Light Master (Light Chaser Book 3) Read online

  Beside me, I laid down the staff. The one Bevyn had given me I’d passed to Connell. The one I held now was stolen from Phalen, one of Torin’s other sons. Phalen had stabbed me with this very staff just before being blown to bits by two dragons in battle.

  It had nearly killed me.

  When I’d first tried to wield it, it had stuck to my hands with cold fire. Now, though, it seemed to have agreed on a sort of peace with me. I’d once cast away the tools made by Bevyn’s family in disgust, but I couldn’t deny how useful they’d been since then. I knew nothing about how to create a staff such as this. The farthest I’d ever gotten was to use sticks and chair legs as wands; I wasn’t exactly experienced in the art of weapon-making.

  I was so tired that it was easy to push my fears aside and let my eyes close. My heartbeat, which had been racing all night, started to slow. Behind my eyelids, I didn’t see Torin’s eyes, but instead saw other images, the nonsensical type that flitted around in one’s brain as sleep approached. Clinging onto the back of a dragon. Bevyn’s broken body at the base of the mountain. Oriana sitting in the grass, smiling as she popped pieces of orange into her mouth.

  That was a good one, I thought. One of my very best memories.

  I rolled over onto my side and felt as my breathing slowed and grew deeper. The relief I felt from the absence of wind and whispers was palpable. But when I heard the unmistakable snap of a twig, it jarred me, and I sat up, ready to fight.

  I found Connell’s eyes open as well, and Tosia had also turned her head in the direction of the sound. Only Duna stayed down, a loud snore sounding from her mouth.

  I grabbed the staff and stood up, lighting it instinctively.

  Another snap.

  We froze, waiting.

  Then, quick as a flash, something in the trees moved. It was only a moment before we realized it was a boy, and he was running away from us, fast.

  “Wait!” I called, but he didn’t slow.

  Connell and I both took off running after him. It wasn’t long, though, before I realized that this kid knew his way around these trees, and there was no catching him. I stopped running and held out an arm to catch Connell.

  “He’s gone,” I said, breathless.

  Connell took a couple more steps out in front, but he knew I was right. He turned.

  “Who was it?” he asked.

  But it was only a few moments later that it no longer seemed to matter because as I looked around, I saw we were surrounded. Surrounded by children. On all sides, long spears were pointed right at our hearts, and we both dropped our staffs, caught.

  Chapter 2

  “Don’t move,” a voice said from behind me, much closer than I expected.

  As I felt the tip of a sharpened stick touch between my shoulder blades, I did as I was told and didn’t move an inch.

  “Who are you?”

  It was a girl’s voice.

  “I’m Bree,” I said. “I come from Eagleview. We’re just trying to make our way through the woods.”

  I saw my staff sliding backward out of the corner of my eye. That was okay; I didn’t need it anyway. Connell turned his head in my direction.

  “Bree. They’re going to—”

  Smack.

  I saw him fall forward, his hand covering the backside of his head.

  I didn’t hesitate.

  I turned and thrust a bolt of power in the direction of the speaker. Before I could even see what I was doing, whom I was attacking, I had five sharpened spears sticking into my stomach and back. They weren’t deep wounds, but these people weren’t kidding around, either.

  Connell grabbed both our staffs from the forest floor, tossing mine in my direction. We both lit them with flame at the same time, and we turned around to face our new enemies.

  But what we saw when we lit up the woods wasn’t what I had expected. I’d seen that they were children, but I’d figured there must be an adult in their midst. But no, they were all children. Two of them ran, and three of them backed up, their eyes wide.

  “Who are you people?” I asked.

  The girl I’d attacked, the original speaker, was crawling to her feet now. She was gripping onto her side; apparently, that was where my bolt of power had hit her. She couldn’t have been older than fifteen.

  “We’re castaways,” she said. “The garbage of the Veiled Kingdom.”

