Page 42

CHAPTER

THIRTY

CORVAK

Even though I know we are meeting up with others, I am unprepared for the first glimpse of them. April had said that they were hunting for Valmir, and I had expected to see another praxiian, or perhaps another human. I expected them to look as tired and worn as Valmir.

I'm unprepared for the bright red, vigorous male that raises an arm and waves us down from across the valley, or for the hulking male a few steps away from him with the thick neck and strange fur patterns.

He looks to be a formidable opponent, and I immediately calculate the best way to get him off guard.

A leg sweep, perhaps? A thumb dug into the underside of one arm or between the ribs? Is he part praxiian or something else?

"Ho," calls the bright red male—an a'ani.

He's covered in tattoos and his dark hair is shorn short, but there's a cockiness to his expression that tells me that he is a gladiator.

When he looks at me, he sizes me up at a glance.

I recognize that look, and I am determined to show no weakness.

Him being a'ani already tells me much—the ancient race is cloned for grunt work, but if he's a gladiator that means he is crafty and skilled, and one to watch out for.

I don't like it. It immediately sets me on edge, and I instinctively move closer to Aidy, wanting to protect her.

"Looks like we found a few new friends," he calls out, a big grin on his face.

There is a smaller female at his side, one with dark skin and fascinatingly beautiful curly hair.

She holds a spear and has two long plank-like things tied across her back, as does the a'ani male.

"Greetings! I am Thrand and this is my lovely mate, Nadine. "

Nadine nods at us, her gaze watchful, as if she is deciding if we are friendly or not.

"And this is U'dron, but his mate is back at camp taking care of the kits." Thrand gestures at the thickly built male with the strange fur pattern.

I indicate myself and then Aidy. "I am called Corvak, and this is my mate, Aidy." I eye U'dron suspiciously and decide to get the biggest question out of the way. "What sort of splice are you? Mesakkah and what else?"

"I am no splice," the man claims, speaking in a strange tongue that the embedded translator in my brain picks up.

How does one battle an opponent there are no records on? What are his weaknesses? His strengths? What if he has hidden abilities, like the poison barbs of the Threshians…but wait. There are no battles.

There are no tournaments here, no gladiator competitions.

I do not know how to get over this.

"We're so happy to meet all of you," Aidy says at my side. Her voice is sweet and full of smiles, and my mate extends her right hand out to them. The human female takes it, and they move their joined hands up and down.

Then the human female looks at me again. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like someone?"

I shrug. "I am a splice. I imagine I look like a great many someones."

"There are many splices at Icehome. You are in good company," Thrand says.

"And they all have better manners than Valmir," April pipes in.

Valmir just growls.

I decide I like April.

Nadine steps forward, pulling a pouch off her waist and holding it out. The scent is that of dried meat, and she offers it to Aidy. "Are y'all okay? Because you look rather rough, no offense."

I bristle at her words. We look like survivors. We look like warriors. To my surprise, Aidy smiles and then begins to cry. She steps forward to take the bag, sniffing. "It's been a long few weeks."

"Oh, honey," Nadine says, and pats my mate on the shoulder. "I can only imagine."

They share an impromptu hug, and when they pull away, Aidy is smiling. I am not. I should be the one comforting my mate. The fact that a human stranger gives her more comfort than I do eats at my gut. I am not enough for her, and the realization wounds me.

I am not programmed to make friends. My memories are all of competitions and battle rules. I am made for rivals. But…there are no games here. I must keep reminding myself of that. These people are allies. They are not enemies, and I should not view them as such.

"Now that everyone's met again, can we please focus on me and my broken ankle?" Valmir snaps. "I'm not going to be able to walk back to the village. It's healed wrong, and trying to put pressure on it is like being stabbed over and over again."

"I'd like to stab you over and over again," April mutters.

I do like April.

Even though we just packed up and left the cave, we retreat back to it again.

Nadine directs U'dron and Thrand in the making of some sort of platform, using their flat sticks for the bottom.

April repacks bags, and I am left to sit with my mate while we snack on Nadine's food.

I am not hungry, but if I do not eat, I think Aidy will stop.

So I slowly chew on pieces of jerky and watch my mate.

