Scent of Valor (Chronicles of Eorthe #2) (6 page)

Chapter Nine

The wheeled cage rocked back and forth repeatedly over the rutted road. Peder’s stomach rolled. If he’d had anything in his gut, he’d have lost it, but the vampires only gave them sips of water. Barely enough to keep his thirst at bay. Ahead of them menaced clusters of tall buildings, which extended as far as his eye could see. He twisted back around and memorized landmarks they passed so when he managed an escape, he could lead Kele home.

She leaned next to him, against the metal bars that separated females from males. Her fur brushed over his. There were twenty of them crammed inside the small space. It would have been twenty-one, but the female who’d entered the vampire leader’s tent last night never returned. Seven of the shifters came from the Temple attack. The others were from another tribe, west of Benic’s land. All of them were from different packs, but under the circumstances such division hardly mattered.

Jostling Kele with his elbow, Peder woke her from a drowse. “If you escape the city, you should head in that direction.” He pointed to a hill that crested like the moon. “Stay north until you pass the farmlands. Keep the mountains in front of you until you reach the forest. From there, you should find scent trails to lead you to Temple lands.”

Kele stared at his hand, not where it pointed. “You think we’ll escape?”

“Don’t you?”

She clanked her chains. “Not with these on.”

“They can’t keep us chained forever. How will we labor for them if we can’t move?”

“If they don’t keep me chained, then they will get a taste of how sharp my claws are.” She extended them fully.

Peder set his hand over hers through the bars. “Don’t. It won’t do do you any good, but it will probably get you beaten. Then I’d have to carry you home.” He winked at her surprised expression. “Can you pretend you’re omega? Just for a little while.”

“I—I don’t know. I’ve never tried. My whole life has been about not showing weakness or fear. Now you want me to do the opposite.”

“Sometimes meekness can get you further than brute strength. The worst thing you can do is draw attention.”

“With this fur, how can I not?”

He sighed and stroked her silken coat. How indeed? She was easily the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. How could he keep her safe? He saw the way vampire eyes caressed her in feral form. What would they do when she shifted to civil? Maybe all that training with Sorin in the challenge rings would come in useful after all, but only if he was free. Caged or chained, he wouldn’t have any power to protect her.

She glanced over her shoulder. “I’ve never been to a city before. Do you think it’s much different than Benic’s castle?”

He shrugged and swallowed the bile building in his throat, either from the sickening motion or the thought of that traitorous vampire—he wasn’t sure. Benic would stick his sword in Peder at the first chance possible. The vampire had made his loathing for Peder very clear. The way Benic watched Kele and the familiar way she spoke of him knotted Peder’s gut even more. “Had you been to his castle before he took you and Susan captive?” He gouged the wooden floor of the cage with the tip of his claw. Pretending it was Benic’s back helped his stomach.

“No. I’d never left the forest before then.” She kept glancing back at the city. “There are a lot of buildings. I didn’t know there were so many vampires.”

“There aren’t that many,” Nahuel replied. He sat next to Peder, his gaze pinned on Kele. “The city is filled with our tamer cousins and other types of shifters from across the ocean.”

“How do you know?” Peder leaned forward.

Nahuel had the build of a hunter but he’d grown quiet on their trip south. Most of the other males had roared and snarled until the vampire leader grew tired of them and shot them with darts. Only he and Nahuel remained conscious on their side of the cage. He didn’t want to start liking the male who would steal Kele from him.

“My pack trades with a caravan that travels from this city once a month. I’ve heard many stories of New Berg.”

“So many are domesticated?” Kele searched for and grabbed Peder’s hand. “I’ve no wish to live as a farmer.”

“Not our people.” Nahuel shook his head. “Most of these shifters traveled from across the ocean. Their lands are full and hunting rights are tight. They’ve been under the vampire yoke so long they don’t remember their own cultures. Many have come here looking for space. Not all are wolf shifters either. The last caravan had some female cat shifters from Afrika. Lion, I think. Kicked a couple of my hunters’ asses.” He chuckled and elbowed Peder in a knowing way.

For once, he was actually naïve to what Nahuel hinted at. He’d never been with anyone but wild wolf shifters. Peder hadn’t even met a domesticated shifter until breaching Benic’s castle and he hadn’t stayed long.

