The Ranger of Marzanna (The Goddess War #1) - Jon Skovron Page 0,101

like when summer came.

“Aye, ’twas old Angelo teach me,” said Blaine.

“Angelo sounds Aureumian,” said Sonya.

Blaine nodded. “He old soldier who hates hes people now.”

“A deserter?” asked Jorge.

Blaine gave him an odd look. “Dessert? No have now.”

Then it was Jorge’s turn to look strange for a moment before understanding the miscommunication. “Deserter. It means someone who abandons their army.”

“No, no,” said Blaine. “He just change army.” Then he gave them a mischievous grin. “To good side.”

“I hope so,” said Sonya.

Blaine narrowed his eyes. “Why ya’ want talk t’ Elgin Mordha?”

Sonya wasn’t sure about the protocol for diplomatic discussion, or if the Uaine even had any protocol, but she figured she might as well tell Blaine. His reaction in a less formal setting might help her fine-tune how she discussed it with the warlord, and he might end up needing to translate anyway.

“The empire has conquered my people, and I want your help to free them.”

“Your people?”

“I’m from a country across the tundra called Izmoroz.” She decided not to complicate things by mentioning that her father was Aureumian.

“Hmm.” His eyes narrowed as he considered that. “Oh, aye. Iz-mo-roz. That was war Angelo left.”

“Really?” That sounded promising. Perhaps this Aureumian deserter had already laid the groundwork and made the Uaine sympathetic to her people’s plight.

“Aye,” he said cheerfully. “Losers wha’ could na’ protect their own.”

Sonya’s eyes widened in outrage. “That’s not—”

She felt Jorge’s hand on her arm. He gave her a pleading look. He was right, of course. She was trying to make friends, not start more fights.

She sighed. “That’s one way of looking at it, I guess.”

In the afternoons, several of Blaine’s Uaine would range out to hunt for that night’s meal. After the first day, Sonya insisted on joining them. A new landscape bristling with new game was too much for her to resist. Initially, the others didn’t seem pleased that she was tagging along. In fact Blaine had to speak to them in a rather stern tone before they finally agreed. But once she tracked a large buck and took it down with a single arrow, they began to warm to her. Perhaps true hunters didn’t require words to win each other’s respect.

At night they sat around the campfire and roasted that day’s catch on sticks while Blaine played lilting and often sorrowful tunes on his wooden flute. Sometimes his fellow Uaine would even sing along. It reminded Sonya of stories Mikhail had told her about the old days in Izmoroz before the empire came, when the people felt safe in their beliefs, and would spend many evenings singing songs to Lady Zivena and dancing in the town squares.

After several days’ travel, the valley opened up onto a vast plain that stretched for miles to the north and south. Far to the west was a mountain range so tall, its snowy peaks were hidden in the slate-gray clouds that never seemed to leave this land beyond the tundra.

About a mile north of where Sonya stood, two small rivers joined, and at the confluence was a large settlement of tents. It looked to be semipermanent, with muddy strips between clusters of tents that suggested frequently trod paths, and a tall, iron-wrought frame in the center that looked like it would be challenging to transport on a regular basis. People could be seen moving about the settlement, though none of them had the blue paint or spiked hair. A number of horses were tethered at one end, and a sizable pen of pigs at the other.

“This is the mighty Uaine Empire?” Jorge muttered to Sonya.

“They look to be a nomadic people, so probably not the whole thing,” said Sonya. “Although I agree the word empire is a bit of a misnomer.”

“You think?” he asked dryly.

She shrugged. “I don’t really need an empire. If they have even a small army filled with warriors who are as skilled as Blaine, that’ll be plenty.”

“I’m not seeing any undead shuffling around, either,” said Jorge. “Maybe that was a false report as well. Like the demon rumor.”

“Un-dead?” asked Blaine, who was several feet away but clearly had sharp ears. “What es?”

“The dead who walk again,” said Sonya.

“Oh. Aye.” Blaine nodded, but said no more. Did that merely mean he understood what she was saying? Or was he confirming that there were indeed undead at their command? She was tempted to press him for answers, but decided that for now she should focus on meeting the warlord.

“Does this Elgin Mordha live here?” she asked.

“Aye,” he said. “’Tis Clan