Song of Storms (Song and Storm Trilogy Book 1)

by Kayla Maya

  “I am.” Bryn knew that it was in the form of the question, even though she knew that they all knew who she was.

  “You will speak when spoken to girl,” the third council member growled.

  Bryn couldn’t help but shy away hearing the woman’s cold voice, the woman’s eyes a dark emerald green as she too sized Bryn up. The other four council members snickered at Bryn as she kept her shoulders hunched and eyes to the ground at being assessed.

  “She’s not much, to be honest,” another member said.

  “Don’t be rude, Irabor,” Sister Grace snapped. “All of you silence this instance. Take off your hoods.”

  One by one, the council members removed their hoods. There was a rather large, burly man with snow-white hair buzzed short with spirals buzzed on the side and deep-set blue eyes that reminded Bryn of the depths of the ocean. He introduced himself as Brother Bruce. The man next to him had black hair cut to his shoulders and had the darkest brown eyes that Bryn had ever seen. He reluctantly introduced himself as Irabor, the man who seemed to rather see her gone than standing in front of him. The third member was a woman with jet black hair cropped short in a pixie cut. She was the woman with the emerald green eyes. Her name was “Petunia.” Which, Bryn had to force herself not to laugh at the silly name regarding the cold woman. The last member, other than Sister Grace, was another woman with silver-blonde hair that shined brightly in the firelight. Her name was Samantha.

  “No doubt you are wondering why you were summoned,” Bruce said first.

  “I’m sure she knows,” Irabor quipped. “She might be mousy, but she doesn’t look all that dumb.”

  “Would you hush, Irabor?” Samantha groaned. “I grow weary of your complaints.”

  “Agreed,” Petunia piped up. “Now, Bryn, you were summoned because we have a need for your skills.”

  “I know that going back home will be rather difficult for you,” Sister Grace said. “However, you will be going under an alias we have chosen for you. You will be going under the name of Lady Illyea, wife to Lord Anderson. You will go undercover and gain the trust of the king’s wife and find a way into their room to get that mask. Like I have told you before. That mask keeps King Frederick’s affliction at bay.

  “Your job is to make sure your cover isn’t blown, nor can they discover your true identity. Use any method at your disposal, but make sure you clear it with North first because he will be accompanying you on this journey. He’s an ace disciple, one of the best we have for this mission. He’s also there to make sure you understand our agreement. Once you have secured the mask, you will need to leave immediately before his illness spreads across the castle and kills him. Do you understand?”

  “I do.” Bryn nodded. She wasn’t happy about returning to Skeg, nor back to her family after leaving them so abruptly. She wondered if her mother knew that Lukas was gone or that Bryn herself was gone. Was Sister Agatha keeping Lilac and the rest of her family safe like she was promised? Bryn hoped that was the case so she wouldn’t have to venture home once this was over to a desolate home. Bones! If only she had considered this option before about making sure she wasn’t going to be able to see her home. She feared that if she saw her home, then she would stop whatever it was that she was doing. And she couldn’t do that. Not when her family’s safety was on the line.

  “Do you understand the consequences?” Brother Irabor asked.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Bryn shook her head.

  “Pay attention,” Petunia snapped. “This is important. The consequences are death, whether by the king himself or the illness he has. If you don’t act right or pay attention, your life will be forfeit. Do you understand?”

  “I do.”

  “Good,” Irabor sat back. “You may be dismissed. You will be collected when the time is right, and everything is set in place.”

  Bryn wanted to say something more, but the room was descended into darkness again, and she had no choice but to walk away. She slammed the door behind her as a dark figure scuttled across the ground to the other end of the hall. Bryn’s heart iced over in her chest at the thought of a creature coming out to attack her. She instantly chided herself for being so foolish as she walked towards the last spot, she had seen the figure.

  “Ericka?” Bryn crouched down beside the other woman.

