Sorceress (Book 2)

by Jim Bernheimer

  “Will I get formal training?” Kayleigh asked. “Will you teach me?”

  The pale haired woman shook her head and said, “I do not think you were meant for my gifts, but I know I am meant to be here at this moment in time.”

  General Jyslin looked suddenly concerned. “Why is that, my old friend?”

  “I wasn’t certain before until just now, but I believe she is a pivot.”

  The young woman in question had no idea what that meant.

  Althea Hawthorne didn’t either and asked what the Seeress was implying.

  “A pivot is a person with the potential to change the world.”

  “Are you serious?” Meghan asked as Kayleigh’s jaw dropped.

  There was a hint of anger on Lady Tomas’s face and the monkey peeled its lips back and hissed at the water maiden. “I wouldn’t have come all this way, to the edge of a war that threatens our entire world, if I didn’t think so. Everyone dreams of being able to change the world, and we do our best to contribute and leave our mark upon the land, but the decisions made by pivots can change the courses of kingdoms. They can bring strife or prosperity and be exalted as legends or cursed as monsters.”

  Unable to say anything, Kayleigh felt her heart thudding in her chest. She took a drink of water and found it difficult to swallow.

  “I apologize, Kayleigh,” she continued. “I did not wish to upset you, but we must press onward. Tell me about the man on the manticore – this man who claims to be Ian Darius. Aside from Naomi here, he has been the only other pivot I have met in my life. Come here, take my hands, and describe your encounter with him.”

  Kayleigh stood, nervous and wanting nothing more than to run out into the night. General Hawthorne’s large room seemed much smaller with every step she took. The general gave up her chair so Kayleigh could sit next to the woman. Her hands were larger and calloused in comparison to the petite noblewoman’s.

  As she spoke, Kayleigh felt dizzy, swooning and possessed. Words formed on her lips and it was like listening to another person using her voice. She babbled, talking about fighting through the streets of Shiftla along the crumbling wall and her encounter with Penelope Garrett. Her body began shaking when telling of the manticore’s arrival. It felt like she was there, reliving it.

  It’s not real! It’s not real! She shouted in her mind while detailing her fight. Her voice changed from a detached monotone and rose until she was screaming. The whole tower seemed to be vibrating and shaking. Her muscles tensed and she ached, feeling like a rope pulled too tight.

  Barely conscious of what she was saying, Kayleigh convulsed when the connection was suddenly broken, falling out of the chair and onto the floor. Her heart raced and her mouth moved, but whatever was coming out, she had no control over.

  “I’ve got her!”

  Arms encircled Kayleigh and lifted her into the chair where she slumped, gasping for breath. A cup of water was brought to her lips and she gagged on the liquid, sputtering, and choking. She pushed the cup away with a feeble flap of her hand.

  “Reese, look at me. Focus on my voice! Good. Just breathe – take steady breaths to calm yourself down. Nice and easy. It’s over and you’re safe.”

  The blurry face in front of her came into focus. At first she thought it was Danella and a wave of panic passed through her body, but the fog lifted and she stared into the eyes of Meghan Lynch. The water maiden used a cloth to wipe the tears streaming down Kayleigh’s cheeks.

  “Do you want to try the water now?”

  Nodding was all she could do as she swallowed tiny sips of water to wash away the taste of bile in the back of her throat.

  Slowly, Kayleigh reached up and took the cup from Captain Lynch, wrapping both hands around it and looked at her surroundings. Alanna Tomas looked as bad as Kayleigh felt. Her son and General Hawthorne attended to her. A glance at General Jyslin showed concern etched into the kind woman’s face.

  After a few more sips, Kayleigh was able to ask, “What just happened?”

  “You and the Seeress both experienced a violent seizure,” Lynch said.

  “I think,” Lady Tomas said very slowly, before coughing. “I think your magic doesn’t particularly care for me.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kayleigh said, not trusting herself to anything more than simple sentences. “Please don’t do that again.”

