Barbarian’s Taming by Ruby Dixon

9

HASSEN

Everyone turnsand stares at Rokan, confused.

“Out of the cave!” Rokan roars. He surges forward, stumbling through the center of the cave and heading for his mate. Li-lah has her back to him and is still hand-talking to Shorshie, unaware. As I watch, Rokan scoops her up and races for the entrance.

A second later, Maylak staggers out of her own cave, her kit at her breast. Her hand is at her brow and there is pain in her eyes. “My chief, I am worried—”

Her words are drowned out by a loud pop. Then another. Then it is like an endless stream of pops, and it becomes a roar so loud that I clap my hands over my ears. I can hear one of the humans screaming, but the pressure in my head is so bad I cannot tell who. Then there is a deafening boom, and I can hear nothing but a ringing in my ears. The world has gone silent.

We stare at each other in surprise, shocked. A few others are emerging from their private caves, confused and startled. I see Vektal’s lips moving, but I cannot hear his words. He gestures at me, speaks, and then points at the entrance. Then he races for his mate, who is getting to her feet by the fire, holding a crying kit who makes no sound I can hear.

Does he wish me to get everyone out of the cave, like Rokan said? Rokan with his strange sense? Who knows everything? But what does a loud sound mean—

The ground shakes beneath my feet.

No, it’s not shaking as much as it’s shifting. The entire cave is shifting. I see Vektal reach out to brace Shorshie, Talie held tight in his arms. He shouts something, then gestures at the entrance.

Out of the cave, Rokan had bellowed.

Something is wrong with the cave. The ground continues to shift under my feet and I look down to see cracks forming in good, solid rock. Impossible. The rock shifts beneath my feet again, and I nearly lose balance. It is not safe to stand. As I look up, the walls of the cave seem to shake around me. A loud rumbling grows through the ringing of my ears and then I see the ceiling buckle. A chunk of rock falls from overhead.

Out of the cave.

It is all happening so fast. There is no time to think.

Mah-dee. She is in here somewhere.

Through the roar of the shaking cavern, I can hear people screaming. Kits are crying. Rocks are tumbling through the air to land at my feet. Nearby, I see a rock slam into Jo-see, knocking her to the ground. Haeden bellows in fear and scoops his mate up, his expression wild-eyed. Vektal throws a blanket over the fire, smothering it, even as the others race for the entrance. The need to escape is overwhelming.

The cave—our home—feels like a trap.

Mah-dee must be found. I stagger forward and a falling rock hits my shoulder. A sharp stab of pain moves through me, but I ignore it, just like I ignore the stone under my feet that is shifting and moving apart, and stumble forward.

Where is she?

I crash into Farli as I head down the back tunnel. She’s sobbing, trying to carry her pet dvisti. Its leg is at an awkward angle and the creature is biting her. She says something to me, her expression devastated and full of fear, and cringes when the entire cave shakes even harder, debris raining from above.

There is no time to think. I cannot leave Farli, but I must get Mah-dee. I must be fast.

I take the dvisti from her, hauling it into one arm and then slinging her over the other, and race for the front of the cave. I dodge boulders that were not there seconds ago and race over fallen rock, while the air fills with dust and the cavern continues to shake. Farli squirms against me, but I ignore her movements. There is no time for her to complain. There is no time.

I make it to the entrance of the main cave and there are a few people gathering in the snow a short distance away, coughing. I set Farli down and then hand over the dvisti. She asks something, but I cannot hear it. My ears are still ringing and painful. “Mah-dee,” I tell her, then bolt back into the caves, because I must find my mate.

I push through the people streaming out of the cave. Mah-dee’s yellow mane is not among them, and so I must keep searching. I head deep inside again, only to find the passageway I pulled Farli from now blocked by a tumble of stones. “Mah-dee!” I shout, but I cannot even hear my own voice.

I push at the rock blocking the passage, but it will not move. I cannot get to Mah-dee’s cave. I snarl in frustration, flinging my body against it even as rocks tumble down around me. I am not leaving this cave without my mate. If she dies here, I will die with her.

A hand touches my arm.

I look over, but it is Hemalo, not Mah-dee. I am disappointed.

