Beloved (18 page)

Octavion took a step back, but Altaria moved closer, a little confused by the innkeeper’s words. She’d heard rumors when she was young about a group of Darkords that moved about to avoid being imprisoned for everything from stealing to kidnapping and murder. If that’s where Zerek and Nigel called home, it explained a lot about how they joined up with Shandira and took part in Kira’s torture.

“Lairdor?” she asked. “Are you sure that’s where Nigel took her?”

“Yes. He has family there.”

Octavion swore. “Luka, did you know about this?”

Luka nodded. “I suspected, but was not sure. But, Lairdor is not what you think. The people there are outcasts, not criminals. They have no place else to go.”

“Do you know where it is?” Altaria asked, trying to avoid drawing blood while scratching her wrist. It suddenly burned like fire. “And why did you not say so before?”

Luka huffed. “Because I came here several times before we decided to venture out on horseback and found nothing. If you remember correctly, I suggested we stay in this area, that we would eventually find something, but you insisted on riding all over the place and . . .” He threw his hands up in the air and huffed out the air in his lungs. “We know now, that is all that counts.”

“He is right,” Cade said. “We are wasting time arguing about this. We need to start on the outskirts of the village and see if we can find any sign.”

“It has rained since they were here,” the innkeeper added.

Altaria looked down at the scratch marks that left welts almost as swollen as the one on her wrist. “I have an idea. What if I go in various directions and see which one creates the biggest reaction on my wrist. It might give us a starting point.”

“That is a good idea,” Luka said.

“I saw them.” Thea said.

Altaria knelt in front of her again. “You saw Nigel and Kira?”

“Yes.”

“You saw which way they went?”

Thea nodded. “I followed them.”

“Thea!” her father chastised. “We have said enough.”

“It is all right, Papa.” She turned to face Octavion. “We heard you were offering a reward. Is that true?”

Smart girl
. It was obvious by the condition of their establishment that they were poor. The girl had guts. “He is.” Altaria stood and nudged her brother’s arm. “Pay her.”

He retrieved his money pouch and opened it, picking out a few coins. He held them out for Thea to take.

Altaria propped her fists on her hips, more than disgusted with his meager offer. “Is that all Kira is worth to you?”

Octavion shot her a glare, then spilled the coins back into the pouch and handed the whole thing to Thea. “I can send more if that is not enough.”

Thea smiled. “This will be plenty. Thank you, Sire.” She tucked it into the pocket on the front of her apron.

The room fell silent while everyone, including the little girl’s father, waited for her to speak again. She moved to a small bench a few feet away and ran her hands down the fabric of her dress to straighten the wrinkles before sitting. “I followed them to the edge of town where a large white horse waited. I thought they would mount him and ride off, but instead they walked around and called out as if someone was missing. No one ever joined them, so I do not know who they were looking for, but then they rode off toward the B’Kari Mountains.”

Altaria’s heart sank. “Are you sure? There’s nothing there but black pines. Even the animals stay clear of that place.”

Luka grunted. “And Jraks. I hate those things.”

“That is what I saw,” Thea continued. “I watched until I could no longer see them, thinking I might get a glimpse of what they were searching for. They did not change their course.”

Octavion turned his back to them and walked over to the open door. He leaned against the door frame. “She is as good as dead out there. No one can survive those mountains.”

Altaria motioned for Cade and Luka to leave the room so she could have one more word with the innkeeper. They took Octavion with them, their words of encouragement fading into the sounds of the busy street outside the tavern. She moved closer to the burly man and touched his shoulder.

“Can I ask a favor?”

A curious look crossed his face. “I suppose.”

“I get the feeling you know more than you are saying. I won’t ask you to tell me what you’re holding back, but if something happens and we don’t find her, will you send word to Kira through Nigel?”

“And the message?”

“Tell her . . .” She had to swallow the lump in her throat to continue. “Tell her we are looking for her, that we will not give up—ever. Ask her to lower her resistance and let me in. I miss her terribly.”

“I cannot promise, but if I hear from them, I will deliver the message.”

“Thank you.” She glanced over at Thea, still sitting on the bench. “That goes for both of you.”

Altaria joined the others and within seconds they stood on the edge of the B’Kari Mountains, a long strait line of black pines marking the eastern border of Panthera, the land owned by King Ramla. Entrance was forbidden, but there was no need for a patrol to guard the perimeter. Anyone who entered died of his or her own stupidity. For one thing, the plant life—while beautiful and alluring—was mostly poisonous. And then there were the Jraks—ferocious mutts with rows of razor-sharp teeth that could shred a man down to the bone in seconds. There was no mercy in the B’Kari Mountains—no second chances.

“What are we waiting for?” Altaria asked. “Let’s go.” She brushed passed Luka only to have Octavion pull her back.

“You stay here with Cade.”

“No way!” Altaria barked.

“You need me to track,” Cade protested. “I am not staying behind. Not this time.”

Luka chuckled, earning him a glare from all three of them. “I do not know why you do that, Octavion. It only makes her more determined to go against you. Besides, you and I both know if you tell her to stay behind, she will shift into some creature and go out on her own. Would it not be better if she were close so you could keep an eye on her?”

