CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Nalyx lay awake in the early hours of the morning, feeling surprisingly relaxed, despite the fact that yet another night had passed without him being able to explore a woman’s body. Sunlight was filtering in around the curtain on his window, and Gantalla was curled up against his side. She was still wearing her shirt, and Nalyx had made a concession to her modesty by donning a pair of loose, cotton shorts. She was still asleep, her breathing slow and even, and he could feel the warm puffs of air against his skin. It felt entirely perfect.

The odd thought occurred to him that it would be nice to have someone to wake up to like this every morning. And strangely enough, the serving women didn’t count. When he woke up next to one of them, he was hungover more often than not from a night of hitting the liquor hard, or the woman was eager to wake him for a repeat session of the night before, not letting him relax or sleep in.

Not that he was complaining about morning sex, not in the slightest. But this was different. Relaxed. Peaceful.

Good gods, was he actually thinking in terms of finding himself a wife? He’d never been interested in that sort of thing before, always seeing it as too much of a burden, too restrictive to be tied down to only one woman.

But all he could think now, watching Gantalla’s black hair splayed across the pillow, was that he wanted to see that sight every morning.

She was fascinating to talk to, and they’d chatted long into the night, sharing another cup or two of the bottle of whisky that still sat on Nalyx’s shelf. That, too, was unusual, in that he hadn’t finished the bottle yet. What was it about her that made him behave so uncharacteristically?

Finally, after about half an hour of lying there, Gantalla stirred, stretching lazily, then her eyes fluttered open.

“Morning,” she said, as she realised where she was, and then she smiled. “Seems you were right after all.”

“Told you I could keep my hands to myself,” Nalyx said, a wry grin on his face.

She chuckled. “No, I meant about the bed. It is more comfortable than the nurses’ quarters.”

He snorted out a laugh. “That, too.”

She settled down again, bringing one hand up to stroke his chest. A frisson of sensation shot through him at the contact, and he subtly angled his hips away from her. No need to interrupt the peace with his libido. “Did you sleep well?” she asked.

“Very.” He had, undisturbed by dark dreams of battle and soothed by the presence of a warm body beside him.

They lay in silence for a while, enjoying a few moments to just relax. Then Gantalla spoke again. “It occurred to me yesterday that there are no locks on any of the warriors’ rooms. When I came to collect my things yesterday, I could just walk right in. Is that safe? I mean, you’ve just got your weapons and armour lying around where anyone could sneak in and steal them.”

Nalyx raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Steal them? Not likely. No one would dare try and steal from one of the warriors.”

“They’re too scared of being caught and punished?”

Nalyx shook his head. He didn’t even know what the punishment would be for such a low act. “No, I mean everyone in town knows we need our equipment to keep them safe from the demons. Stealing from us would be like stabbing themselves in the foot. No one’s that stupid. And aside from that, there are certain perks to the serving women being able to access our quarters.”

“Like what?”

Nalyx frowned, then remembered that Gantalla was still new in town. She wouldn’t be aware of quite the way things worked here. “If one of the women wanted to give a warrior a nice surprise,” he said, his tone warming as he remembered that several women had done that very thing for him in the past, “they come over in the afternoon and wait for us to get back, and…” How should he phrase this? “And we get a nice, warm gift laid out on our bed, ready to have some fun.”

Gantalla sat up a little. “You mean they’d… You’ve come back and some woman is just sprawled out naked on your bed?” She sounded affronted by the idea.

“Yes, basically.”

“But what if the warrior’s coming back with another woman? Wouldn’t that cause problems?”

Nalyx shrugged. “If it was me, I’d just ask them to join in.”

Gantalla looked away, and he could see her trying to process the idea. “Doesn’t anyone ever get jealous?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. But that’s not the way it works. That’s not to say there aren’t any rules at all. If a woman’s married, none of the other warriors will touch her. That’s just a given. And if a warrior proposes marriage to a woman, it quickly becomes common knowledge that he’s not available for other women. But until he does, everyone’s pretty much fair game. And if he’s interested in a woman, but another woman thinks she can tempt him away, she’s entitled to try.”

“That doesn’t sound very honourable.” Gantalla lay down again, a frown on her face.

“Maybe things are different where you’re from. And I understand why that would be the case. But here… That’s just the way it is. I’ve never really thought about it before.”

