All of Silay’s anger at Talis, at the plague, suddenly found an outlet. As did Riya's training. Talis had learned sword fighting. He hadn't been taught the down and dirty fighting Riya had shown her. The minute the two of them hit the ground, Silay drew up her knee and slammed it into Talis' stomach. He gasped as the air was driven out of his lungs and fell back on the ground. Silay threw her leg over his body, and sat straddling his chest, wishing desperately she still had her dagger. Instead, she pressed her hand against his throat. "Don't move."
He didn't. Either she had kneed him harder than she'd thought, or he was just too surprised to react. Whatever the case, she didn't have to hold him down long. Running footsteps marked the approach of Riya, followed closely by Jarlen. They helped Silay pull Talis to his feet, and tie and him up. After checking his bonds were secure, they stepped away to discuss what to do next.
"I, for one, would like to vote for punching him in the nose."
Jarlen gave Silay a half smile. "I'm inclined to agree with you."
"I think you're missing the point." Riya looked between the two. "Why the change? He came to us for help. Just yesterday he was showing you how to fence properly. It doesn't make sense."
Jarlen nodded thoughtfully. "I wonder if he knows something we don't."
"We didn't tie him up last night," Silay pointed out. "Maybe he met up with someone."
Riya shook her head. "He couldn't have left the camp. We shared the watches between the three of us."
Silay shrugged. "Then he couldn't have contacted someone. Unless-"
"Unless what?"
Instead of answering, Silay walked over to Talis. What Riya had said made sense. For Talis to switch from helping them to attacking Jarlen, something must have made him change his mind. And if he hadn't left the camp, there was only one way someone could have contacted him.
"Where is it?" She nudged him gently with her foot, but Talis flinched as if she'd kicked him. It seemed he wasn't as brave as he had been acting. He also didn't need to ask Silay what she was looking for.
"The bottom hem of my left pant leg."
Silay ran her hand along the seam until she found what she was looking for. Wriggling the object from its small pocket, she turned and held up her prize so Jarlen and Riya could see. Between her thumb and forefinger she was holding a Farstone.
Jarlen took the stone from Silay, they looked at Talis. "Whom did you contact?"
"I didn't call anyone."
"No?" Jarlen raised his eyebrows. "Do you expect me to believe that?"
"He's telling the truth." Jarlen and Riya looked at Silay, surprised by her claim. Ignoring them, she continued to address Talis. "You are, aren't you? You didn't call anyone. I think you meant it, about wanting help, I mean. But someone called you."
Talis dropped his chin to his chest. "Kahoz. Things...are changing. That's all he said. That, and to come meet him."
"Did he say where?" Jarlen's voice was gruff.
"No." Talis shook his head. "I was just to get away from you, then contact him to find out where I should go. I told him you had caught me and were holding me captive."
"Well, that's certainly the case now," Riya pointed out. "Good job making your lie come true."
"But I didn't want to!" He looked at Silay desperately. "I didn't want any of this to happen! But he has my blood! I had to do what he said!"
Despite her defense of Talis just a moment ago, his plea struck a wrong chord with Silay. Something about blood magic. Not what he was saying now, but something he had said earlier. Suddenly, it clicked. They had all thought Talis, and therefore Kahoz, didn’t know about her immunity to magic. But perhaps that wasn’t the case.
"Talis, when you found us two nights ago, when you first asked for help... what was it you said?"
"What I just said. That Kahoz has my blood."
"Not that." Silay chose her next words carefully, reasoning through what she was about to say. "You said Kahoz also has my blood?”
“Look, I said I was sorry—”
“But it doesn’t matter, does it? That Kahoz has my blood. He didn’t track us with it, because magic doesn’t work on me.”
Talis frowned. “Fine, yes. I left that part out to scare you. Kahoz has your blood, but he isn’t able to do anything with it. He tried. I didn’t think you would help me otherwise.”
“How did he track us then?”
Talis didn’t answer.
“Answer the question,” Jarlen commanded.
“Or what?” Talis met the man’s eyes. “You’ll hurt me? I doubt it. Promise to help me, and I’ll help you. Until then, I’m done talking.”
Jarlen and Silay exchanged glances. Neither of them trusted Talis, but he was also right that none of them were willing to hurt him to get information.
“I—” Riya’s voice trailed off, and Silay and Jarlen turned to look at her.
“Riya! Are you all right?” Silay had never seen her so pale.
The magician shook her head. “I…I don’t feel so good.” She started to tip forward, and Jarlen stepped over and grabbed her arm.
“Careful there.” He caught Silay’s eye. “Help me?”
Silay darted forward and placed Riya’s arm over her shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I just feel weak all of a sudden.”
