Lost Bloodline 4 - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“Honestly, it’s not a bad idea,” Kris said as she studied the glazed clay cup in her hands.

The older cat beastfolk looked a little silly with how heavily she was bundled up at the moment, despite being inside and in front of a good-sized fire in the hearth.

“That was my thought as well,” Koda sighed, staring down at the pale green tea in his own mug.

While it had been months since he’d left Earth to come to this strange new world, there were still some things that he missed about his old world. Some of those—like a bathtub—he’d found ways around. Others were still missing from his life, and he was going to have to get used to lacking familiar comforts.

That didn’t make the lack of coffee any easier, considering that he’d lived on the stuff for so long while he worked construction. The colder weather was just making the absence that much more obvious to him.

Pulling his thoughts back, Koda focused on what he had right now, and the situation in front of him.

“I know everyone is busy getting ready for the winter and—” Kris cut him off with a wave of her hand.

“Not anything that we can’t handle. The village has had worse. No, this is a task that only you can do. While I would have preferred if they hadn’t left it to the last minute like this, I also can understand that it takes time for these meetings to be arranged. They likely held off sending their traders until now to ensure that they could bring word.”

The headwoman took a long sip of her tea before setting the mug on the table and drawing her shawl closer around her shoulders. That it was one of three she was wearing wasn’t lost on Koda.

“Do you think the village will be okay if the girls decide to come with me?” Koda asked, and Kris shot him an arch look that made her wrinkles deepen even further.

“Aegisclaw, if you think your mates are going to let you wander off without them, then you have another thing coming. I can just about guarantee that if you were to suggest such an idea, it would get a rather unkind response from them,” Kris drawled, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Koda grimaced but nodded his understanding, taking another drink of the hot herbal brew before he spoke again.

“It’s not that I don’t want them to come with me. I always want my ladies at my side. But we’ve settled in nicely these last few months and we’ve only just now gotten the house comfortable.”

“Your home will be waiting for you when you come back,” Kris said with a thin laugh. “If the stories that my granddaughter has told me of your ability to move across the plains at speed are anything to be believed, then I doubt you will be gone overly long. Your place is with your tribe, Aegisclaw. And I know you will find your way back to us swiftly.”

The confidence in Kris’s tone as she said that helped the knot in Koda’s gut to unwind. Looking at it critically, he knew she was right. The Ivory Spear tribe had fended for themselves without him for a long time. It was only the arrival of the Crooked in an area that was previously safe that put them at risk.

Now, though, these people were far from helpless. Between the work that all the tribe’s warriors had put in to train and learn already, the weapons that Arthene was teaching the tribe’s craftsfolk to make, and the knowledge that their goddess was watching over them, these people would never again be victims.

And it would be wrong to not do my best to give that same reassurance to the other tribes. Thera needs their faith, as much as the strength from the places of power to recover. It would be greedy of me to refuse simply because I want to spend more time at home.

“I’ll give you a bit of additional incentive to return as well, Aegisclaw,” Kris said, drawing Koda out of his thoughts.

The older woman was leaning forward with her elbows on the scrubbed wood of the table. Her smile was back and pulling the already-deep wrinkles on her face even deeper now. When Kris was sure that she had the champion’s attention once more, she continued.

“The village will be prepared for the winter soon, but there is a ceremony that will be coming due in the next month. For centuries, our people have made sacrifices at the doorstep of winter to remind us of the warmth of family and friends to get us through the winter. It is known as the Pack’s Hearth, and I planned to celebrate it after the first snowfall. However, I think the village would welcome it to celebrate your return from this latest trip.”

“What sort of ceremony is it?” Koda asked, his heart stirring with excitement despite not knowing anything. There was something about the way Kris described it that made him want to experience this ceremony.

“It’s a day of feasting, family, and respect. Every member of the village contributes food and fuel for a grand bonfire that we will have in the village center. Offerings are made on the bonfire—everything from crafted items, prizes from hunts, to written messages. When each person returns home, they bring a lit ember from the bonfire to bless their homes with the warmth of the community, as we all must look after each other in times of need. It is one of the Pack Lady’s decrees.”

“Sounds fairly simple, and a great way to remind folks that the community is in it together before the winter starts,” Koda replied with a grin.

Unbidden, images rose from deep within Koda’s soul. Memories that were not his own, but clearly coming from the place where his strength resided.

Memories of temples, villages, castles, towns, and more celebrating life and community.

Large bonfires roared tongues of flame high into the sky as people of all species talked, danced, laughed, and feasted in the warmth emitted from the great pyres.

Children playing chase games with bright ribbons in all the colors of fire.

