Five Corners: The Marked Ones

by Cathi Shaw

  Realizing what he was doing, Kiara forced her lips to tilt up in a shadow of a smile. Then she leaned even closer and whispered, "Same thing."

  His eyes hardened. "That statement shows how naïve and unprepared you are." He turned away in disgust and said to Teague, "They really thought she would help? Are we to babysit?"

  Teague's teasing manner disappeared swiftly. "Caedmon, you know why we're here."

  "Why are you here?" Thia asked suddenly. "I, for one, would like an answer to that question."

  Her sister had a point. What was the reason for their sudden appearance at the Inn?

  Teague immediately became absorbed in something at his feet.

  Caedmon ignored Thia altogether. And his next words made Kiara forget her sister’s question. "You would do best to stop thinking of yourself as some kind of she-warrior and focus on what your real skills are." His voice dripped ice.

  "And, pray tell, what are my real skills?" Kiara asked with a snarl.

  "Hunting. You’re a decent tracker and you've show you can shoot that." He nodded at her bow. "And you're adept at skinning and cleaning your game." Kiara was surprised – obviously he had been observing her over the last few days. But the warmth from his compliment faded as he glanced at his brother and said, "Perhaps that is her use."

  She felt her anger crest. "Put your actions where your words are."

  Caedmon raised his dark brows. "How do you propose I do that?"

  "Fight me." The words were out before she realized what she was saying.

  "Kiara no!" Thia cried in dismay.

  Caedmon watched her for a moment as if judging the earnestness of her words. Then he tipped his head back and laughed. The sound was rich and warm and so completely at odds with the man she'd seen to date that she was momentarily stunned.

  But as he continued to laugh, Kiara felt her face flushing and her anger growing. He had no right to laugh at her as if she were a mere child.

  "I'm serious. Fight me." She took two strides to where he stood guffawing and shoved him hard enough that he lost his balance and stepped back. Kiara felt an irrational sense of satisfaction at that small step. "You think I'm so inept, then fight me."

  His laughter stopped as abruptly as it started. "I don't think so."

  "Are you scared?" Caedmon turned his back to her, ignoring her taunts.

  Kiara's anger surged. "I've heard them say that about the large ones," she said loudly so their siblings could hear. "They talk big but when it comes to putting those words in action, they flee."

  Caedmon stopped in his tracks. Once again he moved so fast Kiara was taken by surprise. In one move he turned her around, trapping her arm between their bodies. "Don't do this," he hissed into her ear as he held her fast

  "Too late," she spat back and twisted herself loose. She stepped away and threw her bow and sheath of arrows on the ground.

  Caedmon shook his head at her but dropped his sword with a clang, his dark eyes never leaving her face.

  Kiara smiled. Finally here was something that was going to challenge her. She felt anticipation growing as her senses came to life with the promise of a fight.

  Thia twisted her hands in dismay. "Kiara no!" she moaned softly under her breath. But Kiara focused her attention on her opponent and Thia's words faded to the background.

  ****

  Teague moved to stand by Thia's side and for once his trademark grin was missing. "This is not good," he murmured in concern.

  Thia watched as Caedmon reluctantly turned to Kiara, preparing to fight her.

  "I've never seen anyone beat Kiara before."

  Teague looked grim. "And I've never seen Caedmon lose to anyone." He paused and grimaced. "But I've never seen him fight a woman before. He's always been dead set against that."

  Thia looked at her sister and Caedmon and saw how Teague's brother was delaying the sparring by continuing to circle her. She could tell from her body language that Kiara was starting to get annoyed. Perhaps Kiara had finally met her match. She let herself relax a bit.

  Thia turned to Teague. "There's something that's been bothering me." She paused waiting for him to look at her.

  He turned, a look of foreboding clear in his silver eyes. "Don't ask me something I can't answer, Thia," he pleaded.

  Thia hated to push him but she needed to know the truth.

  "Can't you tell me why you’re here?”

  Teague looked at her, remorse on his face. "Thia, I would tell you if I could," he said earnestly. Then he shook his head. "But I can't."