He gestures at the rock and indicates he will help me lift it. Good. Even though he is a leather-worker and not a hunter, Hemalo is big and strong, his arms bulging with thick muscle. He can help me move these rocks. I nod at him and move to one side of the boulders. He takes the other side and we succeed in moving the first one, but others roll into place. Rocks rain down around us, and Hemalo gestures again. Hurry, his movements are saying, and there is stark fear on his face.

I know how he feels. My mate is in there, too.

We move faster, grabbing at the next giant rock and managing to roll it down the tunnel. More rocks slam into my back as I work, but I ignore them. Bruises do not matter if my mate is trapped. I will find Mah-dee and free her. I must.

Hemalo heaves his big shoulders. More of the rocks tumble free, burying our feet and covering us with dust. I kick the stones aside, and as I do, I feel the floors shiver again. The entire earth feels as if it is coming apart, and my stomach clenches with unease.

“Mah-dee!” I scream again.

In the midst of the shaking and the rocks falling, I think I hear something. I look up at the top of the pile and see small human fingers wiggling through a tiny gap in the rocks.

Relief rushes through me, and I surge up to the top so I can touch her fingers. She clings to my hand and then a moment later pulls away, and I can see her eyes through the narrow slit. There is blood on her face, and dust, but she is alive. Her fingers pluck at the rocks, trying to remove them. Then she gestures.

Trapped.

I know the hand-speak word. I nod. “I will get you out,” I yell, even though I am not sure she can hear me. “I have you, Mah-dee!”

Hemalo and I double our efforts, and a few moments later, the gap is wide enough for someone to crawl through. I put an arm through, reaching out for Mah-dee. To my surprise, she pushes a bruised Asha forward. Her shoulder is swollen, and she takes my hand so I can pull her through the narrow wedge. I hear her scream with pain when I tug her forward, even though I am gentle, and Hemalo bellows below, anguished over his mate’s distress. It seems to take forever, but then Asha and her long limbs are free, and she falls into Hemalo’s arms.

I do not stop to see if they are all right; she is his now. He will take care of her. Instead, I push my hand back through the rock, reaching for Mah-dee. Her small hand grasps mine, and then she’s wiggling forward, trying to nudge her body through the small hole. I tug on her arms, hauling her forward, but her clothing snags, and I can feel the rocks tearing at her skin. She cries out but taps my arm, indicating I should keep pulling.

So I do. I give one last mighty heave, and her leathers tear in my hands, and she spills into my arms, sending us both tumbling to the ground.

Mah-dee. I cup her face and press quick, fevered kisses to her exposed skin. I do not care that she is bloody and filthy. She is alive and whole. Her hands clutch at mine, and I press her close to me.

The earth gives a mighty shake again, and I feel her stagger. New rocks fling themselves at us, and the cavern groans loudly enough that even my ringing ears can hear the danger. I must get Mah-dee out of here.

Wait, she signals to me.

I shake my head and grab her, carrying her out of the hall. She can tell me more when she is safe. I race out of the collapsing cavern, noting with alarm how much of the perfect circle of the tribal cavern has collapsed on itself. The floor near the bathing pool is a yawning pit, and the chief’s cave is buried entirely behind a massive slab of fallen rock. I can see no signs of Warrek’s small cave that he shares with his father—that end of the cave is destroyed completely. Even as I stare at the destruction, the floor shifts and rises ahead of me, turning into a cliff. I lock my fingers onto the ledge and haul both of us, Mah-dee clinging to my back, out of the cave and forward into the snow.

Outside, there are people everywhere. Kemli strokes Farli’s hair, weeping, and I see humans clinging to their mates. Now that I am outside of the cave, I can hear kits wailing in distress, and more than one mother has her tunic open to nurse her child. Maylak is bent over Jo-see. The tiny human is puking in the snow, her mate stroking her back, her face swollen and bruised. Hemalo has Asha gently laid out in the snow, stroking her limbs and cradling her against his chest.

Someone is screaming. A female. I can hear her, but my ears are painful and I cannot make out what she is saying.

Vektal is nearby, stalking through the small clusters of people, touching each arm. The devastation of the cavern seems to match the strain on his face, as if he takes this all personally. He is our chief, and we are his responsibility. I know how he feels. These are my people. This is my home. To see it destroyed…it tears me apart inside.

