Chapter 17
Copyright © Gem Higa 2011
The time it took for the arrow to fly from it’s owner’s bow seemed like a grueling hour had passed. In the span of those few seconds all life had completely halted, seemingly slowing down for her eyes to see. Leiv could feel the wind tickling her strands of hair as the leaves above rustled with every gust that passed.
It was hard fighting the urge to turn her head towards Deklan, telling him to run. Whoever this woman was, she was here for her, not him. Time finally returned back to normal as the arrow’s projection changed abruptly, flying past her body, and grazing the upper arm. A slash formed through the cut sleeve as a small pool of blood seeped through the torn skin. It was nothing serious, just a minor injury. The wound quickly resealed itself, meaning her connection with Rin was still intact.
Without hesitating she drew her own bow and aimed it at the red headed woman, whose face turned into a subtle mask of mixed emotions. Whatever she had been certain about was now no longer a factor. Not sure of her instincts, the woman lowered her bow and continued to stare at Leiv with a calculating expression.
When she decided to lower her own weapon, the woman raised hers quickly and aimed it once again in the same direction. The arrow flew past, as a grunt sounded from behind the bushes to their far left. Whoever had been standing there fell to the ground with a loud thud. A thought occurred to her, what if that was Kenji, Eli or Hana lying there, dying.
She strapped the bow over her body and ran to the scene while Deklan followed in pursuit. It didn’t take long to find the culprit who now lay dead in a heap of twigs and dirt. His attire matched a spy or an assassin, but the colors suggested something more. There was also jewelry around the man’s neck, holding what looked to be a pendant in the shape of a crest.
“He’s from the kingdom,” Deklan said, finally arriving alongside her.
She looked at him. “How do you know?”
“His uniform has the Bexton colors.” Deklan replied with an indifferent tone when saying his family’s surname. “Also, that pendant was my family crest.” The way he said it in the past tense told Leiv of how much he truly despised his own family. She reminded herself to ask him how he had survived all those years away from Orakrest, and what made him come home.
Leaves stirred behind them as the woman emerged with all her weapons sheathed. She looked a like a warrior from a distant land. The leather corset she wore hugged her figure perfectly; almost like a courtesan’s outfit. The straps were intricately laced over her shoulders that kept the whole courset from falling. Its bottom part connected to the top as it too was made of the finest leather. It was cut into strips, matching a skirt but tougher. Her knee-high boots were also covered in the same intricate patterns that flowed across the material as if an artist had painted them.
Her frame was built like a warrior would be, her upper arms toned to perfection as was the entire body. Whoever this person was, she was no amateur to the call of war; it was clear from every mark and slash that marred her exposed flesh.
Though something felt weird about her, Leiv couldn’t understand it. Before she could cast a sensing spell, the woman interrupted, speaking with a low and urgent voice.
“We need to leave this place immediately,” she said, in a hushed but urgent tone, “we are not safe.”
Deklan tensed to her left, crossing his arms and refusing to budge. “I think we need some answers first,” he coolly replied. “You show up like some rogue warrior pointing your weapons around and you expect us to listen to you?”
Wherever the woman came from, it was clear that orders weren’t her strong suit. Though no actual threats were made, she gripped her bow without hesitation. It was a precaution if anything were to happen; her father taught her the same thing.
“I was not talking to you,” she said with more authority. “My only concern at the moment is for the safety of my queen.”
Leiv uttered a few sounds, but no clear words formed. She was speechless. Deklan had gone completely still as he stared at the woman with wide, shocked eyes. The pair of them barely moved an inch, unable to fully comprehend what the woman had just spoken.
“How…” Deklan finally spat out. “How do you know who she is?”
The woman’s blue eyes shifted, looking around as if there was any immediate danger. “My name is Karmine,” she said, “and like my queen, I too am a rider.”
Her words made Leiv take a few steps back. The last thing they would have ever expected was another rider to show up looking for her. So many things were happening in such a short amount of time, it felt like destiny was playing around.
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” She asked, not fully believing what the woman said. The whole situation felt too much like a coincidence. They were in the middle of the woods where no one knew their location, and then suddenly a rider decides to pop in at exactly that moment. Something about it just didn’t feel right to her. “Prove to me you are who you say you are.”
Slowly, Karmine unhooked the belt at her waist and lifted her top a few inches above the pelvis. There, etched on her skin, was the mark of the dragons. It was unmistakably marred on her flesh; the wings spread out across and almost touched the circle that enclosed it.
