by J. M. Kearl
Jordane slowly takes the dagger from his hip holster. If they want her than they won’t hurt her or at least that is what he’s betting on. “Put down the knife,” Jordane says calmly. “We won’t allow you to take her so there is no sense in negotiating.”
The man to the right of Daelyn places a kirune manacle on her wrist and they slowly step back with her.
“Don’t let them take me,” Daelyn says.
Jordane notices her hand sliding down to the dagger in her belt and his heart skips a beat. If she struggles, her throat could be slit on accident.
“Don’t!” Jordane and Boaden say at the same time.
Daelyn, with panic on her eyes moves her hand away from the dagger and then back to it with lightning speed and plunges it into the stomach of the man holding her. She pushes the knife from her neck and rushes forward. One of the assailants has a bow drawn and points it at her.
Madison stretches her hand forward and a bolt of blue light shoots out and electrifies the archer. Shaking uncontrollably the man falls to the ground, with little blue bolts shocking him. Simultaneously Boaden spells directly beside the other attacker and with a downward hack, cuts his head off.
It all happened in seconds leaving Daelyn panting heavily beside her father. “Are you alright?” he asks and then he notices the blood seeping between the fingers at her throat.
16. Daelyn
Daelyn takes her hand from her neck and the blood covering her palm makes her feel slightly dizzy. Am I dying? She touches her neck again but doesn’t feel a gaping wound. “I don’t think it’s that bad,” she says to Jordane whose face has gone pale. Seeing his expression make her believe that it is bad.
Jordane removes his cloak and presses it against her neck. “You’re going to be fine. Just sit down.”
Madison pulls back the cloak to have a look at the cut. Her eyes narrow but her face doesn’t give anything away.
“Is it bad?” Daelyn asks, knowing that Madison will give her an honest answer.
“It’s not good,” she replies pressing the cloak firmly against the wound.
“I feel fine. I’m fine,” Daelyn says wiping the blood from her hands on a patch of moss. Slowly, however, her head feels lighter, and black spots form in her vision.
Boaden crouches down beside Jordane so all three of them are staring at her. He looks angry. “We told you not to do that,” Boaden says, sharp. “Did you think we’d allow them to take you?”
“It didn’t look like any of you were making a move,” Daelyn says and presses her hand against the cloak to hold it herself. “I’m the one who had a knife at my throat.”
“And now look what happened,” Boaden says and moves his hand toward her but Daelyn pulls back. “You got your neck cut just like I thought.”
“What’s done is done,” Jordane says to Boaden, softly but firm enough so that Boaden will stop berating her.
“And I’m fine,” Daelyn says standing up but her legs weaken. The black spots grow and a cold sweat breaks out.
Madison pushes her back down. “You’re not fine. You’re losing a lot of blood, and with that kirune manacle on your wrist we can’t heal you with magic”
At those words, Boaden jumps up and searches the bodies. Daelyn isn’t sure for what but at the moment she feels like she might pass out.
“I’m not finding a key,” Boaden says digging through pockets.
Madison rifles through the dead men’s belongings as well, pulling out daggers and food but no key.
“Am I going to die?” Daelyn whispers to Jordane who is still crouched in front of her.
He shakes his head. “No. It’s not that deep but we must stop the bleeding with or without magic.”
Daelyn remembers that there is a plant that’s sap will seal a wound. “Bergaroot.”
Jordane looks confused. “What is that?”
“It’s a plant. It will stop the bleeding. I just don’t know if there is any in this area.”
Madison shoots up from her crouched position. “It grows around moss. I should be able to find some.” And she disappears into the darkness.
Boaden throws a bag to the ground. “I can’t find the damn keys. Why wouldn’t they have a key?”
Daelyn understands why Boaden is upset but it’s scaring her. Will she not survive without magic? It can’t be that bad… why am I sweating so much, it’s not even hot? Uhh, I think I might throw up.
