Echoes: A Second Skin Novel (Second Skin Book 6)

by M Damon Baker

  Having everything packed away so quickly gave Endreí a glimmer of hope. Although others had more to attend to, particularly those with families, it shouldn’t take much longer before they were all ready to depart. Escaping as far ahead of the approaching army as possible would go a long way to ensuring their safety—the colder the trail they left behind, the less likely they were to be followed. Endreí’s tiny ray of hope was instantly snuffed out when a cry of alarm rang out from the watchtower by the village gate.

  Jolted into action, Endreí ran out the door and headed for the front gate, rushing past several homes along the way. Many others reached the fence before him, and he climbed up the watchtower, joining Nate and the dwarves who were already there. As he struggled to catch his breath, Endreí gazed numbly across the field beyond their walls, taking in the sight of hundreds of armed soldiers flooding out of the forest. The enemy had arrived well ahead of schedule, blocking off any chance they had of fleeing. Before him lay an entire horde of invaders, yet even among their packed masses, his keen vision picked out the unmistakable forms of adventurers, just as Daisy had indicated. From their armor alone, Endreí was able to identify Warriors, Bastions, and Evokers by the dozens—numbers they had absolutely no chance of overcoming. He had only a moment to stand there trying to absorb the utter disaster that was unfolding in front of him before a small group stepped forward, carrying a white flag of parley.

  “It could’ve been worse,” Nate suggested weakly as they began climbing down the stairs. “At least their opening move wasn’t an all-out assault.”

  Nate’s comment provided very little reassurance, but Endreí took what solace he could in it. It wasn’t as if the observation was completely wrong, it was just that the enemy could still change their mind, and there was absolutely nothing they could do to stop them. When they reached the gate, Nate signaled for it to be opened. Once the guards managed to lift the heavy bar, he stepped outside, motioning for Endreí and the brothers to follow.

  The bandit army’s representatives waited for them in the fields, and as he marched towards them, Endreí took stock of their opponents. Seeing them for himself, the first things he noticed were the class descriptions hovering over their heads, and Endreí felt a gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomach at the sight of the bright red letters indicating that these were opponents far above his level. A couple of burly human Warriors stood out from the others, obviously looking them over in return. The two gave off the unmistakable air of being Deathless; human still, yet transformed just as he’d been. Although it was uncommon, Endreí had encountered several like them over the years. Beside the pair, an elven Bastion seemed completely uninterested in the drama that was playing out, as if he’d seen it all before far too many times, but it was the figure of an Evoker in the middle that drew Endreí’s attention more than the rest.

  With long brown hair and pretty amber eyes, the lone female was quite attractive, her smaller stature giving away the woman’s halfling heritage. Something about her seemed quite familiar to Endreí, although he couldn’t figure out just where he might have seen her before. She noticed him as well, and as she turned to face him more completely, a broad smile of recognition creased her lips. Yet for some reason, that grin offered him no comfort, and he began nervously toying with the tiny metal sphere of the Orb of Detection as he took the last few steps forward.

  For the second time, the little metal artifact flared to life in his hand, tracing an arc towards the source of the magic that had bound him to Kara so strongly. Unlike before, however, the source of that magic was not somewhere far off—this time, it was standing right in front of him. Endreí stilled the shock within him as he stared back at the strange halfling woman, utterly confused by the turn of events until she spoke.

  “Hello, Alex,” she greeted him warmly. “I’ve been searching for you for a very long time.”

  Endreí’s mouth fell open when he recognized the voice that came from the halfling. It had been years since he’d heard her speak even a single word, yet the sound was as clear to him as if it had only been the day before.

  “Kimberly?” Although he knew exactly who she was, Endreí’s sense of disbelief was obvious.

  “No,” she replied, still smiling back at him. “I haven’t gone by that name for quite a while.”

  “Call me Tási.”

  Chapter 6

  Endreí stood completely unmoving as Tási strode towards him and took hold of his hand, guiding him a few paces away from the others before she spoke again. Staring at her, he could finally see the traces of Kimberly’s features on her halfling face, so obvious to him then that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognized her before. Tási’s grin only widened when she noticed him gaping at her, and Endreí felt her fingers slipping between his as she spoke to him.

  “I know these last few years have been tough on you,” the soothing notes of Kimberly’s familiar voice coming from the halfling broke him from his stupor. “I’m sorry for what I put you through, but now that I’ve found you, that’s all over.”

  An inkling of comprehension began creeping into his mind, but Endreí played his part perfectly, desperate to find out as much as he could.

  “I don’t understand,” he feigned confusion. “I haven’t seen you in… forever.”

  “No, you haven’t,” she let out a slight laugh. “But you’ve certainly felt the effects of what I did to you.”

  “We were perfect together, and you threw it all away,” Endreí detected the note of bitterness in her words. “I tried to get you back, to make you love me again, but nothing worked. You didn’t even get jealous when I introduced you to that idiot that I pretended was my new boyfriend.”

