Songbird

by Colleen Helme

  “What was that?” he asked. Teya’s brows furrowed together and she swallowed before lowering her gaze. “Do you know what happened?” he asked again.

  She nodded but wouldn’t meet his gaze and Bran could actually feel her dismay. Now he understood that the feelings of regret and tenderness he’d felt earlier had come from her. Somehow he could sense her feelings. Bran pursed his lips. Was this the secret she’d kept from him? Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to find out.

  “You’ll have to tell me later. Right now we’ve got to keep moving. Do you know what Jesse’s plans are?”

  Chewing on her bottom lip, she answered. “He... uh... left to get a kundar to use as a threat so I’d cooperate. He wanted me to take him to the grove, but... he also talked about taking me to the king, so I don’t know for sure. I’m so sorry Bran. I can’t believe how stupid I was. When you didn’t come back with him, like an idiot, I waited for an explanation instead of attacking him first. He gagged me so I couldn’t use my magic and then tied me up. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

  Again, he felt her guilt, but this time, a wave of protective anger surged through him. “I’m here now, and I won’t leave you again. Let’s go. The horses aren’t much further.”

  Taking her hand, he continued down the path with the tiny flicker of magic lighting the way. They soon entered the clearing and found the horses where he’d left them. Relieved, Bran pulled a waterbag from his pack and handed it to Teya. “Have a drink.”

  He drank some as well. The grove water had a calming effect, and helped restore his jumbled wits. “We need to find a place to lay low for a while, preferably far from here. It will be rough going through the trees, but I don’t want to use the main roads. Let’s go.”

  He didn’t give Teya a chance to respond before mounting his horse. She followed meekly behind, leaving him plenty of time to think about that current of energy that pulled him to her. It was almost like she was part of him. Maybe it was linked to the sym he had taken? But it couldn’t be, not if Teya knew about it. What did it mean?

  The night sky gave way to dawn and still they traveled for several hours through the forest. Bran listened for sounds of pursuit, and tried not to think about the magic that tied him to Teya. He needed to wait for an explanation from her before he jumped to the wrong conclusion.

  By late afternoon, Bran could go no further. All at once, his body ached and no amount of grove water seemed to help. He knew he needed to tell Teya what had happened before the sym stopped working. He stopped his horse and waited for Teya to come to his side.

  “We’re headed south toward the city,” he began. “But I don’t know exactly where we are. The map should help, but before we go any further I need to tell you something.” He took a deep breath, and hoped Teya could handle what he had to say. “Jesse’s men beat me up pretty bad. Luckily, I had a flask of grove water that helped a little, but I used something else. Remember the body we found in the waste?”

  “Yes.”

  “I found two vials of sym in the coat pocket. I drank one earlier, and it healed me enough to come find you. The problem is, I don’t know how much longer it’s going to work, and when it wears off, I’m going to be a mess.” Already his ribs hurt and his fingers began to swell.

  “Oh, Bran, I’m so sorry. Is it wearing off now?”

  “Yes.” He took short breaths, no longer able to disguise the pain. “We need to find a place to stop.” He swallowed, and realized his lips had swelled and he couldn’t see out of one eye. The sym was wearing off much too fast.

  “Over here,” Teya urged him. “There’s a small clearing.”

  He followed her, hoping he could stay on his horse long enough to reach it. He couldn’t seem to hold the reins with his swollen fingers. Teya reached up for him and he managed to swing his leg off the horse. He stumbled and she wrapped her arm around him. He leaned against her and hobbled to a space under a tree.

  At that moment his ribs gave way and his gasp of pain made it worse. Unable to stand, he sank to the ground in an agonized heap. Teya’s sharp intake of breath and startled cry was the last thing he heard before darkness claimed him.

  ****

  Teya knelt beside Bran in shock at the sight of his discolored and swollen face. When he told her they had beaten him, she didn’t expect it to be this bad. She swallowed her tears and tried to think. She carefully straightened his legs so he was lying flat on his back, and wished she’d been able to get a blanket under him. He moaned softly and a knot formed in the pit her stomach. This was all her fault. Without the grove water and sym, he would be dead.

