Authors: Maria V. Snyder
“I don’t think so.”
“Then what’s wrong with her?” Poppa Bear sounded worried.
I wondered who they talked about. Patches of blue pulsed in and out over me. Green bushy blobs flashed in my peripheral vision. Feeling languid, I enjoyed the kaleidoscope of colors.
“I don’t know.” Kerrick’s frustration cut through my fuzziness.
“We need to get back to Loren,” Quain said.
Loren’s name gave me another jolt. The world around me snapped into focus. Kerrick bent over me. He clutched my hand. My skin burned where he touched it, but the rest of me felt like it had been dunked in ice-cold water.
“Are you all right?” Kerrick asked.
His concern pressed on me like a physical thing. I didn’t know how to respond to his question. I didn’t feel any pain. But an oddness tingled through my body as if Tohon’s life magic remained inside me.
“Avry, answer me.”
“I’m…” My voice rasped.
Belen offered me his canteen. Kerrick helped me sit up. I gulped water until my arms shook. Thrusting the canteen into Belen’s hands, I curled into a ball as uncontrollable shivers racked my body. Too much had happened. Memories of being held by the dead coated my skin with ice. For a moment, I craved Tohon’s warm touch, which did more than share Kerrick’s emotions with me. It had dulled my reaction to the horror.
“Don’t just sit there,” Belen chided Kerrick.
With stiff arms, Kerrick gathered me close and held me tight. Even with his body heat, I still shook, convinced I would never be warm again. Or sane. Those…abominations. That they existed… That they obeyed Tohon’s orders… That they attacked us… Loren had been injured. He needed me. I pulled my emotions in, reeling them into one neat little ball and tucked it away. My muscles relaxed, the shakes settled and I drew in a deep breath.
Wiggling from his grasp, I sat on the ground. My hair clung to my cheek; I swept it behind my ear and realized I had been crying. Mortified, I wanted to turn away, but everyone stared at me. “Sorry, I just—”
“Don’t apologize.” Belen handed me a handkerchief. “It’s been an utterly gruesome day.”
I scanned the area. Tohon’s dead lay in pieces. Broken by decapitation. Black blood pooled on the snow. The putrid odor of decaying flesh soiled the air. At least there was a way to stop them. There was no sign of the other three who had been with Tohon.
Struggling to stand, I brushed snow and dirt from my cloak. I met Quain’s gaze. “How bad is Loren?”
“Bad, but not critical,” Quain said. “We should get back.”
“How far?”
“About half a day.”
I wouldn’t last an hour. No one carried their packs. They probably left them with Loren and the other dead dead. What else could we call them? The truly dead? Dead for real? Dead again? I shivered. Now wasn’t the time to think about it.
“Does anyone have any food?” I asked, although I doubted the guys thought of food when they had chased after me.
Belen produced a handful of beef jerky.
I pounced on the food and munched it as we headed east at a fast pace. Walking next to Belen, I asked, “Canteen, handkerchief, food…what else do you carry?”
He blushed. “Just a few essentials.”
“Thanks. I can always count on Poppa Bear.”
“Poppa Bear?” he asked in a neutral tone.
Uh-oh. Did I hurt his feelings? “Yes, like a bear protecting his cubs.”
“Isn’t that what the mother bear does?”
“Would you rather I called you Momma Bear?”
He laughed. “That would offend my fragile male ego.” He remained quiet for a while. “I guess that’s an accurate nickname.” Belen jabbed a thick finger at Kerrick’s back. “I’ve been protecting that cub since he was born.”
“When you were like…four? Five?”
“Four. And before you pish at me, isn’t Noelle six years younger than you?”
“Yes.”
“Then you know what I’m talking about.”
“I do. Point taken.” I lowered my voice. “He’s lucky to have you.”
“And Noelle is—”
“Screwed up because I wasn’t there. Let’s not go there.” I mulled over his comment. “But you are always there for Kerrick. Wasn’t there a time you wanted to do your own thing?”
“No. I swore an oath.”
Wow. “But what about if you had met a girl? What if you wanted to get married?”
He shrugged. “Then I would have gotten married. But I didn’t meet anyone. And once the plague hit, there were more important things to do.”
“How about when things settle down?”
“Perhaps. If I meet the right person.” He smiled. “Then I might have cubs for real.”
“They’d be the luckiest cubs alive.”
