Maggie of the Mist by Madeleine M. (best ebook reader for ubuntu txt) 📕

Keith had heard this story too many times to count. He had read it in the Curtian Royal Library, heard it from every elder in his family. It was his ancestors’ legacy.  He wanted to hear it from this boy, who had probably never heard it the right way.

“This is a tale not even in the history books,” Keith was surprised to hear a more recent story. Apparently it had occurred not long after her was born. “After years of hiding, the most powerful man in the McGregor clan was found to be living in the southern lands of Curta. Once the Tine’la found out that where he was, they stormed the castle. But they soon discovered that their target wasn’t even there, they decided to destroy him in other way. He had an infant daughter who was still there. Upon finding her room they blocked the door so that no one could get to her as they set flame to the massive castle; but someone did. They saved her, and thought it safer to raise her as their own. And to this day, the Tine’la still search for this poor girl.” Angus finished his tale just as the two girls came back up to join them.

“Well, how old would this child be now?” Keith was interested, naturally.

“I’d say, about fifteen, sixteen,” Angus replied, but after Vika shot him a dangerous look, he quickly added, “but I can’t be certain. It’s just a story, campfire tale really.”

With a new interest, Keith gazed at Maggie. Could she be..? Impossible! He thought to himself. Yet nothing is impossible. Her hood covered her face completely. Whenever she had it on, she hardly spoke. It was like a trigger for her. She always was able to blend into the background without much effort. There was something strange going on with these cousins, and it just made being with them more of an adventure.

Maggie sat on a high branch. Her back was resting against the rough surface of the tree’s bark. Her hair was down and drifted beside her as it caught a slight breeze. Her eyes were closed. The late afternoon sun warmed her face and exposed arms. The stone around her neck was cradled in her right hand. She sighed as she heard Keith and Vika bickering on the ground far below.

Maggie didn’t remember travel being so rough. The last time she had lived like this was when she went to Koal with her aunt, and even then, that had been years before her aunt died. They had kept a steady pace since the event with the Tine’la. They hadn’t gone near another village or town, not wanting to be found again. It was best to keep to the road during the day and hide in the forest at night. Despite the fact the roads were uneven and full of pits and divots the size of pots; and the ground under the trees was damp due to the steady rain. None of them had found a comfortable night’s sleep, and it was starting to show.

Vika, for all her attitude before, complained about every little thing and was quick to anger. Keith always managed to have a smart side comment for all the things Vika found wrong. As it turns out, he knew more about dry humour than Maggie had originally thought. Angus fumed quietly, keeping to himself, and didn’t join in the arguing. Maggie required the solitary escape of the trees, almost every time they stopped, as a refuge from the insanity.

Even the horses were short tempered.

Gregor was constantly trying to bite off any part of the Tine’la when he was too close. Daggers was forever trying to tromp on his feet. Keith cursed them every time. Scott was the only animal willing to tolerate the red head. The horse had tried to shift him out of the saddle a few times when he was just down right irritating, but that was all.

They had met very few people in the past two days of riding. Each time Maggie had waited for some kind of reaction from the stone. But nothing happened. It didn’t glow, didn’t torture the skin on her collar bone with extreme temperature. Once, when she saw a rather shady person with a concealed weapon, it cooled against her body – but nothing else. She guessed it was because the people they passed wouldn’t have a direct influence on her quest and thus didn’t set off the stone. Or something like that. It was hard to describe.

A branch snapping below yanked Maggie out of her thoughts and sent her hand to the hidden dagger in her boot. Moments later Angus stuck his head out from under a particularly leafy section of the tree. “Vika’s ready to spar now,” he sighed heavily. “The camp finally looks livable.” Maggie laughed and followed him back down to the ground.

“Warrior of Might!” Keith ambushed her as soon as one foot touched the forest floor. He dropped the wood he was carrying and marched towards her with long strides, backing Maggie against the tree. His face a mere hand’s width from hers. She couldn’t ignore his anger. “Where have you been?” He waved his hands in the air franticly. Maggie had decided not to bind him anymore after this morning. If he did escape, he wouldn’t get far. Secretly, she hoped he wouldn’t try. This Tine’la had to be of real importance if the stone kept pushing so much for her to trust him. She tried not to focus on the way his green eyes flared like burning emeralds when he was angry.

