Wolf's-own: Weregild

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  Dreamspinner Press

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Copyright ©2012 by Carole Cummings

  First published in 2012, 2012

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Glossary

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

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  Acknowledgments

  Not enough (because there will never be enough) thanks to Jenni, who loves me enough to beat me over the head with a tree until I see the forest. To Linda, who lets me borrow the brain, even though I always return it folded, spindled, and mutilated. To my LJ Enablers—Caroline, Connie, Donna, Julia, Marinella, and Marlene—who alternately wave pom poms and shake sticks at me, depending on what I need at the time.

  To my husband, Eric, who continues to love my weirdness and continues to be proud of me. To the rest of my family—Jenna, Rachel, Eric Jr., Olivia, Aidan, Ellie, and Ethan—for existing and acquiescing to coexist with all the people in my head. And to my mom, my dad, my stepdad, and all my sisters and brothers, who apparently always knew I could, even when I didn't.

  Finally, to The Readers. Because “putting it out there” is not an easy thing, but you make it worth the angst.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Glossary

  Ada

  Once Jejin, the land ruled by the Jin, until they were conquered by the Adan.

  Adan

  The people of Ada. They shared a close relationship with the Jin until the Binding War, when the Jin used their magic against the Adan and so severed the kinship. Decades later, the Adan overrode the Jin and began stamping out those of the Jin who had magic.

  The Ancestors

  Descendants of Temshiel and mortals. They were once the guiding Voices of the Untouchables, who spoke for the Ancestors and advised the Jin, until the violence of the Binding War sent the Ancestors mad, and thus the Untouchables.

  Banpair

  Magical beings who were once maijin but who have angered their god in some way and been banished. They maintain their magic but can no longer draw strength from their god and so must draw it from the emotions of the mortals around them.

  Beishin

  A term of respect for one's teacher or master.

  Catalyst

  An alternate title for Untouchable. Their purpose is to serve as a channel and Voice for the Ancestors, and to influence individuals and events per the Ancestors’ wishes.

  Change

  A term used by the Jin to describe the point at which a child with magic begins to manifest his/her powers.

  Doujou

  Ada's guard unit, like a police force.

  Doujoun

  A guard of the Doujou.

  Eremite

  Hermit

  Ghost

  A derogatory term used to describe an Untouchable.

  Gods

  Bear, Dragon, Owl, Raven, Snake, Wolf. Each god is represented by his/her namesake moon and reaches his/her apogee of strength when his/her moon is in its primary Cycle.

  Heldesan

  A country to the north of Ada.

  Incendiary

  The paradigm upon which the Untouchables were molded. Nonmagical beings and servants of Fate whose job it was to influence world events to Fate's desires. They were deemed too dangerous generations ago and stamped out by the gods.

  Jejin

  The land once ruled by the Jin until they were conquered by the Adan. The Adan annexed Jejin and made it a part of Ada.

  Jin

  A magical people of the land once known as Jejin before the Adan overran it and took the Jin prisoner. Jejin is now known as Ada. The Jin are descendants of the Ancestors, who were themselves descendants of Temshiel.

  Ken-ken

  A particularly vicious dog, known for its “happy puppy” appearance and used for guard dog purposes.

  Kente

  A country to the south of Ada.

  Kiwa Shuua

  Tsunami; tidal wave

  Maijin

  "Children” of the gods, but more involved with mortal concerns. Maijin are magical beings whose purpose is to interpret the laws of their gods in the mortal world and carry out the gods’ orders. Meant to balance out the Temshiel and represent mortals, where Temshiel represent the gods. Each maijin is sworn to only one of the six gods but must obey the laws of all of them.

  Misin

  An honorific used to address a woman, as in “ma'am” or “madam."

  -onna

  An honorific added to the end of a woman's name.

  Rei

  A word that means “ghost” in the Jin's language.

  -seyh

  An honorific added to the end of a man's name, used as an address, like “Sir."

  Temshiel

  "Children” of the gods. Some Temshiel were once mortal and some were created whole by the gods. Temshiel are magical beings whose purpose is to interpret the laws of their gods in the mortal world and carry out the gods’ orders. Meant to balance out the maijin and represent the gods, where maijin represent mortals. Each Temshiel is sworn to only one of the six gods but must obey the laws of all of them.

