Embers at Galdrilene (12 page)

Vaddoc shook his head. “Forgive me, my lady, but it cannot be Kojen. They do not stalk their prey. They run in a wild frenzy without thought or strategy. If they hunted as you suggest, even the Border Guard would be hard pressed to keep them out of civilized lands. No, my lady, the Kojen do not hunt like wolves.”

She eyed him sideways. “Even a pack of wolves must have a leader to direct the hunt.”

Again Vaddoc shook his head. “You perceive them to be more intelligent than they are. They do not have the intelligence for social organization. They are nothing more than beasts.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Do not be so sure, Foundling. The world is a bigger place than you know.”

“What do you know of this that I do not, my lady?”

“I know much and suspect more. The band that follows us numbers no more than six. Watch closely, Border Guard. They have been closing the gap all day.” She kicked her horse into a faster gait until she once again rode at the front, leaving Vaddoc alone with the hum in his mind growing stronger.

Serena glanced back at Vaddoc then nudged her horse into a trot, bouncing painfully in the saddle until she rode even with the older woman. She pulled back on the reins a little too hard and the horse nearly stopped, pitching her forward. Letting out a disgusted sigh, she settled herself back into the saddle and looked at Emallya. “What was that about?”

“Tell me,” Emallya asked, “do you feel uneasy?”

Serena looked at her. “Yes I…feel as if something is hovering near. It feels like–”

“Like the hills are watching us,” Kellinar finished, riding up on Emallya’s other side. He eyed the surrounding hills as if he expected them to conceal an army.

Emallya nodded. “There are Kojen following, keep your eyes open and be ready.”

Serena jerked in the saddle as she tried to look in every direction at once. Fear flooded her body and churned in her stomach. “What should we do?”

“Do we run?” Kellinar asked.

Emallya shook her head. “The Kojen would overtake us. Only horses like Vaddoc’s, which have been bred to run, can outpace them. My own mount might be able to outdistance them for a short while, but your horses would be dragged down. We will choose our ground and let them come to us.”

“What will Kellinar and I fight with?” Serena asked.

In answer, Emallya produced two long daggers and handed one to each of them. Kellinar turned the dagger over in his hands. “We’re supposed to fight Kojen with these? I have knives of my own I can use. I wish I had my quarterstaff.”

Serena shook her head. “Well, you don’t and it’s not as if either of us knows how to use a sword. At least these are longer than the knives you carry.”

Emallya sighed. “Even if we had extra swords, Serena is right; you have no training with a long blade. You would be as likely to stab yourself as you would a Kojen. This at least gives you something to defend yourself with.”

“What about Loki? “ Kellinar asked.

“We will have to protect him as best we can.” She turned in her saddle. “Border Guard, ride up closer so you can better hear what I have to say.”

When Vaddoc rode abreast of them, she fixed each one in turn with a stern look. “I would encourage you to not use your magic. With the exception of Serena, you don’t have enough control yet. Vaddoc, I know you have some training at blocking your mind, but it is not enough.”

“My lady,” Vaddoc protested. “I have had extensive training and excelled as a Border Guard.”

“It is not enough, Foundling. You are not prepared for the reality of what Kojen such as these can do to your mind.”

Kellinar swallowed hard. “What exactly do you mean? You don’t learn these kinds of things in the Mallay.”

“They fight not only with their swords but also with their minds.” Emallya answered. “When they attack they will push themselves into your mind. Most people who are saved from such an attack early enough, thankfully, do not remember what they have seen. Those who are not rescued soon enough go insane or die. Kojen can crush your mind under the weight of their mental attacks.”

“So they could just start attacking our minds at any moment?” Serena asked.

“No,” the older woman shook her head. “By the time the Kojen are close enough for that, they are close enough to kill with a sword. If they could attack from a distance no one would ever have a chance against them.”

“So what do we do?” Kellinar asked. Loki’s wide, frightened eyes made him wish the boy was safe in the Thieves’ Caves. He looked at Serena, her face white with fear, and he wished with all of his heart he had never gone to her when he was injured. Of course that would have left her open to the Benduiren and the Keepers. He scrubbed a hand through his hair trying to decide when things had gotten so complicated.

