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

“My aunt was gracious enough to teach me how to wash my face without the use of cloth.” Maggie replied dryly.

“That’s not what I meant,” Keith sighed. “Did Redd really teach you all those… whatever they were?” He sat on the bank next to her discarded boots and watched her openly, like he was trying to see straight through her soul. His intense look made Maggie uneasy.

“Not all of them, but yes, Redd taught us most of our tactics.” She reached above her head and stretched, grunting from the strain it put on her muscles. “You’re going to meet him tomorrow. You might like him.”

Keith snorted. “Only if he doesn’t try to kill me.” He shifted into a more relaxed position. His eyes gleamed under his shaggy bangs. Maggie tried to keep her mind on where she was placing her feet as she waded to dry ground.

“Can you cook?” She asked once she was standing next to him. She was tempted to sit down, but refrained from doing so, afraid she would be too tired to get back up. Keith just stared up at her in disbelief. Of course he can’t, she thought, he’s probably never had to provide for himself before.

“I can try,” he looked embarrassed. “But I never was one for kitchen work.”

Maggie took a deep breath. It wasn’t his fault he was born privileged. “Never mind, I’ll make dinner,” she hazarded a thought. “Would you… like to spar? With Angus I mean.”

Vika would never let her hear the end of this.

*****

Keith stared blankly at her. He knew he should say something in response, but words escaped him. Maggie was probably taking a great risk in asking him to participate. His silence was obviously bothering her because she began to fidget. He gently shook himself and found his voice. But not before she began to speak.

“If you don’t want—”

“Sure.” Keith cut in. They had just gotten a level deeper in trust – shallow though it may be – and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin it. Since charming her wasn’t going to work, and he didn’t know enough minor magic to concoct a truth serum, he needed another way of finding out what these children were hiding. Gaining trust might take longer and be a lot more work, but it also meant better results.

When he saw Maggie relax, Keith felt a great deal calmer as well. He might be their prisoner, but the only sign of real imprisonment was when his hands had been tied. At first he thought that he would have gotten a hard time from Vika, what with her temper and constant death threats. Now, though, Keith wasn’t so sure. This girl standing in front of him seemed to be almost closed off from the world. And that could be dangerous too.

“Have you ever sparred before?” Her question made him smile.

“I do have a brother.” Keith laughed.

“Right,” Maggie groaned and ran her hand down the side of her face. “Well, um, sparring with Angus is, ah,” she waved a hand slightly, searching for the right words. “Different.”

“I’m sure I won’t hurt him.” He scoffed. Angus was just a boy, he would be more apt to get injured that Keith and Keith could monitor the weight of his blows. Her words intrigued him. How was the boy ‘different’?

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” Maggie muttered. She turned, picked up her boots and walked back to the camp, fixing her tangled hair. Before Keith could really pick up on the fact that he might have just been insulted, she called over her shoulder. “Hurry up, if you’re coming!”

He jumped to his feet and followed behind her. He noted her agility. While he had to concentrate on his footing, she seemed to glide over rocks and fallen trees. Her hands busy the entire time, braiding her unruly hair. His balance was off with every step. The girl only re-adjusted her feet once or twice. It was obvious she thrived in the mighty forest. Again he considered the possibility of her being a wood nymph.

“Angus.” Maggie called once they were back on the empty ground.

“Yeah?” The boy was sitting on some roots with his back against the tree. One eye was open as he watched the girl warily.

“You’ve got a sparring partner.” The genuine smile that lit up Maggie’s face made Keith’s heart miss a few beats. Her grin reflected back on everyone’s face, except Vika’s. She must have been holding her mirror upside-down, because the shape her mouth was making looked nothing like a happy smile.

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Vika turned away from grooming the horses. With crossed arms, shifted weight, and a cold glare she could have intimidated half of the King’s Elite Guard. Maggie didn’t even flinch. “I thought you wanted him alive. Sparring with Angus might affect that. I don’t want to bury his sorry arse! The last thing we need is to drag a mangled body around, as if this living one is any better!”

“Vika.” Maggie said patently, her face impassive.

“When their done, even Redd won’t be able to fix him! What’s going to happen if he’s too weak to ride after? Hm? I won’t take him because you made a stupid mistake! Scott has had to support that extra weight!” Vika shot an accusing finger at Keith. He had a feeling that none of the things she was saying were extremely dry compliments. “And he’s sure as Veils not going to ride with you!”

“Vika! Calm down a bit.” Maggie’s voice held a hint of annoyance, but still nothing showed on her face.

“I am calm!” She shrieked. Keith resisted a strong desire to hide. Looking between the two girls, he thought it best to say that both were of equal danger. They just scared him in different ways.

