Rider (Spirals of Destiny) (29 page)

“No. We don’t really teach classes in the bond beyond the meditation techniques to help strengthen your connection to your unicorn. The bond itself has always been considered a private matter, between the two involved. That you can actually sense my connection to Osalon is significant.”

“I guess that explains why the younglings always acted so skittish around me. After awhile, they just stopped giving me that task, which is why I ended up in the stables all the time.”

“The more I speak to you, Trainee Reese, the odder you become. Do you have any idea why Majherri would want to run off? Welsh said her unicorn tried to stop him, but Majherri attacked him.”

Kayleigh bit her lower lip and turned to look across the dunes, seeing the distortions of the heat rising off the sand.
Did Majherri decide to just leave on his own, abandoning me?

“What are you thinking, Reese?”

She weighed her options. Just saying nothing was probably the best course, but the lieutenant was risking her life.
She deserves an answer.

“Ma’am, this is going to sound horrible, but before we went through the portal, Majherri and I weren’t planning to come back. It’s why I had maps of the world and so many supplies. Things just weren’t working for us at The Academy.”

Osalon stopped in his tracks and moved his head sideways so he could look at her. His rider was equally as incredulous.

“Reese? Are you serious?”

“Well that was the plan, until we ended up in the wrong spot with a bunch of monsters and crazy people trying to kill us.”

“You should have talked to someone.”

“Ma’am it wouldn’t have done any good. The other unicorns had all but banished Majherri. Their council or whatever you call it, refused to allow him to participate in mating season. Go ahead and ask Osalon, I’m sure he knows. Majherri was miserable. I was hardly able to spend any time with him without an instructor around, and I was considered too dangerous to work with anyone but an instructor. The other trainees are always telling me how lucky I am to get pummeled during weapons instruction or continuously knocked out of my saddle during jousts. It’s funny, but I didn’t see it that way. Laurel all but admitted that she and the section leaders were ordered to be nice and spy on me.”

“Reese, listen to me. This insane trip does prove that you are too dangerous to work with anyone but trained instructors. Leaving the island without learning how to control your fire would place the villages you visit in danger. Your journey has been hard and will no doubt continue to be so, but you must fortify yourself and your unicorn. You’ve been a model student in my classes, but you never once asked for help or advice. Every trainee has problems. Your problems happened to be more than the usual homesickness. I can’t speak for how the unicorns treat Majherri, but running away is never the answer.”

“I know, ma’am and I’m certain Majherri knows. With a war about to erupt, I don’t think he still wants to go out on our own. He’s a fighter, but I won’t be sure until I’m with him again.”

“Understood. First we find him and then we get out of here. After that, we’ll have time for a long and serious discussion. Come on, Osalon. Let’s get moving.”

Majherri’s tracks were easy enough to follow, though they were very erratic. Kayleigh was troubled by this and one other thing – the distant thread connecting him with Majherri didn’t seem to be getting stronger.
Are we getting any closer? Is he running away without me?

They stopped only to give Osalon a chance to rest and drink some of their water. Kayleigh worried how much they would have left for Majherri whenever they caught up with him. Walking around, she probed once more across the bond. He sensed that he was happy.
He knows that I’m coming!

Hurrying, she helped the lieutenant back into the saddle. The afternoon sun showed no mercy, but Lieutenant Townsend’s air magic helped drive back the incessant heat.

It was nearly sunset when the found him. He was standing by a cluster of rocks.

“Go get him. We’ve got a long ride to catch up to the rest.”

Kayleigh nodded and dismounted. Majherri watched her approach. His head tilted from side to side, almost as if he was looking at her for the first time.

“What’s wrong, Majherri?” He was backing away from her. She felt a sudden flicker of danger and confusion through the bond. He backed around the side of the rocks and she sprinted to follow him. Rounding the turn she saw nomads waiting on the sides of the rocks. A weighted net came down on top of her and she struggled in its grasp, crying out for help.

Landing helplessly on the ground she stared up at an approaching figure. A female voice said, “So, this is the little girl that would dare to steal from me.”

The woman threw back her hood and Kayleigh gasped. “Danella Lynch?” It was the same woman from the painting, except the lively green eyes were completely replaced with the same dark black she saw yesterday in that fanatical nomad.

It was the last words from her mouth before something hit her on her helmet and she lost consciousness.

It was night time when Kayleigh came to. She wasn’t in the net anymore, but her hands were bound and the rope was tied around one of the larger rocks. Her dented helmet was on the ground next to her. She looked around and saw that most of the nomads were gone, only six remained along with a sand troll. There was no sign of Lieutenant Townsend and Osalon. Majherri locked eyes with her and neighed loudly.

“Ah, did you have a nice nap? I was beginning to worry about you and trying to decide what punishment is suitable for trying to steal my unicorn.”

“I didn’t steal him. We have a bond.”

“No, I have a bond with him. How else could I pull him through the Portal system to me? I don’t know what that thing you have with him is, but I wanted you awake, so I could break it before I kill you. After all, I wouldn’t want Majherri to suffer any backlash when you die.”

“Where’s the lieutenant?” Kayleigh spat out her question and rose to her knees. There was precious little moisture in her mouth.

“Oh her, you’d be better served worrying about what is about to happen to you. She surrendered, like a good little soldier, rather than watch me gut you. She and her unicorn are already on her way to meet the Master. He will take very good of our new recruit, but you … you don’t get to serve the Master, little thief. I get to punish you.”

“You’re under some kind of spell. You don’t have to do this, Danella.”

“First you steal from me and then you address me like you’re a friend. I’m going to enjoy this. Majherri, come here!”

The unicorn approached. Kayleigh felt a distant sense of confusion.
Fight her, Majherri! Don’t let her control you! Break free! You can do it!

