Once Shan was loaded with our supplies, Kestral took him by the reins and led him back to the road. I followed a distance behind them—a wide distance, in case Shan got it in his head to try and kick me. Kestral didn’t bother to check if I followed or not, which made me think he was still fairly upset with me. I hated awkward silences, but I was too afraid to try speaking to him, so I occupied myself by rolling coins in both hands simultaneously. It was difficult enough that it kept me distracted for a number of hours, especially when I dropped a coin and had to chase after it. For all that, Kestral still didn’t glance back or speak to me.
It was barely past midday when Kestral veered Shan off the road. I started to speak but one sharp look from Kestral snapped my mouth shut. I followed as Kestral wended his way through trees until he found a clearing sheltered from the wind by a wide, moss-covered boulder. He pulled the bags down from Shan as if preparing to set up camp before turning to face me.
“We’re stopping so I can set some snares and sleep,” he explained. “We’re nearly out of food and I’m exhausted from you drawing from me.”
I shrugged. “You wanted me to heal quicker.”
“I still do. But I need a few hours of sleep without you draining me.” Kestral slipped a small leather pouch from a bag and tossed it to me. “Find a stream and catch us some fish for tonight. I’ll go set snares.”
I peeked inside the bag and found a few fish hooks and fine string. The thought of fresh fish for dinner put a smile on my face for the first time that day. “Too bad I used the last of the herbs on breakfast. They would have been perfect for fish. Do you always wait until your food runs out before catching more?”
“I’m not normally between villages for this long.”
I flinched. It was my fault he was sticking to back roads and forest trails.
“Reshi.”
I looked up slowly, meeting his eyes.
“I don’t care that we’re out in the back hills. I enjoy hunting for my food and sleeping out in the open. But if you try anything like you did last night, I will serve you up to your brothers like a meal.”
I laughed darkly. “Don’t worry, your message was painfully clear last night.” I rubbed my side. “I don’t get it, though. Don’t soldiers normally kick up dust at hen houses, or with each other, or whoever happens to be nearby?”
“Some do,” Kestral acknowledged, sifting through his bags for small animal traps. He took a deep breath before continuing, “I know you don’t want to talk about Giltner. There are things I don’t want to talk about either.”
“And one of those things is why you don’t want to kick up the dust with me?” I snuck a glance at him as I threaded a fish hook. His eyes were shadowed, his movements slow and deliberate.
“Yes.”
“Fine, then.” I shrugged as I tucked the hook back inside the bag. “But if you ever change your mind, the offer’s open.”
Kestral glanced up at me, his eyebrows raised.
I smiled coquettishly. “I wouldn’t mind the diversion. And it’s not like it’ll change your mind from turning in my bounty.”
Kestral opened his mouth then shut it and looked away. I shrugged and turned to leave the clearing. “Do you want me to wake you for dinner, Kestral?”
“No, let me sleep. I’ll check the traps in the morning.”
“Suit yourself.” I pushed through a hedge of bushes, listening for the sound of rushing water.
“Reshi.”
I glanced back.
Kestral was still crouched over a satchel, his blue eyes watching me. He seemed hesitant for some reason. “Be careful. We don’t know where your brothers are.”
I nodded, acknowledging his words even as I discarded them. For some reason I knew, beyond a doubt, that neither Velyn nor Eagan were close by. Even if they were, they were probably still magically drained. And I was still hoping they had killed each other, despite how unlikely that was to be true.
It turned out to be a perfect day for fishing. The afternoon was hot enough to make me drowsy as I lounged in the shade of a large tree, watching the three hooks I had set in the river. By sunset I had caught four good-sized sharp-spine trout, so I made my way back to the campsite while I still had enough light to find it.
Kestral had built a small firepit and tied Shan to a ground stake before falling asleep, it seemed. He was curled up in his bedroll, one arm across his eyes to block the light. I set a fire as quietly as possible and began cleaning my trout. When I was halfway finished, Shan snorted at me. I paused to toss an apple at him and scrounged around for several long sticks to cook the trout on. Dusk covered the clearing by the time the first fish was ready to eat.
