Page 17

The night brought a fresh layer of snow and a chill carried down the ice-capped mountains by a vicious wind. Snowflakes flurried in the frosty air, and even Tyelu’s cold-inured family shivered when they were caught out in the raw weather.

Gared delayed the Choosing until the warmest part of the day, after the midday meal, though even then Jos saw little difference between the two. The temperature hovered above freezing long enough to turn the snowy fields into an icy slush.

“Unusually cold for this time of year,” Gared said as they piled into one of the family’s hovercars.

“Brutally cold,” Alna agreed. She turned a sympathetic face to Jos. “You’ll make a quick run of it. No one should stand in your way, though I dare say more than a few women will stand behind Tyelu, hoping you’ll pick them instead.”

Jos wasn’t worried about those other women. They were of no consequence to him.

He could, however, think of two people who might try to stop him from reaching the inner circle: his grandmother and Kodh. He steeled himself for either confrontation. Kodh had a wicked temper to go along with his bulk and longer reach. Zhina would start with words, but she might not stop there, especially since words hadn’t separated him from Tyelu yet. She wanted a strong alliance with the Pruxn?. She just wasn’t willing to sacrifice her grandson to get it.

Too bad. Tyelu was his choice. That should be crystal clear to everyone by the end of the Choosing.

“I don’t know,” Ryn deadpanned, drawing Jos from his thoughts. “I was thinking of challenging him.”

Ziri poked her husband in the ribs. “Leave your sister be. She deserves a chance at happiness.”

Ryn sighed heftily and shot a merry wink at Jos over the top of Ziri’s head.

Jos managed a grim smile in response, then began centering himself for the challenge ahead.

By the time they reached the Choosing field on the outskirts of Hrelum, candidates and townsfolk alike ambled around the outer edges. Jos stepped out of the hovercar into the bitter air, wishing he could’ve worn his skinsuit under his clothing. The heavy jacket Ryn had leant him kept the wind from biting into his skin, but once the Choosing started, Jos would have only layers of street clothes to protect him from the cold.

He feared it wouldn’t be nearly enough to stave off frostbite. Frekking snow. When this was done and the Sweeper mess taken care of, he was taking Tyelu to a nice warm beach on a planet where the locals didn’t even have a word for snow.

Alna led him to a spot along the outer ring while Gared, Ryn, and Ziri joined Tyelu in the inner circle. Jos eyed her now, searching her face and posture. She’d snuck out of his bed at daybreak, or what would’ve been daybreak if the sun weren’t hidden behind a perpetual cloud cover. They hadn’t mentioned the Choosing, hadn’t speculated over what the day might hold. Q Command had been blasting increasingly urgent updates on the general channels, and even Magda seemed concerned when Jos checked in with her that morning.

A heavy weight settled in his gut. He was going to have to go back. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but soon. The Sweeper situation had rapidly gone from a pesky nuisance just a few months ago to all hands on deck. No one had figured out why or how the alien menace had managed to escalate so quickly.

Alna lightly touched his elbow. “You seem lightyears away.”

He intercepted another notification through his implant and cut off alerts for all but the most urgent messages. “Sweeper updates. My dal is out there fighting them right now.”

“And you’re here fighting for Tyelu.” She tucked her hands into her jacket’s pockets and faced the inner ring, her breath fogging the air. “Do you love her?”

“Yes.”

Her eyebrows arched high. “Don’t even need to think about it?”

“Not even a little.”

“Does she know how you feel about her?”

Jos followed her gaze to Tyelu, and his heart tightened the way it always did when he looked at her. “Not yet.” And frek it all, he’d sworn to tell her first. Why hadn’t he said it this morning while she’d snuggled so trustingly against him?

“She loves you,” Alna said.

“I know.”

“I never thought she would. Her heart seemed so bitter when she returned from Banam. She’s changed since Ryn found Ziri. Since she met you.” Alna reached up and brushed snow out of his hair, her mouth curved into a gentle smile. “You know what to do?”

“Fight my way through. Take Tyelu home with me.”

