The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy)

by Charity Santiago

  “What circumstances?” Skye demanded. “You came up with the plan to leave this morning. What changed between the time I left your house and the moment you decided to sneak out of Toryn?”

  “Nothing.” Everything. Blame it on hormones and misguided thoughts of romance. She’d tried to confess her feelings to Drake and he had summarily refused her, and even after Vargo had swooped in to save the day, Ashlyn’s heart was smarting enough that she wanted to avoid traveling with Drake.

  Although looking at her current situation, that plan hadn’t worked out so well either.

  “I knew you would come after me,” she said for Skye’s benefit, “so if something went wrong you would be there to help. Leaving without you showed poor judgment on my part, but...at the time I was feeling a little overwhelmed. Emotionally.” She glanced up at Skye again. “Kou is still alive. The bear that was attacking me- that was him. Did you kill him?”

  Skye, still looking unsatisfied with her excuses, shook his head. “There’s no way to be sure. I was moving pretty quickly. Are you sure it was Kou? Getting shot and falling off Na Michico- surviving that seems unlikely.”

  “I don’t know how he survived,” Ashlyn admitted, “but he did. It was him.” She fidgeted with her reins, shifting her weight in the saddle. “He’s lying to the soldiers he is leading, though. They didn’t seem too keen on attacking me once I claimed to be the Elder Heir. I’m sure they all still think I’m dead.” The only reason that Lord Li had adopted Kou as his heir- according to Kou, anyway- was because the young man had claimed to have a “vision” of Ashlyn being killed by a wolf in the Heavenly City. It wasn’t unreasonable to assume that the soldiers had all been told the same story.

  “Did you see your father?” Drake asked, speaking for the first time since Skye had joined them.

  Ashlyn shook her head. “Nope. I was inside the cave, trying to find him, but Kou recognized me.” She paused. “I did challenge him to a Leadership Duel, but he denied my heritage. I’m not sure he’s going to follow any of our customs. I mean, this whole time I’ve been trying to avoid getting anyone else involved, but it’s looking like I’m going to have to.”

  “You’re certainly going to have to let us help you,” Skye said in a clipped tone. “No more running off. If we’d gone with you, we might have been able to help you before you were injured. You’ve got to start thinking like a leader, Ashlyn, and leaders don’t abandon their followers.”

  Ashlyn nodded, lowering her chin and sneaking a peek at Drake through her eyelashes. Skye was right, of course, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to blame this entire incident on a certain vampire and his unpredictable behavior.

  “I guess I need to work on my impulsiveness,” she said, genuinely apologetic and hoping she sounded like it. “But I’m here now. I think…I think we should track my father’s army and try again. They’ll be on higher alert now, but it’s still our best chance at getting to my father and Kou and…well…cutting the head off the snake.” She didn’t like the thought of killing either one of them, particularly her father, but her options were becoming limited.

  “That’s probably a good idea,” Skye said. “Would you like to use reveal to show us the way?”

  Oops. “Of course,” Ashlyn answered, offering a weak smile. Well, now he was definitely aware that she had stolen it three years ago. At least the stane was coming in handy now. Grabbing her shuriken, she activated the magic and urged her horse towards the glowing path that sprang up before them.

  “Are we planning to capture Devlyn and Lord Li?” Drake spoke up as his horse fell in behind Ashlyn’s.

  “Capture if possible,” Ashlyn said, and hesitated for just a moment. “If it’s not possible, then we’re…just going to have to do what we can. The soldiers can’t fight for long without a leader, so if it comes to that, I am…um, aware that my father might not be taken alive.” Her heart chilled as she said the words, but she ignored the feeling. Now was definitely not the time for emotions. The situation with Drake had already made that exceedingly clear.

  As she rode, with Skye flanking her and Drake lingering further back, she wondered again how Kou had managed to survive his fall off Na Michico. Ashlyn had no idea where Drake’s bullet had struck the younger Toryn, but it had clearly been well-aimed enough to have knocked Kou off the steep cliff and into the roiling ocean below. Kou must have some experience with healing magic. Unless he’d been desperate enough to fake a gunshot wound and take his chances in the water, of course. That seemed a little extreme, even for a man who had falsely professed to be Ashlyn’s younger brother without a trace of shame or conscience.