  He seemed to have trouble breathing and she unbuttoned his shirt. His chest was black and blue with bruises, and the broken bones of a few ribs protruded through his skin as jagged pieces of bone. If the grove water had helped, she hated to think what he had looked like before. She closed his shirt and got the blankets out. As she placed one under his head, his eyes fluttered open.

  “Are you crying again?” he slurred.

  She dashed the tears from her cheeks and tried to sound confident. “Just rest Bran. I’m going to see if I can fix this.”

  His brows drew together, but the effort seemed to hurt. “You can do that?”

  “I think so.” Then as an afterthought she added, “Is that all right with you?”

  “Hell yes,” he croaked, then added through cracked lips. “I’m sorry I ever told you not to use your magic on me. Please feel free. Anytime soon would be good.”

  She smiled in spite of the gravity of the situation. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the basics her grandmother had taught her. In this case, she needed tones that brought completion and wholeness. A small doubt assailed her, but she pushed it away. She had to believe that she could do this, and knew it would be easier because of the bond they shared. With a deep breath, she began.

  The music softly unfolded, gently covering Bran in a smooth blanket of protection. She wove the strings of magic to settle above and beneath him, until he was completely encased within it. Slowly, the threads began to sink into his skin. First, mending his bruises and then sinking lower to the deep wounds within, and finally knitting his bones back together.

  Teya didn’t know how long she sang. Only that she had to keep going until he was whole again. As the last of her healing tones faded into silence, it was dark with only the moon and stars for light. Bran rested peacefully, his face unmarred by cuts and bruises. She let out an exhausted breath. It had worked.

  Grateful, she studied him in the moonlight. He’d always been handsome, but now something about him was different. He carried a part of her magic in him. Not just from her healing, but from the bond they’d created between them in the grove.

  Her grandmother had said the bond was necessary, but Teya still regretted what they had done without telling him. Their kiss had unlocked the full power between them, and Bran had felt it. He still might not comprehend all that it meant, but he deserved to know the truth.

  She drank some of the grove water and leaned back against the tree beside Bran. The energy it had taken to heal him had sapped her strength and she needed to rest. Until they had both recovered, she hoped they were far enough from the road to stay hidden. Now all she had to worry about was Jesse, and how long it would take for him to pick up their trail. There was no doubt in her mind that he would come after her.

  She closed her eyes on a sigh. At least Bran was alive and they had escaped. Her world had shattered when she thought he was dead. It was all her fault. With grim determination she vowed that no one would ever take advantage of her again. Next time, she wouldn’t hesitate to use her magic.

  She’d never used it to harm anyone before, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t. An image of using the same dark notes on Jesse that he had used on her came into her mind. Only she could twist them to intensify the pain and make him suffer.

  She could do the same thing to the king. She would enjoy singing to him again, and when he began to
cringe, she wouldn’t stop until he screamed in agony. Deep down, she knew it was wrong to feel this way, but it was hard to control the burning anger.

  She was tired of shutting these feelings away as if they didn’t exist. Why should someone like him be allowed to hurt others anyway? If it was wrong, then someone had to stop him. It might as well be her.

  Tired all the way to her bones, she gave in to her yearning to be close to Bran. She cuddled up next to him and his warmth brought some humanity back into her angry heart. Exhaustion settled over her, and rather than face what she was becoming, she let herself drift into sleep and oblivion.

  ****

  “Teya?”

  She drowsily turned to her side and draped an arm across his chest. His chin brushed the top of her head and he pulled her closer. Early morning light filtered through the trees and her heart lifted to feel Bran’s strong heartbeat beneath her hand. He was alive and well, with no Jesse in sight. She sat up to take a good look at him. “Are you feeling better?”

  “Yes, thanks to you.” He took a deep breath to test his ribs and grinned. “It’s nice to be able to breathe again.”

