Soulmates Across Borders

Chapter 30

Solí's eyes dried out, and she couldn't cry anymore, so she sat up from her hunched crouch and realized the sun had set and the moon had come up, nearly a perfect full moon. Her birthmoon was tomorrow. For the rest of her life, she'd associate something that should be a joyous occasion with the death of her father and brother.

Some of her most devoted people had stayed to mourn with their queen and princess, but most of the people had left, probably to take care of their bodily needs.

Nearby, someone had lit a fire in the firepit outside the high nohonga. "Waiata, did anyone go check if it's safe in Itaone?"

"Hake and his best mistwalkers left to check a spot or two ago," the wise woman confirmed from where she sat near the fire.

Solí nodded and then grabbed her sister's arm and lifted her up to a sitting position. Her younger sister sniffed and wiped her tear-stained face. "My people, I thank you for joining me and my sister. But now we all must take care of our needs."

The remaining people of the wolf tribe stood and left, but only after reaching out to grasp hands or pat on the backs of the wolf queen and wolf princess.

"I need your help with something," Solí said to Miraka in an urgent whisper. "Come with me."

She stood, helped her sister up, and walked with her to the borrowed nohonga where her family had been sleeping. She pulled her in and brought her to kneel on her bed furs. Their wolves followed and settled on the floor nearby, laying with their noses touching.

"Kuao was betrothed to marry the coyote princess," she said, and Miraka nodded with a devastated expression on her face. "I already asked you to go deliver the tragic news that he died. But your real purpose for leaving is to ask if there is a coyote prince that can marry me."

"What?" Miraka's eyes went wide.

"The coyote tribe is by far our most important ally. They live close to Itaone and can bring in reinforcements in mere moments. The high king is going to send us back to the border, I just know it. We will need formidable allies that can fight alongside us.

"I want to end my betrothal to Tokah and uphold the treaty with the coyote tribe by marrying a coyote prince."

"You can do that?" Miraka's eyes went big.

"If fox queen Pokiah agrees, then yes."

"Fox queen Pokiah?" Miraka asked.

"A few years ago, the coyote king died. His queen, fox queen Pokiah, has ruled in the village since then."

"Does the queen have a son who doesn't already have a betrothal?"

"I don't know. But I want you to ask, so that we can uphold the arrangement we have with the coyote tribe."

"What if he's only fourteen though?" Miraka asked with a horrified face.

"Then we would agree to the betrothal, and I'd wait to marry him until he turns twenty-one." Solí shrugged.

"You'd rather marry someone you've never met than marry Tokah?"

Solí nodded with raised eyebrows.

"You hate him that much?"

"He's awful, Miraka. He propositioned me for sex even though everyone knows that's forbidden until you turn twenty-one. He groped me in the woods; he forced me to kiss him. He called my quest to gather lilacs a fool's errand! He belittled our mother's death! He wanted to refuse to help us gather the lilacs after our father and brother died. He hates me just as much as I hate him."

"The monster!" Miraka made fists with her hands.

"A complete stranger would be so much better. So will you ask when you go there?"

"I..." Miraka looked down. "I don't feel qualified to ask such a request of a queen. Can't you do it?"

"I need to be here to ensure that the bear tribe still trusts in my betrothal to Tokah."

"I disagree!" Miraka retorted. "You can go, and I can stay. Kuao's death is important enough to warrant the wolf queen going to the coyote tribe's village."

"I need to be here to organize the preparations for the funerals. We have all those wolves that need to be honored and all the sacred adornments that need to be gathered. I cannot leave such an important task to someone else."

"Maybe Waiata could?"

"No. I'm sending her to the beaver tribe's village to offer her expertise in training their prince and princess to unlock their higher sacred circles, in exchange for lilacs from their field. Lilacs we need. She'll be gone probably all morning."

Solí paused, and Miraka looked down. "Maybe you can trust me to lead the people in gathering the adornments, so that you can go and address the coyote king yourself."

I think it's best that you go, Pango added. You are the wolf queen. You alone hold the authority to create a new treaty. Miraka can handle the preparations. All she must do is organize the proceedings. She can do that in your stead.

Solí paused to think. Tomorrow was her birthmoon. She would need to spend the day chasing after a coyote prince when she should be organizing her people to prepare for the funerals.

"...I understand," Solí told them. "I will go to the coyote village, and you can stay. I will need you to be strong for our people and organize the proceedings even though your own father's and brother's wolves will need to be honored and their sacred adornments need to be gathered. It will be hard."

Miraka bit her lip and nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. "I can do it," she said, her voice strangled and tight.

"The bear queen and the bear tribe's wise woman should be able to help you. I'll speak to them in the morning for you. For now, you need to get some sleep. I'm going to go speak with Waiata and make sure the mission to bless the fallen and retrieve the bodies is proceeding as necessary." She patted Miraka on her shoulders. "I'm so sorry about everything."

Miraka shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. I'm sorry it happened too, but we should blame the beastmen for this!"

Solí nodded with a grimace. In her heart she knew that she'd always blame herself for what her soulmate had done. She'd let him trick her, and now her father and brother were dead. It was all her fault.

She put on a solemn face. "Get some rest." She hugged her sister and then stood and went for the doorway to the nohonga. She took care of her bodily needs quickly and then came back to the village to find Waiata with the bear tribe's wise woman sitting by the fire. "Is the mission to bless our fallen and bring them here proceeding as necessary?"

Waiata nodded. "We have all the requirements we need. We will leave as soon as we receive word that it is safe. We need to talk to you about something important before we leave."

"In my nohonga," Manaia said, and the three women went to the wise woman's dwelling..

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