The Channel (The Gifted Book 2) (23 page)

A few minutes later, Rhea was giving Sedare a quick once-over before mounting. Not that she knew what to look for, but she wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything obviously wrong with him before starting another long day.

She ran her hands down his neck, feeling his energy but not taking it. The life force she felt was strong and steady. From his neck, she continued by running her hands over his shoulders and down his legs. When she reached his left hind leg, the energy changed, became hot. He craned his neck to look back at her as his muscles rippled and twitched under her touch. She could see it in his eyes, he was injured.

She remembered her session with Daen, where she learned to take and give energy. He'd said it was the gift of the healer, to be able to give energy in order to mend a wound. She wondered if she could do the same.

Not wanting to hurt Sedare, she called to the Libraim to help her as she reached for the energy from the fire that still glowed. She could feel the Libraim's presence as the tingling sensation coursed through her body. She mentally asked for help, and without thinking, she knew what to do. She took the energy from the fire into her body and passed it into Sedare's leg.

He shifted under her touch and nickered, bobbing his head. She ran her hands gently over the sore area, willing it to heal itself with the energy she provided. After a moment, the hot spot and twitchy muscles of Sedare's hind leg eased.

When she opened her eyes, she found Taulin watching her from the other side of Sedare's hindquarters. "Is everything all right?"

Rhea smiled. "It is now." She patted Sedare gently. "Right, Sedare?"

He nickered.

Taulin raised a brow. "He actually understands you?"

Rhea shrugged. "Maybe not everything I say, but I believe he senses things from me." Rhea mounted, leaving Taulin to wonder at Rhea's strange connection to the horse she'd named Sedare.

Daen did a quick scan of the area for local traffic and felt the energy of two horses, and presumably, riders. "Shh!" Everyone stopped. Daen pointed north. "That way."

Rhea closed her eyes and scanned back along the trail they traveled the day before. "Two women on horseback wearing," she paused, trying to see more clearly, "leather vests like yours, Daen."

Daen didn't want to be found, not yet.
Would they know him? Would they believe him to be a guardian? What if they tried to force them into custody?
If they left now, they could probably stay ahead of them for a while, but that would mean fresh tracks, and he knew the two guardians on patrol would notice.

He turned to Rhea. "Can you hide all of us under your veil?"

She thought his inquiry odd. "Don't you trust other guardians?"

"I'm not ready for the questions they'll have. Besides, they might not know me, depending on who it is."

"All right. I'll try. Bring your horses close to me and be very quiet." Rhea needed to be sure that the veil stretched wide enough before asking it to hide them so she colored it. She pushed it out to create a barrier. Once she could see that it was large enough, she asked it to hide them.

It wasn't long before they heard voices coming from the north. A few minutes later the two riders came into view, and they were indeed guardians. Rhea hoped the horses would remain still.

As the guardians passed by, one slowed her horse and looked in their direction before continuing.

Rhea waited until they were long out of sight before dropping the veil. "I think she saw us."

Daen shook his head. "No, she didn't. She sensed the Libraim's veil. That was Maudra. Her gift allows her to sense the presence of the Libraim."

Taulin was confused. "Won't she know someone was hiding?"

Daen shrugged. "She might, but she didn't stop, so whatever she sensed, she apparently didn't think it was a threat."

"We might run into them again," said Taulin. "Do we need to hide if we do?"

