As though proving my point, a brave Keeli jumped forward and again tried to slash the monster with her sword—and again proved ineffectual. This time, at least, she was able to skillfully dodge his angry swat, thanks largely to more distraction from Dorian and Jasmine.
“Eugenie,” said Pagiel, touching my arm. “I have an idea.” He quickly explained it to me. I grimaced.
“Crude, but it might be effective,” I admitted. “Which one?”
We scanned the village, and I cursed the night since it limited the range of what I could see. “That one,” said Pagiel, pointing. “It’s the biggest.”
“Okay.” To Jasmine and Dorian, I said, “You guys do more of the same so it doesn’t realize what’s happening.”
I drew up the full force of my storm magic, forcing every air molecule I could (figuratively) get my hands on to obey me. Beside me, I felt Pagiel summon up his own air magic. Its feel was similar to mine, and we were able to sync up our forces. Joined with him, I was surprised at how strong he was. Maybe I shouldn’t have been since Ysabel was pretty adept with air too. I was still stronger, but having his backup made me feel almost godlike.
Together, we ripped one of the dead palms from the ground, doing it in a way that left the roots behind and created a splintery end. Even among its unusually large kin, this palm was pretty huge. Careful to match each other, Pagiel and I used the air to lift up the palm and turn it on its side so that it hovered in a parallel line to the ground.
“We have to make this count,” I said. “We need a hurricane- or tornado-worthy blast here, or it’s just going to knock him over. Set your aim and get ready. On the count of three?” Pagiel quickly nodded, lines of tension all over his face as he tried to keep up with me magically. “One. Two ...” The air crackled with tension as I readied to unleash it all. “Three!”
Pagiel and I released the tree. It flew forward toward the Storm with insane speed. Not only that, it was backed by a lot of force. Maybe it wasn’t honed to arrow sharpness, but when something that big, that fast, and that forceful hits you, it does some damage. Especially when it’s aimed right for the chest.
Amazingly, we got the tree to pierce that tough hide. Pagiel’s hope had been that the tree would go straight through him, but we weren’t quite that good. Nonetheless, the tree lodged in the Storm’s chest and heart, which was more than enough to kill the beast. It gave another roar, though this was of a very different nature than before. This was a death knell. The monster took a few unsteady steps and then fell to the ground. It twitched a little and then moved no more.
“Cool,” said Jasmine.
“And now,” said Kiyo, who was human again, “we also know how to deal with any vampires that come along.”
Villagers began spilling out of the huts, hurrying to see the outcome of the monster that had been terrorizing them. I glanced over at Pagiel, who was visibly shaking. “You okay?” I asked.
He gave me a weak smile, but excitement glowed in his eyes. “Yes. I had no idea I could do that. I mean, I guess I didn’t do it. You were doing a lot more.”
“You weren’t too shabby,” I said. “You’ve got more strength than you know. Not sure I could’ve gotten it through him without you.” Pagiel beamed.
Beside him, Jasmine scowled. “They’re so ungrateful,” she said, pointing to the villagers. They had now completely encircled the fallen monster, their backs to us. “Not even a thank-you.”
“They’re too busy,” said Kiyo, squinting at them with his superior eyes.
“Doing what?” demanded Jasmine.
Kiyo grinned at her. “Butchering. That thing will feed them for weeks.”
Chapter 15
The more we traveled, the more we learned something. Extreme cold and starvation weren’t the only problems facing the Otherworld’s residents. This world was full of all sorts of nightmarish creatures, most of which stayed away from the more civilized kingdoms. Creatures that were adapted to snowy climates also tended to live in obscurity since monarchs preferred to maintain pleasant conditions in their kingdoms.
Now, that had all changed. Monsters that had lived in ice and snow had just conveniently had their territory expanded exponentially, thanks to Varia. They began creeping out of their haunts, plaguing the bedraggled gentry. With so much infrastructure lost, monarchs were unable to muster much resistance to help their people fend off these threats. The Storm was only the first of many snow-loving adversaries we faced. Ice demons, albino trolls, more abominable knock-offs ... the variety seemed endless the farther we traveled.
