Chapter 3

3

Often we are defined by what others misunderstand about us.

~ Lady Professora Nila of Yarrowvast, Port Jirador University

Again, Kaylina tried to draw upon her power and assert her will on the zenlevars. A few of them glanced at her, but they gave steadier looks to the mountain men—to those who also had druid blood. She sensed a bond between them, that the big predators had worked with these people before. When they growled at Vlerion, she also guessed they knew he was different and believed that the beast magic that cursed him made him a threat.

As the animals strode closer—Kaylina counted eight of them—Vlerion considered the mountain men. Thinking that if he attacked them , he might capture one and force the others to call off the animals? That could work. But if it was on his mind, he didn’t contemplate the thought long, instead crouching to face the animals. Maybe attacking humans, even humans with strange druid blood, wasn’t honorable for an aristocrat sworn to protect kingdom subjects.

Kaylina leaned her sword against her leg and drew her sling. She wasn’t an aristocrat and didn’t care about honor, not when it was being used to disadvantage Vlerion.

Before she could aim her sling, the animals charged. As one, all eight rushed toward Vlerion.

Levitke leaped out to meet their charge. Vlerion swung up onto Crenoch’s back, and they sprang into the fray together. The taybarri’s jaws snapped, keeping the predators at bay, as Vlerion swung down from above. He angled his sword toward eyes and throats and other vulnerable targets.

But the shaggy animals were as fast as the taybarri. His sword delivered glancing blows, but the zenlevars darted away, evading the brunt of the attacks, then leaped back in. They either snapped at Vlerion’s legs or lunged for the taybarri, trying to take Crenoch down to reach his rider. Levitke flanked them, attacking from behind, but there were so many.

Kaylina scurried back, afraid she would be in the way. The animals paid her no attention. Of course not. She was an anrokk . They might not obey her, but they wouldn’t attack her.

Since they wanted to kill Vlerion, she couldn’t take any solace in that. She snatched up her sword as Crenoch flashed to avoid four zenlevars charging him and Vlerion.

“Kay,” her brother blurted from behind her. “Stay back.”

She didn’t. Oh, she didn’t rush into the fray—thus far, few of Sergeant Zhani’s sword-fighting lessons had addressed what to do against fanged foes—but she ran closer to the water. She skirted the battle to angle toward the fur-clad mountain people. They’d started this, and they—she hoped—could stop it.

A yelp of pain sounded as Vlerion lopped off the ear of a zenlevar that had been caught off guard by Crenoch disappearing and reappearing behind it. Though briefly discombobulated by the taybarri magic, the animals recovered and ran across the beach, focusing on Vlerion and Crenoch instead of Levitke. She surged after them, biting at their heels and hindquarters.

Crenoch spun as two zenlevars tried to circle behind him. He used his tail like a club as Vlerion leaned out, slashing into the back of an attacker’s neck. Another yelp pierced the night as his blade sank deep. One zenlevar that Crenoch clubbed stumbled away, thudding into a tree.

Had the numbers been even, Vlerion and the taybarri would be winning, but more of the predators rushed out of the woods to replace those that were injured.

Kaylina crept closer to the group of people. Either the darkness hid her better than she expected, or they were so mesmerized by the battle that they didn’t notice her. As the snarls, snaps, and thuds coming from the frenzied skirmish grew more intense, she raised her sword and ran toward the onlookers.

At the last second, the woman spotted her and tried to leap back. But Kaylina was faster. She caught the woman by the arm and swung the sword toward her throat. The blade bumped against the woman’s shoulder, making Kaylina wince. How had all the people who’d grabbed her and put a blade to her throat these past weeks done it so effortlessly?

“Practice,” she muttered.

The alarmed woman tried to pull away, but Kaylina had the strength to hold her in place.

“Stop the attack!” Kaylina didn’t add, or I’ll cut the woman . She couldn’t threaten humans, especially not when they seemed to be, however misguidedly, trying to assist her. “It’s against the law to attack the king’s rangers, and I’m a ranger in training. I’ll do what I must to stop this.”

