Crystal King (Riland Throne Book 1)

by John Olsen

  She spread out on her blanket and turned her face toward Gavin. “I’m going in.”

  “How can you be attuned so fast?”

  Saleena shrugged and closed her eyes, dropping through the mental window. She opened her new eyes and saw stars through the bars of a cage above her. So far, so good. She sat up and reached for the bars of the cage door, realizing she was in a human form. She had taken control of a slave. A meat puppet. That explained how she had made the connection so fast. The slave woman was about her size, and the physical similarities made the connection easier.

  A man outside the bars glanced in. “About time. The baron needs you to get her chained up in his tent, and can’t do it himself. He said something about wanting leverage with one of his men.” The accent was from home, which didn’t make sense. This man wasn’t a northerner.

  She scooted to the door and gave what she hoped was a convincing nod.

  He unlocked her cage and swung the door open. The cage sat on a wagon, so she scrambled out and down to the ground. Her new body cramped with the movement. She stood to her full height and flexed, adjusting a loose robe, her only clothing. Raw sores covered her elbows and knees. Saleena had seen them on animals when they weren’t allowed to run free often enough. The way this woman had been treated made her stomach turn. Her jaw clenched as she studied her surroundings with an intensity built by her loathing of the man in front of her.

  He wore the uniform of a man-at-arms, maybe part of a private guard, with a metal breastplate, a sword, and dagger on his hip. He released some straps on the wagon and hefted a small box. “He’ll need this if he keeps her long. She gets pretty wild without the sleep juice if nobody’s controlling her.” He gave a mean laugh. “Of course, I don’t have to remind you of that. You still carry a nice scar where she bit you that one time.”

  He set the box down and walked up close. “You know, there’s not that much of a hurry. We got time for a quick peek, I think.” He reached for her robe.

  Saleena’s seething rage boiled out all at once. She leaned forward and kneed him in the groin as hard as she could. He doubled over in pain with a loud grunt, fell to his side, and curled up in a ball. She pulled a dagger from his belt. She could kill him, but she’d never killed a man before. In tomorrow’s battle, she would probably kill several men, but she hesitated before coming to a decision.

  She kicked him again to assure he would not walk normally for at least a week, then ripped a sash from his clothing and used it to gag him. He turned his head, bloodshot eyes wide with pain and an unspoken question. She grabbed a loose set of leather reins from the wagon and hogtied him while he was unable to defend himself.

  Despite long confinement and abuse, the body she occupied was strong. She hoisted the loose end of the reins and tied it to a hook on the wagon, nearly lifting the man off the ground. She slipped his dagger into her rope belt and carried his sword.

  Saleena grabbed the box in her free hand. If she made it all the way out, they would look closer at the contents. With the box safely tucked under her left arm, she oriented herself from Brother Cleo’s landmarks and headed off to the nearby animal pens.

  Twice she ducked back into the shadows as someone walked past, but eventually, she found a dark spot between some boxes and sat to watch the approach to the pens. A few minutes later, she saw a tabby cat wandering her direction as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  She shifted position, and the cat’s eyes were instantly on her. She formed her hands into one of the prearranged signals for danger, and then pointed back the way she had come. Death Claw tapped his paw three times on the ground. End the Trance.

  She shook her head, no. Leaving would put this woman, whoever she was, back at the mercy of the monsters she escaped from. If the mystery woman became awake and aware, Saleena had no way to predict what would happen. The woman would probably remember Saleena’s conversation with the cat. Maybe the drug would prevent that, but she didn’t know.

  The three cats appeared with her between the crates and boxes. Doom Bringer, nearly invisible in the darkness, crossed his front paws. Guard me.

  She nodded and huddled with all three of them in her arms while Willem disengaged to report about the change in the situation. Less than a minute later, all three tapped her on the arm to let her know he was back. They signaled in unison for her to wait, and then they stalked to the pens and animals tied to wagons.

  The cages came in various sizes. They were the same sort she had appeared in. Saleena’s keen eyes picked out two rats as they scurried up and into one cage after another. Some were empty, and they came right back out. Others were not. A growl sounded from one cage as they approached, and they backed off to try another.

  She lost sight of the cats and rats for a time, but soon felt a light touch on her bare foot. A rat held a crystal out to her. It was a relief to know the word had been spread. She took the crystal, which had been chewed free from its collar. She placed it in the box.

  Death Claw brought her another prize, a smaller crystal on a cord with chew marks where it had been cut.

  A half hour passed, and by the end, she held eight crystals. Other animals on her team would carry or hide their own haul of stolen crystals. She watched the cats climb to the largest wagon cage and slip through the bars.

  She heard yelling in the main camp behind her. Whether it was because of her escape or for some other reason, it was time to retreat. She crouched and prepared to move. Her eyes darted back to the enemy camp at every noise. If the cats didn’t come back soon, she would have to make her own way out.

  A low rumbling growl came from the cage, and three cats darted out in different directions. The animal continued to make noise. A guard to the far side of the cage grunted and said, “It’s your turn. See what His Majesty’s beast wants.”

