5. Keelan

Chapter five

Keelan

I t took a day for Atikus, Sil, and me to wind our way down the mountain and locate a decent spot to stop for the night. We were only a half mile from the perimeter of the Kingdom's military that sprawled from Huntcliff for miles across the base of the mountains. Neatly arranged tents lined newly established walkways and dirt roads. Countless campfires flickered to life in every direction, mirroring stars in the darkening night sky.

Sil pointed to heavy fortifications built along the edges of the camp. "Looks like they're settling in for the winter."

I shielded my eyes against the western sunset.

"At least that gives us a little time," I grumbled, more to myself than in reply.

Three soldiers in deep navy capes that billowed and snapped in the brisk wind passed within a few hundred paces of our hiding place. The soldiers, armed with swords and bows, appeared bored and rarely paid attention to anything beyond their own conversation, which was loud enough to be heard echoing off the mountainside.

Once the sentries passed out of range, I turned to the group. "They don't seem too worried about intruders, but we should still keep watch throughout the night. Let's eat a bite, and I'll take the first shift."

The others nodded and began rummaging through their packs for whatever dried meat and fruit remained from the provisions we'd been given back in Grove's Pass.

Kingdom patrols continued at regular intervals. The faces of the soldiers striding by changed, but the loud, bored mannerisms remained consistent with each new team. With what looked like the entire military of the Kingdom of Spires camped at the base of the mountains, on their own side of a peaceful border, and scouts in blue scouring for miles beyond, there was no reason for them to feel insecure. Still, their lackadaisical attitude was surprising.

As night deepened, the others lay on bedrolls and huddled beneath the cover of thick brush. I stared at the stars and tried to clear my mind, but my thoughts refused to settle.

"I can see you thinking over there," Atikus whispered.

I stood a few paces from where they lay.

"With everything we're facing, I can't stop thinking about Declan."

The corners of Atikus's mouth turned upward. "Today was . . . something."

"Did you know?"

Atikus's bushy brows furrowed. "Which part? Ayden? The mission?"

"I was thinking about Ayden. Did you know Declan was . . . that he preferred men?"

"I don't think even he knew until recently."

"Ayden seems all right. He's certainly a capable Ranger. I guess I just . . . I never saw . . . I don't know what I'm trying to say. My head's been spinning since we parted."

We lay there in silence so long I thought sleep might have taken Atikus, but then he shifted and met my gaze. "Keelan, for the first time in many years, I saw the spark of happiness in your brother's eyes. There was growth there, too, a great deal of it."

I thought back to our last words, at how he'd embraced me so fiercely, like he used to when we were boys. We were so young, yet inseparable. The bond we shared was beyond family or brotherhood, and I was sure we would forever be of one spirit.

When had we begun to drift?

When had brothers who only had each other begun to lose themselves—and each other?

The gulf between us had grown so wide I began to wonder if we would ever be able to cross it again.

Had Ayden healed some of those old wounds? Was that even possible?

"I think I saw that, too," I said. "It was like watching him return to himself, if that makes any sense."

Atikus's mustache rose with a smile. "It makes a great deal of sense."

"I didn't even know how much I missed him until today."

And now, we're apart again, separated by old men's wars.

"And the mission?" I asked.

One shaggy brow rose. "What about it?"

"Were you always planning to send him? You could've told me, you know." I hadn't meant to sound bitter, but the words tasted sour on my tongue.

Atikus's tone softened. "No, I didn't know. I didn't even know we would run into Declan when we came here. This was to be my mission, not his."

"Yours?"

He nodded. "There was no way I could travel on my own after hurting my leg. I could barely walk without you holding me up. Imagine this old man hobbling through the woods with all those scouts stomping about."

His eyes twinkled with grandfatherly amusement, but there was a tightness behind his words.

"Can he do this? Whatever it is you sent him to do?"

"I believe he can. Your brother is stronger than you know. "

"He's strong, sure, but he's not Gifted."

Atikus breathed deeply before responding. "Magic is a powerful tool, but it is only one tool. Declan has others, and he's a smart boy. He will do his best."

