Together Tolan and I stand back to back. With hooded eyes, I glance over at the shelter and note that Tolan has pulled the jungle around it, keeping Julia from enemy eyes.
“We need to take out the kikta,” I say as I scan the area to pinpoint the witch’s location. The three humans and one orc surround us, leaving the kikta alone. Not good. A witch who needs no protection during a fight is either experienced, powerful or both. Not good at all.
“I have her, Tharin,” came Tolan’s quiet thought.
The men and the orc were easy to locate, but they use the distance as an advantage against Tazo’s blade. Tolan’s chains can extend as far out as his will allows, but fatigue will temper the distance and the force of his strikes. Fortunately, the Odessa chains can be used in other ways.
Slipping one of his chains into his coat, Tolan takes the end of the remaining chain and swiftly unhooks the sharp links. Within a blink of an eye he shoots out a handful toward the witch’s location, cutting through the foliage like diamond-edged spikes. Once the spikes reach the target, they bounce off an invisible shield, scattering in all directions. It wasn’t Tolan’s intention to hit his target, but to lure her out, which it did. The scattered links return to Tolan’s hand, linking back to the chain. Coming forward, she floats above the wet ground with her hands moving in a circular motion, eyes locked on Tolan. When she comes to a stop, she casts her first spell. Maki vines spear toward us, and Tolan’s chains, now in both hands, whip into cutting cyclones, dicing the vines into pieces. Using the centrifugal force of the chains, he pulls in the pieces of vines and shoots them back at the witch like wooden bullets. This time not all pieces bounced off her shield, weakened by the first attack. The missiles that did get through cut deeply as they slice her face, neck and arms – she ignores the pain and remains focused.
The kikta hovers before us wavering slightly. Her sleeveless jersey and dark pants are made out of leather pelts, and around her waist she carries several pouches hanging from a braided belt made of some kind of black fur. Heavy boots laced up to her ankles look heavier than her entire weight, which doesn’t look like much. Her body, covered with pocked skin, looks dried up and emaciated as if the sun had sucked all the moisture from her. Her black eyes are piercing, crazed and touched with fear. It’s then that we notice a silver link from Tolan’s chain embedded in her throat. Without her voice she will be unable to conjure or cast spells but it doesn’t mean that she’s defenseless. The black magic I sensed from her earlier is still strong and can do major damage even without her voice.
I use Tolan’s attack to cover my own movements as three of my Shadika blades shoot out to find their targets. Two hit their marks as two of the men hit the ground hard. The third dagger misses the orc as he spins low and to the side. The remaining man loosed an arrow aiming at Tolan’s back, but Tazo deflects it easily at the last moment. Another Shadika dagger goes flying from my hand with such force that when it found the man’s throat, he was thrown back a few feet before landing in a heap, lost within the thick jungle. I scan for the orc, his scent and visibility hidden by the surrounding jungle and rain.
I lift Tazo in time to deflect another arrow from my left. I follow its trajectory and pinpoint the area it came from. I move to the left of its location knowing the orc is on the move. No longer in hiding, he speeds through the underbrush with me running alongside him. He’s running in an arc and at the end of his run is the kikta and Tolan.
The witch’s hand is outstretched toward Tolan who is facing her, his own hand out in front of him. They seem to be in a tug-of-war with an invisible rope and I can see the strain on my brother’s face, the tension building around him. Black smoke appears from the kikta’s splayed hands, evil emitting from it. The demon’s face within the smoke begins to take shape, but it’s taking longer for it to manifest because the kikta is unable to say the words. How she’s able to do this feat without her voice is unclear, while her hands continue to dance before her.
I keep track of the orc as I veer off toward Tolan and get Tazo up in time to deflect the orc’s arrow. Now out in the open, another of my blades goes flying, taking the orc out and ending his run abruptly. I come to a stop several feet from the witch. The demon trying to come through from the UnderRealm turns its black head to me. Kabba. Mother help us, she’s calling Kabba.
My first dagger shoots out toward the witch’s hands and deflects off her shield. I send another, then another, until finally the last one breaks through and spears her hands together, stopping them in mid-motion. The demon screams with rage before he disappears along with the black smoke. Startled at the turn of events and finding her hands bound together by the blade, the witch turns on me at the same time forcing her hands apart. Before she is able to make her next move, however, Tolan breaks free from their earlier struggle. He closes his hand into a fist and yanks it backward pulling the silver shard from the kikta’s throat. Blood from the wound gushes out, and she tries unsuccessfully to stop the bleeding with her wounded hands.
Not taking any chance that she may recover, Tolan whips out both chains. One wraps around her waist, the other around her neck. With a final pull, Tolan separates the kikta’s head from her body, landing somewhere off to the side with a thump. Her body remains hovering for a moment before turning to dead weight and falls heavily to the ground – and all becomes still.
The rain continues to pour. We wait, listening for any other movement. I send out my senses in one direction as Tolan takes another. We let a few more minutes pass before Tolan lets his shoulders drop. He turns to the area where one of the dead men lies and waves his hand out before it. The jungle moves to one side like a parted curtain and within it Julia waits. She looks at us and then at the dead man closest to her. As I expected, she didn’t flinch…some of the old Julia is still there. Tolan looks over at me before dropping his head and makes his way back to her. I’ve had enough of the rain, so I followed my brother back to the shelter.
