The Enemy's Triumph Read online

  Mave spent the last nearly two weeks wandering the city. Alchan didn’t need her for anything official, which meant she was Champion in name only for the moment. Not that it was a bad thing. The battle for Kerit had been a good one, and with a new male in her mayara, she was glad to have the time off. She was glad to be off the road, even if staying in a house that wasn’t really hers got to her. The home in Kerit she had claimed would go to a family in need when the escapees from the Empire arrived, and she moved out.

  “Morning, Mave,” Zayden said, walking slowly into the dining area. He was always moving slow, but from what the healers said and Matesh relayed to her, that was normal. He was still adjusting to his new sense of balance, and he wasn’t allowed to fly until he could comfortably walk again.

  “Good morning,” she greeted, smiling over her mug. “Would you like some coffee?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer, putting her mug down and grabbing another from a cabinet. She was pouring as he sat down at her table. Grabbing her own drink as she walked, she sat across from him and slid his coffee to him.

  “Well, yeah, sure, I’ll have some coffee,” he muttered, taking the mug with a frown. “You’re being awfully nice.”

  “Am I supposed to be mean to you?” She didn’t understand why it was such a big deal for her to help him.

  “I’m supposed to be helping out. I’m the one living with a family I shouldn’t,” he reminded her.

  She sighed, deciding not to say anything. Sipping her coffee, she only stared at him, waiting for him to come to the realization she didn’t mind helping him out when she was the only one around. His face turned into a wonderful shade of pink as she stared.

  “You know I’m right,” he said gruffly, looking away.

  “I’m waiting for you to remember we’re friends, and I’m allowed to help a friend, regardless of the inane beliefs you hold about how proper males behave with females they aren’t fucking,” she retorted.

  “You…” He growled low as he looked back at her, his eyes narrowing. “We’re friends, huh?”

  “I really thought we were,” she said blandly. “You’ve been living with me for months, helping my family, and now you’re hurt. Zayden, I thought you were going to die, and I hated that. Not just for Rain or Mat, but for me. You’re an idiot, but a good idiot.”

  What was an angry blush seemed to become a sheepish one as he spun his mug in his hands on the table.

  “Fine. But they aren’t inane beliefs. That’s how our people have always done things.”

  “Well, I’m going to do them a little different,” she said, putting the problem to rest. “Once you’re walking around like normal, you can get back to doing all the things you want, and I won’t complain or try to stop you.”

  He only huffed in response. She knew she was being patronizing, but it was nearly two weeks of these conversations, watching him silently brood over how she and her males were helping him around the house. She enjoyed it, truth be told. She liked helping him after he helped her family so much and not just around the home. His advice and talking to her about the possibility of losing Bryn had been one thing only he could offer her, and she would never forget that.

  So, he needs to get over himself and let me be helpful for once.

  Mave finished her coffee, smiling to herself. She waited at the table until he was done with his own, snatching it away and taking it to a counter before he could try anything.

  “You doing anything today? You can walk around Kerit with me,” she said, inviting him to get out of the house now that he was properly awake.

  “We have a meeting before lunch, remember? The entire Company.”

  “What?” She had totally forgotten about a meeting. Shrugging, she knew someone would have come to get her if she didn’t show up. For the first time in months, she felt relaxed and planned to enjoy it a bit longer. “Well, we can walk, then head to the meeting. Come on. Get up.”

  “I never agreed to go walking,” he grumbled. “I was going to work on cleaning some laundry. Is there anything you want done?”

  “Bryn normally does my laundry,” she said with a smile.

  “Do you know who did it while he was gone?” Zayden stared at her with a blank face, and it was Mave’s turn to feel her face heat.

  “Matesh never mentioned it. Neither did you. You didn’t have to…” She took a deep breath, then shook her head. “I figured Matesh was getting it done. I saw him putting it away a couple of times.”