"Let's see how it goes. Come on, let's get moving." Daen took the lead.

~~~

Commander Waurl, the king's strategist, and Commander Thaurton, his lead intelligence officer, stood across the war room table from the king, the message from Gaibel lay before them. Besides Gaibel and his family, these two men were his most trusted advisers.

King Argeon dismissed his normal guard and replaced them with his daughter. She currently stood outside the war room doors to keep anyone from listening or entering without permission.

"Do you think she's suggesting we have spies amongst us?" Commander Waurl rubbed his palm along the stubble of his whiskers. "How is this possible? We vet everyone who works here."

The king scowled. "Anything is possible." He cast his eyes upon Commander Thaurton, but didn't say anything, he didn't have to.

Commander Thaurton stood still and serious, not speaking, not reacting. He knew his king was not happy and that he wanted to blame him. He was in charge of obtaining intelligence. However, the king's opinion didn't concern him. He knew he would fend well in the end.

Before Argeon could start guessing who he could or couldn't trust, there was a knock on the door. Kiral stepped inside. "Commander Gaibel has arrived with Lanne and Beth."

"Let them in and return to your post."

Kiral bowed and did as her king ordered.

Argeon barely allowed the door to close behind the three women before asking, "What is the meaning of this?" He raised her latest message.

Knowing the king expected direct answers, Gaibel responded in same. "I interrogated one of the spies who had followed us from the second guard station we used. He said they received a message from their contact at the castle instructing them to follow us. Their contact also seemed to know that we were meeting a man and a woman."

The king slammed his fist down on the table, causing the little rolled bird messages to jump. "I want them found! Thaurton! See to it, now!"

Thaurton bowed and left the room without a word.

The king wasn't finished with Gaibel. "Now for your earlier message." He held it up and read aloud. "False warriors. Not Laundan." He lowered the message. "First, you send word that you saw a band of Laundan warriors and then you write this," he held up the strip of parchment, "saying they aren't? How do you know?"

"Sir. Daen reports having killed six of the so called warriors with assistance from Prince Taulin of Laundan."

Argeon slowly lowered himself into his chair, realizing he needed a longer answer. "Start from the beginning."

Gaibel and Lanne filled him in on all they had learned since seeing Rhea and Daen through the veil a few days ago, leaving out the part about the channel but including the addition of Randell and Taulin to the team.

The king placed the tips of his fingers together and pressed them to his chin as he listened to their tale. When they were finished, he turned to Commander Waurl. "Prepare your men. I want these false warriors found and detained. If they resist, eliminate them." The tone of his voice was commanding, but his eyes showed he wasn't a man who found ordering the death of anyone to be easy.

Commander Waurl bowed and left the room.

Gaibel and Lanne stood at the table, Beth behind them at attention. A growl escaped Lanne's stomach as she tried not to yawn in the presence of the king. But she was hungry and exhausted.

Argeon looked amused at Lanne's blush of embarrassment. "You are dismissed. Go eat and get some rest."

Before Lanne could thank him and leave, Gaibel asked, "With your permission sir, I would like to leave as soon as possible for the south quadrant station."

He studied her for a moment, trying to detect whether her emotions were getting the better of her. She appeared calm. "Very well, but put someone in charge of your castle duties before you go."

Gaibel nodded. "Yes, sir." They each bowed and turned to leave for the kitchen to eat.

24
Sentran

Daen, Randell, Rhea, and Taulin continued south on the trail that bordered the Kinling Mountains, stopping a couple times to eat and care for the horses. Daen and Rhea checked frequently for other travelers, trying to ensure they weren't caught off guard.

Although pleased by an uneventful day, Rhea was beginning to think they were going to go an entire day without passing anyone, but that feeling didn't last.

Her eyes were still closed when she reached for Daen, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Shh." Everyone stopped and became still. "Warrior camp." She paused as she tried to determine its location. "Where the trail forks to the right. I see ... five at the moment."

"How far?" Randell's whisper was barely audible.

"The trail splits to the right in about half a mile ahead," said Daen, "at the Sentran border."

"Can you see their uniforms?" Taulin asked.

"They're wearing cloaks, it's hard to see. Wait. The crest looks like a tree with ... yes, it's Sentran." Rhea recognized the crest from her baby blanket.

As they stood in the middle of the trail, Randell kept a close watch on the wooded area around them, looking for any sign they might have unwanted visitors.

Rhea opened her eyes and looked between Daen and Taulin. "If they're real, won't they let us pass?"

Daen nodded. "Normally, but given the attacks along the border, they might stop us."

Randell shifted in his saddle and looked at Daen. "Any suggestions?"

Rhea jumped from Sedare's back. "I'll go check them out, see if I can overhear something that would let us know their orders."

Taulin stood in his saddle, about to dismount.

Rhea held up her hand. "No. I'll go alone. It's easier that way."

Taulin wasn't convinced and wanted to argue. He looked to Daen to see if he would back him up before saying anything, but Daen just shook his head. "She's right. Let her go." He raised a brow and gave her a serious look.

"I'll be all right." Rhea didn't mind them being protective as long as they didn't make a big show of it.

Randell reached down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Be careful."

"Always. I'll be back soon." Rhea called to the veil and disappeared.

