“Of course, ilanra. Are you going to help them decide what to bring back with us?” Mat grabbed his friend and pulled him toward the woods as he spoke.
“I am. Get going.” She waved them along and listened to Mat call her warriors to him, relaying her orders. Several of the newly freed hostages ran after him, back into the woods, leaving the carnage behind.
Mave hustled back to Nevyn and Varon, following behind them to find Alchan at the front of the ruined caravan. He was pointing and directing soldiers. Once he caught sight of them, she watched him take a heavy breath.
“The carriages are too big to get through the mountains, but I’m sending soldiers to grab the runaway horses. We can use them as pack animals or for the wounded. I had two males go down. I’ve already got others carrying them back.”
“I didn’t…check for casualties for my group.” Mave felt a pang of guilt.
“They would have reported it to you,” Alchan replied, shrugging. “It’s probably all minor injuries. I don’t bother to know most of those either until I know everyone is in the clear.”
Relief flooded her as she realized Alchan wasn’t going to get onto her. Being accountable for others was still something she was getting used to even after spending the summer with Senri and Allaina leading the females.
“Well, I’ll be damned! There’s my girl!”
Mave turned quickly at the voice and grinned.
“Sen, you fucking bastard! There you are!” She laughed as he jogged over to her, Alchan, Nevyn, and Varon. For the first time since she met the half-Elvasi, they hugged. “How are you?”
“I’m currently having the best day of my life. I told Alchan when he opened up the carriage, I was fucking relieved to see him. When they got the fucking manacles off me, I ran back here to see who was left.”
She looked him over and noticed like the others, he was starved and beaten, but nothing looked permanent. He would recover. He was the main person they had been looking for when it came to the logistics of their rebellion.
“I’m glad you’re alive,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I really am. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
“I’m glad too. When I heard they were sending everyone down to Elliar, I thought I was a fucking goner.” He thumped her shoulder, but it wasn’t as strong as she remembered. He definitely needed to put on some weight.
“With reunions done, let’s grab everyone we can and head back to camp,” Alchan cut in. “We have a plan to discuss and a long road back to the Dragon Spine.”
“The Spine?” Sen frowned. “Why are we headed there? Did you arrange some transport home?”
“Oh, my old friend, we have a lot to discuss.” Alchan grabbed the mutt’s shoulder and pulled him along. Mave trailed behind him, listening to Alchan’s retelling of everything since they escaped Ellantia but had lost the ship and him with it.
“We found an abandoned village on the northern edge of the Dragon Spine. It’s given us a prime location to set up our central base of operations. Everyone we’ve freed has gone there to join or support the rebellion in some way, as a warrior once they’re healthy or use any skills they have to feed and clothe everyone. Luykas is managing logistics for me while I’ve been on this mission. Mave is now my Champion, so don’t expect me to be doing this kind of thing very often. I’m here because of some worries about Luykas coming too far south, being the mutt he is.”
“Really? Mave, you took on the title of Champion again? From Colosseum to King, huh?” Sen looked over his shoulder at her, shocked.
“It’s a fun insult to Shadra,” she said with a blandness that didn’t give away her feelings. Every day, she could count ten things about it she liked and ten things about it she despised. It was something she accepted, though, and it gave her a role in a rebellion that wasn’t the boogeyman the Andinna once thought she was as the gladiator who once ruled the sands. “And Alchan needed someone who would back up his idea fully and be able to fight for it when he can’t.”
“And she’s the best for the job,” Alchan finished. “They listen to her, being the dominant female of our kind right now. We haven’t yet met a female who’s willing to stare her down and fight for the position. I doubt we will. I had to give her a role if she wasn’t going to take over as mativa, which she never did in Olost, so I doubted it would happen here.”
“Allaina was more prepared for the role, and I know nothing about it,” she reminded him.
“I had already taken that into account when I offered you the position,” he fired back. “I’m not an idiot.”
“Could have fooled me,” she said lightly, obviously not meaning the comment.
Sen laughed at the exchange. “Well, things certainly have changed. I was wondering why we were such prized captures that the Empress would want us instead of letting one of her nobles or advisors handle us.”
“She knows we’re planning something. She can’t find us, though. We’ve been careful to keep our tracks around the village to a minimum. We don’t suffer for scouts, either. So far, her efforts to find our main base have been in vain, and she can’t mobilize a large force until she does.” Alchan grunted in satisfaction. “It’s probably driving her mad, not being able to find us.”
“So, why rescue us? Sounds like you have everything you need for this to work.”
“That’s the thing, we don’t.”
Mave nodded, stepping to the other side of Sen. “We need a captain who can run sea missions for us. Funneling people back from Olost is also a major priority. We’re putting everything into this rebellion.”
“Oh, hell.” The captain was dismayed for only a moment, then began to laugh harder. “Fine, then. We’ll talk more about this once I’ve checked on my boys and had a meal.”
“Food will be ready by the time we get back to camp,” Alchan promised, a small smile forming.
Mave wiped drying blood off her hands as they walked. Alchan and Sen continued to chat quietly about everything that had happened, but she zoned out. It was good to see him again, and Mave just wanted to revel in the small success they had today.
Mave sought out the few female warriors on the mission once they were back at camp. None were injured aside from minor cuts and bruises. One had a male who took a nasty injury to the thigh, but Mave wasn’t concerned. He would get well in the long run, and everything would be fine. She wasn’t directly responsible for much, but the females who decided to fight and their males were one of those rare responsibilities she couldn’t avoid.
After she was done with them, she wandered the camp, thinking about nothing. She heard someone curse as another, smaller Andinna ran by. Reaching out, she grabbed Rain, who gave her a small growl before realizing it was her. Once she saw recognition in his eyes, she grabbed both his shoulders and looked him over. She didn’t question his behavior because he took his duties to Alchan seriously. Anyone who got in his way was given a harsh growl, including her, and she respected that dedication.
“You look good. No injuries, and you didn’t have to shift this fight. I’m glad.”