Son of Corse (The Raven Chronicles Book 2) (4 page)

              “I agree with her choice,” Barek’s deep voice reverberated loudly in the silence.

              “Arvenna, as vitness to Hugh’s honor, do you now agree in his choice of mate?”  D’Mitta’s voice softened when she spoke to her.

              “I agree with his choice,” Arwenna put as much warmth and approval as she could into the ritual response.

              D’Mitta took an ornate goblet from someone standing behind her. Arwenna recognized the cup as the one used in the ceremony making her and Y’Dürkie sisters less than two years ago. 

              Raising the cup above her head, D’Mitta asked for the blessing of the Gods and fallen clan folk upon the pair.  Y’Dürkie and Hugh each took a turn sipping from the contents. D’Mitta returned the goblet to the attendant before facing them once again.

              “Your personal honor is now the responsibility of the other.  From this point forward, you are married.  Do nothink to disgrace the other.”  A mighty noise rose up from the assembled clan members at the proclamation.

              Arwenna moved to take Barek’s arm to leave the circle for the feast hall when an arrow struck the ground at her feet. Joss was at her side in the amount of time it took Barek and Y’Dürkie to draw their swords.

              A shout of “Delvers!” rang out just as the shadowy creatures descended en masse. The warriors spread out quickly to meet the foe.  Arwenna cast a spell to light up the night sky, making it easier for the warriors to find their attackers.

              The creatures screamed, shielding their faces from the bright light her magic brought forth.  Dozens of them darted around the buildings, taunting the fighters to find them.  Shrill screams of pain shattered the air.

              Arwenna tried to keep her eyes on one, hoping for an accurate look at them, or their objective, but the foe moved too quickly. They melted into buildings, drove the horses towards the bonfire. Armored warriors chased them down faster than she could cast a spell.

              Within minutes, the Delvers retreated back into the mountain that they came from.  Arwenna and Joss helped the few wounded warriors while Barek kicked at the corpse of one of the creatures.  The pale eyes and skin were a silent testament to a life lived almost totally underground.

              “This doesn’t seem right, Arwenna.  Delvers aren’t known for attacks like this.” Barek’s voice barely registered with her.

              Y’Dürkie was talking with the girl who was to watch Sera during the ceremony. Icy fear gripped her heart as the look on Y’Dürkie’s face changed.  In a swift motion, she rose from the man she had just healed, moving quickly to Y’Dürkie.  Something told her that Joss was moving with her.  Hugh was there now, listening with a growing look of concern on his face.

              The dread in her heart growing, Arwenna stopped in front of them. Her face asked the question she couldn’t speak. “Sera?” Her voice cracked with fear.

              “The Delvers came in through a vindow.  They took her.”  Y’Dürkie spoke, anger tingeing her words.

              Arwenna stared at the ground unable to truly comprehend what she had been told. Her knees buckled as grief overwhelmed her, the reality of her daughter’s kidnapping sank in. Her self-control threatened to crumble as green sparks crackled on her fingertips. Joss whispered, “Nimki,” his voice almost too soft for her to hear.  She felt herself sink down into his arms as the trance took hold of her.

              He carried her
-
that much she knew.  There was a solid wall between her and her magic now.  Until she regained her control, she was cut off from it.  Arwenna could feel the change in temperature as Joss carried her into a house.  The soft furs beneath her now barely registered as she grieved silently.

              Ever so slowly, voices penetrated the shield and filtered into her mind.  Familiar voices barked orders to find Sera, offering clues as to where she’d been taken.

              “What did you do to her this time, Elf?”  The edge in Barek’s voice was unmistakable.

              “Exactly what she’s told me to do before she obliterates half the continent, Orc!” Joss’ voice struck back. 

              The dangerous rumble Arwenna heard must be coming from Barek. She should wake up and stop this, but the shock was too overpowering.

              “Enough of this!” Y’Dürkie’s voice interceded.  Arwenna relaxed slightly.  She’d keep them from killing each other. “Give him a chance to explain vhat happened, Barek. I know he vill not hurt Arvenna.”

              “She’s in a triggered trance.  She’s perfectly fine.  But she’s not going to come out of it until she has control again.” Arwenna could hear her own fear and grief for Sera mirrored in Joss’ voice.

              “Since when does she need to regain control?  And how do you know she’s fine?”  The tone of Barek’s voice made it obvious he didn’t believe Joss.

