reborn empire that a free settlement existed. If things continued at this pace, the race could soon claim three kingdoms instead of two.
And they'll probably try to make me emperor at that point. He snorted, not so much out of the ridiculousness of the possibility but rather at the realization that he was already well on his way to becoming such a figurehead. Already the others looked to Kaz as their leader. His reputation, instead of being sullied by rebellion against his former masters, had earned him respect in the eyes of many. His past glories in the circus also lent him an air of strength, for he was the only one of his rank who had ever chosen retirement rather than demanding his right to challenge the emperor for the throne.
Kaz grunted. He knew he had to return to Helati and tell her that her brother had missed yet another rendezvous. Hecar should have returned from the capital long ago. There was no denying now that something must have happened. Paladine protect you, Hecar! Why couldn't you listen to me? Going back to Nethosak was asking for trouble!
The tall, dark-furred minotaur started back to the dwelling he shared with his mate of two years' standing. Perhaps it would have been better to remain in the icy south, but after the snow wraiths and dwarves of frozen Farahngrad, the warmer and quieter north had looked extremely inviting. More important, the time in the south had brought Kaz and Helati closer to one another in a shorter time than even he could have dreamt. Instead of journeying across all of Ansalon, the two had instead decided to settle in a quiet, wooded region far south of their homeland. Hecar, never one to abandon his sister, had decided to build a place there, too.
In settling down, Kaz had found a peace that had escaped him all his life. He had really known nothing but battle since he had been young enough to train, and now he realized that quiet solitude, combined with sharing that quiet with someone he loved, was preferable. He and Helati had made a home for themselves, acting in many ways more like humans than like minotaurs. Kaz saw nothing demeaning in that. Despite his race's obvious superiority in some matters, the minotaurs truly were deficient in most important aspects of life. Humans could appreciate things that most minotaurs, not understanding, would have scoffed at. Humans were not perfect, but they were admirable in some ways.
Of course, he had met one of the greatest humans, so perhaps, Kaz thought, his opinion was biased. Huma of the Lance, the now legendary hero of the war against Takhisis, the dark goddess, had been one of the bravest, most honorable warriors Kaz had ever known. It was a friendship that should not have thrived, but it had, ending only when the young knight had died vanquishing the Dragon Queen. Kaz had been there,
But that never seems to be the way. He snorted. I try to live in peace and only end up mired in one battle after another. Not that I haven't purposely walked straight into a few.
The first newcomers arrived shortly after the trio had settled here. Once the first travelers arrived, it seemed to him as if half the minotaurs in the empire followed. Worse, they all seemed to know who he was… and had been. The past that Kaz had thought buried seemed more alive than ever.
I will not go back to Nethosak! he thought, snarling quietly. I will not go back there again!
Yet if Hecar was in danger, what else could Kaz do?
He found Helati exactly where he expected her to be, cradling the newly born twins and trying to sing them to sleep. For a minotaur, his mate's voice was surprisingly melodious. He had thought it pleasant from the very first time he had heard it. Then, Kaz had been a prisoner of a band of minotaurs, hunters sent to bring him back on a mission of honorable purpose. The leaders of the band did not have any intention of giving him the opportunity to defend his actions, but a few had believed in him. Helati and her brother had been among those. When the matter had been settled, they remained with him. He could not have been more pleased. She was still the most beautiful female he had ever seen, and a fine companion in battle as well.
Her features were refined, gentle. Standing, she was a bit shorter than he was. Helati's horns were about half as long as his own. None of this meant that she was weak. She had been a seasoned warrior when he first met her, and the tricks he had taught her since made her better than most larger and stronger warriors.
The twins shifted restlessly. Both the male and the female were fitful like Kaz, though in looks they favored their mother. He wondered if that would change as they grew older. He wondered if he would be around to witness the changes.
The dwelling he and Helati had built was simple, a stone-and-wood hut with three small rooms. Some of the newcomers had built larger homes, but Kaz wanted only what his family needed. He was not in competition for status. Perhaps that was why the other minotaurs looked to him for guidance. They knew he cared nothing about fighting for dominance; he intended to live simply, as he and Helati desired.
Helati looked up as he neared. His expression was all she needed to see. 'You're going, aren't you?'
'I have to.'
'Why?'
'Because if I don't, Helati, I know you will.'
There was no denying that. 'Hecar is my brother, Kaz. By rights, I should be the one to search for him.'
'And if there was not something more important for you to deal with,' he said, indicating the two squirming bundles, 'then I might let you go.' But he wouldn't, in any case. If it weren't for the children, Kaz still would have sought some excuse to prevent his mate from riding off to treacherous Nethosak.
She looked down at the pair. Kyris, the boy, had a broader face and tiny buds that would someday grow into horns as great in length as those of his father. His sister,
Sekra, was just a little smaller and more narrow, but darker-furred. The stubs where her horns would come in were barely noticeable, as a female's horns grew in later and to a lesser size than those of a male. Both children were, of course, perfect in the eyes of their parents.
'You could just as easily take care of them as I.' Her tone was hesitant, however, caught as she was between her care for her brother and her love for her children.
'You know they cooperate with you much more than they do with me, Helati.' She could not deny that. The infants loved their father, but their mother had what seemed a sort of magic touch. Where Kaz might take all night to coax them to sleep, Helati would need only an hour… or two. The twins shared his rebellious nature, all right. 'And we can't take them with us, now can we? Not if something's amiss in Nethosak.'
Looking up, she locked gazes with him. 'You know it might be dangerous for you to go back.'
'Go back where?' asked another voice.
A shorter, muscular minotaur with a mixture of black and brown fur and a long snout came trotting toward them. One broken horn spoke of his past in the Great Circus. Brogan never talked about his experience there, much the way Kaz never did. Brogan visited them often, possibly because he had no family in the settlement, not even distant kin.
Kaz saw no reason to hide the truth. The others would notice his absence. 'I'm going back. Hecar hasn't returned from Nethosak. I'm going to find him.'
Snorting, Brogan replied, 'I'll gather the others. We'll be ready when you are.'
'I'm going alone.'
'Alone?' The other minotaur snorted again. His thick hands curled into fists. 'Not alone! You don't know what it's like back there-'
'Brogan.' Kaz's quiet tone commanded silence. 'I can't very well go riding into the imperial capital with a conspicuous force behind me. A lone rider will make less disturbance than fifty. Besides, it's been over eight years. It's less likely someone will recognize me. The war and the time since then have made changes.'
'We could follow you.'
'You haven't been gone that long. People will spot you or the others more easily than they would me. Besides, I work better alone.' That was not entirely true, but other than Helati or Hecar, there was no one he would trust to follow his lead… Well, there was one more, but 'trust' was not exactly the right word where a kender was concerned. 'Desperately hope' to follow his lead was more accurate. Fortunately, the kender concerned was not here.
Brogan looked unconvinced. He turned to Helati, but she looked away. Helati, more than anyone else, knew how Kaz worked best. It was not to her liking, but Helati was aware that he had a better chance of success without others to betray his presence.
