Skirts & Swords (Female-Led Epic Fantasy Box Set for Charity)

by L. P. Dover

  The small gray bird on the lip of the library window. For a fraction of a second I had been there, in that bird before I dropped it. I hadn’t realized; the moment seemed insignificant in the course of things. I laughed at myself as it dawned on me that I probably could have simply made it stop singing. And the frog that had exploded on my white gown, I had been there for a mere instant. Their minds were so small, so simple, it was like nothing. The horse was different. It was watching for predators, concentrating on the path, its steps, carrying a load.

  I tried to find another animal to experiment on. Our group wasn’t exactly small or quiet, so I was sure we’d scared most of the larger animals off. I wondered if I could figure out a way to locate them without seeing where they were first. I thought of the wolves. If I had an animal trained, I could call it to me to use at my leisure. I had no idea where they were now. Besides, the thought of entering those massive, vicious-looking animals made me uneasy. Maybe I could get in on the hunt tonight; find something away from the clatter of rocks under horse hooves.

  An idea struck me and I closed my eyes again to fall into Steed’s horse. It felt similar to my own, though I could tell he had more power, more confidence. I pulled back and experimented with each of the other horses. Anvil’s seemed slower, fatigued. The others were about the same, though I noticed Chevelle’s horse was more skittish. I was sure Steed had done that on purpose.

  “Frey?”

  Ruby was talking to me. I pretended I’d been alert. “Yeah?”

  I hadn’t fooled her. “Doing okay?”

  “Uh huh.”

  I decided to take the opportunity; I had a dozen questions since reading the diary. “Hey, Ruby, are there any castles around here?” The caravan stopped as everyone turned to stare at me. I had no idea what I’d said wrong. I must have given away the fact that I had no clue where I was. It wasn’t my fault, I’d never left the village. I didn’t know anything about anything. She glanced to the watching eyes and again to me. I was sure she was waiting for something, they were waiting for something.

  “Well, it’s just that I remember reading … in the village … about castles in the North.” Was I supposed to have read that? Was that in the documents I had pilfered from the library? Shut up, Frey, shut up!

  They seemed to relax a little as Chevelle shook his head and brought his horse back to pace. I thought I knew what they were thinking. Idiot. Ruby answered, “Hmm,” with a cocked eyebrow and turned to follow the group.

  They were mostly silent the rest of the day. When we stopped for the night, the group split, Anvil and Grey positioning themselves on rocks at the perimeter of our camp. Ruby hung out by Grey most of the evening, and Steed busied himself as Chevelle paced stiffly around the camp. I was bored again, with everyone entertaining themselves, so I leaned back against a rock and pulled my pack to my lap. I wrapped my cloak loosely around me and positioned my legs so I could place the book there, and hopefully, not be found out. I wondered how many more days of traveling we’d have. I didn’t see a peak—didn't even know if we were going to the peak of the mountain we were on—but I was too cowardly to ask, so I distracted myself in the journal.

  My sister hasn’t spoken to me since our mother passed. I wish she was … different. Not merely a different personality, but different altogether. I can remember the stories in my mother’s journal about her own sister, they were so close. That was, of course, until my father. But I suppose my sister might be different as well, if not for him. He’s taking a journey, they tell me. He’ll be gone long. I’ll be here alone, except for Rune. He’s to continue my practice.

  Chevelle approached during his pacing and I slid the book back into my pack, pretending to examine the beading on the material of the dress. This seemed to disturb him. He avoided pacing near me the rest of the evening, throwing me odd glances now and again. I shrugged it off and went back to reading.

  Father has been gone for weeks. Rumor is he’s searching for a new mate. Someone unique, someone powerful, I’m sure. I can’t stand it anymore, he thinks I’ll sit here and exhaust myself practicing and trying to perform ridiculous stunts while he’s out running around. All the servants gossiping and I know nothing. I have had it. Mother’s room remains sealed, but I was able to obtain some of her things from Father’s study. I am only to use it under Rune’s supervision, so I took the books out and returned to my room with them in secret last night. I have scoured through them and though I don’t know all the words of the spell exactly, I think I’ve found a way to escape. I’ll have to practice on a servant first.

