Rin flattened against the ground when she saw him and closed her eyes to cast a port spell.
‘Oh Paige, can’t you just be quiet for a minute or two?’ One of Sara’s thoughts broke through her concentration. She shook her head trying to regain her focus and did not notice the huge hand reach down and grab her shirt. The massive orc jerked her out of the bushes and tossed her onto the ground in front of the cave. Rin gasped when she hit the ground but rolled and was back on her feet in a split second, daggers in both hands.
“General Rilavaenu,” the orc growled with a look of disgust. “I heard unpleasant rumors that you returned.”
Rin glanced around. The orcs and humans stopped working and readied bows.
“Oragg,” she said, her voice flat.
He grinned at her as he pulled the ax off his back, but instead of rushing at her, he nodded his head. Everyone around them unleashed their arrows at her. With movements almost too quick to see, she blocked every one. She stood breathing heavily after the first wave but did not take her eyes off Oragg. She knew she could not do this very long and waited for the opportunity to port. The orc knew this and made sure to stay close enough that she could not escape. He stepped to the side and the two circled each other before he nodded again. Another round of arrows streaked toward her. She blocked them all as she kept her distance from the orc.
“I see you have not lost your touch,” he growled. “It would be boring to kill the general if you were weak.” He leapt at her. She jumped to the side and brought up her daggers. The ax connected with them with arm numbing strength. He pushed hard against her while their weapons were in contact and shoved her several feet. She leapt to the side again to get away from him. He turned around and stalked toward her. Her eyes flew around the clearing looking for an opening and when she found none her full attention returned to Oragg. He paused and nodded again. Arrows streaked at her and she managed to block several before she heard a ‘Paige, stop,’ in her head. The split-second distraction was all it took and in an instant, she was shot with six arrows. She gasped and somehow managed to remain on her feet.
Oragg grinned at her when she stumbled. He spun his ax in his hand as he savored this moment. Removing the rider general would be the greatest thing he ever accomplished.
Rin knew it was now or never and clamped her eyes closed.
“No!” She heard Oragg’s furious yell when he realized she was attempting to port.
“Ēlipor ntāera,” she gasped. She disappeared a second before his ax could connect.
***
Kaedin leapt up from where he had been sitting beside Wren. He could sense the sudden, intense pain that Rin was in and he had to get to her. Wren got to his feet when he saw the concern on Kaedin’s face.
“What is wro--?” Before he could finish the question, Kaedin was not standing next to him anymore. He sprinted out of the trees and into the clearing where Rin just reappeared. She stumbled as her clothes became more soaked with blood by the second. Reaching up, she grabbed the arrow closest to her heart and pulled it out. She cried out in pain as she sank to her knees. Kaedin was by her side when she reached up to pull out the second arrow stuck in her chest. He grabbed her hand to stop her.
“Hold her,” Wren ordered as soon as he dropped to his knees beside his sister. Kaedin pulled Rin toward him without a word and held her while Wren worked. He removed the second arrow from her chest before he got the two out of her back. She cried out in pain with each one when it came out and struggled to remain as still as possible. When he pulled the one out of her leg, she did not make a sound. She was beginning to drift in and out from losing so much blood.
“Hold her tightly,” Wren said, his voice hard. The last arrow was stuck in her stomach and was going to be the most painful to remove. Kaedin’s face was clouded with worry as he tightened his grip on her. She screamed in pure agony when Wren pulled the arrow free. He flinched but closed his eyes as he dropped the arrow on the ground.
“Rujhāe,” he said, and his hands began to glow. It took several long minutes before he stopped the flow of magic and opened his eyes. Once he was finished, Rin curled into a ball as she fought to deal with the pain that remained. Kaedin watched her as he held her. It took her a while before she pushed away from him and staggered to her feet. He stood with her and kept a firm grip on her to keep her from falling. She took a few unsteady steps before she caught sight of Sara. She and Jake came over when they saw the commotion.
Anger flashed across Rin’s face and she took a step toward her. “You must learn to block your thoughts!”
Sara’s face filled guilt, “This is my fault?”
“Yes!” Rin yelled as she wrapped an arm around her stomach. “I told you a distraction at the wrong moment could be disastrous.”
Sara shrank back at her harsh words. Jake was not pleased, and he moved so that he stood between them. Rin ignored him and stepped around him. He reached out to stop her but Kaedin grabbed his arm. The look on the dragon’s face left no room for Jake to misinterpret what would happen if he touched her.
“You must decide now if you shall be a burden or an asset!” Rin continued. “This world is not like yours. We do not have time for burdens when enemies are beginning to surround us on all sides!” She took a deep breath and staggered sideways, the loss of blood catching up with her. She reached back for Kaedin to keep from falling. He was beside her in an instant and picked her up before he walked back under the cover of the trees.
Sara watched him walk away with a look of disbelief. She felt terrible that she had caused Rin to get injured. Jake moved closer to her and tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but she stepped away from him. She ran toward the trees in a direction away from Rin and Kaedin.
Jake reached out to stop her but pulled his hand back before he touched her. He did not want to force her to talk to him. His attention shifted to Rin and Kaedin and his face clouded with anger as he walked toward them.
