Rise of Legends (The Kin of Kings Book 2)

by Narro, B. T.

  She sighed in relief. Nothing was wrong. “Sounds like I did myself a favor. But I feel like I drank an entire jug of sakal. Can you help me feel better?”

  Reela folded her arms. “To be honest, I don’t really want to.”

  “You were against it?”

  Reela let out a sharp breath. “I was completely against it, and I’m still angry with you. But there’s no point in discussing it now.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Reela took another breath and seemed slightly less upset. “You slept a lot, and now it’s late. We need to get to the dining hall for breakfast.”

  Reela had been thoughtful enough to bring fresh clothing for both of them. So they changed, then hurried out the door.

  “I’m curious about something,” Reela said. “What do you remember of Sanya Grayhart?”

  “I hate her. I remember her very well. She killed Nick and someone else.”

  “You were there when she killed the second person.”

  “I was?” That didn’t sound right.

  “Yes. It happened on the training grounds for the Group One mages. You were there with Basen and someone else. Then Sanya came dressed in all black, hiding her identity. Do you remember this?”

  “Oh, now I do. She cut someone’s throat.” She gasped as she realized what Reela was getting at. “That was Alex, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  Effie felt sorry for him and anger for Sanya, but nothing else. “The poor man. So I loved him?”

  “Yes, and it’s not fair to him what you’ve done.”

  “But he’s dead, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, but that—” Reela went quiet and then took a breath. “Never mind. Let’s not speak about it or I’ll get angry again.”

  Effie shrugged. She had many memories of crying recently, but she couldn’t recall the actual feeling of sadness. Except for her aching head, she felt good. She’d have to thank Steffen later. She hated crying.

  At the dining hall, Effie and Reela waited in line for their food and sat when their plates were filled. Nearby was a table crowded by instructors. Terren sat in the middle on one side with Wilfre across from him. Effie’s heart jumped as she remembered they were at war. She wondered what else she’d forgotten.

  Cleve! He’d left with Basen and others, led by Mage Jackrie. But there she was, seated at the table. Effie pointed her out to Reela, and the psychic cocked her head in question. They stood and looked around for Cleve and Basen to no avail.

  They walked over and hovered near Jackrie until she noticed them and turned around.

  “Effie,” Jackrie nodded to her. “Reela. Hello.”

  “You’ve already made it to Tenred and back?” Effie asked.

  Reela spoke up before Jackrie could answer. “Where’s Cleve?”

  Jackrie looked uncomfortable and didn’t answer right away, while Terren spoke to the rest of the instructors about something to do with Raywhite Forest.

  “Please don’t tell me the rest of your group didn’t make it back,” Reela said.

  “We lost Peter,” Jackrie said sadly.

  Effie had known only what Cleve had told her about the warrior. If someone had to die, he seemed like the best choice, though she did feel some guilt for thinking it.

  “What happened?” Reela asked with a hand over her chest, clearly hurt by the news more than Effie was.

  “We were attacked in the Fjallejon Mountains, and that’s where Peter fell. We had to risk taking a portal to escape, and it brought us to the Dajrik Mountains. When we eventually made our way out, we needed to test a portal back to the Academy, so I went in and couldn’t get back through before it closed. The rest of them are on the way to Merejic now in hopes of recruiting the Elves there. It was Cleve’s idea.”

  “And a good one,” Reela said, “so long as they can find the village.”

  “So you never made it to Tenred?” Effie asked.

  “We got trapped in the Fjallejon Mountains on the way there. I think we’d be dead or captured if it wasn’t for the portal.”

  “Reela and Effie,” Terren called. “I need the attention of all my instructors right now. Please don’t disturb Jackrie.”

  They returned to their table. But it wasn’t a moment later when they noticed that much of the dining hall seemed to be focused on something. More and more people were standing and laughing, their heads pointed toward the ground. The noise of the giddy students made everyone around them stop eating to look.

