Traitors (The Traitor King Saga Book 1)

by A. M. Hickman

  The sword along with the air itself vibrated at the name. Blaze backed away; the dragon’s passion at the thought of pain resounded inside of her in a possessive way.

  No...no. The dragon cooed. Please, I did not mean to frighten you. I thought you would understand since you are so familiar with pain. My dear, your life has been unfairly plagued by pain. Why not control it? Is this not what you want? I offer you control. Take Pain; control the blade with your able hand. Fight back and destroy those who tried to destroy you with pain. Will this not end your suffering and give you peace?

  Blaze stared at the blade; its beauty masking its deadliness. Looking down to where her hand rested on the hilt of her own dagger, she realized that so much more could be done with Pain than the meager blade at her side. Her dagger had argued for patience; the dragon offered action. Burdock and the dragon stood waiting. However, she found that she had trouble releasing the dagger. Could she really abandon it forever?

  “Run.” The whisper in her ear was soft but commanding, riding a small breeze from behind her.

  The dragon twitched its tail and lowered its head, a rumble vibrating from its chest. Blaze, I offer you everything that you desire. What more do you want?

  A grain of unease started to grow as Blaze realized a distrust of the dragon. “I thank you, but I won’t accept your offer.”

  The beast raged, blood-red fire leaking from its nose and mouth. The yellow eyes narrowed to hate-filled slits, and he leapt onto his knife-like claws, wings and fangs bared threateningly. NO! YOU WILL TAKE IT!

  “RUN!”

  Blaze turned on her heels and bolted for the bright entrance as a gail flooded the great room. A ground shaking billow from behind her made the dragon’s pursuit well known. Fear froze her legs, dropping her to the floor as she lost all control of them. The dragon raged toward her, a trail of flames left in its wake as he flapped his air capturing wings for speed.

  “Get up!” came the voice from behind her.

  “I can’t,” she breathed. She couldn’t move from the terror coming toward her. A growl rumbled through her, and she suddenly found control over her legs again. Leaping up, Blaze was stunned to find a black and white dolinbi at the castle entrance.

  “Come,” he offered her a way out.

  No! She is mine! The dragon roared.

  She found exploding energy as the dolinbi urged her to run. The final distance between her and the feline flew by, and next, she was flying upon the powerful dolinbi away from the dragon. The dolinbi flew into morning, the day appearing at his beckoning.

  Gliding down to a ledge cut out of the sky-reaching cliffs like a large step, Blaze slid off of her rescuer onto a carpet of moss. Lush green woods filled the ledge. Across from her cascaded a wide, clear waterfall. The sun warmed everything with his beams, and all glowed with life. The dolinbi laid down behind her, and she sat, nestling into his warm, soft fur. A purr rumbled from his heart, and unmeasurable peace and security enveloped her.

  Chapter 8

  Blaze awoke more rested than she could ever remember. She slept the whole night through, not waking once because of a nightmare. As she stretched and prepared to get up, she had the vague recollection of a dream that involved a dragon and dolinbi; however, the thought was fleeting as she realized daylight flooded the tent. Crawling out of the tent in a fury, she inhaled a large breath to berate the man. “Theoverus!” Both Lily and the stallion jolted up at her exclamation and sudden exit of the tent.

  “Good morning, Blaze. Would you like some breakfast?” he asked pleasantly as the scent of warming venison wafted by her starved nose. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. Stomping as best she could with a limp, she let him know exactly what she would like.

  “Theoverus! You were supposed to wake me for my watch. Here is something you need to understand clearly: I am not a meek Traitor girl who needs everything done for her. I am not weak.”

  He smiled as she fumed but tried to hide the grin by sipping his tea, the fire a barrier between them.

  “Not sure what you find so amusing, but you need to take me seriously. I have trained my whole life to be able to hold my own. Don’t think that just because you saved me from that troop that I’m your servant. I would have figured out a way of escaping at some point...” She crossed her arms and stared down at him, daring him to reply. Setting his tea to the side, the annoying smile never left his thin face as he poked the sizzling meat with a fork. The smell intensified.

