Sorceress (Book 2) (28 page)

“What day is it?” Kayleigh asked. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost track of what day it was; they all seemed to blend together.

“The twenty-fifth,” Lynch answered. “Why?”

Kayleigh looked at the scorch marks on her riding leathers, felt the throbbing knot on the back of her head as she adjusted her helmet. “Today’s my seventeenth birthday. What a horrible way to start it!”

“Happy birthday, Reese. The day should at least get better, but it looks like we’ll be riding through the rain later on. I don’t mind it so much being a water maiden and it should help keep our unicorns fresh.”

Shrugging, Kayleigh climbed into her saddle and said, “Any suggestion on what I should wish for from the Goddess and her daughters?”

“I always ask them to see to it that on my next birthday I am still alive and free to make my own decisions. Money, fame, power, and even a lover matter little if you don’t have your freedom.”

Kayleigh realized that even though she might never be friends with Meghan Lynch, she might be able to someday respect her.

“So, the mighty Ice Claws have fallen so far that their new chieftain is a dirty-skinned outlander?”

The woman’s voice carried across the clearing. Ten warriors stood as her escorts and three cloaked females at her side. Majherri figured she was attractive by human standards, with long, flowing, white hair and a tangible presence about her.

“The spirit sought the most worthy,” Kuresh answered. “I am he. State your business with my tribe.”

“Rather full of yourself aren’t you? I can only hope someone has taught you our ways, Chief Outlander.”

The unicorn heard angry grumbles from the members of the Ice Claws. It had taken only a week before their first challenger arrived. He gathered that being addressed as such was an insult.

Danella and this woman share similar dispositions,
he thought.

“Very well,” the woman said. “I am Tessa, Chief of the Glacier Hawks, the great provider, and the blinding terror from above. I stand before you as seventh of eleven and, by the traditions laid down by the spirits that we host and honor, I challenge you for possession of this land! Do you yield peacefully, or will blood be spilt this day?”

Kuresh weighed his options only for a moment before answering, “My tribe is going nowhere.”

“Fool!” Tessa exclaimed with a predatory glare. “I outrank you by four places. Because of that, you must face three warriors in the Circle of Contest.”

“So I have been told,” he replied. “Actually, it is my champion who shall face those you select.”

The warriors surrounding the woman roared with laughter as their chieftain taunted, “Is the outlander so frail that he sends others to fight for him? Your spirit is not normally prone to poor decisions, but I see even Gursk is capable of making errors.”

“I guess we shall see. Bring forth your chosen, Chief Glacier Hawk. My warrior is ready. Lady Danella shall represent the Ice Claws.”

The woman regarded Danella carefully as the newly-anointed Ice Claw champion stepped forward and drew her sword with her right hand and then held her coiled whip with the other.

Tessa pointed to two of her men and said, “Join me.”

The three walked forward as Majherri surveyed the warriors. He shifted on his hooves. The wounds Harik left him with were indeed slow to heal and added more scars to his body. Returning his attention to the Glacier Hawks, he saw that the chieftain had a pair of short blades at her side and a weighted net hanging over her shoulder. The warrior to the woman’s left held a spear in one hand and a spiked club in the other. The man on the right carried a two bladed axe and a shield. Each man also had a net across their backs.

“Your blades look nice,” Danella said to Chief Tessa. “I’ll add them to my collection.”

“You should have more respect, girl!”

“I believe Harik was thinking something similar just before I killed him.”

Danella’s words gave the trio pause as members of the Ice Claws spread out along the edges of the stone lined circle. It was a full two hundred paces across which allowed even the largest of the animal spirits room to fight. Danella took her starting position looking small in contrast to the hulking forms of the two Yar fighters.

Tessa instructed the men in a hushed voice and then shouted to Danella, “As the defender, you signal the beginning of the fight. If you step out of or are thrown from the circle, you lose.”

“Come and get me if you dare,” Danella said and shifted her sword across her body in a guard stance while unfurling the bullwhip.

“An interesting choice of final words, outlander,” the chieftain said.

