by Anna Kashina
The water felt warm and soothing, so different from early this morning when she had to spend a long time out in the open lake searching for escape. It felt so good to relax, to flip over on her back and float, taking in the surroundings as the clear, brownish water caressed and supported her tired limbs. Low sunbeams licked her dark skin with long, fiery tongues. She could hear the other two girls splashing near the shore, laughing and talking in discreetly muffled voices. Discussing her? She didn’t really care.
It may have been more polite to stay closer to them. They did invite her to share their swim, after all. Yet, she knew it was no use. These girls would never accept her as one of their own. Definitely not now, when the Kaddim’s mind link made everyone shun and avoid her.
The sun rolled down toward the horizon, slowly sinking into the distance. Regretfully, Kara flipped over and slowly swam back to shore. Back in the reed thicket, she quickly rubbed herself dry, aware of the other two girls watching her intently.
“Anything wrong with me?” she asked.
Lady Celana let out a short laugh. “We were curious,” she admitted. “You have an amazing muscle tone, but shape-wise you don’t look that different from other young girls. How could you possibly be so strong?”
Kara’s eyes widened. Such frankness caught her by surprise.
“I guess I was born this way,” she said.
“Still.” Celana exchanged a quick glance with Ellah, who looked uncomfortable, studying Kara with quiet challenge. “We expected that up close you would look more like… like a man.” Her face darkened with a blush in the gathering dusk.
Kara laughed. “Is this why you invited me for a bath? To take a closer look at me?”
“No,” Celana said. “We invited you because it was a natural thing to do. There are only three of us – I mean, girls – on this trip. It’s just that I… I couldn’t quite contain my curiosity.” She looked down briefly, as if embarrassed, but the way her eyes returned boldly to Kara’s face suggested otherwise.
Kara watched her with interest. This royal lady was probably raised with people watching reverently while she followed her every whim. Any hint of embarrassment on her part seemed like a big step.
“Personally,” Lady Celana went on, “I couldn’t stop wondering how you could possibly have swept the two most important men in our party so completely off their feet.”
Here we go. Kara glanced away to hide her irritation. The last thing she needed was a confrontation with her traveling companions over men. At the same time, if this were to be hanging between them for the rest of the trip, it seemed better to have this conversation sooner rather than later.
“Did seeing me naked up close answer your question?” she asked.
For the first time in her life she saw Celana look genuinely uncomfortable. “No. Except…”
“Except what?”
“You… You are very beautiful,” the royal lady said quietly.
“So are you.” Kara meant it. Even without the dramatic combination of green eyes, flaming red hair, and porcelain white skin, Lady Celana would have been considered a beauty. Her air of royal confidence definitely added to the effect.
“Thank you,” Lady Celana said. “I am used to hearing that, of course – but not from someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” Kara felt intrigued.
“You have nothing to gain by saying that.”
Kara couldn’t help but smile. To hear Celana speak with such open honesty was arresting. Unexpectedly she found this conversation refreshing, like the swim in the lake itself had been.
“I suppose not,” she admitted. “So you must know I’m speaking the truth, don’t you?”
“I do,” Ellah said.
“Of course you do,” Kara mumbled. “You’re a truthseer.” And I’d do well to remember that. Despite the civil tone, she knew when she was being confronted.
Celana tied her wet hair into a knot at the back of her head and smoothed away the loose fiery-red strands, keeping her eyes on Kara all the time. “So, beauty is clearly not the answer.”
Kara chuckled. “Did you expect me to be different from you?”
“There is a difference between us, yes – one that, as I heard, men tend to find irresistible.” Lady Celana’s blush deepened. “You… You are experienced.”
Kara lowered the knife belt she was about to slip on and looked at the royal lady in disbelief. “You think my sexual experience helps me seduce men?”
“Doesn’t it?”
Kara sighed. “I don’t seduce anyone on purpose. I never think of it, in fact.”
