Taste of Darkness (An Avry of Kazan Novel - Book 3) (37 page)

Instead of a damp, cold cavern, warmth pulsed. A fire had been started and comfortable chairs set around it. In fact, the place had all the trappings of Tohon’s lavish tent. Most of the men followed us inside, but the ufas remained outside.

“Impressed?” Tohon asked.

“Yes. I’d like caves a lot more if they were all like this.”

He laughed. “Stick with me, my dear, and you’ll never have to sleep on the ground again.”

“If you’re giving me the choice, then I’ll take the ground.”

“And there’s the sarcasm. Good, I was getting worried.” Tohon yanked off his metal collar and tossed it aside.

When he approached me, I recognized the gleam in his eyes. I backed away until I bumped into the wall. He unhooked my collar and dropped it, and then removed the knit cap. Untying my bun, Tohon let my hair down. He placed his hands on either side of my head and leaned in as if to kiss me.

I ducked.

With a growl, he hauled me to my feet. “Cute.” He put his hand over my mouth and shoved my head back. Hard.

Pain exploded as my skull connected with the stone. He let go and I slid down. My vision blurred and the cave spun, but I held on to consciousness. I remained on the ground as Tohon settled in a chair and directed his men.

Soldiers arrived from time to time with news. Eventually the sharp pain dulled into a throb. I struggled into a sitting position.

One man ran into the cave and announced they were under attack.

Tohon huffed in amusement. “Under attack? With such a small force, it’s more like a nuisance than an attack.”

“But, sire. There are hundreds of them! Coming from all directions.”

Tohon hopped to his feet. “Details, now!”

The man explained, his words tumbling out with a rush. “They don’t look like Prince Ryne’s troops. They have strange curved blades and colorful sashes.”

Noak and his men! I suppressed a shout of joy.

“We have plenty of troops. Send them where they need to be,” Tohon ordered.

“Yes, sire.” The man bolted.

Tohon stormed over to me. “Did you know about this?”

“No.”

“They’re the tribesmen from the north. They’re supposed to be guarding the Milligreen Pass. My men confirmed it.”

I kept quiet.

He pulled me upright. “This changes nothing. I’ve over a thousand troops.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” The words slipped out without thought. Big mistake.

Fury blazed in his eyes. I braced for pain. Tohon didn’t disappoint. He wrapped his hands around my throat and his power slammed into me like a lightning bolt. I cried out as every inch of my body burned. Even my bones pulsed with an unrelenting pain.

Through the haze of torment, I struggled to counter his magic. To zap him back. I sensed the bond between us and used that to channel his onslaught into him.

He yelped and let go. “You dare attack me!”

“Vice versa, Tohon. You’re only hurting yourself.”

“The bond’s not complete yet. I can kill you without consequence.”

“Go ahead, test your theory.” Because of my little stunt, I’d strengthened the bond and I believed I’d take him with me.

But he was too smart to fall for the taunt. Tohon drew back to punch me. Howls pierced the air, stopping him. His ufa pack had sounded a warning. He hustled to his guards, barking orders. They raced outside.

I sank down. No sense getting my hopes up. Noak and Kerrick would target Tohon’s tent and find fake Avry. Would they even think to look beyond the camp’s boundaries? And then I caught that elusive bit of memory triggered by the chill before I’d entered the cave. Had Noak spotted me? The brush of cold matched when he’d used his magic on me at the infirmary. Or was I indulging in more wishful thinking?

More howls and a yelp echoed off the cavern’s walls. Then a ruckus sounded and a knot of guards wrestled with a struggling man. They threw him to the ground.

Kerrick! Oh, no. I hopped to my feet. Blood and gore stained his torn clothes. Was that an ufa bite on his arm? His ashen face was lined with strain as he sucked in gulps of air. It must have been an immense effort for him to be here.

Once he met my gaze, he relaxed and remained on the floor of the cave. The guards handed Tohon his dadao. Black ichor coated the blade.

Tohon held up the weapon in triumph. “Perfect. Did he attack the tent?” Tohon asked one of his guards.

“No, sire, he came after the ufas.”

Tohon turned a contemplative gaze on me. “How did he know?”

“We share a bond, as well,” I said.

“It’s too weak. You’ve been too busy splitting up and playing heroes. Besides, I imprinted on you before him, my dear.”

Kerrick pushed up on an elbow. “Imprinted?”