While they spoke, the men were spreading their nets on the ground. Majherri reasoned that they came preparing to fight Kuresh and the animal spirit. They could still use this tactic against Danella.

As he continued watching, the Chief of the Glacier Hawks tossed her net high into the air and unleashed her animal spirit. The arms swelled and became wings. Feathers spread like rippling waves across the woman’s skin. Her legs locked and the feet curled and became talons. Before the net landed, the human-sized bird leapt into the air and caught it with practiced ease.

The two men moved to flank Danella while the giant bird circled in the air, careful to stay in the confines of the circle. Their strategy was obvious – they would keep his rider occupied while the hawkwoman ensnared her from above. If that happened, she would be at their mercy. From Danella, he sensed nothing but confidence. If it wasn’t somewhat sickening, the unicorn could admire the way she felt. This new version of the woman he used to know fought with a reckless abandon that bordered on insane…which Majherri supposed described the fire maiden now.

Closing in, the two warriors were mainly focused on keeping her in a spot for the bird to release the net, but Danella had prepared herself well. When the bird started to release, she sent a weak fireball at Chief Tessa. The bird squawked loudly in surprise and missed badly. It nearly caught the man carrying the axe and shield. Danella used this distraction to her advantage and engaged the man carrying the spear. Her whip became a tendril of flame, snapping against his hide leather pants and scorching them. The burn had gone through and the barbarian grunted loudly, jumping backward with a noticeable limp. Suddenly, the task of keeping his rider contained became more difficult. Majherri noted that the Yar in general did not seem to care for the use of armor beyond chainmail shirts and shields.

The warrior who narrowly avoided being caught in the hawk’s net also fell back, mimicking the distance his compatriot kept from Danella. The pair moved almost as one and the unicorn had no doubt that these two had spent long hours with their chieftain, training together, because as impressive as the bird was, it was ill suited for physical combat. He thought about one of Tessa’s titles, the great provider, realizing that what the spirit lacked in ritual combat it made up for when it came to hunting and bringing game back to her tribe. A wise leader would use their spirit’s strengths to increase the fortune of their tribe. Kuresh was no stranger to hard work, but even he was shocked by how much physical labor the Ice Claw’s asked of their chieftain.

Then again,
Majherri mused.
They may be avenging their leader by exaggerating the labors Harik performed. Thank the spirits above that unicorns are rarely inspired to such pettiness.

Of course, that line of thinking brought him back to T’rsa’s behavior toward him, which led him to wonder if he gave his kind more credit than he should.

Somewhat lost in his thoughts, Majherri still watched the bird land on top of a second net and return to the sky. Meanwhile, Danella closed the gap between herself and the two warriors.

Screeching twice, Chief Tessa signaled her men, making them aware of her approach. Majherri was wondering what Danella would concoct this time when he felt a solid pull on his magic.

She’s summoning strength across our bond!

The unicorn was stunned. There were tales, of course, about riders who could access the magic even across short distances. In fact, the leadership at The Academy had accused Kayleigh of doing that during her challenge against Andrea Hawthorne. Now, he suspected the girl tapped into the magic she had all along. He would have remembered this sensation.

Again, the Glacier Hawks moved in tandem. As the bird approached and dropped the net, the spearman hurled his primary weapon at Danella’s left side. The ploy was designed to force the fire maiden into the clutches of the net or draw blood.

Once more, they had a serviceable plan and, were it not for the magic Danella drew upon, their strategy would have worked. Instead, the intended target used her sword to turn aside the thrown weapon and dashed through it. Tessa’s net landed back where his rider should have been, but was not.

The large man saw his doom coming and fumbled to get the spiked club hanging from his belt free before Danella’s blade arrived.

He wasn’t quick enough and she slashed him from shoulder to sternum. Dying, the man managed to grab her with his still functioning arm and tried to hold onto her. She pushed him down and finished him off.

Tessa didn’t go for the third net. She changed tactics and headed straight for his rider. The remaining warrior charged as well. The slashing talons and beating wings forced Danella backward. Majherri saw the clawed foot slice against the fire maiden’s arm and he felt the pain of the wound as if it were his own. The sword in her hand, the one she’d helped forge with her magic, exploded in dark flames as Danella counterattacked. The magic set feathers alight and the giant she-hawk screeched in pain.

