Witch Queen (10 page)

“But maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll just keep you
alive long enough for the wild boars and vultures to feed on you
slowly.”

I smiled as I saw a flicker of fear in his
eye.

I bared my teeth. “Tell me or I swear to the
Creator and the Goddess that I will pluck your eye out and watch as
you wither away and die, screaming in agony. I don’t mind. I have
all night. I can wait. You don’t have much longer. But I will keep
you alive for as long as I can, so that you die screaming the name
of your mommy.”

“Tell her,” ordered Will, stepping next to
me. “Or I’m going to help feed you to the boars myself. Boars can
smell the scent of blood for miles. They’ll be here soon. Tell her,
and we’ll end it quickly. We can give you a warrior’s death.”

It was good to feel Will’s camaraderie once
again, but my reassurance faded when the Romilian spoke again.

“The high priest of Romila told us,” the
man’s breath was ragged, but I could still hear the sneer in his
voice. “… that it was the will of the temple, of the Creator, that
you should die.” He smiled at the alarm in my eyes. “His eminence
said that the Creator would spare all of our families from the
black plague,” he paused, waiting for my full attention, “but only
if
we brought him back the head of the witch skilled with a
blade.”

“Horseshit,” said Lucas as he wiped blood
from his face with a stained cloth. But I could see he realized the
implications of what the Romilian had just said.

The high priests had put a bounty on my
head. Our quest had just become ten times more dangerous.

I stood up on shaky legs, my sword heavy in
my hands.

“What else?” I growled.

The Romilian hacked suddenly in an attempt
to a laugh, but it sounded more like the wheezing of a dying
animal.

“Everyone is looking for you, witch.” Blood
and spit spilled from the corners of his mouth.

“Every kingdom and every city in all of
Arcania…all looking to kill…the fair witch skilled with a blade.
You will never be safe again. You
are
the bringer of death.
And only when you are dead will the lands be cured. The Creator
will make it so. You need to die so that the world can be bright
again.”

He laughed, a sick wet laugh that made the
hairs on my arms stand up. “To save the world…the witch needs to
die.”

The Romilian’s laugh was cut short as
Nugar’s axe sliced through the man’s neck. His head rolled from the
bloodied stump, but his smile remained on his face. And even as the
blood spilled from the dead man’s neck, I could hear his voice
ringing in my ears.

To save the world…the witch needs to
die.

CHAPTER 8

W
E BURIED GARRICK AT the top of a
grassy knoll as the sun rose. A proper and traditional burial would
have been to burn him, so that his soul could reach up into the
heavens to reside with the Creator and find peace in the afterlife.
But we couldn’t risk a fire that would give our position away.

It was common belief that if the deceased
was not buried and provided for properly, he could then visit the
bereaved as a demon that would torment their families forever. A
fire and the smell of smoke would only give out our location to the
hordes of angry and desperate people looking to kill me. And though
we’d all agreed to bury Garrick, I could see that the men struggled
to shed the beliefs they had held since they were children.

Rose had always let me question my own
beliefs. She was never one to side with the priests, or with any
religion for that matter. Rose believed the Creator was in all
things, and one could have faith in a higher power in your heart,
in your soul. She’d always told me that one could be spiritual
without being religious. I’d never quite truly understood what
she’d meant until I’d seen the evil perpetrated by the priests in
the name of religion. My beliefs trusted more and more in Mother
Earth, in the Goddess and her own magic.

Although I didn’t say it to the men, after
we’d buried Garrick, and we’d all made silent prayers for his soul
and his travels in the afterlife, I felt a whisper of wind on my
cheek as though the Goddess herself was telling me that she would
watch over the young lad.

Max took Garrick’s death the worst. He’d
taken it upon himself to dig Garrick’s grave alone, like some sort
of punishment. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d somehow convinced
the young lad to come on this journey, or maybe he’d told him that
he’d keep him safe. After the burial Max had withdrawn. He was
obviously fighting an internal battle, and it looked as if anything
would set him off. I made a mental note not to piss him off.

But I couldn’t stop blaming myself for
Garrick’s death. He shouldn’t have come.

As we packed our things and made to leave, I
couldn’t help but feel exposed out in the open. We hadn’t met any
travellers or merchants, which was strange for this time of year.
They’d usually be off selling their goods and stocking up before
winter set in.

The road was too quiet, too desolate, wrong.
The forests were dense with giant Anglian pines and thick walls of
spruce trees, but the Romilians had found us easily, even in the
dark. We were nearing their border. I knew that more of them would
be hunting for me. There were only six of us, and if another group
of skilled warriors like the ones we faced last night found us,
they’d slaughter us all.

The pounding of our horses’ hooves on the
dirt road could be heard for miles. We were being careless. In our
grief, we had forgotten to think.
I
had forgotten to think.
I began to feel anxious. We couldn’t keep on the main road and ride
into Romila. We had to find another way.

I pulled out my map.

“We should get off the main road,” I said.
This was my quest, and I needed to lead. Now that I’d had a glimpse
and suffered what it was like to lose an innocent, I wouldn’t be so
careless with their lives again.

“We can’t ride into Romila like this, so
exposed. No one else is on the road, and we’ll draw too much
attention. After what happened last night, more will be looking for
us,” I said and then added, “…looking for me.”

I watched as the men all nodded in a silent
agreement. A few of them caught my eye, but most of them still
stared away. I peered at my map more closely.