“I don’t know about that. But if they get hungry, I’ll have that covered.”
“No doubt.”
“What about you, Avry? Is marriage and children in your future?”
Fingers of ice gripped my heart as images of Tohon’s dead soldiers filled my mind. I focused on Belen, pushing the horror back. “No.”
We reached Loren as the sun sank in the west. He huddled next to a small fire. Bandages covered with blood had been wrapped around his right thigh. A sheen of sweat coated his forehead.
“Avry, I’m so glad to see your beautiful face,” Loren said.
“How nice. Let’s see if you still think I’m beautiful in the morning.”
Loren tried to mask his pain, but couldn’t suppress a yelp when I touched his leg. A sword had cut the muscles behind his right leg almost to the bone. My magic flared to life.
“Don’t you want to rest first?” Belen asked me.
I glanced at Kerrick. He gave me a slight nod.
“I’ll be fine.” My power surged.
Loren yelled as the magic stitched his muscles back together and repaired the damaged tissue and skin. It rushed back into me and pure fire stabbed my right hamstring. I had thought nothing could hurt as bad as Belen’s stomach injury—I was wrong. Loren’s was a whole different animal.
I stumbled and hit the ground hard. But compared to the agony in my leg, it didn’t even register. My opinion of Loren went up as I realized he had dealt with this for almost a day.
Then a warm wave of spring sunshine and living green dulled the pain as Kerrick pulled me into his arms.
Kerrick and I needed a couple days to recover. I fell into a deep healing sleep that lasted both days. When I woke, Loren cooked a big pot of stew. He rationalized that since we weren’t hunkering down in the foothills, we didn’t need to lug around so much meat.
When we were ready to continue up the pass, Loren scouted ahead even in the woods. We could no longer rely on Kerrick’s forest magic to warn of ambushers.
Each time Loren reported back, we’d climb another mile or two. The path narrowed as the trees disappeared. Rocks poked through the snow and we slowed so no one would twist an ankle.
The wind keened between the mountain peaks and cut right though my cloak. Just as Belen had said, when the trail was high and tight, we pushed on without stopping. Quain hugged the rock wall on our left. I didn’t blame him. The drop to the right made me dizzy.
We crested the pass. When the trail angled down, the ache in my calves transferred to my thighs. Loren’s injury throbbed. After a couple hours going down, I slipped, fell on my backside and slid down the path, gaining momentum. The trail ahead of me snaked to the left. If I didn’t stop, I wouldn’t make the turn. Instead, I’d fly off into the abyss.
Shouts echoed, warning me of the danger. I dug in my heels and stopped inches from the edge, but my heart continued its fast tumble.
“Were we going too slow for you?” Loren teased when they caught up to me.
“Hold on to me from now on,” Belen said, hauling me to my unsteady feet.
“Yeah, it would take an avalanche to move him off this mountain,” Quain said. “Can I hold on to you, as well?”
Belen ignored him, but tucked me in close.
When we reached the tree line, Kerrick led us off the pass.
“I thought you said Ryne was hidden within the Nine Mountains?” I asked Kerrick.
“We’re still in the mountains.” He pointed north. “There’s the next ridge.”
I groaned. “How many more of them are there?”
He smiled. “After that one, there’s seven more. Nine ridges in all.”
Quain paled. “Holy shit.”
“Why did you think they’re called the Nine Mountains?” Kerrick asked.
“I never thought about it.”
“Oh, man, Quain. You make it easy,” Loren said.
“I thought it had to do with the war with the tribes in the north,” I said, jumping in before Quain could dig himself in deeper. “My father told me the mountain chain kept the tribes from invading our land. But once they learned how to cross them, it took us nine years to push them back into the wildlands.”
“I thought it had to do with the nine gemstones that can be found in the mines underneath,” Belen said.
“That’s a better reason than war,” I said.
“Anything’s better than war,” Belen agreed.
As we traveled deeper into the woods, I noticed there wasn’t any snow on the ground. That night, we camped in a small clearing. Kerrick assigned two people to be on watch at all times.
I had no trouble falling asleep, but my dreams haunted me. The dead chased me as Tohon laughed. I woke with a start. My heart slamming in my chest. When I returned to sleep, the dream continued as if I hadn’t woken.
Come to me, Avry.
Tohon’s voice held me immobile as the dead closed in. I thrashed and screamed, caught in their icy grip.
