Sleeper Of The Wildwood Fugue (Book 7) (14 page)

Timoran lets out a long breath and heads for the balcony, his friend trailing a few steps behind. They look down at the garden where peacocks wander among flowers of every size and color. A pair of monkeys leap among the palm trees, screeching and hooting at the crimson parrots that they upset. It is a bright contrast to the simpler colors of the city that sits beyond the manor walls, which is barely visible from the balcony. All of the rooftops are brown and gray, unlike the white marble and glass of the manor. There is a curious sense of tension in the wind that draws the warriors’ attention to their right. One of the nearby buildings has a ten foot long horn of crimson bone puncturing the roof, a reminder of the creatures that have been plaguing the Grasdons.

“I understand your plight more than you can imagine,” Timoran says, breaking the gentle silence. He claps Delvin on the shoulder and returns to the room, his hand grazing the silk curtains around the doorway. “It is a story for another time, but I can assure you that Nyx’s situation is not as dire as you imagine. What you feel is nothing more than helplessness and worry, which is admirable. If it was any other woman, I would say it is understandable too.”

“Did you ever think we give Nyx’s magic and willpower too much credit?” the brown-haired warrior politely asks. He moves to a loveseat and puts a pillow behind his head as he slides onto his back. “She’s very powerful, but she isn’t unstoppable. Stephen could be out there or something even worse. What about something that’s immune to magic? I’m not talking about absorbers like the krypters, but a creature that her powers simply can’t affect. The southern region has tales of such beasts. She’ll be alone and defenseless.”

“Nyx always hold back. Scared to hurt others. Not problem in desert,” Fizzle says as he lazily rolls into the basin. He pokes his head out of the water and floats on his back, directing his movements with his wings. “Why Delvin say Nyx alone? Dariana with her.”

“We still don’t know her well enough to trust her,” Delvin claims, batting at a curtain tassel that is hanging within reach. “She may be a champion, but I still don’t understand why she’s been allowed to survive for so long. We’ve been told that all the previous champions were killed, yet Dariana is still around. Something feels wrong.”

“It is because she is not by your side,” Timoran points out, returning to the couch.

Delvin turns to face the barbarian while he absentmindedly takes his boots off. “I’m worried that what we saw between Dariana and Stephen was a show. She can manipulate memories, so how do we know she isn’t playing us for fools. The Baron could be a horrible creature with a soft spot for his daughter, but she could also be one of his agents. We simply don’t know and Nyx is out there alone with her.”

“Dariana try save Nyx. That why Nyx not dead,” Fizzle states while releasing a few bubbles from his nostrils. “Delvin need be quiet. Fizzle give up bath.”

The door to the guest suites creaks up and Eileen walks in, the calico’s orange tail swishing along the ground. Sari is behind her and the gypsy looks like she is about to either cry or scream. She mutters a thank you to the maid, who bows and hurries back to the comfort of the hallway. The blue-haired girl bends down to slip off her velvet and leather boots, wiggling her toes on the warm stone floor. Glancing at the adjoining bedrooms, she tosses the enchanted footwear into one of them and joins her friends.

“I hope I didn’t miss anything, boys.”

“Delvin is still worried about Nyx being alone in the desert with Dariana,” Timoran casually replies, gesturing to a nearby chair. “Is Luke joining us?”

“Kira’s turn and we’ll leave it at that,” Sari answers with a pout. “Cheer up, Delvin. Nyxie will be back with us before you know.”

“And what do I do until then?” the warrior forlornly asks.

Grinding her teeth together, Sari grabs Delvin by the shirt and drags him off the couch. She lets him stand up before clutching his wrists and activating her immovability power. The warrior makes a few feeble tugs even though he knows her hold is unbreakable. Not wanting to make it easy for Sari, he deadweights himself and lets his body slump toward the floor. Rolling her emerald eyes, the gypsy turns her power off, sits on Delvin’s chest, and again makes herself a fleshy boulder that cannot be budged. The weight of the immovable girl on his ribs makes it difficult for the warrior to breathe.

