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  Despite her trust issues, Patrice also looked at Jakon with lust. The Earth woman became as aroused as Kepriah at times, which frustrated the hell out of them both, since they had little privacy to solve that problem. Kepriah enjoyed Larisa’s reaction to their dilemma, like now. The way the healer distanced herself from them physically in an effort to keep her dignity, she doubted Larisa had ever bed a man. Kepriah waited, and sure enough, lustful feelings from Larisa reflected back. Embarrassment also drifted from the Donigere woman, followed by amusement on Patrice’s part.

  Kepriah rolled her shoulders, stepped to the cave door, and pushed back the cloak to practice archway magic. So far, she had only managed to create one large enough for a rodent, useless for humans. The cold wind helped drive her lust away for the moment, and she held her scepter up as she stilled the tree in her mind’s eye. Her range with the scepter was limited so she concentrated on reaching a nearby area of these mountains, the stream she had crossed in search of this cave.

  After several minutes, nothing happened and her impatience waxed. Jabber shit! She scolded herself for that frustration. She was a trained warrior, not a child at new lessons. These emotions should be under control whenever she chose, but her sisters’ feelings pressed against her senses. She rolled her shoulders, stamped her boots, took a warrior stance, and forced her mind to work like on the battlefield. Unbridled anger, frustration, and distraction would get her killed in battle.

  After several seconds of intense focus, she felt a slight tingling in her scepter hand, which soon turned to a tremble. It intensified with each passing second. When the shuddering threatened to loosen her grip, she grabbed on with both hands. Sweat ran down her back, despite the cold, but she kept the scepter from slipping. The ground before her rippled and a tiny archway appeared. She had hoped for a larger opening this time but at least she managed to make one again. With effort, she held onto it longer than she had ever done before.

  Jakon stepped to her side, his voice low. “Very good, First Noble. But unless we are the size of a rat, none of us can get through there.”

  “I realize that, Jakon,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “Expand it.”

  She concentrated, ignoring her new sisters, who gave off so much apprehension right now she could feel her skin crawl. Her arms trembled as she held the scepter, but the archway began to grow, slowly, until it was up to her knees and she could see the frozen stream beyond its shimmering edges. She marveled at Sorinieve’s skill. The old woman had created archways so quickly Kepriah had never noticed how they formed. Sweat trickled down her temples and her fingers grew numb from gripping the scepter, but she held on. The archway grew another inch or two before collapsing.

  “Jabber shit!”

  Jakon’s hand landed on her shoulder. “You are getting it. But your emotions hold you back.”

  “I cleared my mind, Jakon. I bloody well know how to do that.”

  “Perhaps, but you did not hold that peace inside.”

  “I can vouch for that,” Larisa said.

  Kepriah turned to the blonde woman and stared into blue eyes the same color as her own. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I felt you. I feel you all the time. You’re angry and frustrated about everything, Kepriah. It makes my skin creep.”

  Patrice giggled. Kepriah whirled on her and the Earth woman said, “What? Larisa’s right. You make my skin crawl, too.”

  The healer turned on Patrice this time. “You are no better. You have so much self-pity it makes my head ache.” Larisa had not taken that tone with Patrice before and Kepriah found it very interesting.

  Their Earth sister’s eyes widened just before her face grew sour. “You’re one to talk. You worry so much over every little thing that I’m a mass of prickles all the time. You’re almost as bad as the damn weather.”

  Larisa flipped her blond braid over her shoulder and frowned. “Well, you—”

  “Enough!” Jakon’s golden eyes took in each woman starting with Kepriah then Larisa then Patrice. “You three act like children. Which, compared to me, you are. But that is no reason to behave in such a way.”

  “Sorry, Jakon,” Larisa said.

  “Yeah,” Patrice added. “Sorry.”

  His eyes moved back to Kepriah but she held her head up. “I’m not apologizing. I am the Trine leader and I deserve respect.”

