Stranger Skies (The Borderlands Saga #1)

23. The Coming War

They made it to central Broomgap, and Spiral City, within the week. The rest of the packs had evacuated the forest, save the northernmost pack who would still not budge.

The Tree is gone, B'ai. Surely you can't stay now.

B'ai's frown hadn't left his face all night, and he continued to give that look to the witch and her wolves. We follow the Lady's orders, from now until the end of days. She told us to stay here and guard the Tree. The Tree may be gone but that does not mean it won't come back.

Thalaea doubted that very much. She'd gone back to the site in the dawn's light. There was nothing but a very large crater. No root system, no bark, nothing. The Tree was gone for good.

She tried not to let the deep sorrow she felt at this engulf her while they traveled. At night, on the cusp between wakefulness and sleep, she let the sorrow take her, hoping to dream about the Tree again.

She didn't. Her dreams were empty of any kind of solace.

Strangely she held no malice towards the goddess who had destroyed the tree. It wasn't the Morrigan's fault she'd fallen on Thalaea's one chance to get her godhood back.

The same story she'd told B'ai and the northern pack about the Morrigan would not work on her team. The Steelmint wolves and the grays they traveled with knew Thalaea had not always been in wolf form, and many of the Steelmints knew she was not from Min originally. She could not say that the Morrigan was a friend of hers from Min. It didn't fit. And the other goddess needed a new name — the Morrigan could not be spoken in the air of this planet. It would cause more cracks in the world.

They settled on Kaetaxra — Thalaea had read it in the grimmeries at Enendoa's place, and knew it meant "warrior". The Morrigan was satisfied with that. It wasn't all she was, but it was a large part of her being. It was not her new True Name in this place, but Thalaea had no idea where they'd find that. They needed something in the meantime, anyway, and Kaetaxra was the best they had.

The other name isn't a True Name, anyway, she confessed to Thalaea on their journey east. Just a title.

That was news to Thalaea. She thought most of the other gods went by their True Names.

Kaetaxra shook her head. Nope. Our mutual friend, for example — that's a title, too. And I know there are plenty others who go by titles, not Names. You're more the odd one out. Kaetaxra smirked, and then chased a rabbit. She adapted to her wolf form quickly and easily, though when the other wolves were asleep she liked to change back into her preferred forms of woman or raven.

Thalaea told her the other wolves could change into many forms, too, so that wouldn't be so strange. Still, Kaetaxra preferred to keep it a secret. "You said yourself, I look alien to Minae and Thaenites alike when I'm in woman form. Best if we keep the questions to a minimum. If you couldn't change at all at first, they'll accept that I can't, too."

The rest of the story, after they'd found a name, was that Thalaea was originally from a land across the sea, and that Kaetaxra was a friend of hers from there. Thalaea had changed to humanoid form before travelling to Min, and had got stuck in human form until they'd reached Thaen. Kaetaxra had not changed, and so had gotten stuck in wolf form. The bit about the other wolf searching for Thalaea since the witch went missing they kept.

It would not hold water with Laeanai, she knew, nor some of the others in Salia's pack, including Salia herself. And it wouldn't have held water with Ruk. But the wolves she guided now accepted it. They possibly didn't believe it, but they trusted Thalaea. If she trusted Kaetaxra, it was enough for them.