The Wilderness

KAEL

Kael frowned as he inspected the young woman who had suddenly become his responsibility.

Of course, it wasn’t ~her~ fault she was here. It was his own, since he had removed his mask before he’d escaped.

The servant had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And while he couldn’t risk leaving behind a witness, he also couldn’t bring himself to take an innocent life.

Kael kicked at the dirt. One more mouth to feed and one more body to hide on their journey back to the Freemen.

They would cross stretches of forest and eventually a desert on their way to Bellris, but they were in a clearing for the moment.

No place was free of danger, but Kael and his companions were all more than capable of protecting one another and the girl.

Colmen’s voice broke through his thoughts. “I never know what you’re thinking, Kael, but now I have absolutely no idea.”

Kael turned to his good-natured comrade, who was patting his horse’s neck.

“I’m thinking of the journey back to Bellris,” Kael replied.

“Well, it’s going to be even harder now,” Alik chimed in. “Not only do we have to tell the Freemen we failed to capture Ledo, we have to introduce them to our new ~recruit~.”

Kael didn’t appreciate Alik’s bad attitude, but then again, it didn’t come as a surprise.

“Ledo’s dead,” Kael rebutted. “The Chief Judge will hear the threat loud and clear. Our people will be happy to know that.”

Kael’s companions considered that silently as he continued to study the sleeping girl.

Kael had only seen her in the darkness, but even so he could tell that she looked different in her sleep. She was more relaxed, as if the concerns of waking life altered her very appearance.

“Eithne will be jealous there’s a new girl around,” Colmen teased, and Alik laughed in agreement.

Kael snickered.

“Eithne knows that no woman could ever take her place in my life,” he replied.

She was his mind mate and soul mate.

Though she did tend to be jealous, she knew deep down that she didn’t have a reason to be.

“Where is she, anyway?” Alik asked.

“She’s gone ahead to the base camp,” Kael explained. “She’ll wait for us there.”

Kael looked up at the sky. The sun was rising over the sand. It was still cool, and there was a slight orange glow to things.

It was almost beautiful.

But all he wanted was to reunite with Eithne and return to the rebellion.

ANDRA

When Andra opened her eyes, she saw blue.

The massive sky surrounded her. For a moment, she felt peace.

She had never slept in the open before.

There was a warm blanket over her, and even though she didn’t know where she was, she was comfortable.

But as Andra woke, the night before came rushing back to her, and the peaceful feeling disappeared like smoke in the wind.

She remembered the tight hiding place, the open window…

~The assassin.~

Andra bolted upright and looked around her.

She wasn’t bound or restrained, and she was alone.

But there were three other cots surrounding her and three horses tied to a lone tree.

She hurried to her feet and made her way to the horses.

~Should I take one and escape?~ she wondered.

She looked into the creature’s huge, brown eyes and stroked the white part of its nose.

~Even if I take the horse, I wouldn’t know how to ride it.~

But if she took it, maybe she could find her way to the Hall of Riders.

Though she would never be able to work there again, maybe she could find Talias. Maybe they could finally be together.

“I see you’ve met my horse.”

The voice took Andra by surprise, and she turned to see the man from the night before walking toward her. The murderer.

He had come from the woods, and he held a slingshot in his hand.

Just then, two other men exited the forest. As they all moved toward her, the blood drained from Andra’s face.

She looked around in desperation.

~The tree.~

~I could climb the tree!~

Andra raced toward it and leapt up, grabbing it and shimmying up it like she used to do with the beams in the Hall of Riders.

Soon, she reached the tall branches. She climbed up to the tallest branch that was still safe to stand on, and then she looked down.

The three men were at the bottom, staring up at her.

They couldn’t touch her, but now she was trapped.

“She scares easy, huh?” the tall black-haired elf asked his companions.

The steel-eyed one from the night before frowned.

The largest of them all, with a beard and red-brown hair, snickered and began to walk away.

“Well, she’s not going anywhere. I’ll go hunt for lunch.”

Andra’s heartbeat slowed as she gazed at her kidnapper.

~They aren’t going to drag me down?~

“I’ll go with you, Alik,” the man with dark hair said.

“I’ll watch our new friend!” the elf called to the others, and then he turned his head up to her once more and grinned.

He seemed kind, but Andra was wary. She knew from experience that kindness never came free.

~What does he want from me? Why have they taken me captive?~

“Why don’t you come down?” he called. “You scare like a horse, but I promise I won’t hurt you!”

The elf didn’t seem like he was lying, but Andra felt safer out of reach.

“You’re right, it’s a nice tree. And sometimes trees are better company than people,” he reasoned.

~What a strange thing to say,~ she thought, but she also agreed.

“Just enjoy it, then,” he went on. “I know you weren’t allowed to roam much, or be with nature…which isn’t good for our kind.”

He smiled up at Andra through the branches.

The elf must have seen her ears, or maybe he just intuited that she, too, had elvish blood.

Either way, it made Andra feel strange that he knew so much about her. She watched him intently as he walked away.

