Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Five mares stood in a line at the edge of Palerman, watching dawn break through the draping branches of the cypher trees that marked the western edge of the city.
The air was still but for the muttering of the forest creatures.
I felt their eyes and ears around us, monitoring the actions of the warriors in their presence and assessing any threat.
The land we would travel over was theirs as much as it was ours.
We may guard the Mystique Mountain Range, the source of the magic in this world and all others, but those creatures pulsed with it, gifted to them by Gerrenth, the God of Nature, and Lynxenon, the God of Mythical Beings.
They belonged to the power that ran in rivulets beneath the ground as much as we did.
It was responsible for the bountiful growth in the plains, the temperate climate of our territory, and the steady hum in the air now.
It controlled the balance of life and death, good and evil, strength and weakness.
We warriors were sworn to it. The earth and creatures worked in tandem with it.
Rolling green hills stretched out beyond the leaves, the grass shining with drops of rain from the previous night. You could smell it on the air; that scent of promise after a storm. Like anything could happen under the clear blue skies.
Sapphire shifted beneath me, her ears twitching impatiently. It had been so long since she had truly stretched her legs, using those powerful muscles we had honed over years of training. Since any of us had.
My horse read my tense energy and budding excitement, exhaling noisily. On my right, Jezebel’s mare, Elektra, returned the huff, her coat and mane gleaming like a bolt of silver, carved from pure lightning.
“It’s now or never,” Tolek whispered from my left.
I looked to where he sat upon his golden mare, Astania. Her brown eyes were the exact shade of the warrior’s atop her, as if they were cut from the same slip of soul. They both turned those deep eyes upon me now, awaiting my signal.
I listened to the forest, the plains, the buzzing of insects and flapping of wings.
Birds of morning called to each other as the sun’s pale rays flashed, igniting earth and grass and rock to call us forward.
The pin my grandmother had gifted me for my birthday glinted on my chest where I’d forced it through the thick material of my leathers.
I covered it with my hand briefly, tapping into the Soulguider heritage I contained, asking for guidance.
Then, I lifted my chin, a faint breeze gracing my cheeks, and inhaled the possibilities on the wind.
“It’s time.”
I nudged Sapphire with my heels, and she crossed the final boundary between our shelter of a city and what lay beyond.
The first hours of the trek dragged. The Palermanian sun—no, no longer Palermanian. We had left our home behind. This was the sun of the Wild Plains of the Mystique Territory of Gallantia. And it beat down on us, warm and bright, kissing away my doubt with each stride of the horse beneath me.
I could tell by the way that Sapphire pranced, her head high and tail swishing, that she appreciated the freedom of the open plains. Her muscles flexed and released, the most natural I’d ever felt her move. Every step became longer, more advantageous, seeking the next hill and the next valley.
She was swift, a starborn horse embracing the wild spirit of her heart.
And I sat astride her, following her unrestricted spirit, destiny burning in my veins.
Sapphire let out a high whinny, echoed by the four mares around us, and I called out with her. For the first time in two years, I felt my spirit shimmering within me, alive and wild and healing.
“I’ll tie up the horses,” Cyph offered when we stopped at dusk.
He extended a hand for Sapphire’s reins, the assortment of daggers strapped to his arms and torso glinting.
I’d nearly laughed at how many he brought.
But as I’d gathered what I needed for the journey, I’d slid the twin daggers he’d given me into my pack.
I kissed Sapphire’s nose, running my hands through her deep blue mane. She nudged me as she turned, and a wave of understanding passed between us. Sapphire and I, we were one and the same, born to be outside of gates. Tasting the freedom on the air and following the call of the wind.
As she dipped her head to drink from the water Cyph provided, the sunset streaked out from behind wisps of clouds. The fading light turned the sky shades of pale pink and lavender, dancing across her hide, making her appear mythic and giving me a sense of calm.
The first day of our journey had passed easily.
We had covered more ground than expected, barely resting until now.
All of us had been at ease, free. The hours beside my friends—Tolek and Cypherion sparking debates with Jezebel, Santorina collecting interesting plants, and me savoring it all—had been bliss.
