Into the Fray: Volume 1 of The Sorcerers of Jhanvia Series (16 page)

Kidreyli’s defensiveness caused her voice to rise a pitch, “It was all well intended. I didn’t know you then, I was just trying to help you in a difficult time.”

Kaitra paced a few steps back and forth with her hands on her hips, not really sure what to say next, so she chose to say nothing. All she
knew at this moment was a clear sense of betrayal and feeling as if she had been left out of the joke these others were playing on her. She sat with her back against the wall, her arms wrapped around her knees that she had pulled up to her chest, wondering what else they had kept from her.

Kidreyli allowed the air to calm for a few moments, and then took a seat next to her. “Please don’t make this into something bigger than it is. Our situation is very different now. I made a choice to tell you what I know about the Clannya, a violation of our most valued alliance, because our relationship is more important to me than anything. I may have made some decisions leading up to this point in time that may give you pause, but understand, I love you more than life. I will never mislead you or withhold information from you again.”

There was a determined silence that lasted for a solid minute before Kaitra reached over without looking and took Kidreyli’s hand.

The Valtyr continued, “I need you to be completely honest with me. I have been told that you might be the one who, whether by intention or not, causes my demise. What have you have seen about this?”

Kaitra took her hand back and closed her eyes. A broad silence commanded the air.

“Please tell me. I need to know.”

Kaitra could not bear to look at her, so she faced forward, eyes remaining closed as she described what had presented, “I have seen a premonition. Your beautiful body, hanging in chains, covered in blood from the torture that has brought you to the brink of physical and emotional collapse.”

Kidreyli was taken aback by her words, “You would never do that to me…would you?”

Kaitra’s face could not hide her disconsolation, “No, of course not. But in the vision, our adversaries cast a spell taking my free will, and I do things, unimaginable things… evil things. My talents and abilities become the catalyst for the events to come, and to a large degree, the foundation for their successes.”

Kidreyli sat blankly staring at nothing specific for several moments before asking, “Has anything been planned to deal with this eventuality?”

“Cliona had me prepare this talisman,” Kaitra said motioning toward her belt. “It should help to prevent the two of us from being separated. Also, I gave you my most important possession. If I become lost to you, you should be able to bring me back with it.”

“Tyral, any thoughts?” Kidreyli asked out loud.

The Katrion spoke to both of their minds, “You must prevent them from taking Kaitra. All we know tells us that they are extremely adept magicians. The magical wards you have set are good, but insufficient. Without something more, I’m afraid I only see failure.”

“And if they take her…?” asked Kidreyli.

“Their workings are deeply rooted in the realm of the black. She carries within her abilities one doesn’t see in more than a handful of people in a generation. If they succeed in harnessing those abilities for their purposes, she will bring a level of darkness to this land the likes of which have never been seen.”

“Then you must kill me now,” Kaitra stated firmly.

“What?” Kidreyli blurted out.

“I cannot be the instrument they use to destroy all we hold dear.”

“No, girl, you misunderstand,” replied Tyral. “You are a critical force in the efforts against them. Your talents are required to defeat them.”

Kidreyli stepped into the conversation to clarify, “What you are saying is that success or failure will likely turn on the one brief moment that determines whether she is captured by our opponents or not.”

“Precisely,” replied Tyral. “But all things are fluid. Any combination of events could present themselves that could significantly alter the outcomes we have seen. Rash decisions based on foresight are unwise. Premonitions are good for guiding us in our planning, but are rarely accurate portends of actual events.”

Kidreyli looked at her love, “So we’re not going to kill you…at least, for now.”

Kaitra seemed almost disappointed in that conclusion.

The Valtyr scooted herself over against her lover and wrapped her arm around her. The young woman responded by slipping her arm around her lover’s waist and putting her head on her shoulder.

Kidreyli looked out into the gray sky and said, “You know that being with you is the most important thing in my life. These other things will work themselves out. In the end, everything will be fine.”

Kaitra strengthened her hold on her lover.

The two of them sat quietly in each other’s arms until the rain stopped.

A few hours farther along the road and the clouds were holding firm to their grip on the sky. At least the rain had moved on, freeing the chipmunks to make up for time lost during the storm. They darted back and forth across the road in front of them, as if it was a game to see how close they could come without getting crushed by one of Tyral’s massive hooves. The gentle cool breeze bumped the leaves enough to release the water that had accumulated during the rain. It was referred to in these parts as second rain, and it could be especially unpleasant if you were unfortunate enough to get under one of the broad-leafed trees. Ahead of them a horse-drawn cart approached. From a distance, it looked like a family on their way from market.

“Be wary,” Tyral telepathically spoke to both of them.

“I sense it too,” whispered Kidreyli.

“What is it?” Kaitra asked quietly.

“Just be alert,” the warrior advised.

Kidreyli urged Tyral to nudge Sestru left on the path as the cart came up alongside them.

“Good morning,” Kidreyli greeted them.

“Good morning to you,” the man in the cart replied as they drove past.

As the cart continued farther along about twenty yards, a handful of men came out from their hiding places in the trees, one of them grabbing the halter of the horse that was pulling the cart, causing it to stop.

The leader of the band of outlaws announced to the man in the cart, “We will not hurt you or your family. We just want your money.”

“We’ve just sold all our goods at the market. This money is all we have for at least a month,” the man in the cart replied.

“Please don’t take our money,” the woman in the cart begged. “We are poor village farmers and making our way is difficult enough. We have children to feed and animals to tend. Please.”

“Times are difficult for all. Your money!” the lead outlaw demanded.