"They seem nice," she says in a low voice. "What do you think?"

"Nice," I agree, though the word feels foreign in my mouth. A victory is nice . A good meal is nice . People are simply competition.

Aidy turns to me, arching a brow. She knows me well enough that I cannot deceive her.

"This is difficult for me," I say in a low voice. "I have no memories of friends. Only competitors. It is hard for me to see them as anything but rivals."

Her expression turns sympathetic and she squeezes my knee affectionately, moving closer and pressing up against me. "We'll figure it out. Just…if you get nervous or upset about something, talk to me before you react? I can tell you my point of view and we can compare."

This seems wise. She's not dismissing my concerns, merely wanting to talk them over first. My Aidy is so clever. "I am glad we are together."

Her smile brightens. "We're not doing this any other way. We're partners."

I hand her another piece of jerky and vow to be the best partner possible.

Once the dragging contraption is built, U'dron hauls it outside while Thrand lets Valmir lean on him.

I'm not sure if he's simply pretending to be injured worse than he is or if his ankle is truly that bad.

The limb is slightly swollen, but I also notice that he seems to be more affected by it when April is paying attention.

He makes faces and groans as he's lowered onto the platform with legs—Aidy tells me it's a "sled"—and then U'dron grabs the harness and hauls it along.

Valmir holds onto the sides and looks over at April, who is pointedly ignoring him.

The sound of their resonance is louder than any conversation and makes the mood of the group awkward.

We walk until it grows dark, and then a tent is pitched. There is no cave nearby so the females pile into the tent to get out of the wind, and we males sit near the fire to keep warm and to watch over things.

As it grows darker, the skies clear and I'm relieved to see that there is no sign of the Northern Lights, the "sky waters" as the snow-people call it. They will think I took the sky waters with me, hopefully, and it will reinforce our story.

U'dron sprinkles a handful of herbs into a warming pouch over the fire, making tea. Valmir eyes the tent, as if hoping that April will appear and fling herself at him. Thrand eyes me.

"How many tourneys?" the a'ani asks.

I wonder how much information to give him, then decide the truth is easiest. "None."

His dark brows go up. "None?"

"I am a new splice. There is nothing to recall in my memories yet save rules and fighting moves." I straighten, glaring at him. "And there is nothing wrong with that."

"I didn't say there was." He puts his hands up. "If you were as famous as Crulden the Ruiner, though, you might have a hard time adjusting to life here. There are no tournaments, no glory, no nothing here. Everyone here has children and wants to live a quiet life."

"Even you?" I cannot imagine what an a'ani child would look like, or how it would act.

"Even me."

"You will like everyone," U'dron says. His tone is mild, unruffled. For an enormous sort, his demeanor is easy. I can see why he is well-liked. "We all get along in the village."

I grunt. I am not sure how I'm going to "get along" with many strangers, but it is not my decision. Aidy will be safer there, so we will go there.

"You don't have to like everyone," Thrand points out. "I don't like Valmir."

Valmir throws a handful of snow at him from across the fire.

I snort, amused by the easy ribbing. This I am familiar with—even gladiators banter amongst one another. "No one likes Valmir."

The praxiian turns his scowl upon me. The others smile, though, and I relax a little. Perhaps this will not be so difficult after all, being normal. Perhaps I will manage to blend in after all, and Aidy will be happy.

"I personally am wondering why you ran away," Thrand comments. He leans forward, arms resting on his knees, a challenge in his expression. "Your bracelet said exactly what was going on."

"I thought it was a tracker." I shrug. "And I thought quick reflexes would get us out of the situation before others had time to attack us.

" It's a partial truth. The moment I saw the lid on Aidy's pod open, I thought she was a prize, and I was determined to run off with her and make her mine.

There was no part of me that wanted to leave it open to chance.

Thrand grunts, considering this. "I might have done the same. But the khui? How did you figure it out?"

"He watched us," Valmir comments dryly. "He stalked us and learned from our group when we got khuis for the women."

"And you never saw him?" Thrand arches a brow at the cat-alien. "So much for the vaunted praxiian senses."

Another handful of snow heads Thrand's way. "I was distracted, idiot."