I could only hope for that to continue over the coming days. Though, as I sank into the shadows of the trees and watched tranquil dusk fall to dark night, I reminded myself that peace rarely lasted. And I had a tainted fate awaiting me.
Jezebel and Tolek were pulling food from our packs, setting out a small picnic of bread, cheese, and dried fruits.
I leaned against the white wood of a cypher and breathed deeply.
The ancient trees of our world, said to have sprouted up many millennia ago when magic first flowed through our land, buzzed against my back in acknowledgment of the power in my own blood.
I let my eyes drift closed against the willowing branches to feel that mystical energy more deeply, allow it to support me.
With each step we took out of Palerman, my blood pumped faster, bursting with the world’s energy.
A small piece of me remained unsure about abandoning our home without warning, but each minute that passed affirmed my decision.
The wind whistled in my ears and along my skin, telling me I belonged here.
This world—our world—called to me.
Only moments of peace lasted before Jezebel’s and Tolek’s voices interrupted my reverie, their sharp tongues lashing out at each other.
“Why, in the name of the Spirit-sent Angels, would you light a fire?” Jezebel questioned, her words harsh but a hint of a laugh hiding behind them.
“Well, I have no intention of freezing my damn balls off tonight. I rather like them.” Rocks scraped together as he attempted to tease embers out of them, grimacing with each failed attempt.
For a moment, I enjoyed the site of Tolek not being naturally gifted at something, exchanging a smirk with Cyph and Rina behind his back.
“Yes, why suffer a slight chill when you can attract a violent predator? That would be much preferred.” Jezebel crossed her arms over her chest, the black leather of her training garb turning her body into a shadow in the setting sun.
Tol stopped his tinkering and turned a sharp expression on my sister, his brows rising as he shook his head.
“Oh, by the ever-damned Angels,” he muttered.
“And just what threats are you expecting us to meet in this grove, Jez?” He was teasing her, a short breath of a chuckle passing through his lips.
But Jezebel’s face turned to stone. “We don’t know everything that lurks beyond those trees, Tolek Vincienzo. These lands are rife with magic. It would be naive to assume otherwise.”
Her eyes were alight, the tawny harboring streaks of gold brighter than Angellight. From my perch against the tree, I shivered at the power in Jezzie’s words, but Tolek did not flinch. He only locked eyes with her.
I bit my lip as I watched their battle of wills.
Tolek and I goaded each other, but he and Jezebel had always been worse, tempers clashing like siblings ever since the day my three-year-old sister had grabbed Tolek’s training sword.
He, six at the time, had shoved her to the dirt, then immediately went wide-eyed at his action and bent to help her up.
Jezzie, to her credit, had grinned and pushed him back.
Even then, a deeper understanding passed between them.
Maybe it was because they were both secondborn and therefore relieved of many of the pressures first children carried, but it was like they were pieces of a greater game in the universe, moving in tandem.
But I’d had enough of their arguing for one evening. We had days ahead of us on this journey, so I pushed off the tree and moved to interrupt. “Jez is right, Tol. We should be on alert and not draw unnecessary attention. We can use a mystlight lantern, but a fire will be too noticeable.”
A frown cut across his face, but he dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. “Fine, I’ll set out the sleeping mats, then.” His black leathers hugged his lean muscles as he turned away.
Jez and I rolled our eyes at his male ego.
I discarded my weapons, folding my legs beneath me to join the circle of my friends around the lantern.
But I kept Starfire and the spear close—just in case.
Jezebel was right; much of Gallantia was a mystery.
It was subject to the same magic we harnessed, but we knew not how the rivulets beneath the soil would be manipulated.
At the source, the essence was a beautiful thing—raw and effervescent, promising and fickle—but it was wise to be wary of power.
I pulled my canteen from my bag and unscrewed the top, taking a deep swig of the burning liquid inside. It numbed the nerves that had been spreading through my body since we set up camp. The mares’ low breathing helped me calm my own.
“Can I have a sip?” Cyph asked, setting aside the map he’d been holding to the light, rechecking our route. “I drained mine when we settled and would prefer not to search for a stream in the dark.”