  “Yeah, but I’m better at managing a house and cleaning, so I just did it and left it where he could put it away without you noticing.” Zayden had the balls to chuckle at her. “It’ll get me moving around and lifting without needing to embarrass myself outside. You go for your walk, and I’ll see you at the meeting.”

  She mumbled thanks and walked out of the building, leaving him to do whatever it was he wanted. If he wanted to act like a servant, she’d let him do that. As long as he was active, she couldn’t really force him to leave the house.

  I can, but he wouldn’t like it, and I would be walking around with a grouchy Zayden. He’s already grumpy enough for everyone—no reason to make it worse.

  Mave wrapped her arms around herself as she walked down the cobblestone streets of Kerit, loving how alive the city felt, even if there weren’t many Andinna there. Some were on rooftops, already rebuilding the landings for Andinna to enter their homes from above. Some were talking about herds and livestock, debating on the best way to take over the farms and homesteads left by the Elvasi. A lot of things still weren’t decided, but Mave was staying out of much of the efforts to reclaim the city for the Andinna to live there again permanently.

  I miss home, too. This isn’t my city. I want my mountains back.

  She closed her eyes for a moment, knowing the street was clear enough to get away with it. She envisioned the landing outside her door, then the entryway, running her hands over the raw stone that was her walls. She thought about her dining table and how comfortable it was to sit around it with friends and family while the fire was going in the main room.

  “Mave?” someone said, curious. She recognized the voice and opened her eyes to smile at him. She wasn’t expecting all three of them, but Luykas was flanked by her other husbands, Matesh and Brynec. “Are you okay?”

  “Thinking of home. I’m ready to get out of Kerit,” she admitted, watching them practically stalk to close the distance between them. Matesh got her first, wrapping an arm around her waist and giving Luykas a playful yet territorial growl before swooping down to kiss her.

  “Possessive,” Luykas muttered, standing back.

  “Ya get used to it.” Bryn chuckled. “He likes to go first, but he’ll give her up soon.”

  “Mat,” she murmured against his lips. “There are others waiting.”

  He groaned but pulled away. She laughed as she embraced Bryn and Luykas one at a time.

  “What are you three up to?” she asked.

  “What were you about to do?” Mat asked in return, wrapping his arm back around her waist. Luykas’ tail hooked with hers. She started walking, making them move with her.

  “I was about to go for a walk, stretch my legs, and enjoy the weather. Are you going to join me? You’re only allowed to if you tell me what this lunch meeting is about. I forgot.”

  “It’s nothing big,” Luykas answered, his tail pulling away, telling her it was anything but nothing. She raised an eyebrow, wondering if he knew he gave himself away. He only smiled, showing he knew, but he wasn’t going to tell her any more. Bryn and Mat didn’t offer anything, continuing their pace as if nothing was going on.

  “Fine. You three can have your secrets, but you don’t get to bother me on my walk. Go keep Zayden company. He’s doing the laundry right now.”

  “Good male,” Mat muttered. “Yeah, we’ll go help him. Have a nice walk.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head and peeled off, the others following him. She chuckled to herself at the small pack. They were n
early always together now unless Luykas was alone with Alchan for conversations none of them were privy to. There wasn’t any tension, proving to her once again, male Andinna knew the way of things. They just accepted they were a family, and they all belonged to her, something she appreciated. Male egos weren’t fun to deal with, and they spared her that.

  Well, they spare posturing too much in front of me. I have no doubt they get into it when I’m not looking. A strong male, like Luykas or Matesh, being more possessive as well is bound to lead to some private conversations they probably don’t want me to hear.

  Mave was still smiling as she made a lap around her neighborhood, waving as Andinna greeted her. It only reminded her of what she said to Shadra and the underlying message in her letter to the Empress. There were happy Andinna, and they loved her, believed in her, and she felt safe among them. Mave wouldn’t let the bitch take that away from her.

