“If you wanted me to read this then you should have made a better clue,” Sari mutters to the sky. She cringes at the rumble of thunder in the distance. “You can’t do anything to me because of your law, so deal with my sass. You realize this is a rather long book? I won’t find the answer in here without a page number. I appreciate the advice, but you really have to work on your delivery.”
Sari turns to where she left off and scans the pages for any clue to her situation. In shivering frustration, she slams the book closed and repeatedly opens to random pages. The first page is an account of an ancestor’s wedding while her second attempt is the middle of a story about an aunt nearly causing a family feud. Her panic grows when the frost reappears on her arms and spreads to her fingers, preventing her from turning the pages. Unable to feel her fingers, Sari fumbles with the book and drops it at her feet where it opens to a blue-colored page. Out of desperate curiosity, Sari kneels over the book and cringes at the startling sound of snapping ice, a thick layer having grown on her back.
“Today, I will marry the most beautiful creature in the world,” Sari reads out loud, her voice shaking because of her chattering teeth. “She stepped from the ocean clothed in foam and shells to rescue me from my pursuers. We continued meeting in secret as she followed our clan through use of the rivers, but now it is the time for us to be united. She is willing to surrender half her power to become my mortal wife and the clan elder has agreed to the union. It is against tradition for a gypsy to marry an outsider, but the heart cannot be denied and we have passed all of my clan’s tests. The fact that she is a naiad helps because she is a being of nobility and freedom. Today, I will be united with an ocean princess and show her the world of land.”
With the sound of splintering ice, Sari turns her head to the stars. “I’m part naiad? What does this have to do with anything? I mean, it explains my skill at water magic and a few odd events that happened when I was running from Queen Trinity. Still, this doesn’t tell me why I’m turning into an ice statue.”
“Actually, it does explain what’s going on,” Kayn says, stepping out of the shadows and crouching in front of Sari. “Naiads cover themselves in magical ice if they feel threatened by powerful magic. If the spell is affecting them from the inside, they turn their entire body into ice and purge the corruption. Your body is creating the ice because it was startled by the reflected spell. This means your powers are stronger than any of your ancestors. Only the gods could have let your bloodline collect such power and deliver it to a single person instead of spreading it out over generations.”
“How do you know about naiads?” Sari asks, cautiously staring at Kayn.
“I’m surprised your mother never told you. I guess she was waiting for you to demonstrate a connection to your naiad heritage,” Kayn replies, reaching out to stroke Sari’s frosted cheek. “For some reason, your power is awakening so rapidly that your body is barely able to contain it. What do the gods have planned for you, Sari? Why do they need you to mature so quickly?”
“Help me!” she shouts before her throat starts to ice over.
“Calm down, Sari, and focus on the ice,” Kayn sternly says, staring into her emerald eyes. He watches as her face grows a thickening layer of frost. “I want you to force the ice out of your body by imagining it flowing away. This defense is supposed to be controlled, but its sudden appearance has made it reflexive. Just close your eyes and think the ice off your body.”
With a loud crackling, Sari clenches her eyes to focus on the ice as it continues to spread and thicken. Her breathing is shallow and rhythmic, helping her mind go blank. She feels the ice gradually disappear from her skin and the coldness in her body collects in her chest. A look of fear appears on her face when the cold feeling rises into her throat and gets stuck. She chokes on a dense chunk of ice lodged in her windpipe, her arms flailing at Kayn. Out of desperation, Sari pulls out a dagger to cut the ice out, but Kayn swiftly disarms her. He yanks a flask off his belt and forces Sari to take a drink. The familiar taste of Ifrit mead hits her tongue, the liquid rolling into her throat and settling on top of the ice. She is about to pass out when the hot alcohol melts the ice and rushes toward her empty stomach.
“Dizzy and queasy,” Sari mutters as she falls.
“I have you,” Kayn whispers, catching her by the shoulders and easing her to the ground. He flicks a dart out of his sleeve and pokes her in the neck, skillfully tucking the dart back into its hiding place. “Now, I think we need to have a conversation about the truth. Are you ready to tell me the truth?”
