The Broken Kingdom (26 page)

‘What am I supposed to say, Vann? Sorry for
getting you all killed? Sorry for not coming to rescue you? How am
I supposed to protect them? What am I-’

‘Hey.’ he grabbed hold of her. ‘Just see
them first. Let Karesh handle the rest for now. Then we can come up
with a plan.’

The Master nodded, schooling her expression.
She turned back to the forest, her mate keeping an arm around her
shoulders.

Kalgen turned his attention away. It was not
his business, and even more than that, it was confusing. Since
recovering from what Aerlid had done to her, the Master had behaved
strangely, almost as if she didn’t want to be the Master anymore.
She’d had moments of weakness, and not hidden them from her tribe.
If Kalgen hadn’t seen her beat the deadly ehlkrid to death with her
bare hands, he might have considered challenging her. Every time he
doubted her, he would remember how viciously she fought the
ehlkrid, and his misgivings would fade.

He didn’t want to challenge her, though he
would have to if she faltered; he could hardly follow someone
weaker than him. He couldn’t fight the ehlkrid alone, and the
Master was the only creature scary enough to force warriors to
fight together. Karesh was an option, though he’d have to fight him
first. He was very small, but he could fly, and the Master trusted
him, so it was likely he was a more fearsome warrior than he
appeared. Karesh had kept them together and led them out of the
Plains, over the mountains and to safety. Kalgen wasn’t sure he
would have been able to do the same, so he was grateful for Karesh,
and relieved he hadn’t had to fight him. Some had thought the
glowing woman would be able to replace the Master, but Karesh had
strongly objected, and the sunlit woman showed no interest in being
their Master. In a way, that was a relief too. The sunlit woman was
an odd creature herself, and the idea of learning her mysterious
habits was exhausting.

Kalgen waited. Time dragged on slowly for
him, he had nothing to hope for.

And then he heard the sounds of many people
moving through the forest.

The Master stiffened, her expression
hardened. Kalgen noticed, as he noticed most things about his
Master, and was reassured. That was the face a Master should
have.

He glimpsed a small figure between the
trees, then another, and another. Soon, he saw a whole group of
gemengs advancing. Among them he easily spotted the valkar, the
creatures that shone like Aerlid. There were three of them.

And then the approaching gemengs were close
enough to pick out faces and suddenly they were all around.

Cries of relief came from both sides, the
survivors and the ten from the forest.

Kalgen heard Gurak bellow joyfully as he ran
towards his three children. The family embraced, and Kalgen
watched, smiling. Then Gurak looked up, his eyes scanning the rest
of the survivors. His face slowly fell. Kalgen could guess why. His
mate, Ekrag, was not there. She was a warrior, she had not been
hiding with those unable to fight. Kalgen turned his eyes from
Gurak and spotted Telag. The tall, lithe man slumped, his eyes on
the ground. His mate was a warrior too, and not yet pregnant. They
had been a new couple, Kalgen knew, only getting permission from
the Master a few weeks before the collapse of the mountain. Kalgen
looked away. He had witnessed his companions’ pain when the
mountain first collapsed, and he didn’t want to see it again.

Many of the children with the survivors
began crying when they realized their parents were not among the
ten who had avoided the collapse of the mountain. Seeing the pain
all around, Kalgen was glad he had nobody. He spotted Bulag and
couldn’t help a smile. Bulag, it seemed, was a very lucky man. His
mate, Galis, being pregnant, had survived, and his one child was
safe.

Kalgen’s smile slowly faded. He had no
family, but he’d had friends, and people he’d admired. They were
all dead. He’d hoped briefly, but… no, they were not here. He’d
been hoping to see Gakra, the Master’s second, the man who fought
those who wished to challenge her. Gakra was a powerful, savage
gemeng, once a Lord of his own tribe. He behaved how a Master
should, he was strong and uncompromising. When the Master had been
doing strange things, like preventing people from killing each
other, Gakra had been a bastion of normality in the tribe. Whenever
he doubted the Master, he’d thought of him, and if
Gakra
followed the Master, then who he was he to doubt her?

But he was gone. Everyone he knew was gone.
He turned around, not wishing to watch anymore. He spotted the
Master’s grief-stricken face and frowned. She was doing it again,
showing weakness. Oddly though, he felt comforted.
Would she be
sad too, if something happened to me?
It was an unusual
thought. He didn’t mind.

Riley gazed at the faces of the survivors in
something close to shock. The faces all slid past, she didn’t
remember anyone. Those closest to her she may have been hoping on
meeting… but these were all strangers. And another wave of grief
hit her.

