Willing Sacrifice

by Shannon K. Butcher

  “I can. And I will.”

  “How long do you think that will take? How long do you think the village has? How long can Brenya keep doing what she has to do to keep everyone safe?”

  He hated that she was right. “I’d rather take you south, back to the others.”

  “If Brenya had wanted me with the others, she would have taken me along. She didn’t because you need me to help you find the building site.”

  Torr didn’t see any plan to refute her logic. “Fine, let’s go. But as soon as we find where they’re building the portal, you’re going right back to the others.”

  She said nothing, but her satisfied smile spoke volumes.

  He made sure they had what they needed and that Grace wasn’t carrying too much weight. As soon as there was no more reason to delay, he set a steady pace east.

  Within a few hours, he began to see frequent signs of Hunters passing this way. The forest was crisscrossed with sheared paths in the foliage and gouge marks in the ground.

  He could hear Grace at his back, only an arm’s length away. She kept up with him, but he could tell when he was pushing her too hard by the change in her breathing. He slowed down as they banked up a steep hill, pausing several times to listen for signs of danger on the far side.

  “Rest a minute. I’ll be right back,” he whispered, then slipped off to scout the other side of the hill before she could argue.

  He saw nothing but dark, glittering trees stretching out across the valley. The angle of the suns made the metallic leaves shine and shielded the forest floor from sight.

  Even though he couldn’t see any danger, his instincts whispered to him that it was here.

  He waited, patiently scanning the area, giving whatever was down there time to make itself known. He gathered a few sparks of power from the earth beneath him, marveling at the way it felt so different from the energy back home. These sparks were hotter, with more sting to them, but it took more of them to do what he needed.

  Finally, when he’d gathered enough juice, he amplified his vision. Everything looked closer. Details were in perfect focus. Still he saw nothing.

  Grace scooted up the hill on her stomach, taking a position beside him. “Everything okay?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  She fell silent and shielded her eyes from reflected sunlight.

  Every time a breeze blew past, it brought with it her scent. Torr closed his eyes and breathed her in, wishing he could have more even as he cursed the distraction she created. He had no idea how long they lay there, but when he regained his control again and searched the area, the angle of the suns had changed enough that the glare from the leaves was no longer blinding.

  He amped up his vision once more, this time gathering enough power that it stung his fingertips and made his skin burn. Still he saw nothing.

  Beside him, Grace squirmed and rubbed her arms.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I think I must have been bitten by some bugs or something. No big deal.”

  It wasn’t bugs that had bitten her. That sting was his—he’d inadvertently hurt her because of the damn disk that connected them.

  He needed to get the thing off before he did more than irritate her skin. Like it or not, Brenya was going to help him find a way to free Grace. She may not have known a life without it, but she was strong. She would adapt.

  “I still don’t see anything,” he told her. “We’ll keep going, but we need to be careful.”

  He helped her to her feet, lingering a bit too long with her hand in his. He’d give anything to have her back at Dabyr, safe inside the walls where he would be able to relax and enjoy her. Thoroughly.

  It was a selfish fantasy, but one he couldn’t control.

  Torr led the way down the hill, moving more slowly than he would have liked. There were a few open spaces where trees had fallen. Nothing new had had time to grow in their place yet, leaving little pools of sunshine on the forest floor. The clearings made travel easier, but also left too many openings for ambush.

  He skirted them and stuck to a path animals had cut through the trees with their passing. A thorny bush had invaded this area, making travel between trees more than just uncomfortable. Each two-inch thorn dripped with something thick and wet, like syrup.

  “Watch out for those,” said Grace. “They’re poisonous.”

  “What kind of poison?”

  “The kind that makes you wish you were dead.”

  He knew that kind all too well. “We should go back and find another way through.”

  “There is no other way. All the other paths lead to the swamps where those giant lizards live.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her. “You’ve been this way before?”

  “No, but Brenya has. I seem to know what she does.”

  “Great. What’s up ahead on this path?”

  “A narrow strip of rock that will keep us out of the swamp.”

  No wonder the path was so obvious. The animals the lizards preyed on would have learned to cross here and stay out of danger.

  “When we get there, we’ll need to cross fast.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “The lizards are territorial.”

  “This just keeps getting better.”

  “Well, if you were going to build a magical device you didn’t want anyone to find, wouldn’t you put it on the other side of a bunch of territorial, man-eating lizards?”

  “Good point.”

  A few hundred yards later, Torr saw the pale strip of stone stretching between two stagnant pools of water. Several of the huge lizards lounged in the last rays of sunlight. He could see more of them just beneath the surface of the water.

  Before they got too close, he stopped. “Let me have your gear.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll be able to run faster.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll be fine. All you need to keep is your water, just in case we’re separated. Head straight east and I’ll catch up with you as soon as I can.”

  He removed one of her bags and settled the strap over his shoulder.

  “Catch up with me? What are you going to do?”

  Torr gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’m just going to distract them.”