Jarlen took charge. “Silay, take Riya into the closest house and see if you can find a place for her to sit or lie down. I’ll go get our packs.”
Silay nodded and turned toward the house, surprised by how much of Riya’s weight she was having to support.
“What about me?”
Jarlen glared at Talis. “You’re fine just where you are. We’ll decide what to do with you later.” He lingered long enough to make sure Silay was able to hold up Riya, then headed for the gate where they had left their packs.
***
The inside of the house told a lot more about what had happened at Turvew than the outside had. Or at least, it showed what hadn’t happened. All of the furniture seemed to be intact, but there was no food, blankets, or clothes. Whoever lived here had packed before leaving. It was certainly a better sign than an abandoned house full of food. People had fled the town in a hurry, but not in a panic. After Silay made sure Riya was sleeping, albeit fitfully, in one of the bedrooms, she joined Jarlen in the kitchen. When he returned with their supplies, they secured Talis in the bedroom farthest from Riya’s, then retired to the kitchen.
“What’s wrong with her? Can you do anything to help?”
Jarlen looked up from his seat at the kitchen table, looking as exhausted as Silay felt. “She isn’t sick. It’s the collar.”
“I knew it hurt her. I just didn’t think it was bad enough to make her, well, like this.”
“I’m a bit surprised by it too, to be honest.” He shook his head. “She must be a more powerful magician than I thought.”
“What do you mean?”
“The collars aren’t really made to be worn for long periods of time. There are other ways to block a magician’s power that doesn’t hurt them. But those ways can take time to set up, so the collars were designed as a temporary solution for containing dangerous magicians.”
“What does that have to do with how powerful Riya is?” As always, Silay found herself drawn to any information about magic she could learn.
“The collars work by essentially reflecting a magician’s power back on him, or her, self. Their own magic fuels them. So the stronger the magician, the stronger its effects.” He shrugged. “Riya is an illusionist. That’s the easiest kind of magic there is. It just changes how things seem to be, not their actual nature. I knew the collar would affect her like this eventually, but I thought it would have taken at least a few more days.”
“But Riya turned her donkey yellow,” Silay pointed out. “It’s not just an illusion. He’s really stuck that way.”
Jarlen raised her eyebrows. “That is interesting. And her with no formal training. It’s possible she doesn’t realize how much power, and skill, it takes to do something like that.”
Silay shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, really. What matters is that we figure out what to do now.”
Jarlen nodded in agreement. “That’s why I wanted you to meet me in the kitchen. I don’t want Talis to overhear what we’re about to do.” He held up the Farstone. “It’s time we check in with the Seer.”
***
“Jarlen!” The relief in the Seer’s voice was clear. “I’ve been worried.”
“I’m sorry. We were—”
“Ambushed. I know. I’ve just had trouble tracking you since then. Silay’s proximity blurs the future around you.”
Across the table from Jarlen, Silay blushed.
The Seer continued. “It is good you were able to contact me. The future has changed. There is still a plague, but now there is war as well.”
“You mean I’ve made things worse?!” Silay fell silent at a glance from Jarlen. The Seer couldn’t hear her, after all.
“War with whom?” Jarlen asked.
“With S'veal. Kahoz’s homeland. I believe you have met him?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“He contacted me recently, and I believe you may be in danger from him.”
“We captured Talis. He was working for him.”
“Ah. That explains how he was tracking you. The best thing to do now is to send the boy away and get to someplace safe. Are you far from Sojan?”
Jarlen paused before answering and looked at Silay. She knew what he was asking and shook her head no. “I’m not leaving Riya.”
Jarlen nodded and answered the Seer. “Riya isn’t well. She was collared, and I don’t think she can travel.”
“Where are you?”
“Turvew. But we don’t even have horses.”
“Then I will contact Sojan and have them send you help. You are close enough that they should be able to reach you before Kahoz.” The Seer fell silent for a moment. “Is Silay there?”
“Yes.”
“Then give her this hope. I no longer See the plague spreading as far as it once did. And I believe the war can be prevented.”
The Farstone stopped glowing and Jarlen set it down.
“Now what?”
“We get some rest.”
Silay nodded in agreement, and after checking on Riya, spread out her bedroll besides the magician’s bed and fell into a blessedly dreamless sleep.
__________
A little less of a cliffhanger ending for you :) If you liked this post, please don't forget to vote by clicking on the little star! Votes help Undestined move up in the rankings, which helps other people find the story to read. Plus, every vote is an extra smile on my face for the day :)
This post is dedcated to @MizMouse. She isn't an writer here on Wattpad, but she is an amazing reader. Her comments on Undestined left me smiling all day. Plus, I owe her for making her post that she was looking forward to Monday :)