The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy)

by Charity Santiago

  She didn't answer for a moment, and Kou thumped her awkwardly in the ribs with his hand, his movements halted by the heavy saddlebags he held. "Is this west?" he repeated harshly.

  "Yes," Ashlyn forced herself to answer. Her voice was thin, reedy.

  There was a silence. Ashlyn felt the tears start to course down her cheeks, the sharp hollowness in her chest, and she folded forward, leaning against Suku’s neck and burying her fingers in the horse’s thick mane.

  It was a long time before Kou spoke again. When he did, the tone of his voice had changed. "He was your friend," he said. There was no intonation at the end, no hint of question. He knew.

  Ashlyn closed her eyes, suddenly wishing she'd never left Endro.

  "Yes."

  They rode on, as the sky began to brighten with the promise of dawn.

  Chapter 7

  Electric

  During her father's reign as Elder Lord of Toryn, he had been afforded a certain celebrity status, and as a result both he and Ashlyn were regarded with wary respect, and a kind of awestruck admiration reserved only for those who were deemed royalty.

  It had been different when her mother was alive.

  Ashlyn’s most precious memories were from the time before Susyn Li had passed away. She held them close to her heart, loving even the vaguest recollection for the brief insight it provided into the life of her mother. Susyn had always seemed a little sad, saving her smiles only for Ashlyn. Susyn’s orphan nephew, Soryl, had been a permanent fixture in the Li home for much of Ashlyn’s childhood.

  After Cosmea fell and the reality of the war became apparent, Ashlyn’s mother had seemed to wither away. Ashlyn had been intensely grateful for Restlyn’s presence, particularly after Susyn was killed and Soryl was taken during an invasion by the DEMON army. A few years later, however, Restlyn had been Scorned by Lord Li, and Ashlyn was alone.

  Her loneliness had heavily influenced her decision to leave Toryn when Skye asked her to join FLD. Their mission to defeat Lord Angelo and save the sun had been Ashlyn’s first attempt at being a part of something larger than her own petty whims and desires. For weeks she had traveled with these people, lived with them, fought and faced death beside them.

  It would have been impossible not to care for them, after a full-scale immersion like the one she'd gone through.

  She had never wanted to hurt anybody, certainly not her friends, and least of all Drake, who had already suffered enough pain and betrayal to ruin a dozen lifetimes.

  Ashlyn's mind at the moment was a jumble of emotions and accusations, a mirror image of the fickle sky above them, which alternately churned with rain clouds and collected itself to spew forth harsh, unforgiving sunlight.

  She wanted to be angry with somebody, anybody. Skye for not trusting her, Drake for following them, Kou for throwing that stupid sword- but she knew that in the end, when it was all sorted out, laid on the table and glaring up at her, presumably with a typically annoying I told you so look plastered on its face, the fault was hers and hers alone.

  She had forsaken her birthright to travel the world, avoided her responsibilities to gain independence. Devlyn was the Elder Lord of Toryn because of her rash behavior. Assassins had come to Cosmea because she was there.

  And Drake Lockhart, her friend, one of her only friends, lay bleeding because she hadn't been able to protect him.

  Kou shifted behind her, slowing the horse to a walk with an easy pressure on the reins. Ashlyn remembered worrying that he might not ride well without a saddle- ha! From what she'd seen so far, he was far more adept than most. Not her, of course. But most, especially the hopeless ones like Aaron, who Ashlyn remembered as clinging fiercely to the saddle with a look of sheer horror on his face, curses spilling out with the same chattering consistency as the machine guns on the airship‘s hull, their rhythms nearly the same (rat-a-tat-tat and "Useless-horse-slow-the-heck-DOWN!").

  She was startled out of her reverie by Kou's hand on her shoulder. He said nothing when she turned her head to look at him, simply pointed ahead. Ashlyn followed the line of his arm, and her gaze fell on a mountain range in the distance. Even this far away she could see the colorless plains surrounding the jagged hills, the foliage, rock and even bare soil taking on an unwelcoming grayish tint as it drew closer.

