I thought of the child falling through the darkness.
“No, your other dream,” Lon said blandly.
I pictured two children standing against a sunset: one pleading, the other defiant. The first handed the latter a shimmering silver shawl.
“Yes, that one,” Lon said.
I wondered how he knew what I was thinking but decided not to ask. Yet. “What about it?”
“Why did you dream that?”
Good question. “Who cares?”
“You do.”
I bit back a retort. Now wasn’t the time for petulance.
“Very good,” he whispered. “You're slowly learning focus.”
Can you read minds?
“When I feel the need to.”
My jaw dropped. I thought Jenen was supposed to be the psychic one.
“Come now, Key, don't be silly.”
I scowled, but held my tongue, waiting for his explanation about the dream.
“Very good. When that darkness came before, Jenen was meant to die, in order to prevent the very thing that occurred. The Seer did not take into account how you would be bound, and therefore unwittingly created just the situation needed.”
“Bound?”
“When you found Jenen lying dead on the ground, you acted on instinct, summoning Liitae, correct?”
“Yeah.”
“When that happened, you thrust the ball of light into his heart, bringing Jenen back to life. In this way, you shared a piece of yourself with him, binding the two of you.”
I frowned. “What do you mean exactly?”
“This binding allows you to share each other's thoughts and emotions. While Jenen was delirious with fever, you shared his dream—the one involving a much younger Jenen and Crenen. Likewise, it is possible that he shared your vision of the child.”
“So...so, how deep does this connection go? Is it permanent?”
“The orb was placed into his heart, so it runs very deep. In a sense, I suppose, this makes you brothers.” He paused. “As for its endurance, I believe the length of time in which you share this bond is entirely up to you.”
“But why would the Seer be concerned with our bond thing? What're they afraid of?”
Lon shrugged. “You would need to discuss that with a Seer.”
My eyes narrowed. “How do you know so much?”
He smiled. “You'll have to ask a Seer about that, too.”
I rolled my eyes. “We better go warn the others about Kirid Clan.”
“An excellent suggestion.”
We started through the trees, following the path left by Chasym and Veija.
“Why do the Kirid and Yenen clans fight? What caused it?” I asked, for the sake of breaking our silence.
“How long have you wondered that? If I told you it was for the sake of fighting, would that be answer enough?”
I shook my head. “There's more to it.”
“Years ago—” He broke off. “Hush.”
I knew the history lesson was off for a while. Darkness was seeping in around us like a whispering vapor, dimming the sun, tinting the grass.
“Come,” he whispered, seizing my wrist and dragging me on. “We must reach the others.”
“Lon, are they after us?”
“You're a much bigger prize than the Realm of Yenen, and it seems they have found you.”
Prize, huh? I'd been called worse.
We crashed through the brush, giving no heed to the thorns scratching at our legs; me in my stupid hospital vesture. My mind and limbs hummed with numbness. My heart struck my ribs over and over. A blur of blue on our right caught my eye.
“Liitae,” I called. “Go on ahead and warn the others.”
It sped up, passing us in an instant, vanishing in the gloom. I urged it on in my mind.
“Lon.”
“Yes?”
“Who was the child? In my dream, who was the child?”
We were moving faster now, but the sounds of breaking branches were distant in my ears as I waited for his reply. Before he could respond—or, perhaps, would respond—we broke through the trees and entered the clearing where Crenen held an excited Liitae in one hand.
“Wanting translate Stupid Round Light?”
“The Kirid are coming,” I offered.
“Good summary,” Lon said.
“Thanks.”
Crenen blinked. “Is certain?”
Lon nodded, pointing at the stretching shadows. “We could be dead in minutes—we have to leave now.”
“Where will we go?” Menen asked.
Crenen hissed. “Doesn't matter, can't stay, that matters, yeah?”
“Exactly,” Lon agreed. “Anywhere is better than here.”
“Where is the Seer?” Jenen asked.
