by Kya Lind
“Government structures are set up so mindlessly,” ranted LadyTalone.
Her husband smiled in agreement. “The rules are set up to protect the ones in power.”
“Well, I don’t see how these laws protect Reya.” Lady Talone watched her young charge as Reya sat unmoving, struggling to conquer her worry and outrage with her iron will.
“What are we going to do?” Lady Talone silently fretted. Sir Talone tightened his arms around her.
“I must take a message to White Dragon Tower.”
Lady Talone gasped and clung to her husband. “Even if you can make such a trip safely, we don’t even know if anyone is still there. Surely, the Masters of Magic left long ago?”
Sir Talone shrugged, “It is our best bet. If the Masters I seek are not there, surely someone will know how to get a message to them. They are Reya’s only hope. Who better to handle an Allure than the Masters.”
“How do we know they are not the ones who sent him here?” questioned Lady her tone emphasized how much she mistrusted the powers that be.
“They sent us here to protect Reya, why would they change their plans now after all these years?” Sir Talone reasoned. “They cannot know, or they would have sent word. I will go and seek them out.”
His wife clung to him, unconvinced. She feared for his safety. The journey to White Dragon Tower was a long and dangerous trip into the Shadow Mountains. He was a scholar, not a trained soldier, but she knew her husband’s mind well. They were sworn to protect Reya, and that was exactly what he intended to do. A tear slid down Lady Talone’s face, “I will be with you each step,” she promised, looking up into his beloved face.
He wrapped his arms around her waist tighter and hugged her close. He leaned forward slowly and kissed his wife with such tenderness. They had not been separated physically by any length of space or time since their wedding day, twenty years before.
Lady shuddered in dread at the coming separation.
Reya composed once again, looked across the room at her tutors. Sir Talone sat in the high-wing backed chair beside her and Lady Talone sat, with her hands folded demurely in her lap, on the sofa across the room. Both seemed distracted and unfocused. Reya huffed; she was in the middle of a crisis and her two tutors were off playing kissyface again.
Reya reached out and lightly tapped Sir on the knee. He jumped and refocused his attention on his young charge. “Now that I have composed myself, please inform me that you have a plan to contact my uncle immediately, before I am” Her voice wavered, “persuaded to accept that MAN as my intended with my father’s blessings.”
Sir Talone would have objected to her manner if he did not understand the fear in her eyes. He explained briefly and patiently, that he was going himself to secure help and would be gone several weeks. He patted Reya’s hand reassuringly. The courtship should take weeks, and the engagement period several more. He would be back in plenty of time with the help her needed. He did not tell her any of this, or where he was going or whose help he sought. The less she knew the better. Secrets held in too many minds were not kept secret from Minders. Long after Sir Talone packed and left, Lady Talone helped Reya dress for bed.
Reya laid in the dark, surrounded by the wealth of her father, and the protection of the silver. She had never felt so alone or lost. Reya used her will to force her mind to stop thinking. She needed sleep to strengthen herself against the forces determined her use her as a pawn. She was determined that they would not win. They had underestimated her. She relaxed and slid into a troubled sleep.
Chapter 4
Late that night, Lady Talone woke Reya gently. When Reya was awake enough to understand, Lady Talone explained. “Sir Talone is in trouble. I know not what has happened. He is alive, but he is not there. It is as if he is unconscious. I must go and find him. You and Benji must stay here until we return. Do you understand what I am saying?”
Reya nodded her head.
“Good, I shall not be gone long.” Then Lady Talone did an unusual thing; she leaned forward and kissed Reya on the top of her head. Quickly, she was gone into the darkness of the room. Reya heard the outside door to the sitting room close softly.
Reya was instantly awake. She could not sleep now. Reya slipped out of the bed and padded barefoot across the room to the balcony doors. With nerves jangling, she opened the door and slipped out into the shadows of the small railed enclosure. The balcony looked down on a large indoor courtyard. Reya stood in the shadows and reached out with her senses. She knew this was not smart, but she was worried and could not think of what else to do.
She listened for the heartbeats around her sleeping. All seemed to be still and peaceful. Reya knew that this could be deceiving. She sat silently in the shadows and waited.
What would she do if Sir and Lady Talone did not come back tonight or, her mind stumbled, ever? She and Boy could not stay in these rooms indefinitely. It would be too late. None of them were safe here anymore. Sir Talone thought it best to go get help, but even if he could find someone to help her. Reya knew now that Sir Talone had not been going to find her uncle, but someone at White Dragon Tower. Lady Talone had unintentionally let that slip in her mind when she was waking Reya up. Who was at the tower? How would they come rescue her? There would be fighting. They would have to fight their way in and then fight their way out. People would die. How would Magics stand against her father’s forces? This was a hopeless situation. There were no easy answers. Reya felt the weight of the lives that would be wasted to hold her position in their power. Reya realized that if she were not here, then no one could use her as a pawn in this game.
Reya was distracted in her musing by the sound of quick and rapid heartbeats moving in her direction. At first she thought them to be her tutors returning, but as she listened, she realized there were too many of them. They marched rapidly in unison. Reya recognized the pattern of a gallan of soldiers. What were they doing in the hall in front of her suite of rooms? Reya’s heart slammed against her ribs in terror as the door to her sitting room was thrown open, and the soldiers moved into her personal suite. They quickly invaded the sitting room and threw open the door to her bedroom.
