by Kim Falconer
CHAPTER 12
Maudi! They’re nearly cresting the hill.
‘Here they come!’ she said, opening her eyes, blurting out the warning to Shane.
‘Where?’
‘Up the hill!’ She gripped her sword hilt and faced the temple. A sudden gust blew over the lip of the valley, sending leaves scuttling across the road. They whisked over her boots and around her legs. ‘Stay alert,’ she said. ‘The captain’s sword is drawn, but we don’t want to fight them.’
‘How can you tell?’ Shane said. ‘All I see is a dust cloud.’
She didn’t answer. ‘That little witch…’ she mumbled to herself. ‘What did you say to them, Nellion Paree? That we were demons from the underworld come to assassinate your High Priest?’
Nell had ridden away, acting the part of the enthused and admiring apprentice—a hoax. She’d been calling up the temple guards the whole time and whatever she’d told them, they looked ready to cut first and ask questions later. Rosette could hear the riders approaching, the sound of the horses’ hooves pounding over the road, the clatter of it shaking the ground as the animals galloped up the grade. Drayco’s muscles were taut, and a low growl rumbled from his throat. Rosette kept a grip on her sword, straining to catch an actual glimpse of the riders below her. The wind swirled, bringing with it dust and the smell of sweat, leather and aggression.
‘Maybe it’s a welcoming party,’ Shane said, looking at the cloud that preceded the riders. ‘This is your coven, after all.’ His voice trailed off as the sun disappeared behind a cloud. He shivered. ‘Isn’t it?’
‘Not here. Not today,’ Rosette said. She pulled him off the road into the cover of the trees.
He didn’t resist. He may not have her vision skills but he knew when danger was about to run him down. ‘What do you think?’ he asked, his sword half drawn. ‘Do you want to stick around?’
They were shoulder to shoulder, hearts pounding.
‘You don’t send out a score of riders, armed and ready—horses charging—to invite a witch to morning tea.’
Shane nodded. ‘My thoughts too.’
She looked into the forest. In the shadows, the woods seemed thicker, a wall of oaks and pine trees chained together with tendrils of prickly vines. Drayco was already disappearing into the dense cover of bracken and tree ferns. This would be the way, Maudi, back to the portal—unless you want to fight the guards.
Good call, Drayco. We’re right behind you. She grabbed Shane’s shoulder, turning him around. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
‘How?’
‘Run!’
Shane slammed the hilt of his sword back into the scabbard. ‘Where to?’
‘We’ll circle through the woods and reach the portal from behind.’ She pulled him along.
‘You know the way?’
‘I used to.’ She hoped the horses hooves would trample their tracks by the road, slowing the pursuit, at least momentarily. There was no time to brush them away, by hand or magic. Would the guards know of the portals? Nell certainly had to. She grumbled an oath at the child again and dashed between two cypress trees, following the path her familiar had taken. Shane was right beside her.
This way, Maudi.
She thought she knew the area intimately, having spent many hours hunting and wandering these woods with Drayco and Clay. That was only a year ago. How much could have changed? A year ago my time…my world, she reminded herself. This is different.
Much different, Maudi.
As she ran deeper into the woods, the trees became unfamiliar, as if they had grown a different way than she remembered. She kept going, running past fringing oaks and eucalypts, pushing the tall ferns out of her face. Panic rose in her chest. She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. Drayco? Does any of this look right to you?
Not really.
Demons. Which way’s the portal?
It should be a short sprint in from the main road and another short sprint south.
Should? You never use that word. Which way from here?
He sniffed the air. Veer right?
She caught up with her familiar and kept running. They tried to take a southerly course, but the way was blocked by brambles, nettles and vines. Rosette stumbled, snapping twigs and stirring up leaves as her boots dug into the ground. They tore across a clear stretch and she looked skyward. The sun was obscured by clouds and the woods were getting darker. She quickened her pace. What do we do now?
Maudi, you need to shift!
What?