Kerrick woke me. “Nightmare?” He settled next to me.
Belen snored on the other side of the campfire. Loren and Quain must be on watch.
I clutched my blanket to keep my hands from shaking. “I wish.”
“Tohon’s dead?”
Come to me, Avry.
I ignored the voice inside my head. “Yes. They’re a nightmare you can’t wake from.”
“I knew he was…depraved, but I’d never thought he’d resort to bringing the dead back to life.”
“They’re not alive. Or else you would have sensed them, and I would have been able to zap them.”
“Then what are they?”
I considered. “I didn’t feel any magic. Perhaps he found a medicine that animates them, gives them enough intelligence so they can be trained.”
“You might not be able to sense his magic. What else could have prevented you from zapping him when he held your hand?”
Reviewing my encounter with him, I hadn’t felt his magic, but my reaction to him had to be due to his influence. “I couldn’t feel it, but you’re right, he had me in a…thrall. Can you sense his power?” I asked.
“No, but I can’t feel Jael’s, either.” He stared at the fire.
Come to me, Avry.
No. Tohon, I won’t. You have to be stopped.
“Kerrick.”
He looked at me.
“Can Ryne stop Tohon?”
“He’ll find a way. Yes.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll heal Ryne.”
Chapter 19
I had thought Kerrick would be happy I’d decided to heal his prince, but he frowned instead.
“And it only took an encounter with Tohon’s dead. Gee, what a swell girl,” Kerrick said. His tone was sharp with sarcasm.
My initial reaction was to turn away, let him think what he wanted about me. I shouldn’t care, especially since he knew my fate and wasn’t upset by my impending death at all. Except I couldn’t keep quiet. “Did you ever wonder how Ryne obtained that list of healer names?” I asked.
If he was surprised by the change in topic, he didn’t show it. “The Guild—”
“Doesn’t give out that information.”
“So he stole it. No big deal.”
“You’re right. Except he also stole a
confidential
correspondence between the Guild and its members.”
Understanding softened his scowl just a touch. “The document detailing the plague symptoms?”
“Yep. That also informed the healers not to heal those sickened with those symptoms. The one that was misinterpreted.”
“They sent them out to every Realm. Anyone could have intercepted it,” Kerrick reasoned.
“True. However, during those early days, Prince Ryne brought his very sick sister to Tara in Galee, hoping she could heal her. This is the same man who wouldn’t let her help his father. Did you know that?”
“Yeah. But he thought all magicians went against nature, not just healers. He used to lecture us about it at school all the time.”
“Yet, you are friends.”
“He’s matured since then and understands.”
“Swell,” I said, copying Kerrick’s sarcastic tone. “When she refused, he demanded to know what was going on. At that time, Tara didn’t know and had been following the Guild’s orders. She showed him the letter, hoping it would explain her situation.” I stared at the embers, remembering.
“He flew into a rage. His men dragged all of us out of bed, tossed us together in the living room and held us at sword point.” The image of Ryne furiously waving a document in Tara’s face came unbidden. “Ryne harassed her and…” I swallowed. “Threatened to harm us if she didn’t heal his sister.” I’d never seen a man that angry, including Kerrick. My father had been the sweetest soul and never lifted a hand to us. His disappointment had been the worst punishment. We’d behave just so we wouldn’t disappoint him.
“Let me guess,” Kerrick said. “That’s about when you interfered.”
I pulled my shirt, exposing my left shoulder. An old scar marked my skin. “This one’s mine. Not one taken from another. And before Tara could give in to his demands, his sister died. The poor thing. After he finally left, he started the rumors. By that time, the public was in a panic. Ryne handed them someone to blame. You know the rest.”
“Is that why Ryne knew your name?”
“Yes. Tara had three apprentices at the time, and he learned all our names.”
Silence. Then Kerrick said, “I’m sorry I was angry.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I didn’t. What else are you hiding from us?”
“I promised Estrid I would return after I healed Ryne.” I didn’t wait for the lecture. “You were right. Our freedom from Estrid came with a price. But you already know it won’t be an issue once Ryne is healed.” Fear of dying churned in my stomach, but it wouldn’t change my mind.
“I agree. You
won’t
be returning to Estrid.” Kerrick stood and roused Belen for their watch shift.
