Chapter 13 #2
“Stones and stars,” Kai cursed. “Otekah announced the names. I have to find my mother.”
“Go,” Fala said. “Good luck.”
Kai turned—
A small mob descended.
She took to her back foot and reached inside for the words to calm the throng before they grew.
None came.
Fala clung to Kai’s arm, pressed tight to her side. If she got hurt in the fallout of this—
Atsadi bounded into the space before his wives, his arms spread like wooden beams. “Leave her be. Only the Grand Matriarch can demand these answers you seek.”
“See?” Fala whispered into her ear. “He’s not so bad.”
He was indeed a benefit in this situation.
Atsadi backed toward the women, his arms still outstretched, and spoke to them over his shoulder. “You two go on. Keep your heads down. I’ll remain here.”
“This could take a while,” Kai said, gripping Fala’s hand. “You don’t—”
Fala cleared her throat.
She was doing it again. Using excuses to maintain distance.
“Sit with us tonight,” Kai suggested. “At the clan meeting.”
Atsadi broke eye contact with the crowd to meet Kai’s gaze. A corner of his mouth lifted. “To sit with my wives is a privilege I’ve done nothing to deserve—yet. So, it would be my honor.”
Fala squeezed Kai’s hand and said, “And ours, husband.”
Kai started to pull Fala away, their path clear and safe. It wouldn’t have been if not for Atsadi.
She paused to face the man who put himself up against all the anger. “Thank you, Atsadi Rising Moon.”
He lowered his chin in a nod. “You are most welcome, Kai Silver Wolf. Now go.”
Kai let Fala lead her through the pathways and tunnels. If she didn’t, she’d likely end up soaking the night away in the healing pool instead of in Stoneheart Hall with the rest of the clans. Anywhere else that would eliminate the buzz in her head that sounded very much like her mother.
“You spit on ancient traditions at every turn.”
Was she right? Did Kai have so little regard for their clan heritage? Should she have turned a blind eye and chosen the better Silver Wolf warriors? Ignoring the best warriors because of their clan name?
“How many Quiet Rock younglings will suddenly shun the idea of healing? Broken Axe younglings will lose interest in the power of education. Who needs a balanced commerce when White Spirit can sire such powerful warriors, too?” Shadi had been well into a furious pace by then.
“We allow the more uniquely gifted in our clans to train outside clan specialties because it’s in the best interest of our people.
But to name them a member of your new Stormguard… it’s too much.”
Her mother had overreacted, yes, but maybe she had a point.
Kai’s chosen females would now become powerful role models, especially within their clans.
The Stormguard Legion was all anyone had talked about for the last week.
To be named was the highest honor Kai could bestow, as this had never been done.
Younglings throughout the mountain would now wonder if they, too, could be a great warrior despite their clan’s area of focus.
To Shadi’s point, they still needed Crimson Wing to manage commerce and trade.
If Steel Arrow strayed from hunting and gathering meat, it could result in starvation.
It was important that Shadow Water maintained the aqueducts and pumps.
And it went on and on. The balance of the clans kept them all alive.
“The clans will force my hand,” her mother had continued. “They’ll ask me to name Sitsi as my heir, and what will I say? I can’t very well rely on tradition to support my argument, can I? When my own daughter, the future of Silver Wolf, turns her back on it?”
Kai would normally have loved hearing that possibility, but all she felt was guilt.
Fala stopped moving, bringing their surroundings back into focus. The entrance to Stoneheart Hall loomed ahead, and a throng of bodies filtered slowly through the entrance.
“There’s Atsadi,” Fala said, pointing.
Their husband stood in the distance with another male from Rising Moon, the two near enough for a private conversation. The male with him spoke fast, as if trying to convince.
They must be friends.
Did Atsadi have friends, and if so, how many?
How many were in his family? She didn’t even know what Atsadi did for work—was he responsible for infrastructure, or was he a miner?
Did he love his work the way she and Fala loved theirs?
For all she knew, he dreamed of playing the lute with Bronze Raven but had never been allowed due to clan tradition.
Kai sighed. These were all things she’d learn if she bothered to talk to her new husband instead of treating him like a villain.
Atsadi did a double-take, spotting his wives in the crowd, and smiled.
Kai’s stomach flipped warmly, and she lowered her gaze while working on a dry swallow.
Fala squeezed her hand. “He’s very handsome, don’t you think?”
“He looks no different than most men.”