Turn into the black falcon. Fly out of here and spot the portal. Do it now!
Shift?
The woods have changed, Maudi. We might run straight into a trap. You can guide us from the sky.
He wasn’t stressed from the run, like she was, and his mental voice was severe—a freshly whetted knife against her thoughts. His request had logic, no arguing that. They could both easily get away if she changed form. He could outrun the guards in this terrain, even though it was strange, and she, like her mother before her, could simply take to the skies, spot the portal and guide him in.
She’d perfected her shape-shifting skills in the Sierras last spring, under the tuition of Kreshkali. There she had changed into the form of a black Gaelean falcon and soared high above the snowy peaks, riding thermals for hours on end. She’d hunted with Drayco, much to the temple cat’s delight, snapping the necks of jack rabbits that he flushed from the scrub.
They could take the same approach now—her above, him below. It would mean escaping without direct confrontation, but it would also mean leaving Shane behind, straggling on two feet. He’d fallen back already, an easy mark for the temple guards.
It won’t work.
Why not?
Shane.
There was a pause before the temple cat responded. Rosette listened to the pad of his soft paws and the thud and snap of her boots in the deep loam. Her breath, and Shane’s behind her, was becoming more laboured.
I’d forgotten about him, Maudi.
It’s all right. We’ll find a way together. If nothing else, we can turn and face the guards. I’m not without skills.
Drayco responded by quickening his pace. Rosette grimaced, forcing her legs to work harder. The dense foliage entangled them and the loam became deeper. It slowed the pace considerably. The woods darkened further as the trees thickened. Redwoods shot up in frequent groves, their peeling bark and green leaves rising high above her. The smell of leaf mould and bramble berries filled the air—recognisable yet not quite as she recalled. She dodged a fallen log as Drayco leapt over it.
‘This way,’ she said, slowing her pace until Shane was beside her. She darted left, waving for him to follow.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked, his breath coming in gasps. ‘I’m all turned around.’
‘Not really. I’m all turned around too.’
They ran on, the sound of shouts and barking orders receding in the distance. Drayco moved with ease, his stride still effortless and fluid. Maudi? I have a new idea.
Tell.
Change with me.
She felt the warmth of his mind touch and the glow of his body as he pressed his consciousness against hers. Change with you now?
Yes.
Are you forgetting what happened last time we tried?
This is different.
How so?
It’s an emergency, and there are no sudden drop-offs or children involved.
None that we know of anyway…She considered the idea.
A witch’s bond with her familiar wasn’t only one of companionship, nor was it simply a mind-to-mind contact. Their indivisible link allowed for an even greater merging—an exchange of bodies. As a bonded pair, they could switch forms—her slipping from human body to feline, and he to hers. They did it sometimes while she slept, but this was different. Apparently Drayco thought it would be the next best thing to her shifting to a falcon, even though they’d only done the exchange once when she was conscious—with
disastrous results. It took a lot of skill and they hadn’t had time to practise. Even if we manage it smoothly, how’s it going to help? She panted as she sent him the mental query.
You can find the portal much quicker than I can, if you take my form. The Entity is your homing device and you can guide us to it. If we do get tripped up by these guards, you’re free to find Kreshkali or Jarrod and bring help. Meanwhile, I can mind the bard in your form.
Rosette considered. Shifting with Drayco did mean she could at least locate the portal much quicker. Without Rosette—in any form—neither of them were going anywhere. They needed her consciousness to link with the Entity to travel the corridors. Drayco knew the priorities and was being logical. He was also being brave.
There’s no point in all of us being cornered when you’re the one who must survive.
Dray, we’re all going to survive. Don’t worry about that.
Drayco sniffed the air. They’ve worked it out. They’ll be on us in minutes. They’re on horseback, remember?
I remember.
The exchange was a reasonable option in a pinch, and things were getting tight. The guards would catch up with them soon, despite the evasive trail they had left behind. The temple guards had to know these woods much better than she did. As they jagged around a stand of boulders Rosette didn’t recognise, she made a choice.
