Rider (Spirals of Destiny)

by Jim Bernheimer

  “I know,” the other girl said and leaned in closer. “My guess is that they don’t want to risk another incident with you and Majherri, so I think you’ll be fine, but even so, stay sharp and look alive.”

  Kayleigh nodded. Laurel had been forthright with her ever since she arrived in the third year barracks. Her unicorn, like all the rest, didn’t like Majherri and by extension Laurel didn’t trust Majherri either, but she was honest about it and that said a good deal about the air maiden’s character.

  Climbing out of the warmth of her bedroll, Kayleigh stood and stretched. She opted to only strap on her chest plate and not the rest of her armor. It was left near the fire to prevent it from becoming too cold during the night. Grabbing her helmet, she walked over to Majherri.

  The chaperone, a rider on loan from the King’s battalion and here to monitor the trainees, immediately stopped her. “I was given special instructions to closely monitor your interaction with your unicorn, trainee. What do you intend to do?”

  “I was going to use heatsight and survey the area. After that, I was going to familiarize myself and my mount with the terrain directly around the campsite doing five counterclockwise rotations followed by two clockwise rotations to vary my movements. Periodically, I will stop and briefly use heatsight again to see if there is anyone approaching.”

  The woman nodded. “Proceed. Use no other magic than heatsight. If you feel anything out of the ordinary, you are to break contact with your unicorn immediately.”

  Kayleing agreed while thinking, Air Maidens aren’t the only ones with nifty tricks up there sleeves! She touched Majherri’s side and his eyes immediately opened. He had been on the ground and asleep. Most slept standing up with their legs locked in position and treated this as if they were in the field.

  She knew Majherri couldn’t care less.

  Concentrating, she drew on his magic while closing her eyes and bringing the magic up into them. Unlike the first year classes, there was an entire class devoted to each element’s magic. This was one of the first things she’d been able to master, although it still made her head ache if she did it more than twenty seconds at a time. When her eyes opened, the whole world was tinged with red. She could see the heat given off by everything.

  Looking beyond the group of unicorns and sleeping riders, Kayleigh stared into the distance, seeing some small creatures, but no signs of any other humans. She was troubled by the rocks on a nearby hill, because someone could be hiding amongst them.

  With no threats immediately visible, she saddled and mounted Majherri. He sent an image of them bolting and running through the night. It made her smile. Though she was ready to be done with this place, Majherri was ready within days after mating season, but then again, Kayleigh was still learning things. Majherri’s days were filled with boredom.

  He bucked against her slightly, noticing that she was feeling sorry for him. That offended him.

  “Sorry, Majherri. I figured we’d go counterclockwise around the camp and then change directions for two times.”

  Indifferently, he set off as she requested and she let him set the pace. The pair moved along the edges of the camp, by the path, which they were pretending was a major road between two cities. She spent her time thinking about the places where this year had gone horribly wrong. The lowest point had been when she was ushered into Captain Sycroft’s office and stared at Rebekah Morganstern’s face knowing full well that the burn mark would mar the girl’s otherwise perfect complexion. The base of the scar was hidden by her tunic, but it began on her left shoulder and ran up the girl’s neck and onto her cheek.

  “You think I’d actually forgive you? I’m only here under direct order.” It wasn’t the only direct order the girl had received. Rebekah had been spreading her filthy lies about Kayleigh with impunity, until, and the irony wasn’t lost on Kayleigh, Captain Lynch ordered her to stop.

  “No, Rebekah. I do not. But I apologize nonetheless. I accept my role in your injury and will use that as a lesson that I must learn to control my power.”

  The girl stood and walked up to Kayleigh, until they were only a foot apart. “If you had any honor, you’d leave and never come back. I am through with you, Reese. I’ve already made certain my father knows you attacked me. That harlot mother of yours will be run out of Helden the very day he reads that letter.” She stopped and tried to sound as menacing as a thirteen year old could and said, “Unless they choose to do otherwise.”

  Kayleigh shook her head and prevented her from passing with a grab to the shoulder. “You ignorant girl! Still counting on your precious father to do something for you! Maybe he should be here riding your unicorn. My shame was an accident. What you have done is deliberate. Not that it matters, but she already left Helden. I tried sending letters, but I received a letter back from an elder explaining she left a long time ago.”

  The irony was Kayleigh had every intention of leaving. Rebekah would no doubt feel vindicated by this, but Kayleigh no longer cared. Majherri sensed her anger and sent her an image of the two of them riding free and alone.

  Clearing her mind of that awful encounter, Kayleigh focused on her patrol. After one hour had passed, she spotted something approaching along the path. It was a wagon. She stopped and used heatsight again, trying to determine if the wagon driver had any other companions.

  Deciding that there were none, she dismounted and shook Laurel.

  “What is it?” the lead rider asked trying to shake herself awake.

  “There’s a wagon approaching. Do you want me to challenge or let it pass?”

  “Go ahead and challenge. I’ll be your back up.”

  Kayleigh climbed back into Majherri’s saddle as Whitaker stood and went to her unicorn. Kayleigh used her heatsight again and looked at the rocks that concerned her earlier. There was no movement except for the sound of the wagon drawing closer.