She laughed. “May the gods allow you that ease. Kodh is on the field today. He fights dirty. I thought no one would hinder your path to her. Would that I had been right.”

“I’m a Q’Mhel,” Jos said simply. “I fight to live.”

And today, he fought for Tyelu, for the love that had formed so quickly between them. For the future she represented and the home he’d dreamed of having someday, when duty no longer bled him dry one battle at a time.

Alna nodded and took his borrowed jacket, then slipped through the crowd toward the inner circle.

Jos tucked his hands into his armpits and waited for the start to be called.

Tyelu stood in the center of the Choosing field, assessing the candidates and the crowd. This being the final day of this season’s Choosing, a larger than usual number of candidates waited beyond the outer ring and the inner ring had grown crowded with hopefuls.

A number of those hopefuls were women hoping to catch Jos’s eye. Even a few days ago, the thought would’ve brought jealousy or irritation, but now she found only amusement. Those women wasted their time here. They had no chance with Jos. Even if she weren’t sure of his intentions, she would be sure to intervene before he could choose another.

She had mellowed, yes, but not to the point of complacency.

He had handled himself well the previous evening, enduring the ever-present discussions of livestock and timber with the good grace of a diplomat. Of course, he’d likely endured worse during dinners with his family. Here, at least, he could dispense with formality and meet people on an even ground.

What had surprised her were the number of Hrela who’d approached her after the Thing, quietly thanking her for her part in it or sharing their sorrow over the matter between Pyol and Thrayn. Tyelu knew she’d made the right call. Her father would not have allowed such a judgment to be rendered if it were not well-justified by law and precedence.

And still, when the numbness wore off, after the relief of getting through the day waned, she had grieved as well. It might shock the townsfolk to learn that she could both carry out such a harsh sentence and mourn the loss of life, too. If that fight hadn’t ended in bloodshed, if Pyol had tempered his actions…

She sighed and forced her mind to the matter at hand, shedding any thoughts of a past that could not be changed.

Ziri tucked her mittened hand into the crook of Tyelu’s elbow. “I can’t believe how much colder it is now than when Ryn and I went through this.”

Guilt reared its ugly head, poking at Tyelu until she frowned. “I thought you might choose to oppose Jos today.”

Ziri laughed. “As if I had a chance of stopping a Q’Mhel. No, I won’t stand in your way.”

“Even though I stood in yours?”

“Ah, but you’re not that woman anymore, are you?”

“Suppose I am,” Tyelu said, a haughty challenge in her voice. “Suppose I’m jealous of Ryn finding a mate so quickly and merely seek to one up him?”

Ziri made a rude noise. “If that were the case, Jos wouldn’t be on the other side of this field. He’s no fool, that one. He’d see right through any pretense.”

“You think he sees me clearly?”

“I think he loves you.” Ziri laid her head on Tyelu’s shoulder and squeezed her arm tight. “A man like that doesn’t give his heart lightly. I think he just might be good enough for you, yes?”

“The question is whether I’m good enough for him.”

“If you weren’t, he wouldn’t be here.”

“You see things so clearly, sister.”

“Not always. Look how long it took me to choose Ryn, when he’d already chosen me. He’s a good man, too, your brother. I could’ve looked the universe over twice and still not found another like him.”

Tyelu murmured an assent. Ryn was a good man, grown strong and wise out of the broken, scarred child her parents had taken in so many years ago. She’d been wrong to stand between him and the love he’d found with Ziri. Perhaps one day, he could forgive her that sin.

Midfield, a familiar bulky figure moved into view. Tyelu muttered a curse and straightened away from Ziri.

“What?” the other woman said, her slate blue eyes pinched with worry.

“Kodh,” Tyelu muttered. “My cousin is a fool if he thinks he’ll stop Jos.”

“I’m betting on Jos,” Ziri said firmly. “Though Kodh is taller and carries more muscle.”

“Jos has plenty of muscle,” Tyelu said, exasperated. “Why does everyone in my family think he’s too lean?”

