The Rebel's Vision Read online

  The Rebel’s Vision

  Age of the Andinna

  Kristen Banet

  Copyright © 2020 by Kristen Banet

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Illustration by Merilliza Chan

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  Acknowledgments

  Let’s get started with the obvious. My husband, who supports me through every book, even if he’s never read them. He believes in me and I love him for it.

  To Leigh and Becca, whose continued friendship helps me stand through storm after storm.

  And to my editors, both amazing. Then my beta readers, all fantastic. Without the team behind me, these wonderful people, I would never be able to bring these books to the world.

  An last, but not least, you the reader. The reader who keeps coming back reading more and more. You join me my journeys through worlds unknown and stories of strong women and men fighting for what they believe in.

  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

  Contents

  1. Mave

  2. Brynec

  3. Mave

  4. Mave

  5. Alchan

  6. Mave

  7. Mave

  8. Trevan

  9. Matesh

  10. Mave

  11. Rainev

  12. Mave

  13. Brynec

  14. Luykas

  15. Mave

  16. Zayden

  17. Mave

  18. Alchan

  19. Mave

  20. Emerian

  21. Trevan

  22. Emerian

  23. Shadra

  24. Mave

  25. Mave

  26. Mave

  27. Matesh

  28. Rainev

  29. Mave

  30. Luykas

  31. Mave

  32. Mave

  33. Zayden

  34. Mave

  35. Alchan

  36. Mave

  37. Mave

  38. Luykas

  39. Mave

  40. Zayden

  41. Rainev

  42. Mave

  43. Mave

  44. Shadra

  Dear Reader,

  About the Author

  Also by Kristen Banet

  Also by K.N. Banet

  Andena Glossary

  1

  Mave

  Mave fidgeted uncomfortably, wondering when she would see their target. Lying in wait was a bore but necessary when she was part of an ambush party. Months of planning came down to this moment. If the information was good, they would have their first successful mission since she and Alchan cooked up the insane idea of starting a full rebellion against the Empire.

  She didn’t have any doubt the information was good. Nothing Leshaun ever told them was bad, though sometimes it was a little off. That was something she learned to take in stride—apparently, no spy was perfect.

  Matesh ran a hand down her back slowly, encouraging her to calm down, but Mave had been waiting for this moment for weeks. It was finally time to see it through and push forward with the rebellion. Without this, they were dead in the water and would have to talk about getting back to Olost, back to relative safety.

  It was midafternoon when she caught the first glimpse of soldiers coming around the bend toward their tree line. Her hands twitched with pent-up energy, ready to unsheathe her swords and attack. The gentle hand on her back became a tight grip on her shoulder.

  Soon. I just need to wait for them to pass me. Once I see the caravan stop, that’s my signal. That’s when I lead the attack from behind.

  Lead—she hated the word. She wasn’t one to lead, didn’t like helping come up with plans. She could see them executed, but she liked the idea of being one of many, not one over many.

  Too bad I’m too dominant to be allowed that. No, I just had to refuse to put my eyes down, didn’t I?

  The caravan moved slowly. She counted the soldiers as best she could from her position, as they passed, unaware and at ease. This was going to be a slaughter. Three large carriages, made of steel and wood, were at the center of the caravan. Those were the objective. The soldiers could live or die for all anyone cared, but they had to get those carriages.

  Mave tensed as the caravan slowed but didn’t stop. After a few moments, the entire thing passed her, and she was looking at it from behind.

  Then there was shouting, and everyone stopped. Soldiers bumped into each other, cursing as something held up their slow march south to Elliar.

  “Now!” Mave roared, not wanting to give the soldiers any time to collect themselves before the attack. She rushed through the underbrush, drawing her blades. The first three soldiers she dropped had no idea the Andinna were there. The fourth and fifth were scrambling to draw their weapons. The sixth was holding his sword but not yet truly understanding what was happening. Battle cries and roars filled the once silent road and forest as the Andinna cut quick paths through the Elvasi.

  “Secure the carriages!” an Elvasi screamed. “Get them out of here! Move, men!”

