Sorcerous Rivalry (The Mage-Born Chronicles Book 1)
Page 20
“I’ll leave you the broth,” he said before tipping bowl back. My tail lashed of its own accord; broth was well and good—vegetables tasted strange to a cat’s palate—but what I wanted was meat. While Kestral sipped from the bowl, I reached a paw inside his food satchel and dragged out the wrapped rabbit by its oilcloth. Kestral caught me before I could wrestle the packaging open. “Wait, stop. I’ll cut some up for you.” He set the bowl down and used a belt knife to slice off a few slivers of rabbit. “Do you need it cooked?”
I shook my head before pouncing on the meat greedily. Kestral chuckled softly before returning to his own meal. The benefits of shapeshifting made it so I could eat any food natural to the form I was in. The downside was that I could never quite eat enough to feed my human body. Otherwise I might have simply lived my life as a city cat. My family would never find me that way.
By the time I finished the rabbit, Kestral had set the bowl of broth down for me. It was still warm and well seasoned; a nice contrast to the meals we had been eating lately. When my cat belly felt full, I looked up at Kestral, licking my lips to let him know I was finished. He shoved the bowl away before settling into his bedroll.
“So, you think both Velyn and Eagan are alive?” Kestral asked.
I blinked back at him. As cats know all things, they have no translation for a shrug.
“It would be nice to know for sure which one is chasing us.” Kestral stretched beneath the blankets. “It’s hard to develop a strategy without knowing the enemy.”
That made sense. Fighting a storm was different from fighting a fire. Hopefully, they were both still magically drained, wherever they were. I curled up on top of the bedroll, laying against Kestral’s side. He scratched my ears before settling his arm around me and falling asleep.
I dreamt that Eagan and Velyn sat on the deck of a small sailing boat. The boat appeared to be anchored, barely bobbing as it rested against its tether. The boat seemed to be on a wide river, but the dream didn’t give me a broad enough perspective to be certain. Velyn sat on a deck railing, fiddling with something in his hands. His perch should have appeared precarious, but he looked as comfortable as if he sat in a plush lounge. Eagan sat across the deck from Velyn on a low box. He leaned back against the railing, one arm looped over it, the other holding his cloak in his lap.
Both looked slightly worse for wear. Threads had been pulled from Velyn’s vest and one of Eagan’s ears was caked in dried blood. They looked as if they had jumped hastily into the river and their hair was only just drying. In fact, both were barefoot with their boots set in the middle of the deck to dry. The boots themselves made a strange picture together—Velyn’s thick, plain leather with deck grip along the bottom beside Eagan’s calf-high, calf-skin ornately decorated boots. What were they even doing in the same dream together?
“. . . think they went west?” It took me a minute to realize that Eagan’s mouth had been moving.
“That’s the direction I was searching in before we got attacked,” Velyn replied, not looking up from whatever he fiddled with in his hands. “Reshi must have noticed the cloud and used the crows to flee.”
Eagan made a rude noise and turned to look back over the deck railing. “Cera didn’t use clouds for her far-sight. She just Saw.”
“Cera had years of practice.” Velyn’s cheeks flushed red. “It’s easier for me to partner her magic with mine until I learn. How is mastering Laki’s magic going for you?”
With one hand extended over the railing, Eagan twirled his wrist. The water beneath it churned for a moment, a single tendril snaking up towards his hand before it dropped. Eagan scowled. “It works fine on some lifeless things, like trees, but not on others. I am not learning a trade like carving to make this magic work; I’ll just kill another sibling.”
Velyn glanced up, glaring at our oldest brother. Eagan smirked easily back.
“Relax.” Eagan pulled his hand back from over the railing. He held up his cloak, turning it over in his hands. “I can tell you’ve regained more of your magic than I have. And I find our deal to be advantageous at the moment.”
Velyn grunted as he looked back down at his hands. The dream seemed to focus a little, letting me see that he was threading fishing line through the links of a delicate chain, like a necklace. With a start, I realized he wasn’t wearing his tooth necklace.