  Eastern City, Eastern Mountains and Eastern Canyon were actually on the western side of the western continent. The moniker was amusing to most, but few knew the reason for the name- it had once been part of the Toryn kingdom, before Lord Angelo had taken the land from the Toryn elders and made it part of his domain. In relation to the island of Toryn, the Eastern City was east, but to the rest of the world, it was just a backwards name for a western city that always seemed to have snow, no matter what time of year.

  "The Eastern Mountains," Ashlyn said. Her voice was raspy from disuse; the last words she'd spoken had been many hours ago, long before they had crossed the river that divided the Cosmea and Eastern areas. It was two days' travel on foot, but Suki had cut that time in half with her exceptional speed and endurance. Ashlyn had a feeling that they could reach the Eastern City just after sundown if they kept the pace.

  "You know this area well?" Kou asked.

  Well didn't even begin to cover it. She could find her way from Eastern City to the town of Industry blindfolded. Granted, for the past three years she'd stayed away from Industry for the most part, but she had traversed these hills and plains more often than she cared to admit.

  Even though Eastern City gave her the absolute worst case of spine shivers, Ashlyn had made an effort to go back every now and again, partly to make sure that Drake hadn't reclaimed his oh-so-broody coffin of doom, but mostly to check if Skye had finally made the move back to his hometown.

  He never had. Ashlyn wondered why; she supposed that there were too many memories keeping him away from the cold city.

  "Yeah, I know this place pretty well," she said, and frowned, suddenly realizing that while Kou seemed to have basic geographic knowledge of various cities, he was completely clueless about their physical location and direction.

  "You haven't been here before, have you." She phrased it as a question but spoke as though it were a statement of fact.

  "Until a few weeks ago I had never left the island of Toryn," he answered.

  That wasn’t unusual. Few Toryns traveled extensively.

  "Where'd you manage to get on Aaron‘s airship?" she asked, running her fingers through Suki’s mane. It shone in the sunlight, almost silver, the same color as Drake’s metal glove.

  "We were transported on a flying machine to the plains," Kou said. "To a stable by the grasslands."

  She was vaguely surprised that he'd answered her so easily; perhaps he trusted her more than she'd thought. "So…from Toryn to the plains, to Storim- did you get off the ship at all in Storim?"

  "No."

  "And then I found you in the ship's galley, before we could go anywhere else," she said. "You haven't really been anywhere yet."

  "I've been to Cosmea," he replied tersely. Ashlyn almost smiled.

  "Yeah…you saw the entrance, the tavern and my bedroom, and you saw it in pitch-black with nothing but the Endless Flame to light your way," she said heavily. "Sounds like a raw deal to me."

  They fell silent for several long moments.

  "I have longed to travel since I was a child," Kou spoke up at length. "Though I have not witnessed what lies beyond the grasslands, or even the sight of Cosmea in the daylight, I hope to see a great deal before the gods take me. I wish…"

  He trailed off for a moment, then continued, "I wish to see these things of which I have read. I have seen paintings of the plains of snow-fire that span the northern continent. I have heard stories of powerful stanes in hidden caves. I long to see the canyons of Landi, to enter the Heavenly City and see how the Angels lived."

  There was a raw yearning in his voice that reminded Ashlyn of herself at the same age, so eager and innocent, so bold and yet completely
awestruck at the same time. She too had longed to witness the cities she had read of in the scrolls of her ancestors, and she had seen them all in her adventures- the snow plains blazing with sunlight outside North Camp Inn, the reveal stane glittering facets of orange and ember in a cave in North Triangle. She had spent many nights at the Heavenly City, and looked into a lake so perfectly clear that she imagined she could see Jenn's spirit smiling at her from beneath its gleaming surface.

  She had traveled the world over again, yet no place had claimed her heart so completely as her homeland.

  The air was chilly. It still amazed Ashlyn how greatly the climates differed between cities. With only two days’ journey to separate Cosmea and Eastern City, she always expected the temperature change to be mild. But nothing was warm in the Eastern areas…snow was common even in summertime.

  She told herself that when they reached Eastern City, she would buy new clothes. The clothes she was wearing would be practically indecent even in a dry heat. With the threat of rain overhead she figured that she'd soon be regretting the skimpy outfit more than ever.

