Sorceress (Book 2) (13 page)

Count Darius did not seem pleased that his familiar was taking unnecessary risks and said as much to the beast as it approached before calling out for the medicines to be brought for the manticore.

It made a sound of dissatisfaction that sounded similar to a housecat trying to cough up mouthful of its fur and regarded Majherri.

“Leave my presence, dark unicorn. I am in a foul mood and have no patience for you or your kind.”

As Danella greeted her master and began her report on Kayleigh, Majherri snorted and replied,
“If I did not fear you when you were uninjured, what makes you believe that your current state would cause me to cower. I wish you a swift recovery.”

“A silvery tongue gets you nowhere, mulekin! What do you wish to know?”

Ignoring the slight to his heritage Majherri continued,
“I wish to know what happened. I heard the human who did this to you was my former rider and was curious.”

“I will not speak of the girl and have been forbidden to seek out my revenge!”

Majherri was about to ask why when he felt Danella assert her control over him. When he trotted back to her side, she gripped his head with both hands and looked into his eyes.

Memories stirred and he found himself thinking of the walk along the streets of Helden and seeing Kayleigh come back out of the small house with her mother.

“The woman introduces herself as Brenda Reese,” Danella described. “She’s petite, a full head shorter than my twin sister. Her hair is darker than the daughter’s. She carries herself well and demonstrates proper etiquette when addressing the maidens.”

Why are they so interested in Kayleigh’s mother?
Majherri thought while Danella recounted the conversation word for word to her Master. Brenda protesting that Kayleigh had been tested in Laurent, and her ultimatum forcing Kayleigh’s decision to leave.

Count Darius waved and the air shimmered. Wisps of smoke swirled and formed the image of a human female.

“Tell me, fair Danella. Does this Brenda Reese look something like this?”

The illusion came together and became a fair representation of Kayleigh’s mother.

Danella stepped from his side and inspected the illusion. “The cheeks are a little less full and she is thinner, but I assume you know this Brenda Reese?”

The count gave a hollow laugh and said, “By that name, no. Come to think of it, her handmaiden was named Brenda and her personal protector’s first name was Reese.”

“Who is she then?” Danella asked.

“A traitor, one who is as much to blame for my last defeat as Naomi Jyslin and her allies.”

Danella drew herself up to her full height and said, “Then it will be my pleasure to hunt her daughter down and bring her head back to you for their transgressions against you. I will ride tonight and not rest until the filthy wretch is dead!”

The manticore growled and said to Majherri,
“Your mistress is about to be disappointed. I know what his answer will be.”

“I cannot allow that, Danella,” Darius said.

“But why, Milord?”

“I have only just confirmed that this girl is my daughter and it would be an insult to the spirits of my ancestors if the first thing I do is order her death.”

“What?” Danella exclaimed. Majherri was stunned by the statement.

“I am as surprised as you are, but I cannot deny what occurred when I faced her.”

“Impossible!”

“You know that isn’t true. Isn’t your twin almost immune to your elemental magic, Danella?”

“Yes,” she sputtered.

“Kayleigh’s fire gave me but a token burn and my spells were capable of killing a fully grown ogre. Instead, she escaped out of the city with her new unicorn and possibly Rider Garrett as her prisoner. Even though she is thwarting my efforts, I must applaud her resourcefulness.”

She has another unicorn!
Majherri reeled from that revelation. Part of him hoped that Kayleigh might come for him, but now that was never going to happen. Betrayal resonated throughout his body.
I’ve been replaced!

He saw Danella looking at him and despite being infuriated, he sensed a wave of perverse pleasure from her directed at him. She was gloating!

“What do you intend to do about her then, Milord?” Danella asked, never taking her eyes from Majherri.

“From what you have learned, Kayleigh has been disowned by her mother and treated poorly by your sister and the other maidens. I bear her no malice. Properly trained, she could be a force to be reckoned with. I wish to recruit her.”

Fighting through her obvious displeasure, Danella asked, “How may I help?”

“My allies in the south are waiting for Salif to fall or declare neutrality before their uprising begins. I will send word to them to try and capture my wayward daughter. As for you, Danella, your mission will be twofold. Are you familiar with the Yar?”

“Only by reputation,” she answered. “Capable warriors and raiders, but not a serious threat to the Northern Kingdoms.”

