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“DO YOU THINK THOSE red streaks will ever go away?” Bo asked.
Shrugging, Kirsten answered, “Don’t know. Maybe? Anders might know something we don’t.”
“If you do have Anders try to heal them, you should keep the marks as a tattoo,” Britt suggested as she kept pace walking behind Kirsten.
Kirsten looked down at her arm, “You know I don’t mind the look of it, I just wish I could take this necklace off. This heavy thing is starting to rub my neck raw.”
“I don’t get it,” Britt said.
“What do you mean?” Kirsten asked.
“I don’t know how these things work. That one just staves off magical infections and this one,” she lifted the blue-hued crystal from her pocket and continued, “shoots rays, but only if you use it. When I try to use, it doesn’t do anything. See?” Britt wielded the crystal as she tried to produce some kind of reaction.
“That’s a good point,” Max said. “Maybe it’s time we hand that back over to the person who can wield it with a somewhat desired effect.”
Kirsten turned to see Max walk past Britt and take the crystal from her as she stopped waving the crystal like a magic wand.
“I don’t know why it works for me,” Kirsten said, accepting it from Max and meeting his eyes. She held his gaze for a moment.
“But it does,” he said, breaking their eye contact and looking back to Britt.
“How much farther are we going? Kirsten might need a rest,” Thomas asked from behind.
“I’ve been telling you for days now, Thomas. I’m fine. We had more than a few days’ rest at Max and Bo’s,” Kirsten said.
“I’m just looking out for you, Sis,” Thomas said. “How long did you say?”
“Just a few more hours,” Bo said, leading the group and pointing ahead.
“You said that this morning when we left,” Kirsten said, playfully hitting him on the shoulder.
Turning to her, he smiled, “And I’ll keep on saying that until we get there.”
“Well look who’s the funny brother now,” Kirsten said, looking over her shoulder at Max. She saw his hand slide from Britt’s as he fell in line behind her again.
“I’m flattered, truly,” Bo said.
When Kirsten looked back to Bo, he avoided eye contact and spun back around to lead the way through the wooded Riverlands.
What’s wrong with me? Kirsten wondered. Why can’t I just go for the one who’s paying attention to me? What’s changed since the Bareback Plains? She pondered as she chewed on her lower lip.
“Rune said the Resistance had a camp near the base of the Frozentip Mountains, northeast of Brookside. My guess is that they’ll find us before we find them,” Max said to Thomas, but loud enough for the whole group to hear.
“So when we get there, we’ll just wander around until they pick us up?” Thomas asked.
“Unless you have a better idea,” Max said.
“No. I’m just looking forward to having a little downtime. Even though we really didn’t do much at Solomon’s or your step-folks’, it’s still been too stressful for me to get a good rest.”
“I don’t think we’re going to be any safer with the Resistance,” Max replied. “If anything, we’ll be more of a target.”
“Max,” Britt said. “You don’t need to point that out.”
“Yeah,” Bo added. “Safety in numbers, right?”
“If Bo says I’m safe, then I’m safe,” Thomas called from the back of their line.
As they continued walking through the forested wetlands, Kirsten asked, “Is this where you and Max played when you were children?”
Bo answered, keeping his eyes forward, “We did our part hunting and fishing in this part of the world. Max claims this place is where he learned his sense of adventure.”
“You can explore every knoll, each river and stream, and still see something new. Year after year the waters change the landscape. Nothing stays the same for very long,” Max said.
“Sounds like a good place to get lost,” Britt said.
“That’s probably why the Resistance chose this place,” Max said.
“That and it makes it difficult to track them,” Bo added. “If they moved with the flow of water, tracking them would be almost impossible. There are so many different channels and canals intertwining throughout the area. It’s actually pretty clever.”
“Halt,” a voice boomed in front of them.
Kirsten jumped, not anticipating the command. Lifting her gaze from her feet, she saw that a group of archers had surrounded them. With their arrows drawn and tips pointed at them, Kirsten instinctively raised her hands.
