Sorceress (Book 2) (12 page)

Instead, she was just on the ground. Her entire side tingled oddly, but Kayleigh knew she was quite alive.

Amazed that she wasn’t off to visit the Goddess now, Kayleigh rose and summoned a trio of fireballs. The manticore dodged two, but one splashed against the monster’s front leg and it roared for a second time.

The sorcerer cast another bolt of lightning. Kayleigh knew it to be madness, but she held her ground and continued throwing bursts of fire. The bolt hit her directly in the chest and face. She was blinded for a moment and nearly fell over, but she remained standing and thanked whatever power preserved her.

As her vision cleared, she saw that the man was beating down the flames on his saddle. Even though the monster he rode was savaged by her attacks, the man was as unharmed as she. She was tiring quickly though.

“Rhey, I need you!” she called, but her mount was rooted to the spot. Kayleigh felt a sense of betrayal course through her body and used that hurt as fuel for whatever magic she had left. Though she could not hurt this Master any more than he could her, Kayleigh could kill the manticore.

The sorcerer must have reached the same conclusion. He pivoted the manticore away and tried to get it airborne, but the wing and shoulder on the right side were too badly injured to properly beat and the best it could managed was a series of powerful leaps that carried it back through the opening where the gate once was.

Rheysurrah broke free of the terror gripping him and bolted to her side. She sagged against him and drew some of his energy to replenish herself. Feelings of pure guilt and shame for his lack of action seeped through the bond as she held onto him.

“We need to check on Wirnax,” she said and pushed herself forward. Unfortunately, Tamera’s unicorn was not moving when they reached it. Kayleigh felt awful, but couldn’t afford to wallow in grief as a dozen riders approached.

Exhausted, she pulled herself into the saddle. The only weapon Kayleigh had at the moment was the Yar knife. Several had bows and her shield was over by Tamera.

“Be ready to dodge. I should be able to drive them off.”

Rheysurrah snorted in agreement.

One of the horsemen cried out, “Pull back! This witch is too strong for us to take.”

Another shouted something at the speaker that Kayleigh couldn’t quite catch but the man responded, “She just drove off the Master! If she can do that what hope do we have? Go now!”

Were it not for her surviving a battle with a manticore riding sorcerer, seeing those horsemen turn and ride off would have been the most shocking thing that happened. Instead she was just puzzled.

The rider who had shouted the alarm remained and moved his horse closer, sheathing his weapon.

“Why aren’t you leaving?” she demanded.

“You spared my life once, witch. Honor demands I do the same.”

“Witch? You’re the man from the desert!”

“Yes,” he answered. “I am Rahzir. You must hurry. Only those under my command would listen to me. If more come, there is nothing I can do.”

“What will happen to you?”

“It is not your concern,” he replied.

Kayleigh had an idea what would actually happen to the man and said, “Come with me!”

“I cannot,” he said, but his tone lacked conviction.

“Yes, you can! I meant what I said back when I spared you. If you want a better life, earn it!” Kayleigh misquoted General Jyslin’s words, but they felt right.

He paused and she waited for his decision. It was the kind of moment she’d faced when leaving her mother to become a Battle Maiden.

“All right, let’s go,” he said.

Kayleigh rode over to where Tamera was sobbing on the ground and jumped off.

Grabbing the injured girl’s shoulder, she began pulling her upright and said, “C’mon, Tamera. We have to go!”

“Forget me! My unicorn is dead. I’m nothing.”

“I will not leave you to die or worse. Now get on! That’s an order!”

Tamera was still in shock, but moved mechanically up into Rheysurrah’s saddle.

Kayleigh prepared to join her when a loud neigh interrupted her. She turned and saw Garrett’s unicorn standing next to her unconscious rider.

“What do you want?”

The unicorn snorted and was speaking with Rheysurrah. Through the bond they shared, Kayleigh sensed Rhey’s apprehension. The female over there wanted to come with them and bring her rider.

“She’ll turn on us as soon as she wakes,” Kayleigh said, shaking her head. “We’d have to tie her up and even then it might not work. It would slow us down.”

The female unicorn moved to the side of Garrett and kicked an object at Kayleigh. It was Garrett’s crested helmet.

“Of course,” Rahzir said. “Put it on! Most of the warriors don’t know her face, only her helmet. Grab her bow and you can pretend to be her. It will work!”

