Hooves clopping against the dirt echoed in Kira's head. Her eyes fluttered open. Pain tore at her body, searing from toes to head, she surveyed her surroundings. White sheets bound one arm to her chest, tied by a thick white bandage wrapping around her torso. She lay at a slant, resting on a litter dragging behind the rear of a horse. Her free hand rose to her face, feeling the hard bump above her right eye. Kira groaned as she tried to sit up.

"Whoa, boy." Ry's voice seemed distant. She heard his boots land in the dirt before his head hung over her. Hair blanketed his face as he looked down on her. "It's about time your lazy rump woke up. I've been dragging you for two days now! Of course you would decide to wake up when we're a day from the Glades."

"What happened?" she asked. Ry's hands linked under her arms, helping her slide off the litter. She stumbled, falling into his chest with a grunt. He righted her, helping her steady herself before letting go.

"I was hoping you could tell me." He led her over to sit on a rock before grabbing a water flask from the saddle satchel.

Kira took a sip and closed her eyes, trying to remember what happened back at the castle. Her last thoughts were leaving the Coming of Age dance. Everything after that point hit an empty void. She re-opened her eyes and looked up to Ry.

She shook her head. "Last thing I remember is wanting some air after the lamest marriage proposal in the world."

Ry laughed. "You think that was the lamest? Even more than Brocks proposal to Janie on the last solstice?" He crossed his arms, muscles rippled through his beige tunic. Ry liked to wear the tightest tunics he could find. Anything to give him an edge with the ladies was all right by him. Sometimes Kira hated how he embraced his looks to the point of arrogance. They were complete opposites in every way, but there was nobody in her life, aside from her aunt, she trusted more than Ry.

"Not in the mood, Ry." Kira's head throbbed, she leaned forward. The water gurgled in her stomach before she vomited all over Ry's feet.

His nose wrinkled. "And it's not even my birthday," he said. He shook the puke off one boot. "This is one present you could've kept."

"I hate you."

He laughed. "No you don't."

"Fine. But I want to hate you."

"Now that I can believe."

She watched Ry return to his horse for a rag to clean his boots. Her eyes drifted from his cream colt to her spotted mare before turning to the empty path they'd travel. The dusty brown of the plains rolled with sweeping hills for miles before and after their stopping point. They'd soon turn to the marshlands of the Glades if they continued to travel south. There were no signs of another horse behind them or in front. Kira furrowed her brow looking back to Ry.

"Where's Emma?"

"She went back to the Glades a few days ago. Something about the sugarcane not harvesting itself and saying you fell down the stairs on purpose. How does one fall down the stairs when sober?"

"Days? How long was I out?" She ignored his jab. Try as hard as she could, Kira still couldn't remember how she hurt herself.

"Little over a week. Which, by the way, you owe me plenty of copper for the inn and buying that litter over there. When we're married you'll be doing lots and lots of dishes to repay me. Among other things." His eyebrows bobbed in a dance.

She rolled her eyes and extended her good hand to him. A ball of fire flickered in her palm, casting an orange glow over her olive skin. The corners of her mouth twisted in a tight smile. Her eyes darted from the flame to his leather pants. Ry's hands slowly drifted to cover his crotch and he crossed his legs.

"You do remember I can do magic and realize what happens when you make me angry, right?"

"I do. My hair winds up a little shorter and a tad singed." He continued to smile. "Are you up for riding or should I keep the litter together?"

"I can ride. I'm not about to ride behind the back end of a stinking horse when I'm awake."

Her good hand worked to unbind her arm while Ry dismantled the litter. She pulled on the collar of her shirt and examined herself. Bruises spotted her skin, the biggest following the length of her shoulder. Her fingers traced the discoloration, slow at first, before picking up in speed. Her heart fluttered until the blood rushed through the veins of her arm, brightening in color until it appeared no patch of skin remained. The faster her fingers circled, a vibration formed in the pit of her stomach and extended to her fingertips. A smile danced on her lips, her fingers slowed to a stop. Bruises faded to normal while pain which had tormented her body vanished.

Ry's whistles brought her attention to him.

"I both love and hate you can do that. It's disturbing."

Kira shrugged. Both arms extended outward, moving in circles while she twisted her spine. She was still cracking her back when a sensation pulsed through her. Energy combined with unbearable power pulled at her pores. Kira fell to her knees, curling in a ball. Her eyes closed, willing her body to focus on the strange power.

