Voidhawk - the White Lady Page 5

  Logan felt Bekka’s hand on his back, a coolness spreading through his body from her touch. It calmed him as it moved through him, allowing his eyes to focus and his heart to slow. He saw Bailynn approaching, the muscles in her jaw working while she stared at Bekka crouching beside him.

  “I’m fine,” Logan murmured, then forced himself to rise to his feet. Bekka backed away, nearly falling from his abrupt movement. Bailynn looked away from them and focused on Ragnar.

  “I killed your champion,” she spat out. “Let us go.”

  Shouting, growls, and outright roars erupted from the gathered gajrin. Ragnar walked out on the field and grabbed Hashra’s spear. He turned to face her. His feline face offered no clue as to his intentions. He raised the spear, silencing his tribe, then slammed it into the ground butt first.

  “You fought with strength and courage for one so small. I wonder what kind of huntress you would make.”

  Bailynn tossed the cooling heart onto the ground and smiled around bloodstained lips. “Better than your champion was.”

  The sound that came out of Ragnar’s throat sounded like growl at first until it rose to a purring chuckle. “You are fierce, little mouse. I like you. You may take your people and go, my slave will guide you to the marshes. Do not come back this way ever again, the next time I see you I’ll make you my personal slave.”

  Bailynn nodded and turned away.

  “Wait, little mouse,” Ragnar said to her.

  Bailynn turned back just in time to catch her opponents weapon. She grimaced at the shock to her arm and side, but held it in front of her. “I don’t need a weapon.”

  “Hashra thought the same,” Ragnar told her. “Don’t spurn my gift.”

  Bailynn nodded and looked at the spear closer. She nodded and held it aloft as she walked over to Logan and Bekka. “Score one point for violence.”

  Logan choked on what he was about to say. He frowned at her, but found he couldn’t deny the effectiveness. Likewise he had trouble denying the way his blood had been singing for him to transform and leap into battle himself. He pushed it aside and looked more closely at her. “Will you let me help you now?”

  “Later,” Bailynn said, ignoring him and staring at the very angry looking gajrin that stared at her.

  Before Logan could respond movement through the crowd distracted him. A woman emerged from between the assembled hunters and huntresses. She had blond hair that was long but seemed barely managed. She wore two belts low on her hips, one with a hatchet in a harness and the other holding a short sword. The only other item of clothing on her deeply tanned body, aside from some charms braided into her hair, was a primitive necklace much like the gajrin wore. It was complete with the trophies taken from those she had slain.

  “I am Haley,” she said as she came to stand before them. Her eyes went to each, studying them. She showed no sign of shame or concern for her nudity. “Come, you must leave now before Chief Ragnar changes his mind.”

  “He would do that?” Bekka gasped.

  She shrugged. “It is for him to say, his will is my will and the will of the tribe.”

  Bailynn cursed. Logan felt like echoing her vulgarity. “Then let us be on our way.”

  She turned and started off, pausing only to glance back and make sure they followed. Logan looked at his companions and motioned for them to go. He watched Bailynn in particular, certain she was nursing injuries that might be serious. He glanced ahead and found his eyes drawn to the very shapely and very nude backside of their guide. He forced his eyes away and found them going to Bekka. He was fearful she might have caught him but he noted that her eyes were taking in Haley’s figure with a considerable interest.

  Bekka turned her head and saw Logan staring at her. She smiled and looked away, her cheeks growing red. Logan bit down on his smile before he realized that Haley was pulling away from them. “She means business,” he grunted, speeding his own pace and making sure his friends could keep up.

  They walked for over an hour before Logan called out for a rest. They were all winded and sweating, but it was the wheezing he heard from Bailynn that prompted his action. He went to her, holding up a finger to stall the protest she’d opened her mouth to utter.

  “You’ll hold us up soon if we don’t tend your injuries.”

  Bailynn’s nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed. She looked at Haley for a long moment then gestured to Logan to go ahead.