  With my attention on the girl, the three others behind us took off into the woods. I turned, watching them disappear behind the trunks.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Connell said. “She’s trying to run, too.”

  He had his staff pointed at her, and she eyed it warily.

  “You have magic,” she said. “Magic isn’t allowed.”

  “Not allowed where?” I asked.

  “In the kingdom.”

  “Are we in the kingdom right now?” I asked.

  She scoffed. “Close enough.”

  “I knew it,” I said. “I knew it must be around here somewhere.”

  I felt a pang, and I looked down and saw blood seeping through my tunic from where I’d been stabbed with one of the spears. The wounds stung, and I looked over my shoulder for Duna. Nobody was there, though.

  “Not exactly very trusting, are you?” I said to the girl, lowering my staff.

  Connell looked at me, but he didn’t follow suit. It was just the three of us in the clearing now; the others had fled, leaving her behind.

  “What’s your name?” I asked, wincing at the pain in my side.

  She glared at me, and Connell took a step closer to her. She eyed his staff, and it seemed she was going over her options in her head. Should she attack? Flee?

  “Just your name,” I said. “You already know mine.”

  “Iona,” she snarled. She had dark hair that stopped abruptly at her shoulders, and even in the light of Connell’s staff, I could see her eyes were dark, too.

  “Very good, Iona,” I said. “Nobody wants to hurt you.”

  “Are you sure that’s true?” Connell asked. “You’re bleeding. We need to get Duna.”

  “I’ll survive.” I looked toward Iona. “You said you’re castaways? What does that mean exactly?”

  “It means we can never go back to the kingdom.”

  “You’ve been banished?” I asked. “Why?”

  She lifted both her hands and with a small shake, two tiny balls of light appeared, each rotating slowly upon her palms.

  “Like I said: magic isn’t allowed.”

  I looked between her and Connell, and I knew no good could come of the two of them facing off against each other.

  “How about you both put down your magic,” I said. “If what you say is true, we’re on the same side.”

  Just then, a blast of power burst against the tree closest to the girl. I turned and saw Duna and Tosia had both joined us, Duna’s wand raised. She stormed into the clearing, and Iona cowered, staring up at the great height of the giants with terror in her eyes.

  “Duna,” I said. “We were just trying to negotiate.”

  “Negotiate?” Duna said. “Negotiate what?”

  “A conversation,” Tosia said. She walked up behind Duna and put one hand upon her arm. “Let the girl be. Can’t you see she’s scared?”

  “And can’t you see the blood on Bree’s shirt?”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said quickly. This wasn’t entirely true. Under different circumstances, I might’ve been holding onto my stomach and crying out in pain. But I knew that would make things worse, and besides, I had Duna to fix me up when this was over. Nothing like a little magic to make things easier.

  Or harder.

  “Seriously,” I said. “Everyone, put your weapons down.”

  Tosia knelt down in front of the girl and brushed away a lock of hair from her eyes. Iona flinched, clearly anticipating a blow. But Tosia removed her hand and sat back on her heels.

  “We’re not here to hurt you,” she said. “We’re on our way to Brista, and we were hoping to f
ind the Veiled Kingdom. You say that’s where you’re from?”

  Iona’s eyes flitted back and forth between Tosia’s face and Duna’s wand. Connell’s staff had been lowered. At least someone was listening to me.

  “We’re children of the forest now.”

  “And you all have magic?” I asked.

  “Not all,” she said. “But most.”

  “How many of you are there?” Tosia asked softly.

  “Yeah, how many more of you do we need to fight?” Duna asked sharply.

  I glared in her direction. “Not helpful. And put down your wand. She’s unarmed.”

  “Nobody with magic is ever unarmed,” Duna spat.

  I sighed, irritated. Then I did the only thing I could think to do; I sat down right there in the dirt.

  “Duna,” I said. “When you’re done harassing this girl, I’d appreciate it if you could come take care of this for me.” I indicated my bloody shirt.

