We reached the base of the main pass two days later. Wider than the animal paths, the road snaked through the pine forest. The snow had been packed down by previous travelers.
Kerrick pointed at the thin lines made by wagon wheels. “A caravan came through here a few days ago. Otherwise, there’s no one else on the trail.”
“What about above the tree line?” Quain asked.
“We’ll have to send a scout ahead,” Belen answered.
“How would that work?” I asked. “Not much up there to hide behind.”
“He’d have to travel at night and wear camouflage,” Belen said. “There’s a rock fall before it gets steep. Once the road turns high and tight, there’s no room for an ambush.”
Quain glanced up at the mountains. “What about room for a camp?”
“None. We’ll push through until the road widens.”
“How long?”
“Worried about your beauty rest, Quain?” Belen teased.
“If you really wanted, you could take a nap,” Loren added. “Just be careful not to roll over in your sleep.”
“Not funny.” Quain pulled his cloak tighter.
“I wonder if you’d wake up in midair?” Loren mused more to himself than his friend. “Once you hit bottom, then it’s lights out forever.”
Quain shot Loren a sour look while Belen chuckled.
As we hiked, the forest thinned as the path rose in elevation. My calves burned with the extra effort. At least with the rolling terrain there was a break between uphills.
Although worried about Ryne, Kerrick was confident that no one waited to ambush us among the trees. And no ufas, either. He sensed a pack of them far to the west.
We stopped five miles before reaching the tree line and planned our next move. Loren volunteered to be our scout. Belen was too big, Kerrick too recognizable, Quain too uncomfortable with heights and I was too valuable. We set up a small camp a hundred feet off the main road while Loren prepared for his night mission. He removed his cloak and sword. Wearing all black clothing, he smeared a dark gray goo on his face, neck and hands.
“Flea’s concoction,” he said with a sad smile. “He taught us some cat burglar tricks.” Loren scanned the darkening sky. “Now if only the moon cooperates and stays behind the clouds.”
Half a dozen streaked the expanse, but they didn’t appear thick enough to block the moonlight.
When complete darkness filled the area, Loren waved and said, “See you in a few.” He strode away, then stopped. “Found them.” Loren backed up as two men holding swords approached.
Kerrick and the others were on their feet in an instant, weapons in hand. I grabbed my stiletto.
The trees around us rustled with movement. A quick glance confirmed we were surrounded. And outnumbered. As the circle tightened, Loren grabbed his sword and joined us. Clustered in the middle, we kept our backs to one another.
“Damn, Kerrick,” Quain said. “I thought you said no one was around.”
“No one is,” he growled. “I don’t feel them.”
An odd statement. But there was no time to contemplate it as the ambushers engaged us. One thing was in our favor; Kerrick and his men outmatched them as far as fighting skills. I sent knives into shoulders, thighs, stomachs and upper arms.
Despite the lopsided numbers we had the upper hand. Except these men and women wouldn’t stop when slashed with a sword. They didn’t react when a knife embedded into their skin. Injuries that should have knocked them down failed to affect them at all.
They fought in utter silence. Eventually, the attackers closed in, rendering swords useless. Belen switched to hand-to-hand combat, tossing them around like rag dolls. But they kept advancing. Kept shambling to their feet with a mindless determination.
Two made it past Kerrick and grabbed me, dragging me away. I suppressed my revulsion and panic. Pressing my hand on freezing cold flesh, I summoned my power. Nothing happened. No magic swelled in my chest. Kerrick’s comment echoed in my mind. I don’t feel them.
Horrified, I met the gaze of one of my captors. Death stared back. Shocked to my core, I ceased struggling.
Shouts filled the darkness. Poppa Bear roared. Then silence.
The dead men kept a fast pace as they pulled me along. My mind reeled over the impossible. No magic could bring the dead back to life. Not a life magician or a death magician had that ability. It had been proven.
Yet the impossible held me tight. Grasped me with icy fingers. Filled me with a terror so strong it hurt.
When I could no longer keep up the pace, one of them carried me over his shoulder. Their repulsive touch grew unbearable and my sanity threatened to take a holiday without me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the living. Thought of Mom and Melina. Fawn and her mother. I couldn’t worry over Kerrick and the others’ fates right now or else I would go insane. Instead, I envisioned Nyrie’s sweet smile and remembered Noelle as she was before the plague robbed her of her childhood.
The night blurred in one long test of endurance. Dawn broke, but my captors kept their fast pace. They hadn’t said a word all night. Nor did they stop for food or water or rest. My throat burned with thirst and my head ached from hanging upside down. Eventually, I passed out.
Ice-cold water slapped my face, filled my nose. I woke, choking and disoriented.
A man peered down at me. “Easy there.”
I struggled to sit up. He held out his hand. When I grasped his fingers, I almost sighed in relief at the touch of a living, warm person. He helped me to my feet, but I leaned against him, drinking in his pulse of life. It filled me like a glass of warm wine, dulling my senses.