              Someone moved a chair near where she was lying and sat down. “The nightmares started months ago, as we were traveling home from Y’Dürkie’s birthing.  They kept getting worse.  One night, she came close to obliterating all three of us and the house.  That’s when we called on Hauk and Lexi.”

              “Vhat nightmares, Joss?”  Y’Dürkie cut in. 

              There was silence at first. Arwenna knew Joss was trying to find a way to answer the question without going into detail.  “There were things that happened to her that she is still recovering from.  I don’t know what triggered the nightmares, but she began losing control of her magic during them.  They’ve become more frequent, terrifying.  Hauk and Lexi came up with the idea of a triggered trance.  I say a word and it puts her in a place where she can’t wield her magic until she regains her control.”  Another pause.  “I know what you’re thinking Barek. She’s not hurt.  She can hear us, even.  And she’ll come out of it when she’s ready.”

              The sound of someone else entering the room reached her mind.  Her control was almost back.  The anger was still there, and the fear, but they were becoming manageable.

              Hugh spoke softly.  “They found this on one of the bodies. Sera must’ve been the target all along.” A silence descended, broken by the sound of pottery smashing against a wall.

              Footsteps.  Joss sat down heavily beside her and the fear rose again.  Y’Dürkie spoke softly.  It must be the note they found.

              “Find the elven child for she is the key.  Brink her to Lord Bohrs at Lake Brahl.  Failure is not an option. Lord Senyan.”  Arwenna’s entire body stiffened at the sound of her foster brother’s name.  Bile rose in her throat as she strove to regain control again.

              “He’s dead.  I killed him.” The softness of Barek’s tone belied his incredularity. 

              “I know, Barek.  I saw you do it, heard you say the blessing.”  Fear tinged Joss’ voice.  Fear for her, and their daughter.

              “Hugh, get packink.  Ve leave as soon as Arvenna is able.” The crisp tone of Y’Dürkie’s voice did not allow for argument. “And get a tracker in here.  I need to know vhere this Lake Brahl is.”

              “It’s to the west, past the Dragonhills.”  Arwenna spoke slowly, testing her control as the wall separating her from her magic slowly dissolved.

              Opening her eyes, she let Joss help her sit up. Questions abounded on his face. She spoke loud enough for the others to hear, but kept her eyes on him.  “I spent time there as a cleric of Silas.  It was where I first met Senyan.  And helped bind Corse to him.”  The concern in Joss’ eyes mirrored her own emotions.

Chapter Four

S
hortly after dawn, everything was ready.  Warhorses stood patiently, awaiting the command to go.  Two pack mules brought up the rear
,
their saddlebags full of provisions.  D’Mitta stood before them, cradling Hala in her arms.  “Fare vell on your quest, Granddaughter.  Your daughter shall know of your honor by your return.”  Nodding her head at Arwenna, she continued, “You vill find your daughter, Arvenna.  Do not dwell on the idea you vill not.”

              Not trusting herself to answer without her voice breaking, Arwenna turned her horse towards the great wooden gate standing open for them.  The dull thudding of the gates shutting behind them rang hollowly
i
n her ears.

              They rode in silence, weaving their way through a seldom used pass between two of the peaks. Broken rocks fought through the last remnants of snow. Plants, some showing new growth, battled the harsh terrain.

              Barek signaled for a halt around noon.  “There’s a stream up ahead.  The horses could use some water.” 

              Arwenna nodded absently.  “No real reason to push them right now.  Better to take the break while we can.”  A quick scan of the sky as they dismounted revealed nothing but a few wispy clouds.  Miles to the west, the continuous line of mountain peaks drew her in.  Sera was in there, somewhere.  The Delvers would be going through them, not around them.

              A hand on her shoulder startled her.  Whipping her head around, she took in the stress and worry in Joss’ face.  Arwenna melted into his embrace, letting a few tears fall onto his tunic.  “We’ll find her, Arwenna.  I promise you that.”  The certainty in his voice helped her regain her composure.

              “I know, it’s just that…” Her voice trailed off, muffled by his chest.

              He raised her chin with his hand.  The fear churning in her stomach lessened with the reassuring look in his eyes.  “No.  We can’t go there.  I’m not going to lose you in a sea of ‘what if’.  I need you to stay focused, Sera needs you to as well.”  She closed her eyes, letting his words settle into her soul.  He was right and she knew it.  At least they knew where to go to find her.

