7. Gissa and Long Valley

Kel could feel a broad back pressed against her cheek. Her hands and feet were strangely detached from the rest of her body. A warm, thickly furred cloak wrapped around her, making a cozy nest from the howling wind that touched her forehead. With a sigh she snuggled deeper into the warmth. A horse snorted and her eyes shot open, memory catching up to her drugged mind. The man who's back she leaned against turned slightly to look at her over his shoulder.

"So you've finally woken. I was beginning to wonder if you and frozen."

Kel glared at her captor, tugging at the ropes which bound her hands together in front of him. "I demand that you release me."

Maggur laughed. "I think not, Protector."

When she pulled harder, he raised his hand that glowed scarlet. "Don't make me put you back to sleep again, lady."

Defiantly she yanked, startling their mount. The king frowned and spoke those strange words once more. Kel fell into darkness.

With the lady knight unconscious, Maggur lifted a black stone from a gold chain around his neck. Holding it up before him, he spoke.

"She's a feisty thing."

A distinctly accented voice of a woman answered as the stone pulsed orange. "We expected no less. When will you arrive? I can't keep the snow going for much longer. It is tiring."

"We'll reach Long Valley tomorrow at midday."

The voice purred. "I'll be waiting, love."

Dom smiled down at her, hugging her tightly. She smiled in return, a rare, honest smile. His hand came up to touch her face and she leaned into it. When he bent to kiss her, she readily lifted her chin to meet him but he vanished before they met. She was left alone in darkness.

"Dom?"

"Protector of the Small."

Confused, Kel opened her eyes and saw nothing. A beam of light made her turn her head and she realized that she lay on the floor of some cave that smelled of earth. No light entered the room except from a small doorway. With a stifled groan she sat up.

"Protector of the Small." The voice spoke again.

She could just make out a figure at the back of the cave. "Who are you?"

"I am Gissa of Ranchne." The woman moved so that the light fell on her face. Kel couldn't help staring.

She was dark skinned, reminding Kel of the chocolate drink she had tasted in the red tent. Long black hair flowed over her shoulders, tastefully drawn back from her face with a single twist held by a golden pin. Her eyes glittered in the dim light, almond shaped and a pale brown that bordered on gold. Small scars all over her face only accented the smooth brown of her skin. Scars which looked like small claw marks. Strange and beautiful, but Kel could sense she was dark to the soul. Her voice was softly accented, from some country unknown. With a smile that did not reach her hypnotic eyes, Gissa raised her right hand to push back a wayward lock of hair.

Kel carefully held her face neutral. Her hand was not real. Silver bones clicked as they moved, wires replacing tendons and muscle. Where the skeleton met flesh, a silver band hid the perverse mating of human and machine. She meant to unnerve her, Kel was sure. She would not give her that satisfaction. Calmly she asked,

"Do you know why I'm here?"

Gissa smirked and nodded, eyes unwavering and cold. "King Maggur the Red needs you to help him unite Tortall and Scanra under his reign."

Something glittered in Kel's lap. Glancing down, she tore off the trick bracelet and threw it into the shadows. Glaring at her companion, she said, "I will never betray my country." Throwing back the leather and fur cloak that had covered her, Kel stood. "My destiny is my own."

Outside she paused. She hadn't been in a cave, but a house made of what appeared to be strips of sod. Five of these dirt constructions made a ring in the center of a long valley between the ridges of two sharp mountain ranges. The grass beneath her feet was thick and springy, but bent over as if a huge hand had slid across it. It colored the ground a powdery blue/green.

Horses had been picketed on the South side of the strange camp. Not a single person could be seen. Kel darted a glance around at the empty doorways of the sod houses before sprinting towards the animals. She managed to get one horse untied before a hand twisted her arm behind her. Instinctively she threw herself forwards into a roll, breaking the person's hold. Coming out of the roll, she dropped into a defensive stance. The man, a sentry she assumed, recovered quickly from his surprise and barked out an alarm before attacking.

He was decent at hand to hand combat. Kel ducked his first punch to the face, then had to block a fist to her left ribs and right shoulder in quick succession. Dropping to one knee, she lashed out with her other leg. The man leapt over it but didn't count on her return sweep that caught him behind one foot. He fell. In an instant Kel was back on her feet and grabbing for the horse she had untied.

Red and orange ropes held her immobile. Cursing she fought them, knowing it was useless. Too bad griffin feathers were only good for illusions. The headband that had somehow remained with her now slipped over one eye.