Champions, clad in armor of leather, bone, and metal, consecrating unions.

Adults telling stories and making plans for the coming year.

Priests clad in hide robes, blessing newborn children.

Craftsfolk of every age and skill level exhibiting their abilities.

Kids playing in the mud.

Behind every action came the upwelling of community, companionship, and a desire to see friends and family succeed and grow, all bound up with the loving affection of a mother’s pride in her children.

Blinking furiously, Koda brought himself back from what he was sure were memories from hundreds of different people. There was no way that so many different visions in all those different locations could have been from a single person.

Community, the voice deep within his soul sang like a breeze through the trees. Duty, it rattled a moment later, the ringing echo of mighty chains following the word. Family, the same voice whispered with the pride and fear of a father presenting his daughter to her intended.

Koda shook his head from side to side, emotions roaring up from the depths of his being as memories tried to overwhelm him again.

He still had no idea what dwelt deep within his soul and spoke to him at these odd moments. Thera had said nothing to him either, but it whispered and roared to him in alternating rhythms. All he knew was that this strange link was tied to his lineage.

I wouldn't be surprised if the way Thera found me in her time of need somehow connects to this. One last duty from my ancestors or some such bull, as if I needed their urging to help someone in trouble, Koda thought with a mental growl as his emotions settled once more.

“Is everything all right, Aegisclaw?” Kris asked, and from her worried tone, Koda could tell that she had expected a different reaction from him regarding this ceremony she’d mentioned.

“I’m fine. Just had a moment there brought up by the ceremony you mentioned,” Koda replied, trying to wave off her concern.

“It is part of the village’s tradition, but you are not required to take part if you don’t—” Kris reassured him, but now it was Koda’s turn to interrupt.

“I would be honored to take part in the ceremony. Such a pure and powerful rite of community is something to be proud of.” Koda’s words clearly reassured Kris, as her worries faded away in moments. “I just… well, you could say I saw a vision, what I believe such things were like in the past.”

That statement clearly stunned the older woman, and tears gathered in the corners of her eye a moment later.

“You saw the old rites? The celebrations of our people’s history?”

A thin, golden thread of hope gave her words a backbone like steel as she asked a question that sounded more like a declaration to Koda’s ears. He just nodded, feeling his own control over his emotions quake.

Tears slipped down Kris’ wrinkled face in full as she tilted her head upwards, her eyes clearly looking at a place beyond where the two of them sat.

“Oh Thera… please? You have returned to us and brought hope back to our people. Does that mean that we have a chance to return to past glory?”

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He’d sat with Kris until the headwoman had collected herself properly. It had also given him time to get a better handle on his emotions and suppress the memories threatening to overwhelm him.

I really need to figure out what the hell is going on, Koda thought while ambling through the sun-soaked streets of the village.

Now that it was past noon, the village was humming with activity as people moved back and forth about their daily tasks. The air was still chill, with a thin fog from people’s breath trailing behind them, but the bright sun was enough to keep the worst of the cold air at bay.

Koda rolled his shoulders so that the heavy bison-hide mantle settled more comfortably into place around him. The thick hide-and-fur mantle was easily more than enough to keep him toasty even in the chill air, so he didn’t bother to do up the bone toggles on the front to hold it closed.

“Good day, Aegisclaw!” called a passerby, a smiling wolf beastfolk man who had a bundle of firewood on each shoulder.

“Good day to you as well,” Koda replied with a grin, threading his way through the crowd, giving smiles and greetings to anyone who spoke to him or met his eyes.

Word has spread enough that everyone in town knew who he was, though he still fought to remember names. Thankfully, the villagers were forgiving of that fact. Even those who were new to the town treated him with respect. None stopped him, though. It was obvious Koda was moving with purpose, and even those who did not know he was a Champion were loath to impede him.

Koda spotted his quarry as he turned down a lane on the edge of the village, where the ringing song of hammers and anvils beat out a counterpoint to the murmur of the townsfolk. There were still shoppers here, but they were far fewer in number, so the trio of brunette braids bouncing along at just above waist height was easier to spot.

Calandra strode with confidence down the street, her wrist-thick braids dancing and shimmering with health in the sun as she carried an armload of what looked like sticks but Koda knew to be training blades.

She had just emerged from one of the open-fronted smithies and was working her way along the lane toward the edge of town and the well-maintained road that led towards the mines.

Not wanting to startle his mate while she was carrying a burden, Koda called out to Calandra as he got closer.

“Cal, got a minute?”

The dwarven woman rolled her head on her neck to catch sight of him before grinning at Koda broadly.

