Not wanting to crush their enthusiasm, Kayleigh lied through her teeth and said what a wonderful place it was. Watching the two fawn all over her borrowed unicorn, she leaned against the wall of the barn and felt melancholy. The two girls were so excited to see Rheysurrah. They only saw the glory and the majesty of being a unicorn rider. The violence, bloodshed, and the suffering weren’t even something they could imagine. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she silently cried for her lost innocence. Idly, she wondered if this would be a powerful enough memory from which she might create healing tears.
When their mother called for them to come to the dinner table, Kayleigh took a moment to wipe her tears away while the girls grumbled about how unfair it was.
I could tell them a thing or two about things being unfair, she thought and sighed.
“Are you coming, ma’am?”
Kayleigh cringed at being addressed in such a manner. She supposed that wearing armor and carrying weapons made her look older.
“I’ll come in a minute,” she answered. “Go ahead without me.”
While the two girls left, she saw T’rsa staring at her. She’d probably seen her crying, but Kayleigh couldn’t bring herself to be either embarrassed or ashamed. Even Rhey was looking at her now.
“I can do this,” she whispered, restoring a portion of her courage. “I’ll get through this.”
Recognizing that there was nothing to be gained by wallowing in her own pity, she turned away from the two sets of judging eyes and walked toward the farmhouse, where the inviting smell of a home cooked meal beckoned.
Dinner had a lively atmosphere to it that Kayleigh had never before encountered. Growing up, half the time Kayleigh’s mother forgot to eat dinner unless she brought it to her. The mess hall at The Academy was steeped in order and tradition with the staff being served first, followed by the upper years and then, finally, the lower years. Demerits were handed out to people at tables that became too loud. In the case of the first year table, those demerits also ended up on Kayleigh’s record. Somehow these three children made more noise than an entire mess hall full of Battle Maiden trainees, despite their parents’ efforts to maintain order. It was too hard not to smile at their antics, so she didn’t bother.
Fresh bread and a stew made from mostly vegetables with just enough pieces of chicken in it to give it the taste of being heartier satisfied the pangs of hunger. The food at Smythe’s estate in Shiftla had been prepared by a chef and the meals at General Hawthorne’s command post were made by cooks preparing the same meals for dozens of people. This simple, home cooked meal had a personal quality that had been missing from Kayleigh’s life for quite some time.
“I’m sorry we just have this one room and such a small bed,” Jana said, leading them to it while her husband and children cleared the table.
“It will do just fine,” Captain Lynch replied. “We plan to be on the road by sunrise and thank you for your hospitality.”
“I’ll have Horace check on you before he goes out to feed the chickens,” Jana said. “Sleep well, ladies.”
The captain thanked her as Kayleigh offered a polite smile and nod of her head. Once the door closed, Lynch leaned closer to her and whispered, “I gave them extra to keep their children around the house until midday tomorrow. That should keep news of our whereabouts from spreading until we are well away from here. Even so, I still think we should keep watch. I’ll take the first one and you can have the bed.”
Kayleigh considered arguing, but she’d been through an emotional ringer today and the homely looking bed with its threadbare blanket and pillows leaking feathers were as inviting as anything she’d ever rested her head on.
“Danella and I were both assigned to the South when we first left The Academy,” the captain offered as they set out on the morning of the third day. With no one else around, each of them made an occasional effort to bridge the gap existing between the two of them. Their conversations came in uncomfortable spurts. On the second day, they were able to make similar arrangements with another farmer, but last night they spent camping with what little equipment Meghan had been able to buy with their coins. Kayleigh shook her head, knowing that when she left The Academy she’d taken everything she’d owned, prepared to run away with Majherri, but virtually everything was gone except a few things that still resided in her saddlebags and what she left at Salif. Hopefully, Laurel or someone would remember to bring her possessions when they left.
“Is it as rebellious as they say?” Kayleigh asked aloud while thinking, Considering the West is currently at war.
