AESSA'S CHILDREN: BOOK ONE -- THE LAST BORDER
By V. A. Watts (c) 1993
NOTE: This work is under a registered copyright and unauthorized distribution is prohibited and will be prosecuted. All characters are fictional and of my own invention. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Note on pronunciation: Proper Names and nouns within the language most commonly used on Aessa, Lliyassean, allow that each letter have its own sound. The first vowel in each word is long, the following vowels hold the short sound. Therefore, the name Thana is pronounced: T-HAYN-AH. Maygra is MAY-IH-G-RAH, Kieri is KI-ERR-IH, and Jael is JAY-EL. Diminutives such as Jai and Mag are pronounced as written, so Jai would be Ji (long "I") and Mag would be Mag with a short "a". The use of glottal stops is pervasive. Words ending in "I" are masculine gendered, "a" indicates feminine gender, "n" indicates plurals. Partial Glossary is at the end of each chapter.
The gentle touch of rain against her face, misting down unimpeded by tree or brush, encouraged Maygra to open her eyes to another gray sky. For a long while she lay there, allowing the moisture to rest on her skin until it ran in tiny rivulets down her face. With a soft groan she rolled over, a grimace of pain crossing her face. Her night's rest had done little to ease the bone-aching weariness she felt and the chilled moisture had added to her assortment of minor pains. She attempted to organize her addled thoughts, annoyed by the lack of mental alertness she commonly woke to. She sat up slowly, wincing as pain lanced through her scarred right arm, blocking every other ache with its intensity. A dazed examination revealed the still angry scar swollen and red, stiffly protesting her forced use and an obvious reminder of the battle she would rather forget. CHAPTER TWELVE
She rubbed the scar gently, staring up at the sky as she waited for the pain to pass. She could endure worse pain if the depressing sky would turn blue, if only for a moment. Three months of nearly incessant rain seemed a dark omen for the future and she could use a little hope. Aessa seemed inclined to ignore her idle prayer and with a soft oath Maygra tossed aside the damp oiled wool she used as a blanket.
Muffled stirring from beneath a similar scrap of wool beside her made her frown a little and gently she pulled back the edge of the blanket to expose the familiar face. Matted, filthy hair was partially bound in a warrior's braid that looked more black than blonde, and the face beneath the dirt and dark bronzing of sun and weather was bruised by fatigue, the fine bone structure accentuating the gaunt cheeks and deep hollows beneath his eyes.
Those green eyes flickered open and she met Mikayl's foggy gaze with a half-smile, thanking the Goddess she had just cursed for allowing her to see her brother wake to another day, no matter how dreary. Mikayl returned the smile sleepily and propped himself up on one elbow, rubbing his eyes.
He watched as Maygra relaced her worn boots, not missing the flash of pain that crossed her features as she forced the injured arm to do its share of the work. Bent over as she was, her profile hid the worst of the scar that ravaged her face. High cheeks and pronounced wide-set green eyes, a straight, long nose and a generous mouth were all he could see but the tilt of her chin as she worked with the laces exposed the parallel scars that slashed the right side of her face from her eye to her ear and from the bridge of her nose to her jaw. The lower scar pulled at the corner of her mouth, leaving a sneer on her face.
Finished with her task, Maygra reached out to touch Mikayl's cheek lightly, the warmth in her smile all but erasing the damage done by the marring scars. She rose to her feet unsteadily, cursing softly as she jarred her arm again.
"I'll wake, Damyn," Mikayl said, suddenly wide awake and rising to his knees.
"No!" she hissed softly, eyes closed as she cradled the arm and willed the pain to pass. "Wake him, but not for this. He has done all he can," she added drawing a breath, pushing the pain away. "Get the others up as well. I want to get moving."
She turned stiffly away before he could offer any assistance and Mikayl bit his lip in frustration. The pain she felt from the injury was far more bearable to her than the helplessness it incurred. She would not look at him again, shrugging the discomfort away as she bent to roll her few possessions into a pack.
Knowing any further offer of assistance would be refused, Mikayl turned his attention to their companions. Renn and Kiva were already stirring, wakened as Maygra had been by the kiss of rain on their skin. Like puppies, the pair were curled up against Damyn's chest, arms, legs and blankets a tangled nest. Renn's pale hair was a damp mop against the dirty brown of his brother's tunic. He had thrown his thin arms protectively around the girl where she slept between the brothers, her fists clinging to the Healer's tunic, her face buried against his hip.
At Mikayl's touch, Renn opened his eyes and shivered a little, eliciting a whimper from Kiva who burrowed closer, trying to find some warmth from the bodies surrounding her. Renn murmured soft comforts against her cheek and she woke fully, rubbing her eyes and sniffling. Carefully, Renn tried to disengage the two of them from the tangle, setting Kiva on her feet then rising himself. They were both frighteningly thin, their clothes torn and stained, hanging loosely on bones that showed through translucent skin.
