Kithryn Mythrin Book One: Magic, Mystics, and Mayhem

Kithryn Mythrin

Book One: Magic, Mystics, and Mayhem

By B. Tealya Lord

To: April Edsberg, Richard Steele, my family, and friends who supported me and helped make this book possible. Also a big thanks to my writer's club for helping keep me motivated through the whole process.

Kithryn Mythrin Book One: Magic, Mystics, and Mayhem

Published by B. Tealya Lord at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 B. Lord

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and locations are fictitious and were pulled straight out of the author's weird little mind. Any resemblances to actual events or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of contents

Chapter One: Now Don’t Get the Wrong Idea...

Chapter Two: Mertia

Chapter Three: The Prince Of Mertia

Chapter Four: Wandering About

Chapter Five: Why Did I Just Get Involved?

Chapter Six: Run!

Chapter Seven: The Plot Thickens

Chapter Eight: The Oracle's Words

Chapter Nine: On The Road Again

Chapter Ten: Home Again Home Again – Or Maybe Not

Chapter Eleven: In And Out

Chapter Twelve: Would The True Plotter Please Stand Up?

Chapter Thirteen: No More Running! … Well, Maybe Just A Little

Chapter Fourteen: All's Well That Ends Well

About the Author

Preview of Book Two: Demons, Dangers, and Disasters

Chapter One: Now Don’t Get the Wrong Idea...

This isn’t what it looks like, I swear!

You are a lousy thief, ya know that? the stringy guard stated from his side of the bars.

Okay, maybe it’s a little like what it looks like, but I can explain! Just give me a few minutes to get out of this, okay?

The guard eyed me up and down from his position against the stone wall across from my cell. I simply sighed and leaned against the sidewall. I’ve been in prisons plenty of times before, so this was nothing new. Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m not a thief. Really, I’m not, no matter what people like this guy tell you. Honestly, I shouldn’t even be in this place. If that stupid balcony hadn’t fallen out from under me, they never would have known I was here. It’s not like their haughty lord would notice a few missing jewels.

I picked at one of my nails. They had taken away everything else, so, besides my dark blouse and pants, it was the only thing left to play with. I’d already explained to him that I wasn’t a thief, but for some reason the 'I'm only here to liberate those poor oppressed jewels' line didn't work.

How could anyone ever call you a master thief? Catching you was like hogtying a calf, he boasted. You're not as tall as I expected, and somehow, I thought you'd be…. the guy trailed off, rubbing his chin. He turned his dark eyes up a bit, searching for the right words.

Older? I suggested.

Well, that too. I was thinking more…ghost like, I guess. They say you are one, ya know.

I rolled my eyes. Really? I've never heard that one.

I can’t believe others never caught you before. Of course, none of them were as well trained as the knights of Lord Barston.

Knights? You lowly thugs? I scoffed, wiping some dirt from my nails.

The guy straightened up and puffed out his chest. I half expected him to start pounding it like some sort of ape. Say what you like, little girl, but when my Lord is crowned king of all Lath–

As if, I butted in, shooting him a hard glare before turning up my nose. That lard butt could never be king. He’s far too much of a greedy porker to ever live up to such standards.

You dare call–

You’re right. I shouldn’t be calling him a pig. That would be insulting those poor pigs who’d rather be skinned alive than lumped in with that fat bastard.

You…!

Oh, look! I think I pissed him off.

He clenched his hands into tight fists, but didn’t dare raise them. Brothel owners never liked their merchandise to be marred. Okay, so they hadn’t exactly said they were going to sell me to a brothel, but that's generally how it works with these people. If I were anyone else, I might consider it a threat.

Go on, hit me if you think you can get away with it, I goaded. When he dropped his hand, I snorted, Run along, little lap dog. I’m sure your master’ll be callin' soon.

If looks could kill, his glare would have struck me dead on the spot. Since they can’t, I smirked.

You'll be sorry for breaking in here come morning, girl. Boasting over, he stormed off like a child that wasn’t getting his way.

And while he's off pouting, I'll be getting out, thank you very much.

