If I Were a Herald
Chapter 38
I Fought the Law
Disclaimer: I love my reviewers. They are my inspiration.
A/N (12/30/05): I'm gonna be famous! My daddy took pictures of me to go along with the article he's writing for a hunting magazine.
A/N (12/30/05): Okay, I know they didn't list a pirate when they were telling all the unusual people Companions had chosen, but I think murderer is close enough, right?
A/N (1/2/06): I am now safely at college. I'm expecting to finish this story before the end of the month, but it just keeps growing. It's been a very mild winter here in Florida. Gah! When it's winter, I expect cold. Not t-shirt weather. Not me, who wears jackets through the summer. It shouldn't be this hot. Yesterday my brother and I had a Star Wars marathon, starting at midnight. And we drank sparkling cider, or bubbly as my mother likes to call it. My sister got to have vodka. To be fair, it was her vodka. She smuggled it back from Russia.
Dark Angel Lytha: Yay! You liked the holiday chapter. And really bad weather is a great suggestion. In fact, my bad weather scene is my favorite scene in this chapter.
Mad-4-Manga: Your rabid fangirlness brings joy to my heart. Stereotypes are a very bad thing. I try to avoid them, especially for main characters. Thank you for your praise of my song. If the outfit to which you refer is her pirate outfit (or, rather, her pirate vest), I still don't know who stole it. It has disappeared into the clear blue yonder. You did indeed hit the review button. I bow down and thank you, and send you cyber-rum as a token of my gratitude. If Jacoby doesn't come to his senses, we'll just have to hit him over the head with a board.
We sped along far faster than the horses should have been able to manage. Lyrna lent them strength. The faster we got to Haven, the safer we would be.
Already my mind was working on what to do when we got to Haven. We'd have some leeway before Vandir returned. And when he did, it would be a simple matter to ensure his path and Jacoby's never crossed. But gossip has a way of getting around. I couldn't be certain he wouldn't find out about Haven's newest resident.
But I didn't have to keep him from finding out, now did I? Not forever, at least. I had an ace up my sleeve. King Roald still owed me for saving his life.
It all seemed so perfect. My luck, which had seen me into and out of tight situations in the past, was finally holding steady. I had finally achieved my dearest wish. I had fallen in love, and was on my way toward happily ever after. If Jacoby didn't love me now, he would. I'd made a study of seduction. I knew full well how to wrap a man around my little finger. Before now, I just hadn't found a man worthy of the effort it would take.
Jacoby was worth the effort. He was the love I'd prayed for, but never really thought I'd find. He was everything I'd dreamed of in a man—except stability.
Well, at least he's giving stability a chance. That's what this is all about, right? He's trying to leave behind his past.
The third day we had to take shelter from a storm. It blew up suddenly, sometime around mid-afternoon. As a mage, I should have been able to read the weather and predict the storm. But I couldn't. Weather-reading wasn't as important to a Herald as it was to an Adept-class mage. Half-trained, at that. Someday, after this was all over, I was going to seek out my buddy Stormwind and ask him to train me.
"Into the cave!" Jacoby yelled, pointing at a half-concealed rock protrusion with a gaping mouth. Eager to get out of the rain, I dismounted and led my horse inside. Jacoby did not try to lead Lyrna, but waited respectfully as she ducked into the cave.
Inside, the floor sloped steeply downward for a couple yards before leveling out. It was quite a spacious cave—not cavernous, but with plenty of room for three people, two horses, and a Companion. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like stone icicles, and stalagmites clawed with stony fingers at unwary passers-by. The way I always remembered which was which was that stalactites had to hold on tight lest they fall to the floor, and stalagmites reached up in the hopes that they might reach the ceiling.
The cool air of the cave brushed over my skin. I shivered. Dear lord, I hated cold rainstorms. In Florida, at least the rain had been warm. A person was fine until he went into an air-conditioned room. Here, the rain was freezing cold. The only time it got this cold in Florida was during the winter, and sometimes not even then.
In an instant, Jacoby was by my side. Heat emanated from his skin. "Let's get ye out o' these wet clothes, eh?"
A violent shiver wracked my frame. "S-still trying to seduce me, huh? It won't work, Jacoby. If you want to seduce me, you'll have to marry me first. And it's 'you,' not 'ye.'" I'd been trying to teach him how to speak properly so that he would be able to fit in when we got to Haven. We still hadn't determined his cover story, but we would, given time. He'd actually begun to speak without an accent, with only a few slip-ups, like now. It helped that he'd had schooling before. He knew how to speak like a nobleman; his rough speech was simply a habit he had to break. I'd also been giving Jimmy the same lessons—with less marked success.
A few beats passed while Jacoby considered that. "Tha'—I mean, that don'—doesn't—change the fact that you're shivering. If you stay in those wet clothes, you might catch cold."
