Kynyr's War

Odhran Lafferty, a tinker by trade, worked mostly as an oddjobber, doing anything and everything. He opened the front door to Cahira's Potions and Notions just enough to poke his head inside and glance around. "Is Pandeena here?"

"She's in the infirmary." Kady paused in the middle of shelving jars and eyed his civilian bridge-watcher tabard. "You must have more jobs than a cat has lives."

"Rather." He crossed the threshold and headed for the stairs; stopped at the door into the hallway and glanced back at Kady. "But I'll be back at the house tomorrow and finish the wainscoting."

"You'd better." Kady raised her hand in mock threat.

Odhran ducked with a grin and headed for the stairs. He found Pandeena in the infirmary tending the wounded. Her perfect features, golden hair, and flawless form always caused a physical reaction in Odhran and he pressed his legs together, hoping she failed to notice it. She was the only bitch in Wolffgard that could walk into a room and have every male present – even the gaffers – react.

Trevor sat propped up with a bed table across his lap, a bowl of stew and a glass of water in the middle of it. Mary spooning stew into his mouth.

Pandeena stood beside the next bed over, working on Wallace Callaghan.

"Pardon me, Pandeena. There is a fellow on the bridge asking for you. He wants permission to enter Red Wolf."

Pandeena finished changing Wallace Callaghan's bandages. "All done."

She walked to the table and rinsed her hands in a basin of clean water. "Have Caimbeul talk to him."

"He's asking for you. Says to say Dyna sent him."

Pandeena's expression changed in a flash. "Dyna? Let's go."

Tree trunks formed the support columns of the bridge that spanned the gorge that had been cut through the sheer stonewalls by the deep cataract known as the Eirlys River. The rushing roar of the Eirlys filled the air, drowning out the calls of circling birds. On three sides, the land descended into rugged canyons and twisted valleys that looked like a giant had ripped his fingers through the soil. The lycan clans preferred to make their homes in hard to reach places, areas that could easily be defended against invasion. The half-walls of the bridge's sides offered limited shelter while not blocking the view of people approaching it.

The bridge guards lounged on benches set back among a thick stand of fragrant white pine and cedars three spear lengths beyond the bridge on the lycan side where a heavy barrier of brush and briars offered them concealment from people approaching from the opposite side. They had a policy of getting a look at anyone arriving at the bridge from the Waejontori side before showing themselves, although they were clearly visible from the lycan side.

On a bench across from the guardsmyn, beneath a thin strand of aspens sat a small mon in a knee-length brown tunic, split to his hips for riding, over a pair of loose-legged trousers stuffed into short boots. His beardless face had an effeminate sensuality, full pouting lips in a narrow face, and a long, straight nose. Large, long-lashed eyes the color of glistening black pearls dominated his features.

Odhran pointed at him. "Luciano Albertus." He thumbed at Pandeena. "Our priest, Pandeena Moonbow."

"You wanted to speak with me?"

Luciano stood up and extended his hand, fingers half-curled in a lycan gesture that invited sniffing as a means of confirming his nature.

Pandeena brought his fingers to her nose. "You're hu … mage!" she yelped.

Embarrassment glowed in Luciano's face as he shook his head. "I'm a spiritworker, but I used to run a mage shop in Skullbones."

"The Scarlet Angel?" Pandeena schooled a flash of irritation from her face. She had never expected the owner of Caimbeul's favorite mage shop to show up in Wolffgard – the ones where he always purchased contraceptives known as seed crystals that absorbed and stored the fertile parts of a male's ejaculate so that he did not impregnate his strings of doxies. Pandeena had always blamed the shop for selling them to him as much as Caimbeul himself for using them during their marriage.

"Yes. Dyna sent me to you. The Waejontori are pushing hard along the borders and I had to flee. The sa'necari don't like spiritworkers. They rite us when they catch us. Can we talk privately?"

"Certainly." Pandeena walked farther into the trees and then turned to face him. She could not deny safety to him, since he was pledged to her ally.

Luciano opened his robes and pushed them off one shoulder, revealing a squiggly Dynannan Godmark. "Touch it."

Pandeena touched the mark and her eyes widened. "It's real. Now I've seen everything. A Waejontori Dynannan Spiritworker."

"There's far more Dynannans among my people than you might realize and we're all coming here."

Pandeena rolled her eyes. "We'll be inundated."

"Well, nothing so bad as that."

"The only single males we have at the Refugee Camp are the lycans that work there."

"I don't need to stay at the camp. I want to open a shop."

Pandeena scanned him. "With just the clothes on your back?"

Luciano reached in his pocket and brought out the tiny carrying globe. "My Lady loaned this to me."

Pandeena laughed. "Then you can stay at the Inn until you find a shop to buy."

"Can you take me there?"

"If you'll buy me a drink at the Difficult Horse."

"I'll be glad to."

GODWAR CENTRAL

Kynyr's War