‘Gilden? The soldier with the bow?’
‘Other Skin.’
Stavut remembered the dark-eyed young man, the one wearing swords like Skilgannon’s. Stavut hadn’t liked him much. Rising to his feet he said: ‘Where are they coming from?’
Shakul pointed to the south. Stavut strolled across the campsite and waited. He heard a horse whinny in fear. Then it came into sight through the trees. The horse was skittish as the smell of the beasts came to it, but the rider was skilled, and kept it calm. A dark-haired woman jumped down from behind him.
Stavut’s heart leapt. It was Askari.
He ran forward to greet her, smiling broadly. ‘Oh, it is good to see you,’ he said.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked him, gazing round at the beasts, who had now awoken and were staring balefully at the newcomers.
‘Long story — and a sad one.’
The rider dismounted. Holding to the reins of his horse he walked forward. ‘I shall leave you now, beauty,’ he said to Askari. ‘Can we part as friends?’
‘We are not enemies, Decado,’ she said.
‘Good.’ He delved into the pocket of his jerkin and came up with a small golden locket on a thin chain. ‘Take this,’ he said, extending his hand.
‘I don’t want gifts.’
‘It is a peace token. No more than that.’
Askari took it, and Stavut saw that there was a small blue gem at the centre of the locket. It was a valuable piece, though there was no reason why a country girl like Askari would know that. He felt anger welling, but kept his expression calm.
‘It is very pretty. Thank you, Decado. Where will you go?’
‘I shall find Skilgannon. I’ll tell him where you are.’
‘You are going to join us?’
‘Why not? In a way he and I are kin.’ With that the swordsman, without a glance at Stavut, stepped smoothly into the saddle and rode from the woods.
‘I do not like that man,’ said Stavut.
‘Never mind him,’ said Askari. ‘What has happened to you, Stavi?’ She stared at her friend, trying to see some sign of the merchant she had known. His dapper red clothes were stained with blood and dirt, his dark hair matted and filthy, his face, now unshaven, smeared with dried blood. She looked into his eyes, and saw little there that she remembered.
‘Happened to me? So much, Askari.’
‘And my people?’
Stavut sighed, and his shoulders sagged. ‘All dead. Killed by soldiers of the Eternal. We hunted them down, though. None survived.’
‘Walk with me, Stavi,’ she said, setting off towards a rippling stream close by. He followed her, and as he walked he told her of the arrival of Shakul and the others, and how he had taught them to hunt.
Then of the villagers fleeing back towards the settlement. Askari listened, but said little. She followed the line of the stream until they reached higher ground, where the water bubbled over white rocks, tumbling down into a broader pool. Then she turned to him. ‘I’d like to see you without the blood and dirt,’ she said. ‘Come, let us see if the water is deep enough to swim in.’ Laying her bow and quiver on the bank, she stripped off her green, hooded shirt, and her leggings. Stavut stood, watching her.
‘I cannot swim,’ he said.
‘Then you can wade.’ Naked she stood before him. ‘Stavi, the stench of you could fell an ox. Now get out of those clothes.’ He stood very still, but did not resist as she stepped closer and lifted his bloodied tunic over his head. Then she saw the deep scratches. ‘Did one of the beasts do that to you?’
‘To stop me falling from a cliff. Saved my life.’
‘You have other clothes in the wagon, yes?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then let us discard these.’
A huge beast pushed its way through the undergrowth, and stood, staring at Askari. She remembered it as one of the creatures who had attacked her in the cave, the one Skilgannon had spoken to. It was around eight feet tall, and its golden eyes were fixed on her coldly.
‘This is my friend, Shakul,’ said Stavut, walking to the beast, and slapping him on the shoulder.
‘Shakul, this is my friend, Askari.’ Then he paused. ‘Oh. I expect you remember her.’ Shakul said nothing. ‘Ah, I can see you are going to get along famously. I sense a real bonding taking place.’
Askari approached the beast, her heart hammering. ‘I have told him he should bathe,’ she said, trying to keep her voice light. ‘But he won’t get into the water.’
The beast’s huge head began to sway back and forth. Then he suddenly grabbed Stavut and hurled him into the pool. He landed with a huge splash and came up spluttering. The beast let out a series of short, staccato grunts, then turned away and wandered back through the undergrowth. ‘Well, thank you for that,’ Stavut called from the pool. ‘It is freezing in here.’
Askari ran down to the pool’s edge and waded in. He was right. The water was deliciously cold.
Reaching Stavut she told him to duck under the surface once more. Then she rubbed at his hair, until the dirt and the blood were gone. Finally she looked once more into his face. The sun was setting, turning the mountains to gold. ‘Are you still in there, Stavi?’ she asked him, her voice soft, her hands cupping his face.
‘I am here. A little wiser, maybe. A little sadder. But I am here.’
Leaning in she kissed him on the lips, and drew him into an embrace. ‘That is the kiss I owe you,’ she said.
‘There is not enough fletching thread in the world to merit that,’ he told her.
She laughed and kissed him again. Stepping back he gave a broad smile, and was Stavi again. Then he looked past her and laughed aloud. ‘Can no-one get any privacy here?’ he called. Askari turned. The sound of the rushing water had masked the approach of the pack, and she saw the pool was ringed by beasts, all staring at them. ‘Go away, you rascals!’ said Stavut, still smiling. The Jiamads turned at once and vanished into the woods.
Wading back to her he opened his arms. ‘I think that is enough for now,’ she told him. ‘Come, let us find you some fresh clothes.’
A little later, with Stavut in clean leggings and yet another crimson tunic shirt, they sat by the fire.
Askari, with a blanket round her shoulders as she waited for her clothes to dry, gazed round the campsite. Some of the beasts were feeding, others stretched out, sleeping. The sun was down now, the light fading fast. Stavut told her of his climb down to rescue Shakul, and how the beast had been embarrassed by fear.
‘You talk of him as a friend, Stavi,’ she said, her voice low, ‘but they do not understand friendship.
Landis Kan spoke of Jiamads often. He was a man who liked to talk. He said that the merging of beast and man eliminated the best of both species. You lead because you offer them something. There is no affection there, no loyalty. No understanding of genuine love. No compassion.’
‘You are wrong. There is, in them, something far greater than anything we have allowed to develop.
Put aside your prejudices for a moment. Shakul came after us because he was curious. When you told him I would not enter the pool he threw me in. That sound you heard from him was laughter. You see? It was a practical joke. And when Shakul was hanging from the cliff face, the beast that pulled him up was one he had fought the night before to confirm his place in the pack.’
‘That is what I am saying,’ she insisted. ‘They fight for place and position. No loyalty.’
‘Men do the same. But men will assassinate rivals, or plot to see them removed from power. When Shakul fought Broga there was no blood spilt. There is no animosity between them. Merely, rank is decided on strength, because the pack leadership needs to be strong. These creatures have never been allowed to develop. They have been subject to iron discipline, and used only for war and death. Out here they are forming bonds, and learning to cooperate. They no longer need me, Askari. If what you said was true then Shakul would just kill me and lead the pack himself.’