B0161NEC9Y (F) (3 page)

Master grunted, swinging his own blade, backing them away. His face went pale. Shock leaked into his eyes. Then fear. He lunged, wildly.

Kallon flicked the blade away, then stabbed. The sharp point parted soft flesh. Master’s steel skittered across the floor.

“He may be an officer, but he did not deserve five stripes on his tunic,” Kallon said in disgust. He wiped his blade on a heavy drape as Master kneeled, clutching his entrails. He struggled with a dying breath. Jezzia watched every last rise and fall of his chest. So did the other girls, unwilling to look away despite the carnage.

“That means the Inkna wanted this town. There’s no
Gift
here to stop them. They brought in the Graygual to maintain order. What were they after, I wonder?” Mela’s light gaze passed over the mute and dazed girls huddled together on the couch before settling on Jezzia.

“Gems,” Jezzia answered, shaking. “They aren’t good for anything but decoration, so we didn’t get much for them. They are worth a lot to the Graygual. More than anything else we trade. Until the Inkna showed up, anyway. They offered us more than we thought they were worth. We thought we were doing really well. At first. Then the Graygual showed up. They weren’t interested in trading.”

Jezzia’s grip tightened on the knife. She’d probably never release it again. In a rush she asked, “Can you teach me to use a sword? In case they come back…”

A shadow crossed Mela’s face. Her gaze turned apologetic. “We cannot stay.”

Jezzia’s chest tightened, fear and hopelessness warring. “But the Wanderer! You’re sent to herald her coming. Aren’t you? She’s supposed to end all this. If you leave they’ll just come back! Stay. Please, stay.”

“Do you mean the Chosen?” Kallon asked, his brow crinkled.

Jezzia shook her head in frustration, and her gaze met those stormy gray eyes. Imploring.

The front door burst open. A blonde woman walked in with a confident stride. She took Kallon’s focus. “It’s time to go. The townspeople are finding their courage. Finally.”

“They weren’t raised to expect they’d lose all they held dear,” Kallon said disapprovingly. “We cannot expect them to bounce back as quickly as we did.”

“Is that what we’ve done? Bounced back?”

Kallon ignored Jezzia as the woman’s gaze scanned the room, lingering on the women cowering on the couch. Her face softened. She glanced at Kallon once more and gave a slight nod before heading back out.

Kallon stepped closer to Jezzia. She couldn’t help the tears streaming down her face; she was terrified of what would happen if they left.

In a soft voice that contradicted his hard eyes, he said, “You will need to keep to yourselves for now. If you let others know you have regained control, the Graygual will just send in more. You must maintain the illusion of being conquered if you want to keep your freedom. Watch for the tide to change. The Chosen has been named. We must join her before the Graygual discover our trail. One day we will return, and we will bring the Graygual’s death with us. You must stay strong until that time. Organize these people. Lead this town. Wait for our return.”

Jezzia felt something shift at that expectant gaze. His words tickled a place deep within her, unlocking a strength she didn’t realize she possessed. Courage welled up, bleeding through her.

He was giving her a duty.

She squeezed the hilt of her knife, thinking of who in the town could train her to use it. “I will stand ready for when the time comes. I won’t let you down.”

This man was heralding change. Somehow he was connected to the Wanderer, she could
feel
it. War was coming.

Chapter Two

“What are we doing?”

“We’re waiting.
”

“We’re not supposed to wait. We’re supposed to find S’am.” Marc’s voice was hollow. He sounded as nervous as Leilius felt.

“I know. Shut up. I’m thinking.” Leilius rubbed his temples. He hated these exercises. If he couldn’t sneak up on S’am by himself, there was no way he could lead a bunch of big-footed nitwits to do it. She expected far too much from him.

“We don’t have all day for you to try and rub two thoughts together,” Rachie blurted.

“Would you
shut up
?
She might be in earshot.” Leilius dropped his hands and glanced at the felled tree to the right. It lay in a broken mess, rotting into the green grasses, shimmering with wetness. To the left of the path grew a white flowered plant, shaded by the large trees that surrounded it.