  She set her jaw at the memory. Kou’s claim that Lord Li was his father had rocked her world to the core. In a fit of rage, she had used a sanding stone to remove the tattoo over her left ankle that signified the Li bloodline and its purity. But after the recent revelations involving Kou and the man he claimed was his- and her- younger brother, Tag, Ashlyn realized that she might have been too hasty.

  And what about her father? What if he hadn’t been unfaithful to her mother? Had he truly been driven mad by shift? Ashlyn felt no particular ill effects after having used the magic twice. If she was unaffected, then why was Lord Li leading an army against his own kingdom? She supposed that the presence of FLD had discouraged him from coming back to reclaim the city of Toryn, but there were so many frustratingly unanswered questions lingering in her thoughts- and that was on top of the total mess of her love life, which up until two weeks ago had been virtually non-existent. See, this was why I steered clear of social circles for the last three years, she told herself bitterly. I seem to attract drama wherever I go.

  Chapter 4

  Twist

  Ashlyn’s eyelids were drooping, but she was reciting the ninety-one Drago proverbs in her head repeatedly, doing her best to stay awake in the lulling twilight. Her horse seemed content to follow Skye’s, plodding along without prompting.

  It seemed anti-climactic, really. All that running and fighting and death-defying earlier, and now here she was, tagging along after Skye and trying not to nod off. Her father’s army was on the move, and once they had found the trampled path telltale of marching soldiers, Ashlyn had put away the reveal stane and allowed Skye to take over. Her tracking skills were good, but Skye’s were exceptional.

  Skye turned then, twisting in the saddle to look back at her, and Ashlyn bolted upright, trying really hard to look alert and vigilant. I wasn’t sleeping, she almost said, but thought better of it. “What?” she asked instead, keeping her voice low.

  “I think we’re close,” Skye said. He halted his horse, turning the animal so that he could face Ashlyn more easily. “I think it might be best if Drake takes the horses and keeps some distance away, while you and I see what we can find.” At her dubious look, he added, “The horses will be too easy to spot. You and I can get much closer without them.”

  In no way did Ashlyn feel comfortable with giving up her horse, especially after the narrow escape she and Drake had managed back at the cave, but…she supposed that Skye was right. “Fine,” she said grudgingly. Skye dismounted, and she followed suit, meekly following the blond man as he led his horse towards Drake.

  “This is so lousy,” she muttered as she handed the reins to the vampire, keeping her eyes averted. She had already experienced a plethora of emotions over Drake in the last two days and she didn’t feel like encouraging any errant feelings now.

  Skye nodded at her as he reached up to ensure that his sword was secure in its sheath on his back. Ashlyn untied the hira shuriken and her sword from the back of her saddle and strapped them into the makeshift harness she’d made, feeling the reassuring solidity of the weapons against her fingers. She allowed herself a brief moment to wonder what had ever become of her favorite bo shuriken, the one that she’d lost in Storim so many years ago. Supposedly her father had it. If that was true, she definitely wanted it back.

  Skye began to move, weaving his way through th
e trees in a quick, agile jog, and Ashlyn ran after him. They ducked behind trees as they moved, and fell into a slingshot pattern, with Skye moving forward to secure the first area, and Ashlyn running past him to the next after receiving the all-clear signal. It was something they’d done numerous times back when Lord Angelo was still alive, but Ashlyn had forgotten what an effective tracking partner Skye was. He’d gotten that way from all that DEMON training, probably, since most non-Toryns didn’t know the first thing about stealth and sneakiness.

  They were moving to the western side of the island, very close to the beach, and as the trees began to thin out, Ashlyn became cautious, crouching lower when she moved and seeking cover more quickly. She glanced around the sparse forest, eyes searching for threats, but finding none. She turned and motioned to Skye that the way was clear, and he moved past her, his boots making no sound on the forest floor.