Altaria punched him in the shoulder. “Stop talking about me like I am not here.” Then she punched Octavion, only a little harder and in the gut. “And stop treating me like a child.”

Luka was right about one thing, though. Now she was mad and didn’t care what they thought of her. She focused on a position just inside the trees to put some distance between them, then traveled there using her mind.

Octavion swore. “Get back here. We need to go over the dangers in there.”

She waved her hand over her shoulder as she turned to walk away. “You can teach me as we go. Now hurry up.”

Octavion appeared in front of her. He pointed a finger at her face. “Promise you will follow my lead and not touch anything unless I say it is safe.”

“Fine, now can we go?”

He growled. “I should have left you home.”

“Whatever.” That last little burst of attitude came straight from Lydia. She was just as annoyed as Altaria. Nothing would stand in their way of finding Kira. Not even their brother.

For the past two days Kira had been trained and tested until she had nearly perfected every skill she’d been taught. At first light, Blayde and Nigel engaged her as if her life depended on beating them. Because she couldn’t heal Nigel, or any Darkord, she found herself avoiding him at all costs, but with Blayde she didn’t hold back. On the rare occasion she’d managed to get in a good blow, he’d taken it well and allowed her to mend the wound before continuing their little battle.

When the sun reached its zenith, they would break for lunch and Blayde would either go on sentry duty or leave to gather food. Since Nigel’s leg had healed nicely, he would continue her training. He took a more survival skill approach, teaching her how to take to the trees and use them to her advantage. She was given her own whip, which, much to her surprise, she was pretty good with—both to maneuver through the limbs and as a weapon.

This morning, however, was different. The moons would be new tomorrow night and some of the Royals had already started craving. Of those, three had left and by nightfall they’d all be gone and the commoners would be on their own to protect themselves from wild Royals on the hunt and the Jraks.

Kira unloaded the last bundle of food and divided it into the baskets. “Do you think this will be enough to last us three days?”

Lessa, the woman who’d taught Kira how to mend her clothes and who she’d grown the closest to, handed Kira the last of the bread. “If we are careful, it should be. We do not have the Royals to feed and we will keep to the trees most of the time for safety and to preserve our energy. We will be fine.”

Kira thought back to the night she spent in Ussay’s cottage, realizing how long it had been. Much longer than a moon phase on earth. “I have to admit, I’m a little nervous. The one time I experienced a new moon phase, it didn’t go very well. I cut my foot and made stupid choices that put me and a friend in danger.”

“Perhaps we should take away your knife.” Her smile lit up her piercing blue eyes.

Kira laughed. “That might not be a bad idea, actually. Believe it or not, I used to be very clumsy.”

Lessa patted Kira’s hand. “Not to worry, dear. We are here for you if something goes wrong.”

Kira couldn’t resist the temptation to give her new friend a hug. She had more love for Lessa than she’d ever had for her mother. And in spite of the lack of conveniences and food, she’d grown to love Lairdor. She didn’t even mind sleeping in the trees anymore and actually liked the way the pod cradled her and rocked her to sleep with the slightest breeze.

Kira felt Blayde’s spirit surround her a split second before he appeared in the clearing. He’d made yet another trip to gather food—third one that morning. He handed over the heavy bundle.

“That should give you enough until we can return.” He looked over the days haul with approval. “We did well today.”

“Yes, you did,” Lessa said.

“Thank you,” Kira added. “When will you and Nigel leave?”

“Nigel and Brenna have already left. Nigel wanted to help Jaya hunt. His cravings have lessened as he has lost his gifts, but he can still transform and help her control her wild side. She may need to be away a day or two longer than the rest.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” She remembered Octavion explaining about coming of age and how hard it was for him. Of course she would be wild, this was all new to her and she hadn’t learned to control her cravings yet. “And you?”

“I wanted to talk to you about that.” He motioned for her to follow him. “Will you excuse us for a moment, Lessa?”

She waved her hand in the air. “Of course. I am done here. When you are finished, perhaps you can call the others so they can collect their portions.”

“I would be happy to,” Blayde said.

Kira followed him to the other side of the clearing and through the trees to the nearby creek. He motioned for her to sit on a fallen log while he propped his foot up on a rock and leaned his elbow on his knee.

“I do not want the others to know because they will worry, but I am staying here tonight.”

Kira jumped to her feet. “What? You can’t do that, it’s too dangerous.”

“Calm down. I have always had more resistance than other Royals and I have already hunted. If there is a problem, I will leave, but I do not want to leave you alone.”

“I won’t be alone, there are others staying here. We’ll be fine.”

He lowered his foot and began pacing. “I promised Nigel I would stay close.”

So that was it. “That’s crazy. We both know he’s over-protective and you being here puts us in more danger than leaving us alone.”

“It is settled.” He stopped pacing and moved close enough she had to lean her head back to see his face. “There is nothing you can do. I will stay as far away as I can, near the ring of traps that encompass the area, but close enough I can hear you call if I am needed.”

Kira folded her arms and shifted her weight to one foot. “Well that’s just great. You give me all this training and experience, boost my confidence by making me believe I can protect myself without you or Nigel or anyone else here to help me, then burst my bubble by telling me I need a babysitter.”