Seer of Souls (The Spirit Shield Saga Book 1)

by Susan Faw

  A jolt of searing pain ran up Cayden’s arm like an electric shock. The bird arched its back and flopped back down, no longer breathing. At the same moment, Cayden saw a bluish mist rise from the bird. The mist gathered into a semi-transparent form of a bird with a wingspan as tall as a man. Its feathers were layered in blues and reds and purples. Its head was bald except for a small curl of feather on its crest. Cayden thought it resembled his mental picture of thunderbirds in the tales he had been told as a child.

  The apparition steadied and Cayden felt thoughts being pushed into his head. The foreign intrusion made his head explode with pain. “Are you Mac Mak? The thunderbird of the stories?” He clutched at his head, trying to still the pain of the foreign communication.

  “Mick-mak. My name is Mik’maq. In the old tongue, it means Allied Brothers. Thank you for aiding in my rebirth, young Cayden.” Cayden didn’t reply. His mind was foggy and slow with the pain in his arm and mind. “You and I are now brothers. You may call on me at any time and I will answer that call.”

  The thunderbird launched itself into the air, soaring over the clearing, and disappeared into the distance. The remaining eagles followed it. Cayden eyes followed the eagles’ flight and abruptly he found himself seeing through the thunderbird’s eyes. His focus narrowed and sharpened as he flew over the land. His stomach lurched as it dived steeply toward the ground. Cayden cried out in alarm, squeezing his eyes shut and throwing out his hands to stop his fall, landing on his hands and knees on the dirt. The thunderbird chuckled in his mind and then broke contact.

  Cayden gulped and opened his eyes. He was still in the meadow on his hands and knees. He stood up, legs quivering and as he did so. Two men walked into view about twenty feet away from him. They both carried bows. Spotting Cayden, they walked over.

  “You found the eagle! We weren’t sure whether we had hit it or not!” The younger man picked up the eagle by its feet. “These feathers should be worth something in trade with the merchants. I guess it wasn’t a complete waste of a hunting trip.” They walked away, not waiting for a reply.

  Cayden shivered. He felt chilled, as though he was catching a cold. His awareness of the eagles did not diminish. He felt stronger in aspects, his eyesight was sharper, his focus clearer, yet he shivered. What is happening to me?

  Rubbing his arms, he headed back to camp. He couldn’t help glancing at the sky.

  Chapter 19

  THE FOLLOWING DAYS SETTLED into a pattern for Cayden. Roll call at dawn, breakfast, sword training, archery training, pike drills, a break for lunch, and then hand to hand combat, flail and shields, and finally ending with halberds. Dinner would follow and then roll call before settling down for the night. He slipped off to Ziona’s for his “fittings,” sharing dinner with her on those evenings. He found her to be a smart and engaging companion, quick of wit and with a cheery disposition. He enjoyed her company immensely.

  Cayden discovered he also enjoyed learning the forms of the sword and the pike drills. The flail drills usually left him heavily bruised as he was not as tall or as strong as the others in his training group. Some of those men reminded him of gorillas because their arms were so long. Cayden swore they would drag on the ground if they relaxed them enough. Cayden, however, was quick and light on his feet, perfectly suited to sword play. His skills improved rapidly.

  Sergeant Perez never failed to set Cayden up to receive the worst positions with the worst equipment he could find. Sergeant Perez loathed Cayden. His narrowed eyes followed him everywhere, his hatred nakedly displayed on his face. Cayden found himself watching his back. Sergeant Perez had gathered a set of sycophants, who shadowed him like he was a lord.

  Two weeks into this new routine, Sergeant Perez arrived at the training grounds with some older men of higher rank.

  Sergeant Perez’s evil grin split his fleshy lips, displaying yellowed teeth, and a satisfied expression spread across his face. He looks triumphant. Cayden broke out in a sweat, shivering in the breeze tugging his shirt. Someone had just walked across his grave.

  “Line up, you lazy scum! Inspection!” Perez roared. They took their positions and snapped to attention.