I wanted to ask if his best would be good enough but thought better of it. Spirits, I didn't even know what the mission entailed. It was ridiculous for me to question Atikus's decision to send Declan. And yet, my gut churned thinking about my brother stepping into a Mage's quest. I'd been his protector for nearly two decades. It's all I knew growing up. With our parents gone, it was my job to keep him safe, to be his guard. Was I abandoning that role by watching him walk away? Had I already deserted it years before when I joined the Guard and left him alone in the Mages' care?

Alone.

My baby brother was alone in these mountains facing dangers I scarcely knew or could hardly understand. The image of him standing there seared into my mind's eye, him watching as I walked away, as I vanished through the trees—from his life again.

Lying there on the mountainside while he trudged to Spirits knew where, helplessness descended like a fog across my heart. We'd lived in different towns for years, but I'd always known he was safe. The life of a Ranger—at least the life we knew before now—was more secure than my own role with the Guard. I'd worried for his happiness but never for his safety.

Now, I knew fear.

Declan was in danger.

And while the idea of my own life hanging in the balance was unpleasant, thinking of my brother's teetering on the edge of a blade terrified me.

I wasn't used to grappling with so many emotions. Feelings about Tiana and Declan and Ayden and the army across the border, fears for Melucia and everything else I held dear. I was supposed to be the strong one, the man all others turned to when their darkest fears drew nigh. I wasn't supposed to be torn by a whirlpool of doubts.

People needed me. Declan needed me.

Sure, we'd closed the distance between us. He'd shared a part of himself he'd kept hidden and locked up for however long.

Why had he held that secret so close? Why hadn't he trusted me before?

I would have loved him no matter what, no matter who he loved.

He had to know that.

I hoped he knew that.

"What about Ayden?" I asked, my voice cracking with each word.

"Ayden?" Atikus asked. "What about him?"

"He wasn't going with Declan, right? "

"No, he was not," Atikus said, his tone suddenly firm. "He should be headed back to Grove's Pass to report to Captain Whitman."

"Through all these scouts? Spirits."

"Spirits, indeed."

Only a few moments passed before Atikus surrendered to rest and began to snore.

I stared at the stars. Sleep never came.

We woke to the brilliance of the sun rising from behind the mountains. Every sunrise I had ever witnessed began on the distant horizon of the plains of Melucia and spread like a shimmering blanket across the continent. There was something uniquely beautiful about seeing the sun peek above the tallest mountains in the land that stole my breath.

Another patrol passed in the distance.

"Sil, think you can find another feathered friend to scout for us? I'd like to know how far this camp extends. I don't see any way through, so we'll have to take the long way around."

She glanced about, searching high in the treetops nearby. "Shouldn't be a problem. Let's go up the next mountain, away from the picket line. I should have more luck finding birds up there. I'll need to be close to make the initial connection."

A half hour later, we stopped near a brook that ran down the mountainside. While Atikus and I refilled our skins, Sil searched for her target. She spotted a nest in a tall pine, sat cross-legged on the ground, and closed her eyes. A moment later, a small dusty-brown sparrow drifted to land on the ground before her. After a few minutes of mental instruction, the bird launched itself through the forest canopy and over the sprawling tent city.

Sil remained still as stone.

Atikus and I watched from a few paces away.

Long moments passed in silence, then Sil rose suddenly, rubbed her temples, and reported, "The encampment isn't as large as we first thought. The tent rows extend only another league or so to the southwest, but I sent the bird farther west along the King's Road and found an endless line of pikemen, archers, and others headed east. The farther she went, the hazier the vision became, but I think there was a line of siege weapons at the far end of one column."

"That fits with what we thought before. They're not planning to attack before winter, but they're definitely preparing for an offensive when the spring thaw comes." I thought a moment. "We've sent warning back to the Triad. Our focus has to be finding the Healer and bringing her home, hopefully figuring out why she was taken. "

A pang of guilt niggled deep within at speaking of Tiana so coldly. She wasn't some random victim, some crime to solve. This was the woman I admired, more than admired, if I was truly honest. She was brilliant and kind, with the most generous spirit of anyone I'd ever known. Before she was taken, before kidnappers and scouts filled my thoughts, she consumed my mind. Our moments together, however brief, offered me a vision, a hope, of what might be. For the first time in my life, I'd begun to dream of a future beyond my life in a Constable's cape.

