Gifted

by JoMarie DeGioia

  Now and then he liked to present a particularly resourceful Brain with extra sweets or toys like the king gave him, though. His training was brutal and those who endured it always honed their skills. Well, he was rewarded when he performed to the king’s satisfaction, wasn’t he?

  In less than a minute the Brawn passed out and Dalton’s Brain was declared the winner of the first round. As Gregory’s girl was carried from the ring Dalton nodded at his boy, who returned the gesture. Then he stroked his beard and leaned back in his seat. Just three more Brawns to beat and his child would be declared Champion.

  The next two rounds were over just as quickly as the first. The second of his boy’s challengers was Dolph, the insolent Brawn Dalton had taught a lesson in the cells. Pity he wouldn’t add a patch to his tunic today. Dalton knew he wouldn’t have to intervene on his Brain’s behalf, and regretted that a bit. Dolph still showed signs of the unease Dalton had planted in his thoughts.

  The third competitor was even less of a challenge but, when Gregory’s fourth competitor took the ring Dalton knew his boy could be in trouble. The crowd sensed it too. A roar went up as Gregory’s boy entered. He was huge, easily as big as the idiot himself. He was also dangerously close to twenty years old. This was most likely one of his last Pageants. He would want to leave the ring today with another patch on his tunic. Patches marched up and down his sleeves and covered half of the back of the garment.

  Dalton sat up and caught his boy’s eye. He gave what everyone would think was a look of encouragement but he was really sliding into his mind.

  Do what you can to weaken this Brawn. I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt you.

  His boy blinked. But he’s very strong.

  Trust me. He felt the boy’s affection and deftly deflected it. Do you trust me?

  His Brain nodded then. I trust you.

  He accepted this reliance. It was necessary to their training and crucial to their victory. His children’s dependence was something he could use later should they ever get it into their gifted heads that they could leave the Pageants before their twentieth birthdays.

  The buzzer sounded and the fourth and final round began. The Brawn attacked right away, grabbing a metal rod and swinging it over his head until it whistled. The crowd was immediately enthralled and began to hoot and holler, but Dalton couldn’t pay attention to anything but what was happening in the ring. He’d made a promise to his boy and he’d keep it. How would he hold his head high in court if he lost a competitor at this stage?

  The metal rod came close to his boy’s midsection but he managed to dodge the blow. That was a very good thing, for the force behind the rod was impressive. It spun the Brawn in a circle. He let out a battle cry and turned to run the rod through his opponent. In the next moment, Dalton’s boy focused and stunned him with his mind. The Brawn staggered back against the ropes, the metal rod now held slack in his hands. Dalton hid his smile as he leaned forward. Now he’d strike.

  The Brawn’s eyes opened wide as he joined his boy in his mind. He pushed hard, making him grasp the rod and spin it again. He began to turn, crying out in confusion as he started to hit himself in the legs and chest. It wasn’t enough to stop him, though.

  He charged at Dalton’s boy, who dashed out of reach. His connection to the Brawn’s mind wavered but Dalton was there to pick up the slack. He threw all of the considerable power he had and the big boy struck himself in the head in an effort to get him out of it. Blood poured down his face as he fought against the invasion. It didn’t work, though. It never did, really.

  With a twist of his mind Dalton made him turn the rod and jam it through his stomach. With a long cry, the Brawn fell. Dalton pulled out and sat back, well-earned satisfaction causing him to smile. Blood soaked the mat beneath the big boy and the announcer called an end to the match.

  The crowd went wild as Dalton’s boy was declared Champion. Both children wore the Brawn’s blood, the red combining with the blue and yellow to depict the Pageant symbol’s colors. To Dalton, it was the prettiest sight he’d seen in a while.

  The king clapped, beaming in Dalton’s direction. Attendants came and carried the bloodied Brawn from the ring and Gregory looked pissed off as he followed them down to the medical rooms. Despite the blood Dalton guessed the boy would probably make it. It was just a belly wound. The damage to his head would be longer lasting, even though they were from his own hand. If he was as stupid as Gregory, that would be of little consequence.

