Soulblade (20 page)

Wait
, a voice said in her head.
It’s Tylie.

And Phelistoth?
Cas resisted the urge to ask if the dragon was done hunting. She’d never seen such a scarce ally.

I talked him into bringing me here, even though he wanted to avoid the female. Tolie is in trouble.

The female?

“Raptor?” Pimples asked.

Though she had ordered him to head inland, she hadn’t followed. Tylie had started talking to her. “That’s Phelistoth. I’m speaking to Tylie.”

“Ah.” Pimples did not sound that comforted.

The female gold dragon
, Tylie explained.

That’s the dragon I saw communicating with the emperor’s ship this evening, I presume?

Likely so. I wasn’t there. If you follow us, Phel will lead you to a place to land.

A
safe
place?
Cas looked back in the direction of the bay, half-expecting to see someone back there, following them. The airships would not have their fliers’ speed, but she hadn’t forgotten that the Cofah had fliers of their own now. She hadn’t seen any in the bay, but there could have been some on the decks of those airships.

The swamps are not safe
, Tylie said,
but Phel will protect us.

Cas relayed those last words aloud.

“Goody,” Pimples muttered.

Cas did not feel much better about the situation, but they would never find a place to land on their own, not in the dark, with the mist cloaking the marshes.

I understand
, she responded to Tylie.
We’re following.

Chapter 8

T
herrik led them along the river and out of the valley at a brisk pace, pausing occasionally to crouch and study some sign on the ground. Once it became clear that the two people who had left the cave had followed the waterway, he didn’t check as often. Sardelle had been following at a distance, not wanting to be too close to anyone whose sword was fantasizing about killing her. They passed several streams that dumped into the river, and he always paused to check the trail on the other side before assuming the two people had continued this way.

About five miles into their trek, Sardelle trailed Therrik into a narrow canyon with high walls. Had the river been higher, they wouldn’t have been able to enter it at all. As it was, only a couple of feet of dry rock lay exposed on either side of the waterway, and deposits on the walls showed the heights the water could reach during heavy rains or periods of great snow melts.

As soon as Sardelle stepped into the area, something jangled her senses. Magic.

Bhrava Saruth?
she asked, prodding him gently. He was still in ferret form and had fallen asleep draped across her shoulder.

She stopped, backing toward the entrance.
Therrik
, she called, using telepathy because she did not want to shout. He was nearly two hundred meters ahead of her. Might the sorceress be somewhere nearby? Waiting to ambush them? The memory of the woman’s deadly fireballs flashed into Sardelle’s mind.

The ferret stirred and jumped to the ground. In an instant, Bhrava Saruth changed back into a dragon, his massive form filling the tight canyon. He would not be able to spread his wings without backing out of the passage.

I sense it,
Bhrava Saruth said.
Some residual magic in the rocks.

Is it possible the sorceress is here?
Sardelle already had her senses out, trying to locate another person. The rocks above the canyon walls teemed with wildlife, including a prowling mountain lion, but she hadn’t detected any humans.

Not unless she’s hiding her presence from me.

Sardelle frowned, because she already suspected that the sorceress might be able to do that when she wished. How else would she have found Ridge and hidden him in that cave when Sardelle and the others had been searching for him?

It
is
possible she could hide from me
, Bhrava Saruth admitted.
If not her, her soulblade may have the ability to mask their presence. I encountered that sometimes when I went into battle with human riders.

Was that before or after he became a god?
Jaxi asked.
I think she may have set a trap, not that you asked for
my
opinion.

I didn’t know I had to ask for your opinions. You usually give them to me whether I want them or not.
Sardelle waved to Therrik, wanting him to return to the canyon entrance with her. They might risk losing the trail if they avoided the canyon, but perhaps Bhrava Saruth could fly them to the other end and they could pick it up there.

I will search for signs of a trap while he returns.
Bhrava Saruth backed out of the canyon so he could spread his wings.
Stay safe, high priestess.

