The Voice of Prophecy (Dual Magics Book 2) (33 page)

The apparition smiled. “I always whistled when I spoke to
Tabeus through our bond. It was our signal.”

Vatar smiled back. “That works for me. Come back. I bind you
to me until my death.”

With an answering smile, the specter flowed back into Vatar.

“May that day be long in coming,” Thekila said.

“It will be,” Vatar answered, smiling across at her.

“Do you know that?” she asked.

Vatar shrugged. “It feels true.”

“To have an ancestor guide you in this way. . . . The Modgud
consider it very fortunate indeed,” Trev said.

“I think the Modgud are right,” Vatar said with a smile. “I
feel lucky to have had his help.”

“And I think that part of the prophecy is now clear,” Father
said. “‘Guided by one forgotten.’”

“Does it matter anymore?” Vatar asked. “The Fasallon who is
not a Fasallon has already been revealed.”

Father laughed. “True. But that part of the prophecy has
always annoyed me.”

Trev gave a signal and they all stood up and started to file
out of the hut.

“Well?” Quetza asked as soon as they stepped up out of the
hut into the daylight.

“It’s Taleus,” Vatar said. “And, now that I can be sure,
he’s welcome to stay.”

Thekila put her arm around him. “See, I told you you weren’t
losing your mind.”

He held her close. “And you were right. Again.”

~

It seemed too soon when Pa and the others prepared to leave
again a few days later. Vatar reminded himself that he’d see them at Zeda
before long.

Vatar stopped Trev before the shaman mounted his horse.
Vatar carried three steel knives, some of his best work. “This one is for you.”
Vatar held out a knife with a hilt intricately carved in the shape of a raven.

Trev shook his head. “That’s not necessary, Vatar. I was
only doing—”

“I think it is.” Vatar couldn’t suppress a grin. “And Taleus
agrees, so you’re outnumbered.”

Trev nodded and accepted the gift.

Vatar handed him the other two knives. Fine work, but
plainer. “These two are for Bron and Clev, for helping me in the forest during
my Ordeal. Will you see that they get them?”

Trev smiled. “Of course.”

Next, Vatar and Thekila went to Theklan. He was going out to
the plains early, much to Kiara’s delight. He hadn’t been completely
comfortable in Caere since the kidnapping, insisting on keeping a staff by his
bed. Vatar and Thekila agreed he’d be better off away from the city for a
while.

Thekila hugged her brother. “Be good. Don’t give Danar and
Lucina any trouble, hear?”

The relief on Theklan’s face to be leaving Caere was
obvious. “I’ll be good.”

Vatar put his arm around Thekila. “He’ll be fine on the
plains.” He looked up at Pa, already mounted. “We should have made him Lion
Clan. He has the heart of a warrior.”

“Oh no, it’s much better that he’s Eagle Clan,” Kiara said.

The adult Dardani burst out laughing and Kiara flushed
slightly.

What’s funny?
Theklan asked Vatar silently.

I’ll tell you later.
Vatar answered.
It’ll be a
few years before we need to worry about it.
 He clasped arms with Pa.
“We’ll see you all at Zeda. Until then, fair skies.”

“Fair skies,” Pa said.

The Dardani filed through the gate and turned their horses
towards the plains.

“All right, what was so funny?” Thekila asked.

Vatar chuckled. “If Theklan had been Lion Clan, he and Kiara
would be clan brother and sister. Apparently, that’s not the relationship Kiara
has in mind. But she’s only thirteen. I wouldn’t worry about it, yet.”

Thekila giggled. “Poor Theklan. No wonder she sticks to him
like a bur.” She stood by Vatar’s side, watching the disappearing riders.
“Vatar, now that we know about Taleus . . .”

“Yes?”

“Do you suppose he’d mind if we name our next child after
him?”

“Our next . . . ?” Vatar spluttered, totally unprepared for
this turn of the conversation. “Thekila, you’re not . . .” No, wait. He’d know
if that were true. Their bond wasn’t that new anymore. He only knew what
Thekila was thinking if she chose to communicate it, but he always knew what
she was feeling now. The moment she knew something like that, he would have
known it, too. Right now, he got a definite twinkle of mischief through their
bond. She shouldn’t tease him about something like that.

“In a year or two, of course,” Thekila said airily.

