by Tamie Dearen
“Father, can’t you tell them?” asked Kaevin. “They won’t believe us.”
Graely put a hand on Charles’ shoulder. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but we have some pretty strong evidence they really are soulmates.”
Raelene shook her head, but Graely interrupted. “I know, Raelene. I didn’t believe it was possible, either. But talk to Nordamen. He’s convinced by what he observed.”
“They’re too young,” said Charles. “She’s only fifteen. Can’t this soulmate thing be reversed somehow?”
“That’s my preference, as well,” Graely agreed. “But for now, until we’ve dealt with Vindrake, we have no other options.”
“I thought they just had to hold hands,” Charles muttered, his brows pushing into a scowl.
“When Alora uses her gift, it draws strength from both of them. Kissing appears to replenish the stores more quickly than holding hands.”
“If it’s truly a soulmate bond, that could be true.” Raelene agreed, but Alora felt her disapproving glare.
“Please, can we argue about this later?” asked Alora. “I need to get some advice from Grandmother about how to aid in the battle.”
“Kaevin and I need to take our places, as well. Charles, we will have a discussion when this is over, if all goes well.” Graely’s eyes flashed across the canyon wall where the warriors were settling in preparation for the anticipated attack.
“Alora, I’ve been waiting for you up in the cleft. Are you coming?” At the sound of Beth’s voice, Alora saw her Uncle turn. No time to warn her.
“Uhmm, I’m coming, Beth. But ...”
Beth tugged on Graely’s elbow. “Let me check your shoulder before you go. I’ve got your morning dose of antibiotics. Do you need some more pain medicine?”
“I’d appreciate some more of your magick circles,” said Graely. “They do seem to help a bit with the ache. I am fortunate the knife lodged in my left shoulder. I can’t use a bow, but I can still handle a sword and throw a knife.”
“Beth,” said Charles, “I see you’re busy playing nurse here, while your mother is worried out of her mind.”
“Oh!” Two bright red patches bloomed on Beth’s cheeks as her eyes fell on Charles and Raelene. “Hi, Mr. Whitford. I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t realize Mom even knew I was gone.”
“We knew you’d lied to us when Alora transported Willow, and we spoke with your mother,” Raelene clarified. “How do you intend to explain this to her?”
“I don’t know. She’s probably going to kill me, but I can’t worry about it right now.” She dug in her bag and handed several pills to Graely. He swallowed them without a drink and grabbed Kaevin, pulling him away from Alora and guiding him to their designated place on the canyon wall.
“I suppose Wesley is here as well?” Charles asked Alora with obvious irritation.
“Yes, sir. He’s way up there. He brought two compound bows with him. But please, Uncle Charles, can we discuss my punishment later? After the battle?”
“I don’t see why you can’t go back to Montana where it’s safe. And take Beth and Wesley with you.” Charles’ face was red, and he spoke between gritted teeth.
“But it’s my responsibility,” she said firmly. “My father’s men already kidnapped Jireo’s sister because they thought she was me. He won’t stop until he’s defeated. I can’t leave them here to die when I have the ability to help.”
Raelene put a hand on both their arms. “I suggest we all go to the high cleft immediately. We would not wish to be standing out in the open, arguing, when the Water Clan warriors arrive.”
Alora gave Raelene a grateful glance as they all followed Beth, climbing up to the protective overhang. Upon reaching safety, Charles looked ready to begin his argument with Alora again, but Raelene cornered her first. “Alora, I need to ask you some questions.”
“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Fire away.”
Raelene looked confused at her response, but smiled and led her to sit beside her on a rock. “Describe what you’ve done. What transports have you accomplished?”
“Well, I brought all four of us here.”
“How did you accomplish those transports? Did Kaevin transport with you each time?”
“No, I brought all four of us at once, and I had to let Kaevin lead us to Jireo because I didn’t know what he looked like.”
“You transported all four of you? And you transported to someone you’d never met? To a place you’d never been? You didn’t go to Laegenshire?”
“No. We went straight to Jireo. And then Kaevin imagined Arista in his mind while I held his hand, and we fetched her back to camp, away from the kidnappers.”
Raelene frowned. “Just Arista? Not the man who was holding her?”
“She was running away from him at the time. In fact, I think he’d just caught up with her.” She was suddenly embarrassed. “But I didn’t hear the report at first, because I accidentally transported Kaevin and me back to the dance hall in Montana. And when I brought us back, we both kind of passed out.”
Raelene’s eyebrows furrowed. “I see. And how did you recover?”
“Beth put our hands together, and then when we woke up... well, Kaevin woke up first, and Beth told him to try... uhmm...” Alora’s face felt hot. “She told him to kiss me.”
“I see.” Raelene’s face was unreadable. “And what other transports have you done?”
“Well, I kind of brought Willow here by accident. And that one gave Kaevin and me both a headache. But at the time, we didn’t realize that’s what was happening. And then I went to Laegenshire and back four times and brought back more fighters, three at a time. But the last time, I brought back four, and that’s when we both passed out again.”
“You brought back four men at one time?”
“No, actually, it was three men and one woman.”