Damyn woke with a start, stifling a groan as the jerk that accompanied his waking made his joints ache. Like Mikayl, his skin had been darkened by exposure but his features were waxy and gray, his once softly squared face hollow and thin. Exhaustion, not at all dulled by sleep, still haunted the pale blue eyes and he moved stiffly like a man four times his age. Nevertheless, he found a smile for the children and rubbed their small arms and legs to get the circulation going.
The guardsman turned his attention to the last of his companions, noting that Jael was already awake but his hazel eyes were dull and distracted. Kion was cradled in his arms, his unfocused eyes glazed, dark pupils staring listlessly out of yellowed whites. Mikayl could not be sure who was worse off, father or son.
He knelt before his friend laying a hand on Jael's forearm.
"Jai?" he inquired, waiting for the man to show some response to his query. It took a moment longer than Mikayl would have liked but finally the dark eyes settled on his face. "Did you sleep at all?"
"A little," Jael responded hoarsely. "Are we leaving?"
"Shortly. Here," Mikayl handed him one of the travel cakes from the near empty bag at his feet. Rising to his feet he distributed more of their precious food to Damyn and the children, unable to watch as Renn and Kiva took tiny bites washed down with great quantities of water to trick their empty stomachs into thinking there was more food. Damyn took his portion as well but moved to hold Kion so Jael could chew a bit of food into a softer texture before giving it to the child. After a few mouthfuls Kion whimpered and turned his head away.
Damyn frowned and laid one slender hand on the child's chest, his face going grayer as he concentrated. After a moment he ceased his efforts and smiled faintly. The child was less jaundiced and with a little coaxing from his father, finished the rest of his cake.
Mikayl caught Maygra watching the minor healing with a concerned frown, an angry set-down hovering on her lips. Damyn would not meet her gaze but she saw Mikayl staring at her. She swallowed the comment and said nothing. The babe would already be dead save for the Healer's little interventions and they all knew it.
She was tired of having to remind them all of the danger they were still in, tired of traveling through the grassy desert. For a turn of the moon they had been trekking across the barren plain of Irrekas. Nothing broke the grass line, not a tree or a single boulder. They were exposed and defenseless and her spine itched at having brought them to so vulnerable a position.
They had no choice but to go on. Backtracking to the headlands behind them would be pure folly -- they had neither the food nor the energy to recross the desert. Their only choice was north or west -- and the west offered some slim hope. The border was a soft gray-green shadow that indicated forest, if they could only make it that far.
They were a ragged lot, all of them filthy, near-starving and exhausted. The leathers Maygra, Mikayl and Jael wore had borne their trek better than the cloth Damyn and the children wore. The cloak Damyn had gained in DunStan Cald had long since been torn into bits to provide Kiva with a shawl and ragged changing cloths for Kion. They looked like what they were, exiles, fugitives, not daring to remain even a day in the same place lest they be discovered by their pursuer. Only the hope that the shadows ahead were a forest deep enough and thick enough to provide them shelter and desperately needed food kept them going.
We're all losing our minds, Maygra thought as she accepted her share of the travel bread. Mikayl stood beside her, his overly keen eyes fixed on the horizon.
"How far?" she asked, nudging his elbow.
Mikayl shook his head in frustration. "I don't know, Mag. A day -- maybe three. If you would let me use --."
"No. Even Jael's Shield is no guarantee we won't be found. Pray it's only a day; and keep your bloody Gift under control," she snapped. She had no strength for an apology when Mikayl turned angrily away. Wordlessly, she started walking. The others followed, a ragged line of beggars moving slowly through the tall grass.
Maygra kept them going until Kiva was crying from fatigue although Mikayl had carried her part of the way. Even Maygra's heart gave way under the child's pleading gaze. Kiva had borne most of their journey without complaint and it nearly broke Maygra's heart when the girl simply lay down on the wet grass when the group halted.
Damyn pulled the child into his lap, stroking her hair and protecting her from the worst of the misting rain. Maygra sat down beside him, pulling her wool blanket free to cover the child, wincing as the muscles in her arm protested. Damyn reached out to touch her arm lightly, but she pulled away sharply bringing fresh pain to her face.
"Please, Mag," Damyn scolded softly. "You make it no easier for yourself or me."
"You can't use your Gift, Damyn," she said adamantly. "It's like leaving a blood-scent."
"I can't not use them," Damyn snapped harshly. "You know that. And Jael can't Shield us forever -- look at him."
Unwillingly, Maygra did look. Physically, Jael seemed more fit than any of them. A look in his eyes told another story. They saw nothing, glazed as they were by his unremitting effort to keep their presence a secret, hidden from the eyes of the mundane as well as the more discerning Sight that searched for them. Like his son, Jael had become little more than a creature that breathed and ate and moved automatically without will or initiative.
