Warlord (9 page)

"I know my truth, Keir." He smiled as I asked my next question. "Courting?"

"The other Warlords are given a chance to court the Warprize, to show that they are more skillful in battle and in leadership." Keir reached out to twist one of my curls around his finger. "So they each will court you, to try to get you to pick them."

I snorted softly, and he smiled.

"So, in the morning ..." I prompted.

"Keekai will come for you. You will be removed from my protection, and taken under hers. She will ask if I have provided for you, and brought you to the Plains safely. She will ask if you wish to return to Xy, or go the Heart to face the Council. She will offer to allow you a Guardian, someone that you trust to go with you. It is not required, and no, you cannot ask for me."

I closed my mouth with a snap.

Keir tugged the curl. "Either Rafe or Prest would be rewarded that way, for it is an honor to conduct the Warprize to the Heart." He growled slightly. "Normally, it is less than a day's journey, from the Warlord's camp to the Council tent."

"You trust Keekai." It was a question and a reminder.

"I do." Keir nodded. "She has great status and authority, and she will watch over you like a cat for its kits." He sighed again. "But I do not like this. I am trying to bring change to my people, Lara, and change is rarely bloodless."

I shivered at his words, then crawled into his arms, and placed my head on his chest. "I have to tell you the truth, Keir. I'm afraid." His arms tightened around me, and I shivered in his arms. "Marcus said that I have to—"

"Face your fear." Keir's voice was a soft whisper in my ear. "Easy to say, eh?"

I nodded, and hugged him closer. His breathing hitched slightly, and I lifted my head. "Keir? Am I too heavy?"

"No." He carded his fingers through my hair. "It's a comfort, to feel you next to me, skin to skin."

I smiled, and lowered my head to his chest and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath, taking in the scents of our tent, and the spicy smell of his skin. The warmth we shared beneath the blankets was one of those quiet pleasures that I didn't really appreciate until it was to be taken from me.

"I will tell you a truth, Lara." Keir's voice was soft. "I felt fear for the second time in my life as I lay ill. To have my body weaken that way, unable to move or aid myself." He shuddered beneath me. "I hope to never face that again. Now I know what I asked Marcus to deal with when he was injured, and I wonder that he didn't find a weapon and kill us both."

"Second time?" I lifted my head to look into his eyes. "When was the first? Your first battle?"

"Oh no." His voice was the barest of whispers. "I am trained for combat, my heart's fire." He shifted, moving us to our sides under the furs. "I have been angry and frustrated in battle, but not afraid. No, I swear to you that sitting beside you, terrified that every breath you drew would be your last, not knowing if you would live or die, and helpless to aid you—"

His words broke off, his pain so clear in his voice and eyes. I kissed him then, pressed soft kisses against his lips, his eyes, and his mouth. "I'm here, Keir. Alive and well."

"Never have the skies been so dark, never have I been so afraid." Keir pressed his forehead to mine. "And now I must watch you ride away with Keekai, to face the Council alone."

I lifted my head away, and stroked his cheek. "It will help that she looks so much like you. Could she be your mother?"

"The one who bore me?" Keir shrugged, and I knew he didn't see how that could be important. In Water's Fall, Atira had told me that the women of the Plains did not raise the children they bore.

Keir continued. "She is of my tribe, and a strong mentor and supporter, both as thea and as tribal elder and council member. You can trust her, Lara, as you trust me."

Bittersweet words. Keir and I had learned a hard lesson in Wellspring, about trusting in each other. Keir had said that trust could only be mended with time and deeds on both our parts. We'd sworn ourselves to each other, forever, with a new understanding of what that really meant.

I lifted my hands to press them to his cheek. "Keekai said that we would travel slowly. You will come as fast as you can. A few days, Keir. That's all." I smiled at him, through my tears. "I will tell them my truths and they will know that I claim you and only you as my Warlord."

"Lara." Keir kissed me then, with a hunger that I felt through my whole body. I surrendered to him, letting him ease his body over mine until he pressed me to the bed. My breath shuddered through my body as our passion rose between us.

Keir broke the kiss, hovering over me, his eyes glittering. I spread my hands over his chest, and brushed his nipples with the tips of my fingers. "Make me believe that the sun will not rise, my Warlord."

Keir crushed his lips to mine.

And in his arms, throughout the night, he almost convinced me.

Despite our efforts, morning dawned clear and cold.

A crowd had gathered before our tent, since word of my departure had spread during the night. I stood in the cleared area, with my bodyguards around me. Keir was off to the side, with Yers and the other warleaders. Iften was there, standing slightly apart, a smirk on his face, two of the warrior-priests at his side. I still couldn't tell them apart, except that both of them were male.

Keekai entered the cleared area, dressed in armor and looking so much like Keir that it took my breath away.

"Xylara, Daughter of Xy, from the Kingdom of Xy, you have been claimed as Warprize by Keir of the Cat, Warlord of the Plains." Keekai's voice carried to the crowd that had gathered around the dance area. I could tell that she was concentrating on her words, changing them to fit the setting. "He has brought you to the Plains, so that you may go the Heart of these lands and be confirmed as the Warprize. Have you taken anything from the hands of another on this journey?"

"I have not." I had to swallow to get the words out.

"Has he provided for you?"

"He has." My voice sounded stronger than I felt, which was good, since my stomach was filled with fluttering moths.

