Kemp

by Francheska Fifield

  "What did he mean about Viktor?"

  "I need to start this explanation by saying that everything you see and hear from here on out is not to be discussed with, or around, anyone other than myself and Avren. It will not hurt your people to not know, but it is personal and not my secret to give out. In fact, it could be more dangerous for them to know."

  "Alright."

  I sigh. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath over that. "Secondly, you will need to be my guard now. You may not use deadly force though. Keep it to barriers and scare tactics. Nothing with lasting damage."

  "What is going on? If we are going to get Viktor, shouldn’t you be safe with him…"

  "Viktor was beyond saving by normal means when Avren saved us. Avren had to… well, he had to do something against the laws of nature to heal him. It… it changed Viktor. In ways no one can comprehend. It is why I journeyed alone. I was to gather allies while Viktor was to be trained by the dragon, without me around and our Kemp bond interfering. He went too deep into the new blood – dragon blood – running through his veins and has been lost to it. We are going to save him."

  He gapes at me in shock and anger. Oh boy, he doesn’t look to be pleased.

  "You want me to go up against something running off instinct alone, and use non-lethal magic?"

  I stand nose-to-nose with him, or as close as I can - him being so much taller than I am - and practically growl. "He is not a 'something'! He is a mage and an Elvin warrior! But mostly he is a human that ended up in a magical world where he did not belong! He almost died saving me, and when Avren saved us, he knew I would never survive without Viktor by my side so he used his own blood to save Viktor! Which, once again, thrust him into a world, and situations, he shouldn’t have to be placed in, but is because he is my Kemp! So you will keep your comments to yourself and show the appropriate amount of respect, or you can walk to the cave and stop pretending to be a champion!"

  I turn and start walking. Talon needs to make his own decision. Unlike with Viktor, I am not sure which decision he will make. All I know is I have to find Viktor. He needs me now.

  "Wait up."

  Talon jogs to catch up to me. He needn't have moved fast. He could take a few extra strides and reached me. I am moving at a snail pace.

  "So, where will Viktor be?"

  "Somewhere high and defendable."

  He sighs.

  "I don’t like the idea of us going up against someone with dragon blood, Elvin, and mage magic, and only defending ourselves. What if something happens to you?"

  "Then your people are free of our pact, Viktor will go insane and eventually kill himself after slaughtering everything in his path, and Avren… well, I don’t know; he never said."

  "He is really your familiar now?"

  I nod. "He insisted I finish the ceremony before returning your magic to your people, so he came after I spelled the village to sleep. I know it seems sneaky, but you all needed the rest. The barrier just had a restful and peaceful sleep spell attached. Nothing that would keep you asleep in an emergency, just enough to help so none of you dreamt."

  "I understand."

  I wonder if the others will as well. We continue to walk a bit more into the denser part of the forest and hear a growl.

  "Something is following us."

  "Viktor is hunting us. Find the closest mountain wall. We do not want him to be able to sneak up on us."

  He grabs my arm again and closes his eyes. Next thing I know we teleported to the mountainside. He shouldn’t have done that. Even with his new depth of power, he won’t be used to using it and his body can give out. Then again, I am not asking him to do anything big now. He is only to defend.

  "What is that!?"

  I look up and see Viktor. Dragon scales cover every part of his exposed skin. His eyes are dragon pupils and magic swirls dangerously around him like a mini typhoon. Oh Viktor.

  "Viktor, it's me. I am sorry I left, but look, I brought the mages back with me. Your grandpa, he is okay. We can go see him now. Weren't you worried about him?"

  Blood drops off the talons growing out of his fingers. That will hurt coming out when he returns to his human self. I try opening the bond but the only thing I can sense is his desperate need to possess me. I don’t think he even truly knows why, just that I am his and he needs to have me near. That is good, it means he still feels the bond and he won’t hurt me.

  "He isn't beyond saving. The Kemp bond is telling him to keep me close. He doesn’t know why but he knows he needs me."

