Tales of the Feisty Druid Boxed (Books 1-3): Age Of Magic - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Tales of the Feisty Druid Boxed Set)

by Candy Crum

  And she had.

  Talia had known Arcadia's army wasn't well trained, but she knew they had the numbers. Numbers didn't make up for lack of skill, but the remnant would have brought twice or even three times as many to the battle if they'd known Arcadia's numbers were so high.

  She'd lied when she’d told them the Guard was depleted and weak from the battle of Arcadia. She'd lied to convince them they'd only need two hundred or so to sack the city.

  She'd set them up, all right.

  The remnant had come with enough to take out quite a few of Arcadia's Guard and citizens, but not enough to successfully seize the city. The city had fought them off and won. That had been the plan, but she’d hoped for the beasts to kill Amelia during the battle.

  She was supposed to be long gone, damn it, and Talia was supposed to be Chancellor. When she took charge of the city, she would have given the remnant whatever they might demand to keep them away in the future.

  But things had gone wrong so quickly. Arryn had proven to be far more resourceful and powerful than she had imagined, and she'd taken out far too many of the remnant before they even reached the city gate. That had required Talia to do a little improvising of her own. She'd captured Arryn and fled the city before the girl could do any more damage and ruin the possibility of Amelia being taken down.

  It was the only thing that had worked as planned, and she wasn't even sure of that much. Now, as she sat there with her mystics’ brew, listening to Scarlett prattle on about nothing important, she worried about the inevitable.

  The remnant would more than likely come for her soon, and with much larger numbers. She doubted they would take the risk of coming underprepared this time.

  They may have been big, ruthless barbarians, but they understood details, and they sure as hell understood battle tactics.

  "Aren’t you concerned at all?" Talia asked, her voice sharp and angry. "You do realize the remnant will be back, right? I doubt they even have an interest in the city anymore. All they’d care about right now is revenge. They'll come soon enough, and you are in just as much danger as I am."

  Scarlett sighed, reaching over and placing a hand on Talia's ankle. "Trust me, I’ve already thought of all that. Yes, our lives may be in danger, but right now there's no sign of it, and I'm not going to spend my time worrying about it. I’ll deal with it if it comes. Let's not forget, Talia, that this world is a much bigger place than just this small valley. Trust me on that. This world has many places to offer, and we can go anywhere, if it comes to that."

  Talia looked at her incredulously, downing the rest of her brew before slamming the glass onto the nightstand next to the bed. "Are you serious right now? We can just go anywhere? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. If I wanted to just go anywhere, I wouldn't have wasted all this time trying to secure my future here. Things are different now. At first, all I wanted was vengeance for my father, but now I want what's owed to me. The city is what's owed to me. It's mine."

  "Okay, then." Scarlett folded her hands in her lap. "What's the plan?"

  Talia sighed, resting her head against her headboard as she stared at the ceiling. "So far, Amelia has only worked on cleanup. There hasn't been much effort past that. She’s scared to piss us off. There have been a lot of deaths, so morale in the city is obviously low. Using the remnant again is obviously out of the question, but I'm sure our group would be happy to have more power."

  Scarlett nodded. "By having more power, I'm assuming you mean giving them the blood from another victim. To do that, we would have to kill someone else. The city is convinced the murders were done by Arryn's hand."

  "And?” Talia asked angrily. “She's gone! No one has seen her. For all they know, she could still be lurking in the city. She proved that when she disappeared for days, only to show up out of nowhere to fight for the city. No one except us and a few in our group know what really happened to her. If we kill someone else, it will instill the fear that Arryn is still in the area."

  Scarlett was quiet for a moment as she sat and thought Talia's words over. "Amelia isn't doing a lot right now. She’s more than likely trying to keep a low profile and stay out of our way. At least, that's what I would do if I were her. If you take control and do something big to make yourself look like a better leader, it will only further the city's ever-growing disapproval of the Chancellor."