He raised his eyebrows. Humor sparked in his deep blue eyes. “Are you going to zap me?”
“Should I?” Confused, I glanced behind him. Two men and one woman—all armed—watched me intently. I was in danger. My muddled thoughts cleared a little.
“No, you shouldn’t. My companions wouldn’t like it and would stop you.”
“But I could threaten to harm you if they don’t back off,” I said.
He smiled sadly. I guessed he was around twenty-five years old. A few inches taller than me, he had short black hair, long dark eyelashes and a killer smile. His good looks had a royal quality, while Kerrick’s was more rugged. This man wouldn’t lack for admirers.
Hooking a thumb at the three hovering nearby, he said, “I wasn’t referring to them, but to them.” His gaze slid past my shoulder.
I turned and jerked as if he had thrown more ice water on me. The dead stood in precise rows, staring at nothing. Terror welled, clearing away my confusion in an instant. I counted six of them.
“Creepy, aren’t they?” His tone remained friendly and conversational. “But efficient and obedient. I thought more would return from the mission, but it doesn’t matter—they’re easily replaced. And they were successful. You’re here.”
“What…? Who…?” I couldn’t form a coherent question.
“They’re King Tohon’s special soldiers. Impressed?”
“Horrified.”
He smiled again. “There’s that, too.”
“Are you working for Tohon?”
“You could say that.”
“What does he want? Does he need me to heal someone for him?”
“Your healing power will certainly be an asset, but he has other plans for you. And, of course, keeping you from healing Prince Ryne is another benefit.”
Compared to the six dead standing nearby, the thought of being Tohon’s prisoner failed to produce anything other than mild concern. Or was it because I still held the handsome mercenary’s hand? And why couldn’t I draw away? Obviously, I wouldn’t harm him. Not if it meant being grabbed by those repulsive things again.
/> Since he seemed content to talk, I asked him, “Were the dead marauders in the foothills a message?”
“No. They’re part of the cleanup. King Tohon will not allow such undesirables to infest his kingdom.”
Movement behind him drew my attention. His three living companions jerked and flailed as if fighting an invisible opponent. One by one they crumpled to the ground.
My captor didn’t draw his sword in response to the noise. Instead, he sighed and turned as Kerrick appeared. Disheveled, bleeding and pissed off, he stood next to the three now-prone forms with his sword in hand. The sword looked as if it was coated with Flea’s dark gray goo.
Belen and Quain broke through the trees and joined Kerrick. They all sported cuts, bruises, stained swords and very determined demeanors. Where was Loren?
“I should have sent twice as many dead,” the merc said.
Kerrick’s gaze dropped to my hand intertwined with the merc’s. This would be a perfect time to zap my captor. Yet, I didn’t. Kerrick’s anger burned on my skin.
My merc glanced between me and Kerrick. He laughed. “Have I stolen another from you, Kerrick?”
“We figured out how to neutralize your abominations, Tohon. As I see it, you only have temporary custody.”
Tohon?
He quirked a smile at me. “I prefer King Tohon. And have you noticed that Kerrick and his goons haven’t come any closer?”
No, but now that he’d mentioned it… “Why not?”
Tohon lifted our linked hands. “He knows if he moves to attack me all I have to do is apply a touch of power and you’re dead. He also knows I don’t wish to kill you, so we’re at a bit of a stalemate.”
I wanted to be afraid, but couldn’t produce the emotions. Instead, a detached curiosity flowed through my veins. “One touch? Death? But you’re a life magician.”
“Which makes me able to take a life at will. But not yours, my dear.” He stroked my cheek with his other hand.
I had to make a conscious effort not to lean into Tohon’s intoxicating touch. Kerrick’s hatred, jealousy and fear zipped through my body. Strange that I should feel it.
Tohon said, “Besides influencing emotions, another facet of my power is sensing emotions. I could share Belen’s and Quain’s emotions with you as well, but I prefer to focus on Kerrick. He can be quite amusing for a stick in the mud.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it.
“I really wanted to steal you away from him, but I think it will be so much more delightful when you leave Kerrick and come to me.”
“Why would I do that?” I asked.
“He’s grandstanding, Avry,” Kerrick said. “He knows we have the upper hand and it’s his way to soothe his damaged ego.”
Tohon shrugged. “Think what you will.” Then he met my gaze. “My dear Avry, I shall look forward to our next meeting.” Tohon kissed the back of my hand.
A wave of heat slammed into me.
“Kill the men,” he ordered his dead soldiers. They surged forward, aiming at my friends.
I tried to zap Tohon, but another wave hit me. This one burned, turning my muscles into goo. Tohon caught me and laid me on the ground.
“Come to me, Avry. Soon. Or I’ll send a whole company of my special troops to fetch you and to take care of your annoying companions. For good.” He kissed my forehead and a liquid blackness washed away the world.
Sounds and colors returned in little splashes of light.
“…ice-cold,” Kerrick said.
“Locked in a stasis?” Belen asked.
“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.”
&n
bsp; “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.