“I broke my mother’s favorite lute when I was seven and blamed it on a chicken,” Sari says in an emotionless voice. She sways on her knees and rarely blinks. “The reason the bed broke during our first time was because I cut into the legs. Lucy was bragging about breaking the bed during her first time, but she said only one leg snapped. I wanted to outdo her by making all four legs break off. She gave me a green scarf for beating her record, but I think she stole the scarf back a week later.”
“It looks like the truth serum is working better than I expected,” Kayn says, waving his hand in front of Sari’s eyes and getting no reaction. “Now, I have some important questions that need your honest answers.”
“I never faked it,” Sari responds before he can ask his first question. “I had to with a guy in Haven, but he never figured it out.”
“Don’t talk until I have asked a question,” Kayn politely requests, covering Sari’s mouth with his hand. “Why is it that potions work so well on you?”
Sari pulls his fingers apart to quickly reply, “I dunno.”
“Here is my first question, so listen carefully,” Kayn says in a low, steady voice. He slowly recovers his hand from Sari’s mouth and waits a few seconds to make sure she is going to be quiet. “Why are you really traveling with Luke Callindor and Nyx? I want you to tell me the truth.”
“After our clan was attacked, I was captured and delivered to Kalam the vampire by Queen Trinity of the chaos elves. He made me his slave and prisoner,” Sari calmly answers, her eyes continuing to stare ahead. “I was rescued by Nyx, who was searching for a spell to return Luke’s aura to his body. I helped her save Luke and decided to stay in Haven until they were done with Kalam. My original plan was to sneak away after a celebration, but I didn’t want to be alone. I saw Nyx as the only family I had left and I knew she would understand what it’s like to be an orphan. Besides, we were told that all of us are Gabriel’s champions of Windemere, so we really didn’t have a choice but to travel with each other.”
“What do you mean by champions of Windemere?” Kayn asks with a cunning grin.
“I’m not really sure. Nyx has a better idea about it. We can ask her when she gets back from the swamp,” Sari says, scratching her head in thought. She cocks her head to the side when Kayn gestures for her to explain. “This is what I figured out. An ancient evil that has been erased from the memory of Windemere will reappear and we’re destined to fight it. Nyx has pointed out that we aren’t destined to win or survive the battle, which frightened me. I think this is why Nyx is so powerful and why Luke has his gifts from Uli. This is like one of the bard tales where the gods choose heroes to defend the innocent and the chosen must go on adventures to get stronger before the great battle. I get to be a famous, beautiful, adored heroine who the bards will sing about for centuries.”
“That’s nice, Sari,” Kayn half-heartedly mentions as he draws a long dagger. “These are two very important questions. I need you to pay close attention to what I’m saying and be as truthful as you can. What does this have to do with me and are you the reason our clan was destroyed?”
Sari’s mouth opens to speak, but she abruptly breaks into tears and falls to the ground. Kayn is unsure what to do while Sari wails and bawls at his feet. A few muttered voices start to emerge from the surrounding buildings, so Kayn picks her up and tries to carry her back to the hideout. He gets her to the mouth of the alley where Sari knees him in th
e chin and attempts to stagger away. She collapses when Kayn catches her wrist and pulls her back with more force than he intended.
“Let me go! Let me go!” Sari screams, thrashing against Kayn’s tight grip. “It’s my fault everyone is dead, so you’ll die too if you stay near me. Just let me go!”
“Calm down, Sari. You can forget those questions,” Kayn whispers, kneeling down to pick her up again. “It isn’t your fault that we were attacked. Nobody knew you were a destined champion and your enemies probably thought I was their target. I declared I was a champion and they took me, so that was my fault. So, don’t hold yourself responsible for what happened.”
“Yes, sir,” Sari whimpers into Kayn’s shoulder. “I want to stand.”
“I have only one question left,” he asks as he sets her down on her feet. “I want to make sure Luke can protect you. I want you to tell me every detail about him.”
“No,” Sari states in a stern voice. Her eyes roll back and she crumples to the ground.
