Tobi tilted his head toward the gypsy, and his dark black brows drew toward his eyes. “He has grown stronger. Night mares would only serve a master of formidable power,” the re’shahna sighed. “I fear your city will be hard-pressed to defeat them.”
Jaycent’s fingers curled against the brown bearskin as his fears for his vulnerable kingdom rekindled.
“But do not fret,” Tobi encouraged. “The re’shahna have not forgotten their rahenyan kin. Patchi has gathered a large number of our warriors in the gypsies’ forest. They will march to Nevaharday’s aid if Shadow chooses to advance upon your city.”
“You know so much more about Shadow and his plans than we do,” Levee stated, baffled. “How?”
“I am what our tribe refers to as a Guardian,” he replied. “To watch over the herds and the horse folk is a responsibility Patchi and I share. Between us, few things escape our awareness.”
Levee nipped her bottom lip. There was something about Tobi that reminded her of Patchi. The black and white haired re’shahna sitting beside her was undoubtedly older than either her or Jaycent. His sun kissed skin bore lines around his eyes and brow, attesting to several decades of outdoor living. Yet something about him hinted of wisdom far beyond the age he seemed to bear.
“How old are you?” she dared to ask.
Tobi gave into a hearty laugh, his light green eyes dancing with amusement. “How many years would you say I have seen?”
“I cannot tell,” Levee confessed. “You look no older than my father, who would have seen his forty-fifth year this past spring. But there’s something about you that I saw in Patchi, too. An old soul, perhaps.”
Tobi stirred the pot again, and Jaycent wrapped an arm around his stomach to stave its growling. A bemused smile played across the re’shahna’s lips and he glanced at the prince, then back to Levee. “I am but a yearling in the eyes of Patchi, little gypsy,” he replied.
“How many years have you seen pass?” Levee insisted, eager to know.
“Eight scores and a dozen,” replied the re’shahna.
Levee’s eyes widened. “Is that common among your people?”
Tobi swept a tuft of two-toned mane behind his fluffy ear. “Nay. The re’shahna share the same lifespan as the rahee: a century, at best. Patchi and I are unique among our people. We were given the gift that Shadow coveted most of all.”
“Unicorn magic?” Levee guessed.
“Unicorn blood,” he corrected. He tapped the horseshoe tattoo upon his chest. It was then Levee noticed the scar tissue upon his breast. Perfectly round in nature with a subtle sheen, it was hardly noticeable against the dark black ink that stained his skin. “It imbues us with their gifts, including immortality.”
Levee reached out and touched the scar. The tissue was thick, and she could tell the wound had run deep. “Did it hurt?”
Tobi cringed at the memory. “More than a little.”
“Why did you do it?”
Tobi shook his head. “I did nothing. Unlike Shadow, neither Patchi nor I took the gift by choice.” For once Tobi’s jovial nature was not reflected in his expression. “We were chosen by the unicorns who blessed us for a purpose, just as you and your prince were called here for a purpose.”
“And what purpose is that?” Jaycent sat up, drawing the attention of the re’shahna and his gypsy guest. Levee’s ears perked up in surprise, and she looked at the prince as if he’d risen from the dead. Tobi smiled.
“Finally! The Connor Prince begins to stir,” the re’shahna picked up the spoon and began to stir the simmering cauldron’s contents. He laughed when prince’s tongue subconsciously trailed over his lips. “I thought a fair piece of deer meat would bring you back to us,” Tobi took a sip of broth from the pot and smacked his lips with a thoughtful countenance before taking a pinch of herbs from a small jar and sprinkling it into his concoction.
The prince ran two hands through his hair. “What all have I missed?”
Levee, who had poured a cup of water from the pitcher on the table, now knelt beside the prince and handed him the wooden goblet. “Very little.”
Jaycent took the cup in both hands and brought it to his lips. His ears drifted back and he closed his eyes as the cool water poured down his throat in greedy gulps.
“Levee has spent most of her time keeping a close eye on you,” Tobi winked. “She thought you might never wake.” The re’shahna blew on the wooden ladle and tested the gravy, feigning ignorance to Levee’s embarrassed glance.