Madison returns with a blue leafy plant, roots dangling. A quick slice of the thick brown roots and white fluid seeps out. Madison pushes the bloodied cloak down and then wipes the bergaroot sap across the wound. The sap hardens, feeling stiff on her skin within seconds.
“Am I still bleeding?” She’s closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to calm the nausea.
“No,” Madison says and wipes Daelyn’s neck with her fingers. “No more bleeding.” She glances over her shoulder at Boaden. “Did you find a key?”
Boaden, who is now pulling the boots off one of the dead men, says, “Not yet.”
The back of Madison’s hand touches Daelyn’s forehead. “You feel cold. You should lie down for a little while. Regain your strength,” Madison says and places a blanket around Daelyn’s shoulders.
The weight of the blanket is comforting, so Daelyn pulls it tighter around her body. “But what if more come? Shouldn’t we keep moving?”
“If more come, we’ll handle it,” Jordane says rubbing her back.
He’d always had a way of making her feel better, secure. Sure, Madison knows how to heal physical wounds but she isn’t so good with the emotional part.
“I’m so glad you’re here with me,” Daelyn says and kisses her father’s cheek. “I know I told you already but I missed you more than you can ever know.”
Jordane puts an arm around her shoulder. “I missed you, too.” Jordane had always been a man of few words but they always counted when he spoke. “Now please don’t try something like that again. You can trust us.”
It’s not that she doesn’t trust them, she just panicked in that moment. She needs to learn to keep her fear at bay. Breathe through it, believe in a positive outcome. “I know I can.”
Jordane pulls his hands to his lap. “Boaden loves you, I can see it. He was only angry with you because he was scared.”
Daelyn nods and lies down on her side feeling sleepy. “I know.” And soon she falls asleep.
∞∞∞
The morning sun peeking through the trees wakes Daelyn. By the light she guesses she’d been asleep for hours. The nausea she had is gone but the headache remains. Daelyn turns her head to the sound of metal scraping on rock. Boaden is sharpening his sword, and hasn’t noticed her awake yet. Her parents look to be asleep still.
She sits up and runs a finger along the thin line of bergaroot over her cut. It’s hard and there is no sign of fresh blood. For the first time she takes notice to the weight of the kirune manacle on her left wrist and the emptiness of her magic being suppressed. In a way, it is a relief. It’s how she’s felt most of her life; the underlying buzzing of magic is what is odd.
Boaden lifts his head. “How are you feeling?”
“Headache.” A pot of clear liquid is lightly boiling over the coals of the fire. Something is different about Boaden this morning. Her eyes scan him looking for the changes. The dark circles under Boaden's eyes she’d noticed the day before are gone, and he has a glow about his skin that she hadn’t seen since they were at the oasis weeks earlier. “You look... energized.”
He flashes a smile. “It’s the mongleweed. Madison made a drink of it.” He nods toward the pot of hot liquid. “It’s not the best tasting but it gives plenty of energy. We should make it swiftly and easily to the waterfall today. I gave the horses some.”
“I need it. Hopefully it will make this pounding on my head go away, too.” Daelyn takes the ladle and scoops the mongleweed tea into her cup. A few sips and she’s already feeling better.
“It should help your head.” H
e stands and slides his sword back into the sheath. “We to need get going. I’ll wake your parents.”
∞∞∞
When they arrive at the waterfall, the others are already there. Presten stands and waves, wearing a huge grin. The same bright face Daelyn is accustomed to seeing. “Hello and good afternoon!” he shouts. “Bout time you get here.”
Daelyn had thought of Presten as annoying before but it makes her happy to see his excitement. They could use some joy after all that has happened. Presten is entertaining if nothing else.
Kendoa smacks the back of his hand against Presten’s chest and shakes his head.
“I was only joking,” Presten says and grins at Daelyn, offering his hand to help her off her horse. “You look ravishing, as usual.”
Daelyn smiles and dismounts from Asha taking his hand. “Thank you, although I don’t think I’d use the word ‘ravishing’ after weeks on the road.”
