A Skillful Warrior (SoulNecklace Stories Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

‘You’ll have to start thinking of yourself, child. Or your dreams will turn you mad. Listen to me. Your dreams are yours and yours alone, and you make your own choices within them. When someone close to you is threatened, you don’t hesitate, do you? Well. Now it is you who are under threat. The enemy you face is old. And powerful. With strong armies to command and brave men who have fought many battles for him.’
    ‘Will spoke about a king, an emperor. He’s very old,’ I said. ‘But I don’t dream of him.’
    ‘Well, what do you see in your dreams?’
    I rubbed the spot over my heart. ‘I see a dragon. And a sword in my chest.’
    She sucked in breath. ‘Ah, he is clever. This makes it hard for you to sleep, yes?’
    I nodded. Yes. A sword in my chest did make it difficult to sleep.
    ‘He will make you distrust those about you.’
    ‘He can do this?’
    ‘Of course. He has many agents. You have met some already, some you have not. Pray you do not. They are terrible.’
    I remembered the magic worker who had invaded the Kingdom and taken Alden, my brother, hostage. N’tombe and Rinpoche had fought him. Dissolving, Rinpoche had destroyed the evil, but at great cost, for I no longer heard his laughter in my dreams.
    She looked at me with pity. ‘Poor girl, to carry this heavy burden.’
    The knowledge of power seeking me should be terrifying, and yes, at some level it was chilling. But that morning, in that dreamland, I felt only relief. An enemy I could cope with. Having an enemy meant I had a goal, a mission. Someone to target, something to train against. I can do it, I thought. I can fight and I can kill . This is the strange thing; an enemy gives one hope.
    I spread my fingers in the dream sunlight. ‘So. What must I do?’
    She patted my shoulder. ‘Good girl.’

Chapter Three
Bread and Conversation
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    S eated by the campfire, N’tombe and Will crouched under a tarpaulin shelter. The tightly woven canvas kept off the worst of the rain but didn’t stop the wind, which blew through the open sides and swirled the smoke about. Weather like this made Will long for simple things: a warm bed, a house with walls, a fire that didn’t smoke. N’tombe appeared equally uncomfortable; she crouched beside the fire, hands huddled into the folds of her cloak.
    Traveling in wet weather held little charm and, as there had been no sign of pursuit, the company decided on a rest day. A fortnight of constant riding was hard on horse and rider. Although, Will thought, crowding together under a small tarpaulin was not exactly relaxing.
    Dana had muttered and twitched until eventually Jed had mentioned the lack of fresh meat.
    ‘I’ll go hunting,’ the Princess had said eagerly, taking up her bow and quiver.
    Will stared out at the damp moorland morosely. Maybe he should have offered to go instead of Jed, but he and Dana ... well, things were not so good between them. She seemed so distant. Had he done something to offend her?
    He laid another pine branch on the fire, watched the flames lick sullenly at damp wood.
    N’tombe shivered. ‘I hate this weather. So cold.’
    N’tombe’s power was extraordinary, yet here she sat, blowing on her hands just like any commonplace traveler. From another world, so she said. How could there be many worlds? Wasn’t one large enough? 
    Will pointed to the saddlebags. They were well equipped; he’d never had so much gear with him before. ‘We have more clothes.’
    She made a face. ‘More clothes? I feel like a parcel. I can barely move.’
    ‘Keeps you warm, though.’
    She nodded reluctantly and shuffled over to the packs. Then she smiled. ‘Look! Hats! And a woolen undershirt.‘ She pulled a cream garment from a saddlebag and examined it closely. ‘This is finely made. Not at all itchy.’ The Enchantress held the garment up against her as if measuring it for size. ‘I will wear it.’ She frowned at Will. ‘What are you waiting for? Turn