Sorceress (Book 2) (29 page)

There was a brief pause while the spirit considered the offer.
“You have a silver tongue and your words are laced with honey. However, Gursk chose your minion as his new host and you seem to have the strength to match your ambitions. I have spent the last several centuries cultivating hosts primarily for their wisdom. While you seem to have a measure of wisdom, it is not among your principal attributes.”

“You are free to choose someone else in that case,”
Danella responded.
“I have the Ice Claws carrying my banner already. With you beside me, I suspect my words will carry more weight with the Council of Eleven and I am quite confident that I will be able to fend off any who would threaten the Glacier Hawk lands.”

“Would you be so brave if you are forced to face Rokor, the Silver Hydra in the Circle? He is first of Eleven. When his hosts die, his new selection ascends back to his previous position in a matter of weeks.”

“I look forward to the challenge, if his host makes the same decisions that my predecessor made.”

“Your predecessor, Danella? You reach a conclusion that I have not come to.”

“Then leave! I’m certain those cloaked females over there are quite wise and eager to be one with you. My unicorn and I will complete my mission with or without your assistance. It would be easier with your support, but it will be accomplished nonetheless. Tell me something, is this joining permanent or could it be a temporary arrangement? Tessa seemed to be in control. Would I be fighting against you for possession of my body?”

The spirit hesitated before answering.
“There have been instances in the past where one of the eleven has abandoned their chosen. It can be undone, but we both would suffer great pain. My spirit cannot command you, but I can assert some influences. You will feel the need to take care of your new tribe and provide for them. With meditation and discipline, you will be able to speak with me and I will advise you, but that usually takes time for a new host to master. Otherwise, you will only hear my voice in your dreams. It is part of the reason the Goddess asked us to choose with great care as we are turning our power over to a mortal. I have done my best to follow her dictate through the ages, but not this time.”

“I am no stranger to great pain,”
Danella responded with confidence.
“Let us form an alliance for now and see what path it leads to.”

Majherri’s dread grew with the knowledge that Danella had found another way to become more powerful. He did not like this new development at all. He could only hope that the spirit might provide a way for his rider to throw off her own shackles.

The joining of the animal spirit and his rider was an odd sensation. It was not painful, nor was it pleasant. The feeling made him uncomfortable as something intruded on their bond. Moments later, it was over and the confused Glacier Hawk entourage found themselves in the same awkward position as the Ice Claw only seven days ago, bowing to an outlander, a human they likely considered unworthy. She summoned him to her side and removed the enchanted straps of leather hiding his true appearance.

“Now they understand how I feel,”
he said with an irritated thrashing of his tail.

Danella’s eyes were upon him and her head tilted, examining him as if she’d never seen him before.

“I understood that,” she said aloud. “Say something else, Majherri. Tell me how you really feel.”

“You should cast aside your false worship of Count Darius and remember who you once were,”
he replied.

She crossed her arms and said, “Interesting. My partnership with Veyli allows me to finally understand you, old friend. As for your comment, I probably should do that, Majherri. I do remember who I was, but I also know I no longer wish to be that person.”

The valley surrounding the Yar sacred mountain was heated by thermal geysers and sported farmland. Obviously, it was the most desirable territory the Yar had to offer. They did not linger and were led to up a trail to a naturally formed cave at the base of a massive mountain by the guides from the Silver Hydras. Statues symbolizing victories lined the edge of the cave. In the center of the chamber were the eleven large thrones arranged around another enormous circle.

“They appear to be arranged in the current order,”
Majherri observed
. “That must be a daunting task for those who must move them.”

Danella laughed and said, “More so since our arrival.”

“I agree,” Kuresh said as he and a few of his men turned to walk toward his throne. Majherri learned that the nomad turned chieftain could also understand him and had
heard
several of his previous comments since the warrior became Gursk’s latest host.

Because of this, the unicorn quickly became more cautious when it came to speaking his thoughts aloud.

“Still,” Danella said, riding Majherri proudly into the Cavern of Spirits as the Ninth of Eleven. “Mine should be a little closer to the front.

