Hunted: The Warrior Chronicles #2 (7 page)

Without warning, rage welled up within Cayan. Power boiled and bubbled before blasting the room. He wrestled with his control, quelling his
Gift
, but not before Sanders’ back straightened and his expression went blank, a sure sign that the commander was in pain.

Forcing his
Gift
down, Cayan took a deep breath and entwined his fingers, hiding his shaking hands. “I’m going to be frank.” He kept his voice level and tone somber, trying to hide the conflict within. “I’m sending you to the Duke with gifts—I have every belief he wants to be included in our new alliance, but he wanted us to beg. So I begged, promising him gifts.” Sanders nodded without comment. “And once we have him secured, I’ll be leading an expedition to go after Shanti. I will want you with me.”

A hard, brown gaze hit Cayan. Incredulity fought with rage in Sanders’ expression. “She takes off, leaves us in the lurch, and now you want to go after her like she’s some runaway child? Excuse the blunt speech, sir, but that is madness. We have no idea where she went, what she’s up to, nor what her grand plans are—she’s a ghost. And you want to leave this city without its Captain to go traipsing after her?”

“You’ve heard of the emergence of the Chosen on your trade routes.” Cayan waited for the nod. He ignored the corresponding clenched jaw. “And you know that they weren’t talking about Shanti.”

“Some Inkna was named Chosen. She lied about her title.”

Cayan’s fingers turned white with tension as he clamped down on that raging inferno within.

Willing calm, Cayan maintained a steady voice by sheer will. “Her people thought she was the Chosen. She was on the way to merge with her distant kin to continue the war effort. Being called Chosen was a burden to her. Nothing but a weight to hold her down. The actions she took to fulfill that duty were… unspeakable. Yet, she thought she had no choice. No, she didn’t lie. And I’ll bet she wasn’t thinking when she left. The title of Chosen was leading her around by the nose. I should’ve realized it then and used a different approach in speaking with her. But what’s done is done.”

Sanders’ lips thinned. He obviously didn’t agree, but he didn’t have half the facts. Nor had he heard a quarter of the rumors.

“She has a full dose of power. As do I. As does the Inkna claiming he’s the Chosen,” Cayan continued. “I don’t know anything about the rightful Chosen, or even how such a person is defined. I also don’t know the myth behind the person called the Wanderer. Both are rumors, as far as I can tell. But I do know that many are stationing themselves throughout the land, trying to intercept this person called the Wanderer. They say she is a woman, and the key to our salvation from the Graygual. Rumors don’t help me, and they aren’t the basis for my decision. Here is what I am sure of…”

Cayan sat forward and pinned Sanders with his stare. “A power that mates with one of its kind multiplies in strength. Two full doses of power, both rare by themselves, mated, becomes an anomaly. Shanti and I, together, create that anomaly. I also know that Xandre, the pinnacle of this land, the one holding all the power, still ardently seeks her. Chosen or no, he wants her badly. Maybe he just wants her power to mate with the Inkna, I don’t know. But she is important, and she and I together, are essential.
That
is what I know. I am sure of it. I need her on my side, Sanders. I need her power to mate with mine. It is the key. Without her power, we might as well just sit with our hands out, waiting to be tied and taken. Without my power, she might as well wait for the same. Together, we have a chance. Perhaps our only chance.”

Sanders shifted. His gaze dropped to the floor, his brow knotted in consternation. Cayan could feel the uncertainty radiating from the battle-hardened commander. “And how do you plan to find her? She’s long gone by now,” Sanders asked in a gruff tone.

“She’s headed to the same place as the other Chosen—the Shadow Lands.”

Sanders’ head snapped up. Wariness crouched in his expression. “The
Shadow Lands?
Sir, forgive me, but knocking on the door of a bunch of devil-worshipping, black-magic users is a little extreme, even for that woman. I know you were told the same things I was as a kid—eat your vegetables or I’ll whisper your name to the Shadow people. Don’t bite your brother, Sanders, or I’ll ship you off to the Land of the Mist where they’ll cook you up and eat you…”

Cayan let a smirk quirk his lips. “Afraid of children’s tales at your age, Sanders?”

“Half of that is hearsay, sure, but legends often come from truth. There’s not one person who doesn’t fear what they call the Shadow People. Why else would they be banished from the mainland to a small island only reached through a treacherous journey across the sea? Location doesn’t lie, sir.”