“You seem to enjoy the effect, though.”
“What do you mean?”
Celana held her gaze. “Every time you are around, Prince Kythar has eyes only for you. As if the rest of us are not even there.”
Kara’s lips twitched into a smile. “I don’t do this on purpose, if that’s what you mean… I would much rather he didn’t.”
Lady Celana looked into her face searchingly. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“You have no interest in him?”
Kara’s eyes widened. Could Celana seriously think Kara was interested in Kyth?
“No,” she said.
The royal lady’s shoulders sagged as she exhaled. A quick triumphant smile lit up her face.
Kara hesitated. Perhaps it was the darkness, but she suddenly couldn’t read Celana at all. Did the lady think she just handed Kyth to her? Was she genuinely interested? Or did she see him merely as a tool for fulfilling her political ambitions?
“I have no romantic interest in him,” Kara said distinctly. “I assume this was what you were asking. However, as a close friend, I want to see him find happiness. I would feel very personal if anyone hurt him for their own gain.”
Lady Celana lifted her chin. “You do care about him then?” The words sounded almost like an accusation.
“Yes,” Kara said. “I do. As a friend. Which means, you are free to pursue your feelings for him – but only if you mean well. He is a good man who deserves happiness, not another heartbreak.”
Once again, she felt amazed how the royal lady showed no disconcert at all. She merely nodded, as if receiving a simple piece of information.
“Thank you,” she said. “That’s all I wanted to know.” She turned and walked away toward camp, her slim, elegant shape melting into the gathering dusk.
Kara turned to follow, but Ellah stepped forward, blocking her way. Kara lifted her eyes, surprised. Being a superb warrior she wasn’t used to this, especially not from someone who wasn’t even pretending to be proficient with weapons.
She looked at the girl with silent question.
“I do care about Kyth too,” Ellah said softly. “As a friend. I’m sure you are aware that my friendship with him goes much further back than yours, and I know him much better than you do. What Lady Celana said was true. My heart bleeds too, every time I watch him looking your way.”
Kara held her gaze. “If I could just disappear from his path, I’d be glad to. But, for better or worse, we are all stuck together until we finish off the Kaddim.”
Ellah’s sharp-featured face looked hazy in the darkness.
“I know you speak the truth,” she said. “My gift tells me this much. I know Kyth wouldn’t care for you if you weren’t a good person. And Mai – he would never fall in love with you if you weren’t worthy.”
Mai. Kara lifted her eyebrows. To hear Ellah speak his name so tenderly, as if talking about a very close person, made her wonder. She was used by now to the way non-Majat often omitted warrior titles because they did not fully appreciate their significance. But the way Ellah spoke just now suggested more.
How did this girl become so familiar with Mai as to speak of his love life?
“Do you really think you know everyone so well?” It was hard to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Ellah shrugged. “I can tell if people truly mean what they say. It’s eye-opening to r
ealize how often this turns out not to be the case. My gift has told me one thing about Lady Celana. She may be hard to read at times, but her intentions are true. She loves Kyth. And, she could truly make him happy – if he lets her.”
Kara forced her thoughts back to Kyth, away from the way Ellah mentioned Mai’s name, so matter-of-factly and yet with such deep interest in his feelings. It didn’t take a truthseer to realize that there was more here than met the eye – at least on Ellah’s part. She ached to know more. But she would be damned if she ever let these thoughts surface. Questioning Ellah about this would suggest that she doubted Mai, and nothing could be further from the truth. She loved him and she trusted him more than she trusted herself. Nothing in the world could ever change that.
“Lady Celana has nothing to worry about on my account,” she said. “If she can make Kyth happy, I would feel deeply grateful to her.”
“As long as you don’t stand in the way,” Ellah said.
“What do you mean?”
Ellah measured her with a long stare. “You have so many ways of being alluring to a man. We all feel challenged when you are around.”
