Thud.
A decisive blow to the ribs knocked the air from Kai’s lungs, and he felt pressure squeeze his midsection. The wooden decking struck his side, adding to the intense pain he felt. Disoriented and in agony, he wiped the sweat from his eyes and rose to his feet. The salty ocean air filled the billowing sails above his head. He was on a ship in the middle of the ocean.
Someone in the crowd shoved him forward. A sharp pain raced up Kai’s leg, but there was no time to look down. Instinctively, he raised his hands to protect his face. He danced on his toes around the behemoth of a man in front of him. Sweat and blood dripped from his opponent. “Nobody calls me a cheat and lives to tell the tale. Least of all, someone like you,” the man snarled.
Encircled by shouting bystanders, they continued to exchange blows. With lightning-quick reflexes, he dodged to avoid several strikes before landing a few of his own. With every bone-crushing hit from the man’s boulder-like fist, Kai experienced shockwaves of pain. After the last blow stuck Kai’s brow, he felt warm blood trickle down his face. He wiped the blood from his temple and caught a glimpse of his hand—not his hand. Too small. Feminine.
A man shouted, “Gut her, Harker. Worthless woman. She probably cheated you.”
The man handed Harker a blade. A glint of steel flickered in the sunlight, and Harker snickered. “Your time is up, little girl. It seems your mouth got the better of you. I told you there was no way you could best me. I promise to cast your dead body into the sea,” he boasted.
The crowd laughed and cheered him on. Kai heard a feminine laugh below their chatter; a chuckle he recognized spilled from his lips. “Now we’re getting somewhere,” he mocked in Riome’s Port Anahita accent. “I told you I don’t cheat at cards, but at fighting, well, you’ve met your match. I am smarter and faster, and I promise to be quick.”
The man’s nostrils flared at her mockery; all sweat and fury he charged, blade at the ready. Riome shortened the gap with her swift feet, dodged the outstretched weapon, and slid beneath Harken. Her first kick knocked out his knee, dropping him to the deck, and her second sweeping motion sent the man’s outstretched hand around into his own skull—blade first.
The crowd hushed as Harken took his last breath.
“Anyone else?” Riome asked calmly. “No? Drinks all around.”
The crowd cheered as the whiskey and rum flowed freely. Riome entered the captain’s quarters and collapsed into a chair. “Where were we, boys? My turn to deal?” She scooped up the cards and started to shuffle.
Everything went black, and Kai felt two hands shake his shoulders. He opened his eyes, and the sun bloomed behind Rayna’s head as she leaned over to him and caught him in an embrace. “Blessed be Alenga!”
His heart pounded in his chest. Everything around him felt electric, causing him to breathe heavily. Calming his nerves with a few deep breaths, he tried to sit up.
Rayna released him and sat back on her heels. “What happened,” she asked, stunned. “I felt you pull the magic through me. Then you began to shake harder. At one point, I heard you mumble, but it was unclear what you were saying. Then you coughed up blood and doubled over in pain. I didn’t know what to do. I tried healing you; then, your head started bleeding. What happened?”
There was no explanation. “The first time I did this, I was young, and I did not have my crystal. I had not come into my full power. Maybe the intensity of my crystal-infused magic blended with yours and . . . drew me into Riome. It’s the only way to explain it—I experienced everything she did. She was fighting with someone else. I didn’t have any control, but I felt all her pain. Every blow felt real.” Kai rubbed his ribs; the sharpness gave him a real concern for Riome’s survival.
The warmth of Rayna’s hand pressed into his temple, and he felt her heal the cut. She then healed his ribs, but the taste of blood lingered in his mouth.
“Wherever Riome is,” he said, “she is alive, but I fear for her. Smugglers and thieves are bad company, and her current shipmates would just as soon kill her than look at her. They just might, if she can’t keep out of trouble.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Back in Hiowind, Kai sat in Lucca’s chair watching the moon cross the sky. Afraid sleep would bring visions of his father’s demise, he thought instead of Riome. Never in his life did he think his magic could pull his spirit into another person. Or that this person’s experiences could affect him physically. If only he could talk to his mother, she would know how to help. She was said to be one of the most powerful Katori in history. But still, Mariana had not stirred in her slumber.
Night after night Kai avoided sleep, but time was catching up to him. The land of dreams demanded he slumber. The sour feeling in his gut as his head touched the pillow warned him the dream would not be good. Visions pack a mighty punch, and reality and fantasy can confuse perceptions. He was not ready to process a message from Alenga. His heavy eyelids drooped more and more until he lost his battle. Sleep took him, and the world of dreams and nightmares folded its arms around him.
Storm clouds thundered overhead, startling Kai. The crack of lightning broke through the darkness, and the glint of armor flashed through the trees. Kai crouched. Voices on the road called out.
“I am telling you, I saw someone!” the man shouted in the rain. “Queen Nola pays us good money to guard the road. I will not
