Into the Fray: Volume 1 of The Sorcerers of Jhanvia Series (6 page)

“We were certain that we would never see you again,” Eirran commented.

Kaitra motioned toward the Valtyr, “Thanks to my courageous warrior friend. Eirran, Cliona, this is Kidreyli. She saved me.”

“You are welcome here,” announced Eirran. “Please, come and sit. You both must be starving.” He motioned for one of the little girls to come over. “Lila, please fetch some food and drink for our guests.”

The girl ran off toward the center of the village. It was but a handful of moments before she hastily returned with a passel of children in tow. They had been told that a Valtyr was in the village and they enthusiastically volunteered to help carry the food and refreshments over to the table. It wasn’t every day that they encountered a stranger from so far away, especially a Valtyr.

“Kidreyli, you can let your Katrion run free in our fields.” offered Eirran. “We have a few horses milling about, she would have some companionship.”

A look of surprise crossed the warrior’s face as she unfastened the halter. Tyral immediately ran off in search of fun. “You speak Valtyri?” she asked as she grabbed an apple from a basket.

Eirran smiled. “A little. Cliona and I lived for many years near the town of Pichey before moving here.”

The children were hanging around, anxiously waiting to be invited into the conversation. It was making Kidreyli a little uncomfortable. Kaitra was otherwise occupied, as she had descended voraciously on a small loaf of bread. Cliona just smiled at her manner.

“I’ve been to Pichey,” replied Kidreyli. “It’s a pleasant little town with good people. It was hard for me to stay away from Milina’s Tavern.”

Eirran laughed. “Milina would be pleased that you remember. You know, we haven’t seen her in probably ten years.” He turned to Cliona for a non-verbal confirmation. “She had the best mead in the northern province.”

Kaitra didn’t mind being left out of the conversation. She had blown through the loaf of bread and was now after the fruit basket. Kidreyli looked over again at the patient yet increasingly restless children.

“I’m afraid they don’t get to see a Valtyr very often in this place,” Eirran explained. “You’re a bit of a novelty for us today.”

Kidreyli was not particularly comfortable around children she did not know. She decided to confront the situation head on. She turned around on the bench facing the little ones and announced, “Okay, I’m all yours.”

The children excitedly talked over one another.

“Wait, wait…,” the warrior held up her hand. “One at a time, please.”

“Can I touch your eyebrow,” Lila requested.

“Sure.” Kidreyli leaned down and the girl slowly traced her soft hairs in their rounded v-shape from her nose over her eye to the hairline with her finger.

A boy asked, “Can we see your claws?”

Kidreyli held out her left hand and pushed out her claws. They appeared from below her fingernails and extended out about one inch from each finger. They looked like large somewhat straightened cat claws.

“That is so wonderful,” commented the boy. “I wish I had claws like that.”

“Can you tell us a story of one of your battles,” asked another little girl.

“Children, please,” Eirran intervened. “Give our guests a chance to rest. They have had a difficult journey.”

The little ones complied, but seemed disappointed.

As they walked away, Kidreyli capitulated. “I’ll make a deal with you. If you allow us to rest and settle in, I’ll tell you a story later this evening.”

The children ran away celebrating their victory.

Cliona said, “That’s really nice of you, but don’t let our little ones impose on you.”

“I don’t mind. You have been very generous to us. This small gesture cannot repay your kindness on this day of all days.”

Cliona touched Kaitra’s arm, “Shall we go and get you some proper clothing?”

“Yes, that would be wonderful,” replied the sorceress as she grabbed an apple from the basket.

They got up and headed for a large hut in the center of the village, leaving the warrior and Eirran to fend for themselves.

“I’m guessing the temple was destroyed?” posed Kidreyli.

Sadness was evident on Eirran’s face. “I’m afraid so. A few of us went there early this morning. They returned describing incredibly gruesome scenes. The members of the temple were very kind and gentle, and they were good friends to us. All in the village mourn their loss.” The elder paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m glad you were able to rescue Kaitra from the attack.”

“I wish I could have done more. There were just too many of them, and they were well-prepared.”

