Desa Kincaid- Bounty Hunter Page 3

  Tommy's eyes flew open.

  His mouth became a gaping hole as he yawned and sat up. “Where am I?” The sky was still a deep twilight blue and covered with clouds, and there were trees everywhere. Memories of everything came back to him.

  For half a moment, he wondered why he wasn't in his bed, but then he remembered the events in the sheriff's office and their hasty escape from Sorla. The townsfolk were all roused by the commotion, but most were too confused, and McGregor had advised them all to avoid doing anything foolish. By the time they found Lenny and Sheriff Cromwell tending their wounds, Tommy had already saddled his father's horse and followed Desa Kincaid into the night. His heart ached when he realized that he would probably never see Sorla again.

  “Wake up, lazy bones.”

  He looked and saw Desa striding between two elms with a smile on her face. The woman nodded once. “It's breakfast time,” she said. “Come join me. Tell me a bit about yourself.”

  Reluctantly, Tommy stood up. Though he was still fully clothed – pants, shirt and a duster – he felt strangely exposed. He set a wide-brimmed hat on his head and shuffled over to a spot where Desa had a pot of boiling water...on the ground...with no fire.

  Desa seated herself on a log with her hands folded over her knees, staring wistfully at something in the far distance. “Come on then,” she said. “It won't stay hot forever, and you need something to take the chill away.”

  Tommy squatted by the pot and lifted it to reveal a penny underneath. Was that the source of the heat? For the fourth time since departing the village last night, he began to wonder if trusting this woman was a good idea.

  Desa handed him a pewter cup.

  He filled it with mint tea that sent steam wafting up toward his face. Tommy shut his eyes and breathed it in. “Thank you.” He took a sip, surprised to find that it was really quite tasty. “How...”

  “How what?”

  Tommy felt his brow furrow, then shook his head. “How were you able to heat it without a fire?” It occurred to him that the question might offend Desa. “That is...if you want to tell me.”

  Desa looked up, and her smile returned. “It's called Field Binding,” she explained. “A way of manipulating energy. I can teach you if you like.”

  Tommy forced his eyes shut, a shiver passing through him at the thought of doing magic. “You can teach me?” His voice was hesitant. Really, he shouldn't even be asking this question, but this woman had used her powers to save him and Sebastian. “How...Not that I want to, but how...”

  “To Field Bind, you must learn to commune with the Ether. That is the first step on your journey. And the hardest. Some people need years of practice just to sense the Ether. Others pick it up in a matter of weeks, but anyone can if they try.”

  “What is this...Ether?”

  Desa pressed her lips together, her eyebrows slowly climbing up her forehead. “No one really knows,” she admitted. “Some say it's a vestige of the goddesses who made this world, a piece of their power.”

  “Goddesses...But...The Almighty...”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  Desa stood up and tramped over mucky ground with a thick carpet of leaves to the spot where her horse waited. Unlike Tommy's mount, the large black stallion was not tied up. He just waited by the dirt path that cut through the forest, watching them chat with an idle curiosity. Or so it seemed, anyway.

  Sebastian was still in his bedroll, curled up on his side and shivering under the thick blankets. It was cold, but Tommy suspected that his love's desire to remain abed had more to do with an aversion to Desa's company than a need to stay warm. Sebastian had been quiet through most of last night's ride, breaking his silence only to voice his apprehension about riding off with a witch.

  It seemed an Aladri sorceress was fine company when you needed a way to avoid the gallows, but now that Sebastian was free, he seemed to think that he and Tommy should ride off on their own and leave Desa to whatever she was about.

  Tommy leaned his back against a tree trunk, closed his eyes and breathed in the cool air. What have I gotten myself into? he wondered. Does the woman want to make a warlock out of me?

  Desa strode past, shoving some crusty bread and a bit of cheese into his hands. “Eat up,” she said. “We'll be on our way soon.”

  It was a slow and dreary ride, southward through the forest. The trees had sprouted thick green leaves, but even though spring had finally asserted itself, bits of winters chill still clung to the wee hours of the night. The dampness didn't help.

