by Peter Wacht
Whoever she married would have to understand that she could take care of herself. Yet, if all her choices resembled Maddan in any way, she promised herself that she would die a spinster. In one of Kaylie's history lessons her teacher had explained that many times a princess married for the good of the kingdom, forsaking her own interests for those of her people. After hearing that, she stormed into her father's office and told him quite clearly that she would marry who she wanted, when she wanted, and that it would be for love and no other reason. He had laughed, amused by her set jaw and blazing eyes. Admittedly, looking back now it was kind of funny, since she had been ten years old at the time. But it didn't seem all that long ago now that she had to think about the real possibility of marriage. Kaylie was drawn from her thoughts by a scream. She reached for the dagger in her belt on impulse.
Looking behind her, she discovered that Lissa had almost been thrown from her saddle. A fox had shot between the legs of her horse and startled the animal. Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem, as Lissa was an expert rider. But Kaylie knew better. Recently Lissa had been focusing more of her attention on Eric, whom she found remarkably handsome. So she went to great lengths to flirt with him. It was of little use. Though blessed with good looks, at times he could be a little dense. The only way she was going to get him interested was to be more direct. Lissa had gotten so caught up in her task that she hadn't paid attention to her riding. Thankfully, Eric reached back and took hold of the bridle, steadying Lissa's horse. She quickly regained her seat, though she had to drag herself halfway back up her horse's rump.
"Don't worry, my lady," said Eric with conviction. "I will protect you from the dangers of the forest."
Maybe Lissa was getting to Eric after all, Kaylie considered. He normally didn't say more than a few words at a time. In fact, his latest statement qualified as a speech.
Turning back around in her saddle, Kaylie realized they had reached their destination. With just a few more steps they broke through the trees and entered a large glade. At the far end a small waterfall fell fifteen feet into a large pool of water. They had traveled mostly in shadows to make it here, the dense foliage of the Burren blocking the sun. Though a thick mass of branches spread out over the lake, the sun broke through in several places. It was well past noon, so Kaylie and her friends set up a makeshift camp. Eric was even gallant enough to help Lissa down from her horse. When Maddan offered to do the same for her, grinning up at her insolently, Kaylie ignored him. Why did men always assume a woman needed help? If she needed assistance, she'd ask for it.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
Chance Encounter
Thomas and Beluil reached the glade just after Kaylie and her friends. He was above them, concealed by the rocks at the top of the waterfall with Beluil lying beside him. They had followed the trail of evil for almost an hour now. For some reason the Ogren had stopped, so he had stopped as well so he could study these strangers. Thomas adjusted the leather guard on his right forearm, making sure it covered his birthmark. He still remembered his grandfather's warning about the power of the image of the raptor and did not want to take any unnecessary chances.
He and Beluil had considered moving closer to their prey, but they had decided against it for now. The Ogren were still about a mile away, and if they remained where they were, the beasts would have more of a chance to discover Thomas and Beluil's approach. That's something he definitely didn't want. As long as the Ogren didn't move any closer to this group of travelers, it would be all right. Besides, they had captured his interest. This was the first time he had seen people his own age since he had escaped the Crag. Thomas looked down at the group, somewhat puzzled. Most people stayed out of the Burren unless they had a reason to be there, and a picnic wasn't a good reason.
He and Beluil had heard the group travel to the glade from a good distance away. Luckily for them, it appeared that the Ogren had not. These people obviously were more accustomed to life in the city. They probably didn't know how far their voices carried in the woods, as well as the sound of the horses' hooves crunching on the brush covering the forest floor.
Thomas was a quiet person by nature, yet these people were chatterboxes, particularly the small boy with the scraggly hair and three of the girls, one of whom was talking incessantly to a large boy with blond hair. Every so often she would touch his arm with her hand, or even leave it there for a moment. Thomas wondered what that meant, and why the boy allowed it. In just the few minutes he had watched her, Thomas had found the blonde girl with her constant babbling extremely annoying.
However, one girl, the one who sat on the other side of the camp away from the others, seemed different. She was mesmerizing. Her long, black hair and blue eyes gave her a beauty most could only dream of. Thomas couldn’t take his eyes from her.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
False Tale
"It was just the other day, in fact, that I came within a whisker of beating Kael in the training circle," said Maddan, as he bit into a piece of chicken. He wiped the grease that dribbled down the side of his mouth on his sleeve before throwing the bone into the forest. Picking out another chicken leg, he lounged back against a tree. "It won't be long before I'm given a post in the army, and from there, well, who knows. Swordmaster, perhaps?"
"You almost beat Kael?" asked Camilla in a doubtful tone. "Kael is the best swordsman in Fal Carrach. Maybe in all the Kingdoms."
Maddan had hoped that Kaylie would be the one to ask, but she was sitting on the other side of the camp, closer to the trees than the lake. How was he supposed to impress her if she wasn't listening to him as she should? The thought that she might not want to listen to him never crossed his mind. His father was the richest, and most powerful man after Gregory, in all of Fal Carrach. Yet, instead of following in his footsteps, his father had other plans for him. A commission in the army was the first step, Swordmaster the next. And from there, well, who knew? As his father had explained to him several times in the last few months, the quickest way to the throne was through the princess.