Shocked at his comment, I stared at him as he earned a good-natured growl from Belen. He left with his friend in an almost jovial mood. Kerrick really was a cold heartless bastard.
As I thought about what I’d promised to do, fear once again twisted deep inside me. I knew healing Ryne was the right thing to do. I’d known since Estrid offered an alliance with him. However, my heart remained unconvinced. Stupid heart.
We entered a cave system the next day. The damp air smelled of minerals and dirt. Daylight filtered through holes in the ceiling, but unlit torches lined the walls of the first cavern. Loren lit them, and we continued deeper, leaving the relative brightness of that initial room behind. We traveled through tunnels and the occasional cavern. The solid darkness pressing against the torchlight reminded me of Tohon’s inky magic.
Come to me, Avry.
His voice seemed to conjure invisible hands, stroking my cheek with icy fingers. Shivers threatened.
“So you’ve had elite soldiers and a magician living here for the past two years?” I asked.
“And my sister,” Belen added cheerily. He’d been in a great mood since learning of my decision and, of course, seeing his sister again.
“Kind of dreary. Do you think they’re still here?”
“Why are you asking?” Kerrick asked.
“It’s been so long. Wouldn’t they be worried?”
“No. We’ve stopped by a few times. They’re aware of the healer situation.”
Quain snorted a laugh. “Healer situation. That’s putting it mildly. Wait until they hear—”
“Nothing,” Kerrick snapped. “All they need to know is we found Avry and have returned.”
I picked up on Kerrick’s warning tone, but Quain didn’t—unless he chose to ignore it. “Are you embarrassed by all the problems Avry’s caused us, or—oof!”
Kerrick had slammed Quain into a wall. “Not another word. That’s an order,” he said.
Quain stared at Kerrick for a moment. “Yes, sir.”
Kerrick let him go. Quain shot me a nasty look. Wonderful. I wouldn’t miss Kerrick’s bad moods or Quain’s pouts.
We continued for another hour. Just as the torches sputtered, we reached another large cavern equipped with fresh torches. Smart.
“Are they allowed to leave?” I asked.
“There should be enough food for another year, and fresh water flows in a cavern nearby,” Belen explained. “But they take turns going outside for fresh air and sunshine. Or they’d go insane.”
I understood that. I wouldn’t miss camping out in caves, either. After a couple hours, I wondered why we hadn’t seen any guards.
“Don’t need them,” Belen said, answering my question. “This place is a labyrinth. Beyond those living here, only Kerrick and I know the way.”
“But what if something happened to you two?” I asked.
“Loren and Quain knew to bring you to the woods outside the entrance. Then it’d be a matter of waiting until someone came out.”
They certainly had everything covered. Or so I thought. As the hours blurred past, I worried we were lost. At one point Kerrick and Belen exchanged a concerned look. When we entered yet another cavern, Kerrick ordered us to wait as he disappeared down a dark tunnel.
I leaned against a stalagmite. “How much farther?” I asked Belen.
“Not far now,” he said.
“Then why are we waiting?” Loren asked.
“A precaution.”
If I had hackles they would be up. Belen was a lousy liar.
Kerrick returned. His face ashen. He pulled Belen aside and whispered in his ear. Belen roared, pushed Kerrick away and dashed down the tunnel. Kerrick gave chase and we followed with weapons drawn.
The smell hit us first. A putrid rotting stench like no other. The reek of death. Loren and Quain stopped, covering their noses and mouths, coughing and choking on the odor. They retreated. I opened my knapsack. Pulling Belen’s handkerchief out—he had let me keep it—I rubbed the cloth on my bar of soap before tying it around my nose and mouth like a bandit.
Belen roared again. Anguish and heartache clear in the sound. I hurried to catch up and paused at the entrance to the largest cavern we’d seen. Dead bodies littered the floor. Belen cradled one in his arms as he rocked and cried. No doubt his sister. Kerrick checked the others. A few had been decapitated and I guessed they were Tohon’s dead. No wonder he hadn’t been too upset to lose me. A numb horror settled on me.
A lone figure lay on a cot in the back. Ryne? I wove through the carnage, trying not to step on anyone. The man on the cot wasn’t the prince, but he was alive. Barely. He had multiple cuts on his torso and arms. One deep gash along his rib cage had become infected. His skin burned with fever. My magic swelled and pushed to be released.
“Kerrick,” I called.
He joined me.
