Into the Fray: Volume 1 of The Sorcerers of Jhanvia Series (34 page)

Nidreyka finished taking a drink of water and asked sarcastically, “So you two still think we should take them on by ourselves?”

“All those who have advised us believe it is the best way,” Kidreyli replied.

“It looks like a one-way path,” Nidreyka posed. “We may be able to deal with the child, but I don’t see how we extricate ourselves safely. I have no fear of death, mind you, but I’m not ready to die just yet. After seeing some of what we are up against, I think we need to reassess this situation.”

Kidreyli looked at her and said forcefully, “There’s nothing to reassess. We must confront this situation directly. We just need to devise a plan that succeeds at our primary goal and gets us out alive.”

“Don’t you see how outnumbered we are? Their forces are overwhelming. And in addition, having to get in and out of a castle…?”

Kidreyli was obviously frustrated. “What do you want me to say, Nidreyka? This is what the fates have laid out for us. We can either take on the task at hand or walk away. I don’t intend to walk away.”

Nidreyka put her hands on the side of her head. “Aaaah! You drive me crazy, my sister. That is not what I said at all. I just think we need to explore other options, like getting more help.”

Kidreyli shook her head and said as she turned away, “If you don’t have the stomach for this, then take your lover and go. Kaitra and I will manage.”

Kaitra was surprised by her comment and said, “That was uncalled for.”

“So now you’re calling me a coward, are you?” Nidreyka said as she drew her sword. “Why don’t we test that theory?”

Kidreyli drew her sword, turned to face her and said sardonically, “Gladly, my friend.”

Their swords came together with bright, stinging rings, each alternately blocking an effort of the other. They paused momentarily, Kidreyli motioning with her hand urging her opponent on.

“What are we doing?” the sorceress asked in a fearful frenzy.

Dikaylia echoed Kaitra’s sentiments, “Please, both of you, don’t do this.”

The two Valtyr started their next run when Milina stepped in between them, “Hold! Both of you! I don’t know what events in your past are causing this, but it will stop now. The two of you are acting like children. This is a serious situation and we need clear, adult reasoning to have even the remotest chance of success.”

Nidreyka paused for a moment and then lowered her sword.

Kidreyli laughed sarcastically, “Why is it that we Valtyr always bow to the demands of the great and powerful Clannya? Even out here in the middle of nowhere, they treat us like their pets. Tell me, really, what does that say about the so-called mighty Valtyr race?”

Nidreyka shook her head in disgust and sheathed her sword, “There she goes again on that ridiculous poisonous rant of hers. Milina, we are going to Tyrkamani, and you can come with us if you choose. Kay, we’re leaving.”

Milina was quick to the answer, “I think it best if I go with you.” She picked up her bag, and Dikaylia helped her up on her Katrion.

Kaitra looked up at Dikaylia, who touched her face next to her eyes with her first two fingers, then touched the point of her ear and her forehead in the same fashion and smiled at her, sending the message that what she had seen and heard would remain protected within her.

Kaitra smiled back and mouthed quietly, “Thank you.”

Dikaylia’s Katrion turned and quickly disappeared into the forest.

Nidreyka jumped up on her Katrion and said, “Kaitra, it was an honor to meet you. I hope we see each other again under better circumstances. Good fortune to you.”

She let her Katrion take a few steps, then stopped and called back, “In deference to your mother, I will tell Talenyan that you will meet her
at Lynbuañan in four days time.” She waited a moment for a response, but none came, as Kidreyli was looking away tending to something on her saddle. She turned and urged her Katrion onward, and a minute later they were gone, deep into the forest.

Kaitra was absolutely stunned. Everything had happened so quickly, and she was having difficulty wrapping her mind around the events that had just transpired. She stood in the shadows of the late afternoon sunlight with the wind pushing her hair and the leaves in the trees to the east. The birds were loudly making their final rounds of the day. She looked over at Kidreyli, who was still fiddling with a strap on her saddle.

The sorceress aimed her thoughts at Tyral, “What just happened, my friend?”

“Too many people,” was the response.

“What do you mean?”

