by Rinelle Grey
Kriss still looked uncertain. He needed to think of some way to convince her.
Before he could, she said gruffly, “I suppose at least that way I’ll be able to make sure Mugos doesn’t kill you in your sleep.”
Jasyn stared at her. Well, it was a good thing that she wanted him to stay alive, wasn’t it?
6
The Power of Magic
“Again,” Kriss demanded.
She scowled at Jasyn standing in front of her, his lank hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. His legs shook and he could barely lift his sword.
A full sized sword. And full armour.
Ever since he'd stood up to Mugos three months ago, Jasyn had seemed more confident in everything. Even down to agreeing that he needed to learn how to fight. And a good thing, too.
If he insisted on doing this, he damn well better do it properly. If they went after the gems, they'd have to go further into the human village than they'd gone before. It was a risky proposition for a trained warrior. Jasyn had little chance of making it out alive.
Bravery alone didn't win battles.
He lifted the sword and held it up in front of him, grim determination written on his face.
Kriss came at him, hitting his sword over and over with all her strength, pushing him back until his back was against the fence of the practice yard.
Several trolls standing around the outside cheered. A larger number booed. Jasyn had more supporters than she did.
That fact didn't bother her. She wasn't in this for popularity.
She didn't pause in her attacks, continuing to strike at Jasyn until the last of his strength deserted him and his sword dropped into the dust. She pushed through with the last strike, the finely honed blade cutting through the armour and into his skin.
Pain flashed across his face, but he didn't cry out.
Damn Jasyn and his stoic persistence. After months of practicing, he was neither improving fast enough to satisfy her, nor giving up.
She wasn’t sure which she would have preferred.
Dropping her own sword beside his, she said, “We're done for the day.” She strode back to their tent, not looking back. There was no way he’d be ready for the raid they had planned in two days’ time. No way. She couldn’t possibly teach him all the things he needed to know in that time.
“Are you all right?” Bekinda trotted beside her.
Kriss lengthened her stride, ignoring the protest from her muscles that had been working all morning, hoping to leave Bekinda behind. “I’m fine,” she growled. She wasn’t in the mood for questions. Especially not about Jasyn.
“If you’re so fine, why are you scowling like that?” Bekinda increased her pace to a half jog to keep up.
This was the reason she had kept her distance from Bekinda the last few months, using Jasyn’s training as an excuse. She felt bad keeping the truth about her relationship with Jasyn from her friend. Once upon a time, she would have shared everything with Bekinda.
But things were different now.
Now that she was the champion, Kriss had to consider the possibility that every troll out there was sizing her up, wondering if they could beat her for the coveted leader’s position.
Even Bekinda.
In fact, out of all the warriors, Bekinda was high on her risk list. She was close to Kriss in skill and ability, that’s why Kriss had named her second in command.
Bekinda was also her friend. Kriss wanted to trust her, but she didn’t dare. The only way a champion kept this position was by being a little paranoid.
The only person she could really trust was Jasyn.
Even then, she had her doubts from time to time. For now, their goals were aligned, but that could change.
“I have a lot on my mind right now.”
“Like whether Jasyn is going to survive the battle tomorrow, or whether you should leave him behind?” Bekinda’s voice was gentle and understanding. And it almost broke Kriss’s resolve to keep silent.
Trust her friend to get to the heart of the matter.
It wasn’t surprising. Bekinda knew, as many trolls did, that the risk of losing a loved one on the battlefield was very real. She’d lost her fiancé, Pyrol, on a raid only weeks before their wedding. She still hadn’t gotten over it, even though it happened more than a year ago.
Kriss longed to unburden herself to her friend. She would understand that Kriss was afraid of losing Jasyn, even though she didn’t love him. They’d been friends since they were kids, and Bekinda had always been the one to help Kriss believe in herself. If Kriss told her that she was afraid that, without Jasyn, she would slip into using fear to rule the trolls, as Mugos had, then maybe Bekinda would tell her that she didn’t believe that was true.
She would list all the reasons why Kriss could do this, and why she was different. She would help Kriss believe she could do it. Talking like that was the only way she could release the fear.
But admitting that fear was the same as admitting weakness. And she couldn’t afford that. Bekinda might be her friend, but when the champion position was on the line, how could she trust anyone?
“Who I choose to take with me on this battle is none of your concern,” Kriss said curtly. Hopefully Bekinda would take the hint.
She didn’t. “There’s no reason to take him with you. He doesn’t stand a chance in this battle and his lack of skill will put the other trolls’ lives at risk. No matter how hard you train him, Jasyn is always going to be a weakling.”
Kriss grabbed Bekinda by the collar and pulled her face close. “Jasyn is not a weakling.”
Surprised at her own actions, she released Bekinda before her friend even had a chance to object.
Bekinda shook herself and stared at Kriss for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice was sympathetic. “He’ll never be able to equal you in a fight, Kriss. Most of the trolls can’t. But if you care about him,” she looked sideways at Kriss, and Kriss kept her face blank, “if you care about him, it’s better that you leave him behind.”
