Asha's Power (Soul Merge Saga Book 4)

by M. P. A. Hanson

  With that knowledge in her mind, she watched quietly as her baby familiar slept in her arms.

  The next morning, she woke from her position curled around Keir on the floor to find her aunt standing over them both.

  “What you did was rash.” Her aunt began, gesturing at Keir. “But I understand the necessity. Forcing that duel upon the both of us is not so easily forgiven.” She dropped Asha’s sword on the floor which woke Keir with a start.

  “I didn’t mean it.” Asha said, “I’m sorry Aunt Silver, I really am. I was just irritated.”

  Silver nodded. “It’s a start, but you have a hundred repetitions of each strike I’ve taught you before you earn anything close to forgiveness, and then a hundred more to make up for missing yesterday’s training.”

  Silver strode from the room, leaving Theria, whose presence had gone unnoticed by her till then, standing in the room.

  “What is his name?” The hound asked, her head craning to get a look at Keir.

  “Keir.” Asha gently moved him in her arms so that the hound could get a better look.

  “It is a good name.” Theria decided, “Your aunt is merely annoyed at the questions being fired at Dalmorin after that dragon died so close-by. The dwarves are receiving a lot of attention and it makes her nervous of discovery.”

  “I acted rashly.” Asha admitted, “But I had to.”

  Theria shook her head. “The wise thing to do, young quarterling, would have been to wait for your aunt to get home and she would have found you a better place to hatch your plan once you explained why you had to resurrect an extinct species.”

  “Just because nobody’s seen a gryphon in centuries, doesn’t mean they no longer exist.” Asha replied. “They could just have been in hiding. Otherwise that would make Keir’s egg over five-hundred years old.”

  Theria nodded, “It is true that could be the case,” She replied. “However, the gryphons disappeared for a reason; I will ask your aunt to ensure that the dwarves understand that Keir is not a trophy.”

  Asha winced and hugged him a little closer.

  “How much do you know about raising him?” Theria asked.

  “I know what he eats, but not how long he’ll take to grow, or even how long it will take for him to speak, walk or fly.”

  “When you go back to your mother’s, remember to look in your father’s library for information. He has access to every record that may help.” The hound paused, “now I believe you require food, and Lena requires an apology for the way you ignored her last night.”

  Asha stood, transferring her sleeping familiar to the basket by the dying fire before following Theria out into the hallway .

  “How is it you are so different to Silver?” She asked as they left the room, “Will Keir be like that for me?”

  “Perhaps,” Theria replied, “Familiars balance both the magic and personality of a wytch after all. I would guess that your Keir will be level-headed and cautious where you are rash, wise at heart while you remain young. Such was often the source of contention between your aunt and I when I was growing. She needed a familiar who would be seen as violent and obedient, and though she loved me for who I was, I often had to play my part as it were. Your mother’s familiars take great joy in hunting but have little patience for the politics that Romana is slowly yet gracefully taking to in her role as princess-consort to your father.”

  “Will it mean we won’t get along?”

  “No, most likely it will be a case of opposites attract.” Theria replied, stopping at the entrance to the kitchen. “Now, I must be on my way, your aunt has summoned my brother’s and I to discuss your protection while you remain with the Light Coven.” The hound paused, “You leave in the morning, do you not?”

  This was news to Asha, but yet again, after the duel it wasn’t likely that Silver would want her near the Dark Coven for a while, in case she did anything else rash. But by leaving so soon, without a chance to redeem herself… She would lose her chance to prove to Silver that she could be trusted.

  “No.” She replied, coming slowly to the knowledge that already resided in Theria’s eyes. “I have a week left to prove to Aunt Silver that I can be trusted.”

  Theria’s great head bowed. “Good.” The hound left without any further goodbyes.

  Asha sighed, adjusted Keir, and left for the temple, her plan already formulating inside her head.

  The next week was spent dodging Silver’s every assassination attempt. Since disregarding Silver’s teachings had been what had gotten her into trouble in the first place, she put all of her effort into learning from them in those few days. She learned to sleep with one eye open like Silver, catching her aunt the instant she stepped into the room almost every time. Her progress at detecting poisons was slower but by the end of the week she felt as though she’d improved greatly, and once she even managed to catch one of the arrows Silver sent flying at her. She still panicked by the end of the week that she hadn’t done enough, but as she sat on her horse, Keir clutched under one arm, her aunt gave her a knowing nod.

  “You have improved in the past week.” She acknowledged, begrudgingly as their horses jostled beneath them. “But don’t let staying with your mother’s coven make you complacent. Constant practice and readiness is the only way to ensure you’re not caught off guard.”

  “I know, Aunt Silver. But I don’t think mother will take it too well if I ask her to poison me just to make sure I was being vigilant.” Asha grinned.

  Silver huffed, impatiently. “Then get someone else to do it. Your father’s not a complete idiot, try him.”

  Asha nodded, knowing that she never would, but needing to keep the peace between her and Silver.

  “I’m sorry about the duel.” She all but whispered.

  “Deeds, not words,” Silver snapped. “You were doing so well up until now. Apologies are most useful as lies to get an enemy to lower their guard. If you truly mean you are sorry, you show it.” She opened a portal to the shores of the Light Coven. “I will go first, in case of an ambush.”

