WinterMaejic (13 page)

Soon, we were on our way again. Grey held a much slower pace than he had before, and I wondered how long he’d be able to keep going.

As we went eastward through the day, I discovered that the low, dark cloud bank I’d glimpsed several times through the trees was actually the mountains. I swallowed. How would I ever find Xyla and the others? Maybe if I still had my maejic. But I didn’t. Before long, Grey would ask me where we were going. And I would have to admit that I didn’t know, that I’d let him bring me all this way, in this horrible weather, on a wild goose chase.

Just then, a huge raven swooped down on us, startling Hallin out of his steady plod and causing Chase to start barking wildly. The horse reared up, pawing at the bird, which circled overhead cawing. With no way to hold onto anything, I slid backwards off Hallin’s rump, landing with a thud that knocked the breath out of me. I tried to scramble away from the horse’s thrashing hooves, but one of them caught my ankle.

Grey struggled to bring Hallin under control, his shouts echoing through the woods, while the bird kept up its raucous noise. He must have decided that the horse wouldn’t settle until the bird was gone, because the next thing I knew, he was roundly cursing the raven. It landed on a branch and gave a funny, surprised-sounding chirp, staring at Grey and twitching its head from side to side. Despite the pain in my ankle, I almost laughed.

He shot the bird a very nasty look, then led Hallin in the opposite direction to try to calm him down. As if satisfied with the havoc it had wreaked, the raven let out a last loud cry and flew away.

Then Grey let out another stream of cursing. I looked over to find that Hallin was limping, favoring one of his front legs. Grey examined it and shook his head at what he found. He led the horse back to where I still sat in the snow.

“We have a problem,” he said. “He has a strained fetlock. He can walk all right, but he won’t be able to carry you.”

My heart sank. I had no idea how much farther we had to go, not knowing, after all, where exactly we were actually going. But it didn’t matter. If Hallin was hurt and I had to go afoot, then afoot I would go. I looked at Grey, gave him a small smile, and nodded. Then I stood up. Or tried to.

As soon as I put pressure on my right foot, pain shot up my leg. I fell back heavily, tears springing to my eyes. Grey scowled in concern.

“What now?” He knelt next to me and examined my ankle. The air on my exposed skin was cold, but Grey’s touch was gentle and warm as he poked and prodded and turned my foot this way and that. He watched my face for reaction, since I couldn’t tell him when it hurt. And nothing did hurt until he checked my calf. A searing pain jolted through my leg. I winced and would’ve cried out if I could have. He tugged up the hem of my trouser leg and frowned at what he saw.

“Well, the good news is that it’s not a broken bone or a sprained ankle. Hallin must’ve gotten you when he was thrashing around. See, the bruise is already coming up.” He sighed. “We won’t be going any farther today.”

Grey went to start gathering firewood, but a few minutes later he returned, a huge smile on his face.

“I’ve found a great place to camp for the night! We just might stay there two nights—let you and Hallin mend a little before we move on. You stay here while I set a few things up. I’ll come back for you.” He picked up one of the saddle bags.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at his departing figure: as if I could go anywhere anyway. What a comic.

It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes before Grey returned, although I’d grown so cold that it seemed like it had been hours. Chase dashed up, wagging his tail and practically dancing.

Grey picked me up as if I weighed little more than a sack of flour. “Just wait’ll you see this,” he said with a boyish grin. I couldn’t help but smile myself at the childlike glint in his eye, as if he’d done some silly thing that he felt proud of even though he shouldn’t.

We hadn’t gone far when he said, “There, look.”

I had to admit he was right. It really was the perfect place. A space about six feet by eight was enclosed on three sides by huge boulders, and rising from the center was a tall tree. It looked as if the boulders had fallen there from some ancient landslide, the power of the tree stopping them and holding them in place ever since. Grey had used an oilcloth to cover half the shelter in case of rain or more snow, and a fire crackled in front.

He set me down by the fire, and I stretched out my hands toward it. By the time Grey returned with the horse and the rest of the supplies, feeling had started to return.

