From Darkness Won (34 page)

The movement woke her. She locked her cat-like eyes onto his. “Are you all right, sir?”

Achan frowned. For the voice did not belong to Sparrow but to Matthias. He was holding the boy on his lap. He swallowed, feeling like a fool, and set the boy beside him on the sofa. He looked at Shung, and then to Sir Eagan.

Sir Eagan regarded him warily. “Are you well, Your Highness?”

Achan opened his mouth to answer, then lunged for the drape and pulled it open.

A starless black sky hung overhead as if it were the middle of the night, though Achan knew it could only be late morning. Pig snout. That explained the waking dream.

They had entered Darkness again.

14

Noam steered the cart off the dirt road, through a field of waist
high grass along two trampled wheel tracks.

A road seldom traveled. Averella was thankful to be gone from Sitna Manor. She still did not understand what had happened to her, but these people meant her no harm.

She floated alongside Kopay, one hand resting on his back, though she could not feel him and knew her hand would pass through him if she lowered it. Noam had hitched Kopay and another horse to this cart and filled it with supplies. It also carried Averella’s body, covered in blankets as if she were merely asleep. Gren sat in the cart beside her body. Harnu sat up on the driver’s seat with Noam.

Since dawn they had traveled west, toward the dark horizon. Averella hoped they would not meet a storm.

Noam had apparently fixed his gaze on the same thing, for he asked, “Is it my wandering mind or does Darkness look nearer than before?”

Averella stopped, and the cart rattled away from her. Surely they were not going into Darkness? Averella had never been there and had no intention of changing that fact.

“How could Darkness be closer?” Gren asked. “It’s been in the same place all my life.”

“It just looks closer, that’s all,” Noam said.

Their voices had grown faint, so Averella drifted after the cart until she caught up.

“How close to the Evenwall is this cabin, anyway?” Noam asked.

“Never wanted to know.” Harnu scooted to the edge of the bench and squinted ahead. “Any moment a stream will enter the south side of the Sideros. We’ll cross just past the fork and follow the stream into the forest. It’s not far then.”

It happened just as Harnu had predicted. The fork came, then a rocky ford. Averella floated right over the gurgling water. After crossing the river, they followed the creek into a thick forest. A bird squawked. Not a pleasant chirp or birdsong, but a caw, like a bird of prey circling a carcass.

Averella looked up. A black bird stared down from a wiry poplar branch, its dark eyes fixed on her. How could a gowzal see her when nothing else could?

When she looked back, two more birds had joined the first. One cawed again. Averella floated to the other side of the cart, keeping it between her and the eerie birds.

Sparrow? Where are you?
a man said.

Averella’s ears itched suddenly, as if mosquitoes were biting her. She tried to run her hands over her head, but they only
p
assed through. Her skull suddenly squeezed, as if someone were pressing against both sides with their hands.
Sparrow, please. I must know if you’re safe. We’re all very worried. You’ve been stormed. Please answer me.

Master Cham again.
I am here, Master Cham. Though I doubt you can hear me.

Sure enough, he did not reply. Averella fought back tears. If only she could understand what it meant to have been stormed. She had some knowledge of herbs and healing, but she had never heard of such an ailment.

The sun vanished behind a cloud, and a chill clapped onto her arms. The forest was so thick here, it seemed like dusk. A branch snapped on her right. Or perhaps it had been a pinecone or acorn falling from a tree.

Thick fog grew around her ankles. Beads of perspiration hung from Master Poe’s chin. Kopay sniffed, ears pointed high, eyes peeled wide. Something concerned him. There were no snakes in this forest. Perhaps a cham bear or wolf? Or perhaps he didn’t like the gowzal either. Averella drew closer to the cart and scanned the forest.

Noam snapped the reins. “Come on, boys. Not far now.”

The horses trudged on, though their hooves danced as if eager to turn and run.

“What’s wrong with them?” Gren asked.

Noam struggled with the reins. “Something’s spooked them.”

Harnu reached back into the cart and lifted a sword. “This won’t do much against a cham, so we’d better pray to Cetheria it’s something smaller.”

Then, as if Arman had closed a lid on the land, everything went black.

Gren screamed. The horses whinnied. Averella groped for Kopay, useless when she could not feel or see anything.

“The gods have cursed us!” Harnu cried. “We should’ve left Lady Averella with Lord Nathak.”

“Don’t be a fool!” Noam said. “It’s only Darkness. I told you it looked closer.”

“How do you know it’s Darkness?” Harnu asked.

“Think, man. What else would it be?”

Silence stretched on until a bird screeched. Something in the trees above clicked like two sticks of wood striking one another.

“Grenny, there should be a lantern back there,” Noam said. “Can you find it?”

The wagon creaked. Metal clanked against wood. “I’ve got it. Just a moment.”

