She swatted him on the arm. “I guess it’s obvious I love the scent. The horses even call me Lavender Lady.”
“And I’m Ghost. Do the horses have names for everyone?”
“I don’t know about everyone. But they call Irys, Magic Lady; Cahil, Peppermint Man; Leif, Sad Man; Ari, Strong Man; and Janco, Rabbit.”
“Just Rabbit?”
“Yes, Kiki says he’s too fast for a man.”
Valek laughed. “Moon Man must have been named by a horse.”
“Actually, the horses do call him Moon Man.”
“Do they talk to all magicians?”
“Ah, no. I have an affinity with animals. Mostly, I get an emotional vibe. Like if they’re hungry or scared or nonplussed, useful for knowing if there’s a predator nearby or an ambush. The horses are different. Along with their emotions, I also receive images and words. Not a lot of words. Two or three at most. Things like, go fast, bad smell, apple. Kiki loves her sweets.”
Valek remembered the peppermints in Yelena’s bag. “And you’ve become quite the rider.”
“All because of Kiki.” She frowned. “No, that’s not entirely true. Cahil taught me how to ride, saddle, and groom a horse.”
Valek stilled. “Why?”
“Apparently that’s his job when he’s not trying to get Sitia to invade Ixia. He is good with horses.” Another scowl, this one fiercer.
“Is that how you met him?” Valek kept his tone neutral.
She sighed. “No. Leif thought I was an Ixian spy. When we traveled to the Keep so I could start my magic lessons with Irys, Cahil and his unit ambushed us. That’s when I had an unfortunate encounter with Goel. In his small mind, I’d made a fool of him when I escaped Cahil’s camp, and he’d plotted revenge.” She paused, her gaze turning inward. “Cahil and I came to an agreement and traveled to the Keep together. However, when I arrived, instead of Irys greeting me, Roze Featherstone attacked me. Cahil had sent word that I was an Ixian spy and?—”
“Attacked you how?”
“Magic. She tried to read my mind. My soul.” Yelena grabbed his hand. “That’s when I reached out to you. You gave me the strength to endure. To thwart her. She wasn’t happy, but at least everyone knew I wasn’t a spy.” She squeezed his fingers. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” Valek considered. “What a rocky start to your Sitian adventures. Did you have magic lessons with Irys? Have you discovered the extent of your powers?”
“Yes. Well, sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“I figured out I’m good at mental communication with humans and animals. I can heal, but not like a normal healer. When I do it, the injury transfers to me and then I have to heal myself, which is really hard to do when in pain. I can’t move objects or light fires. Not yet. Irys believes I may in time. And, well…I…might be a…Soulfinder…but I’m not so sure.”
He remembered she’d mentioned being a Soulfinder when she argued with Leif. They were feared because they were very powerful and supposedly dangerous. “What exactly does a Soulfinder do?”
“I don’t really know. All I do know is I have the ability to hold a soul.”
“I’m going to need more than that, love.”
“When Leif and I went to confront Ferde, he turned Leif against me. That’s when he hacked my bo staff into splinters. After I sent Leif into a deep sleep, I caught up with Ferde just in time to see him kill Gelsi.” Yelena paused as a shudder swept through her. “I saw her soul float from her body, and I acted on instinct, diving over her and inhaling her soul before Ferde could collect it and finish the Efe Ritual.”
“Which would have been bad.”
“Yes, really,reallybad. Apparently, no magician in a very long time has been able to inhale a soul, which is why I might be a Soulfinder.”
“What about Ferde? Is he a Soulfinder as well?”
“I don’t think so. The ritual allowed him to collect souls. Gelsi’s was the last one he needed. He tried to take it from me by using magic. At that point he had master level powers, and he was stronger than me. I came this close”—she held her index finger and thumb a tiny gap apart—“To caving in. But he made a mistake. He tried to entice me, showing my future life with freedom and joy and contentment.”
Yelena took Valek’s other hand. “When I’m with you, I have contentment and joy. I refused to join him and give him Gelsi, so he changed his attack. The pain was debilitating. I was finished. But then your immunity saved me, and I stopped him by spraying Curare into his face with my mother’s invention for applying perfume.”