Raelene was quiet for a moment. “It must be true. No bearer could do what you’ve done, even with your powerful wander-jewel. The only way you could do these things is if you were soulmated. That’s the only thing that could enhance your gift to such an extent.” She stood up and began to pace. “Only you’re too young.”
“But it’s true!” Alora declared. “I know you think we’re too young—”
“No, I believe you. I believe you and Kaevin are soulmates, now. I simply don’t understand why it happened when you’re so young. It’s not good. It’s too difficult to maintain. You could both die so easily.”
“Oh, I don’t think we’re going to die or anything. We’ve just gotten headaches and passed out. There hasn’t been any lasting damage.”
“Alora!” Raelene’s tone was sharp. “Please don’t take this lightly. Do you know what would have happened if someone hadn’t been around to move you back together when you passed out? Do you realize what would’ve happened if you’d passed out in Laegenshire instead of after you’d returned to the camp?”
She felt the blood drain from her face. It really hadn’t seemed that dangerous at the time.
“That’s the problem with your age. When you’re young you feel invincible. You don’t realize the reality of death. Kaevin, perhaps, has seen enough death and danger to take it seriously, despite his youth.”
“Okay, okay! I get it. It’s serious. It’s dangerous. I’ll be careful. But I still need your help.”
“I’m not convinced of Graely’s wisdom in letting the two of you separate during a battle.”
“Well, I figure I can always bring Kaevin to me if I start to feel weak or dizzy or get a headache.”
“You’ve never moved anyone away from you. It’s much more difficult, but it could be useful. Moving objects would be extremely helpful, but I know we haven’t the time to master that.”
“Let’s work on the first one,” she agreed. “Then I could fetch Kaevin if I need him, and send him back.”
“You can practice with me,” said Raelene. She stepped a few feet away. “First, move me towar
d you, and then try to move me back.”
She quickly moved Raelene to her. But when she tried to move her back, nothing happened.
“Be patient and relax,” said Raelene. “Picture it happening. Pretend you are where you want me to be, and bring me to yourself.”
She concentrated and tried to do exactly what Raelene suggested. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She heard Raelene’s laughter from a short distance away. “Well, you sent one of us over there—just the wrong one.”
She was dismayed when she opened her eyes to find herself where she’d meant to send her grandmother.
“Don’t be hard on yourself.” Raelene smiled. “You’ve already mastered more than I would have expected in months of training. As long as you can bring Kaevin to yourself when you need him, that’s the important thing, for now.”
“But I want to be able to help,” she said. “What good am I if I can’t do what a bearer needs to do?” Alora began to pace back and forth.
Raelene sighed. “Getting upset will only make it harder to achieve your goal. You have to be in total control at all times, or you could make fatal mistakes. If you accidentally transport yourself somewhere and pass out, you’ll kill both yourself and Kaevin. It’s better to do nothing than to make an accidental sending.”
“Okay. You’re right, of course.” She took slow breaths to calm herself and walked back to stand in front of Raelene. “I’ll just stand here and think about it until it happens. If you have any ideas to help me, throw them out there.”
Alora stood still and quiet for ten minutes, attempting to relax and move her grandmother a few feet away. She tried to remember exactly how she imaged transporting someone to herself. How was it that she pictured it in her mind? It was more like a desire or a wish, rather than willing something to happen. So, if she wished for Raelene to move instead of trying to force her to move, maybe that would—
“Excellent,” cried Raelene, before letting out a groan. “Now we can work on the landing.”
Alora looked up to find her grandmother a few feet away, sprawled on the ground. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Grandmother!” She ran to help her up.
“No, no. I didn’t expect to land on my feet the first time. Especially at the beginning when you need to close your eyes to concentrate.”
“But I could’ve hurt you!”
“I’m fine. I’m thrilled—really. Let’s do it again. Ten more times at a short distance, and we can try farther away.”
“Do you think this will draw too much power from the soulmate bond?”
“To be honest, I don’t know. When this is over, we need to talk to someone who knows more.”
“Who would that be? Who can we ask?”
“There’s only one other soulmated couple who may still be alive, but we don’t know where they are. They disappeared ten years ago, and most people assume they died. But perhaps we can find some information in the Craedenza where the ancient scrolls are stored.”
Alora felt a surge of hope that this couple might still be living. How great it would be to talk to someone who really knew about being soulmates from firsthand experience. She continued to practice for the next two hours, eventually progressing to the point where she transported her grandmother safely to Kaevin’s side. She even managed to set her down on her feet, although she wobbled a bit. She waved down at them, shuffling her feet in a victory dance. She transported Raelene and Kaevin to her.
He smiled, flashing his dimples, and her heart turned over in her chest. She felt her heart racing as he leaned in and kissed her gently on her trembling lips. “Does your head hurt?” she asked.
“No, but we shouldn’t take any chances. Right?”
“Ahem!” Raelene cleared her throat. “I doubt your bond needs strengthening from these short transports. Alora, if you’re ready, try sending him back to Graely.”
“See you later.” She made the transport with smooth confidence, and Kaevin was standing next to his father. He waved up with a smile, having landed perfectly on his feet.