“You were quite hard on her,” Kaedin said, his voice soft. He sat beside Rin off to the side of the tent. She was hunched over with her arms around her stomach. He rubbed his hand across her back as he watched her. His concern was still visible on his face.
“She must learn,” Rin whispered between clenched teeth. “I can forgive her this time but if something were to happen to you because of a distraction, I could never forgive her.”
He sighed as he leaned forward and kissed her hair, “I know.”
She bent over a little farther and rested her forehead on his chest. He shifted to move closer, so she did not have to lean so far, but she gasped when he moved.
“I am sorry,” he said, his voice soft. She clamped her eyes closed and did not say anything as she took several slow deep breaths. Kaedin’s attention remained on her until he noticed Jake walking up to them. His eyebrow rose, and his expression became hard.
“What's wrong with you?” Jake snapped when he was close to them.
Rin sighed again before she lifted her head and looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with irritation, “She had to hear it, Jacob.”
“You didn’t have to tell her like that! She feels terrible now and is upset!”
“Asaetara is not a gentle world. All of us cannot treat her like a fragile child, or she will not survive.” Rin paused with a grimace. “It is my duty to tell her how things really are, and it is your duty to treat her with care.”
Jake glared at her and took an unconscious step closer. Kaedin was on his feet in a second and took an obvious step forward so he was between them. The tension between the two continued to rise as they regarded each other.
“I believe that is quite enough.” Wren’s unpleased voice caused Kaedin to glance away from Jake. When he saw Wren standing beside them, he sat back down beside Rin but did not take his eyes off Jake. “Jaeha has returned,” Wren continued with a frown. He could see there was still tension between Kaedin and Jake. “We shall be leaving as soon as it is dark.”
Jake
fought to keep his frustration off his face before he turned without a word and headed off to find Sara.
A couple hours later, the camp was broken down and they were almost ready to continue the rest of the journey to the capitol. Rin told her brother everything she saw, and he was just as worried as she was. They seemed to be gaining more enemies by the hour and needed to reach Nuenthras.
Rin stood next to Kaedin waiting on Sara to join her. She only had to wait a few minutes before Paige and Sara approached her. They were clinging to each other’s hand. Raven trailed behind them but kept his distance. Rin watched them approach, her face an unreadable mask. Her arms were both around her middle.
Paige and Sara glanced at each other as Rin continued to regard them in silence. Rin caught a glimpse of movement behind them and noticed Jake standing about ten feet away. She did not acknowledge him as she looked back at the girls.
“I… I don’t want to be a burden,” Sara whispered as her grip on Paige’s hand tightened.
“Neither do I,” Paige said, her voice sure and confident.
Rin looked at each of them for a moment. They felt like she was looking for something before she glanced at Raven. He shifted under her gaze but did not look away.
“You shall train Paige to use a katana,” she said.
Raven bowed his head in response to her words.
“No daggers?” Paige asked with a frown.
Rin gave her a long hard look, “No, your movements are too slow, and you are too tall. You shall be trained with a katana or nothing.”
Paige grimaced before she nodded, even she could tell this was not something up for discussion.
“Learn your magic,” Rin said when her attention shifted to Sara. Once Sara nodded, Rin walked around the far side of Kaedin. When she was out of sight, she leaned against him with a heavy sigh. Pain was etched on her face when she tightened her arms around herself.
“Wow, she really doesn’t like us now,” Paige said as she folded her arms across her chest.
Raven glanced at her with a frown, “Of course she does, or she would not have given her permission for me to train you.”
Paige’s skepticism could be seen on her face, “She was really cold just now.”
“Yes, she was, however, that has nothing to do with you,” Raven said, his voice becoming sharp. “She is in great deal of pain from the wounds. The healing shall not remove the pain until tomorrow at the earliest. My lady is attempting to block out all of the pain so that we may travel.”
Paige’s eyes widened and the anger she was feeling fled, “Oh, I didn’t know.” A sheepish smile appeared on her face when she shrugged. Raven did not appear impressed when he sighed and shook his head. He headed toward Hikaru without another word. Paige hesitated with a frown before she hurried after him.
Sara watched them leave before she glanced at Kaedin. He tilted his head up, indicating that she should climb up. She fidgeted with her sleeve as she walked over and looked up at his back. With an uncomfortable sigh, she tried to climb up but had no idea where to put her feet. After a couple tries, she stepped back and looked at Kaedin again. He was too high off the ground for her to make it on her own. Even laying down flat, his back was still fifteen feet off the ground. His sigh came out as a low growl when he shifted his front leg back so that she could stand on it, but before Sara could try Rin came up behind her. She shook her head with a sigh when she realized Sara could not climb up on Kaedin. Rin moved around her and pulled herself up onto Kaedin’s back before she reached a hand down to Sara. After climbing up onto Kaedin’s leg, Sara reached up and grabbed Rin’s hand. Rin pulled her up in one swift motion. As soon as she was up, she let go of Sara’s hand with a grimace and put her arm back around her stomach.
“I’m sorry,” Sara whispered as she got settled on Kaedin’s back. She was careful not to bump Rin when she sat down.