“They rule by force. Their shamans and chieftains rise in status over the bodies of their rivals. They have a powerful tribal magic and might is valued above all else.”

“What is it you wish?”

“You shall be my emissary. Convince the Yar to join my cause and attack the Northern Kingdoms. Those rulers will be reluctant to send troops to aid the High-King if their borders are threatened.”

“And if their chieftains cannot be convinced?” Danella asked with a cruel smile.

Count Darius returned her smile and reached forward to cup her chin. “Then you shall become their queen. Persuade them, one way or another.”

“Yes, Milord. And my second task?”

“Find the woman who calls herself Brenda Reese. Be careful, as she may be concealing her magical abilities. I’d like her alive, if possible, but do not let this come between you and your first task.”

“What will you do with her?”

The mage laughed at Danella’s question. “If she still has her magic, I shall remake her as I have you, my dear. If she does not, then the mother will be a lure to bring my daughter to me.”

Between Garrett’s distinctive helmet combined with her shouting that she had, “Prisoners for the Master!” bluffing their way out of Shiftla proved to be easier than Kayleigh had dared hope.

Most of the nomad cavalry ran amuck inside the city and only a few patrolled outside of the wall, trying to prevent the denizens from escaping. Rahzir’s presence driving the wagon also lent credibility to her masquerade. She was even able to order more soldiers to this gate with the hopes that it would allow those on the other side of the city a better chance to get out of the west gate. Briefly, she thought of Laurel and the others and whispered prayers for them.

“Why did you do it? Why did you come with me?” she asked Rahzir when they were safely out onto the road.

The young man had removed his head wrappings and she saw tanned skin and brown eyes. He had an air of intensity that she’d never seen in other boys, even Brian Tomas. Thinking about the desert they’d left behind, she knew he couldn’t have had an easy life. He had dark curly hair and his nose was perhaps larger than it should have been, but was offset by wide, thin lips set with determination.

“I thought long and hard, riding back after we first met. You spared me, but upon my return I was whipped in punishment by the witch who stole the unicorn you had. I concluded that if my enemies were showing the mercy and restraint that my allies were not capable of, I was obviously on the wrong side of this conflict. My uncles and cousins have become consumed with ruling cities and the claiming of titles. My wants are different. I want freedom. I have no need of servants, and I wish to serve none but myself.”

“But your side is winning,” Kayleigh said.

“When I saw you fight the leader and drive him and his beast off, I knew as sure as the sun travels the sky that he was no god and certainly not invulnerable.”

“What do you know about him?”

“Precious little. His true name is spoken only by his faithful and those who he has subjugated to his will with magic, like the warrior woman bound in the bed of the wagon. I do know that he is not one of my people and have come to realize that his promises will be kept only by the blood we spill for him. He speaks with a false tongue and if he can be bested by someone who is close to my age, I fear for my people. This will not end well for them.”

“I got lucky,” Kayleigh said, feeling embarrassed. “He retreated to prevent further harm to that manticore thing he was riding. I was exhausted. If you had attacked with those other men, I think you would have won.”

The man shrugged and replied, “My victory would have avenged the shame of being beaten by you before. Perhaps, instead of commanding a dozen riders, I would be given charge of two score or even a hundred, but I have already told you how much I value my personal freedom. More men to order into battle, more death by my commands, these things do not interest me in the slightest.”

“Won’t your leaving cause problems for your family?” Tamera asked from her spot in the wagon. She hadn’t spoken in the last ten minutes, nor done anything except stare at their prisoner.

“It is possible,” he confessed. “Most will probably assume I was killed. If word of my orders to flee reach their ears, the others will call out my name and spit upon the ground at my shame, but my uncles and cousins are in command of these riders. Their glory in victory will cast aside any accusations of cowardice on my behalf.”

“High-Queen Nolan once said, ‘Choosing not to fight can be the bravest act of all.’ Or at least I think it was her,” Kayleigh offered.

Rahzir let out a hollow laugh and said, “When my people speak of that woman, far less kind words are used. It was wasteful when our forces destroyed Mon Alder, but the history you have been taught no doubt says she founded the city to bring your glorious ideals to the savages in the sands. My history tells of how they drove our tribes from our most fertile land so that they could build their walls of stone and say how much they were willing to do for us.”

Kayleigh understood Rahzir’s perspective on things. Looking over her shoulder, she came to her own conclusion.

