Into the Fray: Volume 1 of The Sorcerers of Jhanvia Series

by Aderyn Lonigan

  He laughed, “That’s rich coming from a Dhoyan. Your people have loathed the Valtyr since the dawn of your civilization. With regards to the rest, sometimes difficult things must be done in the short run for the greater good that will follow. Surely you must see the great possibilities that lie before us?”

  “What I see is the forced subjugation of the people to whatever twisted plans you intend to unleash on this region.”

  Satreka rubbed his beard in silent contemplation for a moment, and then he asked, “So I gather you choose not to join us?”

  Kaitra just looked at him with a glaring anger in her eyes.

  “I must tell you that I am very disappointed. I had truly hoped that you would have joined us voluntarily.”

  Satreka motioned for Juun, who walked over carrying a cup in his hand.

  The sorcerer handed the cup to him and explained, “Have her drink this.”

  The Scecian looked into the cup, “Just this small amount will make her pliant?”

  “Yes.”

  Unexpectedly, a wave of pain emanated from Kaitra’s chest again. She screamed in agony as she tensed up in the chains that bound her. The pain was overwhelming and went on for several moments before it eventually subsided. Her muscles released and she collapsed in the chains while still remaining conscious. She uttered quietly under her breath with her eyes closed, “Kidreyli, my Kidreyli…my love.”

  Satreka looked concerned. “What’s wrong with her,” he said to no one specific. He looked at Juun and repeated, “What’s wrong with her?”

  Juun could not believe his eyes. “That is astounding,” he said softly to himself. He looked at Satreka and announced, “It is bhascry. You killed her Valtyr lover. That loss is more than her spirit can endure, so it is trying to kill her body by destroying her heart. You need to give her the potion immediately, or she will certainly die.”

  “Very well,” Satreka said as he motioned toward Dulica with a sense of urgency. He commanded, “Hold her head back.” He walked toward her and she tried to kick out at him, but the chains on her ankles held her back.

  “So you still choose to defy us?” he remarked. He nodded his head to his assistant, who pulled her hair forcing her head back. Satreka closed off her nose and commanded, “Drink,” as he forced the liquid down her throat.

  She really had no choice but to comply. He stood back and smiled.

  Kaitra coughed a few times, choking a bit on the liquid, but more from the acrid taste that hit her tongue. Straight away she started to feel cold. She looked at him with her bright gray eyes, “You better kill me now.”

  Satreka tipped his head slightly to one side and leaned in, putting his face directly in hers, “Why would I do that? You will now become the one that empowers me to destroy all you hold dear.” He smiled at her as he backed away.

  Juun interjected, “If I may…?” He pulled back his hood, stepped up and grabbed her head with his hands. Immediately he felt a sharp pain in his belly which forced him to release her and take a step back. It was then that he noticed the small pouch affixed to her belt. He commanded, “Soldier, give me your knife.”

  Rantil looked to Satreka, who nodded his approval. He removed his knife from its sheath and handed it to him.

  The sorcerer slipped the blade under her belt and pulled, cutting the leather with some ease. He handed the knife back to Rantil and tossed the belt into the fire Dulica used for his workings. A brief flash of light came from her pouch as the spell within was detected, and as it burned, its protective energies quickly dissipated.

  He stepped up and took her head in his hands as before. He smiled and whispered, “Very clever, girl. But you had to know it would not be enough.” Then he placed his thumbs firmly against her temples. With his face directly in hers, he looked deeply into her eyes and could see her spirit fading. He said softly to her, “You chose to be with us. You were never mated to a Valtyr. The overriding imperative that drives all your thoughts and actions is your unshakable commitment to serve your lord Satreka. You will serve him to the best of your ability, eagerly and without question, even if that requires sacrificing your own life in his service. You have an unwavering belief in our cause and you will do whatever is necessary to see our goals come to fruition.”

  She, in turn, looked through his eyes. Fear skated across her face when she saw something hidden deep within his mind, something darker and more evil than anything she had ever seen or could have imagined…a secret she was not supposed to see.

