Tyler's Story (Tales of Quelondain) Read online

  “So what’s the plan, chum?” Garry stood with the rest of the humans behind him, all of them ready to travel.

  Tyler smiled. “The plan is to walk out of here.” He scooped all of the guard’s daggers and handed them to those who had some experience with them.

  “You think they’ll just let us walk away?”

  Tyler grinned, took Heidi by the hand, and led the way to the gate. As he’d expected, the next shift hadn’t appeared to find out what had happened.

  “Here’s what I want you to do.” Tyler looked from Nathan to Garry. “Head straight north. Travel as much as you can and get as far from here as you can. You’ll come to the Blue Woods. Keep heading north. I know it will be hard, but until you reach the Blue Woods, avoid other beings at all cost unless they’re Wedelves. Once you’ve reached the Blue Woods, if you happen to see anyone, here’s what you need to say. Tell them you’re on your way to Sageden and that you are looking to find Hayden and Jasper. Make sure you tell them that you were sent by their nephew, Tyler.”

  Everyone gathered around repeated this back to him and he nodded. “Good. I wish I could do more…”

  Nathan cut him off. “You’ve done plenty. Thank you.”

  Tyler smiled. “Stay safe.”

  Everyone scattered before they could be discovered, the humans heading north and Tyler and Heidi starting their journey to Growlen. He took her hand and grinned.

  “What?”

  “I’m glad you’re alright.” He let go of her hand and started to jog. “Come along. Let’s see how far away from here we can get.”

  She nodded and followed his lead.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  “Tyler, you need to rest.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Heidi grabbed a hold of his arm and stopped him. “We’ve been moving for two days now and you can barely put any weight on your leg.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “No, it’s not!” She picked a large tree and promptly sat down at its base. “I’m not moving until you let me look at your cuts.”

  Tyler rolled his eyes and tried to hide his limp as he joined her. He leaned back against the tree, took a drink from his canteen, and handed it to her. His leg throbbed and he had to admit he was glad she’d made him stop.

  “It has to be almost time to make camp anyways, right?”

  “I was hoping to go another hour before we stopped.”

  “But here will work?”

  He glanced around and nodded. “If you insist.”

  “I do.” She smiled. “Now, sit there and I’ll set up camp.”

  “Heidi…”

  “Shush. I am ordering you to sit there and do nothing for a change. I’m quite capable of making a fire and laying out blankets.”

  Tyler watched as she busied herself digging a small hole in the ground to make the fire in. It took her two strikes with the flints to get the spark to catch. Heidi wiped the hair out of her face and blushed when she realized he was watching her.

  The snap of a branch put them both on alert. Heidi pulled her dagger. Tyler shoved himself onto his feet so he could stand by her.

  “If you have a fire going, then we have a rabbit we can cook on it.” John appeared, his grin lighting up his face.

  “John!” Heidi ran and hugged him tightly.

  He chuckled. “Hello, Heidi.”

  “What are you doing here?” Tyler limped over to him, smiling.

  “I came to make sure you’d gotten out.” He looked his friend over. “I’m glad you did even if you are a little worse for wear.”

  “Tyler! You’re alright!”

  He stumbled back on his hurt leg as Mina hung on him. He caught Heidi’s frown.

  “I’m fine, Mina.” He wiggled out of her hold and limped back to the tree so he could sit. “What are you doing here?” he asked the sisters.

  “We decided we want to join your pack, but John said we had to ask you first.”

  John shrugged.

  “And why would you tell them that?” Tyler inquired.

  “This is your pack. You’re definitely the alpha here.”

  Tyler grunted and turned back to Mina and Maddy. “And did John tell you what we’ll be doing in the next little while?”

  She shook her head.

  “We’ll be travel about until I can find a way to get Heidi home.”

  “You’re letting her stay?” There was no mistaking the malice in Mina’s question.

  Tyler frowned. “What do you want me to do? Just leave her out here? Why did you think I was going into that camp for?”

  “She’s human!” Mina spat out the word.