  “Good, lay down,” he advised. She did so, grimacing with each step of the maneuver. Logan probed her side and watched her face as she tried to show no response to the pain. He closed his eyes and began to channel the mystical energies, whispering prayers aloud as he did so. He felt her side again, feeling the jagged edges beneath her skin of broken ribs and spongy areas where blood had pooled. “You’re hurt worse than you know,” he whispered to her.

  Bailynn’s eyes flicked towards Haley. Logan followed and saw the nude woman slowly looking around them, surveying the plains for any sign of danger. Or perhaps she was looking for something to hunt, Logan had no idea how her mind worked. The mere thought of her being a slave to Ragnar twisted away at him. Bailynn’s injuries brought him back, reminding him of his greatest concern at the moment.

  He focused the magic into Bailynn, directing it through his hands and mending the broken tissues. He pushed hard, fighting past the damage and smoothing it out. Before he knew his battle was over and he slumped back, exhausted. He looked up at her from where he sat on his heels and saw a twinkle in her eye as she looked at him. She was almost smiling, he realized. He mustered up the strength to give her one of his own then tried to stand.

  Bailynn climbed to her feet first. She reached down and pulled on Logan’s arm, helping him up. She stretched her arm and rubbed her other hand against her side. She nodded. “Feels good. Still stiff, but I can breathe a full breath again.”

  “Breathing’s good,” Logan muttered. He took his own advice and pulled in a few breaths of his own to restore some clarity to his head.

  They turned and looked over to see Bekka standing next to Haley. Logan stomped his feet, marveling at how quickly he’d lost circulation in them while he knelt. Bekka glanced at him. “Oh! Finally done. Good, we should get going. Haley was telling me a little about the gajrin people.”

  “How long did it take?” Logan blurted out.

  Bekka shrugged. “A while, I didn’t really notice.”

  “Near an hour,” Haley answered. She glanced up at the sun and then back at them. “Come, let’s continue.”

  An hour? Logan looked at Bailynn and saw a similarly surprised look on her face. He’d never had it take him that long before, even with Bailynn. He’s also never had to fight so hard to get his healing to take. Bailynn hadn’t resisted it, but something in her had been resisting him. He glanced at her gloves and wondered if they did more than the elves had told her.

  “All right, so what of you, Haley?” Logan asked, feeling remiss for having missed out. “How did you come to serve Ragnar?”

  “My husband settled lands on the edge of the plains and farmed them,” she stated matter-of-factly. “He went hunting too far one day and angered the gajrin. They sent hunters to teach humans a lesson. My husband and children were butchered. I was taken as a spoil of war.”

  “What?” Bailynn cried out. She stopped walking and stared, forcing Logan and Bekka to halt as well. Haley kept going. She was forced to hurry to catch up.

  “Ragnar broke me down, stripping away the weak and pathetic woman I was and leaving me truly alive. I felt as I’d never felt before, and from that I built myself back up to be stronger than ever.”

  “But your children…”

  She ignored Logan and continued. “I proved I was no simple slave fit for cleaning food or menial tasks. He gave me daily challenges and I excelled. Now I’ve the greatest regard a human can have amongst the gajrin. Greater even than the Little Mouse.”

  All eyes fell on a stewing Bailynn. “How can you serve him after wha
t he did?” She demanded.

  “He’s done far worse, to me and to others,” Haley said. “Thing you can’t imagine because they’re things you couldn’t hope to survive.”

  Bailynn spat at her words.

  Haley ignored her. “I serve him because he is greater than I. I can still learn from him, and if I do not he will kill me. If I run I might survive at first but he will hunt me down. There is no greater hunter alive.”

  “Have you ever tried to escape?” Bekka asked.

  “No, I would be dead if I tried. There are no second chances with Ragnar.”

  “We will help you,” Logan pledged. “Not a one of us stands with slavery in any form. Come with us, we’ll get you some clothing and you can see how proper people should live and respect one another.”

  She looked down at herself and then at Bekka and Bailynn. “Clothing is a weakness. It slows the body and hides a hunter’s true form. I have no desire to be part of a people that lies, cheats, and murders one another without cause.”