The men who’d been so mesmerized by the fight finally turned.

“Dola!” one blurted.

Was that the woman’s name? Kaylina felt guilty about grabbing her, since she was the one who’d spoken decently of Vlerion, but her odds were better at effectively restraining another woman.

One man drew a knife but looked at Kaylina instead of attacking. “You’d hurt one of your own?”

“I am a ranger trainee,” Kaylina said as one of the taybarri yelped in pain.

Damn it. Irritation surged through her, and she again tried to will the zenlevars to leave them alone. When that didn’t work, she imagined a wildfire sweeping through the woods and burning everything—animals included. She tried to thrust the alarming imagery into the zenlevars’ minds, though she had no idea if she had the power to share visions—or threats.

“Stop the attack, or I’ll arrest you all,” Kaylina yelled, though it was ridiculous. Unless Vlerion helped her, she would be hard-pressed to arrest anybody.

Surprisingly, the snarls and snapping of jaws halted, as if her threat had worked. No, she realized as the zenlevars glanced wildly about. It was the imagery that must have worked, overriding the feelings of loyalty the animals felt toward these people. They couldn’t have seen flames, but they ran toward the lake and leaped into the water. Without looking back, they swam for the far side.

“What happened?” one of the men blurted, glancing from Dola to the retreating zenlevars.

“She overrode us.” Another man pointed at Kaylina. “Her blood is stronger than ours. As we knew when we heard the call.”

“She doesn’t need protection!” Dola whispered harshly, as if she dared not speak loudly with Kaylina’s sword against her neck.

“Oh, she does,” one man said. “Maybe not from us or from him, but the future is chaotic, and she is in danger. She would not have called otherwise.”

Kaylina grimaced as she looked toward Vlerion. She had, however inadvertently, brought this battle to him.

Fortunately, he remained fully human, giving no hint that the beast threatened to rise. She hadn’t even caught him humming, as he often did to help keep his equanimity. Vlerion breathed heavily, but, as she’d observed before, he was far more likely to lose his calm—to have his emotions riled and cause the beast to emerge—when those he cared about were in danger. His own fate seemed to matter less to him.

Now, he stood on the ground between Levitke and Crenoch, the taybarri panting as they licked wounds. Had Vlerion been hurt? Kaylina couldn’t tell. He was always so stoic about hiding his pain.

When he walked toward her, sword out with zenlevar blood dripping off and darkening the pebbles, he didn’t limp. He emanated power, danger of his own, like the predator he was. His gaze was charged as it raked Kaylina. Did he worry that she was injured? No, he’d been the one in peril, but he’d come through unscathed, and she couldn’t help but admire him as he approached.

Admire him and long for him, as drawn as ever by the beast—by him .

She made herself look away, reminded that others were here. Even if they hadn’t been, she couldn’t have joined with Vlerion. Not until she figured out how to lift his curse.

He stopped, standing at Kaylina’s side. Realizing she’d forgotten about her brother while she’d been admiring Vlerion, she looked down the beach to check on Frayvar.

He’d followed his own advice and found a clump of mossy rocks to take cover behind. His head poked above them as he watched the goings-on, but he seemed content to remain back there until he was certain the danger was past.

“You were going to arrest them?” Vlerion asked mildly. “Did you bring shackles? Enough for four people?”

“No.” Kaylina lifted her chin, deciding he couldn’t be too badly wounded if he was teasing her. “But there are vines all over the place. As you well know, they have impressive tensile strength.”

“I am aware of that, yes. I suppose for one who can command them, they would do.”

“Please let me go,” Dola whispered. “We didn’t mean… We thought we were helping. We thought you wanted help.” She flicked her hand toward the man with the knife.

He lowered it and stepped back.