As predicted, the fish was bland without herbs, but I ate anyway, hungry from missing lunch. I wrapped the other fish in oilcloth from Kestral’s food satchel, sneaking a quick sip of Goldwater Whiskey as I did. After circling the campsite to ensure it was as secure as possible, I stirred the fire to reduce it to embers. I approached the bedroll slowly, noting Kestral’s sword within arm’s reach, as usual.
I sighed. I was lucky he had only hit me. With that thought, I loosened the ties on my shirt before skinning out of it. I placed my weapons beneath it, easily within reach in case I needed them. I stepped out of my boots and eased into the bedroll as gently as possible, taking care not to jostle Kestral. I put my back to him and tepidly drew on his life force. More than anything, I looked forward to sleeping as a cat again.
I awoke as the blanket pulled around me, rolling me from my side to my back. I blinked sleepily, the world slowly coming into focus.
Or, I should say, Kestral’s looming form above me coming into focus.
“What . . .” I started to speak but cut myself off as Kestral’s hand skimmed down my side. I drew a sharp breath, half scared, half aroused. He stared at me with such intensity that I found myself wondering if he was taking me up on my offer. The breath burst from my chest violently as Kestral pushed against the ribs on my right side. I flinched but the pain I expected didn’t come.
“Looks like you’ve healed.” Kestral withdrew his arm and turned so he sat beside me in the bedroll. “Can you shift again?”
“Wait. I’m still just waking up.” The sky showed hints of the coming dawn—far, far too early for rational thought. I shook my head to clear it, then checked inside for my magic.
It was there, but dimly. The golden magic glimmered like a shrouded candle, light without heat.
“Yes, I can shift again.” A glance at Kestral showed him watching me expectantly. “Don’t you need to go check traps or feed Shan or something?” I lay back down and turned away from him, hoping he wouldn’t notice the heat I felt on my cheeks.
Kestral snorted. He slid free of the bedroll and moved away from it, and me. Mornings were usually an uncomfortable time for me and waking up to Kestral hovering over me hadn’t helped matters at all. I took deep, calming breaths as Kestral dressed, rustled through bags, then left the clearing. Once I was sure he was gone I kicked free of the blankets to go handle my body’s needs. I made it back to the clearing before Kestral did, so I packed up the bedroll and prepared two of the fish for breakfast.
Kestral came back to camp, carrying three unfortunate rabbits along with his traps. He laid them beside his boots as he sat down and helped himself to a fish.
“I caught one more than you,” I said with a smirk. “How does that feel, Sir Hunter?”
Kestral snorted. “Do you use your magic when you fish?”
I furrowed my brow, taken aback. “What? Why would I?”
“You talk to animals, right? Do you call them when you’re fishing?”
“No. And it’s not really like talking, it’s more like encouraging natural instincts. Nothing gets caught on purpose.” It disturbed me that Kestral would accuse me of using my magic in such a way. “Even if I could catch fish that way, it wouldn’t be very sporting, would it?”
Kestral shrugged. “You’re always so focused on your next meal
that I didn’t think you would care whether it was sporting or not.”
“It’s not that I’m always focused on the next meal, I just like knowing that there is a next meal,” I grumbled, working a fish bone out of my teeth. “You’re always so skinflint, I worry you can’t afford the next meal.”
“If you keep complaining, I’ll just turn in a mage-born for his bounty.” Kestral arched his brow at me. I chuckled as I tossed the remains of my breakfast into our cold fire pit.
“Don’t think I’ll make it easy for you.” I glanced up at him. “You’ll honor that head start, won’t you?”
“I will.” Kestral grinned. “You’re going to fight me, Reshi?”
“Of course, but that’s not exactly the plan.” I smiled back. “No one runs and hides better than I do.”
Kestral laughed. “I found you once. I can do it again.”
“We’ll see.” I watched as Kestral tossed the rest of his fish on top of mine. He picked up one of his rabbits, flipped his belt knife out of its sheath and began skinning it. I watched him work for a minute before he noticed my gaze on him.