“I see you gave him a better landing,” Raelene remarked.
Charles left his place beside Beth to join them, with his arms crossed. “When is this attack happening? I thought Graely said it was imminent.”
“He actually has no way of knowing,” said Raelene. “If Alora were a few years older and a lot more experienced, she could transport back down the trail to see where they are. I used to transport from treetop to treetop until I spotted the enemy. But we simply can’t risk such a thing right now.”
“They’re not far away,” Alora announced. “I can feel them now.”
Raelene’s brows tightened. “What do you mean? What can you feel?”
“I feel something wrong, something evil. It’s getting closer. It’s almost like a faint smell that’s growing stronger. It’s starting to bother me now.”
“That sounds like a different gift.” Raelene hesitated a moment. “There is a gift called discernment. I would say it’s impossible to have another major gift if you’re a bearer, but you’ve already proven nothing is impossible. Still, it would be too much to hope you have the gift.”
“Would that gift be helpful? We could have brought someone else from Laegenshire,” she suggested.
“There’s no one in Laegenshire or in all of Stone Clan with the gift. Valor was chief of discernment, but we lost him in Vindrake’s last attack. Alas, we have no others who have the gift—at least none we know of.”
“Look!” said Alora. “Those four men! There’s something wrong with them. Why isn’t Morvaen signaling for the attack?”
Alora pointed at four men riding through the canyon on horseback. They rode casually, making no threatening movements toward their weapons. Morvaen watched them with intense interest, peering from behind a rock, but gave no signal to attack.
“Are you absolutely certain? They don’t have a bondmark I can sense.”
“They’re masked, just like those men that were in Laegenshire that day.”
“Send me back to Graely so I can report to him. I’ll signal when I’m ready to come back. No! Wait! Three riders are approaching from the other direction. Do you sense anything about these men?”
She concentrated, trying to sense something from the three men. “No. They feel fine to me. At least they don’t feel evil.”
Graely stood up and called out to the three. He crawled down from his perch and spoke to the men. There was some arguing and raised voices, and eventually they continued on their way.
As he climbed back to his hiding place beside Kaevin and Jireo, Raelene told Alora, “Take both of us to Graely so he can question you if need be.”
Immediately, they stood before Graely, who listened with surprise to Raelene’s report. “This could be a wonderful development if she’s truly gifted with discernment. We’ll set a watch to the rear, so we won’t be caught by surprise if they come back.”
“Maybe if I talked to my father,” said Alora. “Maybe he would stop all this. He really seemed to want a chance at a relationship. He might listen to his own daughter.” Alora could feel Kaevin’s and Jireo’s disapproving eyes boring into her back as she verbalized her thoughts to Graely.
Graely’s brows knitted together. “Alora, surely you don’t believe him. He wishes to use you for his own purposes.”
“I’m not saying he hasn’t done evil things. I just don’t want to believe he’s beyond redemption. He might be willing to change... for me. And surely he wouldn’t hurt his own daughter.”
Raelene spoke, blinking her watery eyes. “The man who kidnapped my daughter, raped her, and caused her death, will not be allowed to take my granddaughter from me as well.”
Alora swiped at a tear trickling down her cheek. “Half of me came from him. If I believe he’s so evil he can’t ever change, what does that say about me?”
Her grandmother pulled her into an embrace. “Vindrake wasn’t born evil. He became evil through the decisions he made and t
he evil influences in his life. You are pure of heart, influenced by the love of your aunt and uncle. And you’ve made good decisions. Even the decisions I disagree with weren’t made with malintent.”
Graely patted Alora gently on the shoulder. “If anyone could ever make him change, it would be you, Alora. But I’m afraid you’re simply too late. Thirty years ago, you might have had a chance, but then he began implementing his bond of fealty on all of Water Clan. Now he’s done such evil things I believe he must have destroyed his soul.”
If I ever get the chance, I’m still going to try. She tried to change the subject. “Who were those three who went the other way? The ones you argued with? They felt okay to me.”
“They were Forest Clan, simple travelers. I warned them about Vindrake’s men ahead. Tried to convince them to turn back from the danger, but they don’t trust me. They refused to listen. I only hope Vindrake allows them to pass unharmed since they have no connection to you.”
“You don’t think he’d hurt them for no reason, do you?” she asked.
“No one can predict his actions or understand the motivations behind his evil.”
Chapter Ten
“It wasn’t difficult to force the prisoners to talk, Master Vindrake,” Abaddon said with a sardonic grin. “As we suspected, Graely and his group are waiting in the canyon. Graely is located low on the east wall. He warned them against us, but they didn’t listen. I assume they now regret that decision.”
“And did they see the girl?” Vindrake tried to hide his eagerness. He might appear weak if his men perceived how great was his desire to capture Lena and gain her loyalty. He could never allow anyone to gain a tool to use in leverage against him.
“No, they didn’t see her. But our plan will work even if she’s not present in the canyon. Once you have kidnapped someone, she will come to you.”
“Yes,” Vindrake agreed. “Especially if we can take someone important. Perhaps we can take Graely alive. He’s wounded, is he not?”
“The prisoners reported he has a bandaged shoulder.”