After a few hours, Huxley found a small farm northwest of town. The farmer and his young family had packed a wagon, tying on crates and furniture. Two horses had been harnessed to it with two waiting nearby. And a few more grazed in a pasture behind the farmhouse.
Kerrick called a greeting so he didn’t alarm them. Even so, the man grabbed a shovel and stepped between Kerrick and his three small children.
“Easy, sir, I’m just looking to buy a couple horses. Do you have any for sale?” Kerrick asked.
The man tightened his grip.
Pulling his money pouch from his belt, Kerrick spilled a few gold coins into his palm. “I can pay you.”
Now the man relaxed. “You lookin’ to evacuate?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “You should have left days ago.”
“I could say the same to you.”
The man grinned, exposing large crooked teeth. “True. But my babe was too sick to travel.” He hooked a thumb at his wife. She held an infant. “You hear any news?”
Kerrick told him what he knew. The wife’s strained expression eased.
“We’ve a few days, then. Good. How many horses are you lookin’ for?”
“Two.”
It didn’t take long to negotiate a price, and soon Kerrick headed back to the Lamp Post Inn with a barrel-chested black horse and a cream-colored mare.
After another day, they finally set out for the infirmary early in the morning. Belen rode the cream-colored horse. She’d taken an instant liking to him and wouldn’t let Mom mount her. It would have been funny except Kerrick had been too impatient to appreciate the irony.
Flea and Mom rode the big black, which Flea had named Coffee. He’d also named Belen’s horse Tea, claiming the horse’s color reminded him of tea mixed with milk.
“Avry’s favorite drink,” Flea said as if that ended all discussion, which it did.
Huxley carried Mom’s sacks of cookware, food, and the teapots that she’d insisted on bringing along. Kerrick could never say no to Mom. Hux jingled when he trotted, but with Coffee and Tea pounding behind them, moving quietly was no longer an option.
Again the woods were empty of travelers. They encountered no one the first day and through the living green no intruders disturbed the forest’s peace within a few miles of them. But by midday on the second day, it was a different story. A sense of unease grew in Kerrick’s heart.
After a couple hours, Kerrick stopped Huxley and dismounted. He placed his palm on the ground, seeking the disruption. Just at the edge of his awareness, he encountered a big problem.
Soldiers. Lots of soldiers, filling the woods south and east of them. Filling the space between him and Avry.
CHAPTER 18
“Go to hell? Is that all you can come up with?” Wynn asked me, amused. “I betrayed you and killed your boyfriend. I’d expected something...nastier.”
She believed Kerrick had died, interesting. I wondered what other misinformation she had. She’d kept her black hair buzzed short and the scar along her cheek had faded to a light pink.
“Unlike you,” I said, “I have scruples.”
“Too bad your scruples couldn’t protect you.” She gestured to the monkeys and Odd standing in the center of the infirmary. “Apparently, neither could they. But don’t be too hard on them, they were outnumbered thirty to one.”
“Where are the others?” I asked.
She sucked a breath in between her teeth. “Beyond your help, Baby Face.”
I glanced at Loren. “Lieutenant Macon?”
“We’re all that’s left,” Loren said with a mixture of anger and sorrow.
“See? I’m not all bad. I know they’re your friends.” Wynn’s expression remained smug.
Remembering my dream with Tohon, I guessed she’d planned to use them to guarantee my cooperation.
“What do you want, Wynn? You know I won’t agree to heal Tohon.”
She drew her knife and advanced on Odd. He stood his ground and glared at her with such intensity that if he were a fire mage, she’d be a pile of ashes by now.
Wynn pressed the tip to his throat. “Not even if I threaten his life?”
“No,” I said.
“How about the monkeys?” she asked, sweeping an arm out.
“No.”
“What about someone younger? Like that young fellow standing next to you?”
Danny had followed me into the main cavern. Oh, no.
“I wouldn’t let her,” Danny said, crossing his arms. “Tohon would kill thousands more than you.”
Wynn chuckled. “No love for the king, eh?”
“Not from anyone in here,” Danny said.
“Probably a good thing. Love is dangerous.” Wynn stepped away from Odd. “People do crazy, idiotic things for love. Take my sister, Cellina, for example. All her time and energy went into finding a healer for Tohon, despite the fact that Sepp and I liked Tohon right where he was.”
Not what I’d expected her to say.
“Surprised, Baby Face?”
“A little.”
“Well, you know what surprised me? That Cellina found herself a healer.”
Her words sliced right through me. Another healer? Mixed emotions—happy there was another, and terrified that Cellina had reached him or her first. “Who?”
“She tracked down that little girl who escaped with you.”
It would have hurt less if she’d stabbed me with her blade. “Zila? But she’s—”
Wynn pointed to Danny. “Younger than him, I know. But according to Tohon’s research notes, he hypothesized that the people injected with the Death Lily toxin will develop healing powers years earlier than those who are pricked by the Lily due to the amount of toxin that is injected. And he was right.”
Danny clutched my arm. Horrible scenarios played in my mind. Poor Zila. “Is she... Is Tohon...” I couldn’t say the words out loud. If I did, they might come true.
