Sorcerous Rivalry (The Mage-Born Chronicles Book 1)

by Kayleigh Nicol

  After a beat, he nodded, and with one final look at me, he walked back to our inn from the night before.

  “He’s a bit over-protective, isn’t he?” Kila asked, finally letting me go.

  “Well, he has kept me alive until now.” I fixed my collar, trying to get it to lie flat again. “Were you just trying to get me alone?”

  “Yes.” Kila grimaced, meeting my eyes. “Do you need me to kill him? Has he bonded you?”

  “What?” I started. “No. What is bonding?”

  Kila crossed her arms, a pensive look on her face. “Are you traveling with him because you want to? Or are you being forced?”

  I hesitated. “It’s a little of both. I’d be dead without him, but he’s also supposed to kill me, so it’s a tough question to answer.”

  Kila remained silent a minute, then said, “He’ll be a good asset in the fight against our brothers. If you need me to kill him afterwards, I could.”

  “No, I . . .” I frowned. It was the perfect way out. If Velyn, Eagan and Kestral were all dead, no one would be chasing me. I would be completely free again. Isn’t that what I wanted? “I don’t know, Kila. We’ve sort of become friends, I think.”

  “You think?” Kila arched her brow. “That man could really use a bounty or three, based on the wear on his equipment and the inn he chose to stay in. Isn’t he just using you to draw out our brothers?”

  I sighed and looked away. “Let me handle Kestral, okay? He’s honored his word and I’d like to stick to mine. He’s said he’ll give me a head start before he hunts me.”

  Kila shrugged. “It’s your pyre, I guess.” She turned and started walking away. “Let’s get those knives you wanted. Maybe some armor as well, so you’re not just a target.”

  “I can’t shapeshift with metal armor,” I explained, trotting to catch up to her. “Or at least, once I shift I won’t be wearing it any more.”

  Kila groaned. “Magic is more trouble than its worth. What about leather armor? Not that it’s good for much, but maybe it could save you from a scratch or two.”

  “I like my range of motion.” I shrugged. “I’m a close-quarters type of fighter, so I need flexibility.”

  “You’re not any type of fighter,” Kila scoffed. She stopped at a small shop set up beneath a tarp. She and the merchant exchanged pleasantries before she explained what was needed. The vendor sold me two full bracers of throwing knives as well as a roll of extras. I paid him with the money I had stolen from Kestral’s former soldiers, grateful that Kestral wasn’t around to question the money’s source. By the time we left the merchant’s stand, Kestral and Shan were waiting for us outside the Drunken Fish Inn.

  “Do you switch inns every night?” I asked Kila as we approached the waiting hunter.

  Kila nodded. “I don’t mind hunters coming after me; they usually find me on the battlefield like you did. Assassins, though—I don’t like making their job too easy, so I pick my inns randomly every day.”

  “A determined assassin would find you anyway,” Kestral pointed out, tying Shan to a post outside the inn.

  “They do, on occasion.” Kila shrugged, as if assassination was merely a mild inconvenience. “One might get lucky one day. That day hasn’t come yet.”

  I suppressed a shiver. Hopefully no one in this town would find out that I was one of Kila’s brothers.

  “Hey Darren, you old fool!” Kila announced, shoving the inn’s door open. “Three rooms for the night, for me and my brother and his hunter.”

  I groaned inwardly.

  “Two rooms,” Kestral corrected, close at my side. “Reshi rooms with me.”

  Kila rolled her eyes at him. “You really can’t let him out of your sight, can you? Fine. Two rooms, Darren.”

  A wizened innkeeper, who barely appeared able to keep up with the conversation, slowly accepted the coins for two rooms and passed over two sets of keys. I glanced around the room. In the corner, musicians tuned their instruments, and the scent of dinner hung in the air. A real inn, at long last!

  “Have a tub of warm water sent to my room,” Kila ordered, sliding over another coin.

  “Mine too!” I cheerfully slapped down another coin. “And soaps! Lots of soaps!”

  “And someone to bring his horse around,” Kila said, tipping her head towards Kestral. “We’ll all want dinner as well.”

  “That was bath water, soap and . . .?” I swear a puff of dust left his mouth as the old innkeeper spoke.

