Warcry

Plains and the better for it.” Othur beamed at Heath, and pulled him into another hug.

    OTHUR WAS A NAME ATIRA HAD HEARD. SHE KNEW he was Heath’s father and had been Lara’s thea as she had grown up. He was also the man Lara had named as warder, to hold the kingdom while Lara had gone to the Plains. He was a big-chested man and his thin wisps of brown hair were standing up all over his head.
    What struck her was the joy in their reunion. Othur was in tears as he clasped Heath’s face in both his hands. Heath was tearful as well. The relationship seemed stronger, deeper than any she had with her theas.
    “I take it he is not going to the snows,” Atira asked Eln softly as she watched the two men.
    “He is not.” Eln took up a taper from a table and started to light candles. “It is good to see you, Atira of the Bear. How does your leg?”
    “Well, Master Healer,” Atira responded, tearing her gaze from father and son to look at the tall, thin man.
    “And Lara?” Elan asked.
    “She’s good, elder,” Atira replied. “As big as an ehat.”
    “Whatever an ehat is,” Eln said with a wry smile. “I’ve yet to see one.”
    “I’m fine, fine.” Othur’s voice drew her attention back to the two men. Othur was reaching for a robe at the foot of the bed and pulling it on. “But tell me, how did you come here? Did anyone see you? And where are Lara and Keir?”
    “Lara and Keir will be here on the morrow,” Heath said. “And a few of the Guard know that I am here, and they are ones I trust.”
    “Excellent.” Othur drew Heath closer to the hearth, away from the door. “You must take word to Lara. There is so much she doesn’t know—and we don’t have much time.”

    OTHUR’S JOY KNEW NO BOUNDS. HIS SON HAD RETURNED to Xy—fit and strong by the looks of him, and no worse the wear for his adventures on the Plains.
    And just in time, to Othur’s way of thinking. Othur pulled his son closer to the fire and reached for the poker.
    “I’ll do that, Father.” Heath took the poker and stirred the coals.
    Othur sank into the closest chair with a sigh. Eln ghosted up next to him and dropped a blanket into his lap. “You need to look the part if anyone comes.”
    The woman with Heath moved then, throwing back her cloak to take wood from the firebox. She was blond and strong, with a good figure. And she was armored, carrying a sword at her belt. This had to be the Plains warrior who had won his son’s heart. Suddenly, matters of state seemed less important. Othur cleared his throat to give his son a chance to do the right thing. He loved his boy, but there were times he could be a bit thick. “And this would be?”
    She looked at him then, with clear, brown eyes, a sharp gaze. There was intelligence there. That was good.
    “Father, this is Atira of the Tribe of the Bear.” Heath finished with the fire and added a log.
    “Welcome, Atira,” Othur said. He wished he could say more, ask more. But there wasn’t time. “Sit, sit. There is much to tell you.”
    Heath pulled Atira down to sit on the hearth. Eln settled in the chair opposite Othur.
    “Xylara and Keir are walking into a hornet’s nest.” Othur took a deep breath. “And I cannot determine if it was planned or just bad happenstance.”
    “What happened, Father?”
    “It hasn’t been easy, since Xylara and the Warlord left the city. We’ve been walking a careful path, balancing the ways of the Plains with the ways of Xy.” Othur spread the blanket over his legs. “Lord Simus and I worked well together, for the most part. Although he managed to offend my ladywife fairly quickly.”
    Eln snorted. “He only did that once.”
    Heath and Atira looked puzzled, but Othur shrugged. “That’s a tale for another day. Suffice it to say that when Lord Simus and you both left for the Plains, we were at an uneasy peace. The Plains warriors that remained were careful, and I always tried to take their ways into consideration.”
    “It worked well,” Eln added. “And Warren’s friendship with Wilsa of the Lark didn’t hurt.”
    Othur chuckled. “They do ‘communicate’ well. Everything was working fine until word came that Xylara would return to Xy to bear her child and heir to the throne.”
    Eln nodded. “Tension began to rise at that point.”
    “It rose to a boil just a few days ago,” Othur said. “I was in the throne room, holding a Queen’s Justice.” He looked at Atira. “Do you know what that is?”
    “You make