  Ericka yelped and scurried away deeper into the corner of the wall. The woman no longer had blood stains on her clothes, and her hands were cleaned as well. Her matted hair was cropped short in a boy’s cut; her face was still wild and frightened. Bryn reached out, placing a hand on Ericka’s shoulder as Bryn was sucked into a memory.

  Ericka giggled as her younger brother grabbed her favorite doll, using her doll to practice his magic. He used the wind to pick up the doll and make it soar through the air. Ericka jumped up, giggling and clapping as she raced around the room trying to catch the doll. A large bang made the doll fall to the floor, the door to their room banging open as their father barged in.

  “What have I told you before, Ezra? Stop using your magic,” their father’s voice boomed, making the house seem to shake underneath their feet.

  Ezra stood in front of Ericka, blocking his sister from their father’s wraith. “I was just having a bit of fun, right, Ericka?”

  The girl nodded.

  “I don’t care. Under no circumstance will you use your magic. Zephyrs are of no use to this family name.”

  Weeks passed, and Ericka slowly learned that her magic was to harm instead of use for good. She had used Ezra’s mind for her own personal gains, using him in any way she saw fit. That is until the hallucinations started.

  “Why do you hate me, Ezra?” Ericka wailed. “Why?”

  “I don’t hate you. Why would you think that?” Ezra cooed. “I love you, Ericka.”

  She picked up a knife, holding it in her hands as it shook. Her brother took several steps back. “You don’t love me! None of you do! You’re only using me for my magic!”

  “That’s not true,” Ezra argued. “At least, not with me, it isn’t.”

  Their father burst into the room with their mother right behind; both faces mirroring disdain as they glanced at their son and daughter—two magic wielders in the family, two in their whole family existence.

  “Father don’t hurt her,” Ezra raced over to their father. “She won’t hurt anyone. Please.”

  “Out of the way!” Their father grabbed Ezra’s shoulder and tossed him to the side of the barn, right where the pitchfork was. Ezra’s body was skewered by the weapon, his body falling to the side with the pitchfork sticking from his chest. “Well, blood and bones! Now, look what happened.”

  “NO!” Ericka flung herself at her father with murderous rage, only to be caught by the chain on her ankle. Her mother was chaining the other end to the pool, stepping to the side when Ericka lunged at her. “EZRA!”

  “You will stay in here until you learn how to control your magic. Until then, have a happy, lonely existence….”

  Bryn was flung out of the memory as Ericka howled, scratching at her face and writhing on the ground in pain. Bryn bent down to try and calm the other woman. Almost as if on cue, the hall flooded with disciples, all of them ripping Ericka and Bryn apart as they dragged the Psych out into the other end of the hall, screaming her brother’s name.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  After the fiasco with Ericka, and being dragged into her memory, Bryn decided it would be better for her to turn in for the night. Her mind kept wandering back to the memory of how Ericka was treated so long ago, how everything had turned sour in an instant. Bryn sat up, rubbing her eyes as she hung her legs over the side of her bed. She was still in the small cramped space, but this time it was a reprieve of getting away from the rest of the world. She wanted to help Ericka, maybe even become friends with the other woman. Bryn changed into a light tunic and her pants, strapping her dagger to the sheath at her thigh. She knew she didn’t need it, but with everything going on, she couldn’t be too
careful. At least not anymore.

  Closing the door behind her, Bryn made her way down the hall. Luckily the Order of the Crow didn’t believe in having guards, so she was able to walk around freely without being watched or disturbed. In fact, she had no idea where she was supposed to meet North. Deciding the best course of action was to head to the gardens, Bryn made her way. She walked in front of a seat of doors with chains keeping it closed. Crying echoed from inside, and Bryn knew that Ericka was in that room, still mourning the loss of her brother Ezra. Bryn understood what it felt like to lose a brother you loved, especially at a young age she was when Ericka lost him.

  The sky was bright with twinkling stars, not a single cloud in the sky. Only the full moon offered any light for Bryn to see a small trinket laid out on the bench under the arch. It was of a small lilac flower. She picked it up, inspecting it. The wind picked up, taking the flower from Bryn and into the air and straight into North’s outstretched palm. His face was calm, more North-like than before. It was the side of North that Bryn craved, the only friend she had withing the Order. Still, her walls remained up, refusing even to let go of a single crumb in case he were to break her heart or trust.

