The Rebel's Vision Page 7

  When she questioned him about his home choices, he made it clear they both needed low homes so anyone could come get them, even if the person was disabled, too young, or too old to fly. They were too important to be out of reach to even a small portion of their people.

  Mave was breathing hard as she hit the ground and started running, hoping to work off the edge she had from another lost night of sleep. It was well before dawn, and Matesh wouldn’t be up for a long time. No one would be. The only company she had in the village this late were the night guards, and none of them were talkative this close to the end of their shifts.

  That’s not right. One person will be up. I can count on one.

  She headed for the woods, hoping the life that existed in them would wash away the silence of the forest of her dreams. She flapped her wings, remembering they were still there. She could take off at any time.

  And there was no wingless Andinna waiting to kill her.

  She didn’t stop until she hit the river that cut through the valley. She found the log she used regularly, sat down, and searched her bag, looking for the one thing that seemed to bring her peace on restless nights—a little wooden flute.

  She played softly, a tune she learned from another female, which was commonly played for fun during the harvest. It was celebratory and melancholy, both happy about the grand harvest and sad about the coming winter.

  It eased her soul and pushed away the fear. Playing reminded her of friends and happy memories, reasons she was with Alchan on this insane bid to rebel against the Empire.

  She wasn’t finished with the song when a thump signaled the landing of another Andinna. Unlike the evening before, she hadn’t been paying attention to his movements. Not that she needed to. He always found her when she wandered off on her own in the middle of the night. She finished the song, glad he didn’t interrupt, and sighed as she brought the flute down to her lap.

  “We have to stop meeting like this,” she said loud enough for him to hear but without disturbing the sleeping creatures around them.

  “We do, but I have this unnatural urge to check on you when you wake up in sheer panic and run out of your home into the woods. Gets me every time.” She listened to him walk and turned when he sat down on the other end of the log. “Will you talk to me about it this time?”

  “No,” she answered shortly. “Just worried dreams. You know how it is. Do you want to tell me what happened last night at Alchan’s?”

  “I wouldn’t even if I could,” he replied, chuckling dryly. “And here we find ourselves.”

  “I know the bond is strong, but there’s no way it’s waking you up. What’s keeping you up at night?”

  “Doesn’t matter.” His nonchalant shrug screamed he was lying, but she didn’t pry. The emotional currents of the bond were once again locked down tightly. The only thing they could read from each other were physical cues. In the dark, she knew he wasn’t in any pain even though there was a new cut on his palm. A common Blackblood injury. She had one of those scars now, one she reopened every time she wanted to practice her magic, which wasn’t often.

  “The mission went well.”

  “I heard from Alchan. I saw Sen and the others when you rode in. Damn, it was good to see them, but…Where did you run off to?”

  “Don’t be stupid. You knew where I was,” she countered. He didn’t say anything, and she could almost imagine him looking at her until she cracked and explained anyway. “I went with Senri to catch up and ended up getting caught up in some female business. Then I spent the day with her and her family before going to my meeting with Alchan. Of course, you could have asked me last night when you showed up and interrupted said meeting.”

  “Forgive me. Alchan said the meeting was over when he walked out, and I needed him. Something about letting you enjoy tea with Rainev, so you weren’t always giving him a dirty look when Rain was tired, and you weren’t sure you could say anything about it.”

  Mave snorted. “Fantastic cover story. Ignores the part where he wanted to have some company.”

  “Alchan tends to ignore his own needs regularly.”

  “I’ve figured that out.”

  The conversation died. Mave eyed Luykas in the dark, her eyes adjusting, and her vision getting sharper. He looked like he either just woke up or never went to sleep to begin with. His posture was slumped and his face seemed thin. After a second of her gaze, he turned and watched her as well. His gold eyes only seemed to glow brighter, and the white tatua framing them seemed unreal. His wings and horns had the same unearthly feel at night. Too bright to exist, it was like they had their own light.

  “You haven’t been sleeping,” she pointed out. “How are you going to survive training with me again if you haven’t been resting properly?”

  “How about you? I’m not the only one out here at this time.”

  “I’m used to sleepless nights,” she reminded him. “There're some things I’ll always be good at. Fighting on a lack of sleep is one of them.”

  “Sure.”

  She rolled her eyes, listening to him chuckle at her display. Every time she had the dream, she ran out here, and he showed up and sat next to her, starting bland conversation.

  She counted on it. She never told him the nature of the dream, only that worries were keeping her up, but he was there every time, sitting beside her, also looking like something was keeping him up.

  “Did you rest well enough while I was gone?” she asked, breaking the silence again. “How’s the village doing? Are we ready for winter?”

  “We’ll survive winter,” he said, groaning. “Somehow, but I’m nearly positive we’ll survive. You know, when Alchan and you stood in front of everyone and said, ‘we’re going to begin a rebellion,’ I don’t think any of us stopped and considered the logistics of actually starting and growing a rebellion.”

