30. Chapter 30

The next morning, we broke camp for a final time with my charges. I couldn't wait to be rid of them and to return to Svengrod with my beautiful Amira by my side. My subjects would be thrilled to finally have a khadahrshi again. It had been a long time since my mother's death. There wouldn't be many who would object to Amber because she was a human. The prospect of an heir was far greater than any prejudice. In time, I was convinced they would love my Amira just as much as I did.

I closed my eyes and pinched my nose at that thought. When had I fallen in love with her? Did it matter? Nek, I decided, it didn't matter at all. I loved her, and that sensation alone was enough to fill me with fire. I wanted to shout it out into the sky, but when I watched Amber take down a tent with Lexi, I realized that I wanted to tell only her. At the right moment. Not here, not when we were all exhausted from traveling, sweaty, and eager for this to be over with. I wanted to make it special. She deserved it.

With every step we closed in on the red fog, the Queen Bees's chatter increased. Under the surface of the delight to be going home, they tried to emit to one another. I sensed insecurity and misplaced anger. One or the other glared at Sandra when they thought nobody was watching them. As much as they tried, they didn't fool me. Going home was a punishment for them.

"We're almost there," I informed Amber, just as I noticed Bran-Vhal sprint toward us.

The left side of his face and arm were bandaged, and where the bandage slipped, I saw raw flesh as if he had been burned. I stiffened. "What happened?"

Amber grabbed my arm as she stared at Bran-Vhal, who took her in curiously.

"The humans, they attacked us," Bran-Vhal informed us.

"Looks like they used FGs," Amber mumbled under her breath, and my attention turned to her.

"What's that?"

"It's a sort of grenade; they're newer; instead of exploding spewing shrapnel, they give out a gas that is highly flammable when it comes in contact with anything organic." She noticed Bran-Vhal's and my uncomprehending expressions and explained. "Grenades are usually made out of metal; when they explode, it's like hundreds of little rocks hitting you, cutting you with a force that is hard to imagine. Since everything metallic corrodes on impact with Vandruk's air, they're using plastic now, a material that doesn't fall apart here. These grenades are filled with a gas, like the air you breathe, but different, that creates a fire on your skin or clothes, on anything flammable."

Bran-Vhal nodded. "They threw these small balls at us, without even stepping out of the red fog, not until the balls exploded. Most of the warriors were burned, some more, some less. That's when the humans came out of the red fog and attacked us."

"How many are dead?" I asked between clenched teeth, anger at the human's foul play churning my guts.

"The humans?" Bran-Vhal attempted a grin, but it turned into a grimace of pain. "They all died. Three of our warriors died because of their wounds, not because the humans killed them."

"Let me see." Amber rummaged through her backpack, pulling out a small, red box, the same I had noticed Tzar-Than giving Gwyn.

"What is that?"

"A first aid kit," she explained. "I let Tzar-Than use it when he went in search of Gwyn."

She opened it and retrieved several small envelopes. "Let me see." She pointed for Bran-Vhal to sit down.

"When did that happen?" I asked, watching as Amber cut his bandages off him. He winced but didn't object.

"Two days ago. It's been quiet since, but we moved further out from the red fog. Bzun-Lhan is furiously mad and has called more khadahrs and warriors in. "

"Bzun-Lhan is still here?" I asked, astounded that the High Priest would give up the comfort of his Temple for such a long time.

"He never left. What the hell is that?" He stopped Amber's hand midway, and I barely stopped myself from grabbing my First Blade's hand for daring to touch her.

"It's an ointment that will soothe the burns," Amber explained patiently.

"Amber, this is Bran-Vhal, my First Blade and friend. Bran-Vhal, this is your new Khadahrshi, Amber." I should have introduced them sooner, I scolded myself, but the surprise of seeing him wounded had distracted me.

Amber pulled out a small stick with something white at the top and began applying her ointment to Bran-Vhal's wounds. "This does feel soothing."

"I don't have much of it," Amber said regretfully, "how many are wounded?"

"All of us got hurt; there are five worse off than me, ten like me, and fourteen with less severe wounds."

"I'll need to see to those five." Amber rose after dressing Bran-Vhal's wounds with some kind of gauzy, white material. Pride swelled in my chest. She didn't even know these males, didn't know they were mine, our warriors, and yet she was ready to take care of them.

Lexi cleared her throat, "I can help," as she approached us.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course, you're much better equipped for this than me," Amber deferred to her .