“People fear what they do not understand. My power could be called dark magic. Shanti is as violent and destructive as they come. As are you, I might add, and you still bite. Banished might really just mean relocated to a more fertile land. That’s how this city started in the early days. But yes, that’s where she was headed. That’s where this Inkna is headed.
That
is why there has been a pause in the raids and attacks—I won’t say stopped. The Graygual focus is now away east. In their effort to secure these Shadow People, they are unwittingly giving the rest of us time to get organized.”

“Xandre seems smarter than that, if what you say is true. Why would he allow us to organize?”

Cayan stood. “He’s one man with a lot of pursuits, and we are small cities, however prosperous. He thinks we’ll be here when he’s ready. And he’s right. A few of us combined still don’t equal his might, especially with the number of Inkna and power he has. We need Shanti to get those Shadow People, and we need her to unite with us. I’ve thought long on this—her help is the only way. Krekonna thinks the same thing. He urged me to go after her. He was thinking of sending a battle commander of his who spent some time with her—”

Without warning, a blast of power surged, consuming Cayan, locking his jaw. It boiled his blood, blasted through his control, and gushed into the room. He staggered against the desk, fighting with everything he had. With the effort equal to wrestling a wild boar to the ground, he sucked it back in and shoved it deep, down within himself. Still, his mind swam and dizziness clouded his vision.

When the haze cleared, Sanders was leaning against the wall with a pained expression. “Sore subject, ay sir?” Sanders wheezed. “Don’t like mentioning that pain in the ass in the same sentence as other men, looks like. That makes you crazy, you realize that?” Sanders rolled his shoulders and shook out his arms as the power subsided. “Thank Satan’s butt those Inkna didn’t have your power in that torture chamber, or I might’ve broken.”

Cayan leaned over the desk as he huffed out a laugh. “No, you would’ve died quicker, and then you wouldn’t have to live with being saved by a girl.”

Sanders huffed. “True.”

Cayan rolled his head to loosen the sudden tightness in his neck. “She has a way of getting under a man’s skin.”

Sanders stiffly pushed away from the wall. “Yeah. Well. I plan to get her alone and beat some sense into her. Don’t think I’ll take it easy on her just because you want to see what’s under her skirt.”

“She’s going to beat
you
senseless, Commander. Which you know. Still wanting that fight makes
you
crazy, do you realize that?”

“Nah. I’m used to fighting battles I can’t win. Hell, I don’t think I’ve won an argument since I got married. I’ll just need to get another dame to save me from her.”

Cayan smiled and took a deep breath. “Anyway, I need you gone within two days.” Cayan shrugged into his jacket. “I have men waiting for you, and a wagon of goods to take to the Duke. Once you have his support, you’ll come back, get a day or two rest, and then we leave again.”

“Junice won’t be pleased,” Sanders mumbled.

“She knows what she married. She’ll probably be happy to see the back of you by now.”

Sanders snorted. “Got that right. She’s stopped asking what I want for dinner. She just makes what she wants and allows me to eat it.”

“Honeymoon is over.”

“Long over.” Sanders followed Cayan toward the door. “One thing—who’s going to guard the city when half the army is gone?”

Cayan raised his eyebrows a fraction.

Sanders nodded and rocked back on his heels. “The Duke’s men, right. The only leader with men to spare. He doesn’t think he needs them—and he might not for a while. He’s too far south at the moment, with no foreign woman to call attention to him. So you’re going to pay him for some manpower, then?”

“You’re not as dumb as the men say you are.” Cayan laughed as he swung open the door and waited for Sanders to stalk through. The man looked like he was in a hurry even when he had nowhere to be. “I’ve organized for the most disciplined of men to go with you—this journey is about speed. When you get back, we’ll get the Duke’s men in place, and then we leave. If we’re not in this battle, then we’ll be ground under by it. I will not let that happen to my people.”

They walked through the town without speaking. Townspeople smiled at Cayan as he passed. Many greeted them and more than a few young and available women batted their eyelashes and stuck out their chests. He let himself look, but that’s as far as the desire went. He could have them for a night, or maybe a few, but his attention would inevitably wander, as it always did.

“How do you plan to make her join our cause?” Sanders said, breaking the silence as they neared the practice yard. If he wondered why Cayan was escorting him there, he didn’t ask.

“Dangle her Honor Guard in front of her. Her interest in them was genuine. Through them, she had a way of fitting in to this city. She has pride in them. I plan to leverage that.”

Sanders looked at him sideways. His lips tweaked upwards at the corner. “I wondered why you left them with the cadets, especially Xavier. They’re bored, they’re flagging, but you’re two steps ahead. How long have you been planning this?”

