Island Shifters: Book 03 - An Oath of the Children (14 page)

The woman bowed down at the waist and steepled her hands together in front of her.
“Good day, Massan.” As soon as the
words left her mouth,
Kellan froze. That
voice!
That lovely, captivating voice!
Each word a soothing
song that filtered through his mind
and erased
every fear he ever had. The world faded around
him,
and
he
only had eyes for
the woman
standing before him, his deepest
wish that she keep speaking and never stop.

Smiling at his obvious distress,
she continued her
calming
lexis. “I am Samara and this,” she gestured toward the man with her, “is
our Ship
Captain,
Chandal.”

When
Kellan
still did not respond, he felt a hard shove from behind and Kirby Nash shouldered through him.

“Welcome to Massa,
Lady
Samara,
Master
Chandal.
I am Captain Kirby Nash of the Iserlohn Royal Guard.” He put his hand on Kellan’s shoulder. “This
mute
is Prince Kellan
Atlan
and standing next to him
are
Prince Kane
Atlan, Kali Jala Radek of Deepstone and Lady Izabel Falewir of Haventhal.”

Samara and Chandal both bowed at the waist
again.

“If I may be so bold as to inquire as to your purpose here, my lady?” Kirby asked.

She looked into Kirby’s eyes. “Why we were invited by the
esteemed mayor of Northfort, Captain Nash.
Surely,
you wish to welcome us here?”

“Of course, my lady,” Kirby
quickly assured her and bowed over her hand.

“You
do
wish to make
our visit very comfortable, aye?”

“Yes, my lady! But,
I will admit that
the number of ships has us—”

“The number of ships is
of
no concern. We are your friends, Captain Nash.”

“Yes,
the Ellvinians are
our friends,”
Kirby repeated with a brainless grin very out of character for the Royal Saber.
Even stranger was the fact that Kellan knew he wore one to match.

“We would be grateful for rooms after our long journey.”

“Rooms!” Kirby shouted.
“Lars! Lars
Kingsley! We will need rooms for our guests!”

Lady Samara smiled at Kirby. “It would make us feel most welcome if we were to stay at the mayor’s estate
instead of an inn.
Chandal stayed with the mayor during his last visit, and after his glorious recommendation, I absolutely must see it for myself.”

“Lars!”

Kellan came out of his trance enough to hear
Kane
mumble something about
love struck
idiots, but he ignored
him. He did not want to be distracted from hearing Samara’s next words.

Lars Kingsley bustled through to the forefront. “Chandal, welcome back, my friend!”

Chandal greeted the mayor
in the same singsong voice and repeated Lady Samara’s request for rooms
at
his estate. He explained that
the Ellvinian
sailors
would remain on the ships at
sea for their visit, but he would like
rooms for
the dozen or so
in their personal entourage.

“Of course,”
the mayor exclaimed a little too loudly.
“Follow me and
I will show you the way.”

Kellan
watched
the
departing party with a beaming smile, but cursed
when Kane
yanked him around by grabbing a fistful of shirt at his shoulder.
His brother’s
golden eyes
were ablaze.
“What is wrong with you?”

“Stop that,” Kellan roared and shoved him away.
The effort cleared his tangled thoughts and
he
ran a hand down his face. “That was
peculiar.”

“Clearly.”

“Did you hear her voice?” Kellan asked his
twin. “It was
pure
magic.”

“Her voice
was normal to me. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Izzy?
Jala?” Kellan asked.

The small Elf peeked around Kane. “I couldn’t see anything or hear anything!”

“I heard it,”
said
Jala. “You are right, Kellan. It was beautiful.”

“Trust me,” Kane advised through tight lips, “there is something
off
about these people
and
that’s not good since a
whole lot more
of them are
coming this way.”

C
HAPTER
10

T
HE
N
EW
O
RDER

Kenley
plopped
down on a
old
log lying on the side of the trail and took a long drink of water from the skin around her shoulder. Baya appeared a moment later, padding listlessly along the path, her head hanging
low. It broke Kenley’s heart to see her friend in so much pain.

Baya looked
up
and, noticing
Kenley waiting for her, simply laid down with a whimper.

Kenley had
thought to give
Baya time alone to grieve, but she could no longer hold back. She crossed the distance between them and hugged Baya around her neck.

I am sorry, my friend.

It
is all just so senseless. Why did she have to die? Why did all the others have to die?

