“I suppose,” he said, but did not look entirely convinced.
“Besides, they are currently taking chokeroot, are they not? It will prevent them from using magic against you.” Treymayne had sent out parties to collect the plant from the Plains for Gelendan, and Kali had been surprised that a few of them were successful. She had to laugh, however, that several had confused it with its poisonous cousin. If luck was with her, perhaps this Queen Layna would ingest that one instead.
“And the stones? If the stones are found and the curse broken that way, they will have no more reason to take the chokeroot and Gelendan will once again be in possession of the only cure and their talents will be back in full force.”
“The stones will never be used,” Kali scoffed. She realized now that she would never have been able to get them. The tribes all guarded them too carefully for her to have stolen them. “You don’t need to worry about that,” she promised. A small smile spread across her lips. “It will simply serve to keep them occupied while you come up with the real cure. Then, when Gelendan has seen what the Bricrui can do, and you have found a way to be in complete control of it…Treymayne will have the upper hand.”
“I don’t know why Lady Aria wants to unite with them anyway,” the man grumbled, “I think maybe she’s in on it with Lord Gryffon. Or maybe Queen Layna has them both spelled somehow. Two Treymaynians looking to unite with Gelendan. Bah!”
Kali grew tired of the conversation. She could tell that he would continue with their plans. She cared not whether the Lost Lands combined into one big foolish country. They would all pay no matter what they called themselves.
They would all pay.
*
“So does anyone have any ideas how we might find this elusive field of flowers?” Katya asked the group as a whole. The plant was described as a large yellow flower, and Katya was rather doubtful that a field full of such a thing would be missed by so many searchers if it did indeed exist. Rather, she thought it seemed like a good way for the Kanza to have gotten rid of them.
The Dena’ina leader seemed convinced of its existence, however, and spoke up, seeming to read her mind. “The fact that no one has since seen this field, though described as quite a breathtaking sight, suggests to me that the plants do not normally appear as such. Perhaps only during a certain time of year, or even magically camouflaged to keep from being eaten by animals?”
Katya couldn’t argue with that. But it didn’t help them get any closer to finding them. She glanced at Petra out of the corner of her eye. The woman had bowed to her wish to have her join their group as a regular member, rather than hide her face behind the confines of the cart. So far, other than her features not seeming to be quite as sharply defined as they had been back at the Kanza village, she looked very normal to Katya. She half-wondered if their self-image wasn’t just a bit skewed from years of thinking they would change.
“The man did mention it being in a valley,” Hunter spoke up, “and I don’t see many hills and valleys around here. That should narrow it down some.”
“To the north it becomes very mountainous very quickly,” Petra supplied. “And though there is much land to cover, the amount that could be termed ‘valley’ before becoming more cliff-like does narrow it down some.”
“So is our plan just to walk to the north and then follow the edge of the mountains one way or the other and hope we stumble upon it?” Katya asked skeptically.
Petra opened her eyes wide and bit her lip, and Hunter simply shrugged.
“I have faith,” the Dena’ina leader stated calmly.
“That makes one of us,” Katya murmured.
As they walked farther, Katya found herself staring at Petra. Her body seemed to be now rapidly changing and Katya no longer held onto the thought that the changes were exaggerated. At first, while Katya watched, she could have sworn that the woman’s shirt was getting longer in the back. Then suddenly it turned to feathers, the colors of the fabric moving to form definite feather shapes. Her legs grew thinner and something sprouted from the woman’s back.
All this happened without the woman’s apparent notice. She just kept walking as if she wasn’t turning into a bird before their very eyes. Almost everyone’s gaze in the group was centered on her, though those from the Dena’ina did not seem surprised, only curious at the actual transformation. Since Petra said that the changed-form was her normal one when living with the Dena’ina, she supposed this shouldn’t have been unexpected. Seeing the woman as she was in the Kanza village would have been more unusual to them.
The wings which had sprouted from the woman’s back grew larger, as did her nose, jutting out sharply like a beak. Her eyes grew darker and her hair slicked itself back on her head and formed feathers, the rest of her body shimmering and forming feathers out of skin and cloth alike as the magic of the Kanza powerstone wore off. Soon, Petra stood before them more bird than human.
Katya thought the result was rather beautiful herself, but the downward curve of the eyes and sharp claws which now protruded from knobby hands betrayed the more sinister intentions of the creators. The purpose had undoubtedly been for intimidation and killing. She felt an immediate bond with the girl. Though the situations were very different, both of them had been shaped into killing machines. Katya through her mind control, and this girl through changes in her very flesh.
The girl turned and caught Katya’s eyes. The black orbs sparkled and she smiled. She retained much of her human face, with only her elongated nose and shape and color of her eyes resembling the bird features, but keeping her human mouth.
