Ashes And Spirit (Book 3) (62 page)

“Kellinar, will you let Kalila know?”

“I can. Anything in particular you want passed along?” Kellinar lifted an eyebrow.

“Tell her…just…let her know.”

“I return to Markene tomorrow morning. I will tell her then.”

The young man nodded and closed his eye. “Thank you.”

Kirynn loosened the safety straps as Syrakynn landed in the caldera. The late afternoon sunlight spilled over the Dragon Hold turning everything a golden-orange hue. A breeze carrying a hint of winter blew in off the bay. Once freed from the saddle, Syrakynn turned and lumbered down the length of the caldera to the lake.

After storing the saddle in the equipment cave, Kirynn made her way to Vaddoc’s lair. The walk seemed to take an unusually long time. It wasn’t rational to feel guilt over what happened. She had no way of knowing that foul shadow would move and the arrow would hit Vaddoc instead of killing Sadira. Stopping the fire weave as quickly as she did kept him from becoming a charred corpse. That should be good enough.

Except it wasn’t because it never was for her. The only result of her being “good enough” was that Vaddoc might one day walk again instead of Sadira being killed.

The heavy rumble of Namir’s slumbered breathing drifted through the room when she entered. Vaddoc opened his eyes at her approach. “Come to finish me off?”

“I should for that comment.” She dropped into one of the chairs and glared at him.

He chuckled. “Good to know you are not dwelling on what happened.”

“Flame off.” She crossed her arms.

“Is that anyway to speak to an injured man?” His amber eyes held nothing but mirth, which irritated her more.

Burn it all, if she couldn’t accept “good enough” for herself, why should
he
accept it in her? “You’re supposed to be angry.”

Vaddoc raised an eyebrow. “Why would I be? I am not some recruit fresh out of my first battle. It happens. It happened to me once in Shadereen before I heard the call. You took out three shadows before you skewered me. I am not angry. At this point, I am thankful Namir and I lived. Thankful I have the use of my arms and may one day reclaim use of my legs.” He smiled. “However, if it makes you feel any better, I plan to bring it up every chance I get. Two hundred years from now I will be telling Hatchlings to watch out for you lest you shoot an arrow through them.”

Kirynn couldn’t help laughing. “I can accept that.” She sobered. “Are you fully healed now?”

“As much as the four strongest healers can do. If all goes well, after a few months, my nerves will be healed enough and I should have use of my legs again.” He sighed and stared at his legs under the blanket though he seemed fairly adjusted to the idea of not walking for a while.

She studied his face. Injuries such as his could be mentally crippling. “You’re handling this well.”

“I would find it more difficult to contemplate if there were no hope of ever walking again.” He shrugged and looked at her. “How can I complain? What is a few months in a lifetime that will span centuries? And after what happened to Brock and Olen, how can I be anything but grateful that Namir and I live?” His warm smile reached his amber eyes. “I will be thankful and patient and one day walk again. Even then it will take a while before I have full strength in my legs. I anticipate a long recovery.”

“I shall be happy to thump you around the practice field to assist you in gaining that strength back,” she offered and flashed him a wide smile. “It shouldn’t take long with the way you’ll be running from me and all.”

“Running from you? Never!” He let out a full laugh, which ended in a yawn.

Kirynn stood. “I’ll leave you to sleep. I need to spend a little time with Lenya anyway.”

Vaddoc nodded. “Thank you for coming. I needed the laugh and needed to know you were all right. Sometimes, even the best of soldiers react strongly to a misplaced arrow or sword thrust.”

“It irritates me that the arrow didn’t land precisely where I wanted. And it worried me that you would be one of those soldiers that reacted strongly to being on the receiving end of a misplaced arrow.” She swept her braid back and crossed the room, pausing at the door to look at him. “Sleep well, Vaddoc.”

“May the Fates favor your next battle, Kirynn.”

A
zurynn strode through the night-shrouded street with quick, purposeful steps. Where was that back alley dog? She stormed up to the lavish house Sadira had claimed in Shadereen and shoved through the door without knocking. The room was empty except for one of the servants. Azurynn’s senses flared out. Sadira wasn’t here. She pinned the servant with at icy stare and growled, “Where is she? Where is Sadira?”

“A…Azurynn,” he said and bowed low. “Sadira is not here, though I am sure she will not be long. I can fetch a drink for you if you wish to wai—”

Azurynn slammed the man against the wall and held him by the throat. “Where did she go? She has a crime against me to answer for.”

“I do not know!” the man gasped, his eyes wide with terror.

“You know something. Tell me!”

