Rider (Spirals of Destiny) (5 page)

“Mama …” Kayleigh started, but was cut off by her mother pointing an accusing finger and shouting at Lieutenant Sheppard.

“You! Tell her how many of your ilk died in the last civil war. The southern nations rose up and tried to free themselves from the High-King’s rule. Don’t bother. I’ll say it for you – hundreds died, nearly one in five of your riders. Besides them, tens of thousands died. Entire cities were put to the torch. It cost me her father!”

Lieutenant Sheppard nodded. “You are correct. It was a very costly war almost two decades ago.”

“War is not the answer! War is blind obedience! I did not raise you to be a murderer! I saw that war with my own eyes and know that no matter what anyone says – war is evil. It is never, ever justifiable and if you ever had one shred of respect for me, you will not do this.”

There was a pause after Brenda’s eruption. Kayleigh knew her mother hated violence, but she’d never vented so. It was so raw and painful. Mama never talked about her wanderings before Kayleigh was born. Now, she had an idea why. She never spoke about Kayleigh’s father, but now she knew that he died in that war.

Bracing herself, the young woman said, “Goodbye Mama, I’ll go get my things.”

“You have no things in this house! Its doors are closed to you evermore!” Brenda Reese spun and entered the house, slamming the door, and leaving Kayleigh fighting a battle against her tears. One she lost in catastrophic fashion seconds later, collapsing to the unforgiving cobblestone street. There were so many things in that house that held great meaning to her. Now, they and the memories they held were gone. Kayleigh immediately thought of her sketchbooks and poetry.

Lieutenant Sheppard lifted her up and Kayleigh saw the faces peering out the windows and the crowd that had gathered. “Be brave, young rider,” the woman whispered. “The first steps into the unknown are always the most difficult.”

With that, she motioned for Majherri to come closer and guided Kayleigh’s hand to the unicorn. Kayleigh immediately felt gratitude and relief pouring into her to push back against the sadness.

The lieutenant tried to calm her, “We’ll get you some things to travel. We can use the money that would have gone to your family.”

“No, we will not.” Captain Lynch answered. “That money is for the families and not for the recruits.”

“Which every family gives a portion back to the selectee.”

“That is the family’s choice Lieutenant, not ours,” Captain Lynch shot back. “The woman here indicated she wanted no money, and since this rider was not chosen at a ceremony, I see no reason to make any payment.”

“Captain Lynch?”

“Yes, that is my title and name. Thank you for remembering who is in charge of this expedition and this is my decision. You seem to have a vested interest in this recruit, Lieutenant. I place her in your care.” Before Lieutenant Sheppard could reply, Captain Lynch mounted Majherri’s sister and galloped off into the darkness.

“Very well, ma’am,” Lieutenant Sheppard answered the disappearing rider. Turning to Kayleigh, she offered a small smile and a pat on the back. “Come along recruit. You’ll be traveling a bit light for awhile, but we’ll get you sorted out soon enough.”

That woman hates me! What have I gotten myself into? I have nothing but the clothes on my back. How will I … what will I…

The anxiety was met with a spike of reassurance coming from Majherri. His firm gaze implored her to trust that he would always take care of her, protect her, and fight beside her.

Kayleigh’s resolve firmed.
I might just have this dress, but I’ve got a unicorn. And right now, he’s worth more than anything to me.

“I don’t suppose you have any extra clothes I can borrow?” Kayleigh asked forcing some dry humor that she didn’t feel into her voice.

“We might be about the same height, but we’re not exactly built the same, recruit. I can probably spare a couple of things that might fit you. However, your fellow recruits will likely be willing to part with a few items and if they are not, Captain Lynch cannot tell me how to spend my gold coins.”

“What do you teach at The Academy?”