  Talia smiled. "Not bad. I like it. We should talk about this later. I'm starting to feel very relaxed, and I think I need a night for me. I need some entertainment."

  Scarlett winked and smiled. "Damn. Took you long enough. I thought you'd never ask."

  Talia rolled her eyes. "Not you, though I'm sure I would find you very entertaining. No, I'm thinking of someone else. I'm going to get a bath started. You should go down to Sully's and look for a very tall, very broad man who answers to the name ‘Eric.’"

  "So, I'm not good enough for your bed, but I'm good enough to go fetch your toys for you? That's nice, Talia. And what exactly should I say to this man?"

  "Tell him he's about to be shown my gratitude for the pitcher of brew he bought a while back." She smiled. "Oh, but also tell him if he doesn't like things interesting and slightly painful, don't bother. I'd hate for him to disappoint me."

  ***

  Being stuck on the mountaintop was hell for Arryn, but it wasn't going to change until she got her energy back. Arryn had to expend some of her magic and energy every day to give herself things that would return the effort spent with interest.

  For instance, she had built herself an igloo to shelter her from snow and wind, which allowed her to stay warmer at night. Being warmer permitted her a more restful sleep, which in turn gave her the energy to search for food. Food nourished her and permitted her even more restful sleep since she wasn’t hungry, giving her even more energy.

  Sometimes it seemed pointless, as though she had almost given up hope of ever returning to Arcadia, and sometimes she felt like she might never do so, but in reality, she was doing exactly what she needed to. Taking two steps forward and one step back was still taking another step every day.

  In Arcadia, she’d taken her magic, her fighting skills, and even her teacher—her best friend—for granted. Up here, she was learning just how much she had grown already, but more importantly, how much further she needed to go. It required a great deal of patience on her part to realize her limits, but part of her welcomed it.

  Arryn had finished her igloo, and last night had been the first real night's sleep she'd gotten since arriving. Part of that had been the leopard pelt she’d taken. Unfortunately, at this point she had run out of meat; she needed to find food again.

  Today, she decided to hunt something that would yield even greater results. She'd seen both mountain goats and rams, even as high as she was, and knew they could be of use.

  Not only could she use the hide as an extra blanket and the meat for sustenance, but she could craft weapons from the horns. She hadn't learned as much as she'd hoped in the short amount of time she attended her physical magic class, but she'd learned enough to get by.

  She had found some thick, solid rock that wasn't easily broken, and she'd taken her time shaping it with the use of other rocks in her downtime. As a result, she had two six-inch-long blades that had been smoothed as much as possible by using both physical strength and magic. Once she had regained her energy, she planned to transform the rock into metal using physical magic.

  The blades weren’t perfect, but they would serve her. After she’d killed a ram, she could use the tips of the horns as handles, and the rest she could use for other things.

  She decided that once she'd gotten down from the mountain, she would find a blacksmith who would be willing to smooth out her handiwork and perfect it. Until then, they would do her just fine.

  Arryn made her way to the eastern side of the peak, where the wind blew the least. That was where she’d tanned the leopard hide for several days. It was only a small area, but it was flat, and s
he could easily to make a fire there when needed. Today, she had different plans.

  The sun was shining that morning, and it hadn't snowed the night before. Arryn had spent every last bit of her energy creating a fire off to the side, and kept it going all night in hopes of keeping the ground warm enough to do what she wanted to do today.

  As she knelt on the bare ground, she saw green blades of grass. She'd hoped she might be able to coax some out of the earth, but her magic wasn't a strong as that of Elysia or the Chieftain. If they'd been marooned up there, she was positive they'd already have grown a garden of epic proportions, even with the frigid temperatures.

  A loud screech cut through the air, and Arryn smiled as she looked up to see a large falcon flying toward her. Arryn held her hands out and the bird circled her, dropping something from his talons as he did.

  She almost dropped the objects, but manage to catch them again.

  "Yes!" she shouted. "Thank you!"