  The Seeress let out a trio of skeptical half-laughs and said, “If I ever try to read you again, it will be only after I’ve consumed enough alcohol to have earned the throbbing headache I’m suffering from right now.”

  “What did you learn, Alanna?” General Jyslin asked. “Is it an imposter or really him?”

  Still breathing unevenly and sounding hoarse, Lady Tomas replied, “It’s him. I felt his presence through her memories.”

  “But I saw his dead body, held it in my own hands! You saw my memories of that battle,” Jyslin said.

  “True, but magic has a way of calling things we know to be true into question. Whatever way he cheated death must have been costly, otherwise he would have surfaced before now. Yes, the one in your memories felt like him as well. I can’t be sure how he did it, but I have a theory. It’s not as important as what I saw during their fight. Miss Reese should, by all accounts, be dead twice over and Ian Darius should have died or been gravely injured in the burst of fire that wounded the manticore. Their magic failed to affect each other. His lightning was easily capable of snuffing out her life, but it did nothing more than send a jolt through her body.”

  “That’s not possible!” Meghan Lynch said.

  The woman countered the captain’s outburst, saying, “You’re a twin, dear. You know it is.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kayleigh demanded.

  “Go on,” the Seeress said to Captain Lynch. “Explain it to her.”

  As the water maiden looked at her, Kayleigh saw a pained expression on the woman’s face. Lynch took a deep breath and said, “Reese, magic and blood are two very powerful things. Danella could bring a pillar of flame down on me and it would barely bother me at all. I could shoot her with an arrow and try to make it unblockable, but it wouldn’t work. Magic against those with direct blood ties doesn’t work, be it sister to sister or parent to daughter.”

  Kayleigh tried to protest, but no words came out. She’d screamed enough tonight, but her vocal chords had turned to ice and refused to make anything more than a strangled cry. It was all too much…too much.

  Kayleigh woke and thought about the nightmare she’d had. They told her Count Darius was alive and had accused her of being his daughter. When her eyes opened, she found herself in the largest, most comfortable bed she’d ever been in. She wasn’t sure where she was, but light was pouring through the stained glass window. Rolling over, she was momentarily blinded as her eyes adjusted to the daylight.

  There was a chair pulled up next to the bed. A young man sat in the chair, bathed in a cornea of light. He had thick wavy brown hair and extremely blue eyes. She recognized him – Brian Tomas.

  “Hello, Kayleigh,” he said, closing the book in his lap.

  “It really happened,” she replied. “That wasn’t a bad dream was it?”

  He nodded and offered her some water. “Are you okay?”

  She frowned at the absurdity of his question and couldn’t come up with an answer that didn’t sound stupid or insane. Kayleigh settled for shaking her head no.

  “You fainted. Between everything you’ve been through out there,” he said, pointing at the window. “And what my mom put you through, your mind and body decided enough was enough.”

  Anger and embarrassment pulsed through her body. “I feel so stupid.”

  “Don’t. My mom has a way of doing that to people. Growing up it was a problem trying to hide my misdeeds from her. It’s a wonder we get invited to any formal gatherings at all!”

  His feeble joke managed to make Kayleigh smile slightly. Brian was always charming and she both adored and hated the way he could get
under her skin. She recalled how he had once sent her heart racing only a short time ago, during a training exercise. He said how pretty her eyes were, only to idly wonder how pretty the ones belonging to the next girl he was going to see were.

  “Anyway, General Hawthorne ordered me to take you up to her room and keep an eye on you.”

  “You sat with me? All night?”

  “I stayed for a little while, had to go check on some things, and have been back since sunrise. You snore,” he said with a wink. “But as far as assignments go, we both know I’ve had worse.”

  He was referring to standing deathwatch over unicorns suffering from the wasting.

  “Why did you come?”