All right, Drayco. Let’s do it. I can lead the way to the portal, and you and Shane can follow.
Are you going to tell him? Drayco rolled his eyes towards Shane.
No time. Come, before I lose my nerve.
Think easy and it will be easy.
She felt the soft pull of Drayco coaxing her out of her body and into his. Easy it is.
Her limbs let go of her human form and found shape in the essence of the temple cat. It was like putting on a new winter coat—arms slid into forelegs, hands into paws, her upright spine lowering into a smooth arch above the ground as they ran. She felt her life energy flowing down the length of his shoulders and back to his hind legs, her pace no longer the churning pump of a biped but the graceful lope of a wild animal in the woods—tireless, majestic and formidable. For a moment they were together, the boundaries of their bodies blurred and souls intermingling, then he was gone and she alone inhabited the magnificent form. Oh, my goddess of the underworlds. I’d forgotten…
Rosette revelled, basking in the strength of the feline’s body, her mental anxiety vanishing as she succumbed to the new sensations. She felt the smooth glide of her paws over loam the impact of each stride releasing a wealth of rich aromas. The scent brought a pungency of information that made her whiskers tremble, her tongue water. White-tailed deer had browsed here only minutes ago. A family of bush pigs hunkered nearby, disturbed from a midmorning snooze. She could hear their grunts and squeaks, visualising them lined up in a row, half covered with dirt, their pink snouts poking out of the black soil, worms in their teeth. Ripe blackberries swelled, sweet as jam, and the sun streamed in from holes in the leafy canopy. It formed shafts of gold against the dark wood, a perspective she’d never seen before.
She drew in another breath, scenting. There were feathered nests with spotted eggs deep under grey down, redwood bark peeling from the limbs of great trees, fairy ferns beneath the bracken, a babbling stream full of crawdads and minnows, a lumbering bear and two cubs on the far side. Each image was depicted through their auras and aromas, the new sensations rich with meaning. Rosette could taste them all on her tongue, and it made her head spin with delight and prickling curiosity.
Focus, Maudi! We’re fleeing danger, not sniffing out a picnic site.
She snapped to her senses, concentrating on the threat of the guards. Drayco and Shane had fallen behind. Got it.
The sound of the guards entering the woods was clear as her breath. The great bulk of the warhorses moved surprisingly fast through the trees. They were in their element and knew the way. She heard the order given for some riders to head north and south, effectively cutting them off. Seconds later, she detected a troop of riders on the road. Damn. More are coming.
Glad you can hear them.
She looked back at Drayco running hard in her body. You okay, Dray? You look a little…
A little what?
Strained?
It’d have been better if you’d warned me about the sore foot. What’s wrong with these boots?
Sorry. They’re new, remember? Bought them in Flureon before we left.
You could have mentioned it.
I don’t like to dwell on negatives.
He squared his shoulders. And what’s with the breasts? I feel like a newly calved heifer.
It’s cyclic, you know…premenstrual.
Great. You better get out of here before I change my mind.
Drayco’s words were stern but his intonation full of warmth. She felt good in her heart and her hopes lifted.
She sped on, sensing for the portal. She couldn’t detect it. Problem, Drayco.
What’s that?
I still can’t locate the portal. It’s got to be due south.
Unless we’ve passed it.
I’ll race on, doubling back if I can’t find it in the next few minutes.
Be quick, Maudi. Be safe.
She let out a rumbling growl before shooting off into the woods. You too, she echoed back to him, and don’t forget Shane. He’s lost without us.
She heard a faint chuckle.
He might be just as lost with us, Maudi.
Rosette laughed in her mind, unable to replicate the sound in her throat. I think you’ll be fine, Dray…as long as they don’t have dogs. Keep following. The moment she sent the message, she heard the baying. Apparently they not only had dogs, but the beasts were yowling as if their quarry was in sight. Dray?
