Marked By Destiny, page 9
“It’s a long journey, but I promise you, it will go faster than you think.”
Ira nodded, but her face grew pale. Thameus’ lips curved in a knowing smile, and he softly clapped her on the back.
“Don’t worry, little warrior, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it. Like a distant memory resurfacing.” He gave her a wink before walking away to do a perimeter check.
Ira took a deep breath as she readied herself, and her still very cramped up legs, to dismount Marigold.
“Would you like a hand? It was a long day of riding.” Kaiden offered while standing a respectable distance away from her.
Ira only shot him a glare over her shoulder, hating how her cheeks heated at the double entendre in his sentence. As she swung one wobbly leg over, she knew there was no way she could steadily catch herself from her dismount.
As soon as her foot touched the ground, her entire leg collapsed beneath her, and she braced herself for the impact of her body slamming into the forest floor. Instead, the hard surface she slammed into was the torso of a muscular body, as two strong hands caught her waist.
“Easy there.” Kaiden’s breath tickled her ear, his voice low.
Ira’s stomach clenched. She wanted to rip her body out of his grasp, but every muscle seemed to turn to liquid.
“I’m fine,” she grit out through her teeth.
“I’m pretty sure if I let you go, you would collapse to the ground right now.”
“I would not.”
“Should we test the theory?”
Ira instinctively grabbed his forearms to brace herself in case he actually let go. His low chuckle caused a shiver to trickle down the back of her neck while a fury burned in her core.
“I can walk just fine.” She used his forearms to balance her body before pushing away from him.
He conceded without another word, and she made sure he was fully out of sight before she let herself collapse against Marigold’s side. Every one of her muscles ached, and all she could think about doing was laying down right where she stood and taking what felt like a long overdue nap.
“Nela, let’s start working on those wards.” Thameus’ voice chimed from a distance.
Ira stiffly walked over to them deciding she had had more than enough alone time with Kaiden.
She watched thoughtfully as Nela stretched her arms out, hands spread open and palms forward as she began to recite different incantations. An almost milky blue substance of magic sprouted out of Nela’s fingertips as she went through a handful of different spells before plopping on the ground next to Ira, panting.
Even though Thameus insisted on the importance of knowing how to build a tent using their bare hands and not magic, every time he turned his back, Nela cast charms on the different materials so that they would spring to life and begin to put themselves together. As Ira watched her do this with practiced ease, she began to wonder why anyone would build anything with their bare hands.
When Ira and Nela’s tents were built long before Thameus or Kaiden finished theirs, Thameus gave the two girls a glowering look of disapproval. They only beamed in response before breaking into hysteric giggles and ducking into one of their tents.
Ira began to think that two lunar phases of this wouldn’t actually be that bad. Albeit she could do without the stiffness that proceeded after an entire day of horseback riding.
There was only one problem. Without any liquor to numb her twisted mind, images of Jameson’s practically severed head, the grotesque smell of burning flesh and the haunting sounds of tortured screaming flooded every single one of Ira’s senses when she went to close her eyes.
With a combination of dread and horror, Ira realized she had no idea how she was going to sleep.
Chapter 12
“We’re actually ahead of schedule.” Thameus beamed while looking up at the sun. He used one of his large, tanned hands to shield his eyes. “If I’m correct, we will be marking the halfway point in our next camp stop.”
“So, we will be arriving to StoneGlass early?” Ira tried to hide the hope that spilled into her every word.
She deduced that the sooner she got into the village, the sooner she should be able to find some liquor to drown her subconscious, and the sooner she could finally get a single night of sleep. It had been just over an entire lunar phase of restless sleep. Thirty-five days to be exact. Ira was keeping a meticulous count as each passing day caught up to her more aggressively.
“I think we’ll take the extra few days to rest the horses, actually. Stay in one place for a bit longer. That should prepare them for the trek through the mountains. That is where our pace will slow considerably.”
Ira gritted her teeth. While her body had become accustomed to the long days of travel, her mind was splintering each night she woke from a nightmare. A few even left her in such a state that she had to flee from her tent to wretch in the bushes. Purplish bruised bags lined under eyes, and all of her features seemed to become more sunken with each passing day.
“It looks like a few stationary days of rest could be good for you,” Kaiden cut in giving Ira a worried glance.
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion,” Ira snapped, rolling her eyes.
Thus far during this trip, Ira had done an excellent job at avoiding Kaiden. Besides the few correspondences they had in the beginning, everything after that turned into single-word responses or, more commonly, her scowling in his general direction.
With time, Kaiden became more withdrawn from her, which is exactly what Ira wanted. The combination of her inability to sleep and her continuous haunting nightmare that now featured her parents screaming for her help left Ira with an incredibly short fuse when it came to Kaiden. Every time she looked into his eyes, she was transported right back to him reassuring her that her parents would be okay.
In truth, each day turned into almost the perfect pattern.
Wake up. Eat. Travel. Eat midday meal. Travel. Make camp. Avoid Kaiden at all costs. Watch Nela set up the wards. Eat supper. Sneak into Nela’s tent. Talk until Nela eventually falls asleep. Sneak back into her own tent. Try her best to sleep. Wake from her nightmare. Wait until the sun rises. Repeat.