  Thecia

  A country to the south of Ada.

  Untouchable

  An individual of Jin descent who hears the Voices of the Ancestors. Known also as Catalysts, their purpose is to serve as a channel and Voice for the Ancestors, and influence individuals and events per the Ancestors’ wishes.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter One

  Storm-month, Year 1322, Cycle of the Wolf

  He hadn't been expecting to see Jacin again so soon. He certainly hadn't been expecting to see him before the small hours, and yet here he stood, rain-soaked and hollow-eyed, in the doorway of the little hut, blinking about himself like he'd forgotten why he'd come. Joori's mouth quirked up in an uncertain half smile—right up until he saw the two men who came up to stand behind Jacin in the doorway.

  His first instinct—hunters? bandits? was Jacin some kind of hostage?—was to yank Jacin through the door and slam it shut. Too bad his body's first reaction was to freeze like a rodent beneath the shadow of a hawk's wings.

  "Jacin!"

  Joori was still gaping like an idiot and didn't catch Caidi before she made a run at Jacin, so she was rather open prey for the man who stepped forward to intercept her. Jacin didn't move—Joori couldn't. Just watched the man swing his little sister up onto his hip with a grin Joori didn't quite believe—more wolfish than friendly—then cut a narrow glance at Morin and a mocking one at Joori.

  "Kamen Malick,” the man said, “you can call me Malick,” then he tipped a nod at Morin and spared a quick smile for Caidi as he tweaked her nose before turning his cool glance back on Joori. “Friends of your brother's. We're here to take you somewhere safe."

  The other man, the big one, pursed his mouth in clear disapproval. “You plan on telling everyone you meet your real name?"

  You-can-call-me-Malick just grinned. “It's Fen's family,” he said, like it was a perfectly reas
onable retort.

  Handsome. Friendly-seeming enough. The other man was big and blocky, a little bit scary, maybe, but not threatening, though a broadsword hung at his hip. The one who called himself Kamen Malick was armed, as well, but no weapons were drawn, which had to be a good sign—right? With Jacin just standing there, somewhat glassy-eyed, You-can-call-me-Malick smiling, all amiable amusement, and the other waiting in the doorway like an attentive steward, it all seemed absurdly unthreatening for a sudden appearance in the dark of night with a storm rolling steadily. And the statement—safe; could it be possible?—really should have set elation through Joori, not raise his hackles the way it did.

  It was the hand on Jacin's shoulder that made Joori's eyes narrow. The casual way You-can-call-me-Malick tipped in and spoke something quietly into Jacin's ear as he set Caidi down and gave her a pat between the shoulder blades, then gently pushed her away from Jacin. The impossible to mistake marks just below Jacin's ear. And then the way Jacin merely peered at Joori, then at Morin and Caidi, said, “Take what you can carry; the cart's only big enough for Caidi and a few provisions,” then angled stiffly away from the door and out from under the grip on his shoulder to direct Caidi and Morin with the packing.

  Joori had had his suspicions for years about what Asai had wanted with his brother—hell, he'd been pretty sure he knew exactly what Asai was about the night he stepped arrogantly into their dooryard—and Jacin's reticence and unwillingness to talk in detail about the man at all in the weeks they'd spent in this little hut had drawn conclusions of every sort of abuse and exploitation Joori could fathom. And he'd be damned if he'd see it done again—not in his name, never again.

  He pushed past the cocky stranger with the too easy grin, growling a little at the way the man tried to angle himself between Joori and Jacin, like he was trying to keep Joori away—keep Joori away from his brother; how dare the man—and took hold of Jacin's elbow.

  "Jacin, what's going on? Who are these people?” And then he peered a little closer. “Are you drunk? Or...?” His eyes narrowed, and he wheeled on the grinning stranger. “What've you got him on?"

  You-can-call-me-Malick's eyebrows drew down. “What've I got him—?"

  "I can barely see the color of his eyes for the pupils, and he looks like he's about to fall over."

  "Joori, not now.” It was snappish and short. Jacin pulled his arm away from Joori's grip. “They're who they say they are. This is Malick. And that's Samin."

