a new one, too."

Arctic turned to Kolt.  "Not mine yet.  Zep, get him settled.  I'll show the 112th where they can set up camp."

"Yeah," Zep grumbled.  He looked over to Kolt, and their eyes met.

Kolt lifted his chin.  "Dernor."

The word hit Zep like a blow.  "No."  He took a shallow breath.  "No, not yet.  I'll take it, but not just yet."

"Sorry," Kolt mumbled, unbuckling the sword from his chest.  "That's how she referred to you the last few days."  He held out the sheathed weapon.  "I think this belongs to you."

With a deep sigh, Zep drug his hand down his face.  "Ah, demon," he muttered to himself, shaking his head at his thoughts before accepting the sword.  "Thanks.  Grab Cessa.  Let's put these mares on the line."

"Yes, sir," Kolt said, moving to do as ordered.  "Dark one, right?"

"Yeah.  The blue roan is Raven.  You'll learn the horses soon enough.  Does Star Fall even bother naming them?"

"Not all of them," Kolt admitted.  "Always named mine.  What is it with horses anyway?"

Zep raised an eyebrow.  "You mean that you mutts like them?  No idea.  Grauori do, too.  Every iliri I've met likes horses.  Dogs on the other hand, not a real good idea."

Kolt chuckled at that.  "Yeah, never understood the human obsession with ‘em.  Stupid things."

"Scared they'll turn on you?" Zep teased.

"They usually do.  Kinda like humans.  You think you have them figured out and then something always happens."

Zep looked at him pointedly.  "Good thing I gave up being human, then."

"Yeah.  Sal has a way of doing that.  Reminds a man what's good about our kind."  Kolt could feel the tension building, but he wasn't about to back down.

They were half way to the cluster of dark tents, too far to be heard by either the men at the gate or the men at the camp.  Zep paused, turning to look at Kolt.  "Now, let's just get this out of the way.  I've been a Black Blade longer than anyone else here, now.  Three months longer than Arctic.  I knew what was good about our kind well before Sal ever showed up.  Don't start thinking that I'm here because I'm getting laid.  Not all of us follow our dicks around like that."

Kolt couldn't help himself.  His mouth started talking before his mind could stop it.  "Don't think I'm here because I got laid either, Zep.  There's a hell of a lot more to her than that."

"But you're still following her around like some love sick fool.  That's not what the Blades is about."

"Isn't it?  Isn't the entire point of the Blades that you have the last Kaisae and you'll all do anything she begs you to?"

"She doesn't beg," Zep growled.

"She does sometimes," Kolt taunted.  "She even knows how to say please and thank you."

Zep took a step closer, his muscles tensing.  "You fucked her because there was no one else.  Don't think that makes you special."

"She liked it."  Kolt lifted his chin.  "She likes having a man that knows just how to bite her."

Zep's fist slammed into the end of Kolt's arrogant jaw, knocking his feet away.  He hit the ground hard, never seeing the attack coming.  The horses spooked from the sudden action, but Zep stood over him.

"Keep it up," he growled.

Kolt chuckled.  "I'm not going to roll over and play dead just because you sleep with her.  You want me to submit, you'd better fucking earn it, human."

"Amusing, coming from you."  Zep gestured for him to get up.  "You smell like an iliri, but you fuck like a human.  Timid.  Waiting for her to spell it out rather than trusting your senses.  Just.  Like.  A.  Human."

Kolt's hand twitched for the hilt at his shoulder, but the sword was gone.

With a lift of his chin, Zep tossed it back and grabbed the hilt of his own.  "You really want to do that?"

"I'm not using Blaec's sword against you," Kolt grumbled, pushing the sheathed weapon away.  "I might be an ass, but I'm not that much of one."

Zep nodded and gestured for him to keep the weapon.  "Get up faster or drop your eyes, but I'll forgive you because you have respect for the pack."

Kolt growled and turned for the horses, leaving Zep standing behind him.  When he tried to snag the reins of the dark mare, she skittered away.  Zep laughed behind him, making Kolt's anger simmer.  He reminded himself that if he wanted to be a Blade, he needed to figure out how to fit in.  He had to learn to accept the order of the pack, even if that put him at the bottom.  Hopefully, it wouldn't take long to prove that he was no omega.

"Breathe," Zep yelled.  "If you try to eat the horse, she'll run from you every time.  You're a fucking predator."

Kolt stopped in his tracks.  "I'm trying to catch her, not eat her."

Zep nodded smugly.  "Explain that to her.  Her brain isn't that big."

Eventually, he caught the mare, Zep holding the other but making no offer to help.  They secured them to the picket line and tacked both down.  Zep handed the saddles to Kolt then grabbed a brush, making sure the animals were properly cared for.

"Put the tack in the supply tent.  Green trim."

Kolt moved toward the tents, looking closer at each.  Designs were painted on the door, subtle and hard to see from any distance.  Each flap was marked with a different Iliran word in a specific color.  Strength was painted in gold on a tent that smelled like Arctic.  Fear was lined in pink on another.  The tent with the green writing was marked with the trio of circles that represented Anglia.  He ducked inside the flap and paused.

Crates were stacked in every corner.  A line of saddle racks stood by the door, two of them empty.  Kolt dropped the tack in its place but couldn't stop feeling like an intruder.  The scent of Blaec Doll lingered in the canvas and supplies, mingled easily with the taste of the rest of the unit.  He could pick out each one with ease.  Some he didn't recognize, others - like Sal's - were easy to identify.

Kolt turned to an open crate, his eyes lingering on the pile of books.  With a sigh, he took a step closer, tracing his finger down the spine.  They were all written in Glish and stored lovingly.  Blaec's things.  Kolt wondered who'd gotten the job of packing his stuff before Sal returned.

"I wouldn't," a shy voice said when Kolt reached for a book.  "Those are not yours."

"They were Blaec's," Kolt agreed.  "I just wished I'd known him better."

"Me, too."  Audgan stepped from the corner, appearing like a ghost, his pale skin dusky under the black canvas.  "Then again, I think only Zep and Arctic ever got through his shell."

"And Sal," Kolt muttered.

Audgan shook his head.  "Nah.  She tried, but LT kept her locked away pretty good.  Why are you here?"

"Dropping off saddles."

"Not what I meant."  Audgan gestured to the camp.  "Didn't expect Sal to fuck a human.  Why are you here."

Kolt reached up and toyed with the thong around his neck.  He'd replaced it out of habit, but he would need to stop that now.  "I'm here because I was hoping for a better life."  Then Kolt pulled off the necklace and tossed it to the kid.  "Try again."

Audgan's eyes widened slightly when he inhaled.  His fingers caressed the smooth stones, and he breathed again.  "Interesting.  You smell like her, you know."

"I'm sure."

Without asking, Audgan placed the necklace in the crate beside him.  "It's going to cause problems.  Can't try for Taunor while you're still settling your place.  They won't like it."

"They?  Or you?"

"They," Audgan said.  "Sal's not for me.  She doesn't like a man who can't meet her eyes."

Kolt laughed at that.  "Well, then they can rest easy.  I'm not trying for Taunor.  Just wanted to get the Kaisae back."

"Yeah."  Audgan dismissed that.  "So you want to tell me what happened while you were out there?"

With a sigh, Kolt leaned against one of the saddles.  "I couldn't get to Blaec in time.  I didn't think they'd kill him so soon.  We'd planned to get him out that night, but we had to find a way to get the keys.  They had both of them chained like dogs."

"How'd he die?"

"Sal fucked up the Emperor.  She pulled his skills right out of his mind.  To make her pay, they cut his throat.  In front of her.  Right fucking in front of her eyes."

"And she couldn't stop it," Audgan whispered.  "She was chained and unable to help him.  She'd rather die."

"Well, she didn't," Kolt said.  "She's gotten over it before, she can do it again."

Audgan raised his lip slightly as he gestured.  Kolt suddenly felt confined.  Trapped.  He was bound, and there was no way to be free except to lose himself.  They had control of him.  It wouldn't take long before he'd gladly do anything they asked just so he could eat, or sleep, or even sit.  That resin on his neck was more powerful than a dagger in his ribs.  Kolt's knees buckled and he clawed at a collar that existed only in his mind, gasping for breath around it when suddenly the sensation simply vanished.

"Don't ever make light of fear," Audgan growled.

"I didn't," Kolt told the young man, trying to get his breath back.  "I just know it's a lot easier to get over than being dead, and I know that of all people, Sal is strong enough to do it."

"You have no idea what she lived through."

Kolt opened his mouth and stopped.  "You're right.  I just know that we need her."

"You've never been a slave, you have no idea," Audgan snarled again, his eyes locked on Kolt's chest.

He couldn't look higher, Kolt realized.  Audgan could not meet Kolt's eyes no matter how hard he tried.  It made Kolt feel strangely protective.  He took a step closer to the kid and rested his hand on his shoulder.

"I've been enslaved in other ways.  Having to play human isn't as much fun as you'd think.  I may not know what Sal went through, but she is strong enough to survive this.  I swear, little ghost, that I'm not making light of what you both suffered.  I will never let anyone chain you again.  Not while I'm still alive."

Audgan smiled weakly.  "Why didn't you drop me for attacking you?"

"Why can't you look at my eyes?" Kolt countered.

"Think you figured that out already."

Kolt nodded, squeezing his shoulder.  "Ghost, why didn't you make me fear you enough to submit?"

Audgan shrugged.  "Doesn't work like that.  Sure, I could make you, but then what?  I don't have to lead to know who I am."

Kolt opened his mouth to respond but closed it when he thought about the words.  That was the problem.  Kolt had no idea who he really was.  "You're lucky."

"Yeah."  Audgan patted his shoulder.  "Why'd you let Sal take the bolt?"

"Didn't see it.  No link.  No way to watch behind me."

The kid nodded.  "Yeah, makes sense.  Just wondering if you knew that it's our job to die for her.  Not the other way around."

"Yeah," Kolt assured him.  "I kinda do.  I feel that pull as much as Blaec did.  That's why I covered for her and Jase when they were in maast.  That's why I refused to admit I saw Blaec kiss her.  It was all I could do, but I couldn't stop myself from doing at least that."

"Sucks doesn't it?  Seeing them with her?"

"No," Kolt said wistfully.  "No, it doesn't, Ghost.  It's kinda nice.  The first time I saw Jase with Sal, then Blaec kissed her, I knew you all weren't hiding it anymore."

"Didn't wish it was you doing the kissing?"

Kolt laughed.  "Well, yeah.  Find me another white-skinned woman with teeth like that and I might feel different, but shit."

"Just stay away from Shade."  Audgan looked up, his eyes finally hitting Kolt's.  "I mean it.  She's one of us, but she's not for you."

"You sure?"

For a moment the boy said nothing, his eyes judging Kolt, then he nodded.  "Yeah.  I'm pretty damned sure."

"Then I'll stay away from your girl," Kolt assured him.

"Arctic's girl," Audgan corrected.

"Right."  Kolt tilted his head to the flap.  "I'm supposed to be helping Zep."

"I know."  Audgan chuckled and turned for the door.  "Why do you think I was here.  You're starting at the bottom."

"Fuck," Kolt muttered, following him out.  "Sal, her mates, the pack leader, and now I'm working from the bottom up?"

"Yep.  Least I didn't jump you."

"No shit."  Kolt winced against the light of the setting sun.  "So how'm I doing so far?"

Audgan chuckled.  "They never told us in the trials, but I'll just say that you get to keep going until someone says no."

"So."  Kolt chuckled.  "Am I still going?"

"Yeah."  Audgan paused and looked into the darker man's face.  "You need to settle shit with Zep before he'll make a decision, but you're still going."

"Thanks, Ghost.  Both for the head's up and the words of wisdom.  Won't be easy to learn how to look down."

"It gets better."  Audgan gestured toward the picket line.  "Good luck, brother.  I think you're here for the right reasons, but that mark on your neck is going to cause some problems for you."

"Least it didn't cause problems for her," Kolt said softly, turning back to face his next challenge.

It was going to be a long night, he thought, seeing a pale man standing beside Zep.  Risk's gold hair marked him even from a distance.  When the second most submissive member of the pack was a man who could kill most of the soldiers Kolt had ever known, it wasn't a comfortable feeling.  As he got closer, the healer lifted his head, his amber eyes meeting Kolt's even across the distance.  Kolt needed to learn how to start acting like an iliri, and he needed to do it fast.

"Care to spar?" Risk asked.

Kolt groaned.  Every muscle in his body ached from the long ride and sleepless days.  "Sure," he said, knowing he didn't really have a choice.  "Anyway I can convince you to use practice weapons?  I'm tired enough to make a mistake and hurt someone besides myself."

Risk reached down to his feet and lifted a wooden broadsword.  He paused then tossed it across the distance.  "There's a good chance," he said, turning toward a small clearing.

"Where's the necklace?" Zep asked when Kolt walked past.

"Left it in the tent," Kolt said.  "Figured it belonged with the books on the history of the unit since I won't need it anymore."

"Ballsy."

Kolt paused and looked at the big man.  "Been smelling hope for a week, and I've started to believe that for once, a man like me can have some."

Zep nodded slowly.  "Just so long as it's got nothing to do with a girl."

"A boy, actually," Kolt said.  "He'll be seven in a few months.  Got his amma's fair skin but my dark hair and teeth sharp enough to cut leather.  That's my motivation, Zep.  My boy.  He deserves to have more than I did.  I want him to be free one day."

"Where is he?"

Kolt smiled sadly.  "Arhhawen.  My wife's amma took him that way.  Soon as the offer was there, I asked her to.  Last I heard, he's fascinated by the grauori and he wants to grow up to be a Black Blade.  He's convinced that all of you are heroes."  Kolt shrugged.  "You kinda are."

Zep patted his horse's shoulder, staring at her neck.  "Hard to remember that," he said.

Kolt reached into his pocket, pulling out a crumpled, water stained scrap of paper.  "You read Iliran yet?"

