Island Shifters: Book 01 - An Oath of the Blood (11 page)

“I say that because our army Captain has given me more information about the prophecies than our seer. Apparently, Lucin knew Saige’s grandmother and told me of another vision that succeeds the one we have already uncovered.”

Avalon whirled around to stare at him. “Come now. What would Lucin know of such things, Adrian?”

Adrian could understand his sister’s disbelief. “As I said, he gave me another vision, which I will share with you later. The more pressing nuisance is that Lucin is in possession of a
third
prophecy that he is holding over my head in order to gain freedom for the Cyman people.” What Lucin did not know was that Adrian had absolutely no intention of giving the mutants their freedom once he was back in power. For now, however, he would let Lucin presume he was in control. He needed Lucin to keep the army focused on the task ahead, but the Captain would be expendable after that—prophecy or no prophecy.

Adrian gazed at the ships in expectation. He had yearned for this return for over three centuries, and there was much he missed dearly about Massa. Topmost among them were blue skies, a decent glass of spiced wine, and the small frame of a human woman under him. The Cyman cows did nothing for him and he took one only when absolutely necessary. Oh yes, he decided, the pleasure of a woman would be of the highest priority.

“I hope you told him he was mad?” demanded Avalon, startling him out of his reverie.

“Who?”

“Lucin! I hope you set him straight about gaining his freedom.”

Adrian shook his head at her transparent motives. “Why, Avalon, not ready to give up your little Cyman toy?”

A red-faced Avalon glared at him. “I care little for Lucin or his son or any Cyman for that matter,” she spat, letting go of his arm and pushing away from him. “I am three hundred and nineteen years old, Adrian, and all that I want, all that drives me, is seeing the Old World again!”

“Aye, me, as well, sister.”

“Then, you must get the third prophecy from Lucin so we can understand what we will face upon our arrival. As a Mage, Adrian, surely you have ways of getting the information without too much trouble,” she challenged.

Adrian was saved from replying when a shout came from the road leading to the docks. “Master! Master!” It was a young Cyman army messenger.

“What is it?” he responded harshly to the boy.

“I ‘ave a message, Master,” he said hastily and thrust a parchment into Adrian’s hands, no doubt eager to be away from him as quickly as possible.

Adrian unfurled the note without hesitation and read its contents.

“What is it?” asked Avalon.

Adrian took his time reading and then said, “It seems we will have a vacancy in the cabin next to ours on this journey.”

When she looked at him in question, he said, “By her own hand, our seer has decided that she would rather visit the Highworld than the Old World.”

Adrian gestured toward the ship with an outstretched arm. “After you, my dear.”

After the confrontation with the Halfies, the uneasy Legion spent the evening at the mouth of the pass. At sunrise, they proceeded cautiously into the narrow split in the mountain and despite a vigilant scrutiny of the passage walls and road ahead, they did not catch sight of a single Halfie along the way.

Luck had been with Kiernan up to this point, but she knew she could not afford to let her guard down only to be discovered before the time was right. There was one unnerving incident when Airron caught her with her face turned directly toward him and he shouted to Beck, “Hey, I cannot believe it! There is…,” and then she slammed him hard with her mindshifting.

Once a mindshifter locks a person in their magical grasp, it is impossible to break the connection. Airron might as well of had a metal vise holding him and his thoughts in place as Kiernan inserted one of her own. Had Beck been paying more attention, he would have recognized the blank look that suddenly stole over his friend’s face.

“What?” asked Beck distractedly as he was talking to the little fireshifter, Rory, who had not left Beck’s side since leaving Parsis.

“Hey, I cannot believe it!” he repeated. “There is…. an apple tree over there!”

Beck looked at Airron as if he were mad. “Yes, that
is
an apple tree, Airron. Thank you for pointing it out.” He looked sideways at the Elf. “Are you okay?”

“Sure,” said Airron, rubbing his head and looking anything but.

Kiernan could not stop the giggle that escaped and hurried away from her friends before they heard.

Dismore called a halt at midday, and as soon as the Legion was settled into their routine and eating their meal, Kiernan slipped silently away. She wanted to wash away some of the grime off her body in a small lake she spotted through the trees. It had hardly been easy for her to bathe on this trip surrounded by thirty-six men.

Discovering a path that she was certain would lead her to the lake, she took it and then found a large, flat rock to sit on, closing her eyes.

Bajan!

She waited.

I am alone, Bajan, you may come!

She opened her black eyes. Beaming, she stood when she saw her precious companion bound onto the leaf-strewn path ahead of her.

Greetings, Princess
.

Kiernan rushed to the huge Draca Cat and threw her arms around his neck.

Oh, Bajan, you cannot know how good it is to see you
. She ran her fingers through his thick, soft coat.

He nudged her affectionately.
Now, now. I have been in contact with you every day of this journey, Princess
.

It is not the same, and you know it. I did not see you for three days before we left either
, she complained.

True.

What is wrong, Bajan? I sense that something is making you uneasy. Am I right?