Sardelle eyed the walls, imagining rocks tumbling down to crush her.
Therrik
, she said his name again, since he had stopped but wasn’t walking back toward her. Instead, he had crouched down to check something.
I sense what might be a trap. Let’s look for another way around.

His head came up, and he frowned in her direction, then he considered the cliff walls to either side of him. He picked up something nestled in a crevice, stood up, and headed toward her.

I have discovered a trap
, Bhrava Saruth announced.

Before Sardelle could respond, a cacophony of noise arose from the far end of the canyon. Rocks sloughed from either side of the rock wall, the top edges crumbling down, boulders crashing into the river. White dust filled the air, blotting out the view.

It was at least a half a mile from where Therrik stood, so Sardelle relaxed. He jogged toward her while tossing glances over his shoulder, but he didn’t appear too concerned.

I have triggered a trap
, Bhrava Saruth said, his voice dry and perhaps abashed.

Didn’t mean to?
Sardelle asked.

No, I—wait! There’s another.

Therrik must have heard the message, too, because he froze. He was still forty or fifty meters from Sardelle. A crack sounded in the rock wall beside him.

Instinctively, Sardelle lifted her hand and summoned the energy to create a protective barrier around him. The instant she drew upon her magic, something snapped in her mind, and she had the sense of stepping on a twig and alerting someone to her presence. A feeling of disorientation washed over her, and she stumbled to the side, her foot landing in the river.

Before she could recover her mental and physical balance, the ground heaved beneath her.

High priestess!
came a cry in her mind at the same time as the rock walls tumbled down from above.

Jaxi formed a barrier above her, a half second before Sardelle recovered her wits and added her own energy to the effort. Boulders slammed down, striking their invisible barrier and landing two feet above her head. She swallowed and gathered more energy, carefully adding layers to the shield as more rubble crashed down, trying to bury her alive.

And here you thought you had to be down in a mine for this to happen
, Jaxi said.

Even though the rocks continued to fall, blocking out the daylight as they surrounded the shield, Sardelle felt confident that nothing would get through.
Apparently, nowhere inside, atop, or next to a mountain is safe. Thank you for your fast reflexes.

You’re welcome.

The rockfall ended, and Sardelle stretched upward with her senses, checking how much of a pile had landed on her. Fortunately, only about five feet of rock had settled directly on her barrier, and only a few were large boulders.

It would have been enough to kill a person without power to draw upon
, Jaxi noted.
It looks like our sorceress didn’t want people following her.

Agreed on both counts
. Sardelle shoved some of the smaller rocks aside with her mind.
A few minutes, and we should see some light
.

Several of the large boulders flew away, slamming into what remained of one of the cliff walls with enough force that Sardelle had no problem hearing the rock shattering from within her prison.

That wasn’t me
, Jaxi said.

Light spilled in, and another huge boulder flew away.

Ah, Bhrava Saruth landed on top of the cliff up there. You can have a seat while he does the hard work.

Scrapes sounded, and a figure came into sight, silhouetted by the blue sky above. Therrik. He held Kasandral in one hand, and the tip brushed against her barrier. A backlash of power struck her like a rubber band shot to the eye, and her shield disappeared.

Most of the big rocks had been removed, but smaller ones tumbled down, and she gasped, raising her arms to protect herself. Jaxi growled into her mind.

Not certain about Therrik’s intentions—had that been an accident or an attack?—Sardelle worried more about him than the rubble. He was leaning in, and she tried to push him back with her mind, but with Kasandral in his grip, she could do nothing to him.

He loomed in close and wrapped his free hand around her forearm. He started to pull, but something slammed into him like one of those boulders. As he disappeared from her view, she glimpsed golden scales flashing past.

Sardelle clawed her way out of the rubble, coughing on dust and dashing grit out of her eyes with her sleeve. She stumbled into the water before she found her feet.

“I was
helping
her,” Therrik shouted.