Several minutes later, the same guard came to check on me. Needless to say, when he found me gone, he was quite upset. Like so many before him, he was quick to open the cell, leaving the key in the door. Then he ran in just to make sure I really wasn't there. Somehow, despite there being nothing for me to hide under or behind, everyone still goes in to double check that their eyes aren’t wrong.

And, of course, the scene wouldn’t be complete without….

Hey! Max! She’s gone!

Perfect.

What d’ya mean she’s gone? How could she've gotten out? We were right here the whole time! That would be Max from down the hall, by the way.

This particular lord’s little private prison was just a long hall with a few cells on the left side. At the entrance was a small table the guards used for cards or dice. In theory, they should have been able to see me get out, but in the four years I've been in this profession, I’ve found most guards are overconfident and unobservant.

I don’t know! She’s just gone! Max’s buddy cried as he leaned his head out of the cell.

This got Max up. He walked the ten steps to my former cell and stared inside, just as wide eyed as his partner. Sure enough, I wasn’t there, so Max went in to check all the walls and bars too.

I know. I know. The whole response was rather cliché. Now, you'd think that when something has been done so many times it reaches cliché status, people would stop doing it. Fortunately for me, guards are stupid and assume they would never fall for this old trick.

So where was I, you ask? In the cell just past it, where I’d chosen to hide until dumb and dumber went inside. When they were thoroughly distracted, I hopped out quietly.

SLAM!

Enjoy the accommodations, boys! I chimed as I locked them in.

Hey! they cried, running for the door. Let us out!

Well, I could, but then you wouldn't get to enjoy the cell as much as I did, I teased, tossing the keys out of their reach.

Giving them a three fingered wave, I made my way up the hall. Sitting right there on the table was all of my stuff: four daggers, a set of lock picks, two hair spikes, and the small pouch of Barston's opals I'd recently laid claim to.

You little bitch! one of them yelled while I tucked the jewels safely down my dark blouse. When I get my hands on you–

You forget what Blue Lights is best known for, I interrupted. It’s not the stealing that’s made me famous. With my daggers secured and spikes back in my braid, I was off. Before walking out, I flashed them another three finger wave, chirping, Have a good night, boys.

And with that, the brave heroine made her daring escape! Once again, she risked her life for the sake of those poor helpless jewels and came out triumphant! Huzzah!

………

What? Aren’t you happy I got out? It would have been a really short story if I hadn't.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking: just how in the world did I get out, right? Now, I’ll have you know that’s one of the great secrets of Blue Lights, and I don’t reveal my secrets to just anyone. Actually, I don’t really reveal them to anyone at all, now that I think about it. I don’t have many friends. Kinda goes with the fourteen years old and an outcast from society territory.

So how do I know I can trust you, hmm?

Oh…well…alright. You seem like a good person, and I’m usually a good judge of character. Besides, you are sitting here to listen to this whole mess, so I might as well share a few of my secrets.

I’m a mythrin. A hawk mythrin to be exact.

What do you mean you don’t know what a mythrin is?

Oh, you’re not from Lath, are you? Great. That actually makes things easier…for me anyway. To answer your question, a mythrin is a person who can turn into an animal; a single animal. It’s not like magic or anything. It’s just something we’re born able to do. On the outside, we look like humans with a small point to our ears (sort of like if you're a quarter elf) so we're not too different from your average person. It’s real hard to point us out in a crowd if you don’t know what you’re looking or smelling for…unless you have magic on you, but that’s a topic for another time. The basic gist of it is that I can turn into a red hawk, and while I can’t fit through the bars as a human, I can as a bird.

Don’t tell anyone though. No one has figured this out yet, and I’m not eager for them to know. The last thing I need is for people to figure out how the great Blue Lights is always able to escape.

Blue Lights is me, if you hadn't figured that out already. I have no idea where that name came from, but one day I saw a rough sketch of myself on a wanted poster with the name ‘Blue Lights’ on it. All I know is the name has something to do with the lanterns of the dead.

My real name is Kithryn, though you can call me Kit. No one that's ever caught me knows my real name, so you better not tell anyone. The less people know about me, the better.