  He froze about a dozen steps ahead of her, and ducked behind a large boulder. Ashlyn stilled, waiting for a signal. Her gaze caught his. He nodded slightly, confirming that he’d seen her father’s army, and motioned her closer. Ashlyn peered out from behind her tree before dashing to him, staying low and silent.

  “I see the stragglers,” Skye whispered to her when she approached. “Is there a route that will take us to high ground at their flank so we can avoid being seen?”

  Ashlyn frowned, pursing her lips as she tried to remember the layout of the island. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “It depends on the route they take. There’s some high ground further up but I doubt they’ll be going through the canyons. It would be too easy for them to get ambushed.” As she spoke, she realized that the path that her father’s army was currently on would eventually lead them to Toryn. “Should we send Drake back to the city?” she asked Skye nervously. “What if they’re planning an attack?”

  At first he shook his head, but then he hesitated. “What do you think?” he said at last, and it became obvious to Ashlyn that he was trying to let her be the leader.

  She glanced around the rock, noting that the last of the troops were nearly out of sight, and frowned. “Let’s follow them for now,” she said. “I guess if there’s a need later, we can warn the city. I’d like to get to my father before an attack on the city even becomes a possibility.”

  Skye nodded, waiting for her to continue.

  “We’ll…move up the line until we find my dad,” she said, a little uncertainly. “He’s the most important thing right now. Even if I see Kou, I don’t want to stop searching until I find my dad. Then we can regroup and…figure out what to do next.”

  When they began moving again, Ashlyn made a conscious effort to take a path further east, allowing some space between herself and the army as she and Skye drew up alongside the marching soldiers.

  She noted that her father’s army was in no particular formation, with some soldiers lagging behind and a few clustered together in tight groups. None of the soldiers appeared particularly lively or energetic, which might have been encouraging- except that she was exhausted, too. A few of them were lighting torches, perhaps preparing to march through the night.

  One particular soldier caught her eye, and she slowed, recognizing Kou’s naked face amidst the sea of masked ninjas. He was riding a horse, one of just a few dozen mounted soldiers in the entire army, and his long hair was pulled back loosely, his features set in a scowl. Clearly he wasn’t happy with the day’s developments thus far.

  Ashlyn crept closer, trying to see if one of the mounted ninjas was Lord Li. Even though their faces were mostly covered, she figured she could probably recognize her dad’s eyes. She could really only make out the eyes of those who were riding closest to her, and none of them seemed familiar, but that still left fifteen or so who were just too far away to identify.

  One horse tossed its head and trotted a few steps, bumping into the horse in front of it and causing the second horse to pin back its ears and swish its tail angrily. The chain reaction ended there, but Ashlyn’s attention was focused on the lead rope in Kou’s hand- a lead that had previously been obscured by a horse. He was leading the horse of another ninja, but why?

  She was momentarily distracted by a large fallen tree in her way, and hastily followed the trunk until she found a place she could duck under. When she glanced over her shoulder, she noted that Skye was following at a distance, close enough that she could signal him if she needed to. For being such a blockhead over romance, his intuition on the battlefield was surprisingly sharp, and right now she was grateful for it.

  Ashlyn sprinted up ahead, trying to get a lead on Kou, then slowly edged closer to get a better look. When Kou drew near, she confirmed her suspicions- the masked ninja on horseback was definitely her father. She’d recognize those dark eyes anywhere.

  He was slumped exhaustedly in the saddle, barely staying upright. The war was clearly taking its toll on him. Even more surprising was the slightness of his figure, the tunic doing nothing to disguise the angular cut of his shoulders and the thinness of his arms. Her eyes followed the lines of his torso down to his lower half, noting that his legs were particularly skinny. His knee-high boots swallowed up his calves with room to spare.

  Her gaze lingered at his thighs, where ropes cut across his flesh tightly. Ashlyn frowned. Ropes? Was he tied to the saddle? Perhaps he’d been giving so much blood to the soldiers that he was too weak to sit in the saddle on his own strength.

