Claimed by Callista

Chapter ✺ 20

Two moons had passed since Callista, Orsunr, Nyaor and my mother had left to the thousands... to an army... supposedly led by my father, who was a Magus, no, a King, of these strange outsiders.

In their absence, Sovrex had withstood attacks by River Blood and the Viper Clans.

Orsunr and Callista weren't the only warriors, all others in Sovrex Territory were not only loyal to me, but just as proficient at war and defence as the Magus and his brothers. They were trained by them, after all. My wolf also helped to defend, which I learned to call upon through meditation, especially when a storm was brewing.

Right now, I walk with my arm bandaged by Biankar after I was struck by a poisoned arrow from one of the Viper kinsmen to their Clan Shaman. The moment I was struck by the arrow in the major defensive battle on the outskirts of Damp Water, the warriors of Sovrex were brutal in response. In deep valley crevices, we had the higher ground and in retaliation, we decimated the Vipers daring to overthrow my rule. Usually we fought to push back only, but that had changed the moment I was almost killed.

The tension in Sovrex was at breaking point.

The warriors were all blooded but without reprieve from paranoia of more clan attacks, everyone was going a little mad.

It was safe to say, after the fight two days ago, no clan or tribe was attempting to usurp us while the Magus was gone and that gave me a small opportunity to leave.

Overall, the eight weeks without Callista was hell on earth.

Until it wasn't.

At the beginning, I had feared deeply that without Callista vouching for me, Sovrex might even kill me.

But they accepted me and I defended them.

Even so I rarely slept.

I was always patrolling, until I was too injured to keep watch.

I had left Grover, our best warrior, in charge while I took my first day off since the change.

I felt a shift in the air and I had a feeling we would see our Shamans again.

I was just deeply, deeply worried that we would lose one of them to the thousands.

Whatever war they were fighting in, whatever values they held, would these men protect Callista, Orsnur, Nyaor and my mother – who were all different and did not know their ways.

I could only hope my father had somehow vouched for all of them and put them under his wing.

I have left Sovrex with Biankar as my best friend. We had bonded and became inseparable, reading each other's moods, minds and thoughts just by looks alone. She had saved my life in some of the fighting, and I her.

We were now warrior comrades, and nothing beat a bond like that. It was also more rare for females to join such brutal fighting, especially when you were pregnant or looking after the young or the old.

So Biankar and I were the only two usually in the thick of it.

Now we walk through a savanna, toward a sacred location.

The Well of Death. It wasn't the end goal, just a half-way point.

It led the way to an encampment coming closer every day.

I always inspected the ridge at night, looking for the return of the thousands.

A few days ago, I had started to see smoke and lights on the horizon, and steadily they came closer.

They weren't far off, and Biankar and I were going to walk into the encampment together.

She was watching and cleaning my wound, but none of us knew the medicines as well as Nyaor, so I took a bit of everything and hoped it would stave off the worst of the poison. I mean, I was still standing for now anyway.