Warcry

within view. Rafe and Prest were sparring with Ander and Yveni, keeping a discreet watch.
    Heath relaxed slightly.
    Lara took Keirson from Amyu, smiling as she looked at her sleeping son. “He is so tiny,” she marveled. “So precious.”
    “They are perfect,” Anna declared. Meara was at her feet, pulling on her skirts, babbling something around the fingers she had stuffed in her mouth. Anna reached into one of the baskets and offered her a hard biscuit. Meara grabbed it with her sticky hand and tried to shove the whole thing in her mouth.
    Aurora laughed. “Silly baby,” she scolded. “Not all at once.”
    Meara looked at her with big eyes and then held the damp biscuit out to her. Aurora leaned over, pretending to eat it. “Num, num, num.”
    Meara chortled and crammed the biscuit back in her mouth, making the same kind of noise.
    “All they seem to do so far is eat and sleep,” Heath pointed out.
    He was treated to an exasperated look from all the adults. “They are babies,” Keir said. “It will be some time before they do much else.”
    “How do you know?” Heath asked, staring at the big, dangerous warrior cradling a baby with complete ease.
    “We are of the Plains,” Marcus said. “We were raised in thea camps, which are thick with babies. We learn to care for them even before we learn to wield our wooden blades.”
    “They don’t break,” Lara said with a soft smile. “Would you like to hold—”
    “No,” Heath said firmly. He stood, just to make sure that a babe was not thrust into his arms. The tiny things made him nervous. Besides, there were other things to speak of. Heath opened his mouth before he lost his resolve. “I heard Lord Reddin asked for a Council meeting.”
    A shadow fell over Lara’s face. “Yes,” she sighed. “I put him off for a day or two. The Council will press me to choose—” She cut off her own words as Liam appeared at the edge of the blanket.
    Marcus froze, then started for the kitchen.
    “Don’t.” Liam’s voice was strangled. “You need to hear what I have to say.”
    Marcus didn’t acknowledge him, but he stopped, still facing the kitchen.
    “Warprize, Warlord.” Liam inclined his head, speaking in the language of the Plains. “Allow me to offer you congratulations on the birth. Twins are a blessing from the earth itself. The tribe has grown. The tribe has flourished.”
    “Thank you,” Keir said. “Would you sit with us for a while?”
    “No,” Liam said, eyeing the back of Marcus’s head. “I would not interrupt. Let me say what I must, then I will return to my tents.”
    “As you will,” Keir replied.
    “Warren and I have talked,” Liam said. “He is very pleased that my warriors have secured the border between Xy and the Plains. He can use his men to deal with the bandits that have come down from the mountains to plunder.”
    “We talked to him last night,” Lara said. “He told us that, as well.”
    “I think it best that I return to the border to be with my warriors,” Liam said. “There are ruins there, atop a cliffside. It offers a wide view of the foothills and the Plains beyond.”
    Lara looked over at Keir, her face lit up with a smile. “I remember,” she said.
    Keir returned the look, his love in his eyes.
    Heath looked away.
    “So I will go,” Liam said. “It is clear that there is nothing for me here.” The pain in his voice was so stark, so naked that everyone stilled. Even Aurora looked up at the sound. Liam continued. “If Simus sends word of the results of the spring trials, or about the lights in the sky, I will send the messenger on to you.”
    “I hope he does.” Keir frowned. “I would give much to know what has happened from—”
    “I am trying to protect you,” Marcus said, his voice a low growl.
    Heath caught his breath. Marcus hadn’t turned, hadn’t yet acknowledged—
    “I never wanted protection,” Liam spat. “All I wanted was you. But you reject me. Reject our bond—”
    “The elements did that, not I.” Marcus didn’t turn, but his voice was strained and tight. “I don’t want you to suffer.”
    “Suffer what?” Liam lashed out. “A loss of status? So instead, you cut out my heart and leave me?”
    Anna was sitting openmouthed, staring at the two men, her eyes wide.
    “I am no longer of the tribe, no longer a warrior, no longer a person by our ways and our laws.” Marcus’s gruff voice held a pleading tone. “There is no bond. It melted—”
    “That is