“Okay.” Leilius took a deep breath and tried to block out the eyes staring impatiently at him. “This is the beginning of the non-
Gift
area. Her mind power won’t work in this area of the trials… I mean, what used to be the trials. S’am is waiting somewhere in there. I think—”

“This place creeps me out,” Gracas interrupted, rubbing his upper arms as if he was cold. “It’s got a weird vibe to it.”

“Can you imagine going through here by yourself?” Rachie asked, looking through the trees with wide eyes. “That would suck.”

“Why are you leading again?” Ruisa asked from the rear of the loosely clustered group.

Leilius swatted at a fly. “Because I’m the only one who has worked with S’am on spying, that’s why! She seems to think I can help you guys get better at sneaking.”

“Fat chance,” Marc muttered. “Leading this group is like herding cats.”

Leilius pinched the bridge of his nose and willed patience. He had no idea how S’am trained this bunch of ninnies. They couldn’t follow even the simplest of directions.

Of course, they were always attentive and respectful when S’am worked with them. They had to be—she’d kick them in the head if they weren’t.

Wondering if he could get away with the same thing, Leilius glanced back. His gaze skimmed each of them before stopping on Xavier’s huge shoulders that topped his sizable frame. He thought back to the battle with the Graygual only two months before, remembering how quickly the large kid had moved. How effective he was with his sword. He’d plowed through men with twice his experience and come out the victor.

Leilius turned back slowly. Best not to stir the pot. Leilius would just get his ass kicked.

“So here’s the plan,” he said in a hush. Time to quit stalling. “We spread out. Stay off the trail. Stick to the trees and try to work within the leaves, but don’t shake any branches or anything.”

“Walk in the leaves, but don’t shake any…” Rachie spat, something he did when he was irritated during training. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Just…try to keep under cover, but don’t disturb your surroundings, you know? Quiet movement.” Leilius’ voice had risen an octave, something
he
did when he was irritated.

“We’ve stalked game; we know what we’re doing.” Xavier motioned them forward. “Let’s go.”

Leilius shook his head, but he stepped forward anyway. This wasn’t going to go well. “Just watch what I do.”

Everyone moved slowly off the path and into the area where mental powers were supposed to go dead. Leilius didn’t know anything about that. The lush green landscape of the Shadow Lands seemed consistent across the whole of the island, wet and alive. He’d heard the Captain and S’am talk about huge fluctuations in their powers in certain areas, and he’d paid attention, but he couldn’t feel any difference from one place to the other.

The guys and the sole girl spread out slowly like a fan, ducking under reaching branches but still shaking every small piece of flora they walked past. Gracas went so far as to set a whole branch quivering.

“Stop. Stop!” Leilius said, pausing in a leafy hollow.

Xavier stopped, shifting to look in Leilius’ direction. A twig cracked under his weight, making the large guy wince. More pops sounded off to the left where Rachie and Gracas were, and a rustle gave Ruisa away. The only person who was as silent as Leilius was Marc. Something Leilius pointed out.

“I’m the worst with a weapon,” Marc explained with darting eyes. “I’d be the first one to die if I got caught. Or, in this case, the first to get punched. The need to survive has taught me how to blend in. I just wished that worked with S’am…”

“Well how the hell are we supposed to walk through the damn leaves without making them jump around like dancing frogs?” Rachie snapped.

“Just…” Leilius sighed. “Watch me.”

“I
did
watch you. You walk like a girl!” Rachie said.

“I’ll kick your teeth in like a girl, how would that be?” Ruisa barked.

Leilius took a deep breath and held up his hands, trying to calm everyone down. His flaring nostrils probably gave away his irritation, but he had to try. “We’re all jumpy. I know that. We’ll be leaving the protection of the island soon and going back to the danger of the mainland. That’s a scary thing. I get it. We might—”

Rachie’s fist came out of nowhere. It was nothing more than a skin-colored blur.

A moment later, Leilius groaned as he picked his head up off the ground and wiped at the mud stuck to his cheek. He shook his head to clear it, his vision a little blurry.

“You’ve gotten much quicker,” Leilius said, wheezing. Apparently, Xavier wasn’t the only one to watch out for. S’am’s lessons had really started to pay off.

“Don’t talk to us like we’re scared,” Rachie growled, emulating Sanders. “I’m not scared.”

“I’m scared,” Marc said.