  Frustration swept over her. "That's not fair and you know it. Teague, we're not strangers. We know each other. Keeping what you know from me is cruel. "

  "I'm sorry, Thia," he said quietly, "I really am."

  Thia looked at him closely. He did look sorry but she couldn’t help being angry. It wasn't fair that the boys knew more about what was happening than she did. It seemed that everyone was keeping secrets.

  "Are you really sorry?" she couldn't help saying, hurt making her words come out more harshly than she intended.

  Teague looked miserable. "The most I can do is try to convince them to tell you."

  Thia shook her head. "Who are they – can you at least tell me that?"

  He turned back to their siblings. Thia also turned in that direction and saw they were still circling one another. Kiara was fuming. Suddenly she lunged at Caedmon but he sidestepped her with what seemed like superhuman speed. Thia blinked not believing her eyes. How could anyone move that fast? She turned to Teague but he seemed to be mesmerized by the dance Kiara and Caedmon were doing.

  "Teague!" Thia reached out and grasped his forearm.

  "Thia no!" Teague jerked away but it was too late. A hot prickly sensation began snaking up Thia's arm from where her fingertips had connected with his bare skin. She saw Teague's worried face as the electric shivers claimed her and then she was falling into a vision.

  Fourteen strangers riding magnificent horses travelling through the forest. The hooves thundering into the earth. Then blackness filled the air and a vision of Mina surfaced. She was unconscious and limp in Caedmon's arms while Teague was at her side bleeding. Then the scene shifted again. The five of them were together and then fractured into separate pieces surrounded by falling rocks and dust. Then all faded to black.

  ****

  "I told you I don't fight girls," Caedmon was saying patiently as he placed his hand on her forehead and proceeded to hold Kiara at arm's length.

  Kiara growled. She was beyond frustrated. She'd never had a man refuse to fight her before. But Caedmon was just circling her and refusing to engage. And he was so fast and so strong that he had no trouble doing so.

  Kiara pulled back and held up her hands. "Fine," she said. "You win. I'll back off."

  He narrowed his eyes at her but then his attention was suddenly diverted. Kiara saw her opening and lunged at him. He quickly sidestepped her, then in one smooth movement pinned her to the ground. Kiara struggled to free one of her limbs but even though his attention was not focused on her, he refused to let her rise.

  "Your sister," he said urgently and then pulled her to her feet in another one of those strange lightning quick motions that seemed to defy what should have been true about him.

  It took Kiara a moment to compute what he'd said before her gaze flew to where Thia had been watching them duel. She saw her sister crumpled to the ground, her eyes rolled back and her limbs jerking.

  Kiara was at her side in a moment pushing Teague away.

  "She touched me," Teague said insensibly to Caedmon. It meant nothing to Kiara but Caedmon looked concerned. Kiara quickly moved Thia onto her side and gently cradled her head.

  "It's okay," Kiara explained to them quickly. "She has episodes like this. It means she's having one of her visions." Teague looked horrified. Kiara added, "She will be fine."

  Teague shook his head. "You don't understand," he moaned.

  The jerky movements Thia was making slowly stop
ped, her eyelids fluttering. "See, she's fine," Kiara assured them. "We just need to move her inside to her bed now."

  Caedmon reached for Thia.

  "No," Kiara said firmly. "I will carry her."

  Caedmon pushed her aside and scooped Thia up. She looked like a small rag doll in his arms. He looked at Kiara, his dark eyes softening for the first time. "I don't doubt your ability to carry her," he said, "but I will be faster."

  Based on what she'd just experienced, Kiara couldn't argue with that. She led them through the Inn to their living quarters where Brijit was working.

  Brijit looked up and when she saw Thia unconscious, dropped the mending in her hands and rushed forward. "A vision?" she asked Kiara.

  Kiara nodded.

  "How long did it last?"

  Kiara shook her head. Truthfully she'd been sparring with Caedmon so she wasn't sure how long Thia had been having her spell before she noticed.

  Teague stepped forward. "It lasted almost two minutes," he said, distress on his face. "This is my fault."

