Return (Lady of Toryn trilogy)

by Charity Santiago

  They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, their heavy breathing eventually slowing.

  This is freaking ridiculous, Ashlyn thought as she shifted uncomfortably. They were wrapped around each other worse than the salted pretzels at the Silverbell Theme Park. There was no way he could secure her without letting go, and they both knew that if he released even one of her hands she would find a way to get free.

  "Guess you're kind of in a bind now, huh?" she taunted lightly, enjoying his momentary confusion. "Well, make up your mind. We can't stay like this forever. One of my friends will come eventually."

  A short silence, and then, "What makes you think I've not already dealt with them?"

  He spoke in Merchant Tongue, with a guttural, clipped accent that was surprisingly familiar. He was a Toryn, but it was too dark to get a good look at his face, even with the light from the open door.

  Ashlyn's confidence wavered, fear prickling at her heart, but she smiled anyway, determined not to let him get to her. "Please. There's no way you could have taken Drake," she said, "Or Skye, for that matter. Dream on! You'd be sliced to ribbons if you had even thought about walking into his room."

  His head cocked to the side in the dim light. "You hold your traveling companions in such high regard, and yet reserve no trust for your kinsmen," he said. "It is no wonder that you make claim to be Scorned."

  There was a handful of heartbeats as she processed what he had said, where their breaths intermingled so closely that Ashlyn would have felt uncomfortable had she not been so shocked.

  "Kou?" she hissed at last. "What the heck are you doing here?" Her thoughts were consumed with anger and fear; if this man was no longer captive on the airship, then what had he done with her friends?

  "I might ask the same of you, Scorned Elder."

  Ashlyn contemplated for a long moment. Finally she said, "All right then. What say we call a truce, at least temporarily, until you're satisfied with my story and I figure out why the heck you decided to break out of the airship and try to kidnap me, of all people."

  "Kidnap you?" He sounded amused. "Do not flatter yourself. I needed a guide and this was the first room I found."

  She breathed a sigh of relief at his careless admittance the rest of FLD was safe, at least so long as none of them had tried to stop his escape. "Okay," she said, and released the sword.

  His foot came off of her arm, carefully- yeah, like the damage isn't already done, you friggin' moron, Ashlyn thought irritably at his belated manners, and he let go of her wrist.

  Slowly they both climbed to their feet, Ashlyn rubbing her sore arm, Kou holding a hand to his stomach- where, she suddenly remembered, he had sustained some cracked ribs from their battle on the airship. Well, fine. After stomping on her arm like it was a Rode Doom Bug, he deserved some pain.

  "Why do you travel with FLD?" he asked.

  Ashlyn stared at him for a second, eyes adjusting somewhat in the dim light. His thick hair was mussed from their struggle, some of it escaping from the ponytail at the back of his head. "First tell me if you've hurt any of them."

  He sighed. "This is a waste of our time."

  "No. Tell me if you've hurt them."

  "They have suffered no harm by my hand," he said impatiently. "The man who guarded my cell has taken my place inside it; he is injured and unconscious but will recover with the proper treatment. Now tell me, why do you travel with them when you are kin to me?"

  "They are my friends," Ashlyn said, trying not to think of the poor crew member, locked up and wounded in a cell of the airship. "Loyalty to friends can sometimes run deeper than the blood of kin."

  "Do you take up arms against Lord Devlyn?"

  "Not yet," she answered truthfully. "I had no idea even of Devlyn's existence until a few days ago. I had hoped to come to some sort of treaty with him to prevent a war."

  "A treaty," Kou echoed. She could hear his smile. "You, a worthy ninja and eager combatant- you wish to strike a treaty."

  "Yes." She refused to acknowledge his mocking tone.

  In the silence that followed, a plan began to form in her head. She was the only one who could fight the Leadership Duel. Skye and the rest of FLD could help her as much as they wanted to in actually reaching the island of Toryn, but the rest was up to her.

  It would mean betraying Skye's trust again, but if she left now, if she asked Kou to take her back to Toryn, then the only life endangered would be her own. There was no need to tell Kou of her heritage. Only that she wished to return to her people.

  That would ensure the safety of her friends, if nothing else.

  "Will you take me to Toryn?" she blurted out. "Will you take me to meet Devlyn?"

  Even in the darkness she could see his surprise. "You say you are Scorned," he answered. "Why would I have any desire to take a woman of no people with me to my home?"

  "Because I can help you get out of here," she said, thinking quickly. "I have a horse and plenty of credits, and I've made the trip dozens of times. Hundreds of times."

  He did not answer, and Ashlyn frowned.

  "You can't expect to be able to make the trip without a horse or any credits," she said pointedly.

  "I could steal as easily as take you with me," he countered.

  Hmmph. "But then you'd have to get past me now," she said, sidestepping swiftly in a half-circle around him to place herself between him and the door.

  He followed the motion, facing the light from the slightly-ajar door. It illuminated the planes of his face and enhanced the shadows, making his features more angular and ominous. Ashlyn made a conscious effort to guess his age this time; he looked about seventeen or so, but infinitely more world-weary than she had been seven years ago.

