Wolf's-own: Weregild Read online

  "I was going to go with old-fashioned bribery,” Malick told her, brooding. “Even got them to open up one of the accessory doors, but then they saw the braid.” He shrugged when Umeia shot him a frown. “It was either have Shig take care of them, or let them arrest me for interfering with an Untouchable. Or killing them all, but...."

  Umeia shook her head. No wonder Shig had merely stomped past her and gone right to bed. Her head must be near to exploding. Umeia would stop in after she finished with Fen.

  Joori was waiting at the door to Fen's room when they finally crested the top of the stairs, his jaw still set tight and arms wrapped stiffly about his torso. Vibrating. He didn't advance to try to take his brother back again, but Umeia could tell it was all Joori could do to keep himself still and wait. The younger ones—Caidi and Morin—were standing in the hallway between their new room and the one Yori shared with Shig, wrapped in blankets, watching as Malick and Umeia got their brother up the stairs. Again, Fen didn't look up, just hung his head, hiding behind his hair again, gaze on the floor as he shuffled. He stayed silent as Umeia and Malick maneuvered him down the hall and through the door to his room.

  "All right, let's see what we've got here,” Umeia sighed, gratefully lowering Fen to sit on the bed and shaking out her arm as she stepped back.

  With an irritated scowl, Fen shook off Malick's grip, but he paused in mid-growl, eyes abruptly sprung wide and anxious, and a sharp little gasp leaked from his throat when Malick moved away. Blindly, Fen reached out, grabbed hold of Malick again, catching only a loose shirttail at first, groping desperately, until Malick reached back and took his hand. The reaction was immediate: instant calm and instant frustrated shame for needing it.

  Umeia watched it all with... too many emotions that pissed her off. She sighed. “Help him with the shirt and trousers, M—” She cut herself off, rolled her eyes when Joori's mouth went tight, and shook her head. “Never mind. C'mon, lad, let's get ‘em off."

  She tapped at Fen's nearest elbow, satisfied when he only sighed and reached up to unlace his tunic, though she noted—and noted Joori noting—that Malick's hand went to rest on Fen's knee, and Fen didn't try to kill him for it, tightening his mouth only when the tunic gave him trouble. The tie was leather and soaked through, and squeaked when he tried to unknot it. Mouth set, Fen reached down to the sheath on his hip—stopped. He lifted a glare up at Malick.

  "Who took my knives?"

  "Samin's got them,” Malick said, fingers gently tightening on Fen's knee.

  Fen chewed on his lip for a second. “Did... was I...?"

  "Yeah, you were,” Malick said; Fen seemed to understand what Malick meant, because his shoulders slumped a little and he reached up to rub at his brow. “Fen, it's all right,” Malick assured him smoothly, “everyone understands, no one cares."

  A lovely, tender moment—or at least as tender as these two got, Umeia supposed—but none of it was getting the job done. She shook her head. “Cut it for him, Mal, and let's get this done. Joori, help me get his boots and get the— Shit!” Mei snapped a look up at Malick. “What chewed through his boot like that? And....” Oh, for pity's sake. She'd been supporting Fen on the left, and it had been dark when they'd finally staggered through the alley doors. Umeia hadn't gotten a good look at him until now. There was a small puddle of blood pooling on the floor around the sole of his boot, and now that she looked, there really was a trail of it. And she'd thought Malick had just been doing his smartass thing. “What got at you, lad?"

  "Wolves,” Joori volunteered with another glare at Malick, which Malick ignored.

  The wolf-things Yori had told her about, no doubt, and about which that little Caidi was likely to have nightmares for weeks. These were no blade wounds, and the way the boot and trouser leg were torn to hell....

  "Asai bought himself a coven,” Malick said, disgusted and quietly livid. “Came at us all wolfen. Cocky bastards. Leu and a mishmash from Owl and Snake.” A low snort, not the least bit amused. “Tried to pull on a dragon glamour when she recognized me, like she thought it would make some kind of difference."

  "Leu?” Umeia would have thought Leu smart enough to stay out of something like this altogether. “She wouldn't do this, surely."

  "She didn't, but her thugs did.” Malick grimaced, and very obviously choked back a growl. “She said they'd be punished for touching him.” A roll of his eyes relayed exactly how appeased he was with that.