Did cat shifters live in packs like wolves?

The sun had passed its zenith, but they would enter the city before sunset. This was good. He could study the buildings closer. Running within a city should be comparable to the tight woods of his valley home. One needed a good path to keep from getting lost.

He squeezed Kele’s hand. “We can’t afford to be separated.” They needed to escape before that happened.

Nahuel leaned forward and sniffed at his fur. “Apisi?” His gaze strayed to Kele. “Why did you agree to our mating if you’ve given him your heart?”

Peder dropped her hand as if stung. “Her heart doesn’t belong to me.”

“Then why do you keep touching her like it does?”

“Nahuel, this isn’t the time or place for this.” Kele sounded exhausted, her voice quiet and sad. “And Peder, stop playing games. My soul aches too much for such things.”

The hunter tilted his head as if waiting for Peder’s answer.

He shrugged. Peder understood females as well as the next male. “I haven’t the heart to play games either.” Shifting his hips, he faced Kele. “You agreed to mate him. Not me.”

She turned her back on them both. “I did only after you stopped writing me.”

Nahuel snorted in disgust. He returned to his spot in the cage. “We’re here.”

“Wait.” Peder held up a claw to Kele and twisted to face Nahuel. “What?”

He pointed over his shoulder.

The road continued into the city and had grown more crowded. People paused to peer into the cage and some pups ran alongside, calling out to each other about the wild shifters arriving.

Peder stared at the city folk, all thoughts of studying their path forgotten. Some of these shifters stared back, a blank, forlorn look in their eyes. Their threadbare clothes barely covered their civil flesh. A few didn’t even have boots and tread the street barefoot. His gaze wandered to the brands on the backs of their hands. Their future watched them pass, a warning of things to come.

His heart thudded so loud in his ears he didn’t hear Kele call his name until Nahuel poked his side.

She knelt by the bars separating the cage, her chained hand reaching toward him. “As soon as they open the door we should fight. The three of us together have a chance.”

Peder shook his head. “Our ankles are bound. How far do you think we can run before they ride us down or dart us once more? Do you want to end up like that omega female that is missing today?”

She blinked and searched the other females on her side of the cage. Kele hadn’t noticed the female missing. Why would she? Omegas were low in pack hierarchy, shadows in comparison to the hunters. The missing female had acted like an omega. They weren’t very good at denying people anything. He knew firsthand.

Yet when ordered to shift Peder had denied the vampire leader. Six months ago he wouldn’t have been able to say no. He would like to claim his denial came from his growing courage, but honestly he’d been so focused on Kele’s well-being that it hadn’t occurred to him to comply to anyone’s demands but hers.

“Then what do you suggest?” Nahuel asked.

“Stick together. Build the vampire trust until they take these shackles off us. Then we take the first chance to run.”

“Trust?” He spat out the question.

“The more you act like an animal, the more they’ll treat you like one. I’m not asking you to cower. Just don’t…bite.” Peder meet Nahuel’s stare as an equal. At this point, pack hierarchy no longer existed and the hunter needed to understand that from now on they were both just slaves. “Can you manage that?”

This could be more difficult than he’d thought. He’d been trying to change his way of behaving from omega to hunter for months. Now he wanted Nahuel and Kele to change overnight from hunter to omega. They were doomed.

After winding through the city’s many streets, he’d lost track of their path. He hadn’t imagined such a maze of roads and buildings. They’d have to follow their noses if they didn’t go blind with the growing stink. He recalled this combination of body odor, animal and waste. It curled his nose hairs. The sound of water lapping the shore drew louder and the scent of fish mingled with the city smell.

Nahuel retched.

“The smell is not as strong if you try breathing through your mouth.” Peder patted Nahuel’s back and faced forward so he could see their destination. The buildings were lower here, with fewer spectators. They passed an empty wooden stage and neared an even larger cage than the one they were riding in.

Males exited the large building in front of them and approached the vampire leader. “How many you got, Huan?” the tallest asked. His skin reminded Peder of black, rich earth and he looked as if he could twist these metal cage bars with his bare hands. In the mix of smells, Peder couldn’t make out his species.

“Wolf shifters from the West.”