Tohon’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, yes. When Avry and I first met. While you were still being Mr. Stony Silence.” He hefted the dadao and approached Kerrick.

“No,” I shouted and flew between them. “You can’t kill him or we’ll all die.”

“Nonsense,” Tohon said.

“Kerrick and I imprinted before I met you. He saved my life when I healed Belen. Kept me from dying.”

An ufa howled. Then growls and yelps filled the air. Tohon gestured to his men to investigate before shoving me aside. He knelt next to Kerrick and grabbed his throat.

“You lied again, my dear. He’s bonded to the forest and not you. And now I’ll pluck—

I yelled and plowed into Tohon, knocking him over. We rolled, but he ended up on top, pinning me to the ground.

“Sire?” A guard cleared his throat.

Tohon’s anger transferred to the interrupter. But then he smiled. He stood and smoothed his shirt. I glanced up. Noak and Flea stood amid a clump of guards. A pack of dead ufas slinked inside, surrounding them all.

It appeared Noak and Flea had been captured. I doubted they would be prisoners for long. I slid over to Kerrick. He gave me a weak grin and unlocked my bindings. I wiggled free.

“Report,” Tohon said.

“We caught these two trying to sneak in here.”

“I do not sneak,” Noak said, sounding affronted.

The guard blanched even though he held Noak’s huge dadao.

“Ah, the ice giant and a boy,” Tohon said. Then his good humor disappeared. “You’re Flea.”

“Yes. And I’m tired of being called a boy.” Flea touched the guard closest to him and froze him in a magical stasis.

“Trap his hands,” Tohon shouted.

But it was too late. Noak moved, knocking guards flat before they could reach Flea.

“Attack,” Tohon ordered the dead ufas.

They didn’t move.

“Protect,” Flea said, and the pack turned to join the fight.

Way to go, Flea! He must have touched them all and transferred their loyalty to him. Too bad we hadn’t figured that out sooner.

Desperate, Tohon darted in and reached for Noak’s bare arm.

“Noak, watch out,” I yelled, scrambling to my feet. I ran.

Tohon clamped onto Noak’s forearm just as I grabbed Tohon’s wrist. Magic exploded around us. Ice, pain, and fire mixed.

“Back off,” Tohon said. His voice cracked with strain.

“You first,” I said.

“Let go, or I’ll kill him,” Tohon puffed.

“No.”

Tohon tugged at Noak’s life. Not if I could help it! I held his life force in place with all my strength. We struggled without sound.

Kerrick hovered at the edges.

“Do it,” Noak ordered.

“Will it kill her?” Kerrick asked.

I met Noak’s gaze. Pained uncertainty.

But not for me. I knew what needed to be done. “No. Do it now, I’m fading fast.”

A swoosh and a flash of light off a wide curved blade. The sharp edge of the dadao sliced right through Tohon’s neck, decapitating him.

A wall of energy slammed into me, shattering all thought.

Destroying all sensation.

Erasing all life.

KERRICK

He kept a vigil by the Peace Lily, refusing to budge. He stayed there day after day after day. Flea and Noak gave him the strength to physically survive the winter, fighting off the desire to go dormant. The monkeys and Belen provided company. They took turns while they chased down the rest of Tohon’s dead troops. The living soldiers quickly surrendered after Tohon’s death, relieved to be finished with the fighting. Noak and his warriors returned to their positions near the Milligreen Pass, planning to surprise Cellina and her troops when they crossed into Pomyt Realm in the spring. With Estrid locked behind her borders, the war would truly be over.

Emotions twisted inside him. Fury that Avry had lied to him. Utter grief that Tohon had taken her with him. If the Lily didn’t save her, he planned to join her. Of course, he wouldn’t share that desire with anyone or they’d never leave him alone.

Instead, he chatted and learned what else had happened the night of the attack. Quain and Loren’s story provided the most entertainment.

“We retreated into the tunnels, leading the dead on a merry chase,” Quain said.

“Beau showed us a shaft that looped around and half of us got in behind them,” Loren said.

“Yeah, then it was just a matter of time.” Quain snapped his fingers.

“What about the guards waiting outside the shaft?” Kerrick asked.

“Child’s play.”

“Uh-huh. I heard one of Noak’s teams had to rescue you,” Kerrick said.

“We were fine, they
assisted.
”

“And we did our job. Well, sort of.” Loren added another log to the fire. “I did put an arrow through Tohon’s heart. Wrong Tohon, but for a moment it felt very fine.”