“What if it’s the other way around? A warrior wants a particular woman, but she wants another man.”

“If a man wants a woman on a permanent basis, then he should ask her to marry him. And if he doesn’t, then he can hardly be surprised if she decides to explore other options.”

“But what about… No, never mind.” Gantalla sighed. “Your customs are a little strange to me.”

Another idea occurred to Nalyx, and he wondered how best to ask the question. “You said you weren’t married, but… was there someone in particular you were interested in, back home? Someone you would have wanted to marry?”

“No one in particular, no. I’d thought about it now and then, but I hadn’t settled on anyone.” Was it odd that Nalyx felt relieved at the news? “But two of my brothers were married. And one of my sisters was engaged. She and her fiancé were killed when our estate was attacked. But my oldest sister, she wasn’t married. She was going to inherit the estate. I think she wanted to wait until everyone knew it was hers before she decided to share it with anyone.”

Nalyx tensed at that. “Your sister was going to inherit the estate? A woman?”

“Yes. It’s not common, but my father… I suppose he was a bit odd that way. He didn’t see why a woman couldn’t run it just as well as a man could.”

“That’s very… open minded.”

“Yeah. I miss him.”

Wanting to distract her from her darker thoughts, Nalyx fumbled for a way to direct the conversation in another direction. “What about the brother that lives in Palashran?”

“What?” Gantalla seemed surprised by the question, but she recovered quickly. “Oh, right. Well, yes, he’s married. He might even have a child by now. I don’t know.”

“Is he expecting you? I mean, is he going to be worried when you don’t show up?”

“I sent him a letter to tell him I was coming. I had to tell him about the attack on our estate, anyway. But if I stay here, I’ll just send him another letter saying I decided to stay in Minia.”

Nalyx stroked a lock of hair out of her eyes. Losing his own father had hurt like hell, and he couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have lost most of her family in one go. She was a brave woman.

“After my father died, my mother… She married a tanner.” The words came tumbling out of him unbidden. “They moved to Reedy Hollow.” Bitterness welled up inside him. “The whole town was mourning the death of my father. They did everything for her, brought her meals, some of the older serving women showed up to clean her house and do her laundry. If one of the warriors is killed, the town does everything they can to look after his family. My mother had a sixteen year old son, but she didn’t spare a thought for what would happen to me if she left. She just up and ran off with the first smiling face that came along.”

Why the hell was he telling her this? The anger was old, and the grief at the death of his father, but it surged up like a living thing now, grabbing him by the throat and choking the air out of his lungs.

A gentle hand stroked his cheek, and he refocused on Gantalla, forcing himself to take a deep breath. “Grief is a funny thing,” she said. “Sometimes people will just grab onto the first thing that gives them a sense of stability. My sister did that, after our father was killed. The estate was in ruins. Half the staff were dead. We had no idea what the future was going to bring. And one morning, she just comes trotting down the stairs in her favourite gown, sapphire earrings in her ears, and says we should hold a party. That it would cheer everyone up.

“That was the day I decided to leave. I don’t blame her for it. She was hurting and overwhelmed and just trying to cling onto anything familiar. But there was nothing left to hold onto, and I…” Gantalla’s mouth trembled.

“You didn’t abandon her,” Nalyx said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You said before that you tried to talk her into coming with you. It’s not your fault if she said no.”

Gantalla’s eyebrows rose. “I’m surprised you remember that.”

“Why?” To be fair, Nalyx was a little surprised as well. He’d been paying far more attention to the lace hugging Gantalla’s bosom at the time.

“You were very drunk by the end of that night.”

“True enough,” Nalyx admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening.”

Gantalla cleared her throat. “My point here is that maybe you shouldn’t be too hard on your mother. Yes, I realise she hurt you, and she should have been paying more attention to that, but at the same time, grief can…” She paused. She was wearing an odd expression, confusion and bitterness combined. Her eyes roamed over his face, then glanced down at the bed they were both lying in. “Yeah, grief makes people do funny things.”

