Taste of Darkness

by Maria V. Snyder

  More shuffling sounded nearby. I murmured and rolled over as if still asleep, managing to free my hands from the blanket. If I touched skin, I could defend myself. Too bad I’d left my stiletto in my pack.

  After several minutes the slide step of boots resumed. Fear churned in my stomach, but I resisted the urge to tense my muscles. Two, maybe three people approached. Risking another peek, I spotted a black figure nearby.

  I counted the steps. One. Two. Three. I surged to my feet and lunged for the closest figure, wrapping my hands around my attacker’s thick neck. A good idea, except he wore a hood that also protected his throat. In fact, the man was completely covered. Other than a thin slit for his eyes, no skin showed.

  Not that it mattered now that I’d lost the element of surprise. His companions pulled me off him. I struggled and shouted for help until one of them pressed a sweet-smelling cloth over my face.

  The cave spun as the sticky odor invaded my nose. My muscles turned to liquid and I giggled.

  “Take her out,” the man said. “I’ll make sure no one follows.”

  Scary words, but I didn’t care. Instead, I marveled as I floated over the floor. If only they’d release me, I’d fly to the ceiling. We left the cavern and snaked through the cave. Lanterns hung along the walls, casting a sickly yellow glow.

  “Wow, good thinking,” I said to my captors. “Using the back entrance. Did Wynn tell you to do that?”

  They ignored me.

  I tsked. “Didn’t your mothers teach you any manners?”

  We kept moving.

  “Phew! What stinks?”

  They shushed me, which just made me shout louder. Finally a gloved hand clamped over my mouth. My head cleared by the time we neared the back exit. Fear returned full force. Even though I dragged my feet and fought, our pace never slowed.

  Panicked, I increased my efforts despite the pain in my ribs.

  Nothing worked. They had me in a firm grip and weren’t letting go.

  CHAPTER 4

  Fresh air brushed my sweaty forehead and cleared the stink of the privy from my nostrils. Normally welcomed, fresh air in this case meant my chances of rescue decreased. Still held tight, I’d stopped struggling as the two men dragged me out the back entrance of the cave. My efforts to escape hadn’t made any difference, so I’d decided to save my strength for later. If there was a later. Fear pulsed through me.

  They halted to let their eyes adjust in the predawn light. Four others waited for us. All wearing black clothing and hoods that exposed no skin, like my captors. The three soldiers who had been stationed to guard the cave lay on the ground. Knocked unconscious and not dead, I hoped.

  “This way,” one said, gesturing. “Quickly.”

  We followed. After a few steps, the trees rustled. Thuds followed curses and yells. The two holding me fell forward, pushing me down as something heavy landed on top of us. Pain ringed my chest and all my breath whooshed out.

  More cries sounded before the weight lifted off my back. I curled into a ball, gasping for air. Once my noisy inhalations eased, other noises of a scuffle reached me.

  “Area secured,” a voice said.

  “Send a team to sweep the cave,” another ordered.

  “What’s the status on the frontal assault?” a familiar voice asked.

  Odd? I sat up, wiping dirt from my face. Odd stood amid a group of soldiers.

  “The remaining ambushers have retreated. Should we give chase, Sergeant?”

  Odd glanced at me. “No. Join the others and help with the evacuation.”

  Evacuation? I struggled to my feet.

  Odd helped me stand. He pulled a leaf from my hair. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. Thanks. What’s—”

  “I’ll explain later. Come on.” He sheathed his sword and strode away.

  I didn’t follow.

  Odd stopped. “You’re a target, Avry. We need to get you to a more secured location.”

  “And I need my boots and pack.” The rising sun wouldn’t dispel the cold air until much later.

  “Prince Ryne ordered—”

  “I don’t care.”

  “You should. If it wasn’t for him, my squad wouldn’t have been here to rescue you.”

  Interesting. “How long have you been here?” I asked.