As Rahzir found a wagon with a pair of horses teamed to it and they threw Garrett inside, Kayleigh was tested for the first time as a group of riders approached. Wearing the helmet and holding the empty bow she shouted, “Go down toward the docks and hold them until you’re relieved!”

She breathed a sigh of relief when it worked. Turning to the female unicorn she said, “Follow us.”

“We should kill her!” Tamera exclaimed, pointing at the air maiden.

“She’s a thrall to that dark magic. We have to try and save her, Tamera.”

“I don’t care! She killed Wirnax.”

“Don’t, Tamera. She knows about the army and this Master. If we get her to Salif, General Hawthorne can try to cure her and learn the size of the army and what magic is backing them.”

“He can probably tell you that,” she said, gesturing to Rahzir.

She understood her friend’s grief. If it had been Danella Lynch in that wagon, Kayleigh would be fighting against her own need to kill that woman.

Drawing her Yar knife, she held it out to the earth maiden and said, “If her blood will balance things in your mind, then do it, but kill her unicorn first. She shouldn’t have to suffer through the wasting.”

The female unicorn reared and panicked. Rheysurrah sent his own admonitions through their bond. Steeling herself against Rhey’s outburst, she pushed through it.

Kayleigh said, “Make your choice, Tamera, and do it quickly or not at all.”

The other girl deflated, but not completely. “Fine, but if she makes one wrong move…”

Kayleigh nodded to Rahzir, who used ropes to bind and gag the air maiden before climbing into the driver’s seat. Kayleigh tied the female unicorn securely to the wagon. She hooked Razhir’s horse to the back of the wagon as well and they started toward the ruins of the gate. She paused noticing the barracks where Orsa had been taken was still intact.

“Quickly!” she said. “Inside.”

“What’s in here?”

“Hopefully the captain of the guard and maybe the food and water we’ll need.” At least she hoped there was food. Rhey had some in his saddlebags, but not enough for everyone.

He nodded as they found Orsa. Kayleigh was grateful the man was still alive. “Alright, let’s hurry. If the Goddess is smiling on us, I’ll be able to masquerade as Garrett until we’re out of here.”

Danella gripped Majherri’s head and he saw anger in the darkened eyes of his rider. She was rummaging through his mind, looking for memories of his partnership with Kayleigh Reese.

At the mere mention of his former rider, Danella immediately discarded her half-formed plan to kill Amir and refocused her attention on the young woman who had nearly ended Danella’s life only a short time ago.

“Have you made much progress?” Amir asked.

“The girl showed fits of power during her time at The Academy and even the ability to call forth a fireshade. I am working my way backward. You should have let me go after her. I should be stalking her right now!”

“That was the decision of our liege. Perhaps he will reconsider now, but all I know is from the magical vision he provided.”

“If you could tell me something specific to look for, it would be greatly appreciated.”

The sand sorcerer looked irritated by Danella’s comment and said, “His manticore was badly injured by the girl’s fire and is unable to fly. This has slowed his return to us and delayed the timetable. He wishes to know everything about this girl that your unicorn knows.”

“The thrice cursed wretch just won’t die!”

“Indeed,” Amir commented. “Should you learn anything important, I will be attempting to discern the girl’s whereabouts. I know that she is no longer in Shiftla.”

At least Majherri knew why Danella was doing this. His heart swelled with pride after learning that Kayleigh had faced the legendary monster and sent it away licking its wounds. He hoped she came through uninjured.

The fond recollection of his other rider angered Danella and she pressed her fingers harder against his head.

“You’re mine, Majherri! I’ll never let you go again.”

He refused to allow her tirade anger him. Instead he focused on Kayleigh’s memories. If she was so intent on forcing him to relive his memories, Majherri intended to enjoy it and remind Danella what a partnership between unicorn and rider was supposed to be like.

She bested the manticore! How? I must ask the creature about the battle when it returns. Pity she didn’t kill it.

The memories continued backward and they were viewing a dressing down from Meghan Lynch during a mounted formation.

“My sister has taken a disliking to the wretch,” Danella said. “Meghan always had a keen eye for judging people.”

Majherri pushed the memory, only a few moments ago, of Amir stating that Kayleigh defeated the manticore. For someone who had not yet seen seventeen summers, it was a noteworthy achievement.

“I will not let you stop me from killing her,” Danella said, her voice dripping venom. “Her death is a given.”

As much as Majherri wanted to provoke a greater reaction from Danella, he refrained. His memory switched to the odd aura they’d produced when the dying unicorn arrived at the island. She lingered, fascinated by the manifestation of power when he and Kayleigh almost destroyed a stable.