*****
“Are you okay?” Kayn asks when Sari’s eyes flutter open. He brings her a cup of freshly stolen water and patiently sits on the edge of the bed. He tenderly reaches out to take a leaf out of her hair, accidentally pulling a knot and causing Sari to sputter into the water.
“I remember the Ifrit mead getting rid of the ice and then everything gets murky,” Sari answers, absent-mindedly rubbing at her neck.
“I hit you with a truth dart because I caught you talking with one of the guards,” Kayn admits without hesitation. He clears his throat as Sari angrily glares at him. “I’ve had some suspicions you were working with the guards since we reunited. For one thing, the idea that you would join a guild was laughable. Once you were in, you spent too much time around me and you kept trying to convince me to disband the guild. You’re losing your touch, Sari.”
“I used to be able to get you to listen to me with my words. So, I didn’t think I would need to use magic or manipulation on you,” she contends, handing the half-finished glass back. “Did you put anything in this?”
Kayn gently pushes the cup back into her hand and smiles. “I promise there’s only water in this. You need the drink before we continue talking. Your throat must be in pain from the Ifrit mead.”
“It’s fine. How long was I asleep?” she asks after finishing the water.
“It’s early morning and I wouldn’t call it sleeping. You had a reaction to the truth serum when I asked you about Luke and you fainted,” Kayn says. He effortlessly catches the cup when Sari hurls it at his face. “I apologize for what I did, but I wanted to make sure you weren’t a threat to me. I also wanted to see if you were truly happy. I kept pushing you toward your new friends, but I never considered you might be miserable. Now I know, they’re your new clan and you owe them a great debt for rescuing you. That’s why I’m not happy about what I have to tell you. There has been unfortunate news about your friends.”
Sari pulls the blanket up to her chin and watches Kayn with fear in her eyes. He is about to speak when she makes a quick gesture with her hand, flinging a silence spell at him. She hisses when his eyes turn toward one of the dressers where a quill and paper are sitting. Sari throws the blanket over Kayn and uses her legs to push him away. She leaps at the dresser to tear the paper apart, sending bits of it flying into the air. With a crazed and satisfied grin, she faces Kayn, who is struggling to untangle himself from the blanket.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Sari declares, her breathing ragged from her sudden exertion. “I don’t want to know they’re dead.”
Kayn keeps trying to talk against the spell as he hunts for something to write with. His eyes fall on a dirty bread knife sitting on the table and he swiftly snatches it before Sari can react. With an irritated grunt, he jams the knife into his soft mattress. He can see Sari inching toward the stairs, but her natural curiosity stops her from getting very far. Kayn uses all of his strength and concentration to clearly carve a word into the mattress. When he is done, he throws the knife away and wildly gestures for Sari to look at what he has written. She refuses to move closer and they stay at a stalemate for several minutes until the silence spell wears off.
“They’re missing!” he shouts, gasping for air as if he had been holding his breath. “I overheard the guards mention that your friends, Tzefira, and Timoran Wrath went into the forest before dinner and never came back. They were chasing Tzefira’s second-in-command, but he returned to the mercenary camp with a handful of scary warriors this morning. Everyone thinks Tzefira and your friends are lost in the swamp. They’re probably still out there looking for Conrad Deviltongue with no idea he went around them.”
“So, they aren’t dead?” Sari whispers as if Kayn had not been talking.
“They’re only missing and everyone knows they’ll be fine,” he says in a soft voice while gradually reaching out to Sari. “What happened here, Sari? You never lost control like this before.”
“Well, I never saw my entire clan slaughtered in front of my eyes before!” Sari rudely snaps, causing Kayn to jerk his hand away. “I wouldn’t survive if I lost Nyx and Luke, so soon after finding them. I’m not strong enough to go on by myself and you’ve made it clear that you don’t want me around. I would have no family left if they died, so what would be the point of me existing.”
Kayn caresses Sari’s cheek and wipes her warm tears away. “If they were gone then I would take you with me. I know you think I don’t want you around, but I only want what is best for you. It’s better that Nyx and Luke be around you instead of me. Now, we have a sword and a shawl to grab.”