“How did you know they weren’t in the tent?” Quain asked Kerrick.

“Noak spotted Avry going into the cave. The rescue went as planned, except...”

They all glanced at the Peace Lily.

Except.

When Belen joined Kerrick one evening a couple weeks after the attack, Belen shooed the monkeys away. Something was up.

“Prince Ryne is here and he wishes to speak to you,” Belen said.

Kerrick just stared at Belen.

“Don’t be like that. He didn’t know what would happen to Avry.”

“Don’t make excuses for him. He was well aware of what would happen.”

“Will you talk to him? Please?”

He could never resist that look. “Only if you stay with us.”

“Why?”

“So I don’t kill him.”

“Good reason.” Belen left and returned with Ryne.

The prince was smart to tread carefully. Instead of jumping right into the night Avry died, he filled Kerrick in on a few bits of good news. Softening him up, Kerrick thought sourly.

“I’ve received a message from Alga. Your brother and great-aunt are fine, and she says if you don’t visit soon, you’ll be in
big
trouble—her words exactly.” Ryne gave him a wry smile. “From the impression she made on the messenger, she sounds like a formidable woman, one you don’t want to disobey.”

“She is,” Kerrick said. Avry would have loved her.

“I sent a battalion to Tohon’s castle in Sogra and rescued Zila. She’s in perfect health and with Danny now. He wishes to wait until Noak returns to decide what they’ll do next.”

“What if Cellina gets word of Tohon’s defeat and doesn’t cross the pass?” Belen asked. “Her troops could cause a bunch of trouble for the people living in Ivdel and Alga Realms.”

“I’m sending a battalion over the main pass, so we’ll block her if she decides to retreat. Either way, we’ll stop her.”

“Stop her or kill her?” Belen asked.

“Depends if she surrenders or not. I’m not executing my enemies. The Skeleton King was a prisoner of war until he died from the plague.”

Guess he didn’t ingest enough of Avry’s blood. Good. It saved Kerrick from ripping him apart for torturing Avry. He glanced at the Peace Lily.
Come back, Avry, please.

“What about the dead soldiers?” Belen ran a hand over his scar.

“Flea’s been helping corral them. We’ll prick them with toxin and give them a proper burial.”

“And the Skeleton King’s army?” Kerrick asked.

Ryne grimaced. “Most of them are highly...unstable. I’m still working on how to integrate them into peaceful society.”

Kerrick huffed. “Good luck with that.”

“We have a million details to settle and I’m coordinating with all the surviving leaders to reestablish the Fifteen Realms. That’s one of the reasons I wish to talk to you.” Ryne steeled himself. “Since your brother is King of Alga, I wanted to offer you Sogra Realm. We need a strong leader there with experience. You can change the name of the realm. Tear down Tohon’s castle and build your own in the woods. Whatever you’d like. Please, think about it. I don’t need an answer right away.”

Once the shock wore off, fury filled the hollow gaps inside him. How dare he—

Belen put a hand on his shoulder. “Easy. You need to think beyond your grief. And you know the monkeys and I will be there with you.”

Pain burned deep in the pit of his soul, unrelenting. Belen didn’t believe she’d return. That seemed a worse betrayal than Ryne’s.

“Kerrick, I’m very sorry about Avry. I knew about the growing bond, but I’d truly thought it wasn’t that strong. I thought she had more time.”

By pure force of will, Kerrick remained sitting. Hard to believe Ryne didn’t know how close she’d gotten to Tohon. Hard not to believe he had planned this from the beginning. Instead of throttling Ryne, Kerrick asked, “Why did you let Avry get taken by Wynn and Sepp?”

“I needed more time for Noak and his army to get into position. Tohon wouldn’t have believed a rumor Noak was at the Milligreen Pass or Avry’s dreams. He needed to have it confirmed by a trusted officer. Once he knew about Noak, I’d hoped Tohon would go after the Skeleton King’s forces in the south to rescue Avry, but he stayed at the Healer’s Guild.” Ryne raised his hands as if surrendering. “I know I’m horrible for using Avry. But she was Tohon’s only weakness.”

A smart plan, except...

Except.

“I’ll think about it,” Kerrick said, hoping that would get rid of Ryne faster.

It didn’t.

Ryne talked about fixing all the problems the war and plague had left behind; returning the Fifteen Realms to its prior health would take years and years of hard work and dedication. Kerrick didn’t listen, letting Belen ask questions. Instead, he wondered how long.

