Kayleb gazed at her, his face inscrutable. “A woman who can venture alone in a cave of succubi to free a stranger can’t be afraid of an old woman.”
“I am not afraid of death,” she confessed. “I am scared of losing those whom I love. I am scared that I will fail those who rely on me. And I am scared that if I fail, this world will become an unbearable place.”
He bent his head, staring at their linked fingers. “Facing our fears, and moving forward, is the only thing we can do.”
“Do you believe that woman’s visions?”
He didn’t say anything, as if gathering his thoughts. “I believe we need to go to Izba.”
“What if she was lying?”
“It wouldn’t hurt us even if she was telling lies. The mountains can be accessed through Izba, and while Vindha may have mages watching the access to his temple here, he wouldn’t bother covering every route from the other side of the mountain range. It’s our best chance to reach the temple without bringing any attention to ourselves.”
“What if it’s a trap? What if she is working for Vindha?”
He shook his head, frowning. “I don’t remember this woman. She may or may not have worked for my father, but I don’t think she was lying. She saw that vision, or at least a part of it. It might cost us time to do as she says, but in the end, I think we’ll have the advantage of tactically outmaneuvering Vindha’s mages who may be guarding that temple.”
Alicia chewed her bottom lip, a nervous habit she shared with her sister. “What would be the best route to reach Izba?”
“If this is indeed a trap, it would do well to stick to a path no one would expect us to take.” Leaving her hands, Kayleb stood. “We will go through the Moor of Mrityu.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a wasteland with pockets of quicksand and swamps. It will help us bypass all the major roads, and take us to the eastern pass on the mountains. People don’t venture into it as there is a legend that it’s inhabited by the spirits of the dead. But really it’s the quicksand that kills people who travel through it.”
Being an earth mage, Alicia didn’t think it would be hard for them to navigate their way through the moor. All they needed was to create a safe trail to follow. “What if the magical activity is monitored?”
“Vindha is too busy negotiating surrender terms to pay much attention to inconsequential magical activity in a kingdom he has already conquered.” His tone was brusque. But his eyes softened as he saw the concern on her face. “Don’t worry. We will be out of the moor before anyone can track us. If we can find our way through it, the moor will take us right to the edge of the eastern path and into Izba. It’s a big country out there. Vindha won’t find it that easy to track us once we are inside the northern kingdom.”
It wasn’t prudent to underestimate Vindha. His minions had managed to track her sister Zo easily enough when she had ventured into the mainland weeks ago. And yet, their need to locate the temple was so desperate that Alicia was even considering using magic to do so. Of course, it would alert every mage who was on the lookout for such activity, but if they weren’t able to pinpoint the location soon Alicia intended to use drastic measures. The longer it took them to find the temple, the higher the number of demon mages that would be set free to plague the world.
Alicia stood, feeling suddenly conscious as she faced him. This was the first time they were ever alone in a room since they met. Of course they were alone while they camped outside, but the closed, confined space in the room made her feel as if there was no one else in this world but them.
Kayleb was tall, and she had to lift her head to look into his eyes. He was a handsome man, and more than that, he was a man one would be proud to call a friend. She liked his decisiveness, the way he never hesitated once he committed himself to a cause—and she liked the softness in his eyes when he glanced at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.
She liked him. Alicia was honest enough to admit that maybe she loved him, and had perhaps done so from the moment she saw him. It didn’t matter that he was enslaved by the succubi, or used by them. It mattered that he was a man of honor and capable of deep loyalty. He was a brilliant strategist, and a brave and kind man.
It would be foolish of her to let go of this man, or this moment, only because their circumstances were strange and cumbersome.
Kayleb took a careful step back and turned to leave. “I should go.”
“Wait!” she said, throwing all caution to wind. Who knew what else life had in store for them? At least at this moment, she wanted to live on her terms. “Would you please stay with me tonight?”
Kayleb gazed at her, his eyes filled with a longing that matched hers. “Are you…I don’t think this is a good idea. It’s not a good time.”
Alicia smiled, suddenly feeling at ease. “It’s an excellent idea, Kayleb. And for us, the time may never be good. Stay with me.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he came back. “I don’t want you to think of this as a mistake in the morning.”
Alicia took off her scarf, and untied her long, black hair that tumbled well past her shoulders, falling into soft waves. “This will never be a mistake.”
Raising a hand, he touched his fingers to her smooth, creamy cheek. A sigh escaped his lips. He took a step back, and blew out the candle that illuminated the room. Dark shadows danced over the walls, cast by the thin beams of silver moonlight that pierced through the slants on the window.
Coming closer, he put an arm around her, and pulled her close. Their first kiss was as she had imagined it to be; soft and beautiful. He was kind, and gentle, and took his time with everything.
That night was the most romantic of her life.
And Alicia knew she would forever remember each and every moment.
Chapter Thirteen
The moor was a silent, featureless, drab plain that extended as far as the eye could see. Knee high, dry grass dotted the land in clumps, while the rest of the area was characterized by what appeared to be solid earth, but was mostly quicksand. It was a treacherous, dangerous land where one misstep could lead a person to excruciatingly slow and horrific death.