~~~

Gaibel showed Lanne a room she could use before heading for her own quarters. "I will be leaving at first light and riding straight through to the south quadrant station. You're welcome to stay as long as you need."

Lanne wasn't quite sure what Gaibel was saying at first, and then it struck her. "Wait. You're going alone?"

Gaibel nodded.

Lanne's fists flew to her hips as her face darkened. "No, you're not. I'm going with you."

"This is not going to be like our trip to Eantan. I am going to ride nonstop, hard and fast."

Lanne's head jerked back slightly with confusion as she pointed towards nowhere. "Didn't I just show you I can ride through the night?"

"You don't need to go, and it could be dangerous if I have to cross into Sentran." Gaibel loved her cousin but didn't like involving civilians in what she considered her work. She'd had to shirk her duties once already and didn't want to do it again.

"I'm going." Lanne's chin jutted forward with commitment. "I will not sit idly by and not be there if Daen or Rhea needs me." Lanne had just gotten Daen back, and Rhea was like a daughter to her.

Gaibel pushed her frustration with her cousin down, not wanting to say something she would regret.
How could she make her understand?
"Look. I appreciate you wanting to be there, but the station is not an inn. I don't know how long I will be there."

Lanne's stubborn chin lifted slightly. "Then I will camp if I am not welcome at the station."

Gaibel rolled her eyes. She hadn't said she couldn't stay at the station although it was frowned upon. Throwing her arms in the air she exclaimed, "Fine. Get some rest. I will meet you in the stables at first light." She turned, not wanting to hear anymore.

Lanne watched Gaibel walk down the hall to the stairs that would take her to the castle's warrior quarters. She knew she had made her cousin mad, but she also knew she would get over it. She always did.

~~~

King Craen paced his chamber floors, anxious for the return of his children.

Queen Herand sat in their bed, propped up against the headboard with a book in her lap, but the constant movement of her husband was too much of a distraction to get any reading done. She slowly closed her book, placed it on the stand next to her, and watched Craen pace.

She could see the worry in his eyes, the same worry she carried in her heart every day that one or more of her children weren't safe inside the castle walls. But it was a feeling she could never show, and so she'd learned to trust that all would be fine. She had to. The alternative was to go crazy with fear. "They will be fine."

"They crossed the border. Argeon would have every right to hold them prisoner." Craen ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yes. You're right, but he would first have to catch them." She gave him a gentle but cocky smile. "Are they not the best warriors you have ever trained? Surely they can evade capture if detected."

Craen couldn't help but laugh. His wife was right, but he wouldn't rest until he knew they were safe inside Laundan borders.

"Come to bed." She patted the empty space beside her.

The king ran his hand down across his face in frustration.

"Craen?"

"Fine." The king turned to the bed.

Just as he was slipping under the blankets, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," he said.

Kaurl stuck his head inside the door. "Did I wake you?"

The king jumped from the bed. "Kaurl! Come in, come in." He looked past Kaurl for his other two adventurous children. "Where are Taulin and Daulr?"

"Daulr is on her way to the southern border to tend to the Sentran attacks, and Taulin is still in Taulomi."

King Craen's heart skipped a beat. His worst fears had come true. "What happened? Where is he?"

Kaurl held up his hand to ward off his father's fears. "He's fine. I left him there as our representative, and in good faith, to assure King Argeon that the men attacking his people are not ours."