Chapter 15
After our short rest, we headed back north into the mountain range in the direction we thought the dirigible might have ended up in.
Unfortunately, Xiver hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said he’d hidden it well, and we searched for several hours without any sight of it.
Between hiking up into the forest with Xiver, then back out again and up into the range, we were exhausted, so halfway through the night we collapsed in a cave and slept for a few hours.
I had to admit I missed the cots we’d slept on at the Resistance camp, but I was so tired from all the magical and physical exertion that I couldn’t bring myself to care overmuch.
The sound of unknown voices woke me, and I bolted upright to see that two Coazi males were standing at the entrance to our cave.
Their forms were backlit by the morning sun rays streaming in, and I jumped to my feet, squinting against the light.
Fenris and Annia, who’d been woken by my motion, quickly followed suit, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Annia nock an arrow and aim it at the intruders.
“Hold up,” I said, raising my hands to indicate to the Coazi that I meant no harm.
The spears in their hands were pointed downward, and I didn’t think they intended to attack us, though they stiffened at Annia’s aggressive stance.
“They’re not pointing any weapons at us, Annia, so I think we should do the same.
” I waited until she lowered her bow, then turned my attention back to the Coazi. “Good morning.”
“Are you seeking Flying Man?” the one on the left asked as the two stepped a little further into the cave and out of the blinding light.
Now that they were a little closer, I could see that though they wore the same buckskin tunics as the other tribe we’d encountered, the beads decorating their clothing were arranged in triangular patterns rather than the swirls the other tribe favored.
“Flying Man?” I echoed, confused but hopeful. Could he mean…?
The male nodded. “White man with purple eyes fell from the sky seven suns ago. Halyma saw a great spirit in him, and took him back to our village to be her sharalli.”
“Uh-oh,” Fenris said to me. “I’m not sure exactly what a sharalli is, but I think it means consort or husband.”
“What!” I exclaimed aloud, and the two Coazi jumped, startled at my outburst.
“Is Flying Man your sharalli?” one of them inquired, looking at me curiously. “He say nothing about another woman.”
“He was maybe afraid?” the other Coazi pondered. “Nobody says no to Halyma.”
“Halyma is your shaman?” I asked.
“Yes.” The two males nodded simultaneously. “She is chief shamaness of the Coazi. We do not like white man living among us, but Halyma has temper like raging buffalo, so we say nothing.”
“Thank you for your assistance.” Fenris stepped forward before I could ask anything more, taking control of the conversation.
He waved a hand in the air and spoke a few Words, and immediately the males’ eyes glazed over.
“You will forget that you saw us, and return to your village.” His voice resonated with power, and the burnt-sugar scent of magic stung the air.
The two Coazi blinked, then immediately turned on their heels and walked away. I opened my mouth to speak, but Fenris held up a hand.
“Stay silent until they are out of earshot.”
“Why the hell did you do that?” I snapped, my fingernails digging into my palms. “I wasn’t done talking to them!”
“They’ve told us all we need to know. Their shamaness is holding Iannis hostage, and we need to go to their village and get him back. Giving them more information about us isn’t going to help, and if they warn the village we are coming that isn’t going to help either.”
I huffed out a breath, my ears telling me the Coazi were gone. “How do we know that Iannis is being held there against his will? I can’t imagine any of the Coazi being strong enough to do that.”
“Yes, and I can’t imagine Iannis willingly choosing to remain with the Coazi when so much is at stake,” Fenris pointed out.
“From what these two men just told us, their shamaness is not only powerful, but she has a temper and her people are afraid of her. We need to get close enough to the village to do a proper reconnaissance so we can figure out the best way to extract Iannis.”
“Well I know that,” I said peevishly, turning my gaze toward the cave entrance.
Honestly, I knew Fenris was right, and I’d been coming to the same conclusion myself.
But as soon as the Coazi had said Iannis was their shamaness’s new consort, the need to grill them and find out just what the hell that position entailed had consumed my mind.
Did that mean the two of them were married?
Was Iannis spending his days frolicking in the grass with her, and his nights rolling around in her bed?
Iannis didn’t even know this woman – how could she claim him so quickly?
He was not hers to keep. My blood boiled, and I fisted my hands at my sides.
“Relax, Naya.” Annia patted me on the shoulder, bringing me back to the present, and I turned to look at her.
“We’re not going to know for sure what’s up with Iannis until we get there and see for ourselves.
For all you know she’s got him chained up in her tent, trying to force him into submission. ”
I laughed and winced all at once as an image of Iannis chained to the floor of a tent with a bunch of bearskin rugs underneath him and probably nothing covering him popped into my head. That wouldn’t be so bad if I was there, but considering it was the shamaness…
“By Magorah, but we’ve got to hurry.” Shaking my head, I cleared my mind of the image.
It didn’t matter what kind of state Iannis was in, we still had to get him back.
Reaching for my beast, I shifted into panther form, then headed out with Fenris and Annia, hoping against hope that we’d get to Iannis in time to undo whatever spell the shamaness had put on him.
Back in beast form, Fenris and I were able to track the two Coazi males without difficulty despite the lead we’d given them.