  Bekka opened her mouth to speak again but Logan stopped her with a hand to her arm. He shook his head when she looked at him, signaling her to not push the issue. Haley had spoken with conviction and passion, too much and they might lose more than just their guide, she might turn against them.

  “As for Ragnar,” she continued in a more distant voice, “the day will come when I face him on a field of honor and kill him for what he did to my family. Even my station as a slave will not prevent me the right to challenge him.”

  “Sounds violent,” Bailynn muttered loud enough for Logan to hear.

  He was surprised at the animosity of her statement enough to let his mouth hang open in shock. He turned to look at her and saw a smirk on her face. Logan suspected there was more than playful banter behind it.

  “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?”

  Logan groaned. Bailynn seemed to finally be finding herself but he wasn’t sure the personality that was emerging was a healthy one. Her sense of humor, in particular, needed a lot of work.

  They walked throughout the rest of the day, their pace preventing conversation. As the hours dipped past Bailynn and Haley kept an eye on the surrounding plains, leaving Logan to glance repeatedly at the sky.

  “We must camp,” Logan said, fearing the dipping sun would fall faster than they could prepare a camp. They’d made good time once the worst of Bailynn’s injuries had been taken care of. Not good enough to reach the marshes. Logan was concerned of what Haley might see and learn of his curse.

  “How much time until the lesser moon rises?” Bailynn asked.

  “Within an hour of sunset,” Bekka answered. “I’ve been studying it and it comes a few minutes later each night.”

  “Good, let’s set up camp. Haley, we have no shelter, do we need any?”

  Haley glanced at them. “A watch only. A fire will keep away most predators.”

  “A fire we can do,” Logan said. He looked about then frowned. “What is there to burn?”

  Haley chuckled. “Set up your camp, I’ll build the fire.”

  “Can I help?” Bekka asked, stepping closer to her.

  Haley glanced at her, her eyes taking in everything about her. She nodded then looked for an ideal spot to dig a bowl in the ground for the fire. Bekka went with her. Logan caught Bailynn staring at him when he looked away from Bekka to the petite but dangerous woman. She glanced away quickly, as though he’d caught her doing something she shouldn’t have.

  “Empty the packs and let’s set up sleeping arrangements,” Logan suggested. Bailynn moved so quickly she practically leapt into action. She used her clawed gloves that she still wore to easily cut down the tough grasses. She spread them on the ground then added more, creating a padded pallet for sleeping.

  “No trees, you’ll need to tie me as you did before.”

  Bailynn glanced up at him with a scowl on her face. “You’ve fought the change every night. Try it without the rope!”

  “What if tonight I fail? What if I lose control and hurt one of you?”

  Bailynn lowered her head just enough to give him a look that was fitting on her teenage face. “You saw what I did earlier, right? Do you really think I can’t handle a puppy dog after Hashra?”

  Bailynn was still dangerous, but he wasn’t willing to risk it. “There’s Bekka and Haley as well.”

  Bailynn followed his gaze and sighed. “Whatever, I’ll tie you up.”

  Logan smiled when she looked back. “Thank you.”

  She grunted and began to loop the rope around him. “Still not willing to try and control the beast?”

  Logan shook his head. “If we were still on the Voidhawk and I had a hold to myself, perhaps. But not here, not with so much at stake.”

  “What’s at stake?” Bailynn paused and looked around. The last rays of the sun painted the plains a reddish tinge. “Miles of nothing but grass and an occasional tree.”

  “The three of you would be in danger,” Logan said. “I won’t allow that.”

  “You’re the youngest of us all,” she pointed out. “we’re not children to be protected. Hasn’t your time aboard the ‘Hawk showed you that?”

  “That was different,” he protested. “We all had jobs. Dexter was our Captain! He and Jenna did fine job of managing the ship and calculating what risks we took. The things we did and risks we took were always in the best interests of all of us.”

  “We’re not on a voidship and you’re not our captain.”

  Logan opened and shut his mouth. He wanted to defend himself but he found her words stung. “I’m not trying to be the captain,” he said softly.