“You ever skin a rabbit before?”
I shook my head.
He threw one into my lap. “Cut the fur at the neck and tear.”
I made a face and attempted to follow his instructions, making more of a mess than he did. To distract him from my disastrous skinning attempt, I asked, “How far are we from meeting up with Kila?”
“Hard to say.” Kestral tossed a handful of viscera into the fire pit. “She should be on the Viaparaison front, but that’s almost our entire western border. When we get close, we’ll probably hear where she is.”
“I still don’t understand how everyone can know who she is and where she is, but no one has killed her yet.”
Kestral shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll understand when we meet her. She had a superb military record before the bounties were announced.”
“And if she tries to kill me?”
“I don’t think she will.” Kestral skinned the last rabbit while I still worked on my first. “But if she does, I’ll kill her.”
I cocked an eyebrow at him. “No other hunter has succeeded in killing her, but you think you can?”
Kestral met my eyes. “You think I can’t?”
I shivered despite the warm morning sunlight, remembering what Laki had said about Kestral’s cold, enduring violence. If Kila really burned as hot and fast as Laki said, wouldn’t she be a perfect counterpoint to Kestral?
“Dust if I know. I’ve never met her.”
Kestral wrapped his two clean rabbits in oil cloth, then took my half-mangled rabbit from me, cleaning it up as best he could. Once he tucked it away, we broke down the campsite and tied the bags to Shan’s saddle.
“Are you flying or riding?” Kestral asked once we were ready to go.
“Riding, if it’s all right. I’m still tired.” I rubbed my side. While the ribs had mended, I still felt a little sore. Kestral waited as I shifted, shrinking down into my rat shape. Kestral crouched, holding his palm flat. I scurried onto it, digging my claws into his sleeve as he mounted up. Once settled, he opened a belt pouch for me and let me duck inside.
“Ready to go meet your sister?” Kestral asked, turning Shan back towards the road.
Why was he always so much nicer to me when I was an animal? With that thought, I turned in a circle in preparation for sleep.
It’s because you’re quieter.
Was that Kestral’s voice inside my head? No, I must already be dreaming.
I awoke to the world shaking around me, tossed about like a leaf in a tempest, or a raft on the waves.
Or like a rat in a belt purse as someone dismounted a horse.
When the movement became less violent, I poked my head out of the pouch. I couldn’t see very much, but it seemed Kestral was walking and leading Shan. By the light it couldn’t have been much past midday. With a clawed rat-paw, I tugged on Kestral’s leather overshirt to get his attention. He glanced down after a moment a faint smile on his lips.
“I thought we might make camp early.” Kestral looked up, facing forward. “I haven’t recovered from all you’ve drawn from me these past few nights.”
Maybe you’d feel better if you would sleep in once in awhile, I thought to myself, still grumpy about being awoken before dawn this morning.
Kestral frowned down at me. “Did you just—” He shook his head, looking ahead again. “There are some farms nearby. Sometimes farmers will sell soldiers some food or let them spend a night in their barn. A lot of young men pass this way to join the army, so it wouldn’t be strange to the farmers if I were to ask—”
With difficulty, I scrambled out of the belt pouch and down Kestral’s pant leg as he spoke. Something didn’t feel quite right. I hoped I was wrong. The second my feet hit the ground, I shifted back to my human form, turning and looking back behind us.
“Reshi, what—”
“Look.” I pointed back the way we had come. “You spend a lot of time out in the elements, right? Is that normal?”
Kestral stopped and looked back. Purplish-gray storm clouds hovered over the forest where we had camped the previous day. They hung low and thick and seemed to be moving, sprawling like the tendrils of a sea-beast searching for prey. Kestral stooped, picked up a handful of dirt, then scattered it.
“Those clouds are moving against the wind. Definitely not natural.” Kestral cursed softly.
“That’s Velyn’s magic. He’s using the storm clouds to search for us.” I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed like the perfect combination of Velyn’s weather magic and Cera’s far-sight.