“So beautiful,” she mumbled before she shook her head and returned to the scowl he’d grown accustomed to.

“I see you like this Pasha...more than even Cyemma,” Danella said. “Perhaps her rider can be recruited and you can have her. Although, I must say that I am not pleased by your treatment by the herd. Many of them will have to be disciplined for this. You were meant for greater things, Majherri. You will lead your own herd soon! No other can match your power.”

He snorted at her exaggerations and she responded, “You’ve been avoiding the females since your encounter with Cyemma. You should be asserting your dominance!”

Filling his mind with images of the herd, he gave her somewhere to direct her scorn. One thing that Majherri had noticed about Danella’s insanity was that she could be distracted if she wasn’t focusing and obsessing. The unicorn let the idea take hold and began guiding her down a different path.

Gradually, he shifted his memories to the pleasant times he and Danella had together, nothing to do with Kayleigh at all. Her scowl melted into a wistful smile. Together, they revisited long rides along the southern shores and through the bright sunlit desert. He was careful to avoid encounters with other unicorns or Battle Maidens to keep the focus on their partnership.

Almost two hours passed before Danella realized what he was doing.

“Oh you sneaky, silly unicorn,” she said and softly ran her hand through his mane. “As much as I’ve enjoyed this I need to get back to the task.”

By nightfall Count Darius hadn’t returned. Still, Majherri was brought to the command tent. The prisoners were being brought before what he’d come to call the Heart of Darkness. He vehemently disliked this. Most of the humans knelt in their chains, shivering and moaning. His eyes found Sandra Townsend. The air maiden did not cower. Instead, the woman sat straight and with an eager gleam in her darkened eyes.

Those eyes hadn’t changed back since their encounter at the cages and the unicorn knew a bad omen when he saw it. The lieutenant had turned. Some of the humans, who hadn’t quite given themselves over to the evil, would act as if they had changed in the feeble hope that they wouldn’t have to endure it any longer. Inevitably, they failed. The last test consisted of the container being placed in front of them with just enough room for them to move toward it. Only those who had willingly given themselves over were capable of thrusting their face over the opening. Majherri was convinced that Amir already knew who might try to fake their subversion. The sorcerer took perverse pleasure in making them go first.

Osalon was in the tent. The male’s coat seemed dull and he didn’t fight the men restraining him, despite the fact that he could easily overwhelm them. His spirit was broken. The lack of contact with his rider, coupled with being forced to endure her suffering had taken a horrible toll on the unicorn. In a way, Majherri was grateful that he didn’t have to endure this with Danella. He had spent that period wandering aimlessly through the desert in a fit of madness.

As Lieutenant Townsend’s turn came, she eagerly shoved her face deep into the cistern and Majherri felt a pang of regret at not going to see Osalon sooner. It would have spared them both this cruel fate.

The woman did not retch when she sat back. Dark wisps of smoke curled around her face as she exhaled. Amir, presiding over the ceremony in the place of his liege, gestured to a pair of soldiers who removed her shackles. Standing, the Battle Maiden bowed her head in respect to the man.

Danella left Majherri’s side and went over to Amir. She whispered in his ear and he nodded to her.

“Come, Sister,” his rider said. “Reclaim your unicorn and take a ride with me. We have things to discuss.”

Danella turned to a nearby officer and said, “Have someone fetch the lieutenant’s saddle and be quick about it!”

The man bristled at her command and Majherri supposed that it was a cultural thing. Males in this part of the world were especially resentful when it came to taking orders from females.

From the few memories he’d seen of Danella’s time without him, at least one of these warriors had dared to question Danella’s right to give him an order. She’d killed that one, wiped the blood from her blade on the man’s tunic, and dared the next man to refuse her order. As he watched the male swallow his pride and send a runner out of the tent, Majherri was glad that unicorns had a culture of merit, where males and females earned their status. Of course, that led him to wonder whether the changes Danella had wrought in him were going to change things for the Greater Herd.

While waiting for Osalon’s riding gear to be retrieved, Majherri thought about how set in their ways the Greater Herd was. They were hesitant and resistant to change, more stubborn in a fashion than any of these human kingdoms. For untold seasons, the structure of the herds and the Greater Herd had served his kind, but the question now became,
Would it still serve me as I am, and do I still owe allegiance to the Greater Herd?

