Chosen Sister (12 page)

At that moment, the harpy she’d fought earlier went for her head, but the Unicorn Sword darted up, blocking it. She drove the sword into it with a killing stroke, and then she attacked the other one, which had Austyn by the foot, trying to pull him loose. He clung to the bush, his knuckles white, his face pale. The bush jerked, leaning out farther over the cliff. It was coming up by the roots!

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Reina swung at the harpy. She flapped backward, avoiding the blow, but her attack forced the creature to release Austyn. Reina dropped the unicorn sword and grabbed Austyn with both hands just before the bush gave way. He let it go, and it tumbled down the cliff. Reina fell backwards on safe ground, Austyn on top of her. The harpy attacked, dragging its claws across Austyn’s back. He screamed. Reina yelled, unable to protect him.

Austyn gritted his teeth, a look of concentration on his face. An enormous explosion of flames burst out around them, burning the harpy to ash and spreading out to envelop those attacking the Gold Wizard. Reina gaped in amazement.

Austyn, still lying on top of her, groaned. Sticky liquid oozed over Reina’s hands. Austyn tried to sit up and yelled in pain. Tears ran down his cheeks. Reina eased him off and saw her hands were covered in blood. He stiffened and moaned, and fear coursed through her. Reina turned around to find the Gold Wizard and demand he do something.

The Gold Wizard, his face and hair still singed, sat holding his leg, which was also bleeding. A scratch ran down the side of his head, and he winced. He tried to get up, gasped in pain, and sat back down again with a thump. Reina turned back to Austyn to reassure him that everything would still turn out okay. He paled and fell forward in a faint. She caught him and eased him to the ground. More blood oozed from his back.
What am I going to do?
Tears welled up in Reina’s eyes. She felt totally alone. She looked around for the Unicorn Sword, although she didn’t know what good it might do; perhaps it could become the unicorn again and save them.

It lay on the ground, still very much a sword, bloody and just out of reach. She would have to let go of Austyn to get it; but even then, she hadn’t done anything those other times to make it a unicorn. She didn’t know how to make it turn into one and help them, and as a sword it was totally useless. Austyn felt so fragile in her hands, and every second, he lost more blood. A sob escaped her.

“Let me see, child.” A soft voice made her look up in surprise.

An old woman stood next to her, her silver hair done up behind her head. She wore a plain navy blue dress with a pale blue apron. Reina gazed up at her face. Two blue eyes looked on Reina with kindness. They were young eyes, the clear and bright eyes of a girl. The woman’s mouth twitched in a half-smile, and she knelt by Reina, her hands moving over Austyn.

Reina glanced at where the Unicorn Sword had lain, wondering if this woman was also part of it, but the Unicorn Sword still lay on the grass, as bloody as ever.

“With a little care and much rest, the boy will be fine.” The woman smiled. “You help Dwayne and follow.”

“Dwayne?” Reina gave her a puzzled look.

The woman chuckled. “The young wizard.”

“Oh,” Reina said, shocked to learn that he actually had a name. “Who are you?”

“Eleia.” The woman gathered Austyn into her arms. “Come to my cottage, and we can mend these wounds there.”

Reina wiped her bloody hands on the grass and picked up the Unicorn Sword. She couldn’t get all the blood off on the grass, so she cleaned the sword on her shirt before sheathing it. She walked over to where the Gold Wizard sat. With his dark hair plastered to his scalp with blood and the scratch across his face, he looked younger than ever—perhaps because Eleia was so old.

“You’re
Dwayne?
”

He blushed red. “It’s a stupid name for a wizard. I never use it.”

Reina shrugged. Each time she learned more about him, he became less and less of what she thought of as a wizard—but she also knew by now that he actually cared about Austyn in his own way. She held out her hand. “We’d better follow Eleia. You’ll need that leg fixed.”

He took her hand and, with a groan, managed to get to his feet. He couldn’t put any weight on his right leg, though. He put an arm around her shoulder, and they staggered after the old woman. They had to stop frequently to rest, and Eleia moved out of sight around the mountain. However, the Gold Wizard—Reina had trouble thinking of him as Dwayne—seemed to know the way and pointed her in the right direction. The rocks of the mountainside came together, and they walked through a narrow pathway. After a short while, the walkway opened up into a valley hidden between the steep sides of the mountain. A brook ran across it, and the path had a wonderful little wooden bridge going over it. Flowers and herbs scented the air, adding to the feeling of peacefulness here.

