Techromancy Scrolls: Soras (21 page)

It slammed into the water at the boats which had started their way across to the shore. It was a crackling explosion of ice that slammed into the boats, freezing the water around them, and stopping their forward progress. Men shouted in alarm as I just stared dumbfounded. The amount of energy needed to freeze that much water in an instant was incalculable. That was the power of Great Mother Ranelle of the Mountain Gypsies.

I glanced up at her as she fell forward toward the edge of the boat. I caught her and pulled her to me before she could fall overboard. She was panting and looked pale, I couldn't taste or feel the power that she radiated naturally.

She smiled weakly at me as she sat next to me and said, “That was all I had. I may not be able to wield any power for a day or two now.”

She looked so weak and vulnerable at that moment. I just nodded at her with pride for her radiating from me.

Then she addressed the men, “Gentlemen, if you would. Our horses await.”

They were just staring gape-jawed at her. Alexi just nodded with bulging eyes and they started bringing us to shore.

I glanced over to the stranded boats as we cut through the rain. I saw Kennick and the Duchess reach the shore of the island and they looked our way. I could hear the shriek of frustration from the woman through the rain.

I grinned but then lost the smile when Prime Techromancer started shimmering in copper light and started punching the air in front of him. Like giant invisible fists were striking it, the ice began exploding and cracking under the blows. Mother Luna, the man, was indeed more powerful than Poe or Raneth had ever dreamed of being.

Our great lead was diminishing quickly as the first of the boats started moving again just as ours slid gently up onto the sands of the shore. We quickly got out of the boat, Roman helping Udele along. She had regained some color and was walking better as my cloak warmed her.

Rain paused as we started toward the draw where we had our horses tethered. She looked back to Alexi, who was still in the boat. “Come with us.”

He shook his head and said, “No. I can do you better on the water. I will delay them as long as I can. Fair winds, Great Mother.”

She exhaled then said firmly, her voice laced in sadness, “Fair winds, Alexi of the Aratreya.”

I blinked, he was of Tianna's family.

We stood for a moment and watched as the man started singing a Gypsy tune at the top of his lungs as he pushed back into the Great Sea and began rowing with steady strokes, directly toward the enemy boats. I bit back a cry and was glad for the rain so no one could see my tears.

I whispered, “Fair winds, Alexi.”

Then we were running toward the draw.

I just listened to myself breathe and to the splashing of our feet in puddles along our path as we ran through the darkness in the rain, not thinking of the brave fisherman we had left behind. What more could go wrong tonight?

I should have known better than to jinx us like that. We came to a sliding halt when we came to our horses to see the two dark knights that had been patrolling the shore. Their swords were drawn. Our archers could not fire because they might hit our horses behind the men. Without hesitation, Sara, Ranelle, and my swords were drawn and we separated, Rain between us.

The bigger man, thinking to make quick work of the smallest of us, pressed me while the other drew a second blade and dove between Rain and Sarafine, engaging them both. He had the skill with a blade I have seen Bowyn display, and the two women danced around him, swords clanging.

I took blow after driving blow from the brute catching his blade on each swing and deflecting it just enough for it to pass me by. I slapped overreaches away with the flat of my sword. He used a two-handed attack to swing down on me like he was chopping wood. I kept Anadele above me as I was driven to a knee. He was relentless but wasn't really creative or methodical. It seemed his method of fighting was to overwhelm the enemy with brute strength.

He was panting as I rolled away from a strike and regained my footing. He did a series of lunges which I scooped or batted, deflecting them just inches from my abdomen. He was tiring. He took to closing, to attempt a grapple, I rolled away and came up barely in time to catch my blade behind me to deflect a blow coming down at my head. I spun and was driven to a knee again by a double-handed overhead strike.

I looked up at the man and Sarafine said from behind him. “Hey ugly.”

The man turned then promptly fell on his back at my feet, dropping his sword to hold the ugly red slice across his neck as blood pumped between his fingers. He died with a confused look on his face.

I panted and stood, then looked away from him to Sara, who was holding a dagger, almost as small as mine. The rain was washing the blood off of it as she tucked it into her belt. I looked at her to the other dead man. Then nodded my thanks.

She smirked and asked, “Why didn't you press the attack? You just took every strike. You had exhausted the man and could have finished it easily.”

I looked down at my feet, my cheeks warming as I admitted, “I've never been shown how. Only how to defend.”

She stared at me dumbfounded for a moment as Ranelle joined her with the same look on her face. Then a smile slowly formed on Rain’s face as she tilted her head back and gave one of her hearty musical laughs that made me grin. I shrugged at them and they both chuckled as I stalked away so they didn't see my blush, and I mounted Goliath in one smooth motion.

I reached down and said, “Goliath can carry two as easily as one.”

Roman helped Mother Udele up into the saddle in front of me. She seemed so fragile just then, not the iron strong woman she had been. I almost growled at what those animals had done to her. I pulled her in protectively to me with one arm.