I think it goes without saying, but anything I tell you should be kept quiet. You can keep a secret, right?

So anyway, after my daring escape, it was off to find my partner, Ziane. She’s is a white miniature griffin. Now, don’t be fooled by the word miniature. If you haven’t lived in Lath long, you probably think mini griffs are small enough to sit on your shoulder or something. You know, a cute, tiny version of the big ones, with a tiny cat body, little bird hands, and those expressive eyes.

This is not the case.

Yes, she is considerably smaller than a full sized griffin, but she is not small by any means. At the shoulder, she stands about waist high. According to the books I've read, she shouldn’t get much bigger, but I could be wrong. Since last year, she's gone from small enough to carry on my back to the size of your average dog, and she doesn’t even have her plume feathers yet.

Needless to say, Ziane is just a bit too big and clumsy to come sneaking through manors with me. However, she makes a great traveling companion. Most people don’t like to mess with someone that has a griff. She may be a mini, but she has all the power and fierceness of her larger cousins.

Ziane is never hard to find. I usually leave her right outside of town in some overgrown area where people aren’t likely to see her. I can always trust her to settle there with a good book for several hours. This time, I’d left her hidden in the weeds along the Tiom River right where it merged with Blue Lake.

After strolling out of town, I'd taken the main road until I came to the marsh side of the swollen lake edge. Tromping in among the weeds and mud, I followed the animal path towards the marsh.

Ziane? I called. Silence followed. Ziaaaaane? I tried again. Still no answer. I know you’re here. I can smell you–

Fump! I suddenly found myself tackled and shoved face down into the grasses and muck. Just as I was going to knife the person that jumped me, I heard a familiar purr in my ear and relaxed.

You are terrible at keeping quiet, Ziane teased as she sprawled out on my back.

I wasn’t trying to be quiet, I grunted. Pushing up onto my elbows, I gave the griff an unamused stare. She titled her sharp face to one side, pink eyes bright and curious. I fought back a grin. So I bet you think you’re smart now, sneakin’ up on me like that. She nodded enthusiastically. I’m so glad I could give your little ego a boost, but don’t let it go to your head! I quickly rolled to the side before she could leap off. With a startled squawk, the young griff tumbled onto her back, and I snatched one of her back feet, lifting it high enough to keep her from rolling over. You’ve still got a long way to go before you can get the best of Kithryn Jayoce Toullon.

She stuck her pointed tongue out at me. I still got you today!

When I released her foot, she relaxed on her back while I stood and surveyed the mess she'd made of my clothes. A good laundering was in order, that's for sure.

Impish griff.

You’re late, Ziane broke through my thoughts. You said you’d be back before the sun came up. It’s almost noon. One sharp talon pointed up to the sun high in the sky.

Like many of the border towns in Tamii, it had walls that were heavily patrolled. I had to wait until morning before I could slip out the front gates, and I’d left her quite a ways out just to avoid unwanted attention. Though Tamii and Samii have declared peace, there is still a lot of tension between them, so if I tried to slip by the guards and was caught, it would have been bad. Trust me, one cell was enough for today.

Plus, the opals weren't treated, so they wouldn't shift with me like my clothes and weapons.

I guess I should explain that. See, among all of the shape shifting species in the world, mythrin are the only ones who's clothes and items can shift into their bodies when they change form. To do this, items have to be treated to shift too. I would tell you how we do it, but it's a mythrin secret, and I'm sworn to keep it.

I shrugged. Everything didn’t go quite as planned.

Does it ever?

Yes! I scowled.

She quirked a furry eyebrow.

It does! I defended. And no one could've predicted the balcony would break! The thing was made of moldy old wood, and he just painted over it to look nice! How was I supposed to know the fat bastard was too cheap to fix parts of his own house? She just sighed and rolled her eyes at me. Not like you could have done any better. And it doesn’t matter anyway cuz I still got the jewels.

Ziane’s tufted ears perked forward. Oh, can I see?

Sure.

