Clans of Luteri Bk. 02 Ch. 08-End

He rocked his hips gently, her mouth drawing him in, the edge of his pleasure on him fast. He was panting hard, grunting as she pushed him deep again, pulling out. She adjusted, getting her breath. Then she pushed him in, shallow, long strokes, the head of his cock sometimes slipping into her throat, his hand going to the back of her head gently, her silky hair. She took him deep in her throat again, gagging a little, and then more, swallowing around him.

"I'm going to—."

He came, rising under her mouth.

"Good, that's good," he choked out.

His hand grasped her hair as she drew him out and pushed him in again deep in her throat, swallowing as he spilled more into her, crying out, his hips thrusting and shuddering, his cock pulsing.

His hand gentled on the back of her head as he thrust lightly a last time, his heart hammering, smaller shocks of pleasure still going through him. He finally stilled. She drew him out of her mouth into her hand, releasing him and sitting back on her heels. He looked at her, his breathing fast.

"I didn't hurt you?" she said in a moment.

He snorted a little, shaking his head, trying to get his breathing under control. She raised herself, scooting back off the bed, but he caught her arm, finding her hand, pulling her. She resisted for a moment and then she was over him, her arms braced on each side, straddling him, not touching any of him.

"Oh no, Corsaire. I need a moment. You won't hurt me."

Awhile later, he heard a muffled knock at the front door. Aslin startled, her eyes opening above him, his mouth on her nipples. They were red and jutting, sensitive, his teeth scraping a hot bud, his fingers on her pussy.

"Leave it, Will!" he drew back and yelled, not even caring if the man heard, returning to her.

#

Five days later, he and Aslin walked into Tavishi Hall. Kane had a prop for his leg, the muscles still weak. Kavini and Ruthe had come this morning. He never thought he would see Corsaire warriors in Tavishi Hall peacefully. They congregated in their own area, Tavishi grouped across from them. Kavini and his father Bache sat at a table in the center of the room opposite one another, everyone doing their best not to glare at one another.

Kane's eyes roamed, finding Ruthe against a far wall, leaning on it, looking at him, neutral. The man straightened and looked past him. Kane turned to see Helene come in, saw her eyes search and find Ruthe, skittering away.

Munse gestured to a chair, but Kane shook his head. He would stand while he could endure it. Aslin crossed the invisible line between the two clans to her father and greeted him. He smiled at her and rose, embracing her.

Then Aslin went directly to Ruthe, who looked surprised. She put her hand on his arm, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. When she withdrew, his mouth crooked at her. She walked back to Kane, standing near him, giving a concerned glance at his leg.

Kane looked to the doorway when a Corsaire man arrived, nodding to Kavini. Bache rose as Kavini did, Kavini speaking first.

"Thank you for having us at Tavishi Hold," Kavini said, his face expressionless. "Bache, High Lord of Tavishi clan, our allies."

"You are welcome here, Kavini, High Lord of Corsaire, our allies," Bache replied, equally expressionless.

They said the words, neither of them giving any indication what they felt. Then Kavini addressed the Hall.

"When I learned that my daughter still lived," Kavini said. "I contacted Ilse of the Siblin, their record keepers. Ilse found the entry for a ship that left Minsk for Caska fifteen years ago on the day I was told my oath and my daughter died. That ship was the Prisha, and one of the ports at which it stopped was Alveria.

I have been waiting for that ship to return to port. It landed yesterday. I had the Shipmaster retrieved and brought to me here at Tavishi Hold so that he could answer to me, to my clan, and to our allies."

Kavini turned to the doorway and gestured. Two Corsaire warriors came into the hall with an older man in strange clothing between them. Caska, north of Alveria in the common trade route, although an entirely different people. The man had a long jacket with huge buttons, boots, a furry square hat on his head, his hands bound. Behind him walked Ilse.

The man with the furry hat struggled against the Corsaire warriors, arguing his way to a place in front of the High Lords, babbling at the Siblin man, the Siblin ignoring him. The Shipmaster was older, white hair and a stocky body, deep eyes, a long mustache. Ilse was young-looking, though he was probably well over one hundred, well made, broad shoulders, tall and blonde, coat tails and a felt top hat. Ilse came with his brother, a dark-haired man dressed the same way, also big. Siblin brothers shared everything, including their women.

Kavini spoke to the Siblin man.

"Ilse Far Eyes. I thank you for your help. We want to ask questions of the Caskian Shipmaster."

Ilse bowed. Siblin were a wonder with languages, being nomadic, picking them up effortlessly. Kavini looked at the Shipmaster, who was glancing all around at the Luterians around him, openly terrified.