“For you, lover? Always. Here, make yourself useful and help me carry this lot. I should have tied them together to make it easier to manage, but—”

“—you didn’t realize that until you were halfway down the street. My dwarven mate is too stubborn to stop once she’s started, after all,” Koda cut her off, accepting a portion of the bundle with a smile and a laugh.

“Oh hush you; you don’t complain about my stubbornness each morning when I wake you up,” Calandra grumbled back at him playfully, a smile touching her lips as she shot him a loving look when he lightened her load. “Ah, that’s much easier to manage now. I’ve been ferrying training gear to the mine so we have it ready when folks are ready to start. These practice blades aren’t perfect, but they’ll do just fine for now.”

“Surprised you are starting them on swords rather than spears,” Koda replied as they stepped beyond the edge of the village and into the trees, following the packed dirt road towards the mithril mine.

“Why should I? This is a village of hill-folk. Even those who aren’t lifelong hunters know the basics of the spear so they can hunt if they have a need,” Calandra said, blowing a strand of hair from her face with a huff before she continued. “I’ll still drill them on the basics of the spear, so everyone has a good grounding. But the sword is a gold-standard for martial weapons for a reason.”

“What about the club? I thought it was one of the first weapons created,” Koda suggested, getting a playful elbow to the hip from the shorter woman.

“The club is a fine weapon, as are the axe and others. But a lead-weighted practice sword will let me get them all up to a passing level of skill. It may not transfer directly, but a lot of the styles from a sword are similar to a club or an axe. Also, a practice sword is marginally less likely to break a bone than a practice club.”

“Fair enough. I imagine that a practice club is just a club after all, since it’s not like they have cutting edges,” Koda shot back, bumping Calandra back with his thigh to her shoulder.

“Some styles of mace do, but the majority don’t. It’s all about how the weight swings that deals most of the damage,” Calandra answered without missing a beat. She met his bump by setting her feet and shoulder-checking him to one side, nearly knocking Koda over in his surprise.

“Feeling feisty today, aren’t you?” Koda laughed when he regained his balance.

“A bit. It’s been quiet the last few months and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’ve gotten used to things going sideways too often to not expect it now. Once the snows settle in, I might be able to relax some,” Calandra admitted, shooting him a look out of one eye. “Something’s on your mind, I can tell.”

“You girls can read me like an open book,” Koda said with a snort and a roll of his eyes. “I shouldn’t even bother trying to hide anything at this point.”

“Smart of you to realize that already,” Calandra replied haughtily. “I was almost certain that Sienna and I would have to find some way to train that habit out of you.”

“Not going to try and enlist Arthene’s help?” Koda asked with a grin, sidestepping another bump from Calandra this time and making her stumble.

The dwarven woman caught herself after only a single misstep and blew at the errant strand of hair once more before she deigned to respond to his question.

“Arthene wouldn’t bother, mostly because she’d believe anything you were trying to hide was of actual importance, rather than you overthinking things. Which one of us would be right at the moment?” Calandra said, returning to the previous question as they passed under several large trees.

The loss of the direct sunlight caused a noticeable drop in the temperature, but not so much that it bothered Koda. He took a moment to consider his response before he answered, mostly to ensure he didn’t just ramble.

“The Silent Plains folks brought word of a tribal meeting that is going to occur in a week or two,” Koda began, only to pause when Calandra made an understanding noise.

“Let me guess, they want you to be there? I’m betting either for some kind of official capacity, or because someone didn’t believe the stories about our fights with the trolls.” Calandra’s dry question was all that Koda needed to realize that he’d been an idiot about wondering if his girls would understand.

“The latter, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it's both, actually. Vysin wants my help convincing the other tribes of the truth of Thera’s return. Cyrus mentioned that the tribal meeting also is when they exchange information before the end of the year, so it would not surprise me at all if there is some ceremony they want me to take part in.”

“When are we heading out?”

That simple question put the last of Koda’s concerns to rest. While he’d pushed the worries back before, having the easy acquiescence from his lover was enough that Koda felt them truly melt away now.

“In a few days’ time, when Cyrus’s group heads back to the Silent Plains,” Koda answered as they reached the entrance to the mines.

Calandra nodded without slowing, leading the way into the lamp-lit shadows that echoed with the distant chipping sound of the miner’s picks.

“That should be more than enough time to get ready. Sienna will want to get the house wound down, and I’m sure we will need to warn Arthene ahead of time. That girl does things at her own speed, so we need to make sure she’s aware of the plan. I love her, but she doesn’t take surprises well.”

“An idiom about poking a sleeping bear does come to mind,” Koda agreed with a smile, his heart swelling at the easy affection in Calandra’s tone while he followed her into the shadows.