Authors: Maria V. Snyder
“I need you here,” I said to him.
“For what? I should be...doing something. Anything,” Enric said.
Gesturing to the other patients, I said, “Eventually Tohon’s going to decide what to do with them, and you might be needed to help me.”
“With what? They took my sword.”
“I have a few...medical instruments that might come in handy. Relax for now.”
He agreed. I finished my rounds. In order to stall another episode of wallowing in misery, I concentrated on organizing the supplies. Later, a few of Tohon’s soldiers arrived with various injuries, mostly minor. Assessing one man’s infected toe, I lectured him on proper foot care before letting Christina clean the wound and apply salve.
My next patient had to be helped onto the examining table by his buddy. A piece of broken wood had pierced his left thigh. All color had fled his face, and he bit his lip to keep from crying out when his leg bumped the table.
Once he was settled, his friend said, “Nice to see you again, Healer Avry.”
I turned. “I wish it was under better circumstances, Lieutenant Fox.”
“At least we’re both still alive.”
“True,” I agreed.
“The rumors claimed you’d died of the plague,” he said.
“You know better than to believe camp gossip. How’s the leg?” I’d healed his broken leg back when I’d been at Tohon’s castle.
“Never better. I’m hoping you can work your magic on Sergeant Steward.”
I examined the man’s injury. “How did it happen?”
“He fell through a floor,” Fox said. “We were in an old wooden barn, and the section he was standing on collapsed under his weight.”
“You were smart to leave the large slat in. If you’d have pulled it out in the barn, he might have bled to death.”
Magic grew and expanded deep inside me. I placed my hands on his arm, seeking other problems. He also had a sprained wrist, bruised back and fractured elbow. All secondary in comparison to his leg. The wood and all the splinters would have to be carefully removed before I could heal him.
Christina helped me mix the sleeping draft. Steward gulped it down. After he fell asleep, I cleaned the wound, grabbed the tweezers and then began the slow and arduous process of removing all the little slivers before tackling the biggest piece.
“Why were you in the barn?” I asked Fox as I worked.
“Searching for the enemy. They snuck away last night.” His tone held disbelief.
I paused, glancing at him. “How can that many soldiers get by all of you?”
“Last time we checked, they were sleeping in their tents and the barracks. We didn’t have many patrols out. The noose held all this time so we figured we didn’t need to worry.”
“The noose?”
He grimaced. “That’s what we call the encirclement.”
Ah. Overconfidence was one of Tohon’s weaknesses. “What if they managed to break out of the noose?”
“They won’t get far. King Tohon has plenty of troops. The companies that aren’t here are moving to position themselves all around the perimeter.”
My hopes died. “Encircling the encirclement?”
Fox huffed. “Yeah.”
I returned to plucking fragments.
“That tactic with those...things.” Fox lowered his voice. “We all thought it was a nasty trick, but it saved lives. And this way we’ll all get a little closer to peace.”
“Do you really believe that?” I asked, meeting his gaze.
“I have to.”
“I don’t. As long as Tohon’s in charge and the dead obey him, there will never be peace.”
Fox didn’t reply, but he assisted me when I removed the largest piece from Steward. He held his leg as I yanked it out. Relieved it wasn’t gushing blood, I examined Steward’s wound. The muscle wasn’t as badly damaged as I’d first thought, and the wood hadn’t pierced anything vital. He’d live.
I debated if I should wrap it and see what happened, or heal him. If Tohon’s troops found Estrid’s, there could be more casualties today. And some could be life-threatening. In the end, I stitched his skin closed and bandaged it.
Satisfied his sergeant had been taken care of, Fox left to return to his unit. I checked on a few patients until all those sleepless nights caught up to me. Not even bothering to go to my room, I napped on an empty bed for what felt like three seconds.
A ruckus woke me. I sat up and faced a nightmare. Tohon strode toward me with Sepp right behind. I’d never seen him that angry. A numb horror spread through me. When he reached me, he grabbed my neck and yanked me to my feet.
Without a word, he dragged me from the infirmary and into my room where he slammed me against the wall. Pain shot through my skull. Then he wrapped both hands around my throat and squeezed, cutting off my air. In a panic, I latched on to his forearms and blasted him with my power.