“Why do you seek out the lawbreakers?” the man who’d commanded them to halt asked. Kirsten’s eyes fixed on him, examining his attire. The hood on his cloak successfully concealed his facial features. Kirsten eyed the others one by one, looking past their bows to see that they all wore similar brown cloaks with deep hoods.
Max and Britt pulled their broadswords from their belts, stepping forward to protect the others. As they did, Kirsten lowered her arms and felt at the crystal in her pocket, wondering if she should use it.
“We’re seeking the Revolutionists,” Max started. “On the trail we…” he continued until the hooded man apparently in charge shouted, “Silence!”
He stepped in closer to them, eyeing Max and Britt’s swords. “If you even attempt to use those on me, my men will poke you full of holes so fast you’ll be dead before you know what’s happened.” He pushed past them and stopped in front of Kirsten.
Kirsten stood up straight with her hand balled into a fist in her pocket, clutching the crystal. She stared forward as the man blocked most of her view. She glared at him as his head bent slightly to get a look at the streaking veins in her arm. Pulling a buck knife from his belt, the man flicked the point toward Kirsten’s neck and tapped the tip of his blade on the sapphire.
“Look what we have here,” he said.
“Don’t,” Kirsten said coldly.
“Sentimental is it?” the man asked. “You know that kind of stone could buy our army a lot of steel. Steel we’ll be needing to fight the war.”
“You take that sapphire and she dies,” Bo said.
Kirsten eyed the man’s knifepoint as he turned to look at Bo, the tip dropping down to her breast. The hooded man said, “That’s not a very good threat. Usually you’d say I’d be the one to die.”
“He’s not threatening you,” Thomas said, stepping toward the man. “He’s telling the truth. See the streaks on her arm. She was bitten by a goblin. That sapphire is the only thing that’s keeping the venom from reaching her heart and killing her. She took it off once already and we just about lost her.”
Kirsten watched the man’s shadowed face look down at her arm again.
Lifting the point of his blade slightly he tapped the sapphire again, “One little girl’s sacrifice for the greater good might mean our side winning the war. I’d say that’s a pretty just reason to take this from her right now.” The man slipped the knife under the necklace chain and had just began to apply pressure by the time Kirsten lifted the crystal from her pocket. The light from the crystal in her hand glowed, catching his attention and he stopped. Glancing at the crystal, he asked in a low tone, “What’s that?”
Kirsten gritted her teeth, “I’m much more powerful to you alive than I would be dead. What one sorceress can do with a crystal is far more than what a hundred untrained farmers can do with swords.”
One of the archers said, “She’s one of them,” and the man turned to hear the comment. Grunting, he pulled the knife away from her throat and slid it with a practiced hand back into its leather sheath. “You’re coming with us,” the man said and turned to walk back to his place among the archers.
“Rune sent us to find you,” Max said as he passed. “He told us we would be welcomed assets to your cause.”
The man looked at Max and said, “Oh, if Rune sent you then.” The man pulled his knife again and jumped toward Max. Max reacted too slowly and the man slid in close before he could lift his sword in defense. Kirsten raised her hand, pointing the crystal at the man as he held his knife to Max’s throat. Kirsten made eye contact with the man and he flared his nostrils at the glowing crystal in her hand. Pushing Max away, he said, “Rune’s a fool and I hope he dies on that stupid mission of his.” Walking back to his men, he pointed his knife at them and commanded, “Bring them.”
Several of the archers lowered their bows and approached, confiscating the group’s weapons, all except Kirsten’s crystal and sapphire necklace. They placed their cloaks backwards on Max and Britt, the hoods acting as blindfolds. When they came to Kirsten, two of the men warily placed the hood over her face, then quickly moved on to Bo and Thomas. Kirsten wondered how these men knew about the crystal’s power. She’d only ever seen it when Merglan and Rankstine had used them. Were there others like them in Brookside?
Under the cover of the thick cloaks, Kirsten allowed the men to lead her. Judging from the lack of noise from her friends and brother, they, too, were complying with this situation. Kirsten tripped and stumbled having to rely heavily on the man leading her for support. She thought about attacking the rogue revolutionaries with the crystal and using its powers to set her group free, but what good would that do if they were trying to locate the same group of people? She quelled her desire to obliterate the man leading them and quietly conformed. She tried to keep track of how long they’d been walking, but after the tenth time she stumbled, she shifted her focus to her feet and how to maintain her balance.