Maggie took a ragged breath. He saw her clench and unclenched her hands several times before she spoke again. “Vika,” she straightened her spine. She looked tired and irritated. “Angus needs practice. This is just so I can gauge Keith’s skill. If he stays with us until Koal, I need to see how well he can protect himself.”

“Come on, Vika. You and Maggie get to spar all the time.” Angus complained as he pushed away from the tree he once leaned against.

“Shut up!” Vika spat. Her face was on the verge of being compared to a red tomato. She fingered the thin daggers on her person. Keith felt himself gulp. She shot him a murderous look though slotted eyes. “Fine! But if he gets hurt, I don’t want to hear about it. I’m going to get more wood.” And without another word, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the foliage of the Curtian Forest. Keith released the breath he had been holding.

Maggie sighed and turned to face him. “If you have any spare clothes in your packs, tell me and I can get them. You will want a clean pair once you’re finished, trust me.” Keith was shocked that this girl had just come right out and said that she would go rooting through his things. No thank you, he thought. After all, a man needs some degree of privacy.

“I think I can manage without, thank you.” He replied a clipped tone. Maggie merely shrugged her shoulders and gave him a small smile.

“Are we going to stand here and talk till the stars come out, or are we going to spar?” Angus cried impatiently. Keith tried not to laugh out right when he saw the boy standing there bare chested. “I want some leverage before we get to Redd’s.”

“Don’t worry, Angus,” Maggie laughed behind Keith. “You will have plenty opportunities for leverage. I see you made the circle.” Angus nodded. “Good. Keith, you and Angus can decide upon the rules yourselves. Don’t hurt him too badly, please.” She turned and walked back to the tents.

“I won’t.” Angus and Keith said at the same time. They looked at each other as Maggie chuckled, disappearing behind the trees. Keith began to wonder if agreeing to spar was a good idea at all.

“Do we really need a boundary line?” Angus asked pointing to the circle of rocks he had laid out. “I find it much more fun on uneven ground.” Keith shrugged. He didn’t know the rules of this game and thought it best to let a more experienced person decide. Though, he found it hard to think of the twelve winter old boy as experienced.

“So,” Keith’s voice was muffled as he took off his shirt to make it a little more even. He didn’t want to give Angus any hand holds. “How does this work?”

“It’s easy. It’s just like fighting, only without weapons and we aren’t trying to kill each other. Because you haven’t done this before, you attack first.” Angus sank into a position Keith had never seen before. The boy’s hands were up like a boxer. He had one leg in front of him, bent at the knee, toes facing forward. His other leg set the same, only behind him. The space between them was the width of his boyish shoulders. He shifted a few times as he balanced his weight out.

Keith suddenly felt uncomfortable. The youngest person he had ever fought was Daileas and they were more evenly matched. Seeing Angus in his odd stance, waiting confidently for him to attack, Keith wasn’t sure he could.

Angus sighed and he dropped his shoulders a bit. “You won’t hurt me,” he said. Then his face turned mischievous. “Then again, I doubt you will even get close enough to do any damage.” He was baiting him. Keith knew it. The boy relaxed and stood up straight. His hands fell to his sides and he turned his back to Keith, mocking. Keith rolled his eyes at the boy’s feeble attempt of egging him on. Taking a deep breath, Keith ran at Angus’s back.

Jumping, Keith took Angus to the ground and the two went tumbling. Sticks and dirt bit into the exposed skin on Keith’s back, as they both tried to gain the advantage. They had summersaulted a few times, a mess of unmet punches and misplaced kicks, when Keith felt a set of feet push firmly on his torso. With a grunt of triumph from the boy, Keith was flying through the air. His breath rushed from his lungs as his back hit the forest floor.

Keith was thankful for Vika’s persistence in picking up almost all of the small branches as he sat up, gasping for air. He hadn’t expected to be tossed like an empty cloth sack by the boy. As he waited for his eyes to regain focus, Angus’s laughter echoed in his ears. Anger rose in him and he sprang to his feet. Everything swayed, but Keith could still identify Angus doubled over. A cry of rage escaped him as he tore across the ground, closing the distance between them. Angus shot up right, face contorted, and ran. If he hadn’t been so mad, Keith might have laughed at the terrified look.

Keith charged through the undergrowth of the Curtian Forest, blind anger driving him. Vika would have his hide as a cloak, Maggie’s disappointment would crush him, and Daileas might never forgive him; but pride won over reason. He was going to murder the boy. If he ever caught up to him. His temper rose every time a branch slapped at him or his feet stumbled over uneven terrain as the boy gained ground.

After recovering from a near fall, Keith realized that he could no longer see Angus. He stopped dead in his tracks and recalled with a chill the last time he had chased one of them through the trees. Wood nymphs. Had to be. Keith was stone still as he listened to the wood that surrounded him.