Aerenden: The Gildonae Alliance (Ærenden Book 2)

Home > Other > Aerenden: The Gildonae Alliance (Ærenden Book 2) > Page 15
Aerenden: The Gildonae Alliance (Ærenden Book 2) Page 15

by Kristen Taber


  “Save it for later,” Nick interrupted. Meaghan shot him a warning look and he checked his renewed anger, softening his words. “Meaghan won't be able to hold the spell for long and we need to warn you about the danger you're facing.”

  “What danger?” Cal asked, and then continued without waiting for an answer. “You called me for a reason. It wasn't just to teach Meaghan how to do a spell.”

  “It's a risky spell,” Nick reminded him. “You know me better than that.”

  “You didn't have any other choice but to use it to call me,” Cal realized. “You need me to see something.” His voice trailed up the column, growing distant as it moved into the sky. Then it returned to the center of the room. “Mardróch,” he hissed. “How many?”

  “Fourteen,” Nick said. “Most of them are hunting now.”

  “Too many. The villagers have dropped their guard because of the festival. I'll make sure no one leaves.”

  “Good,” Nick responded. “That's all we needed to hear.”

  “Thank you for taking the risk,” Cal said. “It means a lot that you would think of us while you're in the midst of,” he paused, and then cursed. “You're trapped there.”

  “Probably until morning. Once they clear out, we'll start travelling again.”

  “It'll be longer than morning. Last time they set up camp, they stayed for ten days. You have no food or water. Hold on. Let me check on something.” Cal's voice shot up the flames again, returning seconds later. “I have a plan,” he told them. “I think I can jump from the column to their campfire. If it works, you'll have a way out.”

  “How?” Meaghan asked.

  “You'll know what to do when the time comes. Just hold the spell as long as you can so I have time to make the switch. Then be prepared to run.”

  Nick raised an eyebrow at Meaghan, questioning whether extending the spell would be possible. She nodded, and he responded to Cal. “We're ready when you are.”

  “On my way. Be safe.”

  Nick locked his eyes on the column of fire. By his count, a minute passed, and then another. Meaghan's hands trembled, and he started to break his concentration, but she shook her head when the column waned. A third minute passed. Meaghan's breathing heaved in her chest, hard and fast, and this time he severed the connection. The column disappeared and he rushed to her side.

  “Are you all right?” he asked. She swayed, so he wrapped his arms around her for support. “Meg, do you need to sit?”

  She shook her head, and then pressed it against his chest. Her breathing steadied. She drew in air and exhaled it with control, then looked up at him.

  “We should get ready,” she said.

  “Will you be able to run?”

  “I think so.” She stepped back from him and offered a steady smile. “Definitely.”

  Guttural screams of frustration bounded into the house from outside, followed by the acrid smell of smoke. Meaghan rushed for the door. Nick picked up the backpack and crossed the threshold only a step behind her.

  If there had been any question in either of their minds that the time had come to run, the inferno greeting them erased all doubt.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THE FIELD was on fire. It took Meaghan a moment to realize the flames surrounding the house on every side were not a fluke of carelessness. Although a trail shot from the campfire the Mardróch had constructed, consuming the dried grasslands with swift tongues of anger, the flames did not have the all-consuming traits of a common wildfire. They approached the protective barrier, stopping at the border in an even line that spoke of control. Cal had created a wall between the Mardróch and the invisible house. The wall stretched long, cutting off the passage of the Mardróch searching the fields to the north. Mardróch to the south and east scurried to reach their comrades, but soon found their paths blocked by offshoots of fire. Howls of frustration erupted through the flames with each failed attempt to get through.

  Meaghan tried to take in a breath. Her lungs constricted from the building smoke, and she pulled her cloak over her nose to filter the air. Nick did the same.

  “We don't have much time,” he told her, yelling through the thick wool material. She glanced toward the only path still untouched by fire, their original route to the west. Although two Mardróch remained on that side of the house, the smoke had begun to thicken. Soon it would not only destroy what little fresh air remained, but it would prevent them from seeing. She suspected Cal also controlled the smoke for this purpose, and heeded the instruction he had given before leaving the column of fire. She began running. Nick started out a step behind her, but soon pushed past, taking the lead.