"Fluently," Zep assured him.

The paper hung between them, held in Kolt's fingers.  "He's just a boy.  He hears things around him and doesn't really understand what all it means, but read that.  I think you probably need to see it."

Zep took the paper and Kolt left, following after Risk.  The note was fragile, having been folded and unfolded too many times, the soaking making it nearly transparent.

Being as careful as he could, Zep opened it.  Bright colors hit his eyes, the swirls of words rough, scrawled by a child's hand.  Crude drawings filled the empty space between thoughts and Zep looked at those first, unable to make out most of them.  Then he read the words.

Dava, I miss you!  Kauvwe said that you're doing important work, though, and you might even help the Black Blades.  Have you seen them again?  I like it here.  The Grauori are fun and it's nice to have friends to play with.  We don't have to hide our games, and I'm almost as good at catching prey as they are.  I also got to see the castle.  There's a big room for the Kaisae and her mates, not like the rooms humans have.

One of the iliri soldiers said that he got to meet Salryc Luxx.  Zep smiled at how the child wrote her name.  It was drawn in blue, with extra flares around the symbol.  She's not much bigger than me and just as mean, and one of her mates used to be human.  Do you think that means she can make me all iliri too?

But there are other boys here like me.  One has dark skin like you do, dava, but they don't seem to care.  We play Black Blades all the time and fight the Terrans.  Last week I had to be a Terran, though.  They said it was my turn, even though I told them I was going to be a real Black Blade one day.  Said it didn't matter, we all have to share.

Can't wait to see you again, dava.  Maybe you can even come here.  I don't think the Black Blades will care.  They're fighting for all of us, even people like us.  Maybe they'll forgive you for failing and then we can be real iliri.  You can meet my friends, then we can have a pack of our own.  I miss you dava.  I miss amma, too.

Lasryn.

The words of a child, Zep thought, folding the letter.  His eyes lingered on the word "failing."  There were secrets hanging around Kolt, and Zep wanted to know more before he'd give the man a pass into his pack.  No matter what Sal wanted, Zep would rather piss her off than see some brerror hurt her.  The man was hiding too much to be trusted.  Then again, keeping him close might be safer.

Chapter 44

When Kolt walked up, Risk looked at the marks on his neck.  One eyebrow lifted and the healer smiled as he asked,  "Lannar or rornnar?"

Kolt shrugged.  "Maast."

"You don't get maast," Risk teased.  "That means it isn't an excuse for you."

"Fuck off," Kolt growled.  "Thought we were sparring, not talking about our escape from Terric."

Risk pulled a pair of wooden sabers and found the guard position.  He glanced pointedly at the practice sword held limply in Kolt's hand.  "Ready when you are."

"I figure I'm about to get my ass handed to me," Kolt muttered.

Risk shrugged.  "I'm the weakest fighter in the Blades.  They just keep me around to put you all back together."

Kolt smiled at Risk's choice of words.  "You all?  That mean you haven't ruled me out yet?"

"You brought Sal back, so I'll heal you.  Didn't say I'd call you my brother."

Kolt shifted the weapon to the ready position and found his balance.  "Heard I should avoid your healing unless I'm dying.  Ready when you are, sir."

Risk touched the end of his sword to Kolt's.  "Lay on," he muttered.

Kolt swiped at his legs, hoping to make a quick end to the fight, but Risk easily hopped over the weapon, cracking Kolt's fingers.  He snarled and shook off the pain, wielding the sword one-handed, and reminded himself to move his feet.  Their blades whirled, but for every attempt at an attack, the lithe man was ready with a block or bending away from the strike.  Nothing Kolt could do would get inside his defense.  Desperate to prove himself to these men, he added muscle to each hit, slowly powering through Risk's guard.

Just when it looked like he'd win, the healer dropped his off hand weapon and grabbed the hilt of Kolt's broadsword, wrenching it away and darting inside, his sword aimed for the throat.  Kolt blocked with an elbow to the man's jaw, but Risk flowed with it, so close their weapons were useless.  Instinctively Kolt grabbed for Risk's arm, holding the blade away, and swiped at his feet, but the move pulled both of them into the dirt.

Risk seemed to move like he was made of liquid, flowing as he fell, twisting until his teeth were against Kolt's neck.  Kolt shoved, rolling above the smaller man, then yanked his skin free, feeling the flesh tear as he sank his own head in for the hold.  Risk paused, releasing Kolt's shoulders.

"Umso."  Risk submitted.

When Kolt leaned back, the pale man dropped his eyes and smiled.  "You smell amazing, but I'll submit.  Not many would pull my teeth from their skin."

Kolt chuckled.  "Guess I have you right where you want to be?"

"Didn't know you were my type."  Risk dared to look up at him, but Kolt shook his head.

"Sorry, I'm not."  Kolt shifted from the man's body and sat beside him.  "I'm trying, but I won't play the omega just to please the Blades."

"We wouldn't take you if you did," Risk admitted.  "Rornnar or lannar?" he asked again, wondering if Kolt had merely enjoyed Sal's body, or if he was emotionally attached to her.

Kolt shook his head.  "I'll tell her before I'll tell her brothers.  She was in maast, spiraling out of control, and we didn't have the option for her to feed."

"She can hold out a long time," Risk said, gesturing for Kolt to take a breather while he could.

He groaned and lay back, nodding appreciatively.  "She held out most of the day, but keep in mind what she'd been through, and she was riding behind a human while we had a few Terrans on our tail.  The 112th were the only people around.  I think she held out longer than anyone should expect."

Risk nodded.  "I'll just keep that between us.  Your actions say more than your words."

"I owe her," Kolt told him.  "She saved my life in Echo Gap."

"You also control your scent well.  Most men exude something at the thought of being with her, but you don't."

Kolt looked over and grinned.  "She gave me a crash course.  I've been hiding in plain sight for a long time, Risk.  I learn fast."

Risk patted Kolton's thigh.  "I think you'll do."

"Thanks."

"You just need to learn to trust your brothers."

"Never had any."  Kolt reminded him.  "Not sure how long it'll take for me to get them, either, but I'm making an effort, man."

"Stop taunting Zep, and it'll be easier."  Risk shifted his hand to Kolt's shoulder.  "Or just get it over with.  That bite mark isn't exactly hiding."

Kolt groaned and dropped his head back against the grass.  "I know."

"Yeah.  I bet you aren't that upset that everyone knows, either.  I'm always pretty proud of the ones Tilso leaves on me."

"But he's human?"

Risk chuckled.  "You don't live with iliri for that long and stay the same.  He'll submit to you, but if you try anything, I will challenge you for him."

"Nah, man.  I'm not about to fuck with your mate.  Heard he's a good guy.  Sal calls him her little brother."  They both heard the sound of feet and Risk sat up, but Kolt just closed his eyes and groaned, knowing more punishment was coming.

Risk went on, "He's pretty proud to be the Kaisae's brother.  I won't mind calling you mine, Kolt.  You're not as human as I thought."

"Get up."

Kolt opened his eyes to see a pair of black boots.

"You aren't done yet."  The voice wasn't Zep's.

"Fuck," Kolt muttered, looking up to see white eyes looking back at him.  "Arctic."

He nodded.  "Heard you don't know when to back down.  This is my pack.  Get your ass up."

"Sal's pack," Kolt said as he climbed to his feet.

"Mine," Arctic growled, leaning against a staff.  "Use that thing this time, pup."

Risk chuckled.  "You're so fucked."  He kept laughing as he walked away.

The weapon was no more than in his hand before Arctic attacked.  He hit Kolt in the back of the legs, but the big guy rolled, able to block before the next hit came.  Arctic came at him fast and hard, but he never growled or snarled.  His face was as serene as always but his eyes burned with a cold fury.

Kolt tried to push but each time he swung harder, Arctic simply blocked stronger, absorbing his power easily.  The wood clashed, and Kolt knew he was losing, but his pride pushed him on, refusing to let him surrender until he was truly defeated.  The staff hit his legs again, making him stagger, and Arctic followed with a jab to the chest, leaving his body open.  Kolt rushed in for the kill but saw the Raewar smile at the last moment.

Arctic's offhand grabbed his throat.  Hard.  He closed his fingers across Kolt's windpipe and stepped into him, slowly making the larger man stumble back gasping for air.

"Submit," Arctic whispered, his voice like ice.  "I will kill you."

Kolt snarled and tried to shove into the grip, swinging the sword against Arctic's unprotected ribs, but he couldn't even make the man blink.  Instead, Arctic's smile only spread, those white eyes holding Kolt's with a power he'd never felt.

Umso, Kolt thought as his eyes fell, unable to get the word out.  No matter how hard he tried, he could not meet his opponent's gaze again.  He felt as if his body fought him with each attempt.  Umso! he screamed in his mind.

Arctic released him and stepped back.  "Say it again."

"Umso," Kolt gasped, dropping to his knees, sucking back deep breaths.  "Umso, Raewar.  You win."

"Remember that.  How we are perceived on the outside says nothing about the strength any of us have.  Growling and snapping does not make you stronger."

Kolt nodded, massaging his neck.  "It's nice to not have to hold it back, though."

"I understand."  Arctic squatted before him.  "Why the hell do you want to be a Black Blade?"  Kolt tried to look up, but his eyes wouldn't leave the ground.  He snarled and shook his head, making Arctic laugh.  "Not used to it, are ya?" the Raewar asked.

"No, sir, and twice in one day is bruising my ego pretty hard."

"It's Arctic, not sir."  He patted Kolt's shoulder.  "We owe you for getting her home."

"I owed her.  It was my own debt I was paying."

"You're full of shit.  Taking a bolt for you didn't nearly pay back the debt she owed, and you knew it when it happened."

Kolt looked up, surprise flashing across his face before he was able to control it.  He shook his head.  "I don't know what you're talking about."

Arctic smiled.  "Rais tracked down the only man to escort a caravan from Merriton to Fort Landing that year.  Imagine my surprise to hear he's listed as a human in every other record.  I was even more shocked to recognize the name."

Kolt clenched his jaw against the words he wanted to say.  "It was an easy way to make money."

He never saw Arctic move, but he heard the snarl just before his back slammed into the dirt, Arctic's arm across his throat.  "She is not - and never will be - easy money."

"The damned caravan!" Kolt said, looking at the group of Black Blades standing just outside hearing range.

"That's not how you were paid, and we both know it."

"Keep your nose out of stories that aren't yours," Kolt growled, forcing his eyes back to Arctic's.  "I will challenge you on this, even if I die because of it."

The leader of the Black Blades sat back and smiled, releasing him.  "Good.  I'm the only one she's told.  Her cessivi probably know, but she's never felt safe enough to talk about it.  I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't think it's a prize to brag about."

Kolt dropped his gaze and shook his head.  "I fucked up, and that's nothing to brag about, sir.  I should have trusted my senses and told Blaec, or even you.  She existed, and I was the only one who knew, but no one believed me."  He took a long breath, grabbing his head in his hands.  "I left her there because I didn't know what else to do.  I will not leave her again."

"Then sort it out with Zep.  I'll put you at her back."

Kolt shook his head.  "That spot is claimed.  I'm just a soldier, and one with a lot to learn.  I'm not too proud to admit that."

"Good, because it's a lot harder if you think you already know it."

Kolt tried to look at Arctic again, but couldn't meet his eyes.  His body knew he'd lost even if his will refused to acknowledge it.  The Black Blades had embraced their heritage, and Kolt couldn't help but wonder if they knew how different they were from any other pack in the world.

"The Blades make it clear that no one knows it.  I've seen you all fight, and it's like nothing I've seen before.  There've been a couple of times in my life that I witnessed iliri in combat.  I've seen two Kaisaes fight now, and their packs.  I still didn't expect what I saw in Echo Gap.  Sal and Jase jumped off a cliff and hurled themselves into battle.  You all picked them off from the edges, standing like sentries before a throne."  Kolt shook his head.  "I was linked with Sal when we cleaned up a partial unit of Terrans, and I still can't quite comprehend what happened."  He looked up at his leader's pale eyes for only a moment.  "Arctic, I don't know shit, and when I'm around you all, it's pretty fucking obvious."

"It comes, brother."  Arctic smiled at the reaction his words had on Kolton.  "It comes quickly when you don't fight your instincts.  Do not try to be Sal."

"No," Kolt agreed.  "That other Kaisae was impressive, but she wasn't Sal.  No one can be her."

"Tell me?"

Kolt nodded and tried to find the words.  "She was a leader.  A general, I guess.  She sat her stallion on a rise where the males could see her and thought orders at them.  A few times, she called them out, each time pulling at me even though I stood with Conglomerate humans.  When the Terrans reached her, she waded into combat like she was made for it, and her men tried to keep her safe.  They failed, and she died.  It was the first time I saw a link break."

Arctic nodded.  "It's supposed to be even worse when it's our Kaisae that we lose."

Kolt waved that away.  "The thing is, she was brutal with a sword.  She cut down plenty of men, but she was nothing like Sal."  He looked over at Zep, saw the human watching, and nodded to him.  "Sal doesn't fight like anything I've seen.  She lives the battle and becomes the center of it.  Her actions change everything.  I don't care if it's dodging a blow or cutting down the leader of the opposition, if Sal is involved, it's always the crucial event in the fight."

Arctic chuckled.  "Not always, but I know what you mean."

"Yeah,"  Kolt rubbed at his face.  "Arctic, Sal's not like the Kaisaes that came before.  She's better.  She's..."

"More," Zep said, walking up.  "Sal makes everything more.  It's the vis."

Kolt sucked in a breath and looked at the men before him.  "Seriously?"

Zep gestured around them.  "All of this happened because she simply exists.  What would you call it?"

"Luck?"

"No," Zep said gently.  "Tseri left Viraenova because Sal came to Anglia.  Dominik found peace with the Grauori because Sal introduced them.  Star Fall worked to save her because she took a chance on a man that was too stupid to dodge.  Everything happens because of her charm, or charisma, or whatever."