  Umeia looked down at Fen's leg, ran her fingertips gently over shredded fabric, and poked very lightly at the bloody, mangled flesh exposed through the tears. She stopped immediately when Fen hissed and flinched. It must really be excruciating if Fen was reacting like that to such a light touch, and with the infection she knew was already twisting beneath the torn stitches she could see.... “Damn it.” She nodded at Joori. “Boots,” she said then stepped back and out of his way.

  "No,” Fen said. He shot Umeia a quick glance then leveled his gaze with his brother's. “Go, Joori. Take care of Caidi and Morin. Malick will help me."

  If Umeia hadn't already been getting a pretty good idea of what the budding dynamic was between these three, the clenching of Joori's jaw and the flaring of his glower at Malick at the command would have told her in no uncertain terms.

  "I'm not leaving you alone with him,” Joori said, low and even, then he snatched up Fen's left leg.

  Before Joori could yank the boot free, Fen snapped his leg out, nearly knocking Joori sideways to the floor, jarring himself in the process, and going a frightening shade of gray as he swayed to the side. “I don't....” Fen paused, sucking in short, shaky breaths, and most telling, allowing Malick to hold him up to prevent him from listing sideways. “I don't want you here, Joori. Get out.” Hard and cold, like he was trying to take the concern in his brother's eyes and turn it into contempt.

  To his credit—and Umeia's astonishment—Malick stayed silent, just watched as Joori's eyes widened then narrowed, homing in on Malick's hand again, set firm on Fen's shoulder this time. Joori peered at Fen steadily, shook his head. “No,” he said, quiet but fierce, then he surged in, angling himself between Malick and Fen and trying to shove Malick away at the same time. A solid right hook hit Malick's temple and sent him backward on the bed with Joori on top of him.

  Fen went over to the side, rasping out a harsh yip when the raw meat of his leg hit the corner of the mattress. He would have fallen off the bed altogether if Umeia hadn't lunged in to catch hold of him and drag him away from the sudden brawl. “No, no, no,” Fen was muttering, shaking his head and bringing his hands up to crush his palms into his temples. “Stopstopstop, I can't... can't....” His eyes were squeezed tight and his muscles were rigid beneath Umeia's grasp.

  Malick got the better of Joori quickly, flipping him over to his back on the mattress, knee pressing into his stomach and one arm pinned, grabbing for the other one. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he grated, snapping his head to the side to avoid a clumsy swipe of Joori's curled fist.

  "He's paid enough!” Joori shouted back at him. “He's not some kind of—"

  "Oh, for fuck's sake!” Samin thundered from the door. “Are you bloody kidding me?” Yori stood beside him, shaking her head in consternation, steaming basin and Umeia's satchel in hand. Caidi and Morin stared, wide-eyed, behind them.

  Fen's gaze shot up at Samin's outburst, plummeting right down into desolate when he saw his brother and sister. “Get them out of here,” he wheezed. “Get them out, get them out, get them out!"

  "Yori, take the children down for a bath,” Umeia snapped, relieved when, yet again, Yori did exactly as she was told, settling the bag and the basin to the clothespress beside the door then hustling the children away.

  The surprise and pause in action was just long enough for Malick to get hold of Joori's other arm and slam it down to the mattress, pinning him completely but for his legs, which kept kicking wildly as he tried to buck Malick off him. “He's not your whore!” Joori seethed.

/>   Fen was stiff and shaking against Umeia. Now he took hold of her sleeve with clawlike fingers. “Not now, not now, I can't... the noise, I...."

  "Oh,” was Umeia's inane reply. The noise—too much of it, and too much pain. He was losing whatever control he usually managed right in front of her. Of course. She spun a helpless look around the room then settled it on Malick. “You're going to have to do something,” she told him.

  Samin had deposited the tray he was carrying on the clothespress by Umeia's bag. His glance snapped over at Umeia's quiet command, then locked with Malick's. A quick look sparked between them, then Samin nodded and stalked across the room, square jaw set. Bracing himself to the side of the bed, he gave Malick a short nod, and when Malick broke quickly to his right, Samin swooped in, took hold of Joori—still cursing and spitting—and hauled him to his feet.

  "You son of a bitch!” Joori snarled, but Malick seemed to hear only Fen's raspy little, “Pleasepleaseplease,” and he left Samin to deal with Joori while he rushed over and wedged himself under Fen's arm again. Murmuring things Umeia couldn't hear beneath all the other noise, Malick took Fen's weight from Umeia just as Fen went boneless, gasping, allowing Malick to draw him in and push his face into the hollow between Malick's chin and chest.

