Return (Lady of Toryn trilogy)

by Charity Santiago

  Crouching slightly, Ashlyn angled towards the corner of the path that was nearest, and launched herself across the gap, arms and legs flailing. Her feet hit the ground first, slipping on the wet moss and loose gravel, and then she tumbled forward, somersaulting ungracefully across the path before smacking into the cliff face.

  It wasn't a great landing.

  But she made it.

  Ashlyn caught her breath, scrunched up against the rock. Nothing seemed broken, but she was hurting all over- probably from old wounds as much as any new ones she'd inflicted just now. Collecting her feet underneath her, she stood unsteadily, blinking the world into focus just as Kou rounded the path in front of her.

  Without thinking, Ashlyn threw her arm out. She was too short for a truly effective clothesline, but Kou's collarbone connected solidly with her forearm and he hit the dirt much easier than she'd expected. For one breathless moment, she was staring down at him, and her eyes went to his naked arms, noting the snakelike patterns of black that traced along his veins.

  Before she'd had a chance to process what to do next, Kou flipped up in a scissor kick, bringing himself into a crouch before sweeping her legs out from underneath her. Ashlyn fell backwards, against the cliff, narrowly managing to keep her head from cracking against the rock face. She immediately pushed off, aiming a kick at Kou's outstretched hand. The blow landed true and his entire hand snapped back, joints popping audibly.

  Kou jumped to his feet, sidestepping to place Ashlyn between himself and the side of the mountain, and made a dash for the top of Na Michico.

  Ashlyn made a grab for him, but missed, and pounded after him. At this point she was so frantic to stop him from getting away that all thoughts of exhaustion had fled her mind. Kou barely managed to reach the end of the path at the top of the mountain before Ashlyn tackled him from behind, and they went rolling in a tangle of limbs.

  Kou managed to roll on top of her, blocking a punch with one hand and landing a solid hit to her chin. Ashlyn threw as much of her weight to the side as she could, barely managing to get a leg off the ground, but it was enough. She brought her leg up and hooked it over Kou's shoulder, using her lower body to shove him backwards.

  He fell back and they both scrambled to their feet, panting heavily. Ashlyn slipped, realizing for the first time how close they were to the cliff, and took a step sideways, away from the slick, gravel-strewn edge of Na Michico.

  It was Kou who punched first. Ashlyn blocked, shoving his fist aside on a rush of pure adrenaline, then brought her elbow up to catch him across the chin. He backpedaled just before the hit, throwing them both off balance, but Ashlyn fell into the motion and spun in a low kick, one hand against the ground to keep herself from falling. Kou dodged again, and caught her leg in the crook of his right arm. Ashlyn flipped, letting her knee bend as she turned, and spun in a mid-air kick. This time her foot connected with her target, and Kou went down.

  He released her foot, but somehow found the strength to actually shove her away in mid-air, sending Ashlyn spinning. She landed awkwardly in a heap. Her forearms and elbows hit the ground hard, but there was no ground to catch her feet, and suddenly gravity was dragging her backwards as her legs continued their descent.

  Realizing that she was falling off the edge, Ashlyn began to scream. Her mind shrieked at her to find something, anything to grab onto, but her hands clawed uselessly at the ground, looking for and unable to find any kind of purchase.

  Suddenly strong, graceful hands closed over her left wrist, and Ashlyn was brought to an abrupt halt before she started sliding again. Half-crazed with fear, she saw brown boots skidding on the gravel as their owner struggled to hold her weight, and beyond, Kou climbing to his feet.

  "Restlyn, look out!" she cried as the slender martial artist fought to keep them both from going over the edge. Ashlyn scrabbled at the cliff face with her feet, trying to find something to push herself up with, but there was no time before Kou was upon them.

  He stood above her for a moment, and their eyes met.

  A gunshot rang out.

  Kou gasped, staggering forward, bumping into Restlyn and costing her even more precious ground, and Ashlyn yelped as she twisted in mid-air, legs flailing above the wild blue ocean beneath her. "Restlyn!" she screeched, but there was only time for a single breath before Kou's body plummeted past her, the whoosh of cold air from his passing sending Ashlyn into another twist.