"Her vis," Kolt said, nodding to show that he understood.  "Haven't heard that term used in a long time."

"Blaec had it, too."  Zep refused to show the pain Kolt knew he felt.  "Together, they were unstoppable."

"I am sorry, Zep.  He was a great man."

"He was my brother.  Never forget that.  You are not him."  Zep clenched his jaw and stared into Kolt's eyes.

"You're right," Kolt said, turning his head.  "She loved him so much.  I thought losing him would kill her.  I only did what I had to, to keep her with us.  I can't even imagine what it would be like."

Zep sighed and glanced at the sky, his face torn between the love he had for Sal and the pain of losing his oldest friend.  "It's indescribable.  She loves completely, without exception.  She's loyal.  She's so fucking loyal it hurts.  Kolton, do not play with things you do not understand."

"I'm not playing, Zep," Kolt said softly.  "My life was hers long before anyone else knew she existed.  I will protect her, and I won't fucking fail again.  I don't care how much you all beat down my pride, I will not give up on this."  He pulled himself to his feet and turned to Arctic.  "If you refuse to make me a Blade, I still won't leave.  I'm sorry, but can't."

"She's not yours," Zep said.

"Are you sure?" Arctic asked.

Zep glared at his friend.  "Can you smell it on him?"

"Can't smell shit on him.  He keeps it too fucking close."

Zep nodded and glared at Kolt again.  "Pretty sure Sal has enough men around to make you useless."

"I'm going to watch her back and you can't fucking stop me."  Kolt smiled, refusing to acknowledge that Zep had just hit him right where it hurt.  He wasn't useless.  He was the bastard who'd gotten her home.

Arctic stepped between them, stopping their posturing before it got out of hand with a change of subject.  "What's your skill?" he asked Kolt, steering them to safer ground.

"Fetching."

Arctic chuckled.  "I think we can use that.  How far can you reach?"

Kolt smiled proudly.  "If I can link to someone that can sense it, I can reach it."

"Anglia?" Arctic asked.

"Can you get me a mind there?"  Kolt dared to look at his eyes.

Arctic nodded.  "Yeah.  We have a few million.  You're linked directly to Sal, aren't ya."

"She touched me and I felt my mind clear.  I've never been linked before, so can't tell you more than that.  We didn't have a lot of you running around openly.  Only links I've experienced were with lovers."

"How heavy can you pull?" Arctic asked before Zep could take offense.

"I've never tested it."  Kolt shifted, every muscle in his body screaming in agony from the abuse he'd heaped on it.  "You should probably know that Sal can use me to extend her reach."

"What do you mean?"

"I can touch things I can't reach.  She needs to touch to use most of her skills.  She links with me, she won't need to touch anything."

"Fuck," Arctic breathed, grabbing the side of Kolt's head.  His eyes unfocused as he concentrated.  For a long moment, he stared at nothing before releasing Kolton's jaw to yank at his collar.  "Anyone tell you the downside of being a Kaisae's toy?"

"No."  Kolt didn't even try to refute Arctic's claim.

"She'll change you.  She's already started.  She'll make your mind stronger, but you'll pay for it in pain."  He tapped Kolt's forehead.  "Her little tricks are opening your pathways.  She can add more skills in there if she wants too, but trust me, it's not worth it."

"Never really wanted more," Kolt said.

Arctic nodded, his expression softening.  "You should also know that none of the strong Kaisaes have lived to old age.  They appear when we need them, and they fight hard, but they always die in the end.  Every one in history.  Cyno's still looking for an exception."

"It'll be Sal," Kolt said adamantly.  "I think she can feel ayati now."

"What do you mean?" Zep demanded.

Kolt refused to look at Zep, speaking to Arctic, instead.  "She spoke to the moons as if they were able to hear.  In Iliran.  She told ayati that she would stop fighting if it took anyone else."  Finally, he looked up at Zep.  "She meant it.  She said she would not be the toy of fate and she would not fight if she'd lose anyone else that she loved."

"I'm not sure ayati listens," Arctic said sadly.  "It's not a who but a what, like gravity."

Kolt shrugged.  "And this is Sal we're talking about.  Either she's losing her mind, or she's getting strong enough to change destiny.  Narnx flipped to her side that night. He refused to leave Terric not because he wanted to stay but because he's the Emperor's bastard son.  It helps us too much."

"But he's..."  Arctic looked at Zep.

"Iliri," Zep said.  "Yeah.  She told us."

"And now the Emperor is as mute as a human," Kolt nearly purred.  "She made him everything he wanted to be."

"She's not your mate," Zep warned, hearing his tone.

"She's my friend," Kolt said, standing a little straighter.  "Whether you like it or not, Sal is my friend and nothing you can do will change that."

Arctic gestured to Kolt, his eyes on Zep.  "Sort that out.  She's using his mind, so he's useful.  Let me know when it's settled."

"Seriously?" Kolt asked as Arctic just walked away.

Zep just yanked Kolt's collar open, his eyes on the bite marks.  "You try to pretend like that's nothing, but you know better."

Kolt reached over and pulled at Zep's shirt, exposing the line of pale scars on his dark skin.  "I am still smart enough to count."

"She is not yours," Zep growled, stepping into Kolt's face.  "She will not be yours."

"A kaisae is never possessed," Kolt said, but Zep just laughed.

"Oh, Sal is.  She's Jase's and we all know it.  Even her."

"It's still her choice."  Kolt shrugged it away, trying to feign nonchalance.

"And ours," Zep hissed.  "Every time she touches someone, I know it.  Every time she laughs, I feel it.  Every time she hurts, I do too.  I may be less iliri than you, but I'm still cessivi."

Kolt's lip raised, exposing his sharp canines.  "Do not threaten me.  I will do nothing to Sal."

"You already did."

"And she liked it," Kolt replied, leaning forward slightly.  "She wanted it."

"It was maast," Zep snapped.  "Of course she wanted it."

Kolt nodded.  "I know.  She made me so damned hard I didn't have a choice.  Fucking beat my ass.  It won't change it, and I won't submit to you."

Zep leaned forward, but Kolt shoved him back.  Both men tensed up, their eyes locked together, neither of them willing to let the other claim dominance.  Just as Kolt was ready to throw the first hit, the sound of laughter made both men turn.  Sal walked beside Jase, amused at something he'd said.  The couple's eyes were on the dark-skinned men standing face to face.

"You're cute," she teased them both.  "The human who became iliri, and the iliri who was human.  But go ahead.  Get it over with, because I've missed my mates too much to wait around for long."

"They can na help it," Jase told her.  "Zep feels the pull to win as strong as the rest of us, now, and the brerror does na understand that submitting is na a sign of weakness.  No one taught him any other way."

"No one taught me either," Sal said.  "I just realized that sometimes it's nice to have a person you can lean on."  She looked at Zep sweetly and smiled.  "Did I interrupt?"

He smiled sheepishly and nodded.  "Yeah, demon, and you know damned well you did.  Get everything sorted out with the iliri and nuvani?"

She nodded and glanced at Kolt with a smile before pressing close to Zep's side.  "Yeah.  Seeing how the nuvani treat me kinda cleared everything up.  The iliri worried that Tseri wanted to dispose of a threat to her rule.  Now they understand that the nuvani respect the iliri will to continue on, and should want to help rather than hinder."

"Strange that they accepted the grauori easily, but fear the nuvani," Kolt said.

Sal shook her head.  "The grauori will never be us, but the nuvani could be.  Hell, the nuvani are what we became when we restricted humans from our lives.  It's desirable, and there's jealousy - on both sides.  The nuvani long for the spirit the iliri have, while the iliri long for the society the nuvani made."

"In a few generations there probably won't be a separation between us," Zep said.

Kolt watched Sal with her mates, a content smile on his face even as he met her eyes easily.  "Go spend some time with them, babe.  They make you happy.  I'll still be around for them to beat on in the morning."

She nodded, well aware that while he wasn't challenging her, Kolt still refused to submit.  "We'll get you a tent and some supplies.  You're probably dying for a chance to get off your feet as much as I am."

Kolt couldn't help but laugh.  "Yep.  Pretty sure my evening isn't going to be as eventful, though.  Don't eat the sweet one, Sal."  He grinned and patted her shoulder, then simply turned and walked back toward the Black Blade's camp, hearing Zep behind him.

"You let him get away with that?" Zep asked.

"Yeah," Sal said softly.  "I always do, because he tends to be right."

Chapter 45

Kolt watched them leave, tossing a twig into the fire.  He wondered if Sal knew what he was going through.  Or if she even cared.  She'd set him up to establish his own place, then left him to it.  He preferred it that way, but a small part of him wanted her to feel protective.  He knew it was foolish, but let himself think about how nice it would be to have a woman that stood up for him.

He was smiling wistfully at the fire when the next Black Blade showed up.  He looked over his shoulder to see Shift carrying a crate of supplies, a stack of blankets heaped above it.  The whole thing looked like it was about to topple from his arms.

"Need a hand?" Kolt asked.

"You do," Shift teased.  "Blankets or crate.  Grab one, and I'll show you to your tent."

Kolt pulled himself from the dirt, dusting his hands on his pants before grabbing the crate.  "Lead on, sir."

"Nope, not a sir.  Makes me feel too human when people call me that and I'm close enough as it is."

"Not by a long shot," Kolt muttered.

Shift snagged the blankets and tilted his head toward the mass of black tents, then waited for Kolt to fall in beside him before talking.  "Yeah, so I'm the most human of our group.  Being a healer was a pretty good pass into the Blades back then, and I was dumb enough to not back down, so made it through the trials.  Been with the unit for eight years."

"You were there when I applied."

Shift nodded.  "Yep.  I also voted against keeping you, because you played it too close.  Nothing iliri about you."

Kolt sighed, remembering how hard he'd worked to ignore his instincts back then.  "Yeah.  I guess I wanted it too much and was scared to believe my senses.  Figured there was no way a unit could be iliri, not right under the humans' noses."

"But we were."

"Yeah and I should have trusted my people a bit more.  In so many ways."

Shift grinned.  "Pretty much.  So why are you here now?"

Kolt groaned.  That question again.  "Because she couldn't make it across the country alone."

"She could have."  Shift dared him to deny it.

Kolt did.  "Not then.  If it was a mission, sure.  But not hurting as bad as she was.  I thought she was ready to lay down and give up."  He shrugged.  "Figure since I don't belong anywhere else, I might as well stand up for something that matters, right?"

Shift cocked his head in confusion.  "What do you mean, ‘don't belong anywhere'?  You had a wife, a unit, and know a lot more Iliran than I did even a year ago."

Kolt chuckled.  "And the iliri don't trust me because of my skin.  The humans didn't trust me because of my teeth.  The military didn't trust me because of the species on file.  My neighbors didn't trust me because of my job.  Basically, I lived alone, surrounded by everyone.  It's called brerror, Sal said."

"Shunned," Shift translated.  "But you want to be a Black Blade.  What makes you think you deserve it?"  He paused in front of a tent, pushing open the flap.

"I don't."  Kolt stepped inside.

Shift followed, gesturing to the barren space.  "This is yours for as long as you decide to use it.  Or until Sal kicks you out.  Now, if you don't deserve to be a Blade, why should we let you in?"

Kolt set the crate in the center of the room.  The bed was still packed for moving, the prints on the ground showed that someone had only recently set it up, doing the least amount of work necessary.  It didn't matter.  He didn't expect someone else to do anything for him, but he was impressed with how casual they had made the whole thing appear.

"I can't tell you that, Shift."  Kolt let his eyes close as he inhaled.  "What I can tell you, is that I understand why Blaec died.  I'd do the same."

"He should have lived," Shift said softly.

"Yeah," Kolt agreed.  "But he believed that we need Sal more.  He believed in her, and I do too.  Enough to give my life so that my son won't have to know what it feels like to have no home."

Shift looked up at him slowly, the sadness clear on his face.  "And Sal?"

"She gives me hope."  Kolt shrugged.  "I know.  We had a long trip back, I was there, and you can smell it.  I was just trying to make sure that the leader of the iliri returned to her family safe and sane.  When she offered me a place, I almost refused."

"Why?"

Kolt groaned and reached for the bed, giving his hands something to do.  "I failed out of the Blades.  I don't have near the skills you all do.  I could keep up with a few shitty ass humans, and that's about it."

The sound of ceramic on leather whispered in his ear, and Kolt spun, his lip raised.  He grabbed Shift's upraised arm, the dagger clenched in his hand.  Their eyes met, and Shift's slowly lowered.

"Not human," he said.

Kolt shook his head.  "Haven't been.  Just learned how to play the part when I had to.  That's why they made me an assassin."

"Wrong job."  Shift put the blade back in its sheath but still couldn't quite meet Kolt's eyes.  "Being iliri does not make everyone an assassin.  Just ask Razor."

"You know he got my spot?" Kolt asked.

Shift nodded.  "Yeah.  Broken hand and all.  You know he bit me when I tried to sneak in a heal?"

Kolt laughed, shaking his head.  "No.  It worked out, though.  He fits with the Blades.  I made it well enough as a human.  Still want to know why Ran Sturmgren offered to change my species."

"Blaec."  Shift let the word hang between them for a moment.  "Ran's been on our side for a long time.  He has his own stories, but I'll just say that he and Zep are two humans that I will never doubt."

"Good enough for me."  With the bed finally set up, Kolt dropped his ass on it.  "So.  Any way I can find a bath before I get my ass beat anymore?"

"No more beatings," Shift assured him.  "Sal told us that you proved you can hold your own, so we're not allowed to make you suffer."

"What?"  He almost stood up in shock.  "Why?"  Had she really said that?

Shift tossed two blankets at the bed then picked up a handful of towels.  "Because she's the Kaisae.  She said you've improved since last we saw you and that with a link you should get even better.  She made it very clear that she owes you."

"She doesn't owe me," he grumbled, then looked up at Shift.  "How do I make her understand that?"

