Warrior (Princesses of Myth #2)

“Only a touch, because I’ve not paid a great deal of attention, and my trips to No-Man’s Land have been about meeting my family and rebuilding lost bonds. I didn’t want to excite you too soon if I wasn’t correct.”


I jiggled about, unable to sit still. “Tell me more. Don’t miss a thing.”

“When Goldie told us everything, it seemed too much of a coincidence. I’ve heard the odd bits and pieces about the merging of one’s mind to another’s from within the Sol compound. We should investigate.”

I bounded to my feet and skipped in a circle. “No-Man’s Land experiences the disruption of the energy field.” How had I not paid more attention to the fact Dad lost sight of me for a few days? I had to be in the dark for that to happen, or of course, in a gray area. The only gray area was within No-Man’s Land near the border to Dralion where one’s skills faded in and out because of the dome’s energy field so close by. I reached down and grabbed Maslin by the hands. “We have to go. Now.”

He squeezed my fingers. “We may find your Sol ancestry is linked to mine. I’ve always felt certain ties binding us, and we could be remotely blood-bonded through familial ties. It would make sense.”

Our friendship had always been a given, and a blood-bond would certainly have aided in that. “How many Sols live within this compound?”

“A few hundred, but the compound moves as each season changes. The gravitational pull on the planet causes the gray area to fluctuate, but the tribe is never more than thirty miles from the old stone church’s base. They’ve been there for three months, and they’re not due to move until the next full moon.”

Because of such a seasonal fluctuation, and if some of the Sols held mind-merge as I did, then they surely couldn’t be without their skill. “The full moon is tomorrow night. We need to go before they move.”

“Yes, or it’ll take longer to locate them if we hold off. Let me contact Goldie and let her know what we’re doing.” He was silent, and then shook his head. “She’s not answering. I’ll inform Guy instead. He knows the location of the stone church. I’ve taken him there once or twice.” He paced away then returned with a grin. “We can go. Guy said he’ll collect the horses from here for us. Are you ready?”

“Like, yesterday.” We were leaving, now, for the Sol compound. I couldn’t wait. Only, Dad had said he would lose sight of me for a few days. Had the fluctuation in the gray area come early?

Maslin ’ported us.

Damn, too late.

We had arrived.





Chapter 5




“I’m an idiot.” I uttered the words to Maslin as my boots sank into coarse orange sand. Lifting my arms to hold my balance, I blinked against the added brightness after the pitch-black of his teleportation. My feet had settled an inch down, and everywhere a lifeless sea of sand spread out. “They’ve moved.”

Twisting around, I found the old stone church Maslin had spoken about. Oh, it looked nothing like a church. Squat, square, and constructed of thick slabs of orange stone, it held a flat roof made of the same. It blended in with the desert sands.

I opened my telepathic link with Goldie, but found nothing. We’d arrived, and our skills were useless. Getting here was easy. Leaving was not.

I tried Silas too, but no response.

Oh boy, not good.

Now I was here, I didn’t like the idea of being without him for the next few days.

I slapped my thighs. “I am too impulsive.”

“Sorry, I didn’t think, but the tribe never travels more than thirty miles from this base. Don’t worry. We’ll sort this. We can walk thirty miles. It should only take a day.”

“Grrreat.”

“Hey, we always have supplies at this church. This is nothing we can’t deal with.”

“I’d rather you be able to ’port.” I looked at the sand-hills surrounding us, at the bare expanse of desert. No signs of civilization. Talk about a dummy.

With his hand on the front door knob of the church, Maslin shoved his shoulder into it. The dark wood scraped open over the sand gathered underneath its bottom edge. I gritted my teeth. “Yuck. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. How old is this place?”

“The church has stood for hundreds of years. It’s said in the beginning members of the Sol clan were married here, which was how it came by its name. Although now it’s primarily used as a storage location and teleportation point during the season, the Sols set up camp here. We’ll go inside and find out where the caravan has moved to.”

I followed him into the windowless interior where it was cooler compared to the heat outside.

Oil lamps hung near the door, and Maslin lit one and passed it to me. “Watch your step.”