Kavio
Kavio frowned, wondering why the drums had gone quiet.
He looked closely at the Tavaedi practice ground.
There was no dancing now. Only chaos.
A fight had broken out—and at the center was a familiar figure.
Rthan is trying to escape.
Of course. The river was close. Why had Brena brought him here?
Where was Brena?
A cold thought hit Kavio. If Rthan had killed her…
Kavio had given her charge of the prisoner. If she died, it would be his fault.
He turned to Dindi. "If I stop Rthan, I can't stop you," he said. "But I judge him the greater threat."
He hesitated, then added, "I know it's strange that I—an exile—must now be the one to throw the stones of judgment."
He looked her in the eyes.
"I'll give you the same choice I had before my own trial. Flee now, and you'll live. Or, if you trust me, return to the Tor of the Initiates. Tell no one what happened here. I will decide what to do and summon you tomorrow morning."
Then he turned and ran.
To stop Rthan.
To avenge Brena—if needed.
He grabbed a battle-ax and climbed a tree.
Then he dropped down into the middle of the fight from above, taking everyone by surprise.
The Initiates were not happy to see him.
He had to shout orders at them several times before they backed off, grumbling.
"He was trying to escape!" they shouted again and again, as if Kavio couldn't guess that already.
But their voices held something else—guilt?
Because they couldn't stop him?
Kavio looked at Rthan. The man had no weapon, but still, Kavio stayed alert. Rthan was big and strong. This could be a brutal fight.
But Rthan raised his hands and stepped back.
His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "Perfect timing. I don't think I could have stopped myself from breaking their necks much longer."
"Where is Brena?" Kavio snapped. He had no patience for jokes.
"I don't—"
"Here."
She came into view, staggering.
Her dress was torn. Her body was dirty and bleeding.
Kavio felt both relief—and fury.
He raised his ax toward Rthan. "I'll deal with him."
"I didn't try to escape," Rthan said—not to Kavio, but to Brena. His voice was firm.
"I didn't try to escape, Brena. Not while your daughters were here."
Brena's face softened.
Kavio didn't like that.
He had always suspected she might care for the big brute. But care or not, Kavio wouldn't let her be misled or hurt.
"You attacked Zavaedi Brena—"
"No," she said.
"No," Rthan echoed.
Finally, Rthan looked at Kavio. "By my honor, I did not try to escape. Zavaedi Brena was called away—" he glanced at her, unsure how to explain, "—and she left me in charge of the Initiates. A few of them… questioned my authority."
"It was my fault," Brena said. "I should not have left. I take full responsibility."
Kavio studied her injuries. The scratches on her arms shimmered faint blue. Fae blood.
So—other matters, indeed.
"Do you trust this man's word, Zavaedi Brena?"
"I do," she said, without pause.
Kavio questioned the rest of the witnesses.
Most wouldn't meet his eyes.
The boys involved in the fight gave weak, tangled answers. Rthan glared at them, but said nothing. He stood tall, ready for punishment.
"The earth and air remember what happened here," Kavio said. "I will seek a Vision to find the truth."
He walked the dance ground, calling on wind and light. He found Rthan's energy—a strong blue thread, thorny with red anger—wrapped around others, mostly purple and red with hate.
Glimpses of memory danced around him. It was enough.
He saw Brena give Rthan command.
He saw the boys attack Rthan first, with no reason.
Kavio turned to Tamio.
"You," he said. "You're the leader of this group?"
Tamio nodded, full of pride.
"You disobeyed your teacher. Then you lied about it. That's insubordination. A warrior is not allowed to act this way. A Tavaedi even less."
He stepped closer. "Do you know the punishment?"
Tamio's face went pale, but he didn't look away.
"Whipping," he said.
"By a gauntlet of your peers," Kavio finished. "Remove your Tavaedi costume. You've lost the right to wear it until you earn it back."
Tamio's glare burned with shame and anger. But he stripped down to his loincloth.
Brena looked grim but said nothing.
Kavio ordered the other Initiates to each take a branch from the trees. They formed two lines—one on each side.
There were about two dozen young men and women in total.
Kavio nodded.
Tamio took a breath and ran between the lines.
The branches hit him from both sides as he ran.
By the end, his back and legs were red with welts. A few tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away fast.
Kavio pretended not to notice.
"You took your punishment bravely." He leaned in and said softly, just for Tamio, "There's a better use for that courage."
Tamio tossed his head.
His face showed nothing. Kavio couldn't tell if he listened—or just swallowed his anger.
He had seen this before. The last person he sent through the gauntlet—Vultho—had never recovered. Vultho stayed angry, bitter, useless.
But Tamio had potential.
"Anything else I can do, Zavaedi Brena?" Kavio asked. He noticed her blood and dirt. "Trouble with the fae?"
She brushed dried blue blood from her arm and adjusted her dress.
"Not at all. Why do you ask?"
"If you don't need them now, I'd like to speak to Rthan and Tamio alone. Will you two come with me?"
They both looked unsure, but followed.
Kavio didn't look back toward the hill, where Dindi had been.
He followed the sound of the river to a hidden cove.
A few men and women were already waiting there. They stood beside canoes and weapons laid out on clean, oiled hides.
"Rthan," Kavio said. "I hope you haven't forgotten our bargain."
"I remember," Rthan said. "Can you keep your word?"
Kavio scratched his cheek. "There's one small problem. Hertio said we don't need boat-fighting skills. In fact, he forbade me to train Yellow Bear warriors your way."
Rthan looked at the boats. The fighters. The weapons.
"Don't worry," Kavio said. "I found a loophole. These warriors may live in Yellow Bear, but they were born to the Rainbow Labyrinth. I'm not disobeying the War Chief's command."
Rthan muttered, "Slippery eel."
Didn't matter. Rthan couldn't report him—not yet. Kavio still had to prove his idea would work.
Tamio, though… he was still raw from the gauntlet.
Time to offer him something.
"If you want to fight Rthan," Kavio said to Tamio, "here's your chance."
He smiled.
"But this time—he'll hit back."