He yelled and dropped me. I landed in a heap, marveling that my attack had worked.
“You dare fight back!”
When he leaned over me with murder in his eyes, Sepp said, “You might want to question her before you kill her.”
Tohon hauled me up and pinned me to the wall. This time he put a hand on my cheek and sent white-hot agony straight into my head. The pressure was so intense, I screamed in an effort to expel the pain. And just when I was about to slip into unconsciousness, Tohon eased up a bit before making me scream again. Then he repeated it.
Hours later, or so it felt, Tohon tired of the torture and released me. All I could do was collapse onto my bed. I curled into a ball, gasping for breath.
Tohon sat on the edge. “Get her a glass of water,” he ordered.
Only after I recovered and drank the water did Tohon reveal what had set him off. He pulled out a familiar cloth and unwrapped a syringe.
I was too spent to react.
“Estrid’s troops escaped through a number of holes in the encirclement last night. My special soldiers in those areas were neutralized. Not by decapitation or that strike to the base of their necks. No, they had been shot by a single dart. This was found near one of the breaches.” He held up the syringe. “Do you recognize it?”
“Yes.” My voice rasped. “I use them all the time.”
“What substance did they use to stop the dead?”
“I don’t know. I was with you all night.”
Tohon touched my cheek again. I braced for the pain, but this time a warm tingle spread and I felt as if I had been drugged. Then the feeling intensified, and the room spun as my body flushed with desire. I gasped.
His magic filled me, seeping into my brain and wrapping around my heart like roots. Logic packed a bag and left me. My clothes rubbed over my sensitive skin, and I plucked at them, wanting them off.
Tohon’s voice sounded in my mind.
I’ll claim you, Avry. Then you’ll tell me everything just to please me. Just to be rewarded by my touch. Cooperate or I’ll take you.
His words had the opposite effect. After all the grief and pain over the last few days, I’d be damned if I’d let the bastard claim me. Concentrating on my magic, I viewed the heady feeling as a disease. As something that needed to be healed. Slowly my body cooled as the desire subsided.
“What was in the syringe?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.” His surprise didn’t last. “Which means you’re resisting me.” Now he sounded like a petulant child.
Except he was far from a child. Tohon increased his magic. My body responded. Shivers chased each other over my arms and legs. But I imagined that they were bugs, and my healing powers sought each out and squashed it.
I fought Tohon, planning to expend all my energy. But Tohon stopped before that point. Red splotches covered his cheeks as if he’d run a race. Pure fury burned in his eyes.
He glanced toward the door. “Girl, come here.”
Noelle stepped into my view. Ah, hell. Had she been here the entire time? I studied her expression. Yep.
Tohon picked up the syringe and examined it. “There’s a couple drops left.”
Fear spurred me into a sitting position. “No.”
He ignored me. Instead, he grabbed Noelle’s wrist and rested the syringe on her forearm. “Shall I test it?” he asked me.
“It’s Death Lily toxin,” I said.
My answer threw him. “Really? How did you figure that out?”
“It was a guess.”
He waited.
And since he still held my sister, I explained part of my theory. “I knew you’d been experimenting with the toxin, but then I remembered you were helping the Healer’s Guild to develop an antidote for the toxin before the plague. Maybe during those experiments, you discovered that substance you used to create the dead. So I guessed the toxin might counter your mystery medicine.”
“Impressive. Good thing only you and I can harvest the toxin. How many sacks did you give Ryne?”
“Three.”
Tohon considered. “Not many then. And he probably used them all to rescue Estrid’s troops.” He frowned. “Now we’ll have to hunt them down. You do realize that you’ve condemned her soldiers to death?”
“You already planned to kill them.”
“But it would have been orderly and painless. Now they’ll be killed on the battlefield, and I won’t be able to turn all of them. Such a waste.”
Hard to feel guilty over that. If I had a choice, I’d choose to go down fighting than on my knees, swearing allegiance to Tohon.
“You’ve interfered again,” Tohon said. “Killing you is the smartest thing I can do right now. Yet, I hesitate because I’m still hoping that you’ll use that intelligence in my favor.”
“That wooing thing?”