“Here is exactly what you’re going to do,” Sari says in a slow, stern voice. Unable to hold back her emotions, she lets a few tears roll down her cheeks and fall on Delvin’s chest. “You’re going to help us defend the Grasdons and think about Nyxie every day. When she comes walking back into Bor’daruk, you will hug her and tell her that you love her. It doesn’t matter if she says it too or not. We both know she’ll get there eventually, so it’s more important that you make sure she doesn’t forget how you feel. Also, all of us are going to thank Dariana for protecting Nyxie out there. Do you understand what I’m saying, Mr. Cunningham?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answers, gasping for air when she stands. “Want Timoran, Fizzle, and I to leave, so you can take a bath?”

“I’m going to bed. Wake me in time for dinner,” the gypsy says as she helps Delvin to his feet. She walks to the basin and leans on the curved rim next to Fizzle, her finger tickling his belly. “Do you mind keeping me company, Fizzle? I don’t want to be alone and asking one of the boys is just . . . wrong. You can sleep by the window, but I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

The drite crawls out of the basin and climbs down the side, his claws tapping against the stone floor as he follows Sari. She closes the door behind them, leaving her friends to sit in awkward silence. After a few minutes, Timoran heads for the balcony to get away from the faint sound of the gypsy weeping into her pillow.

*****

Luke rubs the budding leaves on his wooden ring as he looks out over the manor. He shivers at the cool breeze on his bare chest, but refuses to step back into the well-furnished room even when the sun vanishes behind the dunes. Glancing over his shoulder, he can see Kira’s form shifting under the sheets of the canopy bed. Her arm is draped over where he was lying a few minutes earlier, which causes a needle of guilt and pain to pierce his chest.

“I can let you sleep if you wish,”
the griffin offers from inside his mind.
“Though, I sense you are troubled by something else. Is it because you refused her advances?”

“I didn’t really reject her,” Luke replies, leaning on the balcony railing. He watches an elephant casually walk through the garden, its trunk waving in the air. “We kissed and I told her that I couldn’t go further tonight. It didn’t feel right so soon after what happened with Sari. She understood, so that’s good.”

“You are still troubled,”
the beast says with a tired sigh. Her consciousness rises closer to the surface, but stops when another rushes ahead of her.
“Please tell your dog that there is no competition for your attention. He does not have to shove me.”

The half-elf pats his own head and feels the spirit of his beloved companion relax. “Behave, Stiletto. Let our friend speak.”

“Your heart has been in turmoil since you arrived at this manor. I can tell that you love both of these women. You are afraid that you are more in love with Sari, but are unsure if it is simply because Kira has been absent for so long. You are also harboring guilt over Sari and resentment toward Kira. The reason you are awake now is because you wonder if you deserve either of them.”

“It’s a mess that I let happen,” Luke mutters, turning back to watch the heiress. He takes a staggered breath and sits on the railing, unafraid of being so high off the ground. “I thought about transforming into you and going after Nyx, but I was afraid of what would happen. They could be anywhere out there, so I would be gone for a long time. Kira could wake up and think I snuck off with Sari, which would cause a fight.”

“You feel that this situation is dangerous to all of your relationships.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Griffins mate for life after the male attracts a female,”
the beast calmly explains. She eases by Stiletto and pauses to growl at the curious snake fiend, sending the reptile back into the depths of Luke’s mind.
“The males make complex aerial displays. Many attempt dangerous feats and get injured in the process. It shows a lack of maturity that we find unappealing.”

“So you think I should continue going along and choose the one that fits me best when all three of us have matured?” the young warrior asks, scratching his head in confusion. “It’s possible that we’re too immature to make a real decision. I’m still more interested in wandering and have the battle with the Baron hanging over my head. Kira is having issues with her father and their traditions as well as really wanting to ban Sari from me. She’s faking her composure very well, but I can tell she’s unhappy. Then there’s Sari who still slips into saying that she doesn’t care when it’s obvious that she wants to win. None of us are in the best position to make such a big decision, so maturity should be factored in.”

“Actually, I merely wanted to point out that griffin mating rituals are more simplistic than yours,”
the spirit beast says with a laugh that slips from Luke’s mouth.
“I do not understand the situation you are in. I know your heart is being torn and the longer you wait, the worse it will be.”

“I know.”

“I will let you get some sleep instead of the meditation.”

