The Vacant Throne: The Legend Of Kairu Vol 3 (10 page)

Now, lie down beside
her,
Cathy said.

I lay down on the
rough ground beside Lady Sandra and closed my eyes to focus on the
bond. With her hand in mine, I was able to form a stronger
connection through her body to her soul. I felt Cathy separating
from my mind in preparation to be transferred.

I took a couple of deep breaths and
focused on my magic as the power built up inside me. Cathy must
have done the same things as a dark, unnatural energy pressed down
on me. This was the first time I had actually felt Cathy’s magic.
Whenever we combined our magic, my magic always shielded me from
it. With us separating it, I could feel the true nature of a
demon’s magic and why it was feared.

READY?
Cathy shouted over the roar of magic in my
head.

READY!

I launched my magic at her to force her
through the bond. She released her magic and my body lurched
upwards as it felt like it was being torn in two. A gasp escaped me
as the world turned dark.

*****

In the darkness, the Woman in White
floated over me, slowly drifting away. Her long brown hair swirled
around her as she reached out and smiled. I stretched out my hand
to grab her but my fingertips only grazed hers as she floated
further away.

The darkness under me opened and I was
pulled into it. I could only look on as the Woman in White left me
behind.

*****

I opened my eyes
slowly. My breath was shallow and my heart was beating quickly in
my chest. The tent surrounding us felt claustrophobic for a second
before returning to normal and I sat up slowly. I felt light-headed
and grabbed my head with both hands to keep it from splitting
open.

Cathy?

The silence should
have been reassuring, but it made me panic. I turned towards Lady
Sandra and saw that she was sitting up with her head towards her
chest.

“
Cathy?” I
whispered.

She looked up at me. Her eyes were
puffy and red from tears. “I’m here, Andy,” she said in a voice
close to how she sounded in my head.

My relief was quickly replaced by the
sight of the tears. “Are you okay?”

“
Yeah,” she answered,
wiping her eyes. “I am very happy actually.”

“
You have me fooled,”
I said sarcastically, trying to get a smile from her.

It worked as she
smiled weakly before disappearing again. “When I transferred in,”
she explained. “I had to hurry and go through Lady Middleton’s
memories for anything that could help us. Before she died, I
stumbled across one memory; the memory of her father’s death.” She
took a deep breath. “That poor girl. Desroche had Mind Controlled
her into torturing and murdering her father. He had done it in a
way to make sure she had seen and felt everything.”

I felt my eyes widen
in shock. I hadn’t noticed that Desroche had been possessed, but he
could have been hiding it. The idea that humanity could be that
monstrous without the help of something otherworldly was not an
idea I wanted to entertain.

“
The guilt and
heartbreak she feels...felt...” Cathy shook her head. “I can’t
imagine losing anyone I care about.” She looked up and smiled
weakly. “But don’t mind my blubbering. I’m still getting used to
these human emotions. There is a much wider range than yours. I
wonder if that is because she isn’t a socially inept
weirdo.”

I smiled. “Well, that didn’t take you
long. At least, Lady Sandra may have found peace in the
afterlife.”

Cathy nodded thoughtfully.

“
Is there anything
else you are still getting used to?” I asked, trying to change the
subject.

“
Being in control,”
she answered with a slight chuckle. “Though it is a little more top
heavy than yours.” She grabbed at her chest and shifted things
around. “The armour definitely doesn’t help.”

“
You’ve been a girl
before so you should be fine,” I said.

“
That was many years
ago,” she admitted. “I’ve forgotten a few things. It doesn’t help
that it is a non-magical body too.”

“
What do you mean?” I
asked.

“
When I had magic I
was able to...turn things on and off,” she replied. “Now, not only
can I not cast spells, but I have to be 100% Human.”

“
Well we could always
transfer you back into me at the end of the mission,” I said,
trying to conceal my excitement at the idea.

“
I’ll think about
it,” she said. “I was serious when I said I wanted to help you out
more. Lady Sandra was a fully trained warrior and scout and I
have...inherited’... all these skills. Call me your personal
bodyguard.”

She grinned and I smiled back. We would
have to see how this works out. She wouldn’t be much help if she
charged head first into every fight and I had to ensure she didn’t
die. Time would have to tell on how good this move would be.

“
Don’t make me smack
you,” Cathy said, pointing at me.

“
What did I do?” I
asked.

“
You’re thinking
something negative about me,” she said. “I lived in your head for a
long time. I know you better than you know yourself.”

“
You’re crazy. I
wasn’t thinking about you,” I lied. “Now, we should get you ready
because we have to head to Balendar.”

“
What do you mean,
‘get me ready’,” she asked.

“
Well you don’t sound
like Lady Middleton of Davalin,” I answered. “You sound like Cathy,
the crazy demon who used to live in my head.”

“
All I’m doing is
talking,” Cathy said.

“
Yeah, but Lady
Middleton sounds more... for lack of a better word... girly,” I
replied.

Cathy looked shocked. “What’s wrong
with my voice?”

“
Nothing, it’s
unique, and that’s the problem,” I answered. “Do you remember how
she sounded? It was more high-pitched than yours.”

“
How about now?” she
mocked in an overly high-pitch voice.

I gave her a look and she laughed. “How
about now?” she said in Lady Sandra’s voice.

“
Perfect,” I said,
shocked. “What did you do?”

“
Simply try and mimic
her,” she said, continuing the voice.

“
Good, do that till
we are done,” I said.

“
Yes, sir,” she said
with a mock salute. “Shall we work on walking too? Let me guess, I
walk like a man?”

“
Probably,” I
replied.