“The Rutalans
are
a brutal bunch.”

“You referred to Kaitra as ‘my lady’ earlier,” noted the warrior. “What did you mean by that?”

“You don’t know?” asked Eirran to a blank stare. “She is royalty, from the House of Dhoya.”

“Surprising,” her disappointment colored her response.

“Is that a problem?”

Kidreyli scratched herself with her fingernails behind her ear. It was more of a sign of discomfort with the question posed. “No. I’ve encountered royalty before. It never ends well.”

“Don’t pass judgment on Kaitra too soon. She has traveled far from her safe and secure home to escape the influences of her culture and find her true destiny. Her will is strong and she has demonstrated her independence from the royal trappings that once surrounded her. If I had to guess, I would say that the two of you have much in common.”

Kidreyli laughed, “I don’t think we have anything….”

Eirran interrupted. “Why is a capable Valtyr warrior traveling alone this far south, if not seeking answers to her life’s most pressing questions?”

The Clannya elder had perfect perception in this matter. Kidreyli sat blankly for a few moments, a bit stunned over his comment. She finally nodded to him, acknowledging his accurate insight.

Eirran perked up. “You should rest here with us for a few days.”

“I really must be going,” replied Kidreyli. A little frustrated. A little embarrassed. She had been found out, after all.

“Stay, please. Your presence will help Kaitra recover from the events of last night. Besides, you promised a story to our children tonight.”

She had to agree, so she nodded, confirming that she would stay as he requested. She also felt a little boxed in. In the last year, she had not spent more than a day in one place.

Eirran smiled and stood tall as he offered, “Good. Let me show you to your accommodations.”

She followed him to a small hut located near the trees. It was very rustic, with a few planks of wood lashed together with rope to form a door. The walls were constructed with small branches, tied together and overlaid with mud and straw. A small opening had been left in the
wall near the door to function as a window, with a piece of wood hung on the inside as its shutter. Its roof was made of thatch and trimmed neatly.

“I hope you’ll find this satisfactory,” he stated as he pushed open the door.

Kidreyli entered and took a quick look around, noting two beds lined with straw on opposite walls. “Yes, this will be fine,” she said. Eirran smiled and started toward the door when she gently grabbed him above the elbow and said, “I sincerely appreciate all you are doing for Kaitra and me. I assure you, I will never forget.”

As he left the cottage, Eirran spoke over his shoulder, “I look forward to seeing you at the evening meal. Cliona has prepared some of her famous mead.”

Kidreyli looked around the interior of the small cottage again and realized that she had left all her supplies on her Katrion. “Tyral, are you out there?” she asked softly. She did not need to speak loudly, as her thoughts were plainly audible to her friend, but there was no response. “Listen, I’m sorry I forgot to take the supplies off you.”

In her mind, the warrior heard, “Finally. Now that you need your things, I imagine that it’s imperative that I bring them to you post haste. Never mind that I was resigned to carry your belongings like some animal of burden until the princess of the north deigned an end to my suffering.”

A surprised and somewhat confused smile came to the Valtyr’s face, “I apologize for not thinking of you. I was caught up in the moment of meeting these people and seeing Kaitra safely here.” There was a brief pause, then, “What am I doing? I don’t answer to you. Get your furry bum over here now!”

“As you wish,” conceded Tyral through a feigned sigh of resignation.

Kidreyli stepped outside the hut into the warm mid-morning sunlight. She stood looking upward with eyes closed for a moment and took a deep breath, soaking in the warmth. Familiar hoofs came pounding up in front of her. The warrior released the saddle loop and
hefted all the supplies off and onto the ground in one motion. She looked the horse straight in the eye. “Princess of the north? Where in Dunsait did that come from?” She hit her flat-handed on the side of the neck, but not too hard.

Tyral trotted away, realizing that maybe she had gone a bit too far with that reference, knowing how much disdain Kidreyli had for royalty. “Only joking.” was the message sent.