Ahead stood a small thatched cottage, and behind it a barn. Flowers surrounded it, and it seemed to beckon to her, speaking of rest and safety. For the first time since beginning this adventure, she felt truly safe—even safer than at home. However, by the time they reached the door, she judged by the grimace on the Gold Wizard’s face that he was in a lot of pain.

They made it into the cottage. Its one room had a stone fireplace, a large wooden table, and lots of shelves stuffed with herbs, jars, and books. A couch sat against one wall, and Eleia had Austyn lay down on it. A cloth hung at the back of the room, and Reina guessed that Eleia’s bed and clothes must be behind it. She helped the Gold Wizard hop over to the rocking chair by the fireplace. He sat down with a sigh.

She left him to go stand near Austyn, watching Eleia wash his back. Austyn woke with a yell, and Eleia held him down.

“Hold still, dearie—I have to clean this.”

Austyn whimpered, and Reina crouched by his head, running her hand through his hair and whispering words of comfort. After she finished cleaning and bandaging his cuts, Eleia went to the fire and made a hot cup of herb tea.

“Drink this, child,” she said. “This will help with the pain and the healing.”

Austyn wiped away his tears and drank it. Eleia turned to Reina.

“He needs to sleep now—the medicine will help him.”

Reina nodded and helped Austyn lie down again.

“I hurt,” he whispered to her.

She nodded. “Eleia will take care of us. With her, we are safe.”

“Yes,” Austyn agreed and closed his eyes. Eleia came back with a blanket and tucked it around him.

“How about you, child?”

“Me?” Reina blinked, confused for a moment before realizing Eleia wondered if she was injured. She considered her body. “No, I’m fine.”

Eleia smiled. “That you are, child. Well, then, can you get some more water from the well and put it back on the fire? I need to wash Dwayne’s wounds now.”

Reina nodded and did as Eleia had asked. Coming back with the water, she stopped for a moment in the doorway, hearing Eleia speaking to the Gold Wizard.

“You shouldn’t have dragged that poor, little child into this! It’s bad enough as it is. You could have killed him! Why didn’t you ask for my help?”

The Gold Wizard mumbled something indistinct. Reina stepped into the room quietly. The wizard’s face had turned bright red, and he glared at the fire as Eleia cut away the leg of his pants.

“You could have been killed as well.” Her voice was cold, unlike the warm tone she had addressed Reina and Austyn with. “What good would all your father’s sacrifice have done if you had died?”

“I’m doing what my father wanted—helping the Chosen One.” The Gold Wizard’s voice turned sullen, like a little boy. Reina suppressed a giggle.

“You don’t trust me either.” The Gold Wizard stuck out his chin. “I can do it—I don’t need your help. Everyone always tells me to believe in myself, and yet none of you believe in me, do you?” He glared at her. “And I did ask for help. I went to the Green Wizard, since he lived closer to the children, but the Red Wizard had already gotten to him.” The Gold Wizard’s voice broke. “He was ripped to shreds,” he whispered.

Eleia’s face softened, and she murmured something under her breath that sounded like a prayer for the dead. Then she looked back at the Gold Wizard. “Perhaps you are right, Dwayne—I will let you try on your own this time. I will trust you, and your Chosen One, as it seems you have chosen well.” She looked up at Reina and smiled. “Come in with that water, child.”

Reina walked to the fireplace and put the pot on to heat before turning to the two of them. “Who are you, really, that you could have helped us?” She glared at the Gold Wizard. “And why don’t you want her to help? It’s been horrible so far!”

Eleia laughed. “Don’t think badly of Dwayne, child. His father and I were good friends, and I suppose we have always been a bit hard on him. Really, I think Merlyn was always too hard on him, but considering the grave circumstances, I admit I have been too. That, and he has funny ideas about what’s proper for a woman—and being a wizard, I don’t fit into that.”

Reina’s mouth dropped open. “You’re—the Blue Wizard!”

Eleia winked at her. “I don’t put much stock in titles. I prefer the true name to the fancy title.”

Reina shook her head in wonderment. Eleia wasn’t any closer to her idea of what a wizard should be than the Gold Wizard. She glanced at him, but he looked rather sulky, so she turned back to Eleia, who now wound a bandage around the Gold Wizard’s foot.