"You don't.  She takes things seriously.  A kind word to her means as much as a few hundred krits to someone else.  Whatever it is between you two - and I don't fucking want to know - matters to her a lot.  She made it very clear."

Kolt looked down at the floor and smiled.  She'd stood up for him.  He hadn't asked her to, and he'd made it clear that he wanted to make his own way, but she'd still spoken up for him.  He couldn't imagine that Salryc Luxx did that for a lot of people.  It shouldn't make him feel special, but it did.

"So what exactly is it that you want from me?  I'm pretty sure that testing my hearing isn't the only thing."

Shift shook his head.  "No, that was just being curious.  Sun's going down, and I'm off for the evening.  Was going to head to the bathing tent.  You're welcome to come with."

"Deal," Kolt said, grabbing the towels.  "A real bath and a few minutes off my feet sounds like a luxury I will not take for granted."

Shift laughed as he gestured for Kolt to follow him.  "Yeah, I know what you mean.  On the upside, only three more days of living in tents, then we'll be in Prin."

"What?"  Kolt paused mid-stride.  "You're going to the Conglomerate now?  With everything that's happened?"

"Sal's orders."  Shift just shrugged it away.  "The Emperor is on her kill list, and she doesn't exactly want to give him a foothold in the CFC.  Plan is to push him east of the Siahies and hold him there."

"Which means we need to push him away from the ocean," Kolt said, understanding dawning.  "You know what that means, right?"

Shift looked at him sagely.  "Tell me."

"Merriton," Kolt said.  "We're headed to Merriton, and she's going to hate it."

"And?" Shift asked.

Kolt shook his head.  "I don't know."

"Just think about the last time we were in Prin."

"Fuck."  Kolt remembered clearly how Star Fall had tried to not only kill her but court-martial Blaec for their relationship.  "She has to face the Conglomerate without Blaec."

Shift turned around a tent, nodding at Kolt over his shoulder.  "Yep."  He paused before a large green and black tent and scratched on the door.

"Come if you're brave!" someone yelled.

Shift peaked his head in.  "Any open tubs?"

"Yeah, three."

With a gesture for Kolt to follow, Shift stepped inside, tugging his shirt off.  "Kolt, Geo, Razor."

"Hey," Kolt said.

The other two men reclined in their tubs, the water slightly tinged, but steam showing that it was still very warm.  The Black Blades still used communal bathing, even while on the move.  He wondered if they heated and filled the tubs themselves, or if they had Anglian soldiers do it for them.  Not that it mattered.  There were privileges to being the family of a ruler.  Kolt just felt strange taking advantage of it.

"Terran conversions," Geo said when he walked past.  "Least I assume that scent of awkwardness is wondering who does our heavy lifting?"

"Pretty much," Kolt agreed.

Geo nodded.  "Terran soldiers who swore allegiance to Anglia.  Can't stop them.  When Sal started sending grauori to remove their families, it just cascaded.  She's real big on pack, you know.  Well, having the Kaisae care enough about a man who tried to kill her to save his mate and kids?  Yeah.  Can't stop them.  They keep saying it matters, and that it's easy enough, and such.  We haven't staked a tent since Zaqala."

"And I'm loving it," Razor murmured, his eyes closed.

Kolt quickly stripped and claimed his own tub, scrubbing the kilometers of grime from his body before reclining to let the hot water soothe his muscles.  "I feel like the interloper," Kolt said into the silence.

"No link," Geo said.  "You're still missing the good stuff."

"Sal linked me on the way up."

Razor shook his head.  "Doesn't mean you're in our link.  She's keeping you on the edges until you're approved.  You can still reach her, or us through her, but you won't get the general chatter."

"Gotcha."

"Hey, Kolt?" Geo asked, looking across the room at Kolt's arm on the tub.

Kolt followed his eyes and dropped his hands back into the water.  "Yeah?"

Geo chuckled.  "You know my eyes are better than that.  Sal seen that tattoo yet?"

"No."

"Why not?"

On the inside of his wrist, scrawled in a swirl of whites and blues, was the symbol for Kaisae.  It was a small thing, no larger than his pinky nail.  Kolt had placed it there so long ago that the ink had faded and the lines were obscured by scars.  He'd always claimed it was just something he'd done as a kid, and the humans had never thought anything of it.  The Black Blades knew better, and they could read the word as easily as if it had been in Glish.

He tried to deflect the question.  "Because the dreams of a child have little impact on the realities of a man."

"Answered like an iliri," Razor said.

"And you smell no lies," Kolt pointed out.  "I've had that for many years."

Razor slowly opened his eyes.  "I'm sure.  You ever met a Kaisae before?"

"Yes."

"Before Sal?"

"Yes."

He nodded and let his eyes close again.  "Then there's no reason to hide it, is there?"

Kolt chuckled softly.  "Yeah.  Two of them."

"Cyno and Zep," Shift said with a laugh.  "Although they'll figure it all out soon enough, so you might as well spill it."

Kolt sighed and gave in.  "Always wanted to be a Kaisae's protector, back before I knew why men stood on either side.  I think I was nine when I put that on my arm.  My sword arm, so a Kaisae would know that I was worthy of her service."

"Very human of you," Geo teased.

"Hard not to think like that where I grew up," Kolt told him.  "Wasn't allowed to live in Guttertown, wasn't allowed to live among the humans.  My amma had an apartment right on the edge, one of those places that serve both the human poor and the iliri criminals."

"Oh," Shift groaned sympathetically.  "Not a good place for a kid."

"Nope," Kolt agreed.  "Which is why I learned to play the games I did.  Human at work, iliri at home, keep my shit to myself."  He lifted his arm from the water, exposing the tattoo.  "Also why I brought Sal home.  Ayati, you might say."

"Good enough for me," Geo assured him.

"I liked him ever since he covered for Sal and Cyno in the pass," Razor said.

Shift chuckled.  "I liked his second reason.  Took me a bit to realize that if his son is more than half, that means he's a little scrubber."  He turned to Kolt.  "You need to talk to Zep tomorrow."

"That's what everyone keeps saying."  He groaned.  "Any advice on that?"

Geo chuckled.  "Yeah, learn to duck.  When it comes to Sal, Zep's a dick.  Even before she was fucking him, he didn't tolerate shit about her, ya know?"

"He kinda grounded Geo a few times," Shift said.

"Me, too," Razor admitted.  "I said Zep's girl in Prin looked like Sal, and he told me to keep my opinions to myself.  Didn't really get it, so asked why.  I got a few good ones in before Blaec pulled us apart."

At the mention of Blaec's name they all fell silent.  Shift leaned forward, the sound of water sloshing loud inside the tent.  "He was a good leader.  Fucking Emperor."

"Yeah," Geo said softly, nodding.  "What I don't get is why Blaec didn't see the attack coming, ya know?"

"Doesn't work like that," Razor said.  "LT saw a lot of shit, but sometimes we had to take the bad choice now to get the happy ending.  Like that time we were in Jurica."

"Oh, when Circ took the blade across the thigh?" Shift asked.  "Blaec saw that?"

Razor nodded.  "He saw we'd have to be defeated to make an opening on the back side.  If we didn't fight, the line wouldn't move.  If we won, the line would close tighter.  The only way it would work was if we got our asses handed to us.  He was pretty ripped about it later, but he didn't say shit before, knowing that one of us might get killed."

"That's how it works for prophets," Kolt said.  "Strong ones like Blaec have to suffer what they know."  He drug his hands down his face.  "Sal thinks he knew."

"I do, too," Razor admitted.  "Sal went out to check on Shade, and Blaec was fucking hovering.  He was never like that."

"Which is why you were there," Shift said.  "Yeah, that makes sense."

Razor wiped at his eyes.  "Fought like a damned beast.  They cut me down, but Blaec fought hard.  He took most of those corpses on his own."

"He always did," Geo said.  "First time I linked in, I couldn't believe the anger that came from him.  He seemed so calm and in control, but in his head, he was more vicious than Sal."

"Or Cyno?" Kolt asked.  The three men nodded.

Shift tried to explain.  "Cyno's wild, Kolt.  He was never tamed, but that doesn't mean he's not civilized.  Hell, he's probably the most civilized of us all in some ways.  He just plays by different rules, ya know?  Blaec?  I think he hated the world for what it had done to him.  He lost everything.  Until Sal came along, it was like he was going through the motions."

"Yeah," Kolt said, unable to get the vision of Blaec's death out of his mind.  The anguish on Sal's face still haunted him.  "He was the center of her world, what she built everything around."  He glanced up, his eyes meeting theirs.  Shift dropped his gaze, Razor held his for a moment before looking away, but Geo stared back without shame.  "Do you all realize what that means?  I know losing a brother hurts, but think about what Sal is going through.  Every reason she had to believe in herself bled out before her eyes, and she couldn't stop it.  I couldn't help her stop it."

"It's not your fault," Geo said.  "Why are you blaming yourself?"

Kolt stood, the water sloshing from the tub in his hurry.  Without a word he stepped out, grabbed a towel and headed to the door.  He stopped to collect his things and took a deep breath.

"Because I was supposed to protect her," he grumbled, before shoving through the tent flap.

"Damn," Geo said when they could no longer hear his steps.

"Just stop," Razor snapped.  "Don't you see?"

"See what?"

Razor tilted his chin in the direction Kolt had gone.  "He wasn't linked with Blaec.  He didn't even really know him, but he's as torn up about it as the rest of us.  That isn't an act, Geo.  You can smell it as well as I."

"Ok?"

Shift slipped his head under the water quickly, speaking as he wiped the water from his face.  "Razor, he never saw Cyno until they were already mated."

Razor nodded slowly.  "Good point."

"What?" Geo asked again.

Razor grabbed a towel and stood.  "You'll figure it out," he told his friend before looking over to Shift.  "You really think it's that bad?"

Shift nodded.  "I think there's a reason she hasn't pushed him into the main link.  I also think he doesn't have a fucking clue what the hell is going on.  If I'm right, his love life's been shit since before Sal went to Anglia."

"Why?" Geo asked.

Razor chuckled and tucked the towel around his waist.  "Because when we secured the last load of steel in the gap, Kolt was partnered with Sal.  He touched her to pull the bolt.  He was close enough to smell her, and we know he had to touch her."

"Wait..."  Geo sat up slowly.  "You think Kolt's...."

Both Razor and Shift nodded.

Chapter 46

The sun was high in the sky when Sal finally woke.  She tried to remember the last time she'd slept so well and sucked in a breath.  With Blaec.  The last time she'd been able to sleep, she'd spent the night laying against Blaec's chest.

Cyno was already gone and Zep didn't stir when she slipped from under his arm.  A thick, black dress lay folded on the chair, soft shoes set on top of it, a hint that she didn't need to look for clothes.  The wool would be warm in the autumn chill, and the dress was a sign that she was off duty.  It was also perfect for mourning, even if that was a human thing.

She finished dressing without waking her dernor and stepped into the late morning sun.  Everything had changed.  She had no idea what she was supposed to be doing, so made her way toward the center of the Blades' camp.  She didn't make it.  The sound of so many voices made her stomach clench.  When she heard a laugh, Sal turned away.  She wasn't ready to pretend like nothing had happened.  Not yet.

She wandered around the edge of camp, the brittle grass crunching under her her soft shoes.  In the distance, the pups played with a man in black.  Sal didn't even have to breathe to know it was Kolt.  He was gentle with them, but never treated them as if they were delicate.  She could only imagine how he was with his own son and smiled at the thought, sinking to the ground to watch.

Their play wasn't all for amusement.  Each time he tackled one of the girls, he showed her a counter move.  When a pup managed to evade his attacks, he praised her loudly and with a devotion shocking for a new member.  Rhyx seemed to adore him, but she wasn't taking it easy.  She'd been too spoiled by too many humans to accept anything but pampering.  Raast was different.  She tried hard to join into the wrestling, but she wanted more cuddling and less growling.  Kolt seemed happy to oblige.

A scent on the wind reached her just before someone scuffed their foot into the dirt behind her.  Sal flicked her ear back.  "I know you're there, Blaz."

"Good," he said, sitting beside her.

Together they watched Kolt with the pups.  Nearly half an hour passed in silence, Blaz's arm just close enough to brush her own.  Without a word he reached over and pulled the thong from the end of her hair and worked out the braid, turning her alabaster locks loose in the wind.  He passed the tie to her and leaned back against a large tree, shifting slightly to get comfortable.

"You realize I'm not leaving until that line on your forehead is gone, right?"

She nodded, shifting back beside him.  "Kinda figured."

"K.  You don't have to say anything, or you can say everything.  Either way, Sal, I'm here."

"Yeah."  She tucked her feet under the hem of her dress and leaned her head on his shoulder, still watching Kolt.  "What comes next?"

"For me?  A lot of crying."  He moved his arm around her shoulder, the gesture nothing more than supportive.  "It doesn't matter.  What does is that you keep breathing.  Just focus on that, and it will get better.  Just keep taking one more breath and eventually it's better than it was."

Sal nodded, pressing her head into his chest.  "I just miss him so much.  I want to ask him what to do next.  I want to hear him laugh again, or even yell."

"I know," Blaz whispered.

Sal looked over at Kolt, her head still against her friend's chest.  Kolt paused and looked up, turning toward Sal like he was pulled.  Their eyes met across the distance, and she felt her breath catch.  He didn't look away until Rhyx tackled him, knocking him back to the ground.

But Blaz had seen.  "He matters, doesn't he?"

"Yeah."

He wasn't going to let her out of it that easy.  "I thought guilt was an emotion iliri don't have."

Sal shifted, rubbing at her nose, pulling away slightly.  "We don't.  Doesn't mean we don't have fear."

"Of what?"

Her pale eyes looked up into his.  "Feeling like this ever again.  Letting myself pull anyone else into this mess with me.  We're all going to die eventually, Blaz.  Why should I even try?"  She paused.  "I can end this once and for all."

