“To kill us,” Nalyx said automatically. It was what they’d all been taught ever since they were children. The demons were evil, and evil things liked to kill.
“Yes, but why? Why would they want to kill humans? Particularly when most of them just end up getting killed instead. Think about the unicorn. Hallix said it came through the gate and ran straight off into the forest. If it wanted to kill people, why wouldn’t it stick around on the battlefield and try to do just that? Why would it run away? Why would it try to put its own flames out?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe we should try and tame them,” Gantalla said. “At least that way, we’d be one step closer to finding out.”
◊ ◊ ◊
Gantalla spent the day back at the hospital, doing her best to concentrate on her patients. But over and over again, she found her mind wandering back to the strange conversation she’d had with Nalyx that morning about the unicorn. In the afternoon, she asked Henrietta if she could go and spend more time reading the books in the office. Henrietta had willingly agreed, pleased that Gantalla seemed so keen on learning more. But the request had been nothing more than a ruse to give her a little time to herself to think.
It had been an entirely unexpected idea Nalyx had come up with, to try and tame a unicorn, but certainly not an unwelcome one. And Gantalla had floundered for a reply that would encourage him to pursue it, but at the same time not let on just how much she knew about the creatures.
What Nalyx didn’t know was that the unicorns were indeed intelligent, far more than the horses of this world, and that yes, it was entirely likely that the poor beast had been trying to put its flames out. Though Gantalla herself had never tried it, she’d heard plenty of stories of people who’d learned to mind-meld with the unicorns, granting them telepathic communication with the creatures. And while the unicorns weren’t considered as intelligent as the bipedal species of Chalandros, they were certainly more than mere animals.
What if the warriors managed to capture one and it taught one of them the same mind-meld ability? Would they be shocked to hear a unicorn ‘talk’? Would one be able to convince them that the ‘demons’ weren’t all evil?
Even so, it was a long shot, relying on the unicorns’ willingness to cooperate with the humans for long enough to teach them, putting up with having to carry riders and perform menial work for their ‘masters’. But then again, perhaps they were intelligent enough to realise that it would make them a kind of ambassador for all the peoples of Chalandros? That they could turn the tide of the battles once and for all?
Gantalla felt helpless, presented with such a revolutionary idea but completely clueless as to how to make it happen.
Finally, evening came, and Gantalla put her books away – not having read a single page – and headed back across the square towards the barracks. Nalyx hadn’t overtly invited her back again, but he’d made it clear that he’d enjoyed her company, and perhaps she might find a way to raise the topic again, pressing him a little harder to bring it up with the other warriors?
She wove through the lines of buildings, making her way to Nalyx’s room. She’d seen the men training again today, but now the town square was empty, and she assumed that meant they’d all returned to the barracks for the night.
But as she came around the corner to the courtyard that led to Nalyx’s room, she caught sight of Nalyx through the throng of other warriors… and stopped in her tracks. And in a rush, theotherconversation they’d had this morning came back to her, the one about how the men and women in this town chose their partners. She hadn’t thought about that part all day, too caught up in other, more urgent thoughts. But there was Nalyx, dressed in a fine tunic, rather than his training shirt, and plastered to his side, with her arms wrapped around his waist, was Liatra, the woman who’d been doing such a poor job of helping him eat on that very first night they’d met.
As Gantalla watched, Nalyx put his hands on her shoulders, gazing down into her eyes. Liatra leaned up to press a kiss to his jaw, and Nalyx didn’t push her away. Instead, he leaned his head back, allowing her to kiss his throat.
Gantalla had seen enough. Nalyx had said himself, only that morning, that unless a warrior was engaged to a woman, he was fair game to the other women. For all his enjoyment of her company, Nalyx had given no indication that he thought of her as the sort of woman he’d want to marry. If, indeed, he wanted to marry anyone at all.
Not that Gantalla wanted to marry anyone, anyway, she reminded herself. And certainly not a warrior who dedicated his life to slaughtering her people.
Fair enough, Gantalla thought, retracing her steps back to the square. If that was the way things worked here, then so be it. She had plenty of more important things to do at the hospital. And no intention whatsoever of competing with a woman like Liatra for Nalyx’s attention.
◊ ◊ ◊
Nalyx leaned his head back, avoiding Liatra’s mouth as she tried to kiss him. “Liatra,” he began, but she interrupted him.
“Nalyx,” she said, a teasing note in her voice. She reached up to try and pull his head down, and he pulled back more forcefully this time.
“I said I’m not interested. Besides, I thought you said I was no use to you.”
Liatra shrugged. “I did. But now you’ve got the bandages off your hands. So now you could beveryuseful to me. And I to you,” she added, a sultry smirk on her lips.
“So that’s it, then? This is just about you getting what you want, and nobody cares what I think about any of it?”
For a brief moment, Liatra actually looked surprised. But the look was gone a moment later. “Come on, Nalyx,” she said with a pout. “We always had fun together, didn’t we? And we can do that again. It was never anything serious. I mean, it’s not like you ever wanted awife.” She stopped, a strange look crossing her face. “Do you?”
“No,” Nalyx denied quickly. “But it would have been nice to have a friend who would help me out when I needed it.”
“I did help you. I helped you eat dinner. And then you ran off with that Gantalla woman, all black hair and lace and ‘I’ve got big boobs’.” She stuck her own chest out in mockery. “But you didn’t hear me complaining about her. Besides, she only lasted all of five minutes anyway. I heard she’s gone to work at the hospital now. What good is she, when she’s not even here most of the time? But I can be hereall the time.”
“Any time that it suits you, you mean.”
“No! That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean? I needed help to eat, and you ran off to play with Calium. I needed help getting dressed, and cleaning my armour, and the gods know what else, but that was all too much trouble for you, when someone else is dangling shiny jewels in front of you.”