  “Yes, First, you do.” Jakon withered the other two women with a hard gaze. “You will show her the respect she deserves as First Noble. And in turn, she will take your concerns into consideration and treat you as a first born would her younger, yet fully-grown, siblings.”

  Patrice and Larisa exchanged glances, then the Earth woman said, “But we’re all the same age.”

  “Not exactly, Nobles. Kepriah was born several minutes before you both. And you came into your world after Larisa entered this one. That birth order established your titles. You are the youngest, if only by minutes.” His gaze hardened when the Earth woman gawked at him.

  “Fine.” Patrice did not look happy. “Whatever.”

  What interested Kepriah was the relief she felt from the Earth woman, despite her frown. It came to her mixed with frustration and worry but she felt it, nonetheless. Jakon’s gaze moved to Larisa.

  The blonde woman took in a noisy breath. “Kepriah, if I am to be healer of this group, I need to have a say when someone is injured or ill.”

  Kepriah’s gaze lingered on one sister then the other as she considered this. Even in battle, healers got respect and obedience, as long as it did not put them into further danger. “Agreed.” She moved her eyes to Jakon’s golden ones and raised her brows. “We need to learn to block each other’s emotions.”

  Dark fingers scratched at his head. “I am afraid I have no information on blocking emotions. Since Sorinieve worked alone, there was no need. You three will have to figure that one out yourselves.”

  “Great,” Patrice uttered. “Just what we need. Triplet emotions.” She focused on Larisa. “Could you at least try not to worry so much? It makes my skin itch.” Whatever malice she had sent out before had dissipated.

  Larisa smiled. “I will try.”

  Both women gazed up at Kepriah with expectant looks on their faces and she fought a groan. “Jabber shit. All right. I will try to quell some of my frustration.” She thrust a finger at Patrice. “But only if you stop moping about.”

  The Earth woman actually let out a chuckle. “Am I really that bad?”

  “Yes,” Kepriah, Larisa, and Jakon said in unison.

  Patrice shook her head and her short braid swung side to side. “Well, jabber shit.”

  That put them into fits of laughter until Kepriah’s sides began to ache. They stopped abruptly, glanced at one another, and began laughing again.

  Suddenly, Kepriah felt the nature of woman’s burden upon her. She started for one of the packs to find appropriate rags when the other women headed the same direction. “You, too?”

  Larisa and Patrice nodded, then the Earth woman said, “Guess we’ll be sharing more than emotions.”

  That got them laughing again and they glanced to Jakon, who simply shook his head as he sat on a boulder and began to sharpen his blades again.

  “You are outnumbered, Jakon my man,” Kepriah said.

  “Indeed, First Noble.” A glint flickered in those golden eyes. “Indeed.”

  ****

  “Got it!” Kepriah cried. “Shit and ride a stinking jabber! I got the son of a bitch!” She had to hold the trembling scepter with both hands and sweat covered her body but the archway remained stable. How did Sorinieve do this so easily? The old woman’s hands never shook and I never saw her break a sweat. Not once.

  The others scrambled to her side. This archway led to an area near the base of the mountains. She recognized the massive pile of boulders from some ancient landslide. A rabbit scampered past, unaware of them. The creature would not see or hear her, not until she stepped through the archway. Jakon ha
d assured her of that on several occasions. No person, other than Jakon or one of the Trine, would see her until then, so she felt confident she and the others were safe for now, especially since bounty hunters would still be after her head. Maybe she could use magic to keep them at bay.

  But how? I have so much to learn. And bloody little time.

  Jakon clapped her on the back. “Congratulations, First! Let us get packed and get to the desert before we starve.”

  Kepriah let the archway melt down into nothing. Despite the weeks of training and exertion, she controlled this magic now, not the other way around. Finally. Her stomach rumbled.