Once she heard the sounds of an encampment, she knew the cloaks would be removed soon. She felt the men force her to sit. She heard the clasping of shackles on her companions and soon felt cold steel wrapping around her ankle as well. When someone lifted the cloak off, Kirsten took a moment to observe her new surroundings. The five of them were all linked to a single chain that extended from a large wooden pole in the ground. She could hear people milling about, but a tan canvas tent provided a thin layer of separation from a look at the broader location. She saw light peeping through the tent door and tried to reach for her pocket. As she did, the man who’d removed her cloak caught her hands.
“Not so fast, witch,” he said clasping irons around her wrists and latching them securely to the T in the pole over her head. Kirsten pulled, trying to lower her arms, but she winced when the shackles dug into her wrists.
“What kind of a welcome was that?” Max asked sarcastically as the man exited the tent.
“Not exactly what I was expecting from our supposed allies,” Bo answered.
“I’m sure they’re just taking precautions to make sure we’re not spies,” Britt said.
“Are you defending them?” Max asked.
“All I’m saying is I’ve had to do the same thing during times of war. You can never be too careful,” she said.
“And if they say, Rune, your doctor sent us?” Max asked.
“I never had that happen, but I would still want to make sure we weren’t a threat to my people,” she said.
Kirsten was about to tell everyone to pull on the chain to try to rip the post out of the ground when she heard a familiar voice.
“Step aside,” the man said.
That’s the voice from my fever dreams, she thought.
The tent door parted and a man entered, visible only by his silhouette at first. Kirsten heard the others gasp when they saw him. Another man entered the tent with him. She could see them more clearly when the tent flap closed behind them. She didn’t recognize the first man by appearance, but she knew his voice.
“Uncuff these people,” the man ordered.
“But doc,” the second man said.
“Don’t ‘but doc’ me; do as I say. These are friends of mine and I demand they be treated with respect. Now uncuff them at once.”
The man keyed open the chains around their ankles one by one, undoing the clasps he’d previously set. As Max stood, he addressed the doctor, “Thanks, Rune. We weren’t expecting to run into you again so quickly.”
“I wasn’t expecting you either, but I happened to run into some friends of your Captain,” the doctor said.
Kirsten heard Britt gasp as two members of her crew entered through the tent door. She lunged across the tent, wrapping the two dark-skinned men into a hearty embrace. She began at once to speak to them in her native Rolloan.
Rune turned to Kirsten, “It appears you’ve survived the poison.”
She nodded, staring blankly at the man.
“Sorry, when last we met you were unconscious. Rune is my name, as I’m sure you’ve gathered by now. I’m a doctor with the revolution here. Good thing your friends ran into us on the trail. I’m sure you wouldn’t have made it much longer without that rapid transport to Solomon’s. I am curious, what did the old wise man give you to stop the venom from spreading?”
Kirsten shook her head, “Solomon wasn’t there. They tried some of his potions on me, but it’s this sapphire that’s keeping me alive.”
Rune’s eyes widened. “True enough,” he said, taking her hand and examining her affected arm. “The infection’s held back as long as this is on you. I figured as much, but to last this long is a miracle.” He gave her command of her arm again and said, “Well, if you make it through tonight, I’ll have to run some tests on you to see if we can’t figure it out.”
Kirsten nodded, then asked, “Why if I make it through tonight?”
“Surely you were told. The enemy army has moved onto the Plains and they’re marching this way. Soon we’ll be marching to meet them,” Rune said.
“No, we hadn’t been told,” Max answered for her as he glanced at Britt.
“Well, we have lots of work to do. The army occupying Brookside has been busy gathering recruits from the northern valleys,” Rune said. “Come with me and I’ll get you gear and weapons. Since you’re new to our force, you’ll be placed in the back of the pack. Can’t have new recruits messing up the working formations we’ve spent so much training time on these last months. That is all except you, Rollo warriors. We’ll be needing your skills at the front.”
