“Okay, I’ll do it.”
Elizabeth’s voice called from the campfire, “Are you two ever returning?”
Kendra said softly, “Perfect timing, as always.” She smiled, then called back, “We’re on our way.”
Entering the ring of light again, my thoughts were pulled to reexamine the two people sitting there. Until this evening, Tater had been an open book. Now, I had questions if that was true. Elizabeth had been my benefactor, owner, teacher, and friend. She alone knew more of Kendra and myself than any other. Could she also harbor envy at my powers?
I supposed that if Kendra admitted she had some jealousy, Elizabeth probably had, too. But that didn’t mean resentment or bitterness. She had always seemed a little put-off by my spells if that is the proper name for my mischief. She also discovered new ways for me to use my small-magic, and always cautioned me to keep it private. To my knowledge, she had never shared a word of it to another. If there was one person besides my sister to trust, it was her.
I soon found myself dozing. I spread another blanket and pulled my jacket tighter and closed my eyes to begin recalling every person in the palace ever I’d encountered and either added them to my mental list to speak with or removed them. It was better than counting sheep. I woke with the rising sun, cold and refreshed without any sign of the burning blue woman.
Kendra, usually a late sleeper, had the fire roaring, as she sat with her knees tucked under her chin, arms wrapped around her shins. Her dull eyes located me. “Sleep well?”
“Yes. You?”
“Not so much. The things we talked about are troubling.” She glanced at the other two, still fast asleep. Her voice lowered. “The Blue Lady said she, and implied others, are trying to rid the world of dragons, but I’m calling out to them to join me in some manner. That seems to place us on opposite sides of an issue, but we don’t know what the issue might be, or which side is right.”
“That’s not exactly what she said,” I offered weakly, knowing that was almost a lie. If the words differed, the intent was still there, but the point needed to be made.
Tater snorted and suddenly sat, wiping his eyes with dirty fists. He stood and walked a few steps away to stand beside a bush where he relieved himself. Steam rose from the ground where he peed, and a similar rise of steam came from near Springer and his raised leg. Tater returned and wordlessly dug a hand into his bag of nuts and dried fruit. I dreaded refusing any he might offer, but after another look at his filthy hands going hungry was the right choice.
As if feeling three pairs of eyes on her, Elizabeth also woke with a start. She made her way into the brush with her blankets still draped around her. When she returned, she was more interested in the warmth of the fire than eating. Kendra had already started loading and tying our meager belongings on the packhorses. All the horses still wore saddles during the night in case we needed to depart quickly. The cinches had been loosened, but that that was our only concession to their comfort.
I cinched Alexis after promising to get her to where she could have a proper meal and a long drink. The straps tightened a full notch more than the first day of the trip. She needed water, more than food. All around had been frozen yesterday, and while we were out of the snow, we hadn’t yet crossed a flowing stream.
My mind kept returning to consider the past instead of the future. It had been more than two years since I’d left the palace for any length of time, and even then, it had only been a trip of a few days. My life was palace intrigue. I loved to discover dark secrets, illicit passions, and lies. Outwitting others of my station gave me wings to soar. This was the first extended travel in my lifetime, and instead of relishing it, the travel exhausted me. I missed my warm bed, my friends, the cooks and servants who whispered royal secrets in my ears.
Elizabeth took her place behind Tater and ahead of me, while Kendra led the packhorses at the end of our procession. Springer took the lead. It seemed a natural positioning none of us talked about, but all seemed to have agreed upon. My small crossbow was cocked and hanging from the pommel in easy reach, but I still carried my bow in hand and my full quiver at my waist.
We paused at a fast-flowing stream that fell down the hillside almost as a tiny waterfall near mid-morning for all of us to drink our fill and replenish our canteens. The horses slurped cold water until they were ready to bust, then we continued riding down the narrow path in the bright sunshine of a new day. The air warmed, the patches of snow seemed far behind us. The forest again grew thick and wild. Most of the journey carried us downhill, but after crossing a wide shallow stream, the trail climbed again and followed a natural ridge of bare rock winding around a smaller mountain. Below and to our right, the stream cut through a deep valley as it joined others and grew into a raging river.
When the path descended again, we kept our eyes open for a place to stop and allow the horses to graze and water while we rested. The hillside to our right fell away in a steep slope, the solid rock mountain rose to unseen heights on our left. However, we finally reached a place on our left where another small valley spread before us. We were perched on a wide ridge. A meadow grew lush grass for the horses, and a flowing steam cut through the center. My eyes searched for a campsite, firewood, and shelter from the cold wind. Instead, we saw men crouched in the edge of the forest trying to stay hidden.
Before I could call out to warn Tater, he had turned his horse into the meadow—and he was attacked. Men swarmed from the shrubs on the higher side of the road, armed and ragged in their appearance. My warning went to those behind because Tater had already drawn and loosed his first arrow. Mine followed his. Both struck attackers, but more rushed forward waving swords and spears, and all of them shouting. None had bows.
My second arrow struck a man running directly at me. It took him fully in his chest, causing him to drop his spear, stumble and fall almost at my feet. Another came from my left where most of them had hidden, and he was almost on me as I grabbed the small crossbow hanging from my saddle and fired. The small bolt struck his forehead—they had always fired a little high, but I’d forgotten to adjust my aim in the excitement of the attack. The bolt disappeared into a tiny small red dot.
One attacker dressed in rags and animal skins leaped and pulled Tater from his horse, just as another yanked my leg free of the stirrup and pulled at my leg. I twisted and turned, providing an instant of vision to my rear, where Kendra had fired her small crossbow and had drawn a knife she used to slash the air in warning to stay back.
Hitting the ground hard, I rolled and used my knife to slice across a foul-smelling man, from shoulder to chest. He howled in response, and I made it to my knees before another tackled me to the ground again. Elizabeth was screaming in a fury, and more attackers were hurting from her self-defense since she was the fiercest fighter of us three. Her voice came from higher up in the air, so she was still mounted, but I couldn’t take time to look because two more piled on top of the one that pinned me to the ground.
A burst of red agony struck my head.
I awoke in pain and cold.
It was dark, and we’d been attacked around midday. My confusion fled as I understood what must have happened. My hands were securely tied behind me, my cheek throbbed where someone had punched me, and my left leg was folded at the knee and under me in an uncomfortable way. I managed to half-roll and freed my leg. It immediately hurt more, as if it had been under me cutting off the flow of blood for a long time.
Blue-white stars were above, and off to my right about twenty paces away was a campfire. I shifted position enough to see men sitting in a circle, seven of them. More could be on guard or whatever, it made little difference. Seven men, one with a bloody bandage holding one arm tied around his neck for support. Others also bore signs of injuries.