  Tommy buttoned his duster and shivered in the saddle.

  Behind him, Sebastian's body provided some amount of warmth as the man sat with his arms wrapped around Tommy's midsection. “I've seen the maps,” he whispered. “The forest ends in about twenty miles. We can be on our way.”

  “No!” Tommy hissed.

  Apparently, his reaction was loud enough to make Desa glance over her shoulder with a frown. Did the woman know what he and Sebastian were discussing? Would she be offended if he rejected her help now after accepting it last night?

  “We can be free,” Sebastian urged.

  Tommy winced, then reached up with one hand and pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes. “We've never been more than a few miles out of the village,” he whispered. “We know nothing about the world out there. We need her.”

  Sebastian grumbled.

  The hours passed with very little talk and even less to stave off the boredom. Every now and then, Tommy caught sight of a chipmunk or a squirrel scampering through the forest on either side of that path. But there were no people. Desa seemed content to let them ride without intruding on their privacy, and Sebastian was unwilling to say anything more with a witch in earshot.

  Every now and then, she took off at a gallop, and without fail, Sebastian seized the opportunity to recite his litany of reasons why they would be better off without the aid of an Aladri. Desa always returned within a few minutes, assuring them that the path ahead was clear and that they would be fine.

  It was hard to get a sense of time with gray clouds blanketing the sky from horizon to horizon, but Tommy figured that it was just past midday when Desa reined up and shot a glance in their direction. “We would cover more ground if one of you rode with me,” she said. “Midnight is stronger and can bear another rider more easily.”

  Tommy watched her with his lips pursed, blinking slowly. “Thank you, ma'am,” he said, nodding to her. “But I think we'd rather stay together.”

  “I'm afraid I must insist.”

  “But-”

  Desa turned Midnight to bar their path and frowned as she shook her head. “I'm in pursuit of a very dangerous man,” she said. “I need to cover as much ground as possible. So, I'm sorry, but one of you rides with me.”

  Five minutes later, it was Tommy sitting behind Desa with his arms around her, and that made for an even more awkward ride.

  With the onset of twilight, the gray sky began to fade to a somber blue, and Tommy found himself standing at the edge of a clearing that Desa had chosen for their campsite. Oak and ash trees formed a haphazard ring around them with roots all digging into the mucky earth so that it would be hard to find a comfortable place to lie down. Their leaves were not yet in full bloom, and water dropped from every one.

  A light drizzle fell upon them, not enough to leave them soaked but enough to make for a very uncomfortable night. Tommy shivered despite himself. He knew perfectly well what would happen if he even glanced in Sebastian's direction, but he did so anyway and found the other man glaring at him. Somehow, this was all Tommy's fault.

  Desa stood in front of him with her back turned, planting her fists on her hips and nodding as she inspected their campsite. “Well...It will have to do,” she said, tapping the springy earth with her foot.

  Tommy shut his eyes as cold raindrops pelted his face. Some of them dripped from his chin. “Begging your pardon, ma'am,” he said, stepping forward. “But we'll catch our death out here
.”

  Desa turned to him.

  Her bright smile almost did away with his anxieties. “Not to worry, boys,” she said. “I've been doing this a long while, and I promise that I won't let you die from exposure.”

  “How would you prevent it?” Sebastian asked.

  He had his shoulder pressed to the trunk of a tall oak, his arms folded as he watched Desa with obvious misgivings. “More of your witchcraft?” The disdain in his voice made Tommy groan.

  Looking him up and down, Desa smiled again and then tapped the leather pouch on her belt. “Not witchcraft,” she said. “Technology.”

  “Technology?”

  In answer to Sebastian's question, Desa hopped over a root and went to her large, black stallion. The animal twisted its head around to watch as she took a small pot from her saddlebags.

  With a flick of her thumb, she sent a coin tumbling through the air, then reached up and caught it. “You'll see.” She delivered the pot to Tommy with a grin and a request that he fill it with some water from the nearby stream.