"Yes, I almost beat Kael," Maddan said in a louder voice. Kaylie couldn’t help but hear him now. "I was about to make the winning move when I had a bit of bad luck." Maddan shrugged his shoulders as if to say there was nothing he could have done about it. "Someone had left a scabbard in the circle that lay half concealed in the dust. When I made my thrust, my foot slipped on it. If not for that, I would have bested him for sure."
The girls listened to Maddan's story, not sure whether to believe him. Everything he said sounded plausible. For Kaylie there was no doubt. Maddan was lying. She had learned long before that boys liked to brag, thinking it impressed girls. Many times it worked, but not on her. Maddan misinterpreted Kaylie’s smile of disbelief as permission to continue with his story. Standing up, he began to replay the struggle, mimicking his movements from the day before.
"It was an even fight in the beginning," he said. "We parried each others' attacks for several minutes." Maddan made several lunges with his blade and demonstrated a few defensive positions. The girls were entranced by his performance, so much so that even Lissa was watching him, Eric momentarily forgotten. "Then I saw the opening I wanted, and I took it."
Maddan lunged forward quickly, sword leveled at Nikola. He brought it to a stop just a foot from her face, earning a scream of fright followed by giggles for his efforts.
"I attacked swiftly, lunging to the left, then the right and finally swinging low for his legs. All Kael could do was go backward. I refused to give him room to escape." He was now jumping around the circle, caught up in his imaginary battle.
"I knew I had him, so I continued to attack. I lunged forward, ready to deliver the killing blow, but the scabbard got in the way, and though I tried to recover, Kael took advantage of my misstep and won the duel. If not for that scabbard, I would have won easily."
Nikola and Camilla beamed at Maddan in admiration as he stood there posing after his almost-certain victory. They both look
ed at Kaylie, who was obviously not paying attention, in bewilderment. How could she not be interested in Maddan? He was so dashing, and so handsome.
"Tripped on your own two feet, rather," said Rohn, his mind elsewhere as he gnawed on a chicken leg. "Wasn't a scabbard within thirty feet of the circle."
"What did you say?" said Maddan, turning an angry glare on his friend. His face was beet red, from embarrassment or fury Kaylie couldn't tell.
"I said you tripped over your own two feet. There wasn't a scabbard anywhere near—"
Maddan moved closer to Rohn, his sword still in his hand. Rohn gulped as his friend approached, and immediately decided that prudence should win out over the truth.
"Ah, sorry. I was mistaken. As you said, you tripped over a scabbard. I was there. I saw it. You tripped over a scabbard. No two ways about it." Rohn had a hard time staying quiet. As a result, he had learned quickly that disagreeing with Maddan wasn't always a good idea even if you were his friend, so he had perfected the art of backtracking.
Maddan nodded, satisfied. He sat down again, biting into his unfinished piece of chicken. He glanced quickly at Kaylie and saw that she was looking into the trees. He wondered why. His story had the desired effect on Nikola and Camilla. Why not her as well?
"I hope we don't get lost," said Nikola, shuddering at the possibility. "I don't like forests, and I've heard of evil things lurking in the Burren. Monsters that walk the woods during the night."
"Not to worry," said Maddan, seeing another opportunity to improve his chances with Kaylie. "There is absolutely no way we can get lost."
"And why is that?" asked Rohn.
If nothing else, his help in allowing Maddan to brag would make up for Rohn’s earlier indiscretion. Besides, he was curious as to what Maddan was going to come up with next. His lie about going to Oakwood Forest to practice their woodlore was exactly that — a lie. The three had spent all of their lives in the city. The closest they had been to nature, until now, was at the various fairs that took place outside the city's walls.
"I'm glad you asked that, Rohn," replied Maddan, adopting a knowledgeable tone. "You see, there is a very simple way to find your way out of any forest."
"You're right, Maddan," interrupted Eric. "That's easy enough. You just keep walking until there aren't any more trees." Eric laughed at his joke, as did Lissa, perhaps louder than necessary. Lissa was obviously having an effect on Eric for him to join in the conversation. Maddan wasn't amused, so he continued as if he hadn't been disturbed.
"As I was saying, you can tell what direction you should go by the way the branches on certain trees bend."
Maddan rambled on with his explanation, but Kaylie had already tuned him out. His voice was simply an annoying distraction to her now as she looked out across the glade and the trees surrounding it.
Eyes half closed, she enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing through her hair. It was nice to get out of the castle, especially on a day like this. Most of the time the Rock was either musty or cold or damp. The warm sun beating down on her was making her sleepy, so she let her mind wander, wondering what it would be like to live in the forest instead of a castle. She'd like to try it some day. That's odd. The horses were nervous. Instead of eating the grass where they were hobbled, they were prancing around. Ah, well. It was probably nothing. Kaylie went back to her sun and her dreams of living in a house made of wood instead of huge blocks of stone.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
Danger
Thomas couldn't believe the lies spouting from the boy's mouth. You can make your way in the forest by interpreting the way the branches of a tree bent? The shocking thing was that most of his friends believed him, except for the dark-haired one sitting closer to the forest. She wasn’t paying any attention to him at all.