  • • •

  Grace was almost certain that was the worst idea in the world. “I’m not letting you distract them. There’s too many. Fighting one nearly killed you. I count at least seven.”

  “I wasn’t ready for the fight then. I am now. Besides, I’m not going to get that close. When I say, you start running and don’t look back.”

  “No.”

  “I know what I’m doing, Grace. Trust me.”

  “Of course I do, but there’s got to be another way.”

  “Can you think of one?”

  She couldn’t. And while she would have rather had both of them run across at the same time, that was much more likely to get them both killed.

  She’d seen him fight. She knew what he was capable of. If either of them was going to face off against a pile of angry reptiles, he was the safe bet.

  “Okay, but if you don’t come across immediately, I’m going to do a little distracting of my own.” She pulled Tori’s practice sword from where it was strapped to her body, making her intentions clear.

  “I won’t make you use that. All you have to do is get across and wait for me.”

  “You should try throwing them some food before using your own skin as bait.”

  He cupped her face in his hands, leaned down and kissed her. She had no time to anticipate his action, no time to prepare herself for the blissful shock of his kiss.

  The second his lips met hers, the whole world melted away. He was there and gone before she could do more than register the heat of his mouth. Still, the brief kiss rocked her to the soles of her feet and left her reeling.

  She blinked up at him, unsure what to do or say. The urge to grab
him and demand more was strong, as was the strangest feeling that she’d felt that before, only in a different way.

  Breathe for me, Grace. Don’t give up on me. I love you.

  His voice was in her memory, but she’d never heard him say those words.

  “For luck,” he told her, before stepping back and shedding all signs that he even knew how to kiss.

  It was the warrior side of him that stood before her now, tall and fierce. He opened a pouch of dried meat, drew his sword and gave her a nod. “Stay here until I say, then run. Got it?”

  She gave a mute nod and struggled to gather her wits.

  Torr moved quietly along the line of thorny brush, skirting the edge of the lizards’ territory. When he was a few yards away, he stepped forward and yelled, “Now!”

  Grace took off at a dead sprint.

  She made it all the way across the narrow land bridge before she gave in to the urge to look over her shoulder.

  Torr was holding his own, fending off snapping jaws and powerful tails. He danced between the animals, grace and strength on blatant display.

  This wasn’t like the attack he’d fended off when Brenya had summoned him here. He was ready for this, and his skill shone through.

  Part of Grace gloried in the sight, completely enthralled by the way he moved. The rest of her was terrified that something would go wrong and he’d get hurt, or worse.

  By the time she was released from the mesmerizing show long enough to look where she was going, it was too late. Something thin caught against her shin, sending her into an uncontrolled fall. She hit the ground hard. Tiny filaments made from some kind of transparent fiber wrapped around her body. They seemed to be spring-loaded, and at the end of each one was a small, clear crystal.

  Several of those crystals smashed together, sending a beam of light into the sky. It cut through leaves like a spear and glowed bright against the dimming sky.

  The second Grace realized what had happened, bits of the knowledge Brenya had given her flooded her brain. She knew instantly that this was a trap set by a Warden. That beam of light was going to lead it right to her, and once that happened, both she and Torr were dead.

  Chapter 22

  Grace screamed Torr’s name. The sound was one of sheer terror.

  He immediately disengaged from the group of lizards he’d been holding at bay and ran toward her. He tossed out every bit of food they had, hoping it would keep the animals occupied long enough for him to reach Grace.

  He saw her dangling a few feet off the ground, her body bundled inside a net. Several pencil-thin beams of light shone into the sky. Crystal shards littered the area, giving off a low hum of energy that he’d felt only a few times before in his life.

  There was magic here, and that couldn’t be good.

  One strong swing of his sword cut her down. She landed hard, letting out a whoosh of air.

  “Warden trap,” she wheezed.

  Definitely not good.

  Torr didn’t waste time asking how she knew. It made too much sense for him to question.

  The strands binding her body were too tight for him to risk slicing with his sword. From the redness in her face, he worried that they were also making it hard for her to breathe. Still, that wasn’t the worst of their worries.

  Those glowing beacons were going to bring every nasty thing hiding in these woods right to them. He had to ditch the beams and get her away from here before it was too late.

  The light seemed to be pouring from broken crystals. He cut through the strands attaching the crystals to her body and lifted her over his shoulder.

  “Sorry about this,” he said as he set out at a fast jog.

  Her poor body was bouncing on his shoulder. He knew it had to hurt, but whatever pain she suffered now wasn’t as bad as what any Warden would do if it found her.

  As soon as he’d put a little distance between them and those beacons, he set her down to check on her.

  She was still conscious, but barely. Her breathing was shallow, and each breath seemed to give the strands room to tighten.

  “I’m going to give you some room to breathe,” he told her. “Just hang on.”

  A flare of recognition lit her eyes for a second before they closed.

  Frantic, he patted her cheek to wake her up, but she didn’t respond.

  The time for careful was over.

  Torr used the tip of his sword to slice through the strands over her tunic. The leather split open, but so did the strands. He tried to avoid the places where there was no leather to protect her. He hoped that opening even a few of the tough fibers binding her would be enough to give her relief.

