Sorceress (Book 2) (38 page)

“Ma’am?” Kayleigh interrupted.

“Yes?”

“We should allow them the opportunity to surrender.”

The lieutenant thought it over and came to a decision. “Very well. Give them a chance to surrender. Make certain our allies know that as well. Send any riders who lost their unicorns and any riderless unicorns to here where Senior Rider Reese will try and pair them up. You three…I’m sorry, but I don’t know your names. Make your way to the castle with Duke Tomas. Retrieve his daughter and Major Lynch. See if you can find members of the royal family or any of the council of elders. We need someone to help get the city back on its feet.”

“I suspect none of the Castors are still alive,” the duke said.

“Then you may be forced to assume control of the city for now, milord. Naturally, you will have our support and cooperation, Duke Tomas.”

“Thank you. Though technically there is another noble who may wish to assert her claim if there are no heirs to the Castor line. Hopefully, this is a pointless discussion and one we can have later if the need arises.”

Kayleigh paled, not liking the nobleman’s implications one bit. She barely listened to the rest of the orders, but managed to offer that T’rsa could lead Duke Tomas to Ashlynn and the major. The other’s left, leaving Kayleigh with Lieutenant Sheppard and only a few others. Pasha and Iarisha were both close to Majherri and her old unicorn seemed uncomfortable with their attention.

“I think General Jyslin knew she wasn’t going to live through this,” the officer said to her.

“Why’s that, ma’am?”

“She said something to me when I told her to be careful. She said that she wasn’t worried because she’d already met freedom’s next champion and that we were in good hands. I believe she meant you.”

Kayleigh exhaled a long breath, liking those words even less than the words of Brian’s father moments ago. Finally she conceded, “She may have. I can only strive to be worthy of what she sees…or saw in me.”

“I think that’s all she would ever ask, Reese, the best from you and every one of us. You’ll have my support, Kayleigh.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Will you try and form a bond with Majherri again?”

“He, Iarisha, and I will have to have a long discussion at some point.”

“If you need advice, on anything, Kayleigh, I’ll be there to listen. I’m going to go get Pasha and check the perimeter, Senior Rider. She seems all worked up over Majherri for some reason and I think I might need to intervene. I need someone to stand honor guard over General Jyslin until I return. See to it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said and saluted.

Kayleigh watched as the earth maiden retrieved her unicorn. Pasha and Iarisha were both behaving strangely around Majherri. Kayleigh wasn’t certain what to make of it.

“They each wish to mate with him,”
a voice said in her head.

“What? Who’s there?”

“A humbled spirit of the Yar. Brought low by a decision made in haste and now seeing the price my people have paid in blood as a result of my poor choices.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I am Veyli, the hawk spirit, and I wish to make you an offer.”

“Danella turned into a hawk! Where is she?”

“She broke our kinship when my brother Rokor, became available.”

“Who is Rokor?”

“The hydra spirit.”

“Danella is the hydra now!”

“I’m afraid so, young sorceress. She will do much harm with such power at her disposal and I will be complicit for giving her a voice amongst the Yar. You are her sworn enemy, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You also offered mercy to one of my wounded followers just a short time ago and encouraged your leaders to accept surrender. The magic in you is also powerful, yet broken at the same time. Otherwise, I don’t think I could even choose you.”

“Choose me for what?”

“My next host. The Yar who are still in this city will bow to one of their chieftains. It will stop needless bloodshed and spare many who would refuse to lay down their arms. You may also be able to negotiate favorable terms that do not see them executed or enslaved for what happened in this kingdom. Danella wanted power for the sake of more power. The human who was just here suggested that you wear the mantle of Freedom’s Champion. I offer my power to you in the hopes that your definitions of freedom and mercy will be extended to the eleven tribes of the Yar. All I’ve ever wanted for my people is a better future. I risked much by believing in Danella Lynch and I lost. Now, I must make amends by offering myself to you to stop her. Some of the chieftains fled with her, but others were wisely cautious when it came to her motives. You could make them your allies and gain their support. It may not be easy, but from what I have seen of you, Kayleigh, it is no more difficult than the other trials before you.”

When she thought about everything facing her, Kayleigh knew that she could use all the help she could get.

“I’ll do it,” she said, making a decision and hoping for the best.

“Thank you for accepting me. Eventually, I will begin speaking to you again in dreams and visions. Until then, lead well, Champion.”

She felt the power infusing her being, traveling all around her body and binding to her. It was different from her bond and her own sorcery. When she opened her eyes, the world seemed sharper, brighter and more in focus than ever. Kayleigh beat her wings and felt the power, rising several feet off the ground.

