Gatewright (29 page)

“I
learned what had happened, and thought they were successful.  No survivors
reported.  I grieved for them, but hoped perhaps some of my friends even
then traveled south to our community here.  No one knew you
survived.  We only learned now we failed in our mission.”

“You
would have killed them.  Erikah and Peter and Isabel and Neville and Kim
and Meadow and Hazel.”  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Yes. 
To protect
those
I love.  Did you and Riven not
kill them to protect your own?”

I
wanted blood.  I wanted revenge.  But his point was clear as day.

Riven
squeezed my shoulder.  “Give justice where justice is due.”

I
took a deep breath.  I wanted to wrap my hands around Frein’s neck and
squeeze until all life was gone.  He took a slight step backward at my
expression.  But even as I glared at Frein, I registered his chopped
hair.  The tiny village.  The sadness he carried.  He wasn’t
behind this; he’d just been manipulated into it.  A flash of white-hot
anger, but not for Frein.

“Who.
Did. This.”

“Mikiril,”
Calin answered. “If Kusay came to any agreements with humans, that would put
Becot at a disadvantage.  Moreover, Riven’s too strong and too close in
the line of Kusay succession to her husband, though he’s tried to hide his
talent all these years.  Becot scouts found the outcasts, and even if
Mikiril didn’t sign her name on her message to them, the implication is clear.”

“Then
we take her down.”

“Not
so fast!”  Calin warned me.  “She has over fifty Becot warriors with
her to hold Peregare, and that doesn’t count Peregare’s own Kusay guard that
likely hasn’t left yet because of the Lady Issad.  Mikiril knows you’re a
gatewright.  And she also has the Lady Issad as leverage.”

I
breathed out in frustration.  “There has to be a way!”

“Right
now, we’re more concerned with surviving the day, human,” Frein snapped. 
“We appreciate that you brought us three more fey, even if one was a member of
a royal family, but that’s not going to be enough to survive.”

I
considered offering to bring them through to Earth.

{Think
of the consequences, Jan,} Jack told me softly.  I’d almost forgotten he
was standing there.

I
wasn’t going to let them die.  I’d managed to save Riven.  I’d even
managed to save Calin.  How hard could another fifty fey be?

“The
odds are against us by how much?” I asked hesitantly.

“After
speaking with Calin, it sounds like there are three teams of
adail
war
bands.”  Tyawon told me calmly.  “Each team is led by one
adail
trained
in the arts of combat and is accompanied by two journeymen and two
apprentices.  This team lives together, works together, and has one
individual from each element.  One of their apprentices alone is worth
three
of us.  You can imagine how their
adail
outclass us.”

“I
was
adail,
but didn’t specialize in combat,” Jack casually
revealed.  “At best, I could block Kaebris from moving against us. 
There will still remain two more
nagali
, and these outcast cannot even
block their own thoughts, let alone others.”

Adail
? 
Jack was
adail? 
I huffed at him in irritation.  Would I ever
know the real Jack?

Frein
cast him a dirty look for insulting the outcast, and Jack gave him a pointed
look.  I wasn’t privy to whatever he’d told him, but Frein turned bright
red.

“But
that’s only fifteen fey against over fifty,” I protested.

Riven
shook his head.  “Jan, you don’t understand.  We would have a chance
against two teams,
maybe. 
Not three.”

“We’ve
got the element of surprise.  Perhaps I could make a gate?”

“Jan. 
Let it alone this time,” Jack told me softly.  “Let us handle this. 
You’ve done more than enough.”

I
glared at him and stormed off, heading to the lake to clear my head.

The
lake was calm, small waves lapping at the muddy, grassy shore.  No
industry tainted the sweet air.  Trees lined the far edges of the water,
blue with reflection from the unclouded sky.  Today was too pretty for
there to be more death.  Yet, Kaebris’s mere fifteen fey were coming this
way, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

I
stuck my hands in my pockets, striding along the shore.  I reminded myself
I was in Azry, not Earth.  The outcasts were not warriors.  I forced
myself to accept the fact that the fey were right.  Hell, Calin had
seen
it.  Last time a priest had a vision, my companions had been slaughtered.

