The Shaman's Curse (Dual Magics Book 1) (37 page)

“Well?” he asked, hoping he didn't sound as desperate for an
answer as he felt.

Quetza looked puzzled and a little shocked. “It was solid, not
an illusion. You really weren't adding a second transformation.”

Vatar clasped his hands between his knees to keep them from
trembling. “I told you I wasn't.”

Quetza shook her head. “I don't understand it. That lion was
easily twice your actual size. That shouldn't be possible.”

Vatar's shoulders sagged. “Then what happened?” His voice
was shaking. Everything about his magic was going wrong, doing unexpected
things. First that strange view through the eyes of the lion this afternoon,
almost as if he had become the lion, and now this. “What's happening to me?”

Quetza sat down in front of him. “It's strange, Vatar. But
it's certainly no reason to panic.”

He looked up, not at Quetza, but at Thekila. “Am I . . .
really becoming a lion?”

Quetza snorted. “Of course not. Our magic can do a lot of
things, but it can't change our basic nature.”

Thekila knelt beside him and took his hand. “What's wrong,
Vatar? This is more than just your shape change.”

Vatar shook his head, but clung to her hand. “Strange things
have been happening today. And I don't like it.”

“What kind of strange things?” Quetza asked. “Something
besides this?”

Vatar drew a deep breath and nodded. “When we were riding
here, I sensed lions nearby. That's not unusual for a member of the Lion Clan.
But I
saw
that the lions were hunting a herd of wild horses. It was like
I actually saw through the lion's eyes for a moment. Almost like I
was
one of them. I shouldn't have been able to do that. It's never happened to me
before.”

Quetza shook her head. “I don't understand your Dardani
magic. Maybe you should ask someone who does.”

“The shaman?” Vatar asked. “But he doesn't know anything
about Valson or Fasallon magic. He won't know anything about that
transformation or even Far Sight.”

Quetza cocked her head to one side. “Maybe not.
Is
there anyone who knows about both kinds of magic?”

Vatar didn't even have to think about it. No Dardani would
want
to know about Fasallon magic. And he was sure no Fasallon, before him, had ever
been initiated into a Dardani Clan. He was the first, the only one to have
access to both kinds of magic. “No. I don't think there were very many people
who even knew there
were
two kinds of magic before me. The Dardani don't
even think of the connection to the totem Spirits as magic.”

Thekila squeezed Vatar's hand. “Then we'll just have to talk
to the best experts we can find on each.”

Quetza chewed her lip. “You know, that might be it. If
there's never been anyone with both kinds of magic before, then no one knows
how they would work together. What you experienced earlier sounds a little like
your Distant Viewing was somehow amplified.”

“Kind of like the sense of a lion that accompanies your Far
Speech now,” Orleus put in.

The tightness in Vatar's chest loosened a little. He
breathed out a long exhalation. “Ah. Thekila had asked what the lions were
hunting. I was trying to see if I could identify a herd. But I wasn't
trying
to use Far Sight.”

Thekila smiled. “There you go.”

“That's probably it, then.” Quetza sighed and rubbed her
temples. “It wouldn't hurt to consult your shaman, at least as far as your
Dardani magic is concerned.”

“There's Father, too,” Orleus said. “You really should talk
to Father about this when you get to Caere. Maybe even before.”

Vatar nodded glumly. “I guess I hoped you'd know the answer.
Something I just hadn't learned yet. I don't like not understanding things.
Especially things that concern me. And most especially things to do with my
magic.”

Thekila's free hand rose to Vatar's shoulder and she gave
him a little shake. “If you're the first, we're all in uncharted territory
here. But we're up to the challenge. We'll find the answer. Anyway, none of it
seems particularly threatening to me.” She leaned over to kiss him.

Orleus cleared his throat loudly. “I think it's time we
started back for Zeda.”

Vatar broke off the kiss, but continued to hold Thekila
close against him.

Quetza gave Thekila a conspiratorial wink. “I think we
interrupted them too soon, Orleus. They can use a little more time out here
together. We can come back out tomorrow and bring a fresh horse for Thekila
with us. That'll be easier on everyone. Besides, I think we should all take a
little time to let what just happened sink in before we go running around
chasing will o' the wisps.”

