Warlord (24 page)

Something grabbed my ankle.

I jumped, squeaked, and dropped the soap.

Keir rose from the depths, dripping wet and glorious. I gaped in amazement, drinking in his face.

"Lara," he whispered, reaching out to me. "We need to—"

I leaped into his arms, reaching out to pull his head down, and claimed his lips with mine.

Keir moaned into my mouth, and his arms came up to wrap me in their strength. I kissed him again and again, craving his touch, his taste, his hot breath on my chilled skin.

Keir broke the kiss, gasping for air. "We must talk."

I reclaimed his mouth, and raised my leg to rub his hip, trying to get him closer. His arm moved down, his hand under my buttocks, and then both hands, supporting me, lifting me.

I held on for dear life, grabbing his shoulders, refusing to release his mouth. He groaned as he entered me, and moved me with ease, his arms and shoulders flexing under my fingers. I broke the kiss, and wrapped my arms around him, urging him on with soft demands in his ear, letting my fingers play with his wet hair.

It had been so long.

We both shuddered in release at the same time, holding each other tight, fearful of making a sound. The air was chill, yet there was nothing but heat burning within. I listened to Keir try to catch his breath as I stroked his damp shoulders. "The skies favor the bold," I whispered softly.

He pulled back his head to smile at me, and kiss me again. "I had to see you. To know that you were well. To taste—"

I kissed him again, desperate for more. Part of me trembled at the risk he was taking, at the thought that we might be caught.

The rest of me trembled for other reasons.

Keir shifted me then, lifting me a bit higher, and carried me over to the bank where my clothing lay. He placed me on the grass, and stood before me, gently stroking my cheek. "There's not much time, Lara. We—"

I threw my arm over his neck, and fell back, forcing him to cover my body with his. He groaned again, a sound filled with longing, want and need. My soul sang to hear it.

He braced himself over me, breathing hard. "Lara."

I looked up into those wonderful blue eyes. "Take me, my Warlord."

That was enough to unleash my Cat. He growled low, and moved between my legs, and the entire world exploded. I was pressed hard into the grass, and met each thrust with an answering movement. I wrapped my arms around him, and buried my face in his neck, muffling my cries against the damp skin of his neck. And just as I could feel my body reach the heights, I bit his neck, playing with the thin skin with my teeth. He arched his back and pressed deep within, convulsing in my arms.

"Xylara?" Amyu's voice cut though my daze.

Keir pulled me up and forward, and we fell into the water together, the cold shocking me with awareness of the danger. I exploded up out of the depths, to find Amyu standing on the bank, her dagger drawn. My hands jerked over my breasts. "Amyu!"

"I thought I heard something." She scanned the area closely.

"I dropped my soap." I turned my back. "Now, if you don't mind . . ."

I looked over my shoulder and made sure that she left the tent. I bent down, peering into the water that surrounded me—

But Keir was gone.

Chapter 13

We should have talked.

We really should have talked.

After I'd dried off and dressed, I'd staggered back to my tent and announced my intent to take a nap. Amyu had assumed it was because of the birthing, but the excitement and ... well... vigor of my adventure with Keir had worn me to the bone.

I'd woken to a feeling of contentment that I hadn't felt in a long time. I stretched under the covers, and then smiled, completely relaxed and comfortable. Until I realized how stupid I'd been. I lay in my bed, staring up at the tent over my head, and cursed myself for a fool. Keir and I had needed to talk. And what did I do? I'd thrown myself into his arms like a love-starved slip of a girl.

Still... a smile curled over my lips at the memory.

Maybe Keir would find another way to talk to me. I sat up in bed, quite pleased with myself.

"Xylara?"

"I'm awake, Amyu." I ran my fingers back through my hair, and gathered the blankets to hug them to my chest. "Is it the nooning?"

Amyu stuck her head in, frowning slightly. "It is well past the nooning, Xylara."

"Oh." I smiled brightly at her. "I was more tired than I realized, I guess."

She gave me a doubtful look.

I continued, refusing to allow her disapproval to spoil my sense of well-being. "Some kavage, please? I can wait until later for food."

"The Warlord Liam of the Deer has asked to court you over the evening meal," Amyu reminded me as she left.

I puffed out a breath of frustration and reached for my clothes. I lifted my voice as I dressed. "Is this another like Ultie? If so, I can save us all time and trouble and say 'no' now."

Amyu returned with a tray. "The Warlord Liam has a very good reputation, Xylara." She set the tray down on the bed.

I reached for a drink. "I don't like this, Amyu. The Council is hearing truths, and I'm not permitted to be there or know what is being said. That is not right."

She paused, and then spoke. "You are of Xy. It is a matter of the Plains, to decide if you will become one of us, with the status of a warprize. These debates that the Council holds are open and free, and you being there might affect the truths of those that speak." She shrugged slightly. "You may hold some truths against the speakers, even."

"I know what a token means."

"Even those of the Plains sometimes hold truths against the speaker, even after the token is returned," Amyu chided me. "We are not all perfect, Xylara."

I nodded ruefully. "Amyu, how is Eace? Can I see her?"

Amyu's face lit up. "She does very well. Reness is watching her closely, and has promised to summon you if need be." She drew herself up, and placed a hand on her dagger hilt. "I thank you, Xylara, for the life of my friend. Eace and I were raised together, and she is dear to me. I owe you a debt."

