Chosen (17 page)

He controlled his breathing. He did not want the mist from his breath to give away his position. He slowly flexed his fingers and toes, keeping the blood and warmth flowing.

The three made their way past the trees where the two stood ready for ambush. Ted waited until they were out in front, and then moved quickly yet silently up behind the two on the right. He grabbed one around the throat with his left arm while hitting the other at the base of the neck with a hard blow using his right hand. The person crumpled to the ground. The captive caught by the neck bent at the waist, hoping to throw his captor off balance. Ted was ready and had set his legs. He hauled the man back—he had determined by now that this was indeed a man—close to his face, tightening his grip. The man's breath came in gasps as he tried to suck in air past the choke hold.

Ted glanced over at Tess and saw that she had knocked the third stranger unconscious and stared at the General and his captive, eyes wide and hands covering her mouth.

Ted spun the almost unconscious man around to face him, gripping him by the front of his white furs. The General was stunned to find himself facing the one man he had come to rescue.

* * *

“The others are dead, sir.”

Sloan kept his eyes glued to the small blaze the General had allowed when they returned to the rescue team. Several men had cleared an area of snow and dug into the frozen ground as much as they could, using rocks and stones, making a pit for the fire. Sloan ate some stew as he recounted his tale.

“Samson had hoped that seeing Bishop and Riley tortured and killed would persuade me to talk.” Sloan looked at Ted, his green eyes hard. “He was wrong.”

“What did he want?” Ted asked.

“He wanted to know details about the numbers of Jhinn and the number of Protectors. He asked about crop yields, livestock counts, how much game we had seen, how much food we had stocked, where we kept the hidden stores, all sorts of questions.

“I was to be drawn and quartered in a few days.” Sloan shook his head. “He had men out shooting game and had the women delving into the stores for a feast.” He glanced at the two women who were seated across from him. “Valery and Amber came for me before dusk. They wrapped me in skins and kept my face hidden as we made our way to the latrines.

“The girls had stashed light colored furs and we used those to make our escape. We crawled through the deep snow on our bellies and somehow made it past the guards.”

General Smith crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. He had no reason to doubt his Protector's story of how the two girls had helped him escape, but Ted's instincts told him something about the story did not quite ring true.

“How did you manage to cover your tracks? It seems a difficult task to perform while crawling on your bellies through deep snow.”

Sloan paused for a heartbeat before answering. It was so fast that Ted would have missed it had he not been looking for it.

“The girls went first and managed to crawl through a trail the Horde had recently made while out looking for game. If any of the guards had happened across our tracks, they would think that they were made by the hunters.”

Ted caught the glance shared between Sloan and the girl named Valery. She gave the slightest nod, just the barest tilt of her head. She went back to staring absently at the fire. The General's brow furrowed even more. There was no concrete evidence for his misgivings but he could not help but feel that Sloan was lying.

* * *

General Smith set guards around the perimeter of their camp, in case the Horde sent men out to look for the missing captives. Sloan shared a tent with a fellow Protector while the two women sat huddled by the fire. Ted watched them for a time from the shadows
beneath the great pines. The elder, Valery, was a tall girl, with jet-black hair pulled back in a severe bun. She wore a thick bearskin cap with flaps that came down over her delicate ears. She tried unsuccessfully to catch the eyes of the men around camp. Her plump red lips pursed in annoyance. Her demeanor suggested that she was not used to being ignored, which did not corroborate the story Sloan told that she was a slave.

The younger girl, Amber, was a slight, delicate thing with pale skin, auburn hair, and big blue eyes. She kept her gaze averted, except for brief glances to the men moving about the camp. Large tears rolled down her cheeks. Her demeanor was that of a slave, trying her best to remain unobtrusive.

Ted wanted very much to know their story. What were their positions in the camp? How had they managed to gather the white furs and hide them near the latrines with no one seeing? Did they have them hidden for long months waiting for the perfect opportunity for escape or had they somehow stashed the garments after Sloan had been taken? Why would they risk their lives to save a stranger? His gut told him things were not as they seemed.