“Of course, our deal is contingent upon you finding out where our baby brother went.” Eagan flicked his candle-flame eyes up at Velyn. “You think they went west?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Velyn smiled to himself as he held the necklace out, the links now rejoined by the thread. He took a moment to fasten it around his neck. “Besides, you said you overheard them talking about Kila and we know she’s in the west.”
“Hm, which one of their powers do I want more?” Eagan mused. His face twisted distastefully as he found a large, white splotch on the cloak. He reached for a cloth in a nearby bucket of water and scrubbed until the white splotch was clean. “Shapeshifting seems like fun, but not very powerful.”
“You could roll the dice on Kila’s magic,” Velyn offered, leaning back with a wide stretch. I hoped he would fall off the railing, but he appeared too practiced for such a folly. “I’ve seen all of Reshi’s forms. I can handle his magic.”
“And leave me with the unknown, possibly useless magic of the older sibling?” Eagan mused for a moment as he searched the cloak again for more white splotches. “Honestly, it’s a dice-roll for me. You say Reshi is the easier kill, but this is the second time he’s gotten away from you, isn’t it? Or is it now the third?”
Velyn flushed red again. “It’s that hunter of his! I’d already have his magic if not for that rusting warrior.”
“I had the warrior well in hand before you showed up and spoiled it,” Eagan replied, wiping up a newly discovered splotch on his cloak. “If I kill the hunter, I should get Reshi’s magic.”
“How about this?” Velyn hopped off the railing, bare feet padding confidently over the slick boat deck. “Whoever is close enough to coalesce Reshi’s magic gets to keep it. The other gets Kila’s magic uncontested.”
“And then Reina’s magic?” Eagan asked, glancing up.
Velyn shrugged. “Every mage-born for himself.”
Eagan chuckled and continued cleaning his cloak. “And then that’s the end of our alliance, isn’t it?”
Velyn turned, hiding a shark’s grin. “You should clean your ear. It’s been bleeding this whole time.”
Eagan grimaced as he checked his ear, his hand coming away with dried blood. “Well, you’ve had crow shit in that nest you call hair for hours now.”
Velyn made a disgusted noise before opening a door to belowdecks, presumably to check his hair.
I started awake, leaping to my feet so quickly that Kestral’s arm fell from me. Could that dream have been . . . wait, what had Cera said? I scrambled over the blanket towards the stall door. I hissed as a hand closed around my tail.
“Reshi?”
I shifted, impatient for answers and thinking that in my human form I would have the strength to pull free of Kestral’s grip. I don’t know why I thought that; not only was Kestral still stronger than me in my human form, but as I shifted his grip changed from my tail to my hair.
“Let go!” I swung my arm into his, startling him into releasing me. I shoved the stall door open and stumbled out of the barn, looking up into the sky.
As I expected: a full moon. I leaned against the doorframe, staring up at the silver orb. The memory of sitting on Cera’s roof beside her came to me unbidden. My chest became tight, my throat threatened to close. I blinked furiously, driving back tears. I found the tiny wooden lyre in a belt pouch and turned it over in my fingers, willing it to take my sudden grief away from me.
A shuffling step was the only warning I got before Kestral stood beside me, following my gaze up to the moon. “A dream about Cera?”
“No. A dream because of Cera.”
I looked down, trying to master my emotions. “She told me that her powers became stronger during the full moon. I think I just had a vision.”
Kestral remained silent as I described the dream in as much detail as I could. It was really the reference to the crows that made me feel as if it might be real. Kestral was quiet for a moment before nodding slowly.
“So, the both of them are coming after you. Together.”
I nodded. “If it wasn’t just a dream.”
“Hm. We better find Kila soon, then.” Kestral turned to walk back to our shared stall, then paused, looking back at me. “Did you know that if I’m holding you while you shift, I’ll be holding your new form?”
I shrugged. “I never went out of my way to shift in front of people before. I certainly never stood close enough to be grabbed during a shift before.”
