by S. E. Smith
Ten years before:
* * *
Ka’ya stiffly stood between the two Elders who had brought her to the spiritual leader’s hut. Her nose wrinkled at the foul smell of burning spices. The smoke from it burned her eyes, but she refused to rub them. The woman on her right smothered a cough while the man to her left raised a hand and wiped at the corner of his eye.
She stared at the room with distaste. The dim interior was depressing. It was nothing like the brightly lit interior of her home. The ceiling was covered in soot and made the little light that streamed down through the ceiling look gray and dirty.
The bones of dead animals lay scattered across a long table and on the floor. Bottles of liquids lined several shelves against a wall. Everything looked dirty and unkempt. Ka’ya did not understand how this man could declare himself better than her father. He knew nothing of what it meant to understand the spirit of the land and animals.
“She is here, Spiritual Leader,” the woman called.
Ka’ya watched as Jorge appeared from another room. He was a thin man with beady, almost black eyes. Dark shadows under them made the sockets around his eyes appear larger than they were in reality. His alabaster skin was streaked with smudges of soot from his dirty fingers and made him look older than his thirty years. He wore a dirty, off-white tunic over dark brown pants and boots. His hair was thin on top, with just a few strands of fine hair that made a line and was swept to the side.
He silently returned Ka’ya’s stare, as if willing her to look away first. Instead, she lifted her chin. Her light green eyes bore into his. She could see the circle of light from the open door surrounding the brown irises of each eye, giving them a malevolent glow. In the center, she could see her reflection. Even when he took a step forward and ran his dirty fingers down along her cheek, she didn’t turn away. His eyes narrowed and he gripped her chin hard.
“Do you think to defy me, girl?” he demanded in a reedy voice.
Ka’ya pulled her chin free and glared at him. “Yes,” she replied, biting her tongue to keep from saying anything else.
Jorge gazed down at her. She silently returned his stare. She didn’t flinch when he raised his hand to strike her. The blow never came – thanks to the sounding of the alarms. Jorge glanced up at the man standing next to her and jerked his head toward the door.
“Find out what is happening,” he ordered.
Ka’ya turned slightly when the Elder opened the door. There was a thud that reverberated through her and the Elder stumbled back. In the center of the elder’s chest the long shaft of an arrow protruded. The woman at her side screamed when several more arrows flew through the door. Jorge and the woman fell to the ground. Ka’ya took advantage of the open door and bolted.
Emerging outside, she could see more than two dozen Vikar swarming through the village setting fire to carts of hay and slicing through the men who charged them. Her gaze moved to one of the raiders. He was dragging her mother out of their home. Her mother was holding her newborn brother protectively in her arms.
Ka’ya started forward. Her gaze fixed on her mother and brother; she bent near the body of a fallen guard and pulled the bloody sword from his body. The moment her hand wound around the handle, power exploded through her body and a flood of knowledge swept through her mind. It was as if she had lived through thousands of battles, had hunted the greatest beasts, and knew what needed to be done. She gripped the sword with a strength that belied her tender years, twirled, and sliced through one of the attackers as he reached for her.
As she neared her family’s hut, the raider who had her mother’s arm, lifted the long shaft of his spear to strike her mother dead. Ka’ya pulled her arm back and threw the sword. The blade sank deep in the raider’s chest, driving him back against the stone wall of the hut. Racing forward, Ka’ya knelt and helped her mother to her feet.
“Inside,” she said in a soft urgent tone.
“Ka’ya,” her mother whispered, reaching out to run a trembling hand down her daughter’s face.
Ka’ya smiled. “Go inside. I will protect you,” she said.
Mayli looked worriedly back at her daughter, but hurried inside. Her brother whimpered, but her mother quickly soothed him. Ka’ya followed her mother into the bright hut. She could feel her mother’s gaze on her when she reached for her father’s bow and arrows.
“Ka’ya, don’t go,” Mayli begged when Ka’ya turned back to the door.
Ka’ya glanced at her mother. In the background the sounds of screams and fighting continued. Her face tightened and once again she felt the surge of power rush through her. She knew that if the raiders were not defeated or driven off, there would be nothing left of the village – including her family.
“I have to,” Ka’ya replied, turning and drawing back an arrow when the door opened.
She released the arrow. The raider standing in the doorway looked down in surprise before he fell forward. Ka’ya pulled another arrow from her quiver and walked toward the door. Stepping over the body of the dead raider, she released three more arrows in rapid succession before disappearing outside.
Ten arrows – ten raiders dead by her bow. By her sword, she killed another five before the raiders began to target her en masse. Ka’ya knew she was in trouble, but she never gave up. She pulled on the power flowing through her and used the knowledge to strike one deadly blow after another. Ka’ya’s desperate need to protect her mother and infant brother gave her the willpower to continue fighting. Revived by the dwindling number of raiders, the villagers began fighting beside her until the remaining raiders retreated in defeat.
Ka’ya turned in a slow circle as the remaining villagers who had sought to hide slowly emerged from their huts and gathered around her. She could feel their gazes on her and she smiled. Jorge stepped out of his hut where he had been hiding, and she eyed him with contempt. Gripping a bloody sword in her right hand, she reached up with her left and pushed her thin tunic to the side to reveal her shoulder and the mark of the Huntress.
