Dragons reach, p.37
Dragon's Reach, page 37
part #1 of The Keeper Origins Series
It was two days before Purnicious appeared wearing dark red pants, a sunflower-yellow tunic gathered around her waist with a tawny orange sash. The sash was edged with a delicate white lace.
“I love it!” Sable said, crouching down to feel the fabric.
Purnicious ducked her head and gave her a small smile. “It’s been a very long time since I made something for myself.”
“Well, I want you to be the best dressed kobold in the world,” Sable said. “Please change or bellish or adjust your clothes any time you want.”
Purnicious straightened and beamed at her. “Thank you!”
The first day Sable was able to use the prop sword, Andreese found her after breakfast to practice with it.
The blade was beautiful. Thulan had polished it until it gleamed. The edges were blunted, but the steel was so shiny it was hard to tell. Down the center of the blade ran two, thin grooves. Nestled inside them were two even thinner strands of fabric. A tiny flint was worked into the guard.
“Thulan will put oil in the grooves,” Andreese said. “When you strike the flint, it should light flames all the way down the blade. But only one surface will light. That means we need to make sure you’re only showing the lit side to the crowd, which rules out movement two, four, and five.”
Sable swung the sword through movement two and realized the back of the sword would face the audience most of the time. “The others will work?”
Andreese nodded. “I know you’ve been using whatever movements you want during rehearsals, and they’re looking good.”
“They are?” Sable looked at him in surprise.
“At least for someone who’s just starting.”
“Ahh… I was feeling almost proud for a moment.”
He studied her. “Which is your favorite movement?”
“Of the five almost identical ways to swing a sword?” He frowned at her, and she laughed. “I like three and five. They feel the least unnatural.”
He nodded. “All right. We’re going to concentrate on those two. You’ll use three for the final fiery scene, so the correct side of the sword shows, and five for the other two.”
Sable stretched out her shoulder that seemed eternally tired. “I can’t say I’m disappointed to drop the others.”
“Oh, you’ll still do the others in practice,” he said. “But we’ll practice three and five more intensely.”
She sighed. “Why?”
With a measured movement, he drew the Kalesh sword he always wore at his waist and faced off against her.
She took a step back and raised her hands. “All right. I’ll practice all the movements. You don’t have to threaten me.”
“Movement one,” he said, a note of command in his voice.
She raised the sword to the starting position of movement one, and Andreese swung his sword toward her. She instinctively jerked her sword into the next position, blocking him, then moved into the forward thrust without thinking. When the dull point of her sword poked into his chest, she yanked it back.
“Sorry!”
He glanced down and smiled. “For completing the movement? You did it right. A little twitchy, but right.”
The hilt felt unfamiliar in her hand, as though something intrinsic to the blade had shifted. Instead of a prop, she suddenly held a weapon.
She switched it to her other hand and wiped her damp palm on her pants. A mix of wariness and tentative power swirled inside her. “That was terrifying, and you were moving slowly.”
“Did you want me to attack faster?”
“I don’t want you to attack at all. All this proves is that if someone attacks me at an embarrassingly slow pace, in the exact way I know to parry, I can thunk them in the chest.”
“Which is exactly what a new soldier should be able to do.”
“Andreese,” she said, exasperated.
“Reese,” he retorted.
She waved his words away. “I’m not a new soldier. I’m not any kind of soldier. Chances are, once this play is over, I will never touch another sword.”
He sheathed his sword and crossed his arms. “Once this play is over, what are you going to do? Go back to Dockside?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Ryah told me all about Immusmala and the gangs.”
Sable felt a flare of irritation at how easily her sister shared things. “So?”
“So you don’t want to learn to protect yourself because Dockside is so safe? Because there’s no chance a Kalesh army will come and roll over every part of this land? Because you can’t foresee a time you might need to protect yourself?”
“Yes, all those things are dangerous, but I’m not good enough with a sword for it to make a difference.”
“And you won’t be unless you decide to practice. A lot. But…” He ran his hand through his hair before meeting her gaze. “The Kalesh are coming, Sable, which means I have to go back to my uncle.”
She paused. “I thought you were coming to Immusmala with us.”
“I am. Only because I think the Northern Lords will be there. But then I have to go back. I have to be ready to fight with the best hope we have, and that’s the troops in the north. But you…” The look he fixed her with was almost accusing. “When the Kalesh come, you are going to stand between them and your sisters, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am.”
“Not only that, I think you’ll put yourself between the Kalesh and anyone who’s in danger. And you’ll do it whether you know how to defend yourself or not.”
She straightened. “I’m not stupid. The Kalesh terrify me. I’ll hide with everyone else.”
“Really? Because back in the woods, you left a perfectly good hiding place to attack a Kalesh officer with nothing but a pointy stick.”
She paused. “That might not have been the smartest thing I ever did.” She gave him a self-conscious smile. “But it almost worked.”
“It did work, until you spoke and he realized you were a tiny, terrified woman.”
“Then what we should be working on is how to make me talk in a more threatening manner. And I’m not tiny.”