The others mounted up and we urged our horses southwest along the beach, to circle around the throat so we could head south for what we hoped was the safety of Solomon Keep. I knew that if Duke Liam was not involved, and our messenger had reached them, that Celeste was most likely already on the way.

My lips quirked into a smile at the thought of my Lady.

Udele looked back at me and smiled and said, almost as if she had read my mind, “She will be here when she is needed.”

She was so certain of that. I wondered if it were a vision but was afraid to ask.

Then I smirked as we fled into the darkness as the rain started to subside. “And she isn't needed now?” She just chuckled and I grinned at the woman.

It was always dangerous traveling at such speeds without even the light of the Three Sisters to guide us, but we got lucky and none of our horses got injured. It must have been around three in the morning when our horses needed to rest or we would run them into the ground.

The rain had stopped and the clouds were starting to part, letting light from Mother Luna to peek through to illuminate the land in a dim, eerie glow.

So we found a draw a couple hundred yards from the shoreline by a small brook, to give them and us a rest. As they drank and grazed the grass by the brook. We rested and pulled food from our packs. Mother Udele ate like she hadn't seen food in a year. I can't imagine they fed her well while in captivity.

We decided we would move out at twilight, take shifts taking thirty-minute naps to freshen some.

I sat watch with Penelope. Mother Udele stepped over with my cloak. She was now wrapped in a blanket. I nodded my thanks and donned it as she sat beside us. I immediately felt much warmer. Soaked to the bone but warmer.

I looked at the old woman who seemed to be lost in thought. “What happened in the ruins, Mother?” I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

She looked at me then Pen then down at her battered hands. She nodded to herself then looked up at me and began her tale.

She settled in with her back to the trunk of the tree we sat under and started her story as our eyes scanned the beach for pursuers. They'd have to stop too or get fresh horses. No doubt they were closer than I was comfortable with.

Mother Udele looked off into the distance and said, “It was horrific what these errant knights perpetrated upon our people in the dead of night. By the time the commotion outside awoke me and I exited my tent, that murderous Altii vrajitor had taken out the strongest of our Touched and held a child, young Mikael with a blade to his throat as he faced me while his men killed all who tried to fight against them. He told me to come with them and not resist or others of my family would pay the price.”

A tear rolled down her cheek as she said the next, “I agreed as long as they didn't kill any others. The vrajitor hissed out that I shouldn't presume to give him conditions and he...” She took a deep breath and firmed up her chin and said with venom, “He slit Mikael's throat there in front of his parents and me. Then he called out to his men to kill the rest ion the caravan. I told him to stop that I would go with them.”

She glared at some point in space. “He left fifty men behind to hold the caravan hostage and the rest spirited me away over the Whispering Walls. They kept me in shackles the entire journey to the ruins on the Great Sea. That appalling woman, Duchess Aelwen joined us along the way.”

Udele was lost in a poison memory when she relayed, “She had bid them to speak with me alone. That vrajitor, Kennick, warned me that if the Duchess were to come to harm, he would send word back for his men to start killing one person from our camp per day, starting with the children.”

I winced at that, knowing why she had not used her abilities to escape. She turned to me with a conspiratorial look and confided, “I knew that all I needed to do was to stall long enough for my Soras to liberate the caravan, so I have been doing just that, stalling.”

She winced and looked at her hands, most of her fingernails looked to have been torn forcibly out. “Aelwen asked me sweetly as if none of the murders nor my kidnap had occurred if I would help her with a problem and curse some brandy for her. Something that would kill and make it seem it was of natural causes.”

She smiled bitterly. “I refused and she became unhinged, I truly believe that woman is bereft of sanity.”

Then she said, “They locked me away in those ruins and beat me and visited other pain upon me to force me to cooperate. I heard them talking. She plans on removing her husband from the rule of the lands of Solomon. And somehow that would allow them to rule together if it looks like natural causes. I don't pretend to understand the politics of the Altii.”

I nodded as I thought about it and said, “If he were to be poisoned or assassinated in any other way, there would be an investigation, lead by Highland. They would surely track it back to them. But if Duke Liam died of natural causes, then Duchess Aelwen would lead the Keep until such time she remarried, then her betrothed would lead Solomon. She would have to marry within six months of Liam's death or the Prince would assign a successor.”

I narrowed my eyes and tried not to let the hate into my voice as I said, “By marrying Prime Techromancer Kennick, they would rule Solomon together.”

Mother Udele shook her head and added, “That would be the beginning of the end for the realms, they discussed what they could accomplish with the fighting force of Solomon Keep under their control. They wanted to take the Lower Ten, then eventually challenge Prince George and Highland Reach itself.”

They were megalomaniacs? Mother was right, they had to be not right in the head to think something like that had a chance of succeeding. Then my blood ran cold as I realized their first attempt, using Poe and Raneth as catspaws, had nearly done that. They had successfully taken over Treth and Far Reach with no one being the wiser. If it hadn't been for Flatlash and Wexbury, they might very well have succeeded. A shiver ran down my spine.