He wanted to keep talking, but dredging up Gantalla’s memories wasn’t sounding like a great idea. But another thought occurred to him, one he’d had yesterday during his run. And suddenly, he was eager for her opinion on his own strange thoughts. It seemed she saw the world differently from most people, and maybe…

“Can I ask you something?” he said, and she nodded. “Maybe this sounds crazy. Actually, it probably is crazy. But when I was running yesterday, I went through the forest, and I ended up near where the unicorn was killed. And no, before you say anything, this is not more of me boasting about fighting the unicorn.” Gantalla had made it plain she was sick to death of hearing about that particular story, and given the bloodshed she’d seen in her own town, he couldn’t blame her. “But while I was chasing it, and before I actually attacked it, it stopped beside a stream. And, of course, they’re on fire because, you know, demons, but this one… It was splashing its face in the water, like it was trying to put the fire out. And it worked, for a few seconds, but it caught fire again, because the rest of its body was alight. But I was thinking… Maybe I’ve lost my mind, but I had this fleeting idea that maybe it didn’t want to be on fire. Maybe it was actually trying to put it out. And then I thought, unicorns aren’t all that different from horses. So if we caught one, and put the fire out… I had this crazy idea that maybe we could train them and use them like horses. Or at the very least, see if it was possible to tame them. Wouldn’t that be better than just killing them all? I don’t know, maybe I’m being stupid.”

Gantalla seemed tense, and Nalyx wondered if he’d made a mistake. To most people, even suggesting that the demons were anything but the epitome of evil was considered heresy. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything.

But when Gantalla replied, there was an odd note of curiosity in her voice, of hope, even. “It’s not a crazy idea. I mean, I’ve never met a unicorn, but if that’s what you saw, maybe they’re more complex than we realise. Maybe there’s more to the demons than we’ve been taught to expect. From what people have said about the way they fight, they must be intelligent. They make armour and weapons, and back at the festival, I heard one of the warriors saying they took some of the swords from the battlefield, and they were as fine a quality as anything the blacksmiths made in town. They must have some skill to be able to do that.”

“Skill, yes, but they’re still a major threat to this world.” Her thoughts had taken his vague idea and run in a unique direction. “I’m not talking about trying to negotiate peace with them. Just that the unicorn was behaving strangely.” Despite the fact that he’d been the one to start the conversation, her comments were making him uneasy.

“Does anyone even know why the demons are trying to cross the gate?” she asked.

“To kill us,” Nalyx said automatically. It was what they’d all been taught ever since they were children. The demons were evil, and evil things liked to kill.

“Yes, but why? Why would they want to kill humans? Particularly when most of them just end up getting killed instead. Think about the unicorn. Hallix said it came through the gate and ran straight off into the forest. If it wanted to kill people, why wouldn’t it stick around on the battlefield and try to do just that? Why would it run away? Why would it try to put its own flames out?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe we should try and tame them,” Gantalla said. “At least that way, we’d be one step closer to finding out.”

◊          ◊          ◊

Gantalla spent the day back at the hospital, doing her best to concentrate on her patients. But over and over again, she found her mind wandering back to the strange conversation she’d had with Nalyx that morning about the unicorn. In the afternoon, she asked Henrietta if she could go and spend more time reading the books in the office. Henrietta had willingly agreed, pleased that Gantalla seemed so keen on learning more. But the request had been nothing more than a ruse to give her a little time to herself to think.

It had been an entirely unexpected idea Nalyx had come up with, to try and tame a unicorn, but certainly not an unwelcome one. And Gantalla had floundered for a reply that would encourage him to pursue it, but at the same time not let on just how much she knew about the creatures.

What Nalyx didn’t know was that the unicorns were indeed intelligent, far more than the horses of this world, and that yes, it was entirely likely that the poor beast had been trying to put its flames out. Though Gantalla herself had never tried it, she’d heard plenty of stories of people who’d learned to mind-meld with the unicorns, granting them telepathic communication with the creatures. And while the unicorns weren’t considered as intelligent as the bipedal species of Chalandros, they were certainly more than mere animals.

What if the warriors managed to capture one and it taught one of them the same mind-meld ability? Would they be shocked to hear a unicorn ‘talk’? Would one be able to convince them that the ‘demons’ weren’t all evil?

Even so, it was a long shot, relying on the unicorns’ willingness to cooperate with the humans for long enough to teach them, putting up with having to carry riders and perform menial work for their ‘masters’. But then again, perhaps they were intelligent enough to realise that it would make them a kind of ambassador for all the peoples of Chalandros? That they could turn the tide of the battles once and for all?

