Suvira and Zukab dressed up in heavy travel coats with woolen hats and gloves. Zukab packed his brown leather shoulder bag with food and they headed out for the day. The morning was chilly but the sun rose in a clear sky, quickly shifting from orange to blue. The frost melted and it would be a great day for a long walk. Zukab led Suvira down a steep trail away from the main roads.

The sun sparkled on the surface of the lake and dark shapes swam beneath the surface. Here and there a fin or a nose breached the surface. Suvira and Zukab strolled along the trail as it leveled out toward the water through evergreens and brush.

Zukab glanced at Suvira with deep brown eyes and asked, "If you hear from the Lord Justice soon will you head out immediately?"

Suvira put a hand over her yellow eyes, blocking the rising sun, and watched a fisherman on the opposite bank repairing a canoe. He seemed clumsy. "Oh, I don't know. I might need some good company on the road."

Zukab smiled and nodded. "Then I'll stay a bit and see what happens."

Suvira took Zukab's arm and turned him toward the fisherman. "I'm not sure that's wise. Frozen wax doesn't seal a boat well."

"Hmm." Zukab watched for a minute. When the fisherman looked his way, Zukab nuzzled Suvira's cheek and pulled her further down the trail. "Then we need a nice secluded spot to get away from prying eyes."

They kept their easy pace and followed a side trail past a fisherman's shed. A canoe leaned across the door, a sign the shack was unoccupied. Wisps of smoke and the smell of drying fish wafted from a smoker next to the stove pipe on the back wall.

Suvira spotted a low space where the soil was dug out from the side of a tree, called a lovers' lean. "There. No reason we can't stop and have lunch."

Zukab hopped into the shelter, sending a rabbit leaping away. "Ah! We've stolen someone's hiding spot."

"Excellent." Suvira jumped down and laid out a blanket small enough that they had to sit very close to keep the food out of the dirt. Suvira leaned again Zukab's side and he hummed happily, unwrapping a spongy date and nut bread to share.

"Would you like to travel?" Zukab asked. "Or do you plan to settle down?"

Suvira rubbed her cheek on Zukab's shoulder, thinking. "I'm not done traveling. At some point, I want a home and children but I haven't decided quite what that looks like."

"I've taken over my great-uncle's run. I loop about eight times a year. It's a long one, through the major cities. But it gives me free time when I want to stop. I have connections in every major market and I could settle anywhere along the route."

Tempting, that. Suvira appreciated the idea of choosing her own path at his side. If he was still earnest in a year, she might be as well. "A world of options. Make sure you foster those connections."

"That's the plan." Zukab took a bite of chewy venison. "But that means I should get on the road again in a few days."

"If I'm stuck here a bit longer, where could I find you come midsummer?" Suvira asked.

"At the capital just before a jaunt to Omar and Bardor. Do you like the seaside?" Zukab's voice was hopeful. Perhaps a favorite stop on his route.

Suvira nodded. "A love a walk on the beach on a cloudy summer day. I've spent more time on the green trails around the Cradle of Life, being a child of Frey. But Omar is a nice change."

Suvira and Zukab packed up their picnic. Hearing noise on the trail, they ducked as deep as they could into the lover's lean. Three unfamiliar voices whispered to each other as they passed nearby on the trail. Suvira looked at Zukab and he shook his head.

"That way. They let the mules go," a woman said. The group cut through the woods. A man's boot slipped near the edge of the hiding spot, sending dirt into the hole.

Suvira and Zukab both had daggers in their hands in an instant, but the man continued uphill without looking back.

Suvira eyed Zukab's blade and his wide, black pupils. They both carefully put their weapons away. She was glad to know he was fast in a fight.

A few minutes later, Suvira heard the bells from the castle. Three rhythmic tones. "Danger."

Zukab nodded. "They'll be closing the gates. We're stuck out here. What if those scouts come back?"

Suvira stood and dusted herself off. "They'll see us as soon as they head downhill. We'll take the fishing shed." She was moving before Zukab stood to follow.