I turned around, looking for Chasym and Veija. “I thought they came back.”
Lon tensed.
Crenen handed Liitae back to me. “No time. Must get Vendaeva out of here before Slimy Bad Kirid attacks, yeah?” He grabbed my arm and pulled. “Do as wanting, but we leaving.”
I jerked my arm out of his grasp and backed up. “I'm not going to leave those two out there to be captured and tortured. Save yourself, for all I care, but I'm gonna find them.”
Crenen sighed. “Very well, but not alone, yeah? We go with.” He caught my wrist and forced me to follow. “All split up, but stay in groups, yeah?”
Menen followed us while Lon and Jenen took another route.
“Liitae,” I whispered. “Show me where they are.”
The orb floated above my head for a moment and then shot off into the brush before us. “Follow it,” I said, now dragging Crenen.
“Slow and silent,” Crenen hissed. “Kirid are here.”
Sure enough, the forest had fallen silent.
The stillness of the trees was maddening. After searching for Chasym and Veija for what seemed hours, I was ready to scream, if only to make some noise. I felt like a plastic bag had been laid over the forest and the air was running out. Too much longer and I knew I'd snap.
Crenen held out his arm, and I smacked against it. I winced and rubbed my bruised collar bone. “Gee. Thanks.”
“Strange Coward Boy need to stay calm or Kirid sense position, yeah?” Crenen replied in a quieter voice than I'd thought he could manage.
“How can I stay calm when the air is getting thin?”
“Tall Strong Jerk,” Crenen said.
Before I could make any sound, I felt myself lifted by the collar of my robe, through the darkness, up into the branches of the trees. The front of my hospital gown strangled me, and I struggled to break free so I could breathe. After a moment I was released and dropped to my feet, rubbing my throat and swallowing air.
“Breathe better now, yeah?”
I scowled. “Very funny.”
He cackled.
“Master, we need to move,” Menen said.
“Yeah, yeah. We go.” He poked my arm to prod me forward.
So much for our quiet search. I'd be surprised if the Kirid hadn't located our exact position. Still, no matter how much longer we walked on, and regardless of my nervousness, no one attacked.
“How long has it been?” I whispered.
“Too long,” Crenen said.
I was afraid of that. Glancing around, I shivered in the bitter cold and strained my eyes to make out any signs of our comrades. Liitae's glow barely cut a sliver of light before us to illuminate our path, so it was pointless to peer into the darkness as we wouldn't see anything anyway. I sighed.
“Pointless,” Crenen voiced, causing me to jump.
“Agreed, Master,” Menen said.
A sharp hiss escaped Crenen's lips and he halted. I ran into him again.
“Master?” Menen whispered.
“Menen—stay with Vendaeva,” Crenen ordered.
I stared. He’d just called Menen by his name. Fear pricked at my neck as I felt the stillness shifting around us. Menen caught my arm and dragged me away from Crenen. L
iitae followed. “No,” I told the orb. “Stay with Crenen.” Liitae bobbed for a moment, then floated back to the Yenen clan leader. “Good...orb thing,” I said, smiling despite the fear in my gut.
Though the darkness closed in around us as we wended our way through the trees, I was more afraid for Crenen, because whatever he was about to face was worse than suffocation. Maybe.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered, the nearness of my voice a little startling.
Menen's grip on my arm loosened as his focus returned to the present. “It's not your fault.”
“Still...” My presence kept Menen from staying with his master.
“You left him your Essence,” Menen said. “That is enough.”
Was it? Lon had told me the orb was a portion of myself. When I thrust it into Jenen's heart, he became bound to me. Would the same principle apply now? Would this, if on a smaller scale, link Crenen's life to mine? Would it do him any good?
So many questions.
I've found you.
I stiffened and my back popped.
Menen turned to face me. “What is it?”
“He's here,” I whispered, trembling.
“Who, Key?”
“The voice,” I said. “The Seer.”
Menen hissed and placed a hand on my shoulder. “He won't claim you.”
