“Yes, ma’am.”
They filed out. General Hawthorne stopped to kiss her daughter on the forehead. Standing up, her eyes narrowed and she stared Kayleigh down before turning and leaving.
Kayleigh pulled her legs off the wet section of the mattress and up to her chest protectively. Suddenly, exile with Majherri seemed like the better option over going with General Hawthorne.
Andrea was propped up by her elbows and looking at her. “Are you okay, Reese?”
“Not really. How about you? I guess we both lost.”
“You could say that. Right at the end, you were just moving too fast. I couldn’t keep up.”
“I’m sorry, Andrea. I lost control. They’re right. I am too dangerous.”
“Well, it probably doesn’t mean a blessed thing, but I wasn’t completely in control the night I challenged you. I shouldn’t have done it. I got a letter from my mother. She’d heard that I was demoted to squad leader and … well you’ve met her. She doesn’t take bad news well. I let Morganstern get to me. She’s a vile one to say the least.”
Kayleigh nodded and motioned to Rebekah’s bed.
“They gave her a sleeping draught. We could be screaming in her ear and she still wouldn’t wake up. She’ll be like that until tomorrow.”
“Let me guess, she volunteered to be your second.”
“The night I issued the challenge, practically begged me to be ringside. I agreed because I knew it would upset you and give me a greater advantage. My actions were less than honorable and I bear some responsibility for the grave consequences you are faced with.”
Kayleigh sighed, saying, “It still doesn’t excuse what I did to you, or her for that matter.”
“No, but my hands aren’t exactly clean either. If Captain Lynch requests that I take over as lead rider, I will refuse until I feel that I’ve earned that position.”
Kayleigh shrugged. It didn’t really matter to her. She wasn’t a first year anymore. “You should take the job, Andrea. You’d do well at it. It sounds like you learned something useful from all this. It’s more than I can say.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Kayleigh. Why don’t we talk about something else? The healer said I need to stay awake and gave me a draught that has me all jittery.”
So, the two of them began sharing stories. The healer brought two food trays and checked on Rebekah’s bandages. They ate and continued talking until the door opened and Captain Heather Sycroft entered.
“Trainee Reese.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Your belongings are being moved to the third year barracks. As of now, I am your commanding officer. General Jyslin still believes in you and so do I. However, you will be watched closely. You will not be allowed to practice either jousting or melee combat against another trainee. You will always be paired with a trained warrior or instructor. Your time in contact with your unicorn will continue to be watched closely. There is also a two year gap in your education. Until that gap is closed and I am satisfied with your progress, you will not be allowed to hold any position within my company. You will have two extra hours of duty each night and on your free day. They will not be spent in the stables and barns, but with myself or another available instructor to help you catch up. I expect nothing short of your best effort, every single day. Can you accept those terms?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then welcome to your third year of training, Trainee Reese. I will go speak with the healer and get you released for duty and we’ll take you to where you belong.”
Chapter 21 – Shunned
His rider was becoming increasingly miserable. Majherri knew this, even though she tried her best to be upbeat.
With the first year humans, she ran at the front of their herd during their physical exercises. Now, Kayleigh struggled not to come in last place against trainees who had spent two more years bonding and becoming more powerful as a result. His heart filled with despair, watching her gasping for breath and straining with effort to keep up.
To add further humiliation, she was prevented from working with him except for short periods of time, where the constant presence of instructors reduced her to near uselessness. So afraid of causing another problem, she would recoil against all but the flimsiest tendril of power.
She jousted, but even that was an empty effort. Her opponent was always an instructor and victory was measured in whether or not Kayleigh could stay in the saddle.
Like an underfed youngling, her growth was being stunted and he was virtually helpless. Before, she was so used to T’rsa’s rider’s anger that she would rise to the challenges. She stepped up and was a leader. They forced her to fight the challenge early, for their own benefit! Yet she was the one punished. Kayleigh was the one with a crushed spirit, looking more and more like a meek follower with each passing day. Worst of all, they forced her to beg the forgiveness from the Morganstern girl. So eager to punish his rider were they, that the behavior of that insipid little girl was completely forgotten.
To say this gross injustice being perpetrated on his rider was unacceptable was an understatement. The worst part of all this was Majherri couldn’t make Kayleigh see what was happening to her. Each time he broached the subject across their bond; she would fume and break contact, refusing to address the matters and instead burying her head in the sand like a flightless bird.
Of course, Majherri had problems of his own. He was on his way to meet her right now. Over by the rocky shore, there was a female staring out over the lake. Pasha continued to delay their mating after the events of the festival and the end of the mating season was approaching. Finally, she had sent word to him to meet her here tonight. He understood. She wanted this done in privacy and his status in the Greater Herd was questionable at the moment. The stars were reflected in the smooth waters. It took only a few more paces for him to recognize that this was not the female he was looking for.
Puzzled he approached. “Greetings sister, you’ll forgive my confusion, but I was expecting to meet Pasha here.”