  “I am sorry, Blaze. I do take you seriously,” He half laughed. “It is just that your spirit is so invigorating. So many women honestly feel that they are worth nothing unless they are being trampled on, which they view as being useful. But, I meant no disrespect by letting you sleep. I was occupied by several thoughts last night and was well rested from the night before. Dawn came before I knew it, and I figured it would be pointless to wake you by that time.”

  He forked out one of the pieces of venison and placed it on a plate. Offering the plate to her, he asked, “Now, you have got to be hungry after not eating last night. Would you care to join me?” Her hunger shamefully leapt at the offer, and she hobbled over to accept the food. “I also found these dewberries...well, Lily found them...just a short ways off.” Theoverus passed a sack filled with the small light green berries, and she grabbed a handful of the sweet spring treats. The meat being too hot to handle, she popped two dewberries in her mouth and closed her eyes at the burst of cool honeyed sweetness.

  “Well done, Lil,” she called to the grazing mare, who swished her tail. Once Blaze started, she couldn’t stop; the addition of food made her realize the barren state of her stomach. Deciding to sacrifice the momentary feeling of her fingers to the heat of the meat, she found the seasoned venison euphoric. After several moments of quiet gluttony, her appetite was satiated, and she sat back to enjoy the morning. Sunlight filtered through new leaves, and a breeze made the bundled shadows dance. Birds called to each other while the horses shuffled aimlessly from one grass tuft to another. The light made the stallion’s deep brown coat shine with golden veins. He was a magnificent creature. “What is your stallion’s name?”

  Theoverus swallowed a bite before answering. “Destan.”

  “Destan,” she repeated and then furrowed her brows. “Where did you get him? You didn’t have him in Srift, and it has only been a handful of days since I left that town. To add to that, how did you escape the Urlificans that night? Why weren’t you at the Dinner? And how did you find me?” The questions spilled out in a torrent as she remembered the man beside her was a complete mystery. Bolting up, she felt threatened without Obrae’s sword at her side, and she cursed her neglect of diligence. She so easily accepted his help, but how did she know that his intentions were not convoluted? “Who are you?”

  He sighed, then chuckled. “Blaze, I understand your distrust of me, and I know that the honest insistence of my good will won’t convince you. So, by all means, test me. And with the True King as my witness, may every action and word be found pure. However, as to your questions, some of the answers you will not be able to understand until you can trust me...”

  “How could the facts of where you have been and where the horse came from require undeniable trust?” she interrupted. Blaze limped over to Lily’s tack and found Obrae’s sword. Fastening the reassuring weight around her hip, she headed back to the tent to grab the saddle blanket and her spare clothes. If he was going to be this cryptic, she needed to get as far away from him as possible.

  “Blaze,” he said while standing up. She reached for Obrae’s sword. Theoverus held his hands up. “Blaze, you are looking to distrust me. Ever since that night, you have tried your utmost to not let anyone get as close to you...”

  She pulled the sword from its sheath. “What?”

  “Blaze, that is not necessary.”

  “What night?” She shouted.

  “You know which night. The one where your parents died in the name of the True King. The night you determined
that no king, True or real, would call you his.”

  “How do you know about that night? Did Obrae tell you? When you wooed him into your treacherous confidence, did he spill it all?”

  “Blaze, you don’t mean that.” He took a cautious step forward.

  “Stay where you are!” Her heart raced. Did Obrae betray her? He took another step forward. “I mean it! Stay there.” She screeched. His glowing hazel eyes never left hers as concern filled his face.

  “Obrae told me nothing...” His voice remained controlled.

  “Then how do you know about that night? You weren’t in our Family; you weren’t there.”

  “Blaze, I know because I know you.”

  “No you don’t!” She launched toward him. In two steps she was within striking range, and Obrae’s sword hurtled toward his chest. He stepped out of the way. She landed on her right foot and felt as if it had ripped open.

  “Please, don’t hurt yourself even more, Blaze. Just listen to me.”