:He's right, you know. I'll bet he knows plenty of ways to warm you.:
:Give it up, Lyrna.: "You're wet, too, and so is Jimmy. I'll see what I can find in the saddlebag." I deliberately turned my back on him. Jacoby's comments and Lyrna's sly innuendoes had affected me more than I cared to admit.
Rummaging through the saddlebags produced three outfits that were only slightly damp. I felt Jacoby's gaze on me the entire time. If he'd been a Firestarter, I'd have been in flames. As it was, I wasn't that far off. My shivers were a thing of the past.
I handed out the clothes. "I think these should fit you. Now, if we can all be gentlemen and turn our backs, I think this may work."
Jacoby's gaze, now amused, never left my face.
"Sorry, I forgot. There are no gentlemen here. Well, Jacoby, keep your hands to yourself, or you'll find yourself poorer by the value of a set of family jewels." As quickly as possible, I stripped off my wet clothes and pulled on the set that was merely damp. Jacoby watched in appreciation. I fought the urge to go slower. There existed something within me that liked to play to the audience. This audience was looking for seduction.
The smiling pirate captain removed his shirt slowly, exposing a widening expanse of bare chest. Yum, yum. He looked good enough to eat. Oh, no. He was going for the pants. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut. Just to make sure I couldn't peek, I covered my face with my hands. Jacoby's rumbling laugh washed over me. Resolutely, I turned my back on him.
"It will get cold tonight," Jacoby warned. "Neither of us will be warm alone."
"So cuddle up with your horse. I've got Lyrna."
To my chagrin, Jacoby took my advice. For that one night, I was insanely jealous of his horse.
The days passed. Jimmy taught me a pirate version of cops and robbers, where I got to be the "cop." As a kid, I'd always chosen the position of "robber"; but Jimmy was adamantly opposed to being the law, and hey, this was his show. We even got Jacoby to join in for a few rounds while our mounts rested.
That was when Murphy decided to take matters into his own hands. As a wise-ass with too much time once said, "No matter how perfect things are made to appear, Murphy's Law will take effect and screw it up."
"Nanny nanny boo boo, you can't catch me!" Jimmy giggled as he said the phrase just like I'd taught him.
"Come back here, you nasty little thief!" I growled. I lunged after him in hot pursuit.
My Empathy alerted me mere seconds before we came upon the party. By then it was too late. Jimmy ran head-on into the arms of the Guard.
"Has this rascal stolen something from you, miss?" a handsome young guardsman asked.
"No, not at all. We were playing."
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely. You don't really think I'd need the help of the Guard to catch a thief, now do you? No, I didn't think you did."
"Just for the sake of records, miss, what is your name?"
"Kali," I replied without thinking. I should have given an alias. They were probably looking for me by now.
"Herald Kali?" he asked pointedly.
I sighed. "Yes, Herald Kali. Herald Death. Do they have any other nicknames for me?" Shadow Stalker, Demonsbane, Hero of Stony Tor.
"Uh, no. Herald, we have standing orders to detain you and any companions you might have."
Uh-oh.
:Lyrna, get Jacoby out of here, now:
:Sorry, love. We've been found, too.:
Damn.
"Okay. So detain us. But I'd really like to know what this is all about." Damn my inability to lie. Except—this was one case where maybe my honor wasn't worth the consequences. I'd have to consider it carefully. Weigh the odds. If I could get out of this with honor intact, and still be able to save Jimmy and Jacoby, that's what I'd have to do. If not, my honor was a sacrifice I'd have to make in order to save lives.
"There are rumors that you aided in the escape of several pirates. I'm sure they have no basis in fact, but I have my orders…."
"It's alright," I said. He looked at me with such trust, I hated to let him down. It was like Maybourne and Jack in the Stargate episode "Chain Reaction." Maybourne was a rogue, but he couldn't betray Jack because Jack trusted him. Here and now, I didn't want to lie to the gullible guardsman. But Jacoby and his son depended upon me. "Just a misunderstanding. I was heading back to Haven anyway. If you delay me here, it'll just mean Roald can't find something else for me to do."
Unfortunately the young guardsman wasn't the one in charge. His CO, Eldridge, was much older, wiser, and more disillusioned. Enough so that he was quite willing to believe anything of anyone, even a Herald. Especially when said Herald had been foolish enough to bring two of the pirates with her.
"Let me guess," he said when we had all gathered together in a hastily-erected camp. Jacoby and I had been relieved of our swords and obvious daggers. "You would be Captain Jacoby, and the lad is your cabin boy, who killed a man of the Guards."
"Jimmy is my son," Jacoby said, enunciating each word with care.
"Following in his father's footsteps. What surprises me is how a Herald came to be involved in this mess."