Kayn heads toward the stairs until Sari grabs his elbow and makes herself immovable. He tugs on his arm and rolls his eyes at her, hoping she will let go. Sari flashes a challenging smile when Kayn draws a dagger from his belt, but her smile fades when he cuts his sleeve off and slips his arm out of her grasp. With a muttered curse, Sari turns off her power and leaps to catch him again. Kayn ducks out of her way, letting her crash to the ground.
“What about my friends?” she asks, jumping to her feet.
“They can handle themselves,” he answers as he starts up the stairs.
“I swear to Ram I’ll continue getting in your way if you don’t help me!” Sari furiously shouts.
“We don’t swear to the war god,” Kayn mentions with concern. He turns around and crouches on the stony step. “Gypsies can fight, but we don’t wage war. Are you truly willing to swear to a god who stands for greed-based violence?”
“To save my friends, I would swear to any of the gods,” Sari declares, walking to Kayn and taking his hands. “I can’t save them alone, Kayn. The swamp is too dangerous and I wouldn’t know where to start. I’m not a warrior or a tracker.”
Kayn shifts uncomfortably and clears his throat. “I need to find my sword before I go into the swamp.”
“What if I make a deal with you?” Sari asks, leading him back down the stairs and to the bed. “I promise my services and the help of my friends in finding your reflector blade and the rainbow shawl. I know they’ll be happy to help if I ask them, especially if you help me save them. There’s always the chance we’ll end up finding the shawl in the swamp and getting it without your precious sword.”
“That’s a possibility I didn’t think of,” Kayn admits as he sits down on the ruined mattress. “I still don’t agree to help you. Neither of us knows our way around the swamp and the krypters are very dangerous. The two of us would be overrun and killed if we went in unprepared. I can try to convince the rest of the guild to come with us. They might be poor fighters, but they’re better than nothing.”
“No. In fact, I want you to disband the guild before we leave,” Sari sternly requests while searching for her boots. She finds them under the bed and crawls underneath until only her legs are sticking out. “You won’t need them any more once we save my friends. Tell the thieves you will be leaving Hero’s Gate and you thought it best to disband the guild, but you give th
em your blessing if they wish to continue.”
“I’ll think about it,” Kayn promises as he lies back on the bed.
Sari rolls out from under the bed and puts her boots on, feeling their magical warmth seep into her wiggling toes. She turns to Kayn, whose eyes are closed, but she can tell he is still awake by his breathing. To pass the time, she meticulously checks her assorted daggers to make sure their sheaths are oiled and they are easy to access. When Sari pulls out the stiletto that once belonged to Luke, she tenderly strokes the pristine blade and dances her fingers along the hilt. Examining the stiletto’s edge, she is surprised to find there is not a single scuffmark or nick on the metal. She has used it several times over the last week, but she never took the time to use any of the maintenance tips Luke taught her in Haven. She is snapped out of her thoughts by Kayn clearing his throat, his piercing eyes watching her intently.
“They really are your new clan,” he says, getting to his feet and stretching. “I remember seeing that look on your face before. You had that expression every time you held something of your late grandmother’s or of a friend who passed away. I was always impressed at the empathy you felt toward others. It struck me as a beautiful and terrifying gift you had been blessed with. Did you wear that expression for me when you thought I was dead?”
“Whenever I daydreamed in Kalam’s lair,” Sari admits as she puts the stiletto away. “I didn’t have anything physical to remind me of you, so I could never . . . feel your energy through an object like I usually do. It was scary to think I might wake up one day and forget about you. Thank you for coming back, Kayn.”
“You’re welcome,” he replies. He flashes a wide smile that reminds Sari of the first love from her cherished memories. “So, what’s your plan?”
“Our problem is that the krypters know the terrain and will probably attack us. Also, we aren’t trackers or warriors. We can get lost and overpowered very easily,” Sari explains while she casually spins in a circle. “I think we should play to our strengths, which are speed, stealth, and information gathering. If we get our hands on Conrad and sneak him out of the mercenary camp then we can get answers. I’m sure he’ll tell us what we want to know if he believes our plan is to let him go and enter the swamp without him.”
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Family of the Tri-Rune Page 31