  Practice on a servant. That brought back something Ruby had said, Chevelle would have to practice the unbinding spell on someone else first. Would he use one of our group? And if the spell went wrong?

  I tested the spell on Rain last night. I’m not sure what went amiss, but she convulsed for hours before she fell into a sleep. She finally rose late this morning, but she couldn’t remember who she was and she kept scratching at her face until it bled. At least she’ll not be able to tell anyone I did it. I’ll have to catch another servant tonight.

  No, I had a feeling he’d not be using one of our group. I was starting to get sleepy, but didn’t want to put the book down.

  This one worked. Dree’s nose bled for the first few minutes, but after that she slept soundly and woke just before noon knowing she had missed nothing. Tomorrow, I try it on my watcher.

  Watcher. I fell asleep with her words in my thoughts. My imagination had filled in all the blanks, let the fear I’d been suppressing creep in, take over. It turned her words into my nightmares. Watchers and trackers, tassels and robes, Chevelle’s furious gaze as he pushed me from the cliff again. Chevelle. My watcher.

  “Frey.” I jerked as Ruby woke me at dawn, urging me to stand for a few moments before we were back on the horses.

  I was exhausted again, so I hung back from the group as we rode. Steed slowed to ride with me. I watched as Ruby and Grey bantered ahead. “Steed, why aren’t they together?”

  He sighed; I didn’t think he enjoyed discussing his sister’s personal life. “Ruby. She doesn’t believe she can get close to anyone … that way.”

  I considered the way she was with me, as if she wanted us to be close, the way she touched Steed, sat near him. “Why?”

  “Past experiences.”

  Yes, she’d killed her mother. And how many others? What had she said, until a pattern became noticeable? I shivered at the thought. “Poison.”

  He nodded silently in acknowledgement.

  “In the village, some of the elves never paired up.” I thought of Junnie’s family. “But I guess most of those had received the calling.”

  Grey scoffed ahead of us.

  I hadn’t realized he could hear us, our conversation about him and Ruby. I was embarrassed, but couldn’t stop myself. “What?”

  He slowed to ride beside us as he spoke, “The calling.”

  I didn’t understand; it had been a thing of honor, yet he regarded it as if it were a joke. My expression plainly called for his explanation.

  “Do you really believe such nonsense?”

  “What nonsense?”

  “The calling?”

  “It isn’t real?”

  He let out a harsh laugh and I jerked back self-consciously. “Oh, I suppose it’s real. The service is real. Honestly, Freya, don’t you see?”

  “See what?” I cursed my bound brain.

  “Grand Council.”

  I drew a sharp breath at the words.

  He shook his head. “The truth of the calling is simply service to Grand Council. A hundred years of servitude under the guise of duty and honor.” I must have looked disbelieving. “What is honorable about doing their bidding?”

  “So, you … you don’t … answer the call?” I was searching.

  He almost roared with laughter. “No. We do not answer.” He settled a bit as he continued, “They do not call.” At that, Steed joined in lightly.

  It di
dn’t make sense, I knew I had been assigned a watcher. From the North. “No one?" I asked.

  “No. Council does not attempt to rule the North.”

  I considered that, considered my watcher. He was a volunteer. I seethed for a moment, but flashes of my mother and council cloaks flooded my thoughts and I had to block them.

  “So the North … has no council at all?”

  He seemed uncomfortable for a moment. “No. No council.” He paused while he formed the rest of his answer. Steed was watching him, intent. “We are … unruled.”

  “Unruly,” Steed added with a laugh.

  “You’ve never had a council?”

  They shook their heads.

  “No rulers?”

  I noticed a sidelong glance between them. Grey answered, “Not anymore.” I could tell he intended to end the conversation with that, but it only made me more curious.