  As they approached the edge of the protection spell, Meaghan dropped her hold on his power. Odors of soured milk and brine slammed into her, and she almost gagged from the overwhelming wave of it.

  The wall of flames shot higher, thickening, and the odors increased, followed by another series of howls. She and Nick broke through the barrier. The heat decreased. The smoke thinned. And then the smell she feared most washed over her. Sulfur. A quick look over her shoulder confirmed her fear. Two Mardróch tore across the field toward her and Nick, their feet barely touching the ground.

  “We've been spotted,” she warned Nick.

  He turned his head to glance at the Mardróch, swore, and then increased his speed. Despite Meaghan's intensive training over the past few months, Nick's pace pushed her limits. Her legs ached. Her lungs hurt. Her ribs burned.

  She cleared her mind of panic, focused on the field in front of them, and forced her body to move even faster. They could not allow the Mardróch to get close. At best, if the creatures caught up to them, they would freeze Nick. She could no more fight a pack of Mardróch than she could leave Nick behind. At worst, she would never have the chance to fight. If the Mardróch chose, they could kill their prey faster with lightning. And the closer they got, the better their aim would be.

  The sound of sizzling filled the air, followed by a loud crack as a lightning bolt blew a chunk of ground into the sky. Meaghan cast a look over her shoulder, her heart lurching when she realized it would only be a matter of minutes before the Mardróch gained too much ground for her and Nick to escape, and then froze when another movement caught her attention.

  A few feet behind the Mardróch, a wall of fire sped across the grass. Consumed with their chase, the monsters did not see the danger. They raised their hands to cast a second lightning bolt and Cal's flames overcame them. Their squeals of pain ended moments after starting, but their agony lasted longer. The smell of rotting flesh assaulted Meaghan's power and the intensity of it drove her to her knees.

  Nick yanked her back to her feet. When she could not think to move, he gripped her shoulders and shook her. She gasped a new breath, choked on smoke, and then tried again with a shallower attempt. Nick grabbed her hand, and she followed him into the night.

  They ran, pushing beyond any speed Meaghan's muscles had ever known. When the fire faded into a red glow on the horizon, they kept moving. When the rasping of their breath and the muted pounding of their footfalls on the grassy earth were the only sounds greeting them, they maintained their speed. And when the night chilled, turning their exhales into white ice on the winter wind, they refused to slow down. Only when the voice came did they finally stop.

  “You can rest now. They're gone,” it said.

  The voice could only be Cal's, but Meaghan did not recognize it. He sounded faint and lost. Exhaustion had weakened him. She had suffered it too many times not to recognize it.

  “You don't sound right,” she said, though her own voice came out as no more than a whisper. She pressed her hands to her knees, working to catch her breath. Every cell in her body screamed.

  “The fire's out,” Cal told her. “I had to fight the wind for control of it. There are no Mardróch left in the search party.”

  The wind died down and with it, their connection to Cal. Meaghan straightened up and turned to Nick. The worry linin
g his face echoed within her empath power.

  “He'll be okay,” she said. “I'm sure Neiszhe is already forcing jicab tea down his throat.”

  A smile flickered across Nick's face, but disappeared as quickly as it had come. “What he did took a lot of strength, and too much energy. He won't be well for days.”

  “He protected us,” she responded, “as he always has. Do you still doubt his motives?”

  “I don't know. I still have too many questions.”

  “The most important of which affects our plans,” Meaghan said, and then yanked her hair out of her face when the wind picked up again. She wondered if Cal had ridden across the field with it, or if exhaustion had put him to bed for the night. “What do you want to do now?” she asked Nick. “Do we continue our plan even though he may have reported it to the Elders?”

  “I'm not sure. If the Elders know, they could already be there.”

  “They don't know,” Cal's voice broke into the conversation. “I'm too tired to explain everything now, but please believe me. Your plan is too important to abandon.”