  Skull Crusher ran up to check on her, and she gave a quick signal of retreat. The calico acknowledged the signal and led the way into the darkness. Saleena’s night vision was poor, so she relied on the cats to keep her from being seen as she followed them. They were faster than she was, so they waited and watched as she hurried from one spot to the next through the enemy camp.

  The cats diverted her to a space between two tents as a man marched back the way they had come. She held her breath and waited until the man moved out of a direct line of sight. Eventually, she stood again and crept along behind her guides.

  Some of the less dangerous animals were tied along her path, so she pulled her dagger and cut the hitch lines free as she passed. It might not be much, but anything helped.

  Soon, they were clear of the wagons and tents, but the open fields made it much easier for her to be seen. They hadn’t planned on having to hide a human crossing the gap between forces. She crouched down as low as possible and followed the cats out into the open. Her bare feet were not used to rough ground and gained several new cuts and scrapes.

  The cats crossed a game trail in a flurry and vanished into the grass on the other side. Saleena crept out and stepped on a thorn. She let out a tiny yelp and fell to her knees.

  “You there! Don’t move.” Two men in armor melted out of the darkness beside a large boulder where they had been hidden. She was ready to make a run for it when she spotted Skull Crusher in the grass. The cat gave the signal to wait.

  The men split up and approached her from two angles with swords out. The same one commanded her, “Now stand up, slowly.”

  She left the sword on the ground out of sight and stood to face him, seeing recognition on his face. “Sir, she’s the prisoner!”

  Before the men could react, Runner, along with the wolf and two half-wolves, sprang into action. The two men fell under the weight of the attack, but pulled their arms in close to guard their throats. This left their legs exposed, and Runner, under Tover’s control, bit through a boot and into the tendons at the back of one man’s leg, refusing to let go.

  The men screamed. Whether as a warning or from pain made no difference. The camp wo
uld come alive within moments, no matter how tired they were. Saleena gave up on stealth and ran through the empty field as snarls, yells, and yelps filled the air behind her. Sharp rocks cut her feet, but she didn’t dare stop. She clutched the stolen box desperately to her chest as she struggled up the gentle slope.

  Two cattle dogs appeared at her sides as an escort. They were too small to do more than guide her, but that was enough. The yells and howls of the fight died down in the background, and they fled across no-man’s-land and made their way up the hill to their own camp through the darkness.

  Guards at their camp called out a challenge and trained bows and spears on her until the dogs came forward to be recognized. She said, “I’m Saleena, controlling this woman. Help me get to my team.” The voice she spoke with was low and rough, as if she’d spent a lot of time screaming. She gave her escort a set of hand signals for emphasis as she said, “Go watch for the others. They will need more help.”

  The closest guard nodded. “A messenger told us to expect you.”

  The dogs turned and ran back to the fight as it progressed slowly up the hill.

  The perimeter guards handed her off to two other guards, along with the box and crystals. They carried her with her arms around their necks so she wouldn’t have to use her blood-streaked feet.

  Saleena saw herself, stretched out on a blanket. The sense of oddness had never gone away at seeing her body through another’s eyes. She held out her arms and said to the guards, “Bind these hands now. We don’t know who she is or what she might do when released. She was kept in a cage and has this vile collar with a crystal built into it like Adrian’s.”

  Controlling another human gave Saleena a creepy feeling. It was a forbidden thing she had believed was an abomination all her life, and here she was, using a vile and forbidden connection to rescue a slave. The noble cause didn’t make her feel any better as she broke the last of the three Accords.

  Once the prisoner was bound and leaned back as comfortably as the ropes allowed, Saleena pulled back to herself and worked her way to her feet. The wobbles faded after a few seconds, and she stepped over the others, still in their trances, to examine the woman. She was unconscious now, which was strange. Anything that kept her asleep should have kept someone like Saleena from taking control.

  With guards watching the woman, she took the box and crystals and set them aside. There was still work to do. The two men who controlled the small farm dogs sat up as their dogs ran into the camp. They lavished the dogs with attention and treats for a job well done.

  Next, the badger crew came back. They had been due to return last because they didn’t move as fast. Saleena cast a worried glance at the remaining sleepers. Otis, the gate guard who owned one of the half-wolves sat up with a start and swore as he stumbled to his knees. “Archers. They have archers following us. Some are hurt bad. I lost Ruffian!” He stifled a sob as Saleena and the guards intercepted him before he could run off to help. He was still dizzy, so it was easy to steer him back to his blanket.

  Gavin said, “We have men on the perimeter. They’ll get all the help we have if they make it close enough.” He put a hand on the guard’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about Ruffian.”

  The guard sat back down. “The cats must be half demon. I’ve never seen anything like it. Their claws and teeth were everywhere. Men were screaming and thrashing on the ground, their faces covered in blood. The cats popped up out of nowhere, attacked, and vanished over and over, like little maniacs. We hamstrung the men to keep them on the ground where the cats got to them. We almost got clear before the archers got there and shot at anything that moved, even their own men. They couldn’t see as well in the dark as we could.” He peered at the rest of the team where they lay on the ground, still in their trances, and chewed at a knuckle. “Come on, you can do it. Get out of there.”