“Her leaving was never an option. I’d hoped she’d return on her own. She hasn’t. I don’t like not getting my way.”

Sanders barked out a laugh. A group of scarred warriors on the edge of the yard turned to look. When they saw Cayan and Sanders, the humor from their expression drained away. Their group broke up almost immediately. Some walked toward the sword fighting area, while others headed towards the town.

“You’re a buzz kill,” Sanders said as they stopped within the practice yard.

“You’re the one they’re terrified of.” Cayan didn’t let the smile touch his lips. “There’s a rumor you bit someone’s nose off.”

“I’m not the only one they’re terrified of. You blast the whole city with that curse of yours. They don’t know what it is, but it hurts, and they know it comes from you.”

“I’m going to be the first one carted away if the Graygual come calling.”

“No. You’ll be the reason they come in the first place.”

Cayan felt all elation drip away at the gravity of that statement. He was the best hope his people had of staying in one piece, but he was also their biggest danger.

His mind invariably went to Shanti as he nodded at Sanders and made his way to the large park within the city limits. She’d always been balancing on that sword’s blade—her people’s best hope, but their inevitable downfall. She’d carried that unimaginable burden since she was five years old. Shouldered it like a weight, knowing her duty would lead to the deaths of everyone she loved, and everything she knew.

Not only that, but Cayan was positive she’d saved some from the last battle. She’d been forced to choose who would live—who would be the biggest help in her continued war effort—and who would die. She sent her own people to get cut down, watched it happen, before being forced to flee… alone.

How could she stand it? How had the guilt, and remorse, not eaten her alive?

How would he be able to stand it, if he ended up having to do the same thing?

Cayan took a deep breath as he wandered into the trees, letting the healing touch of nature rejuvenate his
Gift
. It soaked into his body and smoothed out the ache and fatigue of training and stress. He sank down next to a large tree, closed his eyes, and let his
Gift
unfurl, trying to keep up the practice until he met her again.

T
he fire crackled
within the clearing. Sparks danced and swirled into the air, barely dodging branches reaching overhead. A brook, weaving in and out of rocks, gurgled as it wound down the gentle slope.

She and Rohnan sat beside the fire, watching the dancing flames as they curled around dried timber. The light flashed across Rohnan’s handsome face, highlighting the straight lines and perfect features. The sun and wind had put an unnatural reddish hue on his cheeks, and made his once-porcelain skin just a little ruddy, but despite the year of travel his health shone through. His long, blond hair was glossy and light. His muscle made him lithe and agile, his movements refining his overall appearance.

“You’re prettier than me,” Shanti said with a smile, hating to look away from him in case she woke up to realize this had all been a dream, that meeting him again wasn’t real. If she did wake up, and find him gone, plunging her back into the bleak loneliness she’d been living, she had no idea how she’d cope.

“Always was.” Rohnan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She could feel his soft humor.

“Yes, true. But this last year has been harder on my appearance. You still look…fresh. How is that possible?”

Rohnan shrugged. A smile worked at his lips. “Women in some of these foreign lands try to sell their chastity as a virtue. But what they’re really after is secrecy. They have the same urges as our people, they just live a double-standard where they’re not supposed to indulge sexually like the men. When I realized that, and made it clear I didn’t believe in that double-standard, I had no problem finding beds whenever I chose. And I chose often. Loneliness has never suited me like it does you.”

“It doesn’t suit me, Rohnan. It plagues me,” Shanti said quietly, looking back at the fire.

Rohnan’s smile fell. She felt the comforting pressure of his hand on her forearm. “I am sorry about Romie. I didn’t know he had put himself up for Sacrifice, but he was a good man. One of the best. There were better people to watch over the children—he wanted to help in any way he could. He gave his life for our future.”

Shanti took a shuddering breath. The memory of those earth-brown eyes rimmed with blood flashed through her mind. She wiped a tear from her cheek. “He could’ve told me.”

“You wouldn’t have acted sensibly—he probably knew that. You didn’t understand each other. You didn’t have anything in common.”

“I loved him.”

“Forgive me.” Rohnan ran his fingers through her hair. “You had love in common. A deep, soul-clutching, first love. But aside from that, you didn’t line up in any other way. You wouldn’t have understood his choice because you didn’t understand his calling, and he didn’t understand yours. You wanted to fight as often as you made love. He was too sweet for you—he just wanted to hug you and make you happy. He never understood your temperament.”