  Umeia used the opportunity to hustle over and retrieve the tea and her bag. Quickly, she threw a sleeping powder in—xsinzaua, because it worked damned fast, and getting Fen to pass out seemed like a very good idea right now. In fact, she wouldn't mind if every damned one of them lost consciousness. She added some painkiller, not even bothering with spices to soothe the bitter taste, and carried it over.

  "Fuck,” Fen wheezed, muffled by Malick's still-wet tunic. “I can't... can't listen now, I can't... they can't ask it of me, not... it's not fair."

  "Shh,” Malick soothed. He shot a sharp scowl over at Joori and began carefully leading Fen back over to the bed. “It's not, and you don't have to, not now. I'll keep it quiet for you, all right?"

  "Quiet.” Fen choked on a groan. “I don't want him here,” he whispered. “Please.” With a shudder, he buried his face in Malick's shoulder as they sank to the mattress, burrowed close in a way that was almost touching, but mostly unnerving. It was so un-Fen-like.

  "Here, drink this,” Umeia said, then she held the bowl to Fen's lips until he turned his head, eyes still shut, and let her pour the tea down his throat.

  "What's in that?” Joori asked, all suspicion and anxious bravado.

  Shaking her head, Umeia turned, looked Joori up and down—heavens, but he did look like his brother, especially with that glare burning holes in Malick—then pinched at the bridge of her nose.

  She only had secondhand knowledge of what had gone on tonight, but she'd heard enough, and now she'd seen enough. With a heavy sigh, she left Fen to Malick and stepped over to Joori, caught his fiery gaze, and made her own as nonjudgmental as she could manage toward someone who'd just spat poison at her brother and all but accused her of drugging Fen for purposes all too clear. Then again, if she'd suspected that someone was doing to Malick what this one obviously thought Malick was doing to Fen....

  "He doesn't want you to see him like this,” Umeia told Joori quietly. “It isn't that he doesn't love you—it's that he does."

  Joori's jaw clenched tight, and he jerked his chin at Malick. “But he doesn't mind him seeing him like—?"

  "Malick can make it quiet for him.” Umeia kept her voice low and patient. “Understand? Quiet.” She paused as Joori's face wrenched into something pained and close to resentful. “After whatever went on tonight,” she continued more gently, “I think he'll take anything that comes along with the quiet. Wouldn't you?” She took a step in closer, lowered her voice even further. “He's clinging to the edge by his fingernails, lad.” And the gods help them all if he lost his grip, because Umeia was sure it wouldn't be pretty—it wasn't pretty now. Good job they'd thought to take his weapons away.

  "He—” Joori's eyes filled, and he blinked, looked away from his brother, and turned his gaze slowly to Umeia again. He leaned in, nearly whispering, “Please—what does he make him pay for it?"

  She could have smacked him. She could have hugged him. She rolled her eyes. “Just because he lives in a whorehouse,” she said evenly, “doesn't mean he is one. Or that anyone expects him to be. Save your worry for someone who needs worrying about."

  Joori's mouth tightened. “Have you met my brother?"

  Umeia didn't answer, only turned an almost-thwack into a pat on his cheek and gave Samin a nod. “Let him go. He'll behave.” A narrow glare at Joori. “Won't you, lad?"

  With a look that wasn't entirely unpleasant but mostly was, Joori shrugged out of Samin's grip, stared at Umeia for a moment, like he was thinking about saying something, then just shook his head and pushed past her toward the bed. Ignoring Malick's wary glance—which was not, again to Umeia's surprise, the least bit victorious—Joori crouched down. He grimaced at the mess that was Fen's right leg then peered up at his brother's face.

  "Jacin.” When Fen only shook his head, Joori reached up, hands coming up to either side of Fen's face, turning his head and holding him still. He leaned in until they were brow to brow. “Jacin. Look at me."

  Fen's own hand rose, shaky and tentative, and he laid it to Joori's arm. “Sorry, I'm sorry.” Pushed out on a strangled whisper.

  "Stop it,” Joori said. “Look at me.” It took a moment, but Fen eventually did as his brother asked, tears spilling out the corners of his eyes the second he opened them. “I won't look, if you don't want me to see.” Joori's tone was soft, artless. “But you're my hero, Jacin. You always have been. Don't you know that?"

  It was sweet. It was touching. And still, it made Umeia's teeth clench. Couldn't the lad see he was just making it worse? Couldn't he see his brother was already under too much pressure to rescue... well, everyone he loved? And now Joori wanted to go and wrap “hero” around his neck?

