Hope Entwined

EXCERPT: CHAPTER ONE

Warrior Training Center, Realm of Calderre

It was always the colors that Celina remembered most. Deep brown eyes that matched the soil after a heavy rain. Brilliant amethyst stones on a silver dagger. Shards of moonlight reflecting on crimson-streaked water.

Not the ache of standing over someone for hours or the scent of blood. Not the sound of strangled breathing. Ever since the first time, when she’d knelt alone through the night with new healing magic pulsing through her, it was the colors that haunted her dreams.

The vivid colors peppered her memory, highlighting moments of her life. Some insignificant, some devastating, some joyful. But always vibrant hues. She often wondered if it was a side effect of using magic so young that caused the anomaly.

Regardless, the searing colors stayed with her long after a healing. Today, her patient had blue eyes, her magic enhancing them to the brightest blue of the sky streaked with sun-flared gold.

Twigs and rocks pressed into her bare legs as she shifted forward over her patient on the training field, her knees making deeper grooves in the dirt beside his shoulder. Cold wind bit at her face and tugged at her light clothing as she moved, trying to steal her focus. If not for the warmth of magic flowing through her and into her patient, she might have iced over completely in the winter air.

“Hold him just a little bit longer, Celina, I’m almost done,” Healer Althea said as she began the final set of stitches on the patient’s chest.

Celina flexed her frozen, aching fingers against the boy’s neck without breaking contact. Her shimmering gold magic pulsed around the white of the warrior’s soul, holding his lifeforce steady. He was getting stronger by the minute, now that his major injury was sewn closed, but she’d learned the hard way not to let go too early. His blue eyes had been drenched in pain and fear when they’d arrived to treat him. Arm sliced nearly to the bone, his life had been seeping out to soak the ground in streaks of deep crimson.

Strengthening the connection, she poured a little more into him until the other healer finished with the superficial slice on his chest. Finally, Althea nodded to Celina she was finished.

Sleep, Celina commanded, sending a special strand of her magic through him to pull him into a deep, naturally healing state. “He shouldn’t wake for several hours.”

She squeezed the warrior’s hand to wish him well, even though he was already deeply asleep. He was very young, still in his initial phase of warrior training, and his fear had indicated this was likely his first major injury.

“Very good.” Healer Althea nodded and turned to instruct the injured warrior’s waiting teammates on how to move him safely to a recovery area.

The glint of dark metal caught Celina’s eye as she stood, sunlight glancing off the sword lying a few feet away, forgotten in the earlier rush to save the warrior. Light flashed through her mind, replacing the image with one from memory.

A different sword, sinking into the mud of the forest floor. Shadows of darkness cut by moonlight. Her hands shaking, numb with cold, as she tried in vain to find another drop of magic to save the fallen. The scent of pine soaked the earth, dripping from the trees ringing the clearing.

“Celina.” Althea’s voice beckoned her back to the present. “Let’s speak with the commander before you return to the keep.”

Blinking, she forced her eyes to see the present. Bright light from the morning sun seeped over the mountains, illuminating the clearing. Dew glistened on patches of grass in the early rays of light. Bursts of winter air whipped through the nearby trees, trying to steal their evergreen leaves. The smell of dirt, metal, and horses reached her despite the wind. She shivered, giving the sword one last glance.

“Of course.”  She shook off the memory and moved, taking quick steps to catch up to Althea, who was already walking away.

The clang of metal as the newest warrior trainees practiced nearby tried to pull her back into her memory. Taking a deep breath, she ignored the sounds, focusing instead on the heavy crunch of Althea’s boots on the gravel path. The feeling of her stiff muscles stretching. The cold seeping into her as the warmth of her magic faded. Real, physical energy to ground her in the present. Her hair whipped around her face as they walked, having long ago escaped from the perfect knot she’d tamed it into that morning.

“You know, I love having your help in emergencies, but it would be great to have you here more. You’re a wonderful healer.” Althea leaned her head close conspiratorially. “And you don’t complain about being dragged out to the field unexpectedly.”

Ignoring the gnawing unease in her stomach at the veiled request, Celina smiled at her mentor. “You know how much I love helping people. Even without proper footwear.” She waved her slippered foot in a little flourish as she took her next step, making them both chuckle.

“If you ever decide you want to join us as a healer full time, we’d take you in a heartbeat.” Althea gripped her shoulder and gave her a serious, yet slightly amused, look.

If only it were that simple. Althea always offered, and Celina evaded the question. She truly loved using her gift to act as a healer for their people. It was what her path should have been, had her life not twisted in unexpected ways. She fought to be the healer she was always meant to be, making time for the work alongside raising her sister, running their family estate, and acting as one of the realm’s matriarchs.

Althea’s lips tipped in a bemused expression. “Are you returning to the council session?”

“Yes, although they might be finished already.” Her voice sounded overly hopeful, and she winced when Althea laughed.

“Avoiding the council in general or something in particular?”

“You know me too well. I would dearly love to miss the discussions over the refugee program becoming independent,” Celina admitted. “It brings up too much.”

“Memories can be difficult to live with.”

Having mentored Celina since her magic first appeared, Althea was aware of her complex emotions about the refugee program. It was her mother’s legacy, and what had ultimately killed her. Celina worked with the program often in her capacity as healer, but discussing its governance? All she heard was the resounding echo of her mother’s voice.