Bajan sat back on his haunches and gazed at her, his spiked tail swishing restlessly in the darkened light of the forest.
Yes, Princess. I am not aware of the reason, but there is unrest with the Draca Cats at home. Moombai has asked me to be more diligent than usual in my protection of you.

Protection of me? But, I am no longer involved as Princess of Iserlohn. Why would I need protection? And you have not heard from Moombai in years! Is he here in Pyraan?

Bajan gave Kiernan his form of an exasperated smile.
One question at a time, Princess.

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot,
her
form of exasperation.

The Sovereign sent a messenger by the name of Felice.

A female?
Kiernan interrupted.

Yes.

Was she pretty?

Yes. Now, keep quiet or I will not continue.
Frustratingly, he waited a full moment before continuing.
Moombai sent Felice to warn me that there may be trouble. Since I have never lived with the Draca Cats, at least within memory, I do not share their superstitious nature. I do not hold sway with their legends and prophecy
.
I only know that I was allowed to remain with you at the blessings of my race. My duty is to you and your protection. I will guard you no matter what the Draca Cats have to say about it.
Bajan’s dark eyes met hers.
Although, I must admit, it can be a very trying duty at times.

Oh, Bajan. Do you ever wish that you were not placed in my care? Do you long for the normal life of a Draca Cat in your homeland of Callyn-Rhe?

Bajan made a distressed mewing sound and nudged her.
You know very well that the answer to both questions is no. In addition to being an irksome and stubborn girl, you are also my beloved friend. Our bond is something I would never give up.

She leaned her head into his shoulder gratefully. It had been very difficult traveling in secret. There were many times when she just wanted to shout out to Beck or Rogan or Airron about one of the sights she had seen along the way or to talk about the upcoming training. Her succor had been her connection with Bajan—a constant, comforting presence in the back of her mind.

Bajan was just a cub and Kiernan was six years old when her father, King Maximus, was returning home from a hunting trip and found the baby cat snuggled up to his dead mother in the woods, barely clinging to life. Having just lost her own mother the year before, Kiernan was overjoyed to care for the baby Draca and immediately felt an unadulterated attachment as she nursed him back to health.

She had already discovered her magical abilities by that time and, because she dared not tell her father or any of the royal staff, was feeling extremely lonely and in need of companionship. The orphaned Draca filled the void perfectly.

Finding out that she could communicate with Bajan was quite unexpected. Experimenting with her mindshifting, she decided to extend a single wave of thought to the cat to see if it would hold. As soon as the connection was made, her green eyes turned black and the force of the telepathic link was so powerful that it pitched her and Bajan hurtling backwards through the air. The results of that experiment were a few bruises, identical colored eyes, and a bond that would last a lifetime. Although, theoretically, the linkage she shared with Bajan could not be referred to as the traditional form of mindshifting that occurred when thoughts were conveyed by a shifter along a magically-induced pathway unbeknownst to the person on the receiving end. With Bajan, there was a dual connection and Kiernan could actually read his thoughts and Bajan hers. To this day, she still did not know what had happened that fateful night twelve years ago to cause the unique connection between her and Bajan, but she was eternally grateful for the union.

Needless to say,
Bajan continued,
it does not hurt to be on guard. I am going to scout ahead to The Crown Bluffs to ensure that the way is clear. Will you be able to stay out of trouble while I am gone?

Of course. I will be fine. Do not worry about me, Bajan.

Then, I must hurry. I can travel very swiftly, but have a long way to go

Kiernan embraced him once again and bid him farewell. She closed her eyes and when she reopened them again, her eyes were green and her friend was gone.

She sighed and continued her excursion to the little blue lake. She was looking forward to submerging her body into the cool water and vowed not to worry about Bajan. Whatever the problem with the Draca Cats, he could handle it. It was useless to dwell on the situation.

Her thoughts turned inevitably to Beck. She desperately missed talking to him and resuming their easy companionship. The exact moment when that companionship turned into something more, she could not be sure, but it had.

She loved Beck Atlan. She loved his smile, his dimples, the way he ran his fingers through his hair, and his strength. Not just his physical strength as an earthshifter, but also his strength as a person. As a leader. He was kind and compassionate, yet firm and decisive. She knew he felt the same way about her, but it was taking him far longer to come to the realization. At least she was out of the city of Parsis for the first time in years. That in itself was worth all of the secrecy and loneliness.

Arriving at the lake, she happily ran to the water’s edge and stripped off her Legion-issued sword belt. She was forced to leave her own sword and scabbard in her dormitory in Parsis. She could not very well travel with the sigil of Iserlohn peeking over her shoulder

Keeping her cloak in place over her head in case any of the legionnaires should unexpectedly wander close, she kicked off her boots and sat down to roll up her uniform trousers. Just as she was about to dip her toes into the water to test the temperature, she froze.

Out in the middle of the lake and slithering toward her at an alarming rate was a snake with a head the size of a boar. She could clearly see two large fangs dripping with poisonous saliva inside the open maw.

Then, Kiernan, who
hated
snakes more than anything else in the world, did something very out of character for a Warrior Princess.

She screamed.