I would be honored.
The voice in Vatar’s head,
accompanied by a thin whistling sound, stopped him for a moment. He couldn’t
help but burst into laughter.

“See, I knew he must be very wise,” Thekila said and
laughed, too.

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 from

Dual Magics Book 3

Beyond the Prophecy

Coming in 2015

Chapter
1: Ambush

Vatar checked the loads on the pack horses one more time. He
and his cousin Arcas agreed to make their annual trading trip out onto the
plains as brief as possible this year. Everything seemed to be quiet in the
city, now. The upheavals of the late winter were finally settling down to a
new, if uneasy, routine. At any rate, the guilds had restored the peace.

He glanced up the line of horses to where Thekila, their
infant son held close to her chest in a Dardani-style sling, waited to mount.
Vatar was uneasy about taking the baby on such a long journey. Three days
across the plains to Zeda. But after the kidnap attempt on his older children
just a few months ago—just before Jadar was born, in fact—he would feel even
less comfortable leaving them here while he was gone.

Arcas didn’t have a choice in the matter. His wife and baby
son had to stay here, since Elaria couldn’t ride at all. Fortunately, his
parents had agreed to stay at the farm and look after them while Arcas was
gone. Vatar understood why Arcas wouldn’t want to be gone longer than
necessary.

Well, the decision was made. Dithering over it wouldn’t get
them to Zeda and back any quicker. He gave the girth of the pack saddle a final
tug and turned, squaring his shoulders. Time to go. He lifted petite Thekila up
into her saddle with a quick kiss and moved on to his horse. Seeing him
mounted, Arcas kissed his wife and baby goodbye, thanked his parents again for
staying while he was away, and mounted his own horse. They were ready to leave.

Vatar’s half-brother Orleus maneuvered his horse closer to
Vatar’s and passed four-year-old Savara across to ride with her father.
Savara’s twin, Zavar, was perfectly happy perched in front of Thekila’s friend,
Quetza. It was good that the twins were getting big. Before long, they’d be
ready to ride on their own.

Orleus’s two hunting dogs were already flanking his horse.
Vatar whistled up the three herding dogs he’d selected for this trip and nudged
his horse into a walk, leading the small group toward the plains and Zeda.

As soon as they passed the last of the outlying farms, Vatar
instinctively began to scan their surroundings. They were on the plains, now.
He wouldn’t expect many predators this close to Caere, but it paid to be
careful anyway. He knew Arcas was doing the same thing. Probably Orleus, too,
in his own way. Even Quetza looked more alert, despite the distraction of Zavar
riding in front of her.

They hadn’t gone far before Vatar twitched his shoulders
against the prickly feeling that usually presaged danger of some kind. He
looked back along their little column. Orleus stared off in the direction of a
small copse of scrubby trees not far off their path, eyes narrowed. Vatar
followed his gaze. The tall grasses swayed, but not with the wind.

“Is that a lion?” Orleus asked.

“No,” Vatar and Arcas answered simultaneously.

“I wouldn’t have to wait to see the movement to know if it
was a lion,” Arcas added. “The only lions nearby are in the opposite
direction.”

Vatar nodded.

Orleus continued to watch the movement of the grasses.
“Well, it’s not the wind.”

Thekila stopped her horse and turned her eyes skyward,
tracking an eagle circling high above. Using her connection to the Spirit of
the Eagle, she looked at the grassland through the bird’s eyes. She shared what
she saw with Vatar through their bond.

Vatar drew in his breath sharply. Not any kind of predator.
Seven—no, eight—men crept towards them, four on each side, swords drawn.
“Ambush!” Eight against five—four, really, since Thekila knew nothing of
fighting on horseback. Not that she was helpless, by any means. At least they
were mounted against men on foot. That would give them some advantage.

He reined his horse in close to Thekila’s and pulled his
spear out of its sheath, glad he’d refitted it with a longer shaft for this
trip. He’d need both hands to use it properly. Vatar lifted a squirming Savara
and set her before Thekila. Protecting her and the children was the first
priority. “Everybody, keep together.”

The Dardani herd dogs barked a late warning and would have
run into the grass. Vatar whistled them back and gave them the command to
guard. There was only one more layer of protection at his disposal. Vatar cast
his magical shield to protect Thekila, Quetza, and the children as the first of
the attackers stood up and rushed towards them. He heard the sounds of battle
as Arcas and Orleus met the assailants on the other side.

