Ashi's Grove

All characters are over the age of eighteen

Chapter Nine

The gathering of the three tribes was held near Nabed, up a gully and on a flat place surrounded by rocks, difficult to see or approach without being spotted.

The long trip through the dark tunnel had been numbing, the lights following them. Kohl had discarded the warden's hat, although he'd kept the metal badge with the symbol that had been pinned to it, Havelen watching him put it in his pack.

On the sixth night, she'd had one of her nightmares, only the warden's shadow emerging into the light from the long tunnel behind them, the Rangisin man in the warden's non-hands turning into Kohl, Kohl's face in a mangle of limbs, and she'd sat up, crying out.

"I'm sorry I woke everyone," she said later.

"You don't have to be sorry," Anik said from ahead, her thick accent. "That warden was fucking terrifying."

* * *

At the gathering, the three madis sat in a single tent and spoke to anyone who came, and three different sets of people mingled easily with one another on the edges of the camps. Pek had shown the records he'd brought from Shosa to the heads of the bands, twenty-one leaders who served as a kind of council to the madis, with seven bands in each tribe.

After, Mishë had walked up to Kohl and embraced him. "You're still my brother, Ashi."

Kohl had looked pleased, nodding. "As you will always be mine, Madi."

As a gift, Elor, the Madi of Taka Tribe, asked Havelen to describe Alethean clothing to a Taka woman named Aspa who had looked incredulous and then asked her several questions, still doubtful, and then taken her measurements.

In a short time, Havelen had an accurate Alethean dress, if more colorful than she was used to. It was a kind gesture. She'd asked that the undergarments be plain white, unable to quite imagine them so colorful, and the Taka seamstress had given her another doubtful glance, like the color was incomplete somehow.

It was a day dress with a scoop neckline that hugged her chest down to her hips and then flared, ending below her knees, several busy patterns sewn together, her favorite a deep purple with red flowers. It had a gold sash and slippers. Under it was a plain white camisole and white underwear. Things felt more constricting than the Rangisin clothing, but familiar, too.

The night before the gathering, she tried the dress on. She didn't have a mirror, but everything seemed to fit well, Havelen looking down, her hands smoothing it.

At that moment, Kohl returned from speaking with the madis, coming into their tent. He grinned, slowing and walking around her. "I remember you in this clothing from the grove. I love this. I could see your collarbones and parts of your chest, so tantalizing, and your throat where your pulse was, and I could smell your skin, and it fit your body to your hips and over your breasts--not that you had as much of any of those things at the time--"

She almost smiled, controlling it. "End it, Kohl."

He walked around her again, behind her, his hands going to her hips. "You do now, Havi. You have the prettiest curves I ever imagined, and I imagined them a lot. In the grove, your skirt was cut off before it reached the floor and you didn't wear pants under it and I could see your knees sometimes and your beautiful legs and sometimes a flash of your fat thighs. You drove me crazy."

Her mouth had fallen open. "I'm not fat. This is what an Alethean woman wears."

He came around her front. "You're fat in beautiful places. I wanted to lift your skirts so badly and find out what you wore, because I saw so much of your upper thighs that I thought maybe you didn't wear anything and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Alethean women wear something, right, under that little skirt?"

"Of course we wear something. It just fits closer."

His brows went up. "I remember that time you fell backward off the branch and your skirts flew up and I swore I caught a flash of white cloth, but I couldn't quite tell and I was laughing too hard anyway. Is this underwear white?"

She frowned lightly. "Yes."

Kohl grinned and his tongue came out from between his teeth, caught there for a moment. "Show them to me."

Havelen was, again, trying not to grin. "I will not. Leave me alone."

"Come on, Havi. Lift your skirt and show her your Alethean underwear."

She laughed. "Toss off."

"I wanted to know and I couldn't before because you were too young and so innocent and I cannot tell you how difficult it was for me." He walked behind her where she couldn't see him and waited.

She never could refuse him anything, and he knew it. Havelen made a face and bent down, grabbing the edge of her skirt, and she lifted it to her thighs, taking a deep breath, and then lifted it up to her waist.

Kohl was quiet.

"Kohl?" she said, turning her head and trying to see him.

"

Undé

. You call that covered? I can see the cheeks of your butt and the swell of your sweet Alethean--"

"Kohl!"

"Come to bed with me," he said, catching her hand, and now he was pulling.

"Wait. Let me take the dress off, at least."