Kara let out a short laugh. “Is this why you two looked at me so closely today? Why Lady Celana talked of my sexual experience? You think I use my body to be attractive?”
Ellah took a step back. At least she had the decency to look ashamed – unless she was putting on a very good pretense.
“Don’t you?” she asked quietly.
Kara leaned closer, meeting her eyes in the semi-darkness.
“I’ve grown up learning to avoid men,” she said. “Perhaps it’s a lesson to be learned if you ever want to find a good match?”
She turned and strode away, trying to quiet her racing heart. She was surprised at herself, how in one day she found herself first doubting Mai’s intentions toward her and then feeling jealous of a girl Mai couldn’t possibly have anything in common with. It must be the mind link, she decided. The Kaddim were using all means to drive her mad. And she’d be damned if she let them.
When Kara emerged from the bushes, she was surprised to find Raishan gone and Mai sitting on the ground in his place, with his back to a large tree. He rose to his feet when he saw her, watching her approach. Enclosed by the dark shade of the trees that separated them from camp, his face was hard to read.
“Where’s Raishan?” she asked.
“I relieved him. Think of it as a change of guard.” She sensed a smile in Mai’s voice, but the way he peered at her also betrayed his concern.
“I’m not sure if I should be alone with you,” she said.
He stepped closer. “That’s new. Why not?”
“I can’t be trusted.”
“With what, exactly?” He grinned. “I hope you don’t mean my virtue.”
She let out a short laugh, his easygoing tone putting some of her tension at rest. His virtue. She definitely could not be trusted with that, even if there was no possibility on the march to put this to the test.
“I wanted to make sure you are all right,” Mai said.
She shook her head. She couldn’t possibly be all right, not until the Kaddim link was removed. Mai knew it too. Yet, it was so tempting to pretend everything was normal and this was just one of their regular conversations.
“I spoke to Magister Egey Bashi,” she said. “He confirmed what you said, that my death could potentially release my power to the Kaddim… You should have told me.”
“I should have, if I knew what you were going to do. For now, I’m just glad we were able to stop you from following through with your plan.”
His voice held an edge that answered so well to her own feelings. If she was allowed to do what she planned, the Kaddim would have won and she and Mai would not even be talking right now. Once again, Mai’s resolve and ability to take quick actions had saved her from an unimaginable disaster.
“I’ve lost count of how many times you saved my life,” she said.
“As many as it takes,” Mai said. “But, other considerations aside, I hope you realize that if the Magister’s information is right, your life is easily the most precious one among our group.”
She shivered. “I don’t know how to deal with this. It seems that everything I do only makes things worse.”
“Let me try to make it a little bit better.” He reached out to her and she stepped into his embrace.
It felt so good to relax against his chest. When he was so close, when he held her like this, it was difficult to imagine anything could ever go wrong. She stifled the images that crowded in her mind, Kaddim armies fighting with the skill of a Diamond Majat, her friends and comrades falling under their blades.
He rested his cheek against her hair, drawing a long breath. The tender gesture made her stomach flutter. If only they could stay like this forever, forgetting all their problems. He owned her, body and soul, and this awareness was the most thrilling one she had in a very long time. The Kaddim could never put a claim on her as long as she was with Mai. She would hold on to this bond she had, at all cost.
A distant guard call signaled the start of the night shift. She stirred, drawing away from Mai briefly.
“Won’t they miss us?” she asked quietly.
He smiled. “I told Raishan we may take a while. He promised not to let anyone pass this way.”
She laughed. “I would have gone insane at least several times today, if it wasn’t for Raishan.”
“I hope this is one of those times.” Mai drew her closer and she submerged into his caress.
16
Tree Ultimatum
“This is where our forces separate,” Mai said.