Of course, wielders of magic were safe from such mundane dangers. Kayleb had weaved a simple spell and as they stepped forward, leading their horses on foot, a deep golden path glowed in front of them, keeping them out of harm’s way.
As the sun lowered on the western horizon, its light a dark orange, they stopped to make camp.
“We should be out of the moors after two nights,” estimated Kayleb as he brushed Alicia’s horse. Although they were safe, he had taken the extra precaution of tying the animals to a wooden post he carried with him. If an animal wandered off into the moor on its own, he doubted they would ever find it alive again.
Alicia was sitting on a rock, bent over the hole she was digging to make a fire. The nearby grass was so dry that a tiny spark could set a blaze that would be hard to control. Kayleb would have preferred to do without a fire while they were in the moor, but this low-lying, wet plain was impossibly cold at night. Even now mists closed in, and a chill descended upon the land. Already, he could feel the cold biting into his bones.
Happy with the depth of the hole, Alicia lined it with dry grass and bundles of twigs and branches. She set fire to it with a flick of her hand, preferring to employ magic rather than the flint they usually used. They had agreed to use magic while in the moor. Since the magic he weaved was already giving away their location to anyone who chose to look for them, he doubted a little more indiscretion would make a difference. Kayleb wiped the animal down, and washed his hands with water he had collected in a spare pot.
The moor was crisscrossed with streams and bayous, and procurement of clean, drinking water was not a problem. Of course, one had to be careful as the abundant water made the entire area muddy and soft.
Alicia rubbed her hands and shifted closer to the fire. “It’s colder than I had anticipated.”
Word
lessly, he unstrapped the blankets from the horses and draped one around her. “The temperature is going to drop more as the night progresses,” he predicted.
Long ago, when he was a boy of nine years or so, he had ventured into the moor with a hunting party. They spent the night on the outskirts of the low plains, and he could still recall with perfect clarity the biting cold they endured that night. No one had been able to sleep. This was an unforgiving and perilous land, and it wouldn’t be prudent to forget that even for a moment.
Alicia opened the pack and gave him two pieces of round, hard bread, cheese, an apple and a pear, and two oat cakes. They had procured enough supplies from the inn to last them for a week. As Kayleb ate, he watched her.
Many times during the day, he found his gaze settling on her. It seemed he did little else but drink in the sight and smell of her. Last night was memorable. Kayleb had been with women before, but never before had he experienced passion tempered with compassion and an unbearable longing.
Was it love?
It scared him to think that it might be so. Alicia was a noble, beautiful, compassionate, and strong woman. She needed a man who could give her a stable home, and an honorable life. And he was not in a position to do so. Kayleb was homeless, dishonored by his failings and the punishment Vindha had inflicted him on. Which woman would want him as a companion or even as a lover?
And yet when she looked at him, he saw that she viewed him differently. She gave him respect and love. There was no judgment in her eyes.
But Kayleb felt unworthy of her love. Born a prince, he was raised with certain ideas of nobility and honor. After the horrifying and utterly humiliating defeat at Vindha’s hands, he felt as if he had not only been stripped of a kingship, but also of any claims to a happy and fulfilled life. He had lost the purpose of his life, and perhaps the only thing that saved him was a strong desire to help Alicia achieve her goals.
He had committed himself to her cause, not only because he wanted to repay her for what she had done for him, but also because it gave him a fresh chance to take revenge on the man who destroyed him.
His feelings for her complicated everything. He didn’t deserve her. And yet, despite his best efforts, he failed to stay away from her.
Alicia dusted her hands and inched closer to the fire. “What’s wrong?” She frowned, seeing that he hadn’t touched his food.
Embarrassed, he shook his head. He ate his share of the meal. With each passing moment, the mists became thicker, and the temperature dropped. Visibility was down to a few feet. He could barely make out the shape of the horses that were tied nearby.
“There is something strange about the mist,” said Alicia, with a certain wariness in her tone.
Kayleb stood. He walked over to her and sat. Alicia’s concerns were valid. The mist was thicker than any he had ever seen before. There was an iridescent, pearly sheen to it, almost as if within it were trapped beads of lights. With a flick of his hand, he conjured a protective shield. To his surprise, the shield flickered and phased out. He tried again. The power tingled down his hand, the shield came up, but once more, it sputtered and died.
His power was there, as always, strong and true. He was able to summon it, but was unable to maintain the spell. “What’s happening?”
Alicia put her hand on his arm. “Shh! Hear that?” she whispered. “We are not alone.”
Sensing her nervousness, Kayleb put his other hand on hers. He listened carefully .The mist was alive with sibilant sounds that came from all directions.
Alicia sidled closer to him. He gathered his power and prepared to unleash it upon their hidden enemy.
“Don’t do anything,” she warned, squeezing his hand. “They are all around us.”
“Who are they?”
“Spirits,” she said.
Kayleb frowned. “Those are tales perpetuated by local people. Spirits don’t roam the land.”
“Spirits are everywhere, but they usually don’t involve themselves in affairs of mortal men,” she said.