  "That doesn’t bode well for me."

  I thought of that. "Can you teleport to your people?"

  "I am not leaving you here alone with him until he can speak again."

  Damn stubborn champions. Can’t I get just one that will listen to me?

  "Very well."

  Talon steps slightly in front of me, which is a big mistake. We know at once because Viktor charges. Talon puts up a barrier. The clash of magic between Viktor and Talon’s magic sends them both flying backwards. Viktor almost leaps right back to his feet while Talon has to throw fireballs while standing. Viktor dodges them all and keeps coming. I use earth magic to create a stone barrier. It won’t last long but it will give Talon and I a moment to regroup.

  "I cannot do much magic yet. I haven't recovered from the blood loss, but I will help when I can."

  "Stay behind me. I have replenished and am at full power."

  I nod as he puts up a barrier to keep the rock debris from crushing us.

  "Viktor, stop! I know you don’t want to hurt me!"

  He looks at me for half a second before zipping right for Talon once again. Talon tosses fire again, I’d forgotten to tell him not to do that again, but it turns out to be a moot point. Viktor lifts his arms and his scales absorbed the fire, burning a bright goldish color. Well, that can’t be a good sign.

  "Do not use magic he can absorb! When magic hits Avren's scales, he absorbs the magic, making him have more power at his disposal!"

  "That would have been nice to know!"

  "I told you before we went in to defend only!"

  He mutters something under his breath and instead throws boulders at Viktor. How is that defending? Luckily, or unluckily, depending on the viewpoint, he punches his way through them.

  "Did he turn into a troll? Because they are practically indestructible from what I read, and he seems to be as well."

  "We cannot keep throwing spells at him and hoping it knocks sense into him; we need a plan." I can say that but I have none. Avren hadn't exactly told me how bad Viktor was. Perhaps he himself didn’t know. He has been focused on keeping me alive.

  "So, your highness, what's the plan?"

  Damn him for phrasing it like that. Now it is entirely up to me to come up with an idea.

  "Let me go out there."

  "Not a chance."

  He doesn’t have much time to argue after that, because Viktor breaks the barrier shield and it turns into hand-to-hand combat. Viktor uses his claws, which would have cut through any normal weapon, but Talon's staff is enchanted and is stronger than your average metal, despite being wood. The mages are the ones to first enchant weapons, so they have perfected the process long ago.

  Talon is fast. I hadn't expected it. He uses an air spell to move his staff when he is not fast enough, making it so that he can match Viktor's enhanced speed. It is a beautiful and deadly dance. The air around them rustles everything from their clothing to the trees, and even my hair this far back. Both move at speeds faster than one would expect. Still, Talon is sweating, he can’t do hand-to-hand combat for long. He is not trained for it and only his magic is keeping him alive. I need to do something fast.

  I grab the dagger that I keep strapped to my ankle in my boot. I pull it up and do the only thing I can think of. I stab myself. Instantly, both Talon and Viktor drop, screaming. I look down at the blood soaking the ground from my belly wound. This could be fatal. This could be the last thing I ever do.
If it saves them both from each other and themselves, it will be worth it.

  "Elainne."

  Viktor drags himself over to me. His eyes are normal. He has one black and brown, and one milky grey one again. The scales pull back, leaving normal skin in their place once again. Dirty, but Viktor. I reach up my hand and touch his cheek. Tears rain down, soaking his face and my clothing.

  "You are safe, Viktor. That’s all that matters."

  "We have to heal her."

  Talon is beside me, holding one hand, chanting every binding spell he knows. Viktor lays both hands over my stomach wound and chants his family's most powerful Elvin healing spell. It is painful being knitted back together like that and in such a hurry. However, I don’t bleed out; after ten minutes of painful breathing and lying there, wishing I had died because it hurts so bad, I am able to sit up. Talon instantly goes behind me to give my back some extra support. Viktor is still crying and holding my hands to his face.

  "I am so glad that worked. I had no other plan."