"How?"

"Make myself look human, ride into the camp, friend anyone that comes close, convince them I'm the Emperor's companion, and they will let me walk right up to him."

He nodded.  "Ok.  Why haven't you done this before?"

She licked her lips slowly.  "I wouldn't come back out."

"Right.  It would also be pointless.  Someone else would just take the title and keep fighting.  He's no different than you, Sal.  Anglia wouldn't stop if you died.  Terric won't stop if he does.  Killing him is not the answer, it's just the short-term goal."

"I know."

He pushed a wisp of hair from her face.  "Imagine what he's feeling."

She sucked in a breath, her ears flicking back.  "What do you mean?"

Blaz smiled.  "Kolt.  He's idolized you for years.  Years, Sal.  The woman of his dreams, a perfect iliri, and now you know who he is.  You made love to him."

"Maast," she mumbled.

"Right."  He nudged her gently.  "I see how you watch him.  I know he did something, and that it matters.  I'm guessing it has a hell of a lot to do with chains."

"Yeah."

He ducked his head to see her face.  "You ever think that it might hurt less if you stop dwelling on it?  That void might be a little less deep if you have someone there to pull you out of it?"

"Jase and Zep."

"Yeah.  How's that working, Kaisae?  I think they're sitting on the bottom with you."  He pushed away that strand again, letting it curl around his finger.  "Cessivi means they feel what you do.  Maybe you need someone that doesn't."

"No."  Sal shook her head.  "I just need to end this war.  That's it.  I don't need to kill anyone else."

"If you love them, you'll live through it."

"Doesn't work like that."

"Why not?"  He pointed across the grass.  "Half a day's ride that way, there's hundreds of iliri.  They need someone to lead them.  They need someone strong enough to show them how to be free, how to do more than drop their eyes."

"I'll get them free."

"Listen," he hissed.  "Stop thinking you know what I'm going to say, and listen to me.  Kaisaes die when they aren't needed.  Not when the war is done, Sal, but when they aren't needed.  These people need you.  They don't have anyone else!"

"If we fight it, we lose our minds."

"Then fight harder."  Blaz pressed his head to hers.  "Damn it, Sal.  Fight harder.  Don't let the humans do this again.  Don't let fate take everything from you.  You're so much more than just a figurehead.  You're..."  He took a deep breath.  "I'm sorry, Sal, but you're why Blaec died.  Not because you did it, but because he believed in you enough to give everything."

"But I wanted him to live!"

Blaz nodded.  "So did we all.  He was a damned good man, but he's still dead, and you're still alive.  There's a reason for that.  There's a damned reason that he," and Blaz pointed right at Kolt, "is here.  The nuvani told me about Ayati.  They also told me about you."

"Talk to a lot of them?" she asked, trying to smile at him.

He chuckled.  "Yeah, one or two.  Damned glad they don't bite as hard as you do."  He tapped the end of her nose.  "All I'm saying is that it's fine to mourn, but don't be like me, ok?  Don't live in the past.  Don't throw everything away because you can't figure out how to move forward.  I've got a shoulder anytime you need it.  You can lean on me as much as you want, and I won't tell a soul."

His words hit her hard, like ice in her face.  She sat up quickly, her ears flicking forward, and her eyes constricted to mere slits.  A slow breath slipped between her sharp teeth.  "What did you say?"  Her hand grabbed the opal at her throat.

"If you need someone to lean on…" he said, his brow wrinkling.  "What is it, Sal?"

"No one can let you down if you haven't been leaning on them."  Her finger caressed the pendant.  "Maybe it's time to start leaning.  That's what I told Blaec when I left this necklace for him.  He gave it back when he asked me to be his shoulder."

"So?" Blaz asked, watching her face closely.

She nodded and pulled herself to her feet.  "I need to talk to Arctic."

"Glad I helped," he mumbled, pushing himself up.

"You did."  She pressed her lips together, thinking.  "How long did it take before it stopped hurting?"

He reached up and pressed a hand to either side of her face, forcing her to look at him.  "As long as it takes, Sal.  There's one thing that helps - and only one thing that I've found.  Let someone in.  Stop building walls to make it hurt less.  That just keeps the pain inside."  He smiled at her tenderly and bent to kiss her forehead.  "Talking helps.  Kissing someone helps more.  Don't stop doing it."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed.  "Thank you.  Would you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

She leaned back and looked up at his face.  "Scorch.  I want..."  Her throat pinched shut cutting off the words.

He nodded.  "Yeah.  I get it.  I'll help Tilso fit tack so we can keep as much of Blaec's as we can.  I'll make sure he understands."  She nodded in appreciation, unable to say what she wanted, so Blaz turned her back toward the camp.  "Go talk to Arctic.  I'm only a thought away, Kaisae."

She gasped and turned back to him.  "You are!"  Her hand pressed to his face.  "I'm sorry.  This is going to hurt, but you'll need it."

She pushed.  His eyes flashed open before squeezing tightly shut, and his hands grabbed at his skull.  A strangled sound escaped his lips as Blaz crumpled to the ground.  Sal followed him, never breaking her hold, whispering, "Shh, it will be over soon.  It's ok, it doesn't last long."

Then he screamed.  She slapped her hand across his mouth, pressing harder with her mind until a thin trickle of blood began to seep from his nose.  Only then did Sal release him.

"Keep your eyes closed and breathe deeply.  I need to fix the pain."

Blaz nodded, not even trying to lift his lids.  She took a deep breath and exhaled, able to help - but not totally erase - the wound she'd just created in his mind.  Blaz sucked in long slow breaths, fighting against the nausea.

"What did you do?" he asked.

She gently caressed his brow.  "I can't let any more friends die, Blaz.  The 112th needs a healer."

"What?"

"Yeah.  It's harder to put a skill in a human, but your mind can handle it.  It'll take a few days before using it won't hurt, but it's there now."  She moved her hand to his and helped him sit up.  "It also hurts less if you aren't braced against me.  That's why we never warn you."

"Is that what it feels like when the link breaks?"

"No."  She sighed.  "No, that's a paper cut compared to when the link breaks.  Tell Risk what I did.  He'll explain how it works."  She kissed the top of his head.  "I'm counting on you, Blaz."

He chuckled.  "Starting to wonder why I like you, Sal."

Her pale eyes looked at him seriously.  "The next time one of yours is wounded and too far from the healers, I think you'll figure it out.  The 112th will never lose another the same way you lost Jiesa.  You won't let them.  I know it hurt, but I gave you a strong skill."

His face became serious.  "Thank you.  I'm in your debt, Sal."

"Not yet," she told him, glancing over her shoulder.  "Now, I need to settle my pack."  Sal looked back at him.  "I need to be the leader Blaec trained me to be."

"Yeah, you do."  Blaz gestured for her to go, breathing deeply to quiet the ache in his mind.  "Go find your Raewar."

A new determination filled her.  Blaz didn't realize it, but he'd said exactly what she needed to hear.  She was not Blaec.  She would not become Blaec.  She'd learn from the mistakes he'd made, and be better for it.  She loved him enough to treasure his memory without following in his footsteps.  She wasn't afraid to lean on the people she loved.  Whether that was one of her mates or simply a friend like Blaz.  Sal knew that above all else, being alone had never helped her, but having people she could trust always had.

She marched directly to Arctic's tent and scratched on the flap.  "Come," he yelled.

Sal slipped inside, pausing in shock to see Shade laying across his bed, her nose deep in a book.  "You moved in?" she asked the girl.

"Yeah.  That's ok, right?"

"Perfectly," Sal assured her.  "Can I have Arctic for a minute?"

Shade nodded.  "Yeah.  And I'm sorry I didn't help," she told Sal, giving her a quick hug.  "I'm sorry it was him and not me."

"No," Sal assured her.  "No, Shade, don't think like that."

Arctic looked at the girl with a gentle smile.  "See, imp, I told you Sal wouldn't blame you."

"Yeah," Shade said sadly, "but if she had to choose, I mean, if you all had to choose, I would rather it was me."

"And we'd rather it was no one," Sal told her.  "Shade, I would rather it was me.  So would all of us.  We lost him, and nothing can change that, but we can make the Emperor pay."

"I'll help," the girl promised.

Sal nodded.  "I'm counting on it.  I'm probably going to be asking a lot of you, soon, and I need you to be honest with me when I ask too much."

"K."  Shade grabbed her book and looked at Arctic.  "I'm gonna go read by the fire, ok."

"Yeah.  And if you need me..."

She grinned.  "Then I'll call."  Shade waved at him with her fingertips then ducked out of the tent.

Sal turned to Arctic.  "She lives here?"  Her mouth was open in shock.

He shrugged.  "Yes, we share a tent.  No, we do not share a bed.  I sleep on the floor.  She trusts me enough to touch me, and she enjoys my company."  He smiled.  "It's enough, Sal."

"It's also a lot of progress."

He grabbed a pair of chairs and a bottle, setting them beside an upturned crate.  "She had some really good inspiration.  You shut her down so she couldn't be hurt.  Razor took a sword to the gut trying to hold them off.  Rais and the 112th jumped in like they were iliri.  She realized that night that not all men are like the ones she knew."

"Least some good came of it."  Sal gestured for a glass.  "Audgan said you're keeping the title of Raewar."

He nodded.  "He's asked to be called Ghost.  Said Kolt gave him the name, and yes.  I am."

"Why?" she asked as Arctic poured the mead.

"Arrnya, Rragri's eldest, has also adopted the term.  The Raewar will lead the military.  The Kaisae leads the people.  Dom has his Sergeant at Arms, think of it as the same thing."

She nodded.  "Higher than general, but different from the ruler.  Gotcha.  So what about us?"

He finished filling his own glass, put the cork back into the bottle, then looked at her, their eyes meeting.  "I dunno, Sal.  What about us?"

There was a quiet power in his eyes, but no challenge.  Where Blaec had demanded submission, Arctic had more confidence.  He wasn't concerned about being second to her leadership, but he was also ready to take control.  Sal smiled, blinking easily while the thoughts trickled through her mind.

"You really think we can do this?" she asked.

"Yeah."  He looked to the table, grabbing his glass.  "I think there's a reason you and I never happened.  I think we've been through enough shit together that it doesn't matter which one of us takes charge.  It's the goal, not the personal pride that we're both working for."

She relaxed and took a long drink.  "Equals?"

"Sounds good to me.  We do have very different jobs."

"No shit."  She chuckled and shook her head.  "I play politics, you handle the military bullshit."

"I'll drink to that."  He lifted his glass.

Sal tapped hers against it.  "So what do I need to know?"

He took a drink before answering.  "Kolt got his last vote this morning.  I'm assuming yours was a yes since you suggested it."

"It is."

He nodded.  "And Zep relented, oddly enough.  That means he can be inked in.  Sal, I'm giving him Blaec's tent and saddle."

"Zep gave him the sword."

"Good," Arctic said.  "We'll need to drill him hard, but I think he can handle it."  He smiled.  "He handled you, after all."

"Yeah, not counting Merriton."

"Thought he didn't..."  Arctic tilted his head for her to explain.

"He didn't accept what I offered.  Thing is, I was trying to seduce him.  With everything I had, Arctic, I was trying, and he still said no."

"Gotcha.  Pretty sure I couldn't do that."  He pushed the bottle toward her.  "I'm going to ask a tough question."

"I'm not taking another mate," Sal said.

He shook his head.  "Not the question I was going to ask.  Sal, how does having him around make you feel?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but paused.  Pulling her feet into the chair beneath her, she thought hard before finding the words.  "Safe.  Strong.  Like I matter."

"And?  Sal, I remember how you spoke about him.  Talk to me, demon."

"I don't know," she finally admitted.  "He's made it pretty clear that there's nothing between us like that.  He wants to be a part of something.  The need for a pack pulls at him as much as the rest of us, but he's lived his whole life caught between being human and being iliri."

Arctic broke in gently.  "Not him, Sal.  You.  I'm worried about you."

Slowly she lifted her eyes from her glass, seeking the support of his gaze.  "I can't think about that yet."

"Ok."  He rubbed her shoulder gently.  "That's an acceptable answer.  I just want you to know that I'm here when you need it, ok?  The entire pack can smell you on him, and he's been taking some grief for it.  You sticking up for him yesterday didn't really make it better."

She nodded.  "I just owe him so much."

"I know. The problem is they don't know why.  Geo's probably the worst.  He's ready to roll the bastard."

She giggled.  "That might not end up the way Geo wants."

"No shit," Arctic agreed.  "He glared at me until I almost choked him out.  Don't have to worry about him backing down from a fight, at least."

"He will if it's the better option."  She smiled, remembering their scuffle in Echo Gap.  "He'll do whatever it takes to accomplish the goal.  Even submit to me when playing a human."

"But not now?"  Arctic took a careful sip, waiting for her answer.

"No.  Not now."

He nodded.  "Then I'm putting him at your back, or wherever the hell Jase and Zep want him.  He's on your guard duty."

"What?"  Her ears locked on him in shock.  "My mates...."

Arctic nodded slowly.  "Yeah, and you can either have Zep cover your right, or Kolt, but Blaec can't do it anymore, demon.  I'm sorry, but this is a military decision."

"Zep's going to hate that."  She hated that.  She wasn't ready for someone else to stand in Blaec's place.

"Then I'll tell him," Arctic said.  "Sal, there's one more thing."

She looked up, expecting the worst.  He passed her a blue envelope, the seal broken.  Her eyes closed briefly as she pulled out the letter, then she read it.  Parliament was formally demanding the aid of Anglia.  The wording was careful but insistent, claiming that they had met her demands, so Anglia was obligated to fulfill their end of the bargain.

Slowly she folded the paper and slipped it back inside, passing it to Arctic.  "I'm done playing nice."

He smiled.  "And?"

She stood, turning to the door, a new determination filling her.  "I'm ready, Arctic."  She lifted her chin.  "Assemble the units, include the 112th.  We're headed to the Conglomerate of Free Citizens to get the rest of our people."

