Frey Saga Book II: Pieces of Eight (18 page)

"What about, a
dragon's lair?"

I knew she'd
meant to be sarcastic but something about it seemed right. "No,
just rocks," I said.

"Rocks." She
shook her head absently. "You nearly scared the fire out of
me."

I laughed at the
odd expression and my throat was raw. Had I been
screaming?

After I'd cleaned
up per Ruby's standards, we went down to the dining area for
breakfast. Chevelle was waiting for us.

His voice was
demanding. "Elfreda."

Uh oh.
"Yeah?"

"Why are there
dead cats scattered throughout the castle?"

Crap
. "Sorry, I
forgot."

"Forgot what?"
Ruby asked, clearly not acquainted with the issue, having spent the
night watching me.

"I forgot that
I'd left dead cats scattered-"

Chevelle cut me
off. "
Why
are they dead, Frey?"

"Um, no reason
really." They stared at me incredulously. "Just a bad dream." It
almost sounded like a question.

"Fannie?" Ruby
asked in a low voice, remembering my inquiry when I'd woke in the
night. I nodded and they dropped the subject.

Grey came in and
Chevelle excused himself not long afterward. Ruby was discussing
imaginative training ideas with him when Rhys and Rider found
us.

"Good morning,
Elfreda." They bowed in tandem. Their synchronized behavior used to
make me uncomfortable but now, after our drunken bonding session,
it merely made me smile.

"Good morning,
boys." And then inspiration struck, "Ruby," I turned to her
excitedly, "can Rhys and Rider train me today?"

It was plain that
she didn't want to agree, but they spoke up before she had the
chance to deny me. "It would be our pleasure, Elfreda."

I saw her throw a
glance at Grey, who, shortly after, excused himself from the table
and hurried from the room. I knew I didn't have much
time.

"Can we start
now?" They were standing again already, before they'd even touched
their food, so I amended, "Do you mind?"

"Of course not,
it is our honor," Rider said.

My grin widened
and I rushed from the room, hoping Ruby didn't follow.

"No need to run,
Elfreda," Rhys laughed when we were clear of the dining area, "you
may query us on the way."

"Was it that
obvious?" I asked.

He merely smiled.
"What is it you wish to know?"

I wasn't prepared
so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Tell me about
Junnie."

"Juniper
Fountain, I presume."

"Yes.
Please."

"It is understood
that you are aware of her ties with your mother, what else are you
curious about?"

"What she's doing
now. I know of her pursuits, but why else, aside from searching, is
she here?"

"Ah, I see. You
are interested in the new council."

"Yes," I
lied.

"Since the
conflict with Grand Council over the issue of northern rule,
Juniper, or Junnie as you call her, has detached her honor from the
group. I assume that you are already aware of her surrender of
leadership in order to safeguard you and Francine in the
village?"

"Uh,
yeah."

"Then you know of
the sacrifices and hardships she's faced. With the death of her
sister, her decision was made, her path sealed."

Rider, who was
walking several paces behind us, interrupted. "Elfreda," I turned
to look at him, "would you not have Chevelle know of our
discourse?"

"No," I answered
automatically.

"Then we shall
train," he said, turning his arm aside to direct me into the
practice rooms.

Oh
crap
. I hadn't really thought my
plan through until I was standing in the large open room where I'd
oft been tortured by fire and whip, facing the two dark,
silver-haired elves that towered over me. And, to make matters
worse, before we'd even began, Chevelle had rounded the corner to
join us and Ruby, smug in her triumph, popped through the second
door only moments later.

Rhys held a staff
that I hadn't noticed him carrying before and announced, "It
begins."

I barely had time
to let his serious tone concern me before the staff tilted forward
slightly, toward me. I immediately took a step back but stopped
when I realized the stones at my feet had changed. I was staring at
them when a crack sounded and I looked up just in time to see the
flash of light coming at my chest. Before I had a moment to react,
the light was knocked aside and Chevelle stood between me and the
pair of opponents.

He didn't need to
speak the word, but he did anyway. "Stop."

Rhys smiled
softly and, for the first time, he looked almost menacing. "You
overreact, Vattier. We know of her capacity."

"She is bound,"
Chevelle replied icily.

"You shield her,"
Rider interjected, breaking their stare. "She will not find her
potential without cause."

"We have observed
her with the others," Rhys said, "she has the faculty, when you are
absent."

Chevelle took two
steps toward him at the intimation but, before he could react the
way I feared he would, Grey spoke up from the door. "It's
true."

I glanced around
the room and, though all other eyes were on Rhys and Chevelle,
everyone was hanging on Grey's words. To my surprise, Steed had
also joined us, standing quietly by the second doorway. He stepped
forward as Grey continued. "Her instincts have
returned."

I cringed as I
remembered flinging him across the room.

The tension in
Chevelle's shoulders eased just a fraction as he turned to Grey and
I breathed again, now that the confrontation appeared to be over.
"Since the temple," Grey added and I recalled catching his fist
during our last practice.

"Why did you keep
it from us?" Ruby asked, plainly irritated with him.

The group had
gathered closer and I let myself relax as Grey answered, only in
trouble with Ruby now. "You knew she was improving, she'd bested
you without aim." I saw her eyes narrow on him. "Besides," he said,
"you seem to make her uneasy."

Ruby was prepared
to argue but he persisted, "But mostly, it's him." He indicated
Chevelle with a tip of his head and my face flushed bright
red.

All eyes turned
to Chevelle as he watched Grey. It was several seconds before he
finally reacted, glancing at me briefly and then walking from the
room.