Ziri laughed, drawing Ryn’s gaze. To him, she said, “Tyelu thinks Jos is plenty muscled.”

Ryn snorted derisively, then faced forward again, making Ziri laugh again.

Tyelu bit back another curse and focused yet again on the figure of the Q’Mhel waiting across the field.

A loud clanking came from the center of the field, raising a raucous cheer from the gathered crowd.

Jos let the mostly female candidates race ahead of him. They were no threat, and he had no intention of drawing one of them into Kodh’s path. The other man had settled halfway between Jos and Tyelu, his mouth drawn into a cold, challenging smile.

So be it, Jos thought as he shut his emotions down. Let Kodh run on anger and bitterness. He would be met with the vicious focus of a trained Q’Mhel.

When the bulk of the other candidates had cleared the midfield, Jos broke into a jog, not bothering with the pretense of finding a path around Tyelu’s cousin. Kodh stepped forward to meet him, his arms stretched out at his sides. He’d shucked his shirt, baring his burly chest to the frigid weather, and pulled his dark blond hair back, leaving two thin war braids to swing against his jaw.

Three steps away, Jos feinted a kick to the left, then ducked right under Kodh’s mighty reach. He popped three quick jabs into the larger man’s exposed ribs, deflected Kodh’s backswing with a blow that would’ve broken a smaller man’s arm.

Counterpunch to win, a technique Jos had learned through repeated, painful demonstrations.

Kodh shook him off and swung around, snarling. “Your Q-merc tricks won’t work on me.”

“Sure they will,” Jos said flatly. “I’m giving you one chance. Walk away now.”

“Or what?”

Jos merely looked at him, refusing to answer, allowing Kodh to draw his own conclusions.

Kodh leapt forward in a surprisingly agile attack, and Jos countered, turning every defensive move into a crushing offensive blow. While they fought, he studied the other man’s strengths and weaknesses. Kodh was not the largest man Jos had ever fought. He wasn’t even the largest Pruxn? Jos knew. Gared topped his nephew, barely, and Sigun was perhaps a hand’s span taller.

But Kodh was younger, he was stronger, and he’d let his anger build into a fighting rage. He was a dangerous opponent, which only motivated Jos to put him down as quickly as he could.

The field itself proved to be as much of a threat as Kodh. The two of them slipped and slid through muddy ground and icy slush alike. Kodh mis stepped, his feet went out from under him, and he landed flat on his back. The force of the landing drove a grunt out of him.

Jos stepped back, only too aware of the danger. If Kodh managed to bring him down, he might not gain the leverage to escape. Better to control the timing, if they were going to roll around in the half-thawed snowpack.

He watched Kodh roll over and push onto his feet, waited for the other man to shake ice out of his hair. “Ready to yield?” Jos taunted.

Kodh laughed. “Because of a little ice bath like that? How’re your hands, outlander? Are they numb yet from the cold?”

More than numb, Jos thought, but that was a small price to pay for getting to beat on Kodh. “Are we here to talk or fight?”

Kodh laughed again, pairing it with a jab-kick combo. Jos took the jab, caught the kick, and drove his body down on Kodh’s knee. The joint popped, and Kodh roared as he collapsed. Jos followed him to the half-frozen earth this time, grappling for control of Kodh’s upward arm. As soon as he’d wrapped his arm around Kodh’s chest, the other man rolled onto his back and slammed his head into Jos’s face. The blow dazed Jos, but he’d taken worse blows and trained through worse pain. He wrapped his legs around Kodh’s waist and dug his heels in hard, one into Kodh’s genitals. Kodh yelped and struck back again. Jos was ready for him this time and had already turned his head away. Kodh’s weight was slowly crushing the breath out of him, and the wet snow had already seeped through his clothes and numbed his skin. He punched Kodh’s face with one hand as he lifted his hips and drove his heel down Kodh’s thigh, evading Kodh’s counter grapples, twisting to keep himself on the bottom in a position of control. Jos managed to snake one arm around Kodh’s throat, applying firm pressure with the other hand.