"Jai, drop your Shield," She ordered and watched as his eyes focused on her, coming out of his trance. His surge of relief was another pain, bittersweet as were the dawning perceptions that suddenly showed in the faces of her companions. Even Maygra's errant Gift seemed to acknowledge the newly forged link between them, as if a long silence had been suddenly and softly broken.
Wordlessly, she extended her arm to Damyn, gasping as his touch took the pain away. The Healer no longer had the strength to heal wounds completely and even the small effort of easing her pain took its toll on him, but his relief was as sharp as her own, a sudden surge of feeling she could not block out. Abruptly she turned away only to find Mikayl grinning like an idiot, his green eyes shining.
"It's a forest!" he exclaimed pulling her to his feet and pointing. "As deep and wide as Bredas and close, Mag -- we can be there by nightfall."
Maygra laughed, as startled as anyone by the rough sound, but the others joined in, nearly hysterical in their joy. Like a herald of hope, the sun broke through the clouds for a brief moment, warming their skin and turning the rain to silver strands of light.
Renn came to stand behind Damyn, his arms locked around his brother's neck and Kiva clambered to her feet, holding Maygra's blanket around her shoulders as she giggled, the sun blushing her pale cheeks. At Renn's coaxing, the Healer got to his feet and let the children pull him along, one hand clasping Kiva's, the other resting on Renn's shoulder for support.
Maygra felt Mikayl's hand slip into hers and give it a brief squeeze. His lips brushed her scarred cheek before he moved forward. She remained unmoving, savoring the familiar touch and waiting for Jael to draw abreast of her. They fell in step, Kion riding high in the crook of Jael's arm. Tentatively, Maygra laid a finger on his cheek.
"Hold on, kiri," she said softly, "Just another day or two."
As if in response, Kion grasped her finger weakly and wrinkled his nose at her. She smiled faintly and glanced at the father.
"Better?" she asked as they walked.
Jael nodded. "We were all right in the headlands with food enough to keep us going, but these plains . . . I never knew such a desert could exist."
"Neither did I," Maygra acknowledged. "If I had known them to be so vast I'd have taken us north. I should have let Mikayl . . . Damn!" she cursed herself, anger returning swiftly at her own blindness.
"I don't think it would have mattered. We were too closely pursued and the mountains are as far north as Mikayl's woods are west. You were right to choose so, Maygra."
She nodded and looked away, refusing comfort. Jael made no further effort to continue the discussion. Ahead of them, Damyn leaned heavily on Renn's shoulder to steady himself and Jael frowned, wondering if Maygra knew just how spent the Healer was. Mentally and physically the Healer was worn to a mere shade of his former self - unable to keep food down, unable to sleep and unable to heal. His great Gift -- the pride of Rhema -- had become a curse.
Jael watched his companion covertly, aware that Maygra was in not much better shape than Damyn. Her movements were harsh and jerky, with no trace of the grace she once possessed. Deep lines had etched themselves into her eyes and mouth, lines as deep as her other scars. She was as thin as a sapling, her joints pronounced against taut skin that was beginning to show the same unhealthy gray pallor that the children had.
Jael shook his head, scattering the dark thoughts. Battling Irrekas's inhospitable expanse had left them low on food and mentally and physically depressed. Fixing his eyes on Mikayl's vision of woodlands ahead rekindled a little hope in him. The sight of trees and brush and life was a promise of protection and security. Jael knew such a promise could be false but it was real enough for now. For the moment it was unimportant that the deep dark bulk of Bredas Hulden, a year's journey behind them, had been able to provide little refuge. Woodlands meant roots, berries, and game if any of them had strength to catch it.
Their camp that night was livelier than any in weeks. Mikayl was inclined to talk and Renn perched near him, quietly discussing what kinds of things they might be able to find in the forest to eat. Kiva leaned against Renn, listening to something, but it was difficult to identify what she heard. Even Damyn seemed somehow less frail, managing to keep a ration of his food down. Only Maygra remained unsettled, prowling the edge of their camp like a guard dog. When the sun came up with its usual veil of rain, the grass around the bedding was trampled from her pacing.
They kept on and by mid-morning the unchanging expanse of grass finally showed some evidence of breaking up. Tiny slender saplings appeared periodically and there was not a dry eye among the adults when Kiva paused reverently before one of the thin trunks, touching its bark before hugging the slender shaft, her slight weight making it tremble and sway as if in response to her open affection.
Damyn stroked the girl's fair hair, smiling faintly before whispering something to her and kissing her cheek. But what Jael saw in the Healer's face was not loving affection alone, but some shadow of the Dark Maiden. The peace in the Healer's eyes alarmed Jael for every other sign readable in Damyn's face and body was of surrender. His movements were stiff and halting and his skin so pale he might have been a wraith.
Jael started forward, raising an arm to warn Maygra but his eyes locked for a single moment with Damyn's and his voice faltered. Damyn shook his head ever so slightly then moved haltingly away. Shocked, Jael Reached but could read nothing from the Healer -- nothing at all -- as if he were not even there. He touched Maygra's arm, intending to say something only to find her staring at the Healer as well with a puzzled expression on her face.