“Tell that to Jasyn,” Kriss snapped. Then she took a deep breath. She needed to watch herself. She and Jasyn needed to present a united front. If anyone detected a rift between them, they would take advantage of it. That wouldn't be good for either of them. “He feels he needs to do this to prove himself. And I agree that it will go a long way towards earning respect among the trolls.”
Bekinda squared her shoulders. “You really want him to make it through this?”
Kriss looked at her friend, and her heart warmed. Bekinda made a loyal second in command, even if Kriss couldn’t quite trust her completely. “I do,” she confirmed.
“Then you need to stop trying to teach him to fight.”
“What?”
“He's not like you. He can't fight using brute strength. He needs to learn his own way, and I'm willing to bet it will be through cunning and outsmarting his opponent. You can't teach him that, because it's not how you fight.”
Kriss stared at her. She’d been so focused on building up Jason's strength and teaching him the most effective strikes that it hadn't even occurred to her there might be a different way.
But Bekinda was right. He needed to do it differently. “How do I show him how to do that?”
Her friend smiled. “You can’t. You’ve given him all you can. He knows the basics now, the rest is up to him.”
No, it couldn’t be. Jasyn wasn’t ready to fight yet. Any fool could see that. She couldn’t let him go out into battle ill prepared. She opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again. What more could she do? She’d spent months improving his physical strength and speed. If it had been one of her warriors, she would say that if he wasn’t ready by now, he never would be.
So why was it so hard to do the same with Jasyn?
Of course it was different. She and Jasyn were co-champions. They needed each other, and depended on each other. If anything happened to Jasyn on the raid, then it would weaken her. Within a few days she’
d be challenged, and quite possibly defeated.
It was simple self-preservation.
If it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t care what happened to him. It’s not like she’d miss seeing his face over dinner each night, or feel sad when she saw his empty boots sitting by the tent flap. She’d only shared a tent with him for a couple of months, she’d adjust to him being gone in no time.
“Damn and blast that troll, he’d better figure it out,” she muttered under her breath.
Bekinda turned away and Kriss had the sneaking suspicion her friend was hiding a smile.
“So, how is the training going for the rest of the raid party?” Kriss asked, hoping to shift the conversation away from Jasyn.
“Good, all things considering.” Bekinda turned back, all hint of personal feelings gone. “I’ve found a few good fighters to fill in for those we lost on the last raid. They’re a little raw, but the battle will season them nicely. As you asked, I’ve been training everyone who is interested or has shown the least amount of talent. We have a second wave ready to go. They may not have the skill of the main group, but they make up for it in enthusiasm and numbers. That fiancé of yours may not be great at fighting, but he sure knows how to inspire people.”
Kriss bit back a growl. Trust Bekinda to turn the conversation back around to Jasyn. “Lucky he’s good at something.”
There was a long pause, then Bekinda asked, “So, are you ready for the wedding tomorrow?”
“What’s there to be ready for?” Kriss shrugged, ignoring the flutter in her stomach. “It’s just a few words and dinner.”
“And a lifelong commitment.”
“That’s the least of my concerns right now, when neither of us may live more than a few days after that.”
Whose idea had it been to have the wedding the day before the raid anyway? As if she needed those nerves the day before a big battle. That’s right. She had said that it would raise morale and distract them from the upcoming raid, and Jasyn had agreed.
She hadn’t expected to care about the day.
“You’re not usually this pessimistic. Are you all right?”
Kriss heaved a sigh. “Everything hinges on this battle, Bek. Of course I’m not all right. I don’t feel in the least bit ready for any of this.”
“Are you talking about the raid, or the wedding? Because I’ve never seen you this cut up about a raid before.”
“Subtle.” Kriss couldn’t help a small smile.
“I’m right here if you want to talk,” Bekinda said quietly.
If only she could. Kriss shook her head. “I’ll be fine. It’s just nerves. You know me, fighting is far easier than getting up in front of everyone and being mushy.”
She couldn’t say that she wasn’t worried about the wedding itself, but about how she and Jasyn could keep up their ruse without actually having sex. Or whether they even should. The reasons that had caused him to announce their marriage in the first place were sound. The magical bond would make them stronger leaders. She needed to be able to trust Jasyn completely, and he her. The bond would achieve that.
But Jasyn didn’t seem convinced. In fact, he’d given no indication that he was interested in anything more than cooperating to find a way to lift the curse. He was obsessed by it, in fact.
He wasn’t interested in her at all.
Which was a good thing.
Her worries and fears were unfounded. She needed to ignore them, and focus on being prepared for the upcoming raid. She couldn’t let the wedding distract her from the battle. Yet another reason it was good that it would be out of the way first.
“I’d better go get cleaned up,” she said. “Jasyn and I have to go over the plans for the raid one last time.”
Bekinda headed off, and Kriss was more than happy to slip into the privacy of her tent, and splash some cool water on her face.
“Save some of that for me.”
Kriss spun around. Jasyn let the tent flap fall behind him and didn’t even waver as he walked across the room, brushing past her to scoop up some water to splash on his own face.
How had he taken his armour off and made it back here so quickly?
