Daughter of the Moon (The Moon People, Book Two) (32 page)

Selo also returned with her own enthusiastic tale of love, the quiet girl becoming almost as animated as Fern as she spoke of the handsome dark warrior she had shared her evening with. Her tale, however, was not so easy for the den mother to take in stride. Not when she realised who the warrior was.

"He could not promise his alpha would send anyone to join us," Selo explained, "but he said we would always have his respect, and that his people will be friends to us whenever they are able. I think he fears you still, when he told me his brother—"

"What did he tell you?" Adel interrupted, her stony exterior hardening in response to the sudden twist in her stomach. She could already sense Netya listening in from nearby.

"Not much," Selo said, wilting a little under the den mother's gaze. "He spoke of it more like a legend than anything. To his people you are the witch who lured his brother away into the spirit world. It seems both a terrifying and beautiful tale to them."

"It is neither, and it is best forgotten." Adel prickled with discomfort, resisting the memories that threatened to pluck at her heart and steal the steadiness from her voice. "You did well, but you should pay no attention to the stories that man's clan weaves. They have no more meaning than the tales they will tell of me walking on fire after this gathering."

"But are they true, Den Mother?" Selo plucked up the courage to ask. "Did you have a love you pulled away into the spirit world?"

Adel narrowed her eyes, and the flash of panic that crossed the young seer's face conveyed her realisation at having pried too far.

"Forgive me, Den Mother." She bowed her head quickly. "It is only a legend."

"And a legend it must stay. Do not speak of this to me or anyone else again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Den Mother."

"Good. Now go with Fern and Caspian, help them find out how willing these young men are to join us."

Selo bowed again and hurried off to join the other two. Adel watched her go, keeping her expression an impassive mask as she took several deep, steadying breaths. Her composure won out for the moment, but before long she had to slip away and lose herself in the trees at the edge of the clearing. Even when she was sure no one else was near, she could not risk letting loose the feelings that wanted to escape from her. So she took the form of her wolf, losing herself in the scents of the world until the unwelcome feelings had passed. She did not want to know what legends the dark-skinned clan told of her. For in knowing, she might be reminded of the one thing that could tear her away from the path she now walked.

By the evening of the following day Adel could sense the gathering would soon be coming to an end. There was no ceremony in how long or how short gatherings might be, nor how often they might be held. Three years typically passed before the clans came together again, but in troubled times it was not uncommon of for the alphas to meet every summer until their differences were resolved, either peacefully or by force. In Adel's youth, there had been many such yearly gatherings.

It was clear however that her split from Khelt's pack had been the largest source of commotion that summer, and her meetings with the other leaders since had been little more than the regular bouts of posturing and vying for status. Miral had come down particularly hard on Octavia, no doubt throwing his aggression in her direction while he decided how best to turn it on Adel. He demanded that the other female leader challenge his warriors in the open to settle the rights to the hunting grounds that fell between both their territories, to which she instantly declined. It was not land that Miral needed, for his territory was vast and lush in comparison to Octavia's. Next he voiced his intention to send scouts throughout her land, followed by the rebuttal that any scouts caught trespassing without her leave would have their skulls returned on spears.

Before long it seemed that further bloodshed between their clans was inevitable, and as much as Adel despised Miral's wanton aggression, she could not help but feel slightly relieved that it was directed at another pack instead of hers. If Miral set out to fight Octavia once the gathering was over, then his attention would be focused on the southwestern edge of his territory, far away from the hunting grounds close to Adel's den in the east. The incident with Netya had been concerning, but hopefully it was a hollow threat, or at the very least one that would not be followed up upon until Adel had further strengthened her position.

The only other dispute of note arose between Adel's father and Khelt. As much as she told herself that they were the two men whose troubles should concern her least, her heart and her mind could not always be in agreement. So she had remained silent and detached when the two alphas spoke, but her ears took in every word that passed between them. She could not deny that she still cared for people in both of their packs, even if she had not seen some of them in many years.

As soon as it became known that Khelt had moved his pack nearer to the mountains in the south, Adel's father immediately rose up in anger. The southern mountains were dangerously close to his own territory, and no permission had been asked of him before Khelt moved in. Two packs that respected one another might have come to a tentative truce in such a situation, perhaps even offering tribute or agreeing to combine hunts for their mutual benefit, but the bad blood between these two clans stretched back generations. Khelt dismissed his rival's accusations as callously as ever, insisting it was foolish to think that he would start another violent conflict between their packs after so many years of relative peace. But Adel's father, as suspicious as always, was convinced that Khelt parting ways with his daughter was a sign of disrespect, and the move upon his territory that followed immediately after was too coincidental for him to ignore.

Many nights were spent trying to reach an accord. The other alphas offered their own advice—and threats—whenever they felt it was necessary, but it was clear that no one else wanted to risk pledging their loyalty to one side or another. It was unfortunate that Khelt did not have Caspian there to counsel him, but to his credit he held himself back from challenging Adel's father outright.

In the end no accord could be reached, nor did either alpha agree to back down. In the past a conflict between their two packs would have been a foregone conclusion—Khelt's was stronger, and Ulric's too ravaged by attacks from the Sun People to put up the kind of resistance it had managed in years prior. Yet Khelt's power had been unsettled that summer. Despite his boasts to the contrary, and a great many challenges being won by his pack during the gathering, he had still been driven from his lands by the Sun People, and he had lost his powerful den mother along with most of her acolytes. While many would have argued his was the strongest of all clans in the past, Gheran and Miral now seemed to have supplanted him in that role.

All of this meant that Adel's father was no longer so reluctant to oppose the younger alpha. The pair might not have been at each other's throats yet, but if Khelt did not move his people on soon it would only be a matter of time before he butted heads with Ulric again, and without the gathering's code of honour to hold their aggression in check.