Kaitra urged Sestru toward the ongoing confrontation and announced, “You men, leave these people be.”

Kidreyli followed, but let her take the lead.

“You stay out of this,” commanded the lead outlaw. “This matter doesn’t concern you.”

“I think it does,” replied Kaitra.

One of them frantically called out to his leader, “This one is Valtyr!”

“We have no business with you,” the leader said to Kidreyli.

She smiled at him and replied, “Not a problem. She doesn’t need my help.”

Kaitra set down the order, “Let these people be on their way if you wish to live another day!”

The lead outlaw responded with a laugh, “Listen girl, take your horse and go with your friend before you get hurt.”

Unbeknownst to Kaitra, one of the men had worked his way close behind her. He came up and pulled her off Sestru, landing her squarely on her back with a great thud, stunning her for just a second. She looked up to see a blade descending upon her. She moved quickly but it grazed her left arm. The pain was intense and she looked to see
that she was bleeding. His blade was poised to strike at her again. She summoned her magics, forming a deep green energy pattern in her hand. She pushed it toward him with all her strength. It flung him up and over Sestru and across the road, where he landed in a patch of shrubs. He lay there for several moments, trying to reclaim the air that had been sucked from his lungs.

As the sorceress stood and straightened her clothes, Kidreyli called out, “Are you all right?”

That seriously determined look had taken over. She replied firmly, “I’m just fine.”

One of the outlaws fired an arrow at her which she easily deflected with her magics, as Cliona had recommended. She took up her bow and fired an arrow back, hitting him dead center in the chest. She followed up with another arrow that lodged in the thigh of one of the others. He screamed and hobbled back into the forest.

Realizing that the tide was turning, in desperation the lead outlaw picked up the child from the cart and held a knife against the boy’s throat as he backed away from her. His fear and anxiety played loudly through his wide open eyes. “You should have stayed out of this. Back away or I will kill this boy.”

Kaitra loaded another arrow and walked determinedly toward him. The parents in the cart were frantic.

“Please don’t harm my boy,” the man in the cart begged. “I’ll give you what you want.”

Kaitra pulled the arrow back and lined it up directly for the outlaw’s head as she continued walking toward him. In a monotone voice, she calmly recommended, “You need to run now.”

As the distance between them grew less, he panicked. He pushed the boy away and ran off along the path.

She looked down at the boy and asked, “Are you all right?”

“Yes, miss.”

She nodded and said, “Excuse me.” She let her adversary get about forty paces away before she let fly with the arrow. It hit him at the base of the back of his neck and he was dead before he hit the ground.

The outlaw that Kaitra had flung into the bushes had gotten his wits about him and had crawled out onto the road. Kidreyli, who had just dismounted, casually walked over and stuck her sword in his chest. He died face down on the ground.

She cleaned her blade on his shirt and said to his corpse. “Take this lesson to your next life, never mess with a powerful sorceress.”

Kaitra looked over at the last remaining outlaw, who was standing by a large tree, frozen in fear. The knife he held in his hand was shaking violently. She commanded, “You will deliver this message to others like you. Leave the people of this area be. If you don’t, we
will
be back and your life will be forfeit.”

He nodded his head erratically.

Kaitra held up her left fist and suddenly opened it wide. “Poof,” she said.

He got the message and ran away into the forest as fast as he could, tripping over branches and slipping on wet leaves all the way until he disappeared.

Kidreyli was laughing under her breath as she came up to Kaitra to see to her wound. “Are you all right?”

“Do you believe that bastard stabbed me?” Her voice was full of excitement and condescension.

“I’ve some herbs that we should put on this right away,” she said as Tyral walked up. She took the water flask and poured some over the wound to clean it out. She grabbed a small handful of an herbal mixture she carried in a pouch and placed it on the wound, wrapping it firmly with a small strip of cloth so that it would stay in place. She asked, “The spell you used to toss that man into the bushes, how does it work?”

Kaitra explained, “It’s simple, really. The energy pattern draws in the air from the other side of the target, creating a lower pressure. The motion of my hand redirects it against my opponent, flinging him away. It happens in a split second.”

“Clever.”

Kaitra winced as she pulled the cloth tight.

Kidreyli laughed a little and noted, “It just caught your skin, you poor baby.”

“Don’t spoil my moment. It’s my first battle wound and I want to revel in it for as long as possible.”

The family from the cart walked up to them and the father said, “Thank you so much for helping us. We could never repay you for saving our son, but if there is anything you need, you are certainly welcome to it.”

Kaitra replied. “We’re just happy we could help.”

“Do you frequently have problems around here with outlaws?” Kidreyli asked.

The woman from the cart answered, “These men showed up several months ago and have been creating havoc in this area ever since. Several local villagers have been hurt by them. We’re very fortunate no one has been killed. If they would have taken our money, I don’t know how we would have made it until our next market in a few weeks.”

The man from the cart concluded, “Again, thank you for your help. We must be on our way.”

The family started back to their cart when the woman turned back to them. “What are your names?”

“My name is Kaitra, and this is Kidreyli.”

The woman came back and gave each of them in turn a firm hug. “We owe you so much, Kaitra and Kidreyli. I will tell the people of our village of your bravery.”

The woman walked back to their cart and they slowly drove away.

Kidreyli was placing the supplies back on Tyral as Kaitra stood silent, taking in the images of her success. The warrior went over and put her hand on her lover’s shoulder as the cart went out of sight.

“That was spectacular. Well done,” complimented Kidreyli. “I must admit I was a little worried when he took you off your horse, but you handled the situation with courage and determination. I’m really proud of you.”