Haylock the Ivory Bear’s host decided to tempt fate and challenge his rider a week ago.

Haylock had a new host now, along with Derca the Snow Cat, who was defeated by Kuresh. The deaths of four chieftains in a matter of three weeks at the hands of two outlanders became difficult to ignore. That these two were now also chieftains themselves turned
difficult
into impossible. A messenger from Chief Slorn of the Silver Hydra tribe arrived with a summons to the Cavern, located in the heart of the mountain range and firmly in the grip of the Silver Hydra tribe.

Majherri’s could only find happiness in that he no longer had to maintain the illusion of being a common beast. Eyes followed him once more wherever his hooves walked and now he could have actual conversations with his rider, even if they were not as fulfilling as he hoped. Danella seemed slightly more grounded and less prone to chaotic outbursts, but her opinion remained that both she and he had been irrevocably changed. Danella reasoned that they must accept the change and move forward together.

Every unicorn wished for the ability to speak directly to their rider. He now could, but found it oddly frustrating.

The Silver Hydra throne closely resembled a massive flat bench. Slorn was already upon it in his beastform. All eight eyes of the four headed hydra watched them. To Slorn’s right was another huge platform for Chief Orgo, Chosen of Krunax the Tundra Serpent and the longstanding second of eleven. Torchlight danced in a mesmerizing pattern from the almost mirror-like scales covering the giant reptile’s frame.

Danella’s new handmaidens, the same women who had hoped to be selected as Tessa’s successor, informed her that Orgo tries to fight on bright sunny days when his opponent has difficulty looking at him. The unicorn found some amusement in the manner the women followed Danella about. For now, she tolerated their constant presence, but he knew it irritated her to no end and some kind of outburst was only a question of time.

Majherri paid attention as well, learning as much as he could about the two most physically imposing Yar spirits, as well as the other seven. Danella dismounted when she arrived at her throne. It had a seat, but also a silver bar along the top where she could perch in her animal form, which she decided to do. Majherri stayed in the area behind the throne along with the single nomad bodyguard she’d brought and the ever present handmaidens.

The unicorn observed the final two chieftains and their entourages enter, with the last looking particularly nervous. It was rumored that the Snow Cats would have already been challenged for their lands except for this council.

“We are convened!”
the four gaping maws of the hydra roared.

“I wish to speak first, Slorn,”
Orgo hissed and beat the end of his tail against the base of the throne.

“Speak your mind, brother.”

“For the first time in history two outlanders sit in our hallowed circle at the same time! I say this travesty shall not stand!”

Several of the other chieftains expressed their outrage. The hydra’s heads weaved from side to side, saying nothing but clearly condoning the behavior of the others.

The acoustics of the space amplified the noise from the monsters. To the unicorn’s sensitive ears, it approached deafening levels.

Danella hopped down from the perch and returned to her human form – an obvious insult to all.

“Are you finished yet?” she bellowed.

“I should swallow you whole,”
Orgo threatened.

“You’re welcome to try, maggot,” Danella answered, leaning forward. “But before you make the last mistake you’ll ever make, I should warn you that I have faced a greater netherbeast in combat and still stand before you to tell the tale. You seem formidable, but I would prefer not to kill you needlessly. You might be useful.”

“Impossible!”
the shimmering serpent countered.

“I too am skeptical of such a boast,”
Chief Slorn said, bringing a measure of order to the gathering.
“But there have been troubling signs. My shamans see bad omens too often these days. What is it you wish to say, Chief Glacier Hawk? You’ve earned a place amongst us, so return to your form and respect our traditions.”

Danella gave a slight dip of her head to the Hydra and returned to her avian form, and flew to the perch above her throne.

“I do not trust either of them,”
stated the other flyer, a white horned owl, slightly larger than Danella’s hawk.
“My soothsayer sees dark times ahead. I caution against allowing these strangers and their claims to sway your judgment.”

“He is right,”
Danella said.
“Dark times are coming. I serve Count Ian Darius and he has returned to bring this land under his banner. Everything west of the Clef River is in his hands as we speak. His allies in the South, from the previous war, will strike soon. My liege has no vested interest in the northern kingdoms. Now that Veyli has shown me the heritage of the Yar, we can reclaim those lands and much more, but only if we act now.”