General Smith approached the pair. “I will show you to a tent.” He waited patiently for the two to rise and reluctantly leave the warmth of the fire. “I have a few questions I would like to ask you as we walk.”

“If you don't mind, General, we are weary. Perhaps the chat can wait until tomorrow.” Valery put her arms around the other girl's shoulders.

“No. It can't.” He turned and began walking toward the tent the two women would share. “I am curious to know more about the two of you. How did you come to be in the Horde encampment?”

“My family was captured when I was a child.” Valery's voice had no emotion as she told her story. “My parents were put to death but my life was spared. The Horde is always in need of slaves. I learned early on to cooperate.” Her voice took on a sarcastic turn at that last word. “Amber arrived a few months ago. She was alone when they brought her and she won't speak of where she came from before.” Valery glanced at the other girl as she said this.

“How did you manage to secret away the furs? Seems quite a feat.”

“The hunters had had a run of luck and killed a number of animals with their snowy winter pelts. I convinced my captor and holder to acquire some for me, that I might make him some fine clothes.” Her lips curled in a wicked grin. “He acquired most of the pelts, either through luck at cards or by sheer force. He is strong, my captor. I had more than enough to make him a shirt and a warm coat, with plenty left over. Once he tried on his new clothes, he never thought to ask what happened to the rest. Each time I had to visit the latrines in the night, I would take some and hide them under my own clothing.” She shrugged. “It wasn't that difficult to dig a hole and bury them.”

They had arrived at the tent. One of the Protectors had brought in several large rocks that had been heated near the small, smoke-less fire and placed them at one end of the furs and blankets. The hot rocks, along with their own body heat, would be sufficient to keep the women warm.

Valery glanced at the tent with disdain. “There is no fire?”

“There is no hole for the smoke and you will not be in long enough to require a fire. We leave in a few hours.” The General turned to go.

“Thank you, sir. We are grateful for your kindness.” Amber's eyes met his for a moment before darting back to the ground.

Ted bowed his head slightly to the young woman and walked toward his own tent. He signaled to one of the Protectors standing nearby to keep an eye on the girls. As he passed the tent Sloan was sharing with a fellow Protector, General Smith sighed and signaled another Protector to watch that tent as well. He hated having to guard one of his own but he still did not trust the two girls and therefore, he could not fully trust Sloan. There was more to the story, and until such time as the answer to the riddle made itself known, he would have to be cautious.

He made his way to his tent after saying good night to No Name. He scratched her ears and smiled fondly as her liquid brown eyes closed in ecstasy. His thoughts turned to the day when he must leave this planet and return home. The idea of leaving his beloved friend behind was more than he could bear.

Forka had wondered what would happen were he to try to take No Name through the portal. To his knowledge, no one had attempted to take a beast through. Would they even be able to pass into it? Or would it remain a solid surface? If she
could
pass through, would the mare emerge on Gentra in a form similar to the native Gentrans or would she resemble the scrago, the similar beast on his planet?

Passing through the portal was painful and terrifying. Emerging from the portal was disorienting, at least until one got used to their new body. How could someone explain to an animal what was happening to it? He imagined emerging from a portal onto an alien world would most likely drive a beast like No Name insane.

No Name whickered softly and nuzzled his face, almost as if she could sense his dark thoughts. He gave her one last scratch and went to catch what sleep he could before they made their way back home.

* * *

The General had everyone up and moving a few hours past dawn. They stumbled out of the tents, yawning and rubbing sleep from their eyes. The Protectors went straight for the horses and began saddling and bridling them. The animals pranced about in the snow, eager to be off.

The General stood outside his tent, thoroughly unhappy at having to be out in the frigid cold.
How I hate this awful season.
Though he knew winter would soon be over, it didn't stop him from cursing its existence anyway. The climate changes that had wracked the planet changed the time of the seasons and winter's hold lasted for longer than it used to.