  She pulled in a huge gasp of air.

  In the distance, the sounds of crashing leaves and wind chimes filled the air.

  The Warden was here.

  “We have to run,” he told her.

  She nodded weakly.

  “Try to stay quiet. I’ll get the rest of your body free as soon as I can.”

  “Cave,” she choked out. “Not far.”

  “Which way?”

  She frowned for a second. “North. Under the big rock.”

  That had to be good enough for now.

  “Hold on, honey. I’ll get you free as fast as I can.”

  The trail Torr had left behind was created in a panicked rush and easy to follow. As soon as the Warden found it, they would be screwed.

  At least he only had one set of tracks to hide. With Grace over his shoulder, he was going to be slower, but he had centuries of experience in hiding his trail.

  He kept careful tabs on her pulse as he moved as fast as he dared. The farther upslope he went, the thinner the brush became. The sound of wind chimes was distant, but he could still hear it whenever the wind died down.

  “You doing okay?” he asked.

  Her voice was strained, but she said, “Yeah.”

  He made use of the paths the Hunters had cut through the trees whenever he could. When he couldn’t, he moved slowly, being careful not to break the small branches and leaves surrounding them. He checked behind them every few yards, making sure there was no visible path to follow and that nothing was on their tail as he headed toward the big rock she’d talked about.

  Finally, he saw a rock big enough to be named for its size.

  It looked like a glacial boulder deposited here millennia ago. The surface of it was smooth from wear and covered with tiny fossils. It was the size of a house, perching precariously on a hillside. In the gap between the boulder and the hillside, he saw a small opening.

  He wanted to scout out the space first, but he didn’t dare leave Grace out here, completely unable to defend herself or even run away. Instead, he carried her up the steep slope and angled himself so that he could peer into the opening. A few sparks of power later, he saw nothing inside except some dry grass and sticks that appeared to have once been the nest of an animal. As old and scattered as the debris was, he doubted the animal had been here in a long time.

  He ducked as he walked through the opening, making sure not to bump Grace’s head. As soon as they were out of sight to anyone who wasn’t standing on the hillside, he eased her to the ground.

  Her skin had a greenish cast to it that told him he hadn’t been gentle enough. He’d made her sick. “I’m sorry about the rough ride.”

  “It’s okay.”

  The clear filaments binding her had left deep creases in her skin. She was even bleeding in a couple of places where the pressure of the strands had been too much.

  “It’s going to take a few minutes to get you out of this thing, but I’ll go as fast as I can.”

  He started at her head, using his sword as carefully as he could to break through the tough fibers. When the length of the blade became too unwieldy, he worked her short sword free of her belt and used that. After a few painstaking minutes, the top half of her body was free.

  She took several deep breaths. He could practically feel relief radiating from her in waves. “I�
�ve had better days.”

  “Me too, honey. Almost there.”

  He nicked her knee trying to cut it out of the binding. She didn’t flinch, but he could hear her nearly silent hiss of pain.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Not your fault. I’d rather have a few cuts and be out of this thing.”

  The leather bindings around her calves helped protect her legs and he was able to make quick work of the rest of the net. Once it was all the way off, he bundled it up and tossed it into the refuse pile in the corner.

  Her skin was covered with angry red marks and more than a few cuts. Between his efforts and the filaments, she was bleeding in several places.

  He removed his bags and started searching for the medical supplies she’d packed. “We’ll get you cleaned up and then I’ll secure the cave.”

  “I’ll do it,” she told him. “You can go do whatever it is you need to do.”

  She seemed steady now, so he left her side and moved deeper into the opening.

  As caves went, it wasn’t much of one. It only went about twenty feet into the hillside before ending in a crack just wide enough to let rainfall drain out. The floor slanted down the deeper it went, but it was still level enough that he didn’t have to worry about sliding down and getting his foot stuck in the opening.

  Because of the angle and the boulder that hid them, he didn’t think they could be seen by someone passing by below. At night, the opening would look like little more than a shadow in the rocks.

  Night wasn’t far away.

  They had no food, no light, and Grace wasn’t going to be able to travel once it got dark.

  “We’ll stay here tonight. It’s defensible, hidden and about as safe as we’re going to get with a Warden roaming around out there.”

  “Is there a back door?”

  “No, but it won’t come to that.”

  “You should keep going. I’ll be fine here without you.”

  “Even if I was willing to leave you alone—which I’m not—you’re the one who knows the way.”

  She dabbed some kind of thick cream on one of the cuts on her thigh. “We’re not far away. I can see the rest of the path from the big rock now. Travel over the hill we’re in and head southeast over three more hills, each one progressively higher. In the valley after that last one, you’ll find the lake there.” She closed her eyes as if seeing it in her mind. “At the bottom of it are a bunch of stones—the kind Brenya used to carve the portal to Earth. They have some kind of innate magic, like those crystals we found. They’re what the Masons will use to build the portal.”