  The bird screeched again before flying away. She inspected the large berries she was holding in her hands. She'd sent him to the nearest village around to find any available fruit he could fit in his talons. She regretted being so weak, because had she not been, she could've willed him to go farther. Much farther. Perhaps to the Dark Forest.

  But with these, she hoped it wouldn't be a concern for much longer.

  Arryn shoved several of the raspberries in her mouth, moaning as she tasted their sweetness. Her stomach rumbled, and she had to fight the urge to shove the rest of them in her mouth. She wanted to eat all of them right then, but that wasn't why she'd sent the bird to fetch them.

  Taking a deep breath, Arryn laid them on the ground before digging several small holes in the cleared area. The ground was soft enough that she could do it easily, and she dropped a raspberry into each hole.

  Next, she quickly placed a handful of snow on top of each before putting her hands to the ground, melting the snow before it did any damage to the berries below. The ground soaked up the warm water, drinking it in and using it for fuel for the berries.

  She settled onto her knees, taking several deep breaths to pace herself. Feeling the magic in her hands, she pushed it forward, making sure not to push too hard or too fast. If she did, she would run out of energy too soon, and the result might not be what she desired.

  Growing plants was something she was good at, but she'd never been as proficient as the native druids.

  Arryn focused, feeling the warmth in the ground and the sun shining above, and soon she began to feel the life blooming from underneath. Within moments, several bushes had pushed up from the ground, growing and blossoming before her very eyes. The plants were small, but there were enough berries on each to sustain her for couple days and allow her to grow more if needed.

  Damping down her magic, she took a deep breath and rested for a few moments before gathering all the berries and putting them into her cloak. After making her way back to her camp, she placed them on the ground, giving one to her furry little friend.

  "I swear to the gods," she said, pointing to the bunny. "If you steal all of my raspberries... well, I don’t know. It's hard to threaten something so damned cute. Just don't do it."

  The rabbit made a little noise and bobbed his nose at her before taking the raspberry and eating it.

  "Now that I have some fruit to eat," she said to him, "I'm going to go get some more meat. Mountain life is surprisingly exhausting and hungry work. Stay here, Fuzzy Lumpkins, so my falcon friend doesn't come back for you."

  Arryn gave the rabbit a few quick scratches before leaving the igloo. She grabbed her makeshift blades and headed down the side of the mountain. The wind had begun to pick up, and her energy was already waning because of her magic use, so she had to stay close to her camp, as usual.

  It was times like this she felt the most exasperated about her situation. She tried to remind herself that she was doing everything she could to get back home.

  Arryn pulled her cloak tighter around her, trying to block the wind from her face. It was cold, and the wind chill factor made it even worse. She wouldn't have long to hunt, and she couldn't come back empty-handed; she would have a hard time healing from this endeavor without decent nourishment.

  Her nose was beginning to run, and she felt the urge to cough. She realized then that she had used too much energy, and she was getting sick for the first time since before she'd come to the Dark Forest. That might have sounded like a wonderful thing to most people, but when someone never got sick, illness struck hard and fast. It would be difficult for her to recover.

  Just when she was about to give up and head back for fear of moving too far from her camp, she saw a large ram not too far off. She wished that she had her bow right then—it would've made the kill so much easier. At this point, she wasn't exactly sure how to pull it off.

  First, she was too weak to throw her makeshift blade hard enough to do any real damage, and she lacked the supplies needed to make a proper spear. Any wood she’d happened upon, she'd needed for her fire. Second, she couldn't use nature magic on the beast because she was already too weak, and she'd need whatever power she had left to get her kill back to camp.

  She momentarily looked at the sky, saying a prayer to anyone who could hear her. She prayed that the magic she was going to use wouldn’t deplete her energy so much that she couldn't get the ram back to camp, but would be enough to kill the animal painlessly.

  Taking a deep breath, Arryn pulled the handle-less dagger back and threw it as hard as she could manage, using a little of her physical magic to push it harder. She hit her target exactly where she'd intended, and the magic had given her blade the added power she’d needed to achieve an instant kill.