I absently wondered if the people of Solomon would let it happen. I thought about how I viewed the Nobles and Knights of Wexbury just a couple years hence. I had complete trust in them. They were the paragons which kept us commoners safe from those who would do us harm. They were beyond reproach and if they went to war, it had to be for a good reason beyond the understanding of a common herder girl. I would have given them whatever meager support I could without question. This was a sobering thought.

And these two fools had no idea that they were on the brink of war from with an unanticipated source that would wipe them and everyone else off the face of the Lower Ten.

We had to make sure that Duchess Aelwen's treachery was uncovered. I excused myself for a moment and went to gently shake Ranelle awake. Her eyes fluttered open as she instinctively reached for her blade. I placed my hand on hers as she grasped the hilt. She blinked then relaxed and smiled when her mind emerged from the fog of sleep.

I whispered to her, “We need to get word to the People, lest we fall in battle here. Mother Udele has uncovered the treachery of the dark knights. It truly was not Solomon, but a coup attempt by Duchess Aelwen and Prime Techromancer Kennick. Above all else the People must know to prevent a war that would cause avoidable bloodshed.”

She looked over at Mother and then moved quietly over to her with me. She had Udele share again what she had with us. Then she pursed her lips and said, “Roman. I know you are awake man.”

Roman looked up from where he was feigning sleep.

She told him, “You are to ride out before first light, to return to the Meeting Spot to tell the conclave what you have heard her tonight. One rider can make the journey faster and more stealthily than a group. We will continue to the walls of Solomon Keep.”

He started to argue but she held a hand up and turned her head, saying forcefully and without humor this time, “Decreed.”

The man did not look happy but he exhaled and nodded once. He knew he was our best chance of getting word to the others just as we did. He smirked at the Great Mother. “Sora Laney is right, you abuse your decrees.”

Ranelle grinned at the man and crinkled her nose. Is the ruler of an entire nation of people allowed to be cute?

Roman looked at the sky then nodded. He looked at me. “Wake me when you switch shifts?”

I nodded and he laid his head back onto his bedroll and closed his eyes.

Rian started to move back to hers when I asked Udele, “Why did they target you to do this curse for them? There must be thousands of the Touched in the ranks of the Mountain Gypsies.”

Ranelle looked down at her hands, giving an almost imperceptible nod. Udele looked nervously at me then said, “Many reasons. It would take a powerful vrajitoare to craft a delicate curse like that which had the power to kill. It is one thing to kill with a flood of energy, but it takes much more power and control to do something so subtle as to not be detected by another vrajitoare or vrajitor.”

She was now looking at her hands too. “They also needed someone who they could easily extort with the threat of harm to her people. Plus I am old, and do not have the fight in me I once had.”

She smiled sadly and then met my eyes, hers almost pleading as she whispered, “And I have done so once before.”

I blinked. This is the woman I saw as a surrogate grandmother. She was telling me that she had used magik to curse someone to death. There had to be a good reason... right? Killing in a fight where it was life and death was forgivable, but to kill someone unsuspectingly... that was murder, right? I asked carefully the question I didn't want the answer to, “It... needed to be done? Right?”

Ranelle cut off Udele, who was looking at her hands again. “It was on my order. And yes, it needed to be done to protect others. To protect innocents.” She reached out and grasped Udele's arm gently. The two exchanged pained looks and nods.

Whatever decision had been made to commit such an act, it was plain to me that both of them understood the gravity of it and it was not something they did lightly. And it weighed on Mother Udele's conscience.

I decided to let it be. I did not have to delve into the details. I looked between the women and saw something I did not expect. I saw their humanity. We all have strengths that are balanced out by our flaws. I had just never saw the two women as having any flaws.

I thought of my own mother. At one time, I had believed that she had no secrets, no flaws of her own. I held her as the standard I wished to aspire to. Then when all this mess with my own magic came to a head, I learned that she had been hiding a whole other life from Jace and me. That she was not only a fallen noble, but a Techromancer of the nature element as well.

I faulted her for a while for having lied to us children our whole lives but learned that being an adult is much more complicated than I ever imagined. And decisions we make to keep those we love sheltered and safe, may not always have been the best solution in retrospect.

I loved my mother fiercely, and could see past her... humanity. I could do the same for these two women who I was seeing as family as well. Mother Luna knows, I have countless faults of my own.

I exhaled loudly then gave the two a sympathetic smile. Then I told them, “You two get some sleep.” I looked to the Great Mother. “I'll wake you for the next shift, Rain.”

It didn't feel odd calling her Rain now that I saw her humanity. I looked down and smiled at that fact for some reason I couldn't quite fathom. Or maybe because I felt closer to them, now that I knew that underneath their titles, they were just like me. They smiled back and then joined Roman and Sarafine at the bedrolls.