"It's good to have you back, Sal," he said, grabbing something from the crate.

A dark green circlet of resin, so dark that it was nearly black, dangled from his hand.  She looked at the feeble crown for a long moment before accepting it.  It was heavier than it looked.  It meant more to the people who had given it to her than jewels or steel.  It was a symbol of hope, freedom, and a new way of life for her entire species.  It was the first crown any iliri had ever worn, and it had been made for her.  For the first time, she understood why so many people suggested she wear it more.  It was proof that Anglia had given her the respect her people deserved.

Her fingers slid along the smooth surface.  "I finally get it, Blaec," she whispered.  "I forgive you because I understand, but it wasn't worth your life."

"It is," Arctic said.  "I loved my brother deeply, but he was right, Sal.  Just think of what that means to the iliri in the Conglomerate."

She lifted it to her hair, twisting the circlet until it was centered on her brow.  "It means we have a home."

"Yeah.  That was always his dream, for the iliri to have a place where they could be proud of who and what we are.  A place where our traditions and differences are respected, not feared.  He thought we'd have to do it in hiding, but you changed that.  You showed us that all of this really is possible.  Never forget that."

She nodded once then pushed through the flap, surprised to see the soldiers had already gathered.  Cyno moved to her side, appearing from little more than a shadow, and gestured to one of the camp tables.  "Your dais, Kaisae."

Zep waited beside it, lifting her into place with a proud smile.  From where she stood, Sal could see faces all looking at her hopefully.  The 112th Mounted clustered together at the side, the blue of their uniforms stark against the shades of blacks and greens.  She caught Blaz's eye and smiled before addressing the crowd.

"We're going to Prin.  The Conglomerate of Free Citizens demands that Anglia assists them in the fight against the Empire of Terric.  They demand!"  She paused to let that sink in.  "But we're still going.  We're going because we're better than them.  We're going because we can do what the formerly ‘Most Powerful Nation in the World' can't.  We're going to the Conglomerate for two reasons.  One," and she held up a finger, "Because we will not let our people suffer the tyranny of oppression."  She smiled cruelly and lifted the second finger.  "And two, because we're going to fuck the Emperor up.  We're going to make that bastard pay for what he's done.  We're going to show him that no matter what he does to us, Anglia will not back down!"

Rais lifted his head and called out, "For the Kaisor, Blaec Doll.  We will make sure they remember."

"Blaec Doll," the men said respectfully, many bowing their heads.

Sal closed her eyes and nodded, letting her next words come out as if Blaec spoke them.

"Anglia, we have a mission."

The entire country was ready to accept it.

Epilogue

The black uniform blended well with the bare trees, but the purple accents made it easy to find the guard even before the man called out.  Exhausted, the travel-worn soldier pulled his horse up and leaned wearily over the pommel, making no aggressive moves.  He wanted to be found.

"Name and rank!" the guard ordered.

When the soldier walked close enough to hear his weary voice, the rider finally answered.  "Marin Celik, Corporal, Black Widow Company."

The guard shook his head.  "Celik's reported as killed in action."

"Right," Marin muttered.  "Captain Vitus or Lieutenant Narnx will verify my identity."

"You'll need to hand over your weapons to enter the camp."  The man's hand hovered close to his own hilt.  His face was not friendly.

Marin slowly pulled the single ceramic dagger from his boot and passed it over.  "That's it.  Anglia got the rest of it.  Snagged that before I got free.  That and the horse.  Been running from them since, but think I gave ‘em the slip through the pass."

The guard nodded and gestured for him to dismount.  "Leave the horse and come with me."

They walked a straight line into the camp.  For the first time, Marin realized how truly foolish that was.  With what the Blades could do, their security measures were leaving the camp open to assault.  Geo could make it all the way to the Emperor without a problem.  Audgan could drop them all to the ground with the tightly packed tents.  And the girl.  He knew about the girl.  If she could get close enough, the entire Terran army would die.

That's what would happen if the Black Blades were human.  Then again, if they were human, they wouldn't have the ability to do any of those things.  Because they were iliri, they couldn't either, simply because too many innocent people would be killed.  They were beasts, but they'd set him free to make his own decisions.  That's why he had to do this.

"Lieutenant!" the guard yelled.

The officer wore the standard black and red of the Terran elites, his blonde hair falling across his collar.  He turned slowly, pale green eyes widening in shock to see Marin.  "Corporal?" he asked, walking over.

"Yes, sir," Marin said.  "Took me a bit, but I made it back, sir."

Narnx took a long breath, then nodded.  "Do you have anything to report?"

Breathe, Marin told himself.  He couldn't lie to Narnx.  His mind whirled as he tried to find a careful answer while he struggled to keep his heart rate steady and his muscles relaxed.

"Yes, sir.  I was held by the Black Blades for over a week.  I was able to see a few things."

The guard shuffled nervously.  "Lieutenant Narnx, sir?  Shall I assume his identity is verified?"

Narnx nodded, his eyes never leaving Marin's.  "Yes, Private."  He smiled, but it was just for show.  "It's good to see you again, Celik.  Thought you'd been eaten by the beasts."

"I was," Marin admitted.  "Then healed, then tortured.  They made the mistake of thinking I was too far gone to escape."

"I'm glad to hear it," Narnx said, tilting his head.  "I know you're exhausted, but I need a full report.  I can at least let you sit while you give it."

"Thank you, sir."

Narnx dismissed the Private and led Marin through the massive camp.  Two posts still stood in the center, a resin chain hanging loosely from one, the other bare.  He stared, realizing that was where Blaec Doll died.  Here, kilometers away from where the Blades had suffered, but they'd still felt it.  Narnx slowed, his own eyes lingering for a moment before he turned down a row of tents.  By the time he found the one he was looking for, the scene of the massacre was out of sight.

"Come in," Narnx said, pushing aside the flap.

Marin stepped inside and paused.  The tent was completely regulation.  Most soldiers kept a few private things, but not Narnx.  A small table held maps, the cot was made to military specifications, and even his weapons and armor were placed in the regulation spot.  Marin's stomach clenched, wondering if Zep had been right.  Narnx was the perfect soldier.  He did everything asked, and he did it well.  That's how he'd ended up as the second officer of the Black Widow Company.  He'd simply been too good to pass over.

"Sit."  Narnx moved around to his chair, flicking his hand toward the smaller one across the desk.  "What can you tell me about the Anglian tactics?" he asked.

Marin took a deep breath.  "They spoke openly around me, sir."

"And?"

He nodded, trying to swallow the spit that simply didn't exist in his mouth.  "Yes, sir.  They believe that they're justified in their actions.  They want to save their - your - people."  He left the words hanging between them.

Narnx inhaled again.  Marin would have never noticed it before, but after days surrounded by iliri, it was now so obvious.  He smiled as he looked directly into Narnx's eyes.  Just as the pale man began to tense, Marin dropped his gaze to the desk.

"You know the bitch got away?" Narnx asked, his tone completely formal.

"Yeah," Marin said.  "I also know how."

"Do tell."

This was it.  He was unarmed and about to put his life in the hands of a single phrase.  "Il bax genause."  He dared to look back up.  "I saw the link break."

"And?" Narnx asked, his tone hinting at something more.

He nodded.  "And Zep knew who had the key.  They aren't beasts, sir.  They're not human, but they deserve our respect.  They never did a thing to me that we didn't do first.  We took their mate - their soul - and they only hurt me enough to find a way to get her back."

"They let you go?"

Marin clenched his hands before him.  He was still alive, so maybe Zep had been right.  "Three times."

"Why didn't you leave the first two?"

"Honestly?  The first time, I don't know.  They were frantic, and I just didn't go.  The second?  I tried, but then I heard them.  I went back and watched Cyno try to save Zep, even as his own mind was breaking.  I've never seen that kind of devotion, sir."

Narnx nodded.  "Was that when Blaec Doll died?"

Marin leaned back and lifted his head.  The words he was about to say would brand him a traitor and convict him of treason.  "Yes, sir.  I said umso."

"Is that the third?" Narnx asked without flinching.

Marin slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small vial.  "Yes, sir.  Cyno said you'll know who can use this best."  He placed it on the table.  "Murtadem."

Finally, emotion showed on Narnx's face.  Suspicion.  "Corporal, I'm giving you one last chance to prove you're not a traitor.  Did you bring this to me for a specific reason?"

Cold chills trickled across Marin's skin, but he nodded.  Even as his mind tried to think of a way to back peddle, his heart knew he was doing the right thing.  "Yes.  The Blades believe that an internal takeover would be a lot easier if the third in line to the throne leads the elite units."

"Look at me," Narnx demanded.

Marin lifted his eyes to Narnx's, well aware that no matter how professional the Lieutenant seemed, he would still have iliri instincts.  "I have scars that will prove my story, sir.  I also know about your help."

"Why should I trust you?"  Narnx made no effort to deny the accusations.

"Cyno did.  Ask Sal.  I know you can reach her.  The rebels locked the hubs away, but Sal knows how to use them.  She'll know what her cessivi do."

"Do not say that word," Narnx hissed.  "Never, do you understand me?  I don't care who you're talking to, if I hear that leave your mouth again, I will kill you."

"Why?"

The pale man glanced nervously to the canvas walls.  "Because my sire knows what it means."  He leaned across the desk and lowered his voice.  "It works both ways, Marin.  There's three of them, and he'd only need one, and any one of them would do.  Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Oh, shit," he breathed.  "They didn't tell me that.  I mean, they said without her they would - "

Narnx shook his head, his fingers closing on the vial.  "This is treason, you know that, right?"

"It's not," Marin said, lifting his chin.  "I cried umso, Lieutenant.  It's only treason if I'm trying to undermine my own government."

"Is an extraction in progress?"

"Yes.  My family will be moved before the month is out."

"Good," Narnx purred.  "I'm assigning you to delta squad.  They're short a man."

"Yes, sir."  Zep had been right!  Narnx really was working to help Anglia!  No, he thought, not Anglia, but the iliri.  Narnx was working to save his own people.

"Stop that," the Lieutenant hissed.  "Deep breaths.  Control your heart.  If you stay calm, the scent of your emotions is muted."

"How will this work in the end?" Marin asked.

Leaning back, Narnx sighed.  He pushed his hands across his face and sighed again.  "Most likely we'll die.  Of all the futures I've seen, most of them are bad, but there's a chance."

"Of?"

This time the smile finally reached Narnx's eyes.  "That I'll live long enough to meet my mate.  Our son will be named Blaec."

"It's a good name," Marin said.  "Blaec Zaryn."

"No."  Narnx chuckled sadly.  "Our children take the name of their mothers.  Somewhere in this world, Blaec's sister is alive.  He never even knew he had one, but I've seen it.  They shared a human sire.  She doesn't even know they're related, but she'll take his name."

"Ayati," Marin breathed.

"You've been learning.  What changed your mind, human?"

"The truth."  He paused at the sound of people passing outside, then leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper.  "I went from being a threat to a friend with no malice.  I made one little gesture of kindness, and they returned it.  When I cared for them?"  He looked away, his mind trapped in the memory.  "I watched Cyno and Zep grieve.  I held Risk while he cried without shame.  I kept thinking that we say humans are superior, but they have an honesty that we can't even begin to understand.  Why do we want to eradicate that?  What have they ever done to us?  We colonized this planet from someplace far away, but it was their home first.  Yours, I mean.  What right do we have to kill them for simply existing?"

"None," Narnx agreed.  "We never asked for this.  In a few weeks, I will promote you to the second officer of Delta Squad.  I need you to convince Tharp and his men that this is about more than winning the war.  Can you do that?"

"Tharp?" Marin asked.  "You know about Star Fall, then?"

"Yes.  I've been slowly recruiting and assigning them to the same team."  His smile was devious.  "They aren't sure if I know, but they also aren't dumb enough to think it was simply coincidence.  You're going to be taking a lot of risks."

"And then?" Marin asked.

Narnx reached across the table, his hand held palm up.  "I must touch you to share the memory of what we should have discussed.  Look over it, memorize it.  Not all of the iliri here are on our side, so don't trust them."

Before Marin took his hand, he asked again, "What's the plan, sir?  After we get you in place, what happens then?"

Narnx blinked slowly, his smile wistful.  "Then we change the world, Marin.  Live or die, we're going to change the entire fucking world.  I don't see any other option.  Welcome to the right side."

Dear Reader,

Tenacity is not the end, but a chance for a new beginning.  Wrangling this cast of characters hasn't always been easy.  All too often, the results are heartbreaking.  Some of the iliri have been happy to stand in the background, quietly offering their support.  Soon, they will get their time to shine.  For others who steal the scene whenever possible, they have no intention of going away.  Because of this, we're currently expecting the series to contain a total of ten books – unless Zep gets another wild idea to add more!  (He does that to me, sometimes).

And so many of you have helped me get here, shaping the future of the Black Blades without even knowing it.  I will never be able to thank you enough.  Whether it was sharing the series to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, telling your best friend about it, or taking the time to post a review on Amazon and Goodreads, you really have made a difference.

The only way I can ever pay you all back is to make the next book better, get it to you faster, and keep going until this epic journey finally reaches the end.  You, my readers, have been the best audience I could hope for.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

If you haven't already, consider following me on my author page to get updated when the next book comes out.

And if you'd like to share your opinion about

Tenacity, click here.

Resilience

Rise of the Iliri 6

Chapter 1

The sun was high in the sky, the horses' hooves clattered on the cobblestones, but a cold breeze found every gap in their armor.  None of the soldiers would acknowledge it.  Compared to what they'd suffered so recently, a chill was nothing.  It only reminded them that they weren't finished.

Twelve soldiers in black resin armor were followed by ten in white, their horses matching their uniforms.  Behind them rode dozens of men in green, all of them flanked by large, white beasts trotting easily on each side.  There were no banners, no symbols of their allegiance except the trio of green circles on each saddle pad.  Their armor was not spotless.  Their horses were not shined.  The beasts' paws were stained with mud.