The first man bounced off Vatar’s shield. Vatar lowered his
spear point and spurred his horse forward, taking the man in the chest before
he had time to catch his balance.  Vatar reined his horse around to face
the next enemy. The man had gotten close enough to strike upward with his
sword. Vatar parried the stroke with his spear, but froze at a wash of fear
from Thekila. Had his shield failed to protect her and the children? He wavered
for an instant between dealing with his opponent or turning to protect his
family. While he hesitated, the man drew his sword back for another blow. Vatar
swerved his horse out of the way and then swung his spear point across his
attacker’s throat. He swallowed his fear as he started to turn toward Thekila.

Behind you!
Thekila’s voice said in his mind. Vatar
wheeled his horse in the opposite direction and saw the next enemy struggling
to move a sword apparently stuck in midair. In spite of the seriousness of the
situation, one side of his mouth quirked up. Thekila’s work, without a doubt,
freezing that sword in place. Vatar swung the butt of his spear up into the
man’s jaw, laying him out unconscious.

Another wash of fear from Thekila hit Vatar like a wall,
just at the moment that both Savara and Zavar wailed in terror. Vatar turned
his horse. Quetza gripped Zavar tight to her left side with one hand and used
Orleus’s old sword to parry the blade of an enemy that had slipped past Vatar
and around the shield he’d cast. If she was impeded by Zavar, the attacker was
at least equally hampered by the three dogs snapping at his legs. Vatar dropped
the now-useless shield and urged his horse forward. At the sound of the
approaching hooves, the man turned, and Quetza, taking advantage of the
opening, drove her blade clean through his sword arm. The man dropped his sword
and Thekila, with a glance, sent it spinning deep into the tall grass.

Vatar forced himself to ignore Thekila and Quetza trying to
soothe the sobbing children to check what was happening on the other side.
Arcas fought with one of their attackers. Orleus’s two dogs had pulled another
of the enemy down. Even as Vatar watched, Orleus war-trained horse, Racer,
reared up and struck Orleus’s opponent with his hooves, hard enough to knock
him to the ground. Only one foe remained unfought, and he tried to run back
toward Caere. Orleus spurred Racer after him. Arrow, the lighter and faster of
Orleus’s dogs, left the downed man to chase the runner. That man didn’t have a
chance of getting away. Vatar left Orleus to it and went to help Arcas.

Seeing another rider barreling down on him, the remaining
attacker threw down his sword. Vatar kept his spear leveled at the man’s chest
while he fished in his saddlebag for a length of rope. He tossed the rope to
Arcas, who dismounted and started tying up their captive. As Arcas worked, the
man’s dun-colored cape twitched aside, revealing the blue and green uniform of
the Temple Guard. Vatar and Arcas exchanged a glance and Arcas pulled the bonds
tighter. Finishing with the first, they moved on systematically to the man
still held captive by Orleus’s bigger tracking dog, Seeker, and the one
detained by Quetza and the herding dogs, and finally the one Vatar had knocked
unconscious.

By then, Orleus and Arrow came back, driving a fifth man
before them. Arcas quickly tied him up with the others.

“They’re Temple Guards,” Orleus said.

Vatar nodded. “We know.” He drew his Dardani long knife and
advanced on the nearest man. With the blade to the man’s throat, he asked, “Who
sent you?”

The man said nothing, cold eyes daring Vatar.

This was the man Quetza had wounded. Orleus twisted his
injured arm savagely. “You were asked a question. I’d advise you to answer it.”

“Gerusa!” the man said, gasping from the pain. “It was High
Councilor Gerusa. She paid us to kill you.”

Vatar narrowed his eyes. This one had been caught while
attacking Quetza—and Zavar. “Who, exactly, were you supposed to kill?”

The man clamped his mouth shut until Orleus twisted his arm
again. “All of you.”

“
All
of us?” Thekila’s voice held an unaccustomed
tremor. “Even the
babies
?”

The man had the grace to avert his eyes. “Yes.”

Vatar closed his eyes and drew in several deep breaths,
trying to calm himself. When he felt he could control his voice, he gestured to
the fallen men. “Gather up the bodies. I’m going to bespeak Father. He needs to
know about this.”

Orleus and Arcas nodded.

“Father!”
Vatar called with his mind.

