Chapter 20
When Gunnar headed up to Rina’s office at about three in the afternoon, he’d surprised her. He’d been gruff, saying to give the boys a week, see what happened. He had no idea if they’d settle in or be shit at hunting, but Rina would sort that out.
He’d thought so, at least.
But apparently, him babysitting extended for their first trial week. She ordered Gunnar to show them the ropes, like Zhadan had for him.
Fuckers.
Audrey wasn’t exactly smug when he told her as much, but it was a near thing. She’d smiled and patted his arm, told him he’d done the right thing.
Gunnar wasn’t supposed to meet up with the other vilebloods until after lunchtime today. Doing the right thing sure felt like a fucking punishment.
He was enjoying a quiet cup of coffee, Audrey with her tea, when a meaty paw beat at their front door before it swung open.
Gunnar set down his cup and crossed his arms. The chuchuna smelled absolutely furious.
“Is Lyubava alright?” Audrey was already up, rushing over to the snarling monster.
“Treeman!” Zhadan roared. “Treeman still there!”
“A leshy has territory overlapping with the expansion plans,” he said to Audrey when she looked confused. “Rina said we’d figure that out after train day, Zhadan.”
“After train day now,” he snorted.
Gunnar shrugged. “Why you yelling at me about it?”
“Come with.” Another snarl. “Danger tree. Cubs come soon.” Zhadan gave a few more snarling huffs, the chuchuna radiating a posturing musk. Smelled worse than a wet dog, more like wet skunk. “Come, tell Rina. Now. Not later. No more waiting.”
And then he stormed out the door, leaving it wide open.
Gunnar sighed, not sure when he’d become the go to for everyone’s fucking problems around this damn place.
“I’ll get my coat,” Audrey said.
Rina weathered Zhadan’s loud entrance and louder bitching with no expression beyond wincing at a high-pitch roar. Gunnar leaned at the door frame with his travel mug, drinking as he listened, Audrey covering her mouth to hide her grin. The rant went on a good ten minutes, Zhadan switching between broken English and broken Russian and what sounded like Tibetan at one point.
When the chuchuna finally paused, his chest heaving, Rina set down her mug.
“I’m not sure how anyone can be this angry this early in the gods damn morning about anything, but yes, it’s after train day, so.” Rina stood and motioned to the map on her wall. “Show me.”
Gunnar joined the pair, sharing what he’d picked up about the area. The leshy territory was likely huge, but he’d only detected signs of its presence in the last few miles on the northern projected border. Close enough that they were encroaching at this point. Both Gunnar and Zhadan had steered clear as much as they could, but pretty soon they’d need to push out deeper to keep clearing for Rina’s plans. If they hunted in the leshy’s territory, it’d likely turn hostile for spilling blood on its claimed soil.
“Simple, really,” Rina said when they finished. “Leshys aren’t pushovers, but we have more than enough muscle to take it out. You two rally the Clan and whoever else isn’t out hunting yet. Gunnar, grab the vilebloods too. This will be an excellent test run. See how well they can follow orders. We should have this settled by lunchtime.”
“You’re just going to kill it?”
Gunnar, Rina, and Zhadan all turned on Audrey. The other two seemed to have forgotten she was there. She smelled alarmed now. And pissed.
“Yes,” Rina answered as she moved around her desk.
“But they’re not just beasts. They’re intelligent. We can reason with it.”
“Reason for what, Little? They don’t leave their land, ever.” Rina cocked a brow.
“And you have more claim to this land than the leshy does?”
Gunnar rubbed his jaw to hide his smirk.
Rina appeared genuinely flat-footed, like she couldn’t believe what had just come out of this human’s mouth. “Excuse me?”
“What claim do you have to its forest? Aren’t leshys small Independents in their own right, given they’re sentient?”
“Did you miss the part where we’ve been killing all sorts of sentient things since you came here? And for years before you arrived?” Rina’s voice was steady, but her posture tensed now, her scent ripening with anger. She wasn’t used to being questioned. The woman led a tight, efficient ship, and most of the time, there wasn’t a reason to argue.
