by T.M. Nielsen
Chapter 3
Kyrin was sitting in her room watching the fire. A blizzard had hit Valhara, and the entire castle was shut up while the winds outside raged. The nicker was asleep beside her, and she absentmindedly ran her hands along his back while she watched the flames dance. Due to rumors and miscommunications, the nicker was now named Nicker. She had to admit it was easier to have him around with a name though, but she was getting tired of him getting blamed for everything missing in the kingdom.
A particularly strong gust brushed past her window, and she glanced out at the snow. She hated snow and had often immediately shifted out of anywhere that had it. Because cloaks hindered fighting, it wasn’t practical to wear one, even if it was snowing.
It had been quiet in the month since her return. She was still staying in the Lady’s chambers, much to Alric’s dismay, but she wasn’t about to be caught in his room again. Boredom had struck, and while most in the castle settled down with a good book, she resisted the urge to learn how to read.
“Lady Kyrin?” She heard the voice out in the antechamber. She thought it was stupid that men couldn’t come into her room and would instead stand in the antechamber and call her.
“What?” she asked, still looking into the fire.
“Can you come out here?”
“No”
“There’s a child missing from the city,” he called out to her.
She sighed. “Nicker doesn’t take kids.”
There was a pause while the knight tried to figure out what she meant. Finally, he tried again. “He wandered off from the city. King Alric has called all castle staff to help look for him.”
“I’m not staff.”
“No, ma’am. However, he asked that I come get you.”
Kyrin finally got to her feet and went into the antechamber. “Why would I go out in a blizzard after some kid?”
The knight frowned. “He could die out there.”
“One child less…”
“Come on, kid,” Finn said, joining them. “We’re all heading out, and the king thinks you may have some magical way of finding him.”
“I don’t.”
“Well, you’re coming anyway.”
“What makes you think that? It’s cold and miserable out there.”
“Which is why we need to find that little boy.”
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I’m the Lady of Valhara. I don’t have to go out into a snowstorm to find some little brat.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Send Sithias out after him.”
“No, it’s our job to find him,” Finn said, and took her arm. “Now come on.”
“I am not going out there!”
Finn didn’t respond but just pulled her down the stairs by her arm. On the way out of the front doors, one of the knights put a fur-lined cloak over her shoulders.
Kyrin was hauled out to where all of the knights and townspeople were waiting for instructions from Alric. Alric chuckled when Finn pulled her up to the front, and it was obvious she didn’t want to be there.
Alric turned back to the crowd. “You have your assignments. Make sure one of your group checks in with command every hour. Command will be just inside the castle doors.”
Kyrin raised her eyebrows and started for the doors, but Finn took her arm. “No.”
“I’m going to wait with command.”
“No, you’re not.”
She sighed when Finn took her arm again and pulled her over to her waiting horse. “Get on and go look for him.”
Kyrin sighed and climbed onto her horse. “Fine, what’s the little hellion look like?”
“He’s a kid. I’m guessing any kid out in the woods right now should be returned to command.”
“Oh ha-ha. Where’s my group?”
Finn grinned. “You don’t get a group.”
“Why not?!”
“The king doesn’t think you need backup. The others are townsfolk and can’t handle a fight if they run into trouble.”
“If I get my ass handed to me by Qualsax all because I’m looking for some kid…”
“You won’t,” Finn said, and then slapped the rump of her horse, sending it flying into the trees. Just as she neared the tree line, he heard her cursing at him.
Kyrin was furious by the time she got deep into the trees. She was freezing and had her hands tucked under the cloak and up against the warm horse. Without someone holding the reins, the horse finally slowed to a stop and began picking at the bark on a tree. She didn’t care if the horse was moving or not. The last thing she wanted to do was search for a missing child.
When a stronger wind made it through the trees, Kyrin shivered and then took the reins. She finally decided that if she wanted to get out of the cold, she had to find the kid.
As soon as she got under the low branches of a tree, she broke off a long twig and then sighed. She’d done this spell before but hesitated to do it again. It would cause the stick to point to anyone nearby with ill-will toward her. She hoped the kid was afraid enough of her that it would point to him.
After mumbling the spell, the stick flew out of her hand and landed against the ground, pointing off to her right.
She turned her horse and headed in the direction it pointed. This time, she kept a close eye out for any signs of the missing child. When she heard the boisterous laughing of men, she slid off of her horse and inched forward. Peeking around a tree, she saw 15 Qualsax surrounding one small, crying toddler.
Kyrin sighed and looked up at the sky. “Seriously?”
“Let’s roast him, boys!” one of the Qualsax yelled.
“Great,” Kyrin whispered, and then brought her hands together. “Ozehshiesh.”
Instantly, the Qualsax and the toddler froze in their current position, and she walked out to them. She looked carefully around their hastily constructed camp. Their tents were barely standing and were too far apart to adequately block the fierce winds, and their fire was close to a tree, so the limbs were already smoking from the heat.
She knelt before the main Qualsax, and his terrified eyes looked over at her when she spoke. “Now I’m ticked. Not only am I out here freezing my ass off looking for this brat, but then I have to deal with you, too.”
Off to the side, she saw a portal key shimmer into view.
“I’m half tempted to toss you out of this dimension,” she said, and then smiled at him. “I’d give nothing more than to see the Qualsax tangle with the Shadowmere.”
“Hello, princess.” Kyrin spun and saw over twenty Qualsax advancing on her. “What’d you do to them?”
She looked toward the side and saw the portal key still shimmering against the snow. Without a second thought, Kyrin ran for it. She passed the toddler and grabbed his collar as he screamed. The portal opened when she took the key, and she lunged through, followed by one of the Qualsax.
They landed suddenly in what used to be a lush jungle but was now a forest of dead trees and rotting carcasses from animals killed by dehydration. Kyrin dropped the boy and grabbed her flail, turning on the Qualsax.
He was stunned and looking around with wide eyes. Because he wasn’t paying attention to her, she was easily able to slam her flail into his neck and cut off his airway. As he fell to his knees, fighting to breathe, she tore the Qualsax emblem from around his neck and then stood back and watched him die.
Kyrin turned and looked at the sobbing toddler, who was covered in tears while he cried for his mom.
“Perfect,” she mumbled, and sat down to think about the fastest way to get back to Paragoy, so she could get rid of the kid.