“
I’ll have you know I
have a very sexy walk and you’ll never get to see it,” she said,
turning away and crossing her arms. I gave her a look and she
giggled. “It is much more fun to play with you as a separate
person.”

“
Wonderful,” I said
dryly. “Ready for your first acting performance?”

“
I was born ready,”
she said with exaggerated drama.

Chapter
9

The sun had crept
past the highest point and we would need to leave soon to get
through the Archanion Field before dark. We needed to get to
Thurlborn Peak but there was a place we could stop along the way
for the night. The Reed family farm.

Bill sat in quiet
contemplation overlooking the field. When Cathy emerged from the
tent and adjusted her armour, Bill turned around and rose to his
feet. His face remained deadpanned as he approached us. He was
probably prepared for any order his Lady would give him, even if it
meant marching up the mountain to his doom.

“
How are you, my
Lady?” he asked.

“
Alright,” Cathy
answered, looking back at the mountain. “Different, but
alright.”

Bill nodded like he knew what she had
meant. “Different is the right way to put it.”

“
I owe you an
apology,” Cathy started sadly. “I owe everyone an apology, but that
won’t bring them back. My blind march for revenge has only resulted
in more people close to me being killed.”

“
You and Ser Wilson
were close,” Bill agreed.

“
Yes, they... we
were,” Cathy stumbled.

I turned my head to give her a look but
she ignored me.

“
What do we do now,
my Lady?” Bill asked.

“
We head back to
Thurlborn Peak and warn the Lords of the attack,” Cathy answered.
“Balendar will be the first place attacked and it is still in
chaos.”

“
Let us hope the
Lords have chosen a new successor,” Bill said. “You know how they
can get bogged down by politics.”

“
We’ll have to show
them the way then,” Cathy replied with determination. “We can’t let
Thurlborn Peak and its citizens be brainwashed again.”

“
Yes, my Lady,” Bill
said happily.

Cathy turned to me. “An...Mage.”

“
Kairu,” I reminded
her.

“
Yes, Kairu,” Cathy
said. “I owe you my thanks. Your help ensured that we will live and
reach Balendar in time. I may not believe in the ‘positives of
magic’ as you put it, but I know your story. We need you to come to
Thurlborn Peak and help deal with the Lords.”

“
If it means stopping
Desroche, I’m in,” I said.

“
There’s no way we
will be able to make it to Thurlborn by nightfall and I don’t fancy
another night in Archanion,” Bill informed.

“
The Balendar farm
land rests on the border,” I explained. “I know someone who can
help.”

Cathy nodded. “We’ll
hit Riverwood in the morning and ferry down to Thurlborn by
midday.”

“
We can check to see
if Lord Michaels has returned,” Bill pointed out.

“
Exactly,” Cathy
nodded. She turned back to me. “Kairu, which way to the
farms?”

“
We head back down
the same path around the Tower’s location,” I answered.

“
Bill, lead the way,”
Cathy ordered. “We’ll watch for wildlife from behind.”

“
Yes, my Lady,” Bill
bowed.

Bill started on the
path east and I scanned the mountain side to ensure we were
protected from behind. I felt a couple weak life signs in the
distance, but nothing that would be a threat to us as we escaped. I
joined with Cathy who looked excited to simply walk.

“
How’d I do?” she
whispered.

“
Very impressive,” I
whispered back. “A couple of slip-ups though.”

“
I’m just rusty,” she
said dismissively. “A little more practice and we’ll be ready for
the Lords.”

“
It’s going to be
weird hearing you pretend to be someone else,” I said.

“
Yeah, but it is just
for other people until we sort this out,” Cathy explained. “I won’t
pretend with you though. You’ll always get the truth from
me.”

I chuckled. “So I could ask you any
question about being a girl and you would answer it?”

“
Yes, but if it is
anything I feel is too personal, I’m going to have to smack you
first,” she smiled.

“
How will I know it’s
too personal?” I asked.

She smiled wider.

“
You’ll smack me,” I
answered for her. “Great.”

I checked on Bill,
who had moved far enough ahead that he wouldn’t hear anything Cathy
and I say to each other, as long as we kept our voices quiet
enough.

“
Well let’s start
small then,” I continued. “How’s walking?”

“
Strangely, it is
something I missed,” she answered.

“
Well, you talked a
big game about this sexy walk of yours, but instead you’re doing
the stomp,” I pointed out.

“
Stomping IS sexy,
bitch,” Cathy replied, exaggerating her steps. “Just have to get
used to wearing armour again.”

“
What’s it like in
armour?” I asked.

“
Restricting,” she
answered bluntly. “Luckily she was in good shape and used to
wearing armour. The body kind of moves on its own and I can adjust
easily. The chest is going to take some getting used to. Seriously,
it screws up the balance pretty good. If I don’t end up face
planting into a rock, it will be a miracle.”

I laughed quietly as
we approached a section where the path split into two directions. I
called up to Bill with the directions and we continued our trek
east. I scanned the area quickly with my mind and found a few
birds, but nothing that would be threatening to us.

“
How are you holding
up?” Cathy asked.

“
It’s weird not
having you in my head anymore,” I replied. “It feels
empty.”

“
That’s the way it
has always been,” Cathy joked. “How else would I have fit in
there?”

I gave her a look and she laughed
quietly. “You know what I mean,” I said.

“
I do. Still going to
have some fun at your expense though,” Cathy said.

“
Of course,” I
said.

“
It will just take
some time to get used to,” Cathy started. “You can’t spend two
cycles together and expect to be normal when split apart. At least
we are alive.”

“
There was the
possibility of us dying?” I asked worried.

“
Nah, just playing
with you again,” Cathy smiled.