  "Why are you so eager to leave your friends?" he asked at length. "'Loyalty to friends runs deeper than the blood of kin.' Those were your words. Why, then, do you wish to leave them now?"

  Ugh. When Ashlyn's little plan had formulated in her head, she hadn't figured on this guy questioning her motives. She'd pretty much figured he'd go along with it and she'd find Devlyn and they'd either strike a treaty or do the Leadership Duel thing, and that'd be the end of it.

  Well, no such luck.

  "Gods, you're a suspicious freaking person," she muttered. "I told you I want to make peace with Devlyn. Why wouldn't I want to go alone, if it meant keeping my friends out of harm's way?"

  He took a step towards her, and she automatically balanced her weight, raising her fists to defend herself.

  Chuckling, he leaned down to pick up the machete. Ashlyn noted in passing that he seemed comfortable holding the weapon, even if it wasn’t a traditional ninja sword. He must have found it on the airship during his escape.

  "I accept your offer, Scorned Elder," Kou said, inclining his head, "with one condition."

  "Sure," Ashlyn said, without pausing to consider what he might ask for.

  "Your name, or the name that was yours before you became Scorned."

  Okay, she had the distinct feeling that if she blurted out, "Oh, I'm Ashlyn Li, nice to meetcha," he wouldn't take it so well.

  "My name is Tomiko," she said. It wasn't really a lie; Tomiko was one of her middle names, though she didn't much care for it.

  "And your clan?" he pressed.

  Eh. Um, crap.

  "Tomiko Yasu, of the clan Yasu," Ashlyn fabricated quickly. She'd heard the name somewhere before but couldn't remember the details. However, she was reasonably sure that it was a western clan, far enough away from Lunai that Kou would not question her.

  "I have heard of that clan," he said. "They are honorable people."

  It just figured.

  "As are the clansmen of Lunai," Ashlyn answered. "Shall we stand around and stroke egos for a little longer, or do you want to get the heck out of here before my friends find out you're gone and come looking for us?"

  He raised the sword above his head, sliding it easily into the sheath on his back. "If you lead, I will follow, Tomiko Yasu."


  She nodded and, moving swiftly, ducked under his elbow to grab her sneakers, hopping on one foot and then the other to pull the grimy shoes on before grabbing the shuriken and strapping it on. Snatching up her saddlebags and hauling them over her shoulder, Ashlyn motioned for him to stay behind her.

  She stepped out into the corridor a little uneasily; it was strange that their scuffle hadn't woken anyone else in FLD, but she figured that maybe the stone walls of the inn were solid enough to be soundproof.

  They needed to get to the airship to get Suki, and the airship was docked in a patch of green just west of Cosmea. Ashlyn had considered stabling Suki in Cosmea but had decided against unloading her from the airship just yet- she didn't want to have to coax and argue the scared horse into the ship if there was any need to leave unexpectedly.

  Kou stayed close behind her as she moved down the corridor- close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off of his body, and for a moment Ashlyn felt uneasy. She didn't want to betray Skye’s trust again, particularly not if she had to gamble the risk on a complete stranger like Kou. But if she didn't, and any of her friends- Restlyn, Aik, Aaron, anyone- were hurt in the effort to gain access to Toryn, she'd never be able to forgive herself.

  She eased down the stairs slowly, making sure that there were no after-hours tenants running around the tavern. This late at night, it was ridiculously easy to sneak outside, which both bothered and relieved her.

  On one hand, she didn't particularly want Skye to catch them and have to go through another round of trying to explain why she was doing what she was doing.

  On the other, it irritated her that it was so simple to get in and out of the inn, especially when sleeping members of FLD lay helpless in their beds. They were all lucky that she was the first person Kou had found- who knew what he would have done if it had been anybody else?

  As she stepped through the tavern door, Ashlyn paused, trying to get her bearings. Kou bumped into her from behind, and steadied himself with a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

  "Not so close," she whispered to him impatiently, and glanced around, straining to see if there was anyone lingering in the darkness before she took off for the Cosmea entrance.

  Her sneakers made no noise on the hard-packed dirt; her breathing was low, even and almost inaudible. The creaking of her saddlebags was the only sound in the still night.

  She heard a sharp intake of breath behind her, and then the sudden jolt of something plowing into her. "Wha-?" she started, but the wind was knocked from her as she was propelled forward by a hundred and sixty pounds of determined ninja. There was a deafening clap, like thunder, and Ashlyn yelped as a sudden heat singed the backs of her legs. Kou rolled over, dragging her with him, away from the fire spell that had nearly struck them both.

  This was bad. Very bad, Ashlyn amended, feeling silly for thinking something so absurdly obvious while they were under attack. Their assailant was either a fellow FLD member or a Toryn assassin, and she wasn't sure which option was less appealing. If they were caught by FLD, Skye would surely not trust her ever again and the opportunity to sneak into Toryn would be lost. If a Toryn assassin got to them…even if they did by some chance recognize Kou and decide not to kill them, Ashlyn's cover would be blown.