  Curious, Effie stood on the table and found a dog running from a wall guard. The poor animal appeared exhausted and frightened. It was a lean beagle, medium in size. The breed was not known to be aggressive, and others seemed to have the same knowledge as they tried to call the dog to them, many using food as bait.

  “Whose dog is that?” Terren yelled.

  “He came through the south gate, sir,” the wall guard said as he huffed for breath. “He fit through the bars. I chased him everywhere. Eventually, he tired and let me catch him, but then he jumped out of my arms on the way here.”

  The dog glanced in every direction as if looking for something. People crouched in front of him and held out their hands, but he ignored them as he continued his search. Some people had gone back to eating, but most in the dining hall had their attention on the animal. Pets weren’t allowed at the Academy, so this was probably the first time anyone had seen a dog here. It was even more strange that he’d shown up now, while they were at war.

  “Reela, get him over here,” Terren said. “Effie, get down from the table before you fall.”

  She did as Reela aimed her hand at the beagle. His head shot in her direction. He paused, then ran at full speed, leapt up onto Reela’s bench, and then right up onto the table. He jumped right over Effie’s plate and into her lap. Startled, she screamed, but the dog licking her arm quickly made her relax.

  Reela walked over to her side of the table and petted the dog. “He’s practically dying of thirst.”

  Terren took an empty bowl off the table and poured in water from a cup someone had left. The dog eagerly drank with quick flicks of his tongue, splashing water all around the bowl. But after just a few moments, he returned to Effie’s lap and nuzzled her. He was not a small dog, quite heavy against her legs and stomach, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to move anytime soon, even as she shifted to get comfortable.

  “Whose dog is this?” Terren tried again, yelling to the entire dining hall.

  Effie lifted the dog from her lap with some difficulty and put him on the table so all could see. He stole a boiled egg from her plate before she could move it away. She clasped his strong torso with both her hands so he wouldn’t move. He chewed hungrily but rubbed his nose against her as well. It was strange to see so much affection from him, especially while he ate.

  In response to Terren’s question, a few of the students offered to take care of the dog, but no one claimed him as their pet.

  “I think he came here for you,” Reela said to Effie’s surprise.

  “Me?”

  “How do you know this dog?” Terren asked her.

  “I don’t, unless I’ve forgotten him.” She looked to Reela for the answer.

  The psychic shook her head. “No. You’ve never had a dog for as long as I’ve known you, and this dog is too young to have been alive before I met you.”

  The animal looked at Effie’s breakfast longingly, so she let him have it. She noticed Terren staring at her with a sad look.

  “I can’t allow any exceptions to the rule of no pets,” he said.

  “I didn’t expect to keep him. He’s not mine.”

  “I can’t allow anyone to keep him.”

  Then she understood what Terren was hinting at. Reela spoke up before Effie could.

  “Then what are you going to do with him?”

  The dog must’ve finished eating, for he jumped off the table and sat on Effie’s shoe as he whimpered.

  Reela bent down to pet the beagle. “He loves you
, Eff.” The dog licked her hand. “And he’s very fond of me. It makes no sense. Dogs are gentle and kind to humans, but upon first meeting us they don’t have the deep feelings that this dog has.” She glared at Terren. “You can’t do what you’re thinking of doing.”

  He put up his finger and cocked his head. “Now Reela, you’re not supposed to be using psyche on me.”

  “Let me take care of him,” Effie suggested. The dog barked excitedly as if he understood. He then began nodding his head!

  It caused everyone to pause and even made the instructors surrounding them go quiet.

  “That’s strange,” Terren commented.

  Reela crouched to face the dog. “Can you understand me?”

  The animal nodded again! Effie had never seen a dog do such a thing except when children had teased it by waving food in front of its eyes.

  Suddenly the dog made a sound as if he was trying to speak, a squeaky bark that drawled on for a while. Then it whimpered as if saddened it couldn’t communicate.

  “What can you tell with psyche?” Terren asked Reela.

  She put her knees on the ground and opened her hands for the dog to come. He trotted right up to her face and stared back at her in an eerily human manner.