  “And?” He stood and took a step forward so that he was standing between Heidi and the others. “She just crossed over. She had nothing to do with Braw and his idiotic plan.”

  “They’re all the same! They’re…” Mina stopped short at the look of pure fury on Tyler’s face.

  “Mina, if you’re to run with this pack, you’re going to watch your mouth.”

  Everyone stared at him in amazement.

  “It wasn’t that long ago when we would have been enemies instead of a pack. Namaels and Majs didn’t run together, they killed each other.”

  The women looked into the fire and John grinned.

  Tyler glared at him. “What’s so funny, John?”

  His grin widened. “Alpha.”

  “By the moons, John!” He took a deep breath and the anger left him. “Mina, I’m sorry. You’re entitled to your opinion. I was raised in a pack where everyone was given a chance to prove themselves. If this is going to be a pack, that’s the kind it will be.”

  Mina looked in his direction.

  “Can you do that for me? Can you keep an open mind?”

  She looked back into the fire without answering him.

  Great, he thought to himself. “Here. Why don’t we set your blankets up over here?” He took the blankets and laid them out as far away from Mina’s as he could then got some cheese and went to sit beside Heidi. He broke the cheese in half and handed it to her.

  “Thanks.”

  He noticed her shiver as the night breeze blew through the trees. “Come here.” He held his arm out and pulled her to his side.

  “Well?” John was looking at them with raised eyebrows.

  “Well, what?” Tyler frowned.

  “What happened?”

  “What do you think happened? I got to Heidi and got her out.”

  “And I suppose a very nasty blade of grass is to blame for all of those cuts…”

  Mina rolled her eyes. “Obviously, the humans were opposed to losing one of their own.”

  “Actually, it was shifters that did this to me.”

  Mina paled. “Vic?”

  Tyler nodded. “And four others.”

  John swore under his breath. “So they beat you to teach you a lesson and just let you go?”

  Tyler shook his head. “If it had been up to them, I’d be dead. It turns out, however, that Heidi saved my life.” He looked pointedly at the sisters. “We took care of the guards and let the humans escape then made our way here.”

  Everyone was quiet, all of them staring into the fire as they sifted through their thoughts. Tyler leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes.

  Heidi looked up and smiled at the small snore that escaped him. Stubborn man; she’d known he was exhausted. She fought the urge to wipe the bangs out of his eyes. Her gaze moved to his lips and her heart jumped at the memory of their kiss in the camp. It had all been an act, she knew, but she hadn’t been able to stop her head from reeling as she’d been engulfed by the taste of him.

  Blake’s dark blue eyes flashed through her mind and she wiggled out from under Tyler’s arm to get away from the guilt that overwhelmed her.

  John handed her a piece of rabbit and the two of them sat together.

  “Are you alright? You looked like you were going to be sick.”

  Heidi nodded. “I’m fine. I think I’m still
a bit shocked about the fact I killed someone.” She took a deep breath. “I thought he was dead. I thought they’d killed him. I just… I just jumped on the one closest to me…”

  John wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “He’s hard to get rid of. I’ve seen him live through things another being would never survive.” He looked back to his friend. “Thick skull,” he explained to her and smiled when she laughed.

  She noticed the sisters were watching them. John saw her glance and gave her a squeeze.

  “Go get some sleep. I imagine Tyler will want to make it to Growlen tomorrow.”

  Heidi smiled. “Have a good night, John.” She got Tyler’s blanket and went to lay by him. She tried to make her last thought be of Blake as she drifted off to sleep.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The air was cool and a soft fog covered the camp. The birds were starting to chirp, poking their heads out of their nests. A buck ventured close to investigate then bound off toward the creek. Tyler sat up a tree and watched the campsite as everyone started to stir. Maddy and Mina were talking in whispers, glancing in Heidi’s direction every now and again. John snored as only John could. Tyler’s eyes moved to Heidi and he smiled at her little wave. She lay completely covered, the blankets pulled over her head so that only her eyes and the tips of her fingers peeked from under them. He stiffened as Mina stood and made her way to Heidi’s side. She sat and Tyler noticed something in her hands.