It was sort of true. He wore his hair long and dressed like most men from Rising Moon—often shirtless, like tonight—but he had sharper features.
His eyes were wide and expressive, and his smile made them crinkle in the corners.
In a way, he reminded Kai of her father, who was tall and muscular and commanding, and Atsadi’s earlier actions showed he was also thoughtful.
For Fala’s sake, Kai hoped Atsadi was half the man Kai’s father was.
Atsadi left his friend while the man was still talking, his entire focus now on his wives.
He greeted Fala first, the two grasping forearms and tapping their foreheads together.
His attention fell across Kai, and for the first time, she felt what it meant to be wrapped in his warm consideration.
However, that was where it ended, as he likely sensed her desire to step away from him if he reached out.
“You look well after your time with the Grand Matriarch,” he said to Kai.
“It went as expected.”
“She was furious,” Fala explained. “But she has allowed Kai’s decision to stand.”
Atsadi’s smile spread. “Good, because Kai already has much support from the clans. It’s all everyone is talking about.”
It hadn’t felt that way when she’d been descended upon earlier, but they’d mostly been of her clan.
“You are very brave,” he added, “and I hope it is okay for me to say… I am proud.”
Fala beamed between them.
Kai’s throat suddenly felt very tight. “Thank you.”
Silence wove through them like a noose, and Fala took the opportunity to change the subject. “Tell us about this.” Fala fingered his chest near his heart, where the lines of a new tattoo had been recently added. His brown skin was pink beneath the design. “It looks fresh.”
Atsadi glanced down as if he’d already forgotten about it.
“It is the start of something much bigger.” His lips quirked to the side.
“Mountain peaks—one fierce to convey a warrior’s spirit, and the other serene for a healer’s nurturing nature.
” His gaze met Kai’s. “I want there to be no doubt of my commitment to both.”
Fala’s hand tightened on Kai’s. “There must be a symbol for you as well,” she said.
“There will be. A river will flow between the peaks for connection and balance—a representation of my intention to be a constant source of sustaining life.”
“That’s so thoughtful,” Fala said. “Don’t you think so, Kai?”
Kai didn’t know what to say. Atsadi would wear these symbols for the rest of his life, and she still clung to a solitary life with Fala. She’d been dismissive and cold; still, he chose to see past her behavior to what they could all be to each other.
“We should go inside,” Kai said.
The crowds had thinned, and it took them no time to pass under the black rock archway. The amphitheater levels within were already packed into clan groups, the hum of chatter nearly overtaking the background music played by the Bronze Raven females.
Atsadi paused and stared toward where his clan gathered across the room.
Fala followed his gaze. “Kai and I sit with Silver Wolf.”
“Not always,” Kai hurried to add. “You are not a hostage. If you wish to sit with your family—”
“You are my family,” he cut in. “And you are First Daughter. It is only right that we sit with you.”
Atsadi offered Kai his arm—Fala already had his other.
He’s not a bad male, Kai heard Fala say with her pointed stare. Little steps.
Kai took his warm arm above the elbow, filling her palm with his massive biceps. Whatever job he did for Rising Moon made him as strong as any of her male warriors—a fact already made obvious by the definition of his upper body.
His scent, too, was pleasant. Like pine and cedar—likely from the resinous oil used to treat wood. There was also a faint hint of worn leather, which always comforted her because it reminded her of when she sat on her father’s lap as a youngling.
They sat on the edge of one of the lower levels, facing the Grand Matriarch’s chair and behind much of Kai’s large family.
Fala, again, made it so Atsadi remained in their center.
Her sandaled feet, leather straps weaving up her soft calves, swung gently beside Atsadi’s still, bare feet.
Kai crossed her boots at the ankles and gripped the ledge beside her thighs, trying not to notice how much heat Atsadi put off.
Atsadi brought the foot nearest Kai up to hook on the edge of the step and leaned into his opposite arm. He whispered into Fala’s ear, and she chuckled in response.
Kai’s stomach twisted, and to her surprise, it had less to do with the desire to shelter Fala from this male. She wanted to be as at ease within their triad as they seemed.
Second Daughter, Sitsi, plunked down beside her and peered around to watch Atsadi and Fala whisper.
“How’s that going?” Sitsi asked quietly.
“I’ll tell you after you tell me how things are with Niabi White Spirit. Does Mother know you’re sleeping together?”
Sitsi’s round eyes narrowed to slits. “You see too much.”
“Your secret is safe.”