Two of the soldiers moved with determination to the bed only to find it empty. The captain motioned, and the other soldiers scattered, searching the rooms thoroughly. Reya knew who they sought. They were looking for her. She had given herself away, not been convincing enough. She almost cried out knowing that she had endangered Sir and Lady Talone. Reya knew in her heart that they were only the beginning of the lives to be sacrificed.
One of the soldiers checked the balcony. He looked over the railing and checked behind the large, potted plants and the chairs. A calico cat stared up at him from the seat of one of the chairs.
The guard moved back into the bedroom. The other guards had searched the entire bedroom and all of the connecting rooms. They reported finding nothing. The soldiers ran back out into the main hall.
Reya felt the movement of a Minder in her direction. She froze for a second realizing that she was completely defenseless out here on the balcony with no silver to protect her. In a split second, she checked that the bedroom was clear of soldiers. In a mad dash, she rushed across the room and slid under the bed.
Reya tried to slow her breathing. From her place under the bed she could see through the bedroom door across the sitting room and out the hall door. The captain of the guard was conversing with someone just out of sight.
“What do you mean, she is not here?” a voice bellowed. This statement was followed by the low voice of the captain. “A cat? What do you mean there is a cat? Where?”
The leader pointed back into the bedroom.
“Fetch me that cat.” The guards scrambled back into the suite. Reya sucked in a quiet breath. She was trapped. Even if she could have returned to the balcony and became a potted plant, she would still be caught by the Minder. If she remained here, she would be found out. The guards rushed to the balcony. Finding no cat, the
ir search moved to the bedroom. Reya could not breathe. Why had she been stupid enough to mirage the image of the calico cat again? She wanted to kick herself. The cat was her defense image. The one she always reverted to when she was scared. Why hadn’t she thought far enough into the future to have picked a potted plant, or shrub. Even a rock would have worked.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the sitting room. Every guard turned in that direction.
There, sitting in the doorway to the hall, was a calico cat.
It lifted its head and meowed loudly.
Reya blinked. “What is Boy trying to do - get himself killed?”
The guards, after a slight pause, dashed out of the bedroom and down the hall after the fast disappearing cat. The bedroom door banged closed after their retreating backs, leaving Reya alone under her bed.
Reya contemplated running, but where would she run. Into the hands of the Minder? She calmed her breathing. The best place to hide was where your enemy had already determined you were not. Reya stayed where she was. She clenched her shaking hands and waited.
***
Reya waited an hour under the bed. When no guards returned, she slipped out and dressed in traveling clothes. She packed supplies from the rooms into canvas duffel bags and hid them under the sofa. To be on the safe side, she slipped back under the large bed and settled her mind into a light sleep, hoping that Lady Talone would contact her.
After noon, Reya was startled awake by a presence in the sitting room. Reya waited with bated breath as the unknown person searched the adjoining rooms and walked to the bedroom door. Panic welled up in Reya. She concentrated on being a rug, an elaborate fringed rug. She knew that this would not work. She was surrounded by too much silver. The door swung open, and a figure quickly crossed the room and ducked down to slide under the bed next to Reya. The air in Reya’s lungs rushed out in relief as Boy settled next to her on the carpet. Their eyes met. They smiled in silent delight at each other.
Reya looped her arm around Boy’s back and hugged him close. “Where have you been?” she whispered in his ear.
Boy rolled his eyes and whispered back, “I have been your cousin, Reya-Jane’s, new found puppy all morning. Three-year-olds are so annoying,” he added in disgust.
“Thank you for the cat. You saved my life,” Reya whispered sincerely.
Boy shrugged, “Anything for you.” They both smiled.
The boy turned and looked at the door. “They have my parents locked up in the constant. I couldn’t get near enough to figure out what is going on.” The fear showed on his face. “What are we going to do?”
Reya paused and considered her plan again before she opened her mouth. She knew what she had to do, but involving her young friend was killing her. He and his parents were the only family she had, and she was going to deliberately put Boy in harm’s way.
“We must leave here. If we stay and are caught we will be used against your parents, and they will be used against me. Your parents are strong. They will not be persuaded, but you and I. . .” she shrugged again. Boy knew what she meant. Neither one of them was strong enough to stand unprotected against her father’s new persuader.
“Where will we go?” The boy’s shoulders trembled.
Reya hugged him again. He was so young. The words choked in her throat. “We must travel to White Dragon Tower.”
Boy stiffened and shook his head in denial. “No.”
“It is where your father was headed. He believes someone there will help us.” The boy looked at her in shock. “We must each go separately to the mountains. If we are caught together. . .” Reya’s whisper trailed out. “You cannot be with me if I am caught.” She pulled herself together. “I have packed our bags. There is a purse of coins, and a bag of silver. Use the coin to buy what you need, but only use the silver to protect yourself. You cannot trade with it. If you do, you will leave a trail that is easily followed.”
