Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
T he plan worked better than I had hoped. Using the rain and the mud hid both our scents and the sound of our approach. It did make the hunt more difficult, crawling through the mud like that, since we couldn’t see one another through the deluge to know if everyone was in position. We had a general sense of how long it would take each person, and I waited until I assumed we were all ready before shifting to my knees in the tall grass and aiming my arrow at the nearest coiwak. It was one of the larger ones, which meant it would likely need more than one arrow to take it down, but I was prepared for that. Rath talked me through it, and as long as I focused, I could hit it twice without issue.
Letting out a slow breath, I aimed at the coiwak’s chest, right at its heart.
Please let this work.
Releasing the arrow, I quickly drew another without taking my eyes off the coiwak. It reared up when it was struck but stumbled immediately. I hoped it was a good sign but let loose another arrow just in case, this one striking the beast in the head. I jerked out another arrow, lining it up again, but the coiwak collapsed with a groan without running away.
Several thuds nearby made me think my brothers were successful as well, but I had no time to check. The noises startled the herd, but instead of running toward the open plains like they had been since we started watching them, they darted in my direction instead. A stampede of coiwak had me scrambling to get out of the way. If I was trampled, I would likely not survive.
A high-pitched whinny drew my focus, and Dhellgas came out of nowhere, rearing up and pawing at the air, forcing the herd to change directions. I ran for him, climbing quickly onto his back, and watched as the herd turned toward Orvak’s direction instead. I worried for him and urged Dhellgas into motion, racing for him.
Stallions were faster than coiwak, but the herd was closer than I was. When I was close enough to see him clearly, he was trapped in the middle of the herd, fighting to keep his feet, and I worried about him getting knocked down. If he did, the likelihood of me finding him in time would be slim.
Thankfully, Orvak was quick on his feet and managed to dodge the coiwak until I could get to him.
“Orvak! Here!”
Throwing out my hand, I reached for him, clinging to Dhellgas’s mane to keep me on his back. Orvak lunged for me, swinging himself onto the stallion’s back just before we passed him by. We ran with the herd, slowing until the coiwak could pass by us and we could turn around.
Once out of danger, we both fought to catch our breath, the fear making us breathless. When I looked over my shoulder at him, we both burst out laughing, letting go of the excess energy of the situation.
“I’m glad you’re both okay,” Rath said blandly as he approached. Rhos was not far behind him, worry for his brother written in his eyes. He only settled when Orvak hopped down and gave him a back-slapping hug. Watching your twin nearly get trampled had to be terrifying. I was glad Dhellgas was quick to act.
Patting his neck, I leaned to murmur to him. “I owe you big time. I will tell Godr to pamper you when we get back. Once he finds out what you did, he’ll likely give you all the treats.”
That seemed to make the stallion happy, his head bobbing in agreement. Chuckling, I jumped down from his back, grunting when Rath pulled me into a tight hug. The action surprised me, and it took me a second to hug him back.
“Rath?”
“They turned in your direction first. Had your stallion not been there…”
Tightening my grip on him, I smiled to myself. This was just a reminder of how much I loved my clan. Rath was not my blood brother, but he was my family, and he cared that I was safe and well. It meant a great deal to me that we could hunt together like this.
With a final clap on my back, he released me, jerking his chin toward the coiwak who were taken down in the hunt.
“Let’s see who was successful. Hopefully, we do not need to do this twice.”
It was hard to see from a distance with the pouring rain how many were taken down. I knew that mine was, and I’d heard thumps that made me think I wasn’t the only one who succeeded, but how many was a good question. Jogging down the hill, I tipped my head as we got closer.
“Three?”
I looked at the other hunters. Orvak and Rath both looked confused, so I doubted it was them who missed their shot, but when I glanced at Rhos, his face was flushed bright red. A slow grin pulled at my lips.
“Did you miss?”
“Not on purpose!” he grouched.
“Does one ever miss on purpose?” Orvak teased.
“What happened? Was the target too big?” I added with a smirk.
“Perhaps he needs more training,” Rath commented, a mask of stoicism ruined by the way his eyes danced with mirth. “I thought he was ready for such a hunt.”
Rhos groaned and dropped his head back, speaking to the skies instead of us. “Why must I be stuck with them? What did I do to deserve it?”
Laughing, I threw an arm around his shoulders, tugging him closer. “You love us. Do not pretend otherwise.”
He put up with more teasing while we prepared the dead coiwak to move. They were too large to tie to the stallions’ backs, so we’d brought a cart with us for the journey home. Rhos was assigned to draw the cart, since he missed his shot, but he was good natured about it, and his mount, a sweet and patient stallion, never seemed to mind pulling the extra weight.
“Luckily for you, Verus’s kill is large enough to cover your mistake,” Rath commented as we loaded the coiwak into the cart. Mine was so heavy, it took both of us to lift it.