They ducked into the fishing shed, making sure to lean the canoe so it would stay when they closed the door. Suvira hoped the fisherman who stocked the smoker was stuck in the castle and not out here with them. She couldn't afford to be mistaken for a thief. Not when she was so close to gaining her freedom.

~     ~     ~

Grumak preferred to face the humans at their colony, rather than lead a charge against Soza Castle. The lowlands were less treacherous than the road up the mountain and he would be on familiar ground. His grandfather Yodder had a score to settle with Soza, but Grumak only cared about returning to his family home in the east, past the human colony.

But these humans had their tricks and would not break easily. On the Forsaken Farmers' approach, red lights flashed and a feminine voice echoed through the colony. Humans ran for the nearest buildings long before they could be caught, some sheltering with livestock. Tents rolled out on tracks and stretched over crops, obscuring them from view.

No matter how the farmers bellowed their challenges, the human colonists stayed walled up in their ugly rectangular homes. The farmers saw humans through the windows, some in uniform, some holding weapons. But they wouldn’t budge or even yell in anger. They just waited. One wrinkled, angry elder pointed toward the coast and made a shooing motion. Grumak had slammed his hoe against the window. Not even a scratch.

Grumak’s crew only dented and grazed the paint of the colony buildings, unable to break through the material with their crude weapons. From the dull thud, the walls sounded reinforced.

Grumak sent a team to look for their source of water and a team to check out their power source. The wind turbines had metal and rubber pads on the ground stretching between the towers and the buildings. The farmers pried up the end of a pad to find a large plug and they pulled and worked at it until it slid out of the socket.

For each wind tower they unplugged, one of the human buildings began to vibrate with a soft thrumming sound. The humans had some kind of a backup system. Grumak balled up his fists and shook. They weren’t the least bit inconvenienced.

The first team determined that the colony's fresh water came from mountain streams fed by a crater lake. Water ran through a building, and was stored in a water tower. It was easy enough to turn off the supply to the fields and buildings. It was a start.

~     ~      ~

Captain Harding paced in frustration between the window and the front desk of the office he'd ducked into when the warning sounded. A small militia of eyan stalked through the colony unchecked, brandishing sharpened farm tools and long blades. So far the shelter tactic was working. If they just had Meredith here to negotiate maybe it would be done by now.

Harding approached the window and waited until the militia came close enough to see him. He pointed out toward the coast, hoping to send them away from the colony. Their leader responded with a hoe slammed into the window in front of Harding's face.

Harding pulled out his handgun and aimed between the eyan's catlike eyes until he stalked away. Harding grumbled, "Blasted undisciplined brutes."

Pulling the gun had been a small comfort, but he wouldn't have fired at the bullet-resistant glass at point plank. He strapped it back in his holster. It was dumb to pull a gun and not mean to fire it. Rooky mistake. All he could do was pace and wait for a new development.

~     ~      ~

Ximena peaked out of the workshop to see Krimo down the hall. He stared down at the body on the floor, leaning on his ox tongue spear. Ximena stepped out and closed the door. Krimo spun and jogged in her direction.

"We've got casualties and prisoners. Four dead. The cells are packed. Your mother's safe." He caught sight of her sleeve soaked in blood. "You're injured?"

Ximena sighed and let Krimo examine her arm. "Can you wrap it? I have another prisoner to secure."

"This way." The kitchen was nearby and functioned as a clinic. Krimo cleaned the cut, stitched it, dapped it with a clear protective gel that brought tears to Ximena's eyes, and wrapped the arm. "Okay, cousin. Where is this prisoner of yours?"

Ximena led him up the stairwell to the hall where the fake maid lay unconscious, breathing evenly. Krimo shackled her arms and helped Ximena carry the prisoner into the playroom and lay her in the bed. "Her legs too," Ximena suggested, and Krimo unhooked his last set of shackles without a second thought.

Ximena turned to hide her confusion, unused to giving orders. She locked both doors and pulled a scrollwork bench to the foot of the bed. She sat down heavily and her cousin joined her.

"How hard did you hit her?" Krimo asked, watching the maid sleep.

