Rise of Legends (The Kin of Kings Book 2) (33 page)

They crept toward the trees with Annah and Alabell behind.

“Are there any others?” Basen asked the psychic.

“Just the three.”

“Are they scared?” Alabell whispered. “If so, they might want to run.”

“They’re scared.”

“But they won’t run,” Cleve said firmly.

With Cleve being the only one who’d fought Krepps before, Basen believed him.

The Krepps chattered, sounding like a group of pigs trying to form words. One shot a look out from behind his tree, causing Cleve and Basen to jerk their weapons up. But the Krepp only hissed and then spat out a glob of saliva farther than any human could hope to spit. Basen lifted his leg to keep it from hitting his shoe.

The other Krepps emerged and puffed out their massive chests. They began to stomp and slam the hilts of their long swords against the tree trunks, chipping off bark almost as if they were swinging an ax. God’s mercy, the beasts were intimidating.

“They don’t want to fight,” Annah said. She leaned forward and told them in her squeaky voice, “We don’t want to fight, either!”

The three Krepps looked similar to each other, but there were subtle differences between them. All had tufts of black hair sprouting from the top of their head, and all their lizard eyes were bright yellow, one closer to gold while another teetered on orange. Their mouths split their small reptilian heads that protruded outward like a dog’s muzzle. Two nostrils sat at the center of their fearsome faces, the holes stretching open with each fuming breath.

They were males, clearly, none with shirts but all with crude leather pants. Basen felt a new surge of fear as he noticed the claws on their hands and feet, far longer than any cat’s. One of the Krepps had dug his toes into the grass, ripping it free and holding it as if ready to flick it in Basen or Cleve’s face.

“Careful,” Cleve warned, “they’ll spit in your eyes as they fight.”

Annah grabbed Basen’s shirt. He turned to see that she had Cleve’s in her other hand. “Run. We have to run.”

“There’s more?” Basen figured.

“No, I’ll explain later. Run!”

“I will not,” Cleve said adamantly.

“Then you’re as stupid as they are.” Annah tried to tug on Cleve and Basen’s shirts, but her feeble arms gave up when they refused to move. “Listen to me! They won’t follow.”

Annah may have been the most easily frightened of their group in the journey so far, but there wasn’t fear in her voice. There was only confidence. She somehow knew what she was saying.

“Come on, Cleve.” Basen ran, followed by Alabell and Annah. It left Cleve no choice but to turn and join them.

They each glanced over their shoulders, but Annah turned out to be right. The creatures put away their swords and stood and watched until they could no longer be seen.

“We could’ve killed them,” Cleve complained.

“So what?” Annah snapped back. “We could’ve been injured or killed in the process.”

They ran until they left the small forest behind. Then they climbed up a hill and looked behind them in case the Krepps had followed.

“We won’t see them again,” Annah said just as confidently as before.

“I don’t believe psyche could tell you that.” Cleve had a quick swing of his water. By his annoyed look, it seemed that aggression hadn’t yet left his body as it had for Basen. Unlike Cleve, he was willing to avoid a fight whenever possible.

“It wasn’t just psyche. It was from what I know about Krepps. Honor to them is the same as right and wrong. To flee from humans, especially humans who’ve already killed their comrades, would make them feel…I suppose guilty is the right word.”

“Do you mean ashamed?” Alabell suggested.

“No, guilt, because anything
that brings
them
shame is the same to us as when we do something wrong. Shame can even be as bad for them as murder is for us.”

“Are you sure about that?” Basen asked. “It seems insane.”

“Maybe not the exact same as murder, but close.”

“She’s right,” Cleve confirmed. “Zoke told me about the way Krepps see honor. It’s like how we look at morality.”

Annah nodded. “That’s why they let us run. It gave them back some of the honor they lost when Cleve slayed their comrades.”

Cleve began walking again and gestured for them to follow, his fists clenched as if still wanting to fight. “So that means they might try to find us if they decide letting us live brings them too much shame.”

“Perhaps,” Annah said, though her voice showed she didn’t quite agree. “They won’t attack us while we sleep, though. No honor in that.”

These creatures, although strong, sounded idiotic. They’d risk their lives just to keep from feeling shame. “Is it their culture that makes them think this way?” he asked Annah. “Or is it their instincts?”

“I don’t know, but I would be interested to find out.”

“Cleve,” Alabell said, “how well did you know Zoke?”

Basen hadn’t heard much about the Krepp who’d joined Kyrro and fought against his kin, just that he was loyal.

“I trained with him often. He isn’t as large as those other Krepps we saw, but his skill with the sword is impressive.”

“There’s something bothering me,” Basen admitted. “Those Krepps attacked us for no reason. How do we know the Krepps in Merejic won’t do the same? There’s bound to be a lot more than five of them when we eventually find the village.”

“There might not be.” Cleve spoke slowly, finally looking as if the aggression had drained out of his body. “The Elves might’ve scared them off.”

“And if they haven’t? If hundreds, maybe thousands of Krepps are still there, why wouldn’t they attack us?” Basen pointed toward where the copse of trees was now hidden by the hill they’d just climbed.

“If the Krepps are still there, then Zoke should be with them. He’s an ally. He’ll make sure no harm comes to us.”

Cleve sounded certain, but it didn’t change Basen’s mind about the risk. To him, the Krepps seemed like wild animals with the ability to communicate. And god’s mercy, they were fast.

Their group walked for a while with night fully upon them. A cold wind brought up dust from the dry ground. They’d be walking through desert for at least a day.