  I was tired of always having to make everyone spell things out for me. “No council, ever. No rulers … anymore?” They didn’t respond. “So, what then?” They were beginning to show annoyance at my questioning.

  “Frey,” Chevelle called to me from the front of the line. I looked at him, the irritated expression still there, and he said, “Time to resume your training.”

  They had me work with Anvil, trying to anticipate when he was preparing to send a small current of electricity toward me. Which, loosely translated, meant I spent the day getting shocked. I was grateful when we finally stopped to make camp.

  I was afraid they would continue training after dinner, so I found a place off by myself and pretended to rest as I went back to reading the diary.

  Today was exhilarating. For the first time in I don’t know how long, I was out of the castle. Free from practice, free from duties, free from walls. Though tricky to set up, the spell worked on Rune. I showed up at practice early and whispered the words in case something went wrong and he heard. I can’t imagine what my punishment would be, though it might have been worth it. He fell asleep quickly and I ran as fast as I could, my pulse pounding with excitement. I spent the entire day away from the castle. Without the drain of practice, I was thrilling with energy. I could feel the trees, the mountain. I hope Father never comes back! I am sure I will try again tomorrow and every day I can spare after that.

  ~

  Rune was completely unaware of any foul play yesterday, so I had full confidence in the spell this morning. Not that I wouldn’t have attempted it again anyway, but at least I know I’m safer now. No worries when I’m out of the castle. My sister is out every day, but I can never seem to find her. She keeps bringing back the strangest treasures. I have run for two days now, I think tomorrow I will follow her. She refuses to tell me where she goes, neither under threat nor bribe, so I’ll have to use stealth.

  ~

  Today was brilliant. I left a sleeping Rune just in time to find my sister sneaking from the castle. I followed her without being seen all the way to her secret spot. It took us half the day to get there, but it was completely worth it. So far away from any kind of traffic, I have no idea how she even discovered it.

  Nestled in a patch of trees outside the forest was some sort of camp. I watched her at first, she scoured the area searching through the things she found there. But I couldn’t stand merely observing for long. I exposed myself and inquired about previous finds and hit her with all the questions that were plaguing me. She was furious! She screamed and cursed and fumed. She was no help with my queries, so I was forced to look around myself.

  Whatever had been there lived a little like the imps. And there were imp tracks there, but it appeared only one. There were massive amounts of bowls and jars. I have no idea who would need so many containers. The fairies like containers, but not of this crude sort, the craftsmanship was almost that of a troll. I tried to stay on the opposite side of the camp from my sister’s wrath, but I found tracks and had to follow them near her, stirring up another fit of rage. The prints were shoed, about the size of elves, but the treads were irregular. Whatever stayed here, there were a lot of them.

  Near the center of the camp the ground was beat down with tracks, circling a ring of stones. There were remnants inside and ashes, a crude fire pit. Around that, several feet out, were various logs, I assumed for sitting around the pit. There were a few huts built about the camp, but their construction was unlike anything I’d seen before, very poorly built. I ducked inside one and was shocked to see it was full of the previous owner’s possessions. Clothing, bedding, so much stuff left behind. I had thought they’d left suddenly, but I was confident then that it was not of their choosing.

  I went back outside and examined the tracks again. I followed the imp’s this time and found my answer. Outside of the camp, I uncovered blood and drag marks. The imp had killed what appeared to be three of the camp’s inhabitants and dragged them off with it, likely by stringer and tow. Whatever was there had run away because of the attack, and recently.

  I questioned my sister again (she’d had some time to cool down) but she was no help. I immediately knew she had not even considered that whatever she had been so interested in was still out here, probably close. I didn’t clue her in. After a little more time there, I acted as if I’d lost interest and headed home. Tomorrow, I will follow the tracks. I will find whoever was there and solve the mystery of their rudimentary tools and strange huts.

