CHAPTER 15 ~ LOOKIN INTO THE PAST

KRISTALYN

I pulled the clean bandages from my pack. It was a nightly ritual at this point. Aiden refused to slow down and by doing so he would tear the bandage on his shoulder apart by the end of every day, if not earlier. He wasn’t well enough to fix it, so the job had fallen to me.

Aiden glared at me as I walked over to him. It was the exact same glare he used every night, so I wasn’t sure why he still bothered, since it hadn’t stopped me before. I chose my typical response as well and ignored him. Putting my supplies down next to him, I motioned roughly for him to remove his shirt.

“It’s fine tonight.”

“I can see the blood on your shirt,” I replied calmly.

“I’ll fix it.”

“You say that every night. Hurry it up.”

“Why?”

“So I can get this done!” I exclaimed.

He shook his head, “No. Why do you even bother? I don’t want your help, but more than that you know I’m going to kill someone you hold dear. Why bother to help fix me up so I can do my job better?”

I glanced up, but quickly looked back down again. His steel blue eyes seemed like crystal pools tonight and they held some unknown emotion. How was I supposed to explain my reasons? I simply didn’t have a choice. Right?

Maybe I had been wrong all this time. Maybe it wasn’t my responsibility. What would Deus tell me to do? I hadn’t really spoken to him in the last few days and the reason was sitting in front of me. Of course, I should have gone running to the feet of Dues because of him. Why hadn’t I?

I shook my head. That hadn’t been Aiden’s question. But I didn’t really need to answer it, either. I busied myself picking up the first bandage I would need. “That’s my business.”

“Mine too,” his voice was low and something had changed in it. It wasn’t as rough as it normally was. I glanced up quickly only to find he was staring right at me. I swallowed. What was going on?

He put his hand over mine and removed the bandage from them. “I’m doing it myself from now on.” His voice brooked no argument and for once I didn’t have one to give. I nodded briskly and backed up. I turned and wanted to race back to the other side of the fire, but I forced myself to move slowly. I didn’t want him to see that he had me off kilter. I knew he had done it on purpose. He was probably laughing at me in his head. Enjoying his little joke at my expense, only I wasn’t sure what the joke was. I just knew whatever had just happened, it wasn’t funny. For the first time I really wished Tray was here, instead of spying in Ruma.

I paused by the fire to stir it up some and called over my shoulder, “I’m going for a walk.”

“After walking all day? Have at it,” he called back. His voice almost sounded like it was teasing, but I knew better.

Kuroiden got up quickly from his place beside the fire and followed me. He walked by my side for a little while before stepping slightly in front of me so that he could rub his head against my thigh.

I paused for a second to rub it and then walked on. “Yeah, I’m really botching up this mission, aren’t I, Kuroi? Not only was I stupid enough to save his life, I’m helping to heal his shoulder too? What am I doing? There’s only so far I need to go.”

Kurioden meowed questioningly.

“I don’t know! I don’t know anything anymore. I wish I did. Mom would know what to do.” I sighed and rubbed my neck.

Mom was back at the Hunter’s camp keeping things under control while her son and daughter gallivanted all over two countries playing heroes. But then she was used to the hero roles by now. She’d lived it out first with my father.

“Dad would be furious if he knew I was doing this. Tray will be too when he finds out. He barely tolerates me going on missions for him as it is. Just wait till he finds out I’ve not only been hanging around with a conniving killer, but I helped him to heal too.” I shook my head. “He’d never understand.”

Kuroi let out a loud mournful meow.

I grimaced, “Yeah, I don’t really understand it myself. I don’t remember ever being this confused about something like this. My primary mission is to protect the Hunter at all costs. Even the spying I do for the king is mostly to ferret out anybody getting to close to the Hunter’s real identity. I’ve saved my brother’s butt hundred’s of times that way, it should be old news now. What is it that makes this time different?”

Kurio meowed again and scratched the ground.

“Aiden? Yeah, it has everything to do with him, I think. But I don’t know why.”

Aiden was a hardened killer, that wasn’t disputable. I had seen it in his eyes, the almost need to kill me, until he had seen I was a female. Maybe that was what made him different. In my line of work anyone else would have kept going.

“But that alone isn’t enough!” I stated out loud. “He’s everything bad as well! Conniving, cynical, hard, frustrating, annoying… argh! He’s infuriating!”

I stopped in my furious walking to look back at the camp I could no longer see.

“But there’s something else. Deus, what is it? What am I doing? What is he doing? There is more to what is going on than what he is telling me. He says he has to kill Tray. But why kill the Hunter? Ricald is up to something besides this battle, somehow he has a hook in Aiden. I need to find out what it is. That might be the only way I can stop Aiden from hurting Tancred. I won’t lose Tray, not like I lost Father.”

It was far too easy to slip into the past.

I pulled my string and let the arrow fly one last time. It hit the mark in the tree with precision. I grinned and plucked it from the mark. Dusk was hitting and it was time to head back into the camp.