The mist surrounding them was so thick that he couldn’t make out her features even though she sat close to him. Kayleb eyed the thick, white haze with skepticism. “You spent a day too many with the tribal folks.”
“Look!” she said.
Within the mist faces began to appear; pearly white, shiny, eyeless and with wide, gaping mouths. Kayleb shuddered. Putting his arm around Alicia, he pulled her closer, determined to protect her from these monstrous entities. Who were they? What were they? Were they humans or demons? More and more faces appeared in the mist.
They were trapped. Where would they go? What could they do?
He summoned his magic, but once again, it died before he could bring it to bear on these strange and scary creatures. Frustrated, Kayleb yelled. Pulling free his sword, he used it to hack those he could see around him. The sword passed through the haze harmlessly. The faces appeared to laugh at his futile efforts.
Dropping his sword, he pulled Alicia up as he stood. “Run,” he said, gasping with fear. He was scared for himself, but more than anything, he wanted to protect her. Willingly he would die a thousand deaths before letting any harm come to her.
“Stop!” said Alicia in a calm voice. “Relax. They don’t intend to hurt us.”
He stared at her, but it was impossible to see her clearly. Even though he held her hand in a tight grip, she seemed lost to him. The mist appeared to have swallowed her. She was invisible. He raised his hand, and although he could feel her delicate fingers still clasped within his, he was unable to see her arm or any part of her body. A strange tingling began to creep into his body. He could feel nothing else, not even Alicia’s fingers that were intertwined with his, and yet his body was alive with a million sensations.
“What’s happening?”
And then suddenly, the sounds around him stopped. There was complete silence. Devoid of color, perception, and sound, it seemed as if he was in another world, where nothing existed except his own consciousness.
Someone whispered. “What do you seek?”
Who was talking to him? He didn’t know, but he found himself unable to lie. “Revenge.”
“For what?”
Kayleb felt an urge to disclose his deepest desire. Even if he wanted to, he would not have been able to hide anything from the spirits. “For my honor. For the countless lives that were lost. For the misery of all those who counted on me as I let them down.”
A strange sigh filled the silence. “Is your honor worth your life?”
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation.
“And what of the woman you love? Is her love not enough to stop your quest for revenge?”
Kayleb hesitated. His heart tussled with his mind. But the values he was taught since childhood were too strongly embedded. “My love for those who died to serve me is far greater. I must avenge their deaths, even if it means that I may lose her.”
Silence reigned. The mist around him pulsated, as if alive. “Revenge shall be yours, but your magic must be strong. The five elements all have power, and to do what you need, you need to use that which was lost centuries ago.”
“There are four elements of magic; air, water, earth and fire.”
“There is another, a gift so rare it appears once every other century, or even less so. It’s the strongest and the most powerful. It’s that which you must use to do what you must do.”
Images infiltrated his mind; mountains, cliffs, a temple, mages clad in black. A dark pit. Red, hot lava. Sensation began to come back to his body. “What? What are you saying?”
“Go with her to where the lava boils and demons abound. You have the gift. You have the power. Find it. Use it. You seek revenge. You shall find redemption,” voices spoke to him, even as he returned to his normal self. He could once again see Alicia beside him. The mist was receding already, turning back as swiftly as it came.
“Wait!” he screamed, needing to hear more. He wanted more information. He required answer
s to the questions that filled his mind, but the faces had disappeared. The mist was far away already. The night was once again dark, the sky well-lit with twinkling stars and a half-ball of a moon.
He sat, pulling Alicia down with him. His body was cold, and beside him, he felt her shudder. Pulling her closer, he sat for a long time, both of them lending warmth to each other. There was a comfort in her presence.
“What did the spirits tell you?”
He turned his face and looked into her deep, hazel eyes. He pulled a lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Her skin was warm, her eyes luminous.
“Did you hear anything in the mist?” he said.
“No.”
“How did you know they were spirits?”
Her soft lips curved into a smile. “Long ago, after my mother died, I once sat alone by the beach. I was crying because I missed her. She was a beautiful, warm, and caring person she was. Her presence alone was enough to calm me. I wanted to meet her once more. And then suddenly, I felt as if I was alone no more. A white mist surrounded me, and within it, I could see faces. For a twelve year old it might have been scary, but somehow I knew that those faces meant me no harm. They wanted to talk to me. And once I allowed them to speak to me, I heard my mother. She promised me that she would always be there for me. She was looking out for me.”
She stopped. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
He ran his finger over her cheek, and caught one tear. “What happened then?”
“I went back home, but I didn’t feel alone anymore. Despite my closeness to my sister and brother, I never shared that experience with them. It was extremely personal, something meant only for me, just like today’s occurrence was meant only for you. It’s alright if you don’t want to share.”
He loved her. She meant the world to him, but he wasn’t ready to share his conversation with her. She was right, it was personal. The spirits had wanted to communicate with him alone. If they had wanted, they could have shared it with Alicia also. But the fact that they didn’t meant that some of that which they had spoken was meant for his ears alone.
The Warrior Mage Page 16