  “A couple days. He suspected Cellina would send a unit after you.”

  “So you allowed them inside the cave?” Had I been used for another one of Ryne’s tactics?

  “Uh...” He rubbed a hand over his face.

  And that would be a yes. I waited.

  “Prince Ryne wanted us to make sure they—”

  Refusing to listen to the rest, I checked on the three soldiers who’d been guarding the cave. All alive, but with nasty bumps on their heads. Relieved, I called over a handful of soldiers and asked them to carry the men inside. They looked at Odd for permission. He fisted his hands, but then nodded.

  I headed into the cave and almost ran into the monkeys and Flea.

  “Told you,” Flea said. “I knew she wouldn’t leave.”

  “Why would I leave?” I asked.

  “For your safety.” Loren glanced at Odd looming behind me.

  I rounded on Loren. “So you knew about this, too?”

  “Only since one of his men informed us of their plans.”

  “When was this?” I demanded.

  “About five minutes ago.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  “You should still go.” Quain held my pack and boots out.

  “Not until I make sure my patients are in good shape to travel.”

  “They are. You know that, Avry,” Flea said.

  And he knew it, too. Shoot. No one else had their packs. “What about you guys?”

  “We’ll help with the evacuation and meet you at the new site,” Loren said.

  “Fine.” I snatched my stuff from Quain. Sitting down, I yanked on my boots then stood. I gave each of them a stern look. “You be extra careful. Okay?”

  They nodded.

  “And keep Flea close.”

  “Hey,” Flea protested.

  But the monkeys promised.

  Before I left, I pulled Flea aside. “After everyone’s packed up, can you leave a note behind?”

  “For...Kerrick?”

  I nodded. “Just in case.”

  “Yeah. I’ll use our old signals from back when we were searching for you.” Flea gave me a wry smile. “Never thought I’d miss those days.”

  I hugged him then followed Odd. His odd squad fanned out around us. As soon as we entered the trees, we all matched our gaits to the sounds of the forest, going silent.

  As I recalled the attack, a hundred questions bubbled up my throat, but I only asked one when we stopped for a break. “Did you jackknife the ambushers?”

  Odd grinned. “Yes. Seemed the best strategy. We had a few men on the ground as well because there was no guarantee they would have crossed under our trees.”

  “Ursan would be proud.” That had been his squad’s signature move, jumping down on the unsuspecting enemy from a tree limb high above. They had earned the nickname the jumping jacks.

  “I don’t know. I think he’d be mad we stole his idea. Although...” He gazed at me. “He’d be glad our mission was a success.”

  “And how exactly did you determine that?” I kept my tone neutral.

  “Since they went after you, we now know Cellina plans to heal Tohon. According to Prince Ryne, that knowledge is important and will help him.”

  “Lovely.”

  “I don’t know why you’re being so pissy about this. You weren’t in any real danger. We were there the entire time. Plus Cellina needs you alive. That should make you feel bet
ter.”

  It didn’t. But Odd had been acting under orders. No need to vent my annoyance with Ryne on him. Instead, I asked about our destination.

  “HQ.”

  A surprise. “Not the new infirmary site?”

  “Not yet.” Odd kept his gaze on the ground.

  Not the best liar, Odd was hiding something. I considered. Pulling out my Lily map, I unfolded it. “Where is HQ?”

  He pointed to a spot a couple days northeast of our location. We’d pass close enough to a Lily cluster to check for Death Lilys and possibly harvest its toxin. It was also outside the area we’d searched for Kerrick, so there’d be new ground to cover. And once we reached HQ, I would get to be pissy to Ryne in person.

  A bright side after all.

  * * *

  Clouds covered the sky on the first day of autumn. A damp breeze rustled the leaves, sending a few spiraling to the ground. Most of the surrounding forest remained green, but a brush of yellows, orange, and reds tipped the trees.

  Before leaving our camp, I touched the ground, pressing my palm to the cool soil.