  But she didn’t lower her wand. And why should she? She’d been nothing but abused by her tribe since she was a young girl. Now that we’d come into each other’s lives, she’d learned to use her magic without fear, to defend herself with no remorse.

  “Don’t mind her,” Tosia said to Iona. “She’s always been cranky.”

  Duna shot a glare in Tosia’s direction, but she knew it was true. We all did.

  “Fine,” Duna said angrily. She lowered her wand. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She took a few steps back, and Tosia continued.

  “Are you all children? Who takes care of you?” she asked.

  Iona stuck up her chin indignantly. “We don’t need anyone to take care of us.”

  “But that kid,” I said. “He couldn’t be older than, what, five?”

  “Who, Cuinn?” she said. “That kid gets along better than most, and he barely has a lick of magic within him.”

  “How was a boy so little cast out?” I asked.

  “His older sister was cast out, and he had nowhere to go.”

  “So his sister lives with you, too?” Connell asked.

  “You’re looking at her.”

  I felt another sharp pang in my side and realized that where I’d been stabbed on my left was starting to leak blood just as my stomach had been. I was starting to get woozy, not from lack of blood but from the pain. The adrenaline had worn off, and now I was just a stabbed girl.

  “Duna. I need you.” I looked down and saw the red spot on my tunic had grown to the size of an orange.

  She glanced in my direction and then did a double-take.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but then, realizing it was pointless, I decided to be quiet.

  She walked up to me and knelt down.

  “Lay back,” she said.

  A moment later, she had both of her hands on my stomach, and a wave of relief washed over me as she poured healing magic into the wounds.

  “You’re a healer,” Iona said, awed. “We don’t have one. There’s only one in the kingdom, and he’s never been caught. He’d never admit it, but he’s very powerful. I wish…”

  She left the thought hanging, and her gaze fell.

  “Duna can help you,” Tosia said.

  “What?” Duna asked indignantly.

  Tosia stood up and held out one hand to Iona. “Take us to your camp. I’ll get her to help.”

  Iona looked up at her, and it seemed she was trying to decide whether or not to trust her, someone so large and traveling with a group of sorcerers. Finally, she reached up and took Tosia’s hand.

  I was feeling remarkably better, though my shirt had seen better days. I fastened my cloak over the stains and got to my feet. “Well, if we’re going to move out, we need to get our things. Will you wait?”

  Iona looked up at Tosia, then nodded.

  “It’s this way,” Tosia said.

  Together, the five of us walked back through the trees to where we’d left our packs.

  “You say you’re headed to Brista?” Iona asked. “It’s not too far from here. On a clear day, you can see it from up on the rocks. I’ve never been there, though. I’ve heard it’s rough.”

  “Maybe that was what I saw yesterday,” I said, recalling the glimmer I thought I’d seen. Water. “How old are you?” I asked as I came across my pack and strapped it to my back.

  “Fourteen.”

  Her tone was indignant, as if she expected to be made fun of for this fact. Instead, it just made me sad. I recalled the days I’d spent with Regan and Brennen, two rough kids trying to make it through the world on their own in one piece.

  “How long have you been on your own?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Does it matter?”

  I supposed it didn’t.

  Twenty minutes later, we found ourselves walking into a camp. Several children peeked out from behind tent canvas, a couple of them stepping out to meet us. But more than one stared up at the giants and quickly retreated back into their rudimentary shelters. I couldn’t blame them.

  “Everyone, come to the circle,” Iona said. “They’re not here to hurt us. They have magic.”

  Slowly, a group of about fifteen kids made their way to an assortment of trunks and rocks placed around a fire pit. Hiding in the back of all these was the boy we’d seen. I tried to catch his eye, but he looked away. Clearly, he was the youngest, and he certainly seemed to be one of the most trusted if Iona was telling the truth.

  As the kids took their seats around the circle, Iona stepped upon a large boulder. There wasn’t much chatter to begin with, but the crowd went completely silent at the sight of her up above them. She tucked her hair behind her ears and began.

