“This is as much your rebellion as it is Alchan’s. Figured you needed to know more about those you’ve saved so far.”
“You think I don’t know?” she demanded. Something about her friend’s words struck a nerve, giving Mave a nasty rush of red-hot temper. “Shit, Senri, I grew up in slavery just like them. I met farm boys when they came to the pits, strong bodied from days of hard labor but fresh and innocent in their own ways as if slavery hadn’t been so hard on them. Fucked a couple of them. Saw most of them die. Those who didn’t grew hard and cold as the older males, the trained warriors, who beat on them and taught them their place. They were fed stories about how their lives were terrible because of me, and eventually, they were just another gladiator I had to watch my back around.”
She was breathing hard at the end of her rant. Rydec, for all his youthful, nervous stuttering, would have been one of those males. In a different life, she would have been intrigued and maybe needed to scratch an itch.
A life she left behind just over a year ago.
“Fuck. Sorry. I think I’m tired from the road.” She rubbed her temples, trying to forget the images running through her mind. Flashes of faces of young men who were kind to her for a moment until the others convinced them it was bad for their health. Centuries of it, seeing a one-night fling get killed for being with her. Another being beaten because he dared to be kind to her, not understanding the way the pits worked. A relentless cycle that was only broken when two dangerous warriors, better than the rest, walked in and refused to leave her alone because they were also ‘owned’ by Shadra.
“I didn’t think. This is all new to me, hearing some of their stories. You’ve heard them all before.”
Mave could only nod, trying to banish faces from her mind. So many hopeful warriors, young males who showed real promise, lost to the dirty politics and quiet war waged in the pits—her against all of them.
“Why don’t you come check on the things I know you’ll want to see, then head off for a hot meal at the dining hall? Or you can come with me, and I’ll get Kian to cook you dinner.” Senri’s hand was gentle on her shoulder, pulling her to keep walking. “You’ve been on the hard road for a long time.”
“I have been. Sorry for the outburst, Senri. Truly.” Mave wrapped an arm around her friend’s waist, and Senri moved her arm over Mave’s shoulders. Together, they walked in tandem, enjoying the friendly contact again. “How’re you and your males? How’s Kian?”
“He’s less overprotective every day,” Senri answered. “I knew he would get over himself fast. Willem and Gentrin are wonderful, perfect husbands, as always. May they continue to set a good example for my warrior.” Senri chuckled. Mave knew her friend loved all three of her husbands, and they were all equal in her eyes, but the teasing relationship between Senri and Kian was unique to them. “How’re you and Matesh? What’s the news on Bryn?”
“Matesh is great. He’s been my backbone since Bryn has been gone.” Mave sighed. “Alchan promised to tell me more about where Bryn is tonight, once everyone has settled down. I bothered him enough that I was banned from asking until we made it back to the safety of the village. Can you believe that? He asked me to meet him after dinner so I could finally know what was going on with my husband!”
“Yes. I know you. If anything was happening to Bryn, and he needed you, you would have thrown aside all the work the war group was doing to save him. Alchan probably didn’t want you to worry, and you know he would have told you if something terrible happened to Brynec.” Senri squeezed her shoulders. “So, you have nothing to do until after dinner…perfect! You have to come see the females, including the new ones. I’m not going to put them on guard duty until I get your approval of their skills, and Allaina agrees with me. Then Kian and I can feed you and Matesh—”
“And Zayden. Poor man is going to starve now that Rain is too busy for him,” Mave added. She wasn’t comfortable with him eating alone. Again. In a direct parallel to the situation Rain had once found her in, Matesh found Zayden eating alone one night. Now, the tables were turned, and he ate with her family.
“Fine. Zayden too. Then you can go harass Alchan about Bryn, and everything will be fine.”
“It will be,” Mave agreed, only half believing the words. “Let’s go see how the females have improved.” She gestured for Senri to start walking, and together, they wandered out of the village.
Down the path, they took flight into the open air. It was risky to jump into the air in the village. There were many Andinna, and everyone was trying to get somewhere quickly, leading to an increase in collisions. The rule of thumb was to take off outside or in a quiet area of the village and let others land in the busy areas if they needed to be somewhere.
Mave spun in the open sky, enjoying the ability to fly freely again. South of the Dragon Spine flying wasn’t safe, and they only did so in emergencies. Once in the mountains, there were no rules about taking to the sky once the area was cleared of potential Elvasi spies in the nearby hills. Thanks to Senri’s dedication to the protection of their home base, everyone knew it was safe to fly at the village.
They passed over a large river, and Mave looked down to see the training field she had claimed for the females. She didn’t want them to train in the village, keeping them out of the prying eyes of males and away from any potential distractions. She circled once, taking in the exercise they were doing, sparring in groups of four, three on one. When Allaina rang the bell, they rotated, and one of the three became the lone warrior. It was effective training for Andinna since they were so often outnumbered.
She landed away from the training, out of the way, so she didn’t disturb them. Watching the fast, smooth movements of many of the females, she was glad to see the long days of training were paying off.
“Some have complained they have things they need to do in the village, and we need to cut their training time down,” Senri said softly. “What do you think?”
“I think if they want a day off, they need to be able to draw blood on me to prove they’ve learned what I can teach them,” Mave answered, cocking her head to the side. Some of the females weren’t smooth, and one even screamed and dropped her weapon when she was hit in the thigh. It would have been a nasty cut with real steel but would only bruise with wood.
And it wasn’t any type of wound that should down an Andinna.
“Is she new?” Mave pointed to the one pouting and rubbing her thigh. The female pointed an accusatory finger at the one who hit her, who only shrugged in response.
“How’d you guess?” Senri chuckled dryly.
“She’s bitching. No one from our village in Olost ever bitched about a bruise once we started training.”
“Because they know freedom can be lost as easily as it’s gained.”
“Easier. It’s easier to lose than it is to win,” Mave corrected. “Is she one of your complainers?”
“Yeah. A couple of newer females would rather use their normal skills to help the rebellion. Three of them, all under seven hundred. They aren’t all the new females, but they are the most vocal. One of them is particularly dominant, and I’m beginning to worry she’ll challenge Allaina.”