“Now wait. You’re jumping ahead of the story. Cellina failed to inform us of the little healer when she tricked Sepp and me. She agreed that the Fifteen Realms was better off without Tohon and we should allow him to die. Sepp touched Tohon and we retreated to give Cellina some privacy.” Wynn laughed, but the harsh sound lacked humor. “Imagine our surprise when Tohon comes striding out.”
“And Zila?” I asked.
“Don’t know. Don’t care. Sepp and I took off before Tohon could kill us.”
My mind swirled with all the information Wynn had dumped on me. Grief for Zila jumbled with the horror of Tohon’s recovery. “If Tohon’s alive, then why are you here?”
Wynn drew her sword. “Since you’ve caused so much trouble, killing you would make a lot of people happy.” She advanced.
“No,” Danny said, stepping in front of me.
The monkeys and Odd joined him.
“You’ll have to get through us, first,” Quain said.
“Aww, that’s so sweet.” Wynn snapped her fingers.
Her soldiers rushed in and subdued the four of them. Danny lasted the longest, as he zapped anyone who touched him. Atta boy. But they quickly caught on and trapped his hands behind his back.
Wynn approached me. “You asked me what I wanted, why I was here. Right?”
“Yes.”
She stopped two feet in front of me. “I’m here to recruit you. We want you to finish what you started and kill that bastard.”
I stared at Wynn. She wanted me to kill Tohon. “Why can’t you?”
“We can’t get near him.”
Now I laughed. “What makes you think I can get close enough? I almost killed him before. He’d never let me near him again.”
“Remember what I said about love? People do crazy idiotic things.
He’s in love with you. He’ll welcome you back and keep you by his side.”
Probably in chains. “Which means Cellina will want my head.”
“There’s that. No plan is perfect.”
I sorted through the logic and nothing convinced me I had any chance of repeating my attack on Tohon. Only Noak’s comment about us being bonded kept me from dismissing the idea out of hand.
“No. I’m not doing it,” I said.
“Did you think you had a choice? I’m sorry, but you don’t. You are coming with us no matter what. We can drag you out of here or you can cooperate.”
I wilted. “And you’ll leave them alive?”
“Sure. Why not.”
“Can I fetch my pack first?” I asked.
“All right.”
“And I need Danny for a moment. I need to show him how to care for a very sick patient in my absence.”
“Hagar, Keelin, go with them,” Wynn ordered.
“That wouldn’t be wise. The patient has the plague.”
She crinkled her nose then turned to the man holding Danny. “Let the boy go. If you’re not back in five minutes, Baby Face, I’ll start slitting throats.”
“Danny, grab a few medical supplies, please,” I said.
He rubbed his wrists, but headed over to the infirmary. Many of the caregivers had remained at their posts. He picked up a few syringes and we retreated to the stage-one cavern. Of course, they wanted to know what was going on.
“Just stay here for now,” I said. Then to Danny, “There’s six patients, so let’s fill three syringes,” I instructed.
“What if more come in?” he asked as he pricked me with the needle.
“When these guys are fully recovered from the plague, their blood will also carry the cure. You can use their blood to heal new cases.”
“Oh, that’s good.” He filled the next two.
“Inject that into them while I go pack my stuff.”
“You’re not really going with her, are you?”
“Do you have another idea?”
Danny scowled. “Not right now.”
“Let me know if you come up with a plan.” I hurried to the next cavern.
Sergeant Gylon ambushed me with a series of questions ending with, “What should we do?”
“Wait until I leave with the enemy. If they renege on their promise not to hurt those in the main cavern, then I need you, your squad, and all the others to stop them. There are six more soldiers in the stage-one area and four in the stage-three area, although I don’t know how much they can help.”
“Why don’t we attack them now and keep you here?”
“There are too many of them and they have Sergeant Odd, Loren, and Quain literally by the throat.”
Gylon followed me to where I’d set up my bedroll near the entrance to the stage-three cavern.
“We’ll send a rescue party after you,” he said.
“Thanks, but you’ll still be outnumbered. Better to wait until Prince Ryne arrives.” I packed my things.
The sergeant talked to the four patients. Happiness swelled inside me for a moment as I marveled at the healthy color in their cheeks and seeing two of them sit up and grab their swords a mere day after they’d been on the edge of dying.
“Remember, lie low until I leave,” I said. Then I joined Danny. “Stay here.”
“But—”
“That’s an order.”
“All right.” But he didn’t sound happy about it.
I hugged him. “If Kerrick returns, tell him...”
“I will. That is, if he hangs around long enough to listen to me.”
“Make sure he waits for Prince Ryne. Even he can’t counter so many on his own.”
“I’ll try.”
I returned to the main cavern.
“Where’s the boy?” Wynn asked.
“Back with the plague patients. We isolated them.”
“All right.” Wynn made a sweeping gesture toward the cave’s entrance. “After you, Baby Face.”
I met Loren’s, Quain’s, and Odd’s gazes. Their anger, frustration, and grief was clear on all their faces. Not much I could do, I turned and left the cave. Wynn followed, but before she joined me outside, she called back to her men.