  Juun, realizing that he was being compromised, abruptly let go of his hold on her. He stood for a moment, surprised and impressed with the strength she exhibited. She shook and shuddered and collapsed in the chains, unconscious.

  But just before her spirit faded, and with all the strength her being could muster, she focused all of her talents and flooded her mind solely with the image of her love, the image of her Kidreyli.

  It took but a few minutes to reach the river crossing. Tyral took care on the slippery rocks, but when she reached the far bank, she turned north and sailed through the trees as fast as she could. Culain’s eyes were wide with fear as he had never traveled this fast on horseback, especially in a forest so primitive and overgrown. He ducked a branch here and a branch there, but after a while he realized that none of them were actually close enough to hit him. Tyral was careful to keep her rider safe.

  Over three hours traveling as fast as possible through the rugged forest, the dark of night had settled long ago. The Moons of Tria and Talera were half-way up from the horizon in the east and their combined gold and silver light shimmered off the waters below.

  Tyral pulled up to a stop on a hill overlooking the calm waters of Lynbuañan and called out telepathically, “Talenyan, Dulyon, are you here?”

  The frogs in the distance were the only response she heard.

  Both Culain and Tyral noticed a faint streamer of smoke, floating up ever so slowly in the bright light of the moons at the northern end of the lake. Tyral started down the hill and within a few minutes, she reached the water’s edge. She stopped and called out with her mind again.

  “Tyral? Is that you?” Talenyan responded in her thoughts.

  The great black Katrion trotted over to the camp where Suliya and Talenyan stood by the fire. Talenyan was thin and seemed very frail, her long gray hair floated about on her shoulders. She was wearing a deep blue cloak, black pants and boots and a deep green shirt. Suliya was more imposing, taller and bigger in stature, and her long gray hair still had streaks of blond. Her deep green cloak wrapped around a shirt and pants in slightly different shades of brown, her black boots standing in contrast.

  Culain stated, “I am looking for Kidreyli’s mother.”

  “I am,” Talenyan answered.

  “She has sent me t’ bring ya t’ our village. She’s been hurt badly and I’m afraid she may not survive.”

  Talenyan asked Tyral in her mind, “Is this true?”

  “I’m afraid it is,” Tyral solemnly answered.

  Talenyan asked, “What is your name, sir.”

  “I am Culain.”

  “Well, Culain, if my daughter places such trust in you, then we will as well. We will come with you. My name is Talenyan and this is my love, Suliya.”

  Suliya motioned for their Katrion to come. She helped Talenyan up on Dulyon, and then mounted her Jhaytri.

  Talenyan saw that Culain took notice of her difficulties. She said to him, “I’m getting old, I fear, and time is catching me up.”

  He smiled and said, “I understand that, dear lady. I’m gettin’ old m’self. Just mountin’ this horse was quite a task, I tell ya.”

  Suliya said, “We need to take it at Talenyan’s pace. We’ll probably need to stop a few times and rest.”

  He replied, “Of course. Kidreyli mentioned that you were ill. I’ll lead on, but just yell at me when ya need t’ stop.”

  Tyral said to Talenyan’s mind, “You don’t need to yell. Just tell me when you need to stop.�
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  Talenyan smiled as they started off at a trotting pace. With the moons higher in the sky, the forest was not so dark any longer and it was easier for the human to see what was coming.

  Talenyan spoke to Suliya and Tyral in her mind, “How bad is Kidreyli hurt?”

  Tyral answered to both of them, “She took a sword in the left side of her chest. It went completely through, broke a few ribs and punctured her lung. It doesn’t appear that anything else significant was damaged, but there was a lot of blood loss and she likely has internal infections.”

  “Who did this?” Suliya asked.

  “There is a large force of Scecians based at Castle Caerlyk. One of them inserted himself into a battle that was not his and stabbed her in the back.”

  “Is this the Satreka that Nidreyka spoke of?” Talenyan questioned.

  “It was men under his control, yes.”

  “Das cacul,” Suliya swore. “I will kill this Satreka myself.”

  “Calm down, my love,” Talenyan said. “We must focus on our little girl.”