“I’ll be your year’s physical trainer and I’ll be the most hated instructor in your class. You’ll stare at the calluses on your hand and soak in a tub cursing my name, just like I cursed my instructor. Some days, I will work you so hard that you’ll be barely able to walk. If you’re lead rider, those are the days you’ll have to get up anyway and prove yourself. Just remember that I’m preparing you for the rigors of combat. The strength and reflexes I drill into you may one day save your life.”

“I won’t let you down.” Kayleigh said firmly.

The woman scoffed at her. “Yes, you will. I guarantee you’ll fail, often in fact. But as long as you keep trying, you’ll never let yourself down.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Sheppard’s soft features hardened. “Here’s our first lesson. ‘Okay’ is not the correct answer. The correct answer is ‘Yes, ma’am’ or ‘Yes, Lieutenant.’ Normally, that’d earn you a lap on the Trail of Pain. Do you like running, climbing rocks, rope ladders, and crawling through a field of mud? Actually, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to anyway, so get used to it.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

“That’s better. Now let’s get you some food and see if we can scrounge up some of the basics you’ll need. Follow me.”

As they walked, Kayleigh could still feel the eyes of the neighbors on her. By tomorrow, the news would be all over Helden, but then the knowledge dawned that she wouldn’t be here to hear it. A futile glance back at the cottage she once called home showed no one in the windows. Part of her longed to run back there and beg for her mother’s forgiveness, but she kept her feet moving forward.

Mama always encouraged me to try new things. She said I could be extraordinary. Now when something truly extraordinary happens, she becomes crazed. Why is she acting like this? Does she really hate war that much? Why can’t she be happy for me?

Since no answers were forthcoming, Kayleigh followed Lieutenant Sheppard to the edge of town where the group of wagons camped. A man was giving orders to several others around a bonfire. As they approached, the man walked to meet them. He moved with assurance and pride. He was a young man, in his early twenties, clean-shaven, tall, and he wore a thick leather glove on his right hand that ran to the elbow.

“Good evening, Lieutenant. What have we here?”

“Our latest rider.”

“I thought there were only two in this town.”

“Good fortune has sent us a third, Sir Aeric. This is Kayleigh Reese, she is Majherri’s chosen. Kayleigh, this is the honorable Aeric Tomas, Knight of the High-King’s guard, oldest son of Duke Desmond Tomas and Duchess Alanna Tomas. He is in charge of the men and the wagons and is our most excellent guide through these countries. He is Captain Lynch’s equal and you will treat him as such.”

The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Kayleigh gave a respectful curtsy, determined to get off on a good foot with this man. “Majherri chose a rider? Very interesting indeed. Welcome to the expedition, young lady. I’ll have some men get your baggage stowed and take you to the other riders.”

“I’m afraid she has no baggage, Sir Aeric.”

Kayleigh listened to Lieutenant Sheppard briefly recount her situation. She was grateful for the darkness that masked her embarrassment. Now, she was depending on the kindness of strangers – a veritable beggar among royalty.

The man looked her over, and she felt uncomfortable under his assessment. “Well young lady, you’re here now. I’ll take you to meet some of your fellow riders. The other two selected from this town are supposed to be joining us at dawn’s first light. Good evening to you, Lieutenant.”

“And to you as well, Sir Aeric.”

The man motioned for Kayleigh and Majherri to follow. They stopped at the large bonfire first, and the knight sent a few of the wagon drivers looking for whatever they might have on hand. Minutes later, she had a bedroll, two towels, a riding cloak, two tunics, one pair of breeches, and a pair of boots that needed mending, but might fit.

As he led her to a smaller fire where several teenage girls sat around the circle, she asked, “Sir Aeric, I was wondering about your glove. Are you a bird handler?”

He smiled and pointed to the sky. The shape of a predatory bird came briefly into view as he replied, “Funny you should ask. Sometimes I wonder if she is handling me. I do happen to have a magical familiar of my own. A hawk may not be as impressive as your unicorn, but my Rain is excellent at gathering information. When she lands on me, I see everything that she has just seen. She helps me find the best trails, streams and ponds where we can make camp. More than once, she has spotted a potential ambush on this trip.”