“Why haven’t we seen these kinds of monsters in our kingdoms since the blight started?” I asked Dorian one day. It was midafternoon, and we rode our horses side by side. He didn’t answer for a few seconds, and for the first time in a very long time, there was a weary—though not quite defeated—air about him. We’d been on the road for a week, and it was taking its toll on all of us.
“A couple reasons, I’d imagine,” he said at last. “One is a matter of logistics. These creatures tend to live on the outskirts of our world. It’s simply taken them time to discover the feast the blight has created for them, and then of course, they’d actually have to put in the time to spread out and make the journey. They may simply not have reached our lands yet.”
That was a disheartening answer, its severity driven home by his sober look. “What’s the other reason we haven’t seen them yet?”
“We were living in a state of war before this disaster struck. Our armies were built up, our lands regularly patrolled. Much of that has stayed in place, even though our forces have taken heavy hits from the blight. But other kingdoms? Like the Palm Land? They were living an idyllic, peaceful existence. Their armies were minimal, so they had less to work with when the blight fell—and next to nothing now that the monsters are coming out of hiding.”
“Will ours be enough?” I asked. “Will our forces be able to protect our people?”
He studied me for a few moments, and I got the impression he was debating whether to answer with truth or comfort. He opted for the former. “I don’t know. We’re in better shape than most, and it’s a rule of nature that predators prefer easy prey. I don’t wish harm on any of these lands, but they’re probably more appealing to snow monsters than lands that fight back.”
His point was proved by the fact that many of the creatures we encountered tried to back off once they discovered the kind of fight we could put up. The smart thing on our part would have been to let them run ... but we, foolish or not, often pursued and took them out. It was hard not to when we kept passing more devastated villages. Leaving those people unguarded would have been cruel. It didn’t matter if they were our kingdoms or not. We were all victims of Varia.
The occasional fight also broke the monotony of travel. Volusian and our own intelligence assured us we were on the right path, but our days were long and dreary. We weren’t entirely sure how much farther we had to travel, and our rations were running low. I’d overheard Rurik and the soldiers debating whether or not they should impose new food restrictions to ensure our supplies would last. They’d decided against it at the time—we were already weak from hunger—but I’d gotten the impression that things might change very soon. I didn’t like that, but I disliked the thought of running out of food altogether even more.
Kiyo continued to be a constant stress to me. Whenever he had me alone, he’d attempt his absurd “reasonable” arguments about why Isaac was such a threat. Fortunately, Kiyo rarely got me alone, since almost everyone else went out of their way to interrupt his attempts. When Dorian did it, he would always act as though he had something really important to ask me, which almost always turned out to be ridiculous—like whether the purple in his cloak clashed with his tan horse. Others, like Rurik, made no such pretenses. He would simply force himself into the conversation and glare until Kiyo backed off.
Despite his nagging, Kiyo otherwise seemed to go to great pains to act like we were all civilized and fri
endly. I supposed this was better than him being aggressive or homicidal, but it seemed ridiculous after what he’d done to me. I couldn’t really believe he expected me to forgive and forget.
He scouted throughout most of the daylight hours, giving me some peace. One afternoon, he came tearing back toward us in fox form, with a sense of urgency that was obvious even as an animal. Immediately, we stopped and drew weapons, ready for an army of abominable snowmen around the bend. Kiyo reached us and turned human.
“What’s going on?” I demanded. I was tired and sporting a headache (probably from lack of food) but was ready to fight if need be.
Kiyo was panting, meaning he’d run back to us at a pretty serious pace. His fox form was normally pretty hardy. “You ... you have to see this. You won’t believe it.” Recovering himself, he glanced around and seemed to notice our tension. “And you don’t need your weapons.”
“What is it then?” asked Rurik, who showed no signs of putting his sword away.