Britt hardened her expression and Kirsten saw the look she gave Max. “I’ll be of more use at the front, alongside my Captain,” Max said.
Rune looked to the scabbard around his waist where the sword he’d taken from the soldier had been. Nodding, he said, “Very well. The more trained fighters at the front, the better our odds.” Rune waved them on out of the tent.
As they exited, Kirsten saw the sprawling village that had been used as the Resistance’s base for the past several months. A sea of tents extended into the distance. She could hear men barking orders as men and women hustled to the gathering crowd at camp’s edge. Bo grabbed her hand and pulled her along before the others became lost to them. They caught up as their small band walked quickly toward the rebel camp’s makeshift armory.
Rune pointed to the newly constructed log building and Kirsten followed the others inside. People pushed their way in and out of the place, grabbing axes, swords, and staffs. This wasn’t the kind of place that custom-fit each soldier’s battle needs, but Kirsten managed to find a shirt of chainmail her size and belted on a short sword and dagger.
Britt outfitted herself with her Rolloan armor and sword her crewmen had carried for her from the ships. Max found his broadsword and slipped on a loose-fitting helmet. He also grabbed a shield. Bo already wore armor and only required a blade, while Thomas also found some chainmail he fit into. Grabbing a longbow and as many arrows as he could find, he presented himself to Kirsten.
“Aren’t you going to take a blade?” she asked.
“I don’t expect I’ll need it. We’re going to be in the back and I’m much better with this,” he held up the bow.
Kirsten rolled her eyes and ran over to the barrels of blades. Pulling one she felt would suit a younger man, she handed it to him. “Take this and belt it on. You don’t have to use it, but I’ll feel better knowing you have something other than that bow if things get hairy.”
Thomas raised an eyebrow at her, “If things get hairy? When did you become the expert on warcraft?”
“When I got us out of that mess in Grandwood,” Kirsten said not giving it a moment’s thought.
Thomas nodded, recalling how she’d acted in those dire circumstances. He accepted the sword, and hunted down a belt. Just as Thomas returned with the sword belted on, Rune reappeared to lead them toward the gathering army.
Kirsten rolled the crystal over in her palm as she followed the line of rebel soldiers through the wooded foothills below the Frozentip Mountains. She’d seen fighting before, even killed, but this felt different. She felt the suspense building among the larger group for a fight that wouldn’t happen until sometime later. She didn’t know the strategy or plan; all she knew was that her brother and Bo would be by her side in the back. Kirsten stood on her tiptoes, trying to catch a glimpse of Max’s black hair alongside Britt’s in the crowd of people ahead. She couldn’t see them.
“Don’t worry about Max,” Bo said. “As long as he’s beside Britt and those other Islanders, he’ll be just fine.”
Kirsten nodded, “Yeah. I just hope the fighting ends quickly.”
“Me, too,” Thomas added from her side. “I hate this part. The waiting.”
As they marched to the edge of the forest, Kirsten watched the rebel army form ranks along the tree line facing toward the grassy expanse that was the Bareback Plains. Keeping close to Bo and Thomas, she followed Rune’s direction to stand five ranks behind the extending file of soldiers manning the tree line.
After a moment of standing in silence, Kirsten asked, “What now?”
Rune looked to her, “Now we wait for the enemy to come to us.”
She looked out at the expanding grassy fields. In the distance she saw three wide rectangular bricks of soldiers marching across the plains. Judging by their distance, they were still hours from making contact. She had to agree with her brother, she hated this part, watching the walls of death slowly march their way into view. She knew they had hours to wait before the chaos would begin.
After nearly two hours, Kirsten could see individual men in armor as they broke into smaller block formations. Their rebel army remained still, hidden in the trees. Kirsten saw movement overhead in the gap between trees. Suddenly, she saw a burst of dragon fire lighting the sky high in the air. Leaning into Bo, she pointed to the sky, “Look!” At the same time, she heard the gasps of others who were pointing skyward now as well.