Well, at least one of them had the intelligence to distinguish between fact and fiction. She really was remarkably beautiful. He wondered why she was with these people, since she really didn't fit in. He shook his head in disbelief and looked down at Beluil, who mimicked his expression. This group didn't belong in any forest, much less the Burren.
Thomas quickly rose from a crouch, turning to the west. The Ogren were moving closer, and the horses sensed them now. Thomas saw the signs of movement in the forest, no more than a quarter mile away from the glade. They were making directly for it. Thomas cursed himself. He should have been paying more attention to the Ogren he was tracking than a girl he didn't even know. It was a stupid mistake, and too late to be corrected. He'd have to move fast. Sending images to Beluil, Thomas told him what to do. In an instant, the large wolf ran into the forest.
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
A Warning
Rynlin rarely had the opportunity to relax. Thomas thought that Rya was only good at finding things for him to do. He was wrong. She was very good at finding things for anyone to do, including himself. Rynlin really hadn't wanted to go with Thomas, believing that it was time for the boy to be out on his own. With his weapons training, he should be able to take care of himself now. But Rya had insisted, and it was easier to just agree with her rather than argue. So he had come along, determined to give Thomas the freedom he desired, and a few peaceful hours to himself. The herbs and roots could wait.
As he lay against the bark of the tree, his mind wandered. He enjoyed not having to think or worry. Rya did enough of that for the both of them. With Beluil there, he doubted Thomas would get into any trouble anyway. Though his wife didn't believe him completely, Thomas knew how to use the weapons he carried. His instructors had confirmed it. Thomas was a quick learner and pushed himself even harder when he was in the ring.
Still, no matter how hard Rynlin tried to escape it, his mind kept coming back to one thing. Dark creatures. The Great Sharks were the minions of the Shadow Lord. They normally didn't bother to approach boats in the channel linking the Highlands to the Isle of Mist like they had earlier in the day. Yes, they would attack a boat in open water at the first opportunity, but why try when they knew they could never reach the skiff? They weren't very smart, having nothing more in life than the kill, but they weren't stupid either. What worried him even more was that they were much more numerous than in recent years.
What had happened earlier today only substantiated what he had been hearing over the last few months from his fellow Sylvan Warriors. The creatures that formed the Dark Horde were becoming restless. Many were hunting in the Highlands and around the Breaker more often than usual, which wasn't necessarily an anomaly according to Daran Sharban, the Sylvan Warrior stationed at the point where the Highlands met the Breaker.
Nevertheless, Rynlin had a bad feeling about it. Just the other day Catal Huyuk, a Sylvan Warrior living in the mountains bordering the Clanwar Desert, had run into several Ogren. It was the first time since the Great War that the creatures of the Dark Horde had traveled so far to the west. Rynlin's mind continued to ponder the situation for several minutes, looking for a reason why, yet to no avail.
His mind continued to drift when something deep within him forced him to wake. A warning. Evil in the Burren. Ogren were moving directly toward Thomas. The necklaces that had been in his family for millennia had again proven their worth, allowing Rynlin to pinpoint the location of his grandson immediately. Jumping up from his seat, Rynlin ran through the dense forest. If anything happened to Thomas, Rya would never forgive him, and he'd never forgive himself. With the speed of desperation, Rynlin took hold of the Talent. He hoped he wasn’t too late.
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
Frozen
Kaylie's friends had moved to the edge of the lake. Having grown tired of his storytelling since Kaylie wasn't paying attention, Maddan was now amusing himself in other ways. Both he and Rohn had a hold of Nikola — one by the shoulders, the other by the legs — and were swinging her out over the water. Nikola squealed half in terror and half in delight, while Eric, Lissa and Camilla looked on laughing.
Kaylie glanced up at the branches above her, running almost co
mpletely across the lake. She had been right. The trees were almost woven together in some places, and the branches were thick enough to walk on. She thought about giving it a try for a moment, then decided against it. Maddan would probably tell her father about it, and her father wouldn't be happy. Maddan would say he was only trying to protect her, when what he was really trying to do was ingratiate himself with her father.
The soft whinnies and shuffling of hooves drew her attention. Something in the forest was bothering the horses. Kaylie rose from her seat and headed toward them, hoping a few carrots to munch on would settle them down. She stopped halfway there. Something didn't feel right. The forest had grown quiet, the silence making her uneasy. She decided it was time to go back to Ballinasloe, and as quickly as they could ride.
"Maddan," she said, turning toward the lake, "I think it's time to go—"
A roar shattered the silence, causing the horses to pull frantically at their tethers in an effort to break free. Another roar answered the first, sending a chill down her spine. Kaylie leapt back from where she stood as two monsters burst into the glade. She wanted to run away as fast as she could, but her legs wouldn’t move. The beasts roared again, lifting their heads to the sky and displaying rows of sharp teeth. They had to be Ogren. They were twice the size of a man, standing at least ten feet tall.
