Jabone's Sword (21 page)

She threw up for a good five minutes and then she looked up at Jabone and demanded to know, "How could you let this happen?"

"I didn't know, I swear, Ufalla. Kasiria got into some trouble and I had to go get her. We just got back ourselves."

Tarius walked out of the barracks pulling on his pants. He glared at his sister. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked in an angry whisper. "My head's about to split and you're screaming like a banshee."

"What they hell is wrong with me!" Ufalla growled back. "How could you do this to me?"

"What the hell have I done to you?" Tarius asked, clueless.

For answer Ufalla ran up to him, growled right in his face, and then she dove on him and they were just slamming their fists into each other. Jabone watched them and sighed. If they had been at home and if it had been any other girl they'd been fighting over he would have let them fight it out. But they weren't home, and here a fight didn't settle a dispute, and she wasn't any other girl she was Jestia, Ufalla's one true love, so he doubted seriously that fighting it out was an option. Kasiria obviously wanted to break them up but was just running around trying to figure out who to grab and how. She kept looking at him expectantly as if he should stop the fight, but he'd been around them enough to know when you could act and when you couldn't.

He waited 'til Ufalla had wound up straddling her brother and then he grabbed her and pulled her off Tarius. She struggled to get free but Jabone just held her against his chest. Kasiria moved to stand between Tarius and Ufalla, and as Tarius stood up and acted like he was going to go after his sister again Kasiria put her hand in the middle of his chest and pushed him back.

"Calm down both of you," Kasiria ordered in a harsh whisper. "You're going to bring the whole of the garrison down on our heads."

Ufalla pushed away from Jabone still growling, and he finally let her go knowing that despite appearances she had calmed down. She glared across the space between herself and her brother. "Tarius" she hissed, "you are no longer my brother. If you were drowning in a puddle of water and all I had to do was put down my hand and draw you out, I would let you drown."

It was a Kartik curse. Jabone put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't mean that, Ufalla, they were both just drunk. He wasn't thinking. You know he never thinks."

"I did mean it." Ufalla swore then growled at her brother one last time. He growled right back at her and then she turned on her heel and stomped away. Kasiria started to go after her but Jabone moved and took her arm.

"No, let her go. It's Ufalla; she just needs to walk it off. If you try to stop her or talk sense into her she'll likely beat you up," Jabone said in Jethrik, and Kasiria nodded her understanding.

"What was that all about?" Tarius said, rubbing at his aching head. "Why did she curse me with the Kartik separation curse? I'm not her brother?"

"Tarius, you huge blind fool. You could have bedded any other girl in the world and not have incurred your sister's wrath. Why did you have to sleep with Jestia? Don't you know how Ufalla feels about her?" Jabone didn't wait for an answer, he just stomped back into the barracks where Jestia was still passed out and naked lying across the beds. He kicked the cot hard and kept doing it 'til Jestia woke up holding her head. He yelled at her just because he knew it would cause her pain. "What the hell have you done you royal whore?"

Jestia pulled a pillow over her head. "Leave me be, Jabone. It's no business of yours who I bed."

"It is when you come between my two best friends, my pack members. You knew how she felt about you, you had to. And all this time sleeping with her, holding her, knowing what she wants from you and now . . . You bed her brother. And he's just a dumb ass and it's him she's disowning not you."

Seeing he wasn't going to let her be she got up and pulled on her shirt which mostly covered her. "You don't understand, Jabone."

"Oh I understand princess. I understand that you think people are toys for you to play with and . . . "

"You don't get it!" Jestia screamed back and then she was crying. "I had to find another way."

Kasiria didn't have time to try and figure out what was going on. There was lots of screaming in Kartik, which no doubt told anyone not as hung over as they were that her unit was fighting amongst themselves. To make matters worse her own hangover was pounding—which hardly seemed fair since she'd had less than two beers—and she'd had no sleep at all.