The warrior moved the supplies into the hut. She did not bother to remove them from the saddle since she was leaving shortly. She walked back outside and sat on a tiny rustic wooden bench in the sunlight, leaning her back against the wall. She closed her eyes and let her body soak in the warmth. The light breeze was very refreshing and played the most soothing notes when it rustled the leaves in the trees. A few minutes later, she had drifted away and was nearly dozing when she felt a light tug on her pants. She looked down with one eye to see a girl of maybe three years looking up at her, her big blue eyes wide with wonderment. “Hello, little one,” she said.

“Are you really a Valtyr?” the girl asked in her perky little voice.

“Yes, I am.” Kidreyli sat up and pointed to her shirt, “See this symbol, the three crossed arrows signify warrior ranking among my people. My name is Kidreyli, what’s yours?”

“Niko. Can I see your sword?”

“Actually, Niko, I was about to take a little nap. Would you like to take a nap with me? We can see the sword later.”

“Okay.”

Kidreyli lifted her up on her lap and leaned back against the wall again. The child tucked her head under the Valtyr’s chin and closed her eyes. The warrior always got her best sleep during the day, but this day was special because she felt totally safe in this place. It was the first time in months that she had felt such peace. It was only a few minutes and both of them were out.

About thirty minutes later, Kaitra walked around the corner wearing one of the outfits provided by Cliona and carrying a few more in
her arms. She quietly approached so as not to disturb the two sleeping beauties who were both in other worlds. She smiled to herself and without making any noise, went into the hut. She unfastened the supplies from the saddle and placed them where she thought Kidreyli would want them. She took the temple sword and leaned it against the wall near her chosen bed and shook out the clothes provided by the villagers, carefully folding them and placing them in a neat pile. Her green woolen robe was last. She laid it on the pile, keeping her hand on it for a moment as feelings of loss and grief circled her spirit. The events of the prior night had begun to run together in her mind. Linear time had become a jumble. She fondled the pendant that hung around her neck, tears flowing freely now. She held the sounds within her when she cried so as not to disturb her friend or alert any of the villagers that something might be wrong. But something
was
wrong. She perceived these deaths as meaningless and questioned within her thoughts, ‘What was the point of it all, really? Kajaki is a petty wizard from a nearby enclave of fanatics. There is no way that he gained anything significant from this. Dakal and his band only got money for their efforts, which they could have gotten for any other act of violence in any other place. Why here? Why now?’ She could make no sense of it.

Kidreyli came into the hut with the small girl in tow. “There is Kaitra,” she told the girl. “This is Niko. She wanted to see my sword.”

Kaitra pointed toward the other bed without turning around. “It’s over there.”

The Valtyr unsheathed the sword and held it out for the girl, cautioning, “Be very careful, it
is
sharp.”

She gently touched the blade with her little fingers. A wide smile came across her face.

Taking notice of her friend’s emotional slide, she asked without letting on, “Niko, would you mind if I had some time alone with Kaitra?”

“Okay,” was the reply.

The Valtyr escorted her to the door. “I will see you later, right?”

“Okay,” the girl responded as she departed. That was clearly her favorite word.

The warrior put the blade back in its place and asked, “Are you all right?”

“No…not really.” Kaitra’s voice broke a bit.

Kidreyli walked over and firmly took her hand. The sorceress spun around and fell into her arms.

“I’m so sorry,” Kaitra tearfully apologized. “I just can’t seem to get past this.”

“It hasn’t even been one day.”

“I just feel so confused and lost.”

Kidreyli stroked her hair and hugged her close. “That shoulder is always there if you need it.”

“Please, just hold me for a minute.”

The Valtyr willingly complied. She could feel the energies of their spirits weave together in complex and intricate patterns, the sorceress drawing needed strength from her. She willingly shared, her life force was strong and had much to spare. In the intimacy of this moment came a realization of the truth in Eirran’s words. She and her companion most certainly had much in common.

The sorceress released her hold, her grey eyes still shadowed in red, but looking much stronger and resolute. She reached up and kissed Kidreyli on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“You are certainly welcome, my lady,” replied the warrior as she sat in a lotus position on her bed.

Kaitra was firm in her response, “I wish everyone would quit calling me that. It is not who I am.”

Kidreyli was pleasantly surprised. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.”