“I remember her,” Zavar said. “She’s the one who tried to hurt Savara.”
And scared Zavar, too, Vatar remembered but didn’t say. His expression was likely as grim as his father’s at this point.
Gerusa jerked her chin up as she stepped off the ladder. “Come to gloat, have you, Vatar?”
Vatar shook his head. “I’ve come to give you one chance at your freedom.”
Hope flared and warred briefly with caution in her eyes. Caution won. “At what price?”
“The loss of your Fasallon Talents,” Vatar said.
Gerusa snorted. “There is no power that can change my nature.”
Vatar shrugged. “Then you won’t be risking anything. Or gaining anything—unless it works.”
“What then?” Gerusa asked.
Father took one step toward her. “Exile. Eventually. You will be sent north to Chrysaor—as an ordinary Caerean, no longer a Fasallon. The Council will provide enough to give you a start in your new home—if you don’t squander it. But, for now, you will be moved back to your old quarters in the Palace—under house arrest. If you agree.”
Gerusa tossed her head. “A true leader will always rise to the top.”
Father shrugged. “We’ll see. As for being a leader . . . well, we’ve always had different opinions about that. Do you agree?”
Gerusa’s grin was sinister. “Yes, I agree.”
Vatar knelt down and gripped Savara’s shoulders. “Are you ready to do this?”
Savara glance once at Gerusa. “I don’t like her. She’s mean.”
“She is indeed. But I think you have the ability to prevent her from ever hurting another little girl the way she did you. Or imprisoning anyone the way she did me. Or starting a war and getting people she doesn’t even know or care about killed. If you’re willing.”
Savara’s trembling lips firmed and she nodded. “I’ll try.”
Vatar lifted Savara up and carried her toward Gerusa. “I’ll have hold of you the whole time. And your Aunt Boreala will keep watch.” He nodded toward Gerusa and spoke to her guards. “Hold her.”
Two of the guards pinioned Gerusa’s arms.
Vatar strode forward until Savara’s small hand could reach Gerusa’s forehead. “Can you see what you need to do? Do you remember what you did for Kiara?”
Savara’s face scrunched up. Then she blinked. “Oh, I see. It’s just this, right here. It’s easier than what I did for Auntie Kiara.” She turned her hand slightly.
Gerusa blinked.
“Do you hear me?” Vatar sent to her in Far Speech, watching her reactions carefully. Gerusa might not respond, but he hoped he’d be able to tell whether she’d heard. In fact, the message echoed back in his own head.
She didn’t hear you, Taleus said. That’s what happens when you try Far Speech on those without Talent.
Vatar drew in a breath and nodded to his father. “It worked.”
“Bring up Selene, next,” Father told the guards.
~
Arcas met them at the gate when they returned. “I’ve been thinking . . .”
“Yes?” Vatar said encouragingly.
“Could Savara do . . . whatever she did to Kiara to me, too?”
Vatar rocked back a step. “Probably. But . . . are you sure that’s what you want?”
“You said if it comes to a fight, there won’t be enough with magic to defend the Dardani. You or Thekila could train me over the winter.”
Vatar released Zavar and Savara to go play and sat down on the bench under the apple tree to give himself time to think. Arcas’s reaction to learning about Vatar’s magic five years ago hadn’t been quite as strong as Elaria’s, but it had still taken Arcas some time to get used to it. Whatever Vatar’s personal reservations, Kiara had wanted her magic before this crisis ever came up; Arcas . . . hadn’t. Vatar certainly understood the need to protect their people. And the Dardani were as much Arcas’s people as they were Vatar’s. But he didn’t want his cousin to make a decision he’d regret. “What does Elaria think about this? She’s still not entirely comfortable with our magic.”
“Much more than she was,” Arcas said. “She understands that I need to do this. I need to help.”
“Do you—both of you—understand that this decision doesn’t just affect you? Once your Talents are awakened, any future children may have magic, too.” Vatar paused. “I don’t think it would affect Caslar, though. Is this is what you really want . . . not what you think you should do?”
