Chapter 2
Two
Redmon
The council fire crackled as Elder Sarrok droned on about hunting territory disputes. I shifted my weight, my thick hide scraping against the stone floor of the cave. The aroma of smoke and sweat filled my nostrils, mixing with the earthy smell of my kin gathered in a circle around the flames.
"The eastern ridge belongs to us by ancestral right," Sarrok insisted, his long claws gesturing toward the crude map etched into the cave wall. "The Crag Tribe cannot… "
A commotion at the cave entrance cut him off. Three figures stood silhouetted against the afternoon light. Two wore the unmistakable emblem of Magnus Terra on their uniforms. The third, a mapinguari like us but with the polished stones of a liaison dangling from his neck.
"Redmon of the Sylvan Tribe," the liaison called, his voice cutting through the murmurs. "Your presence is required."
Every head turned toward me. My muscles tensed, and I rose to my full height, towering over most of my tribemates.
"What business does Magnus Terra have with our war chief?" Elder Sarrok demanded, his protective instinct kicking in despite our earlier disagreement.
The liaison's expression remained neutral. "The Matching Program. He has been selected."
A cold knot formed in my gut. The Matching Program. Magnus Terra's solution to centuries of conflict with binding monsters and humans together through their twisted version of marriage. I'd heard rumors of the forced pairings, but our tribe had avoided them until now.
I stepped forward, my claws scraping against stone. "I never submitted myself to the program."
"Submission is not required when necessity dictates," one of the human officials said, her voice clipped and efficient. "The Accords of 2087 are clear."
Elder Sarrok moved to my side, his ancient eyes narrowed. "This is most unusual. Our war chief was not in the selection pool."
The liaison showed no reaction to the elder's concerns, merely extending a tablet. "The matching is final. Redmon will report to the Sacrarium at sunset for the binding ceremony."
I snatched the tablet, my claws nearly cracking the screen. The face of a human woman stared back at me, dark skin, defiant eyes, and a notation marking her as a healer from a human terramares. Kalyndi. My supposed mate.
"This is Thorne's doing," I growled, looking across the council circle at Ravik, cousin to the leader of our rival faction. His lips curled in the barest hint of satisfaction. "Your clan pushed for this."
Ravik shrugged one massive shoulder. "Perhaps Magnus Terra simply recognized your special appreciation for humans."
The implication hung in the air. My less aggressive stance toward humans had always made me suspect among certain factions of our tribe.
"Go," Elder Sarrok said quietly. "We will discuss this matter while you prepare."
The officials seemed pleased by this apparent compliance. They turned to leave, expecting me to follow.
"I'll be there," I said coldly. "At sunset."
After they departed, chaos erupted in the council cave.
"This is an outrage!" roared Karsa, one of my most loyal warriors. "They can't just take our war chief!"
"It reeks of political maneuvering," growled another.
I turned to Elder Sarrok, whose ancient eyes revealed nothing. "You don't seem surprised."
The elder sighed, motioning for me to follow him to a private alcove away from the others. When we were alone, he spoke in hushed tones.
"I was informed this might happen."
My hide bristled. "You knew?"
"The Thorneclaws approached the Magnus Terra officials. They suggested you specifically for the program."
"And you didn't warn me?" I felt betrayed. Heat rose in me, the distinctive rumble that preceded a mapinguari's roar building in my throat.
Sarrok held up a weathered claw. "Listen before you rage, Redmon. I supported the match."
The rumble died in my throat, replaced by shock. "You what?"
"Our position grows more precarious each season. The Thorneclaws gain influence with the humans. They trade with them, adopt their ways." He gestured to the cave walls, our ancestral home for generations. "They would see us removed from these lands."
"So you throw me to the humans instead?"
"I secure our position." His ancient eyes hardened. "With our war chief bound to a human mate, Magnus Terra will view our tribe more favorably. They will listen when we speak of territory rights."
I paced the small alcove, my claws leaving marks in the earth. "You've sacrificed me for politics."