Jabone was the Katabull. He was the Katabull she was the Katabull and she was sure that they were in the middle of making their own amazing love story. That was all she wanted to think about, but now she had to deal with all this crap because she was the sergeant and they were her unit, and . . .
I just need a good, hot bath, a bath not a shower, and then to sleep on a bed not a cot for about two days and then I'd be fine.
But she wasn't as tired as she should have been and she realized that it had to have something to do with being the Katabull last night.
And this morning, we were out all night just walking and talking, occasionally kissing. These idiots, I might have actually gotten at least some sleep but now . . . Where is Ufalla? Is she going to come back at all? If she is will she be there for roll call?

Jabone had stopped yelling and now he just seemed to be talking to Jestia.

Kasiria looked at Tarius and decided she needed to at least take some action towards salvaging her unit so she just started giving orders. "Get to the showers. Get cleaned up and dressed and ready for when the horn blows."

"Are you mad at me, too?" Tarius asked with no understanding whatsoever. He was obviously much more upset by his sister's anger than Kasiria would have thought he would be.

"No, I just . . . " she smiled. "I just need someone to be doing something to make us look some less than the worst unit in the garrison."

Tarius nodded went in got his clothes and gear and headed for the showers. Kasiria took a deep breath hoped that Jestia was dressed and walked on inside. She was dressed—barely—and sitting on Kasiria's cot just sobbing into her hands.
Well so much for their "sleep with whoever you want and it doesn't mean a thing" philosophy. Obviously their coupling has caused a huge rift between the siblings and Jestia if possible looks more miserable than Ufalla did . . . Of course what woman wouldn't be crying if she woke up and realized she'd slept with Tarius.
Kasiria made a face.

Jabone was just patting Jestia on the back talking to her in a soothing whisper and, well Kasiria didn't like him touching the half-dressed woman who would obviously bed anything since she'd even slept with Tarius.

"I'm not going to pretend to know what's going on here, but I need everyone to get cleaned up and in shape so that we're ready even if no one else in this garrison is when that horn blows," Kasiria said. Jabone nodded, patted Jestia on the back and said something to her Kartik. Jestia nodded and got up grabbed her clothes and gear and headed towards the shower.
"I'll go find Ufalla," Jabone promised, and then he headed for the door.

"Thanks."

He started to just walk out then turned around and came back, hugged her and kissed her on the lips, and her knees felt weak again. "I'm sorry for all this," he said.

"Don't be. If you hadn't had to come looking for me none of this would have happened, so if it's either of our faults it's mine."

"No one made those two idiots do what they did." He let her go and left and she found that she immediately missed him.
I've turned into one of those women. The ones that need a man to feel complete, I'm disgusted with myself, but in my defense he's not just any man, he's Jabone.

* * *

Jabone found Ufalla standing and cussing a blue streak while chunking rocks at the garrison walls as if willing one of the tiny rocks to bring the heavy stone wall crumbling down.

"Are you all right?" Jabone asked, careful not to get within reach of her because he wasn't lying to Kasiria. Ufalla had a really bad temper and when she was in a mood she'd just as soon beat you as look at you.

"No, and I doubt I ever will be again. I just need to get over it, right?" she said. and kept chunking rocks not looking at him. "It never would have been me any way so it doesn't matterp, right?"

"Ufalla they were just both drunk. Tarius would never do anything to purposefully hurt you."

Ufalla spun on him and he was surprised to see tear tracks had carved their way into the dirt on her face that no doubt was a consequence of sleeping on the floor and fighting with her brother. She also had a fat lip. Ufalla just didn't cry, so he felt his own chest grow heavy with thoughts of his friend's pain. "Yes he would, Jabone. He hates me, he always has and he always will. He blames me because he's small and looks more like them," she flipped her arm around the compound, "than us, as if it is somehow my fault. I have always loved him and he has always hated me and he found the thing that would hurt me the most and that's what he did just for spite."

"None of that's true, Ufalla. He resents you, yes, but he also loves you. I really don't think he knew . . . "

"Will you also make excuses for her, Jabone? You know damn good and well that she knows how I feel because she uses the knowledge of it to get me to do anything she wants me to do, like a puppet."