Emallya interrupted his thoughts. “I want all of you to spend the rest of today’s ride concentrating on the hum in your minds. It is very important. You have all gotten better, but you need to perfect it as soon as possible.”

“What will that do?” Serena asked, a tremor in her voice.

“Once you are able to focus only on the sound you will be…connected to it. The power that lies within it will provide you with protection for a short time.” She looked around at them. “They will be on us before nightfall and you need the protection.

As the day drew to a close and the pale moon rising in the east balanced the setting sun in the west, Emallya led them atop a low hill. She peered into the gathering darkness with a distant look in her eyes.

Vaddoc stood at the edge of the group watching the moon grow brighter as the sun slipped beneath the horizon. “They come. I feel them though they are not yet in sight.”

Kellinar looked at him puzzled. “It still feels the same to me.”

Emallya moved to stand a little ways away. “In time Kellinar, you will also be able to tell where they are. Remember what I said about not using your magic, although your lack of control is a problem there, too. You may not be able to stop yourself. Do your best.”

A heavy silence settled over them as they waited for the creatures. Serena huddled against the side of her horse, breathing in shallow gasps. Loki stood next to Kellinar trying hard to look brave. Kellinar handed him one of his small throwing knives and held the handle of the dagger Emallya had given him in a tight grip. He struggled to concentrate on the hum in his mind while terror made his knees weak. Tension hung in the air like a spring stretched almost to its breaking point.

The whisper of steel against leather broke the quiet as Vaddoc drew his twin blades and waited, allowing his thoughts to wrap around the low hum. He had been surprised when he first connected with it and found it was the essence of a spirit. Now, it waited with him like a cat poised to pounce.

Time stretched out, making minutes feel like hours. Kellinar shifted nervously. Serena pressed her back to her horse’s side. She brandished her dagger before her with a two handed grip, her eyes dilated with fear. Emallya stood apart from them; arms crossed, eyes closed and face impassive.

Huge, vaguely human shapes charged the hilltop, shattering the silence with deafening roars. Head and shoulders taller than Vaddoc with broad heads that supported curling horns reminiscent of a ram’s, they bore down on the group. Leather and chain mail covered their chests in a sleeveless tunic. The bright moon gleamed off their dark purple skin as they charged out of the falling night.

Emallya’s eyes snapped open and she ran to meet them. In one impossibly fast movement, she drew her sword and cut down the first to reach the top of the hill. Leaping over the fallen Kojen, she engaged the next two.

Vaddoc snapped his swords up to deflect the attack of the fourth. His blades dipping and flashing, he fought the brute strength and quick movements of the Kojen. Physically, he was well matched against the creature. His scimitars wove a shield his opponent could find no opening in. But he fought the battle on two levels and struggled to hang on to the hum in his mind. His mental walls weakened under the onslaught of the Kojen’s mental battering.

Serena’s horse shied violently, knocking her to the ground. She scrambled to her feet in time to see the last two Kojen charge past the furious sword fights. They ran straight toward Kellinar. One of the beasts brought its sword down in a vicious cut. Kellinar threw himself to the side knocking Loki away, a move that saved his and the young boy’s life. Terror held her. The Kojen turned to follow Kellinar. She took a deep breath and gripped her dagger. Her heart hammered. The Kojen raised its sword again. Serena threw herself forward, fear beating in her chest. The beast towered above her. In two quick movements she severed its hamstrings.

The Kojen roared in pain, its legs folding beneath it. As it hit the ground, it slammed into her mind. She fell to the ground, screaming until her breath ran out. Kellinar screamed and clutched at his head.

The second Kojen’s monstrous bulk towered above her. Through the nightmare and pain in her mind, she watched the creature raise its sword. She closed her eyes and waited for steel to bite into her flesh.

A loud crack penetrated the tortured haze. She opened her eyes. A woman with a long red braid hanging down her back beat the creature back. The mental attack lessened. Serena’s mind cleared for a brief moment. Who was the woman? Loki! Where was Loki? Her world grew fuzzy again–reality and the nightmare-pain bled together in her mind until she couldn’t tell them apart.