The cavern fell into an uneasy silence as each monster considered her statement. All eyes turned to the hydra who said,
“What do you have in mind?”

Listening intently, Majherri heard her lay out the case for uniting and going to war on the side of Count Darius. She focused on the rewards they would be offered, but hinted that reprisals would be in order if the Yar refused the count’s generous offer. There was considerable discussion and in the end, each of the tribes possessed a single vote.

The final tally was eight clans in favor and three against – the owl, the snow cat, and the bear. The Yar would go to war as one.

The sight of Talcosa didn’t evoke the same sense of grandeur in Kayleigh as it had when she first laid eyes on it. Before, she felt as if a new day had dawned and the future was in her grasp.

With a jaded set of eyes, she observed the massive city. The caravans of trade goods they galloped by continued to flow into the city like ants bringing crumbs of bread into the anthill. But, as she regarded the ornamental walls and the harbor open into the lake, she reassessed the city from a military point of view. Shiftla was more defensible and she saw firsthand how badly that had turned out.

“It wouldn’t be able to survive a siege,” she said to Captain Lynch. “Perhaps a week, but no longer.”

“I believe the same thing,” the woman answered. “The population is too large and too dependent on food coming in through the traders. Cut off the supply lines and simply wait for the riots to tear the city apart. The only thing you are discounting is the presence of the High-King and the numerous other sorcerers and sorceresses behind the walls. Why do you think the finest training is offered here?”

“Control,” Kayleigh said, grasping the water maiden’s meaning. “The same reason the Battle Maidens are trained here as well, except for the fact that the unicorns need the island for mating.”

“Correct,” Lynch answered. “Just because we are here, don’t let your guard down. Your father may have allies here.”

“I won’t, ma’am,” Kayleigh replied. There had been another attempted ambush and more killing. The young sorceress did her best not to think about it. After the second attack, Captain Lynch made a detour and went to a Southern Battalion outpost. There she acquired two additional Battle Maidens to escort them the rest of the way, along with some much needed supplies.

Perhaps the only good thing to come out of this is I’m starting to get along with her,
Kayleigh thought.

All four unicorn riders wore closed faced helms as they entered the city. Any would-be attacker would have to guess which rider was actually Kayleigh. Unlike before, she wasn’t in a procession and the crowd did not part for them willingly. Having lived only in small towns and villages, the presence of so many bodies gnawed at her patience and only served to place her further on edge. She kept her shield raised and a hand on the pommel of Meghan’s sword. Lynch had taken the scimitar that she had inherited from Annabeth to make herself a decoy.

The Great Market was more active than Kayleigh had ever seen with orders being placed at a frantic pace. She supposed it was the news of war already sparking the increased amount of trade.

“Relax,” Meghan leaned over and whispered. “The market and the streets are too crowded to conduct an ambush and an escape. If they hit us anywhere, it will be on the way to the docks where they’ll have space to maneuver, which is why we’re going to the barracks for the King’s Battalion first instead of directly to the docks.”

Kayleigh nodded, and allowed the woman’s words to reassure her. Turning away from the docks, she got her closest look at the High-King’s castle and the glossy white walls protecting it. She’d met him what seemed a long time ago and he’d been intimidating then. That was before Kayleigh knew who she was and that the High-King had long ago issued an edict that she be put to death for the crimes of her parents. She didn’t want to think about that now. It was less frightening when she wasn’t in the shadow of the man’s castle.

Two hours later, she felt somewhat better because she was boarding the transit barge with a dozen Battle Maidens at her side. Captain Lynch expended a few more of her favors. Maybe it wasn’t necessary, but Kayleigh was grateful just the same when their escort brought her to the familiar looking barge.

A few of them looked at her oddly and she knew they recognized Rheysurrah. Also, Kayleigh caught some of them discussing rumors that they’d be headed west in a few days.

“Hold the barge,” a voice cried out as they prepared to depart.