  “A runner for the horse,” Kila repeated slowly. “And three dinners later.”

  Darren nodded, his neck popping as it moved.

  “Is Laryssa around?” Kila asked. She leaned over the counter and shouted, “Laryssa! Get out here, wench!”

  Tinkling laughter floated into the bar from the direction of the kitchen. A moment later a young woman followed it, smiling and dusting her hands on her apron. She was pretty with large brown eyes and dark hair covered by a scarf. “Kila, are you staying with us tonight? I’ll charge you extra if you scratch up the floors with your weapons again.”

  Kila laughed, pulling up a stool to the bar. “That’s your fault for making such a potent light ale.” She turned to Kestral and me. “The Drunken Fish brews its own ales. They’re all excellent, but I like the palest one.” She turned back to the bar wench. “Can we get three mugs while we wait for our tubs to be filled?”

  “Sure thing, Killer.” Laryssa winked at Kila then looked over at the innkeeper. “Grandpapa, have you sent a runner for the tubs yet?” When he shook his head, she set her fists on her hips. “Honestly, Grandpapa, why do you still work? You should be out on a bench enjoying the sunshine. I’ll send a runner then get your drinks.” She caught my eye for a moment and I offered her my best smile. She winked at me as she had at Kila before ducking back inside the kitchen. I caught Kestral glaring at me. I shrugged the glare off. It had been too long since I’d been able to wink at a pretty bar wench for me to care what Kestral thought of it.

  “Here you are. Three mugs of Fish Piss.” Laryssa reappeared, setting the tall mugs down on the bar. “Can I get you anything else?”

  “Would you mind sending a runner to the Rickety Stool for my things?” Kila asked as she gathered up the mugs. “And let me know if anyone comes looking for me.”

  “You got it, Killer.” Laryssa smiled fondly at my sister. Kila led us to a far table, away from the few scattered patrons enjoying mugs of ale.

  “Fish Piss?” I asked skeptically as Kila set the tankard down in front of me.

  “It’s stronger than it tastes.” Kila slid another mug towards Kestral before tipping hers back for a long sip. “Mmm. If you like darker ales, they have Murky Water and Watery Grave. Both good, but not to my taste.”

  I sipped at the pale ale and hummed in appreciation. It certainly was better than other pales, but I looked forward to sampling the darker varieties later. But probably not as much as I looked forward to a bath with soaps.

  “So.” Kila set her mug down with a clack. “You want me to slay my kin when they come for dear Reshi. Is that right?”

  Kestral nodded. He took a short sip before speaking. “Velyn and Eagan have each taken the life and power of one of your siblings. Now they have formed a partnership, if the dream Reshi had is true.”

  “Dream?” Kila looked at me sharply. “Was it during the last full moon?”

  I nodded, coughing as I tried to speak while swallowing a mouthful of ale. “Velyn tried to find us using sight-magic bound to storm clouds. I sent crows to attack him, and later I had a dream—”

  “Were they on a boat?” Kila asked. “The gray-haired one was fixing a necklace?”

  “And the flame-haired one was cleaning a fancy cloak.” I nodded. “You saw it too?”

  “Ugh, more magic I don’t need.” Kila took a long drink from her mug. “I didn’t mind being connected to Laki, but the rest of this is just . . . ugh. I hate magic.”

  “Can I ask?” I leaned closer to her, dropping my voice
conspiratorially. “What is your magic?”

  Kila shook her head. “You’ll probably see it before this is over, but I’m not saying. I hate it. Which brings me to my half of this deal: when we kill those two, you will have to take their magics. I don’t want any piece of them.”

  “What?” I sat back, startled. “I don’t want them either. I never set out to hurt anyone or steal their power.”

  “If Reshi takes both their powers, it makes him a bigger target,” Kestral pointed out.

  Kila shrugged. “I don’t care. If we kill them and let their magic disperse, I’ll end up with even more powers than I already have. It took me years to control my magic. I’m not wasting my time learning new magic.”

  I exchanged a glance with Kestral. He grimaced then dropped his gaze to his ale. I didn’t want Velyn’s or Eagan’s magics. Nor did I want Cera or Laki’s magics. Aside from shapeshifting, I barely used the magic that was mine. What would it be like to have the magic of four of my siblings?