  Reela squinted. “I’m getting something, but it’s just some sort of connection he has to me and Effie.” Reela’s eyebrows lifted as if surprised by something. “And you, headmaster. It’s as if the dog knows the three of us.”

  Terren crouched down. “Dog,” he called, and the beagle turned to face him.

  Jackrie put her hand on Terren’s back. Her touch seemed more intimate than if they were just colleagues, Effie thought. “The plan for the forest?”

  Terren glanced up to find many of the instructors busying themselves with conversation about Raywhite Forest. “I want you all to see this,” he said to win their attention.

  “We don’t have time for dogs,” Wilfre complained.

  “This will only take a moment.” Terren waited for silence. Effie glanced around and realized nearly the entire dining hall had gathered to see. Terren put the dog on the table. “Do you have a name?”

  The dog nodded, bringing out gasps from those who hadn’t seen this response yet.

  “Lift your paw when I get to the first letter of your name,” Terren said. “Do you understand?”

  The dog nodded as it lifted its paw, then put it back down on the table.

  “Bastial hell,” Effie muttered in awe as many similar statements arose from the audience.

  “A—” Terren began, and the dog raised his paw immediately. “A?” Terren questioned, and the animal nodded.

  Wilfre scoffed. “It can’t possibly understand you.”

  “He does,” Reela confirmed.

  Terren began going through the alphabet again, and the dog raised his paw at the letter L. The third time, Terren got to E when the dog raised his paw.

  Effie felt chills as Reela grabbed her arm.

  “My bastial stars,” Reela muttered, moving to stand beside Terren. “X?” she asked the dog, and he nodded. “Alex…is that really you?”

  He nodded enthusiastically and barked.

  “So he has the same name—”

  “No,” Reela interrupted Terren. “Now that I know what to feel for, I can tell it’s him. You’re Alex Baom, aren’t you?”

  He nodded, then stared at Effie. It frightened her deeply. This was the name of the man she’d loved. What did this mean?

  “He just nods to everything,” Wilfre said to stifle the growing surprise of the audience.

  “No, look.” Terren pointed at the dog. He was shaking his head in Wilfre’s direction.

  “I’m going to put an end to this right now.” Wilfre squeezed between Terren and Reela to stand directly in front of the dog. “Are you a dog?”

  The dog nodded.

  “Is your name Jaymes?”

  The dog shook his head.

  “Robert? John? Ray? Alex?”

  The dog shook his head each time but then nodded in response to the last. But it still didn’t seem to convince Wilfre.

  “Are we at war?”

  The dog nodded.

  This made Wilfre pause for a moment, his face showing surprise. Then he asked, “With Tenred?”

  The dog shook his head.

  “With Tauwin?”

  The dog nodded.

  “He must be able to sense something in our voice!” Wilfre announced to the amazed audience.

  “He knew how to spell his name,” Reela remarked. “It’s him. I don’t know how, but I know what it feels like to sense Alex, and I can sense him in this dog.”

  Everyone looked at the animal as if staring down a hole to hell, many taking a step back. Effie’s fear had changed to complete confusion. Craving some sort of explanation, she took her turn in front of the dog.

  “How did this happen?”

  The dog whimpered, then barked at Terren.

  “You want me to do the letters?” Terren asked.

  The dog nodded—Alex nodded, Effie corrected herself. Though it still didn’t seem right to think of him that way.

  Terren quickly went through the alphabet with Alex raising his paw at each letter until “Sanya” had been spelled out.

  No one dared speak after that. Looking around, Effie saw that everyone had the same bewildered expression.

  Trela, the mage master, finally broke the silence. “Terren, unfortunately we don’t have time for this. They’re moving into the forest this morning, as you’ve said.”

  Effie figured this meant Tauwin’s men were changing position from outside Trentyre, but she wondered what it meant for everyone at the Academy. She took a chance at being ignored and asked Terren in front of everyone, “Do they know of our plans to get into the abandoned Slugari colony?”