  She smiled, grateful she had eased his pain, especially since it was her fault. “But can you stand? That’s the real test.”

  “I don’t know. I kind of like it right where I am.” With a quick jerk, he pulled her down on top of him. She weakly protested with a laugh before relaxing against his chest. Her heart pounded furiously as their lips met in a soft kiss.

  She knew it would raise questions she didn’t want to answer, but she was so grateful he was alive and well, that she couldn’t help herself. Without the lightning shock of the night before, their hearts and souls met in quiet greeting. The sheer intensity of feelings rolled over her and Teya pulled away, breathless and scared.

  Their gazes met, and comprehension lit his eyes. “Will you tell me what this is all about? Why does it frighten you?”

  She didn’t answer, so he continued. “I’ve never felt this way before. When I kiss you, it’s like we’re joined together somehow. Can you tell me what it means?”

  “I’m not sure you’ll be glad to hear it.” She sat up and straightened her clothes, unable to look at him.

  “Why? Because you don’t want it?”

  His question caught her off-guard and she met his gaze. “It’s not a question of wanting. It’s just something that happened.” His face fell, and Teya knew she’d hurt him without meaning to.

  “So these feelings I have don’t mean anything to you?” His voice sounded flat.

  “Of course they do, but it’s more complicated than that.”

  Bran sat up and took a deep breath. “Does this have something to do with the ceremony in the grove?”

  “Yes,” she confessed. “I promise I’ll tell you everything, but right now, we’d probably better go.” She knew Bran wanted an explanation, but she wasn’t ready to lose him.

  “Sometimes keeping a secret is lots worse than telling the truth.” As he slowly pushed to his feet, the tension ebbed between them. After he got his balance, he carefully stretched his arms and legs, testing his muscles for movement and strength. “Everything seems to be working,” he admitted with a lighter tone. “In fact, I may be better than I was before. Thank you.”

  Teya spoke quickly. “You’re welcome. At least my magic won’t wear off like sym.”

  Bran’s eyes widened. “Thank goodness for that.”

  “What should we do now?”

  The first rays of sunlight cast long shadows through the trees. “It looks like we’ve slept the night away. Where are the horses?” At Teya’s shrug Bran continued. “We’d better find them and get going.”

  In her worry for Bran, she had forgotten all about them. Thankfully, they hadn’t wandered far. She handed Bran the blankets, and they finished off one of the bags of grove water.

  “Tell me about Jesse,” Bran asked. “Do you think he’ll come after you?”

  “Yes. He’ll come. He’s a hunter. The king sent him to find me, and he won’t go back empty handed. What I don’t understand is how he tricked me. His magic seemed so real, not at all how I expected sym to feel. He told me he was a Kalorian, but how could he turn on his own people?” Just thinking about it curdled her stomach.

  “Who knows? I guess it’s possible, if he has enough to gain like Korban.”

  A terrible idea formed in Teya’s mind. “Jesse’s too young to be Korban, isn’t he?”

  “I would think so,” Bran said, shrugging. “But whoever he is, he’s dangerous. We’ll have to change our plans. I’d like to get you to Braemar and safety, but first I think we should get back to the city and meet up with Jax. We need to find out what’s been going on in our absence.”

  “There’s something else you should know,” Teya said. “Jesse wanted me to tell him how to get past the Destroyer. I think he knows about the grove water and what it can do. He also said he knew where the Kalorians were.”

  “That would make sense if he’s a hunter,” Bran said. “We’re just lucky he didn’t have a kundar handy. If he had taken you anywhere else, I don’t think I would have found you in time.”

  Bran froze and motioned for Teya to be still. Several moments passed in silence and Teya tensed, wondering if Jesse had already picked up their trail.

  “I thought I heard something,” Bran whispered, his hand automatically reaching for the gun that wasn’t there. He swore softly, then urged Teya to mount her horse. “Stay close.”

  Teya suppressed a shiver and followed Bran south where the trees soon thinned out, leaving them more exposed. The road came into view, and her spine tingled with foreboding. At that moment, the baying of a hound broke the stillness, joined by a chorus of several more.

