“Well, well.”
I glanced up at the men, hate burning in my veins, and Jared shot me a secretive smile.
Panic struck my throat as I realized exactly what it meant.
He knew.
“Why don’t you go collect us some more wood, Erwan?” Jared’s eyes never left my face. “I would go myself, but someone’s got to watch the boy.”
Erwan shot Jared a confused look. “I just brought a whole lot of it-”
Jared snapped, “Just fetch us more wood, you dolt.”
As soon as the large man had retired from sight, the bandit turned to face me, hunger playing across his malevolent gaze. Shadows from the fire leaped and danced, making the narrow chin, the long blond tresses, every inch of the swallow-faced man all the more menacing.
“Who would have thought?” he sneered. “A girl. And here I said no trickery when you were intending to play us all along.”
I glanced around the site, desperate for an escape. If I ran now, would I make it far? I couldn’t fight in the condition I was in. I’d only tussled with local children, never a full-grown man. I might be able to wrestle a boy my brother’s size, but not someone a good foot taller and fifty pounds heavier.
Jared took a step closer, fingering the scabbard at his hip. “Now if you don’t put up a fuss, I might be willing to forgive you.”
Terror. Hate. Anger. Rage. The emotions all raced through me in a coursing panic. Bile filled my throat once more as sweat and fear drenched my skin. I tried to step back and tripped, both hands slamming the ground behind me. I cried out as the burned skin collided with hard earth, extreme pain and heat searing into my arm.
Jared leaped at me, flattening both wrists with his hands as his knees pinned my legs.
I will not scream.
The man bent low, breathing a foul, sour stench as he thrust his lips on mine. I threw my head forward and up, slamming it into his nose. Jared jerked back too late. There was a satisfying crunch and then the thick spray of blood.
“You insolent wench!” The man released my arm and struck my face, making me see nothing but black until my sight returned seconds later.
My face stung, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my hand as he dug his nails into the burn. Tears swarmed my vision, and I wished desperately I had found a way to access my magic. Like Alex.
Jared reached for the top of my tunic, and I swung my free arm as hard as it could reach. The man caught it, and I threw my weight into his hold, hoping to catch him off balance.
My act failed, and he sent me sprawling back, slapping me much harder than the last. I prepared for familiar darkness and was shocked instead when golden hues flooded my vision.
I barely registered my shock before the screaming started. I thought it was mine, but it was coming from the wrong direction.
I wondered if my hearing had been damaged.
The stifling pressure and golden glow released its hold. Nothing was keeping me down.
Scrambling in the aftershock, I attempted to pull myself from the ground, squinting uncertainly at the blinding light, trying to make sense of what had just taken place.
An immense pounding filled my head as I continued to stand and stare. The screams were like birdcalls, high and sharp. They kept going and going, and they hurt my ears. I clasped my hands to my mouth in an effort to end the noise. But my lips were shut. The cries were coming from the shimmering thing in front of me.
All at once my vision cleared, and I saw it was Jared. He was enshrouded in flame, fire eating away at flesh and cloth in a frantic inferno. Somehow, someway he had been put entirely ablaze. And the screaming… it was his.
Without bothering to witness the outcome, I hobbled past the shrieking figure and undid my mare’s lead. Her eyes were wide and afraid. I prayed she wouldn’t try to bolt. She was still saddled, and all of the supplies were still in their bags.
I made swift thanks to whatever luck had led me to this moment and did my best to ignore the pain as I used my bad hand to steady my grip at the back of the saddle while my good one gripped the front. Swinging my leg up and over, I was unable to mask the groan that escaped my lips. Every inch of me smarted.
Giving the mare a reassuring pat that I hoped was more calming to her than it was to me, I nudged her forward with my knees.
“What is— Get back here, boy!”
Erwan had returned. He still sounded far enough away, however, and so I leaned down, painstakingly, and undid the other two horses’ leads.
Try to catch me now.
As soon as my work was finished, I forced myself into a crouching posture. I dug my heels in and whooped, letting my charge take off as the other two started and scattered.
Twenty minutes later I came across another galloping party. It was too dark to see clearly, but there were only three who could possibly be roaming this road at night. And I could not wait to find out which.
Pulling at the reins sharply, I steered my horse into a hard turn, taking off in a different direction.
“Ryiah, is that you?” the other rider shouted.
This time I turned the mare with much more ease, answering my brother’s call with one of my own. “Alex!” Then: “Where are the others?”
“I lost them a couple miles back by the river. They think I am following the stream south. Where are your two?”
“They don’t have their horses.”
It was too dark to see Alex’s face, but I guessed he was grinning. “I’d like to hear that tale.”
I swallowed, uncomfortably aware of my pain and the searing heat of my hand. My brother would faint when he saw me in the light. “Alex,” I said quietly, “we have to keep going through the night. We won’t be safe until we are through this pass.”
“I know.” He paused, “But let’s take the rest of the trail at a walk. If either of us hears something, we can take off, but these horses need a break. I can barely see in this awful darkness…” He chuckled. “I don’t know about you, but I have almost fallen off twice tonight and am not willing to test my luck.”