I know. I wish there was more I could do to ease your
hurt.

Baya lifted her head and a large tear dripped from one green eye.
Kenley
had never
once
seen Baya cry in their fifteen years together and that single tear spoke of the tremendous pain she was in.
Even though I did not see my mother as often as she would have liked, we were very close.

I know.

I never realized how irreplaceable a mother’s love is.
Now that it is gone, I am terrified.
I feel so alone
and
unsheltered. Is that silly
at my age?

No! Of course not.
Kenley swallowed back tears of her own when she thought of how devastated she would be to lose her mother. Her confidence, her strength, her sense of well-being, were all gifts from her mother, and
Kenley only had to look into the eyes of Kiernan
Atlan to know
just
how much she was loved and cherished. She vowed never to take that relationship for granted ever again.
I know I can never replace what you shared with Felice, but you have shelter with me, Baya, always and forever.

Kenley
buried her head in Baya’s soft white fur
and held her friend
tightly.
They remained locked together
in silent solace
for a very long time.

When, a
shadow passed over Kenley,
she looked up. It was Muuki.

We should be going, daughter of Kenley.

He was right. After almost two days of trailing the renegade Draca Cats, they were very close to
finding them and could not afford to delay.
For reasons
Kenley did not understand, the Draca Cats went directly through the busy
Elven
capital of Sarphia
instead of taking a more circuitous route.
Mercifully, the cats did not harm any of the citizens, but simply passed through and headed west.
To find their
oath holders, she knew. The Kenleys.
According to
Muuki,
Nazar
needed her family
to be
his
voice of rule.

Kenley let go of Baya
and searched for the words that would convince her to carry on,
but the
Draca Cat
lurched to her feet
without prodding.

Their journey resumed and the day
continued wet and humid.
Kenley’s
shirt
was
soaked
through
to her skin
and her feet ached from the hours
of
walking.
Her legs, covered with mud up to her knees, began to shake from the exertion
and she longed
for rest, but knew they could not take the time. Not when
they were so close.

Around a sharp bend
on the Elven made path,
Kenley
pulled up short when she
smelled
a
sharp, pungent
odor.

Baya! What is that scent?

Fresh blood.

Again?

Her eyes swept the
rainforest for any hint of a predator,
and then
Kenley saw them
up ahead on the trail.

Dead Moshies.

The Draca Cats have been through here,
Baya said.
They left the Elves alone, but the Moshies were not so fortunate. I cannot say I am saddened by their deaths.

Kenley cringed. The blood feud between the ape people and the Draca Cats was not something she understood well, only well enough to know that there was nothing she could do to change it. Bitter animosity on both sides had kept the hostility brewing
between the two races
for many long years.

The band of
Moshies lay scattered and broken across the rainforest floor.
Kenley
looked down at the humanoid face of one Moshie as she passed. She had never seen one of the fabled creatures before, but knew they existed from the stories her father told her as a child. When he spoke of them, it was always with a fond smile for their
prankster antics and close tribal ties. The Moshies were childhood monsters for most Iserlohn children, but for Kenley and her brothers, they seemed
more
like
long-lost friends.

It saddened her to see the brutal scene, but she also knew it was just as likely that the Moshies initiated this fight instead of the Draca Cats.

Let us hurry
,
Muuki
said.
The Dracas will most likely stop at the
big river
to drink and rest. If they do, we will be able to catch up to them there.

They never discussed what they would do when they found
Nazar and his followers, but Kenley would allow
Baya to
take the lead. This was her fight.

It took
another hour of
hard
travel
to reach the Illian and discover that
Muuki
had been right.
The Draca Cats
were spread out along the river
and
waiting.
Waiting for what? Did they know that
they were being tracked?

A male Draca Cat with a fresh scar across his muzzle stepped forward as Kenley, Baya and their
much
smaller
group emerged from the Puu.

I expected Muuki and the others, but I must say that I am very surprised to see you,
Baya.
He nodded toward her.
And, you,
daughter of
Kenley.

Kenley did not remember ever meeting this
Draca Cat before, but he obviously knew her from her
previous
visits to Callyn-Rhe.

Murderer!
Baya roared.
I name you a murderer, Nazar!

Nazar did not back down and answered her roar
.
If that is what you wish to call it!
I killed my jailers, yes!
I did not want to kill them
and tried
peaceful
ways for many years, but
Moombai clung to the old ways.
He was not a good leader for the Draca Cats.