by K. F. Breene
On the other side of the arch, the woman was wide-eyed and grim. “You did not mean to harm us,” she said. “And so you are forgiven. You have enough power to pass these trials, but you do not have the control. You will die in these lands.”
“No, I won’t. May I pass?”
“Even without the trials, that power will kill you. It is not a weapon, it is an explosive death sentence for the wielder.”
“Only when I don’t have help. Is that bundle for me?”
“You are not here for the title of Chosen. You are here to protect the one you love.”
“Astute. You should meet Rohnan; the two of you would drive each other crazy.”
“Usually, after revealing you won’t make the trials alive, I give the offer of a quick death…”
Cayan stared down at her, feeling his power slip sideways again, then flop back. It felt like trying to hold onto a fish. The other power was already building, deep within him. That cover keeping it contained was there, but it was loose. It wouldn’t hold.
“Are all of the trials like this, with this strange fluctuation in power?” Cayan asked, feeling the urgency to find Shanti.
She shook her head before gulping. “No. This particular place is mirrored in a few others, but it is not the norm. You seem to have a hard time with control—you hold your Therma too tightly. Your fear of letting go suffocates you.”
Cayan realized what Rohnan had told Shanti the first time they’d all worked together. She had been right—knowing would hurt more than help, and he didn’t really want to know.
“Listen, you have your standard way of dealing with this, I’m sure,” Cayan said with impatience, feeling his power rise. “But I don’t have much more time.”
The woman stood with the bundle and went over what each item was. When she was finished, she said, “If you do not find her soon, you will probably starve in these woods. You do not have the know-how.”
“Helpful.” Cayan raised his eyebrows as he took the pack. “Is there anything else?”
“Since you require her assistance with your power, you are now grouped with her. Our rules as they concern her extends to you. If you break these rules, you will be ruining her chances of success. Those rules are simply: do not try to escape the trials, and do not kill anyone.”
Cayan grinned. “She’s here out of the duty placed on her by her people, so she’ll follow the rules you set. I’m here for her, so in order to keep me on a leash, you pair us. Smart. That’s fine. I’m not interested in protecting her from your people.”
“Then who are you here to protect her against?” A man with long blond hair cascading in a sheet over his shoulders stepped out from the trees. His classically etched face and symmetrical features lent him a beauty rarely seen in men. Not even Rohnan could boast the flawless appearance of this man.
“The Graygual.” Cayan started off at a fast walk. As he reached the trees, he said, “You best start preparing for war, because it’s landed on your doorstep. These games you play are about to end.”
* * *
Portolmous watched the muscular man disappear into the trees. One person having that much power was foretold, but it shouldn’t have been possible. It had nearly killed the man and he hadn’t a hope of containing it.
But he had said the woman could, somehow.
“He was completely genuine throughout the whole interview,” Salange said as she, too, stared at the receding back of the man. “But I forgot to ask for his sword.”
“His power is the woman’s mate,” Punston said, still wary from when he’d watched the man’s explosion of power by the water’s edge. “He alluded to it. He doesn’t want the title, and I bet he’s not interested in our warriors. She knows she needs us for her schemes, but he knows he needs her. Is that right, Salange?”
She gave a small shrug. “She knows she needs us, that is true, but she doesn’t scheme, unlike the others. She’s here to request aid, and this is how we mandate she do it. Our system is as barbaric now as it ever was, and through it, we might kill our hope of a future.”
“That wasn’t the question. We don’t have time for fluffy sentimentalities,” Punston cursed.
Salange squared her shoulders with a scowl. “She is here for us, he is here for her. He said as much, and I validated his statement. Only a simpleton would have missed that.”
“I’ve looked into him,” Portolmous said, cutting off Punston’s reply. “He’s the Captain who took down the large Inkna settlement we heard about, with the help of the woman.”
“And he wore the ring,” Punston said.
“How could you know it’s the right one?” Salange asked.
“Her features, and that of her countryman, could’ve been born on this island. I saw her put something around his neck on the ship, and I’ve seen the painting countless times. That man’s neck was right below my eye-line. I got a good look. It’s the right one.”
“Why would she give it to the man?” Portolmous asked as he made his way out of the clearing.
“She didn’t think she would survive these trials,” Salange said. “She needs aid and he seems like a great leader of men with a lot of power. Perhaps she thought the ring would create a pathway for him to negotiate with us.”
“It’s impossible to say,” Portolmous said. “But these trials aren’t just for our benefit. They’re to determine if someone is worthy of being our ally and leading our armies into the great battle. What that man said is true—something unpleasant is on our doorstep, and the Graygual have brought it. Since the Graygual bring nothing but war, we must assume it’s finally stretched across the land. There are whisperings of a threat on this island, but so far we have been unable to turn up much. We cannot find the last three Inkna, even with our mind-search. They’re either dead, or hidden in the areas our Therma can’t reach. It’s worrying.”
“What’s to be done?” Punston asked.
“Speed up the trials. Hit the woman with the beast now, before the man can join her with his sword. If she survives, then start laying on the most essential of our tests. This is no longer a training exercise. I want to know if she is the one.”