The exhaustion hits Luke within seconds and he stumbles to the bed, yawning as wide as he can without dislocating his jaw. He slips into the bed and puts Kira’s arm over him before swiftly falling asleep. With his back to the heiress, he never notices that her eyes are open or picks up the weak stuttering of her crumbling heart.

8

“I have to admit something, Nyx,” Dariana says as she trudges up the dune. Sand is sticking to her sweaty face even with the protection of her hooded cloak. “This is the worst beginning adventure I’ve ever had since becoming a champion. Even being dragged into a swamp full of acidic leeches was more tolerable than this.”

“It isn’t that bad,” the caster says from the top of the dune. She reaches down to help her exhausted friend, sending a cooling spell through Dariana’s body. “We made it through the night and we’ll be back in Bor’daruk before the sun is at its peak. I mean, we couldn’t have been thrown that far.”

With a tired groan, the silver-haired woman falls to her knees and gasps for air. Dariana can no longer ignore her straining muscles that desperately want water. Fumbling with her magic pouch, she pulls a waterskin out and takes a few sips of the liquid that tastes like leather. She struggles to stand and offers it to Nyx, who takes a quick drink. Dariana notices that the half-elf’s lips are cracked and her skin is showing signs of being sunburnt. She can only imagine how terrible she looks considering it has been years since she was in such brutal conditions. Still, the tired woman knows she has survived worse and takes the cloak off to hand it to the suffering caster.

“Take this back, Nyx. I can use something from my bag as an umbrella or a hat.”

“You’re fairer skinned than me, so you need it more,” the caster states, pushing the cloak away. “I’m only tired from keeping us invisible all night. That kind of magic is still a challenge for me, especially when maintaining a waking sleep on myself.”

“I don’t see how your skin reddening and your lower lip starting to bleed is caused by your magic,” Dariana calmly argues. She holds the cloak out and mentally coaxes her friend to put it on, masking the garment’s presence from her. “I’m sorry, but it has to be done.”

Nyx wonders at the mysterious apology for a few minutes before she realizes what has happened. Unable to see or feel the cloak, she storms down the dune and swats at where she thinks the hood would be. Irrational from her thirst and the heat, the caster coats her body in fire and alters the spell to burn the cloak. A short trail of flames fans out behind her as she victoriously grins at Dariana, but she panics when her sweat-stained shirt ignites. By the time the fire is out, Nyx has lost most of the back of her favorite top and the front is covered in smoking holes.

“Your rage is a problem when you’re under duress,” Dariana states while she approaches the muttering half-elf. “We should find a place to rest and wait out the sun. Luke bought me a tent, which will shield us from exposure. I’m not sure what it will do about the heat.”

“My head feels funny,” Nyx says, rubbing her bloodshot eyes. A surge of frustration rolls through her mind and she hurls a fireball at a distant dune, turning it to glass. “It’s like there’s a needle in my brain that’s making my mind itch. Driving me nuts and making me want to lash out at everything that angers me. It took a lot of willpower to avoid attacking you when I realized what you did with the cloak.”

“Does your temper cause you to overuse your magic?”

“I might overreact when angry, but I’ve improved since I met Luke and the others.”

“But it’s still your main emotional trigger.”

“I’d like to think defiance is the root of my power.”

“So it’s your negative emotional trigger.”

“Sort of.”

Dariana rolls her eyes and gently touches the sides of Nyx’s head, her thumbs rubbing the other woman’s temples. When she tries to step into the half-elf’s mind, she is shoved away by a panicky force. The faint sound of gnashing teeth and hissing makes Nyx jump even though it is more of a sensation than actual noise. Dariana calms her by taking a vivid childhood memory and using it to give her friend a burst of happiness. Again, the telepath circles the caster’s thoughts and pokes at the strange barrier that is keeping her out. She sees a flicker of movement on the edge of her vision and follows the hazy, wiggling form until it disappears into the astral shadows. Confident that she knows what the problem is, Dariana breaks contact and tenderly holds Nyx by the shoulders.

“The good news is that I found a way to get us out of the sun and heat,” she announces with a crooked smile. Licking her lips, she shifts her gaze to the distant dunes that seem to go on forever. “The bad news is that you have a worm.”

