Ravs Are Rarely Wrong: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol III Read online

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

  Ravs Are Rarely Wrong

  The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol III

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2016 Rachel Ronning

  v2.0

  Cover Photo © 2016 thinkstockphotos.com. All rights reserved - used with permission.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Outskirts Press, Inc.

  http://www.outskirtspress.com

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2015917146

  Outskirts Press and the “OP” logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 1

  Lucy sighed, wiped her sleeve across her forehead, and kept riding. Her long, brown hair was falling out of her braid and sticking to her sweaty face. Lucy, Justin, Taran, and Gavin had left Lerramorre at dawn two days ago. They were not sure if Joss, their friend and King of Lerramorre, would pursue them or not. As such, they rode hard with few breaks. It was hot. The sun beat down upon them mercilessly. Lucy took a sip from her water-skin. After their dangerous adventures with the Skelt and their brief but almost deadly stay in Fredamonn, they all agreed something sinister was working in the shadows. Or, more accurately in this case, in the mists.

  Justin wanted information quickly. Joss did too, but he wanted to go with his friends. Unfortunately, he was king and as king he would be required to bring a large guard with him if he traveled through the mists. Justin thought a small group would travel faster and more stealthily than a company of soldiers. Since no one could agree, they had snuck out of Lerramorre. The current plan was to go to Taran’s cabin. From there, they would travel west and cross the Karrenna mountain range in an area where there was little mist. Then, they planned to travel north through the mists to try to gather any information they could. They weren’t entirely sure what they were looking for, but if there was an army amassing on the other side of the mountains ready to invade the free lands of Kinowenn, there should be signs or traces. Justin was determined to find out what was going on so they would not be caught unawares.

  “Should we go back to the school and tell Eric and Quinn what we are doing?” asked Gavin, a fellow student and friend to both Lucy and Justin. He was their weapons master. So far, they hadn’t met an enemy he couldn’t beat. He had a good sense of humor and was always up for a challenge or a meal. His blond hair was drenched with sweat, and his under-tunic sleeves were rolled up.

  “You want me to tell my uncle and mother that I’m going into the mists?” asked Justin, running his hand through his reddish hair. Eric and Quinn ran the magic school that had recruited and trained Lucy.

  “It sounds less appealing when you put it that way,” acknowledged Gavin with a grin. “I wouldn’t want to tell my mom what I’m doing either. However, I’m sure Eric and Quinn would like an update on our discoveries and whereabouts.”

  “I agree,” added Taran, Justin’s brother.

  “I have every intention of writing a note to leave with Philip to deliver to them two days after we depart,” explained Justin. Philip was also a student at the school. He was currently taking care of Taran’s cabin so Taran could help Justin. Philip was also there so messages could be delivered from them to the school or vice versa.

  “I’m sure that will do,” said Gavin optimistically.

  “I’m sure it won’t,” returned Justin, “but I feel our options are limited.”

  “You left Joss a note, didn’t you?” wondered Lucy.

  “He probably threw a fit and tore it into bits,” said Taran with a laugh.

  “Maya will calm him down,” assured Lucy. “Or throw things at him.”

  Everyone laughed. They were never sure how serious Maya, another friend and former student, and Joss, the current King of Lerramorre, were about each other. One thing was for sure, listening to any interlude between them was never boring. Their witty repartee was constantly interspersed with cryptic remarks, joking proposals on Joss’s part, and exasperation on Maya’s side of things. Justin dismounted.

  “I think we will camp here for the night.”

  Gavin took the horses. He unsaddled them, rubbed them down, watered them, and picketed them. Taran started a campfire and boiled water for a stew. He cut up chunks of venison from the deer Gavin had shot yesterday. He added herbs he had gathered from their stop at lunch, and carrots from their packs. He laid out bread and cheese to go with the stew. Justin set up the tent. Lucy set up wards of protection around their campsite. They were in an area that was generally considered safe for travel, but it didn’t hurt to be careful. She magically scanned the area and didn’t find anything other than animals for miles around them.

  Lucy stretched after the long day’s ride. Her muscles were sore, but she still preferred traveling on horseback to embroidering with a group of simpering girls. It put perspective on the day. She sat down away from the fire. It was too hot to sit next to it. It felt good to rest on something that wasn’t moving. She pulled off her boots and wiggled her toes. A light breeze picked up, blowing tendrils of sweaty hair across her face. She turned her face into the breeze and enjoyed the freshness of it, even though it too was warm. She sighed contentedly.

  “Here,” said Taran, interrupting her relaxation to give her a bowl of stew.

  “Thank you,” replied Lucy with a smile. She was hungry.

  “It’s broth and carrots. No meat.”