I suppressed any smile. This was no child, and she was very serious. "No." I shook my head. "No debt. I swore an oath to heal all that came to me, Amyu. Thank you for letting me help her."

Amyu inclined her head, and left me to my kavage.

"Welcome to my tent, Xylara, Daughter of Xy. I am Liam of the Deer. May I offer you kavage?"

I stepped further into his tent, taking a moment to let my eyes adjust before speaking. The tent was warmed with two braziers, their coals glowing softly in the darkness. "It seems only fair to warn you that Keir of the Cat is my chosen Warlord. You waste your time courting me."

A soft chuckle came from the shadows. "Well, that is fair enough. I should tell you that I've no real interest in courting you."

Out of the darkness stepped a tall man, with long blond hair, silver mixed with the gold. His eyes were hazel, his smile warm. But it was the piercings of his left ear that reassured me even more. Liam of the Deer was bonded. I sighed with relief as he continued to speak.

"But I am interested in Keir, and his people, and his ideas. If we talk, you and I, and exchange knowledge, how can that be a waste?" Liam gestured to a platform full of pillows, much like the arrangement I'd seen in Simus's tent. "Let us eat and talk in comfort."

I sat on one of the fattest pillows, and Liam reclined on some others. He clapped his hands, and warriors entered with kavage, and bowls of gurt.

"We had the good fortune to hunt ehat on our way to the Heart," Liam offered. "Oh, not four, as I have heard Keir did, but enough that I can offer you roast ehat for our meal." He leaned back with his mug. "Would you tell me of that hunt?"

Happily, I recounted the details and told him of what I'd seen. He grunted when I spoke of Iften missing his throw, but made no other comment. When I mentioned kissing Keir, even though he reeked of the musk, Liam laughed. "A strong bond, indeed, Xylara."

"Please call me 'Lara'," I asked. "Xylara is my formal name, but I prefer 'Lara'."

"You honor me." Liam put his kavage down. "Is it true, Lara, that you can raise the dead?"

"No." I shook my head and glared at him. "Is this because of what happened with the baby?"

"The word of the winds is that you brought the babe back from the snows," Liam explained. "That you did that because the babe was Xyian, while all the other dead were of the Plains."

The kavage in my stomach turned sour in an instant. I sat there horrified, and stared at him.

"I would not offend, Lara. But you need to know what is said."

"I would never—" My voice cracked as I choked on my words. "If I had the power, Liam, I'd use it for the good of both our peoples. The oaths that I have taken as a healer demand that. But I do not," my voice cracked at the very idea. "
I cannot raise the dead."

Liam stared at me intently. "The babe—"

"That the babe revived was the blessing of the Goddess, or the elements." I put my mug down and ran my fingers through my hair. "I was tired, we were all exhausted, Liam. I'm not even sure that the babe had really stopped breathing." I shrugged. "But I make no claim to be so powerful."

"I believe you, Lara." Liam nodded. "So, among your people, healing is freely offered? To any?"

Grateful for the change of topic, I started to explain our ways. Liam listened intently, asking a few questions, but he clearly was having problems understanding some of the Xyian concepts. Money being one of the them.

"What would be the purpose?" he asked. "I cannot eat your 'coin', cannot wear it, or use it to hunt food. So why would I take 'coins' in exchange for anything? Far better to trade and barter, than to 'pay'."

I was trying to make an argument, when there was a cough outside. "Ah, the meat is ready." Liam sat up straighter on his pillow. "And all this talk has my stomach growling."

I laughed, as the warriors approached with meat and flat bread. There were grains, too, but I recognized the small red flakes in their midst, and took careful bites.

We talked as we ate, and I realized that I was enjoying myself. Liam had seen warriors playing chess, and started to pepper me with questions about the rules. As the dishes were removed, nothing would satisfy him but that we play a game. "I know your memory is not like ours," he spoke eagerly as he pulled a wooden box out from under the platform. "So I bartered for this."

He pulled out the first piece with a flourish and pressed it into my hand. I studied it as he set the rest out on the board. The carving was amazing. It was a fierce warrior of the Plains on a galloping horse, poised to fling a lance at his opponent. But it was plain wood, with no color distinction.

Then I glanced at the board and realized that it wouldn't be a problem telling the pieces apart. One side was the Firelanders, clearly, lean and fierce warriors of both sexes, armed to the teeth. The others were all chubby city-dwellers, unarmored, with no weapons, cowering in fear of their attackers. Even the castles looked afraid somehow.

I arched an eyebrow at Liam, and he had the grace to look embarrassed. "The set is well carved," he offered as if in apology.

I chuckled. "Well, let's just see how you fare against me, Warlord."

The first game went swiftly, with myself as the winner. Thankfully, Liam hadn't learned all the strategies as of yet. I checkmated him, and then settled back with my fresh kavage as he studied the board, trying to find his mistake.

The warrior serving us had entered with a plate of small buns. "Are those bread tarts?" I asked, reaching for one.

"They are, Warprize." The warrior gave me a quick smile, putting the plate next to me. "You should have moved your ehat sooner," he chided Liam in a soft voice. "She couldn't use her mounted warrior then."

Liam grunted, "Go away."

I bit into the bun, and there was a familiar explosion of spice in my mouth. Spicy, yet sweet. The taste took me back to the first time I'd seen a pattern dance, when Marcus had been so proud of his treat. "This is so good!"