The Warrior's Assault Read online

  “Oh fuck,” Mave muttered. “We’re going to deal with females.” The answer smacked her like a blunt force object.

  “We’re needed by the mativa, actually. Jesvena demands, therefore, we attend. Normally, I get out of most of this, thanks to my own duties, but this is your first winter with Andinna who can celebrate our customs properly.”

  “Why do I not like the sound of this?” Something about it seemed bad for Mave, and she wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was the fact that the mativa was involved. The old bat never asked for her, and Mave never looked for her to get anything. A wide berth was for the best. It kept trouble from popping up thanks to the strange situation of her being in charge but Mave being more dominant.

  “It’s not so bad. Just a lot of females planning the spring festival, and you have your own role to play, like the rest of us.” Senri seemed at ease, but Mave didn’t trust it, not for a moment.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Nothing,” Senri sighed. “I don’t like hanging out with the other females so much, and I have a feeling you won’t either. There was once more warriors like us, but the war hurt female numbers more than male. Now, the females left are protected and sheltered, which is expected. But females like us? We stand out.”

  “I’ve noticed that.” Mave and Senri were the only two true warrior females. The others could wield swords and defend themselves, but they weren’t hardened. They never drew blood. Many hunted, but that slowed down as the winter grew harsher. “Could we change it?”

  “No,” Senri answered sadly. “No…You being in the Company has already got hackles raised. We need females to keep our people going. That’s the sad truth of it. If any one of us dies…” She shook her head, the bleakness not leaving her face. “But it’s led to softer females every century. If this keeps up, we’ll be among the last of the true warrior females our race is known for.”

  Mave nodded, accepting those words. “So, we’re about to spend time with females who are taken care of, treated like princesses, and used to getting their way but have never worked for it.”

  “Yes.” Senri’s agreement had a bite. “Jesvena knows there’s a problem, but neither of us has found a solution we agree on. I think the females need to start joining the patrols, but she thinks it’s too risky. I think it’ll instill some character. If we were in Anden, they already would be. They would be expected to help protect their home, just as much as the males.”

  “Are there any females like us left?”

  “A few in different villages. They’re all my age or older, survivors of the war. There’s none your age or younger. I would take it to Alchan, but he doesn’t want the argument with Jesvena or the other mativa.” Senri sighed. “Our village is full of young females. Allaina, if she weren’t positioned to be a mativa, would have been a great warrior. She’s a bit prissy, but she’s damn good with a blade. Not even I can risk her, though. A mind like hers will do the village well when she is a bit more mature.”

  Mave bared her teeth, choosing to remain silent at the mention of Matesh’s old lover. They were nearly to the community building, anyway, and Mave didn’t want the entire village to hear her distaste of the other female.

  “I take it you two haven’t found common ground…” Senri noted, looking around casually.

  “Why should we? She wants Mat back. She wants me to submit. I’ll give her neither.” Mave growled at the end, unable to hold it back. “I want her to jump off a cliff with her wings bound. She won’t give me that.”

  Senri’s eyes just went wide for a moment, then she turned slowly away from Mave, covering her face. Mave could hear the snickering but didn’t mind.

  “Bloodthirsty bitch,” she finally said, still trying to hold back her laughter. “You understand, one day I’ll retire, and they’ll approach you for my job. Then Jesvena is going to retire and put Allaina in her place. You’ll have to work together.”

  “I have no intention of being anything except part of the Company,” Mave reminded her. “They’re my family, and I’ll always fight alongside them.” Mave knew it was the least she could do for the band of males and their commanders after they had given her freedom.

  “You say that now, but life changes things.”

  Not that. I won’t let it change that.

  “I’ll keep an open mind but consider it unlikely.” Mave motioned to the building in front of them. “So, what should I expect?”

  “Well, they’ll look at us like we have two heads,” Senri began, nodding in the same direction. “After that? Who knows? Normally, I’m dismissed to deal with other things.”

  “What’s the spring festival like?” Mave asked as they approached the door.

  “I would try to explain it, but honestly, you wouldn’t believe me. It’s something you’ll have to see to understand.” Senri pulled the door open and waved her in.

  Mave walked in slowly, looking around. What she saw wasn’t what she expected.

  “What?” Mave frowned as Senri came in and stood next to her.

  Before them was every single female in the village, baring it all to the world like the days they were born, with the exception of their tatua. Many only had blood ink on their faces and some of their chest, much like Mave. Very few had more than that. They all sported the pure black Andinna wings, tail, and horns, with the black hair and dark eyes with gemstones for irises marking them all as purebloods of their people .

  Physically, they were all near perfect Andinna at a glance.

  “Care to explain?” Mave needed some answers.

  “Yeah, so the spring festival is all about the promise of new life, fertility, love, and such. You know, fucking like rabbits.” Senri waved a hand at the females in front of them. “So…much of what we do is…enjoying the new warmth of spring…and our bodies…” Senri grinned. “You know.”