"I've elevated your sacrifice into strategy." Sarrok placed a heavy claw on my shoulder. "This human, this Kalyndi, she is a healer of some renown. The match is not random."
I shrugged off his touch. "I am not a pawn to be moved on your game board, Elder."
"We are all pawns, Redmon. The question is whether we move with purpose or are simply taken." He turned back toward the council chamber. "Sunset approaches. You should prepare."
I stormed from the council cave to my dwelling, a spacious cavern adorned with the trophies of hunts and battles.
My reflection caught in a polished metal shield, a relic from some forgotten human war.
I barely recognized myself in that moment.
The proud arch of my back now hunched with tension, my usually alert eyes clouded with conflict.
What did I know of humans, really? I'd advocated for peace, yes. Argued against raids on their settlements. But to be bound to one? To share a dwelling, a life?
I gathered my ceremonial garments of leather and bone, symbols of my rank as war chief. The Thorneclaws had orchestrated this to weaken me, to remove me from the tribe's daily affairs. And Sarrok had allowed it, thinking he was being clever.
As I prepared, doubts gnawed at me. Was my fate now to be some political token? A monster husband kept to show how civilized humans had made us?
"Chief Redmon." A young mapinguari stood at my entrance. "It's time."
The Sacrarium loomed like a bad omen against the twilight sky, a massive glass and steel structure where Magnus Terra conducted their most important business. Humans in formal attire mingled with monsters from various tribes, all watching me with curious eyes as I entered.
I scanned the space, noting the unusual number of high-ranking officials present. Ministers and tribal liaisons who normally wouldn't bother with a simple binding ceremony. Whatever was happening here went beyond routine politics.
A commotion erupted at the far entrance. Two human guards appeared, flanking a struggling figure between them.
Kalyndi.
My first glimpse of my supposed mate wasn't the demure, willing participant I'd somehow expected. Instead, I saw a fierce, wild-eyed woman fighting against her captors with every step. Her dark skin gleamed with sweat from her efforts, her black hair falling in disarray around her face.
"I refuse!" she shouted, her voice carrying clearly across the Sacrarium. "You have no right!"
Something stirred in me at the sight, not desire, but a spark of recognition. She was as unwilling as I was.
"Proceed with the ceremony," ordered a human official, ignoring her protests.
They dragged her to the central platform where I stood. Up close, I could see the intelligence in her eyes, the stubborn set of her jaw. A fighter, this one. Not in my way, perhaps, but a warrior nonetheless.
"Is this how you treat your healers?" I asked quietly as they forced her to stand beside me.
Her eyes narrowed. "Is this how you build alliances? Through kidnapping?"
"This is not my doing," I replied.
"Silence during the sacred rites," intoned the ceremonial officer, a human in elaborate robes embroidered with both human and monster symbols.
The binding ritual began, ancient words from before the wars, when humans and monsters first sought peace rather than extinction for each other. I barely listened, more aware of the woman beside me, her body radiating tension and anger.
"The blood mixing will now commence," announced the officiant.
A young aide approached with ceremonial blades, silver for the human, obsidian for me. My hide was tough, but the volcanic glass sliced through easily enough when pressed to the special gland on my forearm. Dark reddish blood welled up.
Beside me, Kalyndi jerked away when they approached with the silver knife.
"No," she said firmly. "I didn't consent to this."
"The matching is binding under law," the officiant stated coldly. "Refusal at this stage carries consequences for your entire terramares."
I watched conflict play across her expressive face as outrage, calculation, then reluctant submission. She extended her arm, flinching as they sliced her skin, revealing bright red human blood.
The officiant pressed our wounds together, binding them with a silken cord.
The moment our blood mingled, something strange happened. A warmth spread up my arm, unlike anything I'd felt before. From Kalyndi's sudden intake of breath, she felt it too, a tingling, almost electric sensation that radiated from our joined arms.
"The binding is complete," declared the officiant. "What Magnus Terra has joined, let no being sunder."
Ceremonial words, but they carried the law. We were, for all purposes, mated. They removed the silken cord and dressed our wounds, but the strange warmth lingered.