  “I see you saw Ericka again,” North let the wind take the flower into the night air, before disappearing completely. “What was it she showed you exactly?”

  Bryn’s defenses shot up. Why should she tell him in the first place? Was he going to rat her out for what Ericka showed her, or was he going to use it for his own personal gain? Although her doubts took root, it was her trust in North that spread deeper. She couldn’t help but trust him mainly because he trusted her.

  “A memory of how she was placed in chains. How her brother died.” Bryn told him.

  “I’m impressed, to say the least. Not even Sister Grace could get into Ericka’s mind so easily or willingly. It appears that she has taken a liking to you.”

  “I guess so,” Bryn shrugged. “I hear that we’ll be working together on this heist.”

  “Correct.” He turned on his heel, glancing back at Bryn with a smile. “Care for a midnight walk?”

  “Of course.”

  Bryn looped her arm through North’s, allowing him to lead her around Baltimore. Even though it was dark out, the town was still extremely busy from townsfolk milling about either entering or leaving the city. It wasn’t like Skeg where everyone had to be home before nightfall; otherwise, the guards will send anyone to the gallows. It was refreshing being in a city that wasn’t overrun with rules by a king who cared so little for his own people.

  “Did they tell you about this mission?” Bryn asked.

  “They did. I’m going as a guard, so I’ll be watching you from every angle and every corner. You won’t escape me,” he teased.

  “I’m a thief, remember? I can easily escape you,” she teased back.

  “Perhaps.”

  Bryn couldn’t help the smile on her face as they strolled through the streets. She wondered what it would be like to be with another man, romantically. Would they stroll through the city streets? Hold hands, maybe? Bryn instantly chided herself for thinking about such imaginary things. It wasn’t in her nature to settle down, and if that were the case, she would have kept the jobs a long time ago and avoided this whole mess. But, once again, thievery ruled Bryn’s life no matter how hard she tried to avoid it. There was just something about stealing, about keeping the horde all to herself, unless it was to help with feeding those who needed it most.

  “So, what do you think of the plan, Lady Illyea?” North asked.

  Bryn couldn’t help but snort. “I don’t exactly know the plan, to be honest. Just that I’m undercover long enough to steal the mask, which I could easily do without having to go ‘undercover’ with an alias.”

  “Well, I’m pretty sure you could steal that mask easily as well, but this is also a test. It’s to see whether or not you’ll be able to hack it as a disciple. You’ll also need to learn the ways of the royal court in case you need to go back undercover for some other mission if you succeed with this one.”

  Bryn opened her mouth to tease him again when her stomach let off a ferocious howl. Her face flamed as she quickly covered her midsection from the onslaught of the stomach cramps. Bryn had skipped dinner after being with Ericka, and also because of meeting with the high Order about her mission. No one questioned why she wasn’t at dinner, and no one knocked to check in on her or to give her some food. She wondered if she had overstayed her welcome but knew better since they needed her for this dangerous mission.

  North tugged on her arm. “Come on. I know a great place to get something to eat.”

  “This late at night?”

  “Master Won is open all day and night. Well, his son runs the store during the morning hours while Won watches it at night. He makes the best noodles in all of Serena, if not maybe the entire world.”

  “Sounds like you pick favorites,” she teased.

  “No. I just know excellent food. Come on.”

  North led Bryn down the street, her eyes widening at the amount of activity that wandered around Baltimore. Even though she had noticed it earlier, she was still amazed by it. It made her reluctant to go back to her home of Skeg, which made her reluctant to see her family again if she wanted to.

  “Here we are,” North said. “I promise Master Won will not disappoint.”