  Suddenly Lord Li fell forward, and he did nothing to stop his descent, simply falling against the neck of his horse. The horse didn’t falter, seemingly accustomed to the motion. After a long moment, Lord Li’s hands came up, weakly pushing at the horse’s neck in an attempt to lift himself, and Ashlyn saw with a shock that his hands were tied as well.

  Her father was a prisoner!

  Ashlyn’s hand flew to her sword, ready to yank it free and unleash on these monsters who would dare to imprison the Lord of Toryn, but Skye suddenly appeared next to her, his hand against hers. He shook his head and put a finger to his lips.

  She trembled, staring at the swordsman furiously, wanting nothing more at that moment than to rescue her father from the clutches of the most evil man she’d ever known. How long had Kou been keeping him like this? Was this army extracting her father’s blood against his will? How sick was he? Ashlyn felt ill when she thought about all the time she’d wasted researching a Leadership Duel and arguing with herself over her responsibilities as Lady of Toryn, when all the while her father had been held prisoner, growing weaker every day.

  With effort, Ashlyn lowered her hand, leaving the sword strapped on her back. In front of them, the soldiers marched, their footsteps drumming a rhythm into her conscious that served to slow the frantic beat of her heart.

  She nodded at Skye to follow her, and then began retreating. Abandoning her father was the last thing she wanted to do right then, especially when her first urge was run to him and throw her arms around him- and then kill every single one of the monsters who had imprisoned him all this time. But she needed to regroup with her comrades and figure out a plan of action.

  She and Skye reached Drake quickly, and each of them mounted their horses so they could keep pace with the army.

  “My father is a prisoner,” Ashlyn hissed as Skye drew even with her.

  “A prisoner?” In the near-darkness, Skye’s expression was almost unreadable, but his eyes were glittering. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I saw him- he’s tied to a horse and Kou is leading him. Skye, my dad is so weak he can hardly sit up. They’re draining him dry!” Despite the gravity of the situation, Ashlyn felt a sudden and profound sense of relief at the knowledge that her dad wasn’t the bad guy after all. There would be no Leadership Duel. Kou seemed to be the only enemy now.

  “If we wait until they stop and make camp,” Drake spoke up from behind her, “it’s possible we could stage a rescue.”

  There was a pause.

  “It’s possible,” Skye said at last. “Not easy, but not i
mpossible either. They might not stop to make camp, though. They could march on through the night.”

  “Either way, we’ve got to get my father out of there. If we can get him and head straight back to Toryn, I think we’d be able to hold off my dad’s- Kou’s- army,” Ashlyn said. “Maybe if we got my dad on the airship and off the island, it would discourage them from attacking further.”

  “You have the same blood,” Drake pointed out. “The only way that theory would work would be if you evacuated with your father.”

  “I could do that,” Ashlyn said reluctantly. “I’d prefer not to. I don’t want to abandon the city.”

  “You may not have to,” said Skye. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They’re slowing down.”

  All three of them turned to look at the Toryn army, only visible by the lights of the torches they carried. It was obvious that the army was stopping. If it was to make camp, Ashlyn realized, this might be their chance.

  “Let’s wait,” she said. “We can get closer once they’re settled and work out what we’re going to do.”

  She halted her horse, who stood placidly and strangely content, despite the fact that they’d been riding most of the day.

  “Has it occurred to you that this might be a ploy?” Drake asked. “Devlyn must know that we’re tracking him. He might have bound your father so that you would assume Lord Li is innocent and attempt a rescue.”

  “I don’t think so,” Skye replied before Ashlyn could speak up. “You and I could be tracking him, but he has no reason to think that Ashlyn would. The wounds that she sustained would have been life-threatening in any other situation. It was only thanks to you that she’s all right.”

  “Skye is right. No one but you could have possibly healed my ribs without killing me,” Ashlyn said, “and Kou has no idea how skilled you are with magic, so he probably thinks I’m still…incapacitated or whatever. Actually…that might be why he’s moving now. Maybe he’s hoping to attack Toryn before I get there.”