The final meeting Adel attended was a small one, taking place at midday rather than after nightfall. Only Miral, Ulric, Octavia, and Turec were present. When the ring of central fires burned high it was a sign that one or more of the alphas had called the others to gather, and Adel had seen a distant figure heaping fresh wood upon the coals shortly after she awoke. It was strange for the clan leaders to meet so early, and most of those absent had likely remained asleep or dismissed the call as unworthy of their attention. By now they had heard everything of importance that needed to be said, and most of their business with one another was done.

But Adel was curious, and so she hurried to attend. It did not escape her notice along the way that Octavia's clan were making hasty preparations to leave, dismantling their leader's great tent into a dozen different sheets of hide and folding them away into carrying bundles. The elaborate wooden throne that they could not possibly have carried all the way from their den burned outside in the remnants of their fire. A twinge of apprehension nipped at the back of the den mother's neck. If Octavia was about to make her departure already, then the rest of the clans would soon be following in her wake. There was little time left if she wanted to get out ahead of Miral.

And Miral, it seemed, was the cause of more than just Adel's worries that day. When the den mother arrived at the centre of the gathering and took her place across from Octavia, she could tell that the other woman had been the one responsible for calling the meeting. She wore her headdress of red feathers, but aside from that her appearance lacked its usual tight, fearsome composure. The darkness around her eyes suggested she had not slept, and it seemed she was trying her hardest to avoid acknowledging Miral's presence.

Once it became apparent that the five of them were the only ones that would be attending, Octavia spoke.

"A messenger from my clan arrived last night. She brought news that a band of Sun People appeared recently by way of the great water, crossing into the heart of my territory past the sight of my scouts."

"By way of the great water?" Turec frowned. "How?"

"Hollow logs that float and keep them dry, perhaps many of them lashed together." Octavia shook her head. "I do not know. They build many things we do not understand."

"The tricks and traps of murderers," Ulric said with a snarl.

"I must leave immediately," Octavia continued, "but first I must ask you—any of you—for your aid." She looked imploringly to Adel, and for a moment the den mother glimpsed a hint of desperation in the woman's eyes.

Ulric folded his arms with a firm shake of his head. "Your lands are too far distant from mine. I will spare no warriors to protect a band of women when Khelt sniffs at my own hearth."

"I do not ask for your help in fighting the Sun People," Octavia said, and finally her expression turned to one of anger as she acknowledged Miral. "Miral still intends to send his warriors into my territory."

The dark-haired male nodded, smiling as he finally added his own voice to the discussion. "You are a fool to betray your weakness, Octavia. You cannot fight me and the Sun People on both sides of your territory. But if your pack submits and falls in line, you will have all the strong male warriors you need to face the Sun People. I will slaughter every last one of them, and not a drop of your own clan's blood need be spilled."

"Every woman in my clan would gladly spill her blood before submitting to you," Octavia spat back, then looked to the others again. "I will fight Miral and the Sun People at the same time if I must, and I will defeat them both no matter how many lives I must pay with. But if any of you have ever considered me your ally, help me talk sense into this fool!"

Ulric grunted, arms remaining in a stoic fold across his chest. Adel felt a flash of indignation at her father's refusal to act. Yes, why should he care about the lives of others when he could be squabbling over his own territory?

"Miral," Turec ventured, though any conviction in his words was hobbled by caution. "You should be aiding Octavia against the Sun People, not helping them destroy her. There is no honour in falling upon a wounded foe like scavengers upon a carcass."

"Would you help her, then?!" Miral bellowed suddenly, rising to his feet with a vicious glare trained on Turec. "When has your clan last stood in battle against mine, Alpha Turec? Do not speak to me of honour when you lack the strength to defend your own!"

Turec rose to his feet to meet Miral, his face flushed with colour. Even Adel knew, with a sickening drop of her stomach, that the man would have been wiser to keep his mouth shut. His sense of honour was strong, but he lacked the strength of numbers to contest Miral. They stared each other down, the silent wills of the two alphas battling behind their eyes, but Miral's furious brute strength finally won out.

Turec looked away with a shake of his head, face still burning with indignation, and sat back down. "What concern is it of mine. Your fights are your own."

That left only Adel. Octavia's hopeful gaze sought her out one more time, but all the den mother could offer in response was a minute shake of her head. It would mean death for her clan to challenge Miral so openly. The fear of her magic was the only thing protecting them, but as powerful as she was, her talents had little use in battle. Octavia's only choice was to fight her enemies alone. A flash of sober understanding passed between the two women. They both knew there was nothing they could do. There was no malice in Adel's decision, only the necessity of survival.

And so it was without surprise or anger that Adel listened to the words Octavia spoke next. She spoke them as numbly as if they were ice on her tongue, words that would kill. The only words she could speak to protect her own pack.

"In the valleys near your eastern hunting grounds." She looked to Miral. "That is where Adel makes her den. Somewhere with fresh springs and waterfalls, and land for cultivating plants. That is all she told me. Turn your warriors on her if you must. She will put up far less of a fight than I."

Miral blinked slowly, tilting his head in Adel's direction. A brittle silence fell over the alphas. Even Ulric's stubborn expression cracked as he shot a glance in his daughter's direction.

"So close to my own lands," Miral mused. "And to think they call you wise, Sorceress." Without another word the alpha turned and walked away, the coiled braid of his hair tapping against his lower back as Adel and Octavia stared after him with frantic eyes. If Miral's plans had changed in light of Octavia's betrayal, there was no way they could know. Not until the alpha's warriors arrived to bring their wrath upon whichever victim he had chosen.