"Fifteen years ago," Kavini said to the Shipmaster, who stared at him blankly, "we believe a dark-haired Luterian girl of around five years old boarded as a passenger on the Prisha. She was taken to Alveria."

Ilse translated Kavini's words to the Shipmaster. The Shipmaster blanched in fear and then stammered out a string of words. When he was done, Ilse turned to Kavini.

"He says," Ilse reported in an even, uninflected voice, "'I didn't do anything to them. It wasn't my fault. You cannot blame me for that.'"

"Ask him what he means," Bache requested.

Ilse translated.

The man began to speak quickly again. After a moment, Ilse put a hand up and the Caskian stopped. Ilse turned and translated.

"He says: 'We were preparing to sail from Minsk when three Luterian men came to me. I couldn't understand their language. They paid me gold and brought two bundles they carried, wrapped in blankets. The only thing they said that I understood was Alveria. They kept saying that."

Talk broke out in the hall, people murmuring and exclaiming. The Shipmaster spoke again, a long string of gibberish, and they quieted. Ilse listened, turning to Kavini again.

"He says," Ilse translated, "'I had no idea it was a woman and child until we sailed. They had been drugged. I didn't know they were Luterian.'"

The Shipmaster continued unprompted. The Siblin man listened and then winced. He turned back to Kavini, his face grim.

"He says," Ilse said, still in a calm voice, "'I took care of them myself. I put them in the hold. I made sure they were warm and fed and had fresh water and a lantern. I didn't speak their language. When we were almost to Alveria, some of my crew became ill with the food. The woman died. She just got sick, it was nothing I did.'"

The Shipmaster was breathing fast, the sound loud in the silence of the Hall, everyone horrified. Kane looked at Kavini. It couldn't be easy hearing this, to know, finally, for true, that Maleen was dead. Kavini must have had some small hope.

The High Lord's face was expressionless, his jaw clenched, but his hand on the chair was shaking lightly. Kane looked at Aslin. She was staring at the Shipmaster. Kane reached and took her hand. She didn't give any sign, but she squeezed it very tightly. Her mother had been with her, had died on the passage. No wonder she didn't remember. A terrible thought occurred to him.

"Ask him how long it took to get to Alveria," Kane said to Ilse. "If you would, please, Ilse Far Eyes."

Ilse bowed to him, turning, asking the question. The man responded. Ilse turned to Kane.

"He says, Kane, son of Tavishi, 'It is on our trade route, slow. Sixteen weeks.'"

"Ask the Shipmaster if during those four months he ever let them out of the hold," Kane said.

Murmuring rose up all around them as people realized. Ilse turned to the man and translated. The Shipmaster stared at him blankly. The man swallowed, looking at the Luterians around him. When he gave his answer, it was in a weak voice. Ilse turned to Kane.

"The Shipmaster says: 'No. I didn't dare. The woman was too beautiful. I kept them secret. I feared she would be seen by the crew.'"

Kavini was staring into space, his face still expressionless.

"What did you do with my oath's body?" Kavini turned to ask the Shipmaster directly, his voice hoarse, controlled.

Ilse spoke to the Shipmaster, who shook his head. Ilse repeated the question, varying it. The man's face went white. He answered. Ilse turned to Kavini, hesitating. Ilse knew. Luterians gave their dead to Shai's fire. Ilse squared his shoulders and spoke.

"He says, Kavini, High Lord of Corsaire clan, 'I waited until night had fallen and gave her body to the sea.'"

Kavini was suddenly struggling. His breath choked out once, his eyes filling. He averted his face. Kane's father Bache turned to look at Kavini, expressionless except for his eyes, a flash of recognition, compassion. Bache's jaw clenched. Bache turned, speaking to Ilse, giving Kavini time to recover.

"Ask him. The child?"

Ilse spoke quickly to the Shipmaster, who answered, a long answer. Kavini turned back, in control again. Ilse turned and repeated his words.

"He says: 'I don't know. When I brought her from the hold at Alveria, she was sick. She didn't speak or move. She was carrying a box, but when I tried to look at it she began screaming. I was afraid people would think I had taken her. I carried her off the Prisha and gave her to the authorities in Alveria, telling them I'd found her hiding on my ship in port. They took her. I don't know what happened to her after that.'"

Bache frowned, looking at Kavini.

"Why would the child have the oath box?"

Kavini looked at Aslin. His voice was still hoarse.