  The tall thin officer had a hooked nose that he stabbed into each of the men’s faces, inspecting them with an intensity that frightened Cayden. Perez followed in his wake, re-inspecting the line of nervous men, as though attempting to read the secrets they hid. Perez, arms clasped behind his back, watched the reaction of the officer as he walked the line, intently examining each face. He paused when he reached Cayden, his narrow eyes searching his face.

  “Bring the two guards who were with Sandez on guard duty that day.” Perez’s grin widened maliciously.

  Two men jogged up to the group, dressed in scout’s camouflage and saluted before Perez. Cayden had not seen them in the camp since their arrival. “Sir!” they snapped to the two officers.

  “Do either of you recognize any of the men in this line up?”

  The two scouts slowly walked past the line of men at attention and one paused directly in front of Cayden. His eyes roved over Cayden’s features, studying him intently. Straightening, he turned to Sergeant Perez and said, “Yes! This man was with the heavier set man, who fought like a cornered badger. I do not know if he killed Sandez though.”

  It was enough for Perez, however.

  “Cayden Tiernan, you are under arrest for murder!” He motioned to a couple of his cronies standing a little ways back. “Bind his hands and take him to the prisoner tents.”

  Cayden’s tent mates roared their disapproval as he was roughly dragged out of line and his arms yanked behind him and tied securely with a length of rope.

  “Back in line, you scum, unless you want to join him?”

  Darius caught his eye, shock and sadness painted on his face. Cayden shook his head slightly, warning him to not get involved.

  Cayden recognized the soldier who had identified him now. He was one of the three who had surprised him and Ryder that miserable day. The nameless soldier grinned as evilly as Perez did. “You thought to escape our justice by hiding in our midst? You will live to regret that day, boy. You will regret it very much, I think,” he said softly. The threat in his voice made Cayden’s mouth go dry. He did not answer.

  The guard-turned-scout punched him hard in the stomach. Cayden doubled over, vomiting on the grass. He only kept his feet because his arms were being held by the two soldiers who had bound him. The soldier lifted his head and punched him in the face. Cayden’s head snapped back and he felt his nose break. Blood spurted and ran down his face, dripping off his chin.

  Rough hands jerked on his arms, hauling him away. A canvas sack was pulled over his head. He stumbled in his captor’s grip, the uneven ground tripping his feet. His eyes watered with the pain of his broken nose. Twice more he was randomly punched in the stomach, eliciting a groan. Once they let him fall to the ground and then proceeded to kick him with sharp-toed boots. Cayden thought he heard Perez chuckle. Cayden felt a rib crack. Groaning, he could do nothing to stop the beating. He couldn’t even protect himself with his hands tied behind his back.

  Suddenly, it stopped and Cayden was hauled to his feet again. He collapsed as the world tilted around him. They dragged him the rest of the way and with a last shove, threw him into what felt like a cart. The bag was ripped from his head as he fell, still bound. A metal-sounding door clanged shut and there was a sound of a key being turned in a lock. Waves of nausea washed over Cayden as the world spun and he vomited. Everything receded from Cayden in a rush and he slumped, unconscious to the wooden floor.

  Chapter 20

  WHEN HE CAME TO, it was fully dark. He tried to move, only to find his hands were still tied. He felt around in his mouth with his tongue. All of his teeth seemed to be intact. He spit the blood out. The simple act of lifting his head caused searing pain in his ribs. He groaned out loud. He had definitely broken a rib or two. He moved his legs, moaning with the effort. Nothing broken there, he thought, pant
ing with the exertion.

  He peered around cautiously. He appeared to be in a metal cage of some sort outside of the camp. He thought it was one of the cages used by one of the butchers who supplied the camp with meat to haul livestock. Why was he outside the camp? This was not the prisoner tents. What was Perez playing at?

  Cayden did not spot a sentry, which didn’t mean there wasn’t one. He tested his bonds, wriggling his fingers and trying to loosen the ropes. He felt around for the tied ends. His eyes searched the cage, looking for a nail or a sharp metal edge to fray the ropes on. There was nothing in his immediate line of sight. He tried to shift his position, but the flash of pain in his ribs made him suck in a deep breath and groan aloud.