“Yes and no,” she replied. “There is a reason that we typically wait until the final patrols of the fifth year before we bring any trainees into these kingdoms. The High-King is not well-liked in these parts and his policies certainly favor his allies over those who oppose him. The main threat is usually small groups of bandits along with the occasional uprising led by one faction of the nobles against another. In the past century, these kingdoms have rarely united and that is seen as a good thing by most.”
Kayleigh mulled over Captain Lynch’s words before saying, “How do you see it?”
“If groups are always being encouraged to take up arms against one another, how can there ever truly be a lasting peace? The presence of the Southern Battalion is tolerated by most, but make no mistake, it is a reminder that they have been on the losing side of the past fifty years. Like any other kingdoms, the citizens from nobles down to the commoners, have their pride. It is probably why they rallied to your father’s banner so eagerly and I expect they will soon do so again.”
It made sense to the young sorceress and the casual comment about Count Darius served as a reminder of the bizarre turns Kayleigh’s life had taken. “So attacks and ambushes happen a lot?”
“The only times I have felt completely safe when riding through their cities is during the recruiting trips. On some level, they want their daughters to become Battle Maidens in the hopes that someday we would shift our allegiance. To answer your question, yes. Attacks do occur, so stay alert.”
Two hours later that warning made Kayleigh wonder if Captain Lynch had some type of latent talent as a seeress. The winding path through the forest didn’t always give them enough warning of approaching travelers for them to get off the road and into the woods. Rounding a bend, they caught sight of a group moving toward them. It consisted of a pair of horse riders escorting a wagon, with another pair of riders trailing slightly behind them.
The wagon rolled past them, coming from the northeast. A female wearing merchant garments sat in the driver’s seat. Next to her, a bearded man clutched his crossbow and hummed to himself. Two men sat in the bed of the wagon, looking bored and sitting beside a trio of locked cases. Kayleigh had her eyes on the pair of riders still in front of them, but from the side of her vision, she caught a hint of movement.
“Look out!” Lynch cried.
Kayleigh pivoted Rheysurrah to face the threat and the unicorn rose up, intercepting the net hurled by one of the men now standing in the bed of the wagon. It tangled around the unicorn’s horn and head, and fell onto her. Thanks to the quick actions of the unicorn, she wasn’t really caught and could use her left arm to push it away while drawing her scimitar with her right hand.
“Get the girl!” the woman driving the wagon yelled. T’rsa neighed, being hit by the crossbow from the driver just above where the left foreleg met the unicorn’s body.
Fully prepared to unleash her flames against her attackers, she was blindsided by the attack of the other man in the wagon. He tossed a small bucket filled with some kind of powder at her. Unprepared, the dust cloud enveloped her. Immediately, she gasped for breath and began coughing violently. Her lungs were on fire and it seemed that every bit of exposed skin exploded in a burning itch.
Rheysurrah was affected just as badly and she fell out of his saddle as the blinded unicorn bucked and spasmed. Kayleigh couldn’t do anything to help him. Her vision was blurred and what
air she got into her lungs reacted poorly with whatever they’d thrown at her.
Pain, anger, and a feeling of helplessness started to descend over her, but she fought back. A blurry shape appeared on the ground next to her as she dry heaved, trying to expel what had gotten inside of her. A booted foot drove into her side and got rid of even more of her precious air.
Instead of a second blow, she felt rough hands yank her into the air and toss her over the side of the wagon.
Through her pain she heard, “Go! Go! The rest can finish off the other rider! We’ve got the prize.”
She turned the pain and anger into raw fury and fed it to her magic. This time when she coughed, Kayleigh literally spewed fire from her mouth and heard the scream of the man trying to bind her hands. The larger shape of the man who’d kicked her pushed the second one aside and slammed down onto her, knocking her head against the bottom of the wagon and sending a wave of agony through it.
Fighting against passing out, she kicked and flailed. Grabbing at the magic inside of her with that same desperation, she willed it out of her body and turned the wagon into a sudden inferno.