“I can fly!”
she screeched, but fought back the urge to rise into the sky. She’d promised Lieutenant Sheppard that she’d stay with the body and so she returned to her human form.

“Honor and duty, before freedom…at least today
.

In the desert, she’d sworn to be a warrior. The streets were littered with the bodies of warriors, even General Jyslin. Now, the legend was gone and left Kayleigh the challenge of becoming something more – a champion.

I’m not sure I can do this, but I have to try!

Majherri had trotted over next to her with Iarisha right behind.

“What sorcery is this? What has happened to my rider?”
Iarisha demanded.

“The hawk spirit has chosen more wisely this time,”
Majherri answered.

“What? I can hear you two!” Kayleigh said with a sense of wonderment.

“Yes,”
Majherri replied and nodded.
“Danella gained that ability as well.”

“The spirit said she broke with her and joined with the hydra.”

“That is not good. She needs to be stopped.”

Hearing Majherri say that was reassuring. Actually being able to converse with him and any other unicorn was unbelievable.

“I agree.”

“Also,”
he said.
“A side effect of my transformation seems to make me highly desirable to the females. If you could convince Iarisha that she needs to put some distance between the two of us for the time being, until I can control whatever this is, it would be greatly appreciated.”

Iarisha protested as Kayleigh tried to come to grips with this. Of all the things she’d ever wished to hear from a unicorn, that was not what she imagined. She was still processing all of this when Majherri told her to turn around.

She did and saw two people approaching. The first made her heart leap with joy as the young man filled her eyes and everything else became less important. Brian Tomas walked down the road. He smiled when he saw her, but it stopped halfway, which meant he already knew about his brother. Even so, she spotted something was different about him. There was a spark of kinship a sense of something greater and then it hit her.

He has joined with a Yar spirit as well!

Kayleigh started to move toward him, uncaring of anything else but her desire to hold him in her arms when she finally recognized who the person with him was. The realization stopped her in midstride.

Swallowing, the moisture fled her mouth and her nerves fought against panicking. She ruthlessly forced herself to remain calm.

“Hello, Kayleigh, it’s good to see you again. What have you done to your hair?” the woman asked.

Thousands of thoughts crossed her mind in a single second as Kayleigh’s emotions ran the gamut from shocked relief to anger. Danella had been someone she’d prepared to face.

In contrast, this encounter was not one she was ready for, but was now happening regardless of Kayleigh’s wishes. Closing her partly open mouth, the sorceress cleared her mind. She still had a mission to complete.

“Hello, Mother.”

~The End~

Kayleigh and Majherri will return in Spirals of Destiny Book Three: Champion.

Normally, I thank my wife and daughters first in every book, but this one has to go out especially to Dianne Farrell for her constant encouragement (let’s use that word) to write this novel. I’m glad that I could finally deliver on my promise – even if it was a few years behind schedule. Also, my father-in –law, John Farrell for all his encouragement on behalf of Dianne.

Okay, now I can thank my wife and daughters for their support. You three mean the world to me.

Next come the people who helped make this book possible. Janet Walden-West for the editing. Raffaele Marinetti for the cover art.  David Wood for believing in me enough to publish my novels. Now, I’d like to thank the test reader group for all their work and their input. Hopefully, I don’t miss any of you – Brian Albright, Joshua Watcher, Angela Geiger
, Lucinda Blagg, Liz Banks, Todd “Teocious” Osborne, Jason Durso, Sarah Workman, Amber Whitaker, John Cornell, Amanda Westfal, Jennette Schlinke, Eli Pomerantz, Elizabeth Dorenda Doyle, and Penelope Lyman. Some of you commented on the entire book and others only the first few chapters, but all of your input was appreciated. There, that at least means fifteen sales! Also, I’d like to thank both Rufus and Steve for all the things you do!

Finally, I’d like to thank all the people who read the first book in the series, commented on blogs and forums, or sent me a kind message. I can only hope my efforts will make this worth your long wait and promise that there will not be such a long gap for the third installment.

Jim Bernheimer lives in Chesapeake, Virginia with his wife and two daughters. Blessed (or cursed depending on your point of view) with an overactive imagination, Jim has long been a fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Seeking to put that imagination to use, he has started to write his own original works in hopes of making his mark on the literary world.

Dead Eye

Pennies for the Ferryman

The Skinwalker Conspiracies

Spirals of Destiny

Rider

Sorceress

Champion (Forthcoming)

Confessions of a D-List Supervillain

Prime Suspects
- A Clone Detective Mystery

Horror, Humor and Heroes, vol. 1-3