How long would the Peace Lily keep Avry? Before, the flower had spit her out soon after she died. So far, it had been twenty-five days. To stop the panic, he focused on Flea. A Peace Lily had held Flea for close to six months.

Grief clamped down on his heart when he remembered Avry’s limp body and cold, dead eyes. They’d found the Lily map in her pack. Noak had scooped her up and Flea had led him to the closest Lily patch. At that time, Kerrick had been too weak to stand. He still remained sluggish and tired. What kind of leader would he make when he’d have to fight to remain conscious every winter?

Besides, life had no appeal without Avry.

How long would he wait for her? Growing in this cluster, there were four Peace Lilys, and a few yards away was one Death Lily. The yellow-and-orange firelight flickered on its white petals. Kerrick had memorized the contours of that Lily.

“...new realm should be called Avry Realm,” Belen said.

Wary, Ryne stared at Kerrick. If anyone else had said that, Kerrick would have pounded him. But not Belen. Only Belen could get away with those type of comments.

“You should call it the Realm of Belen and make Belen king,” Kerrick said.

Belen shook his head. “Oh, no, I’m not a leader. I’m well suited for the role of loyal support personnel. Last time I had to make a decision I got my head bashed in.”

“It’s a good thing you have such a thick skull,” Ryne teased.

“Avry wouldn’t want it named after her,” Kerrick said in a low voice. “She never liked that type of attention. She’d argue to name it after her sister, Noelle, or... What was that one sergeant’s name that you hunted the dead with?”

“Ursan,” Belen said.

“Ursan, or her teacher, Tara.”

“You can only name the realm if you take the job,” Ryne said.

Kerrick stared at him.

“That doesn’t work on me. I know you too well.”

“Avry would have wanted to build a place for healers to learn,” Belen said. “Maybe you could build another guild for Zila and Danny in the new realm.”

Now Kerrick turned his ire on Belen.

Unimpressed, the big man smiled. “You can call it the Realm of Healing, or the Healer’s Realm.... No, I like the first one better.”

Ryne stood. “Think about it. I know you need time to... We all do. You’re not the only one missing her. And you know she’d be furious at you if you did anything stupid. Just think of what you’d want her to do if your roles were reversed.”

He fisted his hands, but kept them pressed to his legs. “Our roles
were
reversed. I was presumed dead and she refused to believe it. She didn’t give up.”

“But she did move on.” Ryne gazed at the fire for a moment. “I’ll be at the old Healer’s Guild for the next couple days. Then I’m traveling to Mengels to meet with the other realm leaders. It’s a central location and Mom offered to lodge and feed us. For a fee, of course.”

“It’ll be worth every coin,” Belen said.

Ryne patted his stomach. “And every pound, I’m sure.” Then he said goodbye and left.

Belen grew unusually quiet.

Kerrick cursed Ryne under his breath because he knew exactly what his friend was thinking. “No. I’m not going to do anything...rash.”

“But you were considering it?” Belen asked.

“Yes.”

“Did Ryne change your mind?”

“No.”

Belen waited. He’d learned that trick from Kerrick, which made it even more infuriating.

Kerrick stabbed the fire with a stick. Sparks flew into the air. “Avry did. By her own actions. She refused to give up on me, so I won’t give up on her. Happy?”

“Happier. But not happy.”

Belen’s comment pierced his hard shell of grief. They all suffered.

Loren and Quain returned to the campfire and soon Flea joined them. He’d just gotten back from a dead sweep in Vyg. They noticed a shift in mood right away. Flea gave Belen a questioning look, but Poppa Bear shook his head. Belen would tell them everything later.

They talked about random, unimportant things like the quality of the whiskey from a local farm and how the dadao’s blade had been made with a metal similar to the liquid metal mined under the Nine Mountains. They joked.

Until Quain went too far. “Are you sure Avry’s still in there? Maybe she slipped out the back door and is playing dead again.”

Loren swatted him on the arm. “It’s a flower, there’s no back door.”

“Back petal, whatever. You know what I mean.”

“Why would she do that? The war’s over. Think before you speak, Quain.”

“She’s there,” Flea said in a quiet tone. “I watched Noak. And the Lily took her right away.” He met Kerrick’s gaze. “That counts for something. She wasn’t rejected.”

True. Kerrick studied the Peace Lily. He’d wait until spring arrived in a month. Then he’d decide his next move.