Jerking my head around, I eyed him hopefully. “Does that mean what I think it does?”
Rath dipped his chin once, a slow smile spreading across his face. “I believe this is enough for Morak. It is time for us to go home.”
Relief and excitement exploded in me, and I couldn’t help but let out a whoop, thrusting my fist into the air. Finally, I would return to my Patrick. And once we were together again, I was going to ask him to bond with me. Orthorr would have to accept it, or we would leave once Patrick was able, but I would not go another day without Patrick knowing who he was to me.
It took a lot of encouragement, and several days of conversation, to convince Saneth that speaking with Tavik was the best plan of action. We offered him other ideas at first, since he seemed so against it, but none seemed good enough for him. It wasn’t until Yamileth found out why he was visiting that he was convinced, and only after she fed him two cups of very strong barbarian alcohol.
“I can’t have a full cup by myself,” Finn murmured, watching Saneth drain his second cup. “It only takes half to get me drunk. Any more and I’ll pass out. I don’t know how he can manage two.”
Snickering, I shook my head. Yamileth offered me some, but while I was no longer in the splint, I still needed a cane to walk and didn’t want to mess with my balance by drinking.
Saneth set his cup down with a thunk, his face screwed up in drunken determination. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Yamileth rolled her eyes. “We will not be joining you. This is a conversation between the two of you.”
I’d never seen Saneth pout before, but it was a little hilarious seeing such a tough barbarian stick out his bottom lip like that. Finn had to hide his laughter behind his hand, his shoulders shaking with the effort.
“But what if he hates me?”
“Then come back here and I’ll give you more ale,” Yamileth offered, waving him toward the entrance. “Now go before the storm starts again.”
The rain hadn’t stopped, but it was more of a heavy drizzle now, and there was no more lightning. I looked forward to when the weather changed, but spring rain lasted at least a month. We had a few weeks left.
With a whine, Saneth got to his feet, listing a little from the alcohol in his system. I steadied him with a hand on his arm, and Yamileth gave him a little push toward the tent flap. She followed him and watched him walk away before waving us closer.
“Come.”
“Where are we going?” I asked as I followed her, leaning heavily on my cane. The rain had made my leg ache since I’d hurt myself.
“We can’t hear them from here. He went around the bend. We need to get closer.”
“We’re going to eavesdrop?” Finn whispered harshly, even while he followed us both out of the cooking tent and in the direction Saneth had wandered off.
“Of course we are,” Yamileth chastised him. “Do you wish to miss it?”
I bit back a snicker, following close behind them. While eavesdropping on a private moment felt a little wrong, I couldn’t resist going along. I wanted it to work out for Saneth. In the past few days of talking to each other, he’d proved himself to be a nice guy. Head over heels for Tavik, which made him a little rash in how he acted, but he did apologize for the way he treated me. I liked him a lot, and I hoped he would find his happy ending.
We heard the conversation before we saw them. At least we heard Tavik while he ranted. I wasn’t sure if Saneth had even gotten a word in edgewise with the way Tavik was going off, and when we peeked around the nearest tent, Tavik was pacing and throwing his hands up to emphasize himself.
“I mean, what does he see in that casak? I am a warrior for the clan!”
Tuning out his ranting words, I murmured to Finn, “What does casak mean?”
He winced. “It’s a not nice term for outsider.”
I tried not to roll my eyes. Tavik was focusing on something I knew in my soul that Verus didn't care about. He didn’t care that I was from one of the towns. Most of the clan didn’t. Tributes were from the towns. They’d lose their way of life if they didn’t invite outsiders in.
“Tavik,” Saneth called out, trying to interrupt him. Tavik wasn’t listening, still ranting.
“He is making a mistake! Once he makes the bond, he will be stuck! I need to convince him before he ruins everything!”
“Tavik!” Saneth tried again. I watched in wide-eyed fascination as calm Saneth lost his temper, stepping in front of Tavik and shoving his shoulder hard. “Let him go! He has no interest in you! You are blind to not see it! You are blind to everything!”
Tavik looked stunned, taking a step back from his friend. “Saneth?”
Saneth shook his head roughly, glaring up at Tavik. “Your obsession with him is pathetic. He has never been interested, and you have wanted him for years.”
That probably wasn’t the way he wanted to start this conversation. I wished I could step in to stop him. The alcohol was probably loosening his tongue quite a bit, but if I came out of hiding, I would only draw Tavik’s attention and start his rant all over again. At least now, Saneth had his attention with his harsh words.
“I am not blind,” Tavik said defensively.
“You are,” Saneth growled. “I have been in front of you, loving you, for years, and you do not notice. You are too obsessed with what you cannot have.” Huffing out a derisive laugh, he shook his head. “I am no better for obsessing over you. No longer, Tavik. If you cannot let him go, then I cannot stand by you anymore. He has chosen another. Have honor and accept it.”