  She didn’t know how long she was walking, her legs used to the activity. She never allowed herself to go soft, she couldn’t afford to. Even if she had a measly week or two to rest, she stayed active in some way, and taking Kerit didn’t change that.

  I know something looms over the horizon. I just don’t know if it’s the Empire or the gladiators. Perhaps both.

  Both were answers she could live with. Even at her safest and most peaceful, she knew there was something over her, keeping her moving. It seemed like a far-off dream, but she hoped one day her life wouldn’t amount to staying strong for the next fight.

  The gladiators, she knew from experience, would bring fights.

  The sun was high when she realized she had lost her sense of time as she walked around Kerit. She was close to the docks and took a moment to look over the bay and sea beyond it. If she never got onto another ship, she would be happy. She spent a thousand years wondering if her feet would ever touch Anden soil or breathe Anden air. She had no intention of leaving it.

  The sense that the freed Andinna from Elliar were close pounded at her nerves.

  They won’t be able to make me leave. I don’t care if they somehow turn the Company against me or try to chase me out. I’m finally home.

  It took effort to relax her hands from the clenched fists she held. She turned her back to the water. She had a meeting to attend. Some Andinna were wandering around, moving barrels and boxes around the port. There was still a lot of work to be done, organizing the supplies left by the running Elvasi and deciding what would stay in the city and what could effectively be taken back to the village in the Dragon Spine as spoils.

  She took off before any of the Andinna realized she was watching them, soaring over the building to the makeshift Company meeting grounds, a building with large windows overlooking a courtyard. It had to have been an official building at one point, but Mave, as she always did, could only guess and didn’t feel much for asking about things she didn’t really care about or had nothing to do with her.

  She landed on the new rooftop platform and hopped off, heading toward the rooftop entrance, purely Andinna in nature. Nothing in Elliar had roof access the way the Andinna built. She didn’t even see anything like it in the now seemingly makeshift little village in Olost or the two ‘free’ cities she had seen.

  Upon entering, she could smell food and felt a wave of relief. It was at least a lunch meeting. She followed the smell to the grand room they used for major planning and operations. She was there fairly often, most notably when she had sent the letter to Shadra.

  When she walked in, Mave knew immediately something was different with this meeting.

  It’s not a meeting. What’s going on here?

  There was a large banquet set out with dishes she had never seen before. Fruits and vegetables were laid out in beautiful ways. At the head of the long table, Alchan stood patiently, staring at her. With Luykas on one side and her males on the other, Mave’s mind was beginning to process this had something to do with her. Matesh never took a spot right beside the king in any official capacity. Normally Nevyn stood there if she wasn’t available, but the rest of the Company, with Rainev beside Zayden, stretched down the sides of the table. Luykas and Alchan were wearing their official armor, and the Company wore their plain, well-maintained, black leather.

  She approached slowly, putting a hand on the other end of the table.

  “What is this?” she asked softly, looking around.

  “An official gathering of my most trusted advisors to honor a member of the Company in a way only fitting her,” Alchan answered, his face the perfect vision of royal detachment. It didn’t stay that way for long. As they stared each other down, Mave saw his lips curling into a small smile. “We decided the Champion needed proper recognition, something we never gave her. One day you weren’t, the next day, you were. Certainly, no one would ever question your title, but we wanted to present you with something that would make it…more impressive. More personal.”

  Mave’s heart began to race. This wasn’t how she planned her day to go.

  “Why now?” She leaned over, putting both hands on the table. “Why…” She couldn’t find the right way to describe her feelings about this and ask a question at the same time anymore. “This doesn’t make any sense. There’s no need for…”

  “A few females came to me right after we took Kerit. They said it was powerful to see the Company stand before the army, but you were the King’s Champion and had no different armor than anyone else. I knew they were right,” Alchan explained, the smile not leaving now. “You aren’t just another member of the Company. Luykas and I wear armor denoting our positions in the social hierarchy of our people. It’s time you did as well.”