The General stood and watched the men for a time. They had no idea what the world had been like centuries before. The landscape of the past would have been frightening to the men and women of today.

Ted settled his gaze on Sloan. He felt a wave of emotion as he looked at the man he had once trusted beyond question. Nothing was outwardly, vastly different. He tended to his own mount and
talked to no one, not even the animal. Sloan surreptitiously glanced about the camp.

He is looking for the two women.
Ted knew he should be overjoyed that he had managed to retrieve his Chosen without loss of life, and yet he felt anxious, a faint stirring in his belly, as if he was being watched by a predator.

Valery and Amber made their way back into the trees to empty their bladders in private. He heard Amber squeal as her bare bottom touched the cold snow. The other girl laughed. It had a rich timbre to it. They finished and walked over to the General.

“Why is there no fire?” Valery demanded.

“We are leaving soon. No reason to waste time building a fire.” He continued to check his cinches.

“What about breakfast?” Valery had her hands on her hips and glared at the General.

“We will eat hard biscuits and dried beef as we ride,” Ted said curtly.

This girl certainly doesn't act like a terrified slave.

He climbed in the saddle and gave the signal to move out. Tess handed the girls their breakfast. She rode away, ignoring the scowl on Valery's face as she looked at the meager fare.

Valery sat on her gelding, tall and proud. Her face had a permanent sneer that looked out of place on the face of a supposed slave. Ted could not imagine her being treated very well at the Horde camp if she acted as she had thus far.

Amber rode her gelding like someone who had never sat on a horse before. She had a death grip on the saddle horn and a grimace of pain on her face. She refused to meet anyone's eyes.

Valery reached out to steady the girl and Amber flinched from her touch. Valery slapped her hard across the face. She then reached out, grasped Amber's arm, and pinched, softly at first, then harder as the girl whimpered. Amber stifled a cry and her eyes darted left and right, almost as if she were trying to catch someone's eye. Valery laughed. Amber hunched her shoulders against the pain and tried to pull her arm back from Valery's grip.

“What is the meaning of this?” Ted jerked No Name to a stop in front of the two geldings.

Valery's lush red lips curved into a slow smile. “Oh, there is no need for concern, General. Amber and I were just playing.” She gave the girl a hard glance. “Weren't we Amber, dear?”

Amber stammered an inaudible reply.

“Playing? Doesn't seem like she is enjoying it much,” the General said.

Valery reached for the girl again, but Amber was able to back the gelding away from Valery. Tears ran freely down her cheeks as she tried unsuccessfully to stifle her sobs.

The General growled orders to two of the closest Protectors to tie Valery's hands to the saddle horn and her feet to the stirrups. The woman screamed and put up a fight, bloodying the nose of one and biting the hand of another. Ted hissed.

She will bring the Horde down on our heads!

Brent and Mark grabbed her arms while Martha and Tess fought to keep the frightened horse from bolting into the woods. Ted grabbed a piece of cloth and fashioned a gag. He unceremoniously shoved it into the girl's open mouth, securing it with another piece of cloth tied around her head. Valery's brown eyes blazed as she met Ted's piercing blue ones.

Amber cried out as Valery was being tied up. She clumsily tried to guide her mount next to Valery's dancing gelding but her terror and inexperience were being transferred to the horse, who pranced and moved everywhere but where Amber wished him to go.

“Please stop! You're hurting her!” Amber reached for the tall dark-haired beauty

The General reached for the reins of the frightened, confused animal. Amber scrambled off the horse as soon as it came to a halt. She ran to Valery and grabbed her foot, pressing her face against the woman's calf. She sobbed and babbled incoherently.

Ted was dumbfounded. He had expected the girl to be grateful. He did not understand her reaction in the least. Several Protectors tried to console Amber and bring her away from Valery but she screamed and cried every time anyone came near her.

The General had to put a stop to this nonsense.

“ENOUGH!” His voice carried over the din and the noise level dropped considerably. Amber refused to look up as he approached.