  With her revelation, that occasion took on a whole new aspect for Endreí, and he realized what it had truly been. Not some casual meeting all those years ago, but a chance to provoke him instead. Her manipulation made him reevaluate his entire perspective on their relationship—clearly, she was never the person he’d thought she was. It had all been a lie; everything he’d thought she’d done for him she’d actually done to him, subtle maneuverings designed to bind herself to him more strongly. Endreí’s anger rose inside him when he finally understood her deceptions, but he shoved it down as she went on.

  “I cursed you, Alex. Every single day, I wished you only the worst until you came back to me,” Tási’s bitterness mixed with notes of anger as she relived her pain. “Nothing happened, of course, at least not until the world changed.”

  Endreí saw the first hints of something more than mere obsession in the glimmer of Tási’s eyes. Staring right through him, he saw more than just her fury in their amber depths; a certain kind of madness was there as well… The dangerous kind.

  “I felt it right away,” she confessed. “The magic that flowed over everything took hold of my anger and made it into something more than the empty rage it had been. I know that you’ve found no happiness since then because I felt the power of my curse working to do just that. It was always there to ruin anything that brought you joy.”

  That was truly fucked up, and Endreí shuddered as the full impact of her words washed over him. Kimberly’s raw venom had been powerful enough to somehow latch on to the mystical forces that had destroyed their world, turning her idle wrath into something far more potent.

  Suddenly, Trish’s forceful advances and the growing intensity of Kara’s feelings for him—and his for her in return—all made sense. Despite Kimber... Tási’s belief otherwise, his love for Rissa and Kara’s devotion to Nate had managed to hold her curse at bay. It was only when Tási had drawn closer to him that the power of her magic had grown strong enough to begin overcoming those bonds. But Endreí didn’t dare challenge her perception. The bright crimson lettering that floated above her head reminded Endreí that she was far too powerful to rebuke so openly, so he held his tongue once again.

  “Part of me felt bad about what I’d done to you, but it was only fair after you abandoned me,” her voice t
ook on a harsher tone as she recalled their past, her fingernails digging into his skin momentarily before both her voice and grip softened again. “That’s all over now, Alex. Things will be so much better now that I’ve finally found you.”

  She moved closer as she finished speaking, releasing Endreí’s hand and wrapping her arms around him as she nestled against his chest. He wanted to push her away, to get as far away from Tási as he could, yet even as repulsive as he found her embrace, Endreí didn’t dare. There was simply no predicting where her obsession would lead if he rejected her so openly, and with an army at her back, he didn’t want to find out.

  “Come with me,” she finally pulled away and took hold of his hand again. “I’ll take you with me, and we can both be happy again.”

  As she started tugging him towards the vast horde of soldiers, Endreí just couldn’t take any more. Whatever happened, no matter the cost, he wouldn’t let her tear him away from Rissa. This crazy bitch’s fucked up curse had nearly ruined not only his life but Rissa’s as well, manipulating him and Kara into almost destroying both their marriages. All because she couldn’t deal with a simple fucking break-up. It would probably cost him his life, but that would be better than enduring what Tási had planned for him.

  “No,” she jerked to a halt when he stopped dead in his tracks. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “I understand that you’re upset with me right now,” once Endreí knew what to look for, he easily recognized Tási’s soft tone for the manipulation it was. “But everything will be alright, I promise. You just have to trust me.”

  Not. A fucking. Chance.

  “No,” Endreí repeated his objection as he finally yanked his hand free from her grasp. Despite the risk, this was a line he would not cross.

  “I’m not giving you a choice, Alex,” she didn’t need to say anything more than that for him to recognize the threat behind her words, and with a wave of her hand, the two huge Warriors immediately stepped over to them.

  “Jorum, Nedd, this one is coming back to camp with us,” Tási pronounced with a distinct air of authority.

  Although the pair had been casting leering glances towards the women observing from atop the village walls, they instantly heeded Tási’s command, grabbing Endreí by his arms as they dragged him away.

  As he struggled futilely in their powerful grasp, Endreí heard shouts of protest coming from Nate and the dwarves, but he knew they could do little to help him; even the lone Bastion that held the ground between them was more than a match for all three of his friends. Thinking of Rissa watching events play out while she stood helplessly atop their village’s wall led him to fight even harder to free himself, but to no avail. The brutes that gripped him were simply too strong for him to offer any resistance, and they held on to him almost effortlessly, taunting him with their bored expressions as they crossed the fields.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Tási?” He was jerked to a sudden stop when a new voice called out.

  Looking up, Endreí saw that a second group had ventured out to meet them before they reached the enemy’s lines. Standing among a small crowd, he noticed a woman looming over Tási, intently staring down into her eyes. Despite how powerful she was, Tási practically withered beneath the woman’s gaze, drawing back a few feet before replying.

  “He’s mine,” her voice wavered noticeably. “I’m only taking back what belongs to me.”

  “That’s not how we do things, and you know it,” the woman dismissed Tási’s feeble words. “These people are citizens of my Empire now, and they will be treated with respect.”

  “I’m sorry if my lieutenant has mistreated you,” the two men quickly released Endreí from their grip when the woman addressed him.