Maggie pointed upwards and shrugged. “In the trees,” she stated plainly. He arched an eyebrow and she repressed a smirk. Sooner or later, they were going to talk about Laila.

“While you were ‘in the trees’ swinging like a monkey,” Keith had one hand on his side and the other he thrust at the green canopy above. Maggie wondered what a monkey was but her thoughts evaporated as he leaned closer. “I’ve been down here picking up twigs!”

“Perfect,” Maggie gave him a wicked grin and he eased back a bit. With a little more distance between them, it felt easier to breathe. She leaned around him to addressed Angus and Vika, “We can start with staffs.”

“Wait, what?” Keith’s anger melted away. A strange looked passed over his face. It wasn’t fear, though. It was more of a worried or anxious nature. The other two nodded with mischievous grins and went to fetch their wooden rods.

“They’re not for you,” Maggie replied. She allowed herself a chuckle when she saw him relax a bit. “Tomorrow, we are going to meet our trainer. He taught us almost everything we know about combat – both hand-to-hand and weapons. It is easier to spar with loosened muscles and the staff exercises do just that. We thought it might be easier to show off our new skills if we were warmed up.” She winked at Vika, who passed Maggie her own staff.

“You can stay over there and watch,” Vika said, pointing to a rock that a tree had grown up around. “We’re going to be at this for a while. We cleared a spot away from the fire pit so we won’t get burnt once the fire is lit.” She smirked as she walked towards the space of the forest floor they had argued about clearing. Keith hadn’t seen the purpose behind the tedious task of picking up sticks to clear an area that was a good distance from the camp. Now he just glared at her receding back.

“Would you mind starting a fire when it gets dark?” Maggie asked. Her heart skipped a beat when his eyes softened as he looked at her. She focused on the long wooden rod in her hands.

“Of course.” The Tine’la replied with certain gentleness to his voice. Then his eyes widened and he took a big step back. He looked sheepish. “Sorry.” He mumbled.

“Thank you.” She gave him a small smile as she moved away from the trunk and turned to join the other two. Don’t let him get to you. Maggie mentally shook herself. She felt him watching her and restrained herself from looking back. Taking a deep breath, she kept walking. Hopefully Redd would know what to do with this son of a lord.

“Finally,” Angus said, jumping up from where he was sitting on the ground. “I thought we’d never start.” Vika shot him a dark look.

“You should be grateful that we even get to practice,” she bit off. To Maggie, the girl asked, “Are you alright? If he does that again, I swear, he will not live to see the Warrior’s sun!” Vika clenched her staff in anger.

“I appreciate the thought, Vi,” Maggie laughed as she sank into her stance. “But I think I can take care of myself.” When she heard Keith choking on his laughter behind her, she turned and sent him a smug grin. Just you wait, young master. You might be surprised. “Start with defence rolls, moving into attacks. No partners. Begin.” She called out the same words Redd had used every time they did the drill.

Moving as one, the three teens stepped forward. Together they dove to the ground, arms stretched out, holding the staffs in front of them. They arched their bodies at the same time as they hit the ground and rolled. Once again on their feet, but in a crouch, they pivoted to face Keith. His face was full of surprise. Standing, they brought their weapons up so that one end was pointed towards Maggie’s prisoner. The wooden rods a synchronized blur of movement as they twirled them, real attacks against imaginary enemies. She counted the moves in her head.

“Break!” Maggie ordered. Without missing a beat, what had moved as one warrior became three separate fighters. Their moves no longer similar. Maggie felt the rush of her blood in her body, the fresh air of late spring fill her lungs. She lost herself in the intricate movement of her hands and feet. Her stone bounced against her collarbone. Without thought, her body moved to block an attack from either Vika or Angus and then turned to deliver a blow of her own.

It felt too soon for the sun to hide behind the horizon. Maggie glistened with sweat. A chill ran over her skin as a breeze drifted through the trees. Her tangled hair was partially still in the braid she had done earlier. As her blood cooled, she got goose bumps without the sun to warm her skin. She went to wash her face in the creek Vika had found when they first arrived.

The refreshing water lapped against her ankles as she stood with her feet in the water. Crouching, she splashed her forearms. She sighed in relief, sitting on a somewhat dry rock near the bank. She leaned down and cupped her hands to splash her face.

“Where did you learn to do that?” Maggie