Kodh reached back and jabbed at Jos’s eyes, narrowly missing blinding him.

Jos shook him off and yanked hard against Kodh’s throat. “Yield!”

“Never,” Kodh snarled.

He landed an elbow against Jos’s ribs. Jos felt one crack, and used his counter-pressure hand to punch down onto Kodh’s nose, breaking it. Kodh roared and wiggled around, pushed off the ground with Jos clinging to his back, and jumped backward. Jos let go and pushed away, just clearing Kodh’s body as the other man hit the ground hard back first, winding himself. Jos scrabbled across the soggy earth and braced a knee against Kodh’s windpipe, stopping just shy of crushing it.

“Yield,” he gritted out, blinking blood out of his eyes.

Kodh glared up at him, one hand on Jos’s thigh. Whatever he saw in Jos’s expression leached the fight out of him.

“You’ll fight to the death for her, won’t you?” Kodh said, his voice hoarse and stark.

“I will do whatever it takes to keep her,” Jos agreed. “Don’t make me ask again.”

“I yield, Q’Mhel.”

Jos pushed off of him and staggered away. “Stay down until I’m clear.”

Kodh nodded, his mouth twisted into a bitter snarl.

A persistent alert finally penetrated Jos’s tightly controlled focus. He clicked into the message and was unsurprised to see a general recall of all able-bodied personnel to active duty, no exceptions.

Frek. There went the rest of his leave. Tyelu was going to be pissed.

With a sigh, he walked a few steps backward, carefully checking his surroundings while making sure Kodh didn’t attack him again. To his relief, most of the other candidates had made it to the inner circle and claimed their chosen mate. Tyelu stood to one side surrounded by her family, her long, white-blonde hair blowing loose in the snarling wind. Snow drifted in the air, not enough to worry about, and the cold finally bit through his warrior high and chilled him to the bone.

His grandmother stepped into his line of sight, her chin held high.

Jos stopped out of arm’s reach. “Why are you here?”

“By rights, where else would I be?”

“I’ll fight you, if I have to,” he warned.

“Fight your own grandmother, your taq?” She tucked her hands behind her back, staring down her regal nose at him, unbent by the frigid wind. “Do you love her?”

He nodded once, sharply.

“Then I suppose I’ll have to be satisfied. You could do worse.”

He barked out a harsh laugh. “But not much better.”

“On that, I’ll agree. I’ll expect great-grandchildren soon. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good. Did you receive the general recall?”

“Yes. I’ll return to duty as soon as I can arrange transportation.”

“You may travel with me, if you wish. It’s time for me to return to my duties as well, though I can’t say my sojourn here has been without benefit.” Her mouth quirked at the corners, then sobered abruptly. “Will Tyelu be joining us?”

“I don’t know,” he said softly. He knew what he wanted, but not whether he could ask her to forsake her life here for him. “Thank you.”

He walked past her, refusing to limp though the damage Kodh had inflicted was beginning to take its toll. Nothing Jos hadn’t lived through before. Nothing that wouldn’t heal, given enough time and medical attention.

Jos cast a last look at Kodh. Tyelu’s cousin sat upright surrounded by a medic and others. He nodded once, and Jos continued walking toward Tyelu.

When he reached her, Ryn stepped between them.

Jos sighed wearily. “You, too?”

Ryn shook his head, sending his own war braids swinging against his jawline. “Anyone who fights as hard for her as you did deserves to claim her. Be good to her, Jos. Her heart’s more tender than she realizes.”

Jos nodded and clapped Ryn on the shoulder as he moved aside, then he opened his arms as wide as his cracked rib would allow. Tyelu stepped into his embrace, gingerly cradling her head against his shoulder.

“You’re hurt,” she murmured.

“I’ll heal,” he replied. “I guess there’s only one thing to do now.”

She drew back and searched his face. “What?”

“I choose you, Tyelu. Let’s go home.”

He captured her mouth in a gentle kiss to the cheers and playful jeers of her family. He’d have to tell her he’d been recalled, but not just yet. Let her have this one moment where she felt completely and totally loved.