  Dalton slid into his boy’s mind again. Well done.

  The boy grinned and Dalton withdrew. He felt a tingling then, that awareness he’d felt whenever Alyssa was near. He closed his eyes, shutting out the cheers and applause as the Pageant concluded as he sent his battle-heightened gift outward. He saw flashes of people he didn’t know and a place he’d never been. He knew it, though. Alyssa’s consciousness filled him and he knew just where she was. He gasped as the truth struck him.

  She was at Rosemont.

  Well-wishers and hangers-on surrounded him. At least they seemed to know he didn’t like to be touched after a match. They congratulated him on his child’s victory but as Dalton accepted their accolades he plotted. He would send a few of his men to Rosemont and grab Alyssa. He would leave her brother, he didn’t need the brat, and have her dragged back to Merrickwood.

  She would be in the next Pageant. He’d see to it. He’d install her in a cell beneath the castle with every luxury, of course. He’d reward her when she excelled at his training, as he fully expected her to do.

  But before any of that, he would make her pay for running from him in the first place.

  Chapter 17

  Kelwin sat at the table with Lord Malcolm again. The evening’s meal was over and the hall grew quiet. It was about a week after the aborted raid on Rosemont, and he still couldn’t believe he’d been able to prevent it. Their thoughts had reached him, just like outside on the hunt. They’d felt cold and desperate and determined. He’d be able to push past the pain the contact with the strangers caused using skills he’d learned with Malcolm’s training and gotten into the leader’s mind.

  “You convinced them to stay away, Kelwin,” Malcolm said.

  “Yeah.” He’d even inserted a fear of Rosemont’s soldiers into the other men. “That last part was so easy, Malcolm.”

  “What part?”

  “Convincing them to be afraid of us.”

  Malcolm’s brows rose. “You had no choice.”

  “But I was in their heads.”

  “And that should help secure that they stay away. At least for this winter. Isn’t that what’s important?”

  Kelwin nodded. Something had been bothering him since that night, though. He’d thought about keeping it to himself but he had to ask Malcolm. “You’re sure it didn’t hurt?”

  “Did you feel any pain from any of them?”

  “No, thank God.” Kelwin leaned back in his chair. “I would have, right? If I hurt them I’d have felt it?”

  “Most definitely.”

  Kelwin thought about the mind-boggling moment he’d felt their thoughts bend to his. “I can see why Dalton does what he does. It made me feel…powerful.”

  “He doesn’t do what you did. Not really. Not for the benefit of those he cares about, anyway.” Malcolm placed his hand on Kelwin’s arm. “He doesn’t care about anyone. He cares about his own comfort. He cares about his status with the king.”

  Kelwin glanced around the hall and saw how safe his family was at the moment. His mother and Chelsey chatted over near the hearth. He was so used to seeing them there that he took comfort from the familiarity, even if his father’s sword was in clear view as well.

  Alyssa wasn’t there, but she’d kept herself separate from the Rosemonts from the beginning. She was still afraid of Dalton but she had to know now that he would keep her safe. He’d protected Rosemont, hadn’t he? She was one girl with one little brother. She had to know he could protect them.

  She’d thanked h
im for using his gift the morning after. That had surprised him but he’d felt so proud then. He’d touched her hand, too. He’d felt warm and tingly, though there wasn’t any pain. Like an idiot he’d said something or other, he couldn’t remember, and just attributed his success to his gift and to Malcolm’s training. She still fought any idea of her own gift, though.

  “Where’s Alyssa?” Malcolm asked.

  Kelwin jerked his head around to face him. “Probably out in the garden. She likes to hide out there.”

  “Hide?” Malcolm smiled. “Yes, she does that.”

  “From me?”

  Malcolm shook his head.

  “From Donnic?”

  Malcolm smiled. “No.”

  Kelwin got what he meant then. “You mean from her gift.”

  “She’s going to have to face it someday soon, Kelwin.”

  “You think Dalton is still looking for her?”

  “Why would he give her up?”

  Kelwin was quiet for a minute. “There was another Pageant. Just a few days ago.”

  Malcolm nodded. “Yes. There’s one every month.”