Mikayl's low-voiced call distracted both of them and as one they ran toward where he crouched on the ground.
"Riders," he said, pointing out the clear tracks that extended along the grassy rise. "Not less than two hours ago, heading north."
Maygra squatted beside him, studying the signs with a worried frown. "They're not heavily laden and there is no sign of those damn lizard things the Hai'Karin rode, but there are a lot of them. A patrol?"
"But from where?" Mikayl asked and scanned the area around them, stretching his Sight. He was caught unprepared when his sister struck him, her green eyes flashing in anger.
"Don't be a fool!" she hissed. "Keep them moving, Jael. I won't ask you to re-Shield just yet, but be prepared," she cautioned, then sent her brother scouting southward as she followed the trail north.
Jael took Kiva's hand while Renn lent his brother support, all of their eyes fixed on the leading edge of the woods ahead, the details becoming more pronounced with every few lengths they crossed. Maygra and Mikayl rejoined them at mid-afternoon and pushed their progress, half carrying Damyn. Jael was similarly burdened with Kiva riding on his back and Kion in his arms. By dusk they had reached the sparse edge of the wood. The overcast sky left Mikayl bereft of even his naturally keen eyesight and they were traveling blind.
Maygra led them unerringly inward, seeking some kind of shelter. It was well after dark when she found a deadfall with heavy overhead foliage that suited her. The ground below was only moderately damp and they all huddled together, passing out the sparse cold rations in silence.
"We need to rest tomorrow, Mag," Jael whispered when the others had fallen into light sleep.
"We can't," she murmured. "Those tracks double back, Jai. Whoever they are, they're looking for something. I'd rather they not find us. We'll go slower in the morning, but we can't stop -- not until we're deeper in."
He gripped her good arm and grasped her chin, forcing her to look at Damyn. "He may not live that long," he snarled then rolled onto his side away from her.
She watched Damyn for the rest of the night, dismayed that the pressure his presence caused seemed to be lessening with each passing moment. Toward dawn she heard him moan softly and moved carefully next to him so as not to disturb the others. Cautiously, she rested her hand against his forehead, the cold clamminess of his skin sending a different kind of chill down her spine. He sighed against her touch, taking some measure of comfort from her and she lay down next to him, offering whatever warmth she could. The pressure of his presence increased slightly at the contact. Encouraged, she gathered him more closely in her arms, biting back the murmur of pain that escaped her as she tried to take more of his weight.
He flinched in her arms, coming to wakefulness sluggishly, ignoring her softly whispered entreaties to go back to sleep.
"I'm all right, kira," he said softly, relaxing against her. "Let me keep you company for awhile."
"You need sleep."
"So do you. Hush. Listen," he murmured, lacing his fingers in with hers.
She did so, hearing the soft, unsteady rhythm of his breathing, feeling it against her chest as they both stared up at the canopy of trees. Above them, barely visible through the lacy veil, tiny grains of light were cast against the violet-black sky, dancing in and out of the lacy branches like waterbugs. She could barely hear the murmur of wind across the top branches, echoed by an equally quiet but more constant thrum of insects and night creatures.
"What do you hear, Dami?" she asked close to his ear.
He said nothing and she relaxed, thinking he had fallen asleep. After a long moment, however, he spoke his voice rough and hoarse, barely a breath.
"Heartbeats. Yours, mine. Ours. And deep below us, another kind. Distant water over a fall. Cold and sharp and clear. And wings -- I hear wings, Mag."
"It's just the wind."
"No. It's wings." He shifted slightly in her arms so he could see her face, hidden in shadow and backed by moon and starlight. "I've held her off long enough, Maygra. Maybe too long. She took a long crooked path to find me. I don't think I can, or want, to evade her any longer."
"Don't give up, Damyn!" she murmured harshly. "Don't you dare give up and leave me alone."
"You won't be alone, kira. You have Mikayl and the children -- and Jael. He didn't turn to you as a substitute for Maia -- but for what you could offer."
"I'm not talking about lovemaking or even love, and you know it. Don't leave me alone. I've never asked you for anything, Damyn. Not for myself. But I'm asking you for this. How will I ever come to know myself if you leave me alone?"
"The same way we all do. I'm not a Healer anymore, Mag. There is nothing I can do for you. Not anymore."
Maygra tightened her embrace, wanting nothing more than to shake him violently until he fought back. He would shatter in her arms, she thought, feeling the bones in his arm through the thin tunic. He had closed his eyes, his head against her shoulder, their fingers still linked.
"I have held on as long as I can, little sister. Longer than I should have. Please tell me you understand."