  Horrified, Ashlyn watched as Kou continued his free fall, his dark form getting smaller and smaller as he neared the ocean, and finally disappeared into the water below.

  She hardly noticed as she was pulled to safety, Drake's added strength making it possible for Restlyn to brace herself enough to lift Ashlyn out of danger.

  "Are you okay?" Restlyn asked breathlessly, touching Ashlyn's shoulder with cold hands.

  Still totally dumbstruck, Ashlyn looked at her friend, seeing that she wasn't the only one truly terrified by the prospect of falling to her death. The older girl's face was streaked with tears, wild strands of hair escaping from her tight bun to whip around her face in the wind.

  Kou was gone, Ashlyn realized with a start. The man she'd believed was her brother had, in fact, been a traitor all along.

  She climbed to her feet, slowly, wincing at the new bumps and bruises she'd gotten from the battle.

  “Do you know if they got Tag?” she asked, glancing at Drake. “Did you see?”

  The gunslinger nodded. His red eyes stood out in the grayness, looking more vibrant than ever. “Skye was able to subdue him almost immediately.”

  “Good.” Ashlyn turned, glancing down at the water one last time. Kou was gone, but Tag had to know something.

  Chapter 16

  The Choice

  Tag’s left arm was covered in snaking black veins, twisting like lightning bolts up the skin of his forearm. His right arm was completely free of marks, and Ashlyn remembered that day that he’d rolled up his sleeve in front of her, just before transforming into the bear. Obviously he’d known that the track marks would cause some questions, and had deliberately kept them hidden from her.

  “Why don’t they look like regular track marks?” she asked Sara, who was standing beside her at the base of her basement staircase, staring at the sullen ninja through the cage bars. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  “It looks…almost like an infection,” Sara answered, folding her arms across her chest uncomfortably as Tag glared at her. “If I had to wager a guess, I’d say that the injected blood is being contaminated somehow. I’d have to examine him and run some more tests to find out for certain.”

  Ashlyn pushed off the wall and walked slowly around the cage, trying to think what to do. So far, Tag had refused to give up any kind of relevant information. She’d questioned him for hours, even resorting to threats when he hadn’t responded, and now it was nightfall and she was no closer to knowing why Kou had brought her here or what his plans had been.

  She was reminded of the conversation she’d had with Skye on the airship just days earlier, when he was questioning Kou, but was unwilling to resort to the brutal interrogation methods Ashlyn had suggested.

  She was Lady of Toryn now, and it was up to her to decide how Tag would be dealt with. But Ashlyn was realizing just how complicated leadership really was. Would she lose the respect of FLD if she tortured Tag for information? Would she lose respect for herself?

  She glanced at Skye, the only other person in the room besides Sara. He raised an eyebrow, clearly intending to let her figure this out herself.

  Sighing, she smoothed a hand over her hair. “Upstairs,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re done with him, for now.”

  They climbed the stairs to the front room, where the rest of FLD were waiting for them. Ashlyn wondered numbly if the room had grown colder or if the emptiness inside her heart was seeping through to her skin.

  Folding her arms across her chest, she glanced around the room, noting the expressions on her frien
ds’ faces. For a moment she recalled how she’d felt eight years ago during the battle with Lord Angelo, waiting for Skye to tell her what to do next and hoping that he would know just how to fix what was wrong. At that time, Skye had been a few years younger than she was now. How scared had he been of making the wrong decision? How overwhelmed had he felt, with the future of the Free Lands resting on his shoulders?

  As a bratty sixteen-year old, she hadn’t bothered to respect what Skye was doing. She’d just been along for the ride, happy to go with the flow if it meant some kind of adventure. But now, for the first time in her life, she was realizing what being a hero was all about.

  She would have to find her father alone- it would be nearly impossible for more than one person to sneak into whatever camp he’d made for himself, and pulling FLD from Toryn would leave the city unprotected, without any real leadership. She couldn’t bring herself to abandon her people again.