This was not a parade.

All of them were armed. These were combat ready soldiers, and it showed by both the weapons across their bodies and the way they sat in the saddle. The Black Blades were notorious in Prin, but the Verdant Shields were virtually unknown, and few had seen the beasts known as grauori this far south.

The sound of their passing pulled civilians from their homes and citizens out of shops.  No one cheered; they simply watched.  In the wake of Anglia's passing, cautious whispers spread, citizens of the Conglomerate daring to hope that these soldiers might come to their aid.  Rumors had started months ago.  Some said Anglia was the salvation of the Conglomerate of Free Citizens, others said they planned to destroy the country in revenge.  Watching from the side of the road, the people didn't know what to believe, but hope hung in their eyes.

Sal saw it through the slit in her helm and wondered if they would look at her the same if they could see her face.  The same people who'd spit at her a little over a year before now demanded her help.  Demanded.  That word clawed at her mind.  They felt she owed them when it should be the other way around.  She'd bled for this country, been abused for this country, and now they had the gall to feel she owed them something.

Rais, clear the way to Parliament, she ordered, sending the thought to his entire unit.

His acknowledgment flooded back, and ten men in blue surged down the side of the column, their horses cantering ahead.  "Make way for Anglia," Captain Rais Tolan called out as the 112th Mounted sped past.

She watched them go, pleased to see the street stayed empty.  The few carts on the road pulled to the side, leaving no obstacle in their path, but Sal refused to hurry.  Her men were too tired, too heartbroken.  They'd just lost their leader, her lover, and the only way they could get revenge for his death was to help the Conglomerate.  That was why she was here.  That was the only reason she would help these people.

Bullshit. Kolt's thought tickled her mind with sympathetic amusement.  Lie to them all you want, Sal, but that's not the only reason you're here.  You're also leaking.

She glanced quickly to her right, finding his eyes waiting.  I owe them nothing, she thought.

He nodded slightly, refusing to drop his gaze.  True, but don't become jaded.  You're better than that.  You're here to help our kind.  That's what Blaec wanted, and that's why we're doing this.  Freeing our people is a better revenge than killing men who just wanted a paycheck, babe.  You're here to change the world, and if you act like them, it won't happen.  Don't you dare start hating humans just because of the species they were born into.

But they killed Blaec!

He shook his head.  The Emperor killed Blaec.  Terrans killed Blaec, babe.  These people didn't.

They would have.

He watched her for a long time before replying.  Dom?  Ilija? The Shields?

Anglians, she shot back.  They don't count.

His frustration flowed into her mind.  Blaz?  Rais?  Lorenz?  Celso?  Aleks?  The 112th is loyal to the Conglomerate, Sal, and as human as they get.

She wrenched her eyes away and stared at the road ahead.  He was right, and she knew it.  She needed to get her mind in the game before she spoke to the Representatives of Parliament and stop dwelling on the hole in her heart.  She had to stop thinking about it.  Sal nodded to herself and took a deep breath, turning the Anglian delegation off the main road.  With her head high, she directed them to the Parliament building, the military compound sitting just across the street behind tall stone walls. She wished Blaec had lived long enough to see this, the Conglomerate of Free Citizens finally admitting they needed the help of a species they considered inferior.

Without a word spoken, the foreign soldiers rode down the large avenue, a cluster of politicians scurrying to greet them, the 112th Mounted waiting at the side. Sal halted her men with a thought, the grauori laying in place, the horses standing square. None of them moved until one brave lady broke away and dared to greet them.

"Welcome to the Conglomerate of Free Citizens," she called out. "I am Representative Deina Anis. Thank you for coming."

Four soldiers dismounted – two black, two white – and made their way to her, a single grauori trotting to join them. When Dominik stepped beside Sal, both of them removed their helms.  Their guards stood silently one pace back, and the grauori bitch sat placidly between them. The man in white armor was a typical human male. It was the small woman in black that drew the eye. Her skin was the color of fresh snow, her hair nearly as pale. Her ears sat high on her head and, combined with her beastly features, it would be impossible to confuse her with a human.

"I heard you have a Terran problem," Sal said, forcing a smile wide enough to show her sharp teeth.

Deina looked between the iliri woman and the human man, unsure who she should be addressing. Dom made it easy. "I represent the humans of our country, Sal speaks for the iliri, and Arrnya is standing in for her dam, the Orassae, who is still coordinating our push through Unav with Viraenova. She will be representing the grauori. The three of us are equals."

"Sal speaks for the military," Arrnya added, her voice clear and her accent minimal, proving the beast was not simply a well-trained pet.

"Kaisae, correct?" Deina asked.

"Yes, Representative," Sal said. "I assume that Berrik is no longer a member of Parliament?"

Deina shook her head. "She was recalled. I'm glad you came.  Our situation is dire. Terric has – "

Sal cut her off. "Pushed over the Siahies, taken the Forward Camp, besieged Eastward, and is nearly to Merriton. Yes, I know, but I assume you don't want to have this talk in the road, and my soldiers would rather not wait here all day."

Anis nodded quickly, gesturing behind her for the other politicians. "I'm sorry, Kaisae, but we didn't expect you today. We'd be happy to put your soldiers up in our barracks, and we can arrange lodging for you in one of the hotels in town if that will do?"

"We stay with our units," Sal informed her. "We'll need officer's quarters for the leaders, plus an office for tactics and strategy. The Grauori will do fine in the common soldier's rooms, and would prefer to be housed in pairs."

Dom rested his hand on Sal's shoulder. "Myself and the Kaisae will need quarters sufficient for our consorts as well."

The black-clad soldier to Sal's left chuckled at his words. Unlike humans, the iliri kept multiple mates, which made lodgings in the CFC amusing to them.

"I've already sent a messenger to the compound," Deina said. "Lieutenant Jozefo will make sure that your needs are met.  When will you be ready to speak with us?"

Sal looked at Dom and thought, Say, around sundown tonight? Make the spoiled brats stay at work a bit late and give us a chance to get pretty before we show up?

Pretty? Dom thought back. I say we go in armor and make them look like fools. I kinda like the idea of a meal and a few hours off the horses, though.

"We'll return to Parliament at sundown," Sal informed the Representative. "Feel free to ask your staff what the proper accommodations are for iliri diets. I'm sure there's still a few of us in the building. Grauori eat the same things."

"Thank you, Kaisae."  Deina honestly looked relieved.  "Not all of us agreed with Halin. If nothing else, thank you for being willing to meet with us after the fiasco in Myrosica."

Dom responded before Sal could.  "It takes some getting used to, but neither iliri nor grauori have the same emotions we do. They don't hate. They don't really understand petty resentment. Neither of them would turn their backs on people in need because someone else made rude comments. Remember that when you try to disparage their species. It's the only reason they're here."

"I will." Anis glanced over her shoulder, looking for something. "I can get someone to escort you to the compound..."

"I know the way." Sal pulled off her glove and offered Deina her hand. The Representative paused for a split second, proving she had some idea of Iliran customs.

Then she clasped it and turned to Dom.  "Sundown," she said again before turning back to her fellow politicians.

Sal and Dom shoved their helms back on and swung onto their horses, their guards only a step behind. As one, the unit turned and headed out at a trot, the hooves ringing out. When the Anglians rode through the open doors of the Prin military compound, only a single man was there to greet them.  An elite soldier from Azure Silence leaned against the wall at the far end, a smile on his lips.

The Blades dismounted in unison, the Shields a heartbeat later, all of them standing at attention by their horses' shoulders. Again, Sal removed her helm, but this time she hung it on her saddle and stepped forward without a guard. Raj snapped a proper Conglomerate salute, his fingers touching the corner of his eye, and Sal asked the Anglians to return it in their own style, their fists pressed to their heart. The sound of armor moving was loud, drawing men to the balconies above, their whispers drifting down to the iliri ears.

"Nice to see you again, Raj," Sal said. "No fancy displays?"

Lieutenant Jozefo smirked at her. "Rumors say the Kaisae leads the Anglian military. I had enough experience with her to know she'd find more faults with a display like that – and be annoyed with the men in her way. I have fifty stalls empty, three paddocks, and a few wings of rooms. Nice to see you again, Kaisae, now help me out here, Sal?"

"At ease," she called to her men. They all reached for their helms, most offering their horses praise for being patient. Zep, Tilso? Will you take Scorch and Oubliette for us? The rest of you get the horses settled. Maargra, relax and rest your feet.

Raj chuckled as he watched the soldiers and leaned back against the wall. "So you learned the Viraenovan trick?"

"Oh no," Sal assured him. "Blades always used it.  We just taught it to the rest of Anglia."

Raj's jaw slid open in shock. "Humans?"

She nodded. "Takes a grauori to do it, so our units are assigned together. Why do you think we're better than you?"

"Because you're iliri."  Raj shrugged, dismissing it. "I can't offer you more than officer's quarters, Sal. How many you need?"

"One for the Kaisae and her two mates," Jase said, finally speaking up. "Dom and Rayna need another. Jarl, a third. Nya, Ilija and Arctic will need their own."

Raj nodded. "Plus a room for coordinating. So seven. I'll have the south wing assigned to Anglia and give Zep the keys. He can sort you all out as you need, if that works?"

"Yeah." Sal was impressed. "That would be perfect, actually. Thanks, Raj."

The dark man whistled and gestured to a soldier on the balcony who saluted and ran off, obviously to obey the order. Sal watched, noticing how many of the men wore the navy and gold of Azure Silence.

"So you inherited the unit?" she asked.

"Yeah. Seems General Sturmgren heard a few things and felt I could do it. Your brother suggested me before he left. If Blaec has time, I'd love to ask him a few questions."

Sal froze, her ears sagging on her head.  "He's dead," she said softly.

"Fuck," Raj breathed, taking a step to her side, but before he could clasp her shoulder, Jase grabbed his arm.

"Ya will na touch her," he warned.

With a nod, Raj pulled his arm back to his side.  "I am sorry, Sal.  Can I ask what happened?"

She licked her lips, relaxing her throat, and forced her face to stay calm.  "Black Widows caught me in Syhar.  Blaec tried to help, but there were too many of them."

"Ya do na owe him," Jase whispered.

"I know," she breathed.  "But they'll all want to know.  Better to get it out there."  She turned back to Raj.  "We were drugged, taken into the Terran camp – "

"Sal," Raj said, shaking his head.  "I shouldn't've asked."

She nodded, her ears sinking lower on her head, but kept going.  "They cut his throat, Raj.  I couldn't stop them.  They chained us like livestock and cut his damned throat!"

"Shit," Raj whispered, looking away.  "I'm so sorry.  Is there anything I can do?"

Another man walked up from the stables, answering before he should have been able to hear the conversation.  "Remember his name," Kolt said, making his way to Jase's side.  "Ahnor, the Raewar needs you."

Jase nodded.  "Do na let her out of yer sight."

"No, sir," Kolt agreed, moving to Sal's shoulder.  His eyes turned to Raj.  "And don't make her relive it."

Raj looked between them, then his eyes slid over Kolt's black uniform, lingering on the crossed swords pinned to his collar.  "Enik?"

"Syrik," Sal corrected, looking over her shoulder.  "Smile for him, Kolt."

He chuckled, exposing the sharp teeth that she'd healed back into existence.  "Yeah, the law applies to me.  Star Fall knows I helped get her out, but I didn't exactly get the chance to tell them in person that I was defecting."

"Oh fuck," Raj mumbled, pushing himself away from the wall.  "Are they compromised?  Enik, do we need to extract Star Fall?"

"No."  Sal rested her hand on Raj's shoulder, making him look at her.  "They're safe.  I swear it."

"Does Terric know they were infiltrated?"

Kolt's eyes flicked to Sal.  "Kaisae?"

She shook her head.  "No, we're not giving away all of our secrets.  Raj, the Conglomerate isn't the only country infiltrating the Terran army.  Anglia's just better at it."

"What'd ya do, take over the Widows or something?"  When Sal and Kolt shared a glance, Raj sucked in a breath.  "Fuck me," he whispered.

"You tried that once," she grumbled.  "Didn't work out so well."

"Ok."  Raj lifted his hands.  "I know you'll never forgive me for that, Sal, and I don't expect you to.  I didn't really have any other options, though.  It doesn't excuse it, but it's all I've got."

"What did he do?" Kolt growled, proving his iliri ancestry.

She glanced at him.  "It's past."

"Sal?"  His look was intense, but she only shook her head, so he turned to Raj with a low rumble in his throat.  "Did you hurt her?"  He stepped closer.

Sal grabbed his arm.  "No, Kolt.  He didn't hurt me.  He sedated me with something that worked on crossbreds but was toxic to me.  Raast fixed it."

Raj pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.  "I had no idea it was toxic, man.  It was listed as a safe sedative, and I was ordered to give it to her."  He shot an appreciative look at Sal.  "And thank you for not killing me."

A smile finally tugged at her lips.  "You're welcome.  Now fill me in on what I need to know?  Our intel is a few weeks behind."

Raj nodded.  "Forward Camp has already been overrun and is a complete loss."  The two iliri looked at each other.  Raj saw but went on without asking.  "Eastward is under siege.  There's about thirty-five thousand Terran soldiers across the Siahies, from Unav to the coast.  All passes are blocked."  He let out a deep sigh.  "And they're slaughtering us.  I've got four down in Azure.  We have twelve units of nothing but injured in the infirmary here.  Fort Landing is worse.  The CFC is almost down to half strength.  Guerrilla tactics.  They're hitting us hard, often at night, usually in camp, and decimating our men."

She nodded, accepting that as nothing more than the truth.  "Any idea how they know where you are?"

Raj shrugged.  "We think it's just good scouting.  They outnumber us, and the harder Anglia hits them, the more soldiers they move to push our borders."  He swallowed.  "We're losing, Sal.  We're losing bad."

She stared at the ground for a long moment before looking up at Kolt.  "Remind me again," she begged.