  "That was stupid. You should have let me kill him. You know the dragon said not to let you die."

  Way to make a first impression, Talon. "Viktor, this is Talon. He will be the mage representative in court. To prove that my alliance with them holds."

  "I am also her champion. Though if I had known I had to protect her from herself more than from others, I might have rethought that arrangement."

  I try to laugh, but it still hurt a bit. Viktor's response to all this is to just stare into my eyes, as if he is afraid I am not real.

  "Viktor, I am safe. You know I wouldn’t ever let anything happen to you that I couldn’t pull you back from."

  "I don’t think you are supposed to waste your life saving your guards. I wouldn’t expect you to save me. It's not done. It's not the point."

  This time I can’t stop the laugh. I use one hand to pull Talon beside me so that he can see my face.

  "Talon, you have a lot to learn. I would sacrifice myself for any of my people. Whether I knew them or not."

  He stops and thinks on that. Before he can form a response, Viktor speaks.

  "It's why she will be the most worthy queen in history."

  I smile up at him and lean forward, hugging him.

  "This time, listen to the dragon when he tries to teach you control. And your grandpa when he teaches you mage magic. I will, of course, still teach you Elvin magic."

  "You don’t want our Kemp bond dissolved?"

  I pull back, holding both of his now human hands in mine. "Never."

  He puts forth a small smile but his eyes are still haunted. This will never leave him. It is much like our battle with the merpeople. Hopefully, with time, this too will be easier to handle.

  "We should head back. Let me spell the cloak to float with you on it, so you are not walking."

  I sigh and shake my head at Talon. "I must walk. I have to arrive at camp on my own two feet."

  He sighs and tucks one of my hands through his arm.

  "Fine, but if you trip and fall, I am doing it anyway."

  Viktor slightly trudges by my other side, watching Talon. For what, I have no idea. For once, his court face is absolute.

  "You are her Kemp, grab her other arm. She almost bled out not even two weeks ago after performing magic which no one should. She needs the support."

  Viktor comes up, taking my other hand and tucking it through his arm. He keeps hold of my hand in his though. He needs the reassurance that I am here and alive. This past year has been too hard on us.

  "Viktor, you will need to teach Talon hand-to-hand combat and to be a more efficient fighter with his staff. If he ever cannot use his magic, he needs to be able to defend himself until someone can come to his rescue. Talon, you will teach Viktor to fight like a mage, once his grandfather has his control perfected. If he ever needs to depend on magic without drawing on mine, he would be helpless."

  "Yes, your highness."

  Talon will be easier to deal with than Viktor… as long as he doesn’t argue with me too often about leaving people he sees as a threat alive. I can’t wait until he meets my aunt and uncle. Or even my father. His response to that would be humorous, if I were not so afraid of it killing us all.

  "Viktor…"

  "You know I will do anything that ensures you are safer in the end."

  "We will talk about this later. Just the two of us." His only response is to nod. I am not sure if he is okay with Talon being our new tag along, or if I will get an earful once out of range of everyone else.

  It is slow going but finally we make it to the mountainside with tons of cave entrances. Many of them already have people inside, bustling around, setting up sleeping bags and using tents as entrance flaps. Families have already claimed the ones with entrances on the ground. I look at the steps that Avren made, for me to get in and out of his cave towards the top.

  "Let me at least float you to the top…"

  "No."

  "You won't make it by yourself. No one will think less of you. You have blood all over your clothing. It's obvious that something traumatizing happened."

  I sigh. Maybe Talon won’t be less annoying. Instead of waiting for my answer, Viktor picks me up and carries me up the stairs. Talon watches in shock for a moment, then follows. Great.

  "I didn’t know that was allowed."

  I glare at Talon. Like I am happy being carried around like a broken doll. He smirks, but holds in the laughter and follows silently. Well, at least that is clear. If either of them try something like this again, I will magic them to the otherworld.

  "You are back, my queen."

  I smile as Viktor puts me down and go over to hug Avren's snout. It hasn't been that long, but I am sentimental and happy to be alive.