  "You're the other half of me,” Joori went on. “You're my heart. I could never, ever see whatever it is you see when you look at yourself.” His voice went wobbly, and now his eyes were leaking too. “Don't make me lose you so soon after I got you back."

  Fen murmured something Umeia didn't quite catch, but it sounded too close to, “I'm already lost,” so she pretended she hadn't heard it at all.

  Joori must have heard it, though, because he winced then pushed himself back, stood, and swiped at his face with the crook of his elbow. Jaw set again, he directed a level look at Malick for a long, long moment, hands fisting then flexing as Malick merely looked back. No smugness, no challenge—nothing at all but steady resolve and confidence as Fen wilted into him again, shutting his eyes and shuddering quietly. The xsinzaua was kicking in, thank all the gods. With a deep breath, Joori dragged his glance away, shot it quickly around the room, nodded to Umeia, and left.

  Silence lurched into the room, uncomfortable, until Umeia shook herself and peered at Samin, then jerked her chin. Without a word, Samin left, too, casting one last look at the bed as he pulled the door shut.

  Malick gave Fen a careful jostle, sighing a little when Fen didn't so much as twitch in response. “He's out,” he said quietly.

  Good.

  "All right, then,” Umeia sighed. “If we're done with the melodrama, let's see what we're dealing with. I'll get the boots, you get the shirt.” She shook her head in dismay as Malick laid Fen out on the bed and she looked him over, taking in all the tears in wet fabric and the no doubt gory wounds waiting for her to uncover. “We'd better just cut off the trousers. Honestly, Malick, what were you thinking?"

  Malick's mouth tightened as he sliced through the ties on the tunic that had started the whole mess. “I was thinking he'd been manipulated enough."

  "Lovely,” Umeia retorted sourly and braced herself to tug the un-mangled boot off. “And trying to manipulate him into coming ‘round to your way of thinking never once occurred to you, I'm sure, what with your motivations being all pur
e and innocent."

  "His father sold him, Umeia.” Angrier than Umeia would have guessed, the statement pushed out through his teeth and caustic, hands pausing on Fen's chest and curling into fists. “Sold him to fucking Asai when he was still a child. Now, if you want to tell me Asai's motivations are pure and innocent, and Wolf would approve, I'll be happy to—"

  "And you're going to tell me that indulging his every whim—even the ones that might kill him—has nothing whatever to do with trying to gain his trust for yourself? You're going to tell me that you didn't basically sneak him out tonight under my nose because you knew he was in bad shape and I wouldn't allow it if I knew? You're going to tell me you don't plan to use and manipulate him and his brother, and those children, if you have to, just as much as As—"

  "Do not put me in the same sentence with Asai,” Malick seethed. “I've got shit choices here, Umeia, but at least I don't dress up what I do with lies of salvation and promises I don't intend to keep. I haven't asked of him anything he didn't intend to do anyway, and I won't promise him anything I'm not damned sure I can give him. I can't help that Fen is the best chance I've got of getting Asai, I didn't do this to him, and I'm certainly not going to watch while he goes to the suns for that son of a bitch. Fucking manipulation. You want to talk about manipulation—"

  "All right, all right, calm down.” Bloody hell, he was in deep, thrashing and telling himself he wasn't all the way down. Umeia shook her head. “Maybe he will take care of Asai for you. But, Mal... it won't solve all his... problems. And I cannot allow you to use those children. I've sworn. I'll fight you, if you make me."

  She would too. Because drawing Asai out before he was ready, holding out as bait the very leverage they all knew he needed, was exactly the sort of thing Malick would do, what he probably should do, and what she should let him do. But he'd brought Fen to her for a reason, and maybe he hadn't known what that reason was—probably still didn't know—but Umeia understood it, and better than she had that night when she'd blithely sworn oath, all too confident then that she'd known exactly what she was doing. She wasn't just precautionary protection for Fen's siblings. She was the empress, hunching on her square of the chensuboard, shielding her pawns as both Malick and Asai maneuvered the rest of the board around them. Malick had wanted her there to protect them all from himself, just as much as from Asai. To protect his own soul and prevent him from straying too far from Wolf while he wended through what was to come. It was a difficult thing, removing oneself from mortal wants and concerns, while still maintaining in one's heart those things that kept one from becoming... well, Asai. Or even Husao. Malick had been trying to find that balance for far too long, and even when he tried to turn himself into something cool and callous, he still ended up on the heart-hungry side.