Into the Fray: Volume 1 of The Sorcerers of Jhanvia Series by Aderyn Lonigan

common.
    The sorceress released her hold, her grey eyes still shadowed in red, but looking much stronger and resolute. She reached up and kissed Kidreyli on the cheek. “Thank you.”
    “You are certainly welcome, my lady,” replied the warrior as she sat in a lotus position on her bed.
    Kaitra was firm in her response, “I wish everyone would quit calling me that. It is not who I am.”
    Kidreyli was pleasantly surprised. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.”
    “The only thing that my royal heritage gave me was the opportunity to escape being a royal. When the moment presented where I was able to purge that curse from my life, I grabbed on with both hands and fled to this place. The social status of my parents and the power of their station have no influence on my life.”
    “I understand. I will not speak of it again.”
    “Good.” Kaitra gave herself a few moments to calm down. A bright smile came to her face. “Niko was exceptionally cute, wasn’t she?”
    “Yes,” Kidreyli answered as she stretched her arms over her head, noticing the expression on her friend’s face. “Why are you smiling?”
    “I’m just surprised at the gentle and caring way you handled the children today. From the stories I’ve heard about the Valtyr, I didn’t expect that.”
    “All children are important. They carry with them the experiences and knowledge of the many previous lives they have led. You never know who they are or what they bring into this life until they are given a chance to freely express themselves.”
    Kaitra was surprised at the depth of her answer and was not sure how to respond. She chose to not. She spread her arms to show her companion the clothing provided by Cliona and the other ladies of the village and asked, “What do you think?”
    “You
are
beautiful,” the Valtyr answered.
    Kaitra laughed and said, “Not me, the clothes.”
    “They’re very nice.” Kidreyli was embarrassed. Second time today. People were really not her strong suit. She was
so
much more comfortable around trees and the Katrion.
    “They gave me three complete outfits and a bag to carry them in.” The clothing consisted of a couple of leather pants, a cloth dress, three cloth shirts and a leather vest. They were well tailored. It was easy to tell that someone had paid great attention to detail. She continued, “Cliona had asked me to sit with her this afternoon. I think she‘s concerned that I’m not coping so well.”
    “She might have a point,” mused the Valtyr as she stretched her shoulder muscles by pulling firmly on each arm in turn across her chest.
    Kaitra bounced over, kissed Kidreyli on the cheek and headed for the door. “I’ll be back,” she said with a perky voice, and with that she was gone.
    The warrior just sat there, a little stunned.
    “You know where this is headed, don’t you?” were the thoughts that entered her mind. It was Tyral.
    “She’s very nice,” Kidreyli said out loud with a smile.
    Tyral’s tone was terse, “So was the niece of the Duchess of Munatri. We both know how that turned out,
don’t we
?”
    The Valtyr conceded, “Yes, you had to carry me at a dead run for two days to escape her guards, but….”
    Tyral interrupted, “And what was our agreement after that happened?”
    “I know, I know…,” Kidreyli replied.
    Her Katrion concluded, “That’s right. NO MORE ROYALS! You know they will only cause pain and suffering, and as it turns out, I always seem to be the one that bears the brunt of the repercussions of your desires.”
    “If you reach into her spirit a little, I think you might be surprised to find she has, in fact, evolved beyond that life. Both Eirran and I believe it so.”
    “I hope you are right, for both our sakes.”
    Kidreyli requested, “Could you get out of my head for a while? This is the best opportunity I’ve had in a long time to get a solid afternoon nap.”
    Tyral replied, “Very well. Don’t be concerned about me, I’ll just be out