“A worm!” Nyx yells, her hair blasting lightning into the sky. “Where is it? Can you get it out without opening me up? Where did it come from?”

“Calm down. It’s an aura worm and it probably got into you while you were constantly casting last night,” Dariana says in a soft voice. She takes another drink of water and waits for the half-elf to stop hurling spells at the sky. “They infect anyone with magic and cause the host to overreact to their most sensitive trigger. For example, making your already short temper to become even shorter. When you cast a spell, the aura worm absorbs some of the energy you release. You’ll notice that your spells aren’t as shiny as they normally are. I’ll admit that having one inside a channeler is very dangerous. If you enter a city like this, you’ll probably destroy it before anyone can stop you.”

Nyx backs away and sends force bolts in every direction, narrowly missing Dariana with three of them. “Get it out!”

“Not just yet. We can use it to find an oasis or a city, Nyx,” she whispers, reaching her mind out and thinning it out to slip through the barrier. “If we make the environment hostile, it will jump to me and I can contain it. My mind and powers won’t give it as good a meal and it can’t get out without my permission. I can make it guide us in return for its freedom.”

“Won’t it do something to your negative trigger?”

“Yes, so you will have to carry me. The one time I got an aura worm, it made me very depressed and I ate an entire bakery. The goods, not the actual store and owners,” Dariana answers, steeling her nerves for what she has to do. “Now I need to unlock depressing memories in your mind. This will make your psyche sour and gloomy, which the aura worm will find suffocating. I apologize for this.”

Nyx crosses her arms behind her back as her mind fills with dark memories. Visions of fellow apprentices attempting dangerous spells and exploding appear with vivid clarity. The sensation of dying goblins strikes her heart like a spear and it is quickly followed by the memory of being orphaned. Until today, she never knew her mind remembered the heat from her burning village or the sight of her mother charging at the shadowy demons. Nyx collapses to her knees and leans forward until her forehead is pressed to the hot sand. Tears stream down her face, the drops sparking with lightning when they hit the ground. With a loud snap, her mind is cleared of despair and the itching discomfort from the aura worm is gone.

“I got you,” Nyx gasps, leaping to her feet and catching Dariana. “Which way do we go?”

The silver-haired woman weeps and wails, emphatically pointing to the east. The caster pulls a blanket out of her satchel and drapes it over Dariana. Getting under the makeshift cloak, she gets her tall friend onto her back and magically increases her strength. She trudges through the sand, depending entirely on Dariana and the aura worm’s directions. The heat of the sun seeps through the lightweight blanket, which makes it a long and torturous journey. By the end of the third hour, Nyx is thinking only of how much she misses Sari randomly dousing her with ice water.

*****

The midday sun and heat is unbearable, driving the pair to their knees when they crest another dune. Dariana twitches and groans as the aura worm thrashes inside her head, excited that it will soon be free. With stiff muscles, Nyx shakes the blanket off and stares at the sight before them. A rocky outcropping juts out of the bottom of the dune and hangs over a beautiful lake, the water a mesmerizing shade of blue. Several small trees sit at the edge of the water, their roots arching out of the shallows. The women can hear a gurgling stream, but it is hidden from view by the nearby rocks. A herd of red-horned antelope drink at the far end of the lake, but only the largest one watches as the adventurers stagger into the oasis. They collapse on the thick grass that grows around the lake and Nyx reaches out to take Dariana’s hand.

“We made it,” the caster whispers, enjoying the touch of soft blades on her skin. The tickling on her belly reminds her of the badly damaged shirt she is wearing. “How are you feeling?”

Dariana curls onto her side and wretches, startling the antelope enough that they bound into the desert. A glowing worm the length of her pinky finger squirms out of her mouth, dragging behind a line of prismatic ooze that evaporates in the heat. The orange parasite burrows into the ground as Dariana relaxes and clears her head of the despair she has been trapped in for most of the day. Feeling her strength return, she rolls onto her back and takes her shoes off. A sigh of bliss rises from her dry throat as her feet are caressed by the grass.

“I feel weak and dirty,” Dariana says in a hoarse voice. “I’m hungry too.”

