Into the Fray: Volume 1 of The Sorcerers of Jhanvia Series (24 page)

Satreka awoke abruptly. It was in the earliest morning hours when he noticed that Natilya was not in bed. He sat up half-way to look about and saw her sitting in a high-back chair staring out the south facing window, her face illuminated only by the starlight.

“Natilya, why don’t you sleep?” he asked quietly.

“We have come to the time of year when the Arc of Rhian crosses the southern sky. I had thought to watch it for a while.”

Satreka grimaced from the pain as he slid off the bed, carefully limped over and leaned on the back of her chair. He looked out the window to see a bright white arc of stars that came up from the horizon, the arm of a companion galaxy whose center lay out of sight. “It’s very beautiful. I have seen it before, but not in the same way as I see it now with you.”

Natilya smiled reminiscently, “My whole life I have obsessed over the Arc. When I was a little girl, I used to climb up on one of the surrounding hills and stare at it all night. Its beauty and strength feed my spirit. I’m not sure why, but it calls to me.”

“Someday I will take you south to my birthplace. From there, you can see almost all of what makes up the Arc. It’s so powerful a sight.” Satreka stood behind her silently and stroked her hair with his hand for several minutes. Then he got up the courage to ask, “Tell me truthfully, do you miss being with your people?”

“A little. Up until just a few weeks ago, it was all I had ever known. But you have shown me a different way, and it suits me.”

“My world brings you happiness?”

She reached up and gently placed her hand on his cheek, “I am as happy as I have ever been.”

He reached down and put his hand on her belly, “I promise I will do all in my power to make a good home for you and our child.”

Natilya looked up at him and smiled, “I love you with all that I am.”

“And I love you,” Satreka replied.

eturning to the present.

Five days farther along, and the weather had turned warm and dry. Kaitra’s headaches had finally subsided a few days earlier and she was back to her usual self. They had made good time and were now about two days southwest of Triami. Tyral had explained to Kaitra what she and Kidreyli had been discussing about Satreka and his sorcerers, including the difficulties with her telepathy that she had been experiencing. She had found that her mind links continued to degrade as they traveled northward. The strength of the disruption was worrying to her. The question at hand was whether the intensity would be sufficient enough to significantly interfere with the Valtyr.

“So, tell me about Natilya,” Kaitra requested.

“Why do you want to know about her?” Kidreyli asked.

“In your mind I see that you had a rather passionate relationship with her.”

Kidreyli laughed, “Kaitra, that was five years ago. She was
so
young then, maybe sixteen years…it could have never evolved into anything more than it was at the time.”

“I know. I just would like to know why you found her so attractive.”

“Tyral, are you going to help me here?”

“Sorry, I’m a little busy down here, if you don’t mind,” she responded in her thoughts.

Kaitra restated her request, “So, are you going to answer me?”

Her frustration was showing, “You have asked me about nearly everyone I have ever met in my life. Are you going to continue this torture into perpetuity?”

The young woman smiled with a sense of satisfaction, “You are the one who gave me this link with your mind, and I had a pounding head for three days because of it. I think it only fair retribution for my suffering.”

Kidreyli just shook her head.

Kaitra aimed her thoughts only for Tyral, “Thanks for the assistance.”

Tyral responded, “My pleasure, dear friend.”

Kidreyli sat up tall in her saddle and saw the roofs of huts over the next rise. “Looks like we are coming up on a village. Do you want to stop and eat?”

“That would be wonderful. I’ve been hungry for hours. But I still want to know about Natilya.”

Kidreyli rolled her eyes and urged Tyral a little faster along the road. Several moments later, she pulled up short when they reached the top of the rise, and as the sorceress approached, she held out her hand for her to stop.

Kaitra heard in her mind from Kidreyli, “There is something very wrong here.”

Tyral reinforced her perception, “You’re right about that.”

Kidreyli pondered her next action for a moment, and then said quietly, “Tyral, take Sestru into the forest. Be very quiet. Kaitra, bring your bow.”

The Valtyr slid off her ride and looped the horse’s reins onto her saddle. Tyral followed through as instructed. Kidreyli led Kaitra through the trees and underbrush. They paused and continued as necessary, secreting themselves behind cover to avoid being seen. I took only a few minutes before they reached a secure place at the edge of the tree line with a view to the center of the village. From behind a thick patch of brambles, they could see and hear what was happening.

There, between two rows of huts, a couple of soldiers on horseback were flanked by eight soldiers on foot. They had two men in front of them, probably village elders. Two more soldiers were standing guard by the remaining villagers off to one side. What was most striking were the bright, crisp uniforms worn by the soldiers, black pants and boots topped by a white shirt under a well-made red tunic, tied at the waist with a black leather belt.

Kidreyli and Kaitra looked at each other and their thoughts crossed simultaneously, “Satreka’s men.” They crouched behind a clump of bushes and listened.

The soldier sitting tallest on horseback was speaking, “…this petty offer you make to us is unacceptable. We agreed to give you seven days to gather one-hundred pieces of silver. Your failure means we cannot hire the soldiers necessary to guarantee your protection.”

One of the village elders responded, “What you ask is impossible, captain. Our entire village doesn’t earn that much in four months.”

Tyral’s thoughts entered the minds of both girls, “If you attack these men, Satreka will know of you. His sorcerers will take notice of Kaitra’s abilities.”