“Kidreyli is at her best when she is on her own…with you. I had sensed that she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with Nidreyka and Dikaylia being part of the plan to deal with Satreka. And on top of that, Milina was added to the mix. I think things finally boiled up to the rather unpleasant display you just witnessed.”

“But they could have helped us greatly in our efforts,” the sorceress noted.

“Probably, but Nidreyka does have a rather domineering personality, just like Kidreyli. It was inevitable that those two would bump up against each other. Your lover was feeling that Nidreyka was trying to dominate the decision-making process. I sensed that she was afraid that her counterpart’s actions would differ from whatever plan they had laid, which would create confusion and possibly endanger any success.”

Kaitra walked over, took Kidreyli’s face in her hands and gave her a rather passionate kiss. She stroked her hair back, “You are something to behold, my love.” As she walked away, she said, “I’ll get some firewood.” She patted Tyral on the bum as she passed, acknowledging the insight provided by her.

Kidreyli directed her thoughts toward Tyral, “I did it this time, didn’t I?”

“I believe you have successfully severed your connection with Nidreyka,” was the response.

“I felt she was trying to influence us toward the wrong path.”

“I understand.”

Kidreyli was looking for a bit of support, “What do you think?”

“Honestly, I think her presence might have been helpful, but you must do what is comfortable for you. Your feelings about her could be right. She is as stubborn and obstinate as someone else I know.”

Kidreyli laughed under her breath. “We really are too much alike, I fear.”

Kaitra returned with an armful of dried wood and placed it in a pile. “It feels like it’s going to be a cold night.”

“The wind is a sign of change coming,” Kidreyli stated.

The sorceress passed her hand over the wood, setting it alight. She looked over at her lover and said, “So it would seem that we’re on our own again.”

“Yes, we are.”

Kaitra sat near the fire. Kidreyli brought over food and drink and sat next to her, taking her hand. They sat silently for a while, Kidreyli staring off into the distance at nothing specific. She noticed through the trees the Moon of Talera rising in a deep purple eastern sky, as the sun was headed for its rendezvous with the underworld in the west.

Kaitra asked, “What’s next for us?”

“We are off to Lynbuañan tomorrow. We can take our time and stay on the Dhoyan side of the river once we get there. We should wait a few days to see if my mother comes. If she does not, then we should travel on to Caerlyk.”

Kaitra nodded her understanding. The leaves in the breeze dominated the air once again.

After several silent moments, Kidreyli spoke up, “I am sorry about that display earlier.”

“You need not apologize.”

“I do. It was out of character for me to jump headlong into such a fracas. It just felt like it was something I had to do.”

Kaitra laughed, “And you did it so well.”

Kidreyli smiled.

Kaitra got on her knees behind her lover and rubbed her shoulders and neck. She said, “I hope your mother is able to come. I have a great desire to meet her.”

“That feels wonderful,” she said as she moved her head around helping direct the massage. “Talenyan is a very determined individual. If she wants to see me, she will find a way to get there.”

The quiet returned as Kidreyli soaked in the relaxing effects of the massage. Tyral led Sestru over to a small clearing a short distance away to eat on the abundant knee-high grasses that were waving in the breeze.

Kaitra noted, “I think that Nidreyka had a point. There were
so
many of Satreka’s men. How are we going to get in and out of that castle?”

“I’m not sure yet. I think it would help us in our planning if we were to get a good look at it. The hidden entrance that Destri told us about might give us a slippery way out. We just need to find a way in and the access point for that passageway. Don’t worry, my love. You and I will succeed together.”

Kaitra got up and placed a few more pieces of wood on the fire. She went over to the horses and retrieved both of their cloaks, immediately wrapping hers around and buckling it. With the sunlight retreating and the winds beginning to settle, the chill in the air was becoming uncomfortable.

“Here,” Kaitra handed the warrior’s cloak to Kidreyli, who folded it across her lap. The sorceress sat next to her and asked, “What you said to Nidreyka last night about the Vydarrun, is that really true?”

“It is how I remember it, but it was a very long time ago. You should ask Tyral, she was there.”

“You were there as well.”