Katya smiled back and Petra seemed to relax. No doubt she had been tensed for any number of reactions. The rest of the party took the transformation in stride as well, and though Katya caught Slade staring at the girl wide-eyed behind her back a few times, none seemed overly concerned by the change. Even the group of Knights that had ridden out with them did not make any comment. The rest of the Knights had stayed back with the Myaamia both for continued information as well as protection against any who might still be following Kali’s ways. They certainly didn’t need another attack from a few errant followers…or Kali herself.
Their party soon came to the edge of the mountainous region, and they adjusted their trek to parallel it. It soon became apparent, however, that they would have to find a new method of searching. Though their initial thought that the valley was likely to lie somewhere between these first hills and the mountains beyond, their estimation of the ‘hills’ turned out to be much too small.
There was a steep cliff face between them and the track of land beyond which they had determined had a high chance of being the home of this elusive plant. The reason for its remaining a secret was now more apparent. They spent hours trying to figure out how to get up and over the cliffs, to no avail.
Finally, exhausted and frustrated, Katya threw up her hands. “I don’t suppose you can use those things?” she exclaimed, waving towards Petra’s wing-like arms. She immediately regretted the rhetorical question, hoping she did not insult the girl.
“Not for very long distances,” she answered Katya, shrugging noncommittally, “but, yes, I can. A little. Not very well,” she didn’t seem very sure of her abilities. The Dena’ina leader, however, was smiling broadly.
“May I see?” Katya asked, taking her cue from the leader’s expression.
The girl threw out her arms in response, launching herself into the air. The entire party stepped back in surprised unison as Petra rose above them. She fluttered back down to the ground, and they all stood staring at her with dropped jaws. She smiled shyly at them.
Katya brightened. “Can you fly up over the ridge and see if you can find a path for us to follow up?”
Petra’s face lit up with understanding. “Of course! I should have thought of that.” She bunched her legs up again and leapt into the air, spreading her arm-wings wide. Though slightly unsteady, she was breathtaking.
Katya’s eyes fell on the Dena’ina
leader who was wearing a rather self-satisfied smile.
“Did you know she could do that?”
His smile grew. “It was rumored that the Kanza who found the field had similar…characteristics to Petra’s own. I admit to having hoped that she would discover how special she really is by this journey.”
Katya nodded, and admired his wisdom. Though Petra’s time with the Dena’ina had influenced her thinking to the better, there was still the undertone of resentment towards the changes to her flesh.
She returned not long after, the range of her flight significantly shorter than an actual bird’s, with no luck. The look of complete and utter failure in her eyes tore at Katya’s heart.
“We’ll have to walk a little farther along and send you back up, will you be up for it?” she asked the woman.
Petra nodded firmly, setting her jaw in a line of determination.
They walked another hour and sent her up again. Still no luck. They repeated this process well into the afternoon, and Petra began to sag from exhaustion. The flying obviously took quite a toll on her body.
“Why don’t you rest for a bit in the cart?” Katya suggested. They were still dragging along the cart that Petra had spent the first leg of their journey hidden within, now carrying supplies. Without waiting for Petra to answer, Katya opened the side and took out one of the packs, slinging it over her shoulder. One by one, the rest of the party also took one until the entire cart was empty.
“I couldn’t, it wouldn’t be fair…” Petra demurred weakly.
“Nonsense,” the Dena’ina leader said at the same time as Katya asked, “It wouldn’t be fair of us to expect you to go flying around every hour while all of us sit around and rest in the meantime?”
Petra sighed, which quickly turned into a yawn, and smiled her thanks to each of them. Then she settled into the cart and was soon fast asleep. They traveled another hour or so and stopped, ready to have her look, but waited until she woke of her own accord.
“How long have I been out?” she asked worriedly as soon as she looked around and saw the setting sun.
“The exact amount of time your body needed to rest,” Katya told her in a tone that allowed no argument. “Do you think you’re up for one more run today?”
Petra stretched out her wings, testing them for sore spots, and turned the corners of her mouth downwards. “I think so, I’ve never flown this much in one day, but they don’t seem to be any worse for wear.”
She happily took to the air once again and circled off, searching for their route.
Katya turned to the Dena’ina leader. “She doesn’t seem very well practiced, surely you take advantage of such an impressive trait?”
“Surely she must be very highly valued within the tribe for this trait,” Hunter cut in, rewording her question and giving her a look. Apparently she’d said something offensive.
The Dena’ina leader was not fazed by either comment. “We do very much covet her abilities, but she fails to see how impressive they are herself. She spent too many years with the thought-train that all changes made by the Dark King were negative that she can’t see how they can be used for good. We have given her jobs within the tribe which take advantage of this skill, but since all of them could technically be accomplished through more regular means, she chooses to see this as us simply giving her menial tasks to make her feel useful. She once again fails to see that while, yes, we could climb up the side of the mesa and perform the same task this way; by her flying up instead, it cuts down immensely on the amount of time it takes and also the amount of danger that someone would be put in.”
“I hope she remembers how special it is in the future,” Hunter said, “We certainly could not accomplish what she is doing now without her.”
“Yes, perhaps we could all try and point this out to her subtly?” the Dena’ina suggested to the group, who all were intently listening in, and everyone nodded.