"As a child, Aslin was fascinated with it. Maleen kept it in our rooms, but Aslin would often retrieve it and take it with her. She was always careful and always brought it back. I think she knew it was important and found it beautiful. I bought an empty oath box to try to replace it and gave it to her, but she wasn't interested in it. So we talked to her and told her she mustn't lose it. Perhaps Shai guided her to take it that morning."

"Ask him," Bache said to Ilse. "These Luterians who paid him. What clan were they?"

Ilse asked the question. The Shipmaster answered, shaking his head. Ilse turned back.

"I'm sorry, Bache of Tavishi. He doesn't understand what you mean by 'clans.'"

"Ask him what colors they were wearing," Bache said.

Ilse translated, giving the man's response.

"He said: 'Yellow and black. The Luterians wore yellow and black."

Silence again in the hall. Kavini nodded to the Siblin man.

"Thank you, Ilse Far Eyes. Corsaire owe you a debt."

The Siblin bowed as the Caskien backed away from two Corsaire men who came to take the Shipmaster's arms. The man was yelling, appealing to Ilse in his language, and they listened to his voice recede down the hall, Besh following his brother.

"Duellan clan," Kavini said, his voice now gravelly, his eyes black.

"But why?" Ruthe said from Kane's left. "Why take Maleen and Aslin? Duellan are not enemies to Corsaire. We've been in feud with Tavishi for three hundred years."

"We have been waiting for our allies to learn the answer to that question, son of Corsaire," Bache said. He turned to Munse and Kevar. "Bring Metas, the Duellan High Lord."

In a short time, Metas stood between the two Tavishi warriors in the Hall, filthy and stinking from the dungeon. He was a large man like all the High Lords, dark blonde wavy hair, high boots with fur, a cloak. He looked at everyone gathered, his gaze roaming, and then he walked to the center of the room, stopping, his feet planted, his arms crossed.

Kane dropped Aslin's hand and came forward, leaning on his prop, his leg aching from standing, his ribs. He placed the bracelet on the table between Kavini and Bache. Kavini looked at it and then at him.

"An oath bracelet, son of Tavishi? Whose is it?" Kavini asked him.

"It is the oath bracelet that Bertran gave Penal, his oath, High Lord Kavini. Aslin and I found it in Shai's shrine on Tavishi lands with the body of her Tavishi cousin, Ashe, who died there, a Duellan arrow in his side," Kane answered, setting the Duellan arrow beside it. "Penal and Ashe must have stumbled across Duellan mining the precious stones on the northern border on the ridge that spans Tavishi and Corsaire territory. They killed Ashe, and when Penal fled, they killed her, too. Then they dumped her body in Tavishi territory with a Corsaire arrow in her back to make Tavishi believe Corsaire had done it."

All eyes turned to the Duellan High Lord. The man smiled bitterly.

"It was my grandfather's decision, and every Duellan heir since then has had to live with it. He was Gars, High Lord of Duellan clan over three hundred years ago. Our ruby mines in Duellan territory have failed. We had mined them dry. Gars sent Duellan to search for new deposits. They crossed over and found them in the caves of the unoccupied north. Tavishi and Corsaire didn't care about them, too busy herding their sheep."

Hundreds of years of contempt in those words. The Duellan clan kept themselves separate from the other clans, mining being their only source of wealth.

"You have been stealing from Corsaire and Tavishi lands for three hundred years," Bache confirmed.

Metas gave a short laugh, shaking his head.

"You didn't even know the stones were there. Even if you had known, you wouldn't know what to do with it. At first we gathered the stones a little at a time, in secret, but the mines were very rich, more rich than any we had ever found on Duellan lands. Gars ordered Duellan to mine. We couldn't hide that. We had barely mined for forty years when Pelar and Ashe discovered Duellan on Tavishi land. Duellan warriors pursued and lost them. We finally found the woman, Penal. Duellan warriors were only supposed to take her prisoner so we could hide her away, but a Duellan warrior killed her with an arrow. So Gars had them put a Corsaire arrow in her body and brought her to Tavishi lands."

"And Tavishi killed Anore of Corsaire in retaliation, beginning the feud," Kavini said.

"We have mined your territories for three hundred years and you have never known it," Metas said dully. "But when Kane of Tavishi agreed to give his oath to the daughter of the Corsaire, I knew it was only a matter of time before the decision made by my grandfather would come back to Duellan. You would learn of the deception, end the feud, and ally with each other to attack us. So Duellan took the child from the boat on the lake with her mother, upending it and setting it adrift. I did not want their blood on Duellan hands, so I ordered Duellan warriors to drug them, arranging for them to disappear where they would never be found."