It took Deklan a few moments to register what he was seeing, until finally, it clicked in his head that he too bore the same mark. She had seen it in her father’s chambers when he was aiding her after she had swooned.
The mark swayed Leiv’s decision on what to believe, but for the moment she would have to give in. Earlier the woman had saved their life, and because of that one gesture, they owed her. Only time could tell whether this woman was truly there to help, or be the cause of her downfall.
Leiv accepted the fact that they needed help, but Deklan on the other hand was skeptical of the woman’s intentions and what exactly she was doing there. It felt odd that the woman appeared randomly, but there was no denying her affiliation with the dragons, and good or bad, they both knew that prying information from the woman was a priority.
Lowering her top, Karmine gripped her bow once more; it seemed more of a habit than a safety precaution anymore. “I promise,” Karmine said, “that once we find a safer place to converse, I will answer any questions you may have.” She released her bow and turned away, walking towards their cabin. “Come, we must go. I don’t think that spy came alone.”
It took awhile for the pair to follow. Both were immensely confused at the turn of events unfolding before them. Deklan started to follow the woman, with Leiv right behind. “How do you know which way to go?” Deklan asked, curious.
“It does not take much skill to track the path on which you came from.” Karmine’s voice tingled with an old world tone, each syllable pronounced with grace and finesse. “You can ask our queen, I’m sure by the way she held her bow, there’s some knowledge of tracking in her.” Walking along paths they both came from, Karmine crouched low to inspect the dirt trails for clues, and proceeded to follow them back to the house.
It was midday by the time the cabin came into view. The weather cooled as the sun tinted them with an orange glow as the smell the dirt beneath their feet wafted into the air. A loud echo thundered past, causing them to immediately pivot their heads toward the only open window. A sharp pain took form in her head out of nowhere. It was a quick sensation, but quickly faded. Then, without hesitation, Leiv picked up her pace and sprinted towards the door. Before even grasping at the door’s latch, someone yanked her off the ground and circled their arms around her. They fell to the ground where the dragon rider proceeded to push them against the exterior of the house.
Struggling wasn’t an option. Karmine held her with an iron grip, refusing to let go. “We need to be smart about this,” she whispered, “if we barge in, there is no telling what may happen.” The woman spoke to Leiv like she was a child being taught a lesson. “I realize you might have friends in there, but if you don’t keep your head, you might just loose it.”
She knew Karmine was right, her own training dictated that she wait and think about the possibilities before rushing to the outcome. It wasn’t like her to be completely blind by the situation and just hurry in, but the last few days have been about survival and nothing could shake that adrenaline. When it came to those who were close, it became a do or die situation. In their position, she would rather skip the latter.
All three crouched low to the ground, listening intently to the noises made inside the cabin. Karmine continued to hold Leiv with a strong grip, while Deklan gazed at her with pleading eyes, hoping she would settle down for everyone’s sake.
When it was clear she wasn’t going anywhere, the woman released her hold cautiously, in the event Leiv decided to rethink a daring rescue. Another loud crash set her on edge, and it took Deklan’s warm hand on her forearm to calm the panic. Carefully, the woman lifted herself from the ground and peered in the window directly above them.
Their surroundings were extremely quiet. It seemed like all life went into hiding at that particular moment. Following suit, she and Deklan stood, still crouching slightly and looked into the cabin. There was a fast moving blur that passed their gazes, but immediately disappeared. It startled all three of them and had them questioning what they just saw.
By now, the sun almost fully dipped past the horizon, but still shined its last few rays into the window. It filled the room with an orange cast, coloring the room with golden hues. It was eerily silent in the empty space, all their things were scattered across the floor, some items breaking into an un-repairable state.
Her heart immediately dropped at the sight of her father completely motionless on the floor. Blood seeped from his mouth onto the wooden surface, causing the ground to stain a scarlet puddle. The only comfort she received was Eli’s body rising and falling with a slow, but stead rhythm. He was still alive, and in the end that was all that counted.
Surveying the room, Kenji was nowhere in sight. It took everything she had not to panic but calculate their predicament a little more carefully. Beside her, Deklan tapped her arm, and pointed to the bedroom. There, tied up to the bedpost was the also unconscious Kenji. His labored breathing wasn’t great news, but at least he was still alive.