Arcas swallowed hard and looked toward the twins, now playing chase with Caslar.
Thekila laid a hand on Arcas’s shoulder. “If you really want this, of course we’ll ask Savara to help you and of course we’ll train you. But understand, even if you go through with this, there’s no guarantee you’ll have enough magic to really help. You could be like Cestus, with barely enough magic to use Far Speech.”
“I still want to help.”
“And you can,” Vatar said. “Father is planning to send some of the city guard to help the Dardani. Trained fighters who understand about magic and won’t be frightened by it. Vatar paused, fighting down words that rose unbidden. Fore Sight. Finally, he said, “I have a feeling that Thekila and I are going to have to fly out there before summer. We’d need you to lead those men across the plains.”
“The two aren’t mutually exclusive,” Arcas said.
“No, they aren’t. But you at least need to talk to Elaria again. About whether you can live with your children having magic, too.”
Chapter 46: News
Shortly before nightfall, Kiara stepped up out of the women’s hut and into the bustle of the Lion Clan busily setting up the spring village in the oak-studded hills. She’d moved into the Women’s Hut over the winter, when being the last of her age group to remain in her parents’ home had become too obvious. But there were lots of hands there for the work of preparing the hut for occupation. And Mother had only Pa and Fenar—who, at almost eight, was still more hindrance than help most of the time. She’d decided to go and help them instead.
While Pa raised the cured hides of the roof, Kiara helped her mother set out the grass mats that would cover the floor of her parents’ hut in the Lion Clan’s spring village. She worked on the mats nearest the door—which must be tucked under the lowest block of the sod walls so that no one would trip over them while stepping down into the hut—so she was the first to hear the hoof beats approaching. There was nothing too unusual about visiting between the clans—at least once most of the snow had melted. But . . . this horse was galloping, which was odd, especially over the still-soggy ground. And something about the hoof beats said ‘tired’ to Kiara’s ear.
There was only one reason to gallop a tired horse over poor ground. Something urgent. Of course, it could just be someone needing Mother’s healing skills. But Kiara didn’t think so. She stood and bolted out the doorway. Pa and Mother followed. All three ran toward the approaching horseman.
He fell off his horse as they reached him. Blood oozed from a nasty cut on his scalp. And a red stain indicated another wound on his ribs. “Attacked.”
Pa lifted him up. “Who? Where? When?”
“Themyri. Bear Clan. Yesterday,” the man said between breaths.
“Were the Themyri alone?” Pa asked.
“Why didn’t Teran warn us?” Kiara asked at the same time.
The rider shook his head. “Others. Magic.”
“And Teran?” Pa asked again. “The man who was staying with Chief Darok?”
“Hit by a rock.” The man touched a place behind his right ear. Then he waved his hand in a swirling motion. “Rocks spinning in the air. Many were struck.”
While Mother opened her healer’s bag to tend to the rider, Pa motioned for some of the men to take the horse and tend to it. He turned to Kiara. “You know what to do.”
Kiara bit her lip. “He should have told Terania or Balan rather than riding all the way here. We’d have gotten the word faste
r.”
“If many were killed or injured by flying rocks, there may not have been anyone to tell him that. Now go.”
Kiara retreated to the hut and concentrated on her older brother. “Vatar?” No answer. “Vatar!” Nothing. Maybe her range just wasn’t great enough to reach all the way to Caere. She’d never tried to use Far Speech across that great a distance before. But Theklan had. She gritted her teeth at the thought. But this was more important than her personal grievances. She concentrated on Theklan instead. “Theklan?”
“Yes. Kiara? What is it?” The answer was immediate.
“A rider just came in from the Bear Clan. They’ve been attacked by the Themyri—and almost certainly the Exiles, too. But . . . I don’t seem to be strong enough to reach Vatar all the way in Caere.”
“Why didn’t Teran raise the alarm?” Theklan asked.
“Apparently he was struck by a flying rock.”