  Nick raised an eyebrow at Meaghan. She dropped her gaze to the ground and to the blades of dried grass as they swirled in the wind, their movements matching the vortex of Cal's words in her mind. Finally, she nodded.

  “All right,” Nick said. “We'll trust you on this, but you'll learn nothing more of our plan until we get your explanation.”

  “I'll come see you,” Cal promised. “A week after you return to the cabin.”

  The wind died again, and Meaghan knew Cal would not return this time. Nick started walking again, leading in silence until the sun rose over the field, outlining three huts in the distance. Gray smoke snaked into the sky from the largest of them and Meaghan focused on it. The door flew open, and Faillen's wife, Ree, greeted them with a smile before engulfing them both in a welcoming hug.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “IT'S NICE to have company. Cal comes by every now and again, of course, but he's not one to sit and talk. He usually gets right to business training the boys and then heads back out.”

  Ree stopped rolling her pie crust long enough to tuck a strand of red hair behind her ear. She cast a smile at Meaghan and Nick. “I can't blame him, of course. He's afraid to stay in one place too long. There have been so many Mardróch around since your return and, uh,” she paused, looked up again and blushed. “Not that it's your fault.”

  “I didn't take it that way,” Meaghan responded. She set her sandwich down and smiled. Faillen's wife had been chattering nonstop since Meaghan and Nick had woken from their nap and joined her in the main hut. She had made them sandwiches with thick slices of fresh bread, cold venison and cheese, and ordered them to the kitchen table to eat. While they followed her command, she made dinner. Aldin played with a set of colorful wood building blocks in front of the fireplace. Handmade toys, Meaghan had no doubt, and folded her hands in front of her, enjoying the warmth the blazing fire and homey environment brought.

  “Good,” Ree said. Setting aside her rolling pin, she peeled the crust from the counter, and then arranged it in a tin. “We'll have meat and potato pie for dinner tonight, but not much more than that, I'm afraid. Faillen's had luck with hunting, and we have root vegetables left from the harvest, but winter's always a tough time for food.”

  “It's plenty,” Nick told her. “Your hospitality is appreciated. Besides, I'm not sure we'll even be hungry by dinner after what you just fed us.”

  “You won't starve in my presence,” she said, grinning when he laughed. “Dinner will be a few hours yet. Faillen and Caide won't return until dusk. And travelling has a way of working up an appetite. I'm sure you'll eat your fair share when the time comes.”

  “The food won't go to waste,” he promised. Pushing his empty plate aside, he stood. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Not with the cooking,” she told him. “But Aldin needs to spend time with his studies. Are you familiar with ancient Æren?”

  “All Guardians are. Is he learning it?”

  “He is. Cal feels they should know how to read spells in order to learn from them. Haven't they all been translated by now?”

  “The ones we know about,” Nick told her. “But every once in a while we find new ones.”

  “Like in caves?” Ree asked, glancing up at him.

  “It's a popular location. Are you aware of any?”

  She nodded and returned to her task. “At least three. I used to play in caves by my village as a child that were covered with ancient writing. After the war is over, you'll have to come translate them.”

  “I'd like that,” Nick said. “Though it'll be even better to have your sons do it. Their powers will allow them to sense what the spells are meant to do. I can only guess.”

  “Once they learn enough, I'll show them where to go,” Ree agreed and pointed at a shelf across the room. “Aldin's school book is up there.”

  Nick found the book and brought it to Aldin. The young boy looked up and frowned, then continued adding blocks to the tower he had been building. Nick sat down next to him. “I take it he doesn't like studying.”

  “He prefers reciting spells,” Ree said. “He thinks it's more fun. He doesn't understand the weight of his power.”

  Aldin cast a large grin at Nick, then scattered his tower with a sweep of one hand. Ree raised an eyebrow at him. The boy ducked his head and began collecting his blocks.

  “He's young,” Nick said.

  “He's more carefree,” Ree told him. “Unlike his brother. Sometimes I think Caide takes his studies too seriously. He wants to prove to our people his powers aren't shameful. Zeiihbu is resistant to change, as was I when we first came here. But we all must grow.”