I nodded, but my terror had turned into icy fingers with razor-sharp claws ripping at my insides.
It is too late to run away, Vendaeva.
I shuddered, closing my eyes. Menen guided me onward, forcing me to run, leading me, stumbling, around trees and through brambles. I didn't argue. I felt numb from head to toe and I knew I couldn't run without his support.
“Oy, Menen!” The voice shattered the stillness and froze my heart mid beat.
We stopped again and I forced my eyes open. It didn't help.
“We've been looking for you.” Chasym's voice.
“How did you know it was us?” Menen asked warily.
In answer two floating lights in the dark appeared: Chasym's yellow eyes. “Built-in night vision.”
“Where's Veija?” I asked, locating my voice.
“In the tree. We hid when we sensed the Kirid.”
I sighed. “And we all split up to look for you. Why didn't you just go to camp? Why are you both so far out here?”
“That was my fault,” a female voice said from above. “I wanted to speak with him in private.”
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
I could picture Veija's smile as she answered. “Yes. Sorry to worry you.”
“Where are the others?” Chasym asked.
“Lon and Jenen went off together to search for you. And Crenen’s back there.” I pointed to the general area behind me.
You're too late.
I stiffened again.
“What's wrong?” Chasym asked.
“Oh, nothing.” I managed a weak smile. “Just a voice in my head again.”
“We're in the Seer's domain,” Veija said. “It's very easy to enter a person's mind when the Seer has complete control.
“That's wonderful,” I said.
“Sounds like it,” Chasym agreed.
“There's got to be a way to get all of us back together,” I said.
“This is rather a big forest,” Chasym said. “How do you propose we go about it?”
“Well. I'm not really sure.”
“Thought not.”
My eyes widened. “Scratch that. I've got an idea.”
“Really?” Veija asked.
“Be fast,” Menen said.
I closed my eyes and focused on Jenen. If what Lon said about our bond was true, he would sense my thoughts and, quite possibly, my emotions. They just needed to be strong enough. I didn't know our present location, but if I could keep a strong enough connection, surely I could weave a trail for them to follow. Or something.
Clever, but it won't work.
Needling pain shot through my body like electricity, and I screamed.
“Jason!”
I pried my eyes open and the pain ebbed.
“I take it your idea failed.” Chasym's voice was wry.
I chuckled. “Something like that.”
“Still,” an unfamiliar voice joined in, “an impressive attempt.”
Our small group spun on its heels to face utter darkness.
“Who are you?” Chasym demanded for all of us.
“Never mind that.” The voice's owner was male, no question there. “I'm here to collect what is mine.”
“Unless you're talking about the grass, I think you've got your directions crossed,” Chasym said. “There's nothing here you could own.”
“I'm afraid you're mistaken, Chasym Verenvey of They.” A rustling of the grass informed us he was moving nearer.
Chasym scoffed. “You're mistaken if you think I am. Leave us alone.”
“I'm afraid it's far too late for you to make demands of me. Several hundred years too late.” Such a cliched line, yet my breathing was erratic, and my heart clattered in my ears. This man was after me; there was no question. This was the Seer.
“You think a couple hundred years is a long time?” Chasym sounded amused.
“No. It is a very short time. Now, step aside, Verenvey.”
“I don't answer to that name anymore,” Chasym said, “so no.”
Howling wind rose from the grass, and while I could feel its biting cold, I knew it hit Chasym full force, knocking him to the ground with a muffled gasp. The wind's icy fingers wrapped around my throat and covered my nose.
“Release him, Menen of Yenen Clan, before the boy dies.”
Menen hissed. “Better to let him die now than in your clutches.”
I reached up with my hand, trying to knock the wind away even as I struggled to breathe. “M-Men...en...”
He hesitated but let go of my arms. The wind vanished and I coughed, gulping the air. Though my lungs ached, I straightened and focused on the man who stood before me in the dark.