“You were so still, and so quiet. I was worried you wouldn’t wake up—”
Jaycent placed a finger over the gypsy’s lips until they stilled, then tweaked her chin. “Thank you.”
Levee’s cheeks flushed and she turned to fetch him another cup of water, but not before the prince caught her grin. He rose to his feet, stretching out the kinks in his shoulders and back before sliding his tunic over his scar covered torso.
The cotton fabric had been washed, its fibers holding the light, musty smell of fall. He slipped on his worn leather boots and joined Levee at the table just in time to greet a large bowl of deer meat and vegetables Tobi placed in front of him.
Jaycent dug in, draining the scalding liquid from his spoon before he shoved the hearty scoop of food into his mouth. He winced at the burn, and tempered it with a gulp of water, swallowing the whole bite down before his tongue could savor the taste.
“Do not eat too quickly,” the re’shahna warned. “I have a task for you afterward, and the last thing you will want is a mind made sluggish by a full stomach.”
Jaycent forced himself to slow his pace, his taste buds dancing at the rich flavors sewn into Tobi’s cooking. “What sort of task?” he asked between bites.
“A training of the mind,” he tapped the shaved hairs around his temple.
The prince dropped his spoon into the half-full bowl, his appetite forgotten. “You mean you’ll teach me how to conquer these dreams?”
“Nay,” Tobi corrected. “I have found someone who will teach you how to use them. They are a gift, Connor Prince, not a curse.”
Use them! The prince rose from his seat, his meal abandoned. “I am ready.”
Levee watched as Tobi pushed back his bench and stood, mirroring Jaycent’s stance. Four inches shy of Jaycent’s towering stature, he lifted his chin to meet the prince’s eyes. “The process will not be without its share of pain.”
Jaycent shrugged. “So be it. I am no stranger to such things.”
Tobi slapped a hand across Jaycent’s shoulder and squeezed. “No hardy warrior is.” He motioned to his bowl. “Finish your food, then to the communal circle with you. There we shall see what sort of things the rahee’s prince is made of.”
* * * * *
Levee, Jaycent, and Tobi strode down the winding trail to the valley floor. The temperature had dropped, reminding the rahee that fall was short in the mountains, its nippy weather a prelude to a snowcapped winter. If anything, the chilly weather only fed Jaycent’s enthusiasm. Levee found herself taking two strides for every one of the prince’s steps, and Tobi followed grim-faced behind them.
In the middle of the valley, at the center of the communal circle, a female no taller than Levee stood, her bare feet upon the ashes of the previous night’s fire. The stranger’s brunette mane, shaved in a fashion identical to Tobi’s, waved against the wind’s breath. She wore a waist length tunic, trimmed with fur, and tight leggings sewn with thick fabric to insulate her body’s heat.
When the trio drew closer, the rahee caught a glimpse of narrow, black eyes. Levee’s gait lost some of its momentum, unsure about this unwelcoming stranger. Tobi motioned for her to hold back, joining Jaycent’s side as the prince approached the stone faced re’shahna without fear.
“Jaycent, before you stands Filly, our tribe’s most disciplined dreamer. She will teach you how to navigate your visions and block Shadow’s mental intrusions.”
The prince tilted his head in greeting, to which Filly e
yed him up and down. Afterward, her black eyes bore into Jaycent’s pale blue depths, and at once the prince could feel a ticklish sensation inside his head.
He tore his gaze away, but still the intrusion seemed to scour his mind. Jaycent couldn’t tell what was taking place, but he sensed it was invasive. His ears flicked back, his muscles growing taut.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
“He is aware, but he is weak,” Filly remarked to Tobi, blatantly ignoring Jaycent’s ire. “Anger, sorrow, fear, and doubt cloud his spirit. Strands like these will not untangle easily. He will suffer through buried memories before he learns to harness his emotions.”
The prince rolled his eyes. “I have no problems ‘harnessing’ my emotions.”
“You do,” Filly countered. “And that is why you run from them.”