  “Logan, stop.” Bailynn tied a knot and sat down next to him. She reached up, her hand jerking a little as she moved it, then brushed against his cheek. She’d removed her gloves before using the rope, giving him the feel of her soft skin against his cheek. “You, Bekka, Jenna, Dexter, Keshira, and even Xander and Rosh — you’re the only friends I have. You’re the only family I have. I’d go with you and do anything for you.”

  “Then let me decide what’s best for me.”

  Bailynn pursed her lips and nodded. “I’m trying. I get confused sometimes. Maybe I’m confused now. Since the elders helped me I’ve been feeling more and more. Some feelings I’d forgotten, others that are new. I…I just mean that I’m not always as nice as I should be. You’ve helped me so much and I feel so much better around you, I guess I’m testing things out on you. I’m sorry if I’m bitchy at times.”

  “Catty?” Logan couldn’t resist asking.

  Bailynn drew her eyebrows together in confusion, then had to look away as she let a laugh slip out. “I suppose I deserved that.”

  “You and I do have a common bond, Bailynn. Your service was forced, mine is voluntary. We both have burdens to bear as well.”

  Bailynn looked at the ground shielding most of her face from the bound priest’s view. Finally she looked up at him and asked, “Why did you ask the elders to help me for your reward instead of helping yourself?”

  “You were broken. We didn’t know if you’d survive the destruction of the ring that controlled you.”

  “I know that,” Bailynn said. “I want to know why you put me before yourself. Why me, of all the people there. Dexter chose to save Rosh, Jenna chose to give the Captain a chance to have a child with her. You could have been freed! Does the Captain have that much hold over you that you wanted to make him proud?”

  Logan chuckled. “I did it because you are important, Bailynn. You matter. The void would be a sadder place without you in it.”

  A tear fell from Bailynn’s eye. She threw her arms around Logan and squeezed him so tightly he wondered if the rope was even necessary. She backed away but not before Logan could feel the wetness on her cheek and neck. “I…I’ve been broken and sheltered so long I don’t know as much about myself as I should, but I know what it means to put the lives of others before my own. That’s why I’m going to stop the White Lady. The same r
eason why you gave me my life, instead of reclaiming your own.”

  Logan nodded, blinking away some moisture in his own eyes. Bailynn’s powerful emotions were touching him and making his heart swell with pride.

  “And I want you to know that I love you.”

  He had to fight to remember to breathe after Bailynn’s whispered endearment. He smiled at her and wondered what he could possibly due to comfort her. He loved her as well, but it was much as he loved Bekka and Jenna and Dexter and the others. It was a love of respect and brotherhood. The love Bailynn spoke of, if she truly knew what she was talking about, was a love Logan could never trust himself to give to anyone.

  “There’s something else,” Bailynn said before his silence stretched on so long that it became uncomfortable. She tilted her head to the side and glanced up at the sky. Logan followed her gaze and saw the small moon was rising above them and had been fully in view for a few minutes. “Close your mouth. You look silly.”

  Logan snapped his jaw shut but couldn’t tear his gaze away from the moon. Bailynn hugged him again, then backed away and brought the ropes with her. He stared at the ropes and the hands holding them, then looked down at his own body. He searched within and found the beast was sleeping with little more than an occasionally tremor.

  “How is this possible?” He whispered.

  “Stop fighting yourself,” Bailynn said. “The more you fear it, the stronger you make it.”

  Her words made sense. He stood up slowly and stared at the moon. Another glance at his arms and hands confirmed it for him. “I’ll be…”

  Bailynn rose with him, her grin stretching wider than he’d ever seen it before. He swept her up in his arms and crushed her to him, complete with a powerful kiss upon her lips, then he set the giggling woman down. Her hand slipped into his before he turned and closed the distance where Bekka and Haley were sitting and keeping watch.

  “Shouldn’t you be tied up?” Bekka asked. Her eyes went to the union of their hands but other than a rise of one eyebrow she made no mention of it.

  “Bailynn is full of surprises today,” Logan said.