“Vatar? What is it? I thought you were leaving for Zeda
today.”

Vatar gritted his teeth. “We did. We were ambushed soon
after we reached the plains.”

“Are you all right? What about Thekila and the children?”
Father’s mental voice was immediately concerned.

“We’re all fine, Father. We have five prisoners. The other
three are dead. They’re Temple Guards. Gerusa sent them.”

Father huffed in anger and frustration. “That bitch never
did understand the concept of defeat. Are you going to bring them back?”

Vatar shook his head, even though he knew Father couldn’t
see it. “We’ve tied them up and we’re going to leave them right here. The High
Council can send someone for them. Or not. If not, the lions will likely find
them.”

“That’s not like you, Vatar.”

Vatar drew a few more deep breaths before answering. “It
wasn’t just me they were sent to kill. They would have killed Thekila and my
children, too. And they took Gerusa’s orders with that understanding.
 They don’t deserve any better.”

“I’ll send someone out to retrieve them. And to arrest
Gerusa.” Father’s voice vibrated with an echo of Vatar’s anger.

“Thank you, Father. I’ll contact you again when we reach
Zeda.”

“Have a safe trip. The rest of it, anyway.”

The five survivors were dumped together in the sparse shade
of a bush, upwind from the place where the three bodies had been
collected. 

Vatar rode up in front of them. “I’ve informed High
Councilor Veleus that you’re here. He’ll send someone to retrieve you. You’d
better hope that they find you before the lions do.” He half closed his eyes in
concentration and gestured to the south. “There’s a pride of lions about two
miles that way. They’re not quite ready to hunt, yet. So you have a chance. Of
course, the smell of blood may draw them.”

Before they started forward again, Vatar took Savara back
from Thekila. She clung to him as he set her in front of him. “I told you I’d
never let them hurt you again.”

Savara nodded.

“Let’s ride,” Vatar said as Thekila moved her horse beside
his.

~

When they reached Zeda late on the third day, Vatar smiled
to see his whole family, including Thekila’s younger brother, Theklan waiting
for them. Clearly, Thekila had forewarned her brother and he’d shared the
information. There might be some advantages to having just these few Dardani
know about his magic after all.

He waited until they were settled into the coolness of their
sod hut, which had already been prepared for them, before contacting his father
again. “
Father?”

“Yes, Vatar?”

“We’ve arrived safely at Zeda. I said I’d let you know.”
Vatar
paused a moment. His earlier anger had faded days ago—and become tinged with
just a hint of guilt. He didn’t
think
he’d guessed wrong, but . . .
 
“Did the men you sent find those who ambushed us? Before the lions got there?”

Father chuckled. “Not exactly. But the lions started with
the ones that were already dead, so the live ones were brought back without any
additional injuries. But you knew that would happen, didn’t you?”

Vatar let out a relieved sigh. “I thought it would. Lions
usually won’t waste energy when they don’t need to. What about Gerusa?”

Father sighed. “Gerusa seems to have had more friends among
the Temple and Palace Guards than we realized. Before I could get the High
Council to arrest her, she knew that her ambush had failed. She has fled Caere.
It’s almost certain that she took ship to Kausalya.”

Vatar grimaced. He hated having an enemy—and there was no
doubt Gerusa was his enemy—on the loose. Still, Kausalya was a small city on
the coast south of Caere, founded mostly on farming the rich river delta. Vatar
had no plans to go there.
“Hopefully, she’s far enough away.”

“Watch your back, Vatar. If I know Gerusa—and I do—she
hasn’t given up. It’s not in her vocabulary. She can’t reach you among the
Dardani. But be careful when you come back.”

“I will, Father.” Vatar paused. He’d given this some thought
during the rest of the journey. “We’re not planning to stay longer than
necessary this trip. I may hire a few sturdy Dardani to come back with us to
help manage the herd. With the three children along, it’d be hard even with the
dogs. And there should be plenty of time for them to get back to Zeda before
the clans break up for the autumn.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

~

The next morning, they gathered again on the edge of the
village to say goodbye to Orleus and Quetza.

Thekila looked between the two. “Be careful.”

Orleus shrugged. “Oh, I don’t think even Mother could pay
anyone to come this far to attack us. No, that danger will always be closer in
to Caere—and Kausalya, now, I suppose. That could cause some inconvenience in
the future.”