              They took the opportunity to eat something while letting the horses graze and rest.  “I don’t think I’ve ever traveled this far west.  What’s the terrain likely to be, Arwenna?”  Barek’s tone was even.

              Arwenna scanned the grass filled plain before them.  It was almost completely ringed by hills and mountains.  A spattering of snow on the taller peaks reminded her that winter had not been gone long.  “Rocky and sparse once you get past the Dragonhills.”  She waived an arm towards the shadowy mountain range miles to the southwest, barely visible from this far away.  “It’s almost high desert terrain.  Lake Brahl is one of the few lakes.  Most of the meager water is in the form of streams and rivers.  It’s mining country.”  She shrugged her heavy cloak off her shoulders.  “We’ll be cold at night, but you won’t want to wear anything but a light tunic by midday.” 

              “It’s going to take us weeks just to reach the Dragonhills,” Mialee chimed in.  “Let alone get over them.”

              “There are trade routes through the mountain range.  Most are fairly well used by caravans, so we shouldn’t have much trouble, not in the range itself, anyhow.”  The note they’d found let them all know what they’d find on the other side.

              The plain was so vast that there was no choice but to camp in the open that evening.  From the look of the terrain, they would need to do that for at least two more weeks.  There was a rhythm to how their campsite came together that Arwenna found comforting. 

              Y’Dürkie put the steaming bowl of stew into her hands before she could argue.

              “Eat, Arvenna.  Even if you do not feel like it.  You vill not help Sera if you can not stand.”  Y’Dürkie’s voice silenced Arwenna before she could protest.

              Arwenna sighed, then began to slowly eat the contents of the bowl.  Y’Dürkie was likely to hold her down and force feed her if she didn’t.  The tall woman settled down in the grass across from her with another bowl.

              “Are you all right, Arvenna?”  Y’Dürkie asked, keeping her voice low enough that the others wouldn’t overhear.

              “I’m not bleeding, if that’s what you mean.  No arrows sticking out of my shoulder.”  Arwenna moved the vegetables around in the bowl, trying to evade Y’Dürkie’s stern gaze.

              “That is not vhat I mean and you know it, Arvenna.”  The metal spoon scraped against the side of her wooden bowl, but couldn’t drown out Y’Dürkie’s voice.  “Vhen Joss died; it almost killed you as vell.  It changed you for a time.  I do not vish to go into battle not knowink if you vill have your vits about you.”

              Arwenna placed her bowl off to the side with a sigh.  “I remember, Y’Dürkie.  I don’t think that was easy on you, me, or Barek.  This is different, though.  Sera’s not dead, for one.  And I’ve got Joss with me.  He’s going to be able to help me deal with it in ways you and Barek can’t.”  She paused, glancing over to where Joss sat around the fire with the others.  “I’m not saying I’m not on edge or in shock.  Especially if Bohrs-” she drew a ragged breath “is truly back.  I’m stronger now than I was then.  I’m trying not to let myself be blindsided by my own fears.”

              She saw Y’Dürkie nod out of the corner of her eye.  “It is good that Joss is vith you this time.  Between us, Bohrs vill not be able to harm you.  And I do not believe he vill hurt Sera.”

              Arwenna pulled at a piece of grass, violently shredding it.  “I hope you are right.  For all our sakes.”

              “He will not harm your daughter, Arwenna.”  It was Y’Dürkie’s voice, but the thick accent had dissipated.

              Arwenna snapped her head around, taking in the slight emerald green glow around Y’Dürkie’s hazel eyes. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Tiren?  What do you know?” 

              “Senyan took her knowing you would follow.  You are still what Bohrs wants above all else.  Serving Corse and Senyan is secondary to him. They’re using her to control you. Because of this, they will not harm her.  Nor will Corse, as she could aid him as well.”

              Tears flowed unchecked down Arwenna’s cheeks.  “How…how is it he could come back, Tiren?  Any of them?  The rituals, the magic we used on them…..” her voice trailed off.

              “You should know that there is always a way, if you are willing to pay the price.  Corse had a contingency plan in case he did not win the last round.  Dark magic was found that Senyan was able to harness. They will keep Sera alive, and manipulate you through her.” The green glow faded from Y’Dürkie’s eyes.

              Arwenna bent over, her head in her hands, and wept.