by K. T. Webb
“I think she is waking,” a familiar voice whispered nearby.
“She has been out for days. The fever will not let up. The medicine we found at Renata’s is not meant to cure infections,” Rowan insisted.
“If only the practitioner had been there.” Honor could not picture the owner of the voice, but she knew it was someone she had known most of her life.
Her brain was too preoccupied with what they were saying to determine who was with her. Rowan had gone to Milltown to fetch Renata, but she was gone. Was she away helping someone else? Or had something happened to her?
“We need to find something. She is burning up.” Maris’ voice was heavy with concern.
Honor fell back into a dreamless sleep. When she woke again, her body hurt all over, but she could move. Upon opening her eyes, Honor discovered Maris asleep on the floor beside her.
Even though they lived in tents, the outlaws had done their best to make permanent homes. They’d crafted wooden floorboards out of trees that needed to be felled. The structure was sturdy and cool in the summer but kept warm with an added lining in the winter months.
Honor shivered despite the heat radiating from her body. She moved carefully so as not to wake Maris or anyone else who may be nearby. The only thought on her mind was getting to the cooling waters of Delta’s pond. If she could immerse her body, perhaps the fire inside would end, and her body temperature would regulate.
She stepped out into the black of night. Pale white shapes dotted the clearing, giving her an idea of where the path led between each tent. Even in her fevered state, she knew she needed to head left away from the fire ring at the center of the encampment. Her bare feet felt every pebble and crunchy leaf on the ground as she made her way to the creek.
Soon, the calming rush of water filled her ears. She continued forward, splashing into the water rather than trying to find each stepping stone across. The frigid liquid felt like heaven on her feet, it would certainly bring her relief when she plunged into it at the pond. Honor stumbled through the curtain of low-hanging branches. She was so tired. It was stupid to wander away from the camp alone. Nothing made that clearer than the moment she tumbled down the sloping bank and lurched headfirst into the water.
For a moment, everything felt right. She was not on fire, she was not sick, she was just Honor. Her head was clear for a few seconds. She opened her eyes beneath the water, relishing the sparkle of moonlight on the moving pond. Honor recognized the slender form of Delta lying on a bed of sand and stones beneath the water. It was peaceful and perfect. The pleasure of the moment quickly faded as someone plunged into the water beside her. Her arms were pulled upward as her body was lifted from below. The crisp night air filled her lungs in a rushed breath.
“Lay her down up here. Is she okay?” Gray demanded.
“She is nearly blue. Her body is frozen. At least she is breathing. What were you thinking, Honor?” Rowan demanded.
“I was so hot,” she replied.
He chuckled in spite of the situation. “Well, you are frozen now.”
A sound nearby alerted her that there was someone else with them. They were not talking to anyone, who could it be? Honor tried to help Rowan and Gray as they wrapped her in a blanket, taking care to tuck her arms in tightly. The sound of another body moving was almost louder than the two people jostling her around on fallen leaves.
“Who’ssat?” She was so tired her words slurred together.
“There’s just us, Honor. No one el—” Rowan’s words were cut short by a commotion nearby.
“Get her out of here, now!” Gray insisted.
Two arms curled beneath her, cradling her against Rowen’s warm body as he began lifting her from the ground.
“Do not move her.” Honor recognized the soft trill of Delta’s voice.
“We need to get her back to camp,” Rowan insisted.
“No, leave her to me. Return at sunrise and she will be healed.”
Honor felt the uncertainty in the arms still firmly wrapped around her. Rowan and Gray knew Delta would not let anything happen to her, but they were highly unlikely to leave her lying on the ground near a pond, especially just after they pulled her out.
“Dad, we cannot just leave her.”
“Rowan, we know the nymph will protect her. What other choice do we have if she will be healed? Her infection has spread too far for us to manage. If we do not leave her, she may die.” Heartbreak laced every word Gray uttered.
With a sigh, Rowan lowered her body to the ground. Honor ached for him to hold her close again as the night air caused her wet hair to freeze. Her body shook violently once she was released from human touch.
“I will be back before you know it, Honor,” Rowan whispered and kissed her forehead.
Honor felt his absence almost immediately as she listened to the reluctant, retreating steps of Gray and Rowan leaving her behind. A rustling in the trees, caused by something other than a breeze, was followed by soft, padding footsteps nearby. In the darkness, Honor could barely make out the glow coming from Delta, or the shape of the shadow passing between the two of them.
“She is not well.” Delta told whatever or whoever had joined her.
“No. She is very close to death,” a deep, resonating voice replied.
“Are they on their way?” Delta inquired.
“I sent the message yesterday; they should be here soon. If not, I do not know how long she will make it.”
“You know what will happen if she dies.”
The following silence told Honor that neither party wanted to entertain the idea, but something terrible was on the horizon. Through her chattering teeth, Honor tried to speak. She wanted to demand more information. She wanted to insist they stop talking about her as though she was not present. No words would come, only the shivering emptiness as her body desperately tried to warm itself. Had she not been shivering, she may have heard the approach of a creature rarely seen by human eyes. A slithering animal that may have sent a jolt of fear rushing through even the bravest of men.