  She turned to the man on horseback and growled, throwing a sword at him. Her blade went into his back as two arrows went into his chest. As he fell from the horse, she caught a glimpse of Varon nocking another arrow as he stood on top of one of the carriages. Nevyn stood next to him, kicking off an Elvasi trying to climb up for them.

  Grinning, she turned back to the combat and realized her group was keeping the Elvasi busy enough for her to check the first carriage and free the hostages. She hauled ass to the back carriage and cut through the locks with her sword. Swinging the door open, she saw human and half-Elvasi men she recognized, both young and old.

  “Get moving, sailors!” she ordered. “Get into the woods and wait for us there! I don’t have time to stand around and wait on your lazy asses!”

  “Yes, ma’am!” one yelled and led the rest to pile out of the carriage. One dared to smile at her as he jumped out. They all looked bruised and beaten, thin from starvation, but she made it a point to talk to them as if nothing was wrong. A little light teasing in the middle of a rescue, she had been told by Nevyn, never hurt anyone.

  She watched to make sure they made it into the woods with no followers and ran for the next carriage, ducking through fighting to get there. She would have rather put all her attention into killing every soldier she could, but there were still people who desperately needed her.

  At the second carriage, she ran into Nevyn, who jumped down to help her.

  “The fighting won’t last long. We’ve already seen some Elvasi jump on horses and get the fuck out of here. Our hit on the front was strong.”

  “Has anyone opened the front carriage?” she asked quickly as she worked on the lock of the one in front of her.

  “Alchan’s on it,” he explained. Finally, they were able to work it open and ushered everyone out. Mave patted the shoulders of the three dwarves there but didn’t have time to see which ones they were. She knew losses were sustained when the ship went down. More were lost during their captures, but it was still painful to see only three dwarves. She hoped there were more in the last carriage. There was no way to find out until they were done with the ambush.

  As their rescued friends ran into the woods, some El
vasi got an idea of what was going on. Mave and Nevyn ran with their injured friends and defended. Mave blocked one particularly nasty axe swing, feeling the power behind it nearly pop her shoulder out of place. With a snarl, she kicked the soldier responsible, disarmed, then gutted him.

  She didn’t have time to watch this batch of free prisoners disappear into the woods. She was busy with another Elvasi. She had thought they were all too busy. If some now had time to come after her, that meant someone had gone down, or the soldier was looking for an easier target. The Elvasi outnumbered them, so it would make sense a soldier who was free would go for an Andinna who wasn’t being stopped.

  She fought next to Nevyn, matching each other’s speed as they cut through the few Elvasi that had come for them. Arrow after arrow came down on the group. Mave was grateful for the perfect aim of the mute because some cut very close to her and hit the Elvasi she was fighting. The fighting lulled for a moment, and she took the chance to breathe. Right as she started moving to engage another Elvasi soldier, a roar could be heard over the fighting, one different from the standard battle cry of the Andinna. This was victorious.

  “We’re ready to move out!” Alchan yelled over the fighting. “Finish up! Elvasi, now’s your chance to run!”

  Mave nearly laughed, and Nevyn did as several soldiers ran as the Andinna backed off. Cheering started up as they let the soldiers run for it. Their goal hadn’t been to kill as many of the Elvasi as they could; that was just a bonus. They wanted Elvasi spreading the word about their deeds. Eventually, the whispers of their activities would reach ears that needed to hear them.

  As she turned toward the woods, seeing those they just freed walk back out, she knew those whispers would give hope to the ones still waiting on them. That was the entire point of rebellion.

  She didn’t cheer with the rest of the warriors, though. She found Matesh and kissed him, glad to see he came out of another battle unscathed. After him, she found Zayden and looked over the male so she could report to Rainev if she saw the young male first. The father’s face turned red as he realized what she was doing, but something kept him from saying anything.

  “Good, neither of you is hurt. I’m going to find Alchan. Get the warriors into the woods and begin heading back to camp with as many of the rescues as you can,” she ordered, following the predetermined plan.

  “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.