  “Three reasons. First off, my mother insisted,” he replied. “One of her things. Secondly, I consider you a friend. When Talcosa’s Portal acted up and your group disappeared, I thought I’d never get a chance to see you again. I’d have asked to come even if Mom didn’t want to go. Lastly, I’ve got a riderless unicorn we brought through the portal, a female dying from the wasting. When trainee Temple arrived and General Hawthorne debriefed her, no one knew what to make of you saving the male unicorn you brought back to Salif. She immediately sent a messenger bird. When word reached us, we came in hopes of a cure. One of the things I was doing while you were sleeping was checking Rheysurrah from head to hooves.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Other than what might be expected of a unicorn who has been ridden hard through several fights, he’s in good shape. Has a bit of an attitude though.”

  Sighing, Kayleigh said, “He dislikes me and is regretting the decision to bond with me. I promised that I’d try to break the bond cleanly with him. Tamera wants me to use that thing I can do with bonds to try and connect her with Rhey.”

  “That’s why I brought Ayalla. I’m hoping you can do something to save her.”

  “I really don’t know how my magic works. What happened to her rider?”

  “Her patrol ran into a female ogre and her offspring. From what I’m told, it was an ugly fight. Her rider died bringing the mother down. If you can really cure the wasting, no more unicorns would have to die in such a grotesque way. Even if they can’t have riders after that, they could still live out their lives, pass on their knowledge, and grow the size of the herds. That might not be the whole ‘changing the world thing’ mother spoke of, but it would be worth at least a few epic poems and maybe a bard’s song.”

  This time, Kayleigh managed an actual laugh. “You certainly know how to make a girl feel special. Will you be the one composing my tales?”

  “Me?” he said in a self-deprecating manner. “You wouldn’t want me writing anything! I once wrote an ode to shoveling manure as a gift for my brother’s birthday. Come to think of it, he did confess to enjoying it quite thoroughly, but I somehow doubt my particular brand of storytelling would be suited to relaying the tales of your great deeds.”

  After another quick laugh, there was awkwardness. “Ellen and Andrea were beside themselves after they got your letters. Captain Lynch told Lieutenant Sheppard that we were going through the Portal to meet up with you. She’ll let them know.”

  Nodding, Kayleigh could only accept the consequences of her actions and hope that the few friends she still had at The Academy would forgive her.

  “I haven’t discussed it with Laurel or Tamera either,” she confessed. “I guess I need to speak with them.”

  “Unfortunately, that will have to wait. The ladies are downstairs and waiting for you to continue. I brought up a change of clothes for you and will leave while you get ready.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  As she sat up on the bed, he stood and walked to the door. Pausing, he said, “It’s good to see you again, Kayleigh. Things haven’t been the same around the island without you.”

  She stammered her thanks as he left and looked out the window into Salif, wondering again what it would be like to just start running and never stop. If the theory turned out to be true, Kayleigh was the daughter of Count Darius – the most reviled man in all the kingdoms.

  At least I’ll have an answer for Rebekah. She thought idly about the first year water maiden who had done her best to make Kayleigh’s life miserable. She always threatens to bring her father into arguments. I guess I could start using that as well.

  Shaking her head, she quickly changed and descended the stairs. Everyone was still there except for Captain Chandler. Most looked like they hadn’t slept. For once, Kayleigh felt like she had an edge.

  “Hello, Kayleigh,” General Jyslin said. “Are you feeling better today?”

  “Yes, ma’am. How are you?”

  The much older woman smiled, surprised at her question. “I’m as well as can be expected, given the circumstances. I’m afraid breakfast is over, but a plate was saved for you. Please sit and eat.”

  Kayleigh wanted to say that she wasn’t hungry, but her stomach had its own opinion. Sitting down, she picked up a piece of fruit and started slowly.

  General Jyslin pushed a piece of parchment toward her and said, “We spent some time discussing your mother after you went upstairs. Captain Lynch mentioned that she is an artist and you dabble as well. Have you ever seen this artisan’s mark?”