  The ram fell to the ground, and Arryn walked over and grabbed it by the horns. It didn't matter which path she chose; there were really no good choices.

  Dragging the ram by sheer strength would be impossible. It was far too heavy; the energy expenditure would kill her long before she reached camp. Using magic to lighten the load would do the same. Leaving the ram here and heading back to camp would allow some other animal to carry it off for itself, while she would be left to suffer and spend several days recovering.

  In the end, she decided to use both physical and magical strength, just as she had to acquire it. She pulled the animal by the horns and used telekinesis to push. By the time she made it to camp, she was ready to collapse.

  As she stumbled into the igloo, landing hard on the leopard pelt, she told the bunny, "Do me a favor. If anything tries to take my ram, do whatever it takes to wake me. It might freeze before I wake up, but that's a risk I have to take."

  Unconsciousness quickly took Arryn, and the weakened girl knew she had no choice but to rest. She just hoped nothing would come by and try to steal her food or kill her, or she would have to waste even more energy fighting.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Cathillian stared at Amelia, who seemed to be overly intimidated by the challenge ahead.

  "It's not that bad, I promise. He's tame. Granted, you won't have as much control over him as I would, but he's a smart boy. He knows how to do this. I've been working with him all morning." Cathillian smiled at the worried expression on the Chancellor's face.

  "What if he doesn't like me? What if he rebels right after you leave? A single morning of training doesn't seem like very long. I know I seem like I'm freaking out, but my messages to and from Maddie cannot fall into Talia's hands." She looked at the large raven sitting on the back of her chair.

  "Just try it," Cathillian urged. "Write something, roll it up, seal it, and attach it to his leg. Echo is a lot bigger, so she can carry larger letters. With him you'll have to keep it short and sweet. Warnings. Places you want meet. Times. Things like that. I chose a raven because those are far less conspicuous than a hawk or an eagle. They’re smaller, so it'll be a lot easier to hide him."

  Amelia sighed, looking from Cathillian to the bird and back. "I thought mental magic would be far
more useful than nature magic. Of course, I've had a lot more experience with mental magic because of Julianne. I’m starting to think I made the wrong choice."

  Cathillian laughed. "You're putting way too much thought into this. Besides, the Founder knows all three types of magic, and you said Hannah knows all three as well. Why can't you learn all three, too? Your mental magic has come in very handy, in case you don't recall. Now, quit worrying. That's not like you."

  Amelia took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. That's not like me. Well, I do worry, just not to the point where it’s visible. So, tell me what to do. I'm still not sure about this, but I suppose there's no harm in testing it out a few times."

  Cathillian nodded and smiled. "Good. Hold out your arm." Amelia did as he asked, and the raven flew across the room to land on her arm, turning its head sharply in a few directions before fixing his eyes on her. "Good job! Pet him. Talk to him. Let him get used to your voice, and let him see that you're a good person and can be trusted. It may not be a magical bond, but you can still create a bond with him."

  Amelia reached out with her free hand and used the back of her index and middle fingers to rub his chest. He puffed up a little, adjusting his wings before settling back down.

  "Picking a name also helps to seal a bond," Cathillian said.

  Amelia nodded, staring at the bird for a few moments. "He isn't as black as some of the other ones I've seen. He's more of a dark gray. I've never seen a raven that looked like him before. Ash. I think I'll call him Ash. Do you think that's dumb?"

  A smile spread across Cathillian's face. "Echo and I spent several days bonding. She was injured when I initially found her; one of her wings had been broken. I healed her and set her loose. I was only about thirteen at the time. She more or less stalked me after that, following me around the forest and circling above me. I always knew when she was there because she announced herself. Her voice carried farther than any other hawk or eagle I'd ever heard. It echoed through the skies every morning when she came to find me. After three days, she was mine, and I was hers. In other words, no, I don't think it's stupid at all."