But Vann was there, holding her up.

And she stood there and smiled, but didn’t
say anything or do anything. She watched the nine gemengs, plus
Karesh (who had kept his distance since she discovered his plan),
as they met the survivors. She saw the reunions, and smiled, and
saw the fading hope as people looked for loved ones who weren’t
there.

For some reason, they all seemed pleased to
see her too. She couldn’t say why that would be. Perhaps she was
imagining things.

She didn’t know whether it was her who said
it, but someone asked Karesh to organize them. And then Vann was
taking her away.

Quiet descended, they were alone. And
finally she could relax and let everything out. Planning needed to
be done, but not right now. Faces flashed past, names she had
already counted and said goodbye to before. None of those people
were here. No one she knew was here. And so she had to say goodbye
to them again.

Chapter 34

L
ater that day she
summoned Karesh. Vann sat next to her, Karesh in front.

‘Karesh, how many are there?’ she asked.

‘Less than a hundred. They are not really
warriors, Master, mostly young children and those not yet warriors.
Galis, the mate of Bulag led them. She is a warrior, however she is
pregnant now and cannot fight yet.’

Riley nodded, having expected that. Those
most vulnerable had always stayed deeper in the caves, places the
humans had not visited. She did not remember Galis, barely
remembered her from the dozens of survivors that had arrived that
morning.

‘But they know you, Master. They have learnt
well.’ he hesitated.

‘Karesh,’ Riley said, her eyes narrowing.
‘I’d prefer it if you’d share your plans for me
with
me. Out
with it.’

Hesitating a moment longer, Karesh said
quickly, ‘you can find the others, Master, those you didn’t
control. You can teach them again, change the gemengs. These young
children will grow up knowing the new ways. And you can create your
new world. One without fear.’ He looked at her earnestly.

Riley sighed. Vann touched her shoulder
briefly, said nothing. They had in fact talked about all this
before Karesh’s arrival. This wasn’t much different than what Riley
had feared. Karesh had had nothing before she had come, was it
really so surprising he had latched onto what she had briefly been
creating with such force?

‘Alright.’ she said.

Karesh’s eyes widened. Then he slowly
smiled.

‘I suppose several hundred dead is nothing
between friends.’ she said bitterly. ‘I don’t want you out fetching
any new gemengs, Karesh. We need to deal with these first. We need
to deal with Andalla first. If I fail where he is concerned, he
will likely kill everyone with me. Do you understand?’

Karesh nodded. ‘After you defeat him.’

‘It may be better for everyone to leave and
go with you, until he is sorted out.’

Karesh’s look became ever so slightly
stubborn.

‘It is a choice I will give to the others.’
she said firmly.

‘Yes, Master.’

‘But in case they decide to stay,’ his
expression brightened, Riley continued anyway, ‘we’ll need a
shield. I’ll explain it to the others. But we’ll need a shield from
Adila. And we need to improve the camp now that we have so many
here. We’ll need tents, and more hunting parties. We need to keep
this place clean, latrines away from the camp and the water.’

‘I’ll arrange it, Master.’

‘The vote first.’ she insisted.

Karesh was soon arranging the enlargement of
the camp, the survivors happily helping. Galis had kept the
survivors well organized on their journey, and they had supplies
with them, possessions carried deep into the caves and out again.
Still, making tents for everyone would take time. Riley and her few
gemengs had not even bothered making tents for themselves.

Karesh enlisted Galis’ assistance in
organizing the survivors. He watched her carefully, noting how she
took control of her group. When he gave her an order she hesitated,
clearly considering whether or not to obey him. But she was still
pregnant, she could not fight him.

After,
he thought
, when she has
the child she will consider challenging me. Not the Master though,
I don’t think she is fool enough for that.
It didn’t matter
though; even if Galis challenged the Master, the Master would
prevail and only cement her authority.

Despite how much work there was to do,
Karesh was happy. Going behind the Master’s back and attempting to
manipulate her made him deeply uncomfortable. She would be well
within her rights to kill him for that. Frequently, he had to
remind himself that she probably
wouldn’t
, and that he was
just supporting her original plan. He could not let go of her
vision, which had become his hope. Even if he angered her, he had
to take the risk. And now, it had paid off. The Master had accepted
her role.

He was relieved too, at the reaction of
everyone at Riley’s suggestion. They’d been aghast at the thought
of leaving. Newly reunited with those thought lost, why would they
give that up for a threat they perhaps didn’t really understand?
And anyway, they were gemengs. Violence was not new to them. The
Master had only begun to change that. Whatever the reason, their
cooperation with her vision would make everything easier.