“You’re always pretty, even with sticks in your hair and dirt on your face,” he says and winks, pulling a small branch from her golden braid. “Oh, what happened to your neck?”
Naturally, his mention of her neck brings her fingers to the wound. “We had an incident. But I’m fine.”
Rorin tugs Boaden into a hug and roughly pats his back. “It’s good to see you, brother.”
Presten holds his hand out to Jordane. “You must be the long lost father,” he looks to Madison, “Or husband. However you want to look at it.”
“I’m Jordane,” he says taking Presten’s hand.
“We heard all about the gloriousness that happened in Kezington. I’m just upset I missed it,” Presten says handing Daelyn a cup of water.
She takes the drink with a “thank you” and then watches a dark haired woman she’s never seen before stride right up to Boaden and kiss him on the lips.
17. Boaden
Boaden pushes Verra back, in shock that she kissed him. “What are you doing?” he asks, holding her at arm’s length. He’s going to beat whoever decided to bring Verra. She’s probably the only person he’d not want to have join them. Finea a close second, since Finea is the only other woman besides Daelyn he’d slept with, having her around would be awkward but Verra…
“Giving you a kiss. What’s it look like?” she says with a grin that made her look slightly psychotic, which is exactly what he thinks of her.
Boaden removes his hands from Verra. “Well, don’t do it again.”
Rorin is quietly laughing behind them. “Don’t look at me. It wasn’t my idea,” he says and walks toward Daelyn and takes Asha’s reins. “I’ll take her for you.”
Daelyn is staring at them red faced. He can feel the anger coming off her from four horse lengths away. If she had the ability to use her magic at the moment, Boaden knows she’d lose control again.
“Boaden, you’re so silly sometimes,” Verra says with a giggle and turns her attention to Madison, who doesn’t look at all amused.
“Can I take your horses for you and let them graze with the others?” Verra asks, glancing between Jordane and Madison. She has no clue how much explaining Boaden will have to do because of her.
Jordane hands over his horse and walks to Kendoa. They shake hands and smile like they know each other.
Presten is talking to Daelyn but Boaden can’t hear the conversation well. Only bits and pieces. “I don’t know… name’s Verra...”
Boaden strides over before Presten can make things worse, waves him away and takes Daelyn by the arm. He pulls her to the other side of the waterfall so they can’t be overheard. “It’s not what you think,” Boaden says.
Daelyn folds her arms. “Then what is it?”
“Her name is Verra—“
“I got that part.”
Boaden groans. “She means nothing to me. She’s just a stupid girl who has wanted me for years but it’s unrequited. There was never anything between us.”
“That’s not what she seems to think.” Daelyn raises an eyebrow. “No normal person would walk right up to someone and kiss them if there was nothing there.”
“That’s exactly it. She’s not normal. She makes things up in her head,” Boaden says balling his hands into fists. “Ask Rorin if you don’t believe me.”
Daelyn’s face softens but she says, “He’s your best friend. He’d cover for you.”
“Stop it,” Boaden says getting frustrated. He wouldn’t have asked Daelyn to marry him if Verra meant anything to him. “I love you. I want you and only you and that’s the end of it.”
Daelyn tries to hold back her smile but fails. “I believe you.” She looks across the water over at the others. “Is she going to be a problem?”
Boaden lifts his head toward the heavens and wonders why he’s been cursed with such bad luck. Verra will most definitely be a problem. She started rumors that she was pregnant with Boaden’s baby while they were in the academy, when they never even came close to having sex. She got into a fight with a girl who apparently said she had “feelings” for Boaden. The main reason that he didn’t have a girlfriend while in school, is because all the other girls were afraid of Verra. Finea only had a chance because that happened later on in his life and away from the psycho.
Soon after the conversation with Daelyn ends the group are sitting around a fire telling stories of what they’d gone through in Hesstia and after. Boaden noticed that Rorin has been peculiarly quiet. So he nudges his arm and they go for a chat alone. “So what’s the word from home about what happened?”