  She positioned Majherri in the center of the path and made a small flame shoot up from her index finger. “Halt, who goes there?”

  The driver brought his wagon to a stop and raised his hood. It was Brian Tomas playing the part. He said, “Just a humble traveler going from one city to the next, warrior.”

  “Why are you traveling without light?”

  “My apologies, but there are rumors of bandits plaguing these parts, my cart and the wares inside are all I have. Obviously, you’ve heard these rumors as well, otherwise you and your comrades wouldn’t be here.”

  “True, very true, kind merchant.” Kayleigh tried to remember things she was supposed to ask him, but sometimes his smile had a way of making her forget. “What news to you have of the road you have already traveled?”

  Majherri bucked slightly to get her attention. An image of her using heatsight sprung to her mind. She did as he recommended and scanned around as Brian continued to speak. Noticing that he rambled and was not trying to be terribly quiet, Kayleigh quickly discerned that he was trying to distract her, she looked at the rocks and saw several figures making there way down the hill.

  It was then that she realized that she and Laurel hadn’t agreed on a “danger” signal, that wasn’t blatantly obvious. Kayleigh placed her left hand behind her helmet and tried to make her hand glow.

  “My goodness! You’re a fire maiden! I’ve always thought that fire maidens are the most fascinating of all. Can you tell me what it is like being able to control fire like that? Can you make it change into different types of pretty colors?” He asked loudly. If Laurel could hear, it eliminated the next thing she was going to use.

  That’s just evil!

  “Well, I’m still learning how to do color changes, but I could try. Is there a particular color you’d like to see?” Kayleigh turned Majherri sideways to mask what she was doing.

  “How about blue, like your eyes?”

  Oh, he’s flirting with me! Now he’s being cruel.

  She laughed loudly and used the noise to pull her sword part of the way out of the scabbard. If Laurel missed this, she’d
have to be an idiot. A quick check of the raiders showed they were already halfway to the camp.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Laurel was in motion and breathed a sigh of relief. Turning back to Brian, she noticed two things, his dazzling smile and the crossbow he had slipped out from under a concealed cloak. The tip was replaced with a bag soaked in dye. The bolt clanged off her chest plate and she winced at the impact. Disgusted with being duped, she smacked her thigh.

  “So what did you do wrong, Kayleigh?”

  She liked that he didn’t call her trainee or Reese. “My partner and I didn’t agree on a danger sign. I was too busy watching the raiders and trying to signal her that I took my eyes off of you. You were the closest threat to me.”

  He took a sign that said ‘dead’ out and handed it to her. She hung it around her head as he casually reloaded his crossbow and continued, “You were at least able to warn your patrol, so your death is not in vain. Still, you can’t help too much, if you’re dead. Just remember that, because you do have some of the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen and that would be a terrible waste. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to participate in the rest of the ambush.”

  He leapt off the wagon and ran toward the encampment, where the rest of her squad was getting out of their bedrolls and forming a defensive perimeter. Kayleigh was flabbergasted by what he had just said. Majherri was somewhat indifferent about the whole episode, but there was a hint of amusement underneath.

  “That’s about enough out of you!” She growled and turned to watch the rest of the ambush play out.

  By the time it was over, two other trainees were also declared “dead,” and they received a stern lecture about how to properly challenge parties approaching the camp.

  “Well, my guard duty is over,” Kayleigh said, handing the “dead” sign back to Brian.

  “Get some rest,” he replied. “You’ll probably need it tomorrow.”

  “That’s reassuring.”

  “Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got to head down the road. There’s another squad camping there. I wonder how pretty the eyes of their guard are.”

  Angry, she turned away from his teasing. Just like the boys in Helden and Laurent, he was toying with me. When will I ever learn?

  Brian paused and Kayleigh could tell that he wanted to say something. Eventually, he said, “Goodnight, Miss Reese.”

  She grunted her reply.

  “Do you really think you’re going to need all that? It’s only two weeks.” Ellen Jacobs asked in the foyer to the third year barracks. The first year girl stopped by to wish Kayleigh a safe journey and that made her feel a twinge of guilt.

  “Remember how I didn’t have much coming here?” Kayleigh answered Ellen easily. “I just don’t want to end up having to beg for things like last time.”

  It was a convenient lie and it made perfect sense. She had no intention of coming back for anything.

  “So, are you excited to be going out on your first patrol?”

  She smiled at one of her few friends on the island. “Yes, I think a change of scenery is what’s needed.”

  “I wish I was going as well. Do you need a hand with anything?”

  “Thank you, but no, Ellen.”

  “Okay, well I’ve got to get going to my class. Sorry that I won’t be able to see you off. Come to think of it, you’d better hurry up.”

  “I’m all done. I just have to post some correspondence.”

  “I could do that for you,” the younger girl offered.

  Kayleigh shook her head. It would seem odd if Ellen saw them and found the one meant for her. “I’ll take care of it. Better get going, wouldn’t want Captain Lynch to give you any more demerits on my account. Tell the others I said goodbye.”

