Chapter 1

Activity filled the stable and courtyard as the platoon of fighters readied their horses. The early morning sunlight caught the temple’s crystal dome, sending rainbow light across the courtyard. Histrun led his big, black stallion, Telen, through the organized chaos and tied him to the hitching post in front of the keep-house. A dark-blue roan mare with blue-gray stripes and a white mane, tail, and socks stood dozing with her rear leg cocked. Kylara opened her eyes when Histrun tied Telen next to her and nosed him. Histrun looked around but couldn’t see Kylara’s rider, and his bond-mate, Zehala.

He climbed the steps to the keep-house, but before he could open the door, it flung open, revealing a woman with bright-red hair streaked with gold and light yellow-gold eyes. Naila, Zehala’s eldest daughter, hurried out.

He stepped back quickly to avoid her crashing into him. “Do you know where Zehala is? It’s nearly time to leave.”

Naila laughed. “Of course I do. Where else would she be? She’s in the crèche. It’s where I’m heading now.” She skipped down the stairs. “Are you coming?”

Histrun envied her youth and energy. He sighed as he ran a hand through his red hair, the once bright color now dull with age, and trudged down the stairs. Even in retirement from being a clan alpha, he kept active and could still fight the Malvers monsters with the younger fighters. Over the years, they had traveled the length and breadth of Lairheim teaching the new fighting method to the other clans, and it was wearing him down. This would be their last training mission.

Only one more clan was left to teach. The Dehanlair clan alpha, Mendehan, had refused to learn the method, mostly because he and Histrun were bitter rivals—and he was a stubborn old fool. He’d finally relented to the pressure from his people but had insisted that he’d only learn the new life-saving method from its creators, Histrun and Zehala. Histrun distrusted the request. His past dealings with Mendehan that hadn’t ended well made him uneasy.

Shaking off the apprehension, Histrun hurried to catch up to Naila. They soon left the courtyard’s bustle and noise behind and entered the quieter sections of the keep. In the well-protected center, amid a sea of grass, stood a large stone house. Toys and playground equipment littered the yard, which was encircled by a sheadash stone fence. Their feet crunched on the crushed sheadash stone walkway. The ten-foot wide path and the fence ensured that if any Malvers monsters made it this far into the keep, the Posairs’ children would be safe.

The constant threat of attack and the fighter’s need to always be ready to battle the monsters meant their children were raised by caregivers and lived together in the crèche. Histrun believed the tradition was a good practice. He didn’t need to be distracted by little ones. He’d been raised in a crèche and had never suffered for lack of attention or love. He didn’t understand Zehala and Naila’s need to stay in contact with their daughters after they were turned over to the crèche. Other women he knew hadn’t done so—certainly not his last lover, Sujeen. As soon as the twins had been weaned, they had been placed in the crèche, and Sujeen had returned to her training to become the next clan alpha of Strunlair. He’d rarely seen them after that.

He and Naila quietly entered the house. A woman with dark-auburn hair sat in a chair, holding two little girls the same age on her lap, singing softly. One had red-brown hair and the other creamy-white hair with thin streaks of gray. The white-haired girl looked up, her joyful smile lit up her pale blue eyes.

“Mama!” she cried, wiggling off Zehala’s lap and running to Naila.

Naila picked her up. “My, you’re getting big, Wisah.”

“I’m almost five,” Wisah said solemnly. “Did you come to tell us a story?”

Naila shook her head. “No, I came to say good-bye. We have to go Dehanlair Province and teach more people how to fight the Malvers monsters better.”

“So more people don’t die and cross the veil.” Wisah tucked her head into Naila’s shoulder. “I don’t like seeing them die. They are so sad, until they see the Goddess.”

Histrun’s eyes widened. He hadn’t realized Wisah’s powers were opening up already, or that they were so strong. She’d need to be sent to the Sanctuary soon to train her White and Gray Talents and become a White Priestess. A person’s Talents determined the work they did to support the whole community. His gaze turned back to the auburn-headed girl, watching them with her big, brown eyes. Rizelya would follow in her mother’s—and his—footsteps and be a warrior, fighting the Malvers monsters for everyone’s survival. He wondered if she’d also become a leader like her parents had been.