And yet, Mah-dee is safe. She is safe, and nothing else matters. I set her gently in the snow and press another kiss to her face. She wraps her arms around my waist, squeezing me tight, and then looks around. My sister, she signs. Where?

I gaze out across the churned, filthy snow. There, in the back of the group, sitting with Liz and Raahosh, are Rokan and Li-lah. I guide Mah-dee over to her, and the sisters embrace, Mah-dee falling into Li-lah’s skinny arms. Rokan has a pinched look on his face, his eyes hollow. He stares at something past me, and then jerks to his feet.

I turn.

One of the human females is stumbling forward. She screams something, and others pull at her arms as she surges toward the cave. She has a brown mane, and I can see a kit strapped to her back, like a pack. One human female carries her kit like that—the one with the food and the smiles for everyone. Stay-see.

Mah-dee waves to get my attention and then signals, I think someone is still in the cave. Tears streak down the mud on her face.

My tribe. My people. I nod at her and head forward, moving to Stay-see’s side. Others are coming forward, pulling at her, trying to get her to sit, to calm down. She screams something again, and I realize it’s her mate’s name. Pashov. Her face is red from yelling, and she plunges forward, only to have Shorshie grab her and hold her back. Stay-see claws at her, desperate.

Pashov is still in the cave. In the tunnel where I found Mah-dee, perhaps. I turn and look at the cave again. The entrance is collapsing. If Stay-see goes in, she and her tiny kit will be crushed. I think of the rocky ledge I pulled myself and Mah-dee over. Stay-see does not have long enough arms. And if Pashov is not out…

Rokan and I both rush forward at the same time. I stop him, gesturing he should go back to his mate. He has a female and a kit on the way. The tribe needs him. I am just the exile.

And I know where Pashov might be.

I hear Mah-dee scream my name, the sound garbled and painful in my ringing ears. I run forward, back into the collapsing cave, heading for the tunnel. All around me, the floors shake and move, and my heart races. There is no sign of anyone. Of anything. Everything we had is gone. I think of the humans huddled in the snow outside, clinging to their mates, and my worry spikes. The humans are fragile and must be kept warm. Just because they are out of the cave does not mean they are safe.

For now, though, I must save Pashov before his mate tries to come in.

A large rock tumbles from the cliff, lodging itself against the entrance of the cave. Everyone takes a step back, alarmed. All except for Stay-see. She pushes against the hands holding her, crying. If we do not bring her mate back, she will go in after him, so I must do it, and it must be now.

I head in, ignoring Mah-dee’s screams. The cavern looks worse than when I left it a few moments ago. There is not much time. I jump back down to the portion of the floor that has fallen, and down into the tunnel that housed the new caves. My heart aches at the sight. Everything my people had…gone in a flash.

The tunnel is full of rocks once more, no sign of the gap that I pulled Mah-dee through. I climb the pile and use both arms to dig the rubble free, because I must make it large enough for my body and I must do it quickly. I am able to reopen a small portion of the gap after a few long moments of digging, and peer through. There is no hand waiting to be grabbed, and I can see nothing and no one. It is completely dark.

Pashov’s home is not down this tunnel, but there is a storage cave. I can find it in the dark, provided it is still there. I make the gap bigger, shoving aside rocks even as more tumble overhead. It feels like a losing battle, but in my mind, I see Stay-see’s devastated face. I see Pashov, my friend, who always has a smile and a fresh spear when he runs across me on the trails, even though I am exiled. And I cannot stop. I will not leave until he comes with me.

I lost my family to the khui-sickness. My tribe is all that I have. My tribe and Mah-dee. And now that she is safe, I must make sure all of my tribe is safe. I work faster. When the hole is large enough, I crawl forward and push my body through. The rocks scrape at my chest, tearing at the plates covering my skin. I manage to make it through to the other side and slide down the enormous pile of rubble. The dust is thick, but there is also light, trickling in from the ceiling in one of the caves, and there was no light there before. The roof has collapsed. The entire cave is coming down, and I feel another pang of grief.