Soon, Hallin stood in the back of the shelter, eating contentedly from his nosebag and swishing his tail back and forth from time to time. Chase lay curled up next to me, head in my lap as I stroked him with my fist. And supper simmered on the fire. Strictly speaking, it was much too early for supper, but after everything that had happened—the storm, Grey’s inexplicable collapse, Hallin’s disastrous reaction to the raven—a good, hot meal followed by a long night’s sleep seemed to be the most sensible course to follow.

Since it was so early, Grey let the stew simmer longer than usual, and when we finally ate it, the meat was as tender as Mama’s best. It made me long for the days when events as well as meals were predictable. A little dullness, with the occasional practical joke from Breyard, would be welcome right now.

I looked at Grey to find him staring into the flames. I wondered what he was thinking about. Probably looking forward to getting me off his hands. As if he felt me watching him, he looked up.

“Ready to sleep?”

I almost nodded, more out of habit than anything else, but really it was still quite early, so I shook my head instead. Then I tried to convey with my eyes how grateful I was for everything he’d done for me. Chase sat up, and I heard his tail thumping on the ground.

Grey’s eyes widened a little, and to my surprise, he stood up and walked around the fire, gazing all the time into my eyes. He sat down close to me. His nearness made my heart beat faster, and for the first time, I noticed his earthy odor. I looked at him again and saw an unexpected tenderness deep in his grey eyes. He wore a half smile, and suddenly I wanted him to kiss me, to feel the softness of his lips on mine.

He placed an arm around my shoulders, and I caught my breath. Could this really be happening, or was I dreaming? He pulled me close and leaned his head down toward mine. I closed my eyes and leaned toward him. A thrill went through me as our lips touched and his fingertips brushed my cheek. But at that instant, Hallin screamed in terror.

My patience with King Erno wears thin, and I wonder. Is it because I grow older, for I’m older than the rivers it seems at times. Or is it because the end of the game is at hand, and I anticipate relieving myself of the burden that is the king? Or is it simply that he is, indeed, getting worse?

It matters not, for the wheels are set inexorably in motion, and not even I myself could stop them now.

I gaze into the fire; I sip my tea. I am well pleased.

Chase leapt to his feet, and ran past the fire, barking violently. Grey dashed to Hallin’s side, grabbed the horse’s bridle, and spoke softly to calm him. I sat in total confusion, trying to pull my cloak closer around my shoulders, almost as if I hoped it could hide me.

Then, as suddenly as they’d started up, both animals stopped. Hallin stood quietly in place, although his eyes were wide with fear. Chase ran to Grey, tail between his legs and whining softly.

I met Grey’s eyes, and the expression on his face matched the question in my mind: What was going on? Grey quickly tied Hallin’s reins to the tree trunk, loosened two of his knives in their sheaths, and picked up his bow, all without making a sound. As he strung the bow and nocked an arrow, always peering into the darkness beyond the fire, I wished I could do more than stare. He made a quick downward motion with one hand, which I interpreted to mean he didn’t want me to move, but he needn’t have worried. I was frozen in place.

A current passed through the air. At first I thought it was the wind, but then I noticed that it hadn’t affected the flames of the fire. Anazian! It must be. He’d hunted us down and now had us cornered. How could I ever have thought this would be a safe place? Now it looked like nothing but a trap.

I heard harsh breathing and realized it was mine. I put the back of my hand to my mouth and concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths. Anazian could kill me if that’s what he wanted to do, but I wasn’t going to let him see my fear.

Snow crunched under boots as someone approached. Whoever it was, they certainly weren’t bothering to be quiet. A moment later, a shadowy figure emerged from the trees beyond the fire. Grey drew his bow.

A bark of laughter. Then a familiar voice spoke. “That bow does not have the power to kill me, boy.”

I jumped to my feet and limped toward Grey. Yallick! How in the world had he found me? He strode into the firelight, Grey’s arrow still aimed at his heart. I touched Grey’s shoulder. When he glanced at me, I shook my head, and he lowered the weapon. But he remained alert and wary.

“Donavah.” Yallick spoke my name with an intense relief.