The boy nodded in understanding. His face hardened in determination. “Do we leave tonight?” he asked.
Reya shook her head, “They do not know we are Mirage. If we wait until dark, the Minder may be waiting. He is probably still busy with your parents now. You walked in here, and we are going to walk out.”
The boy nodded his head in agreement. Reya shuddered at what she was asking him to do. He was still a child, and she was asking more of him than could be expected of a Royal guard. The time for action had come. Reya slid out from under the bed and pulled Boy up beside her. If they had any chance of escaping, they had to go now.
Chapter 5
Captain Traven waited as the ferry bumped into the river bank, and the ramp was lowered. The large wagon and passengers quickly moved to shore. Bumping and jostling the people pushed forward, trying to unload before the heavy cart pulled by a team of four rolled off the ferry platform. The flat boat groaned under the shifting weight. Traven moved forward leading his exhausted mount onto the rough wooden levy and up onto the ferry. After paying the ferryman, Traven perched on the wheelhouse away from the other few passengers waiting to disembark on the last boat this eventide.
The sun was just setting in the west. Traven sighed in annoyance. He chaffed at the slowness of the ferry. Why did it always take so long for the ferry to get moving? He shook his head, and tried to calm his impatience. It wasn’t the ferryman’s fault he was already a day late to his new post. He looked at the large warhorse sleeping next to him. He patted the exhausted stallion’s head, and reminded himself, yet again, that Crossbolt was an average horse. It wasn’t even the poor beast’s fault, although Traven had been blaming him all day. Traven searched through the saddlebags and found the sweet leathers his mama had packed. He selected one and bit the end off, chewing the hard leathery fruit with determination. He chuckled to himself. He had put off leaving his childhood home two days longer than he should have, and then had ridden hide-to-leather to make up the time. It wasn’t this poor, sorry horse’s fault that he wasn’t Barn. Traven smiled. His horse, Barn, had been a gift from his father. There wasn’t another warhorse that could outrun or outdistance Barn. If he had been on Barn, they would have made it back in time. Unfortunately, Barn had thrown a shoe the day Traven was to leave his last post. Traven had no choice but to leave him in the care of the stable, with instructions that he be delivered to LongGray before Traven’s expected arrival.
The ferry shifted under the weight of the impatient crowd. A large ox of a man with a handcart started objecting loudly to the delay. Traven looked around on this side of the river. The boat seemed to be loaded and waiting.
“Keep yar hats on, folks, there be trouble loading a big horse on the other side. Pipe down; a little wait can’t kill ya.”
Traven moved so that he rested against the wooden railing around the front of the ferry and looked across at the other side of the flat river. The other ferry was too far away to see clearly. He smirked. If he had Barn with him, it would be him and his horse holding up progress. Barn hated ferries and water more than anything else.
He took another bite of the leather. His mama had been so happy to see him. Traven smiled at the memory. He had found out about a message being sent by courier to the Keep next to his father’s. Traven was being transferred from GatesPass to LongGray. As a captain of the Kingdom Guard, he had been promoted to lead a gallan of soldiers in the center of Gavport Province. He took another bite, remembering bribing the courtier to let him take his place. He had called in several favors and promised several more to be allowed time off to deliver the message and spend time with his family.
Images of his welcome eased some of the tiredness from his bones. His family had arrived in mass. He had so many new nieces, and nephews, and little cousins that he had never met. He couldn’t keep their names straight, or remember which child belonged to which sibling. He sighed. It had been a bittersweet visit. They were his family, but he could never belong to that life. He was a second son, pledged to the service of the crown and the kingdom. He could never return h
ome to the life his brothers lived. He had been born of responsibility, not privilege. It had broken his heart to ride away two days ago, exactly as it had when he was fifteen and had been required by law to appear for his duty to the crown.
Traven looked back over the last fifteen years, since he had reported for duty. His rank, as a son of nobility, had afforded him some favor, but his position had been earned on his own merits.
Traven turned his shoulders under the heavy chainmail as the ferry finally began its slow trudge across the channel. The heavy chains in the water creaked and groaned as the flat boat pulled away from the shore. Traven had always been fascinated by the mechanics of the ferry. Two flat boats looped together on a giant pulley system. Traven watched as the boat he was on moved away from one side and moved toward the ferry approaching from the other. Traven’s eyes followed the long chain for as far as he could see. He knew it pulled out of the river on the opposite bank and looped around an enormous turnhouse powered by teams of large draft horses, before re-entering the river to attach to the ferry coming towards him. The mechanism repeated itself on the shore he had just left. To reverse the ferries, the horses pulled in the opposite direction. Traven watched their slow progress.
If he hadn’t been a second son, he might have taken up ferrying. Traven laughed at his silly, tired musing. He was a second son, and had made the best of the situation. Oh, he loved being a Kingdom’s guardsman, all right; he just wished he had some say in his life. As a second son, he was his family’s tribute to the crown; his service was expected and, therefore, unappreciated. He was just a tiny peg in a giant political wheel. That was why it had been so hard to leave his family again. They loved him and missed him. He doubted that anyone would miss him at his last post. Oh, he had friends, but there had been no one special, no one who would mourn his absence.
