“Hmm.” He glanced my way. “So the canis was an unexpected messenger, then?”
My mouth went dry. “Yes.”
“What was his news?” His tone held honest curiosity. “Or am I allowed to know?”
I debated for a moment whether or not he was toying with me but decided he was earnest. I phrased my answer with care. “His soul was troubled because the plague ravages the southlands. He warned that now is the time to be with our families, at our clan homes, protecting traditions.”
Vaughn snorted. “He sounds a lot like Old Father.”
The canis sounded like a father at least. I shrugged. “It’s no hardship to honor his wishes.”
“I suppose once this is done, I’ll return home as well. Mother will want to make an example of those responsible.” He grinned at me. “Threats to her heir, her dynasty, won’t be tolerated.”
My head bobbled. Isolde’s dynasty and her heir were in graver danger than he knew.
Tonight we escaped or we died in the attempt. What a valiant effort. Vaughn was dead either way, the others were too. Could I risk my life for Vaughn? Pascale and Lleu, or Bram? Should I?
Spirit walkers were rare. Few were born and fewer survived their mad first passage into the spiritlands. My clan needed me. My family needed me. But Rhys was my cousin, family as well.
Didn’t that make his sister by marriage a relation of mine too? And his brother, well, I don’t know what Vaughn was to me. Not just my cousin’s brother. He was something else, something more, and despite our bleak future, or perhaps because of it, the divide between us narrowed yet again. I admired his strength and his determination, his sense of loyalty to his family and to me.
But were those traits his because of who and what he was, or in spite of it?
Strange to travel so far and not glimpse as much as a cottontail bounding through the snow. I wondered if Brynmor and the canis were out there, if their scent caused prey animals to scatter.
“You see that, Teilo?” one guard asked another. “Have all the animals gone mad?”
Overhead a swarm of fringillas flew, showcasing their orange breasts and their white bellies.
“I told you to leave me be, Urien.” Teilo scowled. “Hey—what’s wrong with them?”
Their delicate bodies careened as gusts of wind battered them. Some plummeted from the sky, skipping over the snow like stones thrown across a pond. Others spun in maddening circles.
“Don’t know.” Urien shifted in his saddle, staring down at me from his ursus. “She might.”
“Well, answer him.” Teilo twisted around too. “He asked you a question, Walker.”
“They’ve been infected,” Vaughn answered for me. His shoulders rose and fell as he gulped air. “I recognize the scent.” The males exchanged a wary glance. “I saw my first sickened pecora near here, their remains at least, while on a trip with my brother. Something had torn them limb from limb. Bones and hide covered the road. We thought canis were responsible, but the stench was overpowering. No predators would eat prey smelling that foul unless they were desperate.”
My gaze stuck to the fringillas. “It may not mean anything, but this is the first time I’ve seen a bird infected by the plague.” I grimaced as Brynmor’s warning rang with fresh urgency. “The plague was spreading far and fast without aerial assistance. If swarms like this one head farther north and the canis or other large animals consume them, we’ll have an epidemic on our hands.”
“Maybe that messenger was on to something,” Teilo said. “He said the southeast is bad.”
Vaughn tensed beside me, and I knew what he was thinking. Cathis lay to the southeast.
“I told Torrance to let the man speak.” Urien grunted. “He killed the bastard too fast.”
I strained my ears to hear mention of a clan name, but those details were kept private.
“Eh, he’s a city dweller, what does he know?” Teilo shook his head. “Messengers carry their most important information up here.” He tapped his right temple. “Waste of an arrow, that was.”
“Boredom, that was,” Urien corrected. “Days spent in the cold, guarding that damn road.”
“Either way, it’s not our concern.” Teilo shrugged. “Southwest is clear far as I’ve heard.”
“Thank the two gods for that.” Urien shut his eyes, his lips moving in a fast prayer.
I picked at the spot on my palm, earning me a glare from Vaughn. I laced my fingers instead and considered that if the messenger hadn’t worn clan colors or carried heraldry, then I’d bet his news had been grim indeed. Brynmor’s urgent concern coupled with the messenger’s warning of deteriorating conditions in the southeast, and the fact they encountered the messenger on the road to Erania, made me believe it possible he had been Mimetidae. If Isolde had fallen ill, she would have sent word to Rhys for Vaughn to return home. So it seemed Brynmor was a reliable source.