  “You are correct,” she agreed, leaning over and groaning. “Then half of our warriors needed to go into a war group and free Sen. That’s it. That’s all we’ve done in months.”

  “You freed two hundred Andinna,” he reminded her softly. “That’s something.”

  “It’s not enough. Need to free two thousand Andinna for us to have a chance.”

  “We can’t feed two thousand Andinna. We’re damn lucky to be able to feed the four hundred we have here.”

  “We still need more if we want to have any hope of actually surviving this. We’re not even a threat to her.”

  “You want this to go too fast,” Luykas said, shaking his head. “Things take time. Do I think we can win with what we have? Absolutely not, but it’s a start. It’s the best we can hope for.”

  Mave huffed. She disagreed. When they first entered the Dragon Spine and decided on this abandoned village, no missions were run to begin freeing Andinna because everyone was needed to plant the fields. It took two months to get them going, assign roles for those here, and decide who would go out hunting to try to secure enough game for the winter. The only thing they had in their favor was that the land hadn’t been used since the village was abandoned a thousand years ago. Even that was a curse, though. The land was fresh and fertile but had to be cleared. Andinna build structures to last the ages, but everything was in need of repair. Homes were cleaned out, and porches were repaired as needed, but those were reserved for families and groups of females. Many of the single males were in tents since there wasn’t enough space in the communal barracks.

  “We have a day of meetings today, right?” She rubbed her hands together, thinking about it. She had figured, but no one had given her any direction on the matter.

  “Sort of. Now that you’ve returned, Alchan is going to want to sit down with Sen and the Hornbuckles and talk about the future. What we do next is up to them, honestly.”

  “Yeah.” There was a reason they made it a priority to rescue their allies. Being able to free two hundred other Andinna was a bonus to the mission. They’d needed a distraction for the Empire, a redirection off their ma
in objective, and that was an effective way. Mave hadn’t been a part of the planning, but she was glad their small outfit had been able to find some excuse to free other Andinna, along with Sen, the sailors, and the dwarves.

  “Do you want to come over and have breakfast with me?”

  “Sure. Matesh won’t be up for a little while, and I don’t want to stomp around my house and wake up Zayden, of all people.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you were serious about that offer before you left on the mission.”

  “He’s a lonely grouch, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to just throw him in with the single males in the barracks,” she reminded him. “Why does everyone keep bringing it up?”

  “Because he’s a lonely grouch who gets on your nerves. Does he need help taking his things to your home? I think Rain had been keeping them for him. I could arrange for a few of the single males to handle it.”

  “I’m sure he has it figured out.” She patted the mutt’s arm, a silent thank you for the offer. “And he doesn’t get on my nerves all the time. He’s a good male, just…”

  “Feisty?”

  “Girls who think they rule the world are feisty. He’s…” She still couldn’t think of the right word. Well, not in the right language. She sighed and switched to Elvasi. “He’s boisterous. Opinionated. I can’t recall the Andena words for those.”

  “Be careful. Some here might stab you for using Elvasi,” he warned, then said two words she recognized and smiled. “Boisterous and opinionated.”

  “Thank you.” She considered what he said about using Elvasi. “They’ll live because it’s important to know. Not everyone knows Andena well enough to use it all the time.” There might be a handful of them like me, sometimes forgetting words or needing a little help, but so what?

  “It’s crazy to think how many of the freed slaves know Andena. I thought the language was banned in the Empire.”

  “It is, but most places aren’t capable of being strict enough to stop its usage during the nights. Parents and other adults teach the children, and the children know it’s how to talk to other Andinna without the guards' understanding. They just have to be careful not to use it too frequently when guards or slave masters are listening closely.”

  The pang of being excluded made her chest tight.

  No one taught me, but I wasn’t raised by Andinna, and the pits were hostile. No use in letting it get to me. Why does it still hurt?

  She rubbed her chest, wondering if physically trying to stop the hurt would really work. It didn’t. Other slaves, much younger than her, had their tatua and knew the language. They weren’t robbed of everything like she was. She wondered how they did it, getting away with everything Shadra wanted banned.

  Even the other gladiators in the pits found ways. Everyone but me.

  “So, the rules are laxer the further away from the capital?” She stood up, a clear sign she wanted them to get moving. He stood up as well, a confused look on his face. As she started walking away, his tail hooked with hers, and she didn’t have time to stop the emotional wave from her end.

  “Yes,” he answered slowly, “the rules are more lax away from Elliar. Shadra was never going to let you learn, Mave. There’s no reason to feel bad about losing out. Even if the other gladiators were willing to teach you, she would have put a stop to it in some way.”

  “How do you know? She threw me down there for killing a man, something she felt was too Andinna. Too violent. Maybe she accepted I was one of them, and that was that. I didn’t know anything, and that was… their fault.”