  Come on, Kerrick. Where are you?

  No response. Not even a faint tingle. I closed my eyes as grief escaped the tight knot inside me, expanding like a bubble, threatening to overwhelm all my senses.

  “Avry, you okay?” Odd asked.

  “Give me a moment.” My voice cracked.

  Instead of moving away, Odd sat next to me. “Ursan used to tell us not to get romantically involved with anyone who fought beside you. It caused too many problems.”

  Opening my eyes, I glanced at Odd. Was he trying to upset me more? Or was he referring to his relationship with Wynn?

  His distant gaze peered into the past. “If you look at it logically, Ursan was right. It’s dangerous to be a soldier—the chances of being killed are high. Plus you fight differently because you care more about another than yourself. And you take more risks to be together.”

  I waited.

  “I don’t think Ursan ever found that...person.”

  “Person?” The word sounded unemotional.

  “Yeah. That person you’ll break the rules for. That person who is worth dealing with all those problems for. That person who’s worth fighting for.”

  Oh. “That’s a shame. Everyone should find their...person.” And was he implying I should be happy that I’d found mine? That at least I hadn’t died without ever meeting him?

  Odd looked at me. “Do you think there is more than one person for everyone?”

  “Right now, I’d say no. But in five or ten years...I might feel different. You?”

  “I’m going to remain hopeful. Otherwise the future looks pretty bleak.”

  I mulled over his comments. “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”

  “Did it?”

  “I guess a little.”

  “I think it helped me, too.” He ran his hands over the ground. “Something about being in the forest reminds me of Ursan. Don’t know why.” Odd stood and brushed his fingers on his pants. The dirt blended with his fatigues. “We’d better get moving. The detour to the Lily patch is going to add a few hours to our trip.”

  Stopping by the cluster of Lilys ended up being a good idea. Two Death Lilys grew among eight Peace Lilys—the largest cluster I’d seen in this part of Pomyt Realm. I harvested four toxin sacks and placed them in my pack.

  Odd watched me from a safe distance.

  When I joined him, he said, “The corn fields in Ryazan Realm had been abandoned during the plague years. The last time I saw them, the Lilys had taken over. Hundreds of acres full of Lilys. If we run out of toxin, we could travel south. We shouldn’t run into any problems cutting through Tobory Realm.”

  “It would depend on how far east Cellina’s army is. With Estrid...neutralized and most of her soldiers fighting for Ryne, Cellina could push all the way through Pomyt and into Ozero and Tobory with little to no resistance.”

  “True, but it’s only been a couple weeks since they invaded Zabin.”

  Just a couple weeks? It felt like years. “And don’t forget Jael. The last time I saw her, she was heading south.” The air magician had tried to either kill me or use me a number of times. I’d be happy never to see Jael again.

  “General Jael’s scared and on the run,” Odd said. “She bugged out before Tohon was neutralized. Unless she finds out what happened, she’ll stay far away.”

  Not the way I’d describe her. Cunning, smart, and power hungry would be closer to the Jael I’d encountered. When she’d realized Estrid couldn’t stop Tohon, she’d made a tactical decision to escape his trap, abandoning the army that she’d led. I suspected Jael had big plans and would return. Oh, joy.

  “We can suggest a trip south to Ryne and see what the master strategist thinks,” I said with just a trace of sarcasm.

  “Can’t wait.” Odd’s tone matched mine.

  We arrived at HQ the next day. Bracing for another dank cave, I paused when we reached the outskirts of a tiny town. Amazed it hadn’t burned down during the plague years, I scanned the area. At the town’s heart stood a sprawling two-story-high factory, surrounded by a handful of houses and stables. The place appeared abandoned, but I spotted a few guards tucked among the buildings. As we walked toward the center, we passed a single bathhouse and inn. At least I wouldn’t be sleeping on the ground tonight.

  “Place is called Victibus,” Odd said. “Named after the family who owned the only business in town.” He gestured to the factory.