  When she turned to face him, Endreí was struck by her nearly breathtaking beauty. Her thick brown hair was almost black and framed the graceful features of her face within a perfect halo of darkness. Yet the smile she favored him with was not a warm one, it was more akin to baring her fangs than anything else. Even more disturbing were her eyes. Looking into those bright green orbs, Endreí felt himself pinned in place, just as restrained under their glare as he’d been when the two brutes had held him firmly in their grasp.

  “Please return to your home,” he heard the false compassion of her voice echo in his ears as she dismissively gestured towards the village gates. “I will send word to your people about what we expect from them.”

  Despite her soft tone, Endreí understood the threat she’d implied. There would be no word of ‘expectations’ to follow, only a demand of some sort that was backed by the very real threat that her vast army represented—a threat he already knew she was more than capable of following through on. As he gathered himself and prepared to head back behind the dubious safety of the village walls, Endreí had the presence of mind to try and learn what little he could about their adversary.

  “Thank you, um… Miss?”

  “In time, you will address me as Empress,” she responded to his inquiry. “But not yet. For now, just call me Dreya.”

  It was only a name, yet for some reason, hearing it froze the blood in his veins. Uncertain of where that sense of dread had come from, Endreí barely managed to mutter an awkward acknowledgment before quickly turning on his heel and rushing off towards home.

  Passing by the lone Bastion who’d held Nate and the twins at bay the entire time, Endreí said nothing as his friends joined him. Rissa was waiting for him just inside the village walls when he arrived, but with the gate still open, he hurried away from her without daring to even glance in her direction. Instead, he headed straight for Nate’s cabin rather than take the chance that Tási might notice their reunion and make the obvious connection. She believed her curse had ruined his life for the last few years, and although it may have come close, there was no way he wanted her to discover just how wrong she was about that. Endreí understood that the woman he’d known as Kimberly had been an illusion, a figment designed only to hold his interest. The magic that had corrupted his world had not only given power to her spiteful wishes but to herself as well, transforming her into a powerful spellcaster he dared not provoke. Endreí didn’t even want to consider what she might do if she had an inkling that he was happily married despite her curse.

  “What the fuck happened?” Nate asked, his voice uncharacteristically strained as Endreí fell heavily into one of the chairs around their conference table.

  “You knew her,” Rissa hovered over Endreí as he sat. Having seen the entire episode play out from atop the walls, it wasn’t all that hard for her to come to that conclusion.

  While the rest of his friends filed in, Endreí motioned for Rissa to take the seat beside him. This was going to be a difficult conversation for him, one he didn’t want to have to repeat. Fortunately, she seemed to understand his plight, and despite her obvious… curiosity, Rissa waited patiently for the rest of their friends to arrive.

  “They’re here for something, I just don’t know what it is,” Endreí avoided disclosing his connection to Tási when he began his explanation. “The woman I was talking to tried to bring me back to their camp, but their leader stopped her. All I know is that her name is Dreya, and she plans on using her army to build some sort of empire.”

  A series of questions followed, and Endreí disclosed all he could in response. Some had been able to see the bright red class descriptions above their enemies’ heads for themselves, but even for those who hadn’t, it came as no surprise. The sheer power of their opponents was readily apparent to them all, even those without the ability to see it so clearly. Once he’d answered everything as best he could, there was nothing left but to wait for this Dreya woman to send them her list of demands.

  Silence reigned for a few moments as they tried to absorb the enormity of all that had transpired that morning before Endreí rose up and headed for the door. He needed time to think, to consider what he’d discovered about the curse Tási had placed on him. He also knew tha
t there would be a second conversation that needed to happen before that, one where he would reveal to Rissa what he’d kept hidden from everyone else. Yet he also knew that she wasn’t the only one who needed to know about that. Before stepping outside, Endreí motioned for Kara to follow, knowing that he might have to wait a while for her to be able to do so. She seemed surprised by his request, yet she recovered quickly and nodded her head just slightly in return. With his invitation received, Endreí returned home with Rissa and waited for Kara to join them.

  To say that Rissa was less than pleased to find out who they were waiting for would have been an understatement. The harsh glare she shot at him when Endreí told her he’d invited Kara to join them rivaled the withering stare the would-be Empress had inflicted on him only a short while before. Still, once Endreí told her he had news regarding the curse, she seemed to understand the need to inform Kara of what he’d learned. Time passed slowly as they sat together in silence; Rissa may have accepted Endreí’s explanation for the delay, but she certainly wasn’t happy about it. Mercifully, the stillness was broken by a tentative knock on the door, and Rissa glared at him, pinning Endreí in place as she rose to answer it.

  They sat around the table for a moment, Rissa still clearly not pleased, while both Kara and Endreí fidgeted uncomfortably. Endreí sought some way to begin the awkward conversation, but eventually gave up and just blurted out the words.

  “The halfling’s name is Tási,” he looked at Rissa as he spoke. “You never met her, but you know who she is... or at least who she was. She’s Kimberly.”

  He’d mentioned her before—carefully, of course—letting Rissa know how Kimberly had helped lead him back to her. That little bit of information didn’t seem to soften the blow in the slightest.