  She felt another sudden, intense wave of shame that she could be shallow enough to think of something like clothing when she'd all but thrown the sword at Drake. Ashlyn swallowed hard, drawing a hand across her eyes as if the motion could wipe away her guilt along with the raindrops that sprinkled her face.

  The first outcropping of the mountain range came up on their right as dusk began to fall. Despite her usual misgivings, Ashlyn felt miserably content in the gray-tinted light. The color seemed fitting.

  She pulled the horse to a lazy halt outside Eastern City. "Should we go in?" she asked skeptically, wondering if staying at the inn would just make it that much easier for FLD to find them.

  "We need supplies," Kou answered. He swung down from behind Ashlyn, his soft boots making no noise on the grass. Looking up at her in the darkness, his gaze went from her rain-streaked face to the saddlebags draped across her thighs. "You haven't got anything else to wear, have you?"

  Ashlyn smiled. "Nothing any different than what I'm wearing now," she said. "You're right. We do need supplies."

  The rain chose that exact moment to pick up, droplets spattering Ashlyn's face and bare arms deliberately, a chill weaving its way through the damp air.

  "Great," Ashlyn said, to no one in particular. "I hate rain."

  "It will wash away our tracks if it continues," Kou said.

  He reached up a hand to help her down, but she ignored it, swinging her leg over Suki's back and dropping to the ground. Suki nickered and moved away, eagerly reaching down to nose the ground for grass.

  "I think they could find us if they really wanted to," Ashlyn told the other ninja. "Rain or no rain." If Drake was seriously injured, though, it probably would have slowed FLD in their efforts to find her.

  Kou looked at her keenly. "You may be right."

  They were suddenly flooded with white, an obscenely bright light overwhelming them in the darkness of the storm. Ashlyn flinched, her hands flying up to shield herself. She glanced over and saw that the illumination was coming from a hand-held torch. She couldn't see who was holding it, her vision obscured beyond the circle of light that was nearly blinding her.

  "I knew you'd come here," a voice rang out. Clear and cynical, it was familiar to her, Ashlyn only knew one person with that same rough, Endroan accent.

  "Vargo?" she exclaimed.

  "The one and only, babe." He set the torch on the ground and advanced, the stane-powered cylinder throwing him into silhouette as he walked closer.

  "What are you doing here?" she demanded furiously. "Are the others with you?" She wanted to, was dying to ask about Drake, if only to know for sure, but she couldn't bring herself to confront the reality of what she'd done. What if the red-eyed gunslinger was seriously injured…or worse?

  As her eyes adjusted, she could see that Vargo was dressed in jeans and a white shirt that was nearly transparent from the rain, and he carried his baton expertly in his right hand, poised and ready for defense. He was soaked and shivering, his wet hair plastered to his cheeks. But somehow he managed to summon the courage to smirk at Ashlyn.

  "You'd like to know, wouldn't you," he said. "You thought you'd be able to get away, but you forgot that the airship is a hell of a lot faster than any horse."

  Ashlyn swallowed hard, rain dripping off her chin. "You've got it all wrong. I'm trying to help you."

  The Spartan cocked an eyebrow. "Really," he said, and it was obvious that he didn't believe her.

  "Yes!" Ashlyn said in exasperation. "I don't want anyone to get hurt, don't you see? I'm the one who has to-" she glanced at Kou- "finish this, I'm the one who has to make peace with Devlyn. It's my responsibility, and I don't want to put everyone in danger any more than I already have."

  "You were gone for three years," he snapped. "Little late to start protecting them now, don't you think?"

  "I know I've made mistakes. I know that. But I can't just stand by and do nothing." She nodded her head towards Kou. "He's taking me to Toryn. I'm going to speak to Devlyn and see if we can resolve this war before anyone else is hurt."

  "Devlyn’s not the type to talk things out. He's a warlord."

  "Then I'll challenge him in the Leadership Duel, and I'll defeat him," Ashlyn said firmly. "This may end in bloodshed. I may not be able to stop him if he's out to kill. But I can try."

  "You can do nothing," Kou spoke up.

  Ashlyn glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, careful not to let her attention waver from Vargo. "What are you talking about?"