He was on the floor; a post was the only thing preventing him from colliding face first onto the hard ground. The areas around his wrists were beginning to chafe as it was starting to tear the thin layer of skin. Kenji’s face was beaten, his left eye swelling up and there were several cuts across his arms. Strips of fabric that once were his shirt now hung from his body loosely; it looked like he had ran into a storm.
Suddenly it her. “Where is Hana?” She whispered under her breath.
Deklan’s breath hitched as he also scanned the room unable to find the silver-haired girl they all had promised to protect. She was missing.
The room was a disheveled mess; all the cups and plates lay spread across the floor. Chairs were tipped over as some lay in several pieces. The door had been opened with great force. It lay off to the side, a few feet away from the front entrance. Whoever had moved it possessed enough strength to carry a heavy wooden door, which was as heavy as a man.
They all stood simultaneously and ran over the broken threshold. Immediately, Leiv sprinted to her father who was face down on the floor. She shook him, lightly slapping his face till he came to. He grunted from the pain as his hand instantly cradled his head. Stains of black and blue colored the top corner of his forehead, looking so dark and fresh it was a wonder he was able to stay conscious.
“Are you alright?” She asked Eli.
He made the mistake of nodding as the searing pain caused him to cringe. “I will be,” Eli finally replied. “Eventually.”
Off in the room Karmine and Deklan surveyed Kenji’s wounds. He was still knocked out, and no matter what efforts were done to wake him turned futile. The injury must have really hurt him to the point of exhaustion. His body had completely shut down to reserve the remaining energy that was left.
She turned back to her father. “I don’t understand, what happened?”
Without assistance, he attempted to stand on his own, but had to lean heavily on Leiv to move towards the bedroom. It took strenuous effort to assist him. His height and weight easily surpassed her. Leiv helped him hobble to the bed and sat him down at its edge. Kenji’s ropes had been cut off, and he now was propped up at the bed’s corner. Like the front, the bedroom was a complete disaster. All their belongings were strewn across the space, leaving nothing intact. Every piece of clothing, packs or herbs had been all shredded from the attack.
Anger not only boiled inside her, but also regret that she was absent when the attackers chose to come. It would’ve been a whole different scenario if she had been there to intercept, and not only would she stop the crime, Leiv would have made them pay for their actions. Hadn’t they realized the lengths she would go to if someone hurt the people she loved? Had they been so blinded by their orders they wouldn’t know the repercussions? She knew that this attack wasn’t random, nor was it ill planned. They must have watched them and timed their movements precisely. They were smart enough to know that one hunter was bad, but two was a death sentence. It still didn’t make any sense though, how were they able to hurt Eli that and get away with it?
He was a trained fighter and an even deadlier hunter. There was a reason he was called death by those who happened to have heard his name in passing. Not only was he athletically built, but his wits were something else entirely. The cunningness he possessed was a talent most people coveted. Practically anything could have been turned into a weapon with Eli’s skills. His bare hands alone were instruments of destruction. So it begged the question: how had their attackers survived and managed to do away with Hana?
“What happened?” She asked again. “We heard a loud crash and when the three of us looked inside, they were just blurs that evaporated.” It still disturbed her what had happened, and Leiv couldn’t shake the odd sensation in the back of her mind. The side of her head was tingling, like someone had hit her. She shrugged it off and counted it as just nerves. “There is no way that regular men could have overpowered you.”
“These men weren’t normal people,” he replied. “They were battle mages.”
She was shocked and completely and utterly dismayed. “I thought they were outlawed all those years ago?”
“They were.”
Mages were a force to reckon with, but battle mages were something else entirely. Their training started when they were born and lasted until they were in their prime. Some developed faster than others, but all of them were made to be ruthless killers. Battle mages were born, not made. Power could only be passed through bloodlines, and only inherited by males. They wielded their power like any other mage would, by using the energy inside them and manifesting the elements. The difference between the two factions of mages was there ability to infuse energy. Those that were battle born possessed the ability to fuse their element into a weapon, making it deadlier than any guard or even hunter could wield.
They were ruled by the sovereign of their kingdom, and took orders from the king directly. Their job was like that of a hunter, but they worked in a group and were less silent on their assaults. They were the front-runners during a battle, and were usually the ones that paved the way for the soldiers to run through. After many years, the small number of mages that made up the group held an uprising to try and overthrow the king; their efforts failed. Most of their numbers dwindled during battle, and those who still stood after, were imprisoned for their crimes.