“I—”

Azurynn plunged a weave into his head. Everything he had ever thought or overheard flowed into her as it ripped through his mind. She dropped him with a hiss. As he crumpled into a drooling heap, she turned and ran from the house.

That retched cow was in Boromar. Sadira’s spies, those Fates be damned spies. Murynn was waiting for her and took off almost before Azurynn was in the saddle. It didn’t matter; she didn’t have time to worry about safety straps. Sadira didn’t have that much of a lead on her.

Anger raged through her blood as the Jump spun open. Hanover appeared below them. Another Jump and they were on the other side of the Galdar River. Unable to Jump again, Murynn flew high against the dark sky in order to avoid any chance encounters with Guardians. Azurynn pulled the thinner air into her lungs as the black streaked toward Boromar. It was taking too long. It felt like an eternity before Murynn started descending. The wind whistled past Azurynn’s numbed face as the dragon plummeted like a diving hawk. The black pulled up just in time to land.

Ranit already crouched with her wings folded deep under the shadows of the trees. Murynn landed and moved into the inky shadows as well. Azurynn leaped from the saddle and raced toward the closed city gates. The smaller gate next to it was open with two guards lying dead near the wall outside. She didn’t bother to glance as she ran past.

Her memory took her unerringly to the house, through the open door, and up the stairs. Sadira stood with her shadows coiled about her hands as she reached into the crib. Azurynn slammed a weave into her that sent the shadow weaver staggering back.

Sadira gripped her head and glared, hate rolling off her in waves. “What in the void is your problem? This is the child Kovan searches for.”

“You will not touch this child.” Azurynn began building a deadlier weave.

“What do you care? Out of my way, Azurynn, I tire of you.” Sadira took a step forward.

“You should never have come here.” She unleashed the weave, striking the other woman before she could even think of bringing her shadows to bear. While Sadira thrashed on the floor, Azurynn pushed farther into her mind until she felt the barrier. “
I
tire of
you
, Sadira.” She shoved through the barrier, feeling it break under her weave and the rush as Sadira’s soul shredded when it passed through the break and fled.

The slap of bare feet echoed in the hall and moments later both of Marek’s adoptive parents charged through the door only to skid to a halt. Azurynn appraised them then peered into the crib where Marek lay with his little hand curled next to his cubby cheek. He looked well cared for.

She turned her attention back on his parents. “Normally, I would say he should have been in your room in order for you to better protect him during the night, however, if that had been the case then you would both be dead.”

The man pulled his wife close. “I thank you for your concern.”

“Don’t mistake my concern for something more than it is. Your only value to me is that you are caring for Marek.” Azurynn glanced at Sadira’s lifeless body. “I have ended the Shadow Rider’s life that was the largest threat to Marek’s life. His father has no clue of his whereabouts and descends daily into deeper madness.”

“You…” the mother finally found her voice, “you killed a Shadow Rider?”

Azurynn studied the woman. Had she chosen an idiot to be Marek’s mother? “Did I not just state that?”

“But
you’re
a Shadow Rider.” The woman edged toward the crib and quickly scooped up the baby, holding him close as she watched Azurynn with wary eyes.

“No.” Azurynn gazed again at Sadira’s body. “No, I’m not. I don’t know what I am.” She sent a hard look at the man and the woman. “See that he is better protected. You will need to have the body removed. If anyone doubts she was a Shadow Rider, her dead dragon resides under the trees beyond the city wall.”

Without another word, she swept from the room and returned to Murynn. “First we stop in Markene. Then we find someplace else to be besides Shadereen or the Kormai.”

The dragon lifted off as shouts began to rise in the city. The Jump spun open and deposited them well to the east of Markene. Azurynn dropped to the ground when the dragon landed and pulled the hood of her cloak up. “Find someplace safe to wait for me while I embark on my fool’s errand.”

Murynn launched into the air and disappeared into a Jump.

Azurynn settled a weave over herself before she started for Markene. In the pitch black of night, it was easily visible in the distance. Lit by the flames of a thousand campfires scattered on both sides of the river, it looked as if it floated on a cloud of stars.

It took her almost an hour to reach the outer campfires on the east side of the river. To those camped there, she looked like many of the other cloaked figures: a small woman with brown hair and eyes and a youthful innocent face. There were many weaves in the Kor’ti she hadn’t shared with the Shadow Riders. Now she was glad of it.

Though it was late, well past the time many were in bed, she wasn’t alone in crossing the bridge. A thin but steady stream of people moved between the camps on both sides of the river, and more still trailed between the city and the camps. As she passed a group of tents near the city wall, she stooped and picked up a large basket with a few articles of clothing inside and continued on. No one questioned her.