"I don't. I can't," she said raggedly. "How dare you give up? How dare you quit when we're so close to being safe? You need rest, Damyn. Rest like you had in DunStan Cald. Why didn't you stay there if you are going to give up now!" she demanded and then she did shake him, sitting up suddenly and pulling him up with her, grasping his shoulders so he had to face her. Beside her, Jael stirred and woke unprepared and shocked to find her so angry. He grabbed her from behind and she elbowed him sharply in the ribs, almost but not quite dislodging him.
"Let him go, Maygra," Jael gasped, grasping his side, sending a nudge at Mikayl to wake him as well.
"Stay out of this, Jael. It has less to do with you than you can imagine," she growled. "Tell me why, Damyn. Why did you come with us if you thought this to be the end? You could have stayed with Osra. DunStan might have found a way to help you.,"
"He couldn't. He told me so," Damyn said, gripping her fingers. "This isn't a wound to be healed. It's a curse to be broken. He said I'd find the way to break it out here. And I have. The Dark Maiden can break it."
"You cannot break a curse that way," she snarled, "You can only give in to it. You came with us because of Renn and Kiva and because of me. You made a promise to Sura and to me. You haven't fulfilled that promise yet, Masyr."
"Maygra," Mikayl warned, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Sura already laid one compulsion on him. Don't compound the injury, please."
She stared at her brother, then at Jael, and finally at Damyn. Very gently she released the Healer, surrendering him into Jael's watchful care. Without a word she rose, picked up her axe and pack and walked away, going deeper into the wood.
Mikayl started to follow but Jael grasped his hand and pulled him back. "She needs time to cool off. She won't go far."
The youth hesitated seeking the dark shadows that had swallowed his sister. He could neither sense nor see her and reluctantly returned to help settle Damyn back to his rest, making him as comfortable as possible. Sleep eluded him and a quick check with Jael revealed him to be awake as well and not at all sure he had been correct in assuming Maygra would return.
Dawn came slowly for Mikayl, dragging out in a misty shadow that had him straining for some movement to capture his attention. He ached all over yet dared not move. Kiva had wriggled herself between him and Damyn during the night and Renn curled along his back. Kion nestled in the crook of Jael's arm, still and quiet. Waking them seemed cruel so he remained where he was watching the darkness roll back like a thundercloud with no wind to push it.
He had cast his Sight around them, detecting nothing, and a different nothingness that could only be Maygra. She was not far away, nor so close he could call to her. Beyond that there was nothing. Accompanying the stiffness in his body was another ache. He had no word for it but it curled around his spine like some small ferocious beast and he was helpless to ward it off.
He could see no way past this impasse. Maygra had left them. She had abandoned them for something Mikayl did not understand. Some secret lay between her and Damyn, something he had not suspected. He could not quite believe she would leave them completely.
A promise. She said Damyn and Sura had promised her something, a promise not yet kept and Sura was dead.
"She'll be back," a soft voice said behind him. He started and Kiva whimpered but Renn sat up, rubbing his arms. "She won't leave us alone," the boy added confidently. As if to confirm his foresight, Mikayl felt the nothing where Maygra had been shimmer and shift. She was returning.
Her arrival was met with silence. Jael would not meet her eyes and Mikayl and Renn watched her expectantly. She said nothing, simply dropped a small load of dry, rotting wood at their feet and set to making a fire. Renn scurried into the nearby underbrush returning with more wood, some only partially dry.
It was on the tip of Mikayl's tongue to ask her if she thought a fire wise, given the tracks they had seen the day before but her face was closed and still. Once the fire was burning she left them again. When she returned it was with six tiny tree rats, already skinned and gutted. Jael accepted them and set them on spits to roast.
No one broke the silence. Damyn woke after they had eaten, but made no move to rise nor would he accept the small portion of meat Renn had saved. He took a few sips of water then lay back again, staring open eyed at the canopy above. By mid-afternoon the silence was heavier than any rain. The expected afternoon rains did not come and by dusk they were all semi-dry but tense and wary. Jael rewarmed what meat was left and gathered bracken and leaves to make a softer bed for them.
"We'll stay here and rest," Maygra said suddenly, her voice empty and flat. "Until someone else decides what to do next."
Jael and Mikayl exchanged glances, not sure what to make of her pronouncement. She caught the exchange and nodded slightly. "That's right. It's my last decision. You can have my opinion, my expertise, anything you want. But you make the decisions. One of you, both of you or all of you."
"I don't question your right to lead, Maygra," Jael said weakly. "We need rest, that's all."
"You're right. Just let me know when and if we move on," she said in the same flat voice. "I am taking Damyn's advice. To know myself, I must cease to be what I have been. I am not First Sword of Rhema anymore - there is no Rhema. There is no Watch. For all I know, save for us, there may be no Kieri any longer. I have no more answers, Jai. I don't even have any questions."
"This is not what I meant, Maygra," Damyn said hoarsely.
"It makes no difference what you meant, Damyn. It is what is. What was before was but a promise. A promise you say you cannot keep and I don't know how to keep. Take your path, Damyn. I'm not angry and I forgive you if that's what you're seeking."