Nyx sits up and peels her battered boots off, grimacing at the look of her sand-caked toes and heels. With her stomach rumbling, she pulls out a few hard biscuits and a handful of dried fruit from her bag. She gives half of the food to Dariana who devours the meal and washes it down with a deep drink from her waterskin. Aching muscles pop and sore joints creak as the pair turn around to watch sunlight dance on the water. Gentle breezes send ripples along the surface, making it appear as if the lake is calling to the exhausted pair.

“How clean do you think that water is?” Dariana asks with a mouthful of biscuit. She struggles to swallow the bland meal, needing a drink to help wash it down. “I’d hate for us to get other parasites. That is if you want a bath as badly as I do.”

“I’ve been thinking of it since I saw the water,” Nyx admits with an impish smirk. “I can try to cleanse the water with a purity spell. That’s more holy magic, but casters have variations that involve low level heat spells.”

“All I sense are animals in the area, so we have privacy.”

“Are we getting entirely naked?”

“I assumed we would because we need to get clean.”

“Together?”

“Are you uncomfortable around another naked woman?”

Nyx waves her hand to cast her purification spell while she thinks of how to explain her situation. “No . . . I have a feature I’m embarrassed about. It’s usually hidden by an illusion, but I let it drop last night and never put it back up. Only Sari knows about it and I’m not sure I want other people to know.”

Dariana touches Nyx’s belly through one of the holes in her shirt. The woman’s fingers touch the exposed scar and she smiles warmly at the half-elf. She pulls her shirt collar down to reveal a scar in the center of her chest. The old injury is a shock of pink against her fair skin that runs for several inches. Desperately wanting that bath, Dariana strips her clothes off and wades into the lake. Her legs bump into small fish as her toes sink into the soft sand that sucks at her soles. She dives under the water to get her face and hair wet, allowing the coolness to energize her. Floating to the surface, she hears Nyx swimming nearby and turns to face the caster.

“I got my scar from Stephen,” Dariana casually mentions, pouring more water over her dull hair. She scrubs at her tresses, using her reflection to check for her natural shine to return. “It was our first meeting and he didn’t know we were related. He slashed me from bellybutton to throat and I revealed my identity out of desperation. I’m alive because he used his magic to reverse my injury, but he left this scar as a reminder that he could have killed me.”

“I have a matching one on my back from a through and through,” Nyx says while washing the sand off her face with a cloth. She uses her magic to keep her head above water after having followed the taller woman into the deeper part of the lake. “A Hellfire Elf was after Luke and used me as a message. The arrow ended up being a transformed vampire that we had to kill. That was my first adventure and everything went downhill around the time I got this.”

“Most first adventures are disasters,” the silver-haired woman points out. She notices her friend blushing and floats closer, turning on her stomach as she nears. “I’m sorry if I make you uncomfortable. I thought you were okay with bathing together. Sari told me that you have shared basins with her in the past.”

“When we were kids! For the love of Gar the Lore King, that girl seems to forget we’re adults,” the half-elf groans. She briefly dips under the water to scrub off the layer of sand on her legs, gasping for air when she surfaces. “I’m not a prude, but I’m a little self-conscious at times. Sari is so beautiful that it’s hard for me to avoid comparing myself to her. You’re pretty too with your perfect skin, unique hair, and . . . bigger parts.”

Dariana pauses to compare their bodies, unsure what the half-elf is referring to or why she is upset. “And yet Delvin is smitten by you instead of Sari or myself. You are a channeler, which means there’s something about you that will be seen as enchanting. There’s the scent that attracts potential mates, but it’s also the pedigree. A presence that’s impossible to ignore when you’re within your element, which is magic. Whenever you cast a spell, you are one of the most beautiful creatures in Windemere.”

“I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I feel beautiful when I’m using my magic. How much do you know about Delvin’s feelings? I know you two aren’t very close.”

Dariana goes back to floating on her back and closes her eyes, the sloshing water muffling every sound. She lets her mind drift in search of the traces of Delvin’s emotions, hoping to find the perfect words to answer Nyx’s question. It takes a few minutes to battle through the residual passion left by Luke and Sari. She promptly purges the uncomfortable sensations by injecting them into a nearby lizard, which scurries off in search of a mate.