Kayleigh turned to look, still ready for the attack that hadn’t come yet. Close to the barge was another Battle Maiden and further back was her partner who escorted a riderless unicorn.

The woman approached the gangway and said, “Please raise the black flag, we’re bringing Iarisha of the Northern Battalion home for the final time.”

Every maiden removed their helms as the haggard and worn female unicorn arrived on the barge. As the barge pulled away, Kayleigh started toward the female, but was stopped by Lynch’s hand on her wrist.

“Wait until we’re on the island, Reese,” she said and gestured with her eyes to the sorcerer guiding the enchanted boat across the lake. From what little Kayleigh knew, the task of being the barge captain usually fell to apprentices of the magic schools, except for the occasions where the High-King or some other dignitary provided the transportation.

In a year, that could be me,
she thought.
Assuming the Goddess or one of her daughters listened to my birthday wish and I’m still alive then.

Kayleigh nodded and walked to the railing, staring at the island and the collection of buildings. Her friends in the first year, her instructors from both years, and probably everyone else knew she had run away.

When I left, all I could think of is how could Majherri and I get by out in the world by ourselves. Now, I’m returning and all I can think of is what I have to do in order to survive.

“Does Kurga believe what Iarisha is saying,” one of the northern maidens said.

“The scouts found the village sacked and burnt to the ground. It seems more likely that the Yar attacked than some fanciful tale about a black unicorn. Maybe the poor girl is already too far gone?”

“What did you just say?” Kayleigh demanded.

“It’s none of your concern, trainee,” the first one said, dismissing her.

“If you’re talking about a black unicorn, it is my business, rider.” Kayleigh turned and waved to Captain Lynch. The two Battle Maidens looked confused, but straightened as Meghan approached.

“They were talking about a black unicorn and a village destroyed in the north.”

“You two will debrief me when we get to The Academy. I’ll want to know everything about the situation up there. Reese, go with the unicorn to the stables and see what she can tell you.”

“Yes ma’am,” Kayleigh said.

Minutes later, she was leading Iarisha up the slope alongside one of the stablemasters. Rheysurrah followed in her wake. When they got the female situated in a stall, the man turned to her and said, “You can get on back to your class, young lady.”

“My orders from Captain Lynch are to work with Iarisha. I’ll handle it from here, sir.”

The stablemaster shrugged and walked away muttering something about girls who take orders too seriously.

Kayleigh waited until he was gone before looking at Iarisha and saying, “My name is Kayleigh Reese and I’m a sorceress. You met Majherri. I used to be his rider until he was stolen from me, by Danella Lynch. I’ve stopped the wasting so far in two unicorns. If you want, I can try to make you number three, but first I need to know what is going on in the north.”

The young sorceress was exhausted both physically and emotionally as she left the stables. Rheysurrah had stayed behind to watch over the female. Iarisha’s magic was in a bad state and Kayleigh had done what she could to keep it from getting any worse. Her conversations through the images the dying unicorn shared painted a very disturbing picture. Majherri had saved her and warned her against something Iarisha considered horrible beyond imagination. His horn was also missing for some strange reason, but when Kayleigh saw his flaming hooves kick through the side of the barn wall, there was no doubt who it was.

Either way, she needed to find Captain Lynch and let her know. The plan they’d been operating under was to wait for the rest to catch up with them before leaving for the north to find Kayleigh’s mother. Danella’s presence gave cause for great concern.

“Kayleigh? By the Goddess is that you?”

She’d been staring at the ground as she walked toward the main building and hadn’t noticed the approaching squad of trainees. It was a group of first years, her former classmates. Most of them ran up to her and stopped short, as if unsure of why she was here again.

Part of Kayleigh wondered that as well.

The voice belonged to Andrea Hawthorne, the cousin she never knew she’d had. Kayleigh stepped forward and embraced the surprised girl.

“Hello, Andrea. It’s good to see you. I saw your mother in my recent travels and she sends her best.”

“What?” Andrea stammered.

Ellen Jacobs was there as well. “They said something happened with the Portal and you and a whole squad of third years went missing.”