"Nonsense, I watched you patch him up." Lexi nodded at Bran-Vhal, who stared at her as if he had been star-struck. "You did a perfect job."

"It sounds as if both of you gallies will be busy," I remarked grim-faced.

"Let me show you our temporary camp, Khadahr," Bran-Vhal offered, rising while keeping his eyes on Lexi.

"What about us?" Sandra called.

"Follow us for now," I sighed. It seemed there was still no way to get rid of the cantankerous bunch.

We reached the camp, where an agitated Bzun-Lhan walked straight toward me. A few burn wounds decorated his chest, but it didn't look half as bad as Bran-Vhal's. Amber and Lexi made a straight line toward a row where males lay on beds made of furs, some wrapped up with clothes beyond recognition.

"Finally! I expected you back days ago," Bzun-Lhan greeted me. His eyes narrowed as he took in the human gallies and the few males as they stood unsure at the edge of the camp.

"You brought them here?" he snarled. "Next, you're gonna tell me you picked one for yourself."

I didn't like his tone or the way he glared at me, but he was still the High Priest and owed respect.

"These humans will return through the red fog; Tzar-Than decreed them unworthy," I said, looking around the camp and catching glimpses of various injuries in various states of festering or healing. "Amber." I searched quickly for her and Lexi by the group of more severely injured warriors and pointed at her as soon as I caught a glimpse of red hair. "She is going to be my new khadahrshi, and I would be honored if you would bless our union."

"You know better than to ask me that," Bzun-Lhan snarled. "I will never bless such a union. You have lost your way," he added less firmly. "Let me find you a nice Vandruk gallis from a good family. I will bless that union."

I shook my head. "I have chosen her. Tzar-Than's plan is right and good. We need the human gallies if we don't—"

"Nek," he thundered, his face puckering up in hate and fury. "We do NOT need the human gallies. The gods will provide for us as they always have. We do NOT need to dilute our blood."

One look at him was enough to make me realize that there was no use trying to argue with him; still, I had to give it a shot. "Have you ever considered that maybe we aren't diluting our blood but making it stronger? Maybe this is the will of the gods."

"You do NOT know the will of the gods," Bzun-Lhan's voice rose with each word. His finger pointed at my chest in a way I didn't like, but my respect for him was greater than the urge to grab that finger and stab it into his eye—barely.

"Hear me now!" Bzun-Lhan turned in a circle addressing all the Vandruk males, "Any of you males who mate with one of the human gallies will be damned by the gods, just as Tzar-Than and Dzur-Khan are."

The males, most of them my warriors, turned their eyes on me questioningly .

"Dzur-Khan?" Like a goddess, Amber rose from where she was kneeling by one of the more severely injured warriors. Without even a hint of fear in her eyes, she stared the much larger Bzun-Lhan down. "Is that your High Priest?"

"Do not address me, daughter of all evil. Your people brought sorrow and destruction to ours, and the gods won't rest until you are all dead."

"Then why don't you kill me?" Amber stepped forward, her beautiful eyes hard and determined. Gods, I loved that fearless gallis. I had yet to see a challenge that she wouldn't meet head-on.

"This is Amber." I moved to her side. She might be fearless and strong, but I wasn't going to let her step unprotected forward. Sa, these were my males, sworn to me, but they had also sworn an oath to our gods, including the High Priest. This situation could escalate quickly and end in much bloodshed. "Our khadahrshi, Amber."

"Blasphemy!" Bzun-Lhan cried, pointing his finger at Amber. "You have bewitched our males, and you need to pay the price for it. I beseech you, Khadahr Dzur-Khan, before it is too late, cease this insanity. Renounce this gallis at once."

"Never," I pressed out, loud and clear. "Each male here and everywhere on Vandruk will have to make his own decision and listen to his conscience." I turned to my warriors. "You are bound by two oaths, and it is now clear that you will have to break one if our High Priest doesn't change his way. I want you to hear me now, loud and clear. I will release you from mine if your principles demand you stay with the High Priest, but I want you to know that these human gallies are a gift from the gods. Bzun-Lhan is wrong. Sa, we have suffered, we have bled and wept and cursed, but at the end of the day, it was our gods who allowed this to happen, who brought the humans into our world. And I, for one, intend to bow to their will. This is Amber, my khadahrshi, and yours if you accept her."