"No. Leave it on. I like it so much." He moved, directly behind her again, Havelen trying to face him, but he simply moved with her. "I want to see the underwear more." One hand went under the edge of her skirt, riding up her thigh and cupping her butt cheek, Havelen squirming. Kohl came closer and his voice was in her ear, soft, his hand rubbing in circles. "The underwear makes me want to smack your bottom."

A deep sinking went through her belly, Havelen's heart began to pound, and not with fear. In a moment, she was looking at a cushion. His hand went to her right wrist with his left hand, enclosing the limb, holding it down, his same arm a bar across her back, guiding her downward.

Her butt was directly over his right knee, which he raised. His other hand slowly lifted her skirt.

When he leaned, Havelen felt like she was sliding off, straightening her outside leg and putting the toes of her foot down, keeping herself there, having to spread her legs. That seemed to be what he wanted, because his hand came, rounding her bottom, rubbing there, making it warm.

"You have a gorgeous ass, Havi."

The first was loud in the room, her butt cheeks stinging, now on the other cheek, and they came fast. His sex was hard against her belly. He stopped, his fingers slipped between her legs on her underwear, rubbing her sex over the cloth, pressing.

It began again, Kohl's hand heavy, her bottom getting hot. Rubbing her bottom again, taking the sting, his fingers slipping down between her legs, more deep rubbing over the cloth with two fingers. She didn't move, letting it happen, noisy, probably, not caring. As his hand came down again, the smacking loud, it was lower now on her cheeks where her thigh met her buttocks, sensitive. Crying out, she yelped.

She could feel how wet she was when his fingers returned, and now he smacked her twice in a row, one on each cheek, his hand coming between her legs and rubbing, smacking her again on her butt. She realized she was fighting him a little with her hand, Kohl holding her wrist down and tighter.

"Fuck, you're sexy," he said, lifting her to her feet and facing her away from him, bringing her onto the bed with him sitting on her butt, her back straight, kneeling behind her.

He pulled her against himself behind her and put her wrists in one hand, her elbows bent, pulling them tight against her chest. His knees were straddling her hips. He tapped and Havelen spreading her legs, her skirt falling behind her, her knees flush with the tops of his thighs. His hand returned to her sex over her underwear, rubbing the same way, holding her wrists tight.

Her toes curled, Havelen not bothering to struggle as he rubbed in circles, digging in. Drawing inward, her knees raised, her feet leaving the bed, his movements faster, rubbing the whole area. Her underwear was soaking wet, three of his fingers wedged over the cloth and rubbing in firm circles over her clitoris.

He opened his left arm away from his body, her head falling through it onto her back, his arm hooked under her knees and pulling her legs straight up and together, what he'd done before. Her knees were slightly bent, the tops of her feet on his shoulders, his head to one side of them. At the same time, he pulled her underwear over her bottom and to her thighs, leaving them there, Kohl looking down at her butt.

She turned her face into his side as his fingers came and were slippery up and down her slit, and then one finger went into her sex, returning to rub up and down on her clitoris. He fingered her, pushing in and out, adding a finger, going faster. She couldn't move, dimly realizing how much noise she was still making.

Wet to her thighs, Havelen held still for it as he rubbed her wetness all over her sex, her clitoris distended and sensitive. He smacked her and rubbed her and then he spread her legs, her heels digging into the mattress and staying there.

His fingers were there, slipping two fingers into her, pushing fast, coming out and rubbing over her clitoris again, and doing it more, Havelen's eyes seeing nothing. She couldn't move. He smacked her open sex and she jumped, pulsing, Kohl already rubbing again.

He smacked right over her clitoris, three solid slaps, heavy, and then rubbed, her cries loud, two fingers going back inside her, jerking in and out of her body. The most intense pleasure was coming, but Kohl was moving her, on his knees, putting her on her back. She heard his knife drop, that familiar sound.

"You like that so much, baby," he panted.

Havelen's hair was in her face and she didn't care because she didn't need to see. He turned her lower half, crossing one knee, bent, the other leg straight. He straddled her straight leg and ran his sex up and down her slit, finding her and pushing into her, always so big, getting over her sideways and rucking her hip up, beginning to thrust, his weight heavy.

He found a rhythm. When he backed off, on his knees, he lifted her bent leg higher, her sex exposed, Kohl looking at it and thrusting harder, her motions tight and eager.