  They had run out of jabber meat two days ago and had rationed a rabbit Jakon managed to kill. Hunger gnawed at them all. Sorinieve’s fire had begun to waiver, too, the magic giving out slowly over the weeks since the old woman’s death. Though they would not freeze inside the cave, they needed fire for light and food. Any kindling they found would have to be unfrozen and dried before they could get a real fire going, and they did not have an axe or saw with which to cut down trees, just a sword and several knives that only Jakon could wield. Patrice, could snap off a few branches but her powers weren’t strong enough for her to pull a tree apart, and when Larisa had attempted to thaw a fallen one, all she managed to do was scorch the bloody thing useless or turn it into complete ash.

  Kepriah had no idea what they would find in the desert, but Jakon had assured her they could practice magic freely among his people without fear of retribution. She would never admit it to the others, but her gut still trembled at the thought of getting captured by bounty hunters. I’m pretty fond of having my head attached to my sarding shoulders.

  Chapter 12

  Larisa was duly impressed with her eldest sister’s progress, and those powers would increase the more she used them. Thanks to Kepriah’s archways, they made it down the mountain and jumped from area to area across places Larisa had only read about in books or heard about from talemasters. Most delivered cold and rain this part of the year but she was grateful for anything that was not snow-blanketed and freezing. She felt similar responses from her new sisters as they stood in a field with only patches of snow scattered across the dead grasses. Several insects buzzed around them and Larisa waved a hand to keep them away from her face.

  Jakon glanced at the sun and pointed southeast. “That way, First. We should reach my village before sundown.” Yearning colored his voice. The man had not been back to his village in a very long time.

  Kepriah shifted the scepter in search of the next location. Only she could see the visions it provided. Larisa felt her eldest sister’s weariness through their link, but she knew better than to comment on that because they needed to get to the safety of Jakon’s home. Despite Kepriah’s fatigue, an archway manifested on her first attempt, its edges shimmering like silver dust in a river bottom, and in a matter of heartbeats, it expanded enough to allow passage.

  Larisa gazed through this archway at the scruff-brushed mountains and angular trees that made up the area. These mountains looked like hills compared to the one they had left behind, and they were a welcome sight. Green! At least in patches. And flowers bloomed across the sparse grassy areas. Not exactly what she had expected to see in a desert. She had pictured a barren landscape of sand and rock and little else.

  Jakon warned them to watch for thorny plants, poisonous snakes, and other hazards. Larisa cared more about the fact that she could see no snow or frigid rain on the other side. The small mountains had no white tops and the sun shone bright enough to make her squint.

  “What are we waiting for?” she said, unable to quell her impatience any longer.

  She shifted the pack on her shoulder as the rain poured down on them from this side, longing to be warm and dry. The long day’s travel gave them the opportunity to eat what wild tubers they could find, and Larisa had gathered herbs as they traversed various terrains, but Jakon did not want to dawdle long enough to start a cook fire, especially since bounty hunters were still after Kepriah, so their rests were brief. Kepriah neared exhaustion now, though the woman would never admit to it. At least we can rest once we reach Jakon’s village.

  “Wait here, Nobles.” The tall, dark-skinned man stepped through the archway into the desert landscape. As usual, he walked around the area for what seemed an eternity before motioning them to follow.

  Patrice went next with Larisa on her heels. Once through, Larisa breathed in the warmth and turned to thank her eldest sister. The warrior was about to step through when the archway began to collapse. “Kepriah!”

  “Concentrate, First Noble,” Jakon ordered.

  Kepriah’s face went pale and sweat beaded along her forehead and cheeks. Her hands trembled as though holding onto a wild animal. How much more can she take? We may have been born to a magical destiny but we are still human.

  Larisa stepped to Jakon, heart hammering her ribs in worry. “She cannot hold it much longer.”

  Larisa then felt her eldest sister’s determination mix with exhaustion. Kepriah’s face contorted, as though pain racked her body, and the shimmering archway expanded again like a child’s bubble, not as large as before but enough for her to squeeze through. Afterwards, the archway melted into nothing. Jakon caught Kepriah when she stumbled and Larisa moved to check her over.

  Irritation brushed Larisa’s senses as Kepriah slapped her hand away. “Stop coddling me.”

