She launched into the story of the last fight of the campaign—the anticipation, the assault, the blood, the length of the battle. It had begun at the darkest point of a moonless night, raged past dawn into midday. By the end of the day, they were eating gryphon for dinner and had more steel than they could carry as spoils of war to bring home.
Her males listened with an attentiveness that reminded her of some of the children she had met. They took in every word, every small detail.
“We had to rotate people who could carry everything,” she finished, laughing. “We took all of their swords and daggers to be brought home and reforged into weapons we can use. The iron shortage was something Nevyn thought about the entire time we were gone. Every time space was freed up, we put more spoils into the carts. We had to dull the edges to keep the horses from accidentally hurting themselves, but I promise you, every Andinna here will have their own blade by the end of summer. If Gentrin can work that fast.”
“He has a number of Andinna and a couple of the Hornbuckles forging competently enough they can work alone. We’ve built a second smithy just for them to keep production up,” Luykas explained, smiling. “I’m sorry I missed it. I wish I could have gone.” He closed his eyes, and she could tell he imagined himself in those fields.
“You all had work to do here,” she reminded him with a smile. “Now, let me get cleaned, then we’ll go home, and you can tell me everything I’ve missed.”
They helped her with weeks of dust and dirt from the road, which had gotten into places Mave preferred it wouldn’t have. There was no judgment from her males. As a family of warriors, they all knew the reality of being on the road, roaming battle to battle with little time to attend to personal needs. Rinsing off in streams only went so far.
As they made their way down the trail to their home, Mave in a fresh pair of breeches and a soft silk wrap for a top, she was surprised to see Senri land in front of her, a smile on her mother’s face that lit up the world like the sun. She kept a hand over her stomach, where a noticeable baby bump stood out. She wore a simple dress, something Mave wasn’t used to seeing.
“You are not going to hide away the first day you get back!” Senri called out, laughing. “You are going to go into the village and get drunk.”
“Am I?” Mave laughed as she walked up to her mother and hugged her. They weren’t biologically related. Senri hadn’t carried Mave in her womb and brought her into the world, but she had done something equally important. She was the female who met Mave and gave her a home where she could just be. She gave her guidance and taught her lessons Mave should have had as a young child, growing up immersed in Andinna culture. She was the person who let Mave cry when her heart was bruised by a male, and stood up for her when others wouldn’t. And they loved each other. Senri loved Mave with the passion only a mother could, and Mave loved her in return with all the admiration a daughter could give a wonderful mother.
“You are.” Senri’s tone tried to convey the message Mave shouldn’t argue, but Mave tried, anyway.
“I have four husbands who are very ready to…perform,” Mave said devilishly. “Do I have to?”
“It’s in your honor, yours and the rest of the warriors of the campaign. Kian is going to find Nevyn and Varon and steal them away from Alchan for this one evening. You can have your husbands later. Tonight, there needs to be dancing, drinking, and fun. This isn’t an option.”
“I’m amazed Kian is okay with this,” Mave said, looking back at her husbands, who didn’t look like they liked Senri’s orders.
“He’s not, but he doesn’t have a choice, either.”
Mave continued to look at her husbands. “What do you think? Should we go enjoy the celebration before we lock ourselves away?”
“We’ll tolerate it,” Zayden answered, obviously annoyed with Senri’s intrusion to their plan.
“Let’s go. And while we walk,”—Mave hooked her arm with Senri’s—“you can tell me about everything I’ve missed. How has the village been?”
“Wonderful. There’s been no trouble here. Oh, here’s the best news. Sen got back with his second load of Andinna and allies from Olost.” Senri chuckled. “Kerit is fully operational now. There’s no way Shadra will take it from us, not with the thriving community there. Alchan is still trying to pick the right general for the area, but they’re doing well just on his orders so far. Sen isn’t just running Andinna here from Olost, either. He brought supplies and spread the word in Olost that Kerit is opening as a trade city once more. Everyone in the Free Cities is scrambling to begin their own businesses there.”
“I knew half of that,” Mave said, giving her mother a bored look. Sen had taken his sweet time with his first trip between Kerit and Olost, but he had come back with news and more than they could have bargained for. Much of Alchan’s wealth was still in the Free Cities and was being used to fund many of Sen’s purchases. He had to hire two other captains to support the ones the rebellion already had. “How many Andinna did he bring, though?”
“Since we opened Kerit and the ships have started returning, we’ve seen two-thousand Andinna come back to Anden,” Luykas answered from behind her. “We’ve also seen a thousand Andinna escape the Empire over the spring and make it here, with more probably to come.”
“Three thousand?” Mave’s heart skipped a beat. “That…that’s amazing.”
“You’ve been off campaigning for a long time,” Senri said with a laugh. “There are old friends, too. Everyone from our village. They’re all here now, spreading out all over Anden, between us and Leria’s community. Some are settling areas between Kerit and us, trying to keep the roads open and begin homesteads for their families and others who want something safer, away from the fighting.”
“What else?” Mave wanted to know everything she’d missed.
“Luykas is taking over as spymaster for Leshaun,” Mat said, and Mave heard a thump, looking back to see that Mat had hit Luykas in the arm. “My uncle has decided it’s time to retire fully.”
“That’s good!” Mave smiled. “He deserves time to focus on things he wants to do.” Over the winter, Leshaun had slowed down considerably, and it was hard to get time to see him anymore as he spent most of his days training novice Blackbloods in the arts of blood magic. It exhausted him, which normally meant he wasn’t up for company.
If he retires, I can see him more. That would be nice.
“He does,” Mat agreed.
Mave listened to the many changes made since she had left when the winter snow had melted, small things. No one was living in tents in the main village anymore, and a third village was established for the fighting force of the rebellion.
As they entered the village, Mave took in the new sights and smells. An entire market was now established. There was no money being exchanged, everything done off bartering or for free. Someone handed her a loaf of bread to nibble on, and another Andinna gave her a drink. By the time their group had made it halfway through, Mave had to pass off gifts from the Andinna to her husbands, who only laughed as someone offered a basket for them to carry everything.