“I thought you ran away and were never coming back,” came the blunt observation of Rebekah Morganstern.

She looked at her onetime nemesis and wished she could go back to the days when that smallish brunette was the most stressful thing in her life. “I thought so too, but there’s a…actually, I don’t know how much I’m allowed to tell you.”

“Tell us about what?” several demanded at the same time.

“I’m sorry,” Kayleigh said and spread her open palms to them. “I’m not trying to be rude. You’ll have to take it up with Captain Lynch.”

“She’s off the island, Kayleigh,” Andrea replied. “She left abruptly eight days ago and we weren’t told where she is.”

“The captain came back with me,” Kayleigh said. “We’ve been riding from Salif.”

“Really?” Rebekah said, oozing sarcasm. “I find it hard to believe you were riding with our captain. I bet you two got along famously.”

“We managed, trainee Morganstern. Thank you for your concern,” Captain Lynch said coming up behind them, accompanied by Captain Heather Sycroft. The first years scrambled to come to attention, beating the weary Kayleigh, who may or may not have been fighting off the urge to grin. She saluted both captains and felt the urge to wither under the gaze of Captain Sycroft.

“Trainees,” Lynch said with a tone that gave Kayleigh a flashback to her time as Lead Rider. “You’re dismissed. As you’ve observed, I’ve been away from the island for some time and haven’t given any demerits. If I were you I wouldn’t want to be the first person to get me started. Reese, you stay.”

The first year riders scrambled to leave. Both Ellen and Andrea shot Kayleigh looks that said for her to come find them later. Kayleigh decided to try. Ellen had always been a friend, even in the worst of times here at The Academy and Andrea had grown considerably closer after their disastrous challenge ceremony.

“How is the unicorn?” Lynch asked.

“She’s stable for now. I’ve done what I can, but Iarisha’s in a bad way. If there’s something to be done, I may need to do it soon.”

“Captain Sycroft is sending messengers into Talcosa tomorrow to look for former riders who live in the city. What else did you learn?”

“It’s Majherri alright. He’s in the north with Danella on the orders of Count Darius.”

Captain Sycroft sucked in her breath when she heard Kayleigh mention the name. “He’s alive? He can’t be!”

“Unfortunately for everyone, Captain Sycroft, Reese is telling the truth. However, Reese, that does not need to become public knowledge at this time. We need to keep that unicorn alive until Lady Tomas arrives. She’ll be able to directly speak with her. She was supposed to speak with Garrett’s unicorn before we had to leave Salif.”

“I’ll stay with her through the night,” Kayleigh said.

“I’m certain you would, Reese. Instead, others can watch over Iarisha. They can come and get you if she takes a turn for the worse. You won’t be any good to her if you don’t take care of yourself first. We’ve just completed a hard ride from Salif and fought our way through two ambushes. You need some downtime, so take it.”

“Captain Lynch is correct,” Heather Sycroft added. “I’m putting you up in our guest quarters for the evening. Fresh clothing and your food will be brought to you. Otherwise, your classmates from both the first and third years would pester you until you have repeated your story a dozen times. That said, trainee, I’m still your commanding officer, and I’d like to come by after you’ve cleaned up and receive your full report.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kayleigh said, frowning for a moment at being called a trainee. Captain Sycroft was somewhat colder to her than she recalled. Then again, several of the captain’s trainees were still missing and one of her instructors was in enemy hands. Kayleigh had also essentially run away from The Academy.

“Dismissed. Go to the guest wing and ask for Charlotte. She’s waiting for you.”

The next day, Kayleigh was back in the second year stables tending to Iarisha. Her talk with Captain Sycroft had been uncomfortable to start with, but slightly better as her debriefing went on. The woman was simply stunned to learn of who Kayleigh’s parents were.

The unicorn’s health continued to worry Kayleigh. A series of ugly purple bruises appeared on her left side. Rheysurrah and the other unicorn standing watch over Iarisha also looked concerned.

“Reese!” Lynch said, walking into the stable area. The woman’s tone wasn’t pleasant either. “I need to speak with you.”