“Dragons,” she heard Thomas say as she watched three dragons race across the sky.
“Is it Anders?” Bo asked, using his hand to block the afternoon sun.
“Could be,” Kirsten said. “I only know of one other dragonrider.”
“That’s not the dark sorcerer’s dragon,” a girl standing on the opposite side of Rune said. “I’ve seen them before. His dragon is black and about the size of that red one there.”
Kirsten raised an eyebrow at the girl in leather armor, not much older than she was. “When did you see Merglan and Killdoor?”
“So that’s what they’re called,” she responded. “I saw them in Grandwood, right after you left for Solomon’s. And, if I might ask you a similar question, how is it that you know the names of one of them up there?” she asked pointing to the three dragons as they flew out of view.
“My cousin is a dragonrider,” Kirsten said. “Who are you?”
Reaching across Rune to extend her hand in greeting, she replied, “Ophelia. I’m the doctor’s apprentice.”
Kirsten took her hand, “Oh, I’m Kirsten.”
“I saw you once before, but you weren’t conscious. Glad to have you back now,” Ophelia said.
Kirsten felt Rune’s gaze on her, and she looked to him.
“You know the new rider? You know we could use him in this war,” Rune started, but was interrupted by shouts from the soldiers ahead.
Kirsten’s attention flashed back to the army in the field and her heart began to race. Merglan’s soldiers were charging en masse.
“Get ready,” Rune said. “It’s about to begin.”
Kirsten put her hand on the hilt of the short sword, then hesitated. Reaching her hand into her pocket, she withdrew the crystal and pulled the thin chain down over her head. The sapphire glowed a light blue and she felt a sense of comfort knowing she could defend herself with it. She didn’t yet know if she was any good with a sword, but as she imagined, the battlefield wasn’t anyone’s first choice to find out if they were a natural.
As the screaming horde of soldiers rushed through the grass, Kirsten watched men and women from the rebel army’s front rank move into block formations in front of the trees. As they lowered their spears and waited for the first wave of attackers to hit, archers filled in behind them, taking aim and firing at will. Kirsten wondered if all armies were so well trained that they didn’t need commanders barking orders at them or if this group was different.
She held tight to her crystal as charging men fell under the onslaught of arrows, more charging in behind them. In a horrid clash, she could almost feel the front row colliding as they met nearly face-to-face in the open field. She watched in agony as humans killed one another to gain an upper hand. Waves of soldiers on both sides charged one another and soon the long grass was trampled flat and stained red with blood.
Unable to handle watching helplessly as these brave men and women threw themselves into harm’s way, Kirsten’s urge to help compelled her forward. She heard Thomas calling to her, but ignored him as she felt the need to use her gift in helping bring an end to the fighting. If she could take out the soldiers with her magic crystal and save a few lives in the process, she would.
Kirsten jumped over downed bodies as she rushed into the chaos. Before she realized what she was doing, she had expelled a blast of energy at a group of flanking soldiers, blowing them apart. Bo came into view, passing her and cutting into those among the enemy who had now turned their focus on Kirsten. Arrows pierced men scrambling for her and she knew Thomas was close behind.
Kirsten lost herself in the madness of war. She wielded the crystal in one hand and her short sword in the other. Several times she flung herself into the front lines, blasting through multiple enemy soldiers at a time, waving those behind her forward and shouting for them to fight harder. The day waned and night began to fall. The bodies piled up around them and she lost track of her friends in the fighting.
She felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned with her sharp-edged blade raised and crystal glowing. Through the blue hue, she saw Britt. “Kirsten, we need to get out of here,” she was repeating. The words didn’t register until they were repeated a third time. She turned to see why Britt was beckoning her so frantically. In the distance she saw a dark line moving toward them. The sound thundered as they ran with speed. At the center of this mass, she saw a bright blue light. It swung back and forth around the neck of someone, a man riding on horseback. Even though the light of moon and stars, Kirsten knew who that man was. She knew he would be coming ever since Ophelia told her Merglan had returned to Grandwood. Rankstine and his orcs had arrived.
