Part 4 (1/2)

A crackling fire drew her back to the glade. Six fire-rings of blackened stones proved the glade was an old campground, a staging area for the knights before they sallied into the north. Kath found her companions gathered around the ring closest to the stream, bedrolls spread in a circle around the fire pit. Duncan had set his bedroll next to hers, the same discrete distance as always, but Kath blushed to see it. She ducked her head, hoping the others would not notice.

Busying herself with work, she went to gather kindling, but pinp.r.i.c.ks kept dancing down her spine. She whirled to find Duncan staring. The man was driving her to distraction, but she could not repress an answering grin.

Returning with an armful of kindling, she found Zith had a.s.sumed the role of cook, taking over from Sir Tyrone. Rabbits spitted on sticks sizzled above the flames. The smell made Kath's mouth water, sparking a sudden hunger.

They shared the rabbits, licking grease from their fingers. Bryx chuffed, gnawing on the bones. Sitting circled around the fire, they leaned on bedrolls, sipping mugs of tea, the warmth chasing away the evening chill. Kath smothered her impatience, wis.h.i.+ng the others would sleep, but Blaine nattered on about the forest of s.h.i.+elds and the heroes of old. Kath had never seen him so talkative. She studied the blond-haired knight and the wolf-girl, wondering if the attraction was mutual. Blaine was clearly smitten, showering the girl with attention, but Danya seemed distracted. Huddled beneath a cloak of brown wool, her hair bound in a long braid, she sat cross-legged, staring at something in her hand, a dreamy look on her face.

Magic spiked through Kath, creating an irresistible pull. Kath gasped, feeling a magic she'd thought long lost. She gripped her gargoyle, but it was not the source. A strange certainty ran through her. Sitting up, she stared at Danya, her voice hard with mistrust. ”What's in your hand?”

The conversation stilled.

The wolf growled a low warning.

Danya blinked like an owl woken from sleep. ”My hand?”

Kath stifled the urge to leap across the fire and take what was hers. ”What are you holding?”

Understanding seemed to break across the wolf-girl's face. ”Is it yours?” She opened her hand and held it out. A small amber pyramid nestled on her open palm.

Kath gasped, fighting the urge to rip the focus from the girl's hand. ”Where did you get that?”

Danya extended her hand. ”If it is yours, then take it.” Her voice fell to a hush. ”I don't think I need it any more.”

Kath circled the fire, her gaze locked on the amber pyramid. Her right hand gripped her sword hilt, unable to believe that Danya would give up the focus without a fight, but the brown-haired girl did not waiver, the amber pyramid offered on her open palm.

Kath s.n.a.t.c.hed the focus from her hand...and staggered backwards, as if released from a spell.

Duncan leaped to catch her, concern in his voice. ”Are you well?”

Kath shuddered, released from the compulsion. Sinking onto her bedroll, she stared at the amber pyramid and then at the wolf-girl. ”I'm sorry.” She shook her head, struggling to understand. ”I don't know what came over me.” Clenching her fist, she held the pyramid tight. ”I somehow knew you had this...and I had to have it back.”

”The bond of the focus re-a.s.serts itself.”

They all stared at Zith.

Wrapped in his midnight-blue robes, the monk tugged on his silver beard, his voice thoughtful. ”A magical bond is created between the focus and the wielder. It usually displays as a compulsion to touch or fondle the focus, to always keep it near, to never let anyone else have it.” He stared at Kath. ”The bond called to you, demanding to be reclaimed.”

Kath opened her fist and stared at the pyramid, disliking the compulsion, but unable to give up the small amber carving. ”But why now? The pyramid has been missing since I woke from the gray s.p.a.ce.” She stared across the fire at Danya, questions in her gaze. ”I lost it in the Deep Green. Why didn't I sense it before?”

The wolf-girl nodded, her face pale. ”I found it in my pocket when I woke from that awful nightmare.” She s.h.i.+vered, her voice holding a note of apology. ”I never knew it was yours.”

Kath stared at Danya, relieved to hear the honesty in her voice. She turned to Zith, needing answers. ”Why didn't I feel it before? Why now?”