  I glanced over at Kestral, who was still staring into his mug. A new thought occurred to me. With the powers of my siblings combined, I might stand a chance against him and any other hunters who came after my bounty. It wasn’t the worst idea ever. And as long as our oldest sister wasn’t hunting us, I could be free again.

  “What about it, Kestral?” I asked, dragging his gaze up to meet mine. “It’s better than letting Velyn or Eagan take my power, isn’t it?”

  Kestral held my gaze. “You’re really asking me what I think?”

  “Of course.” That surprised me. “I only made it to Kila because of you. And we’ll need your help fighting them. Won’t we?” I glanced at Kila. She shrugged.

  “I’ve killed plenty of mages, but it always helps to have allies.” She smirked at me. “I’d rather have his help than yours, based on how you fought today.”

  I ignored the jibe. “Well, Kestral?”

  The mage hunter took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I don’t like it. But if that’s the price, that’s it. If Reshi is close enough to either body when it releases its magic, he should be the one to coalesce it.”

  “Great. Glad we worked that out.” Kila tipped her mug back, finishing her ale. “I figure the best way to draw them out is to just sit tight, spread the word that little Reshi is here, and wait for them to meet us on the battlefield. You can tell me all about them and their powers over dinner tonight.” She pushed her chair back and stood. “Right now, I’m going to take a bath.”

  “Me too!” I leapt up, knocking my chair over. I scrambled to set it aright as Kila laughed at me. Kestral rose soundlessly, following us upstairs to the rooms. Kila’s room was across the hall from ours. I was more excited to see steam rising from the tub than I had been by the chance to drink ale in a tavern again.

  “Me first!” I called, nearly tearing the laces off my shirt in my haste to jump in the water. “I’ll make sure there’s still some heat left for you, Kestral.”

  He eyed me warily. “Do you need me to leave?”

  “Yes, unless—” I stopped, spotting a folded screen leaning against the wall. “No, you can stay. Whatever you want.” I set the screen up, shielding the bath before I finished undressing. I didn’t mind being seen naked, except for those little marks on my hip. Kestral would know what they meant, and I didn’t want to talk about them. If the room had been darker, I would have chanced it, but it was still early in the evening and the room was bright with sunlight.

  The tub was wide enough for me to sit in and just a little hot, so I eased in gently with a relieved sigh. I sat for awhile, simply enjoying the heat. Beyond the screen, a chair scraped the floor before I heard the familiar sound of a sword clearing its sheath. I imagined Kestral was cleaning his sword, as he did every night.

  “Kila isn’t what I pictured,” I said, selecting a sweet-smelling soap from the basket that had been left near the thick drying-cloths.

  “What were you picturing?” Kestral’s voice came from beyond the screen.

  “I don’t know. Someone taller.” I sighed as I scrubbed a layer of dirt from my skin. “She isn’t even as tall as Cera was.”

  “None of you seem to look anything like the others.” He paused for a moment. “Except for maybe you and Eagan.”

  “Kila and Laki looked a little alike,” I countered. “But then, I guess twins are supposed to look alike. Is Kila what you were expecting?”

  “She looked like the portrait on her bounty,” he replied shortly. “I was expecting a fight. Weren’t you?”

  “Not really. Well, I was half-expecting her to try and kill me, so maybe. All my other siblings have tried to kill me so far.” It was hard to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

  “Except Cera.”

  “Except Cera,” I agreed. I dunked my head under water before scrubbing my hair with soap. “I wonder what Reina is like. Do you think she knows what’s going on with us out here?”

  “If Kila saw the same vision as you, it’s likely Reina did too.” I heard Kestral sheathe his sword, followed by footsteps across the floor. It sounded like he was pacing. “If Velyn and Eagan hear that you’re here with Kila, they might decide to pursue Reina instead.”

  “Maybe.” I rinsed my hair then soaped it again. “But they have to find her first. Kila and I are making ourselves easier targets. Eagan strikes me as the type to like easy prey.”

  Kestral chuckled softly. “Is that because it’s what you would do?”

  “Don’t lump me in with that noble bastard,” I growled, rinsing my hair for the final time. “The easiest thing to do is to not go around killing siblings.”