“It will be they,” Salange said softly. “She hasn’t enough power, and he hasn’t a proper use of the power that is enough. The Chosen has always been a title, not a person. It is a force, and together, if their power Joins, they could be that force.”
“We’re stepping into the unknown,” Portolmous said quietly, feeling a weight settle in his stomach. “We have Graygual on our doorstep, we have the violet-eyed girl, and now the title of Chosen is taking on a new meaning. I have a feeling we may not like where this leads. We need to fortify our defenses.”
Chapter Five
Shanti trekked through the dense forest, breathing easier now that her Gift had returned and was spread out to cover ground. She felt animals scurrying here and there, and the occasional person lurking far back in the trees, always alone. No one had engaged with her yet, though.
What were they waiting for?
She was also concerned that she hadn’t seen any more Inkna tracks. If the Shadow weren’t killing those in the trials, she should’ve seen that someone had walked this way.
Yet she’d seen nothing, let alone any signs of violence.
A growing unease niggled at her as she made her way. Where was the Inkna-Chosen?
A snuffling up ahead cut through Shanti’s reverie. She honed in with her Gift, getting the impression of a larger animal. It would be safer to kill a smaller animal, but with a larger one, she could pack up more meat so she didn’t have to hunt again for some time. The extra weight would be worth the time it saved.
Dropping her pack, Shanti grabbed a knife with her left hand to compliment the one already in her right. Quietly she approached the clearing, focusing on that mind with her Gift. Larger animals took more power, which would leave her vulnerable if a Shadow attack came shortly after. Subduing the larger animal with her mind, and then running a knife acros
s its throat, usually worked out just fine.
She crept to the edge of the clearing and crouched in tall grasses. A light breeze stirred her hair from behind. She was upwind, but hoped it wouldn’t matter.
As she peered out of her hiding place and into the clearing, her stomach dropped.
It mattered.
Flak!
In the clearing, sniffing the air, was a great creature, the like of which she’d never seen before, not even in pictures. Eight feet high at the shoulder, the animal moved on giant paws tipped with long, curved claws. Its body looked a little like a giant bear, but its head was flatter, ears larger, and its teeth noticeably bigger. Huge canines emerged from black gums and ended just below the jaw. Its black nose twitched as it sampled the air currents. It lowered its great head and small brown eyes looked in her direction.
Please be a stupid animal. Please be a stupid animal.
The animal gave a huge, guttural roar as it lifted its head. The sound alone shook Shanti’s spine.
She backed out of the area quickly to snatch up her pack. That thing was too dangerous to take on her own if she didn’t have to. The question was: did it hunt humans?
Another roar sounded in the clearing. Followed by movement.
“Flak,” Shanti mumbled under her breath. She jogged through the trees, cutting through small spaces and increasing her pace to a run when the trunks were further apart. Branches broke behind her. Leaves crunched. A huge body rammed through foliage and scraped against trees.
It was following her.
“Bloody—” Shanti cut left, running on instinct. There was no outrunning that thing. Few four-legged hunters would be slower than a human. Could she outthink it in time to get away?
Loud grunts sounded close behind her. Tearing plants and heavy paw-falls stole her breath. It was gaining on her.
“Death’s playground, that thing is fast,” Shanti huffed, trying not to let panic overcome her.
This had to be a trial. There was no way that thing was roaming around these woods without the Shadow people controlling it, or they’d end up dead too. If she outsmarted it and escaped its notice, it would stalk her. Failing that, the Shadow people could just lead it to her again.
Making a quick decision, Shanti cut left, back to the clearing. She needed room to work. To move. Dodging plants would only slow her down, especially because that thing didn’t seem to dodge anything. It just tore through.
“This is not fun,” she grunted, jumping into the clearing. A growl sounded right behind her as the huge body crashed in after her.
Outsmart it? She couldn’t even get a moment to think about where to run from it.
She turned as a massive paw raked in front of her eyes. She struck out mentally as she rolled to the right. It roared again before standing up on its hind legs. Shanti’s mouth dropped open as the giant beast stood before her, over fifteen feet high. Massive.
Not wasting another moment she mentally struck again, harder this time, as she dodged in and swiped at its leg. The blade opened up a red line in its fur, but despite the force she put behind the blade, it didn’t open up much flesh. Its fur was too thick.
The animal landed on all fours with a growl. She rolled out of the way and sunk her blade into its hindquarters. It spun, faster than it should’ve for its size, and swiped again. One claw sliced through her coat, scraping her shoulder. Pain stung her arm.
“Flak!” she swore. She slashed at its mind as she ran around the beast, looking for a way to get closer to its body without that claw gouging. Twisting and then stabbing only had the beast hollering. Its mind had some natural defense against the brunt of her power. Her Gift was having little impact on the creature.
The animal stood again and roared. Fear simmered up Shanti’s spine. It lunged as it came down, right over her.
She threw herself to one side, barely dodging snapping jaws. Searing pain bit her leg where claws snatched at her. Ignoring the pain, she scrambled to her feet. Panting, heart beating fast, she rushed in to its side, stabbed twice with each knife into its soft underbelly, and ran out before it could turn.