A firesteel sparked. Once. Twice. Three times. On the fourth try, the lantern glowed. The cart swelled into Averella’s view, right where it had been. She still hovered beside Kopay, though her hand had passed into his middle. She pulled it back and folded her arms.

“What should we do?” Gren asked.

“We can’t go back,” Noam said. “Not with Lady Averella in the cart.”

“We could take her to Carmine,” Harnu said.

“No!” Gren’s urgent tone suggested some secret knowledge. “She does not want to go back there. She wants to follow Achan.”

Averella frowned. It seemed very unlike her to follow a man anywhere. Especially a man she did not know. Although hadn’t Gren told the old man that Averella was betrothed to this Master Cham? None of this made any sense.

“The cabin is close,” Harnu said. “I say we stick to our plan.”

“You mean stay in Darkness?” Gren said. “Harnu, do you know what people say about this place?”

“I’ve met people who lived here,” Noam said. “They train themselves to stay calm. Not let it get to them.”

“It’s already getting to me,” Gren said.

“Well, I can’t think of anything else,” Harnu said. “At least let’s go to the cabin to talk about it. This forest is unnerving.”

“Agreed.” Noam cracked the reins and the horses lurched forward.

The horses moved faster than Averella would have liked. Perhaps they could see better than she could. The lantern cast so little light. But the idea of losing sight of it kept her moving.

“There!” Harnu shouted.

A dark structure built of logs loomed into sight. It was bigger than the cottages in Sitna Manor. Lantern light glinted off the iron hinges on the shuttered windows on either side of the front door.

Noam stopped the cart in front of the cabin and climbed down. “I’ll take care of the horses if you and Gren will unload the cart.”

Harnu jumped down. “There’s a shed ’round to the left. You can put the horses there.”

Noam unhooked Kopay first and led him away. Averella loathed to see Kopay go, but she did not want to leave the lantern. Harnu hung it on a post outside the door. He and Gren began to carry things into the cabin. Averella wanted to go in but stayed with the wagon until Harnu carried her body inside.

The musty smell grabbed her as she followed Harnu through the door. Inside, Gren had lit another lantern, which
h
ung on a hook over a square table in the middle of a timber room. Gren stood there, taking things out of a crate and piling them on the table.

Harnu carried Averella’s body to a small room. He settled her on a pallet and left. Averella could see nothing in the darkness except the end of a sideboard lit dimly by the light from the lantern coming through the door. The air felt damp, as if Darkness carried moisture. She stood with her body for a long while, then explored the small cottage and wandered out to where Noam had stabled Kopay. When she returned, Harnu and Gren were engaged in a heated discussion.

Harnu stood halfway between the entrance and the table. “It would solve everything. Why can’t you see that?”

“Because I don’t think of you like that,” Gren said, standing at the table, her voice thick with tears. “I can’t. The things you did.”

Averella drifted inside the cottage.

“You forgave me.” Harnu’s voice held a tinge of exasperation. “Said it didn’t matter.”

Gren twirled a bundle of linen in her hands. “It doesn’t matter because there’s no future for us.”

“But you came back.”

“Only for help. I’m not going to live in Sitna.”

“You plan to stay in Armonguard for good?”

“Perhaps. It depends.”

“On what?”

Gren set down the bundle and met Harnu’s gaze. “On who.”

“Achan? You think he still wants you?”

Gren clicked her tongue. “Achan loves Lady Averella, Harnu. He and I will only ever be good friends.”

“You worry for Lady Averella, then,” Harnu said. “Gren, I’m sure she’ll wake soon and then—”

“His name is Bran Rennan.” Gren lifted her chin. “He’s a squire, due to be knighted any day. I think he means to marry me. After the war, of course.”

Averella gasped and drifted toward the table, examining Gren anew. Bran Rennan marry Gren? Merciful heart! Of all the ridiculous notions. For Master Rennan was secretly engaged to Averella. Wasn’t he?

Harnu’s eyes swelled. “A knight? Marry
you?
”

“And why not?”

“Because he is betrothed to me,”
Averella said, though no one heard her.

“I—” Harnu closed his mouth. A smart move, for Averella was certain nothing he could say would please Gren. He sighed. “I’m going to go catch us some dinner.” The walls trembled with his footsteps as he crossed the room and stepped outdoors. He slammed the door behind him, one last bang followed by a blanket of silence.

Gren fell into the chair and buried her face in her arms.

Averella watched Gren a moment, but it only made her angry, so she returned to her body, staring into the surrounding darkness, pondering what Gren meant about Bran. A long time passed until another yell pulled her back to the moment. Averella moved to the doorway of her room.

“I thought we might want to eat something warm and fresh.” Harnu again stood in the middle of the room. His trousers were wet from the thighs down. He held a fat trout under the gills with his fingers.

Gren stood at the front of the table, glaring. “That smell!” She clamped a hand over her mouth. Her shoulders heaved.