“Ah. All right, I’ll let Vatar and Thekila know. You contact Terania, Zoria, and Balan. Better leave Terania ‘til last. She’s likely to be upset. If Vatar has any questions, I’ll tell him to contact you.”
“I can’t reach that far,” Kiara said.
“But Vatar can,” Theklan reminded her.
“All right.”
Chapter 47: Flying to War
While Vatar shut down his forge, he held his bond with Thekila open, as it had been so that they could both hear Theklan’s news. What do you think?
I still haven’t been able to contact Teran.
Of course she’d be concerned about her friend. He should have thought of that. Not what I meant. Do you think they targeted him specifically?
Thekila paused as if that idea hadn’t occurred to her. Many of the Exiles would certainly recognize him. It’s . . . possible.
Our sentinels are too exposed, Vatar said.
And we still don’t know what the situation is with the Bear Clan. Were they captured? Will we be fighting some of our own? Is Teran a prisoner?
Vatar nodded and reached out again to Theklan.
“Vatar?”
“Yes. We can’t know if the Exiles specifically targeted Teran or not. I want all of you better protected until Thekila and I can get there and we can make a better plan.”
“I’m pretty well protected with my own clan,” Theklan protested.
“But the others don’t belong to the clans that are hosting them. I want you to pick up Terania and both of you go to the Lion Clan village. I know you know where that is. Tell Balan to bring Zoria and Sharila to join you there.”
Vatar paused. “It’s at least possible that Teran was picked off intentionally. The Exiles would have recognized him. And none of the women would stand a chance in a fight. Plus Terania’s bound to be upset. She should be with friends. Warn the clans as you go. The Lion Clan is more central and Pa will see that you’re all protected. I bet he already has the warriors mobilized. I may send at least you and Balan back out to your clans after we’ve all had a chance to meet and talk. That should only be a few days, at most.”
“What about Teran?”
Vatar drew in a breath and glanced toward the house where he knew Thekila was listening. “Balan can go close enough to scout the situation if he’s careful and stays hidden. And if he’s willing to take the risk. He’s less likely to be recognized by the Exiles than Teran was. If the Exiles have taken over the Bear Clan village, there’s nothing we can do until we’re all together, at best. If not, and if he can get to Teran, then he should bring him, too. Then they can pick up Zoria and Sharila and head for the Lion Clan village. They can use Far Sight or Far Speech to lead them toward Kiara or Pa can send out scouts to lead them in. Thekila and I will be there as soon as we can.”
As soon as his current work and his tools were put up neatly and the forge fire put out, Vatar headed for the house. It wasn’t even noon, yet. They could make good progress before darkness forced them to land for the night—and arrive at the Lion Clan village that much sooner. He wasn’t surprised to find that Thekila and Elaria already had a basket half-packed with the necessities of the trip. After all, they’d had all winter to plan and prepare. Elaria slid a loaf of bread onto the top and fastened down the contents with a cloth that clipped down to the sides of the basket. They’d learned a few things from their emergency flight from Tysoe to Zeda.
“Did you remember the spear points?” His, from the tiger hunt seven years ago. Thekila’s that he had made for her just over a year ago. Vatar would rather carry the spears, points already affixed to their hafts. Who knew how soon they’d have to fight once they arrived, but trials had proven that was unworkable.
Thekila nodded. “Both of them. And your Dardani long knife are on the bottom of the basket.”
Where their weight would be less likely to affect the balance of the basket. Right.
“There’s bread, cheese, and fruit on the table,” Elaria said. “You should eat before you go. That way you won’t have to stop so soon.”
Good idea, even if his stomach felt too tight to eat much. Flying took a lot of energy and flying long distances could be exhausting. They had to arrive in shape to fight, if necessary. At least he wouldn’t have anything as precious—or as fragile—as their baby in that basket this flight.
Thekila sat next to him, cradling little Taleara, now almost a year old. She looked up at Elaria. “You’re sure it won’t be too much for you.”