He and Bhrava Saruth stood just outside of the canyon entrance—had the dragon’s attack thrown him that far? They faced each other like boxing combatants about to clash. Therrik held the sword and stared defiantly at Bhrava Saruth, who towered over him in his full dragon form.

You tried to stab her with that vile sword
, Bhrava Saruth shouted into their minds with so much power that Sardelle winced in pain.

He’s worse than the rocks
, Jaxi said.

“I was just holding it,” Therrik responded. “I thought that sorceress might be around.”

You tried to hit her.

“I did not.” Therrik truly sounded indignant. “I don’t
try
to hit people; if I want to hit them, I hit them.”

Though she felt battered and tired after the incident, Sardelle forced her feet into motion. She didn’t know what would happen if these two engaged in a real fight, and she did not want to find out.

“Bhrava Saruth?” She waved to get his attention as she approached. They were both so intent on each other, circling now, their bodies coiled for action, that she didn’t know if they would hear her. “I’m fine. It was an accident. Let’s not fight each other. We have a common enemy.”

It was
not
an accident
, Bhrava Saruth insisted.
That sword wants both of us dead. It whispers into his mind all the time.

“It doesn’t whisper—it growls. And I tell it to shut its metal yap.”

He does, actually,
Jaxi said.

Sardelle had reached the would-be combatants. Though she did not know how wise it was, she jogged out and stepped between them. She was tempted to draw Jaxi, since Kasandral glowed green and appeared ready for a fight, but she spread her arms instead. She
did
face Therrik and that sword, trusting Bhrava Saruth at her back far more than him.

Bhrava Saruth made a contented noise in her mind.

“If anyone’s suspicious, it’s
him
.” Therrik pointed the sword over Sardelle’s head, toward the dragon’s golden snout. “Why did he leave you when you thought there was a trap?”

I was triggering the more obvious trap
, Bhrava Saruth said.
They were well laid. I barely noticed them. This sorceress is skilled.

“More skilled than a dragon?” Therrik asked.

Of course not. I could make excellent traps, if I wished, but I have no desire to harm people. Even you, sword-wielder, unless you try to hurt my high priestess.

Bhrava Saruth settled onto his haunches and no longer appeared ready to spring into battle. Therrik still breathed heavily, the tendons in his neck standing out under his skin. His glare shifted from the dragon to the sword, and Sardelle took a couple of steps back, sensing that he was battling with
it
now.

Kasandral doesn’t want to be put back in his doghouse
, Jaxi said.

I wish there was a way to teach him who his enemies are—and who they aren’t.
Sardelle focused on the blade and whispered the calming control words with her mind.

Therrik growled and jerked his arm down. He sheathed Kasandral, and the green glow diminished. He looked sourly at Sardelle and Bhrava Saruth.

If he requests light again, I am prepared to give it to him,
Bhrava Saruth said, his voice quieter this time, just for her mind.

I don’t think he’ll make that mistake again.

Therrik looked into the canyon, where two rock piles now blocked the way. They could travel over them, but Sardelle liked her earlier idea of asking Bhrava Saruth to fly them to the other side, so long as Kasandral had calmed down enough to endure such close proximity to the dragon again.

“She set those traps to go off if someone was following her trail, right? She’s not in the area?” Therrik sounded disappointed. Kasandral wasn’t the only one dreaming of eviscerating a sorceress.

“I don’t think she’s here,” Sardelle said.

“But she was.”

“Yes.”

“So was he.” Therrik dug into his pocket and withdrew something. He spread his palm. A second button. That must have been what he was picking up down there.

Sardelle swallowed and accepted it, placing it in her pocket with the dragon figurine and the other button.

• • • • •

Cas finished draping the camo netting over her flier, then joined Pimples and Tylie on the ground. Phelistoth stood several paces away, now in human form, gazing up toward the trees. The boughs shifted. At first, Cas thought it was the wind, but trunks all around their little clearing groaned and tilted.