“She’s not coming, brother.”
“May I ask why?”
“She came to her senses and decided to seek a different mate.”
“What?”
T’rsa snorted. “Your magic is out of control and that could possibly carry over to any offspring you produce. It is far too great a risk. Your rider almost killed those two females!”
“I sense the hand of your rider in this, T’rsa, the same one who would exile me, with or preferably without, my rider.”
“Yes brother, blame anyone other than yourself. That is your way isn’t it?”
He was angry, but to give in to that anger would only play into her words. “Instead of telling me herself, Pasha sends you. Perhaps I overestimated the strength of her character.”
“No, I came because there is every possibility you will become violent.”
“And you thought you could stop me? Or were you hoping the three sets of eyes in the woods could get here in time to save you? You’ve become consumed by your rider’s delusions, T’rsa and are a waste of my time. Since you’ve turned Pasha away from me, I will seek out another.”
“Dear brother, you will likely find a dearth of eager partners. You still walk the sacred land, but to the rest of us, you are already exiled. With so many of the Greater Herd here, the news spreads quickly.”
“Very clever, sister. Suddenly, Pasha coming to her senses appears to be more a case of Pasha surrendering to your threats. I assume any that would mate with me would suffer this same punishment?”
“Assume what you will, brother. It matters little to me.”
“One thing you forgot in your rush to do your rider’s bidding, T’rsa, perhaps my ability to survive beyond the death of a human rider is meant to be spread to the Greater Herd. If you are concerned that my supposed lack of control could spread, you must consider the other side.”
T’rsa was beginning to display her own lack of control. She reared angrily
. “You are an affront to the harmony we live in! You are tainted by chaos and madness. No, I would not like to see this spread to the Greater Herd. My brother did not return from the wasteland – a cursed shell bearing his likeness did!”
He turned away from her rage. Majherri suspected that if he stayed longer, it would lead to actual fighting. Part of him wondered how many he could take before they brought him down, but he buried those thoughts. Dead, he couldn’t help his rider. They would be able to simply cast her out then. She’d given up everything to come with him and he would gladly do the same for her.
Majherri knew what must be done.
“Your riding is improving, trainee.” The new captain said to his rider as they navigated the terrain. The air was cool. Soon, the city on the other side of the island would receive the first snows of winter, though none would touch the forever green pastures of the sacred island.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Majherri hadn’t bothered to make any conversation with the male that Captain Sycroft was riding. He hadn’t spoken to another of his kind since that night with his sister and that was three weeks ago. T’rsa’s and the herd council’s declaration had spread quickly and he was truly an outcast. He’d even given up on investigating the events in the west. The only creature that wanted his help was in his saddle.
“Have you decided on a topic for your history of warfare class?”
“Yes, ma’am. I was thinking of doing it on the significance of the Portal system and the impact on past conflicts.”
“It is a good choice, recruit. Have you ever been through a portal before?”
“No, ma’am. I’ve seen wagons come out at the exit points before, but my trip here was the first time to Talcosa.”
“It is a disorienting experience, but you’ll see it firsthand in eight weeks. I’ve decided to let you go on your first patrol with the rest of your class.”
Kayleigh brightened and Majherri felt her relief. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Don’t thank me, recruit. You’ve earned it through hard work. You’ll be going to the east with Lieutenant Townsend’s group. Now, onto your paper, the Portals are one of my favorite subjects. Tell me, what have you learned so far? What do you believe is their primary purpose?”
“When the twelve portals were first created by High-Queen Nolan, she had just won the war of the seven kingdoms. She developed the portals as a means of rapidly deploying forces to suppress any further uprisings.”
“Good so far. Why not make them allow travel in both directions?”
“It would open Talcosa up to invasion from multiple locations.”
The captain smiled, “Correct. Continue.”
“Two of the gates have been destroyed. One was in Henchill two hundred and ten years ago and the other nineteen years ago in the southern city of Coedrif, at the start of the southern uprising. Henchill was raised in retaliation. Coedrif was spared because their royal family abdicated and went to exile after the defeat of Count Darius.”
“Why do the kingdoms allow the remaining ones to stay?”
“Other than the threat of destruction … I guess there’s too much money involved. Raw materials pour into Talcosa and the finished products go through the Portals. It also allows travelers to shorten the length of their journey.” Kayleigh answered bringing
Majherri to a halt near the stream. He stuck his head into the water and tried blocking out the conversation.
“That is the heart of the matter. The kingdoms need the money and fear the power. Why haven’t more been built?”
“High-Queen Nolan took the secret of their construction to her grave.”
“… and the graves of the five men and women who helped her make them.”
He felt Kayleigh’s surprise, “Really?”
“Yes, but most people have forgotten about that. Their names might be found in some of the rare history books in our library. Now as soon as our unicorns are watered, let’s head back. Since we’ve covered some of the lessons, let’s talk about how you’re fitting in to the company. How are the rest of my girls treating you?”