“You make me sound like a villain.” Shanti slapped his hand away.

Rohnan waited a moment, and then resumed his gentle stroking. “You’re a warrior. You need to fight, to dominate, and to be dominated. Your life is a permanent struggle, and you need that in your intimacy or you can’t completely respect your partner. How often did you beat on me when we were kids?”

“You deserved it.”

Laughter rumbled in Rohnan’s chest. “Very rarely. The difference between Romie and me was that I understood the warrior mentality since I was training in it. It wasn’t my calling, either, but it became my duty. Then you gave me the rare privilege of being your Chance. That distinction built up my ego, something I have always needed help with. You made me tough, and your guidance made me better.”

“If only it improved your jokes…”

Rohnan chuckled quietly and looked back at the flame. The crackling of the fire permeated the otherwise peaceful night. After a few moments, Rohnan said, “Cayan.”

That was it. He just said the name. Even so, Shanti went on the defense immediately, and she had no idea why. Rohnan could probably figure it out with his horribly potent
Gift
, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

Feeling her reaction, Rohnan smiled. He poked at the fire. The flame rose and whirled into the air, sending sparks up toward the reaching branches overhead. “Your power found a mate. We didn’t think one would exist for you.”

Shanti shifted her gaze from the orange flame to focus on Rohnan’s face, mostly blank but for the knowing smile.

“How long have you known my power could have a mate?” she asked.

“Since before you started east.”

“And you didn’t mention it…”

Rohnan sighed. “I overheard your grandfather talking. He asked that I keep it to myself. Obviously I wouldn’t have. My duty as Chance is to tell you everything, but when I found you, you were sitting with Romie under your favorite tree. Even if I couldn’t feel your love for him, I could see it in your eyes. Our future was uncertain, your desire to mate him was more than false hope, and we didn’t think you could ever have a power-mate, anyway. I couldn’t fathom the point in depressing you further. So I didn’t mention it.”

Shanti dug at the ground with a twig, hating and loving that memory of Romie at the same time. Bittersweet. “I can’t fault you. From what we knew at the time, the information wouldn’t have mattered. But it might have helped avoid some awkward situations on my journey…”

“We will witness fireworks. Bright, powerful fireworks that will change the world,” the older man, who’d revealed his name was Burson, said in a soft voice. He barely moved within his place in the shadows from where he had been staring at the stars and muttering to himself.

Shanti rolled her eyes. “What did I tell you about talking crazy in this language, Burson? Forbidden, remember?”

“It is a wonderful journey on which I find myself. Full of surprise and humor. I did not expect that. But then, we were only given milestones—we were not given personalities.”

“I think it’s about time you told us more about this Wanderer. And about your
Gift
. Are there others like you?” Shanti asked.

Burson rose and slowly moved closer to the fire. He sat opposite Shanti and stared at the flames. “I do not like to repeat myself. There are many journeys we will take. I’ll tell you more about myself and my mission when the two halves…” Burson paused and switched languages. He glanced back up at the sky with a smile.
“When the two halves finally unite and blast power into the sky.”

“The two halves?” Rohnan asked.

“The creator needed two hands to mold the world—one for stability, one for flair, and both, together, to hold it tight to his breast and keep it safe.”

Shanti glanced up at the sky. A blanket of twinkling stars were stitched into the velvety black. “I think we should at least hear why humor makes you look upwards like a madman, Burson. Are you hearing voices?”

Rohnan huffed out a laugh as he followed her gaze. “Chosen, you went from traveling alone—or should I say running away alone…?”

“I’m almost over that villainous comment, Rohnan, and not far from beating you senseless.”

Rohnan’s laughter echoed through the trees. “Traveling alone, then. You went from traveling alone to traveling with family and a mysterious madman. It could be worse.”

Shanti sighed and stretched out beside the warmth of the fire. She braced her head on her hand, still staring at the flame. “It could be, I suppose. I don’t know how, but it could be.”

After a beat in which smiles around the fire flickered like the flames, Shanti said, “When did you hear about the other Chosen, Rohnan?”

She barely saw his shrug as the shadows played across his expanse of shoulder. “Along the way. A woman said something of it while we lay in bed. She liked to gossip—she was a barmaid. I found all I needed from her, but still sampled the rumors in other taverns just to be sure.”

“What did you think?”