Kestral nodded slowly before adding: “I think I have been hearing you inside my head.”
I felt my jaw drop in surprise. “Really? It’s not just me?”
“You’re not doing it on purpose?”
“No, how would I do that?” I glanced back up at the moon. “That’s never been my magic.”
“But it was Cera’s,” Kestral pointed out. “Laki said that he and Kila established a bond after her death. Is it possible that you did, too?”
“Maybe, but why with you?” I slipped a coin out of my pocket and rolled it across my knuckles, the familiar action helping me to think. “Kila and Laki were twins, so it made sense. You and I aren’t related at all.”
“I’ve been thinking.” Kestral turned his head, looking down at the barn floor. “I only hear you when you’re shifted. Is it the same for you?”
“Yeah. Usually only when I have something to say to you,” I mused, trying to recall all the instances of strange thoughts popping into my head. “You put the idea of spooking the soldiers’ horses into my head.”
“That wasn’t intentional,” Kestral explained with a small shake of his head. “But I remember wishing you would scare the horses, the same way you scared the pigoblins.”
“It didn’t come across as a clear thought, more like flashes of an idea. I don’t know, it was strange.” I hummed, mulling it over. “I’m not close with any of my siblings. Since Cera’s death, you’re the person I’ve spent the most time with. Maybe that’s why the bond formed with you?”
Kestral shrugged. “Can you speak with me now? In your mind?”
I took a moment to try it, starting with a simple thought about our paltry dinner, then slowly ramping up to a lewd suggestion. Kestral continued to stare at me blandly. “No, I don’t think so. It must only happen when I’m shifted.”
“Great,” Kestral said dryly, turning to walk back to the stall serving as our bedroom for the night.
“You don’t sound like it’s great,” I said, following behind him. “We can communicate while I’m wearing a form, now. That’s got to be useful in battle or over distances or something. Right?”
“All it means is that I’ll never have another moment of peace and quiet any more.” Kestral stretched and yawned before ducking back into the stall. He glanced back once more: “Don’t drain any more energy tonight. I have to be alert to run Shan.”
I didn’t respond, having already shifted back to my cat form. My tail lashed at the minor offense of his comment. In any event, I was too tired to stay awake and draw more from him.
Chapter 6
I had never stood on a battlefield before. The stench was overpowering—blood, excrement and desperation. Footing was treacherous; it was hard to tell if I was stepping in mud or viscera, or if the crunching beneath my boots was metal or bone. I constantly felt as if I was being watched. All in all, it reminded me of growing up in Giltner.
Kestral and I picked our way carefully over bloated corpses and rusted weapons. Shan had been left at the closest village, which was more like a military compound than a proper village. I had stayed hidden in animal forms while Kestral asked around for Kila’s location, posing as just another mage hunter come for her bounty. It wasn’t too much of a stretch for him, really.
As we crossed the battlefield to Kila’s last known position, Kestral filled me in on the war with Viaparaiso, our country’s western neighbor. Viaparaiso was one of the few sorcerous capitals of the world remaining, and its army consisted primarily of war mages. As our army was still fresh from the Great Mage Hunt, they employed all the latest magic-inhibiting weapons and tactics, keeping Viaparaiso from gaining a foothold across the wide river that separated our nations. Kestral believed that if our country defeated enough of Viaparaiso’s mages, we would invade the country and annex it, or at least topple the magical government.
“But why?” I asked. “I mean, I get that war mages are dangerous, but most of us aren’t. How am I a danger to anyone?”
Kestral glanced at me, seeming uncomfortable by the question. “I keep forgetting how little you know.”
“Well, the way you keep asking about my childhood in Giltner, I figured you already knew what the education system was like.” I smirked. “It wasn’t exactly all book-learning in glass-windowed towers.”
Kestral chuckled softly. “One day, I will find a few skins of Goldwater Whiskey, so you can tell me about it.”
I laughed. “Try a cask of it.” I squinted off into the distance. “I see someone.”
Kestral loosened his sword in its sheath.