"Not bad, lady Keladry. You did quite well."

She growled. "Not as well as I would like. You set this up."

Maggur smiled, holding the end of his rope with one hand and encircling Gissa with the other. "I wanted to see just what the Protector was capable of."

Kel looked from him to the woman. "You wanted, or she wanted?"

The lady mage gave her a tight smile. "Ah, a smart one." Her voice hardened. "You have no Gift. What chance do you have against us."

"I'll never turn against my country."

Gissa walked up to her and slapped her with her metal palm, leaving a long scratch across her cheek. "Your country will do nothing for you now. Your country is fated to fall."

Kel met her eyes levelly. "We will not fall if there are people who believe in it."

Gissa raised her hand again.

"That is enough." Maggur ordered. "Prepare to mount. We must reach the Erie by tomorrow evening. True winter is coming quickly."

Gissa paused before turning and marching back to the dirt houses. Maggur released Kel from his magic and handed her the cloak she had left behind. "You'll want this."

Unable to restrain herself, she snatched it rudely from him. Tying it beneath her chin, She looked back at the horses. It was too late to try and run, the Scanran soldiers were appearing from within the shelters and rolling packs to be placed behind saddles. Kel longed for Peachblossom.

"These animals aren't changed by that crazy girl, Veralidaine Sarrasri."

Gissa had emerged once again, wrapped in a maroon cape. She smiled viciously at the white mare a man led up to her. Grabbing the reigns, she mounted and forced the horse to run in such a tight circle that it looked like she was trying to chase her own tail. Coming to an abrupt halt, the rider jerked the bit harshly.

"They obey humans like they should. They fear man because man lords over them all."

"You're wrong." Kel reached out to stroke the mare's nose. Her flanks were heaving and a white ring was visible around her blue eyes. "Animals deserve man's respect for being willing to do our work. If they did not want to obey us, they wouldn't."

Gissa laughed and jabbed her mount in the sides with spurs. The horse leapt forwards, nearly knocking Kel to the ground. Regaining her footing, Kel walked to the horse which had been tethered to a black stallion. Clearly she was expected to ride on her own now. Perhaps it would open a new road to escape.

"A moment, my lady."

Maggur had appeared behind her. Before she could respond, he had plunged a hollow needle into her upper right arm, releasing a red liquid into her blood. Kel whirled, wrenching her arm out of his grasp, seized his own, and flipped him over her hip onto his back at her feet. Grabbing the reigns of the stallion, she threw herself into the saddle and galloped down the valley. From his position on the ground, Maggur raised his hand to stop the soldiers.

"Do not worry. She won't be going far." He smiled. "Feisty indeed."

Kel's arm would not move. Whatever had been injected into it had numbed all her nerves from the shoulder down. Riding a high-spirited horse did not make things easier.

I learned how to ride Peachblossom, I can deal with this fellow.

Could it be her imagination, or was the scenery starting to blur? Kel pulled on the bit. "Come on big boy, let's get going." If she could just find a way out of the valley things would look much better. As it was, she felt extremely exposed. Her head hurt. She started seeing movement out of the corners of her eyes but when she turned to look, nothing but stubby brush met her gaze. The wind.

The stallion walked slower and slower, pausing to graze the powdery grass as the reigns slipped from loose fingers. Angry at the horse, Kel dismounted - or tried to. Falling in a heap she could not make her feet cooperate. Everything was hazy. The sky was a bright blue, the color of Dom's eyes. Unconsciously she smiled. There was no way to tell how long she lay there until voices reached her ears. Even then, she could not respond. Maggur leaned over her prone figure.

"I should have warned you that the effects of Blood Bonding are rather a shock to the body at first."

Forcing her mouth to obey her, Kel gritted out. "What did you do?"

"You are bound to me. I will know where you are at all times, know if you are plotting against me, and know your feelings. I will practically read your mind."

"How dare you."

Maggur's eyes turned to ice. "Oh quite easily. Ever since your country left Gissa for dead and she came to me, I have seen you as a vital element to my future as emperor of the North. However, I know you will not willingly help me, therefore I must take precautions." He pulled her to her feet, her body feeling like a puppet's. "I do not like bonding to one unwilling, but I will if I must. Now mount and behave."

Kel knew it was pointless to resist, that fact made easier to accept when her body listened to his orders and her mind could not focus. However, she vowed to someday repay him for her humiliation and figure out a way to counter whatever 'Blood Bonding' he had put on her.