Page 4 of The Barbarian's Claim
Creeping through the village, I checked each tent for intruders. Three tents had Fer’na in them, attacking unprotected women. One very nearly got his way. Her skirts were torn, and he had her pinned before I got to her. I cut him down and dragged him out, tossing him into a fire while he was too weak to fight. He died screaming.
I ignored the sounds of battle in the village center. My clan was powerful and would prevail. I focused only on those without protection. I found two bodies near Feigrind’s tent, the Fer’na’s necks sliced open. Another in Rath’s, this one with a knife wound to his head. Someone else was doing the same as me. Good. The village was large enough that I didn’t wish to miss one.
The village center went quiet, and I knew I needed to see what was happening, but I made sure the women were safe before heading in that direction. Most had relocated to band together, which was safest. And they could tell me then if someone was missing. Once they were safe, I headed for the village center in time to hear the Fer’na leader challenge Simon, Feigrind’s tribute. Simon was skilled with blades and even got the best of me a few times when we sparred together, but he was not a warrior, and no challenge towards a tribute was allowed. I pushed through the crowd, walking straight up to the Fer’na leader, and cut his head off before he could offer a word of protest. Then I turned toward the others.
One of many reasons my clan feared me was because of the bloodlust. I got lost in battle, and the only thought on my mind was to kill every threat. It had led to a few injuries of my own clanmates in the past.
It took several of my brothers to keep me away from the captured Fer’na, and even after I stepped away to calm myself, I still itched to fight. I stayed out there all night, watching for any signs the Fer’na would approach. Only a portion of their clan had attacked. We did not know where the others might be.
When I finally headed back to my tent after the sun lifted over the horizon, I felt fatigue drag at my senses. I blamed that for not realizing sooner that the tribute who had been chased into my tent was still there. He was curled up in one corner, mostly hidden behind one of my travel packs. I’d told him to stay hidden. I probably should have brought him to join the others after the battle was done. I’d forgotten about him.
He was asleep now, and I was not interested in waking him and dealing with a tribute’s tantrums. I didn’t know of him; I paid little mind to the tributes of the clan, but I’d seen plenty of whining women throw tantrums over being woken too early. Why would he be any different?
I stalked back out of my tent, looking around for a panicked brother missing his tribute. I saw none. All who were awake were happy and joking, and none made any noise about someone missing. There were a few injured, though, resting in the healer’s tent. I decided to leave it for now. Once the tribute was awake, I’d bring him to Uttin. He was the clan second and had been appointed the clan leader in Orthorr’s stead while he recovered from the injuries he’d sustained tonight. Uttin would decide what to do with the male while his protector was unavailable.
When I came back to my tent, the tribute’s eyes opened, and he looked up at me with a worried frown. I shook my head.
“It is over. The Fer’na were dealt with. You have no reason to fear.”
Technically, those of us who knew the common tongue weren’t supposed to use it with the tributes. They wouldn’t learn if they knew we understood their tongue. I didn’t care for such things. None were brave enough to approach me anyway.
The tribute didn’t speak to me, but he relaxed a little at my words. I wanted to rest, but I would get none while the tribute was in my space. I didn’t want him here. I didn’t trust him.
If I hadn’t heardthe tribute speak the night prior, I would have thought him mute. He was silent as the grave most of the day. Even when I begrudgingly offered him food, he took it with a polite nod of his head but didn’t speak to me. He didn’t look terrified of me like most others did, so I wasn’t sure why he stayed silent. I didn’t ask. It didn’t matter. He was quiet. I liked the quiet. I was not going to encourage him to start chattering.
I waited until after lunch to approach Uttin. He was busy checking that none of the stores of food were damaged ortampered with during the attack, and didn’t notice me until I cleared my throat.
He jerked upright, his hand going to his sword before he realized it was me. He relaxed a little. “Einar. How are you, brother?”
I ignored the question, getting straight to the point. “A tribute hid in my tent during the attack. He needs to go back to his protector.”
Uttin’s brows furrowed as he frowned deeply. “No one reported any missing to me. Who is his protector?”
My blank look was my only answer. I hadn’t asked. I figured if the tribute knew the name, he would have said something. He hadn’t said a word.
Uttin sighed. “I’ll check with Zoya, but I don’t believe there were any injured protectors. You should ask the brothers closest to you. The tribute probably did not go far to end up in your tent. I will ask around as well.”
Fighting off a scowl, I asked, “Can’t you take him?”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “I don’t have the time. Many were injured, and Orthorr still has not woken. If you cannot handle this, you’ll need to find someone else.”
Irritation flooded me. I was normally better at handling things, but last night wasn’t the first that I missed sleep. I could only ignore it for so long.
Uttin didn’t respond to my annoyed growl, but I could feel his eyes track me as I stalked out of the storage tent. It only annoyed me more. I was in my right mind. I wouldn’t attack my own people.
He was right that the tribute probably didn’t run far to get to me. I headed for a group of brothers around a fire nearby, laughing and joking together. They fell silent at my approach, eyeing me warily.
“Brother. Are you well?”
“Who is missing a tribute?” I demanded.
Most looked surprised and confused. One, Orn, winced visibly. My fury grew. He knew his tribute was missing. He said nothing. He was here laughing and joking with his friends like it didn’t matter if the tribute was safe or not.
My teeth bared as I stared him down. He sighed.
“I thought he was hiding with someone else. He’s so quiet, I just assumed he hadn’t bothered telling anyone who his protector was. I was going to look for him eventually if he didn’t come back.”
“Do you care so little for his safety that you would not even check?” I snarled. While I was unhappy with the tribute hiding in my tent, I would not be so careless as to not look for him if he was missing. He was under Orn’s protection. His safety was supposed to be his priority.