Gantalla felt helpless, presented with such a revolutionary idea but completely clueless as to how to make it happen.

Finally, evening came, and Gantalla put her books away – not having read a single page – and headed back across the square towards the barracks. Nalyx hadn’t overtly invited her back again, but he’d made it clear that he’d enjoyed her company, and perhaps she might find a way to raise the topic again, pressing him a little harder to bring it up with the other warriors?

She wove through the lines of buildings, making her way to Nalyx’s room. She’d seen the men training again today, but now the town square was empty, and she assumed that meant they’d all returned to the barracks for the night.

But as she came around the corner to the courtyard that led to Nalyx’s room, she caught sight of Nalyx through the throng of other warriors… and stopped in her tracks. And in a rush, the other conversation they’d had this morning came back to her, the one about how the men and women in this town chose their partners. She hadn’t thought about that part all day, too caught up in other, more urgent thoughts. But there was Nalyx, dressed in a fine tunic, rather than his training shirt, and plastered to his side, with her arms wrapped around his waist, was Liatra, the woman who’d been doing such a poor job of helping him eat on that very first night they’d met.

As Gantalla watched, Nalyx put his hands on her shoulders, gazing down into her eyes. Liatra leaned up to press a kiss to his jaw, and Nalyx didn’t push her away. Instead, he leaned his head back, allowing her to kiss his throat.

Gantalla had seen enough. Nalyx had said himself, only that morning, that unless a warrior was engaged to a woman, he was fair game to the other women. For all his enjoyment of her company, Nalyx had given no indication that he thought of her as the sort of woman he’d want to marry. If, indeed, he wanted to marry anyone at all.

Not that Gantalla wanted to marry anyone, anyway, she reminded herself. And certainly not a warrior who dedicated his life to slaughtering her people.

Fair enough, Gantalla thought, retracing her steps back to the square. If that was the way things worked here, then so be it. She had plenty of more important things to do at the hospital. And no intention whatsoever of competing with a woman like Liatra for Nalyx’s attention.

◊          ◊          ◊

Nalyx leaned his head back, avoiding Liatra’s mouth as she tried to kiss him. “Liatra,” he began, but she interrupted him.

“Nalyx,” she said, a teasing note in her voice. She reached up to try and pull his head down, and he pulled back more forcefully this time.

“I said I’m not interested. Besides, I thought you said I was no use to you.”

Liatra shrugged. “I did. But now you’ve got the bandages off your hands. So now you could be very useful to me. And I to you,” she added, a sultry smirk on her lips.

“So that’s it, then? This is just about you getting what you want, and nobody cares what I think about any of it?”

For a brief moment, Liatra actually looked surprised. But the look was gone a moment later. “Come on, Nalyx,” she said with a pout. “We always had fun together, didn’t we? And we can do that again. It was never anything serious. I mean, it’s not like you ever wanted a wife.” She stopped, a strange look crossing her face. “Do you?”

“No,” Nalyx denied quickly. “But it would have been nice to have a friend who would help me out when I needed it.”

“I did help you. I helped you eat dinner. And then you ran off with that Gantalla woman, all black hair and lace and ‘I’ve got big boobs’.” She stuck her own chest out in mockery. “But you didn’t hear me complaining about her. Besides, she only lasted all of five minutes anyway. I heard she’s gone to work at the hospital now. What good is she, when she’s not even here most of the time? But I can be here all the time.”

“Any time that it suits you, you mean.”

“No! That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean? I needed help to eat, and you ran off to play with Calium. I needed help getting dressed, and cleaning my armour, and the gods know what else, but that was all too much trouble for you, when someone else is dangling shiny jewels in front of you.”

Liatra opened her mouth to answer… then closed it again. And for the first time, she actually looked embarrassed. “But I…That’s not true. It’s not just about wanting new jewellery.”

“Then what is it about?”

She hesitated, then glanced over at the other women loitering about the courtyard, each of them attempting to seduce one of the warriors. “I…” Her face fell. “You really needed my help? Getting dressed, and everything?”

“I couldn’t use my hands. And you might recall that I was injured fighting a unicorn, saving your life, and everyone else in this town, from demons who would happily see you all dead.”