Elaria smiled and patted her rounding belly. “Not at all. I need to get back in practice before this one arrives. And she’s a good little baby. Much quieter than Caslar was. We’ll take care of the children. Never fear.”
“I’ll join you as soon as I can,” Arcas said.
Vatar swallowed. “Wait a few days. Let us find out more about the situation, first. I’ll send word through Father once we know more.”
Which reminded him. Vatar paused in his chewing. “Father?”
“Yes. Vatar?”
Vatar gave him a summary of what they knew and what they planned to do.
“Arcas will be following you?”
“When we know more. I was going to ask you to relay the message.”
“Good. That will give me time to organize the men from the Palace and City Guards to go out to help you.”
“Fighters who won’t be disturbed by magic would be very welcome. Thank you.”
“Stay safe, Vatar. You and Thekila.”
Vatar blinked as he released the contact. “I suppose I should let Orleus know, too.”
Thekila put her arm around him. “They know. I just bespoke Quetza. Just because we can share Far Speech doesn’t mean we can’t also have separate conversations when we choose. What about Miceus? Part of the reason he’s in the Valley is to help get the Valson prepared—or as prepared as possible.”
Vatar nodded. “He needs to know, too. But, I think we can wait until we have more information to share. It seems clear the Exiles aren’t heading straight across the Forest.”
Thekila nodded. “Fair enough.”
Then it was time to say goodbye to the children. That never got any easier.
~
As the sun lowered, they alit on a rock outcrop above a small waterhole. With a strong following wind from the ocean, they’d made a good distance. With an early start, they might even make it to the Lion Clan spring village by nightfall tomorrow. Or maybe it would be better to wait, and arrive in the morning of the next day.
Back in his true form, Vatar opened the basket, laying out the cloth covering. He took out the loaf of bread, some cheese, and some dried fruit, then dug to the bottom of the basket to find his knife to cut the bread and cheese. He paused as his hand closed on something familiar. He pulled out his old, battered reed pipes and looked at Thekila with one eyebrow cocked.
“They don’t weigh much,” she said. “And they help you use Far Sight to watch over the children while we’re away. You’ll feel better if you can do that.” She settled against his side. “So will I.”
&
nbsp; He put his arm around her to pull her close, not just to share warmth as the night began to turn colder, and raised the pipes to his lips.
~
They circled the Lion Clan village on the morning of the second day after that, delayed by a cold spring rain that had made yesterday’s flight miserable and last night damp and cold. Theklan waved at them as they passed over, so they flew a little distance into the oak woodland that surrounded the village to land and change back to their human forms to wait.
It wasn’t long before a whole group of riders, leading two spare mounts, arrived to greet them. Pa, Theklan, and Kiara, of course. But also Balan, Zoria, and a very worn-looking Terania.
Thekila ran to hug Terania. “Teran?”
Terania shook her head. “Still nothing. I can’t contact him. Can’t feel him. I don’t know. . .”
Vatar looked to Pa, who had remained on his horse. “What’s the situation?”
“According to our scouts, about half the Bear Clan seems to have gotten away—mostly women and children. They’re sheltering with the Raven and Wolf Clans. Most of the warriors were either killed or captured—or made to follow the Exiles. We don’t know how many fall into each category.”
Vatar paced away and back. “One-sixth of our warriors. We can’t let them take us piecemeal like that. We have to get the remaining clans together if we’re going to have a chance.”
Pa sighed. “I know, but the clans just relocated to their spring villages. It’s going to be hard to get them to move again so soon. Even the Lion Clan. Bad for the herds. And the spring gardens aren’t even planted yet. Mount up and we’ll talk about it as we ride.”
Vatar lifted Thekila into her saddle and swung up onto his own mount. “It’s a conundrum. We dare not wait long, or they’ll attack another clan. But if the spring gardens aren’t planted, there’ll be no fall harvest to see the clans through the winter.”
“That about sums it up,” Pa said.
“I wonder if the Exiles know that. Or if the timing is just coincidence.”
War of Magic (Dual Magics Book 4) Page 30