Rohnan hunched forward. “Until then, I wasn’t sure you were still alive. I feared the worst. When I first heard about the new Chosen, I was happy and terrified at the same time. I thought it was you. That you were alive. Scared, of course, because the Chosen was rumored to be part of an organized army. You didn’t have that, so I thought you had been taken. Then it turned out to be an Inkna. As I happened in taverns for more information, I heard about the violet-eyed girl. Sightings. They said you helped a great Captain take down a city of Inkna…”

“Yes.”

Rohnan studied the flames. “I am eager to meet this great Captain of men. He is rumored to be eight feet tall and as big as a forest.”

“As big as a forest?” Shanti laughed. “My goodness, that is certainly large. Even being as big as a tree would be a feat.”

The smile didn’t reach Rohnan’s eyes. “You were right when you said this has become bigger than us, Chosen. All of this. I hunted down Burson because I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know how to find you and no idea how to combat this upstart-Chosen. They wanted Burson, so I figured I should get him. We couldn’t have possibly prepared for all of this.”

“No, we couldn’t have,” Shanti said quietly. “Which is why we are going to get help.”

“But you are still the Chosen. That much I am sure.” Rohnan’s lips thinned—him at his most stubborn. “The Chosen must reunite her distant kin. That was clear. The Shadow People are our distant kin. The Inkna are not.”

Shanti was about to retort when something tickled the very ends of her awareness. The wide-reaching net of her
Gift
picked up a mind she recognized.

She sat up in a rush. “He’s coming. Death’s playground,” she cursed, “He’s on our trail! Coming slowly, but he’s got our trail.”

“The Hunter?” Rohnan asked, standing. “You’re sure it’s not just another band of thieves?”

Shanti gave Rohnan a level stare as she felt the intruder’s mind. Two
Gifted
crouched around him, watchful. They waited for an attack. Other, less intelligent but no less dangerous men traveled with him. Eight of them in all.

“The distance is too great to attack with the
Gifted
blocking his mind. I’d just alert them that they are gaining.” Shanti swore and kicked dirt onto the fire to smother the flame. “Burson, can you deaden their
Gifts
?”

“Not at this distance. I don’t have anywhere near your range. But neither do they, so they have no reason to push any faster. Although, they are already moving faster than we are.” He helped Shanti put out the flame as Rohnan packed up their sleeping sacks. Cunning intelligence burned in Burson’s gaze, a look Shanti realized was locked with survival and his insistence on being her guide. “That particular officer is extremely ruthless. He will drive those with him to death without compunction. You may be determined, but he is obsessed. We need to get off this trail and cover our tracks.”

“He wants into Xandre’s inner circle, and he is on the trail of the violet-eyed girl and a man who can prevent the use of the
Gift
—two finds of the greatest importance to Xandre. I don’t think
obsessed
really covers it,” Rohnan said as he jogged to the horses. “We can move faster on this trail if we leave the animals behind…”

“No!” Burson finished with the fire and walked toward his horse. “These horses play a part. We must keep them.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Shanti said as she lowered her head and approached her horse. It jerked its snout up, something Shanti now recognized as annoyance. “My bloody bastard of an animal is temperamental, but I would hate to leave him behind when I am winning this battle of wills.”

“You are well-matched with your animal,” Burson said in complete seriousness.

Rohnan guffawed despite the danger.

They hurried to get everything packed and headed out, traveling as fast as they dared on the rough path in the darkness. A horse breaking his fetlock now, or worse, a human, would mean definite capture. They couldn’t risk it.

T
wo days passed
in a desperate plight, pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion. No matter how fast they went, or how reckless in their escape, the Hunter still gained on them. Slowly, methodically, that mind worked his way closer, ever persistent on their capture. Two of his men had dropped, near-death, and had been left behind.

“I don’t understand how he can do it,” Shanti huffed as she made her way groggily. “No human can keep this pace.”

Her foot slipped off the side of a rock and sent her balance way to one side. She clutched her horse’s reins to keep herself from stumbling into the small stream. A toe left a deep imprint in the mud on the bank. Mouth dry, legs aching, she forced herself forward, sparing only a tiny glance back to make sure Rohnan was still following. He looked just as haggard as she felt, and she had every belief Burson was just as weary.

“He wants rewards more than life, it seems,” Rohnan said in something close to a groan. He stumbled, falling against his horse.

“He is without horses,” Burson called, his voice tight with strain. “He can move faster, but when we reach the larger road, he will have no chance. He is short-sighted.”

“I didn’t think Superior Officers were short-sighted.” Shanti closed her eyes for a moment, stumbling blindly.