Ira had also grown increasingly close with Nela. Something about the always optimistic sorceress drew her right in, and even though they were the same age, Ira felt the need to protect her at all costs grow stronger with each day they were on the trip.
“I think some extra rest could be great for all of us.” Nela gave both Ira and Kaiden a reassuring smile.
One thing Ira had picked up on within the group was that Nela was always the peacemaker. Whether it was Kaiden and Thameus bickering about the best route for the day, or Ira giving in to her exhaustion and picking a fight, Nela was always able to smooth over the issue with her kind eyes and spirit-lifting smile.
Feeling her over-tired irritation prickle at the back of her neck, Ira decided to let her horse fall to the back of the group. Not talking was definitely going to be better for her, but she couldn’t stop her wandering ears from eavesdropping on Nela and Kaiden.
“I have a couple of new spells I need to practice, or I’ll be behind when we get back to StoneGlass. Nefret prepped me on them before we left.” Nela’s whimsical voice immediately began chatting away.
“Let me guess,” Kaiden drawled, giving her a half-smile, “you would like to practice them with me.”
Nela turned her brows upward, letting her eyes grow wide and pouting out her lower lip. On anyone else, this face would have looked ridiculous, but on Nela, it was too adorable to refuse. Kaiden rolled his eyes shaking his head, his shaggy hair bouncing around.
“Please, Kaiden. You do owe me after all.”
“I owe you?!” Kaiden mock scoffed. “And what exactly do I owe you for?”
“For putting up with your brooding attitude all the time.” Nela stated the words as if they were fact, not opinion.
Kaiden barked out a laugh, and Ira felt a smile twitch at the corners of her mouth. She quickly dropped her head to hide the amusement on her face. As she looked down and patted Marigold’s neck, Ira couldn’t help but think about how Kaiden’s laugh sounded almost musical as it bounced off the trees. There was something comforting in it. Something familiar.
“You know I think the pouting might work better for you than your debate skills.” Kaiden pushed his hair out of his eyes, giving Nela a sidelong glance. There was such a child-like glee glistening behind Nela’s pale blue eyes as she leaned closer to him.
“Pleeeaaasssseeeee.” The slight whine sounded foreign coming out of Nela’s mouth as she drew out the single word.
“Be careful. If you fall off your horse, I won’t help you back on it, and I definitely will not let you ride with me if you get hurt.”
Nela furrowed her brow, and Kaiden let out a deep sigh.
“So… is that a yes?”
“Fine. I will help you practice your new spells, but I swear to Aylania, if this is another set of spells that leaves me sopping wet or with singed off eyebrows, I will not help you practice any more spells ever, and you’ll owe me.”
“It’s nothing like that. They’re just mild transfiguration spells.”
“Come again.”
Nela bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at Kaiden’s mix of shock, awe and horror.
“I’m only kidding!” Nela burst into song-like laughter. Her hand clamped over her mouth to try and suppress another wave of giggles that desperately wanted to escape. “Could you imagine if we transfigured people?” Nela wiped away the tears that pinched out of the corners of her eyes.
“You’re lucky your destiny in life wasn’t to be a jester,” Kaiden snarked, but there was a noticeable hint of amusement dancing around in his eyes.
Before Ira could stop it, she found herself studying him. There was something so brotherly about him when he was with Nela, and Ira couldn’t lie to even herself about how she found it admirable. It actually infuriated her on some occasions because it made it harder for her to want to hate him.
Her lingering gaze soon switched from adoration to attraction as she scoured over his features—from his fierce, bright eyes, to his steady hands firmly gripping his horse’s reigns. She could hate him all she wanted, but she couldn’t deny how attractive he was. Ira’s gaze began to trail back up his body, taking their time as they scanned over his defined arms and sculpted chest. When her eyes landed back on his face, she realized she was staring directly into his icy irises, and her bottom lip was caught between her teeth.
Her eyes widened as his darkened, and she quickly dropped her gaze. A heat rose in her cheeks and spread down her neck. She dared to peak back over at Kaiden and saw that he was no longer looking back at her, but a small smile quirked at the corner of his mouth.
“Don’t you get tired from putting these wards up every night?” Ira let the blades of grass tickle her exposed skin as she watched Nela work.
This campsite was a much larger spot than the single night sites they had been stopping at. There was a nice clearing Thameus found that had a winding dirt path leading to a small stream that fed into a gorgeous lake. With the mountains growing closer, the glacier water that fed into the stream and lake made for a truly refreshing experience. Ira wanted nothing more than to jump right into that lake and scrub away all the grime, sweat, and muck that seemed caked onto her skin.
They made it to the campsite earlier than Thameus had anticipated, leaving plenty of daylight for the group to do with what they wished. So, theoretically, Ira could be swimming right now, but she knew that’s where Kaiden would be spending most of his time these next few days.
She often found he would linger and spend time alone by whatever bodies of water he could find. Ira desperately itched to ask him why, to peel back even just one layer of his mysterious, mission-driven exterior, but then she would remind herself that she didn’t care about him or what he did with his time.