  "Regardless of whether or not I agree with your opinion of Lord Devlyn, you cannot fight him," Kou answered. Vargo shifted, and Kou twitched, the knife gleaming in his hand, before he looked back at Ashlyn. "I know this Duel you speak of. It is impossible to challenge the reigning Elder Lord unless you are heir to leadership."

  Vargo glanced at Kou, then at her. She shook her head, silently pleading with him not to say anything, but the red-haired man scoffed and rolled his eyes.

  "This is pathetic," he said disgustedly. "This guy doesn't know who you are. He's risking his life for you and you haven't even told him the truth."

  "I know she is not who she says," Kou retorted. "I know that she has lied to me. I am not as stupid as you may think."

  "But you don't even know who she is," Vargo snapped. "Has she even told you her name?”

  "Vargo, shut up!" she cried. "Kou, my name's not important, he doesn't know what he's talking about." Her mind was running wild, hoping against hope that Kou would somehow remember the way the Spartans had treated the Toryn people during the war. She knew it was too much to ask but couldn't shake the absurd possibility from her thoughts.

  "Your name is the whole reason for this war," Vargo said, taking a step closer to Ashlyn.

  She made no move to stop him, partly because she was trembling with apprehension, partly because she was suddenly wondering if he would get careless enough for her to attack.

  "Her name," Vargo seethed, looking at Kou again, "is Ashlyn Li. She is the Elder Heir Toryn. And she would be reigning over Toryn right now if it weren't for the fact that she decided to drop off the radar for three whole years while the rest of us fought to hold the world together."

  That was it. Her secret was out. Dismayed, Ashlyn shifted her gaze to Kou, expecting him to be glaring at her with betrayal and rage in his eyes. But he was focused entirely on Vargo, his weight balanced evenly on the balls of his feet.

  "We are still bound by the blood of Toryn. She is kin to me," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "And you are not. I would die by her hand before I would trust a Spartan."

  Thank the fates, he did remember.

  Vargo stared the ninja, jaw flexing as he digested this bit of information, and Ashlyn took the opportunity to make her move. She lunged forward, closing the distance between them in the space of a second.

  The Spartan's reflexes were faster than she expected, and he w
hipped the baton up. It was too late to dodge, and Ashlyn yelped in pain as the stick connected with her ribs, sending shocks of electricity shuddering through her body. She knew from experience that there was no way to stop the jolt. There was only one thing she could do.

  Every breath was like a burst of fire in her lungs. Ashlyn lurched forward, pushing herself beyond the agony-

  And fell into Vargo. She collapsed into him like a falling tree breaks to lightning, her cheek sliding against the stubble on his jaw as she clung to him fiercely, the electrical energy surging through her body and into his.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the pain rake across her consciousness like a thousand knives. Burned into the backs of her eyelids was an image of Drake Lockhart, folded over with a hand to his bleeding shoulder. His ruby gaze was fixed on her, and accusation burned in those crimson depths.

  Ashlyn tumbled gratefully into darkness, hoping against hope that Kou would still be there when she woke.

  Chapter 8

  Triangle

  There was one upside to being unconscious that Ashlyn had never considered before. Despite the whole not-knowing-what-the-hell-was-going-on drawback, blacking out conveniently gave her time to sort out her jumbled thoughts.

  First on the priority list: this darn triangle that she'd gotten herself into. (Although admittedly, it would be wiser to focus on the fact that Vargo had just not only revealed her true identity to Kou, but also knocked her unconscious, thereby rendering her unable to defend herself against whatever revenge the Toryn ninja would try to exact, Ashlyn felt that her love life ranked significantly higher and was a lot more interesting, so she figured that the identity/unconscious/revenge thing could probably wait a minute or two.)

  Ahem. Anyway. She was a grown woman and she could handle the strange emotions that seemed to be roiling within her every time Vargo or Drake were anywhere near her.

  The effort of keeping her fascination with Drake firmly ensconced in the realm of fantasy three years ago had been monumental. But Ashlyn had managed, and what’s more, she’d moved on. Being reunited with Drake now, and keeping her feelings hidden, was more difficult. The situation certainly hadn’t gotten any easier when Kou had wounded Drake in Cosmea.