Tobi’s eyebrows leapt high above his eyes as Jaycent and his tutor stared each other down. The silence thickened until a sharp clap of Tobi‘s hands snapped them out of it.
“Let us get started then!” he said with enthusiasm. “We learn nothing by standing here. I shall leave you both to it.” Turning on his heels, the old re’shahna hooked an arm around Levee’s shoulders and led her away from the heated pair.
“Are you sure we should leave them alone together?” Levee asked, her head turned warily toward the staring match Tobi eagerly left behind.
“Worry not about them,” the re’shahna assured. “They shall be friends before you know it.”
Levee gave a doubtful smirk. “Do you really think so?”
The corner of the re’shahna’s mouth twitched. “Well…no,” he confessed. Then, with a smile, “But if there is one thing I have learned in my years, Levee Tensley, it is that it never hurts to be optimistic.”
* * * * *
Tobi guided Levee through the ruins, their white stone faces overgrown with vines and brush so they hardly resembled their former shapes at all. Most who walked by them would only see scattered rocks.
It was awhile before they made it through the subtle city’s remnants, then out of the valley completely. Up the steep inclines they went, their walk shaded by stubborn evergreens jutting up from the broken soil. She was struck by how easily Bresan T’ahnya disappeared behind them. No trails or signs of debris spoke of its existence, and when she heard the natural bird calls used by the re’shahna scouts, she knew no traveler would be allowed near enough to stumble upon the hidden city.
Tobi climbed higher, the tight muscles in his calves sculpted by years of traversing the wilds. He was not a dweller, comfortably tucked in the safety of Bresan T’ahnya’s walls. The re’shahna preferred the wilds and slept out here more often than he did his home.
Levee admired his natural instincts. So much of Tobi and his people echoed the spirit of the gypsies. Or was it they who echoed the re’shahna? Either way, every day here called her back to the life she once knew. She wondered if Jaycent, too, felt the call of the earth and the freedom that beckoned her to stay.
If only the rahee still lived like this, she thought to herself.
Tobi stopped suddenly and looked at her. Levee looked behind her, then back at the re’shahna, certain she hadn’t spoken out loud. He smiled and chuckled to himself, continuing their trek toward flatter grounds several yards above.
“What?” Levee asked.
“I thought you were speaking to me,” he mused, and Levee realized he had heard her.
“You read my mind?” There was a hint of offense in her voice.
“I hear only what the equines do, little gypsy,” he replied.
“But how—” her words cut off when Tobi sprung forward, his body shifting so quickly she hardly caught the transition. Tan legs and arms extended, sprouting downy white fur. His muscles grew larger, stronger, and his neck took on the graceful curve of a stallion.
Tobi’s two-toned hair now became a true mane, long and draping over a black face and neck. A two foot horn sprouted from beneath his forelock, and below it the pearlescent shard from his necklace became engrained upon his crest like a jewel.
A pair of light green eyes assured her it was Tobi, their depths bright as always with mirth. Come, his voice echoed in her mind. There is much for you to learn this day, Levee Tensley.
Levee climbed after the stallion, his silky black and white tail fluttering behind him. Thin feathering coated a pair of cloven hooves that marked him as one of the elemental unicorns. So this is the difference between unicorn magic and unicorn blood, she said through mind-speak.
Now you are beginning to know why this gift is born by few, Tobi replied. To wear the skin of one’s equine spirit is a privilege that comes with great power and great responsibility. Just like your own gift.
They crested the flat ground, and Levee came up beside Tobi, her hand drawing up his withers and into his mane as she looked out across the endless spine of scaling rocks and valleys. Tobi twisted his black neck and exhaled against Levee’s cheek. The gesture inspired a flash of recognition.
“You were the unicorn I met that night near the river’s edge,” she said out loud. “You used your magic to dry my clothes.”
You are the first speaker I have seen in many decades, he replied. Your aura is pure white, like a unicorn foal. There is power in that, horse-child. I doubt you would need unicorn magic to release the equine inside of you. His eyes crinkled in what could have only been a smile. But that is another prospect for another day. For now I want you to tell me how many mountain ponies dot the hillside below us.