  An hour or so farther along and Talenyan asked to rest. Tyral slowed to a stop in a small open area in the trees and those behind caught up.

  “I apologize,” Talenyan said, “I really must rest for a spell.”

  Suliya dismounted and helped her lover off her Katrion and onto a fallen log of perfect height for sitting.

  Talenyan took a deep breath and said, “So Culain, I understand that my daughter bonded with a human. Do you know her?”

  “Aye, m’ lady, I most certainly do,” he said proudly as he took a seat on a stone in front of her. “For the last half o’ my life up t’ now, it has been my charge t’ watch over and protect her. You see, the Ardreach of Dhoya commanded me t’ ensure his daughter’s security and well-being.”

  Suliya noted, “We had been told of her lineage.”

  “Tell us about her. What is she like?” Talenyan requested.

  His eyes lit up as he spoke, “Well, I think she’s ‘bout twenty years now, a beautiful girl with long black hair and gray eyes. She’s got a lot o’ her father in her…she’s stubborn and obstinate sometimes, and when she decides she wants somethin’, she goes after it with a vengeance. She’s smart and adventurous. She took it upon herself t’ travel across the mountains and south to a temple t’ learn sorcery. Kidreyli says she’s become very adept with her magics…and with a bow as well.”

  “What of their relationship,” Talenyan pressed.

  “Ah, if ya could see the two o’ them together, you’d know. When they look at each other, their eyes light up the night sky. The fates musta had a role in this bonding. I’ve never seen two people so perfectly matched and so deeply in love.”

  Talenyan took a deep breath as a wave of pain tore through her chest, the pain most evident on her face.

  “Are ya all right,” Culain asked.

  She smiled as she stood, “I’ll be fine. We should continue on.”

  Suliya’s mind spoke to her lover, “Are you sure. We could rest here a bit longer.”

  “No, my love,” she replied silently, “we need to keep going.”

  They traveled on through the night, stopping a few more times. Talenyan’s patience was taxed over her lack of stamina. Between that, the lack of sleep and the incessant pain that welled up from within her, she was becoming more…shall I say…grumpy, as time passed. And Valtyr grumpy was a different level of grumpy. As the moons reached their zenith, they finally reached the natural crossing in the river. Tyral led the way across the slippery rocks, over the last few ridges and down into the village green. Keril came out to greet them as they rode up to Culain’s hut.

  “How’s she doin’,” Culain asked.

  “She’s still alive, but barely,” he replied sullenly.

  The old soldier introduced his companions, “Keril, this is Talenyan, Kidreyli’s mother, and her mate Suliya.”

  “You should come straight away,” Keril was obviously worried.

  Suliya slid off the side of Jhaytri and helped Talenyan down. As they entered the hut, they saw Kidreyli on the bed being tended to by Liane. The healer stood and backed out of their way as they came over to their daughter, still lying semi-conscious on her back.

  Liane explained, “I did what I could, but it wasn’t enough. I don’t know enough about the Valtyr.”

  Talenyan looked at her and smiled, “You kept her alive long enough for us to arrive, and for that I will be eternally grateful.”

  Suliya held her left hand over Kidreyli’s chest and closed her eyes to get a deeper understanding of the situation. She opened her eyes and spoke to Talenyan softly, “This is very bad. She has a deep-seated infection and broken ribs at both wound points. Her lung could fail at any time.”

  “Then we must do this now,” Talenyan commanded.

  “You need to hold on to your healing energies,” Suliya pointed out. “I will do this.”

  Talenyan smiled at her offer and explained, “You know that your magics alone will not be sufficient. You need my help, and the only way I can do that is to relinquish my energy to the spell.”

  Suliya looked down at Kidreyli, knowing she was right, but her eyes showed her sadness, “Tal…no….”

  Talenyan said, “Our baby girl is far more important now. I’m going to die anyway, but if I can use what is left of my life to save hers, then I willingly concede my last few days.”

  Suliya turned to her with a tear streaking her cheek.