Straightening her and pushing her onto her belly, he put his legs between hers and spread her wide, his hand going to the back of her neck. Her knees bent, arching. He was thrusting into her from high up, Havelen struggling and squirming because it felt good to do so.

When she did that, he grunted and made a deep sound in his throat, grabbing her arms and pulling them straight behind her, her wrists in his hand again. Havelen collapsed, her face on the bed, her head turning to the side.

He spanked her, heavy, thrusting faster now, Havelen squirming. "Hold still so I can fuck you, pretty Alethean," he grunted.

When she did, his fingers slipped under her, searching, finding her clitoris. His touch was almost delicate, exploring the swollen pouch of it, and then he gave a pinch and a tug, rough rubbing.

Havelen closed her eyes and the feeling spread, a cramp-tingling that became straining pleasure, a deep and long wave.

His hand retreated, his hips thrusting faster. "Usda kamel, I love to ride you and feel you come on my cock. You are such a pleasure to fuck."

Havelen was lost to all of it, dimly aware of him, her voice following her sensations as she pulsed and writhed. The pleasure finally released her, ebbing, Havelen panting, going limp. This was followed by rough stabs and then he held in her, crying out and giving a series of satisfied grunts. Kohl hardly paused to roll onto his side, bringing her with him. His heart was pounding against her. His hand slid down and cupped her butt, which was hot. "You're always seducing me," he panted.

"You cannot be serious," she said between breaths. "All I did was get dressed."

He turned her on her back and kissed her. "I'll be back, little ashea." He began to pull away from her.

Her hand came to his shoulder, stopping him. "Where are you going, Rangisin?"

"To get you hot water."

"I've already had a bath."

"That was before I spanked all your pretty places. Now you need to sit in hot water and I have some cream."

She smiled, releasing him. "All right."

He leaned down and kissed her, drawing back. "Don't worry if I'm gone for a time. I need to find a tub big enough for your butt."

"End it, Kohl!" she cried, his laughter clear and then muffled as he went through and closed the flap behind himself.

When he was gone, Havelen rose and took the dress off, her bottom hot, spreading the dress carefully. She didn't think it was too wrinkled.

* * *

The meeting began the next day. In the large tent, there were the madis, as well as the heads of the bands, but it was far more crowded around the perimeter and outside the tent, everyone there, it seemed, layers of the three tribes craning and murmuring. They all knew the news that had been brought back from Shosa and the nature of the decision in front of them.

Pek stood up. "We have munitions, now, to fight the guards. The weapons from the cache in Shosa that the Sadun brought have been refitted and charged and our fighters will be armed."

A man almost outside the tent stood up. "With technology three hundred years old?" He sat again.

"Refitted, I said," Pek replied.

Anik stood next to Pek. "Does it matter how old it is if it kills? It's not like the Aletheans have been making new kinds of weapons. They have the wardens. We'll be holding training on the plateau. It's not difficult to aim them, but all the fighters should make sure you know how to work with what you're given."

Pek and Anik sat down.

A head of one of the bands in Shaga Tribe stood up, looking at Havelen. "What can you tell us about the Sanctuary, Ashea? Can you describe the shield room?" He sat down.

Havelen stood. "I've only seen the shield room in the same records some of you also viewed. I do know that the lower halls are reached past the main entrance, but you have to pass by the guard room to reach the stairway. There's camera surveillance and motion detectors. There's one door to access the stairs and another guard room posted at the bottom."

"Well, we won't be sneaking them in there," a man said from across the room.

"Stand up if you're going to speak," Asun, the Madi of Taol Tribe, said, his voice gruff.

A woman rose, one of the heads from Taka Tribe, addressing Havelen. "How many do we face there, Ashea?" She sat down.

"There are ten wardens and one hundred Alethean guards at the Sanctuary," she answered. "Nine wardens, I should say, and the one in the desert, wherever he is. I've provided a map of the Sanctuary as I remember it to the madis, although I wasn't allowed into all the areas when I lived there."

A man sitting across from them stood, also from Taka Tribe, but not one of the heads. "I mean no insult, but I don't believe I'm the only one thinking it. You're an Alethean. Why would you betray your own people to help us?" He didn't sit down.

Kohl stood beside her. "The madis don't doubt her. I don't."

Pek stood. "The ashea has the confidence of the heads of the clans, as well. They've seen the records from Shosa."

"I would like to answer," Havelen said.

Pek and Kohl sat down.