“Laurel is very nice. She’s gone out of her way to be helpful. Julia and Amanda are friendly. The members of the squad encourage me, even when my performance puts them behind in the rankings.”
Majherri could feel Kayleigh trying to be sincere. Her lie didn’t fool him, but it seemed acceptable to the Captain. Other than Laurel, the rest had barely made an effort and that was due to the fact that she was still lead rider for that year.
Captain Sycroft urged her unicorn to start back. “That’s good, Reese. Given the situation, you’ve made substantial progress. I hope to see that progress continue. I’ve seen a few first years approach you during mealtime.”
Kayleigh nodded. Majherri knew that the one called Ellen and even her challenger, Andrea had sat with her occasionally.
Majherri concentrated on speed during the return trip, pushing the other male to try and keep up with him. It minimized the amount of conversation the two females could make and helped to reduce his rider’s discomfort.
Back at the stables, Majherri waited while Kayleigh removed the saddle and stowed her gear. With the captain watching from the entrance, his rider used a bucket of water and some rags to wipe the dirt off his coat. The third year stable master, an older man named Gregory, struck up a conversation with Captain Sycroft.
His rider missed the first year stable master, Brian Tomas. That much was clear. Aside from the physical attraction, the male was much more friendly and approachable. The new one showed none of the interest in the human females’ lives and was devoid of humor or any other traits either Majherri or is rider found interesting.
Kayleigh placed her head next to his and whispered into his ear. “I did it. They’re going to allow us to go through the Portal. That first night, we’ll just get up and ride wherever the path takes us. They don’t want either of us here. I tried so hard to fit in with all these girls, but nothing worked, and what the unicorns have done to you is wrong. Soon, we’ll put this all behind us, I promise.”
Majherri snorted his agreement. He was the one to first put forth this idea of just leaving. Kayleigh thought it over for three days before deciding to go along with it. The herd didn’t want him and what loyalty he had for it had dwindled to nothing. His rider found this life more restricting than her previous existence as her mother’s assistant.
There was no joy left for either of them on this island. For Majherri, it was just a hollow and empty existence. His rider’s day was filled with work that began before the sun rose and ended hours after the sun set.
Naturally, the solution was to leave, but that meant convincing the humans that Kayleigh was sufficiently prepared to go on her first training patrol.
They had originally said that she wouldn’t be allowed to go. This meant that they would have had to wait until the fourth year patrol, or the break between fourth and fifth year, when the trainees could leave the island without requesting permission. So, Kayleigh worked harder than ever to impress her new captain. He was proud of her.
Initially she had told him that they should just go to the General and state their case. Majherri didn’t want to leave on someone else’s terms. Perhaps this was selfish, but he knew the General’s style well enough to realize that the woman would not allow Kayleigh to leave with him.
“I’d better get going, Majherri. Captain Sycroft looks like she’s getting impatient. Just eight more weeks until the patrol and then we can put this all behind us.”
He sent feelings of reassurance through their link. Freedom, true freedom was coming soon and both their lives would have meaning again. Majherri was certain, deep in his core, he no longer belonged here.
Chapter 22 – A Time for Leaving
“Wake up, Kayleigh. Nothing like a night out under the stars! You’re up for guard duty, Reese. We’re counting on you to be able to pull your weight. Are you sure you’re up for it?” Laurel Whitaker asked. The
still-reigning third year lead rider had an angular face and a slightly upturned nose. Despite her harsh features, the girl was good-natured and diligent. Everyone, including Kayleigh, liked being around her, except when it was very late at night and the air was quite cold.
There was still some residual light from the campfire, Kayleigh frowned. This was just a rehearsal for the actual patrol in two weeks. Whitaker had this “treat every exercise as if it were real” mentality. That was probably the only thing about the lead rider that Kayleigh didn’t care for.
“I’m ready. Anything happen?” They had been warned to expect various surprise “attacks” during the remaining three days and two nights.
Laurel shook her head. “No, everything’s quiet. I thought I spotted some movement earlier and scented it, but it turned out to be a rabbit.”
“Scented it?”
The lead rider rolled her eyes and said, “You know, used my powers and changed the direction of the wind for a moment. Air maidens can enhance the smells. It’s what makes us great ambushers and hard to sneak up on – not as good as an earth maiden listening to the ground, mind you, but still good nonetheless.”
Kayleigh was so involved with trying to understand her powers that she hadn’t learned all the things the riders aligned to the other elements could do. Sadly, it was part of the second year curriculum that she’d missed. All she could manage was, “Oh.”
“It’s okay. Part of this is to learn how to work as a team. Just stay alert and keep an eye out.”
“Don’t worry, I might not be the best, but Majherri has more experience than our instructors and their unicorns combined. They’ll have to work pretty hard if they want to get by us.”
Rider (Spirals of Destiny) Page 18