“Tamera,” she said, addressing the earth maiden still grieving for the loss of her unicorn. “Hand me Garrett’s helmet. You and Rahzir head to that village where Laurel said we would meet up. I’m going to go back for the others.”

The nomad warrior shook his head and said, “You won’t be able to carry off the ruse for long.”

“I’ll try and get the west gate open and get as many people as I can out of the city.”

“Don’t do it, Kayleigh,” Tamera begged. “You’ll just get killed.”

“I promised you and the rest that I wouldn’t leave again. I can’t just ride away without trying.”

The young nomad regarded her until she felt uncomfortable under his gaze. “Go swiftly and strike quickly. The ones outside the city are there for a reason. They are the worst riders and poorest bowmen.”

Stopping, Kayleigh considered the images Rheysurrah fed to her and did her best to understand what her unicorn was saying. “The other unicorn is telling us to keep her and her rider separated. She wants us to tie her to the wagon securely. Apparently, Garrett can drive her into some kind of frenzy.”

Tamera looked down at the unconscious air maiden and said, “She won’t be doing anything.”

Rheysurrah didn’t share her conviction for going back to Shiftla’s west gate. He was questioning her judgment as well. Annabeth didn’t have a strong connection to Kayleigh’s yearmates and, by extension, Rhey didn’t know the other unicorns very well.

Through their bond, he implied that they could take care of themselves and the two of them had a larger responsibility to deliver Garrett to General Hawthorne.

Majherri didn’t care when it was just some soldiers and wagon drivers who’d die at the hands of those Yar savages near Miros...then again, he was spoiling for a fight. Rhey’s different. I keep forgetting this.

She hadn’t expected reluctance from her mount as they galloped away from her small group. She was still riding the intense emotions of her battle with the sorcerer calling himself the Master. If Kayleigh had access to Rheysurrah’s magic, she might have been able to end this war, but there was a nagging feeling that it wasn’t quite that simple.

She saw columns of smoke rising from behind Shiftla’s broken defenses. Without their leaders, the invaders weren’t exercising any discipline. Lieutenant Townsend’s lectures came to mind where she’d emphasized that greed and lack of control can be an army’s greatest weakness, turning a decisive victory into a costly delay.

If they mean to occupy Shiftla, they’re doing a poor job of it!

Looking out into the Clef River, she saw a few boats and people in the water clinging to anything that might float, desperate to escape. Amanda was down by the docks and Kayleigh hoped she was already out of the city.

The west gate was still mostly intact. The raiders had blocked the opening with several wagons, forcing those trying to escape to crawl over or under them. A dozen men with spears barred the way to salvation and six more on horses were ready to ride down into the ground any who made it through. The limp forms, devoid of the life they had this morning, were left in the dirt as a testament to the horsemen’s effectiveness.

She brought Rheysurrah to a halt and felt him again try to convince her that this wasn’t the right course of action.

“I’ll pretend to be Garrett and order the horse riders away,” she said to reassure the unicorn. “The spearmen won’t be able to get close to us and we can…drive them away…or something. Don’t worry. I’m not trying to retake this city!”

Rheysurrah still didn’t like it and had no qualms expressing his opinion.

Steeling herself, she prepared for the likelihood that she’d have to kill more people. Captain Meghan Lynch once warned her not to become too eager to take a life. The nomads had no such qualms about doing it to the fleeing residents of this town. Sadly, it looked like several females had been spared and were huddled against the wall. Spared for what? Kayleigh didn’t want to think about that and was going to ensure it didn’t happen.

She wrestled with Garrett’s helmet. It was a bit too large and blocked more of her vision than Kayleigh was comfortable with. Her eyes and only a bit of her face were exposed. Finishing with it, she said, “Alright, let’s take care of this.”

“There’s a major breakthrough at the main gate,” she shouted, riding close. “Take the horses and reinforce them! I’ll hold this gate.”

The men looked to the rider with the darkest cloak, who said, “Half my men were summoned by your last request. If there is such a problem there, why are you not there right now?”

Kayleigh hadn’t been prepared for the orders to be questioned and felt an admonition from Rheysurrah. Her plan was collapsing before it had even begun.

“Go, now!” she said and pointed. “The Master will not be pleased.”

“Unlike you, woman, I serve him freely. If you cannot hold the gate, you are the one to face his wrath. I’ll not give another soul for your stupidity!”