“Where did they come from?” Leiv asked, “I thought their numbers winded down to nothing, all those years ago?”
Eli shook his head. “Apparently, not all perished like we thought. They could have gone into hiding for a long time without anyone ever finding out. You can’t tell a regular mage from a battle born unless they use their weapons, and even then they don’t need to, unless they choose to.” He sighed a lengthy sigh, and closed his eyes for a moment, letting all the stress seep out before continuing. “This attack was unexpected. There were three of them, which easily outnumbered us, physically. I don’t know how they found us, but I do know they must be taking orders from a higher power. I don’t believe they would act on their own accord, especially because we have done nothing to provoke them.”
A loud shout erupted from the side of the bed. Kenji was wide-awake, sitting in agony as he clutched his arm and writhed with pain. His moans had her scrambling to his side, trying to see what was wrong. Karmine sat next to him with her legs folded underneath her. She had a blank look on her face, not even a slight show of concern passed the dragon rider’s features. Her hands were on her lap, palms up. There were streaks of blood smeared across its surface which certainly weren’t there before.
Without processing the thought completely, Leiv lunged across the floorboards and tackled Karmine. The dragon rider’s face was in complete disbelief at what just occurred. She merely blocked all of Leiv’s hits, refusing to fight back. It wasn’t that Leiv was stronger, but it was like the rider had no will to throw a punch her way.
Karmine’s refusal to fight back forced Leiv to stop her assault on the woman. “Why are you just laying there?” She yelled. “Get up and fight me!” Leiv continued her wave of slaps and hits, landing each one with a hard blow.
Through the grunts and shortness of breath, the rider managed to speak through gritted teeth. “If you would only…let me explain, then maybe…we can get pass this.”
“What did you do to my friend?” She said, moving her face close enough that it almost skimmed the tip of the woman’s nose.
A hand wrapped around her upper arm. “Leiv,” Kenji said, “she helped me.” A pained moan escaped his lips, but he pushed it off like it didn’t matter.
She paused and looked at him still clutching his arm. “What do you mean?”
“If you could kindly get off of me,” Karmine interjected, “then maybe I can explain.”
Without taking her eyes off the woman, Leiv maneuvered off to the side. She wrapped her arms around Kenji, who in turn laid his head on her shoulders. It was a gesture so small, but to her it was a great relief.
Karmine dusted debris off her clothes and returned to her previous spot. “It’s simple, his arm was broken and I merely set his bones back into place.” She pointed to the fixed Kenji’s arm.
“Thank you.” Leiv said, slightly embarrassed for her actions.
“I know you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them.” The rider said.
Deklan asked first and it was obvious he had wanted to ask it for some time. “When you first encountered us, how did your arrow miss Leiv? I don’t know your particular skill set, but from your formation and tactics, I gather missing is not your strongest attribute.” He ran a hand through his hair, a sure sign of fatigue setting in. She had first noticed the gesture at Kenji’s inn right before the guards came. Leiv barely noticed it, and she doubted Deklan knew about his little quirk.
The dragon rider regarded him with nothing more than mutual acknowledgement. It was a gesture only used for those you wished to have nothing to do with, but tried your best to get along, for arguments sake. “Our line derives from her ancient blood,” Karmine said, pointing to the young queen. “It is physically impossible for us to harm our rulers, the ancestors took an oath to serve and protect them, even if it costed us our lives.” She cleared her throat. “No rider can cause her any harm, no matter what we do.”
It took effort for Deklan not to scream at the rider and keep his calm. “So, you’re telling me that if she hadn’t been your queen, that arrow would’ve killed her?”
“Precisely.” Karmine replied with a nonchalant tone.
His hands balled into fists. Leiv hadn’t realized how much he actually cared for her well being till that moment. Even if Deklan didn’t realize what he was doing, it was plainly obvious to her. Without thinking, she reached across to where he stood and placed her hand under his fist, tightly holding it while stroking the top of his fingers. It was the most intimate gesture she had ever given someone outsider her immediate circle of family and friends, and for a reason she couldn’t understand, it just felt right.
It felt like the air around them both had changed, everything felt completely different in that small amount of time. Deklan stilled as soon as she touched him, his breathing came out in uneven waves, forcing himself not to clutch her hand the same way she held his. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, he was afraid of what may happen if they pursued whatever feelings were being transferred back and forth.