“Yes. Although I no longer believe that tactic will work. No, it’s time to try one last strategy with you before I admit defeat.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
“Every time you upset my plans or go against my wishes, I will kill someone close to you. You will bear witness to a very painful death, knowing it’s all your fault.”
Oh, no. “As of now?”
“No. Starting today, which means—” Tohon pricked Noelle with the needle and depressed the plunger, sending Death Lily toxin into her body “—she’s the first.”
KERRICK
Four hours had passed by in a heartbeat. No dreams of Avry or Flea had disturbed his short sleep. A pang of disappointment filled him. He lay there, summoning the energy to move.
Danny reached for his hands. “I can help.”
“No, thanks. Save your strength.”
“Why?”
“You’re going to need it.” Kerrick put a hand up to stop the next question. “Put together a pack with the medicinal herbs that are good for lacerations and that bread from yesterday. I’ll explain once we’re away from here.”
“Are we escaping?”
“Yes and no.”
“Kerrick, you’re not making any sense.” Danny rested his hand on Kerrick’s forehead as if checking for a fever, his serious expression at odds with his young face.
“I’m fine. Now go.” He shooed the boy. Not really a boy any longer. He’d been forced to grow up quickly, but Danny had risen to the challenge.
Once he returned with the pack, Kerrick showed Danny the opening he’d made in the wooden wall of the other bedroom. The library didn’t have a door to the back alley, but its neighbor did.
Danny raised an eyebrow before climbing through.
“It is always a good idea to be prepared for anything,” Kerrick said.
They crept downstairs, and Kerrick checked the alley for Noak’s men. By now he knew them all by sight.
“Once we’re out in the open, I want you to act like you’re on a mission. Don’t glance around, don’t stare at the ground and don’t avert your gaze if we pass anyone. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Kerrick strode into the alley with Danny by his side. He headed to the bathhouse. Halfway there, he changed directions and aimed for the forest west of Krakowa. His back burned as he imagined all of Noak’s warriors following them, ready to pounce as soon as they stepped outside the city.
He relaxed only when they reached the outer edges of the woods. Once they traveled deep enough to be hidden by the trees and bushes, Kerrick took Danny’s hand and tapped into the living green, using his magic to camouflage them both.
Danny held his free arm out. “I’m green!”
Kerrick put a finger to his lips.
“You’re green, too,” Danny whispered.
He smiled.
“Even your teeth!”
Keeping a hold on Danny’s hand, he turned east toward Rakel’s cave. The boy matched his step, cutting down on the noise of their passage.
They reached the entrance an hour later. Kerrick called softly so he wouldn’t scare her. She was still armed after all. But when they entered, she didn’t stir from her prone position next to the fire.
Danny dropped Kerrick’s hand and knelt beside her. “Where—”
“Waist.”
He lifted her shirt. Blood had soaked through the bandages. He peeled them back. Rakel didn’t move.
“It’s bad. None of the herbs will work for this. I need to—”
“Can you survive?”
“I...don’t know.”
Conflicted, he paused. Danny’s life meant more to him than his own. How could he risk him?
“It’s not your decision, Kerrick. Remember? It’s mine, and I’m going to do it.”
Spoken like a true healer. “Then I’ll help you like I did with Avry. Go on.”
Danny placed both his hands on her exposed skin. Nothing happened. Then Danny yelled, clutched his stomach and doubled over, passing out. Kerrick picked him up. He turned to take the boy into the forest.
Noak blocked the entrance.
“Step aside,” Kerrick said. It wasn’t a request.
Without changing his expression, Noak backed from the cave. Kerrick followed, and as soon as he reconnected with the living green, he plopped onto the ground with Danny in his lap.
He tried to channel energy into Danny. Except Kerrick had nothing left. He’d used all his strength. All he could do was hold Danny tight and hope his healing powers would save him.
“Will the boy live?” Noak asked. He stood nearby.
“I don’t know.”
“You lied about Rakel.” Noak’s tone was matter-of-fact.
Kerrick couldn’t believe he was bringing this up now. “I did.”
“You gave your word to cooperate.”
“And I cooperated by searching for Rakel and her abductor as requested by members of your tribe, and I found her. But you never told me what to do
once
I located her.”