As tempting as it was to discuss theories with Vaughn, I needed him clearheaded for tonight.
Whatever his plan, we stood a better chance of seeing it through if his judgment was freed of emotion. Once we escaped, we could hide with my family until the Theridiidae were dealt with. I could secure supplies for Vaughn and Lleu, and Bram if he meant to remain with them. Pascale’s sentence could begin without fanfare among my clan. All would be well, so I’d tell Vaughn later.
Shrill whistles made me flinch as those in line ahead of us called our company to a halt.
“I hate this bit,” Urien muttered. “Crossing the veil twice in one month is madness.”
“It could be worse,” Teilo countered. “The gods could have taken you the first time.”
“Aye,” Urien agreed, “but I’ve heard if you cross it often enough, it gets a taste for you.”
“Eh, an old wives’ tale if I ever heard one,” Teilo groused. “Not surprised you’d believe it.”
The line halted, and Urien glared at his partner. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”
From that point, the ache in my head blocked the worst of their spat. Focusing on the pain in my feet helped too. Not that I had a choice. Both were as excruciating as the gnawing in my gut.
“Are you ready?” Vaughn walked so close, heat from his body sizzled against my skin.
Static crackled across my arms and raised hairs all over my body. The veil. We had arrived. I was so grateful for a respite I hadn’t checked the reason why our procession had come to an end.
Shadows darkened Vaughn’s eyes. I imagined the wheel of his mind spinning. “Are you?”
His exhale sounded strained. “I am.” He cast me a calculating glance. “Kiss me for luck?”
I almost swallowed my tongue. “What?” My mind had wandered but not so far from its path.
“Kiss me.” His eyes gleamed brighter than they had since our ordeal began. “It’s tradition for a male to seek a female’s kiss before crossing the veil. Gives him a reason to fight its energy.”
“Really?” I made my voice sound thoughtful. “All these years I’ve broken tradition without realizing. Old Father never mentioned such a noble cause, nor did my other travel companions.”
His nod was somber. “Wait—what do you mean other travel companions?”
“Old Father rarely leaves Beltania these days, even for clan business. When I leave the city, my aunt assigns one of her husband’s clansmen to act as my guard. Deinopidae males are rather physical males. You’d think I’d have tempted one…” I sighed. “Consider the kisses I’ve missed.”
I have gone mad. The strain of capture has taken its toll. Think of who I’m tempting. Think of whose attentions I’m inviting. Think of those soft lips of his. One last chance to taste them…
Tonight we fought for our freedom. If we lost…I wanted to know this male’s kiss.
Vaughn cleared his throat. “We could make up for lost time.”
“You’d do that, for me?” My smile was impossible to stop. I should be afraid—of him, of this night, of the outcome of two bound
prisoners against a score of Theridiidae. “How kind you are.”
But I wasn’t afraid. Vaughn’s presence enveloped me, kept me safe against all odds. My skin tightened and my head ached as I was forced to consider perhaps it had never been him I feared, but his effect on me. Tradition demanded I save myself for my soul mate. My heart, well, it was less inclined to wait. With no visible aura and no possible future, I gave myself to this moment.
Vaughn closed the distance between us. “This is not the first kiss you deserve.”
“Who said this was my first?” I was a warm-blooded female and males had interested me.
His brow furrowed. “You’re Salticidae.”
“I am.” I wished my hands were free to shape his broad shoulders. “I’m also waiting.”
“Then we’re even.” His head lowered. Our breaths mingled. “I’ve waited for this.”
Surprise parted my lips, and he claimed my mouth with hunger that sank into my bones. One brush of his lips and I was lost. His tongue traced the entrance to my mouth, seeking permission I granted by inclining my head. Desire fogged my mind, the low rumble in the back of his throat making tension coil low in my stomach. Our bodies pressed so close, I realized how well we fit.