Rizelya climbed off Zehala’s lap and slowly approached Histrun. “Bright blessings, sir.”

He crouched down so he didn’t loom over the little girl. “Bright blessings, Rizelya. Have you learned anything new?”

She nodded, a smile lighting up her face as she opened her hand. A tiny flame appeared on her palm for a few moments before fading away.

Histrun returned her smile. “That’s very good. Soon you’ll be able to make it dance.” He’d been worried she had too much Brown Talent to be a strong Red. They needed Reds to fight the monsters, not more Browns to till the earth or tend the flocks. “Practice hard and eat your food so you can grow up to be a strong fighter like your mother.”

“Yes, sir.” She continued to stand in front of him, hope gleaming from her eyes.

He relented and gave her an awkward hug. He looked over her shoulder at Zehala to see her beaming at him. If it made his bond-mate happy to show affection to the waif, he would. “It’s time to go.”

Zehala nodded and joined them. She picked up Rizelya and squeezed her. “Mama has to go teach people how to fight the monsters. I’ll be gone a long time—a lunadar. When the largest moon, Kelar, grows big and fat, I will be back. When I get back, I’ll teach you more fire magic tricks. I love you, Rizelya baby.”

“I don’t want you to go,” Rizelya cried, clinging tighter to Zehala’s neck. “Take me with you. I’ll be good.”

“You know I can’t do that. It’s too dangerous. You stay here and watch over your niece Wisah. She needs you to be strong. Can you do that?”

Rizelya nodded, tears streaming down her face. “Love you, Mama.”

Both children were crying and hanging onto their mother’s necks. Zehala and Naila also had wet cheeks. Histrun cringed at all the emotion and itched to rush from the room. Give him a good, fierce battle any day over weepy women and children. Finally, caregivers came into the room and took the children away. Histrun couldn’t help his huge sigh of relief. Zehala glared at him.

“Let’s go,” she said as she strode out of the room.

Histrun and Naila hurried to catch up with her.

“The faster we leave, the faster we can return. Histrun, this is the last time I’m leaving my baby. When we get back, I’m not leaving again.”

“Do you really think you can just be a fighter?” If it hadn’t been for all the training trips over the past few years, he would have gone crazy. He’d been a keep or clan alpha for too many years to be happy being just a platoon alpha. He thought he could when he retired with Zehala. But he needed more.

Zehala laughed. “No. You know me too well. Next year at the Alpha Competitions, I’m going to challenge Koriana for the Strunland Keep Alpha position. That way I’ll have to stay here. We’ve trained enough people over the years that we shouldn’t have to continue doing it.”

Histrun grinned. “Good! I need to be more than a platoon alpha.”

They reached the courtyard. The earlier chaos had settled down. The horses were now saddled and packs were tied onto the multas. As soon as their fighting-pack saw them, they stopped chatting and mounted their horses.

Alpha Koriana stood on the porch, her vermilion-red hair pulled into a tight bun. She leaned her hands on the railing. Kolstrun, her co-alpha, stood at the edge of the steps, his arms crossed over his chest and his green eyes narrowed in a scowl. He wore his russet-brown hair cut close. Both alphas were young for keep alphas, barely fifty. Histrun decided he’d challenge the unpleasant man when Zehala challenged Koriana. Strunland would prosper better under his and Zehala’s leadership than it was doing under the current alphas.

“You’re finally here,” Kolstrun sneered. “You need to get your pack out of here so the fighters can leave.”

Histrun glanced up at the early morning sun, then glared back at Kolstrun. “There’s plenty of time. The nest won’t be active for another octar or more. The fighters will be able to arrive before then.”

Koriana rolled her eyes at Kolstrun before smiling at Histrun and Zehala. “Don’t worry about him. Everything is under control. Have a safe journey, and we’ll see you in a lunadar or so.”

Histrun gave a sarcastic salute to the pair, and turned to mount his horse. It grated at him that he must now follow his juniors, not only in years but also in experience. Yes, it’s time to take back the leadership role from these youngsters.

Zehala and Naila had also mounted. As Histrun lifted his fist high in the air, quiet filled the courtyard. “Let’s go!” He dropped his fist and nudged Telen forward. Thirty-four battle-hardened warriors and six teenagers followed him out the gates.