He met her eyes and held them.  "We've fought too hard against tyranny to participate in it ourselves."

Closing her eyes, she tilted her chin up, coming to a decision.  "I think it's time we stop hiding what we are," she said as her mind reached out to her packmates.

Arctic, tell Rragri we're going to need a lot more healers.  Send me at least a hundred, hold in Issevi until this treaty is signed.  Risk, Shift?  Make sure Raast is rested and fed.  If Parliament is willing to work with us at all, we've got a lot of soldiers to heal.  The rest of you?  We're not playing human this time.  Let's show the Conglomerate what kind of beasts they made.

In the back of her mind, she felt Arctic's pride.  Yes, Kaisae, he thought.  Time to start making miracles.

It is, she agreed before looking up at Kolt.  "Care to escort me up?  I need to find a crown before I talk to these humans."

Chapter 2

It took a while for Anglia to get settled, but Sal wasn't allowed to help.  Instead, she leaned on the stone railing while her men finished moving into the barracks, watching the sky turn from blue to gold, waiting for lines of pink to sneak in.  A cold breeze caressed her cheeks, tossing her long hair across her shoulders.  Only the resin circlet kept it out of her eyes.  Below, her soldiers moved about their tasks, leaving her nothing to do but think.

"Ya ok, kitten?" Jase asked.

She nodded, her eyes locked on the soldiers.  "I'm glad it's almost winter."

"Me too."  He pulled a tendril of hair away from her neck.  "Smells diff'rent."

She smiled and ducked her head.  "I meant because winter always reminds me of you."

"Spring is Syrik.  So does that mean Zep gets the fall?"

"Summer."  She turned, pressing her back against the railing to look at her mate.  "It was late summer when Zep tried to die on us.  He makes me think of flying kites."

Jase grinned and stepped closer to her, his hands sliding to her waist.  "Ya know ya did na refute it?"

Sal shook her head, confused.  "What?"

"Syrik Kolton.  Ya still think of him."  She tried to look away but his hand caught her cheek, gently guiding it back.  He smiled, holding her gaze with his deep blue eyes.  "Why do ya na wanna admit it?"

Without turning, Sal gestured at the sky behind her, pointing at the pair of moons climbing ever higher.  "Because they're watching me, Jase.  I don't trust them, and I'm not ready to lose anything else.  Not a brother, not a sister, and certainly not you."

"Sal," he said softly, "the moons do na care."

"Not the moons."  A sigh fell out.  "Ayati, Jase.  The moons are just what I think of as the face of it.  Personified, you know?"

"No, kitten, I do na."

She rubbed at her eyes.  "How does it happen, killer?  When I go crazy, what exactly will I do?  Will I even know?"

"Those stories are always written by someone else."

All she could do was nod.  "Will I drag you with me?  If I lose my mind, will you and Zep be safe from me?"

He cocked his head to the side.  "I do na know.  I also do na care.  If ya go crazy, then I wanna be there with ya."

"Oh, Jase," she whispered, leaning closer to kiss him.  "I love you, but I don't deserve you."

He smiled against her lips.  "Yeh, ya do."  A chuckle slipped out and he leaned back, tilting his head at the door behind him.  "That is the man ya do na deserve."

As if on cue, Zep pulled open the door and stepped outside, a clean belt and daggers in his hand.  "Twelve of them today," he said with a shrug.  "I think it's enough."

Sal accepted the weapons, looking at her Dernor to make sure he knew how much she appreciated him cleaning her gear, then buckled them on.  "Am I taking the swords, or is that too much?"

"Too much," Zep said.  When she finished and stood up, he kissed her, his hand cupping her jaw.  "He's coming with us, though."  Zep didn't sound impressed.

Sal's head snapped to look at Jase, but he shrugged.  "Arctic's orders.  Zep's too big ta guard yer right."

"Kolt's not that much smaller!"

Both men looked at her, Zep with one eyebrow raised.  "Seems Dom's taking three, and our leaders should at least match."

"Rayna and who else?"

The door beside them cracked open.  "Danku and Caein," Rayna said, stepping out.  She tugged at her chest piece and adjusted a strap.  "And we need to order some real armor while we're here."

"You look good in white," Sal assured her.

Rayna nodded slowly.  "I guess.  Still hate the idea of leaving the Dogs.  Pig said to think of it as being on loan for training, and Ilija has me running as the First Officer."

Sal heard the steps just as Rayna's eyes flicked over her shoulder.  "Kaisae," Kolt said respectfully.

"Damn," Rayna mumbled, looking him over.  "Black suits you, Enik."

"Syrik," he corrected.  "Enik's my middle name.  It just sounded a lot more human.  Good to see you again, Ray."

She chuckled and banged on the door beside her.  "I'm sure.  C'mon, Dom!  You're fucking late."

"Fuck 'em," the King of Anglia grumbled as he stepped out, still buckling on his sword.  "The CFC wanted me on the throne, remember?"

Claws clicked on the stone as Arrnya approached.  "We walking? "

"Might as well," Sal told them.  "That way we don't have to mess around with the horses.  Besides, I'd hate to have them stolen from the steps of Parliament."  She looked at the soldiers around her, and they all nodded.

That was all it took to make a decision in Anglia.  Even with three equal rulers, the country ran more fluidly than any other on the continent.  In theory, it shouldn't, but being able to walk through each other's minds made misunderstandings rare.  As a group, they headed toward the ornate building across the street, meandering like nothing more than common soldiers until they were outside the compound.  Only then, without a word needing to be thought, did they form into a respectable looking party, but they appeared more prepared for war than politics.

Dom stepped to Sal's right, his guards just behind him, even with Sal's, and he rested his hand on her shoulder.  "You ok?"

"Yeah."  She smiled at him.  "Not good, but I'm ok.  I'm proud to have you on my right, sire."

"And I to have you on my left, Kaisae."

Arrnya fell in on Sal's other side, staring at the door.  "And I'm nervous."

Sal nodded, understanding.  "Just growl.  Seriously, Nya, you'll be fine.  They're just humans."

"I know, Kaisae, but I do not want to overstep my place."

"Not today," Sal assured her.  "You're my equal while we're here.  I promise to not take offense."

The bitch breathed out a deep sigh and nodded, holding her head a little higher.  By the time they made it to the steps, a group of servants rushed to open the doors.  Without pausing, the Anglians passed through, but Sal heard a whisper from the side.

"Laetus Kaisae," said a pale-skinned man under his breath.

Sal bowed her head, showing she'd heard, but she didn't dare look at him.  It still wasn't safe for her kind here, and she didn't want to be the reason he suffered, but his words were the resolve she needed.  As their boots rang out on the marble, Sal lifted her chin and stretched her legs.  The Conglomerate needed them, not the other way around, and they'd pay for Anglia's help.

"Kaisae."  A sharply dressed woman stepped into the hall before them, a smile plastered on her unfamiliar face.  "Sire."  She looked at Arrnya.  "Orassae?"

"Arrnya is Orassae pro-tem," Sal said.  "She answers to the title of Raewar."

"I understand."  The woman elegantly gestured to a door at the end of the hall.  "Parliament is pleased you have arrived.  If you would follow me?"  She turned and led the way, her shoes clicking loudly.

The leaders of Anglia followed, showing no surprise when the doors opened only a split second before the woman reached them.  She continued to walk down the long, curving ramp, the dais of Parliament visible at the end.  Sal's anger began to simmer, slowly bleeding across the link to her companions.  When they reached the door and a guard stepped forward, it flared even brighter.

"No weapons beyond this point," the soldier ordered, looking only at Dominik.

Sal didn't slow her feet.  Beside her, Dom and Nya kept step, all three of them looking only at the twelve people seated below.  As they reached the door, Jase and Rayna surged forward, each grabbing a guard and pinning him to the side.  The corner of Sal's lip lifted slightly.  When the next men tried to stop them just inside the door, Kolt and Danku repeated the process in complete silence, the grauori guards rushing to secure the rest.  Once they reached the open floor of the room, their last Anglian guards moved to block the three ramps, guarding their backs.  Sal walked to the center of the room, Dom and Nya moving to stand just off her shoulders.

"Never demand anything from us again," she said, pulling out a small blue envelope and flicking it up to the politicians seated above her.  "And do not, for a single second, think that sitting above me makes you superior."  She turned to a plump man near the middle and flashed him a feral smile.  "Did you not learn, Toth?  This shit doesn't impress me."

"And that," Dominik said, gesturing to the guards still held by Anglians, "is not the way to welcome a country that you're begging for help."

"We're not begging," Toth said, standing.

Nya whuffed in amusement, glancing quickly at Sal before she leapt onto the dais.  Landing on her belly, crouched, her face was only inches from the man who'd tried so hard to break the Blades before.  "Then you do not need us?  You think you can hold the Siahies on your own?"

"This is uncivilized," a woman muttered from the other end.

Sal chuckled, but Nya's head swiveled to the sound of her voice.  "Yes," the bitch purred.  "It is.  We are.  Now tell me why I should send my brothers and sisters to die for humans that care so little for us?"

Dom just shook his head and patted Sal's shoulder.  "I think we're done here, Kaisae."

Sal nodded slowly and turned to leave, Nya leaping to her side.  Dom fell in step beside them.  They made it three paces.

"Sal, please."  It was Representative Anis's voice.  "We're proud, and we're scared."  She stood, waiting for the Kaisae to turn before she went on.  "I had the Gold Room prepared.  It's more comfortable.  Can we please talk?"

Dominik and Nya both looked to the Kaisae, mentally assuring her that it was her decision.  Sal turned to her men, finding each of their eyes.  None of them could make this choice for her.  It was her call, and hers alone.  She could allow these humans to posture, doing their best to shame her species in the process, or she could walk away.  Pulling in a deep breath, she wished Blaec could tell her what to do one last time, and her eyes landed on a pale man standing at the end of the dais, dressed in blue and gold with a tray of refreshments laid out before him that he'd be serving to the politicians.

"Nee," he said when he realized she was looking at him, drawing the entire room's attention.  "Kaisae, e iliri sussa se dru aitae.  Sahna sussa Anglia.  Nee gerna na berrn sahn!"

"What did he say?" someone hissed.

"Get me a translator!" another snapped.

Sal's ears dropped slightly as she caught the man's eye.  He glanced to the human politicians then back to her before taking a step forward and dropping to his knees, refusing to lower his gaze.  "Nee, Kaisae."

She walked toward him slowly, then reached for his hands, feeling them tremble in hers as she pulled him to his feet.  "Why?" she asked.

"What did he say?" one of the politicians demanded.

One ear flicked back, but Sal's attention was locked on the iliri man who refused to drop his eyes even though she could smell his fear.  "Please," she translated.  "Kaisae, the iliri need your help.  We need Anglia.  Please do not leave us."  She blinked and tilted her head.  "Why?"

He smiled sadly and looked over her shoulder at Dominik.  "Because they listen to you.  A human.  A country!"  This time, his words were in Glish.  "Kaisae, they look to you for leadership.  If Anglia can prove that you can win, then maybe they," and he looked at the dais, "will learn to respect us.  If we leave, it will only happen again."  He took a deep breath, then looked into her eyes one more time.  "What good is our pride if we aren't willing to sacrifice it?"

"Have we not given enough?"

He shook his head.  "Not yet."  Then he dropped his voice.  "Not while so many of us are still slaves."

With a sad nod, she pulled off her glove.  "Sal," she said, offering him her bare hand.

The iliri accepted it, his skin warm against hers.  "Iryn Melix.  Laetus, Kaisae."

She turned to the dais and flicked her ears back, lifting her chin.  "Ilus Melix has just given you a second chance.  I will not allow you to shame my country or my species.  I do not owe any of you, is that clear?"  The Representatives looked between themselves, muttering, and Sal's patience snapped.  "Is that clear!" she screamed.

"Yes, Kaisae," Anis said, standing to address her.  "I apologize for the disrespect today.  We're not familiar with your customs but intend no offense."

"Bullshit," Sal snarled.

Anis just nodded.  "Yeah.  A whole load of it.  Can we try this again?"  She gestured to a door at the side.  "The Gold Room is this way.  I think you'll find it more to your tastes."

When Sal nodded, the Chairwoman of Parliament led the way, the Anglian leaders following.  Behind them, the other politicians pulled themselves from their chairs.  The lowly iliri servant watched them go with his chin held a little higher.

Click here to continue reading RESILIENCE

Books by Auryn Hadley: (Excerpt to follow)

Adding Ink (Romance):

One More Day

Two of a Kind

Three Sheets to the Wind

Four Ways from Sunday

The Wolf of Oberhame (Fantasy):

When We Were Kings

When We Were Dancing

When We Were Crowned

Gamer Girls (Contemporary Romance):

Flawed

Challenge Accepted

Virtual Reality (coming soon)

Rise of the Iliri (Science Fantasy):

BloodLust

Instinctual

Defiance

Inseparable

Tenacity

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About The Author

Auryn Hadley is happily married with three canine children and a herd of feral cats that her husband keeps feeding.  Between her love for animals, video games, and a good book, she has enough ideas to spend the rest of her life trying to get them out.  They all live in Texas, land of the blistering sun, where she spends her days feeding her addictions – including drinking way too much coffee.

For a complete list of books by Auryn Hadley, visit my Amazon Author Page, or check our my website: aurynhadley.com

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Table of Contents

- Rise of the Iliri
- Auryn Hadley
- Introduction
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 38
- Chapter 39
- Chapter 40
- Chapter 41
- Chapter 42
- Chapter 43
- Chapter 44
- Chapter 45
- Chapter 46
- Epilogue
- Dear Reader,

- And if you'd like to share your opinion about

- Resilience

- Chapter 1

- This was not a parade.

- But they killed Blaec!

- They would have.

- Anglians, she shot back. They don't count.

- Chapter 2

- Click here to continue reading RESILIENCE

- Follow Auryn on Social Media

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- About The Author