  “Cayden…Cayden, are you awake?” Darius’s shadowed face appeared over the edge of the cage floor. “I came as soon as I could sneak past the patrol,” Darius whispered.

  “I am awake,” Cayden whispered back.

  “I went to the prisoner tents to see you, but they said you were not brought to them. Rather than hang around and ask questions that would raise suspicion, I left. On the way back to our tent, I saw one of Perez’s cronies slip off in this direction. I decided to follow him and he led me straight to here. He was replacing another guard. Don’t worry. He is out cold.”

  “That’s great,” Cayden croaked. He could barely speak; he was so thirsty. “He wouldn’t happen to have had the key on him for this buggy?”

  Darius grinned, holding up a round key ring. “Let’s find out, shall we?” Darius reached for the lock on the back of the cage. Cayden lost sight of him, but he heard the key scraping in the lock.

  It clicked open and Darius hopped in beside him. He produced a knife and quickly cut the ropes binding Cayden. Darius helped him to sit up. Cayden groaned and clutched his stomach. “You shouldn’t have helped me. They will have no compunction about killing you for helping me.”

  “Never mind about that right now. Where should we go? You can’t travel far in your current condition.”

  “Take me to Ziona’s tent. She will know what to do.”

  Placing Cayden’s arm over his shoulders, Darius helped Cayden get to his feet. Cayden bit down hard on his lip to keep from crying out. The cage spun crazily in his vision and he nearly fainted. Deep breaths were agony due to the broken ribs.

  “Come on, Cayden, we have to get out of here. If you pass out, I will have to carry you.”

  Darius helped Cayden to the door and then gently lowered him to sit on the edge of the opening. Hopping down, he put Cayden’s arm around his shoulders again and pulled him into a quick walk. Cayden stumbled and passed out twice during the short journey, ending in front of Ziona’s tent. Ziona took his other side and helped bring him in, lowering him onto her cot. Cayden did not remember actually hitting the cot. Everything went black.

  When he came to again, darkness was fading into dawn. Darius slumped in the chair, snoring softly. He appeared uncomfortable but slept on.

  Ziona bent over Cayden, slightly out of focus. She pried one eye open and flashed the light from a tinder stick in front of his eyes. She then did the same to the other. Satisfied, she raised his shirt and examined the poultice she had placed on his ribs. She lifted the edge of the cloth and then placed it back down again.

  “How are you feeling?” Her green eyes loomed large in his sight.

  Cayden thought that her eyes were the eyes of an angel. His lips to curved in response or at least they tried to. His lip was too swollen to form the proper shape. Raising his hand to his face, he winced as he touched his nose. It felt like badly mashed potatoes to him, all lumpy and squishy.

  “I have had better nights.” He grinned crookedly. “Why did you let Darius stay? He should have snuck back into camp. Now everyone will know he is with me. He will be a wanted man too.”

  “He refused to leave. He said you two were a team and he had pledged himself to you a few weeks ago?” She raised her eyebrows in enquiry.

  “Oh…that…well I didn’t mean it literally. I didn’t mean for him to follow me into trouble.”

  “That’s what friends do, Cayden.”

  Ziona reached over for a pitcher of water and poured a glass for Cayden. She held up his head and helped tip the liquid into his mouth. He swallowed gratefully, washing the tinny taste of blood from his mouth.

  Replacing the glass on the chest, Ziona sat down on the edge of the cot. “So, are you going to tell me what this is all about? Somehow I think I am going to learn why you decided to join the legion in the first place.”

  Cayden nodded and quickly told her about the incident with Ryder. Toward the end of the telling, he noticed Darius had woken and was listening intently also.

  “So you didn’t actually kill that soldier? Ryder did?” Darius asked.

  “Yes. I had to hide him and protect the village.”

  “Then you are innocent,” said Darius.

  “Or guilty by association,” said Ziona.

  “None of this explains why they put me in a cage outside of the camp.” Cayden eyes flicked from one set to the other. “If this was about that night, I should be standing trial for the legion. But they didn’t even report they had found me. Something else is going on.”