The thrust and glide of Vaughn’s tongue mirrored the erotic turn of my thoughts. No. I could not indulge in this male when I had one of my own somewhere. When the gods brought my soul mate to me, I would not go to him sullied or disgraced for being so weak I gave away my virtue.
Suddenly the bite of rope on my wrists was a welcome reminder of our circumstances. Over the pounding of my heart, I heard his raw breaths and saw wildness glint in his eyes. I withdrew.
If our display hadn’t earned us the full attention of our guards, I might have considered a roll in the snow to cool the heat making it hard for me to breathe. Gods’ web he had my mind dazed.
“Don’t stop on our account.” Urien winked in a too-familiar way. “Pretend we aren’t here.”
“How can she?” Teilo snorted. “You’re staring a hole through her blouse.”
Urien’s brows slanted. “It’s not my fault if she likes males to watch—”
A lone howl rose over the noises of our procession. The mournful song was lifted higher by another voice and then another until a chorus of melancholy descended around us. From the edge of the woods, a black wolf sauntered. Behind him, a dozen more eyes gleamed gold and furious.
Several Theridiidae males huddled around our group for a better look at the canis.
“You there, Walker, come here.” Torrance waved me closer. “Is this some trick of yours?”
“Despite rumors to the contrary,” I assured him, “I know no tricks.”
“Leave her be.” Vaughn stared at the alpha. “I doubt they cross the veil. Animals avoid it the same as we do. Their presence is a good omen. Consider their song a parting gift from the pack.”
“I’ll consider it what I like.” Torrance glared at Mana. “If I find out this was your doing…”
“Believe what you want.” I gritted my teeth. “Small minds can’t be changed.”
Torrance slapped me across the face before I could react, and my lip burst.
“You struck her.” Vaughn took a slow step toward Torrance. “I will kill you for that.”
“Back off now or I’ll lop off that ring finger of yours, send it and your signet to your mother. Bet Isolde would love that.” Torrance smirked. “I know my maven would.”
Muscle worked in Vaughn’s jaw. “Take it. I have nine more where it came from.” He swept his leg out, knocking Torrance’s legs from under him. The male hit the ground with a groan, and Vaughn knelt on his windpipe. Even with his hands cinched behind his back, Vaughn was lethal.
“You drew first blood,” Vaughn snarled in his face. “Remember that.”
“Get off.” Urien cuffed Vaughn upside the head and sent him sprawling onto his back.
Wheezing, Torrance turned onto his side, shoving up onto his hands and knees. “Kill him.”
The guards exchanged a look as my heart lurched.
“Are you so eager to go to war with the Mimetidae?” I asked him. “Your maven has begun a battle she can’t hope to win with the Araneidae. After this, the kidnapping of Lourdes’s beloved sister a second time by your clan, she will call in all favors and enlist all her allies to destroy you.”
A moment passed. Torrance swung his head toward me.
“You know I’m right.” This time his clan had gone too far. “While the Mimetidae must fight for the Araneidae, those are the terms of their alliance, think how much hotter their tempers will flare after learning you not only kidnapped their ally’s second heir, but murdered their heir too?”
“She, ah, has a point there.” Urien scratched the stubble on his cheeks.
“Leave the decision to our maven,” Teilo chimed in. “After the grief these two have caused, I doubt Colleen would deny you the right to carve justice for your wife’s cousin from his flesh.”
“Heed the counsel of your peers,” I said. “Your maven won’t thank you for making her an enemy in Isolde. Few are more ruthless than the Mimetidae maven, and none are bloodthirstier.”
“Fine.” Torrance pushed to his feet and glared at Vaughn. “Pray your mother comes quickly for you. If she is a day late or one gold coin short, I will have your head for what you did today.”
“I see no reason for us to hide behind our mavens. If you have a score to settle with me, free my hands.” Eagerness made Vaughn’s dark eyes glitter. “Let us settle our grievances here, now.”
Blood draining from his face, Torrance said, “No. The female is right. You’re worth more to my maven alive.” He cleared his throat. “For the time being, your neck is safe. Don’t tempt fate.”
Once Torrance had gone, and Teilo with him, I could breathe again.