I just looked at him. He wore buckskin and a heavy black cloak, and his hair was secured back away from his face instead of loose like he usually wore it. But what was most different was his face. He looked much older than he had when I’d last seen him.

“Donavah,” Yallick said again, and now he’d come close enough to grip my shoulders in his hands. I saw worry in his eyes.

“She can’t speak.” Grey’s voice was low, and I heard a note of warning in it. Yallick must have, too, because he released me and moved toward Grey.

His gravelly voice low and threatening, Yallick asked, “What have you done to her?”

Grey held his ground, and his eyes narrowed as he glared at Yallick. “I’ve done nothing but save her life,” he growled.

The two men—one young, one old—stared at each other. I stepped between them, placing a fist on each of their chests. This was neither the time nor the place for a misunderstanding.

Yallick was the first to break eye contact, suddenly looking at my hand. With a sharp intake of breath, he grasped my wrist, then reached for the other one. He tried, as Grey had done before, to pry my fingers free, and had the same lack of success. Then he pushed me gently behind him and moved toward Grey again.

“When I find out what you have done—” He was cut off by a loud trumpeting sound.

Xyla!

Without thinking what I was doing, I ran from the shelter, past the fire, and into the woods beyond. Where was she? My only thought was to find the dragon, to be close to her again. Another call, softer this time, placed her straight ahead and not far.

I moved quickly through the trees, heedless of the pain in my leg. I was impatient to find her, to feel her soft hide, to press my face against her and hear the slow rhythm of her heart. To know that she was near me. She’d saved me so many times already that I simply knew everything would be all right again once we were reunited.

I’d scarcely thought of her while we’d been apart, and yet her absence, I realized now, had been unsettling, one of the reasons I couldn’t really keep the fear at bay.

And then, there she was. Waiting for me in a clearing barely big enough to contain her. She looked twice the size I remembered.

I stopped at the edge of the trees and just gazed at her. The bright moonlight gleamed off her scales, making it look as if her skin were jewel-encrusted. The tip of her tail twitched ever so slightly, like a sleeping cat’s. And her eyes. She looked at me with those deep, wise eyes whose color I was never sure of.

“Xyla!” I tried to call out to her mentally. But there was nothing.

I ran to her. Stretching out my arms wide, I leaned against her. I wept at my inability to hear her, and my tears slid down her skin like diamonds. She reached her head around and rested her chin gently on my head.

I don’t know how long we’d stood there when Yallick and Grey approached. I turned around to face them, not caring if they saw my damp cheeks.

“Grey has told me the gist of your—his—story,” Yallick said. He laid a bundle on the ground next to me. “I need to get you to our hiding place right away. Let us go.”

I looked at Grey, expecting to see him carrying his own pack. Surely he was coming, too. But he only had a heavy fur. He held back a little, staring at the dragon with a look of awe on his face.

“I can’t go with you,” he finally said, and I heard a note of bitterness in his voice. “Can’t take a dog and a horse on . . . you know, a dragon.” He swallowed and walked closer. I looked at Xyla in confusion, then back at Grey. “I, well, maybe I’ll catch up with you later. Here.” He wrapped the fur around me and clipped it in place. “You’ll need this. Take good care of yourself.”

I couldn’t believe that he was just letting me go like this, barely saying goodbye. I looked at Yallick as if to ask him to make Grey come with us, but he was watching me closely with a deep frown on his face. Unable to say anything, all I could do was watch Grey walk away.

“We must be getting back now.” Yallick looked at me, then up at Xyla. Unable to use my hands, how would I ever manage to climb up onto her back? Hope rose in my heart at the thought that Yallick would have to call Grey back to help.

Then Xyla seemed to be shrinking, her back getting lower and lower. How could that be? Unless . . . I looked down to find several feet of air between my feet and the ground. Yallick’s eyes were closed in concentration, and his right hand moved ever so slightly.

Startled at finding myself floating in midair, I lost my balance. I braced myself for a collision with the ground, but nothing happened; I just floated there at an awkward angle. A tiny movement of Yallick’s fingers, and I moved toward Xyla. As soon as she was in reach, I grabbed at her neck and pulled myself onto her back. I sat there breathing heavily, trying to regain my equilibrium. Xyla moved a little, and I started to slide off. Then someone grabbed my shoulders from behind and set me right. I whipped my head around to see who it could be.