“I am Ka’ya Stargazer. I am the Huntress,” she said in a clear voice. Ka’ya could hear the soft gasps of the villagers. Her light green eyes glowed with supernatural fire as she stared Jorge down. She slowly lifted the blood-coated blade in her hand to point it at him. “You will never possess my powers.”
The mark that her parents had tried to hide, the one that Jorge had somehow found out about and decided to use for his own purpose, was now clear for all to see. She would not hide any longer. No one would control her.
2
Ka’ya brushed the memory of that day aside and focused on the present. Over time, the villagers had grown to fear her. Even Jorge, as powerful as he had grown over the last ten years, kept his distance from her. He sent the other Elders to order her to do his bidding while he hid behind the doors of his hut.
Bitterness rose in Ka’ya’s mouth. She would have left the lot of the villagers to their fate if it had not been for her mother and brother. Dru was finally of an age now that she could spirit him and her mother away. She would have to be careful. Jorge kept both under close watch.
“Ka’ya!”
Ka’ya turned to see her mother hurrying after her. Concern swept through Ka’ya when she saw the dark circles under her mother’s eyes and the faint lines of tension around her mouth. Glancing around, she scanned for her brother. Her mother was never far from Dru’s side.
“Mother, what is wrong? You know that it is dangerous to speak with me. Jorge is still angry from the last time you confronted him,” Ka’ya warned in a low voice.
Mayli’s mouth tightened in anger. “Day in and day out I watch my daughter from afar unable to do anything about the way you are treated for fear of reprisal. I see the Elders make demands of you and the villagers mock you. If I wish to give you food for your belly so you do not go hungry, I will. They should at least let you rest before sending you out again to search for raiders,” she said with a stubborn twist to her mouth.
Ka’ya’s gaze softened and she shook her head. “I have plenty of food. I brought this for you and Dru to eat. How is Dru today?” she asked.
“Better. His cough is easier since you brought the herbs from the forest,” Mayli replied, looking down at the bag she held. “I worry about him, Ka’ya. Jorge has requested that he become his apprentice. Dru’s lungs are too weak to handle the smoke of incense and the filth of Jorge’s hut.”
“When is he supposed to go?” Ka’ya demanded in a soft voice, her eyes narrowing in anger.
Mayli looked up at Ka’ya. “I told him Dru was sick. Jorge demands that he be turned over to him by the new moon,” she replied.
Ka’ya glanced over her mother’s shoulder at the dark gray hut. Her mother was right; Dru would not survive long under Jorge. Two boys and a young girl had already perished under his guidance. Jorge insisted they were accidents or natural causes. No one questioned him. Ka’ya suspected the Spiritual Leader was messing with things he did not understand – a dark power that could prove deadly to the entire village. She needed to escape with her mother and brother before the new moon.
“I need a few more days – perhaps a week to finish securing our passage across the Great Water. Gather what you wish to take and make sure to give Dru the medicine to give him the strength for the journey,” Ka’ya murmured, reaching for the bag of goods.
“Thank you, Ka’ya,” Mayli said, tears shimmering in her eyes.
“I will not let him take Dru and you away from me the way he took Father. At least here, I can see and talk with you,” Ka’ya swore.
She gripped the bag and turned away from her mother. She had much to do before the new moon in a fortnight. Picking up speed, she left the path leading across the meadow and disappeared into the forest. She would return to her home, eat, gather the items she would need, and make sure the trail was clear before traveling to the large city of Perth to secure passage across the Great Water.
Alexandru rolled over onto his back and groaned. He started to lift a shaky hand to his brow when he heard a low growl. Opening his eyes, he smothered a loud curse when he saw three large animals slowly approaching him. His brain tried to identify them, but just trying to think caused another shaft of pain to lance through his head.
The animals were the size of a Shetland pony, but that was where the similarities ceased. He had never seen anything like them – at least that he could remember. The rust-and-silver-colored long fur, short ridged snouts, and the four long tusks protruding from their mouths had him warily scooting back across the rock-and-leaf-covered ground.
“Easy,” Alexandru said in a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat. “Easy now.”
The animal in the front pawed the ground and flashed a set of very long, impressive fangs. Alexandru didn’t bother trying to keep the curse that escaped him quiet this time. He flinched, rolling backwards when the two animals on each side leaped toward him.
“Son of a bi….”
Alexandru’s curse died when he felt his body rolling over the edge. Tumbling, he grunted when he hit a rotten log and went right through it. Twisting, he tried to turn so he could dig his heels into the loose soil, but the slope was too steep. His eyes widened when he saw he was approaching a drop off. Unable to stop his momentum, he braced for the impending fall and impact. He frantically reached out for a sapling. Above him, he heard the snarls and growls of the animals above him followed by a horrendous howl. His fingers missed the sapling by a fraction of an inch.
Glancing down, he once again tried to dig his heels into the soil. He was about to resign himself to his fate when two arrows flashed by him. One struck a tree to his right while the other struck a tree to his left. Suspended between them was a rope. Alexandru reached up and grabbed the rope as he passed under it. He twisted, and the lower half of his body went over the side of the cliff. His fingers tightened on the rope and he prayed that the arrows and the rope would hold his weight.