An unpleasant
silence lingered until Grey spoke up. "I mean not to offend you,
Elfreda."

"Uh, no, not at
all," I stammered.

He glanced at
Ruby, as if to extend his apology, and she sneered back at him.
"Then we should carry on," he suggested to Rhys and
Rider.

"Wait," I
interrupted, not so anxious to resume, "what happened to the
floor?" I glanced down as I spoke, seeing only the same, normal
stone floor that had been so obviously writhing and swelling
beneath my feet moments ago.

"Merely an
illusion," Rider explained.

"And the ball of
light?"

He smiled at my
term. "Not an illusion. And quite painful, I might add."

I raised a brow
at Rhys. "So, what's with the staff?" I heard a snicker and turned
to glare at Steed, but he was gone; Grey tried to flatten his
smile.

"It is merely an
instrument to control my focus," Rhys explained.

"Even so," Rider
said, "never hurts to have a big stick in hand."

The subtle, and
painfully familiar, sound of Ruby's whip unfurling brought me
around to face her as she spoke. "Earlier, Grey and I were
discussing how helpful it would be to give Frey the experience of a
more complete battle."

Understanding her
intention, Rider stepped a pace back to open the group and Grey
fell in beside Rhys, making a circle of sorts.

"I mean, even if
we make her uneasy," she taunted, "it is not as if we will not be
in battle beside her." I ignored the implication, knowing they were
my guard, fully aware that, at this point, I would be no help in a
fight, could in no way stand beside her. As I backed away from her,
I simply concentrated on not getting hurt, but then, knowing that
was next to impossible any time a whip was involved, I thought I
might settle for not getting hurt badly.

"Do not think of
us, Freya," Grey instructed. "Better still, do not
think."

Geesh
.

I was, actually,
not thinking when the first strike fired, because I was shocked
that Ruby's whip cracked not at me, but precisely at Grey's face.
The split leather tip would have kissed his right cheek had he not
vanished a fraction of a second before it made contact.

I started to gasp
but before I'd drawn in the breath, Rhys' staff had reached forward
and twisted Ruby's whip from her hand. She spun to plant a kick in
Rider's chest but he threw his hand forward and tensed before she
connected and she was flung back, landing low on her hands and feet
a few yards back, like a cat set to pounce. Grey appeared suddenly,
in the middle of the fray, and hurled his fists forward. I could
almost see the force that flew from them as it impacted Rhys and
Rider's chests, tossing them backward and nearly off their
feet.

Someone was
behind me and, without meaning to, I spun with my arm wide as I
turned, heaving energy to block the assailant. When I saw Ruby
pitch back, she was smiling and I realized I'd known she intended
attack. I watched as she landed softly but, before I had a chance
to speak, I felt it again, coming for my back, and I spun left,
this time thrusting my right hand forward in the spin, under my
left arm. I saw the energy hit Grey's chest and push him backward
just as Rhys approached my side and the ground came from under my
feet.

Before I hit the
floor, I used the same force to push against it and straighten
myself. I was very near regaining my footing when I was hit again,
this time not prepared, and fell backward only to be shoved by some
unseen force to standing. I was facing Rider now, several yards
back, as he launched his fist forward. I knew what was coming for
me and, unable to make time to find the others and a safe escape, I
threw my own energy out in response. The two must have collided
because, just a breath in front of me, the air seemed to
explode.

"Very nice,
Elfreda," Rhys commented and I realized they'd all returned to
their relaxed postures. And then my legs collapsed.

I heard a few
snickers as Ruby helped me to my feet and pulled a stool over. I
was sitting down before I noticed Rhys was helping Rider to his
feet. "What happened?" I asked, confused.

"You defeated
him," Grey explained.

"How?"

"You overpowered
him," Ruby said, but I couldn't tell if she was still annoyed or
merely stunned. My mind tried to catch up with the mêlée I'd
just
not
suffered through.

"How could I?" I
almost whispered.

"What do you
mean?" Grey asked.

"I mean, how
could I have? I don't have near what anyone else has."

Though my voice
was hushed, Rhys answered from where he stood. "Elfreda, you are of
the most powerful line in the north."

I stared blankly
at him, but Ruby seemed to understand.
Probably because she'd read the flippin'
diary
. "Freya, though you are
merely half elf, your mother was of the strongest line of light and
dark. The magic that allows their rule may be lesser in you than
your kin, but it remains stronger than most..." she glanced at
Rider with an apology in her gaze as she searched for the right
word, "others."

I sat silently as
her words sank in and then took me to ideas that were wholly new to
me. My mother's diary had said that Asher had taken Vita for her
strength, and rumor of a unique power. My mother had been chosen as
his secondary over Fannie, not merely because of her features, but
because she'd hidden her gift from him. And then he'd had Rune
train me. I thought of what I'd learned of the events that brought
council to my mother on that unspeakable day. I examined the
differences in the accounts that didn't come from Chevelle. Ruby
had said the
rise
of the north, not the rule. And Rhys had
called it "the issue of northern rule." They'd made it sound as if
the north had been poised to take over everything before the
conflict.

I stopped,
chiding myself for having an overactive imagination. But then I
remembered what I'd heard just this morning when I'd asked Rhys
about Junnie.
The new
council
.

"Frey," Ruby
placed a hand on my shoulder, "are you all right?"

I didn't think I
was. All the training, all that stupid
we're trying to protect you
crap, it was all because people were trying to kill me, and it
made sense now.