Ximena didn't quite stifle a laugh. "It took two of us to hold her down. Lady Chi gave her something."

"Don't tell me where the lady is," Krimo whispered, gesturing to the prisoner with his chin.

Ximena nodded, thankful for the reminder. She was never as into the subtle arts as her nephew Hojon who was only a year younger than her. She still had plenty to learn.

Krimo fidgeted in the silence and asked, "Do you enjoy working with the Xicon delegation?"

"I do and I've learned a lot. It's giving me room to decide if I want a life at the castle or in the capital."

"If you stay and your mother retires, you will be the reigning lady of Soza Castle. Is there a better life than that for you in the capital?"

Ximena sighed. "I don't know. I do love the city, but it's difficult to compare the lives I could lead."

Krimo thought for a moment. "I don't know much about the capital. Never been. I know life here cycles in patterns with the seasons and there is always something to look forward to."

Ximena looked around the playroom at the toys and gowns, remnants of playing princess in her youth. "I guess I took that for granted when I was growing up, always looking outward. The winter festival may be my last time in the capital. Maybe I can find someone to drag back with me."

Krimo hugged her shoulder. "We would throw you the biggest wedding."

Ximena leaned her head against his. "Thank you, Krimo. What about you? It sounds like you're set on staying?"

"Yes. I'm hoping to propose during mid-winter and wed in the spring, but if Aja returns to her parent's village I won't know where to find her."

Ximena's heart ached at the strain in his voice. She hugged him tight. "We'll sort it out, cousin. If it can be done, it will be. If I have to write to every elder between here and the sea."

Krimo laughed. "You've grown up. You wear confidence well."

Ximena didn't know what to say, so she sat and waited until the prisoner began to stir. Ximena stood and moved to the side of the bed.

"What?" asked the maid. Her eyelids slid open and then closed again.

Ximena watched the woman test her restraints with subtle movements. "You're alive. You're a prisoner of war. Rest and wake up before you decide if you wish to make a statement."

Krimo stood and moved to the other side of the bed. The prisoner's ears perked up, listening to the movement. "She's awake," Krimo said.

"Oh, I know." Ximena smiled down as the woman finally opened her eyes wide. "I am Ximena Soza. You were captured while infiltrating my home and injuring me." She held up her wrapped arm and let her smile fade to a frown. "You were splattered in blood and I found a body near the bottom of the stairs. You have the option of making a statement to me or going before my mother, Lady Vida Soza."

The woman tried to jerk away from Ximena but Krimo steadied her to keep her on the bed. "Careful," Krimo said. "Ximena is the only one between you and Lady Vida's ire. Would you waste this opportunity? What is your name?"

"Shída. Elder Yodder sent me. He said there wouldn't be anyone in the lower hallway. I could get upstairs if I was fast." Shída sounded earnest. She turned back toward Ximena "He was wrong. When I saw the humans with you, I thought I was going to die."

Ximena nodded. "You're lucky Lady Chi is a healer. What was your objective?"

"To kill Lord Renz and any other humans I found unattended," Shída said. "Then hide in plain sight until the army took the castle."

"It's lucky for all of us that you didn't find the Xicon deligation unattended. It sounds like the fault lies with Elder Yodder. I'm going to bring you some food and water and we'll talk more. Rest."

~     ~     ~

Passing the human settlement while Grumak had them distracted, Pruveni led his family toward the river in search of their lost home. He had been a boy when he had been evacuated, but the way felt familiar. "These trees were the old hunting grove," he told the children and he pointed out shelters, burrows, and coiled vines where prey would hide. He followed the barest hint of a trail, cutting back sicklevine as he went.

Pruveni fled with his family when he was very young. He remembered the elders dragging them along a rough road, even as some of the adults took ill. His parents hadn't made it to the quarantine camp. Pruveni had been told of the humans' disrespect and violence. He had been told the deaths were the humans' fault.

"We'll avenge them all," Grandpa Yodder had said.

Pruveni expected to find his family home covered in overgrowth. He expected a vandalized mess. Possibly even bleached bones. He steeled his heart to be strong for the children.