We followed at a distance, with Annia even further behind to make sure we drew no attention to ourselves.
It took another couple of hours, but by early afternoon we arrived at the tribe’s camp, set on a plateau at the edge of a large patch of forest high up on the mountainside.
Rather than following the two males into the camp, we hung back in the forest, shifting back into human form and climbing up tall pine trees so we could get a good view of the camp while remaining hidden from view.
Perched securely on a branch, with my legs wrapped around the tree’s trunk in case the branch wasn’t as sturdy as I’d gauged, I fished out a spyglass and extended it, then fitted the lens to my eye.
Like the Coazi tribe we’d met on the plains, the mountain Coazi set up their dwellings in a circle.
Unlike the plains Coazi, their huts were made out of wooden frames that were covered in what looked like woven mats and sheets of bark.
In addition to several large looms where women sat and wove rugs, the center of the circle also housed a large, communal fire pit with logs set up around it for people to sit on.
Several women were prepping the fire pit for cooking, and I noticed a woman watching from the side who was more elaborately dressed than the others.
The feathers in her hair were a brilliant blue, and a colorful shawl with animal patterns woven expertly into the fabric was draped around her slim shoulders.
The buckskin dress she wore flattered her shapely figure and regal bearing.
Jealousy flashed low in my gut as I guessed that she must be Halyma.
“No sign of the Chief Mage yet,” Annia commented as she studied the camp through a pair of bronze binoculars. “You think he’s hiding out in one of those huts over there?”
A series of whoops and shouts echoed from the forest on the opposite side of the camp, and everyone in the clearing turned toward the sound as one.
Both adults and children started jumping and shouting as well, and there was no mistaking their excitement as they all ran toward the edge of the forest.
A small group of Coazi men armed with spears and bows emerged from the forest, a pair of large hunting dogs dancing around their feet as they carried a huge elk back to the camp.
I nearly fell out of the tree as I spotted Iannis at the head of the group, along with two other hunters.
Brightly colored feathers very similar to the shamaness’s were woven into his cherrywood locks, and he’d traded in his robes for buckskins.
The tunic and leggings he wore showcased his tall, lean form in a way that his robes never did.
I drank in the sight hungrily, my eyes roaming over his broad chest and shoulders, his lean waist, and long legs that I could tell were muscular even through the buckskin pants.
His violet eyes glowed with health and vitality, and his white teeth gleamed as he flashed a brilliant smile.
Except that smile wasn’t for me, I realized as I followed his gaze.
That smile was for the shamaness, who had rushed forward to greet him along with the others.
The whole tribe crowded around them, whooping and cheering at the sight of the elk, which had been bound to a long, sturdy tree log that all six of the men helped to carry.
The shamaness gave Iannis a feline smile as she twined her arms around his neck, and I hissed as she pressed her slim curves against him.
I saw lips move as words were exchanged, and Iannis lowered his head and kissed her.
“No fucking way!” Annia hissed as a red haze spread across my vision.
My claws dug into the bark, and I realized a second later that I was snarling, my fangs bared.
“Not only is he one of them, but he’s standing there making out with that hussy shamaness while the rest of Solantha is losing their minds? ”
I ground my teeth together, choosing not to respond because honestly, I didn’t know what to say.
I felt like someone had thrust a superheated blade straight through my heart.
The searing agony made it hard to breathe, and hot tears gathered at the corners of my eyes.
I’d come all the way out here to rescue Iannis, only to find that he’d thrown himself wholeheartedly at another woman.
And from the way he was kissing her, it didn’t seem like he had any plans on leaving.
“Your lack of faith is unbecoming, Sunaya,” Fenris warned, his eyes narrowed as he read my emotions perfectly.
Not that I imagined that was a great feat – I’m sure they were stamped across my face for the whole world to see.
“You and I both know that Iannis would never willingly abandon his people to live amongst the Coazi. What we are seeing here is clearly a product of the shamaness’s trickery. ”
“But –”
“This is the same man who took you in against the wishes of the Council and made you his apprentice. The same man who risked his life and reputation to save me from execution. Do you really think that he would willingly abandon his responsibilities now, when his people need him more than ever?”
“No.” I let out a heavy sigh, and tried to push out all the negativity in my chest along with that breath.
But it was hard, especially as I watched the two of them link hands and walk back into the camp with the rest of the Coazi.
The group dispersed now that the welcome committee had done its job, the ones who’d been in the midst of chores returning to their tasks while others jumped in to help skin and prep the elk for dinner.
“I guess you’re right, but it’s hard to reconcile that logic with what my eyes are seeing,” I told Fenris, ripping my gaze away from Iannis. I really didn’t want to watch him hold hands with the shamaness anymore.
“I understand, but you have to put your emotions aside and focus on the mission,” Fenris reminded me, his eyes softening with sympathy. “Besides, I imagine that when Iannis sees you again, he will have no trouble forgetting about the shamaness’s charms.” His lips curled into a smile.
“Yeah, right,” I scoffed as a blush crept up my cheeks and butterflies erupted in my stomach. “Let’s just focus on getting him out of there. The sooner we can get him away from that woman, the sooner we can beat some sense back into him.”
“That’s the spirit.”