Asha's Power (Soul Merge Saga Book 4)

by M. P. A. Hanson

  Romana sat one of the stone benches, her knees no longer able to hold her weight. “Can I never be free of Silver? Next you will tell me that she’s a part of me and technically the wife of my husband!”

  “I would hope not, it’s against my code to pursue a married woman.” Keenan informed her with a chuckle that did nothing to hide the serious tone of the conversation. “She will never tolerate the position of mother – she threatened to cut out my tongue when I mentioned it – but when Asha grows up, if she has a little of Silver’s nature, who better is there to help her with it?”

  “What do you want of me?” Romana demanded again. “I already permit Silver to visit her.”

  “For an hour a day.” Keenan reminded her. “I want you to give Silver more than an hour. You’ve seen how fast your daughter grows. Her childhood will be over soon. Give Silver a year. Let Asha alternate between mothers.”

  “A year at a time?” Romana wanted to faint. “She’ll live without love for a year at a time?”

  “I’m trying to teach Silver affection. Asha will help.” Keenan replied. “Besides, Silver will never allow Asha to spend a moment unprotected, she’ll never harm her. And Asha will be able to visit. Plus the brownies will love her from the instant she steps foot in the caves.”

  “None of that changes the fact that you’re asking me to give up my child to a psychopath for a year at a time!” Tears began to fall from her eyes. “Silver may prejudice her against the Light Coven! Who knows what Asha will learn at her knee?”

  “I vow to the Ancients that I won’t allow that to happen.” Keenan informed her. “You know I won’t allow Silver to do any such thing. She raised Miria whom you know and like. Would you say Miria was an echo of Silver?”

  “No, but…”

  “Silver would never poach your relationship with Asha.” Keenan assured her. “I’ll be lucky if I can get her to accept being referred to as ‘aunt’.”

  Romana let her head fall into her hands. “Don’t ask this of me, Ky.” She slipped into using his nickname without realising. “I beg you, don’t ask this of me.”

  “If you don’t want me to, I won’t.” He replied. “But is that really what’s best for Asha?”

  With that, he melted away into the gardens, leaving her alone. Or almost alone.

  “Mama, don’t cry.” Asha said, patting her knee.

  Romana forced a smile. “I’m okay, sweet.”

  “You shouldn’t lie.” Asha frowned. “Are you still angry because Aunt Silver has to come and talk with me about the bad dreams?”

  Romana lifted the girl up and onto her lap. “What do you think of Aunt Silver?”

  “She’s sad.” Asha said. “But it’s an old inside sad. She also won’t teach me to use a sword or take me flying unless you say it’s allowed.” Asha grinned. “Please mama, tell her it’s allowed.”

  For a moment Romana wanted to laugh; it was times like these that reminded her of Katelyn. “Maybe when you’re a little older.”

  “How do I get wings like her?” Asha asked. “Flying in my dreams is so fun. I want to fly mama.”

  “You’d have to make a deal with your Grandmother.” Romana informed her. “But that will have to wait till you’re older as well.” Asha pouted and the expression was comical. “Sweetheart, I need to ask you something.”

  “Yes,” Asha’s pout vanished.

  “How would you like to live with Aunt Silver, for a little while?” Romana asked.

  “What about my friends?” Asha tilted her head to one side, frowning. “And what about you and father? And Joanna and my wytch friends?”

  “Aunt Silver is in charge of a different Coven.” Romana informed her. “And I am sure you would make new friends. Your old ones will still be here when you come back.”

  “Do you want me to go?” Asha asked.

  “No.” Romana said. “But sometimes what we want isn’t what’s right, and we should always do what’s right.”

  “Is it safe?”

  Romana looked her daughter square in the eyes. “You will never be hurt while Silver is with you. She took a vow to protect you when you were still inside of me.”

  “Then why are you scared?”

  “I –” But she was cut off by Marten’s arrival.

  “I found you!” He smiled and Asha launched herself into his arms.

