Sorceress (Book 2) (30 page)

Kayleigh grimaced, wondering what she did wrong. “Ma’am?”

The brown-haired water maiden approached. “You told Captain Sycroft who your father and mother were last night.”

“Yes.”

“Tell no one else, even under orders.”

“Why?”

“I had to talk Captain Sycroft out of sending a messenger to the castle last night when she came to me to confirm your report. The only people who need to have that knowledge are those who you trust with your life.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Simple,” Lynch answered. “She lost most of her family in the last war to your father’s forces and was willing to inform the High-King of your presence on the island. She placed her duty to the High-King above your personal welfare. I was forced to invoke the general’s orders to prevent her from doing so. Should you be questioned again, I order you, on General Jyslin’s authority to not reveal the secret of your parents to anyone you do not completely trust. Are you perfectly clear on this?”

Kayleigh was still reeling from Captain Sycroft’s actions and stammered, “She’s my commanding officer. I didn’t think…”

Meghan Lynch’s face hardened and for a moment and Kayleigh feared what she would say. Instead, the woman paused before answering, “Too many people already know. You were just doing as ordered. It hadn’t occurred to me to warn you of the possible complications. Now, we both know better. Let’s move on to the unicorn. How is she doing today?”

“Not good. More bruises developed overnight. Is there any word on the former riders in the city?”

“The messengers were sent this morning. We won’t know for several hours. Captain Sycroft spoke with the third years and let them know that their missing comrades are on their way back. I spoke with my charges and though I’d prefer they left you alone, I’m going to allow those who’ve asked an opportunity to visit with you after they’ve completed their morning exercises on the Trail of Pain. Lieutenant Sheppard will monitor that conversation and has requested permission to speak with you in private.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I’ll speak with Rheysurrah and ask him to come and get me if Iarisha’s condition gets worse. How much should I tell the lieutenant?”

“It goes back to my earlier statement. Do you trust her with your life?”

Kayleigh considered the woman who’d acted as a buffer between Meghan and her during Kayleigh’s time as Lead Rider. “Yes, ma’am, I do.”

“Then carry on, Reese. I believe you know the way.”

On the path to the obstacle course, she watched the tiny figures scurrying over the ropes, climbing ladders, and sprinting from station to station. It was familiar and something she’d been rather good at until she’d been moved to the more complicated third year course and forced to compete against girls with far more experience. Even that seemed so simple now.

Moving back and forth in the saddle of her unicorn was the stocky brunette she’d come to respect. The earth maiden shouted stinging critiques of the trainees.

“How many times have I told you about proper stretching and hydration, Trainee Michaels? At some point I might get through to you!”

Smiling at the memories this tirade evoked, she jogged closer. Pasha, Lieutenant Sheppard’s unicorn, noticed her first and turned her rider to face Kayleigh.

“Good morning, Recruit Reese. Back to stay?”

“No, ma’am,” she replied. “I don’t think so.”

“Really? Where will you and Majherri go?”

“Captain Lynch didn’t explain very much to you, ma’am?”

“No, she did not. She said it would be best to hear it from you.”

Kayleigh frowned and looked at the nearby recruits straining to hear and said, “Let’s go over there.”

“Santiago! Fall out and take over the exercises. If I catch you going soft on them, you’ll be spending time alone out here with me,” Sheppard barked. “Lead on, Kayleigh.”

Walking close to the side of Pasha, Kayleigh tried to come up with a way to present the story in a manner that didn’t sound crazy. Finally, she settled on, “I’m riding Rheysurrah for the moment. The Portal dropped us off in the ruins of Mon Alder in the middle of a war. Annabeth died in combat about the time Danella Lynch took Majherri back, almost killing me in the process.”

Both the unicorn and the rider stared at her in shock.

“It gets worse,” Kayleigh continued. “Stop me if you don’t want to hear anymore.”

“I’m sorry about your friend, Kayleigh. She was a good rider with a kind heart. Tell me more.”