"The riders --."
"-- Were headed north. Have you sensed anything, Mal?"
"No. I've been checking. There is nothing. We seem to be alone."
"Yes, well, so we are," she said dully and lay down, cradling her head against her pack roll.
"You won't leave us, Maygra?" Renn asked quietly, his eyes fixed on her face.
"No, kiri, I won't go away again. Not like last night. We'll stay together. Or maybe we'll part if you all think that better."
Damyn levered himself up on his elbow, watching her intently as Renn had. "This is no trick," he gasped out with effort.
"Trick? No, it's not a trick. You can't Hear me, Dami, I know that. There's no trick here. I'm tired. As tired as you only you have been fighting your battle for a year and I have been fighting my whole life. I can't make your choice, kiri. I wanted to last night, but I can't. You see peace and an end to your pain. I see only more of the same, only worse if I take that path."
"What are you fighting, kira'sai?" Mikayl asked crouching beside her to stroke her hair. "I'll help you fight it if I can."
She smiled faintly and rubbed the back of her hand against his cheek. "You already do, little brother. All of you do. That's why I came back. I need you far more than you need me. It has just taken me a long time to realize it."
Jael swallowed heavily, turning away from the hollow look in her eyes to see the same in Kion's. Looking up again he found all eyes on him.
"We'll rest and see how we'll feel tomorrow. We may push on," he added and was saddened that there was no look of triumph in Maygra's eyes. Renn moved to lay beside her, his head on her stomach and she threaded her fingers through his hair gently, teasing out matted knots as she stared up at the canopy of dark green above. He and Mikayl exchanged wary glances both, of them overly alert and tense. Damyn watched Maygra, something akin to anger on his face. If she was aware of their scrutiny, Maygra gave no sign, closing her eyes after awhile and dozing, arm resting across Renn's shoulder.
Jael tried to follow her example, his mind racing in a thousand directions. He was tempted to resume his Shield but he wasn't sure how long or how well he could maintain it. By late afternoon Mikayl was prowling around the edge of their little camp, uneasy and distracted, looking for all the world like a dog who had lost a scent. Maygra disappeared again, returning with a plump rabbit and a handful of roots. She settled down next to Renn again, preparing the meal. Jael could think of nothing to say, only helped settle the tubers in the hot coals.
It was Kiva's soft whimper that broke the silence. She was crouched beside Damyn, backing away a little in confusion.
"What is it, kiri?" Jael asked softly. She said nothing, burying her head against Jael's thigh.
"He's not there!" Renn sobbed, reaching for his brother. Jael stared hard at the Healer, noting the chest was still rising and falling. Damyn's eyes were open but staring unseeingly into the air. Jael reached for the familiar contact finding only a void where Damyn had occupied his mind for so many years. It was not unlike his experience of Maygra, but more painful in its newness. He met Maygra's dry eyed gaze, her lips pressed together in a thin line, her fingers digging into Renn's arms.
Jael reached out to lay a hand on Damyn's chest, hearing the heavy dark wings thudding against the air.
"Riders!" Mikayl's cry was low and sharp and his pale face was staring into the shadows of the wood.
Jael kicked the fire out, shoving Kion into Renn's arms and pulling his sword out. "We can't leave him . . . ," he began, staring at Damyn.
"We can't fight . . . ," Mikayl protested.
Maygra started at the two of them, her resolve crumbling at their indecision. "How long, Mal?"
"Five, maybe ten minutes."
"We can't leave him," Jael repeated, meeting her eyes with a steely gaze.
"We can't carry him far . . . not and escape," Mikayl added looking to Maygra for direction.
She hesitated knowing every second was endangering all of them. Jael held her gaze for a long moment, then dropped. "I don't have an answer . . . ," he murmured.
Her jaw tensed and Renn flinched as she gripped his shoulder tighter. She released him quickly. "Damn you. Damn both of you," she hissed. She shoved Jael away from Damyn, kneeling beside the Healer and pulling him upright.
"It's not over, Damyn," she snarled shaking him until his eyes began to focus on her face. "Renn and Kiva are not safe, yet. You have to hide them, shield them."
"Maygra," Jael pleaded on the Healer's behalf.
She struck him, sending him sprawling. "Don't beg, damn you. You decide. We live or die in this moment, Jael. We can't run. We can fight, though. Take the right, Mal, along the path they're taking. Jael, . . . Shield and take the opposite side. If we're lucky they may pass us by."
Jael swallowed and nodded, taking a second deep breath before setting up his Shield again.
"And you . . . ," she whispered, pressing her lips against Damyn's ear. "You took an Oath, Healer. You don't get to just lie down and die! You get to live and suffer with the rest of us. You swore to Sura you would see the children safe -- well, they're not! And I can't do it alone. Now get on your feet."
