by K. A. Linde
“Yes, I think so,” Avoca agreed.
“This way,” Orden said.
They hurried after Orden, who revealed a side staircase as a group of guards appeared on the landing. She heard shouting behind her, but she didn’t stop to ask questions.
A minute later, they landed in the kitchen, which was bustling with people. She could hear the guards coming down the stairs after them.
“What do you think you’re doing?” a large woman in a cook’s dress asked.
“Just passing through, my lady,” Orden said. He dropped a gold piece into her hand, and then as the rest of the group ran past, he dropped two more into her palm.
They had made it out onto the street when Cyrene heard the greedy woman giving the soldiers instructions on where they had gone. Their group rounded a corner away from the square and took off at a dead sprint.
“Avoca and Ahlvie, go east. Orden and I will head west. We’ll loop back around and meet you at the docks. We’ll have a better chance if we are separated,” Cyrene instructed through breathless pants.
Avoca nodded without question, taking instructions like a soldier, and disappeared behind the next bend with Ahlvie. Cyrene and Orden went the opposite direction at the next fork.
After another minute of jogging, Orden put his hand on her shoulder. “Try to act natural. We need to blend in.”
Despite her shaking hands and rapidly rising chest, she slowed her steps and tried to follow Orden’s lead. She had given him directions to the boat earlier in case they were separated.
Now, they just had to get there.
Cyrene caught her breath when their boat came into sight, bobbing softly on the rushing Huyek River. Ceis’f was impatiently pacing the docks, and Orden and Cyrene hurried to reach him. The captain and crew of their vessel were already setting up the rigging for the destination, and now, all they needed was Avoca and Ahlvie to set sail.
Ceis’f stalked over to Cyrene and growled in her face, “What’s taking her so long?”
“Soldiers followed us after we got Ahlvie out. I’m sure they’re just dodging patrols. What happened out there? You weren’t in your position, and I barely made it out alive.”
“That would have been all the better for me,” he snarled.
Cyrene fixed him with a pointed stare.
“That Byern royal showed up and messed everything up. Avoca ended up shooting an arrow at him. He shifted at the last second, and it only grazed his arm. I don’t even know how he moved that quickly or how he heard the arrow coming. It caused chaos after that, which was the distraction, but by then, I was engaged and couldn’t get to you.”
Cyrene’s mouth hung open. “Avoca shot an arrow at Kael?”
“That’s what I said. What about your other human?”
“We…we had to leave her behind.”
“All this work, and you couldn’t even manage to get both. Then, you leave Avoca,” he accused.
Cyrene ground her teeth and almost left, but she couldn’t just walk away. She knew what Ceis’f was feeling right now. Even if he hated her and treated her terribly, he had helped her.
“Thank you for helping today. I know how you feel about me—”
“You know nothing,” he snapped viciously. “And, until you do, you can keep your mouth closed.”
Cyrene sighed. So much for trying to be nice. She strode aboard the ferryboat that Avoca had secured for them. As she waited, she tried not to think about the sidelong glances from the crew or the large sum of money she had seen Orden hand over to the captain for his silence. Instead, her thoughts strayed to more dangerous territory. She worried that war between Byern and Aurum was imminent, because of the brawling in the streets and the number of guards on foreign soil. It would be in Byern’s best interest to send Kael on to the capital city in Aurum to smooth things over with his sister, Queen Jesalyn.
But Edric would never have sent him in the first place. That made her think that Kael had come of his own volition. But to what end?
Her history with Kael was rocky at best. They had wavered between lust and hatred and revulsion and sometimes even friendship. His obsession with her only infuriated her more because of the uncanny pull she felt for him, even when she did not want to.
Just like with Edric.
No. She shouldn’t think about Edric right now.
She closed her eyes and remembered their shared kisses and the stolen moments away from the prying eyes of court. She had been willing to give herself over to him, and she would have if she had not fled Byern. In the end, nothing could change the fact that Edric had all the power, and he already had his Queen.
“Cyrene,” Ceis’f called from the dock.
She turned around, ready to reprimand him for using her name. They were so close to getting across this river and out of trouble. She couldn’t have the captain or crew recognize her now.
“Ceis’f, watch what you say!” she snapped, storming to the railing.
“You might want to see this.”
Her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. Two figures were racing down the dirt road that led from Strat. Farther back, just visible, coming out of the city gate, were more than a dozen Byern guards running after them.
“Orden!” she shrieked. She could just start to make out Avoca and Ahlvie in the lead.
“Cast off!” Orden cried. “Captain Iscoe, let’s get this ship moving. We leave now.”
“What have you gotten me involved in?” he growled.
“If you cast off now, get us safely to the other side of the river, and ask no questions, I’ll double the sum that has already been paid to you. But we leave now.”
“Blood and bloody ashes,” he cursed under his breath. “Let’s get moving, men. What do you think I’m paying you for? Cast off!”
The crew burst into action. Cyrene watched with a fearful eye as her friends sprinted toward her, and the sailors worked to get the boat out of port.
Her friends were outpacing the soldiers on foot, but Cyrene saw two men step out of line and draw their bows. Her stomach dropped to her feet.