Even the other night, she almost caught herself saying thank you when he dropped a small bag of almonds in her snack satchel. She couldn’t remember if she ever told him they were her favorite, and she had no idea where he found them, but instead of saying thank you she only pointed out that he couldn’t buy her forgiveness with food.
He didn’t say anything back.
“Ira?”
Ira shook the memory from her head and focused back on Nela, whose brows were curved in concern.
“Sorry. What were you saying?”
Nela giggled. “I was answering your question.” She gracefully plopped down next to Ira and looked at her work. For the first few moments after Nela set up the wards there would be a shimmering, silvery hue that would slowly fade away into nothing.
“Right.” Ira nodded slowly. “What did I ask?”
Nela didn’t even try to hide her amusement. “Something on your mind?”
“Not really.” Ira’s exhaustion betrayed her with a long yawn.
“Speaking of being tired, how are you sleeping? You know I haven’t totally gotten it down yet, but I’ve been working on my comfort charms if you need me to try some on your tent.”
“I’m okay.” Ira smiled extra big to try and hide the second yawn that was trying to rip free from her mouth. Nela gave her an unconvinced look.
“You asked me if I get tired from putting up the wards,” she said, mercifully changing the subject.
“Oh, right! Don’t you?”
“Not with Thameus here thankfully. Wards can typically be exhausting and need multiple sorcerers to uphold since they are a constant drain on your magic for as long as they’re up. But, with Thameus being my magic powerhouse out here, I barely feel it even zap me. Not to mention, we’re still in Zoklanthe, which aside from Hidarthe, is probably the safest place you can be in terms of the war. So, the wards I’m putting up are much less intricate since the threat of danger is vastly lower.”
“We’ve already traveled that far?” Ira’s mind reeled at the thought of how much and little she’d seen of the land she so desperately wanted to explore.
“Yeah, once we start to get into the mountains, our pace will slow considerably, though.”
“What do you mean by Thameus is your magic powerhouse?” Ira laid back in the grass, closing her eyes against the sun’s harsh light.
“Well, you know how centaurs hold old magic with them?” Nela asked nonchalantly.
“Nela, until you said that, I didn’t even know there was new or old magic.”
Nela bolted upright, her excitement practically radiating from her skin. Ira learned very early on that Nela loved what she called “learning opportunities.” More specifically, she loved any chance to educate someone about the history of magic in Mundetia.
“Alright, tell me everything.” Ira closed her eyes again, placing her hands behind her head. She let the sun’s warmth wash over her as Nela dove into her explanation.
“So, the legend is that when Mundetia was first created, before it was broken into the nine kingdoms, centaurs, dwarves, elves, and faeries all came from a source of magic. However, in their birth into the land, only elves and faeries gained the ability to wield this magic. Centaurs and dwarves simply became vessels for it but couldn’t wield it. What was interesting was that elves and faeries always found their magic to be stronger when used in the presence of centaurs and dwarves.” All the words came spilling out of Nela without her taking a breath.
“Once sorcerers learned of this ability, they began working with centaurs and dwarves to try and decipher just how this source of magic could be used or wielded. Ideally, the original goal was to figure out how the centaurs and dwarves could wield it themselves, but instead, they discovered how they could work together to channel their magic source into the sorcerer’s magic. So, when I’m putting up these wards, I use those techniques to keep from completely draining my magic supply.”
“What about Thameus?”
“He can barely feel it. That’s what’s so amazing about their ability to hold onto this magic. The force of magic they possess is so strong that it would take a lot for them to feel the amount they’re using, especially for simple protection wards.”
Ira pondered this for a moment.
“Do you really believe they were trying to help the dwarves and centaurs figure out how to channel this magic?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if I knew of a species that could wield and use magic much stronger than any other species in the land combined, I might be wary to show them how exactly to use that power.”
“But why? If it was me, and I could figure it out, I would absolutely show Thameus how to wield it.”
Ira snorted. “Well, of course you would. Nela, I’m pretty sure you would teach someone how to hex you if they asked nicely enough.”
Nela gave Ira a playful shove before lying back down next to her.
“Some think the originals, you know, dwarves, faeries, elves, and centaurs, made a deal with the wicked that backfired. That’s why only half of them could wield the magic, and the half that could was far inferior compared to the kind of magic sorcerers can wield and centaurs and dwarves possess.”
“Maybe it’s about balance.” The words left Ira before she really thought about what she was saying.
“What do you mean?”
Ira took a minute to gather the thoughts jumbling in her brain. “I guess it just feels like having the magic split that way would leave more room for balance and peace in the land than having either four overly powerful creatures or an imbalance of power between them.”
Ira could practically see the wheels in Nela’s head turning as she thought about this.
“I’ve never thought about it that way.”
The two girls pondered this theory in silence. When Ira looked over at Nela and saw how her hair was splayed out on the grass and her porcelain skin shone in the sun, she couldn’t shake the oddest sense of déjà vu.
Worse than that, her stomach began to tangle itself in knots as she got the eerie sense that something terrible was just on the horizon.