Our strategy for approaching Kila would be almost the exact opposite of how we had approached Laki—a show of strength instead of a timid approach.
“Remember, if it gets too intense, shift into something small and run.”
“Why? You said you were a match for her, right?” I glanced sidelong at Kestral. I knew he hadn’t slept well, despite the fact that I had barely drawn from him at all. He had spent a long time down in the bar, drinking with battlefield soldiers. I had crept out and heard a few of the stories they told of Kila. I remembered my fur standing on end until I slunk back to our room. If half the stories were true, I was in more danger here than I was facing both Velyn and Eagan together.
“Just be cautious.” Kestral faced forward, taking half a step in front of me. I gulped back a lump of fear. If Kestral was nervous, I was terrified.
The figure ahead turned to look back at us and stood slowly, a dangerous smile on her face. I nearly fled when I realized she had been sitting on a pile of fresh corpses.
She stood almost a head shorter than Laki, putting her a head-and-a-half shorter than me. I could see some of her twin in her features, though—rounded face, blunt chin, pale skin. She wore skirted chainmail over a red tunic, which I hoped was dyed red and not turned red from blood. Black leggings disappeared into leather boots laced high over her knees, which looked flexible and battle-tested. Long leather gauntlets covered her hands and halfway up her arms, but her belt drew the eye—at least three swords, a heavy dagger, a war hammer and several belt purses were lashed to it. Over her shoulder the hilt of a monstrous bastard sword rose, almost as long as she was tall. Her red hair coiled around her head in a braided crown, her eyes gleamed the color of fresh blood.
Kestral stopped several paces away, close enough to speak without shouting but far enough that a sword couldn’t bridge the distance. For a moment, the two warriors simply sized each other up, saying nothing.
Kila grinned.
Kestral glowered. “Tekilashan.” Kestral barely inclined his head to her.
“It’s Kila to hunters.” Kila set a hand on her hip and raised her chin. “Come to test me? I’ll let you walk away up until you draw steel. After that, your life is forfeit.”
Kestral set his hand on his hilt but didn’t draw. “I’m not here to fight you. I’ve brought your brother Reshi to you for protection against your brothers.”
Kila tilted her head. “Brothers? I had one of those once. He’s dead now.” She flicked her blood red eyes to me before looking back to Kestral. “I don’t know any other brothers worth protecting.”
“You killed him?” Kila’s grin turned to a sneer. “No, I doubt someone as scrawny as you killed Laki. He was stronger than he let on.”
“He was ambushed by your brother Eagan. The fire mage.” Kestral held perfectly still, prepared to draw at any moment. “Eagan and Velyn have joined together to hunt both you and Reshi.”
Kila laughed joylessly. “You think that scares me, hunter? Have you heard nothing about me? I’m not afraid of a fire-starter and a lightning bug. Let them come.”
“They are coming. For each of us.” I held my hands out to the sides, trying to show her I wasn’t a threat. “We stand a better chance facing them together than separately.”
Kila shook her head, chuckling. “Does it look like I need your help?”
“No, but . . .” I hesitated. “I need yours.”
She narrowed her eyes, sizing me up. “That’s seems true enough.” Her eyes glimmered before they snapped back to Kestral. “All right. I’ll make you a deal. Fight me. Perhaps then I’ll listen to your pleas for help.”
“What is it with your family and deals?” Kestral asked me, though his eyes stayed locked on Kila. “Is your father a king or a merchant?”
“Kila, we don’t want to fight you,” I protested, ignoring Kestral. “I mean, what would be the point? If we could beat you, we wouldn’t need your help against Eagan and Velyn. Besides, no one beats you.”
“Then amuse me.” Her teeth flashed in an evil grin. “Prove you’re worth protecting.”
“Can’t we do that over drinks in a bar?” My eyes lit up. “What if I beat you in a drinking contest? That’s really my battlefield.”
“A skinny blade like you?” Kila snorted. “You couldn’t outdrink me. Sit down and let your hunter’s sword do the talking, little brother.”