Rhey alerted her to one rider trying to circle.

“Thresh! The unicorn is a male!” the rider shouted. “The other rode a female!”

With their ruse exposed, Kayleigh burst into action. She dropped Garrett’s useless bow and spit ribbons of flame from both of her outstretched hands. Thresh’s horse reared and threw him as the unprepared man tried to raise his bow.

“Stay and die!” she screamed and pulled at Rheysurrah’s magic, waving her hands around and spraying liquid fire all over the place. Kayleigh’s flames licked at the hooves of the nearby horses, driving them into a panic. Rheysurrah’s hooves exploded as he rocked forward and unleashed a kick with his burning hind legs to give the man behind them pause.

This caused the arrow the man fired from a kneeling position to miss wide. Rhey danced to the side and avoided a spear hurled by the closest man on foot. Kayleigh responded by increasing the intensity of her flames and swept them across the dodging men. Majherri had previously convinced her that fear of fire was almost as potent as the actual magic itself. People on fire screamed and their screams affected the choices of others.

There was a stab of pain and she’d thought for a moment that Rhey had been hit, but a glance down and she saw an arrow sticking through the fleshy part of her left thigh. Thresh had recovered and, despite Rheysurrah’s evasive dance, scored a hit.

Anger flared through her, probably magnified by Rheysurrah’s, and she responded. His eyes filled with fear as he fumbled with his quiver, trying to get another arrow. The thick column of white fire washed over him and his scream was cut short. Privately, she hoped that this man hadn’t been a relative of Rahzir’s.

Thresh’s death broke his troops. They bolted. Kayleigh waited until they were far enough away before she tried to pull the arrow out of her leg. The arrow was barbed and she cried out in pain, realizing that she’d have to cut it out. Snapping the arrow, she left only about a finger’s length of shaft in her leg.

Townspeople trapped behind the gate saw the confrontation and were already scrambling to get out of the city.

“Get the wagons out of the way!” she called out to the cowering women and the first few who had climbed over the crude barricade. Most just continued running like frightened animals, but some actually heeded her command. She climbed off of Rhey, limping noticeably, and threw her weight behind the first wagon. With the assistance of others, it rolled forward slowly. Kayleigh grimaced, seeing the dead bodies of those who’d attempted to crawl to freedom.

The death of the man called Thresh, bothered her less with each step she took. The second wagon had broken wheels, but the people inside the gate had stopped trying to climb over the wreckage and were now pushing at the wagon closest to them and moving the mass aside. With a supreme amount of effort the crude barricade was pushed out of the way and those held prisoner in their own city poured out. Kayleigh likened it to the phrase “Rats abandoning a sinking vessel.”

Tired and injured, she grabbed Garrett’s bow and pulled herself back into the saddle before scanning for any unicorn riders. Two minutes passed and the flow of humanity exiting the city began to ebb. She used her fire on the wagons, so they couldn’t be used when the soldiers returned. It was certain that they would return in force.

“We’ve got a few minutes,” she said to her unicorn and nudged him toward the entrance. “We could…”

Kayleigh trailed off under a barrage of images from Rheysurrah. He told her in no uncertain terms that they’d done enough and he would not be setting a single hoof inside those walls.

“I promised I wouldn’t leave them again!” she retorted.

He started to turn away from the city and sent an image of Annabeth fighting to her death out in the desert at her to emphasize his point.

“I’ll get off and do it myself then,” she said and started to get off, but the pain in her leg caused them both to wince.

He replied with a memory of his former rider telling another to, “Quit being an idiot.”

Seeing memories of Annabeth was disconcerting, especially when she’d never been present for it.

“Fine! You win, Rheysurrah,” Kayleigh said. She thrust her hand into the air and sent a geyser of green flame into the air with the hopes that people would see it and know there was a way out. She kept it going as Rheysurrah trotted easily by those fleeing on foot. After a hundred yards, she let the green flame go and leaned forward, allowing Rheysurrah to carry them toward Tamera and Rahzir. On both sides of the bond, there were hard feelings and very little trust. Neither felt like being in the other’s company at the moment. If she could, Kayleigh would have walked, but the arrow in the side of her leg throbbed as she removed the Yar knife from the sheath holding it. There were no signs of pursuit and she asked him to slow down so that she could cut the remaining portion of the arrow from her leg.