Chapter 3: Burn
Out

Thekila sat beside Vatar and watched the other two ride off
towards Zeda. Vatar was still much too tense beside her. Still too uneasy about
his own magic to take these little anomalies in stride. In her experience, no one
understood all there was to know about magic, but that wasn't what Vatar wanted
or needed to hear right now. No. What he needed was a diversion, something to
take his mind off these minor oddities. Offering to go back to bed, while
effective, would probably be too obvious. There was bound to be something else.
The injured horse? No, Vatar would already have taken care of her. Dardani
never neglected their horses.

Thekila's gaze swept their little camp. She forced herself
not to smile when she saw the answer. “Oh, no. I think we're going to have to
call them back after all. Unless your horse can carry both of us all the way
back to Zeda.”

Vatar turned to her, brows rising. “Why?”

Thekila picked up the nearly empty pack that had held their
midday meal. “It's just, if we're going to be here overnight, we didn't bring
enough food. There's not near enough left for the evening meal, let alone
breakfast.”

Vatar smiled. From the way he relaxed, she knew she'd chosen
well.  It was clear he was glad to have a problem he knew how to solve.
“That's no trouble. You're married to a Dardani. If I couldn't feed us for a
couple of meals at a waterhole as rich as this one, I wouldn't be worthy of the
name.” He rinsed out one of the shallow bowls from their midday meal and handed
it to her. “If you go back to where the spring comes down from the rocks, I
think you'll find some berries. There ought to be some ripe at this time of
year. I'll see what else I can find.”

Thekila went where Vatar pointed. She was delighted to find
vines laden with ripe and ripening berries, enough for a generous dessert and
still have some left for breakfast.

When she came back with her bowl overflowing, she found
Vatar sitting a little distance from their camp, plucking a fat young duck. He
looked up and smiled. “I set a fish trap in a likely spot. With luck, we might
have fish for breakfast. If not, there're plenty of birds' nests.”

Thekila set her bowl of berries down. “I didn't think the
Dardani ate fish.”

“We don't, generally. I got used to fish in Caere. Then I
had to learn to make traps when I was in the Forest on my Ordeal.”

Thekila almost tripped over a couple of odd-shaped roots on
the ground by the cook fire. “What are these?”

“Water lily roots,” Vatar answered. “Not one of my personal
favorites, but they are edible.”

Thekila picked one up and turned it over. “What do I do with
them?”

He shrugged. “We can eat them raw. Or you can bake them in
the fire, if you like. It won't make much difference either way. They pretty
much taste like the same no matter what you do to them. But they're the best
substitute for bread I can come up with here.”

Vatar cleaned, quartered, and roasted the duck on spits over
the fire. All told, it was a plentiful meal. As the sky darkened, the bird
calls were replaced by the croaking of innumerable frogs.

Thekila looked over at Vatar after they had eaten about half
the berries she'd gathered. It seemed like he'd gotten over his earlier fear. A
task within his abilities and the comfort of a full belly had steadied him. But
he hadn't taken up his pipes or tried to see his probably-sleeping twins, yet.
That had been his nightly ritual since he'd learned to do Distance Viewings. It
wouldn't do to let him get so spooked about his magic that he wouldn't even do
that. He'd come too far to shut down now. “You haven't looked in on Zavar and
Savara. Are you starting to distrust your magic again?”

He pulled her close and rested his chin on her head. “I
don't know. Today was strange. We're fine as we are, now. Aren't we? Between us?
Do we really need more magic?”

“Between us, yes. But Quetza's right. Untrained abilities
are a danger. You never know when some emergency will prompt you to try
something you're unprepared for.” Thekila leaned back to look in his eyes.
“Lots of people learn to shape change and then never do it again. You don't
have to do it often. But you do need to learn to do it safely.”

Vatar grunted noncommittally.

“Are you going to check on the twins?”