He stepped closer to her, and she lifted her chin to look up at him, determined to not back away. Her head barely reached his shoulders. “I’m a pretty average height,” he said. “Which means you’re tiny. And yet you throw yourself into protecting other people without thinking.”
He stepped back and fixed her with a piercing gaze. “The Kalesh are coming, Sable. People need to be able to protect themselves. So let me teach you what I can, and we can both hope it will be enough.”
She looked down at the prop sword in her hand. “I thought we were just practicing for a play,” she said, trying to put a grudging apology into the words.
“This has gone a bit beyond the play, don’t you think?”
She gripped the handle, imagining swinging it at an enemy. “Should I be practicing with this? Or a real sword?”
His shoulders relaxed slightly. “We’ll split practice from now on. The movements for the play you can do with that. For the others, you’ll use one of the Kalesh blades.”
She nodded and met his gaze. “Thank you, Reese.”
He smiled slightly at the name, but it faded quickly. “I don’t have enough time to teach you all you need.” He looked at her earnestly. “Please try to learn what you can.”
She nodded and lifted the prop sword to the opening position of movement three.
Andreese saw no signs of Kalesh in the woods, but when a fortnight had passed and Atticus declared it time to leave, the woods felt ominous again. The night before they left, Atticus assembled everyone in the common room.
Jae, walking in on his own, looked nearly back to normal, and Serene had stopped hovering enough to let him seat himself without assistance.
“I believe we’re ready to perform the play,” Atticus said, “and honestly, I wouldn’t have imagined how well this troupe would fit the story.” He turned to Sable with a smile. “It was excellent luck when you crept into the stage wing and hid in the shadows, Sable. I could not have picked a better Vivaine.” He shifted his gaze to her sister. “And, Ryah… You’ve made Lavelle even better than I’d planned.”
He looked over the group. “Tomorrow we will leave. We’ll take the shortest route out of the woods in the hopes of avoiding any Kalesh. I’ll feel safer once we get to open land. We’ll have one night of camping in the woods and we should be out by noon the day after. If we move quickly, we can be back to coastal towns on the third day and perform our very first public show.” He rolled forward onto his toes. “The good people of Cliften have no idea how honored they are to be the first to see the play that will win the summer tourney.”
At the silence in the room, Atticus grinned. “I know you don’t believe me. But just wait. By the time we reach Immusmala, the city will be talking about us.”
“Or the prioress will be waiting with shackles,” Leonis said quietly to Thulan.
The dwarf shrugged. “I don’t know. I think dear Vivaine might be pleased with this one.”
“Oh, she’ll be pleased,” Atticus said, sobering. “Now we just need to win the tourney and the chance to perform it one last time in front of the prioresses, the merchants, and the Northern Lords. Once we have their attention, we’ll tell them about the Kalesh.”
“Sure,” Thulan said dryly. “Sounds simple.”
They finished loading the wagons at dawn. Diann baked a heaping basket of biscuits and added two large crates of food for the road.
Purnicious had carved the wood along the back of the blue wagon with a forest scene, a path winding between tall tree trunks. The back of Atticus's wagon now featured a carved image of his face. Swirling letters that spelled out The Duke’s Figment of Wits Traveling Troupe ran along the wagon’s side.
When Atticus saw it, he stopped. Purnicious smiled nervously, but he chuckled and patted her head as he walked by.
Serene moved purposefully in and out of the buildings, with a growing pile of books she found tucked away in assorted places.
“What are you doing with those?” Diann demanded.
“I’m not leaving them here to be stolen.” Serene wrapped the bundle in thick leather. “They’re coming with me. There’s a chance these are all that is left of the library.”
“You are not taking them,” Diann objected. “They’ll be safe here.”
Serene set the bundle inside a crate and packed them in a wagon. “We will keep these books safe, and bring the rest back here when we return with Merrick.”
Diann frowned at her, but left the crate where it was.
Serene walked up to the stone wall by the gate and set her hand on it. Slowly, she began walking, gliding her hand over the surface, pausing to murmur to the stones. When she drew near, Sable stopped loading the wagons to listen. Serene spoke words she couldn’t understand, but there was a richness to them. Not quite like when someone spoke the truth, but similar. As though the words themselves had some weight, some momentum. As though they were almost as solid as the wall.
“What is she doing?” Sable whispered to Jae.
“She’s making sure none of the energy has worn away or grown brittle. The vitalle dissipates after a while. We don’t usually store energy in stone for that reason, but for the wall, we make an exception.”
Serene returned soon, having followed the wall all the way around Stonehaven.
Just as the sun started to rise, the wagons rolled through the gate. In the early sunlight, the forest was a brilliant green. Sable’s fears of the Kalesh couldn’t take hold in the fresh morning air. The whole world felt too alive to contain something so dark.
Jae and Serene rode with Atticus on the red wagon, leading them toward the path leading due west. The rest of the troupe fell in behind it with Thulan’s wagon bringing up the rear.
“We should go southwest,” Leonis called up to him.
“That road is too slow,” Jae called back. “This one heads straight out of the forest, then meets up with a well-traveled road heading south. It’ll be faster.”