He shook for a moment and Danella looked at him and grabbed the unicorn’s mane. The woman’s face twisted in rage. “No, there will be no little insurrection from you. He obeys me … now and forever! Now, I have an irritant that needs to be removed.”

Danella’s hands moved up to the spirals of Majherri’s horn. In the dim light, the cracked horn glowed and Kayleigh felt like a vice was crushing the suddenly fragile tether between her and Majherri. She fought with all her mind to keep the bond from unraveling, but piece by piece, Danella was prying it apart.

“No!” Kayleigh’s screams mixed with those of Majherri as the bond snapped. Falling to the ground, she pounded on the sand and howled in pain. Majherri had also collapsed and even Danella appeared shaken as two of the nomad warriors steadied her.

The crazed woman practically hissed at her and unfurled the bullwhip, her personal weapon. A second later, it burst into flames and crackled on the sand. “That was the last pain you will ever cause me. Now, it’s your turn to suffer!”

The fiery whip snapped across Kayleigh’s arm and stung. She screamed and rolled to the ground as Danella brought her weapon back for a second strike. Kayleigh partially blocked that next strike with the length of rope that kept her a prisoner of the rock. The rope smoldered and she was able to break free. She wasn’t certain how this would help her, but it felt like a small victory.

“Oh, so very clever you are thief! You’ll make a fine dinner for the scavengers, but first you will dance for me!”

Kayleigh scanned around for anything that could be used as a weapon, while trying to avoid Danella’s strikes. Her knife was missing. She spotted it stuffed into the sash of one of the nomads, but the flaming whip coiled around her leg and ripped her to the ground.

“Yes! Yes! Burn and bleed, girl! Scream louder! I want to hear it!”

Thrashing in agony, Kayleigh rolled free of the whip. She thrust her bound hands out to that knife and tried to will it to her. It was an act of desperation. There was no conceivable way this would work.

But it did.

The knife erupted in flames and the man screamed. It fell to the ground, drizzling like a liquid and pooled in the sand next to the injured man. That flame race across the desert floor and slithered into her hand reforming into a solid blade and parted the rope around her wrist. She pushed up from the ground and stood with the throwing dagger in front of her in a guard position and wondered how many fireballs she could hurl before the magic stored in the knife was expended.

Danella craned her neck and studied Kayleigh, “My, oh my, what an impressive little trickster you are. A knife in the hands of a toddler – should I be frightened? No, I think not.”

“I will kill you,” Kayleigh stated, trying to sound as dangerous as possible. She circled on her injured legs to maintain her distance from the whip and searched for a plan.

The fire maiden stepped into her next whiplash. Kayleigh slipped the knife into a throwing motion and released it, willing to take the blow if she could injure Danella.

Her target twisted and dodged, making the whip go wide. The flaming dagger clattered off a rock and landed on the sand. One of the nomads reached for it, but for the second time Kayleigh changed it into a puddle of fiery liquid and it returned to her hand.

“I grow weary of this little game, girl,” Danella said slipping behind Majherri, never taking those soulless eyes off of Kayleigh. The whip’s flames vanished, only to be replaced by fireballs from Danella’s out stretched hands.

Kayleigh rolled out of the way, but was burnt by the heat of the blast. The nomads howled in laughter and the sand troll pounded its chest. With practiced ease, Danella slid into Majherri’s saddle and strapped a shield to her other arm. The whip lit again and Kayleigh readied for her next throw.

“I think it’s time we end this, girl. I have a long ride ahead and I need to be on my way.”

Kayleigh’s dagger flew true, but Danella intercepted it. The woman shook the flaming liquid off the shield, careful to avoid any splattering on Majherri. “Your parlor trick is losing some luster. Do you have anything else? Let me show you something I can do!”

The whip bit into Kayleigh’s left arm for the second time. The flame disappeared, but something happened and the edge of the whip came alive and leapt around her neck. It tightened and began strangling her. Instinctively, Kayleigh struck at the whip with her knife, but it didn’t slice easily.

“I could drag you behind Majherri for a few miles and see how long you last. I could simply strangle you. You’ll be dead long before you could cut through. But I like this one best of all. Watch and learn, trainee!”

Fire started at Danella’s hand and started crawling down the length of the whip.

Kayleigh was sure she was going to die, but she refused to end it all like this. The magical whip wasn’t splitting, so she reared back and threw her dagger one last time, pleading, begging, and willing it through that shield.

The flaming knife spattered against the shield and Kayleigh could see the maniacal eyes of Danella mocking her final attempt, but those eyes opened wide as the flames danced over and around the shield, reforming into a knife and burying itself in the mesh of Danella’s chain armor.

The fire died just short of Kayleigh’s face and the whip grew slack as Majherri reared. The force jerked Kayleigh to the ground, and she frantically removed the whip from her neck.

“How?” Danella croaked tugging at the dagger and tossing it to the ground. Kayleigh didn’t know either.
That’s a water maiden skill! How did I do that?

There was no time for contemplation. She could tell Danella’s injury was severe. One more throw could finish her. Once again, she willed the knife back to her hand.

Majherri must have known it as well, because he danced away from her next throw and bolted into the night. Her heart broke watching the unicorn’s retreating form. He was lost to her!

Summoning the knife back to her hand, she faced the six nomads and the troll. They were going to swarm her all at once. She reached for the energy in the knife and found it was still unchanged. The magic inside was still at the same level as when she started this battle.

There was no time for questions – no time to search for a rational explanation. She called on the magic and it responded. The flames began licking up her legs and surrounding her in a vortex of power. She became engulfed in the fire and one with it – a living statue of magical flame.

“Let’s finish this!” Kayleigh screamed and charged into battle.