"You will now be escorted to your dwelling," announced a Magnus Terra official. "On the border territory, as befits your unique union."
The journey to our new "home" passed in tense silence. Kalyndi refused to look at me, keeping as much distance as the transport vehicle allowed. I didn't bridge the gap. Whatever this arrangement was, it had begun with coercion on both sides. No pretty words would change that.
Our dwelling turned out to be a surprisingly spacious structure, neither fully human nor monster in design. Glass walls faced the forest on one side, solid stone on the other. Functional, but with obvious concessions to comfort.
"You will find all necessities provided," the official said, keying in a code that opened the main entrance. "The binding period requires seven days of cohabitation before either of you may leave the premises."
Kalyndi's head snapped up. "Imprisoned for a week with… " She stopped herself, glancing my way.
"With a monster?" I finished for her. "Yes, that seems to be the arrangement."
The official cleared his throat uncomfortably. "The binding period is traditional. It allows the... connection to strengthen."
The implication was clear in his careful phrasing. Magnus Terra expected more than cohabitation.
"We will return tomorrow to check on your progress," he added, retreating toward the transport.
When the door closed behind them, we were finally, awkwardly alone.
Kalyndi immediately put as much distance between us as possible, moving to examine the far side of the dwelling. I remained near the entrance, giving her space.
"So," she finally said, breaking the silence. "You're the war chief they decided to saddle me with."
"And you're the healer they picked to civilize me." I kept my voice neutral.
She turned, arms crossed protectively over her chest. "I was promised to someone else. In my terramares. Did they tell you that?"
I expected as much. "No. They didn't consult me either."
"Hmph." She surveyed the dwelling critically. "One bedroom."
"I'll sleep outside," I said immediately.
Surprise flickered across her face. "They won't like that."
"I don't particularly care what they like." I moved toward the door that led to the enclosed garden area. "I've had enough of being a pawn for one day."
"Wait." Her voice stopped me. "Why would you do that?"
I looked back at her, taking in the wariness in her stance, the barely concealed fear beneath her defiance. "Because whatever this arrangement is supposed to be, it won't begin with one more violation."
"They'll check on us," she warned. "They made that clear."
"Then I'll be close enough to satisfy their inspection." I opened the door to the garden. "No more, no less."
Outside, the night air carried the scents of the forest beyond our artificial dwelling. I settled on a carved stone bench, my hide tough enough to make the hard surface comfortable. From here, I could watch both the perimeter and the house itself.
True to my prediction, barely three hours passed before a figure approached from the direction of the compound. An official different from earlier, moving with the furtive posture of someone who didn't expect to be observed.
I rose silently, circling to intercept him before he reached the dwelling's entrance. The scent of human nervousness reached me before he saw my shape materializing from the shadows.
"Checking on us already?" I growled, letting my voice drop to the rumbling register that humans found so disturbing.
He startled, nearly dropping the scanning device in his hand. "This is a standard welfare check."
"At midnight?" I took a step closer, letting moonlight catch the ridge of protective spines along my back. "What exactly were you hoping to observe?"
"The matching records require verification of... cohabitation." He tried to sound official, but fear made his voice waver.
I let the rumble in my chest build until it vibrated the ground between us. Not quite a roar, but a promise of one. "Consider us verified."
His eyes widened. "But the protocols… "
"Tell your superiors that if another 'welfare check' approaches in the night, they'll find out exactly why I was made war chief." I leaned closer, letting him see my teeth. "Am I clear?"
He backed away, nearly tripping over himself. "Perfectly clear."
I watched until he disappeared into the darkness, then resumed my position on the bench. Through the glass wall, I could see Kalyndi standing in the shadows, watching. Our eyes met briefly before she retreated deeper into the dwelling.
Whatever game Magnus Terra was playing with our lives, I wouldn't make it easy for them. War chief I might be, but even war chiefs have lines they won't cross.
I settled in for a long night of guard duty, my first as a mated monster.