  He waved at the man still standing like a block of stone just outside the door. Good thing too, because the hut was only so big, and Caidi was taking up half the floor with the pile of clothes through which she was sorting with Morin's help. Caidi was chattering excitedly, while Morin kept half a cagey eye on everyone in the room.

  "Yori and Shig are keeping watch outside,” Jacin went on. “We're taking you to a safe place in the city. Get your things."

  "A safe...?” Had he really said “a safe place"? In the city? Was there such a thing? Joori looked around. At Caidi and Morin obediently throwing together all the clothes Jacin had brought. At the man Jacin had called Samin standing out in the rain on the other side of the door, watching everything going on inside while simultaneously scanning the yard. At the other man—this Malick—smiling that self-satisfied smile, eyes far too focused on Jacin, even as he crouched down beside Morin to help shove balled-up clothes into a sack. At Jacin, making his stiff way over to the rickety board and staring down at the piles of food, like he couldn't decide what to do about them....

  "Leave it,” Malick said quietly. “You won't need to worry about it anymore."

  ...at the way Jacin just nodded vaguely, compliant.

  Joori gave Malick a bit of a glare as he stepped up behind Jacin, annoyed when Malick simply widened his smirk and shook his head, like Joori's distrust amused him. “Jacin,” Joori said, leaning in so he could speak softly, for Jacin's ears only, “are you sure this is real?"

  Jacin turned to Joori slowly, gaze a touch murky, but by no means muddled. He was pale, going sallow, with twin spots of color on each cheekbone. “As real as I can manage,” he muttered, dropping his glance guiltily to the floor. Half moons like bruises blotted the thin skin beneath his eyes, and his jaw was clenched so tight Joori would swear he could hear teeth squeak.

  "What's wrong with you?” Joori demanded. “You looked fine last night.” A little shredded around the center, but otherwise all right. No, that wasn't true, really—he'd looked exhausted, too, and there'd been... something. Something in his eyes.

  "Nothing that won't keep.” Jacin tried to smile a little, but the ghastly thing that crooked at his mouth only knocked up the worry blooming in Joori's gut. “We don't have much time,” Jacin said. “I didn't know... I had no idea....” He paused, dipped his head again, and rubbed at his temple. “Asai... Fuck, Joori, I'm so sorry, I never—"

  "I think that's got it all,” Malick cut in, shouldering past Joori to pull up beside Jacin. That too-possessive grip went once again to Jacin's arm. Tawny eyes settled far too keenly on Joori as long fingers curled around Jacin's braid. Smirking. Silent laughter bubbling just beneath it. Like he knew exactly what Joori was thinking, and thought it terribly funny. “We should go, Fen."

  "Yes,” was all Jacin said. He reached out and gave Joori's shoulder a quick brush as he squeezed around him.

  Biddable. Like what this Malick person said mattered.

  Joori took hold of Jacin's elbow and stopped him, leaning in to speak softly into his ear again. Joori kept his narrow gaze locked onto Malick's smug one. “Jacin,” Joori whispered, “are you sure this is real?"

  Jacin turned his head, met Joori's eyes. “It's real.” Then why did he look so damned miserable? “It'll be all right, Joori. I... this wasn't... I'm sorry."

  "For what?” Joori shot a look at Malick, who was still holding onto Jacin's braid like some kind of leash. Joori set his jaw and tugged a little until Jacin took a step away. “Why are you sorry, Jacin?” He dropped his voice as low as it could go and still make sound. “What are you paying for this?"

  Rising dread turned to unfocused alarm when Jacin whiffed a tired laugh. “No price,” he murmured. He craned his neck around to meet Malick's even gaze for a long, heavy moment, face unreadable, then straightened and pulled away. Joori was ridiculously relieved when Jacin irritably yanked his braid from Malick's fingers, and even more so when Malick let go. “We have to leave now.” Jacin turned to face Joori squarely, eyes flicking quickly over Joori's shoulder at the smirking man who watched a little too closely, then back again to Joori. “Please, Joori."

  Joori looked at Jacin hard then turned his glance once again on Malick, let it narrow at the steady look he got back. “I don't trust him,” he said, voice deliberately loud enough that Malick could hear. Joori kept his gaze steady, even as Malick shrugged, indifferent.

