Tears of War (55 page)

He thought she was worried about the man. “Open this gate.”

Mckale, Anevay, and Arandrall had caught up with her. Mckale placed his hand on her arm. “Maleena, there is a Kojen down there. It isn’t safe.”

She shot him a glare. “Mckale, open this gate or so help me I will give you a headache that will last a week.” Her face softened. “Please.”

He stood for a moment as if weighing his options. “Are you certain of this?”

Arandrall gasped. “Mckale, what are you thinking of doing? You can’t let her down there, she’ll be killed.”

Maleena narrowed her eyes at him. “I may not be excellent with a sword, but I am hardly defenseless.” She turned back to Mckale and laid her hand on his cheek. “I am more than certain. Trust me.”

With a sigh, he reached over and placed his hand against the iron lock.

Anevay gasped. “Mckale, have you lost your mind? I can’t heal death!”

Maleena watched him weave a little of his power into it. With a click, the gate swung open. The older man gaped at him. “What are you doing?”

Mckale’s silver eyes hardened. “What needs to be done, Sword Master.”

Maleena turned to the man. “Lower the ladder.”

The Sword Master backed up, his hands in the air. “I will take no part in this.”

Arandrall gripped Mckale’s shoulder. “Mckale, I beg of you, stop this foolishness. I have no wish to watch your bondmate killed. Nor do I wish her dragon to kill my Kojen defending her. You know the risks the Border Guards must go through to capture Kojen.”

Mckale pulled free of his grasp, grabbed the ladder and lowered it into the pit where the combatants battled on, oblivious to what was unfolding on the walkway. Mckale turned iron-gray eyes on Maleena. “I go first.”

Maleena didn’t argue; it would have been pointless anyway. She followed him down the ladder with quick steps.

When she reached the bottom, she turned and walked toward the man and the Kojen that towered over him with Mckale on her heels. The young man caught sight of her. “What are you doing here?” He looked wide-eyed at Mckale. “Get out!” Panic edged his voice.

The true Kojen saw her and charged faster than the trainee could think to attempt a defense. Mckale pulled his swords and moved to intercept, but her hand on his arm stayed him. Maleena didn’t even flinch. She slammed a weave into its mind. With a low whine it crumpled to the ground unconscious at her feet.

T
he young man stared at Maleena open-mouthed, just out of range of his other opponent. Not that he needed to worry, the other one stood just as still and also staring at her.

She looked at the trainee and then up to the walkway. “That is a Kojen.” She pointed at the one on the ground. “He had no emotions, no real thoughts, only bloodlust.” Maleena turned and walked toward the other.

The young man held out his hand as she passed, the gesture almost pleading. “My lady…”

Maleena sidestepped his hand and came to a stop directly in front of the other towering creature. Though she was within arm’s reach of the big male, she felt no fear of him and she sensed none in him. Even the anger had subsided and was now replaced with curiosity, though the frustration still remained. He was fairly young. He didn’t look as fully developed as Hakan or the other men of the Ke’han she had met, nor were the curling horns as heavy.

She looked up at him. “This is
not
a Kojen,” she called to those on the walkway then addressed the big male directly, “You are a Ke’han.”

Surprise flowed through the Ke’han as he stared at her and nodded. Maleena turned and looked up at Arandrall and spoke with barely controlled anger in her voice. How could they not realize he was different? “A Ke’han is not a beast. They are a tribe with traditions, customs, and beliefs. They have families. They love, they feel, and they are not mindless. The Ke’han can’t attack mentally, that is why he has never attacked that way. That ability came when Galdivan rounded up and captured many of the Ke’han and twisted them into what you know as the Kojen.”

Mckale looked at Arandrall. “She speaks the truth. We met a band of them on our way here. They said they are often mistaken for Kojen.”

Arandrall looked at Maleena and back to Mckale. “They
said
. You mean they can speak?”

Mckale nodded and Arandrall shook his head. “This one,” he pointed to the Ke’han in front of Maleena, “has never made a sound. If he is not a Kojen, then why did he never say anything?”

Maleena looked up at the Ke’han. “Can you speak at all?” The big male slowly shook his head and she picked up mounting frustration. “I use Spirit magic. It’s similar to what your Shamas use. Do you mind if I use my magic to try and sort out why you can’t talk?”

After a long moment the Ke’han signaled his consent. Maleena sent a tendril of Spirit magic toward him, unsure if it would even work. She sensed Ke’han’s emotions but their minds worked differently than any other minds she had encountered; perhaps a natural protection of some sort.

She stood before him for some time, her mind wholly focused on the Ke’han as she attempted to follow the strange and unfamiliar paths in his mind. Every now and then colors would flicker as something almost like thoughts nearly came to the surface. Pain slowly built in her temples from the effort of probing his mind.

Suddenly a battle scene burst into her head.
Border Guards swarmed around her and her younger brother. Three little desert deer, the result of the day’s hunt, lay tossed to the side as she fought for her life. Anguish closed over her heart as her brother went down on the sword of a Border Guard. She cried out as something crashed into the back of her head and dropped to her knees as the world spun. Her hands were roughly bound behind her back. In front of her, her brother’s blood spilled into the sand. The grief built into a roar of sorrow. She threw her head back and shouted her heartache to the sky. It was cut short by a sword hilt smashing into her throat.