“What just happened, Tharin?” once again I sense the exhaustion in his thoughts, but his meaning was clear. How was a kikta, considered to be the weakest of the Velesi witches, able to silently summon Kabba?
“I don’t know, brother,” I reply shaking my head.
As we reach the shelter, Julia moves back inside allowing us some room. She looks over at Tolan asking, “Are they with this Ziri you told me about?”
Tolan shakes his head at her, “No. They’re bandits. There are many here in the realm, so it’s important you stay close. Did you see the whole thing?”
Julia nods, “I did. That, that woman you were fighting, what was she? She was floating, I saw her.”
“A witch,” I answer. “And Tolan’s right, don’t get lost here. There are others out there that are just as dangerous, if not more so, than this group.”
Julia hugs herself and nods. Tolan looks her over and I share more than just a glancing concern for her as well. He pulls out another blanket from a bag we brought with us and removes the soaked one from her shoulders. She takes the blanket from him not allowing him to place it around her. Sighing, Tolan places his hand to the ground and it slowly rises until it becomes a ledge. He removes his coat and turns it inside out and lays it on top of the makeshift bed. It’s not completely dry, but it’s drier than the earthy mound. He places one of the bags as a pillow and turns to Julia, “Get some rest, there’s nothing we can do for now. I’ll wake you when we’re ready to take off.”
Julia shakes her head at him, “No. You said you would track them. You promised me we would find them.”
Tiredly, Tolan nods answering, “I know and we will. The rain is making it difficult to find a starting point to begin tracking.”
“You promised me. We can’t just sit here while Lily is out there alone.” Julia turns to me with pleading eyes. I can see that she isn’t listening to Tolan, refusing to accept anything he’s saying.
I step up to her, take off my own coat and hand it to her. Julia stares at it confused. After a moment,
she snatches it from me. She sits on the mound and wraps my coat around herself, but she refuses to lie down. Tolan gives me a grateful glance before calling forth another panswa from the bag, setting it next to Julia. The heat emitting from it quickly warms our small shelter. Julia continues to stare out through the opening watching the rain fall while Tolan sits next to her and waits.
It isn’t long before Julia begins to doze off and Tolan catches her when she’s about to fall off the mound. She startles awake and pulls away from him, continuing to sit and watch the rain. It is a few minutes more when she finally falls against him asleep. He gently moves off the mound and lays her down. The snoring follows immediately. Once he’s sure she’s comfortable and covered, Tolan finally relaxes.
I’ve been sitting on a mound closer to the opening doing what Julia was doing, watching the rain fall. Tolan walks over and brings up another mound across from me. He sits, head down, his worry for Julia evident on his tired face.
“The humans and the orc weren’t assassins, but mercenaries,” I say keeping my voice down, trying to distract his thoughts of Julia. “They were trained for combat, but they weren’t assassins. If they were, in our current condition, we would be dead. As for the kikta, the summoning of Kabba takes a powerful wizard, and even then it would take more than one. Yet, this kikta was about to do just that. She attempted to call the Warden of Demons here, to Velesi…by herself.”
“How is that possible, Tharin?” whispers Tolan tiredly.
“Falsad. Or Eathos. One or the other, I’m not sure,” I answer. I turn to face him and continue, “Remember what we told you about our meeting with Mareck? How Lado was possessed by Falsad? She was floating the same way as the kikta. At first I thought the fear in her eyes was from the link in her throat. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was the same look of fear and insanity that I witnessed with Lado when Falsad took over her body. The witch was scared before she even started her battle with you. It’s the only thing that makes sense, but it’s like I said, I’m not sure if it was Falsad. The witch is dead and so are her companions, we’ll never know.”
Tolan sits in thought and then finally asks, “So, it’s safe to say that the attack has nothing to do with Ziri, then?” Tolan watches me carefully, waiting for a reaction.
I stare at him momentarily then sighing I shake my head at him. “No. And I don’t believe that he took Lily on his own.”
Tolan gives me a puzzled look, “I don’t follow.”
“Think about it, Tolan. How would Ziri know where to find us at Crowfoot Mountain? Especially when he’s never been through the doorway before? And even if he did, who did the summoning for him to cross over to begin with?”
After another moment’s thought, Tolan replies, “He could have bribed someone, or maybe he’s working with someone from the court. It could be possible, except for one thing.”
“And what’s that?” I ask curiously.
“Father. If there’s anyone Ziri loves more than life, it’s Father. He would never betray him.”
It’s true. My father holds no favorites, but it is well known that he and his youngest son were very close until Ziri chose to leave us. I sigh deeply, my earlier anger and frustration seeming to deflate along with my energy. The fight also helped release some of my earlier rage. I stare out at the rain knowing for now we’re safe in the little shelter. With my own shield enforcing that of Tolan’s, it would be impossible for anyone, including a kikta or any other witch, to detect our whereabouts.