What he found when he followed the turn in the river and emerged into a clearing was something altogether different than he expected.  Glistening, clean domes. The murals had been scraped away, but the surfaces were ready for new stories. Cooking herbs grew tall beside each home. The doors were wide open. The breeze smelled of oranges from a small cluster of trees planted by the birthing house where strings of knotted ribbons fluttered in the breeze.

Four generations clamored to get a closer look but Pruveni held up his hand, and his family grew still and quiet. He hunched down and snuck into the village, edging toward the first door. There was no sound inside. No human inhabitants.

Stepping in, Pruveni found the place freshly scrubbed and a jar of fresh flowers over the fireplace. They were pink zannals, the traditional new arrival lilies. It was a welcome home. His breath caught in his chest.

Pruveni peeked into the other homes, finding them each as carefully prepared. He called his family. "Come now. Welcome home. Find a room and stow your belonging." As each stepped into the house, they kicked off some of the dirt from their travel to ask Soil to bless their home with future growth.

Pruveni's eldest son Harran found the attic over the kitchen. "This is my room," the boy told his father. "It will be warm all winter."

Pruveni chuckled. He'd taken the attic for the same reason when he lived here as a boy. "You're right. It is the warmest room, all year round. Now I have a job for you. Run back to your Uncle Grumak. Tell him to abandon the fight and come at once." Pruveni saw no reason to shed blood in the face of such hospitality.

~     ~     ~

It was a relief to Grumak when Harran came to call the men away to one of the old villages. Grumak set a guard and followed Harran.

The jog across land that Grumak’s feet remembered from his childhood was exhilarating. Some of his anger bled away as memories drifted back.

The sight of the domes was quite a shock to his system. They were stark now, but he could almost see the old murals. Old Ami was drawing water from the well. She ladled water into jars of herbs to test if the well was safe.

Pruveni was plucking oranges from trees where none had stood before. He offered one to Grumak as he approached. Pruveni said, "If the other villages are so kindly prepared, We don't need to fight these people."

Grumak grumbled, smelling the orange. "This is a small gesture compared to the pain we suffered. And they might not be so kind now that we've attacked them."

"How many casualties?" Pruveni asked.

Grumak began peeling the fruit, avoiding his brother's eyes. "None yet. We have them surrounded." Grumak was not proud of his failure to lead a solid attack.

"Then run back before your men do harm in your absence." Pruveni shoved his brother. "Go now."

~     ~     ~

Smells of fish, smoke, and brine overwhelmed Suvira's senses. She blinked and sneezed, a high-pitched choo that make Zukab grin. She wrinkled her nose and turned her attention to the well-organized fishing shed.

Suvira passed the bait boxes, dip nets, and stick and line supplies to grab a barbed spear. She tossed a second to Zukab who caught it with ease. The three-foot shaft gave some reach without being unwieldy in the small room should they have unexpected guests.

Zukab checked the smoker which had been loaded with strips of trout early in the morning. He added a small amount of fuel to keep the fire going and keep the indirect heat even. "Might as well keep the heat and not waste the fish."

"Good call." Suvira found a first-aid bag, a jug of ale, and vats of salt and herb brine. "Look for food and blankets. Anything to help get us through the night."

Suvira pretended not to catch the sidelong look Zukab gave her. There would be no letting their guard down tonight.

Zukab found a waxed tarp to fold and pad the floor and one large blanket. Suvira found a crate of dry rations behind a bucket of tools. With the picnic leftovers and the jug of ale, they could have a pleasant night. They collected what they needed and set up near the smoker to cuddle and keep warm. The wind began to whistle through the trees.

~     ~     ~

Dzev led the way back through the underground labyrinth toward the castle, with Renz holding out the lantern next to him. Chi and Joe followed close behind. Marko and Tyra held back several feet, holding the prisoner between them, a woman who wept and sniffled after losing her family.

They weren't going back the way Tyra had come down. Dzev took a corridor obscured by an s-curve and stopped on a wooden platform. "Huddle close together," Dzev instructed.