  “Cuinn found these ones,” she said. “They say they’re just walking through on their way to the kingdom. They haven’t yet been banished, and nobody knows they’re here but us. Well, nobody alive, anyways.”

  Duna and Tosia stood closest to Iona, but though their leader was speaking, all eyes were on the giants.

  “What do you mean, nobody alive?” I asked.

  “The wind came last night,” Iona said. “That means Akirus is somewhere in these woods.”

  “Who’s Akirus?” I asked. It was a name I’d never heard before.

  “He’s a devil,” I heard the youngest boy, Cuinn, say quietly from across the clearing. Heads turned, and a couple of the older kids scoffed.

  “What sort of… devil is he?” Connell asked.

  “The kind who slits you open in the middle of the night and eats your insides,” one boy said mischievously.

  “That’s enough,” Iona said. She turned to me. “He doesn’t give us much trouble, but even though his body is no longer of this world, his spirit lingers. He was a great sorcerer, I think, and he can still reach through and play tricks.”

  “That’s not true,” a girl said from off to the left. She looked to be about twelve. “He’s brought branches down upon us before, and his wind is wicked.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “We noticed.”

  “Alive or no, it’s never a good time when Akirus visits,” Iona said. “He scares the younger ones, and many of the older ones, too, come to that.”

  I knew nothing about ghosts, but the boy Cuinn calling him a devil made my skin itch. I tried not to look around, worried that I would look weak if I were to check behind my back. I looked up at Tosia and Duna, and not for the first time I was glad for their presence.

  “And all of you stay out here all alone?” I asked, turning back. ”There’s no one to protect you?”

  “We don’t need protection,” Iona said with a frown. “Except from our own fears. Nobody comes into this wood anymore unless they’re cast out like us.”

  “We were cast out, too,” Duna said, her voice booming. Several of the children inched backward, eyes wide. “They’re probably just jealous. Or scared.”

  “You poor things,” Tosia said. “Where are your parents?”

  Iona scowled.

  “We don
’t need parents,” she said. “We get along fine without them.”

  “You mean… they left you here?” I asked.

  “They didn’t leave us anywhere,” she said. “They simply didn’t come.”

  I felt sick to my stomach hearing this. Of all the times I’d thought about my father in a negative light, I knew for certain he would’ve never left me for dead while he moved on in Eagleview without me.

  “Okay,” Connell said. “What do you need?”

  Blank faces. I wondered when the last time was anyone had done something kind for them.

  “I think we should start with Duna,” I said. “Duna’s a healer. She can do it without tiring. Some of you may have powers like hers, special things you’re able to do without needing to rest. You should each come to her to see if there’s anything you need help with.”

  They looked around at each other, their faces unbelieving. I looked at Iona and found hers looked the same.

  “Here, I’ll go first,” I said.

  I walked up to Duna, and she put both of her hands on my shoulders. When she pulsed me with power, she overdid it a little, and my hair flew up around my head. I turned around and raised one eyebrow. She just grinned right back at me, then shrugged.

  “All right,” I said. “Who’s next?”

  Nobody moved, but everybody stared.

  “We’ve never had a healer before,” Iona said.

  She jumped down from the rock and walked up to Duna. She was putting on a brave face for the others, but her eyes were wide. Tosia nodded encouragingly, and this seemed to help.

  “Is there anything bothering you?” Duna asked. “Any wounds? Pains?”

  Iona’s breathing was coming in short bursts.

  “Just do it,” she said.

  Duna gave her a knowing look and nodded. Then, her hands were upon Iona’s shoulders, and I daresay she was a little gentler with the girl than she’d been with me.

  Watching Iona’s face change made me feel so much better than I had in the past couple of days. At first, she seemed confused, not used to any kind of touch that didn’t threaten violence. Then, her face brightened, and she smiled wide.