What
had I learned from that?

Leaves
crunched underfoot as I thought furiously.  If I brought them all through
to Earth, it could cause an incident as bad as when the gates first remained
open.  This could be the final straw to destroy the trust humanity had in
the fey and send us on fear-fueled rampage.  But if I
didn’t
bring
them through to Earth, Kaebris would slaughter them.

I
took a breath.  This was not my world.  I’d studied it for years, but
I still felt like I’d barely scratched the surface.  How must the outcast
feel, abandoned by their respective clans?  Too bad they just couldn’t
form a clan of their own and give Kusay and Becot the finger.

I
stopped in my tracks.

Could
they?

The
hastily-erected earthenwork walls that surrounded the camp sent long shadows
over the small shacks in the fading light.  The outcasts clustered
together behind the walls, wearing whichever gemstones or jewels they’d managed
to either keep with them, steal, or find.  Tension hung thickly in the
air, closed faces and tense movements.  It was dinnertime, but only a few
fey had appetites.  The vegetable soup smelled amazing, but I shared their
trepidation and couldn’t eat more than a few bites.

I’d
changed into fresher clothes, a borrowed tunic and pants the fey had lent
me.  I’d needed to cuff the pants.  Still, it gave me the odd
sensation of being one of them, something I’d missed since I’d left Earth.

If
we fought, we were not going down easily.  We’d make them bleed first.

When
had I become a revolutionary?

I’d
promised Riven a dozen times if things went south – which they very well could,
rather quickly – I’d gate myself home.  I failed to mention I was taking
Riven and Jack with me, even if I had to shove them through myself.  Even
if they never forgave me.  I couldn’t save all these lives without
condemning more.  But I refused to let my friends die for the fey that had
killed my companions, even if they’d been manipulated into it.

Tyawon
sprinted into the camp through the single break in the walls.  “They’re
here!” he called.  “They’re finally here.”

At
his warning, the camp surged with quiet activity.  Everyone had been
waiting fearfully for this moment; nervous energy pent up with no outlet but to
stare into the darkness of the distant trees, imagining the shapes within. The
amayi
inched closer to the lake, guarding their home waters to make sure the
adail
didn’t try to flood us out.  The
elohi
remained near the walls
to keep them strong, and Jack and the single other
nagali
, an older man
well past his prime,
stood in the center of camp, eyes closed in
concentration.  With a
nagali
as strong as Kaebris as our opponent,
Jack needed to focus entirely on defending the minds of the outcasts.

My
heart raced, and I met Riven’s eyes as I rose to my feet.  I hated this
part of the plan.  He nodded confidently, and I tried to smile. 
Something caught his attention, and he looked back to Jack.  Jack’s eyes
opened for a moment, and the shadow of a smile crossed his face.  He bowed
his head slightly in respect, and Riven returned the gesture before he began
walking away from the camp.  What was that about?  Jack glanced at me
briefly before he closed his eyes once more, expression unreadable. 
{Trust your
lianyos.
}

Jittery,
I took another breath, and followed Riven out of the gate.  Calin took up
a position at my left.  No one else joined us as we left the security of
the camp and slowly walked across the clearing toward the treeline. 

Calin
had described his vision in painstaking detail during the journey north. He had
witnessed the enemy appear from the western tree line, moving out of the
shadows, so that is where we planned to confront them. Hopefully they wouldn’t
attack a priest, a Kusay, and a “human”.  We just needed to get close
enough to talk to them.

Thirty
feet.  Twenty.

Any
moment we could be attacked.

Kaebris
suddenly emerged from the treeline, followed by two more
adail
, one a
kawoli
and another an
atsili.
  My heart skipped a beat.  I should
have been able to see him.  Knowing that a
nagali
had already
messed with my mind before I’d even figured it out unnerved me.

“To
what do I owe the honor?” He didn’t smile, but cocked his head slightly. 
I remembered to breathe.

“I
should say, to what do
I
owe the honor?”  Riven smiled broadly at
him and I shivered. There was
nothing
friendly in his expression. 
“You trespass on my lands.”