  “Does he have a lot of kids? Dalton, I mean?”

  Malcolm shrugged. “He does, but he’s always looking for more.”

  “Because they could die.”

  “He protects his kids if they’re good competitors.”

  “And if they’re not?”

  He knew Malcolm was trying to spare him. He could feel that disgust he’d sensed on the first night he’d come here at Rosemont.

  “You can tell me the truth, Malcolm.”

  “He and Lord Gregory find and train the kids,” Malcolm said. “They’re not responsible for their keeping.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  His lips thinned. “When we go to Lotherin, you’ll see for yourself.”

  “We’re going to court?”

  “We’ll have to, won’t we?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Malcolm leaned forward. “If we plan to stop the Pageants, we have to.”

  “I know you said we have to stop them, but how?”

  Before Malcolm could answer, Thomas ran into the hall.

  “She’s gone!” Thomas ran to Chelsey and hugged her legs. “Alyssa’s gone!”

  “What?” Kelwin jumped to his feet and ran toward the hearth. “Where is she?”

  “Did she leave?” Chelsey asked.

  Thomas was crying now, muttering something about going to their room to find her and she was just gone.

  “Are her things missing?” his mother asked the little boy.

  Thomas shook his head and rubbed his nose. “N-no. I thought she was in the room but she wasn’t and she wasn’t in the garden, either.”

  Kelwin’s stomach clenched. “He took her.”

  “We don’t know that,” Malcolm said.

  Kelwin stared at him for a beat. “Don’t we?”

  Malcolm’s mouth dropped open. He began to speak when Donnic came in.

  “Where were you?” Kelwin asked him.

  “Michal and I were training with the soldiers. Why? What’s going on?”

  “Alyssa’s missing,” Chelsey said.

  Donnic’s face turned pale. “What?”

  “Dalton took her,” Kelwin said. “He had to. She wouldn’t leave without Thomas.”

  Thomas threw himself at Kelwin’s legs. There was a sting at first contact but it was gone as Thomas’s fear and worry struck him. Find her, Kelwin.

  Kelwin was stunned. He hadn’t suspected this but Thomas might have Alyssa’s gift. His belly clenched. That would put him in more danger than any of them could imagine.

  He rubbed the boy’s shoulders, sending warmth and comfort into his small body. I will.

  Thomas sniffled and looked up at him. Pure trust was in his amber eyes and Kelwin knew he had to do everything in his power to bring Alyssa back to her little brother.

  Chelsey gently pried Thomas away from him, shock clear on her face that he’d been able to touch him. “Easy, sweetheart,” she said. “Come sit by the fire while Kelwin and Lord Malcolm figure this out.”

  “You can find her?” Donnic asked.

  He looked very worried for the girl he used to tease. Did Donnic like her now?

  Kelwin set aside a flash of jealousy and faced Malcolm. “Where would he take her?” he asked him.

  Malcolm met his gaze. “Where do you think?”

  “Not to court. Not yet.”

  “To Merrickwood, then.”

  “Use your gift and find her,” his mother said.

  His mother’s eyes were intent on him. He nodded to her and sent his gift outward as he had the night before the raid. This time he fought to focus a single thread toward the west. He caught whispers of thoughts as his mind traveled over the miles between the two estates. But it was one particular mind that drew his. Warmth filled him as he located Alyssa. Stark fear tasted like blood on his tongue. He fisted his hands as he sent her one clear thought.

  I’ll find you.

  There was no answer but he felt her fear ease a bit. He pulled back and looked at the sword above the hearth. With long strides he crossed the floor and grabbed the thing off the wall. He tested its heft. It was lighter than he’d imagined all these years.

  “Your father’s sword,” his mother said.

  He flipped it in his hand, settling it firmly in his palm. It felt like it was an extension of his arm. It was much more comfortable than the training weapons they used with Michal. It felt…right.

  “I use my father’s gift,” he said. “Why shouldn’t I use his sword?”

  His mother’s eyes watered but she smiled at him.

  He turned to Donnic. “You’ll come with me?”

  “Of course I will.”