“You weren’t gone long enough to get all the way west and back.”

“We rode hard.” Huan, the vampire leader, dismounted. “They’re already branded. I want to move the inventory fast, Timothy. Any way you can place them on auction tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” The dark male’s eyebrow rose. “Why should I let you jump line? You don’t think the other slavers want to get paid?”

The vampire leader held out a clinking leather pouch. “Two of them have very pretty pelts. They’ll sell fast and at a good price. I didn’t even taste them.”

Timothy strode to the cage, peering between the bars until his gaze focused on Peder’s fur. It then traveled to Kele. “Maybe we should just keep and breed them. Their pups might be worth more.”

Before he knew it, Peder hit the metal bars with his forehead as his teeth snapped at Timothy. Pain shot through his head from the impact, but not enough to stop his need to tear out the slaver’s throat. They would never touch a single hair on any of Peder’s offspring.

Strong arms wrapped around his chest and tugged him from chewing on the bars. “You’ll chip a tooth.” Nahuel’s voice reached his ears. “I thought you told us to play nice. For an omega, you sure have a temper.”

Sinking to the floor, Peder leaned against the hunter and shook his head. And he’d been worried about them behaving. He’d been spending too much time with his pack hunters.

Timothy had jumped back from the cage. “Too bad he’s so pretty. That kind of rage can do well in the challenge rings. Unload them,” he ordered his men.

As one they converged on the cage, opened the door on the female side first, and pulled them out one by one.

Peder leaned as close as he could to Kele with bars between them. This could be the last time he ever saw her. “Kele, I never stopped writing you.”

She twisted to meet his gaze, her eyes wide, but they yanked her by the chains and dragged her out.

Chapter Ten

Yaundeeshaw hunters raced onto Temple lands, surrounding Benic and his men. Their muskets were still on the fucking horses. Very shortsighted of him to think they’d been safe. He’d been so focused on the death and disappearance of the Payami shifters, he’d forgotten the Yaundeeshaw had also lost their alphas. His relationship with this pack was less than amicable.

Sorin, standing straight on hind legs, his arms crossed over his chest, faced the hunters. The scars on his body, won from his challenges and badges of honor among both domestic and wild shifters, were visible even through his thick fur.

One by one, the hunters slowed at the sight of him until only their leader approached Sorin. “We haven’t any qualms with the Apisi. Stand aside, Alpha.”

Though a small pack, the Apisi were feared due to their fierce reputation. Bathed in blood since his birth, Sorin was regarded as unstable by all the other alphas of the tribe. It eased Benic’s ego somewhat to know he wasn’t the only one who had nightmares of this shifter.

“The Temple grounds are sacred, a place for prayer and celebration. Hasn’t there been enough blood shed here?” Sorin gestured to the forest floor.

“We want the vampires.” The hunter’s fur rose along his spine as he pointed at Benic and his men. “They killed our alphas. We won’t rest until they’re avenged.”

“For the last time, I didn’t kill them.” He held out his sword away from his body as a sign of surrender. “You can smell the truth on me.”
Please, let them smell it.
The longer they delayed there the colder Kele’s trail would grow.

The hunter crouched as if ready to pounce on Benic.

Before the Yaundeeshaw hunter moved another muscle, Sorin pinned him to the ground. With sharp teeth to his throat, the alpha shook the hunter like he was nothing more than a naughty pup. Twisting his body, Sorin tossed the big Yaundeeshaw back among his pack. “I said enough blood has been spilled.” Sorin stood once more. “Unless you want to challenge my authority as the only living alpha on this land, I suggest you go home and mourn your dead.”

The hunter climbed to his feet. “You can’t kill all of us.”

Sorin grabbed Benic by the upper arm and strode toward the Yaundeeshaw hunters. “No, I can’t, but I’ll be sure you are the first to die.” Most of the attacking shifters crouched closer to the ground and crept out of Sorin’s reach. He yanked Benic next to the hunter who wanted a taste of vampire flesh. “I will lead this search for the killer and dole out punishment since I seem the only one present capable of rational thought.” He poked the hunter in the chest with a pointed claw. “As is customary, one week of mourning—no challenges are to be started for alpha succession before then. In the meantime, Benic will organize a search for the killers and bring the missing home.” Sorin glared at each person in turn. “There is no doubt vampires were involved, but Benic claims they are not his and he smells of truth. I’m sure our vampire
lord
wants to take part in the hunt to ensure this will never happen again.”