  Mave swallowed, and the room warmed up, which wasn’t pleasant since it was already blazing hot. From her spot, she could see the other females were actually sweating from the heat coming from the fires in the hearths. “Ah. Of course.” They got naked and had sex. “And this festival…is done with the entire community.”

  “The beginning of it, yes. We do start the festival with the entire community.” Senri thumped her shoulder. “But you can take the more exciting parts home if that’s your wish. I take my males home for that part, though many don’t. My family has just been around long enough, we don’t need to revel like the younger ones.”

  “We get naked and have sex,” Mave said, trying to come to terms with it. “That’s the festival.”

  “Not all of it!” Senri chuckled. “Our Blackbloods bless the land with their own blood, feeding it power for strong harvests later in the year and to give something back to the land as it gives to us. They even bless some females to enter their fertility cycles if they wish to try for young, though that’s strictly optional.”

  Thank the Skies.

  “Anything else? Like why are they naked now?” Mave nodded to the giggling young females. She felt older, but Mave knew she was probably of a similar age to most. She was young, even if she didn’t feel it. She knew in a different life, she would have been one of them, giggling and laughing, preparing for what amounted to an orgy.

  “There’s dancing and music. We, the women, play the music while the males dance. You…might enjoy that part. Also, the nudity now is…well, it’s just what we do.” Senri shrugged. “I was taught to play nude, as well. I think it’s to help desensitize us for the festival proper. We get used to our peers here, then perform together, knowing we’re beautiful, different, and accepted.”

  “I don’t know how to play any instruments,” Mave said quickly. She didn’t want to think about the rest of it. “Not one.”

  “You’ll learn the Andinna drums and maybe the flute. Those are the only two instruments our people use consistently,” Senri explained, patting her back. “Most females spend their childhoods learning. You shouldn’t…” She trailed o
ff, the realization hitting her, her orange eyes darkening. “I’ll spend extra time with you. You don’t need to feel embarrassed.”

  “Thank you.” Mave wanted to learn and was finally feeling comfortable asking for help without kicking herself.

  “If it’s any consolation, your Andena is getting very good. The accent is nothing we can change, but you’re doing really well.” Senri gave her a kind smile. “And maybe after this, we can go for a fly.”

  “I would love that,” Mave agreed, “but I have training with Luykas.”

  “It’s important to never forget how far you’ve come,” Senri reminded her gently. “Now, let’s wade into the oversexed youth and get this over with. Maybe I can get us out of here faster.”

  Mave was chuckling as she followed the other female through the group of females surrounding Jesvena, who looked up right before they reached her. Other females were stopping their goofing around to watch them as well. Mave had never felt so out of place, but she knew it was because of her own place in the community, which was a precarious one. No one really knew what to do with her or how to treat her, and there wasn’t much that could be done about that unless she worked to take an official position from one of the leading females, Senri or Jesvena. She liked Senri too much to take her position, and she had no want to be a mativa and would be useless at it, anyway.

  Well, maybe I should just lower my damn eyes, and none of this would be a problem.

  Even the idea of it made her uncomfortable.

  “Senri, Maevana, it’s good to see you both this fair morning.” Jesvena stood up from her place in the middle of the room, smiling. It wasn’t particularly friendly, but it wasn’t unwelcoming either. “We’re beginning preparations for the spring festival today. Like every year, there are things we should discuss.”

  “Of course, Jes,” Senri replied, nodding her head respectfully.

  Mave said nothing, looking around the community room. It was the village’s place for public meals if someone didn’t want to cook. The single males ran it on rotation. For the first time since she’d come to the village, there wasn’t a single male in sight.

  “Maevana?” Jesvena leaned closer.

  “Mave, please.” Every time, it was the same thing with the mativa. Like with Leshaun, Mave knew she was going to have to train the old bat to use her chosen name, not her given one.

  “My apologies, I mean no disrespect. I just think it’s wise for no one to forget who you are, and your name is a part of that,” Jesvena countered, nodding her head in respectful deference. There was nothing respectful about her words, however. There was a reason Jesvena didn’t want anyone forgetting who she was.

  “Can’t let anyone forget I’m the Lorren who lost us the war, yes, I know.” Mave bared her teeth, agitated already with the encounter. Senri stiffened next to her. “Call me Mave.”

  “Okay, Mave.” Jesvena narrowed her eyes, meeting Mave’s stare but dropped them quickly. The females around them were now completely silent. Allaina stepped around her and took a spot behind Jesvena, stiff and already angry. Mave met her stare and reminded her who was in charge with the same blank face she’d initially greeted the female with months ago.

  “Stop this,” Senri snapped. “We’re here for the spring festival. Mave, stop letting her get to you. Jes, stop antagonizing her. What do you need us for?”

  “I want to see how practiced everyone is with their instruments,” Jesvena said quickly. “See who needs work, and who doesn’t. This is the first festival our King will attend in a few years, and I want it to be glorious. A good showing.”

  “Makes sense. His grace doesn’t care much for most things, but he’ll enjoy seeing the festival done well. A sign our people are still healthy and remember who we are.” Senri looked thoughtful, nodding. “Mave, flute or drums? I know both well and can catch you up.”