  “What’s wrong?” He asked Romana down their link, noticing the tear tracks on her face.

  “We need to talk.” Romana replied.

  Chapter Five

  UNRULY PROTÉGÉ

  When Silver looked up from the map she was consulting and saw Asha, standing there with Keenan right beside her, she wanted to stab something. The girl’s posture was timid as she noted the hellhounds lying around the room and the daggers stabbing through locations on the map of the twenty-one worlds Silver was hunched over. All she had with her was a single bag strapped across her body, while her clothes were those of a wytch child, practical and lightly armoured.

  “Those are strange dogs.” Asha said, timidly walking up to Theria. “Good puppy.” She volunteered, putting her hand out for the dog to sniff.

  “They aren’t dogs. They’re demons.” Silver corrected as Theria rolled her black eyes.

  “What are their names?”

  “My name is Theria.” The hound shocked Asha by speaking. “It is my pleasure to meet you, young quarterling.”

  Silver smiled, she had forgotten the old custom of calling the children of halflings ‘quarterlings’. “This should be entertaining,” she muttered.

  “What’s down there?” Asha asked, unerringly finding the trapdoor down to the dungeon.

  “Nothing you would be interested in,” Silver hastily got up from her desk and picked the child up, tucking her under one arm. “I believe it would be best if you stayed close to me till we establish the ground rules.” Silver informed the child, carrying her out of the study and into the living room. “Lena?”

  “Here, mistress.”

  “Have we had rooms made up for Asha?”

  “Yes, mistress.” Lena replied. “It’s lovely to meet you, young mistress.”

  Asha looked at the brownie with the same curiosity she’d shown while approaching Theria, but her attention was quickly diverted when she spotted the door to the armoury laying open.

  “Mother said you could teach me to use swords!” She tried to wiggle her way out of Silver’s grasp. “She said when I was old enough and I’m old enough.”

  Silver groaned. “Why do I have to look after you?” She asked to the sky.

  “Think of it as a challenge.” Keenan smirked.

  “If I put you down in this armchair,” Silver began. “Do you promise to sit still and not go chasing after everything you see?”

  “But –”

  “If you don’t I’ll put you in a cell in my dungeon.” Silver promised the child.

  “Your unruly protégé reminds me of you, little sister.” Roan muttered, having entered the living area without her noticing. “Good to see you back on this world.”

  Silver nodded. “This is Roan, he’s your uncle.”

  “Are you married?”

  “No.” Silver replied, “He’s my brother and a prince of the elven kingdom.”

  Asha muttered. “I want down.”

  “Promise to sit and listen to what I’m going to say first.” Silver retorted.

  The girl wiggled for a bit, trying to force Silver to put her down, but in the end she gave up. “I promise.”

  “Good.” Silver put the child down on the sofa and sat in her arm chair. “Now for the rules,” Asha pouted, “Fail to obey these and I will put you in the dungeon.” Silver cautioned. “Rule number one, no going into the dungeon, the armoury, the study or my bedroom. Also, you are not to leave the fortress unaccompanied until you are old enough by my judgement.” She sighed when Asha’s hand shot straight into the air like a child in a classroom. “Yes, Asha?”

  “If I’m not allowed to go
in the dungeon, surely that means putting me there as punishment would mean I was breaking the rules and so I’d constantly be in the dungeon.”

  Silver groaned. “Then you’d better not get sent there in the first place!”

  Roan laughed and flopped down onto the opposite sofa. “This is going to be funny.”

  “Lena, have you got any snacks for the show?” Keenan asked the brownie.

  “Right away, Master Keenan.” The brownie smiled.

  “Rule number two!” Silver bellowed over their byplay. “There will be no touching of weapons until you’re told you can touch them.”

  “But what if one is in my way and I have to move it to get past.”

  “You will call one of the brownies to move it for you!” Silver growled. “Rule number three, you must never tell anyone else where I live.”

  “I don’t know where we are.”