Waffling, but only for a moment, Kayleigh beat back her own fears. “Can I trust you and Pasha with my life?”

“That’s a strange question to ask,” the woman replied. “I would never knowingly endanger your life.”

“Even if it goes against an edict of the High-King?”

“Is it that serious?”

“Yes, ma’am. General Jyslin has issued a blanket order to prevent disclosure of this information. You can confirm it with Captain Lynch. If you don’t want me to say another word, I’ll understand.”

“Go ahead, Kayleigh.”

“I’m a sorceress, not really a Battle Maiden. I mimic the elemental powers.” She held her hand out and conjured a thin stream of water. “I’m not good with earth or air yet, too much time riding for my life. I bonded with Rheysurrah to stop his wasting. I was also able to force a bond between a riderless unicorn and a trainee who lost hers when Shiftla fell.”

“You can prevent the wasting? That’s remarkable! Shiftla and Mon Alder have fallen? That’s not good. All this is interesting, but I don’t see how this could kill you.”

“Jaruciax is also in enemy hands. Everything west of the Clef except for Salif has been conquered, but you’re right. I found out who I really am out there. Even I am still having problems dealing with it. My mother is really Brianna Nolan-West,” Kayleigh said and saw Lindsey’s eyebrows furrow as she tried to place the name.

“She was the lover of Count Darius, who is apparently my father. He’s also still alive and leading that army. When I fought him and his manticore briefly in Shiftla, our magic barely affected each other.”

“Oh,” was all the earth maiden could say for a moment. “There’s more isn’t there?”

“Count Darius knows I’m out here. Captain Lynch and I were ambushed twice on our ride from Salif. He wants me out of the way one way or another, kidnapped or dead, and he has something that can turn a person, even a Battle Maiden, into a slave willing to kill for him.”

Pausing, Kayleigh fought against the trembling feeling spreading through her body. “Lieutenant Townsend has been taken prisoner. We captured an enslaved rider and they were trying to cure her in Salif when I had to flee. He even did it to a trainee just to deliver a message to me. Now, Danella and Majherri are in the northern kingdoms from what the dying unicorn in the stables can tell me. Whatever they’re doing threatens that region. She gave me the impression that Majherri is fighting her control, but whatever she’s done to him has turned his coat black and his horn is missing.”

Sheppard dismounted and wrapped her arms around Kayleigh.

“Is there more?”

“Probably,” Kayleigh confessed. “I’m sure I’m forgetting at least a hundred things, but...”

“Take your time. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” Kayleigh said, struggling not to give into this breakdown. She sniffed loudly and stepped out of the hug. “I’ll be heading north. I need to track down my mother and find out how my fath…the count survived the battle with General Jyslin and stop Danella. If I stay here, my identity comes out and I’m either arrested or executed. Lynch even had to stop Sycroft from informing the High-King.”

All her frustrations came pouring out to one of the few people she could confide in.

“What can I do to help?”

“I wish I knew. General Jyslin is a couple of days away from what Captain Sycroft said,” Kayleigh answered, still finding it difficult that the woman had listened to her story and planned to turn her over to the mercies of the High-King. “We’ll have to wait for her.”

“Pasha and I will volunteer to go north with you. I’m from the Duchy of Rosha and know the area.”

“Annabeth volunteered to come on a trip with me and she died. I’d rather not see that happen to you as well.”

The woman shrugged and said, “Thank you for your concern, Kayleigh, but I am a Battle Maiden. Dying is always a possibility. It sounds like it is happening to too many people right now.”

“I honestly think the Western Battalion is gone.”

“Then we will avenge our sisters,” Sheppard responded and smiled at her. “So you must be pretty good if you fought a manticore.”

“I was lucky,” Kayleigh replied. “I did manage to do a fireshade twice to beat some sand trolls and some nomads.”

“That’s pretty impressive for someone who hasn’t had any training.”