I pulled the small pouch out and pried open the ties, dumping a few out on my hand. With great care, she picked out one of the milky opals and held it up to the light. When she tilted it back and forth, a wash of rainbow sparkles glittered from inside.

Pretty, Ziane churred. Think you’ll get as good a price as Lokin promised for them?

Maybe. Depends on if his buyer backed out or not.

Of course, to sell these little beauties meant I had to get to Mertia City, and that was a long walk. Lucky for us, passenger boats always run up and down the Tiom and are a much faster way to get there. The Tiom river is really long and deep, so people can use it to go pretty far inland. It's the biggest trading route for most of the middle of Lath just south of the Riokos.

Good thing I always plan ahead and already bought tickets. You didn’t think I was really going to be so foolish and not prepare for this, did you? I’ll have you know, I always map out my escape route before I pull a job. I even bought them in another town just in case I was recognized before I got out of this town. Don't look at me like I'm some paranoid, crazy girl. I've been on my own since I was nine and I'm still alive. A little caution can go a long way in a place like Lath, and you best remember that if you plan on staying long. Besides, the town was only a short walk away, and we could be there well before dark.

When the opals were safely deposited back in the pouch, I changed out of my all-black work outfit and back into my usual travel clothes: an off-white blouse with a flared collar, a faded slate-blue bodice, and a pair of worn brown pants with burgundy patches. I made the patches myself, including the little embroidered griffons on them. When I was decent again, I grabbed my side pack, hooked it around my belt, and we headed down the road.

~~** **~~

The walk to Talstown was peaceful. Not many people were walking on the roads, though the few that were wished us the typical safe travels as we crossed paths. When we arrived, the small port town itself was rather uncrowded. Besides the long, thin riverboats with their square sails and strapping sailors, there were only a handful of people, businesses, and homes. Though it did span both sides of the river, the town wasn't even big enough to have a real market off the docks. No one would be looking for me in a town this size.

We boarded the riverboat without any trouble and settled into the commons cabin to sleep through the majority of the weeklong trip. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a commons cabin, but it's basically a big open area with bunks built along the wall and bolted to the floor in the middle. They’re not too comfortable, especially if you didn’t bring any bedding, but they're cheap. When packed full with three or more to a bunk, it can get quite claustrophobic so we always grab a bunk near the door. Plus, with the way the passenger ships are shaped, there’s less chance of falling out in rough weather there.

So we settled in and sprawled out on our blankets together, watching everyone else stream in. They were the usual bunch: mostly dirty young men moving from place to place looking for work. A woman with three kids that refused to settle down were across from us. Several older guys that came in together sat on the floor playing cards. A three horned wood elf girl about my age was wrapped up tightly in a shawl, despite it being warm out. Her ears twitched wildly at every new sound, but her eyes kept glancing over at me. It's unusual to see wood elves off their reservations, especially one so young, so I tried to talk to her, but she just shied away. I shrugged and let her be. It’s usually best to mind your own business anyway.

Just as we were getting ready to disembark, five men came onto the ship. Unlike everyone else, these people were nicely dressed with swords strapped to their sides and spears in hand.

Let me be clear, armed men on a boat is odd. Normally you’re not allowed to carry any weapons onboard. This is to make sure fights don’t take a deadly turn. Even the crews are rarely armed. The Tiom river is heavily patrolled so there’s really not much fear from pirates or bandits.

Were they guards? Guards don't normally wear silk sashes fastened with silver clasps made to resemble blackberry brambles. Plus, most guards don't wear pressed tunics with ornate trim on the sleeves and hem. Since you’re still new to Lath, I would like to emphasize just how out of place these people were by pointing out that I was the next best dressed person in the room. Did they work for Barston? No, wrong colors and too clean. Barston’s men wore grungy shades of brown. These guys wore teal and gold, meaning they were most likely nobles from Mertia. The royal blue sashes suggested they were connected with the Prince there.

Ziane tilted her head to one side curiously. I gave her a soft pat as they marched into the middle of the room. Everyone was silent, watching the men with a mix of confusion, fear, and annoyance. They moved in between two bunks so I had to get up to see them. Ziane made to follow me but I tapped her beak so she’d know to stay put.