“Do you think what’s going on has anything to do with Ziri leaving six months ago?” asked Tolan bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Maybe.”
“Well,” he says slowly, “it’s inevitable that we’ll meet up with him again. Will you ask him why he left, and what he meant the last time you two spoke?”
“I’m going to kick his ass first is what I’m going to do. Then I’ll ask him why.”
Tolan gives me a lopsided grin.
I smile back, shaking my head. I let out a breath and along with it the last of my rage. I stare back at Tolan, saying, “There’s something here we’re missing,”
“What are you thinking, Tharin? I’m guessing you have some idea what or who is behind Ziri’s motives,” replies Tolan knowingly.
“The shape-shifters I told you about…the old couple.”
“What about them?” he prompts.
“Back at Crowfoot Mountain, when they first came to me in wolf form, they insisted I give the Manui statue to Lily. They were adamant I give it back to her. I can’t help but feel they manipulated the events leading up to Ziri taking Lily ─ not only in my handing her the statue, but the timing as well. I’m convinced they knew Ziri was there…and they gave us no warning. It was just too easy for Ziri to appear out of nowhere and then take Lily when our guards were down. What I don’t know is why.”
“Because we told him to take her.”
I am up swiftly, Tazo ready in my hand. I stare at the black wolf sitting quietly next to Julia. In a blink of an eye, one of Tolan’s chains lashes out at the wolf, but before hitting its target, the black wolf lets out an impatient “woof.” The chain flutters in the air falling to the ground in a sprinkle of red londia petals. Tolan stands stunned as he watches his silver chains from Odessa settle harmlessly at our feet.
~ * ~
Chapter Three
~ Lily ~
Something cool is placed on my forehead, cooling the burning sensation coming from the back of my skull. Cool liquid slips into my mouth and the fire at the back of my throat laps at it greedily. Too soon does the sweet taste of water stop and my throat constricts from suddenly being cut off from the wondrous liquid. I try to ask for more and I feel my lips move, but the dryness in my throat prevents me from making any sound.
“You’ll be all right, child. Rest, there will be plenty of time for questions later,” her voice is as cool as the water. My eyes flutter, briefly catching an old woman smiling down at me. I know her, but I can’t remember where I know her from. I feel her remove the now warm cloth from my forehead and replace it with a cool one. I try to keep my eyes open, but a deep darkness pulls me under.
I wake with a start. My throat is raw and it hurts to swallow what little saliva I have. I try to slow my breathing while I gasp for air. I’m covered in sweat and I push the heavy blankets aside, kicking them off the bed. A bed. I’m in a normal bed. No soft panther arm or mystical tree branch, just a regular bed with a mattress and frame made of wood. I feel the damp sheets beneath me and I grab at the pillow – regular sheets, regular pillows. From somewhere nearby I hear the sound of dripping water. I try to follow where it’s coming from and my eyes are drawn to the dim light coming from under a door – a door, a regular door. Where the am I?
I slip off the bed, a little lightheaded. Looking down at my bare feet I notice for the first time the large, damp jersey shirt that hangs down to my knees. I feel at the material. It’s like the cloth Tharin had given me to wrap my boots in when we were back at Crowfoot Mountain. Running my hands over my chest and hips, I realize I’m completely naked underneath. This is becoming a problem – the whole waking up in strange places finding my clothes removed. The face of my kidnapper flashes in my mind and my arms instinctively wrap around my body.
I look around the room, and through the darkness I make out large curtains at the far wall. Other than the bed and the small nightstand next to it, there is no other furniture in the room that I can see. I glance back at the light from beneath the door and decide that I would very much like not to find out who’s on the other side.
I turn toward the curtains, but I hesitate for a moment looking down at myself. I need to find my clothes; they’ve got to be here somewhere. I move toward the small nightstand and notice it has two drawers. I pull the top drawer slowly, trying not to make a sound. I hear clinking as I draw it open and find it full of small bottles filled with different colored liquids and a few with what looks like colored powder. I close
it carefully, but the clinking rings throughout the room. I know the sound isn’t that loud, but to my nervous ears they sound like church bells.
The bottom drawer holds my coat. Just the sight of it makes me excited and fills me with relief. I grab it and put it on quickly. The familiar feel of it comforts me, and a vision of Tharin holding me pops in my head. I sniff at the collar and realize it’s been washed…the smell of the soap used is sweet and light. Next, I peer under the bed for my boots, not there. I move slowly along the wall and use it as a guide in the dark to find the far corners. I bump into a chair and feel for the seat...nothing. I check the far corners, but didn’t find any shoes. I head back to the bed and find a bench at the foot of it. I feel along its smooth seat with my hand hoping to find my clothes, but once again I’m disappointed. Damn it. I sit down on the bench trying to think as I automatically pull my hair up and tie it into a knot down my back. I look over at the curtains again and pray it is an actual window. I stand to make my way over when I nearly jump out of my skin.
The tap on the door was light, but I still catch at my chest. It’s as if I’m trying to keep my heart from jumping out and running to hide under the bed. The bed! I’ll hide under the bed. No, that’s what they all do in the movies, hide under the bed – and they still get caught.