“You kept my head and neck attached for another day.” Vaughn eyed the veil. “Thank you.”
“Repay me by not provoking Torrance again.” My nerves were already frayed as it was.
“I will keep you safe.” Danger sharpened his voice. “No matter the price.”
I shut my eyes, fearful of what surviving might cost us all.
Chapter 7
Absolute silence enveloped our ranks as the line reformed and the first Theridiidae vanished into the veil. Beyond the wavering energy curtain, their outlines became blurred, unidentifiable as Araneaeans. Shuffling feet and nervous grunts between ursus punctuated the sudden stillness.
At last my turn came. I inhaled until my lungs ached, then exhaled on a prayer. May the two gods bless and keep us all. One last glance at Vaughn, one more heated smile of encouragement and one more step brought me inside the veil. Its pulse beat in my ears, mirroring my own heart.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” Brynmor walked alongside me in shade form.
“I’m not dreaming.” It would be a relief if I was.
“Shh.” He held a finger to his lips as he had the first time we met. “Don’t speak, think.”
I cut my eyes from left to right. No one had seen or heard me speak. Our line was single file, and Vaughn was at my back. Never had I spoken to a spirit while not in a dream state. Brynmor, it seemed, knew more loopholes than I for communication between our worlds. I could learn one or two things from him. Projecting my thoughts came easier than expected. Energy from the veil redoubled mine, made communication easier. “Wearing familiar skin, I see. Where’s the canis?”
“He waits for my return,” he said. “Once you and I finish, I will lead the pack’s crossing.”
“And the canis is amenable to your possession?” It seemed unlikely to me.
“The alpha fears his pack faces starvation if they remain in the northlands.” He sighed. “I vowed I’d guide them to the southlands, to Cathis, where they will be revered and never hunted.”
I had difficulty thinking of what to say. “I hope all ends well for his pack, and you.”
More than manipulating me,
Brynmor was conversing with a wild animal. I supposed his possession of the canis’s body explained their ability to communicate, but it was still remarkable.
“As do I,” he said. “And I hope as much for you. My vow is only good as long as my heir is in charge of my clan and the lands surrounding Cathis. I would hate to fail so many, and yet…”
“I will not let Vaughn’s birthright be taken from him.” The vow slipped past my lips before I censored myself. “Isolde and Rhys are his only surviving family. I won’t have them displaced.”
His scrutiny made me shiver despite the rising temperature. “You care for my son.”
Rather than answer him, I deflected. “I have seen the damage done to our families where matters of the heart are concerned. I care for Vaughn, but I must follow my own heart’s path.”
He snorted. “Be wary of intersections.”
I tipped my chin. “I have a soul mate, a male the gods have chosen for me.”
“Yes, you do.” His eyes went out of focus. “I was foolish to accept Isolde as payment for her clan’s debt to me. I know that now, but she was the loveliest female I had ever seen. I thought if I made her my wife…but it didn’t matter. Her heart belonged to another. Even our child was less in her eyes because of his father, because of me.” He glanced at me with sudden clarity. “Know this. His mother will wring a price from his flesh, but it will be my neck she imagines twisting.”
My palms dampened. “Why are you telling me this?”
His shape flickered, his lips moving over words I no longer heard.
Air lightened around me, my sight cleared. The half-mile trek lay behind me, the southlands lay before me. Hot air swirled hair into my eyes, and humidity dampened my skin. So near home.
I gasped when a firm hand closed on my arm. I would never grow used to Brynmor’s touch.
“Your intersection lies ahead.” His voice crackled. “Don’t let…my son…”
The shade vanished and took Brynmor’s parting words with him.
My next step severed our connection. I crossed onto southland soil, and my ears popped. A moment of gratefulness to be home washed over me. This was the blistering heat, the lush green grasses and fertile trees I was born to. Instead of sterile snow and ice, I smelled fragrant plants in bloom and swore I heard the rushing river near my clan home. Despite my weary feet and legs, I almost danced the first steps onto Salticidae-owned soil. My heart lightened. My burden lifted.
Araneae Nation: The Complete Collection Page 32