Cyrene zeroed in on the two guards who were aiming at Avoca’s back, and she reached for her powers. She knew she had the strength to stop them from doing this. If she could kill a Braj and take out a pack of Indres, then surely, she could stop a few arrows from killing someone she desperately needed alive.
But her powers never came. A flicker. There and then gone. It was like she had some kind of block that kept her from accessing them. She gasped at the effort she was exerting and held on to the rail as her knees nearly buckled underneath her.
Avoca and Ahlvie were almost on the dock when the arrow flew true and straight. Cyrene cried out Avoca’s name, but by her estimation, it was going to be too late.
At the sound of Cyrene’s voice, Avoca ducked and rolled to the right, just missing the first arrow. Cyrene felt Avoca latch on to her powers, like a fist to the gut. She coughed and sputtered at the feel of their connection in action. And then the ground began to tremble. Just lightly at first and then rockier until the guards were jumping around under the quake.
The boat heaved forward, and Cyrene fell to her knees with a lurch. She scrambled back up in time to see Avoca miss the second loosed arrow, and she ran back toward the dock.
Ahlvie was ahead of Avoca and took a large leap onto the boat. He collapsed to the ground, heaving big breaths. But Avoca was still too far away. The gap was widening further, and though she had outpaced the threat, she now had to vault herself off the dock and hope to make the leap or brave the current.
“Come on, Avoca,” Cyrene whispered.
They all watched her pick up speed as she reached the dock. Cyrene could see it now. Avoca wasn’t going to make it. There was no way. The boat was thirty feet out, moving toward forty feet. They were past the point of where any human could make that jump.
But Avoca wasn’t slowing down. She was going to try the jump anyway. There was no other option in her eyes as
she ran. Just a clear determination to get away.
Her feet left the ground, and she was sailing through the air. Her body arced as she reached out toward the boat, but she was quickly losing ground. Soon, she would plummet into the river, and they might not be able to get her on board. Cyrene held her breath, and her knuckles turned white where she gripped the railing.
More than halfway across the distance, Cyrene felt a small tug in her chest. Her eyes widened when she realized what Avoca meant to do.
Suddenly, the water lifted under Avoca and careened her forward. The water pushed her the last ten feet with the force of a tidal wave propelling her onto the boat. The wave crashed wildly over Avoca’s head just as she reached the deck. The water sloshed onboard and threw everyone off their feet as it ferociously threw Avoca down. She rolled the length of the deck before smashing into the railing and lying still.
Ceis’f beat everyone to Avoca. He dropped to the ground at her feet and carefully rolled her onto her back. He placed his ear on her chest, but Avoca didn’t move. He cursed loudly, tilted her head up, and started pumping her chest. Three quick pumps to her chest and then a deep exhale into Avoca’s lungs. He repeated the movement. Cyrene watched Avoca’s chest expand.
After the second breath, Avoca coughed suddenly and spewed water out of her lungs. She leaned over and coughed until there was nothing left.
Cyrene sighed in relief, and Ceis’f sat back on his heels.
“You’re all right,” he said, reaching for her.
“Get off of me,” Avoca groaned.
She pushed Ceis’f away from her with one last sputtering cough and then rose to her feet, as if she hadn’t just inhaled half of the river.
Ceis’f sighed and followed her lead. Avoca crossed her arms. Besides being soaking wet, she looked better than most of the rest of them.
“What?” she demanded.
Ceis’f’s expression hardened. “Air would have been easier.”
Avoca shrugged and brushed past him. “Water worked.”
“Nothing to see here,” Captain Iscoe called out to his crew, who had finally righted themselves and were staring around in shock. “Get back to work. We’ve already lost too much time.”
“Perhaps we should all convene elsewhere,” Orden suggested.
He gestured toward the front railing where less people were around for eavesdropping, and the group followed him.
He plopped his big, floppy hat down on his head and then turned to face them. “We’re sure to have guards on our trail after all of that. So, we’re moving as fast as possible down the river. The captain said that no other ferries or boats would be equipped to make the trip until late this afternoon, and any that might follow us would be several hours behind us. With our luck, we’ll have a half day head start on our pursuers by the time we dock, and then we can lose them in the countryside.”
“That’s a relief?” Ahlvie asked.
“Unfortunately, we only have three horses on board for the five of us, which will slow us down considerably. That’s time wasted we can’t afford. So, we’ll need to…”
“And who are you?” Avoca asked with raised eyebrows.
“My apologies. I am Orden Dain.”
“He was traveling with us,” Cyrene said.
“You made no mention of him,” Avoca accused.
“He was scouting when the Indres attacked, and Ahlvie and Maelia were captured. I had no way of knowing where he was,” Cyrene explained. “We had to go where I knew to find people. He found me in the streets in Strat, but he’s been traveling with me since Albion.”
Orden’s eyes widened. “Did you say Indres?”
“Yes,” answered Cyrene stiffly.
“That’s not something to bypass lightly,” Orden said.
“Is that what they were?” Ahlvie asked shakily. “Maelia and I thought they were wolves.”
“It seems folktales are truer than we could have ever imagined,” Cyrene said.