  Brijit shook her head as Caedmon lay Thia down on the settee. "Nonsense," she said. "Thia's has had these spells since she was a baby. It's almost normal for her."

  Kiara watched Teague, as he seemed to be struggling for words. "But this time it was my fault. You see she touched me." He gestured toward his bare arm. "Then ..."

  To Kiara's surprise Brijit did not try to reassure Teague. Instead her mouth thinned and she asked Kiara to get a blanket for Thia. As she was leaving the room Mina arrived.

  "Is everything okay?" Mina asked, her expression worried. "I saw Caedmon carrying Thia."

  "She had another vision," Kiara explained. "She's still unconscious but maybe you should go in. I'm just grabbing a blanket."

  Mina nodded and entered the room. Kiara smiled to herself. Now if her mother did say anything to the boys, at least Mina would be present. She was tired of secrets being kept.

  ****

  Thia slowly became aware of the usual sensations. The iron taste of blood in her mouth, her wet skirts and undergarments. Her head aching. She moaned softly, hoping that Teague was no longer present. That somehow he'd not witnessed her fit.

  She opened her eyes to see Brijit's face hovering over her.

  "You're alright, Thia."

  "Mina," she whispered.

  Her beautiful blond sister stepped close to her side. "I'm here, love," she said reassuringly.

  Thia closed her eyes.

  Then she heard Teague's voice.

  "This is my fault," he was telling Brijit.

  "Nonsense, Teague. This happens to Thia. She has visions fairly regularly. There was nothing you could have done to stop it."

  "You don't understand," he said miserably.

  He was right, thought Thia, Brijit did not understand but for some reason Thia did not want him to try to explain it to her mother just yet either.

  "Teague," she whispered, opening her eyes.

  He leaned close to her, his silver eyes filled with concern. "I'm sorry, Thia," he said softly. “I tried to warn you …”

  "I'm okay. It's not you." She closed her eyes feeling fatigue weighing her down. "I'm fine." She forced her heavy eyelids open and met his gaze. Don't tell her.

  She watched as understanding dawned on his face. Then she slept.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  When ten days had passed and the Elders still hadn't arrived, everyone was on edge and anxious. Kiara was practically climbing the walls. She paced the kitchen, her unrest almost overpowering.

  "Why don't you go hunting?" Brijit asked her gently. Her mother was sitting at the big oak table in the kitchen sharing a pot of tea with Weylon.

  Kiara looked at the wall clock and suddenly realized she had been pacing the kitchen floor restlessly for a quarter of an hour. She forced herself to stop and consider her mother's suggestion. She hadn't been out hunting in a few days. The thought of escaping into the woods was tempting.

  "It would help you to burn off some energy," Brijit coaxed. "And we would be happy for a venison stew."

  Kiara thought about it. Running through the forest for a few hours, tracking down prey sounded so appealing. She nodded in agreement.

  "Why don't you take Caedmon with you?" Weylon suggested mildly.

  Kiara physically recoiled. "I don't think so," she said immediately. The last thing she wanted to do was to spend time with Caedmon and open herself up to more of his insults. Since their aborted fight he'd refrained from speaking to her completely. And he'd been fairly easy to avoid as he'd taken to training at regimented times. All Kiara had to do was keep clear of the stable yard when he was training.

  "Kiara, if you're this restless, imagine what he's feeling. He's used to training with an army and he's been cooped up in the Inn for days now," Brijit reminded her softly.

  Kiara wanted to say that she didn't really care how he was feeling but she was aware of Weylon watching her closely. Weylon still gave Kiara an uneasy feeling but he was her mother's husband. And Brijit's unspoken message was to not disappoint her. Even if Brijit had been keeping secrets, she was still the only mother Kiara had known and one who had cared for and loved her through thick and thin. She owed it to her to be kind to their visitors.

  "Alright," she finally agreed. "I'll find him and see if he wants to accompany me but I'm not talking him into it if he declines." And she intended to make the invitation so unappealing that he wouldn't be likely to accompany her.