No one in the room noticed, except one person, Kenji. She met his eyes as his brows arched up in question. He then moved his attention to Deklan who now eyed him with a question of his own. Sudden jealousy flared up, causing the prince to clutch her hand in return. Leiv wanted no part of their spat, and immediately released his grip on her hands. He was surprised, but didn’t dare push it in front of everyone, so he let it go.
“What you mean to tell me,” Deklan said, “is that you blatantly disregarded her life in your attempt to do what exactly?”
“I wanted to know if she was in fact the princess I thought had perished all those years ago,” Karmine replied. “If she was, then my arrow would simply miss her and no harm would befall our queen.”
Her father spoke next, his posture straightened on the bed. “Do you have no regard for human life?” He said, anger fueling his voice. “You could have killed an innocent person if she wasn’t who you thought she was.” Eli had his fair share of killings, but never had he killed an innocent on purpose. It was against what he stood for, and it was definitely the opposite of what she thought to be right.
“You have no idea how long I have been waiting for a miracle.” Karmine raised her voice to top the angry hunters. “For 17 years I have been stuck on this side of the portal with no way of returning home. My dragon, Ryu, is on the other side with no means of passage. My friends are stuck, and dragon riders who are born on this side have no way to bond with their dragons, causing them to die.”
“I didn’t-“ Eli started to say.
“No you didn’t,” the rider interrupted, forcefully. “The world is not black and white, and there are more lives at stake than you care to realize.” She looked to her queen. “Our people need you to stop this madness, and help us preserve our line. It is not only your job, but also your duty. You alone can stop this and save lives. Without someone who can open the portal, and guide us, we have no hope. It had come to the point where I had almost given up, and when I shot at you before it was the last bits of my sanity withering away, but seeing you here, alive, has helped me renew that faith.”
She was blown away by the rider’s complete faith in her, and bowed her head to acknowledge it. “I don’t want to sound blunt, but who are you?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“You don’t feel like just a rider, there’s something different. When I looked into Deklan’s aura it felt normal, like a natural feeling but very subtle. Your aura feels stronger and somehow closer to me, but I don’t know how that’s possible.”
Karmine understood her question. “I was very close to your mother, so close in fact that when I reached the right age I was appointed her vigil – a watcher of sorts. My duty was to protect her, and oversee anything that crossed her path. When it concerned the queen, it always involved me.” The rider’s voice dipped as she closed her eyes for a split second. “But, in the end I couldn’t protect her. She told me to help find the other riders before the portal closed, but I did not get back in time.”
“You were doing what you were told and it wasn’t your fault. My mother did her job as well and there is no one to blame, but the King who started this whole mess in the first place.”
Pain and confliction still echoed through the rider. Leiv knew the only way she would feel closure is if the portal were to open once again. Seeing the strength completely evaporate from a strong fighter like Karmine, it was like a piece of her diminished.
Karmine straightened her back. “You are right my queen,” she said, “there is no use feeling sorry for myself when there is so much that can be done about it.” A flame ignited somewhere in the rider’s eyes and after 17 years of waiting, hope had finally arrived at her doorstep just waiting for her to step pass the threshold.
Carefully placing Kenji up against the bed, she stood straighter than she ever had, coming face to face with the rider. “If what you say is true, then it would be my honor if you would become my vigil. You served your last queen with honor, and I hope you extend that same respect towards me.” Leiv knew she was far from the previous queen of dragons, her mother. But something insider said that walking the same path as the queen before would be disrespecting who she was as a person. Instead, she needed to walk her own path and create roads that lead her onto the direction she wanted to head towards.
It would have been an understatement to say that Karmine was shocked at the question, but instead could have been classified as complete astonishment. It took a good minute before the rider cleared her throat to answer. “I would be honored,” she bowed, “your majesty.”
“Only if you want to of course.”
The rider took both Leiv’s hands in hers. “It would be a great honor to serve milady.” She squeezed, and then lowered her palms. “Your mother would have been proud to see the how much you have grown into a beautiful woman.”
“Thank you,” Leiv said, voice dropping down to a feint whisper. “I appreciate the sentiment.”
“It is nothing that is not true.”
Leiv smiled. “Where do we go from here?” It was the one question she continued asking herself before going anywhere, and it still continued to be the one question she had yet to answer.
A smiled played on the rider’s lips. “We find those mages and rescue Hana.”