Rthan
Rthan woke up from a sleep full of pain. He lay at the bottom of a hole. He looked at the scratches on the stone walls. The height of the marks told him this pit was made to hold bears.
He moved his neck and looked around for hungry animals. There were no bears. But he saw the man he had just fought.
Every part of Rthan's body felt tight and sore, like pulled leather. But he did not wait. He jumped at his enemy before the younger man could strike.
Kavio moved out of the way fast. He did not fight back.
"What do you think you'll get from fighting now?" Kavio said. "Save your strength, you stupid bull."
Good point. Rthan should have killed Kavio earlier, but that did not help now.
Rthan snorted and walked to the other side of the pit. Above them, warriors walked along the edge. Past them, he saw houses shaped like beehives.
He touched the back of his head. It hurt. Dried blood came off on his fingers.
Kavio turned his head and said something in a soft voice. He wasn't talking to Rthan. It must have been fae language. Not Blue.
Then Kavio smiled. "Looks like the Initiates lived through your attack, Blue Waters."
Rthan should not have felt happy that his future enemies were alive. He did not want Kavio to see his relief.
"You could have hit me with a clean strike," he said. "Instead, one of your friends hit me from behind like a coward."
"Maybe she felt she had the right to do it."
"Ah."
A strong picture came into Rthan's mind. He saw the woman he had tried to take and protect. She had no reason to thank him. He remembered her soft, half-naked body and her wild eyes. He felt both shame and respect. At least she did not have to mourn her children. He was glad for that.
Kavio walked around the small space. He touched the wall with one finger. White dust came off.
"Limestone," he said.
"Rock is rock," Rthan said.
"Limestone and granite are as different as horsemeat and hakurl."
"Why are you in this pit? You fought for their side."
"You saw that quickly, didn't you?" Kavio said. "And they say big men are dumb."
"Don't test me, nephew," Rthan growled.
"I'm an exile. Hertio doesn't know what to do with me."
"You were exiled? Is that what you wanted to tell Nargono?"
"Maybe."
"You told me you were a mariah in Yellow Bear. Was that true, or just something to stop my knife?"
"It was true." Kavio ran his hand over the stone. "I lived in this pit for a week. Look—those are my old marks. Limestone is soft. Even a boy can scratch it, if he doesn't mind losing some fingernails."
"I know what will happen to me," Rthan said. He crossed his arms and leaned against the rock. "They'll cut me open like a fish. But what about you? To hurt someone you owe a lifedebt to is to spit on honor. The Yellow Bear are scum, but even they don't tear their own nets."
Shadows moved above them. More warriors came. They pointed down at Kavio. A rope scraped against the ledge. When it dropped far enough, Kavio grabbed it and climbed.
"I guess I'll find out soon," he said.
When Kavio the Rain Dancer was gone, she came.
Rthan saw her, and his chest hurt in the old way. He felt longing and sorrow. She was his un-daughter. But now he also thought about his enemy's daughters—children he almost killed in the raid.
"I wasn't sure you could come here," he said.
She ran to him and gave him a big hug like a little girl. She kissed his cheek. He knew it was goodbye.
He didn't ask her to help him escape. She didn't offer. They both knew her powers didn't work well here.
She turned into sparkles and dew.
Alone, Rthan walked to the wall where Kavio had stood. He touched the tiny marks in the rock, made at the height of a child.