What was she going through now? How frightened she must be. Terrified. Had they hurt her? Were they planning to? Was she already lost?

As an investigator, I knew the perils of such questions. To find the truth, objectivity and quiet dispassion were as essential to a Guardsman as the sword of a soldier or the bow of a Ranger.

I was neither objective nor dispassionate.

My heart ached at Tiana's suffering. It begged to take action, to barrel forward in the face of impossible odds, if only for a slim chance of success, of bringing her home.

And yet, here I was, referring to her as "the Healer," scarcely offering her the respect of her name. Shame welled inside my chest, and I had to turn away from the others to gather myself.

Atikus placed a hand on my shoulder. I drew in a breath and steadied myself before turning back. "Sil, if we stay up here, halfway up this mountain, do you think we'll be disguised enough from the camp below? The trees are pretty bare, but I'd rather not waste the time climbing higher if we can avoid it."

She glanced around and nodded. "We should be all right. When I was scouting through the bird's eyes, the trees were pretty thick, despite their naked branches."

"All right, let's get on with this. It'll take us the rest of the day to get across the next two mountains. That should put us well south of the army's perimeter. We can cut through the countryside from there. Atikus, do you need me to help you walk?"

The old Mage hefted a thick branch he'd been fiddling with for some time. "I have the finest cane in these forests. I should be fine."

"Keelan, where are we headed?" Sil asked before we'd take a half dozen steps. "We lost the Healer's trail days ago and have no way of knowing where those men are taking her, or if they made it through the military camp. For all we know, the Kingdom forces turned them back at the border."

I scratched my stubbly head, trying to keep images of Tiana in a sealed cart at bay. "Atikus, any thoughts? I don't know the Kingdom's geography well."

"The King's Road forks about thirty leagues past Huntcliff. One fork continues around a large lake to the town of Cradle, then through the Spires toward the capital. The other goes through a village called Irina's Seat, then shoots south toward the coast. They were a day ahead of us when we ran into that patrol near the border. If they didn't stop in Huntcliff, a slow-moving cart would take a week to get to the fork, maybe a day or two more. That would put them a third of the way to the fork on the King's Road right now."

I stopped walking and stared into the woods ahead.

"Keelan?" Sil whispered.

"Sorry." I turned to face them. My mouth was suddenly dry, and I struggled to find words. "It's just . . . with everything we've been through . . . My whole life has been in Saltstone. It's all I've ever known. Before all of this, I'd never traveled many miles from the capital, certainly not as far west as Grove's Pass. Now, we're about to leave Melucia. I know Saltstone as well as anyone, but the Kingdom is vast and . . . I guess it's just . . . I don't even know how it feels."

"The baby bird's leaving the nest," Atikus quipped, earning a wink and a grin from Sil. Then his eyes widened, and he snapped his fingers in the air. "Why didn't I think of this before? Sil, any chance you could send a bird that far, to Irina's Seat? You might be able to spot them on the road."

She whistled quietly. "It would be difficult that far away, but I suppose it's possible. I've never tried anything like that. I would need to pair with a much stronger bird, a hawk, perhaps. They have better sight than the songbirds we've been using."

"Atikus, could you lend Sil magical strength or something, like what the Mages did with the scrying back in Saltstone? Would that extend the range?" I asked, grateful to be focused on the mission once again.

"Hmm . . . that could work. We can certainly try," Atikus said.

"Once I've bonded, I can plant an idea in the bird's mind, like following those men, and won't have to maintain the concentrated connection. The bird will stay on task until we get too far apart or something else breaks the bond. That would let us keep moving. I would only need to check in periodically and reinforce the bond. Do you think that would work with us linked?"

Atikus nodded. "It should. I wouldn't be guiding your Gift; you would be in control. All I would offer is additional strength to power your bond with the bird."

I perked up. "I saw several hawks when we were higher up the other day. Climbing this mountain to find one would take us in the opposite direction and put us farther behind. Do you really think this could work?"

Sil thought a moment. "I don't know. I think so, but that's a long way to stretch a bond, even with Atikus's added strength. On the other hand, without something like this, how would we even know where to start?"

"She's right, Keelan. We're hiking blind," Atikus said .

"I don't love this but can't think of a better idea," I conceded. "Let's get some rest and start early in the morning."