  He knew his cousin had feelings for Alyssa, whatever they might be, but there wasn’t anybody he’d want beside him in a fight with Dalton. They’d put their gifts together. Between his brain and Donnic’s strength, they would find a way to beat him.

  He gave Donnic a nod. “We’ll leave at first light.”

  ***

  Alyssa rode on the back of the horse, her teeth chattering in the icy wind. Her wrists were tied and she was tethered to the soldier sitting behind her. He was one of her father’s men, but he didn’t seem to recognize her as anything but a target. How had the three soldiers snuck past Rosemont’s guard? Had they hurt him? They’d been swift and brutal when they grabbed her from the garden. She didn’t expect their behavior to change now that they were clearly on their way with their prey.

  She wore a thick fur cloak one of the soldiers had thrown over her, but she still felt every bit of the bitterly cold night. How long had they been riding? She had no idea. The night was dark, with clouds hiding the sliver of moon in the sky. There was no way to judge where they were by the stars as her father had taught her but she didn’t need the stars to know where they were going. Dalton was having her dragged back to Merrickwood.

  She’d tried to fight them off as they’d grabbed her but they were so much stronger than she was. She was sure the one sharing his horse with her was physically gifted, like Donnic. Even for his size his grip had been bruising, his arms like bands around her as she’d kicked to try to free herself. His huge hand covered her mouth so she couldn’t call out a warning or for help.

  Why had she gone out to the garden in the first place? Yes, she wanted to get away from everything Kelwin was making her feel since the aborted raid on Rosemont. Yes, she didn’t want to face that she had a gift, too. But it had been beyond stupid.

  One of the other soldiers had fallen on his butt when she’d fought the one holding her, just like Kelwin had in the hall the night before the raid. It couldn’t be a coincidence. It had to be proof that she had some sort of power. Maybe if she had trained with Malcolm like Kelwin pushed her to she could have been able to fight off the soldiers and stay where she was safe. She could have stayed with her little brother. She squeezed h
er eyes shut to keep in the tears. She didn’t need them to freeze on her cheeks tonight, and she doubted any show of emotion would make a difference to these men.

  It didn’t seem like they were going to rest for the night. After a brief stop to see to the horses, they’d continued on. They’d reach Merrickwood sometime tomorrow, then. Funny, but it had taken days and days to reach Rosemont when she and Thomas had traveled this way. There was something to be said for having a stable of fast horses. Her father’s stable was yet another perk Dalton took when the king gave him Merrickwood.

  A voice whispered in her head, familiar and comforting. I’ll find you.

  “Kelwin,” she whispered. She couldn’t send her own thoughts back to him even if she knew how. Not tonight and not so far away from him. The times she’d connected with him had been so immediate, so smooth, that she had no idea how to control it. Again, she was mad at herself that she hadn’t trained with Malcolm.

  She believed Kelwin’s promise, though. He’d saved Rosemont from that raid and he would save her too. He’d promised. She might not know what he felt for her but she knew he was as good as his word. Spoken or thought.

  She huddled down into her cloak as much as she could manage. The soldiers said nothing to each other, apparently still under Dalton’s spell. His gift must be very powerful if he held them in thrall over this distance. It didn’t help that they rode closer and closer to Merrickwood with no sign of taking a rest. She doubted she’d get any sleep anyway.

  As the sun came up behind them Alyssa came awake with a jerk. So she’d slept. She glanced over at the two soldiers flanking the horse she was on and saw they were exhausted. The man behind her tensed and she realized that must be what woke her. Craning her neck, she tried to see what was troubling him. He didn’t meet her gaze, though. No. He stared straight ahead.

  “My lord,” he said, his voice flat.

  She knew then. Slowly, she faced front again.

  And saw Dalton standing at the entrance of Merrickwood.

  Chapter 18

  The horses slowed as they approached Dalton. As they drew closer, Alyssa couldn’t look anywhere but at the baron’s face. His eyes were glittering in obvious triumph and his mouth was set in a smirk. He wore a beard now, and she could see why he’d grown it. The skin on his right cheek was puckered and scarred. That must be from the fire the night she escaped. Good for him.