“There’ll be lots more looking for us,
possibly even Girmanians, so we need to stick to the shadows, to
the roads less traveled. I can’t see any other roads leading into
Romila this far north. There’s another road four days south from
here, but it’s through a wide plain, and I don’t want to take that
chance of being spotted. Does anyone know of another road we can
use? One that the horses can use as well?”

We couldn’t risk the horses’ lives. We
wouldn’t reach Witchdom without them.

“I’ve heard of one.”

I looked up from my map, and we all peered
at Nugar. I couldn’t hide my surprise. He looked as if he’d
challenge anyone who doubted him, and he cocked his head to the
north.

“It’s a path used for black market traders.
I know it’s been used for years to avoid paying taxes to those
bastard priests.”

My spirits lifted at the possibility of a
secret road.

“You said you’ve
heard
of it. So
you’ve never used it before?”

“No.”

I glanced at my map again, but Nugar said,
“You won’t find it on that map of yours. It’s not on any map. But I
know it’s there.” He paused for a moment. “We just have to find
it.”

“He’s right,” said Leo, rubbing his temples.
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of using it before.”

I frowned. “You’ve heard of this road
too?”

My voice rose, and I didn’t care about
hiding my frustration.

Leo nodded. “Yes. Jon even used it, but I
never did.”

My heart did a somersault at the mention of
Jon’s name. As I fought to calm my feelings, I saw a softness in
Leo’s eyes before he became all business again. He clearly
understood my feelings for Jon.

“For years, trade between Anglia and Romila
had been tricky due to the increasing food taxes,” he continued. “I
didn’t think of it before because it’s bordered by rough terrain
and thick forests. I didn’t think the horses could make the
journey. But with what happened yesterday, I don’t think we have
much of a choice.”

“I know,” I said, still glancing at the map.
I knew there was no other way.

“I think it’s worth the risk.”

From Nugar and Leo’s description, this road
had been operational since long before I was born, and possibly
even before the arrival of the priests. It had certainly been kept
hidden from them.

“So if this road is still being used…how
busy do you suppose it is now?” I asked. “We can’t rule out the
possibility that the black market has heard that the priests want
me dead. I doubt that anything goes on without the lords of the
black market knowing. I’d want to know everything, if I were
them.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” said Leo. “We’ll
just have to be careful.”

I couldn’t forget that any road itself might
prove to be dangerous as well. Still, a secret road was far less
dangerous than venturing into uncharted Romilian territory. I was
concerned that the high priests would already have bribed the black
market traders with gold. There could well be a price on my head;
no matter what road we took.

Although I was still anxious, I knew a
decision had to be made.

“So it’s settled. We’ll use the black market
road. It’s not ideal, but it’s the only thing we’ve got.”

I looked to the sky. The sun was right above
us. Our shadows were short, but slowly growing eastwards. “It’s a
few hours past high sun. We should get going then.”

“We could travel by night?” ventured Will.
His face was free of a scowl for the first time in days, and his
beard made him appear older.

“There isn’t enough shrubbery here to
provide good cover. It’ll be safer for us to travel at night and
then rest in the morning. It’ll be slow but safer.”

I shook my head. “No.”

I looked up. Will was watching me, but
instead of scowling at me in doubt, he was looking to me for
answers, like he would have looked to Jon.

I swallowed hard and steadied my voice. “If
this road is as treacherous and dangerous as you all say, we can’t
risk hurting the horses by traveling at night. We can’t reach
Witchdom without them, so we’ll have to travel by day.”

I looked to Leo and Nugar.

“How far are we from this road?”

“Maybe ten, fifteen miles.” Nugar tapped his
fingers on the handle of his battle-axe for a moment, debating. “I
know it crosses the northern part of the Romilian border.”

“We’re close.” Leo looked at me, eyebrows
raised to show that he understood my concern about keeping the
horses safe. “If we leave now we can probably make it in about two
hours.”

I turned my gaze towards the thick shrubbery
and unforgiving terrain to the north. I couldn’t see more than
about thirty yards into the dense woods. There was no clearing and
no path. It was a labyrinth of dark forest. Even the most
experienced tracker could get lost. I had a bad feeling about
this.

“Can you find this road?”

“What choice do we have?” Nugar stared at me
without expression. “I’ll find it.”

He turned and made his way towards his
horse.

I knew Nugar was right. We didn’t have any
other options, but I couldn’t help but feel an icy foreboding.

I followed the others to the horses in
silence, trying to calm my nerves. The men were tense and silent,
too, and it soothed my own anxieties to see that I wasn’t the only
one concerned about venturing into the thick wall of woods.

We tied Garrick’s horse to Max’s and piled
it up with supplies. The horses had been spooked by the attack last
night, and I whispered gently into Torak’s ears in an attempt to
calm him. He leaned his head against my shoulder as I rubbed his
neck, and I tucked my face into his soft velvety fur. The big
strong warhorse made me feel safe. And I trusted him more than I
trusted the men.

As I ran my fingers through Torak’s mane,
his head snapped up, and his ears twitched. I followed his line of
sight just as I heard the unmistakable sound of hooves in the
distance. My breath caught as the powerful pounding of horses’
hooves echoed from across the main road, getting louder and louder.
I felt the tremor in my boots that beat in time with my heart.

A dozen riders were coming up fast on the
eastbound road. Their black cloaks rippled behind them like wings,
and they rode great black warhorses like Torak. Standing out
against the black of their uniforms were large golden suns.

“Temple guards,” growled Will.

His hand was on the hilt of his sword. There
was a flurry of motion as the others drew their weapons. Their
expressions hardened at the sight of the advancing legion.