  "He never asked you to,” Malick said, then he sauntered on past and made it a point to drop a quick touch to Jacin's shoulder as he angled around them both and out the door, collecting Samin as he went.

  Joori turned back to Jacin, anger receding and worry crowding back in at the weariness and wan cast to Jacin's face. “Jacin—"

  "Brother,” Jacin cut in, closing his eyes for a moment as he sucked in a deep breath, then he leveled his gaze with Joori's. “Please."

  Joori could only stare, mouth tight and unease roiling up his backbone. He nodded. Because really—what choice did he have?

  * * * *

  For all the rush and worry, Yori concluded, this “job” was turning out to be the most boring one she'd ever been on. Not for the first time, as she rolled her neck irritably, mouth pinching tight as rain trickled down between her shoulder blades, she wondered why she'd even been necessary to carry it out. The conclusion she drew was that she wasn't—neither were Samin or Shig, or even Fen, when it came right down to it. Maybe Shig, now that Yori thought about it, since Malick seemed to keep Shig close while he was using his magic, laying hands
on her more than Yori thought entirely necessary, but Shig didn't mind and Malick was Malick, so Yori didn't say anything. Still, though, it seemed Malick could have done this job all by himself.

  Well... all right, she supposed Fen's presence had been necessary, or Malick might have had some trouble getting the three refugees to come along as compliantly as they'd done, but other than that....

  She didn't suppose she was too put out. She'd only gotten to see Malick do his trick with the Gates once before—most of their jobs fell inside the city's walls, and he used his magic so rarely she sometimes forgot he had it at all—and she rather enjoyed the high the aftereffects gave her. Nothing she understood, and nothing she cared to understand, but Malick had half explained it as fazing their corporeal realities while altering the perceptions of any who might cross their paths. Yori had just sort of nodded a, “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” at him, and enjoyed the bit of euphoria.

  It didn't work with Fen, which surprised Yori a little, but wouldn't have done, had she stopped and thought about it. Magic didn't work on an Untouchable. Maybe she forgot because she hadn't thought of Fen that way since after that first night. She'd only noticed the braid anew as something compulsory and not really a part of him when they'd had to wait for him to make his own stealthy way over the Gate. Too bad for him. It was a heady thing while it was happening, Malick's magic, a little like coming down from poppy afterward, but even that bit of a thrill—and the knowledge that there would be another like it when they returned—wasn't enough to offset the squishiness in Yori's boots now, the too-steady rain seeping through her oiled cloak, and the annoyance that was Fen's little brother. And Yori had thought Fen was hard to get along with. She snorted.

  "Why couldn't they have gotten a cart big enough for all of us?” Morin was snarking at Fen.

  Fen mumbled something back at him that Yori couldn't hear, and though the tone sounded almost mellow to her own ears—or at least as mellow as Fen got—Morin's mouth still shut up tight and didn't open again.

  Yori shook her head.

  The strangest reunion she'd ever seen, though admittedly, she couldn't recall ever having seen one before. Still, though, she'd sort of expected hugs and shouts of relief; what she'd actually witnessed were intense looks between Fen and his twin, some sort of silent plea that the brother had accepted with clear reservations, and distrust and hostile looks at all of them, but particularly at Malick. The little one, Caidi, seemed to be rather a limpet where Fen was concerned, to which Fen submitted with some softening of his usual stony expression, and stiff embraces when she demanded them, but the other one, that Morin, was a bit of a puzzle. Not hatred in his eyes when he looked at Fen, but... Yori couldn't tell, really. He was too obviously afraid of both his elder brothers, and Shig engendered harsh distrust from the second he laid eyes on her—the hair was apparently too much for him—which turned to outright anxiety when she spoke. Though, Yori mused, the fact that Shig's first words had been, “Damn, but you're an angry little rabbit, aren't you? Stop thinking so loud, you're giving me a headache,” probably hadn't helped. Not the best way to introduce herself to a boy who'd been taught that magic, or even one's proximity to it, meant painful death. Pretty amusing, though, at least to Yori, but then, lots of inappropriate things amused her.