  The shop was bright with activity. An older man could be seen from outside over a grill, literally zooming from customer to customer and handing them their plates. The shop was brightly lit with colorful lanterns, with a large sign that read “Master Won’s Seafood.” The name sparked Bryn’s interest deep within her breast because she had never heard of the word seafood before. She knew what the sea was and what food meant, but what on earth did it mean to put together? North held the door open for Bryn, allowing her to wander in first before he followed in behind. The older man was bronze-colored, with a bright red bandana wrapped around his balding head. His eyes were almond-shaped but slightly squinted like he was scolding someone. His smile told a different story as he boasted North’s name.

  “Brother North! Welcome. It has been long enough since I last saw you!” The older man gripped North’s hands, shaking them in greeting. He noticed Bryn and winked at North. “You got a real pretty one here, North. I’d say, the prettiest yet!”

  “Thank you.” Bryn’s face went bright red as she tried to cover her face with her hair. Bones! Bryn cursed. I have practically no hair left! “I’m Bryn. Nice to meet you, Mr.—?”

  “Please, call me Won. Nice to meet you, Miss Bryn. What can I get you? It’s on the house!” Master Won winked.

  “Oh no, I can pay,” Bryn argued.

  “Nonsense! Anything for North and his pretty girl.”

  “I’m not—” Bryn started.

  “She’s not—”

  “Come, come. Sit, and I’ll wipe you something up really quick!” Master Won sped off to the back of his shop, his muttered cursing as pots and pans clattered together.

  “He’s a…feisty one,” Bryn said, taking her seat.

  “That he is.” North laughed as he took his seat beside her, placing his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. “But he is an amazing cook. Just wait and see.”

  Master Won returned with some sparkling drinks, laying them out one by one to Bryn and North. The old man smacked his hands together as he wiped out a fish onto the grill. Bryn’s mouth watered as she heard the skin sizzle and crackle. Her stomach didn’t object. Master Won held two huge butchers’ knives, slashing them together before he began to cut the fish into squares. Bryn watched with fascination as Master Won cut the fish skillfully, the squares landing back on the grill on the opposite side, sizzling. Next came the leeks as he quickly cut them onto the grill, and then the graded lemon was added to the squares of fish. He slid two plates along the table, one for Bryn and the other for North. With the plates in front of them, Master Won used his knives and threw them each four squares of
fish.

  Bryn grabbed a piece of her fish, tossing it into her mouth. The flavor of the fish was intensified by the use of the leek and the lemon. Her mouth watered as she consumed the rest of the fish, almost giving North the puppy dog eyes when she noticed that he still hadn’t touched his own yet.

  “Goodness!” North laughed, sliding the plate over to her. She instantly chowed down, not giving herself time to breathe. “You have never had seafood before?”

  “No,” Bryn said sadly. “We don’t have seafood back in Skeg. Mostly vegetables or whatever we could scrounge up.”

  Bryn watched North’s face turn to sympathy as he placed his hand on her shoulder, his thumb rubbing circles along her shoulder blade. “I promise to take care of you. That is my oath.”

  “North…”

  “Here’s something else I’d think you’d enjoy,” Master Won placed a plate full of white rice with meat covered in an orange sauce. “Chicken Masala.”

  Bryn wasted no time in eating her fill. She had never heard of this food before, but she was loving every morsel of it and spending time with North. She had all but forgotten his attitude earlier today when he escorted her to Sister Grace and the rest of the council. She opted to ask him later and not ruin the moment of excellent cuisine and his company. She watched North eat his fill before sliding the plate over to her for her to inhale, which she did. Feeling slightly ashamed of herself, she slid him her small plate of dessert for him to share. North’s eyebrows shot up.

  “You don’t like it?” He asked.

  “Are you kidding? This food is amazing, and this uh, what is this again, Master Won?” Bryn pointed her fork at the desert that consisted of some fruits that tasted sweeter than usual, smothered with a type of red sauce and chocolate.

  “Candied Fruit.”

  “Right,” she turned back to North. “This food is amazing, North. Especially, this candied fruit.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” North grinned. “You can come here as often as you like, right Master Won?”