“Yes, but in another life. Tyral was there in this life for her.”

“I’m confused,” the sorceress said.

Kidreyli smiled, “The Katrion are physically immortal. Once they reach adulthood, they cannot die unless someone kills them or they have a fatal accident.”

Kaitra’s large gray eyes betrayed her surprise, “I completely misunderstood what was in your mind. I just assumed that they lived and died and were reborn like us.”

“No, their lifespan is extremely long. There are Katrion alive today that are older than the oldest memories of our people. Trust me, they never, ever forget anything.”

Kaitra pointed her thoughts at the big Katrion, allowing Kidreyli to hear, “Tyral, my anamhra has corrected my understanding of your species. She tells me that you live forever.”

“Not forever, but it probably seems that way to you,” she replied as she walked back to them.

“How old are you?”

Tyral deflected the question, “I’m not really sure. We don’t keep time as you, so I could not translate it into terms you would understand.”

Kidreyli chimed in, “She knows, she just doesn’t want to share.”

Kaitra said, “You don’t have to tell me. Kidreyli says that you were alive when the Vydarrun existed. I was wondering if Kidreyli’s perception of them is accurate?”

“In what way?”

“I overheard her conversation with Nidreyka last night. She seems to remember that the males of her species were good people, with a significant capacity for love and nurturing. Is she right about that?”

Tyral hesitated to answer.

Kaitra pressed, “Please, tell me the truth.”

Tyral relented, “The Vydarrun were creatures of extremes. They could be the most brutal and savage of creatures one moment and the most loving and caring the next. You never knew what you were going
to get. When grouped together with their own kind, they became more ruthless and uncontrollable.”

“But when they were with the females of the species, they were controllable?”

“For the most part, yes.”

“Did the Valtyr ever make an effort to control their brutality?”

The Katrion responded, “Not that I am aware of. I doubt they would have been successful if they had tried. It would have been very difficult to change their true nature.”

Kidreyli stepped in to the conversation, “Of course it would have been difficult. But we didn’t even try, did we? We simply listened to the cultures around us and did their bidding.”

Tyral explained, “You both have to understand the context of the time. The Vydarrun had already destroyed the Klianis and were threatening the Dhoyans. The Dhoyans were powerful enough at the time to withstand any attack from the Vydarrun, but they would have paid a very high price. Leaders from across the continent gathered and presented an ultimatum to the Valtyr, which was essentially, rein in your problem or face extinction. Your people chose to resolve the problem in the fastest and most efficient way possible.”

“We simply killed them in the middle of the night,” Kidreyli’s emotions bubbled up.

Tyral confirmed, “Yes. And because of that action, and the unfathomable courage it demonstrated, the other cultures on this continent allowed yours to survive. Your people paid a price, though. They endured significant pain from this experience that lasted for generations. There was even the real possibility that your species would die out simply because the males were gone and you could no longer breed. The Clannya took on the problem and through their efforts developed the breeding methods you still use today. Their efforts saved the Valtyr.”

Kidreyli thought about Tyral’s words for a few moments. Then the moments became minutes as she stared into the flames. The silence
caused what was left of the wind in the trees to stop. Kaitra wasn’t sure what to say. She could feel the depth of the pain in her anamhra shake her to her bones.

Kaitra took her hand, “Tyral, I think that pain of which you speak has lasted much longer than anyone here wants to admit.”

Kidreyli looked at her with misty deep blue eyes, “How else am I to respond? We were forced to kill all the males of our species. How would you feel if that was your only option for survival?”

“I could not begin to understand the pain your people have endured. I had no idea that this subject would be so difficult for you. I will never bring it up again.”

Kidreyli contradicted her, “No, my love. We must always hold this close. It is good to speak of these things so that the truth of our past is remembered.”

Several quiet moments ensued before Kaitra asked, “If it’s too painful, you don’t have to answer, but during the purge, did you kill your mate?”

She smiled reminiscently and replied, “No. By happenstance, I overheard what was to come, and we fled south. There were others, and we lived out our lives in hiding.” She paused momentarily, and then spoke over a pained laugh, “I guess I’ve always been a traitor to my people.”