Before she could land a lethal blow, the man was there using his shield to protect his chieftain and swinging his heavy blade with no interest in self-preservation. Danella took a slash against her leg. Unlike the Yar, she had metal guards attached to the vulnerable areas of her limbs. Blood was drawn, but the wound was not as significant as the man hoped.

Her whip snapped out and, just like what had happened against Kayleigh, Danella animated it. The thick leather came alive and wrapped around the man’s neck. As he struggled to breathe, flame slithered down the length past his hands. The barbarian frantically tried to pull it away and off his body.

“Danella had planned to kill Kayleigh in a similar manner,” he recalled, knowing this man had none of the tricks his former rider possessed. The Yar warrior’s screams were cut short as his head became engulfed in a blaze of pure agony.

Tessa attempted to fly, but her injured wing didn’t allow her to get far. Instead she hopped about twenty feet and landed.

She’s trying to get out of the circle,
Majherri thought and shuddered. Danella was pulling from him again, and he knew she would slay the woman. For a second, he resisted and she pulled harder.

Danella ran through the wound to her leg and closed the gap with the injured chieftain. She slashed her blade across the she-hawk’s back as Tessa tried to leap once more. The birdwoman fell to the ground about two unicorn lengths short of the circle’s edge. She transformed back into human form as Danella moved between Tessa and the safety outside the circle.

Bleeding from her back and with one arm burnt, the chieftain didn’t go for her blades. “You are victorious. I yield.”

Even from the distance separating them, Majherri saw the smile on Danella’s face and guessed what was coming next.

“An interesting choice of final words,” she said, repeating the chieftain’s earlier statement before she struck again.

The remaining Glacier Hawks moved to surround the three cloaked women who had accompanied them. The Ice Claws cheered half-heartedly, seemingly torn between seeing another Yar chieftain fall at the hands of the outlanders and knowing that their tribe was no longer eleventh of eleven.

Danella unbuckled the belt from Tessa’s body and examined one of the two swords. Satisfied, she turned away from the corpse and walked back toward Majherri. About halfway there, she stopped in her tracks and looked about.

“You are a violent human. Was killing Tessa necessary?”

Majherri heard the same voice his rider did. It had a feminine quality to it and seemed to come from all around.

Danella’s mental reply could also be heard.
“She underestimated me. I am not to be trifled with. So, you must be the hawk spirit. Does this mean you are considering me as a host?”

“Perhaps,”
the spirit answered with a mercurial quality to the voice.
“I am Veyli, Rider of the Wind. Hmmm, I see you already have other entanglements. I sense another with us and the lingering taint of the Nether Realms.”

“The other is my unicorn, Majherri. Creatures from the Nether Realms will soon walk this land again. Standing against their power would be unwise.”

Majherri attempted to say something, broadcast his thoughts, but found that he was only a spectator in this bizarre discussion.

“Ah, there he is! Hidden by magic. The spirits were allied with the Goddess and her daughters in the last great conflict. We were the familiars of her eleven daughters.”

There was a brief moment of confusion.
“I thought the Goddess had seven daughters.”

“After the war with the Nether Realms you would be correct,”
the spirit replied.
“Our reward from her was a place for ourselves and those who fought with us. We were given these lands and those just south of here. In the time that has passed, those who pretend to follow the ways of the Goddess have forgotten her promises and driven us far into the north.”

“The one I serve intends to break the barriers separating the realms,”
Danella stated.
“You will have to choose a side once more. Your followers would be restored to their promised lands and whatever you can seize by force. Already, the nomads of the Great Western Desert have benefited from joining the army Count Darius has amassed.”

“Perhaps your count would do well to heed the tales of humans who thought that they too could control the monsters. Their endings were most unpleasant.”

“That is always a possibility, Veyli. There is no reward without risk. Tessa called you the Great Provider. Imagine being able to provide your followers with the lands that were promised and then taken from them.”