I loved living in the woods with my family. Of course, having the Hunter as your father wasn’t a bad deal either, though it was dangerous. But, I had learned long ago to follow my mother’s, Shyla, example and leave the worrying up to Dues. Instead, I focused on my own training and helping my mother take care of a camp of some thirty men dedicated to keeping Aerilyan a free country from Elangsia’s tyranny. Now, it was time to help prepare all those men some supper.

I entered the camp quickly and headed straight to my mother’s tent. I could already smell the meat cooking. I was late again. I picked up my pace and put my bow and arrow in my own tent as I passed it. My mother was sitting outside her tent tending the fire and meat.

“Sorry, Mom. I thought I had made it this time.”

Shayla smiled, “You always think you’ve made it, Kris, and yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen you on time.”

“Sure there was! I think…”

Shayla laughed. “Go start the second fire and then you can tell me all about your target practice.”

I grinned and moved to obey. It was one of my favorite times of day. I loved spending the time with my mom and it helped to pass the time as we waited for father and Tancred to get back from their separate missions. Tancred had just started doing mission on his own. This time he was in Mairbrac with Jaedon, my father’s best friend and right hand man. I couldn’t wait till Tray came back. My brother had been my best friend for as long as I could remember and it always seemed to take him forever to complete a mission, though I knew perfectly well he loved to help our dad out.

I had just got the fire going when I heard the familiar voice.

“I’m not eating anything you burn.”

I grinned and jumped up. “Tray!” I called him by the childhood name I had given him before I could say his full name. I raced to him and jumped at him. He laughed as he caught me in mid air and gave him a fierce hug.

“I missed you too.”

“How did it go?”

“Nothing to it. Dad is going to have a new right hand man soon.”

Shalya and Jaedon laughed.

“Anxious to move me from my spot, Tancred?” Jaedon asked good naturally.

“Never Jaedon,” Tancred said easily.

“Welcome home, Tancred,” Shayla greeted her son.

Tancred turned towards her, moving so that he could keep an arm around me. “Hi, Mom. Is Sis giving you trouble again?”

“Not anymore than you,” Shayla replied calmly.

I laughed, “She got you!”

“My lady! My lady!” The call was urgent and came from just out of the tree line.

The four of us turned as one to see Crosten racing towards us. I heard Tancred’s sharp intake of breath next to me. Crosten was supposed to be in Ruma with our father.

Shalya took a step forward, but Jaedon stepped protectively in front of her.

“What happened, Crosten?” Shayla’s strong voice asked.

“The Hunter,” Crosten cried before he fell to his knees in front of us. “My Lady, I’m sorry. The Hunter was captured and…”

I clutched Tancred tighter. “No.”

“He didn’t make it, My lady. The Hunter was killed as a spy.”

“What?” Tancred erupted. “That’s not possible! Crosten, you have the wrong facts!”

I buried my face in Tancred’s chest, as I felt my legs start to give. Father dead? It wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be possible. He was invincible!

Jaedon put an arm around my mother and helped her to sit before turning back to Crosten. “Explain and be thorough.”

Crosten nodded and started slowly. “We were in the courtyard of Ruma speaking to one of our contacts. Nothing was out of the ordinary, in fact our mission was going smoothly. There was a loud commotion at the other end of the courtyard and the Hunter decided we should leave, but before we could a young Lieutenant called Ricald strolled right up to us. He pointed out the Hunter and accused him of being an Aerilya spy. He called for the Hunter’s immediate arrest and execution. There was a flurry of activity and I was separated from the Hunter. It was barely one hour later when the call came out to watch the execution of the Aerilyan spy. The king had agreed to it almost immediately. King Brastus and Ricald stood and watched from an overhead balcony as the condemnation was read. It was over in seconds.” Crosten paused, swallowed and finally finished, “He was beheaded my lady.”

And the world stopped.

I felt the bile rise in my throat and I forced it back down. The emotions were all so familiar, pain, rage, shock, numbness, hate, and blackness. The last was the only comfort at the time. No one could have had a better father than my own. He had taught me to be myself, to shoot, to laugh, to look to my heavenly Father, to be strong, and courageous. He had been my personal hero, and then Tancred had taken up the mantel. Father had never relived he was the Hunter or there would have been celebrations in Elangsia’s streets. With that knowledge, Tray could become the Hunter in order to carry on in our father’s footsteps, no matter what danger they took too. One day, he would force Brastus and Ricald to pay for their deadly dead. We both knew he lived for that as much as he did to see our father’s dream of an Aerilya free from Elangsia’s oppression. I would give my life to see Father and Tancred’s dream come true and that meant Aiden might just have to give up his life as well.

Suddenly, Maglynar’s warning screech brought me back from my thoughts. I was almost grateful. I raced back to the camp to see Aiden watching Maglynar as he flew up above the trees.

Aiden flicked a dagger into his left hand and I strung a bow. Above us, we heard Maglynar screech and then I picked up an angry clicking noise.

Recognition filled me and I unstrung my bow, even as I yelled, “Maglynar stop! Don’t attack!”

Aiden swung around to face me, “What is it?”

“It’s Egan. Call off Maglynar.”

“Who’s Egan? A friend of yours?”

“Yes!”