Benic nodded, as it seemed the best way to keep his head attached to his shoulders. “Of course, I do.” And he did, but not for those reasons. This was his chance to prove to Kele he truly did care for her. Rescuing her might be what he needed to gain her and her pack’s forgiveness.

“This goes for the Payami as well, Ahote. One week of mourning before challenges start.”

The dark shifter nodded. “How will we learn of what you’ve discovered?”

“Once this time has passed, send representatives to Temple land. I or someone else representing my pack will be here and can pass on the information.”

Reluctantly, the Yaundeeshaw hunters agreed and left the Temple area. The Payami began to melt into the forest.

“Ahote, wait. A word in private.” Sorin gestured for the large hunter to join him and Benic. “I cannot go on this quest. Susan is due to drop puppies any day. I wish to remain at her side.” He spoke softly so no others could hear. “I want you to aid Benic in finding our lost ones.”

“You think it’s wise?” Ahote’s ears leaned forward. “The Yaundeeshaw might take insult for not including them.”

“Do I look like I give a dog’s shit? I know nothing of the Yaundeeshaw or the Payami for that matter except I don’t want either of you on my lands. But I do know you.” He rested his large clawed hand on Ahote’s shoulder. “You’re a hunter of worth. I can trust you to do your best to bring both Kele and Peder back.”

“And you don’t trust me to do this?” Benic asked.

“I trust you to find them, but returning Kele to her pack or allowing Peder to live—I have my doubts.”

“Then why include me at all?”

Sorin bent so their gazes collided. “Because the vampires probably took them into vampire territory, something I think you are an expert on. Ahote will have better access to people with a vampire lord at his side.”

Benic jerked from Sorin’s hold and faced Ahote. “What of their scent trail?”

“It leads out of the forest. We assumed it was you and went to the castle instead of following its path. I can find it easily. They used a heavy wagon to carry the shifters away.”

“Most likely a cage.” Poachers. When he’d first taken over these lands, he’d had problems with poachers stealing his shifters. He’d made a fine example of their corpses to dissuade any further trespassing. It seemed their memories had faded. “Chances are they’re slavers and will be heading south to sell the shifters they’ve captured in New Berg.”

Sorin roared at the mention of slavers. The sound almost stopped Benic’s heart. “Hurry then. Before they’re sold and it grows harder to find them.”

“That was my plan from the start, Alpha. You may have a poor opinion of me but your safety has always been my priority.”

Sorin showed Benic his teeth. On a shifter in feral form, it couldn’t be mistaken for a smile. “Then you’ve done a poor job of it.” He melted back into the forest and vanished.

Benic hung his head. Why did he care what these creatures thought of him? He could die in their defense but they would still call him a traitor and spit on his corpse. Or eat it. Either way, part of him still yearned for the respect of such a noble society where truth reigned and politics were about strength, not cunning.

Ewald reclined in a chair next to the hearth where a small fire burned. Pemma suspected it was more for light than for heat. She sat on a thick cushion by his feet, darning pack socks. It was mindless work that kept her idle fingers busy but she liked contributing to her pack. Being by Ewald’s side at all times isolated her from them. Wolves needed the pack, especially their omegas. She sighed and swallowed around the hard lump in her throat.

However, Lord Weis had given them fine rooms with a receiving area and access to the gardens, a kind gesture for the son of an old acquaintance. Her pack was given servant quarters in the cellars. Some grumbled of the stink. She couldn’t blame them. Cold and damp, the space smelled of death and shadows. If she wasn’t careful, one of the other females might try to steal her place. That wouldn’t be so terrible, if any of them were as good as getting information as she was. The last thing her pack needed was a useless female in Ewald’s bed.

Gramp, her alpha and maternal grandfather, sat in the chair next to Ewald. He stroked her hair in an absentminded way. One of the duties of an omega was to bring comfort and she could scent Gramp’s worry. She served as reminder as to why they’d journeyed so far from home. He wanted his great-grandchildren to live wild.