  “Don’t lie to me, child.” Silver muttered. “You know exactly where you are. Your mother may fall for that innocent act but I know just how intelligent you really are.”

  “Dalmorin fortress,” Asha let a fraction of her intelligence slip past the act. “We travelled southwest, these tunnels are of dwarven make and the house emblems on the dwarves armour as we came in was that of one of the iron mining clans.”

  “Clever girl.” Silver praised even as Keenan looked shocked. “I knew you had it in you.”

  “But the dwarves don’t ally with you.” Asha continued. “So why do they let you live here.”

  “Their minds have been programmed to serve me by demons.” Silver replied. “Something else I might do to you if you don’t behave.”

  Asha shuddered. “I promise not to tell.”

  “Good. Finally, you will never reveal yourself to anyone visiting these caves unless I tell you to. The people you see around you now are safe. Other visitors will not be.”

  Asha wisely kept her mouth shut and just nodded.

  “Good. Now, Lena will take you to your rooms.” Silver informed her. “If you need anything, ask the brownies. Should you want company I am sure there are dwarven children around somewhere.” Not that she had ever really paid attention to what the dwarves did.

  She turned to leave, but Asha stopped her, “Aunt Silver?”

  “Yes.”

  “When do I start learning magic?”

  Silver was uncomprehending for a moment before she realised just how much of Romana and Marten’s conversations the child had overheard. “That won’t happen until you can actually access your magic.”

  “When will that be?”

  “If you are anything like your mother and I, it will be when you turn sixteen years of age.”

  “So the last time I’ll live with my parents will be my fourteenth year?”

  Silver hadn’t considered that. “Yes, I suppose it will.”

  “And then will I have to join the Dark Coven?”

  “I don’t know.” Silver replied. “Now, hurry off to bed.”

  “Why don’t you know?”

  “Because the Ancients have a habit of distorting everyone’s future,” Silver retorted. “You can blame your grandparents’ manipulations for most of the mess you’ll have to wade your way through in life.”

  Asha stayed silent, though Silver could feel the child’s disagreement from across the room. In fact, the defiance in those eyes stayed with her as she flew out of Dalmorin on another probably fruitless mission to find evidence of Issart’e.

  *

  Asha dreamed she was nestled in the branches of a tree, her bow, a beautiful deadly thing strong enough to punch through plate armour, was knocked with a perfectly weighted arrow and aimed down onto the battle below her. Dwarves battled elves in a carnage she didn’t want to see yet her eyes scanned anyway. The dwarves were losing, and two elves, who she knew in the dream were her father and oldest brother, Endis, were leading the offensive against them, trying to force them back into their mountain.

  She aimed and fired; her rage and sorrow for Kriss’ stolen life still beating within her like a second heart. The first arrow, her eyes were watering so much that she missed completely, nearly hitting her brother. It wasn’t him she wanted to kill.

  It was her father.

  The second arrow flew truly to pierce the back of the king’s gilded armour. Drilling through his knee and forcing him to kneel, just as Kriss had knelt before her when she’d lost control.

  Her brother yelled out something, and some soldiers came forwards to try and lead the king from the battlefield, but her third arrow pierced his shoulder, sending him flying backwards with the force of it. The fourth arrow drilled through the visor of his helm as he looked up and found her in the trees. She liked the justice in him knowing it was her who had killed him. That all the threat from the dwarves was nothing compared to the threat he had created when he forged her into a weapon.

  “Goodbye, father-king,” She muttered as he fell, an arrow having gone straight between his eyes and the poisoned tip reappearing on the other side of his head.

  *

  Asha screamed.

  Silver was in the room in an instant, blades drawn and looking for the threat.

  “What happened?” She demanded.

  “I had a nightmare.”

  Silver snorted and put her weapons away, coming to stand at the edge of the bed. “What was it about?”

  “I was sitting in a tree, and I had a bow, and I killed the king for killing somebody named Kriss.” Asha explained.