  Unfortunately, there was no way her friends would let her leave alone. And basic common sense told Ashlyn that she needed a backup plan anyway- some way to make sure that FLD followed through if she failed. Sneaking out without telling anyone where she was going was totally out of the question.

  “I’m gonna fix this,” she said. “I know you guys are worried. I know I haven’t been…I haven’t been who you need me to be. I haven’t been who I need me to be. I could stand here and tell you how sorry I am that I caused all this. I know some of you have been waiting for that. I get it. This is my fault. The war is my fault- Kou was my fault. The shift stanes are definitely my fault.”

  She paused, and took a deep breath. “But I’m not going to apologize anymore, because I can’t change the past, and I’m done trying to. What I have to do now is make it right. I know at least part of what that entails is to step up and take responsibility for Toryn.”

  She glanced at Skye, noting with some surprise that he was trying- and failing- to hide a smile behind his hand. He nodded at her, urging her on. This was probably what he’d been waiting for all along.

  Ashlyn cleared her throat and continued. “But first, we need to stop my father. As long as he’s supplying blood, there will be Toryns who will be willing to inject with it so they can use the shift magic. It stops now. First thing in the morning, we’re going after him.”

  “Who’s we?” Aaron spoke up. “Ain’t no way the Toryn army’s gonna spring a surprise attack on your old man. Poor kids can hardly tie their shoes without trippin’ on somethin’.”

  “I wouldn’t leave Toryn defenseless anyway,” Ashlyn reassured him. “And yes, I do think a surprise attack is best. That’s why I’m not taking an army with me. It’s just going to be me, Skye and Drake.”

  “Hold on just a minute,” Vargo said, shaking his head. He was slumped in a corner, arms folded across his chest, an unlit cigarette dangling from his fingers. “You have no idea how many clans have joined up with your dad. He could have dozens- hell, hundreds of people injecting with his blood just so they can use the shift magic.”

  There was a short pause.

  “It’s unlikely that there would be hundreds,” Sara spoke up timidly. She seemed to shrink into herself when Vargo turned to look at her, but continued, “The amount of foreign blood that Soryl had injected was significant. If that’s any indication, I don’t believe Lord Li would be able to supply more than fifty, possibly close to one hundred soldiers, at least not without placing himself at death’s door.”

  “There’s no way to know that for certain,” Aik replied. “He may have been stockpiling it.”

  “Not to mention, Lord Angelo was willing to destroy the sun,” Vargo said. “He would have killed every living thing on Kresmir, including himself. I’m not thinking that megalomaniacs really plan ahead when they’re set on world domination.”

  “Regardless,” Ashlyn interrupted, “My plan is to take my father into custody and cut off the supply. No blood, no shift magic. It’s that simple. But I’m not going to put us all in danger. The Toryns still need their army and people who know to lead.”

  “If you’re looking for somebody to lead, then why are you taking Skye with you?” Restlyn asked. “If anyone has the knowledge to lead Toryn-“

  “I need Skye with me,” Ashlyn said firmly. “I want someone who knows what he’s doing, and Skye more than proved he was capable of executing a sneak attack back when FLD was destroying Lord Angelo’s power plants. Skye and I will work together. I’m taking Drake because if something does go wrong, if we are captured before we get to my dad, I think Drake’s got a better chance of surviving than anyone else here.”

  “That’s not true,” Trace said. “Without the resist stane, Drake would be more vulnerable than any of us. You would be in danger from him, if it came to that. Your father knows about the stane, and knows why Drake wears it. He might use that against you.”

  “She’s right,” Vargo added. “If they capture all three of you and tear off the vampire’s pretty little necklace, there’s no telling what he might do to you and Skye.”

  “This is not something I’m willing to address,” Ashlyn snapped, surprising herself with the ferocity of her response. “The possibility of losing the resist stane is not something we will consider. It’s never happened before and I don’t expect it to. Drake is going with us. End of discussion.”

  “For what it’s worth,” Drake spoke up from his place beside Skye, “If the resist stane were taken from me, I would not allow the situation to reach the point where either Skye or Ashlyn were in danger.”