  “You were the poster child of what the Andinna could be in the Empire—strong, obedient, quiet. You didn’t fight back even if you had your own small rebellious tendencies. You speak perfect Elvasi and Common in an Elliar accent, something you still have, by the way. She was never going to let the Andinna fully corrupt you. As long as the other gladiators ostracized you, you were allowed to live with them and get beaten down, but if they had taken you in, she would have removed you to keep you away from their influence.”

  “She didn’t stop Mat and Rain.”

  “She tried,” he countered, “once she realized they were affecting your behavior.”

  That struck a chord. He was right. If she had killed attackers in the pits on her own, Shadra would have never done anything against her—beating and some starvation, but her life wouldn’t have been on the line. It would have just been another game of survival, another battle of wills between her and the Empress.

  But she had killed for Mat and Rain, and therefore, they needed to be separated. Shadra had decided to do that by trying to make them kill each other.

  “Why are we talking about this? Let’s go,” she ordered. She started walking but realized something crucial. “Wait. Where do you live now? You hadn’t picked a home when we left on mission.”

  “Alchan let me take a home on his cliff. Rather, I took one while he was away and told him yesterday and my reasoning why.”

  “And you aren’t dead?”

  “I explained to him being half-Elvasi and in leadership has put me in some very uncomfortable positions with many of the recently freed Andinna who don’t know me. It’s obvious I’m half-Elvasi, but it’s only obvious I’m his brother when I’m standing right next to him. It’s a little safer for me to live further away from the main buildings, and it’s a sign of trust if I live with or near him as any family member would.”

  “And how did he take all that?”

  “He growled and got pissy but moved on fast enough,” Luykas smirked. It faded quickly as she tried to drag her tail away from his, and he resisted her efforts. “Does it really upset you that slave born know Andena? It’s the past, Mave. You’re one of the most respected members of our society right now.”

  Mave sighed. “Please, Luykas, don’t be nosy right now.”

  “Okay. Follow me, and I’ll make us some breakfast.”

  He launched into the air. Mave waited a minute, watching his white wings shrink as he climbed higher. He stood out against the black sky when he was high enough, looking like another star in the night, bathed in the red of their moon.

  She jumped and followed him, taking pleasure in the blast of cold air against her face.

  A nightmare was just a nightmare, and the past would remain in the past.

  She needed to worry about the future.

  When they landed at his home, he held the door open for her. She made herself comfortable at his table and watched him cook steak and eggs for both of them. He methodically put on tea, and by the time it was done, she was unable to take her eyes off him.

  “You know your way around the kitchen,” she said, hoping he took the compliment the way she meant it.

  “Thank you.” He gave her what could only be described as a sheepish smile. “Mave…I can tell you anything, right?”

  “I think we’re well past the point that everything you say pisses me off,” she answered. “Anything?” Mave chuckled. “Well, I’m sure there're some things you could tell me that would annoy me.”

  “You act like you’re the only one who gets annoyed with the other.” He smirked. “I get annoyed with you plenty.”

  “We annoy each other,” she said, shrugging. They both started eating, and Mave enjoyed the peaceful, quiet company of Luykas. When they were done, he took the dishes and placed them in the kitchen.

  “I’ll clean those up later. Do you want to spar to kill some time?”

  She wanted to, but she figured it was time for her to head out. Matesh could be waking up soon, and she was still in simple clothes, not suited for sparring.

  “I wish, but I think it’s time for me to go. Thank you for the company, Luykas. And breakfast.”

  “Any time,” he answered.

  Before she could get out of his dining area, he grabbed her arm. Emotions ran through her, no longer shocking her into stiffness. Even when it came without warning, she was desensitized to it. Luykas didn’t pity her, but he worried a
bout her. It felt like he was worried about a lot of things besides her as well.

  “I mean it, Mave. There’s no reason for you to be running off into the woods by yourself when something is bothering you. If you don’t want to weigh Matesh with it, you can always come here and tell me.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded and gently pulled away, not wanting to continue the connection. “I’ll see you in the afternoon, right? Alchan won’t want morning meetings.”

  “No, he never does,” Luykas agreed, chuckling. Mave finally noticed how dark the bags were under the mutt’s eyes. Did he sleep at all last night, or did he just sit up and wait for anything to do like coming to talk to her? “You’ll have the morning to handle your duties around the village.”

  “Fantastic. Get some sleep, Luykas. Exhausted isn’t a good look on you.”

  His cheeks turned red, but since they weren’t touching, she couldn’t understand what emotions ran through him.

  “I will,” he promised softly, looking away from her.

  “Good.” She walked out, ready to start a fresh day.

  7

  Mave

  Mave’s muscles were aching, and her bones felt like they were melting by the time she made it to the meeting. Morning training went well, except for the fact she sparred against Senri and her battle axe. She won, but Senri had a powerful swing that never failed to test Mave’s endurance and brute strength when she dodged and blocked. The other females were quiet and studious, paying attention to their sparring and careful with their exercises and sparring in a way they hadn’t been when Mave had arrived the day before. Her presence and the lesson she taught had made an impression. They could get away with things when it was Allaina and Senri, but they wouldn’t with her.