She doubled over wheezing and gasping as she tried to draw a breath through the crushing injury. She tried to gasp out a question to her captors but all that came out was a rasping sound.

The memory-vision faded slightly as time rushed forward and the raspy sound slowly weakened until there was nothing left. The blow to the throat had stolen her voice.

Maleena’s eyes flew open. Her heart pounded wildly as she pulled in a grateful breath.

Mckale pulled her into his arms. His silver eyes, full of worry, searched hers. “What happened?”

Maleena took a few more deep breaths to slow her heart. The baby kicked and she ran a hand over her belly, sending soothing emotions to it. When she felt steadier, Maleena stepped back. “Their thoughts and memories, once accessed, are quite strong.” She looked up at Arandrall. “This Ke’han can’t speak because your men damaged his vocal chords when he cried out his grief over his brother that your men killed.”

“Mckale,” she turned to her bondmate. “Please, release him from his chains.”

The Sword Master shouted down at them. “No. You can’t release that thing. He will try to kill all of us. We have many young trainees here there are not up to facing a Kojen.”

Maleena turned slowly, her eyes hard. “He is not a thing. He is a Ke’han. He is not a Kojen. Haven’t you listened to a word I said?”

“You are insane!” The Sword Master yelled.

Disgusted, Maleena wove the memory-vision into a magic weave and threw it at the Sword Master. His eyes blanked as he stood there gasping.

“What did you do?” Arandrall asked, a frown on his face.

Maleena glanced at him. “He is seeing and feeling what I just saw and felt. It won’t harm him in any way and it will help him see that this is not a Kojen.”

Mckale bent down and placed his hand on the shackle. The metal responded to his magic by separating and stretching until it was a straight piece. The Ke’han bent and rubbed his ankle then stood and held his palm out to Mckale.

Mckale laid his palm on the Ke’han’s. “I am Mckale, rider of the Green dragon Tellnox and a Guardian of Galdrilene.”

The Ke’han tried to mouth something and stopped. Maleena felt his frustration rise again. “May I try to get your name from your thoughts?”

He nodded and she reached out with her magic again. This time it was easier and gentler. The name floated to the surface. She smiled and held out her palm, “Hello Hesutu, I’m Maleena, rider of the Silver dragon Nydara and a Guardian of Galdrilene.”

Hesutu placed his palm on hers and nodded his head, his black eyes relieved.

“Come with us. It’s time you were returned to your people.”

The trainee backed away as they crossed the pit. Arandrall and the Border Guards on the walkway made room as they came up the ladder. The Sword Master studied Hesutu with a frown on his face. “I’m truly sorry. I had no idea…”

The head of the Council of Nine stared up at the Ke’han, his eyes wide. He turned to Maleena and Mckale. “I think we need to have an emergency meeting of the Council. Would this…Ke’han be willing to join us? It would seem we have much to discuss.”

Maleena looked up at Hesutu who nodded. “This Ke’han has a name, Lord Arandrall. It is Hesutu. Just as you would prefer to be addressed by your name rather than ‘this person,’ so would he appreciate it.”

“Of course.” He nodded to the Ke’han. “My apologies, Hesutu. This is most unusual for us.”

The young warriors stared in shocked silence as they led the Ke’han passed them. Several cries of alarm filled the training yard outside the wall of the pit when they exited with what many thought was a Kojen.

Arandrall stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed. Finally, he dropped his hand and looked at them. “Is there a way one of your dragons can create one of those portals? This place is going to be stirring like a kicked ant hill as it is without leading him all the way to the Council chambers.”

Mckale shook his head. “A dragon has to come through the Slide at the same time others or things are being transported through. One of them might be able to open one large enough to permit that here in the yard, although I can’t guarantee the Slide won’t cut through one of the yard walls. However, there is not near enough room in the Council chambers for a Slide to open.”

“What about the roof?”

“The roof is possible,” Mckale said. “You will have to clear the yard first.”

As Arandrall barked out orders to clear the yard, Maleena sensed Mckale reaching out to Tellnox. Within moments the massive green hovered above them, the strong strokes of his wings keeping him in place buffeted the air around them. When the yard cleared, Tellnox spun open a Slide. One edge sliced cleanly into one of the training yard’s walls.

Mckale ushered them all through the Slide as the green entered at a slow and measured pace. It was strange moving through a Slide on foot. This was a first for Maleena. Though she still moved one foot in front of the other, she couldn’t feel anything beneath them.

It was over quick. In seconds they were standing on the roof of the keep that held the Council chambers. They made their way down the plain wooden stairs to the hall below. Arandrall gathered servants as he went. Cries of fear went up when they saw Hesutu only to be silenced by Arandrall’s sharp voice. He ordered pen and paper brought to him and wrote out notes as he walked. Soon there were servants dashing away with the sealed papers. Maleena wasn’t sure if they were really in such a hurry to follow instructions or if they just desperately wanted away from what they thought was a strangely acting Kojen.