“You taught Reese for the last few months,” Danella said to Osalon’s rider as they left the tent and rode into the city streets. They were going out of Jaruciax and allowing the air maiden to take her unicorn for a swift ride. “What do you make of her?”

The newly freed convert thought for a moment before answering. “I was her history of warfare teacher. Academically, she was borderline, because she’d been thrown into the middle of the third year. She proved to be a diligent worker. Before we left Talcosa, I’d been cautioned by Heather Sycroft to keep an eye on her because of her unusual abilities, but that order obviously came from General Jyslin.”

“I’d thought the general would have been more interested in Reese. Majherri barely had any memories of her.”

“She stayed in the background, but she was as curious as the rest. After witnessing Reese’s fireshade against a pair of sand trolls, I can see why everyone was keeping track of her. Still, why do you ask, Master Scout? You have Majherri and she does not. I’m surprised she’s even alive.”

“It matters because she managed to survive the attack in the desert and then an encounter with the manticore, injuring it. The Master sent word for me to learn everything about this Kayleigh Reese. I’ve been reviewing Majherri’s memories of her, but if you know anything useful, then I must know it.”

The unicorn noted the almost painful manner in which Danella spoke his
other rider’s
name.

The officer seemed taken aback by Danella’s tone and Majherri suspected that Osalon was warning her not to provoke the woman.

“I doubt there is anything I could...Wait! When she doubled up with me and we searched for Majherri, Reese said she could sense the bond I shared with Osalon! Both Osalon and I could feel her presence. It became so distracting that he considered throwing her.”

“Go on,” Danella said.

“I told her to report it to Captain Sycroft and General Jyslin when we returned to The Academy. Reese told me that the young unbonded unicorns shied away from her because they felt her presence as well. I’ve never heard of another maiden sensing bonds.”

Majherri felt a tiny sliver of worry swirling under Danella’s emotions. He’d never heard of this ability either but, looking back, it explained a few things.

“So, she hid this from you as well,” Danella said. The jealousy consuming his rider caused her to take any opportunity to portray Kayleigh in a bad light. The passing cloud of resentment traveling through him was purely Danella’s doing.

His rider returned her attention to the other human. “Thank you for this information. Our leige will know how to use it to bring about the girl’s death.”

After Osalon and his rider left, a breathless soldier approached and informed Danella that the ship carrying The Master was already in the harbor, arriving ahead of schedule. This caught his rider by surprise and they hurried to the docks.

To Majherri it made sense: Count Darius was a powerful mage and the most successful of the vessels navigating the Clef River used enchantments on their sails to speed their travel. The count’s inner circle was already concerned about setbacks to the invasion and it seemed reasonable that the man in charge would be equally worried about sustaining their momentum.

At best, this army is irregular. They will get better soon enough, but he will need to consolidate control of the river all the way to the ocean before they can hope to wage war against the Middle Kingdoms and the South.

The streets at this late hour were thankfully clear, because of the curfew being enforced on the citizens. There was no need to force his way through a wall of flesh and, in Danella’s current state of mind, she’d likely trample any that barred their way.

They arrived as the boat docked with the pier. Without waiting for the wooden planks to connect the two, Majherri saw the cloaked figure of Count Darius leap across the gap, propelling his body with magical energy and landing with practiced ease on the pier.

He immediately began issuing orders.

“Bring another and be quick about it! You were told to prepare for my arrival. That gangway will snap under the weight of my beast.”

Danella dismounted and led Majherri down the pier.

The small vessel floated low in the water, weighted down by the massive body of the manticore resting in the stern. Majherri saw bandages covering a good portion of the beast’s side, including one wing. Without his rider’s stifling touch, he swelled in pride at the knowledge that Kayleigh had defeated this monster.

Still, Danella sensed enough to turn and give him a scowl. “You’re thinking about her again. This will be added to the list of reasons she will die.”

He snorted in reply and cautioned Danella not to underestimate Kayleigh Reese.

The manticore roared with displeasure and stood on unsteady legs. To be truthful, Majherri didn’t care for any voyage longer than a river ferry crossing and felt a smattering of empathy for the beast’s plight. It paced around on the deck and crouched on powerful legs.

Even Majherri had to appreciate the strength of the manticore as it jumped onto the pier, unwilling to wait for the humans to bring sturdier wood. Those still on the ship fought to keep the vessel from capsizing as several plunged into the water.

The landing was awkward and lacked the monster’s normal grace. It yowled in frustration against the mass of bandages keeping it from folding one of its wings.