“Can we get on with this before S’am shows up?” Gracas looked around the trees with wide, expectant eyes.

Picking himself up slowly, Leilius chose a different technique. “Just…watch me.”

Well, it was the same technique while hoping for different results.

They started out again, everyone allowing him to go first. They moved slowly, rustling, cracks, and pops sounding off every so often. If this was enemy territory, they’d be caught by anyone half decent. But just like they had with weapons and fighting, they’d all get better.

Hopefully.

After about ten minutes of walking, the trees started to compress around them. The light, once filtered and soft, was now strangled, barely making it past the foliage. Above, a bird gave one shrill cry before the beat of wings announced its hasty exit.

Leilius held up a hand. The others paused behind him.

Silence reigned.

The murkiness sifted between the trees. Chilled air gently coated his skin, stagnant.

Eyes drifting closed, Leilius tried to
feel
like S’am had taught him. He concentrated on every sound, picking up the heavy panting behind him. Marc. To the side he could hear a scratchy slide, leaves against someone’s jacket. Other than that, nothing.

S’am would’ve come this way, scaring away most of the birds. If she’d kept going, many would’ve come back to settle, fleeing for a second time as Leilius and his herd tramped through. But only one had taken flight. It either hadn’t left when S’am had come through, or had been brave enough to return.

S’am could stay so still and quiet, animal life filled in her surroundings. But it took time.

She was in the area.

A thrill shot through Leilius. If she was in the area, she knew he was, too. If the Honor Guard took too long to find her, she’d sneak out and scare the crap out of them before waging battle.

Shit. They didn’t have much time.

Trying to calm down, ignoring his thumping heart, he focused on that special survival sense, as S’am had called it. He tried to feel for a presence hiding within the trees. Waiting. Watching. Ready to attack.

A bead of sweat dribbled down Leilius’ cheek.

The heavy panting behind him became more intense.

Unable to help himself, he glanced back.

Marc stood rigid, pale and shaking. He was looking off to the right with unfocused eyes. Xavier, only three paces away from Marc, on bent knees, his practice sword in his hand, stared off in the same direction. He noticed Leilius looking before minutely flicking his head in the direction of his focus.

Xavier couldn’t be quiet, but it seemed he could do that survival-feeling thing.

Leilius turned his head slowly, moving no other part of his body. He scanned the wall of green, looking for S’am’s shiny black jacket or her light hair. Marc’s huffing was the only sound. Time was fleeting.

He should move. She knew they were in the area. She had to.

I hate this part.

One foot in front of the other, Leilius slowly made his way, eyes constantly moving. He checked pockets of shadow large enough for a person to crouch. His gaze skimmed bushes and peered into caverns created by branches. He couldn’t see her!

“
Pssst!
”

Leilius froze. He closed his eyes in disbelief.

If S’am hadn’t known they’d been sneaking closer before, she
certainly
did now.

He glanced back at Rachie with wide eyes. No one else had moved since he started his advance in S’am’s direction. They wanted him to get beaten up first, it seemed.

Rachie jerked his head to the left.

Confused, Leilius followed the prompting with his eyes.

Dense brush covered the ground. Weeds grew in thick patches, knee high, leaning against the trunks of trees. It could mask someone lying down, probably, but unless that person planned a rolling attack, it wasn’t great for an ambush.

Leilius crinkled his brow and shook his head, trying to convey his irritation, anger, and thoughts on that hiding place all at the same time. Rachie’s expression closed down before he looked back at that brush. He edged back slowly.

Leilius rolled his eyes. He looked again at that wall of green. She could be
anywhere
in there. Ready to spring.

This was a bad idea.

Leilius picked up a foot, but before he could put it down, a shape dropped out of the sky.

“Look—shit!” Marc screamed.

Leilius flinched and brought up his sword as S’am dropped right in front of him. He hadn’t thought to look up!

He had his foot still in the air, not knowing if he should charge or run, and a blur with blond hair was upon him. His sword was wrenched out of his hand, batted away. The air gushed from his lungs as pain welled up from his stomach, S’am’s kick landing hard and fast. He bent over and punched feebly, only to get his wrist grabbed and pulled. He threw himself onto her fist, doing the work for her as he fell.