She looked around. "It's important to me that the desert Rangisins understand something. The Leopol-át aren't all Aletheans. They aren't most of us. They aren't even some of us. They are a few of us who seized power hundreds of years ago. The rest of the Aletheans didn't agree to do this to the Rangisins, and we have never benefited from it. I was taken from my home by the Leopol-át when I was seven and those I knew as my parents were killed by a warden for hiding me. Where I was raised, Aletheans suffer like the Rangisins do in the villages. Wardens walk the Commons. We work in factories or mines all our lives and call ourselves lucky to serve the Leopol-át however they want to use us. We're kept hungry and filthy and ignorant. We die young and sick and know our children will see no better. I don't say the Rangisins don't have cause to be angry at the Aletheans, but we are as trapped by those in power on Herun as you are. My people and yours were allies once. I wouldn't be betraying my people. We would be freeing the Aletheans, and the Rangisins, together."

People were murmuring as she sat.

Elor stood. "Are there any further concerns about the Alethean ashea?" She sat.

The room was quiet.

A clan head from Shaga Tribe stood. "If we can't sneak the ashis in there and we can't fight the wardens, how do we get them to the shield room?" He didn't sit down.

Asun stood. "We can fight the wardens. We just can't win. But we can create a diversion to draw all the wardens from the Sanctuary while three hundred of our fighters take the Sanctuary from the Alethean guards. Against them, we can fight and win."

Another man from Shaga Tribe shot to his feet. "A diversion, Madi. Against ten wardens," he said, speaking to Asun. "

Neither of the two men sat down.

"A coordinated attack," Pek said, standing with Asun.

"With wardens, that's just another word for slaughter," another man stood up to join the other two to say, this time from Taka Tribe. "They'll rip our people apart."

"We'll have some things in place," Anik said, standing with Pek and Asun. "We have some ideas. We might be able to slow them."

"The moment that the ashis unlock the shield room, the ribbon will recalibrate and the wardens will be stripped of power," Pek added.

The room erupted into talking. "And until then?" a fourth man said, standing with the first three. "We're just supposed to feed our people to the wardens?"

Kohl stood, his finger coming out, stabbing down, everyone going quiet. "It's worse than that. It's not just the tribes. In order to have any chance of ensuring all ten of the wardens are sent from the Sanctuary to fight us, leaving it protected only by the Alethean guards so we can get in there, we're going to need more than a thousand fighters. The tribes can't do this alone. We're going to need Talmyth. Even one warden left behind at the Sanctuary and everything will fail. We need to alarm King Vincet Leopol-át, to show the Rangisins in numbers he didn't know existed, to demonstrate technology and weapons he didn't know we had. This is a feint with a knife and we switch hands on him. The stronger we look, the more likely he is to give us what we need to win. We must show a force as large as possible, and Talmyth has three times alone what the tribes could bring, as well as skimmers and a cache of sophisticated weapons."

Everyone sat down, one after the other. There was an appalled silence.

A man from Taka Tribe stood, looking like he didn't know quite how to say it. "If we lose, Ashi, we lose everything. Everyone. If we lose Talmyth, there are no more Rangisins." He sat again.

People broke out into talking, the whole place filling with voices.

Asun stood, everyone going quiet. "The tribes have thirty-four days before King Vincet Leopol-át unleashes ten wardens into the desert to kill everyone in the tribes. We have a choice. We can retreat into Nabed where we'll be hunted down, losing our fighters to wardens while our people starve behind us, waiting for death. Or, we can face the same wardens now, knowing that many of us will die at their hands, but that it is possible that, because we stood together as a people to face them, the Rangisins who survive might be free for the first time in three hundred years. This is our chance to fight. This is our only chance. Talmyth must face this with us while the tribes still exist, while the ashis still exist, because without them, Talmyth will never be free of the wardens." He sat down.

Elor, the Madi of Taka Tribe, stood. "When the ashis came to me before going to Shosa, following the prophecy, I asked them to find us a choice, however unlikely, something more than what we'd been given. A way to fight, even if we couldn't win. In my bitterness, I only asked to avoid the indignity of dying as a hunted people. They've brought us more than that. They have brought us hope, a chance, however unlikely, and the only one we're going to get. The cost for taking that chance is high, yes, but the alternative is the same cost as failure. Why wouldn't we do this if we know that in less than a cycle, we are going to pay that price anyway?" She sat.