“What about the Red Wizard? Does he have a name too?”

“Yes.” Eleia voice grew quiet and serious. “His name is Samayl, and he’s a very dangerous person.”

“So the Gold Wizard was right about his death magic?”

The Gold Wizard glared at her for suggesting he might be wrong.

“Yes, he is right about that, and about other things, too—although not everything.” Eleia’s eyes sparkled with mirth.

“Nobody can be right about everything.” Reina started feeling a little sorry for the Gold Wizard. He couldn’t help that he wasn’t very good at his job.

“No,” agreed Eleia, dabbing at the Gold Wizard’s cheek. He winced. “Now, Dwayne, you need to rest as well. Don’t give me that look. Drink the tea and sleep. You must heal, and your body needs the rest after all you’ve been through.”

She got up, went behind the curtain, and came back with blankets. She made a bed on the floor next to the couch. The Gold Wizard grimaced and drank his tea. Eleia helped him lie down, and Reina sat in the rocking chair he’d vacated. Once he was settled, Eleia walked to the counter over in one corner and bustled around. Reina tended the fire until the old woman walked over to her and offered her a thick slice of bread spread with butter and honey.

“Oh!” Reina’s stomach rumbled. “Thank you.”

Eleia laughed. “I’m making something for supper, since I’m sure those two will be quite starved when they wake—or at least Dwayne should, if he’s much like he was when he was younger. You ought to rest as well—you’ve been through a lot.”

Reina took a bite, savoring it. “I’m too awake to sleep. And other than thinking Austyn would die, it wasn’t too bad. The Unicorn Sword protected me.”

“The what?” Eleia narrowed her eyes at her.

“The Unicorn Sword.” Reina stuffed the rest of the bread in her mouth and stood up. She drew the sword. It glimmered in the firelight.

Eleia’s eyes widened, and she bent over it, looking at it closely.

“You want to hold it?” Reina offered it to her.

Eleia chuckled and shook her head. “Oh, no. It wouldn’t do for an old woman of my varied experiences to hold it—it is a sword for the young. The sword wouldn’t like that at all. I’m sure it would do something unpleasant if I tried to touch it.”

“You mean like how it stung the Gold Wizard?”

Eleia glanced over to where he lay sleeping. “Dwayne tried touching it?” She laughed and had a far-away look in her eyes, as if remembering something. “Yes, I suppose it would have a similar reaction. The sword, like a unicorn, is picky, and will only come and touch certain people.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

“Did your brother touch it?”

“Yeah.” Reina thought back. “It didn’t hurt him, but he said it was too heavy and wouldn’t hold it for more than a minute.”

“This is a very special sword. Only a person who has three special and important qualities can wield it. The sword says so, right here.” She ran her finger above the runes written on the blade.

“You can read them?” Reina leaned forward eagerly.

“It says Courage, Chastity, and Charity.”

Reina’s hopes of being able to understand the sword fell. “What does that mean? It makes no sense.”

Eleia smiled. “Well, you understand courage, right?”

“Yeah, that’s being brave.”

“Well, chastity means being pure of heart and body, and charity is love, the kind of love that pours forth goodness to others. Only a person with all three of these qualities can use this sword.”

“And I have all that?” Reina had never stopped to consider herself.

Eleia put a hand on her shoulder. “The sword wouldn’t have picked you if you didn’t.”

And for the first time since the medallion chose Austyn, Reina felt special. In wonderment, she ran her hand down the Unicorn Sword. “It picked
me
,” she whispered.

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Austyn woke the next day pale and feverish. Eleia insisted that he stay in bed. The Gold Wizard walked with a bit of a limp, but otherwise seemed fine. He grew restless, until Eleia sent him outside to work in the yard. After several hours of fitful sleep, Austyn became fretful. Reina sat by him, trying to distract him.

“Eleia read the runes on the Unicorn Sword for me,” she told him. “They say, Courage.” She pointed to the one for courage. “And … umm, what were they?”

Eleia smiled from where she swept the hearth. “Chastity and Charity.”

“Yeah, which means purity and love,” Reina finished. “It says what a person must have to carry the Unicorn Sword.”

Austyn traced the runes with his finger. “Courage,” he whispered, his voice wistful. “I wish I could read. I want to learn all the runes and what they mean.”