"Maleen of Corsaire died on the passage to Alvaria," Kavini said to him, toneless.

Metas looked at Kavini, meeting his eyes. Then he looked down, his jaw jumping. He nodded.

"Her death was not what I wanted," Metas said. "But I am responsible for it. When Kane brought his oath back to Luteri, and then when they discovered the mine, I ordered Duellan to attack Tavishi Hold while you were still enemies. When the Tavishi High Lord and his heir were dead, we would have ridden and taken Corsaire Hold. Then Duellan clan would have been safe, and we would have continued the mining we require to survive. But once again, your clans allied, as you have always done. Now I am captured by my enemies, my warriors fallen, and my heir Lyle is dead in front of the Tavishi gates. Shai has delivered her judgment on Gars for the feud, on my clan, and on me, for the death of these women, and I would give every ruby in my coffers to have my son back with me."

#

Aslin sat to the left of Kane in the Tavishi Hall, Bache next to him, Helene to her father's right. Aslin watched as Helene's eyes were once again drawn to the table where Kavini sat with Ruthe and the other Corsaire warriors. Ruthe looked up, his eyes finding hers, and Aslin watched as Helene looked away.

Dute was dead, and Colit, in the attack. Garit. Other Tavishi warriors she hadn't known as well. Among the three Corsaire warriors she knew best, Bren had been killed in the Tavishi courtyard defending Moren, who had been cornered by two Duellan warriors. It seemed so cruel for them to die so close to peace between the clans.

Aslin's eyes were drawn to the table where Dute had always sat, his chair now empty as if still waiting for him to return, his large laugh and wild hair. Moren was sitting beside the empty chair, his hand resting in front of him, staring blindly. She looked at Colit's chair, still finding it difficult to believe that the lanky man with his kind smile and green eyes wouldn't come striding into the Hall with his instrument in his hand, already whistling a tune.

"You will look for them until it becomes something you know deep, Aslin," Kane said quietly beside her. "and you will forget and remember again that they are gone. The hurt of it will fade some with time."

All because of Duellan and their rubies. Her mother dead. Her father's heart broken. Herself abandoned in Alveria. Warriors of both her clans killed. So much pain, all for small gems that couldn't possibly replace them. Aslin felt the beginnings of the stirrings of outrage, anger. They should be made to suffer for what they had done. Kane touched her hand and she looked at him. He looked sad.

"What will happen to the Duellan High Lord, Kane?" she asked him, her voice tight.

Kane sighed.

"The High Lord Metas will be executed in the Tavishi courtyard, Aslin, and his body dumped in front of the Duellan gates. It's our way. His oath, Levina, will pay our ransom for her remaining Duellan warriors. Tavishi and Corsaire will also demand weregild for all the warriors killed in the feud in both clans, and to the families of the farmers and villagers killed in their attack, and for Pelar and your mother Maleen. Duellan will pay to each clan in precious stones. Levina will agree. She doesn't have a choice."

"Will there still be a Duellan clan?"

"Of course, Aslin. There are five clans in Luteri. There have always been five clans. Although it sounds as if their clan will have to learn how to raise Luterian sheep. Levina will lead the clan until Shai chooses a male heir from the Duellan."

"How will they know which one she chooses?"

"He will have Shai's gift, Aslin."

"Won't Levina seek revenge for Metas and their son?"

Kane shook his head grimly.

"She may want it, but Tavishi don't have to ransom Duellan warriors back to her, Aslin. They could also be executed in the courtyard. We could take our revenge on those in Duellan territory, both the clans, go there and kill Duellan people as they killed Tavishi farmers crossing our lands, but we won't. Kavini and Bache have agreed to ransom and weregild to secure the peace. We are tired of feud."

Epilogue

Kane rode Shaol through the open Tavishi gates in summer, seeing the line of Corsaire warriors in their black leather, blue swirls. The Corsaire men were absolutely still, expressionless, not getting off their horses.

He dismounted Shaol, dropping the reins. The line of Corsaire parted and Kane saw a flash of bright red hair coming up from behind them—no Luterian had hair like that—and then Jaime emerged and, to Kane's surprise, Miss Corsham. Behind them came Trevin and Lenore Mistral, all of them on small Minsk long-haired horses, the Alverians looking like smaller, more tidy and polite versions of his people.

They dismounted, one Corsaire warhorse taking a small swipe at Jaime's mount, his teeth bared. The smaller horse grunted in fear, moving sideways as Jaime tried to hold it, enraging the Luterian horse, whose Corsaire rider turned it away with a sharp sound as it tried to lunge, clacking its teeth.