Hot blood ran freely onto the wet ground, but the beast didn’t slow.
It lumbered after her, covering a large distance in just a few strides. She dodged to the side, but its movement cut her off. It swung its paw, swooping toward her head. She rolled again, slashing with her inadequate knife. The blade cut into the soft tissue on the back of one leg.
The beast roared.
Its paw came down beside her. Its other rose for a blow. She stabbed down into the planted paw, dove toward its body, and came up with both blades to its chest. She stabbed as the creature backed up, howling. She stabbed one more time as a paw caught her broadside, throwing her to the side. Her limbs splashed against the soft ground and her head cracked against a hard rock.
Dizzied, she rolled to her stomach and tried to climb to her feet, but the world careened around her. The beast lumbered toward her, dripping blood.
“What in all of Death’s humor are you?” she muttered as she rose, staggered, and prepared to meet it head on.
It lunged again, the paw blurring in Shanti’s vision as it sped toward her chest. She hit the ground, bounced up with a knife swipe, and dived beneath the next paw. Chest heaving with fatigue, vision slow to clear, she rushed in and dug her blades into the beast’s rump. It cried in madness as she speared its mind with a full dose of power. She couldn’t get out of the way in time. It hit her again, knocking her down once more. The world swam. Its huge, brown body bounded toward her. She rolled from a raking claw, but not far enough. A gash opened up on the side of her back.
She screamed as agony seared her.
I’ve spent my life learning to fight the Graygual, and an overgrown bear will be responsible for killing me. Super.
She dug into its mind again as she rose up, digging her knives into its throat.
The beast howled, but like a bear, the fur at its throat was thick. The knives hadn’t pierced deeply enough to kill it.
“Just die!” she yelled, ripping her knives out for another strike. Blood gushed down onto her as it howled a second time. Its head came up and its body turned away from her.
She launched another mental assault as hard as she could, when she felt her power swell, and then surge. The spicy feeling erupted in her middle as her Gift gained in potency. The beast howled again, trailing blood as it lumbered after someone else.
Cayan.
What was he doing there?
Shanti continued her mental assault, stabbing and tearing as much as she could, while she limped forward, her body on fire. It struck out in front of it, whining as it moved. She caught up and dug her blades into its rump. It tried to turn back, but hesitated as a sword glinted in the sun before swinging toward the beast’s body.
An agony-ridden howl erupted from its throat. Its huge paw lashed out at the larger blade in front.
Shanti hacked into its legs from behind, using Cayan’s distraction.
This time, the howl was more of a whimper.
The animal lashed out again before turning. Baying with pain, the beast took off, limping away.
It wasn’t a stupid animal. It knew when it was outmatched.
Thank the Elders for their mercy.
Shanti looked to her help. Cayan stood straight and tall, holding a sword and a knife, with blood splattered down his chest. His blue eyes flashed as his muscles rippled, looking like an avenging warrior.
Gasping for breath, Shanti sank to her knees. “Swords are cheating,” she said, falling onto her hands. “But I’ll overlook it this once. Think it’ll come back?”
Cayan ran forward. He dropped his sword and knife beside her and straightened her up. Without delay he stripped off her coat and laid it to the side. His gaze traveled her wounds before he bent to examine her leg.
“Ow.” She winced as he touched the shredded material, which brushed against torn skin. “That thing was fast.”
“
Yes. I’ve never seen one before. You’ll heal, though. Have you seen any healing plants?”
“Who do you think I am? Rohnan?” The mind of the creature winked out. Not dead, she bet, but in a Gift-free part of the forest. That, or they had someone with a Gift like Burson.
As she should’ve expected, Cayan tossed her coat over his shoulder and scooped her up.
“I can walk, Cayan,” she said, pointing at her pack at the edge of the clearing.
“Can, but would rather not, I’d wager.”
It was true. And she didn’t feel like arguing.
He jostled her, but retrieved her pack without putting her down. He carried her out of the clearing, and started trekking through the dense trees.
“Where are you going?” she asked, her mind open. She didn’t think the Shadow people would want to finish her off without more sport, but had no idea of what to expect from them. She certainly hadn’t expected that animal.
“I passed a hollowed out tree on my way to you. It’ll be good for shelter and warmth.”
“My, my, learning to live without leather couches and giant beds filled with big-breasted women?”
“You’re just jealous.”
“Yes, actually, on both counts. Although, I’d prefer to have the large breasts, not play with them.”
Cayan chuckled as he threaded between trees and paused in front of a giant trunk, hollowed out as he had said. A huge storm would eventually bring this mammoth down but for now it was sound.
“Nice find,” she said as he ducked inside with her and set her down on a cushion of leaves and grasses. There was some scat in the corner, indicating he wasn’t the only one to make use of this great shelter. It was old, though, and with a fire right outside, they shouldn’t have any unwelcome visitors.
“Not that I’m ungrateful, but why are you here?” Shanti asked. She shivered as she stripped out of her shirt and breast binding to assess the damage to her shoulder and back. Blood dripped from her gashes, but the wounds themselves weren’t terribly deep. The deep, painful scores in her legs would take a little longer to heal, even with her Gift speeding up her rate of healing.