  Asha nodded, completely sure that the only ambush waiting for her was a party her mother would have set up for her homecoming. Regardless, she allowed Silver to go through first, across the world and towards the second half of Asha’s wytch training.

  Chapter Thirty

  RESSURRECTED FROM DEATH

  When Romana helped her daughter down from her horse, her first thought was wonder at the tiny creature in Asha’s arms. Her second was worry at how tired her daughter looked.

  “You look tired sweetheart, have you not been sleeping well?” She asked, embracing her daughter, careful of the unknown creature she assumed was Asha’s familiar.

  “Mama, this is Keir.” Asha said instead, holding out the small grey bundle of feathers and fur to her. “He’s a gryphon, and my familiar.”

  Romana smiled, “He’s beautiful, honey.” She looked up quickly as her husband joined them on the bridge that joined the isle to the outside world and started walking towards them. “I’m happy for you. We have a party waiting, but I can call it off if you want to catch some rest first.”

  “And miss catching up with everyone?” Asha grinned, and it was almost enough to disguise the new wariness that lived in her eyes. “Lead on, I can’t wait to show Halo, Erika and Zada the stuff I’ve learned, and I have letters to them all from Lillian as well. There’s one for you too, and one from Averna. I also have stuff for Joanna from Casey, although I can tell she doesn’t believe Joanna will want anything to do with her.” She paused, and Romana shook her head.

  “I can’t say what Joanna thinks on the subject.” She replied, carefully. “She was hurt when Casey left, but I don’t believe she’d want to cut ties over it.”

  They met Marten midway along the bridge and, regardless of the lack of space, he lifted his daughter in his arms swinging her round in a circle that sent her robes flying out in a fan. Her laughter as she kissed his cheek affectionately was a balm after the year she�
�d spent away.

  “There’s my beautiful daughter.” Her husband smiled, pushing a lock of bronze hair out of Asha’s mismatched eyes. “Did you give your aunt hell?”

  “Don’t even get me started.” Asha smirked. “I believe the words she used were ‘should’ve left her with her parents for the teenage years’.”

  “That’s my girl!” Marten was grinning.

  They stepped off of the bridge and almost instantly, Asha was swarmed by the light wytches. Reluctantly, Romana relinquished her daughter to the attention of her friends, and the party got into full swing.

  *

  Keir nipped at her fingers to demand more steak and Asha giggled.

  Her mother had set up a simple exercise in which Romana used the air currents to suspend two strips of steak in the air above Keir. Asha’s objective was to push one of the steak pieces down to her familiar while levitating the other higher. Pushing and pulling like a seesaw.

  It was a game, like the way most things were taught here. It was a far cry from the Dark Temple where you were given a difficult task to do and made to do it until your brain remembered how to wield the magic necessary in your sleep.

  She knew the other light wytch trainees thought it odd how she trained in the armoury every morning. And she knew that her solitary runs in the evening confused even her mother. Her real reason for the evening solitude was as a break to allow her wings out of their confines, yet she never flew here for fear of discovery. So far she’d gone three months without her mother discovering them, but not for a lack of close calls.

  She’d tried communicating with her aunt, but Silver didn’t understand the concept of ‘catching up’ and so often their talkes were limited to Silver adjusting Asha’s training to compensate for any increase in skill she developed while Asha tried in vain to pry news of the Dark Coven from her aunt.

  It was weeks until Asha eventually heard from the dark wytches. When news did come, it came in the late evening in the most unexpected form.

  “Averna?” Her mother’s voice carried through the eyrie that was their home on the Isle of the Gifted. “Oh my goodness you’ve grown.” There were cries of delight from both parties.

  Asha abandoned the book she’d been reading and practically ran towards the door. Averna’s being there meant news of Aunt Silver. News that she’d been starving for since she’d returned. Keir, now just old enough to walk, started to wobble along behind her, making small cheeping noises until she scooped him up and carried him.

  “Why haven’t you visited sooner?!” Romana chastised her old mentee, and Asha was struck by the oddness of the wytch queen of death blushing in embarrassment.

  “Romy,” Averna whined. “I was going to but then I have nine useless mentees waiting for me back home! There’s barely any time for anything with the number of micro-disasters that happen every day because of that lot!”

  Romana laughed and practically pulled Averna through the doorway, Asha following them as her mother led them all to her parlour and began making tea.

  “Your aunt is well.” Averna told Asha mind to mind. “She has told me to pass on the following orders: one, you should be doing double drills for the next year to make up for your lax training schedule with the light wytches. Two, she will be assessing your muscle development when she next sees you, so lying about practicing your archery will not work.”

  Asha smothered a laugh, “That sounds like her.” She replied. “How is she?”

  “She’s done some damage to her mental shields and so is spending most of her time fixing them. Keenan is with her day and night, while your Uncle Roan makes regular trips between his sister and King Endis. I suspect he acts as your aunt’s spy, though nothing is certain.”