This
was the part where Kaebris turned around to let the Queen deal with politics,
right?

He
laughed instead.  “Your hair alone declares you outcast.  And your
body declares you Exile.”

My
heart rate spiked, hammering loudly in my ears.

“He
is not.  This was a crime committed against him,” Calin clarified.

Kaebris
twitched slightly.  “You are of Becot?”

“Yes. 
I am the
elohi ras
of the Delque temple.  You are
trespassing.”  The normal playful temperament of Calin’s movements was
gone, replaced by a stern gaze and iron bearing. His confidence was infectious.

Kaebris
squinted at him, and Calin paled.  Shit.  Jack seemed to think his
brother could stand up to him.  Was he wrong?  I tensed, ready to
gate them both out if Kaebris made any type of aggressive move.

The
gaze broke, and Kaebris stepped back slightly. He took a moment to regain his
balance. “And well trained against
nagali
, I might add.”

I
let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Calin’s
posture straightened, bringing him to his full height. His eyes bored into the
nagali.
“The Great Mage does not leave her disciples powerless to the
transgressions of the misguided.”

Silence
spread between the hosts; each calculating their next move.

“Do
you declare these lands for Kusay, then?” Kaebris raised his eyebrow, strolling
forward.

Riven
struck a wide, ready stance directly in front of his encroaching foe. 
“No.  I declare it in the name of clan Xantae by right of
residency.” 

Kaebris
froze.  His
adail
companions gaped in shock.  A bird sang in
the trees nearby, the only sound breaking the profound silence.

This
was about the reaction I’d received when I’d first suggested they create their
own clan. Except the outcast’s shock had been followed by the mad hope that it
could possibly work.

As
the silence dragged on, Kaebris recovered first. Comprehension fought
disbelief, followed by a flash of inspiration crossing his face.  “Then I
challenge your claim.”  Kaebris grinned at Riven.  “
Elohi ras
,
you stand in witness.  I challenge your claim for the right to bring all
these outcasts home. We will put them back where they belong.  Do you
accept, Xantae Vaal?”

No,
no!  What was this?  No one had talked about a duel!  Jack said
that if Kaebris took the bait, that he’d give the problem back to the
Queen.  That perhaps it would become an issue for the Council. 
Sponsored by a priest, and a
ras
at that, we had some form of
legitimacy.  Kaebris wouldn’t want to report that he’d killed one of his
clan’s most prominent priests.  Single combat?  What was this,
medieval Europe?  Somehow, I wasn’t terribly surprised to find that Jack
had lied again.

Riven
bowed, with one hand over his heart.  “Accepted.”

Fuck
you, Riven!

Kaebris
eyes shot up suddenly.  “Your human is extremely loud.  She is not
pleased with our arrangement.”  That was an understatement.

Riven
shrugged.  “This shouldn’t have been unexpected,” he lied.

I
fumed in place.  I was going to kill him if he didn’t get himself killed
first.

“As
the challenged, I name the terms. I choose we fight here, and now.”

“My
adail
may serve as our circle?” Kaebris asked formally.

“Yes,
so long as they serve honorably.”

Kaebris’s
eyes narrowed at the implication they would not.  He turned to the woods,
and jerked his head, and twelve more fey emerged from the woods.  They all
wore the beads of the
adail,
but not nearly as many as Kaebris and his
two companions did.

Calin
grabbed my arm and hauled me away from Riven.  “You have to stay calm,” he
hissed.

Calm? 
“Do
not
tell me he planned this.”

Calin
gave me an apologetic glance.  I forced myself to breathe.  He was
right. The balance was not in our favor.  If I made myself a liability for
Riven, I could get him killed.  All of us depended on him right now. 
I’d come up with this damn idea in the first place.  He’d known what it
meant, and he’d agreed.

Calin
continued to pull me until we were a good forty feet away from where Riven and
Kaebris turned their attention inward, preparing for their fight.  Riven
outweighed his opponent, but Kaebris moved with a practiced control I’d only
ever seen in fighters.  Age, experience, training, and talent heavily
favored the
nagali. 
I admired Riven’s courage – it wasn’t just a
show.  I felt no fear, just resolve and anticipation from my
lianyos. 
The
adail
broke into two lines, which gracefully moved to form a
perfect circle. I tried not to think about the fact that it looked like they’d
done this many times before.  The three
atsili
looked slightly
nervous, and encouraged their companions to continue to back away until Calin and
I were only feet away from their perimeter.