As one of the military leaders of the program, Davina Blackwood had been just as focused on its growth and development as that of her children. Celina had grown up listening to her mother prepare speeches for the council and argue about redrafting military protocols. The program had flourished under her leadership both in the field and in the council halls of the royal palace. The proposed change to the refugee program’s governance would be the first major change since her death.

As the reigning head of the Healers Guild, Althea sat on the realm’s high council and was privy to many of the same discussions taking place in the lower council. The refugee program was on the cusp of transitioning, shifting from its origins as an exclusively military operation to one jointly overseen by the Healers Guild, the crown, and the military.

Since Calderre was a sanctuary realm, the change was of major interest to its people. The topic had been included in the open session agenda of the lower council to allow public commentary before final decisions were made during the closed winter sessions.

“When it goes through, they’ll be needing new councilors. Have you given it any thought?” Althea asked.

Celina’s stomach lurched at the suggestion, roiling in apprehension. She’d done the opposite—avoiding anyone with an opinion on the matter.

“I’m not what they need.”

Unlike her younger sister, Catriona, who lived for such events and would likely want to reiterate the entire council session during their ride home, Celina was exhausted by the emotional toll of the discussions. Nightmares she’d fought hard to suppress had begun haunting her again, forcing her to relive the events surrounding her mother’s death. The upcoming voting sessions couldn’t arrive soon enough to bring her peace of mind.

Stopping abruptly, Althea gripped her shoulder, her expression concerned. “No one expects you to be your mother, Celina. But your compassion and perspective as a healer are desperately needed in that room. If the right people don’t end up on the new council, the balance will stay skewed toward the military running the program. Just think on it.”

Absolutely not. Celina’s heart thudded like a wild horse trying to break free. She was a healer, not a leader or advisor. She could never fill the hole her mother had left. Not for her family, not for the council, and certainly not for the refugee program. It might not matter to anyone else, but it mattered to her.

Quickening her gait, Celina silently urged their footsteps faster. The sooner they left, the sooner she could collect her sister and return home. Why she’d given in to Cat’s desire to attend the open council session in the first place mystified her. Yet she’d risen before dawn to travel to the capital with her ecstatic sister, whose determined will was a force of nature not easily ignored.

They entered the realm’s military headquarters and made their way to the command office. Unfortunately, her least favorite military commander was in office.

Grizzled and ornery unless presenting to the councils, Senior Commander Varice was well-respected but harsh. As a high-ranking leader, he was responsible for several divisions of the Lightning Teams, including the training division. 

He looked up from a desk covered in paperwork as they entered. “Healer Althea, Matriarch Blackwood. Thank you for coming out to help us this morning.”

Celina bristled at his choice of greeting as she nodded politely. Although she couldn’t fault him for using her highest title of address, she preferred the professional title when she worked as a healer. Her annoyance stemmed from the fact that she’d saved enough of his warriors’ lives for him to know and respect her preference.

“Not a problem, Commander. Although I must say, this year’s new trainees seem particularly zealous. This is the third time we’ve been called out for an emergency.” Althea’s voice was barely above a reprimand.

The commander grimaced. “Noticed that, have you?” He shook his head and sighed. “We’ve had to reassign a few of our elite warriors to assist with this year’s training. Once they arrive next week, things should improve. Don’t know what’s gotten into this year’s lot.” 

  Grinding her teeth, Celina inhaled deeply keep her composure light and respectful. Lack of proper training and supervision caused extensive accidents like these, not overly exuberant trainees barely old enough to wield a sword. Her older brother, Connor, and his peers had been the epitome of zealous at that age, most of them rising to the elite ranks of their best warriors, but they had never sustained such injuries. Safety was less of a priority for the current leadership, apparently.

Althea nodded her approval, but her pinky twitched as it did when she was extremely vexed. “I’ll be back tomorrow, unless you need me before then.” Her tone warned that he had better not need her again so soon.

“One more thing before you go.” His eyes flicked between the two of them, lingering on Celina a moment too long. A hint of unease unfurled under the weight of his words and invaded the room. “One of our Lightning Teams failed to report in. We’ve sent a team to investigate, but we’re requesting that you check in with any healers near the Eldridge border to see if they’ve treated any unidentified warriors in the past two weeks.”

Celina froze, her senses sharpening as a small spark of knowing, of significance, whispered through her soul. The specialized Lightning Teams were the elite of the warrior class. They took on highly dangerous, secretive missions, often doing reconnaissance, intelligence work, and rescuing mage refugees from hostile realms. If something went wrong, it usually went catastrophically wrong. Time seemed to slow, a storm of ice frozen in place, waiting.

“Just a general inquiry? Or do you have specific descriptions you want us to share?” Althea asked.

“Nothing specific for now. There’s a chance they’ve just been delayed, but if not, we need to know immediately.” The burden of his unspoken worry struck Celina, letting loose a dozen images of the warriors, starting with her brother.

 “Which team is missing?” Celina poured steadiness into her voice as she met his gaze, trying to command an answer and not plead like she wanted to.

He studied her for a moment, a slight purse of his mouth belying his debate about answering her question.

“Team Onyx.”

Two words, and the icy wall of frozen time shattered, her heart caught in the maelstrom.

Connor was missing.