“A leshy is not malevolent,” Audrey countered. “Sharing a border with one could be a boon for Nizhny.”
“If I want council on running this settlement, I’ll ask for it,” Rina said, her tone brokering finality, but that kind of shit was wasted on Audrey when her little righteous fire got going.
“Killing this leshy just because it’s in your way is wrong.”
Rina took her great sword from its place against the wall, slinging it over her shoulder. “Did you two miss my orders?”
Zhadan left without another word. Gunnar shrugged at her; Rina knew he wouldn’t leave without Audrey.
“You should try to talk with it first,” Audrey insisted, following Rina as she moved toward the doorway. “Please.”
“Maybe I don’t want to talk with it,” Rina said. “Maybe I want to take care of this problem instead of wasting time on shit that won’t work. This isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with shit like this, and there’s always a cost.”
“But you don’t know that until you try.”
“It won’t leave, Audrey. And I’m about to walk out this door.” Rina stared down at Audrey, who’d grabbed her sleeve. “You’ve said your peace. I’ve made my call.”
“I haven’t said enough. You didn’t even consider an alternative!”
“I’ve made my call.”
“Your call is wrong,” Audrey shot back.
When Rina scowled at her, Gunnar lazily crossed into her vision. The Aperien glanced at him, then back to his fiery human. “You don’t like it? You know when the next train leaves.”
Rina left, calling over her shoulder, “Gunnar, get to work,” as her heavy boot steps echoed down the stairwell. Audrey’s fists clenched at her sides.
“This isn’t right.” She turned on Gunnar, cheeks flushed and her frown severe.
Gunnar didn’t care much either way, aside from not wanting to get kicked out of Nizhny. “She’s the boss here. And you can’t save everyone.”
“Don’t patronize me. All I’m asking is for her to have a conversation before she kills a being who has probably called that stretch of forest home since the Aperien Event!”
Gunnar gave her braid a tug. She slapped his hand away. He shrugged again. “Things worked this way long before the Aperiens came. Bigger stick wins, so I’m just glad we’re swinging instead of dying.”
Audrey stormed from the office with Gunnar on her heels. “There is also a long history, before and since the Aperien event, of successful diplomacy and unifications. Everything doesn’t have to end in bloodshed for people to get what they want.”
It impressed Gunnar how loudly she stomped down the station stairs, but he kept his grin to himself. When they reached the doors, he grabbed her elbow. She stalled, her shoulders hunching.
“I hate this.”
“Yeah, I know you do. But Rina’s no hero and she’s never pretended to be one.”
“I was just asking for her to take a chance.”
“Say she did,” Gunnar offered. “And say the leshy killed her.”
Audrey’s eyes shot up to his, wide. “That . . .”
“Could happen. Maybe not the most likely outcome, but not the least likely either. She goes down, Nizhny goes with her. And all these people who depend on this settlement are out on their asses.”
“But she—”
“Has to weigh the risks. All of them. She’s not just being cruel or cold.”
“This is about expanding, not protecting what she already has. She didn’t even think about it, Jonathan. Not even for a second.”
“That’s her choice. She’s the one taking the risk either way, not you.”
Audrey’s lips formed a thin line. She was still furious, but she sighed. “You’re right, I know that, but I still don’t like it.” Another bigger sigh as she chewed her bottom lip. “I hate feeling so damn useless. So . . . human.” Then she glared up at him. “She might have listened if it wasn’t coming from me.”
Gunnar chuckled. “She’s listened to you more than half the people in this damn town, woman. Come on, why don’t you head home? Rina’ll prep for this in the tavern. No reason for you to be part of it.”
“I know about it, Jonathan. That makes me part of it.”
“You did what you could, no need suffering for it. Staying with Lyubava might help Zhadan relax, though.” He took her by the shoulders and turned her toward the exit. “I got to go find the other trouble, the ones you roped me into. You did that, so quit feeling useless, alright?”
She wrinkled her nose at him, trying not to smile. “I made a suggestion. You followed through. You can’t blame me every time you do something good, you know.”
He shooed her away as he said, “Can too.”