  “Damn!” Bran shouted. “It’s Jesse!”

  Chapter 6

  “We’ll make better time on the road,” Bran yelled, spurring his mount forward. As the first dark shape broke through the trees, they gained the road. Four men on horseback followed the dogs and Teya’s heart raced. She needed to figure out a way to stop them with her magic.

  A loud crack pierced the air and a searing pain tore through Teya’s arm, throwing her forward. Gasping in shock, she fumbled with the reins, and lost hold of them. Her left arm went numb and hung loosely at her side while blood ran down her fingers.

  Her horse slowed in the confusion, but she managed to move her arm to her lap and urged the horse forward. Pain replaced the numbness and she fought to stay in the saddle. Bran pulled up beside her, his face white with rage, and she realized she’d been shot with his gun.

  “Keep going,” she yelled. “I’ll try and stop them with my magic.” Her arm burned in agony, but she could still use it, and she needed time to figure out what to do.

  Instead, Bran handed her the horse’s reins and turned to face them. “I’m not leaving you.” He whipped his horse around, and charged forward, putting himself between her and their pursuers.

  “No!” she shouted. But Bran ignored her. The men closed the distance between them, and another loud crack sent a wave of panic over her. She ducked, hearing the faint sound as the bullet whizzed past, and knew it was only a matter of time before one of them was hit again.

  Teya did the only thing she could think of and sang, throwing wild tones to the sky. She twisted the elements against each other, calling them down until they burst into a blast of heat. She barely caught the energy with her song in time to direct it into the earth at the charging men. The ground shook with a loud boom, throwing earth and rock wildly into the air.

  As the dust settled, one rider lay on the ground, and the others turned to gallop back the way they had come. Teya drew on the energy once more and flung it toward the retreating men. The ground behind them exploded, but they continued on, disappearing from sight. Anger raged over Teya. In reckless abandon, she started after them. She wanted this nightmare to end, even if it meant killing them all.

  Somewhere within this red haze she
heard her name. The searing urgency of Bran’s voice stopped her headlong rush, and she slowed to find Bran riding next to her. Dread radiated from him in waves through their bond, and she wondered what terrible thing had happened to cause it.

  Concerned for him, the rage pouring through her heart subsided, and the cause of Bran’s distress became clear. He was afraid of her? The fight and anger went out of her in an instant. Breathless and weak, Teya pulled her horse to a stop.

  The power of her song echoed through her body, causing her to tremble and shake. The energy in the air vibrated in little bursts around her. Now that the threat was gone, the pain in her arm intensified, and tears gathered in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

  Without warning, quiet drops of rain mingled with her tears, accompanied by a low rumble above her. The once-blue sky now roiled with dark clouds that clashed with energy. Flashes of lightning and thunder boomed above her head and she cringed. What had she done?

  Nearby, the fallen rider stared sightlessly into the sky. Blood covered his head and his hair was smoking in the rain. The scent of burning flesh turned her stomach into a queasy knot, and she twisted away to stifle a gag.

  Bran dismounted to pick up his gun from the fallen man. Then took the reins from her and led both horses toward a stand of trees to get out of the rain. He dropped the reins and coaxed Teya down from her horse. His strong arms closed around her as she slid off, and steadied her as she stood.

  Her legs trembled, and she tried to calm down by taking deep breaths. Instead, her face went stiff and spots danced before her eyes.

  “Lean on me, Teya,” Bran said, sensing her turmoil. “Let me help you. We need to stop the bleeding before you faint.”

  Teya glanced at her arm, noticing the blood dripping from her fingers, and the pulsing pain in her arm intensified. She focused on the pain, clearing her mind of the dead man’s eyes and a measure of sanity returned. Bran’s supporting touch calmed her racing heart and she relaxed into his arms.

  Under the canopy of trees, Bran helped Teya sit on the ground and lean against a tree trunk. “I’ll get my medicine kit and be right back,” he said.