Both mind and body wanted to heed the call of the power ragging through her. From inside her closed eyes the world formed. Up close at first, before drifting away into a bird's eye view. Kira's arms stretched from her sides, carrying her with an invisible current. Ry shook her, but she ignored his pleas to wake up.

It wasn't the first time she'd fallen into a trance-like state, though she could never explain why. Clouds drifted around her. She felt them brush her cheeks though she knew she still lie on the ground. The sensation matched the scene forming behind her eyelids. She was a bird, gliding gracefully with the wind. Land rolled beneath her until the plains gave way to granite boulders at the base of the mountains in the eastern part of Morag. From their location it would be an hour's ride at worst.

The vision lowered to the ground at the sounds of screaming and the clang of metals clashing. Wagons burned, tilted on their sides by Morag's guards. Women and children cried for mercy, running from the sharpened blades. Bodies rested prone in the rocky bluffs, drowning in pools of their blood. Magic flashed through the chaos. Ice and fire pelted the armor of the guards, smoldering some to ash or freezing them in place. Animals, with teeth barred, nipped at ankles and lashed out with claws.

Kira's eyes flashed open. Without a word, she bounced to her feet and hurried to her horse. One leg flung over the saddle in a heartbeat, settling in the stirrup, shaking the reigns and angling the horse to the east, rearing to speed in the next. Though she couldn't explain what she saw when she fell into the trance, one thing always seemed to connect with the visions. Wilders were near and in trouble.

"Kira!" Ry's voice faded. Wind rushed by her, pushing her hair behind her in a tangled mess. She wasn't sure what scared her more; the fear of the vision or her instinct, all she knew was she had to reach the mountain range. Screams became real when she reached the final hill descending to the rocks. Her hands pulled on the reigns, slowing the horse to a stop, before she bounded from the saddle.

"Dammit, Ry," she said, searching her saddle for a weapon. "If you left my bow back . . ."

"Kira!" Ry shouted. His horse pulled up alongside hers. "What the hell?"

"Where's my bow?"

"It's strapped to my saddle by my swords. Sonya was carrying enough weight dragging you behind her . . ."

Kira didn't wait for Ry to finish his tease of her weight. The bow and quiver were in her hands in a flash. She slung the quiver over her back, the string being fitted into the arrow's nock while she ran. Another scream sounded out, she looked back to see Ry set into motion, gathering his own blades.

Kira pulled back on the string, readying to fire. She climbed the small incline leading down to a crevice feeding into the canyon of the mountains. Before the opening was the chaos she saw in her mind's eye. Wilders ran about the opening, fleeing into the canyon before guards cut off the entrance. Fire and blood and death hung in the air. Kira took a deep breath, steadying herself. The bow raised parallel to her body while her elbow extended to run in a straight line. Her eyes bounced around, looking for a target with a clear line.

Ry rushed past her to join the battle, gripping both his curved blades in his hands. A little girl screamed, a guard raised his sword to her. Kira's eyes narrowed, her vision zoning in on the back of the guards head. Her fingers twitched, releasing the arrow. The guard was dead before his body hit the ground. An older woman scooped up the child and ran away from the battle.

Leopards and panthers ran through the building death, each clawing at attackers and trying to impede their progress. Kira scanned the battle. A young boy, Kira guessed around the age of ten, crawled out from under a burning wagon. His body contorted, shrinking in size before being replaced by a crow. The bird flew into the canyon, its screech echoed off the walls.

"What the . . ." she mumbled.

She nocked another arrow and fired. One by one, her arrows released, landing in their intended target without fail. When she ran out of arrows, she tossed her bow to the side and hurried for one of the discarded swords. A spotted leopard sprang from the brush and stopped in front of Kira. Golden eyes stared at her as it snarled. Blood dripped from a gaping wound in the beautiful creatures shoulders. Black spots of varying sizes coated his cream colored hide. Whiskers twitched with the growls rumbling deep in the leopard's throat. Claws dug in the ground as it lowered and readied to pounce.

"I'm here to help, you stupid cat." Kira gripped her sword tighter, ready to defend herself. Her eyes glanced at the surrounding battle, making sure no prying eyes watched her. "Fine. Don't believe me, watch this."