I knew better than to comment. “Let’s head out” was all I said.
My brother let me lead -I had a better head for directions- and the two of us quietly found our way back to the main path without further delay.
After another hour of hushed passage, we finally left the shadows of the forest behind and continued the remainder of our journey underneath the moon’s soft glow and the occasional glitter of starlight.
Fortunately, we were both too exhausted for Alex to notice any abnormality in my appearance. Instead, the two of us remained silently alert, using the remainder of our energy to listen for any sounds of others approaching.
But we did not have to worry. Not once did we cross paths with the outlaws. And several hours later, just as the sun had risen, we came to a very welcome sight. Just beyond the way, a large, homely looking inn stood out among the hills like a god among men.
Alex took off with a hoot, and I launched into chase close behind, eyes glued to the vision ahead.
CHAPTER TWO
All I wanted to do was sleep.
But that was clearly the last thing from my twin’s agenda.
“How could you not tell me the moment you saw me?” Alex cried.
I should have known. He hadn’t bothered to glance at me once in his gleeful approach of the inn. But as soon as he had dismounted, his enthusiasm had faded in the light of the many scratches, bruises, and blood that mottled my skin.
And then he noticed my hand. One giant, swelling blister of a palm that had only grown worse in the hours since I had last looked at it. Angry burn marks dotted my fingers like unsightly patches, and the pain was just as bad.
“It was more important to get to safety first!”
“Safety?” Alex snapped. “Don’t use that Combat nonsense with me, Ryiah. ‘Safety’ would have been letting me heal you. And what happened? I thought you said—”
“I didn’t say anything because I
didn’t want to make you upset!”
Alex made a face. “I believe I have a right to know what happened to my sister!”
“Alex, please,” I begged. The last thing I needed was him raging about after he heard the tale. “Not here. Not now… tomorrow, when we are both feeling better.”
Alex glowered. “Fine. One day of rest. And then you will tell me what happened.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Careful, if you keep acting like that, people will start to say you are the hotheaded one.”
His cheeks reddened, embarrassed. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he mumbled. He looked anywhere but my face. “It’s just, well, you are my sister.”
The two of us entered the inn, and while I began to count our coin, Alex went ahead and found its keeper. He set to work ordering our room and a bath. Eyeing a loitering maidservant nearby, he added on a list of common salves to be brought to us at once. Then he winked.
The flustered girl scurried off, seemingly torn between confusion and intrigue. I knew what she was thinking.
Women all took to my brother the same.
While Alex and I were the same age, that was where the similarities began and ended for us. I was somewhat gangly and awkward whereas he was assured and confident.
He was also a good three inches taller, and with broad shoulders I envied. No matter how hard I trained, my build remained stubbornly slim. Alex, on the other hand, gained muscle at the slightest effort. He also had our parents’ soft brown locks and easy blue eyes that girls, including many of my friends back home, found “handsome.”
And it was those eyes that had won him many an admirer. Well, that and his humor. My eyes were blue too, but they were so light it was more common to think of them as gray than anything else. Take into account my quick temper, and it was no wonder people did not take to me the same.
In a lot of ways I was more like my younger brother Derrick than my twin.
The second Alex had finished cleansing my wounds, he gave me a wry smile. “You are not going to like this next part,” he warned.
I nodded absentmindedly.
My twin pressed two fingers to my burnt palm. The added pressure stung sharply, and my pain flared. It seemed to go on for ages. I bit my tongue. A mage of Combat would not cry out and so neither would I.
The ache continued to build for another minute, almost unbearably, and then it suddenly ebbed, a trickle of coolness seeping out and enveloping my hand.
Alex kept the pressure steady until my pain had completely subsided, and then got up to grab the tray the serving maid had left behind.
My brother filled a warm glass with water and mixed it with salt. He poured the mixture over my skin. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation, but more tolerable than before. He dabbed the inflamed flesh with a cold poultice a few seconds longer, and then spread a bit of honey over the top, wrapping my hand in a thin cloth when he was satisfied.
“Now I’ve taken the heat out of the burn,” Alex said, “so you should not feel quite as much hurt.”
“Thank you.”
Alex shook his head. “It’s a shame this couldn’t have happened after we started the Academy. If it had, I’d be able to do a lot more than this. You are still going to have to let the rest of those cuts heal naturally.”
I waved his apology away. “Just be lucky you have magic, brother. In two days’ time I am going to be made the biggest fool in the history of that school when I walk in without the slightest whiff of magic.”
Alex sighed at the familiar argument. “You have magic, Ry. You just haven’t found it. Everyone knows twins always share it.”
“But who is to say the Council’s scrolls were talking about us?” For all we knew, they could have been referring to identical twins.” I fingered my red locks, a sharp contrast to the muted brown of my brother.
We couldn’t be more different there.
Alex gave my knee a reassuring pat. “Gods help us, Ry. Even if you did have magic, it isn’t as if we have a real shot at the apprenticeships. We are just two lowborn kids without any formal training. Mark my words, this time next year we’ll be applying to the Cavalry.”