  His words hung in the air, heavy with implication. Ashlyn had no doubt that Drake would rather die than once again live with the guilt of having murdered someone he cared about- even if that someone was her.

  “We’re leaving first thing in the morning,” she said. “Kou told me on our way here that the majority of Toryn forces were restricted to the southern half of the island, and from what little Tag has told me, I think that’s where we’ll find my dad. We’ll meet in the morning to review the plan- for everyone, not just me, Drake and Skye- and then we’ll head out.” She paused, wondering if she should say more, then finished lamely, “I’ll see you then.”

  Vargo stomped out of her house first, shoving the door open so hard that it rattled on the track. Ellis and Trace followed him. Restlyn leaned over and hugged Ashlyn quickly before hurrying out.

  One by one, Ashlyn watched her friends leave, feeling drained, but unsure if she would even be able to sleep tonight. At last, Skye paused at the door, with Drake behind him, and turned.

  “You made a good choice, Ash,” Skye said approvingly, and Ashlyn smiled, rolling her eyes.

  “Yeah, but was it the right choice?” she asked. “Who knows?”

  “There is no right choice in this situation,” Skye said. “You could take the entire Toryn army with you and leave the city unprotected. You could take a small contingent and risk their lives. In the end, we may be in danger tomorrow, but we’re far more likely to be able to judge the situation accurately if it’s just the three of us, even if it turns out we can’t get to your father.”

  “I hope we can,” Ashlyn said, no less troubled. “I just want this to end.”

  Skye nodded. “I understand.” He hesitated for a moment, then nodded and walked out into the darkness.

  Drake turned to leave, and Ashlyn watched him, her heart in her throat. They hadn’t really talked since that day in her father’s house, and they hadn’t been alone for even a moment in the last few days. She was still unsure of how to act around him, and whether or not she’d be making a total ass of herself if she confessed to what she was feeling.

  He hesitated in the doorway, and she held her breath.

  “Thank you,” he said, his voice low. A gust of cherry blossom-scented wind blew through the room, billowing his cape and stirring the long strands of his hair.

  “For what?”

  “For what you said about me- about resist.” His tone was bitter with self-loathing.

 
“I trust you, Drake.” It was a simple declaration, but she could see him flinch when she said it, and she ached to reach out to him, comfort him. “I know you won’t hurt me.”

  He turned then, scarlet eyes glowing in the lamplight. “You don’t know that, Ashlyn.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Drake did not respond, looking quizzical, as though he were contemplating her words.

  Now or never, Ashlyn thought, and took a deep breath, reminding herself that this might well be the last time she ever spoke with Drake. “I’m actually glad…that I get a chance to talk to you now, before we leave,” she said. He didn’t answer, but she rushed on, “What you said the other day, and, well, what you did the other day. That meant a lot to me. I don’t know if I would have made it through that day without you.”

  He was absolutely still, his softly rustling cape the only movement in the room. Frozen with terror over actually discussing what had taken place, probably, and Ashlyn couldn’t blame him. She was feeling pretty darn scared herself.

  “Losing a loved one can be devastating,” he stated finally. “I understand.”

  She ran her tongue over her lower lip, debating about how to continue- and whether she really should.

  “I wanted to ask you something,” she said, crossing the room. Reaching past him, she slid the door shut, trying very hard not to notice the scent of his skin as she leaned close to him. “Don’t freak out, okay? I’m not trying to put you on the spot here. But I need to know.”

  His expression was pained as he moved to face her. “Ashlyn-“

  “No, Drake, please. Just let me finish,” she interrupted. “I know I’m just a kid, I know I can be a brat and I know there’s twenty-plus years and a serious gap in maturity between us. But there’s something else, too. I know there is. For a long time I thought I was alone, just some dumb kid with a crush, but I’m…well, gosh, I know you feel something too, even if it’s just a mild sense of irritation because I won’t leave you alone.” She smiled weakly, knowing it was a lame attempt at a joke. “But I’m pretty sure it’s something more than that.”