  “Heidi? Are you awake?”

  The blankets pulled back to reveal the woman under them. Her grey green eyes flicked in Tyler’s direction then back to Mina.

  “I wanted to apologize about yesterday. I was thinking that when we get to Growlen today, you’ll stick out like a Burrie at a Wedelven party.” She passed something to her and Heidi smiled.

  “Thank you.”

  “Come. Maddy and I are going to the creek to wash up. You can get changed there.” Mina looked back at Tyler and smiled.

  Thank you, he mouthed to her. She nodded. He waited until the three of them had disappeared into the woods before climbing down. Every muscle and bone in his body ached and he couldn’t wait to get on the move again so he could get the blood flowing to where it was needed. He made his way to John’s side, ready to scare him awake.

  “Don’t even think about it,” mumbled his friend from under the blankets. “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to sleep in every once in a while.

  Tyler grinned and sat beside him.

  “Did the girls go to the creek?”

  Tyler nodded then realized John couldn’t see him. “They just left.”

  “Are you really keeping Heidi?”

  “What do you mean, keeping?”

  “Well, you found her. Are you keeping her?”

  “By the moons, John, she’s not a pet. No, I’m not keeping her. I told you, I’ll try to find her a cross stone to help her get home.”

  John pushed the blankets down so he could look at his friend. His blond hair stuck out on one side of his head and lay flat on the other. He ran a hand over his face and yawned. “Can you really do that?”

  Tyler shrugged. “I can try.” He looked up as the women came back into the camp. He blinked at the sight of Heidi in tan deerskin pants and a light blue long sleeved tunic with a hood, his dark brown tunic tied around her waist.

  John reached for the pack designated for food. He passed around the loaf of bread and everyone took a piece. Once everyone was done eating, Tyler put his pack on his back.

  “If we leave now, we’ll be in Growlen just after lunch.”

  “Do you really think you’ll be able to help me get home?” Heidi looked up and searched his face.

  “I’ll get you home, Heidi. I promise.” He ignored the sceptical looks Maddy and Mina were giving him. “Let’s get moving.”

  No one argued.

  “So, Heidi, do you have a mate?” Mina looked ahead at the newcomer.

  Heidi glanced back and nodded. “His name is Blake. He’s going to school to become a special effects technician.” She noticed the puzzled looks the others gave her. “For movies.” She looked to Tyler to help her explain. He smiled and changed the subject.

  “Did you feel it when you crossed over?”

  She shook her head. “I had no idea. I was just walking along, stuck in daydream land, and the next thing I knew I thought I was lost. I tried going back the way I had come but nothing looked the same. That’s when the, uh, that little blue person with the wings…” She glanced at Tyler.

  “Burrie.”

  “Right. That’s when I saw the Burrie.” Tears filled her eyes and she wiped them with her arm. “That’s when I got a clue that something was wrong.” She swallowed hard, trying to get the lump in her throat to go away.

  “Hey,” Tyler put a hand on her arm. “It’s alright. I’ll get you home.”

  Everyone walked in silence; the shifters wondering how it would feel to find yourself in a completely different world and the human secretly hoping that Tyler would turn to her and say ‘Just kidding! This is all part of a new tv show!’.

  When it became obvious he wasn’t about to do such a thing, her thoughts turned to her surroundings. It was beautiful here. Quelondain. The forest wasn’t unlike the one near her apartment building, though there were marked differences. The tall pines were littered with drooping red flowers instead of cones, the ferns growing along the forest floor held an orange tinge to them, and the grass lining the creek was blue.

  A chirp overhead drew her attention toward the tall branches of an aspen looking tree.

  Tyler grinned. “Hello, Bird.”

  Maddy and Mina gasped and glared at John. Mina wagged a finger at him. “I can’t believe you tried to eat her!”