Ewald stared at the flames and rubbed his chin. “Only two?”

“Yes, sire. Most of the shifters in these parts are already settled in jobs or farmland. When I offer them a chance to go west, I’m laughed at as if I were mad.”

She hesitated for only a moment. She had to pretend not be listening but the news explained Gramp’s mood.

Only Ewald’s eyes moved to her alpha. “Truly? That’s disconcerting.”

She set aside her finished work and pulled out another pair of holey socks. If they traveled, she must make sure they purchased better quality footwear for the hunters. They would be depending on them more than ever once in the wild. It sounded like it would be worse than anyone had imagined.

“Quite. From what I’ve gathered, those who travel west to settle the land don’t return.”

His lord chuckled. “Well, of course they don’t return, they’ve settled their new land. They’ve made homes. Why would they return?”

“What I mean, sire, is there’s no trace of the settlements. The government has sent out troops to hold the forts but the places are empty.”

She shivered. Adventure had once seemed grand—they’d been foolhardy to have crossed the ocean.

“Well, we haven’t the coin to travel back home and we can’t live off Lord Weis’s generosity forever. I have a deed for a large span of land on the other side of the Gray Mountains. We just need to figure out how to get there alive.”

“I’m told the wolf shifter packs are large in the West.” Gramp stopped petting her and clasped his hands in front of him. “They live in feral form more than civil.”

“The packs along these shores were just as wild, Gramp, and my people tamed them. We will do the same in the West. Once they see how much easier it is to live among us, they’ll change their minds.”

Pemma stared at the hole in the sock that she held. The wild packs along these shores hadn’t known of vampires or horses or gunpowder. The element of surprise and the vampires’ unfair warring tactics had won these lands. Not open hands of peace. The wild packs of the West had the advantage of foreknowledge of vampire weaponry, and so far they defeated every vampire incursion. Maybe they could settle in this city instead?

“We’ll do as in Europa. We’ll offer them peace, shelter, and food in exchange for honest labor.”

She turned to meet Gramp’s gaze. Ewald’s gentle heart would be the death of them. They had to protect their pack and she couldn’t stay quiet anymore. Not with her pack’s lives at stake. “I’m not sure they’ll care about those things. If they had, the West would be settled.”

Ewald made a noise of frustration. He watched the fire as if future visions might lie within. “Then we’ll have to be well armed. We knew this wouldn’t be an easy endeavor. What more can we offer the local shifters for them to follow us?”

Gramp shrugged. “I’ve offered them all I could as an alpha. Most are already ensconced in their own packs. Oddly, I’ve discovered no strays in the city.”

“That’s because they’d probably been sold as slaves.” No one heard her quiet retort. She was better for it. Her views on the subject had not been welcome with Ewald. He didn’t understand her loathing of the practice since she’d chosen a life of servitude. But that was the difference he couldn’t understand. She’d
chosen
to be omega. It was her nature to please others and in return her pack offered her safety. The slaves weren’t given such a choice, and from the welts on their backs she didn’t think they were safe.

“The only trade coming in from the West are slavers and trappers.”

“Have you spoken to any of these men?”

“I’ve tried, sire, but they’re vampires and most don’t see me as more than a potential coin lost.”

“Vampire slavers?” Ewald rose to his feet and poured brandy into three glasses. He gave one to both her and Gramp. No matter what anyone said of vampires, Ewald cared for them in his own way.

She sipped at the drink and savored the bright burn in her throat. “Maybe you should go speak with the owner of the auction place we saw on our way here?” Her question seemed scatterbrained but she knew Gramp wanted to turn the conversation toward this subject. He’d briefed her earlier this morning while Ewald visited with Lord Weis.

“That’s an excellent idea, Pemma.” Gramp patted her on the head and tossed back his brandy in one shot. He didn’t get the pleasure of alcohol often. Her grandmother hated it. She’d be furious with him later. There was no way to hide the stench of alcohol on one’s breath.

Pemma smiled at the image of Gram chasing after Gramp with her walking stick. Maybe she could sneak away from Ewald and hang out with the pack later this evening to see it play out in real life.

“You want me to speak with slavers?” Ewald’s eyes went wide. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Make the arrangements. I’ve never been to a slave auction.”