“And I don’t want to kill him, because…” Aiden’s eyes sparked mischief.

I glared at him, unwilling to be pulled by whatever he was trying. Instead, I chose to ignore the master and yell at the beast. “Maglynar! Stop! Egan, I’m here!”

A second later, the pseudo-dragon broke through the tops of the trees. He clacked angrily at me and spread his leathery wings wide to slow his decent. He landed on my shoulder and flicked his very long tail, twice as long as his body, around my neck and shoulder. I used a hand to move the end of his flickering tail, which was covered with spikes, farther away from my neck. He would never use them to hurt me, though they could be deadly with an enemy. His brownish-red scales were a normal hue. With his chameleon like abilities, I was use to him being hundreds of different colors. Only his eyes stayed their unusual golden color.

Maglynar followed him to the ground with a mighty crash. Kuroiden looked up from his spot at my side and hissed at the dragon who flicked his tail down at the large cat. Kuroiden moved out of the way and hissed again.

“Egan, knock it off. Why are you so late?”

The dragon turned his golden eyes on me and answered with a series of clicks.

“What is going on? What is that thing?” Aiden asked.

“This is Egan. He is a pseudo-dragon.”

“Another pet?” Aiden asked. I could hear the disgust in his voice. Apparently so could Egan for the dragon turned to him quickly.

The dragon spat and clacked angrily telling him off.

“He can understand me?”

“Pseudo-dragons are special lithe dragons. They can communicate with humans, though neither of us can actually speak the other’s language, we can learn to understand each other.”

“Egan… His name sounds familiar,” Aiden murmured, mostly to himself, I think.

I had spoken to Eagan about a day after I had shot Aiden. I had instructed Egan to give my mother, Shyla, the information Aiden had revealed. But, Aiden had been inside the cabin and totally out of it when I had spoken to Egan. I wasn’t about to tell Aiden any extra information, so I stayed silent.

“Why is your dragon here now?”

Egan clacked angrily again and turned himself so that his back was too Aiden.

I laughed, “He said he is his own dragon and you can leave now. Go ahead. I need to talk to Egan.”

Aiden paused for a moment, then shook his head, and started walking again.

“Okay, so tell me again why you’re late?” I repeated my earlier question.

Shyla, time, Warrick to king

Warrick was a character and a half. He was a trusted member of the Hunter’s camp family and Tancred would have left him in charge. “Why did my mother need time with you? Is she okay?”

Worried

“About me or Tancred?”

Both

“Why? Is Tancred okay?”

No hear

“What? Has no one heard from my brother? Is he still in Ruma, then?”

Egan clicked an affirmative.

I sighed. I hated him being there. It was the place my father had been murdered. Since then, Tancred had forbidden me from entering Elangsia’s capital city. Only he would take the missions there, along with Jaedon’s help. They had both better be safe.

Egan clacked and nipped my ear.

“Ow. What was that for?

Thinking

“Um, yeah, I was thinking about Tancred and Jaedon. If this war happens, Egan, I don’t know what we are going to do. Tancred will throw himself into fighting it off. Egan, I don’t know if either will survive.” I spoke in a soft voice.

Egan clucked sympathetically and rubbed his head against my cheek.

“Yeah, he’s good, but he’s not invincible.” I looked ahead again and watched Aiden smack Maglynar and shout something indiscernible. The griffin screeched happily back. Egan clacked a question. “The man is Aiden. Ricald sent him to kill the Hunter.”

Egan’s body went completely stiff and his color darkened to almost a black. He let out a very loud, angry screech. Unfortunately, he let it out in my ear. I grabbed the offending ear in pain.

“Ow! Knock it off, Egan!”

He arched his neck to look at my face more fully. He clacked angrily at me. I didn’t need to concentrate to translate that one.

“Look, it was either follow him and try to sabotage whatever plans he comes up with or kill him and I lost my chance to do that after I wounded him.”

He clacked again.

“Sure, you might kill a wounded enemy, but I can’t. Not like that anyway. It’s not as if I’ll let him hurt Tancred. He can’t do much with that shoulder anyway, and it will take a good two more weeks for it to really heal. Tray can easily avoid anything Aiden tries.”

Egan clacked his agreement and simultaneously his disagreement with my decision.

I sighed, “He didn’t give me a whole lot of choice. After he discovered Tray was in Ruma, I had to follow him.”

Egan clacked sharply again and I winced.

“Um, yeah, I’m going to Ruma. And you are not telling Tancred. Do you hear me, Egan? He cannot under any circumstances know I’m in the city. He wouldn’t react well.”

Egan snorted.

“Yeah.”

Trancred kept me from Ruma for a very good reason. He was terrified of losing me. But it wasn’t as if I didn’t feel the same way about him. Every time he went out on a mission, we both knew there was the slim chance he wasn’t coming back. But we had chosen this life together, along with Mother, and we wouldn’t change it, not while Aerilya still needed us.

I clenched my fist. And I wasn’t about to let some stubborn, conceited, arrogant, warrior type bring my brother down. Not in my life time. Aiden was going to fail his so called mission. He just didn’t know it yet.

***