“I’m sorry about that. I meant to call… someone else.” Kaylina moved the sword away from the woman’s neck and released her.

Kaylina shifted close to Vlerion, wanting to emphasize that they were together, not enemies. His sword remained in hand, and she suspected he was dubious about the group and didn’t know if they would prove a further threat. He lifted his free hand to her shoulder though, gripping her gently.

“You did well,” he said softly, no hint of the earlier teasing in his tone.

Kaylina felt she should have been able to divert the zenlevars earlier, but she reminded herself that she’d had no training in magic. She had no idea what her power could do or how to effectively draw upon it. Glad for his praise, she leaned into him.

“Why did you sound a call if you didn’t need help?” one of the men asked her.

“I was…”

Vlerion looked at her with his eyebrows raised. A reminder that he’d arrived later and had no idea what she’d done in the ruins. She’d been there and didn’t entirely know what she’d done.

“I’m looking for someone,” she said as much to him as the onlookers. “A druid.”

“They have passed on from this world,” Dola said.

“Not all of them. There was at least one around as recently as, oh, a little over twenty years ago.” Kaylina pointed at herself.

Dola studied her. “I see. You are a half-blood.”

“I think so. From what I’ve been told.”

Told by a plant…

“I’ve not seen one before,” Dola said.

“Would you know if any full-blooded druids had come through the mountains? Or this preserve?” Kaylina wondered if her father could have visited the area without them knowing about it.

“If they came near us, we would sense it, but not if they remained many miles away. The preserve is quite large.” The poor lighting made it hard to tell, but this speaker sounded like he was older than the others. “In my lifetime, you are the first with the ability to activate the ancient artifacts.”

He pointed toward the ruins.

“I touched a grimy sphere, and something happened,” she whispered to Vlerion, feeling his curious gaze upon her.

“And that activated an artifact?” he murmured.

“Apparently.”

“I knew you were special.” Vlerion squeezed her shoulder.

“I told you that when we met. At least, I let you know I’m not normal.” Kaylina didn’t know if not normal was an official synonym for special, but it seemed plausible. Maybe she would consult her wordsmith brother later.

“Did you? I mostly recall you flinging a sling round at my head.”

“Yes, that was how I let you know. That was clearly the action of someone different from the norm.”

“That is true. Most people regard rangers with polite respect and don’t hurl weapons at them.” Vlerion shifted his gaze from her to the group. His voice remained mild, and, despite the dangerous battle, he didn’t seem that offended that they’d hurled deadly animals at him.

The group had started to back away, the men avoiding Vlerion’s gaze, but Dola remained up front, and she lifted her chin as she met his eyes.

“You are a mighty fighter, Lord Vlerion, despite your curse.”

Vlerion’s lips thinned. All his life, he’d done his best to keep the family curse a secret. He couldn’t be pleased by how many people knew about it these days.

Kaylina worried, as he did, that the Virts or his other enemies would use that knowledge against him. When the Virts had run their rebel newspaper, they’d been trying to prove a link between the beast and the rangers and claim Vlerion was a threat to everyone and needed to be killed.

“I am a ranger,” he replied to Dola. “I’ve trained many years at swordsmanship.”

“You are a worthy protector for she who called.” Dola waved toward the dead zenlevars.

Crenoch whuffed, and Levitke swished her tail, batting a pebble down the beach.

“I am fortunate enough to have many worthy protectors.” Kaylina waved toward the taybarri, not wanting them to feel slighted. They had leaped into battle as readily as Vlerion.

“I suspect… you will need them.” Dola backed up to join the men. “I am not certain whether to wish you luck in receiving the answer you seek from your call or not. The Daygarii… did not like humans.” She looked at her comrades and then at Vlerion. “Should they return to this world, it may not be for the good of mankind.”

Dola and her comrades exchanged worried murmurs as they turned and soon disappeared into the dark preserve.