  “We don’t believe so. But the number of men our scouts found makes it impossible for us to get there without a fight.” He tore his gaze away from Alex to face the instructors. “We need to establish communication with Hiller’s men in Trentyre, and we can only get there through the colony. So we fight—it’s the only choice we have because waiting for the Academy to be attacked is not a viable strategy.”

  “Headmaster,” Wilfre said, “I suggest we discuss this elsewhere.” He gestured for the students crowding him to get back. “Move away, will you?”

  “As Trela noted,” Terren said, “we don’t have time. We’ll send all of the third-year warriors, half the third-year mages, and some of our best psychics—that means you, Reela—and ask for volunteers until we get three hundred more. The rest will stay in case the Academy is attacked.”

  Reela gave Effie a longing look until Effie understood she was asking her to volunteer. She nodded back to Reela and, with a surprising lack of fear, told Terren, “I’ll go.”

  Many of the listening students then came toward the teachers and volunteered as well. More and more joined in, raising their hands to show they wished to fight.

  Terren grew a smile. “Looks like we don’t need to waste any time with a Redfield meeting.”

  Effie stood on the table for a better look and saw that the entire dining hall had gathered around them. Alex whimpered as he sat on her foot, apparently not pleased by her decision. She had a feeling he wouldn’t let her go without him. She smiled and bent down to kiss his head.

  “Jack Rose?” Terren called over the clamor of the dining hall. The master chemist squeezed through a line of instructors, waving to catch Terren’s attention. “Do you need more time before we bring you and your team into the Slugari colony?”

  “More time will do no good,” Jack answered. “We’ll have to see what the Slugari have done with the underground tunnels and go from there.”

  “Then we’ll be leaving shortly,” Terren announced.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Sanya was made to wait in her father’s room within the Takary mansion. She’d made a quick decision and left his body in the spiritual world so no one cou
ld find it. That was before Cheot came and took her mother, trapped in Bliss’ body, and assigned guards to keep Sanya from leaving. Hours had passed. Waiting to find out what was happening with her mother was eating away at her.

  What would Lori tell them? A few words of the truth could lead to Sanya’s quick death. There would be a fight, though. She clenched her fists. God’s mercy, there would be a fight.

  She wished she still had the dagger she’d used to stab her father. Without a weapon, it would be difficult to fight her way to freedom, let alone liberate her mother.

  Eventually, Cheot returned. Without preamble, he asked, “Where is Spiro?”

  “I don’t know,” Sanya lied. “Is Bliss all right?”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  She continued to play innocent, her voice soft and delicate as if troubled by her father’s absence. “He was here yesterday, but he didn’t let me into his room because he didn’t want me to get whatever illness he had. When I came back today, no one was here. How is Bliss doing?”

  Cheot stared back at her. “Why do you care?”

  “We’ve started to become friends after speaking today. But she hadn’t gotten around to telling me why you chose to send her after me.” This was more of a test than an assumption, for Sanya didn’t know if it was Cheot or Tauwin.

  Cheot scowled yet didn’t deny it. She sensed a bit of alarm but nothing to signify it was him. She hoped it was, for Tauwin was a far more dangerous man than Cheot.

  “You will return to the castle with me,” he demanded.

  She had many questions, but she knew none of them would be answered. So she followed silently all the way back to the castle, wondering the entire time where her mother was and what would happen to both of them. Sanya could run, but she’d worked years to bring her mother back and wouldn’t leave her no matter the risk.

  Soon after they arrived, Cheot ordered a group of guards to watch Sanya. “I will return,” he said, giving no indication of when.

  More waiting and wondering. Thankfully, he came back quickly this time and summoned Sanya to follow him. He brought her to Tauwin’s favorite throne room, where the king conducted all of his strategy meetings. Tauwin was in his usual garish chair at the far end of the table. Beside him sat her mother in Bliss’ body, wearing an exhausted expression. Tauwin’s executioner, Hector, closed the door behind Sanya and stood in front of it.