Rhea's horse stepped back and stomped his foot, snorting and shaking his head.
"Shh. He's my friend." Rhea stroked the spot just behind the horse's ear and he calmed.
Taulin approached slowly, keeping his voice calm as he tried to reassure the horse that he wasn't going to hurt him. He pulled a hoof pick from the bucket and showed the animal what he had. He rubbed the horse's leg and lifted his front hoof.
The manager snorted under his breath, something along the lines of 'crazy people' and walked away.
Rhea looked into the big brown orb shining behind long lashes, and it was as if she could see into the horse's soul. "What's your name?" She didn't actually hear his name, but one came to her all the same. Sedare.
"Sedare. I like it; it suits you."
Sedare nickered and nodded his head.
"All right, Sedare. We have a long day ahead of us, so I need to get you cleaned up and ready to ride."
Sedare nodded again.
"You have a way with horses." Taulin was just finishing the third hoof.
She winked. "I think he knows who I am." Rhea brushed him quickly, ensuring there weren't any bits of dirt that could rub him wrong under the saddle blanket.
Taulin finished the hooves. "Would you like me to help you tack up?"
Rhea banged the dust from the blanket. Tack up? She tried not to look confused as she thought about what he said. Then it dawned on her. "Yes. That would be helpful. I saw his saddle outside the stall wall."
Ten minutes later, Rhea and Taulin joined Daen and Randell at the entrance to the stable where Daen was paying for the stable services and purchasing a bag of feed for each horse, just in case.
They walked their horses into the road and mounted up. They headed north, so as to leave town the same way they entered it.
Daen rode next to Rhea. "Can you see anyone coming this way or on the road that we used to cross the valley?"
Rhea closed her eyes, forming a mental picture of the road ahead. When it came into focus, she looked north, reaching for what she couldn't see. The vision moved forward through town. She continued to reach until she couldn't see anymore and then turned back to check the valley road. She could see just inside the tree line on the other side of the valley.
When she opened her eyes, Daen was next to her, waiting to hear. "I saw a man driving a wagon, heading this way, but he was quite a ways from here. The valley road is clear for now."
Cauhill was southeast of Eantan, in the realm of Sentran. Therefore, the assumption was the spies would approach Eantan from the south. Daen's plan was to lead the group north, hopefully away from the spies, before turning and heading for Cauhill.
They would pick up the seldom-traveled high trail that Beth had used to follow Durth and Berdie into town. It skirted the town to the west, running along the base of Stone Mountain. It would allow the foursome to re-enter the main road, hopefully, after the spies had already gone by.
They rode for about ten minutes before the rain came. The road became muddy, slowing their progress.
Randell expressed his concerned that they were leaving a perfect trail for someone to follow. "Is there a way to cover it up?"
Daen shook his head. "We can only hope it rains enough to smooth our tracks so the spies won't know if the tracks are old or fresh."
Rhea looked over her shoulder at the evidence of their presence and tried to imagine flattening the depressions left by their horse's hooves. The scene reminded her of the home improvement shows she used to watch with her dad. He was a do-it-yourself kind of person. She pictured a scene where the host of the show dragged a two-by-four over some lumpy concrete and smoothed it out.
Now all she needed to do was image the energy forming a hard edge and scraping along the ridges of their tracks. She crossed her fingers and concentrated on the energy around her. When she felt a slight tingling sensation crawled over her body, she pushed it out through her hands towards the ground, pushing down and back against the globs of mud that said they were there.
When she was finished, the ground was smooth for a far as she could see. Her success surprised her so much that she gasped and brought her hand over her mouth.
Hearing Rhea's reaction, Daen glanced back. "What is it?" Before Rhea could answer, his eyes went wide as he took in the change of the road's surface. He turned to face forward and then snapped his head back again.
Rhea giggled at the expression on Daen's face.
"Did you do something to hide the tracks?"
At that question, Randell and Taulin spun around in their saddles and saw only the few tracks they had just laid. Before that, the road was smooth.
Randell nodded with a big grin. "Cool!"
Taulin looked puzzled. "Cool? You never explained what that means."
Randell explained it was a word from his world to signify something agreeable, likable, or pleasant. "Originally, it simply described something that is moderately cold." He smiled. "It's a little out dated but I like it."
Taulin nodded. "Cool."
Rhea released a quiet guffaw at Taulin's acceptance of the slang and continued the smoothing process as they rode north, fascinated by the ease at which she could use the energy around her.
Daen glanced over his shoulder. "Rhea, how far away is the man on the wagon?"
She closed her eyes and searched forward. "On the other side of the next rise."
Daen glanced back towards town and could no longer see any sign of it. They weren't as far along as he would have liked, but this would have to do. "We can't afford to have the spies learn our direction from the wagon driver." He led them off the road, west towards the high trail and Stone Mountain.
Rhea stopped at the edge of the trees and looked back. She cleared the last of their tracks in the mud, but they'd cut a path through the leaves after leaving the road. Would it matter? Probably not, but she was starting to feel confident in her abilities and wanted to see if she could do more.