“It could be Eagan,” Kestral replied, patting Shan’s neck before lightly climbing back into the saddle. “If he’s killed Velyn, he’ll have both weather magic and far-sight.”
“No.” How was I so sure? There. The answer was in the shape of the cloud. “Velyn once made a joke about fishermen and krakens. Is that—”
“A kraken. Eagan wouldn’t have shaped it that way.” Kestral cursed. “Shift and climb up. We’ll make a run for it. Even magic like that has limits.”
I shifted, this time taking my crow shape. I wanted to be able to see the clouds coming up behind us. I perched on Kestral’s shoulder, clinging to the protective leather over his clothing as Shan took flight. I had to flare my wings to keep my balance. Shan could really move when he wanted to. I turned back to look over my shoulder, watching the oncoming clouds. The trees on either side of the road were growing further apart, gradually changing from forest to farm land. Soon we wouldn’t have cover to hide under.
“At least now we know that Velyn killed Eagan,” Kestral said, leaning up and over Shan’s neck, urging the horse on faster. Very carefully I changed my grip to face backwards.
Not necessarily, I told myself. I couldn’t shake the feeling that both of my brothers were still alive. I felt more than saw Kestral shoot me a strange glance over his shoulder. The clouds were coming too fast. We needed to find cover and hide, if cover worked against far-sight. I couldn’t be sure. Cera had been able to speak to me wherever I had slept.
We have to hope far-sight and far-speech work differently.
I blinked and cocked my head at Kestral. That sounded like something he would say. What was going on?
“If we can get enough distance between us and those clouds, maybe we can take shelter in a barn. With the farmer’s permission.” Kestral faced directly ahead, without looking at me. “Or you could take off and hide yourself. I doubt even far-sight would distinguish you from any other crow.”
That gave me an idea. My magic was still barely a shimmer in my chest, but I was only playing on creatures’ natural instincts, which made the magic easier to work. I reached out magically, touching the minds of hundreds of crows in the surrounding forest and farmland. There was certainly no shortage of the black birds in these parts.
Once I had their attention, I showed them the images of both Velyn and Eagan,
since I couldn’t be completely certain which one of them was wielding this far-sight magic. In particular, I showed the crows Eagan’s golden earrings, the shining thread on his cloak and the rings on his fingers. For Velyn, I showed them the buckles on his belt and boots, as well as the glittering necklace that held a sea-creature’s tooth. For good measure, I showed them bags of food that either brother most likely carried with them. It didn’t take much to earn a crow’s persistent interest.
All around us, crows suddenly took wing, like a black wave cresting over us. Their wings beat the air down on us, their caws a deafening din. Crows in the forest had already found one or both of my brothers and they called to their kin, drawing them in to harry the humans into handing over their shinies and their food. As the murder soared towards the calls, the wind from their flight slowly tore apart the storm clouds, shredding and scattering the sight-magic until it winked out.
“That was good thinking,” Kestral said, slowing Shan down to a less reckless pace. “It should give us time to find lodging for the night.”
I cawed in agreement, settling down on Kestral’s shoulder. The thought of crows converging on either of my brothers was a comical one. I only wished that I could see it.
An hour later, Kestral secured us shelter in a half-empty barn as well as a large bowl of vegetable stew. Shan munched happily on a pile of fresh hay in one stall while Kestral unrolled his bedroll in the stall next door. I watched from atop a stack of hay bales, eyeing the single bowl of stew.
Kestral sighed, seeming to guess at the source of my annoyance. “You know I couldn’t ask for two bowls. It would have seemed strange. Are you going to shift so you can eat?”
I leapt down from the hay bales, my tail lashing behind me. I only had enough magic to shift once; if I had shifted human, I would have had to sleep that way and I didn’t want to dust off Kestral. So instead I used my last shift to take my cat form. It was my most comfortable form anyway. I sat down near the bowl of broth, lowering my head to give it an appreciative sniff. Kestral picked up the bowl and sat down on his bedroll.
Sorcerous Rivalry (The Mage-Born Chronicles Book 1) Page 19