She was about to reply that it seemed like the story of her life when they were interrupted by a galloping Rheysurrah. Kayleigh detected a sense of urgency through the frail bond connecting the two of them.

“That can’t be good,” Kayleigh said. “Can you get Captain Lynch and send her to the stables?”

As Lindsey nodded, Kayleigh mounted Rheysurrah bareback and rode off. The image the unicorn showed her was Iarisha collapsing.

“If they haven’t found another rider,” Kayleigh said, “I’m going to go ahead and break our bond. I’m sure when the others return you’ll have your pick of riders.”

The unicorn agreed and she felt a wave of regret that mirrored her own.

“We’re a really bad match, Rheysurrah. I’m sorry it didn’t work either. Take more time to get to know your next rider.”

Inside the barn things were worse than she imagined. Iarisha was leaking blood from the bruises on her flanks.

“You don’t want to see this, miss. It’ll be over in a few minutes. Go on and git,” the stablemaster said.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” she replied and dismounted. “Rhey, hold on! I’m going to try and do this cleanly and quickly. When Danella broke my bond with Majherri, it hurt so bad I almost passed out.”

“What are you talking about, girl?”

Turning around, Kayleigh looked at the burly man and said, “If I pass out, wake me up. Dump water on me, slap me, kick me, I don’t care.”

“I ...”

“Just do it!” she commanded and returned her attention to her bond with Rheysurrah. “Wait! Let’s do this outside of the building. Goddess only knows what damage I could do to this place.”

Running out of the barn, she turned to the unicorn and took a deep breath. Danella had squeezed her bond with Majherri in a vice until it snapped. Instead, Kayleigh envisioned her magic like the blade of her Yar knife.

“Alright,” she said. “Here we go!”

Using her mental knife, she began sawing at the bond connecting them. Too many things in her life had already earned the distinction of being painful beyond description. This experience made the incident with the ground fire pepper seem like a refreshing splash of water across her face. It was like cutting off her own hand as she hacked away at the bond, which fought back trying to reattach the parts she was separating.

She redoubled her efforts and in her mind, the knife became Annabeth’s scimitar. Using the new weapon, Kayleigh savagely attacked the bond until it mercifully broke in two.

Managing not to lose conscious while feeling she’d done something horrible, she opened her eyes and stared up at the sky. Rheysurrah was nearby. They were both in the middle of an oval scorch mark burnt into the ground that went for a dozen feet.

“You okay?” Kayleigh grunted and pulled herself into a sitting position. Rheysurrah looked anything but. Still the unicorn shook his head and gestured to the stable with his head for her to hurry.

“Easy for you to say,” she replied and stumbled to her feet. Pushing aside the confused stablemaster, she ran to the female unicorn’s side and knelt next to her.

Iarisha’s breathing was shallow as she placed her hands on the female.

The magic surrounding the severed remains of the bond seeped energy. Kayleigh threw her loose end of the bond against the other and started knitting the two together.

Iarisha’s end remained limp, almost unmoving.

“Come on!” she cried. “Don’t die on me!”

Kayleigh was beyond the point where the bond had taken over with Rheysurrah. Instead, she was faced with hundreds of strands still waiting for her to tie them with hers.

“Reese! Report!” Lynch entered the barn.

“I broke my bond with Rheysurrah, but I’m not bonding with her. She’s slipping away!”

Fresh tears of frustration emerged as she continued to fumble with the strands of the bond.

“If she dies, we might not be able to find Danella before she gets to my mother! I can’t let that happen! I won’t.”

She began feeling the effects of exhaustion as the hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Reese! Keep doing that,” she heard Captain Lynch say.

“What?”

“Healing tears,” Lynch answered and pointed down to the unicorn.

The bruises where her tears spattered were no longer oozing blood. She wiped her hands across her cheeks and placed them on the other wounds. Meghan dug a vial out of her pouch and began assisting.