“You are forgiven,” Rin said after she forced the pain back down.
A few minutes later all the dragons were back in the air and they flew hard to the north. They traveled for two days straight with minimal breaks. It was just after sunrise the third day when they stopped for the last time. Wren informed them that they would reach the capital in the next few hours. Rin looked in the direction of her home. She was becoming more anxious the closer they got. What would be different? What would the king do? Her face clouded with worry when they flew off again. She knew her wait would be over soon.
It was nearing mid-afternoon when the great elven city of Nuenthras became visible on the horizon. The city was built upon the Ilvaerel Plateau that was nestled against the base of the Ilthaes Mountains. Only the single steep and winding road leading to the gate in the twenty-foot-high brilliant white walls could be seen from a distance. The rest of the city was below the walls and situated in the massive valley that encompassed the entire interior of the plateau. Buildings were tucked among the trees, concealing most of the city if you did not know it was there. Around the top edge of the plateau, the white walls continued with battlements evenly spaced. The two on either side of the gate had large blue flags, with a silver willow tree above a concave moon, blowing in the breeze.
As they neared the city the enormous force wall that covered it could be seen. Raven pulled out a horn from his pack and blew one long loud blast. An answering horn from the city was heard a few seconds later and the force wall disappeared. A massive elder silver dragon and his rider were perched above the main gate watching them approach. The dragon bowed his head as Wren and Jaeha passed over the gate and entered the city. He raised his head and leapt to his feet when he caught sight of Rin. His rider bowed his head as soon as he saw her and put a fist to his chest. As soon as she was passed, the dragon roared loud enough to cause the city walls to shake. His roar was answered immediately from multiple places all around the city. The riders now knew that their general was home.
Wren glanced back at his sister and saw a small smile on her face. Even though she was young, her men cared for her and it made him proud. She worked hard to keep them safe in battle and never concealed the odds of a difficult situation. They knew they could trust her, and it showed in their complete confidence in her decisions.
Once Raven and Hikaru brought up the rear and passed the main gate the force wall appeared back in place. The dragons flew over the treetops and headed for the palace at the far north side of the city. The large building was tucked among giant trees and the thicker forest ran right up to the walls on two sides.
Rin sighed when she saw that the palace did not appear like it was different from the last time she was here. The walls and the force wall around the city were both strange and foreign to her. She frowned when she could not come up with a reason for why they built the walls. Something was not right about the whole thing.
The dragons made a pass over the palace before they circled back and made a smooth landing in a small clearing in front of the palace. Rin slid down and was relieved when the pain from her wounds was now gone. She reached up to help Sara when an elf dressed like Rin came sprinting up to her.
“My lady,” he called as he grabbed her in a hug.
Rin stiffened and Kaedin let out a low warning growl causing the elf to release her at once. He stepped back as his face flushed a light pink.
“Forgive me, my lady,” he said. “I am so relieved that you have come home safely that I forgot my place.”
Rin shook her head in exasperation at her second in command. “It is good to see you as well, Commander Orbryn.”
He gave her a hasty bow, “Do you have any orders for us?”
Rin glanced around before she stepped forward, so she was standing right next to him.
“Durlan, get my riders out of this city. All of them, by nightfall. I cannot explain right now. Have half report to the camp by the portal, and the other half split between Lyrin and Caradthrad,” she said, her voice so quiet only he could hear her.
Orbryn’s eyes widened in surprise but he did not question. He
bowed again before he disappeared in the direction of the rider barracks. Once he was gone, Rin glanced back and found Kaedin back in elven form.
“Having them leave the city?” he asked.
“I believe you know me too well,” she said with a small smile before she motioned for Sara to follow her. They walked over to where Wren stood waiting with Jaeha and Jake.
Once Raven, Paige, and Hikaru joined them, the small group headed toward the palace. Rin moved so that she was in her normal place just behind and to the right of her brother. When they neared the door, she took a deep breath and sighed. Wren glanced back at her and could tell she was nervous and uncomfortable, but the determination in her eyes caused his worry to fade. He knew she would be all right no matter what happened.
Wren turned his attention back to where he was going just as they walked through large, light brown, carved wooden doors. The shapes of vines with ornate leaves adorned both sides of them. They entered the entryway of the palace and Sara could not keep from glancing up at the vaulted ceiling. It rose fifteen feet above their heads and the roof was supported by thick light brown wooden beams. Looking back down, she saw the floors were pristine, brilliant white stone.
Wren did not pause in the entryway as he went straight ahead and walked through another set of doors. They entered a massive room with the same vaulted ceilings. There were at least forty of the elven nobility milling around in the throne room. They all parted and bowed as Wren made his way through them. He acknowledged the nobles as a group with a quick nod of his head. When he reached the other side of the room, a couple could be seen sitting on two thrones made of woven willow branches.
Rin looked up and her eyes started to tear when she saw her mother sitting at the front of the room. Her mother glanced at them as they approached, and her eyes widened before they rimmed with tears. She moved to get up, but the king put his hand on her arm. Giving him a fierce glare, she jerked her arm free and leapt out of the chair. She rushed down the stairs toward her daughter.
Whispers of Time Page 28