  “Let me try both?” Mave wasn’t sure. She’d never tried either. Once, Empress Shadra had tried to teach her the harp, but it ended when she was thrown into the pits to survive or die. After that, three was no place in her thoughts for music.

  “We’ll play with both and see what suits you,” Senri agreed, nodding politely. “Now, can she and I go about our duties?”

  “Of course.” Jesvena looked over Mave one time as Senri stepped back. Mave didn’t move from the scrutiny, waiting to hear the old female’s next words. “I didn’t think you would try to join the festival.”

  “I’ll do my best. If my skills aren’t up to par, I’ll sit out this year,” Mave said respectfully. She wanted to be a part of the festivities, only if it was just to say she was a part of something. This was different from the Company. This was her people, the big missing piece in her life.

  “Good luck,” Allaina said softly, smiling.

  Mave glanced at her, then dismissed her, turning to follow Senri out. The females around them spoke softly among themselves again. Mave said a polite hello to any of them who cared to even look at her. Once they were outside, Senri grabbed her arm.

  “We’ll make sure you perform,” she promised. “If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to do this.”

  Mave sighed, thinking about the females inside and her life.

  “Yes, I do. I’ll see you this afternoon to get started?”

  “That works for me.” Senri took off after that, waving as she entered the sky.

  Mave took off a couple of minutes later, knowing it was time to get to the training that mattered.

  2

  Mave

  Mave felt better the moment she was in the air. After months and months of practicing, she could now safely fly around most of the village.She couldn't yet do the large distances many Andinna flew, but she could get from Alchan’s home on the outskirts of the village to the bathing springs on the opposite end.

  The cold air felt like home on her face. Her wings took to flying as if they had always done it, catching an updraft, helping her soar higher. She felt like she could touch the clouds if she wanted.

  Freedom—she had thought she knew what it was. She’d thought it was living among her people. She’d thought it was having lovers, a home, and a family to fill her days.

  I was so wrong. This...this is freedom.

  The only thing that soured her love for the sky was the agitation she felt distantly from Luykas. At some point, while she’d been with Senri, the male had made it to their training field and was waiting on her. She knew she was late, so when she finally saw him waiting, white on white in the snow, she was ready for whatever he had to say. She landed as gracefully as she could, stumbling thanks to how deep the fresh snow was from the weekend. Up close, she could tell his white wings were the same color as the snow or the purest ivory. His tan skin and black hair were at odds with the snow though and contrasted further with his white tatua, which was lighter than his skin, creating an oddly beautiful effect.

  None of that made him odd, though. The off colors he sported only made him a mutt.

  His gold made him odd. They were what marked him as an Elvasi mutt, the race that enslaved the Andinna a thousand years ago. He was also the half-brother to the King of the Andinna.

  She couldn’t imagine anything odder.

  “You’re late,” he said, trying to mask the agitation she knew he felt.

  “Apparently, Senri and I had to report to Jesvena to discuss the spring festival,” she explained mildly, raising an eyebrow at him. “Do you want to take it up with the mativa or…?”

  As she trailed off, he frowned. “Or what?”

  “Just take it out on me?” she finished. She hadn’t planned on adding anything, but that worked as well as anything else she could have put there.

  “I didn’t know preparations were starting. We can change our training time if you need it,” he offered, pacifying in an instant, the frown turning into a small look of concern. “I take it you don’t know how to play, so that might end up taking a lot of your time.”

  “I plan on working with Senri sta
rting this afternoon. I’m not passing on this training for that. If I’m not good enough by the festival, I told Jesvena I’d sit out. That way, her festival is worthy of a king.” Mave would rather her time be spent on useful skills, like fighting, than pretty ones, like learning to play the flute or the drums. She wouldn’t pass up this training for anything, even if it meant dealing with Luykas.

  “Oh, great. She’s planning on making it even bigger this year. No wonder we were hit with rationing,” he muttered, shaking his head. “She always likes to try and impress him, and it never works. Alchan isn’t one to be impressed, not by things like the festival.”

  “I don’t really care,” Mave said nonchalantly. “Let’s get to training.”

  “We’ll start small. Here.” He tossed a sheathed dagger at her. It was the same one he tossed her every morning and was for one particular purpose.

  She pulled it from its sheath and sliced her finger open, focusing on the red that welled up, feeling the power of life there, knowing she was about to take it. All she had to do was kill her own blood to have that power. There was something mesmerizing about the feeling.

  “Push the drop back in,” he ordered.

  It was a simple test of control and will. It couldn’t be done in large quantities, but small injuries could apparently be forced to stop bleeding. She focused and called her own life energy back to her, so it continued to sustain her.

  And just like that, whatever small conversation she and Luykas could possibly have was overtaken by training. Winter had changed something between them. Having the training to focus on made them spend more time together, but they were more distant on a personal level. And when they did talk, they often disagreed.

  The blood slipped back through the small cut, and she felt it race through her body until she blinked and stopped focusing on it.

  “Good,” he said professionally. “Now, call one drop out and pull its power.”