  “I quite agree,” said Ziona. “However, short of capturing and interrogating Perez and the mysterious second soldier, we cannot know what their motives are. What is certain is that there are parties interested in you, Cayden, outside of the legion itself.”

  Darius stared at Cayden, puzzled. Cayden felt equally mystified.

  “I have done some healing to your ribs overnight. There were two cracked on the left side, but I think you will find they have mended now. Try to sit up, slowly now.”

  They helped Cayden sit up. The pain was still present, but it was a shadow of what it had been before.

  “How were you able to heal my ribs so quickly?”

  “I will explain another time,” Ziona said with a glance at Darius. “Now, what do we do with you, young man?” She turned to face Darius fully, arms crossed over her chest.

  “I’m not going anywhere without Cayden. I swore to help him and that is exactly what I intend to do.” Darius scrubbed the toe of his boot on the soft ground. “That is, if you will allow me to stay, mistress. I go where Cayden goes.”

  “Well I think it is time we packed up and got away from this arena. It will be too difficult for you to be outside, Cayden. Too many people know you. You have approximately an hour and a half until dawn and an hour before roll call.” Darius nodded. “I need you to slip back into camp and gather your and Cayden’s satchels. Take only your satchels. Anything else will slow you down. Meet me back here in forty-five minutes. Be warned. If you are discovered, we will not be rescuing you nor will we wait for you.”

  “I understand, mistress.” Darius left the tent.

  “Now, we gather what we need. I have supplies stashed in other locations. There is nothing in this tent that I cannot carry in my satchel and leaving the tent up will give the appearance I am gone for the day and will return. I will leave word with a neighbouring tent that I have gone to the last village we passed to purchase some supplies. You will go into the woods out the back of my tent.” She reached for a knife sitting on the cutting table and quickly slit the tent back at a seam. “Head out into the woods. I want you to make a wide circle around the camp and then join back up with the road about three miles west of here. You will find an ancient Primordial pine in the meadow off to the side of the road. Behind the great pine is a cave. I will meet you there in a day or two. There are supplies in the cave. You will stay there until I can meet up with you, all right? I want to be sure no one connects my disappearance with yours.” And I want to find out who is interested in you enough to try to kidnap you out of the middle of the legion, she thought to herself.

  Handing him a flask of water and slipping some bread and cheese into his pockets, she gestured towards the slit canvas. “I have put more medicine in the flask of water. It wi
ll heal you as you travel. Now go. I will send Darius after you as soon as he arrives, but you must go.”

  Cayden stood up slowly. His concern for her reflected in his green eyes. “Stay safe, OK?” He bent down and hugged her fiercely and then slipped out the back of the tent, disappearing into the trees.

  Chapter 21

  ZIONA GATHERED HER SATCHEL and flipped back the flap. In went the potions she had made for the journey, bandages, her Primordial clothing, and several human changes of clothes. She carefully packed anything that would reveal her true ethnic roots. She must remain anonymous. She gathered thread and a large stitching awl to repair the tent seam after Darius arrived. She burned the leftover dressings from tending to Cayden’s wounds in the fire pit in the middle of her tent. The flames sparked and eagerly consumed the offering.

  Her thoughts drifted back to Cayden. Who was after him? Did they know who and what he was? She shivered at the thought. She had suspicions as to who might be behind the kidnapping, for that was what it had been in reality. He had been kidnapped in broad daylight with over twenty witnesses. It was a boldly brilliant move by a dangerous adversary. She would have to stick as close as bark on a tree to him from now on.

  She doused the fire with the last of the water from her basin and then pulled out several unfinished garments and laid them out on the table. She placed scissors and a spool of thread next to them, putting them down carelessly as though she had stopped in the middle of working on them. She partially straightened the blankets on the cot, mussing them enough to appear to have been slept in. With a last glance around, she buckled her travel bag and waited.

  Five minutes later, Darius’s head popped into the tent, followed by his body. He was not alone. Five of Cayden’s tent mates filed into the tent behind him.