“You just have to see it,” said Kiyo wonderingly. “It’s amazing.” He shape-shifted back to a fox and began trotting away. He paused after a few steps and glanced back to ascertain we were following. We set out at a cautious pace, none of us disarming.
“The kitsune’s gone insane,” said Dorian with mock sadness. “I knew it would happen sooner or later. If cold or starvation didn’t do it, I figured his own nature would bring it about. You can see these things coming, you know. I spotted it long ago, not that anyone bothered listening to me.”
I smiled in spite of my apprehension. “Right. You’re a regular—”
I gasped. The land had shifted around us, as it did a few times each day. Only this time ... we weren’t in a blighted kingdom.
Brilliant sunlight and a blue, blue sky nearly made me wince after spending so much time in the stark landscape of the blight. Chilling silence had been replaced by birdsong and the chatter of other animals. Trees—with leaves—spread out as far as we could see, radiantly green and alive. And the temperature ... that was the most amazing thing of all. Probably, it was only around seventy, but after being in the blight, we might as well have stepped into the tropics.
“There’s no blight here,” exclaimed Jasmine, her gray eyes wide. “It’s like—plums! Holy shit! Plums!”
She was off her horse in a flash, running toward the nearest tree. With dexterity I hadn’t known she possessed, she scurried up the trunk and began picking purple and gold fruit as soon as she could reach the branches. She tossed several of the plums to the ground and then hopped down holding a huge one for herself. She bit into it, juice running down her chin, and looked as though she would faint in ecstasy.
The rest of us wasted no time. We dismounted too and joined in the plum feast. The crazy thing was, I don’t even like plums, but in that moment, they were the most delicious things I’d ever tasted. Our rations had consisted mostly of dried, salty goods that would travel well. Eating something so sweet and so fresh was exquisite. Plus, there were no limits here. We could eat as much as we wanted—and we did. I didn’t doubt I’d regret it later, but for now, it was glorious to have a full stomach. I stretched out in the grass when I was finished, marveling in the warmth. Others joined me, also basking in the moment. It took Dorian to point out the obvious.
“You realize, of course, why there’s no blight here?” he asked. No one responded. “This is one of Varia’s subject kingdoms. If not the Yew Land itself.”
That revelation certainly dampened the mood. I summoned Volusian, though it seemed like a shame on such a beautiful day. The only positive part was that this sort of cheery, bright location obviously bothered him.
“My mistress calls.”
“Where are we?” I asked. “We’re not in the Yew Land already, are we?”
“No, mistress. We are in the Beech Land.”
“Are you sure?” asked Jasmine with a mouthful of fruit. “Seems like the Plum Land to me.”
Volusian regarded her with narrowed eyes. “I am quite sure. This kingdom lies near the Yew Land, however.”
“You were right,” I said to Dorian. “One of Varia’s subjects.”
Dorian was sprawled on the grass, eyes closed and face tilted toward the sun. “Of course I was right.”
Kiyo tossed aside a plum pit. “I checked where the road led. It crosses back to the blight in a few miles, then back to this land. Not sure after that.”
“Still,” I said. “It’s a good sign that we’re on the right track. We should stay here for a little while. Stock up, wash up ...”
A number of us had begun peeling off our layered clothing, and the effects of not having bathed in a while were kind of obvious.
Jasmine sat up and peered around us. She pointed off to her right. “There’s a body of fresh water over—”
The sound of hooves on the road startled all of us. The impromptu plum picnic had made me feel lazy and content, but we’d spent too much time on edge recently to go totally lax. We were all on our feet as a group of riders came into view. Just like the scenery, these gentry were a sharp contrast to those we’d seen in the blight. This group was clean, well dressed, and obviously eating well. They looked strong and healthy—and had weapons drawn. We followed suit, though I hoped an altercation wouldn’t be necessary.
I also figured this probably wasn’t the most ideal situation for Rurik to negotiate, so I stepped forward before he could attempt to take control. Dorian joined me, and I tried to look pleasant and nonthreatening as I faced the riders.
