The warlord is armed. The warlord is regrettably covered by a soft hide flap.
“Are you prepared?” I project to her, shifting my focus from the alcove to the reality outside.
Eh-ree-kah pulls her own hide-covering over her head, covering the mounds on her chest that I make note to explore in a few solmarks. She steps into her foot coverings, pulling the bindings tight. When she looks back up at me, the humor is gone. Her eyes are dark, serious, and filled with the reality outside of this alcove.
“I’m ready,” she says.
The main cavernis busy when we emerge.
My warriors are already moving. Some crouch near the fire pit, wrapping gashes with torn hides. Others sharpen blades, the rhythmic scrape of bone against stone filling the space. A young warrior with a deep cut across his shoulder blade winces as another ties off a binding, then shoves him away and picks up his spear.
The females are gathered in the far sleeping alcove. Mih-kay-lah has her arm around Tina. Jah-kee is pacing, her jaw tight. They are tense. Waiting.
Every head turns when we step out of the tunnel.
I pull my shoulders back, expanding my broadened chest. I am bigger than I was two dark cycles ago. Every warrior in this cavern can see it.
I drop my mental shields.
The power of the new connection hits the communal mindspace. Several warriors physically drop to one knee, bowing their heads under the pressure.
But their eyes do not stay on me.
One by one, their gazes shift to the small, dark-maned human standing at my side. They bow their heads to her, too. The same depth. The same reverence.
She is the mate of the dra-dam. In the mindspace, her presence is tangled so deeply into mine that they cannot feel my authority without feeling her threaded through it. To bow to me is to bow to her. They are inseparable.
Eh-ree-kah goes very still beside me. I can feel her shock pulsing through the mindspace. She did not expect this.
I did.
“Report,” I project. The command echoes through the cavern, vibrating in every skull.
Rok steps forward. His broad chest is wrapped in blood-soaked hides. He moves with a slight stiffness to avoid pulling the wound, but his golden eyes are bright with fierce, unwavering loyalty.
He looks at me. He looks at Eh-ree-kah, standing firmly by my side. He looks extremely pointedly at the new loincloth tied around my waist.
“Welcome to the mated ranks, dra-dam,” he projects. He glances down at his own loincloth, then back at mine. “My female’s knot-work is tighter. I will have Jus-teen teach yours.”
A sudden, sharp snort of laughter escapes Eh-ree-kah’s lips before she slaps a hand over her mouth.
I glare at my second-in-command and push a wave of crushing authority specifically aimed at his skull.
Rok visibly winces, bowing his head slightly in concession.
“Lucek hit us from the upper ridges,” Rok projects, turning instantly serious, broadcasting to the entire clan. “They used the wind as cover. But they were not trying to take the cavern. It was a distraction.”
“To take a female,” I project, my lip curling into a snarl.
“Yes. They took Ah-lex. Haroth is tracking them. He left before Ain rose. They are moving toward the Silent Valley.”
The cavern murmurs in the mindspace. I can feel the other warriors’ outrage.
I look around the circle. I see the humans huddled together, their faces pale and drawn with terror for their missing clanmate. I see my warriors, bleeding but ready to tear the desert apart on my command.
“We heal the wounded,” I project. “We fortify the entrances. We gather the heavy spears.”
I step forward, leaving Eh-ree-kah’s side for the first time since last sol, and walk to the center of the cavern.