The next morning came much too soon. I had barely shut my eyes before Alex was back, shaking me awake with the reminder that we still had sixty miles of riding left, and two days to do it.
“And if we fall behind now, we’ll miss the admission period,” he joked.
I glared at my twin. “Not funny.” I had said the very same two mornings before, which had led us to that overpass and the bandits in the first place.
He grinned in reply.
Grumbling, I dressed and walked the room, helping to gather the rest of the supplies until we were ready to leave. Alex handed me our breakfast as we exited the inn, the same stale bread as every meal before. I eyed it unhappily. If I never saw a piece of rye again, it would be too soon.
Leading the horses from their stable, I met my twin out front.
The two of us set to checking the fit of our straps and loading the saddlebags. Alex finished much sooner than me. He volunteered to assist, but I refused. Warriors dealt with pain every day, and now that the worst of mine was gone, I was determined to do the same.
Exhaling loudly, my twin mounted his charge, muttering about mule-headed sisters that were too stubborn for their own good.
I finished a couple minutes later, and then swung myself into the saddle, wincing. My body was still sore, but for the most part, a full day and night of rest had done me well. My ribs were only a little bit tender, and most of my wounds had closed. Even the burn on my hand, while still a glistening shade of pink, didn’t sting.
It did itch, unfortunately. But I had enough sense not to scratch it. I’d learned that lesson plenty of times before.
“What I wouldn’t give for some creamed porridge right now,” Alex declared as we started out onto the main road.
My tongue salivated. “Or a honey bun.”
Alex’s stomach roared loudly in accord. The bread hadn’t done very much to slake his hunger. “The first thing I’m going to ask the masters to teach me is how to conjure food—good food.”
I raised a brow. We both knew the Academy only taught war casting. Even if he chose Restoration, they would never waste his lessons on something so silly.
“I look forward to hearing their response.”
Alex chucked the last bit of his roll at me.
Laughing, I managed to catch it and then paused at his somber expression.
“So,” he said, “are you ready to tell me what happened?”
I wasn’t, but I was going to anyway.
I, at least, knew the truth. Alex had only my injuries and his wild imagination to explain them. If our roles had been reversed, I would have insisted as much.
I proceeded to tell him everything.
“That cowardly whelp,” Alex snarled, “he deserved much worse than what he got!”
I cringed, remembering the strange turn of events. They still didn’t make sense even now in retelling. How exactly had Jared caught fire? We had been scuffling close to the fire, but had he really been so senseless to roll his entire body in flame? Alex seemed to assume as much.
Or had the bandit fallen?
But that didn’t make sense. He hadn’t been standing.
In the heat of the moment I hadn’t bothered to question it.
But now I wondered. Was there another explanation for what I’d seen? The others were well enough for Alex—he hadn’t been there. I had though, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was still something missing.
Like magic.
“Ryiah?”
I glanced at my brother. We had been riding in silence for the last couple of minutes. Now he was watching me curiously.
I stared at the grassy plains ahead of us, wondering if I should say the last thought aloud. It seemed too much to hope, and I would be aghast if it weren’t. There had been a couple of times since Alex had found his own powers… but each time I had been
wrong, and the disappointment had been crippling.
No. It was better left unsaid.
And then Alex said it anyway: “You think it was magic, don’t you?”
Am I really so obvious? I flushed. “I know how it sounds mad.”
“But it makes more sense than the others.”
“It does!”
He was quiet. Then: “Are you sure about this?”
I played with the reins in my lap. “No. But the man didn’t roll. Or fall. And he wasn’t close enough to the pit for the flames to reach him.”
“But didn’t you lose sight when he hit you?” my brother asked gently. “He could have lost balance when you were unconscious.”
“But I didn’t the second time,” I countered. “I’m not sure exactly how… but instead of darkness I saw light. Lots of it. I—I think it was from the fire, and then he was screaming and running around the camp in flames.”
“Did anything feel different?” my brother pressed. “Were you unusually hot or lightheaded? Did you think of fire?”
“My hand burned, and just about everything hurt…I wasn’t lightheaded exactly, but my head did really ache afterward.” I paused. “And no, I was too angry and afraid to be thinking of anything except what was happening.”
Alex frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a casting, or at least what it’s like for me.”
An idea hit me. “Do you think my pain released the magic?”
Alex appeared thoughtful. “Maybe… but then how is it that it only worked once? He hurt you several times before it occurred.”
That was true, but then nothing about magic made sense. Maybe there was an answer, and I would find out at the Academy. Groping around in my bags, I eagerly pulled out my father’s hunting knife.
“Ryiah,” my brother yelped, “what are you—”
Ignoring Alex’s cry of alarm, I dug the blade into the center of my good palm, reopening freshly sealed wounds as blood dripped down past my wrist.
At the same time I observed a yellowish-green mass that clung to a nearby tree. The moss looked like a perfect target, a furry patch of flammable tendrils.
Almost immediately the moss began to shrivel and smoke. As I pushed down with the blade, tiny flames sprouted forth, engulfing the plant.
First Year Page 2