Rorin lets out a long breath. “It’s not good, Boaden.” He shakes his head. “I was going to inquire about what had happened since I kept hearing rumors and then overheard Gord and some man named Midlan, talking to Queen Kyria and Lord Everon.” He pauses and looks over at the waterfall.
Boaden narrows his eyes, recognizing that name. “Did you say Midlan?”
“Yes, why?”
Boaden clenches his jaw trying to quell his anger. “First tell me what was said.”
“Gord said that you botched the mission for Daelyn—”
Boaden can’t stay quiet, “That doesn’t even make sense. Why would I get her caught and nearly killed?”
Rorin grabs Boaden’s shoulder firmly. “Brother, I’m telling you what was said, save your argument. I know you’d never go against orders from the queen.”
Boaden nods but inside he thinks about his plans to do just that before everything had gone wrong. “Go on.”
“That was the main point from Gord. He said that you let your feelings get in the way, but this Midlan had a great deal to say about all of you being traitors. That Madison had been in Hesstia too long and is loyal to them now, which is the real reason why she never told Daelyn about her Delhoon lineage. He went on about Jordane getting himself caught, and he said that you had befriended Prince Enden and that you were in on a plot to get the prince to the throne and that the execution and assassination was planned by Enden. Gord agreed.”
Boaden’s face burns with rage and his hands begin to tremble. “And what did Kyria say to these accusations?”
“You know how she is,” Rorin says, sounding irritated. “She stayed fairly quiet about her thoughts. She simply said, ‘I’ll speak with them when they get here, if they make it back to Delhoon alive.’”
Boaden wants to tear that bastard Midlan’s head off. After all he’s done, betraying Jordane, ruining his life and the life of his family and now this? And Gord, that lying son of a bitch. What is in it for him to make me look bad?
“Kyria has to know that these are outlandish claims,” Boaden says, pacing now. “How did Midlan explain Madison being stabbed?”
“He didn’t mention it,” Rorin says. “Just for argument’s sake, Madison is alive and well. He could say that it was either a misfortune because not all the guards were in on it or that you had a healing potion ready.”
“But Kyria’s plan was for me to assassinate King Rolland in a public setting so that everyone would know that Delhoon did it a
nd to make Enden look like he was in on it. That’s exactly what she got.”
Rorin nods. “I wasn’t privy to the details but yes, that is what she got. The entire kingdom knows that you assassinated King Rolland and heard stories about Daelyn’s power. I’ve heard talk that some of the warlords are angry. They don’t want war with Hesstia.”
Boaden stops in his pacing. “And who the hell invited Verra?”
“Kendoa told me that he and Presten were talking and she overheard and volunteered. They don’t know that she’s crazy.”
Boaden looks over at the camp and sees Verra staring at them. “I can’t stand her. If she tries to hurt Daelyn...”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s been a long time. And yes, she kissed you but maybe she’s grown up a bit. She didn’t know you were in a relationship with Daelyn, and neither did I for that matter.”
“I’m going to marry her,” Boaden says and a small smile grows across his face.
Rorin folds his arms. “You know that will validate what Gord said.”
Boaden doesn’t care what Gord said or how it makes him look. Consequences be damned, he can’t let the kingdom rule everything about his life. “I made a promise to the woman I love and I’m going to keep it.”
∞∞∞
They rest for the night and head into the Nordian city of Kondor. The crew needs food and the next city in Delhoon isn’t for three days. They could scavenge for berries, and hunt for meat but it’s much more convenient to buy and be on their way.
Kondor is different than most Nordia cities, likely because it's close to both Hesstia and Delhoon there is less crime and it’s more fruitful. There are no walls and no guards at the entrances but it’s teeming with people and buildings. Boaden estimates a population of fifteen thousand live within the city and the majority of them seem to be in the marketplace this day. He hopes that with so many people they won’t be noticed by anyone who might be looking for them. Kendoa and Verra stayed behind to guard the horses but the rest of them push through the crowd.