  Faded letters on the side of the building spelled out Victibus Mining Company.

  The door opened before we reached it. Two soldiers stepped out with swords in hand and questioned us.

  Odd answered. “Sergeant Oddvar and the odd squad returning from a retrieval mission.”

  Annoyed, I glanced at Odd. “I’m the retrieved?”

  “Was your mission a success, Sergeant?” one guard asked.

  “That’s debatable, Private.”

  “Hey.” I swatted Odd’s arm.

  “I see,” the private said, ushering us inside. “I’ll let Prince Ryne know you’ve returned. Wait here.”

  We stood in a typical reception area complete with an area rug, desk, and chairs. Surprising, since the towns that hadn’t burned down had been looted by the plague survivors.

  I perched on the edge of one of the wooden chairs. “I hope this isn’t the only entrance.”

  “Don’t worry, there are other ways out,” Odd said with a gleam in his eyes.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “You’ll see.”

  I muttered under my breath, but Odd ignored me. Soon enough, the private returned and escorted us inside. Tall machinery occupied the main area, with screens and conveyor belts connecting them. Piles of rocks littered the floor. Some reached as high as the metal roof. I put the clues together and guessed Victibus had mined some type of stone and used this equipment to break it into smaller pieces.

  After we passed the machinery, we headed to an open area where tables had been assembled and maps spread out over them. A number of soldiers surrounded the conference tables and Ryne bent over a map. So this was HQ. Not very impressive.

  When Ryne noticed us, he gestured us closer. Wearing gray pants, a black tunic, and black boots, Ryne looked nothing like a prince of Ivdel Realm. Or rather like the king of Ivdel. Even with his parents gone, he hadn’t assumed the title. Neither had Kerrick. Which had changed my preconceptions of all royalty being backstabbing and power hungry. Now it was almost all, since Tohon and Jael matched the stereotype.

  “Any problems?” Ryne asked.

  “No,” Odd said.

  “Yes,” I said at the same time.

  Odd continued in a formal tone, “Cellina sent
a team after her, like you expected. We intercepted them as ordered.”

  “It was a little sloppy,” I chimed in. “A few of our guards were hurt. Perhaps next time you can just stab the fish hook right through my stomach and dangle me from the trees. It’d be more effective.”

  Ryne’s gaze focused on me. “I see. Avry, I’d like a word in private.”

  “Okeydokey.”

  He stared at me as if gauging my mood before turning away.

  I followed him. Expecting him to lead me to an empty corner, he surprised me by pulling open one of the oversize loading doors. In this section of the building, large mounds of earth had been piled. And right in the middle was a huge hole in the ground.

  Ryne headed straight for it and descended steps that led down to an underground room.

  I paused at the edge.

  He glanced up. “We’ll be more comfortable in my office.”

  Oh, no. “Your office is down there?”

  “Yes, along with a number of caverns and tunnels. We could house our entire army down there if we had to.”

  I groaned. “The mines.”

  “Exactly. And the best part is, they extend for miles in all directions. Once we figure out where they go, we can use them to move troops unseen. Isn’t it wonderful?”

  From a military standpoint, yes, but I’d rather be outside under the stars than under the ground. My visions of spending a night in a normal bed vanished. I joined him at the bottom.

  Ryne led me along a well-lit corridor. Lanterns hung every few feet and the air remained warm.

  “Up here in the living levels, there’s plenty of light,” Ryne explained, noticing my interest. “As you go deeper, the spacing of the lanterns is wider, and the ones we haven’t explored are dark.”

  “Living levels?”

  “Yes, the miners stayed here while on duty. There’s an entire cavern filled with bunk beds. It would make a good infirmary, except...”

  “Except what?”

  “I don’t want injured to be brought to HQ, they’re too easy to follow. And I don’t think navigating dark tunnels with casualties is a good idea.”

  “So where do you want to locate the infirmary?”