  Sebastian's nostrils flared as he snorted. “I suppose you'll be wanting me to start a fire,” he said. “I can gather some wood.”

  “Did we have a fire this morning?”

  For the first time since leaving Sorla, Sebastian's ever-present sneer faded to a look of confusion. “No,” he stammered. “How did you heat the tea.”

  “You'll see,” Desa replied. “Why don't you go help Tommy?”

  Tommy stalked off through the woods, twigs snapping under his boots as he went toward the sound of babbling water. It wasn't long before he found a stream curving its way around the base of a hill, roughly parallel to the road.

  Crouching down beside it, Tommy frowned and scraped a knuckle across his brow. “Gather water, she says,” he muttered under his breath. “Well, I suppose we will need to drink something.”

  He dipped the pot in and filled it. The water he retrieved was mostly clear, but he didn't want to think much about those few dark flecks. Besides, Desa was clearly going to boil it, and that would make it safer to drink.

  “You don't have to do what she says,” Sebastian said as he came up behind Tommy. “You're not her slave.”

  Twisting slightly, Tommy looked over his shoulder and squinted at the other man. “That woman saved me from a trip to the gallows,” he said. “She saved you from a much worse fate. Show some respect.”

  Sebastian was leaning against a tree with his hands folded over his stomach, staring wistfully at the darkening sky. “Oh, I'm grateful,” he replied. “Doesn't mean I want to bed down next to a witch.”

  “She's not a witch.”

  “You saw what she can do.”

  “Aye,” Tommy grumbled, scratching his chin. “I saw. And I also heard when she told me that it ain't no witchcraft.”

  “And you believe her?”

  Tommy stood and, in one smooth motion, spun around to face his lover. He thrust out his chin. “I believe that people who'll kill a man just for loving another man ain't the kind to be trusted,” he said. “I believe that any lady who risks her life to save a stranger deserves better than to be called a witch.”

  Tommy stepped forward, shoving his hands into the pockets of his duster and then turning his head to spit on the ground. “You wanna go, you can go,” he said. “I won't try to stop you. But Mrs. Kincaid has seen a thing or two of this world, and I feel safer with her than I would on my own.”

  That put an end to Sebastian's protests.

  Tommy carried the water back to camp.

  Alone in a small thicket, Desa stood with her head tilted back. Rain dribbled over her face, streaming over her skin in thin rivulets. She breathed deeply. And then she got to work.

  Desa punched the air with one fist then the other. She spun and kicked out behind herself, striking nothing at all. The rain gave her chills. Sinking into a rhythm she knew by rote, Desa moved without thought.

  She jumped, curled up into a ball and backflipped. Seconds later, she dropped to the ground with her hands up in a defensive posture. It all felt natural. Every kick, every pivot, every breath of cold air that filled her lungs. Since childhood, Desa had been very proficient with Shian Kaji, a form of self-defense that was common among her people. It had become a part of her Field Binding...just as Field Binding had become a part of how she fought.

  Falling backward, she dug her hands into the mud and rose into a handstand. Desa flipped upright, then jumped and kicked the empty air. She lost herself in the simple joy of movement, pushing conscious thought aside, becoming completely immersed in the task. And when her mind was empty, she felt it.

  The Ether.

  The instant she welcomed it into her mind, her perception of everything changed. She no longer saw trees or mud or sky. Instead, it seemed as though she was looking at galaxies of tiny swirling flecks Too may to count. Her own body was not a single object but billions and billions of tiny specs, smaller than dust and yet more vibrant to her mind, all spinning in an elegant dance.

  She gathered the Ether into herself, and then she focused on the coins in her pouch. She Infused each one with a connection to the Ether, granting them an affinity for heat. It took time; minutes passed while she built a lattice, using strands of Ether to connect the molecules that made up each coin.

  Each one would release heat when triggered.

  Some people called it a surplus of heat, but while that phrasing got the point across, it was technically inaccurate. The coins did not store heat; they merely provided a conduit through which the Ether could release heat into the physical world.