“It took you long enough to arrive.” A deep voice grumbled.
“Oh, Harcos. You may be the son of a general, but that does not mean I am one of your soldiers,” a heavily accented voice replied.
Harcos? Honor seemed to remember a glimpse of a dream that made that name familiar. She could not quite pin it down.
“I am only upset because you have cut this so close. Eirny, she may have died,” Harcos chided.
“Perhaps if she had not foolishly endangered her own life . . .” Eirny began.
“Honor is not foolish. Curious? Yes. Daring? Yes. But never foolish,” Delta insisted.
Honor tried to raise her arm, wanting to do something, anything to let them know she was listening to their conversation. It did not feel right to have them discussing her actions as though she were not so near to them. Perhaps they did not care. Slight movement around Honor brought the voices close by.
“Show me the infected area.” Eirny’s northern accent draped around her like the snow that falls upon the mountains.
Gentle hands tugged her shirt upward until the place where her mark ached was exposed to those around her. A sharp intake of breath told her what she feared the most. They were afraid of what they saw. Her mark was terrifying, even to a water nymph and two unknown visitors.
“It is begun,” whispered the newcomer.
“Yes, and it will not go any further if you do not administer your bite,” Delta hissed.
Bite? Everything inside Honor screamed for her to move. She needed to get away from whoever her family had left her with. Her arms flailed, her legs tried desperately to push her higher up the bank, away from Delta and the two unknown visitors.
“Hold her steady. This will only take a moment.”
“Harcos, try not to let the claws come out while you take her right side,” Delta warned.
The panic searing through Honor was nothing compared to the moment of bliss she experience
d as something pierced her skin. Her heart rate immediately slowed, her body temperature reached a comfortable level, and the exhaustion she felt slowly ebbed away. How something that would normally hurt could bring such complete relief was beyond her comprehension.
“That’s it, dear one. Relax. Sleep for now,” Delta whispered close enough for her breath to tickle Honor’s ear.
As though unable to resist the command, Honor drifted back into a deep sleep.
Chapter 6
The world fluttered into view as a familiar sound roused Honor from her slumber. Water bubbling over rocks and birds calling to one another echoed through the air. The blue sky overhead sent clouded memories through her mind with a jolt. Honor brought herself to a sitting position. Her side no longer hurt. Her vision was clear, and her body felt whole again. Delta sat nearby, running her fingers through her knotted hair.
“Good morning, Honor.”
Honor glanced around, recalling the other voices that accompanied Delta while in her feverish state. They were alone by the water. Honor eyed the nymph curiously.
“There were others here, were not there?”
Delta smiled slowly, “Yes, they are nearby.”
“Who are they? Where did they come from? What did they do to me?” So many questions spilled out of her mouth at once, she was not sure how to stop herself.
Delta threw her head back and released a loud laugh that resembled the sound of a roaring river. It was an odd laugh, but it fit her. Honor continued to watch Delta patiently as the nymph composed herself. It was not funny to Honor. In fact, she could not help but feel a bit irritated. So many things were happening to and around her and she had the sneaking suspicion the people in her life knew more than they were letting on.
“So, are they going to introduce themselves? I’d like to properly thank the people who saved my life.” Honor tried desperately to keep her voice even.
“They are waiting for me to tell them to come out. They did not want to scare you,” Delta explained as though it was completely obvious.
“Scare me? I am talking to a nymph. How could they scare me? It is not like I do not know there’s magic in the world.” Honor felt certain those who saved her must have been magical in some way, how else would they have rid her body of the infection so completely?
Leaves rustled to her left as something moved through the underbrush. A branch overhead creaked under the weight of something unseen. A shower of brilliantly colored leaves fell around Honor. She did not dare blink for fear of missing the appearance of the mysterious visitors.
A small, ovular head appeared to pop out from the leaves on the ground. Thick, scaly folds of cartilage shaped a sharp jaw line that jutted forward from a small skull. Deep emerald eyes stared at Honor as a thin body rose slightly, like a snake preparing to strike. In fact, the more Honor looked at the creature, the more she likened it to a snake. The notable differences were the intelligence in the eyes, the exotic colors that covered the scales, and the tufted feathers covering the body from end to end. She had never seen anything like it.
“Hello, Honor,” the creature spoke clearly.
“Hel-hello,” she stuttered in response.
“My name is Eirny. I am glad you are feeling better.”
Honor nodded, transfixed by the oddly beautiful creature. She did not know what to call it, Eirny was clearly a name—but she had no idea what the creature itself was. A gentle thump on her right side caused her to turn her head quickly. She found herself face to face with the same young canthion she had spared and dreamed about. In her heart, she knew this was Harcos.
“Hello, dear one. I am pleased to officially meet you,” Harcos intoned.