“Then hurry up about it,” Leonis said, irritated. “I thought we were trying to get out of these woods quickly.”
“Don’t you like the forest?” Sable asked.
Leonis's gaze ran along the trees. “I do like the forest.” His voice was tinged with something that almost sounded sad. “But some forests don’t like me.” He dropped his gaze to the wagon in front of them. “I’m going to make sure Jae remembers that we’re in a hurry.” He broke into a jog and disappeared around the wagon.
Aside from Leonis, the trip through the trees brightened everyone’s spirits. The road was considerably smoother and wider than the trails they’d followed to get to Stonehaven, and they kept on a quick pace.
Near dinner time, the front wagon rolled out into a clearing. Atticus pulled to a stop and Jae climbed down, calling for some help with unhitching the horses. Sable headed forward to help, and Andreese followed.
Leonis ran up from the back. “Get back on the wagons,” he commanded, keeping his voice low. “We can’t stop here. We’ll be in a better place by nightfall.” He grabbed Jae’s arm. “Do not unhitch the horses. They can make it a little longer.”
Serene started to climb down off the red wagon and paused, fixing Leonis with a glare. “What is it you’re scared of?” she demanded. “Enough grumbling and brooding. Explain yourself.”
Leonis spun, his eyes searching the trees. “You know what’s in these woods, right?”
Sable glanced around, looking for black-clad warriors. She saw nothing.
“Yes,” Serene answered. “But they never bother us. Merrick is on good terms with them.”
Sable glanced at Reese. “Who?” she whispered.
Andreese was studying Leonis and didn’t answer.
“They won’t object to us having dinner in a clearing,” Serene said.
“They’ll object to me having dinner in the clearing,” Leonis hissed, not looking away from the trees.
Reese leaned closer to Sable. “I just realized what Leonis looks like,” he said quietly. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”
“Let’s go,” Leonis said, smacking the horse on the flank to get it moving.
“Too late,” Thulan said from the cart behind them, looking at the edge of the forest.
Sable spun toward the trees.
It wasn’t a Kalesh warrior who stood there, but a different sort of man—or maybe not a man. He was tall and thin, with long, straight hair that shone like copper. His tunic was light green, and his hand wrapped loosely around a staff. He fixed Leonis with a hostile look.
“You are not welcome here.” His voice cut through the peace of the clearing.
A moment later, the weight of his words shoved against Sable. They held the squeezing pressure of the truth, without the warmth. The truth of his words was almost solid.
“Leonis looks like an elf,” Reese whispered.
Chapter Forty-Four
“We didn’t mean to bother you,” Jae began, stepping forward to address the elf. “We just need to rest the horses—”
“I’m not here to see him,” Leonis interrupted, fixing the elf with a stony expression. “We’re just passing through.”
The elf’s face didn’t soften. “You’ve caused him enough pain. It was understood that you would not come back.”
The words pressed against Sable with so much force she took a half-step back and Reese looked at her curiously.
“Trust me,” Leonis said, “this path was not my choice.”
“And yet you chose it.”
Leonis let out an annoyed breath. “Stop it, Victis. We’re in a hurry. Our presence here has nothing to do with any elves. Just go back to your scheming. No one needs to know I’m here.”
Victis's face was longer than a human face, smoother. There was a beauty to it, in a foreign way. Something struck her as familiar about him. She was sure she’d never seen him before, but he reminded her of someone. Sable glanced between him and Leonis.
“Leonis is an elf?” she whispered to Andreese. There was something similar about them, but compared to Victis, Leonis looked distinctly human.
“There’s something elvish about him,” Reese answered quietly.
“Did you really think the trees wouldn’t tell us you were here?” Victis asked Leonis.
Something shifted in the forest along the edge of the clearing. A dozen more elves appeared, stretching out on either side of Victis. They were all stern except one. Dressed in a russet red tunic, an elf who looked younger than the rest of them watched Leonis with something like regret.
Leonis caught his gaze and held it, his shoulders relaxing slightly. He opened his mouth, but turned back to Victis before he spoke. “The longer you detain us, the longer it will take for me to leave.”
“We’re avoiding Kalesh warriors,” Jae said, stepping forward and addressing Victis respectfully.
“And you thought we would protect you?” Victis demanded.
Jae stiffened. “No. This is the quickest way out—”
“No one has ever thought you’d protect anyone but yourselves,” Leonis interrupted. “We need to get back to Immusmala and this is the way. These humans pass through here regularly.”
“They do. Merrick is an old friend.”
Every time Victis spoke, Sable braced herself. Compared to the warm, gentle pressure human truth created, this was like a physical shove. It wasn’t that his words felt more truthful. They just felt more…solid. Like more than words. They didn’t come from a single direction, they squeezed her from all sides, like being caught in an enormous grasp.
Victis considered the group. “You will move through the woods quickly.”
Sable took a deep breath, trying to stretch herself wider. Trying to push against his words.
He turned his eyes on Leonis. “For Merrick’s sake we will overlook your presence.”