As she turned to flee with Britt, Kirsten heard kurr screaming their ghoulish cry in the darkness. Kirsten broke into a run, retreating with Britt as she found Max, Bo and Thomas still close by. They all retreated into the woods. Kirsten was shocked to see that she’d ventured so far out ahead of the others. Her heart pounded as the evil group moved in closer. She heard the twang of bowstrings and the whistling of arrows as they shot through the trees. Moments later orcs screamed as the rebel arrows found their targets behind her. She didn’t want to turn around, but she knew they’d caught up.
Kirsten watched as a kurr passed, catching several rebel soldiers who’d lingered too far beyond the safety of the trees. As she neared the tree line, more kurr passed and she could hear the breathy huffing of one at her heels. Turning and shouting, Kirsten sent a blast of energy directly behind her. The blast blew apart the chest of a kurr just as it reached to grab her. The beast vaulted into the air and fell limply into several charging orcs. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the evil creatures had succeeded in surrounding them.
“Britt!” Kirsten shouted. When Britt looked at her, she slowed, turning to face the oncoming enemies. She then directed blow after blow of energy from the crystal into the charging force, creating a dent in their ranks. Soon Kirsten heard Britt, her warriors, Max and Bo at her side. Thomas shot arrows from the protective pocket behind them. As Kirsten formed the head of their defense, the others battled to create a buffer around her.
Their display worked exactly the way Kirsten had intended. She watched as the glowing light rode nearer. As soon as Rankstine came into view, Kirsten directed a bolt of energy at him. Deflecting it with ease, the man stepped down from his horse, orcs and kurr parting around him in the darkness. She saw an arrow zing toward him and arch around him as his protective spell cast Thomas’ shot aside.
Max, Britt and her men charge through the orcs and several kurr toward him. As if orchestrating his band, Rankstine moved more kurr in on them, driving the friends aside and out of view. Kirsten sent several more blasts at the man, which he deflected as he continued to walk ever closer. While she distracted Rankstine, Bo made his move. Kirsten doubled her effort to batter the man with her crystal’s energy. Rankstine moved deftly to deflect them, his eyes catching sight of Bo as he cut through orcs to get closer. When Bo was finally on him, Rankstine whipped a lashing of energy down on him. Kirsten shouted upon seeing Bo crushed under its force. She ran toward them and Rankstine whipped the lashing of energy at her. She raised the crystal and blocked it, but the force of the blow knocked her backward. A second blast landed directly behind her, the force sending her tumbling across the ground. As Kirsten rolled, she felt the sapphire necklace slide up over her head. Before she could grab the chain, it had slipped off. She stopped, instantly searching for her lifeline. The sapphire wasn’t anywhere near her. At this point, Kirsten thought the poison would’ve taken her. Was something different? She looked down and saw the special pink-hued stone caught in the neck of her chainmail shirt.
“What’s wrong girly?” Rankstine’s wicked voice sounded behind her. “Lose your crystal?”
Kirsten grinned knowing she still clutched the other sapphire in her hand. Turning and expecting to catch Rankstine off guard, Kirsten fired a shot at him. The man jumped back, surprised at her sudden move, but nothing had threatened him. Kirsten frowned. She tried the crystal again, but still nothing. She opened her hand to see that the light had gone from the stone. Tossing it to the ground, Kirsten cursed, knowing that was the only thing that could help her defeat him.
Rankstine stopped, facing her, but at a distance. As she lifted the pink sapphire’s chain back around her head, Kirsten stared at the man. “Thought you would get away with it, did you?” he shouted as he raised his blue-glowing crystal over his head. “Too bad for you that I have friends in high places.”
As he spoke, Kirsten saw an orange glow in the sky to his left. She smiled, her reaction confusing enough to make him pause. Before he could lash down on her with more energy, she replied, “So do I.”
Jetting in from her left, a shower of flame descended on Rankstine, burning him instantly and flashing out through the enemy army at his side. Kirsten jumped back, shielding herself from the dragon fire. After the brunt of the flames had dissipated, Kirsten looked back to see a red dragon unleashing hellfire down on the orc and kurr.