"I am Keekai of the Cat, Council Elder. I've been sent by the Council to escort you to the Heart of the Plains." Keekai held out her hand. "Step out from the protection of the Warlord, Xylara."

I walked forward, passing between Prest and Rafe, to stand alone before Keekai. I almost felt naked, I was so used to having my guards at my side.

"You are now under my protection, Xylara." Keekai placed a hand on the pommel of her sword. "Keir of the Cat cannot command your obedience or your actions. Do you understand?"

"I do," I said.

"A true Warprize is a rare thing. A Warprize represents chaos and upheaval. New thoughts, new ideas, and change. If confirmed by the Council of Elders, you will hold equal status with the warlords, and a place on the Council itself." Keekai looked out over the people gathered around us. "But to be an instrument of change is not an easy thing. Dangerous, even." She looked back at me and tilted her head to the side. "As the Plains themselves are a dangerous place."

I swallowed, but I held her stare.

"Do you understand, Xylara?" Keekai asked.

She wasn't telling me anything that I hadn't already heard. Still, it took me a moment to answer. "I do, Keekai."

"So." She paused, then continued. "I would ask you—do you wish to go to the Heart of the Plains to be confirmed by the Council as Warprize? Or do you wish to return to your land, to the arms of your people, to your home?" Keekai paused again to consider me closely. "None can force your decision. Speak, and it will be as you wish."

That was it, the offer of freedom. If I asked, I would be escorted back to Water's Fall, back to the arms of my loved ones.

Keekai's eyes were grim. "Understand what you do, Xylara, Daughter of Xy. You step into our world now, into our ways. A land unknown to you. Do you truly wish to leave what you have always known, for the unknown?"

She had sensed my fear. But the Plains were open and wide and something called to me to answer this challenge, and it wasn't just the love I felt for Keir. This was a chance to help my people and his. I turned my head to look at him, standing in the sun, wearing his chainmail, his arms crossed over his chest, a grim look on his face. But his eyes, they held the promise of all our tomorrows.

I turned back to face Keekai. I could feel the eyes of all the warriors on me, but I had no doubts as to my answer. "I wish to go to the Heart of the Plains, there to claim my Warlord."

Keekai's eyes were warm as the crowd parted to reveal Marcus leading Greatheart and a pack animal with supplies. Marcus came to stand just behind Keekai, hidden in his cloak.

Keekai spoke. "The Warlord has provided for your journey, Xylara."

"And did he provide that on her hip?" It was Still Waters, I think, or at least one of the warrior-priests standing by Iften. He was pointing at my satchel.

"Bought and paid for by my hand, in the city of Water's Fall." Keir voice was a low snarl, just this side of polite.

Still Waters sniffed, but said nothing more.

Keekai turned back to me. "Xylara, you have the right to a Guardian on this journey, one warrior familiar to you, to stand at your back, to see you safely to the Heart of the Plains. Would you have a Guardian?"

"I would." That caused a bit of a stir. Prest and Rafe exchanged glances and I could tell that they were pleased that one of them would be chosen. I was sorry to have to disappoint them.

"Who would you choose as Guardian?" Keekai asked.

I took a deep breath. "I choose Marcus."

The crowd around us exploded in anger.

Chapter 6

I'd known, of course, that Marcus was considered to be less than whole because of his injuries. Never mind that he still held his knowledge or skills. But Keir accepted him, and the others that I'd seen interact with Marcus did as well. I'd thought that Marcus was accepted by the majority of the warriors.

I was wrong.

From the crowd's glittering eyes and angry faces, it was clear that his disfigurement condemned him. To their way of thinking, he wasn't even a person.

I gritted my teeth in the face of their anger and repeated my words. "I choose Marcus of the—" I paused, unable to remember his tribe. "Marcus. I choose Marcus as my Guardian."

"She honors a cripple!" Iften exclaimed, and everyone started talking at once.

Marcus stood silent amidst the uproar, his eyes down. Only the white of his knuckles where he held Greatheart's reins gave away his feelings.

Keekai's voice cut through the rumble. Her face was neutral, but her eyes were sharp and hard. "Xylara. You are of a different land, and your ways are not ours." She gave Marcus a quick glance, then her gaze returned to me. "Your words are strange, you speak in a different tongue and this may cause confusion. The one you refer to is not—" She paused, as if looking for a word. "He is not eligible for this position. This honor."

"She mocks the elements and our ways," Iften snarled, looking around at the warriors. Heads nodded in agreement.

"Marcus saved my life twice with his weapons and his care," I snapped, letting my voice rise with my temper. "Without him, I would not stand here. How can he not be worthy?"

Voices arose, as angry warriors expressed their fury. And fury it was. I'd gone too far. Keekai called for silence not once, but three times, with no success.

As she tried to get control of the situation, Keir caught my eye. He was standing there, silent, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was sympathetic, but he gave me a slight shake of his head. If Keir didn't think I should push this issue . . .

Marcus moved, dropping Greatheart's reins, and knelt at my feet.

The voices all cut off as his cloak settled down around him. In the silence he reached out and took my hand. "You honor me, Warprize, and I thank you. But choose another."

"Marcus." My shoulders slumped as I whispered to him. "I want you with me."

He looked up then, his eye glittering in the shadow of his hood, and whispered back. "I wish to go with you. To see you safe. But do not deny the truth of what is, for what you wish to be." His voice rose. "Any warrior you choose is honor bound to see you safe to the Heart of the Plains, Warprize. Do not fear."