He rifled through his belongings, and she thought maybe the elf would leave her alone, but then he returned.

He sat down on the ground and leaned against the tree trunk.

Soon, a melody floated up to Andra.

She immediately recognized the sound. He was playing the flute.

The sound soothed Andra, and she relaxed on the branches, thinking of her father.

Her father had played the flute, and he had taught Andra to play as well.

She closed her eyes, listening to the beautiful melody.

As the song continued, Andra realized she remembered it. She hadn’t heard it for years, but she was sure that her father had played this very song for her.

Andra enjoyed the melody so much she almost wanted to sing along. But she couldn’t find her voice.

As she listened with her eyes closed, Andra felt the smoothness of the bark beneath her fingers. She felt almost ~connected~ with the tree that supported and surrounded her.

It was like the tree was humming along too.

Eventually, Andra forgot to be afraid of the elf.

She climbed through the branches, shimmied down the trunk, and hopped to the ground.

“Well, hello there!” the elf greeted her. His smile was big and goofy, and his blond hair was as long as his shoulders. “I’m Colmen.”

Andra was silent.

“What’s your name?” he asked. She didn’t reply. “Okay then. Guess you’re shy.”

He shrugged. “Would you like to play?”

The elf held out the flute to her.

Andra hadn’t played in years, but she ~did~ want to.

She took it from him and sat down in the dirt.

As Andra played, she closed her eyes and thought of her father.

~There was nothing that man had loved more than playing the flute…~

~Well, nothing except for me.~

~He knew how to make anybody laugh—or dance.~

~He had the world on his shoulders, but he’d never let it affect how he treated others…~

Andra’s father had died years ago, but she missed him so much that it hurt, even to this day.

When the song was over, Colmen whistled and clapped.

“Now that was something!” he exclaimed. “You can really play. You’re an elf too?”

In response, Andra pulled back her hair, revealing the slight point on her ear.

“Ah, yes, you have a bit of elf in you…I had a feeling,” Colmen said.

“Rabbit for lunch!” another voice exclaimed.

The other two bandits had returned from the hunt with their spoils.

“Nice catch, Kael,” Colmen called.

He walked over to inspect the fresh game, leaving Andra alone with the flute.

Andra’s gaze lingered on the one with gray eyes. He glanced at her, and a ghost of a smile flickered over his face.

~Kael…~

He intrigued Andra, but she wasn’t sure why.

She suddenly felt silly with the flute. She walked over and placed it on Colmen’s cot.

“The smallest one’s for you, Colmen,” the large, grumpy one said. “Everybody knows elves don’t need as much to eat as ~human men~.”

“Oh, please, Alik,” Kael chastised. “That’s the kind of ignorant talk that led to the race war. And I’ll have the smallest one. I’m not so hungry.”

Andra narrowed her eyes at Kael. He seemed to be the leader, and a gracious one at that.

~Perhaps he’s trustworthy, even if the one named “Alik” certainly isn’t.~

Kael walked toward the woods and returned with some odd parchment for kindling.

When Alik caught sight of them, he burst out laughing.

“‘Wanted: Kael of the Freemen!’” he read aloud. “Let’s burn them all.”

“If I burned all the posters, we could keep the fire going for weeks,” Kael replied.

Andra’s eyes widened.

~Who is after them? And does that mean they are after me as well?~

Kael dropped them haphazardly in a pile on the ground and sat down beside it.

Andra watched as he snapped his fingers—and the pile burst into flames!

Then he blew on it gently, and the fire grew and matured so its embers were perfect for cooking.

The sight of Kael performing magic made Andra breathless, even though it was a simple spell.

“What is it? You’ve never seen magic before?” Colmen asked. Andra blushed. She didn’t know he was watching her.

“Of course she’s not used to it,” Kael said softly. When Andra turned his way, his gray eyes were focused on her. “The Judges make sure servants aren’t exposed to magic. If the servants have magic in their blood, they could learn and even revolt.”

Andra’s cheeks burned again. She didn’t know that. What else had been kept from her?

She sat on her cot and tried to make herself invisible.

The travelers talked among themselves, and eventually, Kael brought a piece of meat over to Andra.

She was surprised to receive such a fine, substantial meal, and at first she refused to take it. But Kael was persistent, and eventually Andra ate it up.

After supper, Colmen played his flute once more, and the men talked until it was dark.

Andra was confused. These men were assassins. Murderers.

~Why are they being so kind to me? Why do they seem kind at all?~

Eventually, everyone turned in for bed.

Andra pulled her blanket up to her chin and gazed into the fire.

The others seemed to be asleep. Andra knew now was as good a time as any to escape, but it no longer seemed so urgent.

She gazed into the fire, thinking of the way Kael had just snapped his finger, making the fire burst into existence.

What would it be like to…

~Spark!~

A purple burst flashed from the embers, and Andra’s eyes went wide.

~Did…did that come from me?~ Andra thought to herself as the purple sparks danced in the dark sky.

~Is there magic burning inside me after all?~