  “Thanks,” Lucy reiterated. Lucy was working on finding balance and coming to terms with her powers. Killing too many men with fireballs had its side effects. The smell of meat turned Lucy’s stomach these days.

  “Good,” joked Gavin. “More meat for me.”

  Lucy smiled at Gavin. No one could eat as much as Gavin. Lucy was constantly amazed, and often slightly disgusted, at the amount of food he was capable of consuming. Lucy sipped her broth. It w
as tasty. Taran was an excellent cook, much better than Lucy. She was glad she wasn’t expected to cook simply because she was a girl. Cooking was something she intended to learn one day, but had no time or interest in pursuing now. She dunked her travel bread in her stew to soften it and took a flavorful bite.

  “How difficult are the mountains to cross? Can we take the horses?” asked Lucy.

  “No,” answered Taran. “We can’t take the horses with us. That’s one reason for stopping at my cabin. We’ll leave the horses there.”

  “Philip won’t like that,” said Lucy.

  “It can’t be helped. I didn’t want to leave my horses in Lerramorre. They will get us to my cabin faster than if we walked. Besides, they’re gentle horses. Maybe by the time we return, he’ll have made friends with them.”

  “We can always hope,” agreed Lucy, but she was still doubtful. Philip hadn’t been a star pupil at school. He had trouble learning spells. In weapons training, he was more of a danger to himself than others. Horsemanship had also gone poorly, mostly because he was terrified of the horses and they could sense it. He was shy and lacked self-confidence. When something went wrong it convinced him to give up rather than inspiring him to try harder. Aside from that, he loved books, was very smart, and had a caring heart.

  “Now, about the mountains,” Taran returned to Lucy’s first question. “They are harder to cross in the south by my cabin, but the mists are rare. Farther north there are obvious trails. We could go an easier route, but then we would have to deal with the mists and the creatures in them sooner. Also, this way we can do a thorough sweep north. Anything amassing with the intention to invade will be closer to the mountains rather than farther in, I think. Hopefully, we are wrong and nothing is there. If we are right, they will probably be easy enough to find.”

  “They will count on the mists to hide them,” added Justin.

  “They will count on no one from outside the mists being stupid enough to do what we are doing,” countered Gavin with a grin.

  “That, too,” agreed Justin with a matching grin and a glint in his brown eyes.

  Lucy sent her blue eyes skyward and shook her head. She enjoyed traveling with these guys, but sometimes their nonchalant enjoyment of danger and all things stupid was annoying. She finished her stew. As the night deepened, the temperature dropped. She scooted a little closer to the fire.

  “I guess it’s a good thing you packed carabiners and rope,” joked Lucy with a smile at Justin.

  “A very good thing,” agreed Justin. “Once we get over the first lower hills, we should rope ourselves together for safety. Mostly, it will be dangerous semi-vertical hiking, but there will be some actual rock climbing involved. Another reason to leave Maya with Joss, besides the obvious ones. She’s fit enough to make the journey, but she hates rock climbing and is not a fan of heights.”

  “Will there be snow?” wondered Gavin.

  “Possibly,” replied Taran. “I hope not. We are far enough south, it’s warm enough, and we are hoping to climb along sides and through, rather than straight up and over. Anything is possible though. I would not want to be doing this in a few months. Then, we would be sure to run into snow and harsh winds. Now, we should still be able to scavenge berries and wild vegetables. Game should be available, too.”

  “I don’t mean to be negative, but I’ve been wondering about something,” said Lucy. “I know I give off magic that attracts erdettes. Will I constantly be drawing dangerous creatures to us?”

  “Oddly enough, I don’t think so,” answered Justin, pensively. “Obviously, some things will be drawn to us, but almost everything in the mists gives off some amount of magic. We’ll stand out less. We are powerful enough to intimidate some of the lesser creatures. You’re never safe in the mists, but we’ll be safer than most.”

  “Good,” said Lucy. That was semi-comforting news. At least she wouldn’t be drawing everything to them, but what she did attract could be formidable. They stretched, put out the campfire, and went into the tent to sleep. Lucy checked her wards and cuddled up next to Justin. They had a long journey ahead of them.

  The weather stayed hot but otherwise amiable for traveling, and they reached Taran’s cabin easily. Philip was happy to see them. He proudly showed Taran how splendid the well-maintained gardens looked and the scrupulously clean cabin. Taran let Philip take him on a tour of his own home, glad to see things were well in hand. There was a note for them from Quinn and Eric on the mantle. Philip cut into a fresh loaf of molasses rye bread and offered them slices along with thick white cheese and wine.

  “I noticed you don’t have any fruit trees,” said Philip tentatively. “You have strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and kaliberries, but no fruit trees.”

