24. Chapter 24

Dhor-Van was left more speechless than I was since I had expected something like this to happen. Yet the brutality and coldness with which Amber had exacted her revenge left me with more questions than I could hope to answer.

She was a warrior khadahrshi through and through; if there had been any spark of doubt in my mind, it had been extinguished by her actions. This was not a gallis to be crossed.

I regretted not being able to understand much of her conversation with Willis and Pierre, but Lexi had taught me a few more English words during Amber's sickness, and it seemed I had absorbed more than I had given myself credit for.

Slowly, some pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Willis killed Amber's sister, Dawn. Amber had taken her place and come to Vandruk to hunt down her killers. What a gallis . My mind was spinning with admiration for her. She was braver and more determined than most of our people. Her courage and resolve were beyond anything even most warriors would be willing to face. Yet she had.

Bzun-Lhan's words—words I was now ashamed that I had used—came back to my mind: Diluting our blood . If Amber and I would have any children, by the grace of the gods, I would be proud of their diluted blood. They would make magnificent warriors.

I owed a thank you and an apology to Tzar-Than, who was wiser than me and had seen the possibilities of a union with humans rather than the negative sides. He had overcome his prejudice towards the humans, and so I was learning to do the same. It wouldn't be easy to convince the other khadahrs, but I would proudly stand by Tzar-Than's side, with Amber as my khadahrshi.

The other gallies, except Lexi, I noticed, broke out into wails, cursing Amber in unison with the surviving scientists.

She didn't even look back at the chaos she was leaving behind. Amber strode away in the direction of the creek. I understood her desire to be alone, but she had just gotten up from her deathbed. The few reserves she had managed to refuel yesterday and last night had to be running low, and I would be damned if I left her unsupervised.

"Check on them," I directed Dhor-Van, "get them ready to break camp." I doubted anybody would want to stay among the two dead males. Amber wasn't up for a long march yet, but if I had to, I would carry her .

I was right. As soon as Amber thought herself out of eyesight, her shoulders slumped, and she leaned heavily against a narran tree, breathing hard in and out. Her back moved up and down, indicating she was crying. I realized she wouldn't want me to find her this way, but that was too bad because I was here to stay with her.

"Amber," I called her name when I reached her side.

Surprising me, she slumped into me instead of the tree. My arms moved around her, holding her while her head leaned into my chest, and she cried herself out.

I wasn't sure how long we just stood there, but I was going to give her however much time she needed. If she wanted to stand here and cry over her sister all day, I would be right here with her. All night, too. She deserved that, and so much more.

"I'm okay," she finally said, wiping her eyes and looking up at me. Red blotches shone on the tip of her nose, around it, and on her cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot.

"I don't even know why I'm crying. Yes, I loved my sister, but I really, really didn't even like her." She sniffed. Enough of her words made sense to me to understand her meaning.

"I mean, she could be such a bitch." Amber chuckled for a moment. "Still, I miss her. Pretty fucked up, eh?"

"You avenged her," I stated.

"Yeah, I guess I did." A shudder moved through her. "She would berate me for that." She chuckled again.

"I'm sorry," was all I could think of saying.

"Hey, your English is getting pretty good." She smiled up at me .

"I learned," I replied in Vandruk. I understand more English than I spoke, and some of the words sounded strange to me. I probably mutilated most of them.

"Alright." She straightened. "We better get those sheep back to the portal."

I didn't know what sheep meant, but I had learned that portal was the human word for the red fog.

"You can't walk yet," I cautioned.

"The hell I can," she replied.

To prove my point, I let go of her but caught her before her buckling knees brought her down to the ground.

"Bastard," she hissed up at me, but with a small grin.

I shook my head. "Stubborn gallis."

Light as a bird, it didn't take any effort to pull her into my arms and carry her back to camp.

"You can't carry me all the way," she said against my chest.

"Is that a challenge, gallis?"

She giggled—actually giggled this time, not a chuckle, but a giggling sound only gallies were able to produce. It warmed my heart, and I pressed a kiss against her forehead.

"If you make promises, you need to be prepared to follow through," she teased.

"You better regain some strength first," I warned. "Because the next time I fuck you, I will take my time."

Her sharp intake of breath told me she had understood my words, making me grin and send a prayer of thanks to the gods for having spared her. People who survived the bite of a rotburn were marked by Vorag's favor. He had shown his favor to the human gallies before when he sent a velviph to help Gwyn, and he had done so again by keeping my Amber alive. If there had been any lingering doubt about making her my khadahrshi, it was wiped away.

The camp had already been broken when we arrived. I wasn't sure how Dhor-Van had managed it, but all the humans were working with him. He had probably threatened them to let Amber loose , I thought, eliciting an evil grin from me. At the moment he and Lexi stood by an array of boulders, talking quietly. I was pleased to see him wiping a stray strand of her hair to the side. Vorag was truly working hard to match us, and I was glad Dhor-Van found happiness.