  That was when their conversation ended as Romana began drilling Averna for information about her new life. Asha watched as Averna skilfully dodged questions about the Dark Coven while giving the appearance of total honesty. Hopefully, if Averna stayed longer, she may pick up some tips on how to avoid her mother’s probing questions.

  It was only when her mother left to meet with the Light Coven that Averna and Asha were finally left alone.

  “She is not happy with you, or maybe she is and she’s just expressing it as irritation.” Averna smirked. “Your aunt is difficult to read, the benefit of millennia of life I would bet.”

  “Probably.” Asha agreed.

  “And your familiar,” Averna looked down at the once again sleeping Keir. “It is odd to meet a being that has been resurrected from death.”

  “He wasn’t dead, just dormant.” Asha rebuked. “I can’t resurrect the dead.”

  “Can you not?” Averna asked. “If that is the case, what energy did you draw upon to bring him into this world?”

  Asha went silent. “But I never meant to actually bring him back from death; I thought he was only sleeping.”

  “Hush, its consequences have passed.” Averna reassured her. “He is alive now is he not? That is what you should be thankful for.”

  “I want to find the other gryphons.” Asha said. “There’s no record of them after Master Scholar Lucius’ notes, but there’s no record of any other expeditions to try and find them either.”

  “Your father’s library would contain such records if they existed.” Averna agreed, “Yet you must accept before you begin this hunt that your efforts may be in vain.”

  “I know.” Asha replied, stroking Keir gently. “But it would be cruel to bring him back without even trying to see if he has any family.”

  “I think most familiars would say that their wytch is their family.” Averna informed her. “In any case, you must get some rest if you are to perform your aunt’s drills before your lessons tomorrow.”

  “Do you think she would mind if I came to visit her?”

  Averna stood and smiled, “Asha, I believe the benefit of being the bridge between light and dark is you get to stay with whichever side you wish whenever you want to. Although it may be wise to spend the majority of your time with your mother’s coven as you are supposed to this year, I doubt anyone would cross you if you went to stay with your aunt for a few days at a time.”

  Asha smiled back. “Are you going or staying tonight?”

  “I believe I shall stay, though I did not originally intend to when I came. Your mother’s presence is soothing to my gift. Knowing someone who will never die is always a blessing.”

  Asha nodded, “I know she keeps your old room made up for you; Lynette is due to stop over tomorrow as well and the triplets are here too.”

  Averna smiled slightly at the thought of the three cheeky triplets. Halo, Erika and Zada, while still young, were often both a blessing and a handful at the same time. They had a lot of the innocence that reminded them all of Katelyn, yet as all were fated to one day be initiated as wytch queens of the Light Coven, she knew that innocence would be lost soon. Not that any of them knew that.

  “Then I shall retire.” Averna decided, sweeping towards the door. “Goodnight, and try and get some sleep, little princess. Your aunt is well, I promise you.”

  It wasn’t until a few weeks later, when Silver appeared in Asha’s window in the early hours of the morning, that Asha believed her.

  “Aunt Silver!” She rushed to the window to open it, but her aunt beat her to it with her lock picks. “Are you okay? Averna said you were, but are you really?”

  Silver’s well humoured smirk banished all of Asha’s worrying. “I am fine. And so,” She paused to help Keenan through the window. “Is this idiot.”

  “She dropped me!” Keenan looked a strange mix of windswept, exhilarated and terrified. “Up in the clouds, she just dropped me!”

  “I did catch you afterwards.” Silver muttered. “Keep on about it and I won’t do so again!”

  Keenan shut up.

  “How have your drills been going?” Silver asked, her gaze raking over Asha, and she knew her aunt was gauging the muscle tone she was supposed to be developing as a result of all the
training.

  “Well, I do them every morning at dawn.”

  Silver huffed and moved further into the room to sit upon the edge of the bed.

  Keir growled, filling the silence.

  “The little cub doesn’t like me.” Silver noted, reaching a finger out only to snatch it back. “I should mention that their talons and teeth are poisonous. Watch out for that after three months.”

  Asha gaped. “You were alive when gryphons were!”

  Silver smirked. “Took you long enough to figure that out.”

  “Then you know about them! How long till Keir can fly with me? How big will he grow? When can he talk?”

  “The gryphons of old never spoke the common tongue.” Silver replied. “They grew to the size of a small horse, yet could carry almost ridiculously heavy loads, and as for flight, they were able to about four months into their lives.”

  Asha took a deep breath, “Are more of them still alive?”

  Silver smirked, “If you want to know that, you’d be better off asking your Uncle Endis.” She named her eldest brother.

  Asha frowned. “But you know, don’t you?”

  Silver gave her a rare half smile as she stood and crossed the room to the window, “Of course I do. However my not telling you will serve as punishment for that duel!”

  “I already tried to make that up to you!” Asha growled as Silver hopped out of the window.”

  “She knows that.” Keenan said, swinging one leg over the windowsill as he prepared to follow her aunt, “But obviously the Silver Eyed Wytch cannot condone rebellious behaviour.” His laughter stayed in the room long after both he and Silver had left.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  EXCHANGE

  Romana did not expect to wake up that morning to find Asha stood in the doorway talking with her father animatedly about something, but when she did it was a welcome reminder; her daughter was home.