She lowered her sword, releasing her magic into the stained steel. Frost flowed from the hilt outward until it coated the blade in a frozen web. The leopard released its crouch before cocking its head to one side, staring at the blade. Its thick, pink tongue swept over its sharpened teeth, it continued to watch the ice form on the blade. Kira had never been that close to a leopard before. The hope it was like the boy was the only thing to keeping her feet grounded in place.

The leopard's growl echoed, it lunged by Kira, sinking its teeth into the arm of a guard with his sword raised to plunge into Kira's back. Kira gasped and released the magic on her blade before rejoining the battle. Wilders fled into the canyon while Kira distracted their attackers. Muscles ached from the blade which was too heavy for her. She was used to smaller, narrow blades, but she knew she couldn't stop to seek one out. Guards would show her no mercy and the remaining Wilders had no chance without aid.

Sweat glistened on her brow and dripped along her temples. Her heart pounded with every swing, exhaustion overcoming her. She parried the attacks of a man twice her size. The metals of their swords clanged in her ears, ringing out in an obnoxious serenade. Her sword felt like it weighed a ton. Air burned through her lungs with each gasp. Still she continued to swing, backing up as the man overpowered her.

Fear kept her from calling on her magic again. She knew if the guards saw her casting and one survived to tell the King, it was as good as committing suicide. It was one thing to conceal it in a room full of eyes focused on other things, but when those eyes fixated on her . . . it was a risk she wasn't willing to take. Already she'd risked everything with the display for the leopard. Despite having the utmost faith in her magic ability and Ry's gift with the double blade, she preferred to keep her head on her neck.

Instead, her mind raced for something, anything, that might aide her. Her eyes lost focus on her attacker long enough for her feet to catch on a rock. Kira tumbled backwards, her head hit the compact earth, dazing her. The guards face couldn't be seen beneath his metal helm, but she assumed he was smiling with his triumph. Kira saw her reflection in the silvery metal. His arms raised above his head, the sword seemed to grow larger as Kira frantically tried to erase the dizziness from her mind. She released the grip on her sword and raised her hand, palm out, to the guard.

The guard hesitated when the electricity curled around her fingers. Through the silt in the helm she saw his eyes widen. Kira was seconds from launching the energy toward the unsuspecting man when the leopard pounced on him. One paw swiped the helm from the guards head. He couldn't react before the leopards jaw closed on his throat. Kira closed her eyes at the sound of the flesh ripping. The leopard's snarls mixed with the sound of the guard's slaughter. When silence overcame the death, Kira opened one eye. The leopard stood over her, blood dripping from its muzzle.

"Kira," Ry shouted, running up with both swords drawn. Kira raised a hand to stop him.

"He won't hurt me. Will you, boy?" She hesitated to raise a hand toward the leopard. It moved closer until it was so close to Kira she felt the warm breath brush against her face. Blood dripped from its jaw, dropping on Kira's tattered pants.

Eyes seemed to study her hair, moving over the red curls one at a time. It licked the blood from around its mouth before it sniffed Kira's hair. Whiskers tickled against her neck while her heart slammed against her chest. She took slow, deep breaths to keep her fear from boiling over, unleashing the magic brimming in her fingers.

The cat moved its head to stare at her right hand. Beams of electricity flickered from the tips of her fingers, burning what little brush was near. Her breath caught in her throat, the leopard tilted its head toward the sky, unleashing a roar like Kira had never heard before. It bounced off the rocks, amplifying the sound. Kira covered her ears, glancing to Ry who dropped his swords and did the same. When the animal finished its roar, it sprang away from Kira and vanished into the darkened canyon.

"Are you all right?" Ry asked, holding a hand out to Kira to help her up. She nodded and looked around. Bodies of both Wilder and guard lay scattered on the bloodied rocky path. Wagons continued to smolder to nothing but ash.

"Are they all dead?"

"Yes. Whatever Wilder remained vanished into the canyon. I'm sure they're halfway to the border of Altian at this point."

Kira rubbed her aching shoulder. "Why would Morag guards attack the Wilders like this?"

"I'm not sure, but we better get out of here in case more are coming." Ry collected his swords, wiping the blood off on one of the dead bodies, before heading back up the incline to the horses.