Renz, Chi, and Joe squeezed close to Dzev. Marko stepped around the prisoner and Tyra followed his lead. They huddled close to the others on the platform but shielded them from the stranger.

When the party was tightly packed on the platform, Dzev pushed on a stone square in the wall with gentle pressure. Click, click, click. Sounds of gears and chains moved around and above. Wrought iron gates came down on either side of them, a semblance of twisted vines and berries. The floor they were standing on began to rise.

"What is this?" asked Joe, looking up and around at the mechanisms.

"A very large dumbwaiter," Dzev answered, grinning through his bloody beard. "Once we're up, there'll be a trap below. Nothing quite as effective as a spike trap in the dark."

Renz swallowed. "Everyone keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times."

Chi tried to pinch him and he kissed her on the forehead.

The platform rose about three stories before it slid into place facing a tall wooden door with a rusty knob. Like the workshop, the knob was a decoy. Dzev reached along the doorframe and felt for the three buttons just out of sight. He pressed the middle one and the door unlocked and swung free.

The saferoom Dzev stepped into had stacks of pillows and cabinets of supplies. A basin with a spout and lever was half full of water. There was a second door and a curtained corner in the wide tower room.

Three children leaped up from pillows on the floor and ran to greet Dzev. One of them screamed when he saw Dzev's bloody beard. The other two echoed the first.

"A'right, back it up now," Dzev told the kids. "I'm fine and we got more comin' in."

Renz and Chi stepped off the platform but didn't let go of each other. Joe hopped into the room with a whoop and chased the children in a circle. They squealed and darted around.

Dzev pulled some shackles out of a drawer and took Marko and Tyra's charge. He led her to a corner where a low loop in the wall let Dzev secure the prisoner where she could sit or sleep as she chose. "You behave now and I'll see if I can get ya a private room."

Tyra watched Joe with her hand on her chest as he ran around with the little ones.

Marko pursed his lips at her but turned and joined Renz and Chi. He pulled them both into a hug. "We're here together and we're alright," he told them.

Dzev locked the platform in place and closed the door. He checked the locks on the second door before passing out food and water. He waited until the others were dozing to write a letter and drop it down a shoot to the library.

~     ~     ~

Grumak ran back up the trail to the human colony and stopped at a fence to lean and catch his breath. He looked around for his guard, but they were not patrolling.

Two of the long garden tents had been sliced open and Grumak could see movement inside.

"Layabouts!" Grumak leaped over the fence and tramped to the tents where the newly cut flaps slapped around in the breeze. "You selfish lot are not minding your posts. You could have been surrounded. Grab what you can carry and get your scrawny hides to the east fence. NOW!"

His startled crew rushed to obey, many glaring back at the human buildings as they rushed away. Grumak didn't bother to explain, he just led the band of displaced farmers to a village near his own.

The stark, clean domes circled around a well and looked much like the other village. It had been prepared with care and a pen near the hunt-house held a half dozen hairy, pink pigs.

Grumak shouted to his confused crew, "Secure the buildings. Check the water supply. Prepare to receive your kin on the next wave. And stay on your own land. If I catch anyone in the human colony, I will have your hide."

Grumak snuck back to the fence and followed it curving around the field until he was close enough to make a run at the water tower. The red lights strobed again and the feminine voice called out her orders. 

The only humans who had ventured out were uniformed and armed. The sleek creatures shouted at each other and ran to intercept Grumak who was already turning the wheel to release the water back into the colony.

The angry elder from earlier ran behind the others. He called a halt and most obeyed him with martial precision. But one aimed her weapon at Grumak and an explosion hit his shoulder.

Grumak screamed as grass and gravel came at his face and then everything went black.

When Grumak came to, he was being carried on a stretcher into a cool blue room with a metal table. The elder was walking next to him, though the anger had melted away. He asked a question in a strained voice.

A young woman with chestnut waves of hair said, "The captain wants to know how bad the pain is." She spoke with the high voice of a child but she spoke well.

Grumak replied, "Foot in the fire, only it is my shoulder."