She stepped back and took a moment to really look at him.
He was still on the small side for a troll, he didn’t have the bone structure to put on any real weight. But there were defined muscles on his arms and no flab to his bare belly. His skin was a darker shade of green, too. All those hours of practice out in the sun had paid off, in more ways than one.
He was no Mugos, but then, she’d never really found the ex-champion attractive.
Jasyn wiped his face on the rag hanging near the bowl and turned, catching her staring at him. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Kriss said quickly. She suspected she was blushing. “Do you want to go over the plans?”
“In a minute.” Jasyn nodded. “I just need to sit down for a bit.”
He sank onto the wooden bench in the middle of the room and rested his elbows on the table. Lines of strain and tiredness etched the corners of his eyes, making him look older than he was.
Guilt swirled through Kriss. “I’ve been pushing you too hard, haven’t I?”
Jasyn looked up and managed a smile. “You’ve been doing what I asked you to, getting me ready for this raid. I just didn’t realise how far I had to come.”
“You’ve come a very long way,” Kriss said softly.
Jasyn nodded. “Do you think I’m ready?”
Kriss stared at him. How could she answer that? Honestly, she didn’t know. Neither of them would, until they were in the middle of battle. But that wasn’t the right thing to say right now. He needed confidence, because confidence was half the battle. How could she give him that, while still telling the truth?
She stalled, sitting down on the bench opposite him. “I’m impressed at the effort you’ve put into training. I really thought you’d give up at the first sticking point, but you persisted, and you’ve become a warrior anyone would be proud to fight beside.”
It was the truth. She admired his determination and courage, even if she did still doubt his skill.
Jasyn blushed. “Really?” His expression was eager, yet doubtful.
Kriss reached across the table and put her hand over his. “Really. You’ll do fine.”
And as she said the words, she realised that they were true. The doubts she’d been feeling melted away. Jasyn’s determination would see him through, one way or another.
He put his other hand over hers. “That means a lot, Kriss. Especially coming from you.”
She shrugged, uncomfortable with the intensity of his words. “Anyone would say the same thing.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t ask just anyone to train me. I asked you, because you’re the best. So I’m glad you think I’m ready. I wouldn’t believe it coming from anyone else.”
Now she felt even worse. “No one can know what will happen until we get out there.”
“Of course not. You can’t guarantee that I won’t freeze up, or that someone else won’t get a lucky hit. But you’ve done the best you can, and that’s what counts.”
It wouldn’t count for much if he ended up dead. But Kriss didn’t voice that thought. Instead, she said, “Shall we go over the plans one last time?”
Jasyn nodded and pulled out the worn map that they’d pieced together from her memory and the information contained in the book about the founding of Eryvale. It wasn’t much. The positions of the buildings were inaccurate and the distances guessed. But the important bit wasn’t the village itself, but the graveyard they’d determined was to be on the west side.
“So the backup group goes in first and starts as if it’s a normal raid, while the rest of us skirt around this side and over to the graveyard,” Jasyn confirmed.
Kriss nodded. They’d gone over this plan many times, but it seemed to calm Jasyn to rehearse it. “Once you have the gem, you need to let everyone know, as loudly as you can, and we’ll retreat imm
ediately. If anyone picks up food or supplies on the way, it’s a bonus, not the aim of the raid,” she said.
Jasyn nodded. He stared at the map for a few more moments, then looked up at her. “What do we do once we get back here with the gem?”
It was the first time he’d brought up anything past the date of the raid.
“I don’t know,” Kriss admitted. “I hadn’t really thought that far. The aim was to talk to the humans, wasn’t it?”
Jasyn hesitated. “I’m not sure we want to try that straight away though. The humans might not look too kindly on us immediately after the raid.”
Kriss frowned. “If we’re not going back straight away, we’ll need to put more focus on actually getting food during this raid. We’re already running low on food from the last one. How long do you want to wait before we talk to them?”
Jasyn shrugged. “I don’t know. Long enough for the pain of battle to ease a little. A few months at least.”
“A few months!” Kriss stared at him. “Why didn’t you mention this earlier? This changes our plans substantially. I need to talk to Bekinda and arrange for extra trolls to collect food immediately.”
Jasyn just smiled at her. “If you had ever come along to our magic circle meetings when I invited you over the last few months, you’d realise that there’s another way.”
He wasn’t even bothered? How could he be so calm? This was a disaster. “A magic circle isn’t going to help us. We can’t eat magic.”
Jasyn laughed. “We don’t have to eat magic. But we can use magic to grow food. As soon as we started planning the raid three months ago, I told Uma to get to work on it. I’ve been running small scale experiments for the last couple of years, but until now I knew that any attempt to grow food on a large scale would be seen as a lack of faith in the warriors’ ability to supply food. Once that was no longer a concern, starting a garden was simple. Although I do have a few extra assignments for your warriors. Uma says we need a chicken or two, and maybe a goat.”
“A chicken?” she repeated. “A goat? Are you crazy?” Jasyn had been working on this for three months, and he hadn’t thought to mention it to her until now?