Ashes And Spirit (Book 3) (54 page)

Maleena nodded slightly before taking a final drink of tea. She thought she recognized the other woman. Another who had never liked her. Then again, one would grow old and die trying to find someone who had.

Atlena hugged Redenya back awkwardly as she juggled the bags then handed one to her. “Harim said we had to hurry and that you didn’t have a chance to pack. Terrah and I stopped by your cottage, and I grabbed everything I thought you would need. I hope I got it all.”

“I’m sure you did fine. If there is something I need and don’t have then it certainly won’t be your fault. After all, if I wasn’t being uprooted for no good reason by an outcast, then there wouldn’t be an issue, would there?”

Atlena shot a glare at Maleena. “No, there wouldn’t.”

Redenya opened the bag and rifled through it quickly. “I think you grabbed nearly everything I would have. Thank you.” She looked at the man standing next to Atlena. “And thank you, Terrah, for letting Atlena do this for me.”

He gave her a nod. “Of course.”

Maleena ignored the snide comments of Atlena and Redenya as well as the glares of the three other women in the group. No doubt they too blamed this on her. It wasn’t the Shadow Riders or the images of what they’d seen that caused this. It was the fault of that strange outcast. As long as they weren’t disrespectful to her, so be it.

The chairs at the other table scraped back as the merchant and his guards stood. The merchant looked at Maleena and offered a small bow. “If you have no objection, I would like to evacuate myself and my wagons.”

“I have no objection,” Maleena said and offered him a small smile.

Outside the inn, the wind picked up and whipped the trees into a frenzy. Nydara rumbled a low greeting. Maleena addressed the group, “The other dragon has arrived. It will open what is called a Slide, which you will walk through. When you come out of the other side, you will be in Haraban.” She looked at Arrah, “Say your farewells now and quickly, we must go.”

He nodded and hugged his mother then clasped hands with his brothers. Harim pulled him in for a brief one-armed hug. “Be careful, little brother. Don’t get eaten by a dragon.”

Arrah chuckled and pulled away as Maleena led them into the clearing that now seemed cramped with the addition of Tellnox. The villagers hesitated, their sudden fear engulfing her. Though she’d become skilled at blocking and had the bondmate shield, the heightened emotions of the group still affected her. A dull ache started in her head.

Mckale finished unfastening the catcher strap then tossed it up onto the saddle before walking to her. She gratefully accepted his embrace. The pain lessened immediately. When it had passed, she stepped back and turned to the group. “This is Mckale Mandarran, my bondmate. He will be the one to take you through the Slide.”

Redenya and Atlena looked at Mckale with envy in their eyes, and Atlena asked, “What’s a bondmate?”

“Like a husband only more. It runs much deeper than a husband and wife relationship,” Maleena answered as she grabbed her catcher strap and pulled it down from the saddle. She controlled her desire to roll her eyes. Those two wouldn’t care if it were a Shadow Rider standing in front of them, they would still be salivating even with their husbands standing next to them. “Arrah, you will have to wear one of these as well.” She pulled the second strap down and tossed the end to him.

He caught it and stared at her in confusion. Maleena buckled hers around her ankle. “Put it on like this and make sure it’s secure. If you somehow come out of the saddle, it may hurt to hit the end of it, but it will save your life.”

Arrah bent and began to fasten his. When he was done, she gave it a sharp tug. It slid several inches. “Not good enough. You need to buckle it tighter.”

Mckale regained his saddle after speaking briefly with the evacuating villagers. Tellnox launched into the air with an impressive leap and down sweep of his wings. The Slide opened. Atlena and Redenya glared daggers at Maleena as they moved toward the swirling opening.

Maleena sighed. Those two would never find pleasure in her company. Even if she snatched them from the jaws of a Shadow Dragon, they would still hate her. After helping Arrah into the back saddle, she climbed into her own then showed him the proper way to fasten the safety straps. She pointed to the two polished wooden handles that rested on the pommel of the back saddle. “These are for you to hang onto. I strongly urge you to refrain from trying to hang onto me or even touching me.”

“I saw what happened to Delin. I’m not stupid enough to try it.”

Nydara took off in a smooth movement since this was Arrah’s first time. Maleena sensed the rush of thrilled excitement in the young man. Nydara glided over the town and then landed again.

“Why are we landing here?” Arrah asked.

“I need to do something.” Maleena didn’t explain further. She removed the safety straps and jumped down. Her gaze swept over the tiny, abandoned cottage huddled among the tall weeds and grass that partially covered the broken windows. The front door hung from one hinge, flapping like a broken bird.

She waded through the tall grass until she stood on the threshold. Inside, her vision from that rainy night so long ago had come to pass. The Kojen had left nothing untouched.

Maleena stepped inside and gazed around. The doors to the two sleeping rooms had been ripped from their hinges and lay scattered in broken pieces. The musty scent of mold and the reek of rodent nests pervaded the space. She crossed the room to the large hearth, brushing her fingers through the thick dust coating the stone.