Orden nodded and then glanced purposefully at Avoca and Ceis’f. “It seems that way,” he said, as if he knew that Avoca and Ceis’f were Leifs. “Where did you pick up your rogue companions?”
Avoca and Ceis’f stiffened.
Cyrene spoke up, “They saved me from the attack and offered their help. Let’s just get somewhere safe, and then we can all catch up on where we have been the last couple of days. What’s the plan, Orden?”
“Ah, yes. There’s a small town called Gildan just north of where I’ve asked the captain to let us off. We can procure horses and supplies there before getting on the road to Aurum.”
“You plan to go into the capital city?” Ceis’f asked in disbelief and revulsion.
“You don’t have to come,” Avoca told him.
“How can you even bear it, Ava? Surrounded like that, without the trees—”
“I am not you, Ceis’f. And I will do as Cyrene guides.”
“What happened to Maelia?” Ahlvie interjected.
“We had to leave her behind,” Orden told him.
Ahlvie arched his eyebrows and then turned to face Cyrene. “What happened?”
Cyrene swallowed. She hated that, after all that effort, she had only been able to get Ahlvie out. It was a bonus that they had Orden to guide them through Aurum even though Avoca and Ceis’f could have probably gotten them there, but Maelia was a terrible loss. Cyrene would have done anything to get her to be here with them right now, but there just hadn’t been any other option. They had barely made it out of there as it was.
“Let’s walk a bit, and I’ll tell you about it,” Cyrene said, taking Ahlvie’s arm and guiding him away from the others.
Avoca and Ceis’f stormed off together, already deep in conversation. Orden remained, contemplatively staring out across the Huyek River.
“I’m sorry about Maelia,” Cyrene said at the exact same time as Ahlvie said, “I’m sorry we lost you.”
They both laughed softly and then kept up their slow strolling pace around the deck.
“You first,” Cyrene told him. “What happened?”
“There were too many of those things—Indres. I never thought I’d hear that word spoken so seriously again.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was growing up, the elders in my village spoke of them. Rumor had it that Indres along with some other creature that they refused to put a name to attacked a forest village near my home, Fen, and slaughtered every man, woman, and child. It left the village decimated.”
Cyrene gasped.
“I was so young at the time, only four years old, but I remember my mother crying for weeks afterward. Most of her life, she had been friends with a man from the village. It was a great loss.” He sighed at the painful memory and continued, “But something stopped the Indres in the Hidden Forest. Maelia and I were fighting them off as best we could. Then, the guards showed up from across the river. They were helping, but when all the Indres died, the remaining guardsmen apprehended us and brought us to Strat. They interrogated me about you, but after a couple of days in prison, Prince Kael showed up and moved us to the inn.”
“I can’t believe he showed up,” Cyrene said in disbelief.
“I never liked the guy, but he took an arrow to the arm and kept going, like it didn’t matter.”
Cyrene shook her head. “Only Kael Dremylon.”
After a few minutes of silence, he said, “But you know the craziest thing out of all of this is seeing all of the Indres dropping dead. It came out of nowhere. I felt that same blast, like when the Braj was killed.”
Cyrene sighed and closed her eyes. “It felt the same because it was the same.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know when we were in Albion and I said that I somehow killed…the Braj?” she whispered.
“Yes,” he said, his voice dipping to match hers.
“I know now what happened where I wasn’t sure before.” She opened her eyes to meet his dark eyes. “I killed them with…powers. I
have magical powers.”
“Magical powers?” Ahlvie skeptically eyed her.
“Yes. I know it sounds insane.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “It does.”
She laughed hesitantly. “I know. I wish I could show you, but I can’t because I don’t really have access to my powers. They only show up under life-or-death situations—or at least that’s when they have so far. That was the energy rush that you felt when I killed the Braj and Indres.”
“The energy was you.”
Cyrene sighed. “I know it might be hard to believe. I didn’t even believe it at first.”
“That’s because magic is a myth, like the Braj and Indres.”
“Yes. But it’s real, and that’s the full reason I’m going to Eleysia. I need to find someone who can help me control it,” she said in a rush.
“This Matilde and Vera?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know we’ll find them or that they’ll even help?”
Cyrene shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t.”
“Look…I trust you. I’ve trusted you from the beginning, but we’ve risked our lives for this. Are you sure it’s…magic?”
“Absolutely.” She wished that she could explain it better.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yep. Okay.”
“How are you always so okay with everything?” she asked in disbelief.
He laughed thoughtfully. “I’ve learned to just go along with the flow. I’ve seen and heard things in my village that no one else would believe, and since we’ve been together, I think I’ve seen enough to know when you’re telling the truth.”
“Okay,” she said.
She thanked the Creator every day for sending her someone like Ahlvie who never questioned her motives.
Ahlvie smiled that devious smile that was always on his face and glanced across the boat. “Now, tell me about Avoca.”
Cyrene laughed lightly and shook her head. Only Ahlvie would dismiss her information about having magical powers that allowed her to kill the most dangerous creatures in the world when a pretty girl caught his eye.
“Leave Avoca alone, Ahlvie. She and Ceis’f are involved.”
Ahlvie shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s not the part I wanted to know.”