The young woman told him, "My name is Irene Brandt and I am going to be your translator. The doctor will give you something for the pain and then remove the bullet."

Irene told the captain what Grumak had said, and his reply came back through Irene. "I don't want to know how you know that feeling. We will take good care of you. What should we say if someone comes looking for you?"

"Tell them Grumak lives. He will speak for himself very soon. If it is my brother, tell him I did what I thought he would do."

Irene translated, then stepped up to the table to take Grumak's hand with a motherly gentleness. "You are going to feel a pinch. It's done. Count backward from ten."

The black came in from the edges and the room slipped away.

~     ~     ~

The army split between the western road along the ridge and the southern road to the lake for the night, cutting off traffic to Soza Castle. At first, there was a sense of strength, of taking action. They had taken losses but they were a standing army. Yodder shouted from his tent opening, "We have a purpose and we are being heard. We will avenge the dead and take back what is ours!"

Then the wind rose from a whistle to a rattle and finally to a roar. Some of the Forsaken Farmers laid fresh offerings for the mountain spirits, but most of the new gifts blew away even though most of the older gifts stayed.

The silhouette of a small woman emerged onto the castle balcony and began to dance. She was joined by others one at a time. The wind roared and moaned.

The camps whispered of spirits and magic.

Yodder cursed the small dancer with her fluffy tail. Vida, he was sure. She called the spirits against him. "Childish tricks! You can't intimidate us, Vida Soza. You get in the way and we'll go through you." He turned his back on the castle to sit and rub his aching leg.

The wind was icy. It bit at ears and fingertips. The cooking fires danced wildly, catching hems on fire. Keg taps turned, spilling bubbly liquids and spreading mud through the camps.

Yodder returned to the mouth of his tent leaning on his walking stick, exclaiming, "Stop this, spirits! We have been wounded. We will have our revenge!" He shook his fist at the wind.

The wind whistled in Yodder's ear, "No. You choose to be wounded." The tent flap came loose and slapped at his face. "You choose harm." Yodder slapped back at the flap and resecured it to the tent. The wind shook the tent harder until it came down, held up only by his bent figure and his walking stick.

Yodder yowled, screaming in anger. Others added their voices.

The wind yowled back. Flecks of ice cut hair-width lines in tents, clothes, and exposed flesh.

Many huddled together. Many retreated down the mountain trails. A few were lost to fires and falls. By dawn, the army had lost a full third of its strength. Those who remained shivered together around breakfast fires, nursing their wounds.

~     ~     ~

A knock in the rhythm of an old Soza nursery rhyme tapped on the saferoom door. The only correct knock. Dzev opened it to find Krimo and Ximena. Krimo said, "All clear in the castle. Army camped for the night blocking both roads."

Dzev nodded, hearing the wind rattling the high windows. "Thank ya. Not a nice night to be caught outside." He pulled Ximena into a hug for a minute before asking, "Is your mother a'right?"

Ximena smirked at him. "Raging mad, but alright. She wants Yodder's..."

Dzev put a finger to his lips. "Little ones." They were curled up together in a pile of cuteness, but there was no telling if they were listening or not.

Ximena stepped past Dzev and sat next to the children. "I'll watch them for a bit."

She misunderstood his meaning, but that was fine. Dzev unlocked the prisoner and passed her off to Krimo. "Private room. No visitors. If she says anything, report back to me."

He waited until Krimo had descended the stairs with his charge before signaling to Marko that it was time to move out. He led the Bardor and Xicon guests back to their corridor, then made his way downstairs to find Vida.

She was just returning to the library when he reached it and they embraced in front of the door. She was weak from chill and exhaustion. Dzev steered her toward the lounge where she could sleep.

~     ~     ~

Renz rested on a wooden bench, wrapped in a sheet-sized towel. A mesh net billowed in the pool, pulling through the water and collecting fur, hair, and debris. A jet of milky pink flowed into the pool, adding a floral scent as it mixed and rose into the moist air. The rosy scent brought Renz momentarily back to the farmhouse. Grandma smelled of roses, like potpourri.