Alexandru glanced over his shoulder and swallowed. There was no way he would have survived a fall from this height. Far below him, jagged rocks rose up. Debris from his slide rained down around him before disappearing into the shadows of the dark crevices. Turning his head, he rested his forehead against the damp soil. Whatever in the hell had happened to him, he was having a very bad day, he thought with a wince.
He looked up at the top of the slope from where he had fallen. It was going to be a son-of-a-bitch to climb back up the slope – especially with the way his head was pounding, but he had little choice. He struggled to pull the lower half of his body back up onto solid ground.
Alexandru had just managed to get one knee up onto the edge when a rope landed next to him. Looking up at the top, he couldn’t see anything except where it continued over the side. Grateful for the extra help, he released the death grip he had on the rope between the arrows and grasped the new one. Air hissed from his lungs when he suddenly found his body being pulled upward at an incredible speed. He opened his mouth to tell the bastards to slow down whatever in the hell they were using to pull him up, but had to shut it to keep from getting a mouth full of debris when his body rolled and he found himself on his belly.
The speed of his ascent didn’t decrease until he was pulled over the edge and back onto the road. He rolled several times before he released the rope. Lying on his back, he stared up at the leafy canopy overhead. Thick branches covered in dark red, orange, and yellow leaves swayed in the breeze. Drawing in a deep breath, he held it when the trees were blocked by another sight – the short muzzle of one of the animals that he had tried to escape just minutes before.
“Oh shit,” he cursed.
“Jo na ta. Nita la bay,” a low, feminine voice demanded. “Jo na ta!”
Alexandru’s eyes slowly focused on the figure of a woman as she stepped close to where he lay. It took a moment for his foggy brain to recognize that she was holding a bow in her hand. He blinked several times, his gaze traveling over her face. Her clear, green eyes gazed back at him with a look of suspicion and mistrust. Her hair was blonde with streaks of blue through it. She was wearing a black shirt with a light brown leather vest. His gaze moved down her body, noting the black pants and boots before he raised his gaze to lock with hers.
He opened his mouth to thank her but the words were never uttered. Instead, his head snapped back when she swung the end of her bow and it connected with his chin. The thought that if his head didn’t explode it would be a miracle crossed his mind before darkness once again danced across his vision and he lost consciousness once more.
“Nonny, surely someone can see where I sent Alexandru!” Tory anxiously asked.
Her grandmother shook her head and waved her hands over the crystal ball in front of her. Clouds swirled but nothing appeared. Frustrated by the lack of a vision, Tory leaned forward and knocked on the crystal ball. She glared at the face that appeared.
“Where is he? Surely if anyone can find him, you can!” Tory demanded.
The face in the crystal ball glared back at her. “It would help if you remembered the spell you cast! Do you have any idea how many worlds and dimensions there are?” the crystal ball retorted.
“Lots?” Tory asked with a doubtful look.
“Have you asked the magic mirror?” the crystal ball suggested in exasperation.
“Yes, and the wishing well, and Daddy checked the wardrobe,” Tory said in resignation.
“He’ll be alright. It will give him time to calm down,” Simon said, wincing when Tory elbowed him in his tender ribs.
“Oh, sorry. I should have kicked you instead,” Tory said, directing a sympathetic look at him.
“Simon’s fine. Werewolves heal quickly. Look at how many times I’ve thrown Maverick off the roof,” Charles Carson replied.
“Charles,” Sophie chided, glancing at her husband with a shake of her head before turning back to Tory. “Honey, do you remember any of the words you said?”
Tory frowned and concentrated before shaking her head
in defeat. “He was hurting Simon. All I could think about was separating them. I know I said ‘far, far away’, but that is all I can remember,” she said with an angry swipe at the tear that escaped.
“Well, Alexandru is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He’s half warlock, half vampire. That makes him pretty indestructible,” Charles chuckled. “It isn’t like you’ve never used a far, far away spell on him before. No matter where you sent him, he always found a way back.”
“Yes, thank goodness. Alexandru is much better at magic than Tory,” Sophie replied with a nod.
“Aura, how is Youssef?” Sophie asked.
“He is sleeping. Nonny’s healing spell should have him right as rain in a few days,” Aura replied, stroking a strand of her long hair in distraction. “I… I need to talk with my sisters.”
“Aura, do you know if Alexandru is alright?” Tory asked, staring at her godmother with pleading eyes.
Aura frowned for a moment and ran her fingers down over a different strand of her hair. She fingered each silky thread until she came to the one she wanted. Pulling it around in front of her, she stroked it several times. Tory waited anxiously for Aura to tell her what she saw. She had learned a long time ago not to push one of the Fates. They answered when they were ready to answer.
“He is far, far away…. You did a very good job on this spell, Tory. He must complete this journey alone. When the time is right, he will find his way home,” Aura said in a soft, dreamlike voice before she blinked. “I must talk to my sisters. Congratulations, Tory, Simon. We can’t wait to see the boys.”