  It was a good sign their trances had not ended yet. They were still in control and working their way up the hill.

  A raven fluttered in, and Brother Cleo opened his eyes. “They just reached the perimeter. Most of them made it, but they’ve been hurt. The worst are being carried here.” He sat up and caressed the back of the bird with a fingertip, then moved the bird into its cage with all the care he could manage with shaky hands.

  Saleena put a hand on Gavin’s arm. “Gavin, we’re going to need people to treat the wounded.”

  “Oh, of course.” He gazed at her with a lost expression which was quickly replaced by determination. “We need help for wounded animals!” He turned with a pleading expression to his personal guard who gave him a nod and sprinted off into the dark. Gavin was distant, occupied by some weighty matter. “Saleena, will you give me the master crystal for her now, please?”

  She removed the chain from her neck and reluctantly handed it to him, then watched as he stepped over and set it on top of a large rock. He picked up another rock the size of his fist and yelled as he slammed it down on the crystal with such force splinters scattered all around the large stone.

  “This is the second time I’ve seen this, and I will choose to free slaves every time. Our animals serve us, but they serve as guardians, companions, and friends. This?” He pointed to the collar around the woman’s neck. “This is slavery to a level beyond mere servitude. Tell me, Saleena. Do your cattle hate you?”

  “No, of course not. They’ll follow me around like puppies if I let them. They did even before the crystals.”

  “But you’ve trained them to do hard things. You’ve even forced them to work hard at times. Like when you taught them how to defend themselves from predators.”

  Saleena nodded.

  “Saleena, I think this whole camp would follow me around like puppies. And tomorrow I have to send them, man and beast alike, to a fight that will kill some of them, maybe even most of them. Tonight’s losses will be nothing compared to the sacrifices we make tomorrow. What makes me different from the men who did this?” He waved at the woman’s collar. “Have I helped the people enough that I deserve what they’ll do in my name?”

  “Of course, you have. You’ve saved the lives of more people than I can count.” She thought of all the things he had done. Most of the rumors were rubbish, but that didn’t take away from who he was and what he had done. She knew why he asked, but she had never hesitated or worried over her own actions and motives as she and her family chose to break the law. They made and used crystals in the service of the old baron, a man who would have condemned them for it. “There’s a reason people have confidence in you. You’re a good leader. They will follow you and die at your command if it saves others.”

  She reached toward him, but paused as heavy footfalls approached from behind.

  “Make way!” The perimeter guards carried the injured animals in, disrupting her thoughts.

  Draken’s wolf could walk, but not well. Then Saleena noticed the wolf had lost most of her tail. Draken woke and immediately reached for his travel pack and pulled out a strip of cloth. He patted the wolf gently as she lay down with a whimper, but after a few moments of attention to bandage her tail, Draken was off to tend to the others.

  Saleena’s eyes fell on Runner. Her father held control to keep him still, but she saw her father’s breathing was fast and shallow. He was barely holding the trance in place. An arrow ran in Runner’s left side through his ribs and back out on the right. She couldn’t imagine the pain both Runner and her father must be in. She knelt beside Runner as he was set down. “Da, let him go now. We’ve got him. He’ll want to see you as himself before he goes.”

  Runner’s head shook in faint denial.

  “Da, this is too bad. We can’t save him. You can’t take the pain to hold him still for stitching his wounds, and he won’t know to hold still on his own.”

  She dashed tears from her eyes and glanced around at those surrounding her in an appeal for help.

  Then she saw the box liberated from the enemy camp. “Wait. We might be able to do this.” She stood to intercept a man who ar
rived with bandages.

  She grabbed him by the arm. “Sleep juice. Will it let Runner be sewn up?” She pointed at the dog.

  “Nobody has that stuff out here. It would take more than a week’s pay for just the one dog, even if I had some.”

  She grabbed the box and thrust it toward him. “Use it on any of these animals if it will help, but please try it first on Runner. He won’t last long if he’s bleeding inside.”

  The man uncorked a bottle from the box and gave it a sniff, then noticed there were a dozen bottles, with ten already empty. “Someone’s already spent a king’s ransom on this stuff. Are you sure you want to use it on the animals?”

  She nodded, and he set to work on Runner.

  Soon, Tover pulled back from his trance, leaving Runner in a deep sleep. He said, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have risked it.” He rubbed his sides.

  Her speech to Gavin still rang through Saleena’s head. Was it true? Was the sacrifice worth it? She had to convince not only herself but her father as Runner lay near death.

  Saleena had one hand on Runner’s head and one on her father’s shoulder. “No, Da. You did right. You and Runner hit them hard. You helped save us and the woman. You and the others gave us a chance to survive tomorrow.” Tears ran down her face and dropped onto Runner’s fur. She ran her fingers along the top of Runner’s head to comfort herself as the dog slept through the work to patch him up. “We’re all sorry about how it turned out, but don’t apologize for doing the right thing. Runner deserves that from us. He helped save us all.”

  Soon, the job was done. Runner was left with her, bandages encasing his ribs.

  The animal surgeon said, “He might make it, but there’s no guarantee. As the drug wears off, it’s normal to wake and sleep several times.”