“Is anyone else alive?” I asked.
“No.” A whisper full of pain.
“Is Ryne…”
“Not here. The bastard must have him.”
No need to ask who the bastard was.
“Did he say anything to you about Ryne?” Kerrick asked.
“No.”
“Will Sepp live?” he asked, pointing to the man.
“With help. I need to heal him now.”
“I’m cut off from the forest.”
“I’ll be fine.” I gestured to Belen. “Although, as soon as Sepp can walk, take us back outside. It’ll be…healthier. And make sure I drink plenty of water.”
Kerrick nodded. I released the energy inside me and assumed Sepp’s injuries. My torso blazed with pain. Suddenly overheated, sweat poured down my back and soaked my shirt. I sank to the ground as my magic fought to heal the wounds.
Delusions swirled. Tohon’s voice—
Come to me, Avry,
repeated over and over as his dead soldiers chased me.
Someone—Loren or Quain…or both—helped me as we navigated the darkness.
The fresh air roused me for a few minutes. We had left the caves, but the sky remained black. I sensed movement near me; voices talked and argued, flames danced along dead limbs. My body shook with fever. Sweat coated, then froze on, my skin. Someone covered me with a blanket. Another tipped cups of water into my mouth.
Eventually, the grip of infection loosened and I slipped into sleep. Tohon’s dead waited for me, but I lacked the energy to run. They surrounded me, trapping me as the cold soaked into my bones. The circle of dead parted to let Tohon enter. Images from the cavern flashed in my mind. Tohon smiled and gestured to his special soldiers.
Come to me, Avry, or they will hunt you down.
I jerked awake. My heart jumped in my chest. Filling my lungs with fresh air, I lay still as my pulse settled. Fever dreams. Nothing more than that. Yeah, right.
When I calmed, I glanced around the campfire. Kerrick sat next to Sepp, their heads close as they talked in whispers. Loren and Quain slept next to the fire. Belen must be on guard duty. No sense in posting double watch now. Tohon had Ryne.
Kerrick’s conversation grew heated. No surprise. I closed my eyes and eavesdropped.
“…saved your life,” Kerrick said. “We just can’t—”
“He wants her and it’s our best chance to save Ryne. You of all people know sacrifices have to be made.”
“No. There has to be another way.”
Didn’t take a genius to guess what they were arguing about. I sat up, surprising them into silence. “Sepp wants to use me as bait, doesn’t he?” I asked.
“Uh…” Sepp said.
He looked like an older version of Kerrick. Broad, but not bulky, graying hair and the same nose. Interesting. Was he his uncle? I couldn’t sense his power. “Kerrick?”
“Yes. He thinks we can trick Tohon into leaving Ryne behind while he comes for you. While you lead Tohon on a merry chase, we’ll go in and retrieve Ryne.”
“Won’t work,” I said.
“I know. Tohon’s too smart to fall for it. Plus, his dead found you before. If he sends enough of them, they can again. So why this elaborate game?”
“I think you answered your own question,” I said.
“Tohon likes to play games. It makes him feel powerful to manipulate people.” Kerrick rubbed his hands over his face. Deep circles of exhaustion hung from his eyes. “We’re at another stalemate.”
Until he sends a company of dead after me. Bad enough in the hands of two, but with more than a hundred chasing me… Revulsion snaked along my skin as I realized that I would have to go to Tohon. But I couldn’t give myself up without knowing more.
“Can Tohon wake Ryne?” I asked.
“No. Only a death magician can,” Sepp said. “Tohon can take a life, but I can stop life and only I can restart it.”
“You or another death magician?”
“Anyone with that power, but I’m the only one.”
“Are you sure?”
He bristled at my question.
“Think about it. Tohon’s special soldiers are not alive. I had thought a medicine might be the reason they can move and obey orders, but maybe there is another explanation. Could
you
animate the dead?”
Sepp sputtered. “It’s…an affront to life. It’s…perverted. I’ve never tried it, nor would I ever!”
“She didn’t ask you if you would, but if you
could,
” Kerrick said.
Opening and closing his mouth a number of times, Sepp huffed. “I think I can.”
Kerrick leaned forward. “Are you thinking a death magician is working with Tohon?”
“Not possible,” Sepp said. “I’m positive I’m the only one, and have been for years.”
I considered. “Was Tohon in the cave during the attack?”