Riven
met my eyes.  I gave him the only thing I could offer: my confidence and
respect.  I nodded once, and he returned the gesture in
acknowledgement.  I steeled myself as he turned away, stretching gently as
if preparing for a physical match.  Kaebris rolled his shoulders and neck.

“The
circle is formed.”  One of the
adail
signaled both combatants.

Riven
and Kaebris nodded.

“May
the Great Mage smile upon the worthy.”

Kaebris
shifted his weight, intently waiting for the first signs of the flame that
would inevitably erupt from Riven.  Well, I’d wanted to see a
nagali
match. 
But this wasn’t what I had in mind.  What if Kaebris was a
nagayos? 
Could Jack reverse the damage?

“Calin,
is this to the death?”

He
didn’t answer.

The
host waited for the inferno that was the hallmark of the
atsili
. In
battle, their strength was passion, pure destructive force. As I’d learned
earlier today, a single
atsili
could destroy entire formations with the
roar of their flames, but I sensed none of this from Riven. His heart spoke to
me of patience and calm alertness. His mouth began to move silently. I could
not make out the words, but the movement was steady, repetitive, as if he was
reciting a mantra.

Riven’s
movements changed drastically from when I had seen him fight before. Against
nagali
,
there were no columns of fire or shifting stone. Elaborate forms and timing
were secondary to the ability to keep his center. The battle was won or lost
inside his own mind. 

Riven
sent a few beautiful fireballs toward his opponent, but his heart spoke the
intent of control, not destruction. They were a fraction of what I knew he was
capable of, and intended only to draw his enemy in. Kaebris
was
incredibly agile, dancing around the billowing flames. They did not damage him,
but each was one more motion, one more effort, that he had to make. Eventually,
if the
nagali
stayed on the defensive, he would slip.

I
turned my attention inward, listening to the bond.  All I could sense was
intense focus and anticipation.

Kaebris
hissed, and planted his forward hand on the ground in front of him, springing
forward and letting a gout of flame pass over him, slowly working his way
closer to Riven.

As
the distance closed, Riven’s focus became more strained. His expression
contorted with the force of the words he was silently screaming. His fires
became staccato, larger eruptions alternating with weak flames.  Confusion
and alarm echoed through the bond from Kaebris’s invisible assault.  He
stumbled slightly, and the
nagali
sprinted for him, tackling him. 
Kaebris triumphantly grasped the
atsili’
s head as his eyes bored into
him. 

Time
seemed to slow; the anticipation I had sensed in my
lianyos
changed to
exultation in an instant. He had been waiting for this moment.  
Nagali
were
at their strongest when they could make physical contact, but none of us
expected that an
atsili
would attempt to channel his fire the same
way.  The amulet on Riven’s chest shone brightly, heat making the air
around him shimmer.  His lips stopped moving, and he smiled. His wrath
lanced through me, and I gripped Calin’s arm hard. I could not tell if it was
mine or his, it didn’t matter anymore. Everything I had felt from our bond
changed in that moment; instead of the warmth of his magic flowing into me, I
felt energy being pulled like the sea rushing out in a current.

The
adail
transformed from immobile statues to exemplars of alarm in an
instant, as the rushing magic around Riven was channeled to his purpose. For a
terrifying breath, he hovered on the brink of transforming his own body into
the flames he controlled. Light shown in his eyes, barely contained fury
breaking down the barriers between his spirit and his fire.

Riven
reached out, grasping Kaebris’s own head, and with a guttural cry of rage, his
hands flared white.  Kaebris screamed as white light and flame erupted
from his mouth and eyes.  Flames raced down the
nagali’
s body as if
he’d been covered in gasoline, exploding into a roaring inferno.  Riven
disappeared from my sight, and I felt desperately for the bond to ensure he was
alive.  What I found was cold satisfaction of his anger.