The emptiness settled around her like a heavy weight. Through the broken back door, she could see the barn. It too had suffered the ravages of Kojen and time. Maleena couldn’t bring herself to walk out there. Arella’s death was still too fresh. She couldn’t bear facing the stall the mare had occupied, no more than she could cross the room to the doorway of her grandmother’s room. She didn’t want to see the damage the Kojen had done.

This wasn’t home and hadn’t been for some time. Even so, the condition of her childhood home tugged at her heart. The way it sat forgotten with no family to brighten it up. It was still sturdy despite the damage. Maleena could only guess why no one had claimed it after she left. Was association with her so horrible they would leave a good house to go to waste? The answer lay in the jumbled mess of broken furniture and torn quilts strung across the floor.

A bit of dirty white cloth peeking from beneath the shattered wood of what had once been a small table drew her attention. She stepped gingerly over the bits and pieces of her past and picked it up.

It was the lace she’d been working on the night she met Mckale. Who knew that her ability to weave lace would one day help her weave magic? Maleena turned the stiff, delicately woven threads over in her hands. She glanced around one more time and whispered, “Goodbye.”

She wasn’t sure if she was saying it to her grandmother’s memory or her past. Either way, it was time to go. When she stepped through the doorway and into the bright sunshine beyond, she still held the piece of lace in her hand.

After tucking the lace carefully into the coin purse hanging from her belt, she fastened the catcher strap and pulled herself into the saddle. Nydara, who left her in privacy while she revisited her past, now reached out.
“Is everything all right?”

Maleena looked at the house again as a warm breeze drifted by. The branches of the big tree in the yard swayed as if waving farewell. She knew in her heart that she would never see the little cottage again. Maleena turned her attention to the silver scales of Nydara’s neck.
“Everything is perfect. Let’s go home so Arrah can hatch his egg.”

Nydara lifted off and pulled herself into the sky with strong strokes of her massive wings. Maleena didn’t look back down. The Slide opened. They soared toward the caldera as the dragons on the ground bugled a loud welcome. She smiled at the warm sense of homecoming that washed through her. This is where she belonged.

K
irynn walked down the wide, familiar street in Boromar. It took no more than a simple request for the Queen of Boromar to agree to take in the remaining Calladaran population. While Taela remained closeted away to work out the details, Kirynn had excused herself to make a long, overdue visit.

The steep ground progressed in a succession of steps leading up from the large bay that spread out at the base of the city. She paused to watch the boats on the water. Seagulls soared overhead, punctuating the air with their strident calls, and the scent of seawater wafted on the cool breeze from the ocean.

The tall, graceful buildings with their gleaming white walls and tiled roofs lined one side of the street, leaving the other side open. Just below the level of the street she stood on, the rooftops of the buildings lining the next road presented a colorful display. Some of them had as many as six colors of tiles, others were made of several different shades of the same color. It was beautiful. Once, it had been home.

Closing her eyes, she let the breeze blow over her. Perhaps it would blow away the sadness clinging to her heart if she stood there long enough. She hadn’t cried again since that day in the woods, but she couldn’t shake the lingering melancholy.

Sighing, Kirynn opened her eyes and continued walking down the paving stones to the only person that might be able to help. As she walked, people smiled and greeted her. After learning a year and a half ago that none of the young people found to use magic in the nation had been killed but instead quietly sent to Galdrilene for training, the people of Boromar had embraced the dragons and their riders. Many happy reunions had taken place and the populace was at peace with it all.

It was a stark contrast to other places they had visited where attitudes ranged from cautious welcome to hostility. One day, maybe everywhere would feel the same way as Boromar. That time seemed a long way off with an ocean of war and lost lives between it where she stood now.

A narrow, three-story building came into view. The familiar gleaming white structure with its bright blue shutters and door brought a small sense of peace to her heart. Here, everything had always been good. Hard, but good. The roof, predominately blue with yellow, red, and green worked in was just as she remembered, as was the small garden out front.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed through the small gate that surrounded the garden and walked up the path to the door. It swung open as she mounted the steps to the wide front stoop. In the doorway stood an imposing woman with red hair that flowed loose around her shoulders. A dress clung to her lithe body, and although her entire face was highlighted with face paint, it was barely visible and only enhanced her natural beauty. Scarcely a hand’s width taller than Kirynn, she regarded her with cool green eyes that held only the faintest hint of warmth.

The woman raised one perfect eyebrow. “I wondered if you would find your way here.”

Kirynn offered her a formal nod. “How could I not…Mother.”

“Mother? You haven’t called me that in years. Do you plan on standing on the stoop all day, or are you going to come in?”

“You haven’t invited me in yet, Dahliynn.”

Her mother stepped back, opening the door farther, and waved her in. “This will always be your home, Kirynn. You hardly need an invitation to step over the threshold.”

“As you say. Still, it has been a long time—”

“Six years,” Dahliynn interrupted. “Not since you attained the right to the braid.”