  Talenyan reached up and wiped it from her face, “You know that I am right, my anamhra. My death can now have purpose, and what an honorable purpose it is that presents itself to us at this moment.”

  Suliya took her hand, “I love you.”

  “And I love you with all that I am,” Talenyan responded.

  Suliya grabbed her by the back of the head and gave her a most passionate kiss. She took her right hand and asked, “Culain, could you stand next to Talenyan, please. This will be difficult, and she may need some help.”

  “Aye, m’ lady,” he said as he took the Valtyr by the arm.

  Suliya took a deep breath and spoke to Talenyan, “Right. So you’ll send your energies to me and I will direct our combined energies to Kidreyli.”

  Talenyan nodded.

  Suliya looked deeply into her lover’s spirit for a few silent moments and then closed her eyes, placing her right hand over Kidreyli’s wounds. She took a deep breath in, drawing up energy from within and from Talenyan and then she exhaled slowly, visualizing their combined energies being directed toward their daughter, focusing on the infections and the wounds to her lungs. The space between her hand and Kidreyli’s chest glowed with a bright golden light for several minutes as the spell was cast forth. Kidreyli lay quietly with no noticeable effects. As the light from the spell diminished, Talenyan started to collapse and was caught by Culain. Suliya fell a step back and was supported by Keril.

  “I got ya,” Culain said as he held up the Valtyr and pulled her over to sit on the floor with her back against the wall.

  “Thank you,” Talenyan said.

  Suliya took a deep breath again to settle her energies. “It’ll be a little while before we know if the spell has taken hold.”

  Culain offered, “I’ll get some food for ya.”

  Keril piggy-backed on his statement, “And we’ll leave you to your privacy.”

  Suliya said, “We are grateful to all of you for what you have done for our family.”

  Keril replied as he started for the door, “You are welcome. Stay as long as you need.”

  Suliya knelt in front of Talenyan and asked, “Are you all right?”

  “Actually, no. I’m pretty drained from the spell. It will take me a little time to come around.”

  A severely weakened voice came from the bed, “Grandmother, is that you?”

  Suliya pulled Talenyan up and propped her against the bed, “No, dear girl. It’s your mother.”

  “Mother,” Kidreyli had difficulty spe
aking and she was very groggy, “Culain found you.”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “He’s quite…a character, isn’t he?” Kidreyli forced a smile to her lips.

  Talenyan laughed, “That he is. You just rest now and everything will be well.”

  “I’m very tired,” the young one said as she slipped out of consciousness.

  Suliya predicted, “She’ll be fine, my love. You should rest as well. I’ll tend to the Katrion and help Culain with that food. That should help to perk you up.”

  Talenyan watched her love through the door then turned her attention to her daughter, pushing a few stray hairs from her face and tracing her eyebrows with her finger. She picked up Kidreyli’s left arm and saw the three telltale scars on her wrist from her bonding with Kaitra. She smiled and whispered, “My beautiful little girl all grown up…come back to me soon, for I have little time left.” She grabbed her chest as a shooting pain overwhelmed her. She took several short breaths trying to drive the pain into submission, but it took a minute or so before it subsided. She moved Kidreyli’s legs over just a bit and then she lay on the bed, resting her head on her arm toward her daughter’s feet. She fell asleep almost instantly.

  It was cool at midday and there was no breeze to speak of, but a few high clouds passed from time to time. When Suliya and Culain returned earlier with food, they found mother and daughter asleep in the bed together. Both exhausted from all the goings-on, joining them seemed like a good idea. Culain had found a place on the floor in the corner of the hut where he was snoring through his beard at the wall. Suliya had too much pent-up energy leftover from the healing spell, so she was lying on the floor staring at the ceiling.

  Out of nowhere, Kidreyli burst out, “Kaitra, no!”

  Suddenly they were all awake. Kidreyli’s eyes were wide with emotion.

  Talenyan sat up and took her daughter’s hand, “It’s all right, Kidreyli, we’re here now.”

  The young one started to sit up but was knocked back by the pain. “What happened to me?”

  “You were wounded and you nearly died,” her mother described.