Still new to all this, Kayleigh was in awe of any magical creature. She stammered, “Helden has a fishing captain. He has an albatross that helps him find the best places to fish and warns him about dangerous storms.”

“Yes, I had hoped to meet him, but things didn’t quite work out and I was too busy managing the camp to seek him out.”

From the corner of her eye, she noticed several of the girls discreetly straightening their appearances and smoothing their dresses as they neared. Only then, did she realize that Sir Aeric was rather handsome. She’d been too preoccupied with her own troubles to truly notice.

“Good evening, recruits. This one is joining your ranks. Make her welcome. The other two will be here in the morning.”

Naturally, this started a couple of them murmuring and a few pointed at Majherri standing close by. It was as if a collective, “Oh” passed through them.

Sir Aeric continued, “I must be off. It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Miss Reese.”

She curtsied as best she could with the bedroll and her newly acquired goods in her arms as the knight walked off oblivious to the enthralled stares of almost twenty teenagers.

Kayleigh was wary. Their faces held no immediate judgments, only curiosity. Hoping this was a turn for the better; she smiled back at them and said, “Hello, I’m Kayleigh Reese.”

“What is
she
doing here?” Majherri watched the one called Rebekah say with a haughty tone. The wagon drivers were looking for places to stow the luggage. This Rebekah annoyed him. He was sorely tempted to wander over and destroy her luggage and solve the drivers’ problems.

“I was chosen by Majherri.” His rider answered. He felt some pride in the way she said the words.

“You’re not thirteen!”

“Apparently, that doesn’t matter, Rebekah.” Majherri detected a hint of anger in his rider’s voice.

“You don’t belong here!”  The younger girl’s voice acquired a petulant tone.

“I have a unicorn that disagrees with you.”

“Does it know that you’re not pure and that you’re a dirty, stinking whore?” A few of the other females gasped at the accusation.

His rider stepped closer to the younger girl. “In a few minutes, we’ll be riding out of Helden. We’ll be away from your rich father, your uncles, and everyone else that makes you believe you can say anything to anyone and get away with it, Morganstern. Say those lies aloud again, and see what happens.”

Majherri no longer was interested in trampling the girl’s luggage, he considered trampling the girl, but it was more interesting to watch Kayleigh in action. She had the temperament of a fighter, which was good. He couldn’t help but picture how violently Danella would have responded, but a furious Kayleigh was showing considerable promise. Already, the younger rider was backing away; cowed by the angry stance of his chosen one.

Lycenae, the young male who had chosen this petty female, huffed and looked like he was thinking about intervening. Majherri snorted and drew his attention. He lowered his horn at Lycenae and clawed at the dirt with his front left hoof letting him know that any action on his part would be met with swift retaliation. They locked gazes for a moment and he could see Lycenae thinking over his options.

So typical of a young one,
Majherri thought.
All posturing and no willingness to act.

He lurched forward only about a foot or two, but it was enough to make Lycenae jump backwards and show his fear. The standoff was broken and Majherri was the clear victor. Part of him relished exerting his reclaimed status over the foolish youth. This was a long way from the great pasture and Majherri was in no mood for the silly games of wobbly-legged children barely weaned of the teets of their mothers. Even among the four unicorns bonded to the Battle Maidens, he probably had the most combat experience. If the scars on his side and the cracked tip of his horn made him some kind of grotesque freak that they feared, so be it.

The humans took note of his actions. They were untrained in unicorn ways and probably didn’t understand the subtleties of the conversations unicorns have. Instead of the heavy reliance on spoken sounds, his race used body language, such as swishing the tail, the positioning of one’s head and horn, and flaring nostrils to convey their conversations. Yes, noises were used, but Majherri, like most others in the herd, long ago realized that if all humans had to communicate with was their body language – they’d be completely lost as a species. It was something of a running joke among his kind.