Her mouth pulled downwards, but in a real frown this time, rather than a coy pout. “Maybe you have a point,” she muttered, staring at the ground. “It’s just… You’re all so capable, and strong, and… I didn’t realise that…” She winced. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

Nalyx sighed. It was tempting to stay angry with her, but she had a point. He’d never asked for anything serious from her before. And as he’d already realised, he’d contributed to his own problem by sulking about it all. It was hardly the impression of a powerful warrior that the women expected.

“How can I make it up to you?”

Nalyx looked around, wondering if he should even bother, or… “How about you go find me a plate of dinner. I’m not saying everything’s forgotten, just like that, but it would be a place to start. And tomorrow, you can come by my room. I have some laundry that needs doing. I mean, actually washing it, not just splashing about in the fountain.”

Liatra grimaced, no doubt unimpressed by the task. But then she squared her shoulders. “Okay. Dinner and laundry. I can do that. And maybe after that…” The sultry look was back, a small smile playing at her lips.

“After that, we’ll see. I’m not making any promises.”

“Fair enough. I can see I have some work to do to earn back your trust. But give me a chance. I won’t let you down again.” She sauntered off, swaying her hips, and Nalyx rolled his eyes. He was probably going to regret this, not at all convinced that she’d got the message. But it couldn’t hurt to give her a second chance, could it?

But Liatra had no sooner left than another woman was plastering herself to his side, and she tugged on his arm to get his attention. His right arm. He winced as the stitches pulled, biting back a groan.

“I see the little drama queen’s fallen out of favour for the moment. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

“What do you want, June?” June was a good half a foot shorter than Liatra, with a large nose. But she had bright blue eyes that were admired everywhere she went, and she got plenty of attention from the men, by virtue of her well-developed chest. But her attitude let her down where her body might have gained her more favour. She’d been with Liatra the night Nalyx had been trying to eat dinner, being no more help than Liatra had been. And he remembered that she’d hightailed it after Calium just the same as Liatra had, when Gantalla had dangled the idea of gifts of jewellery in front of them.

“Me? Why would I want anything?” June asked coyly, in response to his question. “I’m just enjoying the company of a strong, brave warrior. The real question is, what do you want?” She pressed her breasts against him, then tossed her head, letting her blonde hair fall over her shoulder.

“That’s an interesting question. Liatra’s just agreed to do my laundry for me tomorrow. Was there something you had in mind that might be equally useful?”

June laughed. “Laundry? Like a wrinkly old washer-woman? Oh, that’s funny. No, I had something better in mind. Something that didn’t involve clothing.”

“Maybe you hadn’t noticed, but I’ve still got a nice little hole through my shoulder. Not exactly conducive to vigorous activity.”

Maybe she’d just lose interest, like Liatra had originally done. Or maybe she’d actually wake up and realise that the warriors weren’t just here to satisfy her desires. She didn’t reply, and Nalyx sighed. “If you’re looking for entertainment, maybe Calium would be more up your alley?”

“Calium’s busy putting his hands all over Helen. Can’t see what he sees in her to be honest. She’s as flat-chested as a twelve year old. And she’s got the wit to match. No, I think I need someone far more mature than that boy.”

That boy, as Nalyx had told Gantalla, was one of the finest warriors in the army, fast and skilled despite his relative lack of experience. Give him another few years and he’d be painted as a hero, having songs sung about him in the town square. And though he was young, it was no secret that he was already on the lookout for a wife, though he had yet to settle on anyone in particular. But clearly, that wasn’t something that interested June.

“Is this about Gantalla?” she asked, an undertone of disdain in her voice. “I know you’ve been spending time with her. Pretentious little upstart, barging in here like she owns the place. She’s pretty enough, I suppose. But she’s not here. Is she?”

“No. She’s busy treating wounded patients in the hospital.” Actually doing something useful with her days, rather than swanning about looking for favours.

“How dull,” June said. “You’re getting far too serious, Nalyx. I remember when you used to be fun.”

The sound of a throat being cleared interrupted them. “Your dinner,” Liatra announced, holding up a steaming plate. “Roast lamb, potatoes, carrots, and I got you one of those baked apples you like so much. And some whisky, to wash it all down.”

“Sorry,” Nalyx said to June, not feeling the slightest bit sorry about brushing her off. “Looks like I just got a better offer.”