It is difficult to walk with so much stone and debris in the tunnel, and I see Dagesh’s cave is completely collapsed. Haeden’s, too. Mah-dee and Asha’s is in better condition, and my heart thumps with relief at the sight, knowing that she is safe. Farther down is the storage cave, and my worry spikes at the sight of it. The entrance, always narrow, is little more than a hip-high wedge. I crawl in, looking around, and there is more light trickling through. The baskets here have been crushed, the food so carefully stored away now destroyed. There is a bundle of neatly bound furs at my feet, and I grab it, tossing it back into the tunnel. The females will need them in order to stay warm.

I see no Pashov, though. No one is here. There is nothing but rock and dust. So much dust that it chokes me.

I turn to leave, to check the other caves, when I step on something soft. I lift my foot, thinking it to be more furs.

It is a tail.

I suck in a breath and drop to my knees, clawing at the fallen rubble surrounding me. In the dim light, I did not realize there was enough rock to cover a body. I see it now, hints of Pashov’s tunic buried under dust and debris. I dig him out and pull my friend free, flipping him onto his back. His head lolls, limp, and there is blood everywhere. One of his horns is completely crushed, and his brow is swollen.

He is dead.

Grief pounds through me, and I clutch my friend close to my chest. He is a good hunter. Strong. Always kind and calm. He has a mate and a kit. This should not be his fate. I howl my anger and loss to the caverns, but the sound hurts my throbbing ears. He deserves a good burial, my friend. One with the proper mourning songs and goodbyes. If I leave him here, he will have nothing.

Yet how can I take him out of the cave and present his mate with his body? It seems wrong.

I run my hand over his face to close his eyes. They are not open, though, and out of curiosity, I hold my hand under his nostrils. Warmth brushes against my skin, followed by a bubble of blood.

He is breathing.

Pashov is alive, but barely.

I must get him out.

I haul myself to my feet, even though my body is aching with pain. His limp weight is heavy, and I worry about injuring him more. I manage to drag him along to the hole I have made in the rubble, and fling the furs forward before trying to push him through. Sending him through feet first is difficult on my side, but I cannot send him through the other way and have him land on his wounded head. The tremors in the ground now are mere shivers, and the hole is not filling back up, which means I am able to slide his body to the other side. I crawl after him once that is done, and the rocks feel wet with blood. I do not know if it is his or mine.

By the time I slide out to the other side, my strength is failing. I am surprised at myself—I am a strong hunter, capable of traveling all day and completing any number of difficult tasks with ease. I cannot be tired now. Pashov needs me. Mah-dee needs me. I must get out before the ground begins to shake again. I picture Mah-dee’s face and imagine her weeping like Stay-see if I do not come out of the cave, and it gives me the strength to get to my feet. I take Pashov into my arms and carry him down the tunnel, and then must heft him onto the lip of the ledge that used to be floor before hauling myself up after him. I pick him up again, because the ground is trembling once more…or I am. It does not matter—I can see sunlight and what is left of the opening of the cave.

I stagger out into the sunlight, my friend in my arms, and there, my strength collapses. I drop to my knees, my head ringing. “He is not dead,” I say aloud, then remember I cannot hear myself, and likely no one else can hear me, either. I lift my head, searching for Maylak.

Someone collapses against Pashov—it is his mate, her hands moving over him. Her high-pitched screams sound like painful whines in my ears, and my head feels thick. I cough, and it seems like I cannot pull in enough air.

But then Maylak is there, and she is kneeling next to Pashov. And I am relieved, because that means he will be saved. She can heal him. Make him better. I want to comfort Stay-see with these words, but it feels like too much effort. All of my strength was used up to get him out of the cave. Even getting to my feet feels like a monumental task.

A hand extends in front of me. I look up, and it is Vektal. My chief. His face is grim and he is filthy with dust, but I can see the thanks in his eyes. I nod and let him help me to my feet, only to stagger forward a few more steps into the snow.

Gentle, cold fingers touch my hand, and I realize I am still clutching the parcel of furs. They are taken from me, and then the fingers touch my face, and I look into Mah-dee’s worried eyes.

I pull her against me and rest my brow on her shoulder. It feels so good that when I fall asleep, I do not even care.