  She pivoted on her left foot and slashed at his midsection. Theoverus jumped back, and she launched off of her injured foot and thrust Obrae’s sword at him, ignoring the tearing pain. His dagger flashed. The next thing she knew, she was falling forward with Obrae’s sword spinning out of her hands. Theoverus remained in place, catching her in her descent.

  “BLAZE! ENOUGH!”

  Too shocked to do anything but gasp for air, she remained on her knees with his hands firmly grasping each shoulder. “Blaze...” A crack of sadness flexed his voice. “I want to fight for you and with you, not against you. For all that you hold dear, please stop.”

  Bending forward, she fell onto her hands in disgusted defeat; preferring to stare at the ground instead of his eyes. Why could nothing go right? She couldn’t even defeat a Traitor. Would she ever be able to control her own life? That is when she saw his dagger, laying in front of his bent knees.

  Picking it up, she turned the curious weapon in her hand. About the length of her forearm, the tapering blade was a nearly white silver that reflected everything around it. The guard was made of four prongs. The outer two spread horizontally out like wings at the peak of their arc. The middle prongs were shorter and arched inward, curling back toward the guard. The hand and a half grip humbly wore aged leather. With goose flesh texturing her arms, she found its weight and grip seemed familiar. On the wide bottom of the guard was the name of the dagger, carved in delicate letters.

  “Faith,” she read.

  “Yes,” Theoverus confirmed. “Faith is what guides us all. When all seems its darkest, how would anyone continue onward without faith of better times to come?” He reached for the dagger. She gave it to him, following it as he elevated it to head height with the point towards the sky. He smiled. “Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.” Suddenly, the dagger grew upward into the magnificent long sword that had defeated the cohe. Blaze fell backward in shock of the magic sword.

  “How did you do that?” She exclaimed.

  “By faith. My faith in the True King gives me strength to fight for his cause.”

  A sudden, unbelievable idea shot through her mind, but it explained most of the unexplainable: his mystery, his strength, the dolinbi.

  “Surely you aren’t a Diakono?” she asked softly, feeling childish.

  Theoverus laughed. “No, I’m not one of those noble warriors. I am simply a servant of the True King. Now,” and the sword quickly returned to its dagger size as he put it away. “Shall we fix that foot of yours?”

  “Oh,” Blaze looked down to see her bandage bright red from re-opening the wound. The acknowledgement of the injury also made her realize the pain throbbing from it. “Kaff.”

  Theoverus got up and headed toward the tack while she started to unwrap the bandage, harshly sucking in air when peeling the cloth off of the cut.

  “Good thing I boiled this water with breakfast,” he commented as he set down the fresh bandages, honey, and kettle. “May I?” he asked, looking at her and smiling. He had broken through her barriers, but not to destroy her. She still had doubts about him, but a new feeling was dancing with those doubts: maybe she could trust him. Nodding, Blaze sat back on her hands.

  “Just get it over with.” She prepared for the pain. The warm water didn’t sting as much as the rum, but she balled her fists up in response to the burning. Theoverus moved quickly and precisely. In half the time that she took the night before, he applied a new coat of honey and fresh wrappings.

  “Now, how is that?” he asked, sitting back on his heels.

  “As good as it will get,” she answered. Getting back up on her feet, she brushed the dirt and leaves from her skirt. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Do you think that you will be able to travel?”

  “I...yes.” But where would she go? “Theo, I don’t think you want to travel with me. Do you know why those Urlificans were after me? Do you know what I have done?”

  He turned from putting the honey and dressing back into Lily’s saddle. “I told you, Blaze. I will fight with you and for you.” His pledge of loyalty and care flushed a small smile out of her.

  “So, where will we go?” she asked.

  “Leave that to me,” he answered with a smart smile. Blaze turned to gather her hanging clothes and Obrae’s sword, feeling her insides constrict at his request and smile. Could she trust a man who smiled so much?