  "Avren. I told you to call me Elainne. I missed you as well."

  He snuffs, causing warm air to blow my hair and clothing back. It is healing and relaxing.

  "You must eat then sleep. I will begin training the mages to control their new power tomorrow. Viktor will join us in the control training. First thing in the morning. Make sure all of them know it."

  I turn, still leaning against Avren's snout. I am so sore and tired.

  "Talon, can you make sure the mages know that as soon as breakfast is done, training begins. Once that is done, lunch will take place and Viktor will train with his grandfather; so let Aldamon know that as well. You two will train in physical combat after dinner for a few hours. Are there any objections?"

  Talon bows and takes off to spread the news. I stop him before he can get to the entrance. "Talon, you will stay up here with us, so please bring your stuff. We are a team now, the four of us; we need to learn each other's habits and how to get along in close quarters."

  "Yes, your highness."

  I nod and he leaves. I start to slide down Avren's nose. Viktor rushes over and catches me, pulling me over to the bedding, propping me up with pillows and covering me with blankets.

  "You need to rest. Avren can oversee everyone. I will get you something to eat. Can you change into fresh clothing by yourself?"

  I nod. Avren uses magic to float some clothing over to me. A nightgown and robe, as well as some thick, warm socks. Everyone seems to think that I will break very soon. Do I really look so sickly?

  Avren leaves the cave to oversee the mages. Likely just to tell them where to hunt for game for dinner and such. Everyone already seems to be making themselves at home in the cave system.

  I change as quickly as possible, wiping myself off with a bucket of water which was left up here for this purpose, then put myself back in the mound of fluff that I has been stuffed into before changing. I can finally relax.

  "Avren had deer brought down. He used his fire breath to cook the food in a timely manner, so everyone is feasting. I managed to get a loaf of bread and made you a venison sandwich. Eat it all. Finish the skein of water. Then get to sleep."

  "Viktor, tell me what you think of this."

  "Of
what."

  "All of it. The mages being allies. Talon being my champion. Avren being one of us now."

  "I don’t have the right to have an opinion."

  I take a couple of bites, watching Viktor eat. He has withdrawn too much. "Viktor, I want your opinion. I know I already did it, but I had no choice. I need powerful people to ally with if I am going to survive in my uncle's kingdom. He is looking for any excuse to get rid of me. I need to remind him, and my father, that I am not disposable. But I want you to give me your honest opinion."

  "I know it's needed, but I don’t like it. They tried to kill you."

  I sigh. I know it will be the biggest issue that he will have. "I know. It wasn’t easy for me either. That’s why I stipulated that the blood oath must be given. I chose the wording."

  "That should be fine. You grew up in your dad's world and I know you had to phrase everything perfectly there."

  I nod and take a few more bites. It is so juicy and delicious. "About Talon. I want you to know. He is the one that volunteered. I didn’t plan to take a mage champion. I figured they would take turns at court as an ambassador. They wanted me to have one of them with us at all times as a guard, so I would be loyal to them as well. Talon volunteered. We had to have a talk first. He… he was the one controlling the bear that fought us before we arrived at the mage's village."

  "Can you change him out for someone else?"

  "Blood bound. I suppose Avren could break it as it is not as powerful as our Kemp bond, but I don’t think it will happen. He was the only volunteer. The others are too afraid. Of court… and of me."

  Viktor finishes eating and looksat me, sorrow in his eyes.

  "Don't listen to them, Elainne. You would never intentionally harm someone. You are a better person than any of them."

  I smile, and finish my food and drink. "Thank you, Viktor. Please do not hold it against Talon too much. He is young, just barely older than either of us, and he was doing as he was told. You have been through military training. You know that sometimes you just have to follow orders."

  "Did he want to disobey? That means more to me than anything else."

  "I didn’t ask."

  Viktor sighs in annoyance. There is that Kemp bond. Worrying over my safety and seeing the rest of the world as a threat.