“We don’t want any trouble,” I called. “We just want to pass through peacefully.”
“We can pay for the plums, if that’s the problem,” added Dorian helpfully.
“We know who you are,” snapped one of the riders. She was a woman with graying, curly hair and bore the air and authority of a leader. “And we know why you’re here.”
That caught me by surprise, and I wondered what had given us away. Had someone leaked our plan to Varia? Had our descriptions been spread around? Did she have all of her kingdoms on high alert?
“So just turn back now,” the rider continued. “We don’t want your kind here.”
I blinked in confusion. If Varia was on alert for us to attempt some ploy, she would hardly have her people simply send us away. “I ... I don’t understand,” I said.
“You’re like all the others,” she said in disgust. “Dragging yourselves in from your wretched lands, trying to steal our food. Go back to where you came from and reap what you’ve sown for not acknowledging our queen as your mistress.”
Dorian immediately figured out what was going on. “Do we look like refugees simply here to steal food?” That might not have been the best question since we had just stolen food and looked kind of tattered. Still, there was a big difference between us and the other gentry we’d passed on this journey. “The reason we’re here is to fall upon your queen’s mercy. Our king sent us here to plead with her.”
The riders exchanged questioning looks with each other. “It’s true.... You don’t look like the usual rabble,” admitted the spokeswoman. It was a sign of our worn state that we didn’t look like royalty either. We certainly looked more like servants than masters. “What kingdom do you come from?”
“The Lilac Land,” said Dorian quickly. This was met with blank looks, largely because said kingdom didn’t exist, to my knowledge. “It’s very far away. We’ve been traveling a long time and simply want to free our land from the curse.”
The riders had a quiet conference with each other and finally came to a decision. “We’ll escort you to our borders,” said the gray-haired woman. “Just to be certain. Once you cross into the next loyal kingdom, however ... be warned. You may not find such a warm reception. The Mimosa Land and its residents are not nearly so accommodating.”
This was warm and accommodating? That didn’t bode well for the next kingdom. I also found it sad that a place called the Mimosa Land was unfriendly. It sounded like a party waiting to happen
.
“Thank you,” said Dorian, in the humblest voice I’d ever heard him use. “May we rest here briefly? We promise not to take long. We wouldn’t want to waste your valuable time, fair lady.” He then diminished some of his meekness by flashing her one of his charming, come-hither smiles. To my astonishment, she actually blushed. Unbelievable.
We were granted our break, but it was hardly the long bath I’d hoped for. I mostly managed to get the worst of the travel grime off and chose to stay in the clothes I’d been wearing. By Kiyo’s report, we weren’t entirely free of the blight yet, so there was no point in getting rid of the warm clothing yet. In fact, our party had to manage some tricky maneuvers to get it on and off quickly once our journey resumed. The layers were too heavy for the Beech Land but instantly needed when the road took us across the blight. After about three crossings, we stepped from the Beech Land into a new kingdom. It was evening now, and I couldn’t make out much in the darkness. The heat and humidity were immediately discernible, though. It kind of reminded me of Ohio.
“This is the Mimosa Land,” declared the Beech woman. We had never learned her name, though Dorian had certainly tried to woo it out of her with his shameless flirtation. “And here we depart. If the road maintains the pattern it has recently, you won’t cross the blight anymore.”
“Thank you,” said Dorian, sweeping her a bow. “Your kindness will not be forgotten. Nor will your beauty. My dreams will be haunted by your starry eyes and glossy hair.”
She merely grunted at that, but as the riders turned around, I caught sight of her smoothing back her hair in some weak attempt at styling. “That was ridiculous,” I told Dorian, once she’d left. “She’s not the kind of person to fall for your flirting.”
“On the contrary,” said Dorian. “She’s exactly the kind of person to fall for it. I understand these warrior maids, you know. They live such harsh, cold lives, always trying to keep up with the men ... when really, they just need someone to make them feel like a woman. And that, of course, is an area in which I excel. Why, if I’d had ten minutes alone with her—”
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