The monk held up his hand, forestalling her questions. He turned to Danya, his voice full of soft inquiry. ”Did you bond with the focus? Do you know its purpose?”

Kath held her breath. She'd carried the amber pyramid since the monastery but she'd never learned its secret.

Danya nodded, her face hesitant. ”I think so.”

”Can you tell us what it does?” The monk's voice was soothing, a gentle prod.

Danya lifted her left arm, slowly rolling back the sleeve to reveal a gleam of silver. An ornate silver cuff covered her arm from wrist to elbow, silhouettes of animals incised along its length. ”It taught me how to use this.”

The monk gasped but Kath's stare remained locked on Danya.

”Before, I could only talk to Bryx. Sometimes I'd catch a few stray thoughts from the horses, just bursts of emotions.” Danya stared at the cuff, turning it so the firelight flashed along its silvery length. ”But at Cragnoth Keep, I could feel the eagles. I knew why they circled overhead. I saw the dead as they did, bodies broken on the rocks, discarded carrion, food for eagles.” She stared at Kath, her dark eyes begging for understanding. ”And today, when you raced ahead, I felt the horses. I knew they ran for the joy, not fear, so I knew there was no need to follow, no need to rush and catch up.”

Zith whispered, ”A Beastmaster,” his voice full of awe. ”You've become a Beastmaster.”

Kath said, ”Why didn't you say something?”

Danya shrugged, her face flaring red. ”I was so overwhelmed...I didn't know what to think.” She shook her head, a bewildered look on her face. ”At first I did not believe. And then I didn't know what to say.” She s.h.i.+vered, a glimmer of fear in her dark brown eyes. ”In the village where I grew up, those who consorted with beasts were hunted down and killed,” her voice fell to a hush, ”burned at the stake. I've had nightmares.”

The wolf whined, pressing close to the girl, as if offering comfort.

”You're among friends.” Kath stared at the dark-haired girl, willing her to hear the truth in her voice. ”We'd risk our lives for you.”

Blaine unsheathed his blue sword, his silver surcoat s.h.i.+mmering in the firelight. ”By my sword, I swear to protect you.”

Danya stared at Blaine and then back to Kath, a mixture of relief and grat.i.tude on her face. ”I could not ask for better friends.”

Duncan leaned toward the fire, his voice intense. ”This proves we are all outcasts, each in our own way.” His single cat-eye glowed golden in the firelight, a reflection of his mixed heritage. ”Perhaps that is why we've been chosen for this task. Those who are overlooked may yet make the greatest difference.”

The archer's words fell like a mantle across the five companions, binding them together, a promise and a geas.

The monk broke the silence. ”The G.o.ds work in mysterious ways.”

A s.h.i.+ver raced down Kath's back. ”What do you mean?”

”More raw power sits around this fire than any dared hope for.” Zith stared at Danya. ”There has not been a true Beastmaster since before the War of Wizards.” He turned his gaze to Kath. ”And in addition to the crystal dagger, you now carry a Quickner.”

Kath shook her head, confused.

”Danya's growing talent reveals the truth of the amber pyramid. Much more than a simple focus, it is a higher magic, long thought to be lost. A Quickner creates and strengthens the bonds between a focus and the wielder. In essence, it quickens magic.” His face turned thoughtful. ”If the Grand Master had known of the pyramid's power, he would not have let it leave the monastery.” He gave Kath a penetrating stare, his voice earnest. ”You can never let the pyramid fall into the hands of the Mordant...or any other harlequin.”

Kath tightened her fist around the pyramid. ”Why?”

”The Mordant h.o.a.rds magic.”

His words brought back memories of her kidnapping, her ordeal in the woods.

”Given a Quickner, he could bond with every focus in his h.o.a.rd, achieving the powers of the wizards of old.”

Duncan gasped, ”By all the G.o.ds!”

A s.h.i.+ver of fear sliced through Kath. She opened her palm and stared at the amber pyramid, reluctant to lose it, but she said the words anyway. ”Perhaps we should send it back to the monastery?”