“You're not going to take me,” I said. There are only so many attempts you can make on one's life before the thought of suffocation loses its effectiveness.
“You've little choice in the matter, Vendaeva. The master desires your presence, and I must accommodate.”
“Tell your master I don't give a care what he desires.”
The Seer laughed. “As charming as I thought you might be.”
My mouth twisted. “Yeah, well, we can't all be angels.”
“I agree,” he said in a soft voice. “Come now, we've wasted enough time. The master grows impatient.”
“Poor baby. It must be hard not getting what he wants right away.” I backed up and felt Menen’s hand rest on my shoulder.
The Seer laughed again. “Stop,” he whispered. My limbs froze, and try as I might, I couldn't break free. “Come. The shadows wish to kill your friends—a sight, I have no doubt, you loathe to view yourself.”
I gritted my teeth and willed the ice to melt away. It gave a little, but I still couldn't move.
“Very good. You impress me with your calm.” The man's hand touched my cheek and I winced as his icy fingers numbed my face. “Now, sleep.”
It was as if my brain had been replaced by an ice cube. Everything blurred together. It was cold, so very cold.
“Snap out of it, Strange Dolt Boy! Now not time for napping, yeah?”
My eyes snapped open and the ice cube melted with a pop. I fell hard on my knees. Wincing, I shakily got back to my feet.
Crenen stood with his back to me, his inch-long claws dripping with crimson blood, staring down the man in magenta robes.
—Wait, there was something wrong with this picture.
Oh. I could see.
The darkness had receded to the edges of our tiny clearing. Shadows danced around, eager to get back in, unable to pass an invisible barricade to reach us.
I turned my attention back to the stare-down.
The Seer was scowling, hi
s own clawed hands quite bloodless, while he clutched his chest area. He had long vine-green hair that reached down to his feet, and sea-foam green eyes that blazed. He was slender, and taller than Crenen by an inch or more, and he stood like he owned the world. Still, he didn't proclaim it quite as well as Crenen.
“Best you leave now, before we gut you, yeah?” Crenen said, his tone dangerous.
The Seer sneered. “I'm not through here.”
“So say Delusional Broken Man.”
“Broken?” The Seer frowned. “Hardly.”
As they began what promised to be a long verbal duel, I swept the small clearing for the others. To my right I found Menen guarding Veija, who had climbed down from the tree and was watching Crenen. Lon was here too, standing beside Menen.
“Define broken,” the Seer ordered.
“Delusional Broken Man redefine broken—hard to put into words when exemplified so well, yeah?”
Something silver caught my eye and I turned to see Jenen kneeling before Chasym. My eyes widened. The latter was sprawled on the forest floor, his long yellow hair spread around him. His eyes were closed, lips bloody. A large icicle protruded from his stomach and two smaller ones jutted out of his shoulders, pinning him to the ground. The voices of Crenen and the Seer vanished from my mind. Was Chasym dead?
I took a step toward him, but Veija screamed. Spinning back around, I glimpsed the Seer appear behind Crenen and swipe his nails to slash him.
“Stop!” I cried, focusing all my wrath on the Seer.
He staggered, but he didn't freeze. Still, it was enough. Crenen spun and dug his claws into the other man's stomach, then slashed them across the Seer's throat. The man lurched and fell backward. Instead of blood seeping from his wound, a black mist poured onto the ground and the body disintegrated. The dark mist slithered off into the shelter of the trees.
You will have to do better than that, Vendaeva.
“Only an illusion,” Lon whispered.
“Too bad,” Crenen sighed. He turned to face me. “Strange Coward Boy okay?”
I nodded feebly and turned back to Chasym. “How is he?”
Jenen's ear twitched and he looked up, metallic eyes ablaze with noonday light from the sun. “He's alive...for now.”
Lon brushed by me and knelt on the other side of Chasym. “We need to remove the ice, but when we do, the bleeding is going to be hard to stop.”
“Can I do anything?” I asked.
A Liar in Paradise Page 18