  Ellen promised she would and gave her a hug before running off. Kayleigh removed the five letters she’d written over the past few nights. They were addressed to Annabeth, Ellen, General Jyslin, Captain Sycroft and Lieutenant Sheppard. Kayleigh felt the need to explain her actions to them. They had given her a chance and tried to make this work. She didn’t want them to blame themselves. A sixth letter had been started, to Brian, but after thirty minutes she crumpled it and tossed it into the fire.

  Kayleigh shouldered her bags and crossed the foyer to Captain Sycroft’s office. Sliding the letters under the door, knowing that by the time they were found, Kayleigh and Majherri would already be through the portal and it would be inactive for a full day.

  Walking toward the dock, she tried to take the essence of the island in. More than likely, this would be the last time she’d ever see it. Kayleigh etched the surroundings in her memory. Perhaps one day, she would paint it and think about what might have been. Her coin purse jingled with the small amount of coins she’d earned to this point. Though there wasn’t much, Majherri assured her that between a unicorn and a partly-trained fire maiden they could find something that would provide a living.

  If she went back to her artist roots, she could use her powers to help her sculpt with metal. She enjoyed a brief fantasy of her becoming a famous sculptor. Wherever her mother was, she’d appreciate the bittersweet irony. She had given up on her mother’s dream that Kayleigh would follow her only to pursue the dream of becoming a battle maiden. Now, she was considering her future as an artist again.

  Part of her felt empty and without direction, like a rudderless ship at the mercy of the winds and the tides. She needed to be brave and take her next step.

  Majherri was waiting for her down by the docks. The barge was making its way back from taking the first group to Talcosa. The girls in her section were laughing and excited, so ready to prove their worth. It was ironic, because they were all going to the either the north or the east, which were hardly areas teeming with trouble.

  Placing her hand on the side of Majherri’s head, she felt his excitement and that stiffened her resolve and eased her doubts. He was telling her everything was going to be okay.

  You’re right. It’s time to go. Our place isn’t here, anymore.

  When the barge docked, she led Majherri on with barely a second thought. Kayleigh recalled the moment roughly six months before when this island held so much promise. She’d been cheated – like Lynch’s promise that she would treat Kayleigh fairly! There was a small tear in her eye as she turned her back on the sacred island and looked ahead to Talcosa. Even the trip across the lake was hollow and lacking. Before, the High-King had been their captain. There was pomp and ceremony. This time, there was a bored looking minor wizard, doing his job, and nothing more.

  “It looks larger than ever,” she whispered to Majherri. We might not even have to go through the Portal. We could almost get lost in that city alone!

  Majherri didn’t like that idea. She could tell he wanted to go somewhere far away.

  It was the middle of the day as they made their way through the massive city. Their destination was on the other side of the Great Market. Unlike the market, whose open spaces were crammed with people. There was a forbidding sense of order on the approach to the Portal. Once per day, and only for fifteen minutes at a time, the Portal would align with one of its ten counterparts across the world and a connection would open. The line of carts and wagons waiting for that destination would rush forward to get as many through in that window as possible. Those that missed the opportunity would be forced to wait in Talcosa for another day. For merchants that meant lost profits, and armies might miss out on valuable resupplies and reinforcements. It was not a place to waste time.

  The structure itself was unimpressive. It looked like the frame of a building that was never completed. A black mist filled the box-like structure as people and wagons moved through it. Kayleigh was reminded of an anthill, with people disappearing into the mist. During her travels, she’d seen the opposite – people, wagons and horses emerging from the mists when they were in the eastern kingdom of Derab. That was where their destination and it was a relief to Kayleigh. She had only been nine when the
y traveled through that land, but she did recall enough of it to help them plan their escape.

  Being emissaries of the High-King had certain privileges. One of them was bypassing the lines of people waiting for a particular destination. They rode to the front of the line for Derab.

  “Why the serious look?” A voice asked next to her. Kayleigh looked to her left and saw a familiar face.

  “Annabeth? What are you doing here?” The rider had a full kit on Rheysurrah.

  “Didn’t I say that riders from my battalion are always getting loaned out?”

  “Yes,” Kayleigh replied, trying to mask her nervousness.

  “Well, there’s a gaggle of third years heading out for their first patrol and General Jyslin requested a few extra bodies on this trip. The rest is history. What’s the matter Reese, surprised to see me?”

  How are we going to sneak away now? “No, it’s not that, Annabeth. I just didn’t expect to see you here … and I’m a little worried about my first time going through the Portal.”

  “There’s nothing to it, Kayleigh. You might feel a little disoriented, but it passes quickly.” Annabeth said while pointing to where the mist cleared and the soldiers were changing the sign to their destination.

  “This is where we go. Follow me!”

  Still worried, Kayleigh felt Majherri’s reassurances and followed Annabeth into the dark mist.

  Chapter 23 – A Fighting Start

  Majherri lost count of how many times he’d been through the mists. The experience was always the same, a sudden rush of wind and the sensation of rapidly falling. The secret was just to keep moving. He always found it amusing when the humans screamed, but this time he was doing his best to keep his agitated rider calm as they entered.

  Unfortunately the moment they entered, something went wrong. Everything began to vibrate, humans were shouting something. Majherri had never heard of something like this happening before.