Honor looked directly at Delta, then between the companions on either side of her. Perhaps she was wrong, perhaps she was not actually healed. It was possible she had died during her illness and was now in some alternate world with strange creatures and talking canthions. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
“I am sorry, I am not sure what’s happening. I do not mean to sound rude, but . . . you are an animal. How is it you are speaking to me?”
Harcos pulled back his upper lip in what must have been a grin. “Not everyone will be able to understand me, it takes a special person and a special connection to understand us.”
“And, what about you?” Honor directed her question to the odd creature on her other side. “I have never seen anything like you before.”
“No, I cannot imagine you have. Many of my kind have gone into hiding and many more have become slaves to your practitioners. There aren’t many of us left in the northlands.”
Honor continued to stare, wondering what use a practitioner would have for a creature like this. “At the risk of sounding rude, I have to ask, what are you?”
Harcos and Delta both chuckled, finding humor in her ignorance. Eirny shot them a look that caused their laughter to cease immediately. It was clear they held her in high regard.
“I am an impaiso.”
The word was strange and unfamiliar to Honor. She repeated it a few times, letting it roll off her tongue. Once she felt she had committed it to memory, she turned to Harcos. She felt like she already knew him even though they’d never spoken before that moment. “Are you, Harcos?”
He nodded, a deep purr resonating from his chest. “I am. Our connection is deeply rooted in both of us. I am your companion, protector, and guide. I will never be too far from your side, Honor.”
“But, why?” She was thoroughly confused.
“You and I are on a mission. It is up to us to restore the balance between kingdoms.”
Honor rubbed her temples as though the massage would somehow help her process the information. Prior to the story Maris had told her in her fevered state, Honor had never known there were three kingdoms. How was she expected to help restore something she knew nothing about? How could a girl go from worrying she would have no destiny to being told the fate of so many relied on her? She did not know what was expected of her, but the visions of a rotting world and a king sitting atop the remains of men and beasts had motivated her beyond words.
“We haven’t much time to talk now, I hear your friends returning. I will see you soon,” Harcos whispered before climbing the tree and disappearing high above. Somehow, Eirny had already made her exit and Honor knew it would not do her any good to search for the creature. Delta, too, faded into the water, leaving Honor to wait for Rowan and Gray.
“Honor? Are you here?” Rowan crashed through a veil of willow.
She stood on shaky feet. While she felt better than she ever had, her body was still weak from her illness. She did not have to rely on her legs to support her for long before Rowan collided with her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“Are you okay? You look okay. You look great,” he sighed and buried his face in her hair.
“I feel much better, but I am very hungry.”
“We were so close to losing you, Honor. Your recovery is a miracle. What happened here?” Gray asked with wide eyes.
Honor furrowed her brow, no one had told her she could not share what had happened. “There was an impaiso. I felt a sharp pain, then everything faded away.”
Rowan looked to Gray for some explanation, it was no surprise he seemed clueless about Eirny. His father, on the other hand, was trying to process what she had said.
“Honor, what you are saying is impossible. How did you even know what the creature was?” Gray asked.
“She spoke to me. Her name is Eirny.”
Gray ran a hand through his hair, his cheeks puffing out as he forcefully exhaled. “Maris will want to hear about this. But, do not go telling anyone until we’ve spoken with her. She is from the north and familiar with that sort of creature from her childhood. I could have sworn there were none left.”
Honor nodded. She had no idea of Maris’ upbringing, so the anticipation of learning more about her past and finding out what she knew about the impaiso made Honor want to rus
h back to camp. The fact that she knew so little about Maris left her wondering once again, what had the people she thought of as family done to consider themselves ostracized from civilization? No matter what the conversation brought, she knew it would bring her the answers she needed.
Rowan and Gray helped her climb the embankment and stayed on either side of her as they walked back to camp. Honor allowed Rowan to lace their fingers together as they trudged through dead leaves. Autumn was quickly turning to winter from the looks of the surrounding trees. No leaves were left clinging to their branches. Frost had crept its way across every twig, leaving the crisp white coating Honor loved. The cold season did not usually creep into Ternion Forest for weeks following her birthday. Her heart rate spiked as the panic set in. How much time had passed?
“Rowan, exactly how long have I been ill?” Honor whispered leaning into his shoulder.
He stiffened slightly and gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Your birthday was seventeen days ago. I have been scared out of my mind.”
Honor stopped short. She had been in and out of consciousness for seventeen days? Over two weeks of her life were gone. A memory drifted to the forefront of her mind—a ripple of a voice telling her a long-forgotten story. She needed to talk to Maris now more than ever.
Rowan was offering her calming words. He thought the amount of time she had been fighting the infection was the main issue on her mind, but he had no idea all the thoughts swirling through her head. Maris seemed to know more about the history of Alderwood than Honor had ever heard. Between the story she barely remembered and her encounter with the impaiso, canthion, and nymph, Honor felt she had a lot to learn.