  “Alchan…” she said, trailing off. She looked at her husbands. “Did all of you know about this earlier?”

  “We’ve known about it since two days after the battle ended,” Luykas answered, smiling deviously. “It hasn’t been easy to keep it from you.”

  Mave took a deep breath and looked around the table, seeing faces that were such a positive force around her. Faces of those who brought her out of isolation and darkness. Faces of those who gave her family and friends.

  Now, they wanted to honor her?

  “This is too much,” she said without even seeing the actual gift. The food was too much. The very idea was too much.

  “There’s no such thing as too much,” Alchan said kindly. Since their talk on the way to Kerit, she and Alchan solidly considered each other friends and more importantly, family. Her brother was relaxed and patient, and she knew he was waiting on her to realize there was no getting out of this, no going back. He thought she deserved it, and therefore, she would have it.

  “Then let’s get through this so everyone can eat,” she declared, swallowing a lump of emotion before it leaked out in her words.

  “Finally,” Kian mumbled. Everyone cast him a withering stare, but he was grinning and winked at her.

  “Come here, Mave Lorren, King’s Champion,” Alchan ordered, stepping back from the table and gesturing for her to stand before him. She moved quickly, walking around the table and Company, passing Matesh and Brynec before she reached her brother by marriage.

  Behind him, and carefully out of her sight when she walked in, was another small table with an extravagant trunk. He opened the trunk, and she took a sharp breath, seeing the beautiful thing inside.

  “The armor was easy,” he said softly. “There are still amazing crafters among the Andinna, and many warriors know how to create beautiful armor. Together, they made this for you.” His explanation was full of respect and reverence. “But this…” He picked up the small silver piece, an intricate design of a pair of wings, a crown, and a sword. “My grandmother made this for me, and when I saw the armor, I knew it wasn’t enough. You’ll wear this over your armor as a sign you’re a chosen and loved member of the royal family and an emissary of my will.”

  “Everyone in the family had one,” Luykas added, stepping up next to her. “We wore them on diplomatic missions in her
name or to festivals she couldn’t attend. Anything, really, to show we were representing the throne. Alchan and I fell out of habit in the last thousand years because it was only he and I. Since there’s now you, I’ll begin wearing mine again.”

  She turned to him, frowning. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his own, a direct copy of the one Alchan had laid on top of the armor in the trunk.

  “The silver means you’re either not the direct heir, or you can’t sit on the throne for whatever reason. Pretty much everyone except the direct heir wears silver, to be perfectly clear,” he explained. “There was only one gold version, and it was always worn by the Queen’s direct heir, our aunt. Previously, it had been worn by our grandmother before she ascended to the throne.”

  “What…” She tried to understand, watching him pin his emblem to his chest over his heart.

  “I called you family,” Alchan reminded her. His hands weren’t shaking as he reached out to her, holding the pin, but she was, just a little. “And the females were very effective at making me feel as if I wasn’t giving you the respect your position was due. I realized I had never given you anything for what you’ve done and what you represent.” The pin was clasped, and he sighed as he stared at it, nodding slowly. “Yes, that feels right.” Before she could try to say any more, he reached into the trunk and pulled out the chest piece of her new armor.

  A black dragon, the same design as the dragon on their armor, flew over a very dark brown. It could have been black on black, and she would have still seen the small details, the intricate way it was made. Her hands were shaking as she reached out for it, to touch the treated but supple leather, feeling the thick padding.

  “This comes at a good time, as well,” Alchan continued, further pushing the armor into her hands, forcing her to hold it.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The gladiators could be here any day, and I want them to see you and what you’ve become.” His smile turned sharp and dangerous. “I don’t want them to think you aren’t an honored and respected member of my Company, the rebellion, or the Andinna as a whole. With this, you’ll be seen as passing on the King’s Justice and not just flexing your own considerable temper. I trust you’ll use that wisely, not only to defend others but yourself.”