A noise drew their attention upwards and they saw that Petra was already on her way back, and she was fluttering in the air first to one direction and then to another. It looked as though she may be having difficulty keeping to the air and Katya exchanged a worried glance with Hunter.
Petra tumbled to the ground fifty feet in front of the group, her body crumbling and rolling over the rough terrain. Katya and Hunter rushed forward with the rest. When they came closer, they could see that she was smiling. She got to her feet before any of them reached her and held out her arms to them.
Katya could now see the reason for her harried flight, her entire body was shaking with excitement.
“I found a way!” she exclaimed, “I really did it!”
Hunter clapped her on the back and all showered her with praise, the Dena’ina leader’s words fresh in their mind. The happiness on the girl’s face would have been enough for any of them even without the extra incentive. Her joy was contagious.
The path was hidden behind a large bolder and an entanglement of loose vegetation. Without Petra’s assurance that the way was clear just beyond from her reconnaissance above, Katya would never have attempted to get by. As it was, it took them only ten minutes to navigate their way through the brush and emerge on the other side, where a path led winding up the cliff.
At the top, they found a good area and settled in for the night, content with the fact that on the morrow they would be able to start their search in earnest. The path led along the top of the cliffs, affording them an excellent view into the valleys below.
Once the campsite was set up, Katya found herself still antsy and went to explore the region. She soon found herself sitting on a log, staring off into space. It was strange, after so much time away from people and avoiding their presence, she was actually enjoying this trek. Hunter, of course, she loved being near, and she felt a strange connection to Petra. But even the other members of the group, who she knew very little, seemed companionable. And being at the Myaamia, though much of the time had been unpleasant, had taught her to enjoy the company of others once more.
Hunter came and sat next to Katya looking out over the valley. She shifted slightly to give him room on the log.
“Do you think we’ll actually find this mysterious plant?” she asked him after a few moments of comfortable silence.
“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully, “but we have to try, right? Even if we were to stay up here, there’s no guarantee that we’d be free of the curse. I don’t know about you, but I’m not really looking forward to becoming some blood-thirsty pus-filled creature.”
“Nor just sitting by while the rest of the world does. I hate to say it, but I’m actually growing rather fond of the rest of humanity.”
Hunter laughed. “We’re not so bad after all, huh?”
“Well, some of you are still annoying,” she teased and they fell silent for a moment. She rested her head against his shoulder and he moved to put his arm around her. She sighed. “I just hate the idea that we might be on some wild goose chase. Wouldn’t our time be better spent elsewhere? Or just taking the stone?”
Hunter gave her a long look. “I’m not exactly the epitome of moral standards,” he admitted, “but I don’t think I’d be able to do that.”
She sighed again. “No, I guess I wouldn’t either. Sometimes I almost wish I had the collar on again,” she commented, though not really sincerely. “I didn’t have to think about consequences and emotions. I just did what had to be done.”
“Oh, yeah, that sounds much better than being able to choose what you think is right,” Hunter said.
She punched him good-naturedly on the arm. He leaned over and kissed her. The world seemed to slow around them. Then suddenly the air lit up as though with a thousand fireflies. Katya drew away, gasping.
“Hunter,” she started, pointing, but he was already seeing what she was. Down below them was a field of yellow flowers, opening their petals in the last light of day.
“Over here!” Hunter yelled, getting to his feet and dragging her up with hi
m. The rest of their party came running over and all of them stood at the top of the field, watching in awe as the last of the flowers opened. They reflected the final rays of sunlight around them, momentarily giving the valley a beautiful glow.
Petra ran down into their midst, and as she did so, her human features started returning. When she reached the bottom, she spun around in a circle, holding her human hands outstretched and her jaw dropping.
“We found it!” she exclaimed.
The rest of them clamored down the hill after her, in awed silence. Katya touched Hunter’s arm gently and pointed to the edge of the field. Now that they were in the valley, she could see what they missed from above. The edge was covered with chokeroot. Not only had they found the plant which would secure them the second powerstone, but they had stumbled across the plant desperately needed back in Gelendan to slow the spread.
“That was quite a kiss,” she joked to Hunter, squeezing him around his middle.
CHAPTER 7
Layna found herself once again seated before the Council and the Ieldran.
“Are you sure you’re telling us everything about this mysterious curse?” Heinrich asked them for the umpteenth time.
“We have shared with you and your mages everything we’ve been able to discover about it. Believe us, we want a cure to be found just as much – if not more, seeing as how we are the ones currently affected – as you do,” Gryffon answered this time, though Layna had already said as much many times over herself.
“But the two of you are on chokeroot?” Whitcomb asked abruptly.
“Yes,” Layna supplied, “We very much appreciate the supplies you sent, and our people up north were able to send us more. All of us at the palace are currently taking it and we have set up booths throughout the city to try and get it out to as many people as we can.”
Light the Reign (The Forgotten: Book 3) Page 8