She thought about how to move leaves, and a memory popped into her head of raking leaves into a pile, only to have the wind spray them across the yard, ruining all her hard work. That was it. She could use the wind to blow the leaves.
Rhea painted an image in her mind of what she expected, but nothing happened. The wind was just as still as it had been all morning. She tried again, but still nothing. She waved her hand back and forth and still nothing moved.
"What are you doing?" Randell asked.
Rhea jumped in her saddle. "Ack!" She quickly glanced over her shoulder. "You scared the crap out of me."
"Well, you looked pretty silly sitting there, waving your hand at nothing."
"I wasn't waving it at nothing. I was trying to make the wind blow to fluff up the leaves and hide our tracks."
Daen approached. "What's wrong? We have to get going before the wagon driver shows up."
Rhea surveyed the road to the north, to ensure she wasn't putting them at risk, before explaining again, this time to Daen.
Daen waved his hand, motioning them to come away from the tree line. "No one will notice them as horse tracks since there aren't any tracks on the road. Don't worry."
Rhea turned and nudged Sedare to catch up with Daen as Randell brought up the rear. "I don't understand why the leaves wouldn't move."
Daen glanced over his shoulder. "You said you imagined the wind moving the leaves?"
"Yeah. It seemed to be a good idea at the time."
Daen thought about her strategy, analyzing why it didn't work. It didn't take him long to realize the problem. "You don't have the power to control the elements: earth, air, water, fire. You can only tap into the energy in the elements' or what they produce."
Rhea thought about what he was saying, trying to remember the science classes she was required to take. "Air, earth, water, fire."
Daen glanced at her when she didn't continue. "What are you thinking?"
"That I should have paid more attention in my science cla
sses."
Daen chortled. "Although the basics of what the other world understands and teaches, regarding energy and the elements, are true, there is nothing that can explain what is possible in this world."
"So Lanne was right? It's magic?"
Daen thought about all he had learned reading science books and papers in the other world. He'd been fascinated by the differences between his world and the world of shadows and had sought to learn as much as he could.
He had been particularly interested in what scientists knew about energy and the elements, but in all his studies, he still couldn't explain all the things that were possible in Luxatra.
"When an explanation cannot be provided for some occurrence, it is often referred to as magic," Daen offered.
Rhea rolled her eyes. "Then what is it?"
Daen shrugged. "Something we have yet to learn."
Rhea knew he was right. She had only to look at the history of the world of shadows to know those things that were deemed magic hundreds of years ago were easily explained today.
As they rode the narrow trail along the base of Stone Mountain, Rhea kept thinking about the leaves she couldn't move. Compared to the sword she wielded, they were so light and delicate. It should be easy to push them around, if not by the wind, then with energy.
Did she have to touch the leaves? No. She moved the arrows against the would-be assassins and hadn't touched them. Then it came to her.
She looked down on the rain-soaked dead leaves that carpeted the forest floor and called to her little helpers, the tiny bits of energy that she imagined looked like a bunch of tiny little hands. They came from the earth, the trees, and the air around her, ready to help her.
She imagined herself standing in the middle of a leaf pile as a child, grabbing handfuls of leaves and throwing them into the air. Within seconds, her childhood memory came to life as a section of the forest floor exploded upwards, startling everyone, including the horses.
"What the ...?" Taulin cursed.
Randell frantically scanned the area. "What just happened?"
Daen looked over his shoulder and met Rhea's guilty eyes.
"Sorry," she mouthed silently.
Daen shook his head. "It's okay. Just warn us next time."
"Warn us?" Randell asked. "Rhea, did you do that?"
"Guilty. Sorry." She relaxed into her saddle, pleased that she was gaining a better understanding of how to utilize her gift on her own terms versus having it simply happen without understanding how.
They rode quietly in single file as fast as the trail would allow, walking at times, trotting, and the occasional canter, with Rhea close behind Daen, followed by Taulin and then Randell.
After riding for a couple of hours, Rhea broke the silence. "How far out of the way do you think we need to go to avoid meeting up with the other spies?"
Daen looked over his shoulder at her. "We'll ride southwest for another couple of hours or so and then start to cut back towards Cauhill." He nudged his horse into a faster pace.
The group fell silent once again, allowing the sounds of their horses to occupy their minds, as they maneuvered through the over growth that threatened to swallow the trail forever.
Both Daen and Rhea shared the job of checking their surroundings for other riders, Daen checking for energy signatures and Rhea looking for actual bodies.
They stopped in a small clearing to rest the horses and eat, but they didn't linger long before mounting up and pressing forward. After several hours, the trail ended at a narrow strip of tall grasses.
Rhea rode up next to Daen to learn their next direction.
"We're at the main road," said Daen. "Do you see anyone coming up from the south?"
Rhea scanned the road in the direction Daen pointed. "A couple of wagons, a family walking, and a couple of men on horseback."
"What do the men look like?" Taulin asked.
"Merchants maybe? They're clean-shaven, no armor."
Daen nodded. "Good, let's go."
Randell took in the scenery, trying to establish some understanding of the land and its landmarks. "Where are we?"
"We're south of the farm where we stayed our first night."