I hear ’em. Don’t worry. Run.
‘Where’s he off to?’ Shane asked.
‘Ahead.’
‘Do you hear dogs?’
‘Just keep running,’ Drayco commanded, speaking the words as if he had a hot marble in his mouth.
Shane’s face twisted. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked.
The woman beside him did not answer.
Rosette charged ahead in her temple cat’s form, leaping fallen logs and tangles of undergrowth with ease, putting distance behind her with every stride. For a few miles she coursed in a zigzag pattern, searching out the portal. Eventually she could see it in her mind’s eye. It felt as if an invisible force was drawing her closer, propelling her faster than she had ever run. Yet when she thought she would have been upon it, the vision faded, and the portal was nowhere to be found. She sped on, a black streak, scenting and searching.
As she started to climb out of the forest, she knew she’d gone too far. Her tail whipped as she turned her ears behind her. They were like radar, catching the slightest bleep of sound in a wide radius. She listened for her familiar, hearing Drayco’s thoughts more than the voice of her body. What she sensed startled her—there was worry that she hadn’t known from him, and the sound of baying dogs and pounding horses was much too close. The forward thrust of her momentum slowed. Drayco, can you hear me?
She braced all fours and skidded to a halt. Several miles ahead already, she couldn’t be certain, but she thought she heard the sound of capture—shouting men, barking dogs and drawn swords. Shivers ran down her spine. She hadn’t found the portal, and the swap didn’t seem such a good plan any more. She couldn’t abandon Shane and Drayco—and her own body—to the Treeon guards, not this Treeon. If they weren’t caught yet, they would be soon, and she knew it wasn’t going to be a friendly inquisition. I’m doubling back!
The sound of the baying canines made her hackles go up. It felt like goosebumps, only much stronger. She launched off, heading back the way she’d come. She covered the distance in bounds, crossing the forest like a gazelle. She leapt over the fallen logs and walls of tangled briars. She dodged boulders and redwood groves, making the straightest line possible to Drayco and Sh
ane.
When she found them, they were surrounded by mounted temple guards. The horses were mincing from side to side, steam rising from the animals’ backs and nostrils. The riders had circled around to trap them in a small clearing. She sized up the horses, spotting two dark mares that stood out. Not only exquisite in form, their calm approach to the situation suggested sense and maturity. She wondered who was training the others. They were behaving like green-broke track horses. An’ Lawrence would be appalled.
She crept closer. Shane stood in the middle of the clearing, his shoulders back, right hand on the hilt of his sword. He did not look at all intimidated, which she felt was a good sign, though his conversation with the captain wasn’t getting very far. If his goal was to enrage the man, he was succeeding wonderfully. Drayco? What’s with Shane’s diplomacy skills?
He doesn’t appear to have any, Maudi.
She chuckled, a rumble in her throat.
Maudi, where are you? Did you find the portal?
Not exactly. I’m behind the bay mare.
Which one?
The one with her ears pinned back and tail swishing like a flyswatter.
Drayco turned her body in a graceful movement, taking in the horse and the shrubs behind it.
That’s not the portal, Maudi. Do you need a map?
I had to come back. The swap isn’t working.
It would be working perfectly if you would simply get away and find the portal. I can handle this.
You can?
Just get through the corridors and bring Kreshkali. Everything is fine here. All under control.
Rosette lifted her head and scanned the scene again.
The riders were advancing towards the captives, swords and crossbows aimed at their throats. The hounds were straining against their leads, the handlers barely able to contain them. The noise was discordant. It hurt her head. A few young pups, out for training perhaps, crouched behind the older dogs, alternately barking and darting towards the captives and running away again, tails between their legs. Their yips pierced her ears and she automatically tried to cover them with hands. She didn’t have any.
You call this ‘fine’, Drayco?
If you don’t get out of here, you’ll be caught too, and then who’s going to bring Kreshkali through to sort it out? Please go.
