The Song of Loss

Chapter Six - Secret Admirers

Traveling on the back of a wagon packed with her traveling companions things wasn't the worst way to get around, in Darcy's opinion. This would certainly extend the life of her boots. It made teaching Kasi easier as well. The boy was sitting cross legged beside her with his eyes closed and brows furrowed.

They'd been going over theories about magic control all morning and moved into applying it after they stopped for lunch. Having a full belly was one of the few things she'd noticed calmed him long enough to focus. Through the morning she'd fought for his attention with any little thing that passed by. A passing tumbleweed held his attention for a solid five minutes.

While he practiced his concentration, Darcy practiced her own. She couldn't call herself a teacher if she couldn't observe what her student was doing and correct him. By relaxing her own mind she was able to slip into a half trance to see his aura. Her control over the sight was tentative at best but she could at least see the outline of it now.

Unfortunately where a full stomach calmed Kasi, it made her sleepy. The half trance edges towards sleep more often than not. Between the sun bearing down on them and the gentle shifting of the wagon, she was wishing for Katta's claw marks on her arm to refocus herself. The nouyip didn't look inclined to help.

Although the troupe had relented to her staying close by, it was still a large enough distance behind them so as no to startle the horses. Kasi became a ball of nerves whenever she went out of sight. Her tawny skin blended with the sandy dirt so well at times she became a walking shadow.

A hard jab in Darcy's ribs forced her upright after another close call with sleep. Her pupils widened and shrank within the green irises as she adjusted to the light again. "Stop distracting me," she snapped at Percy.

The thief grinned and pulled himself up onto the cart beside her. Up front, the horses protested at the sudden weight shift but continued on. "The only thing distracting you is yourself. You look like a fat house cat on its favorite pillow."

"If you'd like to bother a napping car, bother Katta," Darcy suggested. She shook her shoulders and tried to slip back into her half trance. Every time she was almost there Percy would find a new way to distract her. She thought she'd reached the end when he went quiet, but then one of the chains connecting two of his earrings together began to clink against another stud and jingle in her ear. He had moved in closer to her so she could clearly hear it.

Darcy moved away and nudged Kasi. "We're done for the day, go walk with Katta," she told the boy.

It only took one nudge to send him running down the path. The two collided in midair and turned walking into a game of tag. It was odd to see a nouyip behave so playfully. Darcy had never seen them that way even with their own cubs. The only play they did were as kittens or with their prey.

"Is it really safe for him to play with one of those? I've heard stories about them ripping arms off to use as chew toys," Percy said. The wagon continued to plod forward at a steady pace. Two large draft horses kept them moving, directed by Peyton and Reyner. Both Krea and Cedric had their own horses that they often disappeared with for hours only to reappear ahead of them. They claimed to be scouting the road.

Darcy put a hand out to keep Percy at a distance. "I think he has it handled, you can go now." She flipped the hood of her cloak up to hide her face and he pulled it right back down. The sun hit her full in the face again and she winced. "Why?"

"I want to get to know you better and I can't do that if you're asleep," Percy explained matter-of-factly. He leaned back against the edge of the wagon and kicked his feet up on one of the nearby packs. For a thief he was surprisingly well dressed. The buckles on his belts gleamed in the sun and the knife he'd talked the shopkeeper out of was covered in intricate etchings from blade to hilt.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself instead. Why do you have so many of these?" Darcy reached out to tap the small diamond earring in his left ear. A small chain with a sun hung from the end of it. It was one of the more elaborate pieces but was still easily lost among the others.

A grin spread across his face, white teeth shining. "They're gifts from my many admirers. Perhaps you'll be the next to give me one,' he teased. When Darcy only rolled her eyes, he sighed and wiggled his left hand at her. Three small rings of silver, fold and copper sat on his pinky, ring finger and thumb in that order. "People like to give me gifts so it feels like they used me rather than me using them for information. You'd be surprised how strange some people can be about sharing private information."

Darcy shrugged, feeling the pendant under her shirt slide against her skin. The bone was worn smooth from her fingers rubbing over it since childhood. "It's almost as if their secrets aren't meant for you."

"Everyone has a price, dear bard." Percy's pale blue eyes scanned her face and settled on the ring on her pinky finger. "Maybe I could pry your secrets free with a new ring. A nice gold band with a piece of jade would compliment your eyes very nicely." His hand lifted hers without any resistance and he flipped it to look at her palm and then her wrist. "Or a delicate bracelet to hand from this lovely wrist."

The wagon slid to a sudden stop, jolting the pair in the back and putting a stop to Percy's hand traveling up Darcy's arm. She jumped out and fanned her cheeks hurriedly to dispel the heat gathered there. "Why did we stop?" she asked. The two of them skirted around the back of the wagon to discover the source of the interruption.

A man in white silken robes stood in the middle of the road with his hand up in warning. In his other hand was a wooden staff decorated with desert flowers and smooth glass shards. He took a step towards them when they'd all gathered, aside from Kasi who'd stayed further back with Katta.

"Are you alright?" Peyton called to the man. She approached him slowly with Reyner at her heels. A glint of silver in her left hand revealed a dagger hidden on her wrist in a sheath that disappeared up her sleeve.

"A danger lies on the path you walk. I have been sent by Zegazi to turn you back," the man said. His voice carried on the wind like the sands of the god he claimed to serve. Zegazi, god of deserts, was well known across the southern continent, especially to those who lived nearest to the Moonstone Dunes. Even Darcy knew of him as the guide to wandering souls.

A whisper of ice ran down Darcy's arm. It started in her fingers and wrapped around the place Katta had torn into her and traveled up to her bicep. She shivered and took a step back. "Maybe we should turn back," she whispered to Percy.

"Don't be silly," Cedric called out loudly. His white horse pranced forward and stopped alongside the stranger to let Cedric dismount. It was so smooth and effortless it was almost as if the two were of one mind. "I have seen the road ahead and there is no need to fear. But perhaps we should stop for the evening and entertain our new friend. What do you say, sir? Will you join us?"

At first the man hesitated, fingers tightening on his staff. Golden sparks wrapped around his curled first and down the wood. It all stopped in an instant when he spotted Darcy. "Yes, I suppose you ought to stop here. Come with me, I have food and water enough for all." He turned, expecting them to follow his path towards the growing dunes.

Darcy's hand gripped Percy's wrist. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Don't worry, dear bard," Percy said. He freed his hand to wrap and arm around her shoulders despite her arching away from him. "I won't let any harm befall you."