~

Vatar reached over and pulled the traveling pack closer. He
fished in it for the simple reed pipes. He was a little leery of using any
magic just now. On the other hand, checking on his twins had always had a
calming effect on him. Maybe Thekila was right, at least about that. He wasn't
going to do any more transformations for a long time, no matter what Thekila
said. But Far Speech and Far Sight were probably still safe enough—at least as
long as he didn't try to see lions.

He brought the pipes to his lips and played the lullaby that
always helped him to concentrate on his children. Far Sight allowed him to see
them just settling down for the night. Zavar turned towards him and smiled. The
little boy whispered something to Savara, who smiled, too. Vatar lowered the
pipes.

If not for the twins, he'd have left with Arcas and Cestus.
They'd be in Caere tomorrow or the next day. Then none of these strange things
would have happened to worry him. He and Thekila wouldn't have to sneak off for
a little privacy either. Not in the farmhouse he his cousin Arcas owned outside
the city walls. Thekila would likely be more comfortable there, too. The neat,
furnished house was much more what she was used to than a one-room sod hut. But
he didn't feel comfortable taking the twins to Caere and he'd wanted more time
with them.

Thekila snuggled in next to him. Vatar studied her face in
the moonlight and smiled. They were here, now, and they had at least one night
of privacy ahead of them. It'd be a shame to waste it. And there were
definitely some kinds of magic he wasn't going to be afraid of. He raised the
pipes to his lips again and played a haunting love song of the Dardani. The
first music he'd ever played for her. She smiled, too, at the memory. On
impulse, he sent the words to her through Far Speech while he continued to play
the melody. Thekila started to sing along with his pipes. The frogs made an
odd, but not inappropriate counterpoint to the music. Vatar lowered the pipes
again and sang the answering male part in his light baritone. They finished the
refrain together and then left the rest of the music-making to the frogs.

~

Thekila woke early. Something about the eerie quiet of the
plains made it hard to sleep. Maybe it was this quiet in the early hours at
home, too. But she'd always been tucked away in her house, unaware of it.
Vatar, dark hair tousled, lay beside her, still sound asleep. She didn't want
to disturb him with her restlessness, so she got up and went outside.

The night was already fading towards dawn. The frogs had
long since ceased their love songs. Even the night insects had stopped their
thrumming and the day insects had not started, yet. The air was still, not even
enough breeze to move the tall grasses where the horses were hobbled. They had
walked a little distance as they grazed, but now stood together with their
heads down in sleep. The rumbling of her stomach was loud in the silence. Well,
it was nearly morning. She might as well start the breakfast since she was
awake anyway.

Thekila had just started to stir the embers of the fire to
life when a mighty roar and the terrified neighing of the horses made her turn.
Her heart galloped. She had an impression of a huge, shaggy shape in the
near-darkness. One of the horses was pulled to the ground by the monster.
Thekila screamed.

~

Vatar woke with a start at the roar and the neighing horses.
He didn't need Thekila's scream to tell him there was trouble, but it made his
heartbeat race even faster. He grabbed his thrusting spear and ran out of the
tent. He breathed again when he saw that Thekila was all right. Following her
gaze, he saw what had—appropriately—frightened her.

The hair on his arms rose up. A bear attacking the horses
was very bad news. Bears were extremely unpredictable. It could turn on them at
any moment. Which meant . . . Thekila was in danger. That decided him. “Get
back. Climb a tree if you can. Or wade out in the waterhole. It's not too
deep.”

Vatar didn't wait to see that she did as he instructed. He
charged forward, yelling a wordless cry, and thrust with his spear at the bear.
The monster roared as the spear bit into the tender flesh under a foreleg.
Vatar pulled his spear free and ran backwards. He had to get out of range
before the bear could turn and swipe him with one of those huge paws. As he
stepped back, he tripped over a rock and fell on his back.
Fool, use your
magic.
Vatar didn't have time to wonder at the strange thought. The bear
was almost on him. How could he use his magic in this situation? Far Speech and
Far Sight weren't going to be much help. That only left . . . transformations.
A bear wouldn't normally charge a full-grown plains lion.