  Kayleigh looked at the symbol. It was a stylish, B with tiny swoops coming off of the bottom. Her mother’s mark was the letter R with the diagonal dovetailing into an E. “I don’t think…”

  Pausing, she thought back and remembered her mother’s oldest sketch book. It contained pictures of Kayleigh that had been drawn when she was a baby. One in particular was of her playing with a set of wooden blocks and she remembered the B on the block in her hand.

  “What is it, child?”

  “I saw it on some of my mother’s oldest sketches. She uses a different symbol now. How do you know it?”

  “It’s on the painting in my office commemorating my appointment as General of the King’s Battalion two years before the Great War started. The woman who painted it was named Brianna Nolan-West. She was an exceptionally talented artist and also a promising enchantress. In addition, she was the lover of the High-King’s advisor, Count Ian Darius.”

  Kayleigh recalled that portrait. Still, she pushed that out of her mind and said, “My mom never did any magic!”

  General Hawthorne answered, “She may have been able to hide it from you. She would have good reason to.”

  Kayleigh looked at the woman and sensed there was more to it.

  The raven-haired woman continued, saying, “If your mother is who we think she is, you and I are family – Brianna and I were first cousins. My uncle was Lord Kevin Nolan-West. His side of the family was allied with Count Darius in the war.”

  All her life, it had just been Kayleigh and her mother. There was no one else. Now Althea Hawthorne, of all people, stood across a table and declared that they were related. Considering how the woman had been treating her, this was an unexpected change.

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Normally I would say yes, Reese. However, the High-King decreed that any carrying the Darius bloodline and those of my Uncle’s to be traitors of the realm. My parents were spared by virtue of being supporters of the High-King and I, of course, was an officer already. If your identity becomes public, you would be imprisoned or possibly executed.”

  “But I’m a Battle Maiden too!” Kayleigh protested.

  “If it was only your mother’s bloodline, I wouldn’t be worried either. However, I can’t see the same leniency I was afforded being extended to the daughter of Count Darius.”

  A silence descended over the room as Kayleigh digested the news. Suddenly all the moving around her mother had done when Kayleigh was young made sense.

  Captain Lynch handed her an empty sketchbook and some drawing charcoal. “I recall you doing pictures of the other recruits and their unicorns on our journey to Talcosa. They were good. Could you do one of your mother from memory?”

  “Yes, ma’am,”
she said, accepting the items. “Why do you need me to do this?”

  “We need to find her. She may have knowledge of how Count Darius survived his battle with General Jyslin, which may be critical to defeating him this time. There is also the fact that Count Darius will surely realize who you are, if he hasn’t already. You and your mother will need protection. Do you know where she is?”

  It almost sounds like she cares, Kayleigh thought before saying, “My letters to her were answered by an elder in Helden. She left shortly after I did. Why would she need protection?”

  “Captain Lynch is right, Kayleigh,” General Jyslin stated. “He may try to use that decree to lure you to his side. Conversely, he may just hire assassins to kill you.”

  “But why?” Kayleigh was confused, pausing from her sketch.

  “Because you’re almost immune to his magic.”

  “He’s immune to mine as well.”

  The Seeress looked and stared through Kayleigh with her unfocused gaze. “But unless he has sired any other children since he went into hiding, you are the only person who could walk through any of his spells and slay him. He is just as vulnerable to you as you are to him.”

  Kayleigh gasped, knowing that must be what they wanted her to do. She did her best to push those thoughts aside and concentrate on what Lady Tomas was saying.

  “Magical parents try to stay on the best of terms with their children for that very reason. The conception of a magical child weakens both parents for a time, while their power fuels the eldritch energies of the unborn child. This actually explains the sudden change in his tactics during the last war. He stopped pressing his attack and went on the defensive allowing the High-King’s forces a chance to regroup. I daresay that you, just by being conceived, contributed greatly to his defeat last time.”

  “I suspect your mother didn’t consult your father in your conception. It seems that makes my victory over him due in part to your presence,” General Jyslin commented. “Even with a portion of his strength removed, I barely survived and those who fought at my side did not.”