Once the pool was clean, Renz left the towel on the bench and eased down the steps into the water. The textured tile steps were rough on his feet.

He hadn't realized how cold he was until sinking into the heat. Muscles shivered before relaxing. His skin reddened as he bounced along the edge, feeling light. His mind flashed over recent events. Arror's grip on his clothes, holding him off the ground. Vida's tail against his ankle. Tyra's spinning form illuminated by fire against the starry sky. Dzev's bloody grin. Marko's gentle humming purr.

Renz leaned on the cool tile on the edge of the pool. He felt distant from Earth. From his memories of growing up. Unless a smell or a sound brought back a glimpse of the past. This new paradise they had found on the other side of the galaxy was as treacherous and as beautiful as Earth, but he still felt alien.

At the sound of footsteps, Renz tensed and turned. He relaxed, seeing Marko stepping out of the shower room, a towel over his shoulder.

Marko dropped the towel on the bench and stepped into the water, moving with ease. There was no sign of the stiff reserve he used to keep others at a distance. "How are you holding up?"

Renz felt heat rising, not just from the pool. "In my head. Processing."

"You've been through a lot. Take your time." Marko swam, muscles flexing. His kicks were powerful, making up for the weight and drag his tail added to his lower torso.

Renz watched, enthralled for a moment. "I would rather move than think right now." He kicked off and swam, pacing Marko on the opposite side of the pool. They circled each other like koi fish.

When the intrusive thoughts tried to resurface, Renz pushed them aside. Renz dove and came up close to Marko, splashing him. Marko rolled and kicked water back at Renz, losing his momentum. They splashed and laughed.

Gasping from the heat and exertion, Renz bobbed over to the steps and sat halfway out of the water. His heartbeat thump thumped in his chest. He wiped water off his rough face, unused to the stubble. "Wow. That got my blood pumping." When the adrenaline wore off he'd be too tired to think and that suited him just fine.

Marko stepped up next to him and sat. With wet fur slicked down, Marko looked thinner. His face was more angular. "Renz?" Marko asked, voice quiet. "What do you see in me?"

Renz had hoped the evening would turn to more distractions. It was a difficult question coming from anyone. But his relationship with Marko was new and he didn't know what not to say. "You're strong and kind," Renz began. "You care. You're honest with me even when it could hurt you."

Marko nodded, gazing into the water. "These are things we share."

Renz sighed. "That is kind of you to say. I don't always feel strong."

Marko looked down at Renz, studying his face. "I have known men as physically strong as my father. Dzev is one of them. But you are the only one I have met with a will as strong."

Renz leaned closer, hugging Marko. They were both struggling with self-doubt. "Thank you. I can't imagine a higher compliment. Do you know I adore you?"

"I can see that. And I you." Marko hugged him back. "Now back in the water. Our muscles need the heat after the labyrinth."

Renz slid back into the water, though he was sure he had enough heat for both of them. It wasn't the right time or place, but gods why not?

~     ~     ~

As the army recombined into one body near Soza Castle, Lady Vida Soza stepped out onto the balcony. Ximena pushed out a wire metal stand. Krimo followed her, setting a heavy, wooden cone taller than Vida onto the stand.

Through the cone, Vida's sweet voice boomed over the encroaching army. "Cousins, neighbors, guests, friends. You want your livelihoods back. I want to give you not only a livelihood but a growing opportunity for your grandchildren and their grandchildren. But I need you to live. To take up the work of building a new future for the northern valleys instead of taking up arms to destroy your own future. Can you calm your hearts and listen?"

Growls and whispers subsided as she talked. Shouts came out of the crowd. "What did she say?" and "What future?" Six family elders were pushed toward each other by their kin, a meeting that would disclude Yodder who sat outside the crumpled gates, shouting orders.

"Did Otsey bring you news of the hospital? Your families will have a level of care you have never seen. Did Burazo tell you about new homes, schools, and shops, catered to your needs and desires? Or guild instructors, on their way at first bloom to teach your young and idle lifelong skills? These things are set. They will be. If you live to see them, they will all be yours. If you persist here, you will only waste lives and resources."