“Goddess no!” she heard one scream just before the roar of the flames engulfed him.
Kayleigh struggled to rise and fell over the side of the wagon onto the path. She rolled around in the grass and dirt to extinguish the flames on her clothes. She thought of water and willed it to exist. A cool wave fell over her and she sputtered again at her sudden dampness.
Trembling, the sorceress forced herself to rise up to her knees and then to stand on wobbling legs. Between the flames and the water, whatever had coated her skin and gotten in her lungs was no longer a threat. Her vision was still very blurry and even though it hindered her, it was a blessing in disguise because she couldn’t see the horrible aftermath of her magical release. She smelled it though and wanted to vomit.
Dragging her eyes away from the prone shapes on the ground and the still burning wagon being pulled by panicked horses, Kayleigh looked around to see if she could find a white blur of a unicorn.
There were two, one steady and unmoving. A figure was in the saddle – T’rsa and Lynch. The second seemed to be moving as badly as she was and Kayleigh felt the agony through the tether of their bond. She moved toward him and pulled at her magic, conjuring another torrent of water to descend on Rheysurrah.
After that was done, Kayleigh’s body gave out on her and decided that it was a good idea to fall to the ground. She wanted to rise, but only managed a feeble crawl in her unicorn’s direction. Halfway to Rheysurrah she stopped, unable to go further. All she could do at that point was stay there until the Battle Maiden or one of the attackers came to get her.
Well, I didn’t pass out for a change, she thought. I must be getting stronger.
“Dried and ground fire pepper,” Captain Lynch said and emptied Kayleigh’s canteen across the young woman’s eyes. “In small amounts, it adds spice to a meal. A spoonful can render a bowl too hot to eat. You already know what it can do in larger quantities. Better?”
“Still blurry, but good enough for now. I’ll finish flushing Rhey’s eyes and then get the rest out of mine.”
“Good,” the woman said and helped Kayleigh up. “I’m going to check on T’rsa’s wounds and see if she needs another vial of healing tears.”
She could still smell the burnt flesh in the air, but Meghan had dragged the six bodies far enough into the woods that Kayleigh didn’t have to see them. Only one of the four in the wagon had survived and that was only until the water maiden gave the crossbowman a mercy killing. Lynch had killed the other two and the final pair had fled – in the direction they were going.
Kayleigh survived and had won, but the feeling of victory and triumph was nowhere to be found. Making her way to Rheysurrah, she concentrated on a slow and steady stream drizzling from her closed fist and moved the falling water across the unicorn’s eyes. After a minute, she moved to the other eye. She even managed to pat him with the barest hint of affection when she finished the second eye.
The captain was already in T’rsa’s saddle. “If we had a choice I’d let you get some rest, Reese,” she said. “But you know we don’t have that luxury. Grab what rest you can in the saddle. You did well back there and used your powers to make the best of a bad situation.”
“Thank you,” Kayleigh said. “I still killed four people.”
“Four people who were trying to kidnap you. Take the victory and learn from it. Master your powers, so that you can win without the loss of life. There’s a friendly garrison in two days ride, if we push our unicorns. The end of the month festival will be soon and with luck we’ll be able to get some rest and the supplies we’ll need to make it the rest of the way to Talcosa.”
“What day is it?” Kayleigh asked. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost track of what day it was; they all seemed to blend together.
“The twenty-fifth,” Lynch answered. “Why?”
Kayleigh looked at the scorch marks on her riding leathers, felt the throbbing knot on the back of her head as she adjusted her helmet. “Today’s my seventeenth birthday. What a horrible way to start it!”
“Happy birthday, Reese. The day should at least get better, but it looks like we’ll be riding through the rain later on. I don’t mind it so much being a water maiden and it should help keep our unicorns fresh.”
Shrugging, Kayleigh climbed into her saddle and said, “Any suggestion on what I should wish for from the Goddess and her daughters?”