  “I’ve noticed trees tend to need more maintenance than vines and bushes,” replied Taran with a shrug. “Besides, with the berries, I can eat the ripened ones as they appear throughout the summer. When an apple tree is ripe, the whole thing needs to be harvested at once. That’s with only one tree. Apples trees don’t self-pollinate; I’d need at least two trees. That’s more fruit than I can eat and bake myself, and not worth my time to pick and sell.

  “Are you back permanently?” asked Philip.

  “No, we will be leaving again shortly. Do you mind staying on? Is there anything you need to go back to the school and get?”

  “I don’t mind staying. I like it here very much. I was wondering, perhaps you could think about it on your journey, I mean, if it wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience. Could I stay here perhaps? I’m not very good at the school, but I’m happy here.”

  “You may change your mind when I tell you we are leaving the horses here,” warned Taran.

  Philip swallowed nervously. Then, he squared his shoulders determinedly and said, “I can handle it. If I do well, can we talk about me staying or building a little cabin near here?”

  “I’ll think about it,” replied Taran seriously.

  “I’d like to grow fruit trees,” Philip added quietly and hopefully.

  Taran laughed. “Okay, you may pick out and plant some fruit trees.”

  Philip smiled and offered them some homemade kaliberry jam. While Taran and Philip discussed fruit, Justin opened the letter from Quinn and Eric. It was a basic letter asking them to come to the school and update them at their earliest convenience. Justin sighed. He knew he should go and talk to them, but he didn’t want to waste time arguing about what they should, or should not, do next. He had already decided what he wanted to do and he planned to do it. However, they did deserve to be updated and informed. He took a sheet of parchment and a quill down from one of Taran’s shelves.

  “Here,” he said, handing the parchment to Lucy.

  “What do you want me to do with that?”

  “Write down your account of what you witnessed in Fredamonn. You can leave the bit out about turning Andriss into a mouse. I want the rest of it. The suspicions you had about Neston, his rise to power, the fear that he may be being controlled by something in the mists, and the Skelt. Make sure you end with the flaming archway jump; Eric will like that.”

  “Okay,” replied Lucy and wrote. She tried to include all the important details, like how Neston’s voice changed when he became flames, without getting too wordy.

  “What are you going to do?” wondered Taran.

  “I’m going to outline the current plan of informing other nations of a possible threat while more information is gathered. I’ll make sure they are aware Maya is staying in Lerramorre with Joss and they can coordinate with her if need be. I’ll slip in at the end we are the ones doing the gathering of more information by going into the mists.”

  “They are not going to be happy about that,” warned Taran, running his fingers through his hair in a gesture Lucy always associated with Justin. Sometimes she forgot they were brothers, then one or the other did something that made her smile at the resemblance.

  “Oh, I know. Why do you think I’m writing a l
etter rather than telling them in person? I don’t want to deal with the ensuing argument and delay.”

  “I’m finished,” said Lucy, handing the parchment to Justin.

  He read over what she had written. Then, he handed the parchment to Gavin.

  “Please read this and add anything important she missed, or, add a comment at the bottom that you were there and concur with her account.”

  “I’m not sure this illustrates the true timbre of the situation or the intensity of it, but the facts are accurate,” said Gavin.

  “Write that. They know Lucy doesn’t tend towards exaggeration, but another voice supporting the gravity of the situation can’t hurt.”

  When Gavin had finished, Justin took the parchment and added the current plans of Lerramorre and themselves. He folded it carefully, addressed the back to Quinn and Eric, and handed it to Philip. Philip smiled weakly.

  “Please wait two days before delivering it to the school,” requested Justin.

  “They aren’t the kind of people who take out their anger on the messenger are they?” asked Philip nervously.

  “Don’t worry about that,” replied Justin wryly, running his fingers through his reddish hair. “They are more the type to get mad and let that anger simmer until they see us again.”

  “That doesn’t sound very healthy or balanced,” accused Lucy.

  “Perhaps not. Although, not everyone needs balance to survive. Considering their long life expectancies, it’s a comparatively short time to be angry. Eric was mad at me for ten years about something before he saw me again and had a chance to yell at me for it.”

  “What was that?” asked Lucy, curiously.

  “The funny part is, I can’t remember,” laughed Justin.

  “Proof that you’ve done too many stupid things over the years,” teased Taran.

  Everyone laughed and Justin looked sheepish. Philip still looked uncertain about the whole idea, but he certainly wasn’t going to argue with them. Quinn and Eric would be mad either way, but hopefully not at him. He didn’t want these people mad at him either. He would rather count them as friends. Besides, Taran had given him permission to grow fruit trees.