  Silver felt as if she’d been thrust into another time at the mention of that name. She’d almost forgotten that day, the only real memory she had of it was of her father’s eyes meeting hers with wide-eyed shock. “We’ll talk about that dream tomorrow.” She heard herself saying, “Get some sleep.” She added as she stalked from the room, the pain of that day forcing itself forwards in an unexpected attack.

  “Another nightmare?” Keenan asked as she strode past him. “What’s gotten into you?” When she ignored him he followed her as she stalked towards her study, mechanically reaching for the maps which had been her challenge for the last year. “Silver, is everything alright?” She raised her head and looked at him, looked straight into his eyes. “Sweet Ancients, are you crying?” He looked genuinely confused.

  “No, dust got into my eye.” She lied, looking down at the maps. “I think I should go back to the eleventh world tomorrow, perhaps there will be more signs.”

  “Who is Kriss?” Keenan asked.

  Blood was soaking her hands before she fully realised she’d drawn a throwing knife and stabbed him in the neck – or she would have; he dodged so she grazed him instead, sending out blood but no deadly arterial flow.

  “Never speak that name again.” She hissed. “Leave me alone, please, just leave me be!”

  “Not when you’re like this.” He muttered, following her out of the caves.

  She tried to take off, her wings unfurling ready for flight, but Keenan caught her ankles and put all of his strength into holding her to the ground. She fell to the earth, kicking and biting and scratching and all the while he parried her blows but never returned them, disarming each weapon she got out and chucking them back towards the entrance to Dalmorin. She fought him for over an hour till he had her pinned with nothing left to do but struggle weakly.

  “Why am I so weak?” She asked of no-one in particular.

  “Old wounds have a way of distracting us.” Keenan replied softly. “He’s the one, isn’t he? The one you were engaged to?”

  “Yes.” Silver admitted. “Asha was wrong though, the king didn’t kill him. I did.”

  “You weren’t to blame,” Keenan reassured her. “And the revenge was justified.”

  “It didn’t make me feel better though.” Silver retorted. “I just felt cold inside.”

  “And now? Do you feel any different?”

  “My father needed to die.” Silver replied. “There was no other way to end the war. He was maddened.”

  Keen
an nodded slowly, “Walk with me?”

  “Where to?” Silver asked, not understanding why they should walk when a portal would get them wherever they needed to go.

  “Do we need to have a destination?” Keenan replied. “Just walk with me.”

  She scowled, but nodded anyway. Keenan had just seen her at her most vulnerable and oddly, she found herself not wanting to be alone just yet.

  Neither of them spoke as they walked, and Silver’s muscles gradually relaxed as she realised Keenan wasn’t going to use this time to interrogate her, but rather was forcing her to take time to accept what had just happened. The unexpected kindness from this curious halfling caught her off guard, and once again she found herself questioning his motivations.

  It was clear he was loyal to her, yet he had no reason to be. Before, when she had had companions such as Leigh she knew the reason they had given her their allegiance. Keenan gave no explanation and was perhaps even more invaluable to her than those whose loyalty had come after she had saved their life. They walked without speaking or even touching for over an hour; something her rational mind dismissed as a waste of time. Yet some other part of her knew that these moments walking through a starlit forest were more valuable than moments spent pouring over maps she had already memorised.

  “Asha will want answers.” She finally said as they reached the gates of Dalmorin.

  Keenan nodded but remained silent, his hair turning golden as it reflected the dawn.

  “I can’t explain this to her,” Silver informed him.

  “It has been thousands of years.” Keenan finally commented as they came to a halt.

  “Time does not heal all wounds.” Silver informed him, “That is a lie we tell our children. The truth is that in time, the mind tries to protect its sanity by forgetting the wounds, giving the illusion of healing when in reality they remain as prevalent as they were in the beginning. All that is different is the layer of scar tissue that develops to keep our wounds hidden from us.”

  Keenan said nothing, but she could tell he disagreed from the way he looked at her.

  “I will simply inform her that the dream meant nothing of consequence.” Silver decided.