I caught two words—clean up—but it was enough to fill me with rage. Rounding on her, I said, “You promised.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Then so can I.” I lunged, wrapping my hands around her throat and zapping her with my magic.
Two soldiers grabbed my shoulders and dragged me off her. As I struggled, something sharp jabbed into my arm. I glanced down. A dart stuck into my bicep. The plague?
Wynn smoothed her shirt down. “It’s Death Lily toxin.”
Strange choice. “But I’m immune.”
“I know it won’t kill you, but it will make you more cooperative.”
Oh. As the toxin spread throughout my body, my mind disconnected and floated above my head like a cloud of smoke. If I’d been inside a Death Lily, I would have joined with the being’s consciousness, sharing thoughts. Instead, I remained intangible and unable to control my own body; however, my thoughts stayed clear—a small mercy.
One of Wynn’s men grabbed my wrists and tugged gloves onto my hands. He then tied them behind my back, effectively preventing me from any skin contact, which would have allowed me to flow into his mind and read his thoughts. Putting a hand on my shoulder, he guided me forward. My body obeyed and I walked beside him.
Wynn kept pace next to me. “Wow, it’s as if someone blew out your inner flame, Baby Face. Nothing left but an empty lantern. And I had to kill everyone. I can’t afford to leave any witnesses behind, and I’m sure that stubborn ox Odd was already planning a rescue party. Not that I couldn’t handle him and a few soldiers, but this is far easier. Besides, we don’t take prisoners.”
She’d used we again. Was she referring to her and Sepp? And why tell me all this? Perhaps she felt guilty over Odd’s murder. She had truly cared for him at one point. I hoped Sergeant Gylon and the others had saved my friends. And while I was glad Kerrick and Flea hadn’t been caught in Wynn’s trap, worry for them churned deep in my heart. Where were they? Had the Skeleton King captured them?
Mulling over all she’d told me, I avoided agonizing over my friends and Kerrick. I considered the possibility that Tohon was still encased in a magical stasis and this was an elaborate trick. For what purpose, I’d no idea.
Plenty of other questions circled my mind as we traveled that night. Why would Wynn come in and bother making that big speech if she planned to capture me and kill everyone else regardless? Wynn had the manpower. Perhaps she wished to gloat first. Too bad I had no control over my voice and couldn’t ask her.
The sun rose to our left. The direction surprised me. I’d assumed we headed northwest to Tohon’s castle in Sogra Realm. But the location of the sunrise meant we had journeyed south instead.
After a few hours, the toxin wore off and my mind re-connected with my body. I’d planned to hide that fact, but I stumbled and fell forward, striking my head on the ground. Pain stabbed above my right eye. My arm muscles complained about the tight bindings that dug into my wrists and my legs ached with fatigue.
Who knew being disembodied had its perks?
“We’ll rest here,” Wynn said. She crouched down next to me. “We can do this one of two ways, Baby Face.”
“Go on, I’m all aquiver.”
“Cute.” She stood and kicked me in the stomach.
All my other pains disappeared in a hurry as fire blazed inside my guts. I curled into a ball, enduring the wave of agony.
When I’d recovered, Wynn returned to her position. “Are you paying attention?”
“Yes.”
“What, no sarcastic reply? I’d hoped to crack a few ribs this time.”
I wisely kept my mouth shut.
“All right, here’s the deal,” she said. “You give me your word not to run off or harm me or my soldiers, and I’ll untie your hands and won’t drug you with Death Lily toxin.”
“No deal, Wynn. I can’t trust you.” Plus I planned to bolt at the first opportunity.
She shrugged. “Suit yourself. And just so you know, I’m not feeding you.”
Oh, joy. I struggled into a sitting position. Wynn’s squad passed around chunks of bread and cheese and drank from their canteens. Thanks to her kick, I wasn’t hungry at all. But then my stomach grumbled. So much for denial.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
She pressed her lips together as if debating what she should tell me. “To meet up with reinforcements near the border.”
“Of Tobory Realm?”
“Yes.”
I put a few clues together. Tipping my head in the direction of her soldiers, I said, “Are they defectors from Tohon’s army?”
“Some are.”
“And the rest?”
Wynn refused to answer.
“What happens if I kill Tohon? Who will take charge of his troops?” I asked.
Wynn ignored my question.
I answered instead. “Let’s see. Cellina? No. She had her chance to step up and didn’t take it. You?” Cocking my head, I studied her.
She glared at me.
“No, not you. You’re a backstabbing traitor. No one will follow you. Uh...present company excluded, I guess. Perhaps they’re here only because Tohon is scarier than you.”
A few of the soldiers behind Wynn suppressed smiles. Ah, I’d hit close to the target.
“Careful, Baby Face. I hear cracked ribs are very painful even for healers.”
“All that’s left is Sepp. I always thought he had a superiority complex.” I considered. “Sepp’s not smart enough.” And then all the little clues clicked together. The “we” she’d referred to wasn’t just her and Sepp. “You joined the Skeleton King’s army and you brought him a present, didn’t you?”
Taste of Darkness Page 31