“There was a reason they attacked us,” Annah said in a foreboding tone. “They were hunting.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Basen said, imagining all too vividly Krepps ripping his flesh from his bones with their teeth, then chewing hungrily.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Effie felt as if she’d swallowed a pit as she marched out of the Academy with nearly half the students and instructors forming neat rows around her. Enemy soldiers had set up camp around them to prevent this very thing. They certainly would attack, but would it be the school, or would they close in around Effie’s group?

She was too short to see over everyone around her. “Are they coming for us?” she asked Reela, who was nearly a head taller.

The psychic stood on tiptoe. “I can’t tell. Too many tall warriors in the way.”

After arguing with Alex the dog for a while, she and Reela eventually convinced him to stay in their house and await their return. This decision was made after Reela had told Effie that Alex desperately needed to sleep. He probably hadn’t on the way there, running through the night to get to Effie.

She still had many questions about how he’d come to her in a dog’s body, but from what she and Reela had gathered from him before leaving, it was all Sanya’s doing.

“I’ve been thinking, Eff,” Reela said. “You shouldn’t tell Alex that you’ve forgotten him. You probably don’t remember, but he loved you. So it would devastate him to know that all the memories you shared were gone from your mind.”

“It feels strange to be talking about a dog that was once human. Are we really sure it’s him?”

“Yes, Effie. I can feel him in there. But…”

“What? You can’t feel him?”

“No, that’s not it. I can.”

“Then what?”

“I’m just worried.”

“Don’t be. I won’t tell him the truth. I’ll pretend I remember. It’ll be easier given that he can’t speak.”

Reela took on a sad look and said nothing.

“I’m sorry I took the potion,” Effie said, “but I must’ve been in a lot of pain.”

“It’s annoying because I can’t even speak to you about it anymore, now that you’ve forgotten. It would be like me trying to blame you for something someone else did.”

Effie tried putting on a charming smile. “So you shouldn’t be mad at me for it.”

“I’ll try.” Reela wasn’t in the same jovial mood as Effie.
Why am I not afraid?
They would reach their enemies in Raywhite Forest before nightfall, yet the thought evoked no emotion. Effie’s stomach didn’t quite feel right, the pit still heavy down there, but it didn’t seem to be from fear.

Effie remembered her previous battles quite well. In fact she was destined to keep reliving them. Her nerves had been at their worst leading up to each battle. But once it had begun, and she could put her abilities to use, she’d become comfortable in her own skin. It wasn’t much different than the feeling before a performance, except she knew failure would lead to death instead of shame.

Battle had a way of putting everything else into perspective.

“Are you scared?” Effie asked Reela. Perhaps they’d fought enough times now that both of them had gotten used to the threat of death.

“I am as much as I usually am.”

Then it was just Effie who wasn’t afraid, but Reela had always seemed braver. “Did Steffen mention if the potion would take away fear?”

“It was only supposed to make you forget Alex. But you know Steffen—there are always side effects with his newly invented potions.”

“If this is a side effect, then he shouldn’t be afraid, either. I’m going to go ask him.”

“We’re not supposed to break ranks.”

“I don’t care.” As a Group One mage, Effie was at the front with the Group One warriors. She’d fought with many of them before and trusted them to protect her as she would them. Terren led their small army, and he unfortunately noticed Effie slinking back. “Get back to your spot!” he yelled.

She let her urge to speak with Steffen win out and ignored his order. He yelled louder, but she still didn’t care. More people began to shout, some even grabbing her as she tried to slip by so she could get to Steffen.

She fought her way past them. “I just need to ask Steffen Duroby something!”

People seemed confused by her actions, dozens now shouting at her to listen to Terren. She didn’t care. She needed to know if her lack of fear was a side effect or not.

Someone grabbed her arm so firmly, she winced, expecting pain. But to her surprise, she felt none. “What the bastial hell are you doing, Effie Elegin?” Penny screamed through her teeth.

“I just need to talk to Steffen for one moment. Let go.”

“Nothing can be that important. Get back to your spot!”

Shit
, she just realized what she’d done. She hurried back and apologized to everyone she could on the way there.

“What were you thinking?” Reela’s face showed great worry.

“I just didn’t care about anyone. I had no feelings but my own curiosity, Reela. At least now I know Steffen’s potion must’ve done something else to me besides make me forget Alex. Do you think it’s permanent?” She knew she should be worried, but she wasn’t.

“I truly hope not. I don’t like this version of you.”

Was that a joke? She couldn’t tell. Her body suddenly filled with rage, as if something had broken loose within her that was once containing it. She shoved Reela hard, knocking her into one of the warriors and sending both to the ground.

“The bastial hell, Effie?” Reela uttered with wide eyes.

“Stay away from me!” Effie yelled.

A few people helped Reela to her feet. Effie knew all of them by name, but the way they looked at her in that moment was as if they’d never seen her before, as if she might attack them.
Good
, she didn’t want anyone talking to her.

“Effie, come here,” Terren beckoned, his face revealing she was about to be reprimanded.

She didn’t want to hear anything from him, so she stayed in her spot, as they’d now reached the start of the forest.

“Effie, get over here now!”

“No.”

Many of the mages and warriors around her all spoke up at once, some telling her to listen to Terren, some swearing at her, most asking why she was acting this way.

Reela put herself in front of Effie as if to shield her. “She took a potion last night that Steffen recently invented. It seems to have affected her emotions.”

“Effie,” Terren said, “do you understand we’re about to engage our enemies in battle?”

Her anger was gone by then. “I do. I’ll kill as many as I can.”

“But will you follow my orders?”

“Yes. I don’t want to hear you scold me.”