She jerked him upright, ignoring both his pain and her own. His eyes were feverish and would have reduced Maygra to a screaming mass of agony if he had been able to find the strength. As it was, he staggered into the brush beyond the deadfall, the children half following, half leading him. A moment later no sight or sound marked their passage.
Maygra stomped out the rest of the fire and covered it with branches and refuse before joining Jael. "They'll come slow. It's too thick for more than a walk. Deeper in, both of you."
They moved silently, losing themselves in the heavy foliage. Mikayl took the point, watching the riders as they approached. His heart sank as the intruders approached for they were a patrol of sorts, well armed and trained. Only the leader of the column was unarmed and unarmored, his hooded face invisible to even Mikayl's sharp eyes. Behind him was a younger man, eyes keenly scanning the shadowy wood. Mikayl felt something brush over his mind and past it, Jael's Shield deflecting the probe. Silently he moved toward his companions.
The riders stopped at a signal from their leader and Mikayl sensed a stronger probe -- and worse, Jael straining to keep the probe blind.
It was too much. Like a dam breaking, Jael's Shield collapsed, leaving them exposed.
"One to the right and two left, ahead of us!" the hooded leader snapped and immediately six of the patrol dismounted and swept toward them, swords drawn while their companions notched bows for cover.
"Kev!" The man said suddenly peering beyond Mikayl's hiding place. "One . . . no four. . . ! There!"
His young lieutenant dismounted moving toward where Damyn and the children had disappeared. The patrol split into two groups of six, guided by the unerring vision of the hooded man.
"Not this time, damn you!" Maygra screamed, hurtling out of the wood directly at the nearest group. Mikayl cried out, leaping to her assistance but Jael was there first, staggering but ready to fight. Mikayl turned back toward Damyn.
Even exhausted Maygra fought fiercely. Her initial attack sent two men sprawling and she caught a swordswoman across the thighs with her axe edge. Jael set his back to hers, his sword providing an arc of safety for a few moments.
"Mal, to Damyn!" she ordered, lunging forward, driving her enemies back.
Mikayl was already moving to intercept when Damyn stumbled out from the underbrush, Renn's knife barely catching one man in the side. It was enough of an injury for Damyn to sense and Mikayl's eyes blurred as the Healer echoed the man's cry of pain. Damyn staggered back, leaning against the trunk of a tree for support rather than protection.
"No, Dami!" Mikayl screamed running toward him, trying to use Maygra's tactics. His wild charge sent he and two members of the patrol sprawling on the forest floor but he lost his sword in the process.
"Damyn, run!" He screamed as he felt his arms pinned to the ground. The Healer was deaf to his plea, stumbling forward and grabbing at the man nearest him. The man whirled but did not strike, shoving the Healer backward and, with a companion, moving to surround him.
Desperately, Mikayl heaved against his captors and felt one of them release him. He made it to his knees before he saw a hooded form loom out of the darkness over him. A hand brushed over his forehead and he went limp, eyes rolling back into his head as his lax body was eased to the ground.
"Nonononono!" Damyn's scream brought all the fighting to an end with the raw despair and horror it conveyed. He lunged forward and the keen-eyed lieutenant moved instinctively to protect himself. His sword sheathed itself in Damyn's side before he could recover and he caught the Healer's doubled body as he fell. Maygra swung her axe wildly, sending the four swords dancing back as she tried to get closer to her brother. She managed to hamstring one of them, a woman who had to be dragged from her circle by a companion.
Kiva burst from the underbrush, hurling herself at Damyn's attacker. Healer, child and stranger went down in a heap, Kiva ending up on top, her tiny fists beating at the man until he caught her wrists and held her gently, turning a stricken face to his hooded companion.
"Goddess, Rhys --," the youth said, his own eyes threatening to echo Kiva's tears. "What have we found? He came at me so fast --."
Maygra lunged at the trio, turning her back to the remaining two swords. Jael tried to warn her as she was intercepted, a heavy hand catching her along the back with the hilt of a sword. She went to her knees with a groan and a sob as her axe was kicked away.
The hooded man lifted his head in Jael's direction, one hand raised to signal the archers still mounted. Jael faced four drawn bows with Damyn and Maygra between he and the archers. He stared at Maygra, her face unreadable, her own eyes locked on Mikayl's still form.
"It's over," the hooded figure murmured, kneeling beside Damyn.
Jael made no reply but dropped his sword, not surprised when he was taken firmly, but not cruelly from behind.
He and Maygra were herded into the little circle, arms held tightly. On seeing Mikayl and Damyn stretched out and still, Maygra emitted an eerie cry of grief and escaped her captors to fling herself beside Mikayl, stroking his fair hair and sobbing.
"He's alive, woman," Rhys said heavily then whirled suddenly, hearing something. His shoulders sagged as he extended a hand into the darkness beyond Damyn.
"Come out, boy, and bring the babe," the man commanded staring into the forest. There was a small whimper but Renn remained hidden. The mouth exposed by the hood smiled faintly.