  Reluctantly, I finished bathing, drying off quickly with a cloth. I really wanted to sit in the water until it cooled, but Kestral deserved a warm bath as much as I did. I stepped past the screen after knotting the drying-cloth high above my waist. I smirked as Kestral eyed me, pausing in his pacing across the floor.

  “Like what you see?” I dropped my chin, looking up through my lashes. “The offer’s still open.”

  Without replying, Kestral pushed past me to the bath. I heard him kick off his boots and set his weapon-laden belt down on the floor. As I began finger-combing my hair, I heard him slip into the water.

  “It’s still warm, isn’t it?” I called.

  Kestral grunted a reply. “How much of this soap did you use? The bath is more foam than water.”

  “The soap isn’t going to hurt you.” I rolled my eyes. As Kestral grumbled about the foam in the water, I checked over my clothing. It was a little worse for the wear, especially after my battle with Kila. I rummaged through Kestral’s bags until I found a small sewing kit then curled up on the bed to stitch my clothes. It wouldn’t do to look like a scruffy traveler on my first night in real civilization in weeks.

  Kestral finished his bath before I finished darning my clothes. After he dried himself, he dunked his clothes in the soap-foamed water of the bath, wrung them out and draped them over the screen to dry. With a cloth wrapped around his waist, he searched through his bags for a fresher set of clothing. He barely glanced at me on the bed as I stitched my clothes. There went my theory of him liking what he saw. Dust him. I was going to dance tonight.

  A weight on the end of the bed made me look up. Kestral sat there clad only in a pair of loose brown pants as he scrubbed at his hair with a drying cloth. My mouth watered as tiny rivulets of water traced paths between the muscles of his chest and stomach and along the lines of old scars. My needle paused in its work as I imagined running my fingers over his warm, tan skin. He glanced back at me and I quickly tried to appear as if I hadn’t just been staring at him.

  “You don’t mind that I’m using your thread, do you?” I asked, holding up my stitching.

  “No.” Kestral looked away, then back again. “Finish up. Kila might be down at dinner already.”

  I shoved away lewd thoughts, replacing them instead with thoughts of real food with butter and seasonings. Food was another one of life’s
greatest pleasures, after all. It shouldn’t be approached like a chore, as Kestral did. I finished stitching the cuff of my shirt before pulling it on. After making sure Kestral had his back to me, I slipped into my pants, belting them snugly over my hips. By the time he looked back, I was lacing up my boots. With a tilt of his head, Kestral indicated that I follow him downstairs to the bar.

  Kila was there ahead of us, leaning over the bar and talking to the wench from earlier, a tankard already in hand. No longer armored for the battlefield, Kila wore a simple tunic over leggings, boots stopping at mid-calf rather than over her knees. She still wore more weapons than necessary on her belt, but only one full sword. Her wet hair was pulled back in a simple braid reaching nearly to her sword belt; I hadn’t realized it was so long before.

  When Kila saw us approaching, she ordered three meals and beckoned us to the corner table we had sat at earlier. The bar wench took drink orders—Fish Piss for Kila, Murky Water for Kestral, and Watery Grave for me—before ducking back into the kitchen. Soldiers from the army kept stopping by to chat with Kila and each time she introduced me as her brother—spreading the word, as she put it. I was sure that by the end of the night, everyone in town would know who I was.

  When dinners arrived at tables, the soldiers settled down to eat, leaving us in relative peace. The musicians strummed their instruments softly in a corner of the room, creating background noise for the diners. I hoped they would play something livelier for dancing later.

  “This has got to be the best mutton I have ever had,” I announced, wiping my chin. It helped that it had been rolled in spices before being cooked, and that the bread was fresh, crusty, and heaped with butter. The ale was so stiff and dark that it could nearly stand on its own. I think I caught Kestral holding back a laugh at my enthusiasm for the food, but by the time I could look properly the moment had passed.

  “So, which of my darling brothers killed Laki?” Kila asked, setting polished lamb bones down on her plate. Somehow the lack of armor and weaponry didn’t make her look any less intimidating.

  “Eagan, the fire mage,” Kestral replied. “Laki was focused on Reshi and me. Eagan took us all by surprise.”