He only had moments. That strange calm that he'd sometimes
felt in times of emergency filled him. He concentrated on the black-tipped
white lion and felt himself pulled into the image. He was on all fours again.
Vatar wasted no time. He lifted his massive head and roared at the bear.

The beast lurched back, startled, but then it hesitated.
Vatar realized his mistake too late. This was a very large bear and obviously hungry.
It might consider attacking a single lion. There was no way Vatar could deal
with that. He couldn't even walk in this form, yet, let alone fight. It'd take
a whole pride scare this bear off.

Well, why not? He knew how to do that. Vatar concentrated
still harder to form the images of two lionesses and project them to either
side. It was harder than he expected to keep the image of all three lions
equally in his mind. His limbs trembled with the effort. When he felt he had
them firm, he roared again, imagining the two lionesses roaring with him. Was
it the strain, or were there were more lionesses than there should be?

That did it. The bear roared once, turned, and ran off, its
ungainly gait made more awkward by the wound to its side. Vatar's heart, already
beating hard from the stress, sped up. The bear was running straight for the
middle of the camp. And Thekila. Why hadn't she gotten to safety?

Thekila shrieked as the bear rushed towards her. And froze.

Vatar screamed and let all the images go. On all fours, and
dizzy from the exertion, he couldn't even grab his spear and run after the
bear. He had to do something. Fast. But what?

Instinctively, he reached with everything in him to protect
Thekila. He heard a voice in his head. This time he was sure it was a voice,
not his own thought.
Stop! It's too dangerous. You're not ready. You're
doing too much.
He didn't have time to think about that right now. From
somewhere, he found the Power to deflect the bear. He didn't know how and he
didn't care.

The bear bounced back from Thekila as if it had struck a
barrier. Vatar gasped at the pain. The air was driven from his lungs as if the
bear had struck him full force. His head felt like someone was driving spikes
through his eyes. The last clear thing he saw was the bear shambling off away
from Thekila. Relief flooded him. And then he pitched forward into blackness.

~

Thekila couldn't move or turn away when Vatar ran past her
with his spear. He'd get himself killed trying to defend her. She gasped when
he tripped and fell. She wanted to run to him, but couldn't. She should do
something to help him, but what? She breathed out in relief when he took the
form of the lion. Surely that would chase the bear off. Now she knew Vatar
would be all right, she probably should try to find a safe place, like he'd
said.

No, wait. Was the bear going to attack the lion? Vatar
wouldn't be able to defend himself as a lion. The illusory lionesses appear at
his sides. Good idea. She could help with that. Thekila bit her lip as she projected
two more lionesses behind Vatar's. That did it.

Thekila smiled, taking a moment to appreciate the level of
calm concentration it had taken for Vatar to do what he'd just done. Evidently,
he wasn't that spooked about his Powers.

But then the bear turned and came right for her.

Thekila struggled to find that same level of calm
concentration. If she could shape change and push herself off the ground, she
could fly out of harm's way. It wasn't so easy to master the primeval fear,
though. It took every bit of the discipline she had learned in almost ten years
at the Academy. She flowed into the shape of the eagle with the bear
practically on top of her. She'd never get airborne in time. Then the bear
bounced back as if it had hit a wall and ran off in a new direction.
Unbelieving, she watched it go. And turned back to Vatar just in time to see
him crumple to the ground. She released her shape change and ran to his side,
calling his name, but she got no answer.

Forcing herself to breathe slowly and deeply, Thekila probed
gently, trying to reach Vatar's mind. That should have been easy. It wasn't.
He'd come within a hair of burning himself out.  He was still in there,
but oh, so faint and far away.

What could she do, alone out here? Breathe. She wasn't alone,
or she needn't be for long. She focused her thought on her friend.
“Quetza!”

“What? Thekila?”
Quetza sounded half awake. Thekila
had forgotten how early it still was. So much had happened it felt like it
should be noon, at least.

“Quetza, I need you. There was a bear. Vatar's injured.”

That woke Quetza.
“What happened?”

“I'm not sure. I think he came close to burning himself
out. He's unconscious. Come quickly.”