Levee looked out at the slopes below them, its surface veiled under trees and stone outcrops. She shook her head, thinking it impossible. “I can’t see that far, Tobi,” she explained. “The ponies could be a few yards or a few miles from here, and I wouldn’t know the difference.”
Find them for me, Tobi repeated, unrelenting.
“How?” She scanned the landscape.
So long as you seek with your eyes your vision is limited, the re’shahna explained. Seek them by feeling their spirit, just as you feel mine.
Levee closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, opening her mind until she could feel Tobiano’s equine form standing beside her. In the blackness, little hazy flecks of lights swirled and floated lazily behind her vision. She zeroed in on Tobi and the flecks began to dance and merge until they traced his shape in a bright yellow light.
Do you see me?
“Aye,” Levee replied, her voice sounding distant even to her own ears.
Good, Tobi congratulated. Now follow me!
The painted unicorn reared, skipping off the rock and onto the slope below them. He galloped down its steep, uneven ground, his hooves hardly breaking the dirt beneath his feather-light gait. Levee reached into her wellspring of magic, feeling the energy released from Tobi’s aura and the rhythm of his long, enduring strides. As he ran, the gypsy pursed her lips and clinched her eyes, mentally expanding her awareness.
Her sight followed him like a hawk in the air. A ghostly cluster of trees illuminated the blackness of her vision, their edges lined in the brightest of whites. Tobi’s searing amber form—like lightning and fire—stood out among the colorless foliage. And there, up ahead, three other forms made of purples and reds lifted their heads in their direction.
The piebald unicorn slowed to a lazy trot and shook the wild tendrils of mane from his face. Do you see the ponies now?
Yes, she replied.
Feel their presence. What does it remind you of?
Levee felt the magic leave her and move toward the ponies like clouds on the wind. Like Melee, she replied.
What does Melee feel like?
Comforting, Levee replied. Like the image of sweet grass and wildflowers.
And I? Tobi asked. What do I feel like to you?
Exciting. Like a roaring thunderstorm.
Tobi snorted his approval. Each equine has its own aura you can feel. Practice this often and you will not need eyes to tell you when we are near. Dark days are ahead, the re’shahna
warned. Know the feel of a friend so you will be able to sense the difference between an ally and a foe. Your instincts will keep you one step ahead.
All afternoon, Tobi and Levee searched the mountainside for wild herds. With each roaming discovery, the gypsy found their auras grew a little more vivid. The sun was low on the horizon when Tobi finally returned to her side, his splotchy coat lathered in sweat. He joined Levee on the smooth flat stone, rolling onto his back and letting go of his equine form until a sweat soaked re’shahna lay sprawled across the rock. He relished the coolness until his breathing returned to a slow and steady rhythm.
Levee had to blink several times before the milky yellow aura disappeared from Tobi’s form.
“You learn quickly,” the re’shahna complimented.
“I had a sound tutor.”
“Come,” the re’shahna beckoned. He peeled his form from the stone and climbed to his feet. “Let us see how your prince faired his first day.”
* * * * *
Jaycent wasn’t with Filly when Tobi and Levee returned. The female re’shahna sat alone in the communal circle with her arms coated with ash when the pair walked up. Levee looked around for some hint of where the prince might be while Tobi dealt Filly a curious eye.
“Where is he?” the re’shahna leader asked.
Filly shrugged. “He threw a temper and left.”
“And you chose not to follow him?” Levee questioned.
“I do not pursue those who walk away,” Filly stated. The way she spoke, so void of compassion, stirred the gypsy’s anger. “When, how, or if, he learns to control his visions is his own choice.”
Levee flexed her ears back, her skinny arms crossed against her chest. “Which way did he go?”
Filly nodded toward the tall, broken columns leaning against a shattered guard wall at the far end of the valley. “That way.”
“Go find him,” Tobi sighed, giving Levee the leave she had already anticipated to make. “I will learn what I may here.”
* * * * *
The Rogue Trilogy Page 29