Kyth looked at the flat area of land stretching in front of them, covered by ivy and dense hazel growth. According to the Majat maps, the thicker line of trees in the distance signified the official boundary of the Forestlands, the place where he had been raised as a child, hidden to protect his magic gift from the wrath of the Church. The thought of being so close to the place he had considered his home when he grew up made his heart race. Yet, the scenery here did not look familiar at all. It was hard to imagine they were only a few days’ ride away from the Forestland thickets.
He looked at Alder, sitting very still, his attention focused entirely on the trees. The spiders on his shoulder kept still, yet Kyth could detect a tension. Were they all sensing closeness to their home? Could Alder feel something nobody else could?
“Kyth.” Mai’s voice brought him back to his senses, to realize that everyone was looking at him expectantly.
“What?”
Mai sighed. “Last time we discussed this, you were supposed to be the one to lead your party to Lady Ayalla. The Majat were planning to go around by the caravan roads. Are you still on board with this plan?”
“Yes.” Kyth wasn’t sure what brought on the question.
“Then pay attention,” Mai said.
Kyth bit his lip, stifling a retort. He knew, whatever he said just now, Mai would use it as an opportunity to humiliate him. Perhaps it had to do with the way Kyth’s eyes kept drifting toward Kara, sitting at the far edge of the camp, distant enough to avoid any possibility of overhearing their conversation? He couldn’t blame Mai for being protective. Had Kara belonged to Kyth now, he might have done the same.
“You, Alder, and Ellah, will enter the forest and seek out Lady Ayalla,” Mai said. “Then you will travel down the Groves to meet us at the Gard’hal outpost. Hopefully with reinforcements.”
The spiders. Once again, Kyth glanced at his foster brother’s shoulder. To stand a better chance with the Kaddim, they had to convince Lady Ayalla to lend them a large number of these deadly creatures. Too many to conceal easily during the travel.
“How are we going to transport them?” he asked.
Alder lifted his head. “We should leave all this up to Ayalla.” It didn’t escape Kyth how intimate the name sounded when Alder said it, his cheeks lighting up with a faint color. Was his foster brother looki
ng forward to this meeting? If so, it had to be reassuring. Surely she wouldn’t bring any harm to someone so close to her?
“Just don’t mess up,” Mai said.
Kyth did open his mouth this time to tell Mai everything he thought of this conversation, but a loud rustle at the side of the glade froze the words on his lips. He turned toward the sound, feeling a chill run down his spine.
When they had settled down in this glade only a couple of hours ago, it seemed a lot more open than now, with far fewer trees crowding along its sides. The wall of tree trunks around them stood so dense now that they blocked away most of the light. All of them couldn’t possibly grown out of nowhere in the past two hours. Did he remember wrong? Was it all his imagination?
“It reminds me of the Dark Mire,” Alder said.
From across the fire, Ellah nodded. Her tense set of shoulders matched well with the eerie feeling in Kyth’s chest, so different from the ease of Alder’s relaxed posture.
Mai glanced at the map he was holding in his hand, then ran his eyes around their group.
“I did expect the trees here to be more… normal,” he admitted. “Our scouts reported nothing unusual when we chose this campsite.”
Kyth looked at the forest wall around them again. In the gathering dusk, it seemed as if the trees were creeping in, smothering them in their shade. Despite all the hacking just an hour ago when they were setting up camp, it seemed as if they were seated in the middle of woods never before invaded by men. In fact, even the path they had followed here today from von Eyvern lands was no longer visible.
“Perhaps,” Egey Bashi suggested, “Lady Ayalla is making a move to facilitate our meeting?”
Mai’s eyes darted around the trees and Kyth saw a tense cord in his neck, the only indication that the Majat was probably feeling as unnerved as everyone else.
“I haven’t actually planned to bring our entire force into her realm,” Mai said. “Perhaps we should have taken Lord Garet’s warning more seriously.”
Egey Bashi shrugged. “On this side of the Lakes, all bets are off, Aghat Mai. Lady Ayalla heeds no borders. She comes and goes as she pleases.”