Taulin came up along Daen's other side. "Are you planning on riding into Sentran on this road?"
Daen shook his head. "I was thinking we would cut into the forest and use the trail along the base of Kinling, work our way into Sentran that way, bringing us to the east end of Cauhill."
Taulin nodded. "I know the route. I agree that it's best to stay off the main roads if we want to avoid being seen. Have you considered the Sentran's border patrols?"
Daen nodded. "I'd rather deal with patrols than those who want Rhea dead."
Taulin felt a sudden pain in his chest. "I agree."
~~~
King Argeon stood at the edge of a large polished stone table in the middle of his war room with his best political strategist, Commander Waurl, at his side. Lying before them were the messages that had been coming in from across his realm, including the latest message from Commander Gaibel.
"Do you believe Gaibel's report?" Commander Waurl held the small strip of parchment in his hands, reading the cryptic message.
"There's not enough in her words explaining how she knows the warriors are impostors. I'll have to hear her explanation."
Commander Thaurton took the message from Waurl. "Is she returning?"
"I expect her in two to three days."
"If she's wrong, the attacks still don't make sense." Commander Waurl gripped his jaw in thought. "If Laundan was going to invade, they wouldn't send small units to attack civilians. Politically, it's a bad move. There's no way to save face after such acts of cowardice."
"My informants in Laundan report troops heading south," Commander Thaurton added. "Apparently, Sentran is coming over the border and attacking their civilians as well."
King Argeon looked up from the array of messages in front of him. "Sentran? What would Jauline have to gain from attacking Laundan?"
"For that matter, what would Craen gain from attacking us?" Commander Waurl folded his arm across his chest. "We've had peace for hundreds of years. Why now ... and for what?"
Argeon debated internally whether to share the one motive Craen might have for attacking, if, indeed, that was what he was doing. He wondered if the chaotic strategy, the involvement of civilians, was just Craen's way of drawing out the one weapon designed to undo the imbalance he felt Argeon was creating by keeping the channel a Taulomi secret.
Argeon knew someone was hunting Terrwyn, and he knew she was here in Taulomi. He'd hoped, by keeping his distance from her, he would prove Taulomi wasn't a threat, but had he been wrong?
"Sir. Do you have an idea as to what's going on?" Commander Thaurton watched as his king's expression grew dark with concern.
Argeon gathered the messages into a pile and placed them in a wooden box in the center of the table. "We will wait for Commander Gaibel." He hoped all she would bring was an explanation and not the potential source of more problems.
Ordering Gaibel to send her daughter away had been one of the hardest orders he'd ever issued, but it was for the safety of the realm. Now, Gaibel was to meet Terrwyn and Daen and explain that they were not to come to the castle. Afterward, Gaibel was to return to him. Argeon hoped she was strong enough to let Terrwyn go again.
The king walked from the war room, leaving his two commanders behind to wonder what secrets he was keeping.
22
Camp
Daen led the foursome a short distance down Taulomi's north-south road before turning east onto a narrow trail leading to the Kinling Mountains. The single-track path led them up to the base of the mountains and then veered south to border the Libraim territory before reaching Sentran.
Several hours after turning off the main road, they came to a small clearing with a stream, a camp site Daen and other guardians had used in the past
. Given darkness would soon be upon them, they stopped for the night.
"Where are we?" Randell asked as he dismounted.
"We're just inside Libraim territory," said Daen, "about a day's ride from the Sentran border. We should be safe here. The more unsavory people stay clear of this area."
"Why's that?" Randell asked.
"They don't want to run into the guardians who patrol this area." Daen gave Randell a wink.
The first order was to care for the horses. After unloading the gear and supplies, they removed the horses' saddles and placed everything in the middle of their campsite.
When they were finished grooming the horses, Rhea took Sedare and Daen's horse to the stream with Randell while Daen and Taulin collected firewood. As they watched the water dance over the smooth boulders riddling the streambed, Rhea did a little mental exploring.
"Randell, there's a small waterfall feeding the stream further down."
"How big is it?"
Rhea sighed. "Big enough to stand in." She gave Randell a sheepish grin. "I think I'll shower before going to sleep tonight."
Randell laughed, not taking her seriously.
When the horses had had their fill, Rhea and Randell started back towards camp. As they cleared the tree line, they could see a small fire burning. Daen and Taulin had rolled a couple of small logs from the woods and were using them as seats, keeping the cool, damp ground from seeping into their clothes.
Rhea and Randell secured the horses and joined their friends at the fire where Daen had put a pot of water on to boil. Their water bottles were running low, and Daen wasn't sure their systems could manage the stream water.
Rhea went to the edge of the tree line, picked up several handfuls of dried leaves, and piled them a few feet from the fire before laying her blanket on top. After making herself comfortable, she pulled out some of her rations and ate, as did the others.
After they ate, Rhea braided her hair and lay down to relax, but Daen had another idea.
He picked up his sword. "Rhea. I think you should keep up your sword practice."
Rhea moaned inwardly at the thought of standing up, let alone working out. Although her body was getting used to riding on the back of a horse, she was still achy.
The Channel (The Gifted Book 2) Page 16