I knew when to call it quits. Empathy told me what I would have suspected anyway: Captain Eldridge knew we were guilty. It wasn't just a bluff on his part, to trick us into telling the truth. "First thing I remember knowing was a lonesome whistle blowing, and a young'un's dream of growing up to ride on a clipper leaving town, not knowing where I'm bound. No one could change my mind but Mama tried. One and only rebel child from a family meek and mild, my mama seemed to know what lay in store. Despite all my Sunday learning, toward the bad I kept on turning, 'til Mama couldn't hold me anymore. And I turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole. No one could steer me right, but Mama tried, Mama tried, Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading I denied, so there's only me to blame, 'cause Mama tried." I raised my eyebrows and waited for the words to sink in. I'm a desperate woman, Captain. Capable of anything. This emotion in my eyes? It's love. Much more dangerous than madness. "Maybe you'd better just let us go before I have to hurt someone."
"That's not very wise, Herald. What would your Companion think?"
"You leave Lyrna out of this."
"Ye leave Kali out o' this," Jacoby snarled, forgetting proper speech in the heat of the moment. "Let 'er an' Jimmy go, an' I'll come quiet-like."
"Neither of you is in a position to bargain."
"Aren't we?" I demanded. Jacoby and Jimmy were both tied up, but I'd been given the respect due a Herald. It was a matter of moments for me to cut through their bonds with one of my well-concealed daggers.
"Do you really want to run? If you run now, you'll always be running. Wiser far to leave the pirates to their fate. Word is, Roald is prepared to forgive you if you come to your senses."
"Songbird—"
"Just shut up, Jacoby. I'm not going to let you hang. A good friend will bail you out of jail; a really good friend will be sitting in the cell next to you, laughing about what fun it was." The Thousandth Man will stand by your side to the gallows-foot—and after!
"What'll it be, Herald Kali?"
"I'll give you a choice, Eldridge. You let us go now, and I'll take all three of us far away, where we'll never bother you again. You fight us, and you'll learn first-hand why they call me Herald Death."
"I'm sure you're very good, but my men have had years of training, and we outnumber you. I beg you, Herald, forget this foolishness. You still have a future. Can you not see that?"
Oh, go to hell.
"Listen to him," Jacoby urged quietly. "I'm not worth it."
"You can go to hell, too," I muttered. Then, louder, "Beware, Captain Eldridge. You're about to have your ass handed to you by a hundred-thirty-pound girl."
The guardsmen began to close in on us. Another knife appeared in my hand, as if by magic. Actually it was just a trick I thought was really cool, so I'd practiced it until I got it right. Jacoby and Jimmy positively sprouted daggers.
Jimmy reached out with his gift and contacted a hawk. It screeched and stooped. A loud neigh interrupted its descent. With a fluff of wings, it took to the sky once more.
Two Companions burst upon the camp. Lyrna stood in front of me, the other one behind. I twisted around to see how Jimmy and Jacoby were taking our unusual rescue. Jacoby's stiff posture told me he would rather be anywhere but here. He still wasn't quite comfortable around my Companion, and he'd worked with her before. A strange one was a bit much for him. But Jimmy—
Jimmy stared directly into the Companion's sapphire eyes.
:That's Zyra: Lyrna informed me. :The eldest unattached Companion mare.:
:Not anymore: I replied. :Who'd'a thunk? Jimmy's gotten himself Chosen.:
:You thought it: my Companion reminded me.
I had said that anyone, even Jimmy, could be Chosen. :Whatever.:
"Go," Jacoby said harshly. "Both o' ye, jes' go. The Heralds'll protect ye."
"And what of you?" I asked, my heart breaking. I might love him, but it was obvious he didn't give a rat's ass about me.
"I'll escape on me own. Ye used to tell me—''E travels the fastest 'oo travels alone.'" There was a pain in his eyes that belied his words, but I was too heartbroken to notice. He didn't want me with him.
I buried my head in his chest to hide my tears. "I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. Get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger. May you never take one single breath for granted. God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed. I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens. Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance, and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. I hope you dance. I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance. Never settle for the path of least resistance. Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth taking. Loving might be a mistake, but it's worth making. Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter. When you come close to selling out, reconsider. Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance, and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. I hope you dance. I hope you dance. I hope you dance. I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens. Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance, and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, dance! I hope you dance. Time, it's a wheel in constant motion, always rolling oh so long. Tell me, who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone? Tell me, who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone?" I was quiet for a moment, then continued. "Think of me, Jacoby. Can you at least promise me that much?"
"Aye, I'll think o' ye. I'll never forget ye," he vowed. "Take care o' Jimmy, will ye?"
"I'll treat him like my own."
That's it for now. I've already written the next chapter, so as soon as I get three reviews, it's going up. As for this chapter, I'm not quite satisfied with it. So any suggestions for improvement will be welcome. Even if I don't use them, know that your efforts are appreciated.