The Nameless Warrior

An Army To Match Obsid's

The rain let up in time for Monk's ceremony, which was little more than an official proclamation by the new High Priestess that he was chief. He didn't need to make another blood-bond with the tribe—as a warrior he was already required to put the people before himself. He was given a pendant, stained with Oak's blood, that Petoskey never had the chance to wear, and taken to his new residence in the chief's tent. He would live there with his mother until he found a wife to take over the duties as first woman of the tribe.

The warriors celebrated with wine that was meant for Trina's Day, toasting their God, their new chief, and the Monster Tamer. The rain began again in earnest but could do nothing to cut the celebration short. Men ran from tent to tent with their wine, joining and leaving groups of partiers around the fire circle. Kindra and Gar stayed in her tent, but always had visitors. Even Monk left his new tent to celebrate with his best friend and the Bride of Eoin. As the revelry died down, the new chief lay on Kindra's cot in silence.

"Do you feel like chief yet?" she asked.

"Do you feel like a warrior yet?"

She threw a rag at him and they both chuckled. Gar was already asleep on the double cot, the small amount of wine he was allowed knocked him out long ago. Kindra brushed the hair from his forehead before looking at Monk.

"Please don't make fun at my ceremony tomorrow."

His smile was more sober than she was used to. It seemed Monk's endless mirth died with his father. "Relax, River. We all knew you'd get your name. Even the God couldn't stand up to your stubbornness."

"He stood up to it far too long already," she said, but smiled at the use of her warrior name. It would be official tomorrow evening, and she could put the memory of the last naming behind her. The promise to her father would finally be fulfilled.

They sat in silence for a while as her thoughts drifted around her father and her naming, and brought her eventually to what she really wanted to ask Monk.

"What if we bought more horses?"

His head came up lazily from dozing. "What if we did?"

"We could use them to attack the Obsidians. We could take back Deer Valley and stop paying restitution."

Monk was silent for a long time before he answered her, a quality she liked in him as chief. "If you can bring your sister around to the idea of attacking them, I will send a trading group to Coyote to bring back horses." He paused and looked at her for a moment. "You think you can train horses to let someone other than an Odion fight on them?"

She ran a hand through her hair. "I can train them not to throw you off long enough to scare the Obsidians into defeat."

He smiled. "You get permission from your sister, and I will get the horses. You will be my chief of horses."

Kindra swallowed and looked at Gar. "I don't need her permission; I already went to Obsid and demanded war. My sister cannot stop it. We will meet in Deer Valley at the end of summer." She looked at Monk, whose smile had grown into the old damn-everyone smile she was used to. "The men of Fie Wain can fight, and we can teach the others. It's time all the tribes learned to defend themselves instead of relying on Fie Eoin. The Dacians should join us, and perhaps the Gaerloms again, since they didn't lose many in the last battle. Coyote's tribe and their horses. And the Faye for healing." It would be an army to match Obsid's, at least.

"They should have made you chief."

"You already tried that, remember?" She ran her hand over Gar's tattoo. "Even now Oak's loyal men would never follow me."

He shrugged. "They'd follow you into battle if you were riding that monster. There's not a single one of us who wouldn't."

They planned well into the night for their attack on the Obsidians. It was rare for Fie Eoin to initiate any attack, but the horses and the combined strength of the tribes would help.