  She craned her neck around to see who had cast the spell, but the blackness was like a cloak over Cosmea. How the attacker had managed to see them well enough to use a fire stane was completely beyond her.

  Kou leaped to his feet, pulling her up with him. "Run."

  He didn't have to tell her twice. Ashlyn descended the steps three at a time and hit the ground at a sprint, Kou a solid shadow at her back. This place was familiar to her, comfortable, and although it had changed some in the past few years it was still the terrain that she had hiked numerous times in her quest for stanes. That should give them the upper hand for a while, at least.

  She skidded down an incline and hopped over a giant boulder, making a hasty leap sideways as an ice spell nipped at her left leg. Whoever this was wasn't intent on taking prisoners; they were seriously trying to injure her. It couldn't be anyone from FLD…could it?

  The airship came into view as they turned around a craggy bluff, its running lights providing a perfect circle of illumination in the darkness, and Ashlyn ran for it, mind racing. If they boarded the ship to get Suki, they would be trapped. As far as she knew, Kou didn't have any stanes, and fighting a stane-armed enemy with a sword alone was next to impossible.

  She slid to a stop at where the exit ramp was supposed to open, and groaned. It was shut, of course, because it wasn't like Aaron wanted any old fiend to wander in uninvited. She stared up at the deck for a split second longer than she could afford, contemplating the distance, noting the jutting cliff next to the airship and its approximate height in relation to the deck.

  "I can hear their footsteps," Kou hissed from behind her.

  So could Ashlyn. She spun on her heel, yanking the hammered steel shuriken from her back as she did so. With careful precision and hair-splitting accuracy, she hurled the weapon in an even arc, the flashing shuriken curving off to her right before disappearing into the darkness.

  There was a muffled cry, the clear ting of something metal hitting the ground, and then the shuriken came flying back to Ashlyn, from the left side this time. She leapt up to catch it expertly, hitting the ground and striking battle stance in one fluid motion.

  "That should buy us some time," she said, hardly noting Kou's expression of admiration as she re-secured the shuriken onto her back. "You stay out here and hold them off. I'm going to get my horse."

  She turned to face the airship again, stepping back a few feet. Drawing a deep breath, she started running straight towards the hull- and sprang up, hooking her hands over a jutting panel and executing a neat flip up onto the deck.

  There was no time to catch her breath. Ashlyn stood, feeling a little light-headed from the aerial somersault, and ran to the hatch. She didn't waste time with the stairs inside, instead vaulting off the balcony to the deck below and making a mad dash for the stable.

  "Hey Suki," she said, unlatching the stall door. She didn't dare take the extra minutes to put on a saddle, but she grabbed the bridle off a hook and slipped it over the sleepy mare's head, hoping desperately that Kou could ride bareback decently enough not to drag her off during their escape.

  Suki nickered tiredly as she followed Ashlyn up the ramp to the hatch. When they stepped out into the cold night air, however, the chestnut mare perked up immediately, her hooves clicking rhythmically on the deck as she pranced in place. Ashlyn hooked her saddlebags over her arm, already regretting the absence of an actual saddle, and grabbed onto a handful of mane. After the leap she'd just made onto the airship's deck, hopping onto Suki's back was a piece of cake.

  She offered a brief prayer to the heavens for their safety, fisting her hands in the flaxen mane as she urged Suki towards the edge of the deck.

  True to form, the little mare did not hesitate, muscles bunching as she leaped over the railing. It wasn't a difficult fall for a horse of her caliber, but when her hooves touched the rocky surface of the cliff beside the airship, they slid, and the horse skidded to one side and then the other as they descended the cliff‘s steep face, fighting to keep her balance as Ashlyn clung for dear life.

  Finally, at the bottom of the cliff, Suki managed to gain her footing and halted unsteadily, chest heaving. Ashlyn glanced at Kou, who was standing just beyond the edge of the circle of light, sword at the ready. "Kou! Come on!" she yelled, motioning him over with her hand- as if her words weren't obvious enough.

  He stared wide-eyed at her- probably wondering if she'd lost her mind, jumping off the deck like that, Ashlyn thought wryly- but seemed to snap out of it at the sound of her voice. Shifting his sword to his left hand, he ran towards her. Running on the slippery grass proved no difficulty for the light-footed ninja.

  Ashlyn started as a black-clad figure emerged from the shadow
s to her left. "Look out!" she exclaimed- spotting the blood-red cape just moments after her words.

  It was Drake Lockhart.

  Drake had been throwing all those spells at them? No, there was no way. His revolver was snug at his side, secure in its holster, and he wore no armband. It couldn't have been him. As he moved further into the light, Ashlyn realized that he was dragging someone with him- dead or unconscious, a Toryn ninja, wearing the trademark green mask. It must have been the man Ashlyn had hit with her shuriken.

  Kou turned, his hand coming up, the sword poised above his head.

  "No!" Ashlyn yelped, digging her heels into Suki's sides and spurring the horse forward. "Don't!"

  The ninja paid her no heed- no surprise, really; in his mind this was the man who had been trying to kill them both, why should he spare Drake's life? Drawing his arm back, he threw the sword at the gunslinger.