"Now, child," he said more gently and Renn emerged haltingly, Kion clutched in his arms.
Jael started forward as well and to his surprise his captors let him go. Stumbling, he dropped to his knees in front of the boy and his burden and hugged both of them, finally lifting Renn and his son together before turning to face his captors.
"Narin," Kev said, regaining some control. "Ride to Ravon -- bring a Healer. Fast, man."
One of the archers nodded tersely, wheeling his mount around and moving quickly into the forest.
"All accounted for. Maric set camp. Kevyn, let's see what you have," Rhys ordered and then brushed Kiva's forehead with his fingertips. The girl instantly went limp. Maygra let out another strangled sob, which the hooded man acknowledged with a frown. One of the archers took Kiva away from Kevyn as their leader knelt beside the youth and Damyn.
"It happened so fast, Rhys," Kevyn said, his voice trembling as he eased Damyn onto his back, his hand pressed against the wound to staunch the blood flow.
"I know. Keep pressing," Rhys said, sweeping the hood back to expose raven hair and a sharp-lined face. He gestured with his right hand and a misty blue light hovered near his shoulder. Maygra gasped, her face going white as the dark haired man directed the light closer to his patient. He covered Kevyn's hand with his own and bent closer.
For a long moment he crouched there, unmoving, ignoring the blood that stained his hand and sleeve. Around him there were murmurs as the rest of the patrol set a rough camp.
"Back off now, Kev," he said at last and the younger man moved back. With a murmur and a gesture the blue mist seemed to settle around Damyn in a tight cocoon before fading.
Without a word of explanation, Rhys moved to Mikayl, kneeling beside him and laying his unbloodied fingers on the youth's forehead, locking gazes with Maygra as he did so. He gave a grunt of acknowledgment at whatever he found and rose to his feet, ignoring Jael and Maygra completely.
Maygra looked up, tears glistening on her cheeks as she regained control. "Damn you and damn the demon that owns you!" Maygra said, clutching Mikayl's tunic convulsively. "You have us, but we'll die before you turn your mind loose on ours!"
Rhys met her stare evenly before turning to Jael, studying the man with cold eyes. Jael had not the strength to repel the probe but he was startled by the gentle, almost familiar, touch. The fear left his face in a rush and he set Renn down carefully, advancing toward Maygra unsteadily.
"Mag, kira . . . sister, they are kinsmen -- Kieri," he murmured. Maygra stared at him for a long moment, then at Mikayl's still form. She gripped Jael's arm tightly, using him as a crutch to get to her feet before taking a step toward Rhys. He nodded faintly and she glanced at Jael again. Rhys extended his hand and she touched it lightly, blinking.
Then, for the first time in her life, Maygra, daughter of Ila, First Sword of Rhema, fainted directly into the arms of her enemy.
GLOSSARY
A'del'eva:..............Literally: "By your oaths to Aessa" A war cry and a summons. (think au secors)A'Ki'Ka................A binding Oath of will, heart , soul and mind...reserved for the Goddess.
asa:........................Literally: Truth. an affirmative as in, "yes" or "is it not so?"
Graen:....................pl. Mountains, (also Grae; Mountain)
hait:........................ "To Me" or "Here", imperative, a summons.
Ien Ki'Ka............... Soul Oath. An oath of binding.
ka'kiira...................f. Daughter of...
kira'sai:...................f. sister, little sister, beloved sister, [familial]
kira:........................f. little one, child (diminutive)
kiri:........................m.little one, child (diminutive)
kiri'nai:...................m.brother, little brother, beloved brother [familial]
ki'ta.........................f.heart sister. Not quite a lover.
Makyera:................f. First, as in a title.
Makyera Gen:........as in First Sword a title, overall commander of the Watch (also: gen... sword, shield, defense)
Makyeran Gyeld......First Born. A title of respect applied to no other peoples but the original five Oathtakers who birthed the Kieri race.
Masyra-Maena:......f. title of rank for females, equivalent of Lord-Master, title for a member of the Elder Council (or Lady-Master)
n'gari:.......................large lizards, desert scavengers, about the size of a rhinoceros, but looking more like komodo dragons.
N'yris.......................Oath Breaker...a broken oath. A fatal transgression
Shadrai:...................Literally, Shadow Speaker.
shan'nai:.................m.Wise man or brother, an affectionate term of respect. Used between equals.
shan'sai:..................f.Wise woman or sister, an affectionate term of respect. Used between equals.
theris:.......................fruit bearing tree native to Elerak and the Eastern Plains, rather like a pulpy pomegranate
uralen:.....................pl. Ural; a large cliff dwelling bird, average wingspan is about 20 feet, scavengers mostly.
varin:........................a breed of extremely stocky, sure-footed horses, powerful bodies but small heads. (pl. varinen)
vegen:........................historically they were small leather-winged creatures, not unlike bats, but with elogated snouts and long flattened tails used as messengers for the gods. (pl. vegenen)