“I always ask them to see to it that on my next birthday I am still alive and free to make my own decisions. Money, fame, power, and even a lover matter little if you don’t have your freedom.”
Kayleigh realized that even though she might never be friends with Meghan Lynch, she might be able to someday respect her.
Chapter 21- Eleven Gather
“So, the mighty Ice Claws have fallen so far that their new chieftain is a dirty-skinned outlander?”
The woman’s voice carried across the clearing. Ten warriors stood as her escorts and three cloaked females at her side. Majherri figured she was attractive by human standards, with long, flowing, white hair and a tangible presence about her.
“The spirit sought the most worthy,” Kuresh answered. “I am he. State your business with my tribe.”
“Rather full of yourself aren’t you? I can only hope someone has taught you our ways, Chief Outlander.”
The unicorn heard angry grumbles from the members of the Ice Claws. It had taken only a week before their first challenger arrived. He gathered that being addressed as such was an insult.
Danella and this woman share similar dispositions, he thought.
“Very well,” the woman said. “I am Tessa, Chief of the Glacier Hawks, the great provider, and the blinding terror from above. I stand before you as seventh of eleven and, by the traditions laid down by the spirits that we host and honor, I challenge you for possession of this land! Do you yield peacefully, or will blood be spilt this day?”
Kuresh weighed his options only for a moment before answering, “My tribe is going nowhere.”
“Fool!” Tessa exclaimed with a predatory glare. “I outrank you by four places. Because of that, you must face three warriors in the Circle of Contest.”
“So I have been told,” he replied. “Actually, it is my champion who shall face those you select.”
The warriors surrounding the woman roared with laughter as their chieftain taunted, “Is the outlander so frail that he sends others to fight for him? Your spirit is not normally prone to poor decisions, but I see even Gursk is capable of making errors.”
“I guess we shall see. Bring forth your chosen, Chief Glacier Hawk. My warrior is ready. Lady Danella shall represent the Ice Claws.”
The woman regarded Danella carefully as the newly-anointed Ice Claw champion stepped forward and drew her sword with her right hand and then held her coiled whip with the other.
Tessa pointed to two of
her men and said, “Join me.”
The three walked forward as Majherri surveyed the warriors. He shifted on his hooves. The wounds Harik left him with were indeed slow to heal and added more scars to his body. Returning his attention to the Glacier Hawks, he saw that the chieftain had a pair of short blades at her side and a weighted net hanging over her shoulder. The warrior to the woman’s left held a spear in one hand and a spiked club in the other. The man on the right carried a two bladed axe and a shield. Each man also had a net across their backs.
“Your blades look nice,” Danella said to Chief Tessa. “I’ll add them to my collection.”
“You should have more respect, girl!”
“I believe Harik was thinking something similar just before I killed him.”
Danella’s words gave the trio pause as members of the Ice Claws spread out along the edges of the stone lined circle. It was a full two hundred paces across which allowed even the largest of the animal spirits room to fight. Danella took her starting position looking small in contrast to the hulking forms of the two Yar fighters.
Tessa instructed the men in a hushed voice and then shouted to Danella, “As the defender, you signal the beginning of the fight. If you step out of or are thrown from the circle, you lose.”
“Come and get me if you dare,” Danella said and shifted her sword across her body in a guard stance while unfurling the bullwhip.
“An interesting choice of final words, outlander,” the chieftain said.
While they spoke, the men were spreading their nets on the ground. Majherri reasoned that they came preparing to fight Kuresh and the animal spirit. They could still use this tactic against Danella.
As he continued watching, the Chief of the Glacier Hawks tossed her net high into the air and unleashed her animal spirit. The arms swelled and became wings. Feathers spread like rippling waves across the woman’s skin. Her legs locked and the feet curled and became talons. Before the net landed, the human-sized bird leapt into the air and caught it with practiced ease.
Sorceress (Book 2) Page 27