One of them, a tall middle-aged man with a push-broom mustache rapped his spear butt on the floor to get everyone’s attention, which was pointless since he already had it. Then, in a booming voice, he declared, All peasants must vacate the premise immediately!

What!?! came multiple cries, including from myself.

Why?! the mother demanded.

By who’s authority?! Shouted the men who’d been playing cards.

By order of Lord Rupert Reince of Mertia. He has commandeered this room to transport his horses and all commoners must vacate immediately, the mustached man barked out.

You can’t do that! We bought our tickets first! the mother snapped.

You will vacate peaceably or you shall be removed by force.

And just how are we supposed to get to Mertia?! yelled one of the younger men in the back corner.

That is your concern, not ours. Leave now or face the consequences.

Ziane pushed in next to me and nudged my leg. Can’t we ride with the horses?

She’d meant the question for me, but clearly Push-broom Mustache heard because he turned his stony gaze to me and stated, Lord Reince does not want his prized war horses catching diseases from filthy peasants!

I met his glare and growled. I was not filthy. I’ll have you know, I bathe every time I stay at an inn and at least twice a month during the summer.

The challenge in his eyes never wavered as he boomed once more, This is your last warning. Anyone who does not vacate the premise will be removed by force.

With a snort, I moved towards my bag. Others groaned and complained as they gathered their things. Slowly, we trudged out. Those of us that had weapons were allowed to gather them again. As we walked back onto the dock, the first mate was muttering false apologies, promising that our tickets would be honored once they returned to port in two weeks. Tch! Liar! He and his captain knew most of us would not claim them. They’d just been paid twice for the same space.

Well that was one big waste of our time and money, I grumbled as my feet touched the dock.

No kidding, one of the men agreed. Damnable gold grubbers!

No respect. No respect at all, sighed the mother.

What're we supposed to do now? asked one of the young men.

I turned to him and shrugged. Walk, I guess, unless you have two weeks to spare waiting. Well, I’m gonna be walking, anyway. Anyone is free to join me if they like. I was mostly making the offer to the wood elf girl, but I did mean it when I said anyone could join me. There’s safety in numbers, especially for helpless young girls like myself.

I am too helpless! There’s nothing about me that would say I was anything but a normal fourteen year old looking for work. That makes me the perfect target for highway men and perverts.

When no one said anything and started to disperse, Ziane and I made our way down the darkening streets towards an inn. We’d leave first thing in the morning since traveling at night just invited trouble. I looked back for the wood elf girl, but she was gone.

Where’d she go? I wondered aloud.

Ziane shrugged. Don’t know. Must have already left.

I scratched my head. Yeah. I guess. Let’s go find an inn.

~~** **~~

The next morning, we left quickly, taking the fruit and bread offered for breakfast with us. The next town, where I hoped to catch another boat, was several days away. We wouldn’t have much fresh food until then, unless you count the huge amount of berries along the side of the road. I’m not a big berry fan myself, but Ziane loves them so we always make sure to set aside a little time to pick them.

Our walk was rather uneventful, to tell the truth. A few travelers here and there stopped to say hello, but nothing more. We picked some berries and cooled our feet in the river in the afternoon, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.

That is, it was ordinary until we arrived in the city of Carsc. There were nobles all over the place, decked out in fine silk clothes with fluffy collars and trimmed with the finest ribbons. Sashes crossed men’s chests and were belted in place by family crests inlaid with precious stones. Women in flowing dresses showed off sparkling rings and necklaces. Gold and silver hung off every limb and around every waist. Even their children were dressed up in their finest, looking like miniatures of their parents. It was a pick pocket’s dream. Just one little swipe from these people and I’d be fed and lodged for a month. There was always the risk of being caught, and nobles are always ruthless to pickpockets, especially the younger ones, but the payoffs can be huge if you succeed. Oh, if I could only snag one pair of earrings….

Uh, so, yes, there were lots of nobles about and it was quite a sight to behold. They were all headed to Mertia City too. I couldn’t find a reason why, but they’d booked most of the boats full and a number were complaining about