  Before more doubting questions swamped her thoughts, she reminded herself that she was going to try and trust him. Tawnya had introduced him with the utmost confidence of his character. Blaze smiled bitterly at the thought of her friend. Who’s character didn’t Tawnya see in the most positive light? She had faith in the good of everyone.

  As they broke down camp, her mind wandered to all of the Traitors of Srift. Where were they? Were they safe? And why was Theo helping her instead of them? Question after question swirled her thoughts with the unknown. Fastening the tack on Lily, Blaze grew more and more ready to go. Were the Urlificans still looking for her? She mounted the dancing mare, who also seemed anxious to go.

  “Blaze, Lily is giving away your thoughts,” he called from Destan, who stood steady under his rider.

  She furrowed her brows at him.

  “You’re growing anxious, and Lily is picking up on it,” he explained. “Your mind is wondering to the unknown and out of control. Now, just breathe. Try not to focus on the unknown, but rather, focus on Lily.”

  “Lily?! What would focusing on Lily do?”

  He smiled, “Lily is the one taking you where you need to go. She is listening to you, but are you listening to her? Do you realize that she is breathing at a slightly quicker pace than when she is relaxed? That she is pawing the ground instead of looking for grass?” Destan calmly walked over to them with the slightest direction from Theoverus, and Lily stepped to the side. “She is uncertain of anything because you are uncertain.”

  “But how am I supposed to be certain about anything?” she seethed. “I have no idea of where I’m going, no idea of what is after me, and no idea of who or what you are.” Her hands flailed through the air with her frustration. “One false move could be the end. I could wind up in a trap just like the one from yesterday...” Lily shied away from Destan and nearly threw Blaze out of the saddle. She quickly grabbed hold of the saddle horn and reins.

  “And yet, here you are, free,” he pointed out. “Blaze, you are destined for great things, and I’m here to help you with those achievements. I will fight and die for you. What I ask for in return is for you to trust me, to put your faith entirely in me. This is a substantial request, I know. And following me comes with great risk and danger. I hope you accept my friendship, but you have the free will to reject it. I want our alliance to be willing, not forced.” Theoverus turned Destan to the southeast, patiently making his way through the woods.

  Nudging Lily in the same direction, she followed at a distance. He was giving her space, and she needed it. The heavy sil
ence that fell upon the travelers conflicted with the bright afternoon. Blaze sat upon the plodding Lily with a similar conflict inside of her.

  How could she blindly follow him? He was asking for her pledge of loyalty, something she vowed never to give up to anyone after the night that her parents died. Not Urlifec nor the True King would have her; both destroyed the happy life that she had. Trusting Theoverus meant trusting his faith, which was in the True King.

  But, she was growing tired of being alone, of constantly fighting. Her enemies were fierce and mighty; Blaze was beginning to question her ability to survive. Reflecting upon the past quartermoon, she couldn’t avoid the help of others despite her delusions of control.

  She stared at his straight back several paces in front. Theoverus was stronger than any man she knew, yet he seemed to only care about helping her. His appearance made him seem just slightly older than her, perhaps a maximum of ten cycles. But the way that he acted, he seemed almost as old or even older than Obrae.

  What would Obrae say? He knew her better than any one. She winced at the sudden ache in her chest. She had unintentionally trusted him more than she dared anyone else, and he managed to surprise her as being a Traitor. It all came full circle. She sighed as all she didn’t know and couldn’t do whirled her thoughts. Could she stand on her own forever?

  The woods thinned as they drew close to Lake Thundrum. The slightest rumble behind her indicated how far they had come from the Falls. As Theo lead them to the shore for water, Blaze looked in surprise to see the giant Zantar Cliffs like a dark thumbnail upon the northern horizon, and the sun a short time from setting. How far from Krute were they? Seeing Destan drinking from the lake, Lily excitedly tossed her head and trotted forward, giving Blaze a small thrill as she splashed into the cool water. “Lil! Back to dry land!” she laughed while pulling the reins. Lily whinnied at Destan as they approached, using her front hooves to splash. Blaze patted the mare’s neck. “Not showing off are you?” she teased the dun.