  She started to call her eldest sister down and remind her who was healer, but Jakon shook his head so she let it drop. For now.

  Patrice shifted Sorinieve’s pack, her coat heavy with rain and now draped over one arm. “I never thought I’d be sick of snow, but I’m so glad to be warm again.” Longing filled her eyes as she gazed around, squinting.

  Larisa squeezed water from her skirts as best she could. Luckily, they had not walked in the rain too long and the weather was warm and dry here, so they might avoid getting ill. She let her eyes pass over the expansive desert. Birds chirped and squawked from thorny plants and angular trees. Succulent plants with spiny skin protruded here and there from the dry ground. Hares the color of sand bolted out of the way of the intruding humans. Insects buzzed here and there, some so tiny they were barely noticeable except in swarms, others as large as Larisa’s hand. Small mountains with red hues like a fiery sunset surrounded the area, some curved and green, others as flat as a blacksmith’s anvil.

  She turned her face upward, eyes closed, and breathed deeply the sweet scent of the desert. “It is beautiful, Jakon.”

  “Thank you, Second. But I did not create it.”

  She lowered her head a bit and squinted at him. He gave her a wide smile and she chuckled.

  “How far?” Kepriah said. At least she did not look as though she would collapse now. Larisa felt her sister’s physical weakness but she also sensed great inner strength, probably the very thing that had kept her alive in battle. And probably why she was chosen as First Noble.

  “That mountain.” Jakon pointed north. “My old village is there.” He glanced at the sky. “Good work, First. We still have about three hours until sunset.”

  “Let’s go then. I could use a good meal.” Kepriah started that direction.

  Larisa felt a surge of wariness from her and a twinge of sadness from Patrice as they walked. Since she had to keep her eyes on the rocky ground, she could not study them as much as she would have liked. Instead, she stepped close to Patrice, who not only lost her village but her entire world. The Earth woman was still recovering from her long bout of melancholy, and Larisa could feel the struggle in her sometimes, like now. They needed sunshine and better nourishment and Larisa could not help fretting. “You all right?”

  Patrice tilted her head and rolled her shoulders much the way Kepriah always did, then nodded, determination brushing Larisa’s senses. Even in her sleep, Larisa felt her sisters, experienced the fear from Kepriah’s night terrors as though she had been the one dreaming. Patrice’s sleep was usually pleasant
but tension built once she woke. Larisa had not dreamed since her parents were killed, at least none she could remember much after waking, and she thought that a blessing.

  She followed Jakon in silence, her legs protesting the weight of wet skirts and a soaked pack. No one complained. No one even spoke. They just walked, eyes watching the ground for rocks, poisonous creatures, and other dangers. After a while, the sun dried Larisa’s outer clothing and her exposed skin began to grow hot. I have never been where things dried so quickly!

  The walk took longer than she expected, but when they passed a large outcrop that looked like an overgrown hill, what lay on the other side stopped her breath. A lake! She had always heard of the desert as dead, waterless, and blazing hot. The mountain to one side of the lake was much smaller than Forbidding Mountains, but several overhangs created shade, and a rocky beach actually had tiny waves whenever the wind picked up.

  Jakon stopped and sighed. “There it is. My village.”

  Larisa followed his gaze toward the mountain. “Where?”

  Golden eyes turned to her and Jakon’s mouth grew a wide smile, revealing sharp teeth. One arm pointed up to the cliffs. “There.”

  “I don’t see anything.” Patrice scratched at her arm.

  Larisa noticed redness forming on her skin but she could not do anything about it now. They needed to get to Jakon’s village, but like Patrice, she still did not see anything.

  “Wait for it.” Jakon put fingers to his lips and made several odd whistles that sounded like some of the birds Larisa had heard here.

  One by one, rectangular holes began to appear in the side of the mountain as people removed coverings. Ladders dropped from the openings and dark figures began to descend.

  “Cliff dwellers,” Patrice uttered.

  Jakon nodded. “During the ancient Dark Wars, my people hid inside these mountains. It has been our home ever since.”