Vida watched the motion of the crowd. Many followed Yodder's orders, mostly his own brood. Others waited for the elders to confer. A mob on edge, needing direction.

Once the elders had spoken at length, the army began to unravel, with four families twisting their way out of the throng and along the western road away from the castle. Two families twisted their way forward, backing up Yodder as he prepared to breach the wall.

Vida was sure she owed the mountain spirits for such a great result to a maneuver only meant only to stall, but she was thrilled.

~     ~     ~

A band of Forsaken Farmers led the second wave of refugees through the hills between the inland and the eastern valley and came to a halt overlooking the eastern lands. Greens, purples, and browns stretched to the misty blue channel with snow-tipped mountains north and south.

Yani wiped a tear from his eye, his gray mane tousled by the breeze. "Home." Yani crossed two fingers and slapped his chest twice. "Praise Water. It has been too long." He wished Burazo had come to share this moment, but he had other plans.

Yani called for lunch and the travelers gathered in small circles, chattering and sharing crackers, fruit, and salted pork.

Maevi stood alone on the edge of an outcropping, examining the human settlement with a spyglass she inherited from her seafaring grandfather. When Yani approached, she asked, "Where is Grumak and his brother?"

"Let me see," Yani said and Maevi passed the spyglass. Yani scanned the surrounding valley. "There. And there. Activity in three of the villages."

When all was packed back up and the children were bouncing with excitement, Yani led them down the hills and into the valley. He and Maevi scouted ahead but they found nothing threatening except an old bog gater as they passed a swampy lake. The ancient creature floated along, sunning its mossy, spiked back.

Yani and Maevi slowed near the human settlement, keeping to cover until the grasslands opened up. As soon as they were exposed on the edge of the settlement, red lights strobed. Humans rushed for nearby buildings.

A young woman's voice boomed through the air in polite eyan speech. "Welcome home, neighbors. Mabrik, Avery, and Bikip villagers, please proceed around the fences to the northern trail. Sumrin, Korvan, and Yanvy villagers, please proceed around the fences to the southern trail. Norkad and Rumvy villagers, please proceed directly home. Additional food and supplies will arrive from Market Town over the next seven days." The speaker paused, and the message repeated. And repeated.

Yani and Maevi returned to the advancing refugees and began organizing them by their villages. Orphans and others who didn't know their village name clung to the people they knew best. 

Yani stood on the northern side of the group. "Mabrik, Avery, Bikip! You are with me. Stay close." He slowly backed up and repeated, "Mabrik, Avery, Bikip!" He felt behind him with his tail to avoid tripping.

Elder Fríma held up a hand. "Norkad to me! Come now."

Maevi walked south, calling, "Sumrin, Korvan, Yanvy! This way. Group up." She walked slowly but didn't look back. "Move out!"

Elder Odu called, "Rumvy! Rumvy this way. Just a short walk."

~     ~     ~

Shar and Veysh, the hairless grandsons of coastal divers slinked into the underbrush. Their shadowy dark gray wrinkled skin and dark brown eyes made them nearly invisible as they slipped past Yani and into the forest.

Shar crept along behind the northern group. "They forgot about us," Shar whispered. "Kleymon is miles past Avery."

Veysh kept pace. "Are we really passing by this place and just going home? Like nothing happened?"

Shar paused as Yani stopped to examine signs of a struggle near the water tower. "Not without scars, but the past is done. We'll take back as much as we can."

Adults picked up small children. They called for older kids to keep close. The northern group continued on but hung to the forest edge, watching for danger in every direction.

Veysh stepped closer to Shar. "See. Something is wrong."

Shar couldn't argue. As he moved past the water tower he saw what had stopped Yani in his tracks. Blood on the soil. Someone had fallen here. 

Shar gripped Veysh's shoulder. "We keep to the dark places until we see the channel."

"Agreed." Veysh led the way deeper into the forest, where they could barely hear the band of refugees making their way eastward.

~     ~     ~