“A bit unnerving the first time,” Yallick said with a smile. “I apologize.”

I might have believed him to be sorry if he’d actually sounded more sincere. Then he levitated the large bundle up, secured it to his back with some rope, and put his arms around my waist.

“Must not have you falling off mid-flight,” he said, and I couldn’t believe that he was actually laughing. I just stared straight ahead.

Xyla gathered herself and launched into the air. My head snapped back and smashed against Yallick’s chin. A muffled cry of pain suggested that perhaps I’d gotten some revenge.

Despite the cold, it felt wonderful to be flying through the night sky on Xyla’s back once again. The moon rode high in the sky, and I could see for miles and miles. We headed straight for the jagged skyline that must be the mountains.

I shivered, and Yallick held me tighter, as if to try to warm me. But the joy of being with Xyla again, even if I couldn’t hear her, filled my heart and made it easy to ignore the cold. Now that we were together, everything would be all right. I felt as if one of the missing pieces of myself had been put back into place.

Finally, Xyla began to descend. The black ground came closer and closer, and soon I could distinguish the texture of the land below. Dark shadows on the landscape turned into valleys, and ribbons of reflected moonlight must be rivers.

Xyla veered to the left, and I lost my balance. Yallick held me tightly as he leaned into the turn.

Then, even worse, we dropped abruptly. My stomach jumped to my throat as we plummeted. A moment later, Xyla landed delicately on the ground in a large clearing, almost as if she were carrying something fragile.

Immediately, a figure separated from the shadows of the trees.

“Xyla says you have had success.” Oleeda! How could she be here? She was supposed to have gone to Roylinn Academy.

“Yes, I have recovered her. But we have a problem.”

“Problem?” Oleeda’s voice quavered.

“Yes. Come close so I can hand Donavah down to you.” Yallick lifted me off Xyla’s back and guided me as I slid down the dragon’s shoulder. Oleeda reached up to slow my descent, then helped me steady myself once I got to the ground. Yallick threw the bundle down, and a moment later he landed next to me with a soft thud.

“Come.” He put an arm around my shoulder and led me toward a glow on the hillside. I limped stiffly at his side. Soon I saw that the glow came from the opening to a cave with a fire burning inside. As we drew nearer, I discovered that the mouth of the cave was huge, much bigger than I first thought, and when Xyla followed us inside, I realized just how vast a cavern it must be.

I stopped at the side of the fire and held out my hands to warm them. I hadn’t noticed how numb they’d gotten in the cold until they started to thaw. The feeling of pins and needles brought tears to my eyes, and I stepped back from the fire.

One side of the cave had been made into a comfortable wallow for Xyla, while the other seemed to be set up as living quarters for people. There were several crudely made chairs that must’ve been built after the arrival of the mages here. There were also sleeping pallets covered with heavy blankets and furs, and a small body curled up on one of them could only be Traz.

Traz! I hadn’t even missed him until this very moment. I wished he were awake. I knew he’d laugh at me, and his jokes would surely put everything into perspective.

He turned over in his sleep, and I hoped he’d wake up, but he just let out a short breath and snuggled deeper under the covers.

And in that moment, I knew why he wanted to become maejic. Having had it and lost it, I now understood how Traz must feel, with everyone around him able to talk to Xyla when he couldn’t. And now, neither could I. It had been bad enough during my time with Grey, knowing I’d lost the gift I’d had since before I even knew what it was. But being so near to the mages and—worse in its own way—Xyla made me feel the loss deep in the pit of my stomach.

Yallick had had such hope for me, and now my life was as useless as my hands.

What had been frustrating suddenly became unbearable. Surely there was nothing for me here. Why had Yallick even sought me out? I didn’t care how he’d found me; I only wished he hadn’t.

Yallick and Oleeda stood near Xyla, their heads close together as if in urgent consultation. Yallick shook his head, and Oleeda put a hand to her mouth, her gasp echoing in the cave.