Kidreyli responded telepathically, “We can’t just walk away.”

Tyral answered, “I understand how you feel, but it would be better if you did.”

Kaitra weighed in, “We can’t leave these villagers in the hands of Satreka’s soldiers. We must defend them and deal with the consequences later.”

Kidreyli nodded her agreement.

The captain continued, “There is no more time. As we explained earlier, if the money is not forthcoming, then we will take your sons.”

“No, please, my lord,” begged the elder. “Please give us just another seven days. We will get the money for you.”

“Guards,” he commanded, “Bring them.”

The soldiers plucked out the adolescent boys and dragged them before their commander. The villagers were screaming frantically, but to no avail.

Kidreyli whispered to Kaitra, “Can you work your way behind the villagers and take out those two guards?”

She nodded in the affirmative.

“Good. I will come from the other side. Use my attack as a distraction and get the villagers into the trees. Then come back and help me. I may need it.”

Kaitra smiled as she started to leave.

Kidreyli grabbed her shirt and whispered tersely, “You need to conjure up that anger within now. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Kaitra’s face turned serious. Kidreyli kissed her and they both set to work on the task at hand.

The warrior moved quickly through the trees and entered the village at a place where a hut would block the view of the soldiers on horseback. She stayed back in the shadows, waiting for her lover to signal her readiness.

The sorceress moved quickly and quietly from hut to hut until she was near the group of villagers. She got the attention of an adolescent girl at the back of the group. She placed her finger over her lips, requesting quiet, and motioned her over. The girl slowly backed toward her, careful to not draw attention to herself.

She whispered, “My name is Kaitra. I’m here to help.” She unsheathed her sword. “I need you to follow me and hand me this when I say.”

The girl nodded her understanding. They both worked their way over to a place behind a villager near the farthest soldier, staying low
to avoid detection. Kaitra pulled back an arrow and abruptly stood, aiming it at the soldier nearest the hut.

“Everyone down!” she commanded.

The villagers immediately complied, and just as the last head was out of the way, Kaitra let the arrow fly, striking the soldier in the base of his neck. The arrow hit him with such force that it carried him off his feet, his dead body landing a short distance away. The soldier nearest her raised his sword to attack, but Kaitra was quicker, dropping her bow and taking her sword from the girl. With all her strength, she pushed it through his ribs and into his heart before he could bring his sword down on her. His dying scream got the attention of the other soldiers.

Kidreyli saw what was happening and said through their mind links, “Kaitra, you were to wait for me.”

“Sorry, love. The excitement of the moment got the best of me.”

“Quickly, into the forest!” Kaitra commanded the villagers.

Kidreyli entered the fray with a sense of urgency and quickly disabled three of the soldiers with wide sweeps of her blade. The horses were spooked, which temporarily took their riders out of the battle. Two of the soldiers with crossbows took aim and fired their bolts at the fleeing villagers. Kaitra raised her defenses and deflected them harmlessly away.

Kidreyli took on the two soldiers with crossbows, quickly dispatching them with her speed and agility. Her methods were artistic with flowing motions and grace, almost akin to dancing. She sliced through her opponents with ease and confidence.

As she reached the edge of the tree line, one of the women from the village stopped and yelled to Kaitra, “There are more soldiers hiding in the huts!”

The sorceress turned toward the village just as a soldier’s fist hit her in the face. The force of the impact caused her to take several steps backward until she could regain her balance, where she came up with a bloodied mouth. He was on her again in an instant, hitting her
again with his other fist. She spun backward, falling into the dirt. He committed the mistake all the overconfident make—he did not finish her. He stood and watched as she gathered herself.

“I am going to enjoy this,” he predicted through a nefarious smile.

She wiped the blood from her mouth on her sleeve and asked, “You think so?”

He came at her again. As he pulled back his fist to hit her again, she directed her magics with her right hand to hold his arm in place. She pulled her knife with her left hand and jammed it into his chest. He stood with a gaping mouth for just a moment, then his eyes rolled up into his head as he fell to the side.

She watched him hit the ground with a deep sense of satisfaction, and then she sheathed her knife. She took only one step toward the battle when an undetected arrow fired by another soldier hit her just below the ribs on her right side. It spun her about and down to one knee. She looked down to see the arrow had hit enough flesh to be stuck in her, the point protruding from her back. The intensity of the pain was far beyond any she had ever felt, and her wide open eyes confirmed it. The soldier was reloading his bow for another effort. Seeing this, Kaitra, without thinking, summoned up all her energy and directed a powerful red ball of offensive magics at him. It engulfed him and set him ablaze. He was knocked backward a few steps, and he screamed in agony as he tried to run away, but the flames quickly devoured him. She took both hands, broke the arrow in half and, as carefully as she could, pulled it through her out the wound in her back. She could feel the warm blood running down her side as it flowed onto her pants.

Reeling from the pain, she stayed on her knees breathing heavily for a few moments. Just then she realized her mind was telling her that Kidreyli was in danger. She forced herself up and ran toward the center of the village, holding her side with her right hand. When she reached the place where she had killed the first soldier, her legs buckled beneath her and she fell into the dirt. She rose up on her knees and saw before her a new batch of soldiers. The six of them had been
successful in surrounding Kidreyli, their weapons trained on her. The two soldiers on horseback watched from afar.