Kaylina bit her lip, hoping she hadn’t condemned anyone by activating that artifact. All she wanted was to meet her father and learn from him if she could. The man her sister had described hadn’t sounded cruel—he’d made the children toys, after all—but what if he wasn’t the one who came? As she’d already learned, others had heard her call.

A nudge at her hip distracted her from the dark thoughts. Levitke prodding her pocket.

“Ah.” Kaylina reached for the package of honey drops she’d brought along. “Worthy protectors should be rewarded, of course.”

The two taybarri nearly shoved Vlerion aside as they scooted closer, their big heads and twitching nostrils converging on Kaylina’s hand. Large tongues lapped the homemade sweets off her palm.

“Should I be envious that your other worthy protectors are the ones being rewarded?” Vlerion asked.

“Probably.” Kaylina wiped her palm, using a furry taybarri shoulder as a towel, and used her other hand to pull another honey drop out of her pocket. “Did you want one?”

She stepped closer to Vlerion, smirking as she offered it, holding it between the thumb and forefinger that hadn’t been slobbered on. She had to lift her hand high and turn toward him to keep the taybarri snouts from swooping in to take it first.

“It was a taxing battle.”

She held it out to him, expecting him to use his hand to take it, but he lowered his mouth to her fingers. His gaze held hers as his lips made contact, tongue sliding over her skin as he tasted the treat. It was a far different sensation from the animals licking her, and a surge of heat swept through her body, bringing instant arousal. She caught herself stepping closer and watching his lips, watching his tongue slide over the treat, tasting it before taking it. He was watching her in turn—noticing the effect his touch had on her—and the memory of his prowess in the battle returned to her.

Heat pooled in her core, and she wanted?—

“Is it safe to camp here?” Frayvar wobbled as he walked up the pebbly beach toward them.

Vlerion stopped teasing Kaylina, took the treat, and stepped back.

She blushed and also stepped back. It was good, she told herself, that her brother was here, not disappointing.

“Taybarri eyes are keen, even in the dark,” Vlerion said. “We can travel through the night and make it back to the city by dawn.”

Frayvar groaned. “Aren’t you tired after all that fighting? We were out here all day, and it’s past midnight, isn’t it?”

Vlerion opened his mouth, as if to say of course rangers didn’t get tired, but Frayvar yawned, which prompted Kaylina to yawn as well.

She was tired, especially considering she’d been unconscious for however many hours. She remembered how her hand had been throbbing when she’d woken and wondered if the brand had been doing something on her behalf while she’d been knocked out. Continuing the call? She grimaced at the thought, now worried about the possible repercussions for what she’d done.

“We can rest for a few hours,” Vlerion said, eyeing her.

She closed her mouth, wishing that yawn hadn’t slipped out. He probably wanted to get back to Havartaft Estate before anyone noticed he’d departed. Men exiled to their manors were not supposed to take jaunts into the preserve.

“We can snooze on the taybarri backs,” Kaylina said, waving to Frayvar and hoping he wouldn’t argue.

He either didn’t see her wave or ignored it, instead groaning dramatically. Melodramatically .

Vlerion lifted a hand. “We’ll camp. There may be more dangers in the preserve than usual in the aftermath of…” He looked toward the ruins, but all he finished with was, “these events.”

Kaylina winced. The call she’d made.

“It will be safer to wait until daylight to travel,” Vlerion added.

“Oh.” Frayvar brightened. “Good.”

It was only as Vlerion said he would make a fire and left to gather wood, giving her a long look over his shoulder as he went up the beach, that she wondered if he was worried about making camp out here with her. They’d never spent a night in close proximity to each other. Did he worry that he would be inordinately drawn to her and do something that could rouse the beast? Or vice versa?

She shifted her weight, wondering if she should argue more strongly for leaving, but her brother had already flopped down on the beach.

“This is a good spot,” he mumbled, using a pack of honey for a pillow. “Not cushy but free of weird vines.”

“As all beds should be,” Kaylina murmured.

“ Yes .”