  Energy could flow in either direction. If she reversed the pattern of her lattice, the coins would drain heat instead of releasing it. The Ether was infinite. It could release or absorb any amount of energy. But to create enough warmth for three people. Desa would need to spend a few minutes on each coin.

  Time passed, and she was dimly aware of the chill in her body. When she finished with the coins, she moved on to her bracelet. It had been Infused with the ability to drain kinetic energy from the physical world. But it had absorbed almost all the energy it could handle when Desa had used it to stop Ducane's bullets.

  She renewed its connection to the Ether, and once again, she was forced to work for several minutes before the bracelet could drain enough energy to stop six shots. Desa let out a breath; she was getting tired. Working with the Ether in this way was exhausting.

  Despite her fatigue, she moved on to her belt buckle.

  She might need to fly soon.

  When Desa returned to the clearing, she found her two companions squatting by a pile of wood they had gathered while Sebastian tried to light it with a match and some sandpaper he had taken from a metal container. There was very little daylight remaining; they would soon need fire to see.

  Desa clicked her tongue. Matches were still a new technology throughout most of the Eradian continent. Though she supposed traders were passing through Sebastian's village, and he had probably bought some there.

  “No,” she said.

  Sebastian looked up, and his face twisted with hate. He stood, gestured impotently to the pile of wood and said, “Be my guest.”

  “No fire,” she insisted.

  “And how do you expect us to see?”

  Removing her ring, Desa tossed it to the ground, and with a thought, she ordered it to release light energy. Just a little. Enough for them to make out the shapes of trees and roots but not much more. The small golden band began to glow with orange light.

  Tommy's eyebrows went up when he saw it, and then his face lit up with a grin. He seemed to be curious about Desa's abilities.

  Sebastian, on the other hand, jumped back as if the ring were a viper that could bite at any moment. “You expect us to use...that?” he demanded. “Curse my soul! I'm already damned as it is!”

  Blowing out a breath, Desa shook her head. “Fire creates an awful lot of light,” she said, striding over to the boy. “And in case you've for
gotten, I am chasing a pair of very dangerous men.”

  Tommy swallowed visibly, grabbed the brim of his hat and pulled it down over his eyes. “You...” His body trembled as he forced the words out. “You think they might find us, ma'am?”

  “They should be at least two days ride from here,” Desa clarified. “But it's possible. Morley has doubled back and tried to kill me before. I'd just as soon not light a signal for him, you understand?”

  “Who is this Morley?”

  Desa crouched near the would-be firepit and cleared the wood away. When it was gone, she set one of the coins down on a flat rock and triggered it with a thought. The air grew warmer in seconds. “The water, Tommy,” she said.

  He did as he was bid, bringing her a full pot. She set it directly on top of the coin. It wasn't much; that pot would provide enough water for one person. She would have to get a bigger one if she planned on traveling with companions. But for now, they would have to make multiple trips to the stream. Desa would go herself. Her legs could use a little stretching after a day in the saddle.

  Frowning as the ring cast orange light on her face, Desa blinked and considered Tommy's question. “A very dangerous man,” she said. “The worst kind of killer. Morley takes pleasure in his victim's pain.”

  “Why are you chasing him?”

  That came from Sebastian.

  Desa was quite aware of the young man standing a few paces behind her. She paid attention to the sound of his breathing. Slow and even. Unless he was far more dangerous than she had surmised, Sebastian wasn't planning to do anything rash.

  Rubbing the back of one fist over her nose, Desa grunted. “Morley is a servant of Radharal Bendarian,” she said. “I've been pursuing him for a long time...A long time.”

  Tommy's feet made a squishing sound in the muck as he paced around the pot. He looked over his shoulder with those sharp, inquisitive eyes. “And who is this Radharal Bendarian...if you don't mind my asking.”

  “He was a Field Binder of Aladar.”

  “He was?”

  “Yes.”

  Tommy stood across from her with his hands in his pockets, nodding slowly as he pondered that. “So, men can be Field Binders too,” he mumbled as if speaking to himself. “Interesting...”