  She leaned down to pick up a block that had skittered to a stop at her feet and brought it back to her son before pressing a hand to Nick's shoulder. “I understand a lot has changed for you, too, since we last saw each other.”

  “Cal told you about the wedding,” he guessed. “How much has he said?”

  “Just that you're our King now, although what's between you two wasn't well-hidden.” Ree turned her eyes to Meaghan. “You chose well. I'm glad to see the Elders accepted your decision.”

  “There was no choice to it,” Meaghan said. “Our powers joined us.”

  “I see.” Ree squeezed Nick's shoulder before letting go. She smiled at him. “Why don't you and Aldin work at the table? I'll bring tea. I'd like to sit in on the lesson, if you don't mind. We have some time still before Caide and Faillen return from hunting.”

  “Of course.”

  Nick brought the boy and the book to the table. Once Ree placed mugs in front of each of them, Nick opened the book. To Meaghan's surprise, its pages contained elaborate pictures, drawn and colored by hand.

  “Guardian children start studying the language around the age of five, just like Aldin is,” Nick explained. “Since most of them are still learning to read anyway, and no one knows how to pronounce anything in ancient Æren, the Elders found it best to stick to simple words and associate them with pictures. He'll learn more complex words as he grows older, since his reading skills will be more advanced.” He pointed to the picture of a dog, and then the word next to it, cáen`i. “What does that mean?” he asked Aldin.

  “Dog,” the boy answered.

  “Right. And this one?” Nick asked, pointing to the word y~nçy~ndí. Aldin looked at the picture next to it and grinned. Meaghan recognized the word too, but not from the picture of the flames painted on the page.

  “Fire,” Aldin answered.

  “Correct,” Nick responded. He flipped to the next page. A list of words appeared on one side. Pictures appeared on the other. “Now show me which picture goes with which word,” he instructed Aldin. The young boy drew a line between each word and its corresponding picture with his index finger. When he matched the last word, the one meaning fire, he grinned again.

  “I can make fire with a spell. Want to see?”
he asked, staring at Nick with pleading eyes.

  “It's not time for that,” Nick responded. “It's time for your language lesson.”

  “But it's boring.” Aldin crossed his arms and slouched in his seat. “I don't want to learn it. I want to do spells.”

  “And you will,” Nick promised. “In time. Did Cal ever tell you about the fun spells? Like the one that makes fireworks?”

  “What are fireworks?” Aldin asked.

  “Fireworks are colorful fire balls in the sky. They explode and make loud noises.”

  “Really?” Aldin curled his fingers over the edge of the table. “I can do that?”

  “Absolutely,” Nick said. “But the spell's written in ancient Æren. Only people who know the language can do the spell.” He turned a page in the book and pointed to a word opposite the picture of a lit candle. “This word is in the spell. Are you sure you don't want to learn it?”

  Aldin peered at the word, illú'my~nní, and bit his lip. “Candle,” he said.

  “Close. It actually means light. That word is in the spell five times, so now you're five words closer to being able to make fireworks.”

  “How many words are in the spell?” Aldin asked.

  “About a hundred,” Nick said. “And you have to learn them all before you're allowed to perform the spell. But learning the words will also help you do other fun spells, like changing water into ice.”

  Aldin turned wide eyes toward his mother. “Can I really do those spells?”

  “If you learn all the words,” Ree answered. “But you have to promise to study hard.”

  A broad grin spread across Aldin's face. He bobbed his head in agreement, and then pointed to the next word on the list, læpæx. “Wolf,” he said after he examined the picture of the shaggy gray animal. He made his way through the rest of the words on the page and then matched the words to their pictures on the following page.

  Nick made him repeat the lessons twice before the front door to the hut opened. A young man with strawberry-blonde hair entered. In his hands, he grasped the tails of two silver foxes. Behind him entered an older man with a dark olive complexion and curly, dirty-blonde hair. A brown bird with gold tufts perched on a leather glove covering the older man's right hand. As soon as the man saw Meaghan and Nick, a frown flickered across his face, disappearing only a second after it showed.

 

‹ Prev