  "Of course not, dear," Brijit said with a warm smile and Kiara felt a stab of guilt. She pushed it aside, reasoning that she'd only promised to invite him not to encourage him.

  Caedmon was easy to find. He was in the stable yard sharpening his dagger, which he seemed to spend a lot of time doing. Kiara wondered what he possibly could be dulling the knife on for it to need such regular sharpening. Perhaps it was just a habit he had. She smiled slightly, liking the thought of him having an irrational habit. Caedmon seemed far too collected and controlled, it was nice to imagine him having human quirks.

  As she approached where he was standing, her heart sank because she saw that Teague was lounging nearby. And the fact was that she liked Teague. In fact she’d come to the conclusion that Teague was impossible not to like. He always had a ready smile for everyone. And he'd been very worried about Thia since her seizure, which automatically put him into Kiara's good books.

  Kiara sighed. Both Teague and Caedmon looked beyond bored. And as much as she'd planned on being rude to Caedmon, she couldn't help feeling a bit of sympathy for them. The Inn in the winter was deathly boring. It must be more so for young men used to the more exciting places they saw on their travels.

  "I'm going hunting," Kiara said off-handedly as she strode up to them. "Do you want to come?" She didn't put much enthusiasm into her voice.

  Caedmon looked at her with suspicion. "Why are you inviting us?" he asked bluntly, his dark eyes narrowing as he studied her.

  "My mother suggested I ask you," she admitted reluctantly.

  Caedmon's face darkened and he opened his mouth with what Kiara was sure would be a refusal but before he could say a word his brother beat him to it.

  "That sounds fine!" Teague said with excitement. "I could use a bit of a hunt. Just the thing, don't you think, Caedmon? I'll collect our bows."

  Caedmon glowered at his smaller sibling as Teague hurried into the Inn. Kiara felt a spark of humor at his expense. Her heart lightened. This might actually be fun!

  "I hope you know how to keep your soldier's feet quiet in the forest," she couldn't help quipping as she went to gather her hunting gear.

  ****

  Mina and Thia were in the storeroom behind the Inn taking an inventory of the various medicines. Mina was noting what was running low. She planned to spend some time in the forest in the afternoon, replenishing what she could while Thia restocked other items, such as bandages and salves.

  They worked silently for a while neither of them speaking of the unease that had
fallen over the Inn.

  "Kiara's gone hunting with Teague and Caedmon," Mina finally said to Thia with a grin. "I wonder how that's working out for her."

  Thia looked up in surprise. Kiara had been avoiding Caedmon religiously for the past few days. Thia tried to imagine her hunting with him the forest she considered her own private grounds. She couldn't help smiling at Mina. "It's probably a good thing. Kiara was going mad waiting for the Elders. This will burn off some of her frustration – provided Caedmon and her don’t end up quarreling again."

  “Well, Teague went with them,” Mina grimaced, screwing her pretty nose up. "And aren't we all going mad? It feels like we’re stuck in a holding pattern until the Elders arrive. I wonder why they are coming anyway? It’s driving me nuts. That's why I'm going gathering this afternoon. Something to get my mind off the waiting." She paused. "Are you sure you don't want to come, Thia?"

  Thia hesitated. She knew her sister was asking more than just if she wanted to come gathering herbs. She was really asking her if she was okay. Ever since her last seizure, Thia had stayed at the Inn, mostly in the kitchen and her rooms. She knew her sisters were both worried about her but she also knew that until the Elders came and explained what was going on there was going to be little peace in their house.

  And she was sure the vision of the fourteen riders was somehow related to the Elders. She just didn't know how.

  She looked up and saw that Mina was watching her closely, her green eyes filled with concern.

  For her sister's sake, Thia forced a smile to her lips. "I'm fine, Mina." She reached over and squeezed her sister's hand. "Really I am. I'm just a bit tired this time."

  Mina looked concerned. "It was different this time, wasn't it, Thia?"

  Thia remembered the sensations that had overcome her before she lost consciousness. Touching Teague somehow induced the episode. She'd never had that happen before. And, although they hadn't spoken of it, Teague knew he'd sparked her latest spell.