  John blushed and looked up at the bird. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were Tyler’s.”

  Tyler shook his head. “She’s not mine, John, she travels with me.” He noticed Heidi’s confused look. “Blue birds can talk to shifters. They use mind pictures and emotions to relay what they’re trying to say.”

  Heidi blinked, trying to let this new bit of information past the barriers in her mind that told her it was impossible for birds to talk. Of course, she told herself, the barriers also told her men couldn’t turn into wolves, mammoths didn’t eat meat (they were extinct for god’s sakes), and daggers weren’t a part of regular everyday wear, but she’d seen proof that such things were true.

  Tyler looked at the bird that had landed in his hand. “Are they all well?”

  She bobbed her head and lifted her wing to reveal the note attached to her leg. He untied it carefully and put it in his pocket.

  “Thank you.”

  She looked pointedly at the four beings around him and cocked her head in question. Tyler burst out laughing, not needing pictures to know she was asking what in the world he was doing with a pack.

  “Yes, well, you’ve already met John. After you left I found him trying to take down a buck by himself.” He turned to Heidi who was watching the whole procedure with awe. “This is Heidi. She just crossed over.”

  “Ummm, hello.” Heidi gave a little wave and the blue bird bobbed her head.

  “The sisters are Mina and Maddy. They’re friends of John’s.”

  A picture of Growlen flashed in his head and he nodded. “That’s still our destination.” He looked at the human and smiled. “I promised Heidi I’d get her home.”

  The next picture was of his Aunt Hayden. Though it had occurred to him that the simplest thing to do would be to go see her, he was hoping to avoid heading home just yet.

  “It’s a last resort,” he said curtly and frowned. One of his aunt’s powers as the Chosen One was to be able to go back and forth between Quelondain and the other world without the help of a cross gem. She could also bring anyone she wanted along with her so long as they were touching her during the journey. He started walking again and everyone followed.

  “Who was the woman the bird showed you?” asked Maddy.

 
; “My aunt.”

  “What can she do to help Heidi?” John was looking at him curiously.

  “She knows a lot of people, that’s all.” He walked a little faster then slowed at the feel of a small hand on his arm. He glanced down and looked into Heidi’s grey green eyes.

  “Are you ok?” she asked quietly.

  He looked back and found the rest of the group had fallen behind.

  “I’m fine.” He shook himself mentally. “I’m fine.”

  They crested the top of the steep hill they were climbing and Heidi caught her breath.

  “It’s beautiful!” she whispered in awe. In the valley below them, still a distance away was a small village. “It looks like a little medieval village.” The stone buildings were lined along dirt paths.

  Mina laughed. “It’s Growlen. I don’t think beautiful is the word that pops into my head.”

  Tyler raised an eyebrow at her. “What do you consider beautiful, then, Mina?”

  She blushed, embarrassed, then decided to answer. “Pinsaber. Pinsaber is beautiful.”

  Tyler remembered the tall castle outlined by the ocean behind it. “Yes, Pinsaber is beautiful.” He turned back to the little village below them and smiled. “The Namaels do tend to like some flair when they do things.” His thoughts turned to Howel where Rainen, head sorceress of the Majs, made her home. Her dwelling of choice was a small stone house, not unlike the ones they were looking at now. “We Majs, on the other hand, like things a bit more simple.” He took Heidi’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Come. Let’s see if we can get you home.”

  She took a deep breath and smiled. “Please, let’s.”

  John’s stomach growled. “Do you think we could stop at the pub for a bite to eat first?”

  Tyler glanced at Heidi, leaving the decision up to her. She nodded. “I could use something to eat. And a beer. God, I would kill for a beer right now.”

  Tyler grinned. “There’s no need to kill. A mug of sloan should do you just fine. My aunt says it’s like amber ale.”

  She grinned. “Perfect.”

  He was about to say something else his aunt had told him but stopped short. By the moons, why was he telling her these things? He’d spent the last five years keeping details of his family to himself and in the past week he had mentioned them at least five or six times.