Jabone sighed. "I don't know what she thought she was doing, Ufalla, or even if she was thinking at all. They were both very drunk. What I do know is that she's crying like a baby right now, and mumbling incoherent things that make no sense."

"Because she's probably still drunk or worse still she knows no matter how large her crime we'll all forgive her if she cries. Well I won't. She could have any man she wanted and she slept with my own brother. Don't try to talk me out of my rage, Jabone. I'm going home. Or I'm going to the Kartik-held territory," Ufalla said. "But I'm not going to stay around them not either of them."

"Ufalla, why punish yourself? Why punish me because you're mad at them?" Jabone put a hand on each of her shoulders. "If I had been there I never would have let it happen but . . . " He told her all that had happened with Kasiria the night before. "You don't really want to be on your own, Ufalla and I can't go with you for obvious reasons. I need you here, Ufalla. I'm sorry if that sounds selfish, but I need my best friend with me now, and I do know how you feel because I'm in love, too, now and it's scary to care so much for someone."

"So you have found your great love and you will finally know what your mothers have known." Ufalla was obviously happy for him despite her own problems. "I will stay for you my non-blood kin."

"You will find love, too, just not with her, Ufalla. It was never meant to be. You said so yourself."

Ufalla nodded.

"Come we need to get cleaned up and dressed for the roll call." She followed him.

* * *

Kasiria was just stepping out of the bathhouse with Jestia when Ufalla appeared. She saw them and just hung around a tree waiting for them to leave so she could walk in without having to be near Jestia.
Oh this is going to be great
, Kasiria thought with a sigh.

"She's never going to talk to me again," Jestia said a catch in her voice.

"She has to understand that you just don't want her that way," she said.

Jestia glared at her as if she'd cursed her and said, "You don't understand anything."

* * *

The horn blew and they all lined up. Oddly enough with most of her unit hung over, everyone fighting with everyone else, and she and Jabone having found out what they had about each other the night before it was the first time they actually stood in formation, at attention the way they were supposed to. None of them were talking and she noticed, not without a little pride, that their unit was the only one that was all there when the role started.

As the role ended Derek came out and faced them. "I've just received word this morning that there has been another Amalite raid. This time they have destroyed the entire village of Grey Noke and have left nothing but smoke and ash. We are the closest contingent of men . . . soldiers . . . so we are being sent out to investigate, track the Amalites, and try to find their stronghold. Kasiria, Thomas, Jason your units have been assigned under my command. Master Richard shall serve as my second in command. Lieutenant Heath will tend the garrison in my absence. Obviously many of you aren't in any condition to ride out today, so I suggest you spend the day resting and putting your affairs in order. We will be riding out in the morning."

Kasiria took in a breath. All she'd ever wanted was to do battle and now that the time was at hand all she really wanted to do was to be with Jabone. It didn't matter because now they had to go and fight. When they released them for the morning meal she turned to face her unit and was disheartened to see that she could now see light between them.

Great, now that we are about to go off to do battle and I need them to watch each other's backs they can't stand one another.

Breakfast was altogether too quiet, and while she, Jabone and Ufalla sat at one end of the table, Jestia and Tarius sat on the other but not together. Every time Ufalla remembered they were there she literally growled at them and her brother growled back showing his teeth. Which of course made her growl back showing her teeth. This habit of growling they had was like no sound you ever heard a Jethrik make.

"Ufalla and Tarius aren't Katabull?" she asked Jabone in a whisper right in his ear.

He smiled, apparently knowing exactly why she was asking. "No, but they grew up with me in the Katabull Nation, so they act more like Katabull than Kartiks," he whispered back.

She looked at the oatmeal gruel in her bowl and realized she hadn't actually eaten any of it, just stacked it up and then smeared it back out flat. As she looked around the table only Jabone was actually eating, the rest of them were just too hung over. She pushed her bowl over to Jabone who had just finished his and he looked at her.