  I yawned. After a quick glance around, I slid the book back into my pack. I rolled over and fell asleep listening to Ruby hum a soft tune.

  The next morning, the group seemed in unusually high spirits. I had no idea why the mood had shifted, but I enjoyed the laughter and joking anyway.

  We rode past a small waterfall and the crashing water made me curious. I figured Ruby was my best bet. Chevelle gave me no answers, and though hers were sometimes cryptic, I knew she’d been reading books on magic. “Ruby, is there a way to harness the power of things … like that waterfall?”

  Grey was riding beside us and I noticed him look at me like I was an idiot. I saw that look all the time, but it wasn’t something I could really get used to.

  “Not that I know of,” she said. She got her mischievous grin then. “Though I did read once that there was a way to steal life force and use it for yourself.”

  Chevelle shot her a stern rebuke from the front of the pack.

  She continued, as if excusing herself, “But it was merely a fairy’s tale and probably not entirely accurate.” Then, in a lower voice, “It is fun to speculate, though.”

  I mirrored her low tone as I questioned her, “How would you steal life force?”

  “Well, like I said, probably not accurate … but you would have to take the other's life in order to gain their power. Take it in a specific manner.” She noticed Chevelle glaring at her and overemphasized the act of clamping her mouth shut.

  I waited until he turned back around before I whispered, “Ruby, did you bring the magic book with you?”

  She smiled.

  “Can I read it?”

  She winked at me.

  I started to smile back at her, but before I could process the notion into action, Chevelle was in front of us, his horse blocking my way. I was almost thrown from my saddle when we stopped to avoid running into him. He was angry again. “Frey.”

  “What?”

  “Do you remember the last time you used a spell?”

  I recalled the smell of burning flesh as the maps cut into my palms. “Yes,” I muttered, defeated.

  The look he gave Ruby was clear. There would be no magic study for me.

  But I did know she had it. Maybe I’d be able to steal it …

  As I wandered around my thoughts, I started to fall behind the group. The higher we rose up the mountain, the rockier it became, preventing me from seeing much of anything interesting ahead while a heavy mist kept me from looking down the mountain, which I’d found I didn’t like anyway—it was unsettling. So, I decided to practice as we rode. I closed my eyes and sank part
ially into my horse, keeping alert enough in my own mind to hear if anyone was speaking to me.

  It was there, leading my horse and seeing through his eyes, that the pain struck. It came on instantaneously, hitting me like a blade, cutting, shearing. It was accompanied by sharpness of sound as well. My ears—not the horse's, but my own—were in excruciating pain. Suddenly, I felt the horse drop, its head smacked to the ground and I watched, even then, through his eyes as he hit. Its thoughts stilled, not panicked as my own. I didn’t understand what was happening, couldn’t quite form a thought.

  I yearned to retreat completely into the horse, run from the agony, but the severity of it tore me back and kept me there in my own head. It felt and sounded like metal bands inside my mind, inside my ears, screeching. I hadn’t opened my eyes again and now I couldn’t. I couldn’t find my body; I wanted to bring my hands to my head, cover my ears … something. But I couldn’t feel anything aside from the pain in my mind.

  I focused all of my energy on finding some feeling somewhere and finally, though the terror was unrelenting, I felt my body again; knew it was there. It still didn’t respond, but I knew I hadn’t fallen with the horse. Something had caught me. Not the ground … not a rock. Someone was carrying me. The horror must have stretched time, making the few seconds seem like minutes.

  I struggled to bring myself back. I could hear nothing but a piercing squall. I willed my eyes open, though only a fraction. I was looking at the back of a horse, slung over someone’s shoulder. My eyes closed once more as the pain doubled and I lost my body for a moment. I concentrated until I got it back, and realized I was bouncing. I worked my eyes again, using every ounce of control I had left. I was on a horse, running. Not my own. Chevelle was holding me in front of him, my body limp and useless. I fought to focus on more, but was overtaken by pain. We were running … away?