The battle had become a lot quieter. Was that a sign that they were winning?
The mist continued to glow with the light of spells, but the battle only registered dimly in Kara's mind. She felt cold, and she still couldn't take a breath without sending piercing pain through her chest. With a shudder, she realized she must have punctured a lung.
She collapsed and coughed up blood. The world spun around her, and she closed her eyes, hoping the sensation would go away.
She felt useless. In a place like the Shadowed Land, what could she do? She was good with a sword, but she had little skill with the bow, and none with magic. Why did Aren think she stood any chance of escaping the Shadowed Land? At this rate, she'd be lucky to live another hour. Death would be a relief.
The sounds of battle gradually died down, but she barely noticed. The world was growing colder and colder, and she kept coughing up blood.
She was startled, sometime later, when she felt a hand on her chest.
"Don't die on me," Alia said.
Kara tried to speak, but it was hard enough just breathing.
"Don't speak," Alia said. "You've punctured a lung. Just sit still and let me work on you. I've healed punctured longs before. You're going to survive, Kara."
Kara's thoughts were drifting. How many times would Alia have to save her from certain death? What would she do without Alia by her side? She had no idea how common healers were in the Shadowed Land, and she needed a healer. Badly.
She was useless here. Pathetic.
As Alia pressed her hands against Kara's chest, the pain faded. Soon Kara's breathing returned to normal, and she looked up at Alia through watery eyes. "Thank you."
Alia let out a low laugh. "How many times do I have to save you?"
"Hopefully this was the last time." Kara tried to sit up, but weakness washed over her, and she collapsed. "How long until I feel all right again?"
"Give it a few minutes. You're still recovering. Getting healed so many times can be hard on your body. It's almost as if your body recognizes that healing magic is unnatural."
"How is everyone?" Kara asked.
"Aren and Lena are fine. Devin is dead."
"Did you try to save him?"
Alia ran a hand through her brown hair. "Healing has its limits. You can save someone who's on the brink of death, but once they've died, there's nothing you can do. Dead is dead."
Kara hadn't known Devin all that well, but she still felt hollow at the thought that he was dead. Still, nothing could top the loss of her father, of the young man Tomas whom she'd grown to like as more than a friend. All dead in Crayden.
Why did Kara want to get back home so badly? There was nothing but heartbreak there. True, she had Nadia and Aric, or at least she hoped she would. They were both setting out on dangerous quests that would take them far from her. Even if she returned, would she ever see them again?
No. She couldn't think like that. She had to get out of this Shadowed Land. It didn't matter what she’d return to.
After perhaps an hour of rest, she and the party set out again in a somber mood. Her ribs felt healed now, and her breathing had returned to normal. No one spoke much. The others had all known Devin quite well. They said he was a good man, an honorable man—not always so easy to find in the Shadowed Land.
Kara could feel their loss, but she felt strangely numb. She'd been through too much recently, and it felt as if her mind would never process all of it.
The mist remained thick, and Kara's heart hammered every time she heard a distant sound. From time to time, they checked on the progress of the Sunset Army. It looked as massive and intimidating as ever.
Days passed, though it was impossible to tell beneath the unchanging sky. Only a few small monsters approached them, and the party handled them with ease.
Kara still felt useless, however. She'd spent so much time training in swordplay, but now it felt as if all those lessons had accomplished nothing. Sure, she could hold her own in a one-on-one duel with a human opponent, but in any other kind of battle, she stood no chance.
"I feel like I'm a burden," she said as they ate some roasted monster meat. It didn't taste good, but it was the only food they had.
"You are not a burden," Aren said. "You are a human being in need of help."
Kara barked a laugh. "Sounds about the same to me."
"I agreed to get you to Sierra City," Aren said, "and that's what I'm gonna do."
Lena bent closer to the fire. "Are you slowing us down? Yes. But I've come to understand that we have no chance of getting to Sierra City in time to help them." She shook her head. "I'm sorry I was so hard on you before. I didn't realize you've suffered too."
Kara felt sick, and she didn't think it was due to the monster meat. "Is there any chance we'll make it to Sierra City before the army does?"
"They'll probably get there first," Alia said, "but they'll surely take a little time to organize and launch their attack. After that, there'll be a siege."
"I know a secret way into the city," Lena said. "So even if it is under siege, we can get inside." She chuckled without humor. "Guess growing up on the streets has its benefits."
Kara wished she could understand Lena. As a member of the Order, Kara had often helped those less fortunate under Warrick's rule, but though she'd empathized with them, she'd never truly understood their plight. Her life had always been comfortable.
Now it was anything but comfortable.
She was about to infiltrate a city under siege. She'd only ever read about sieges. For so long, her life had been simple. She'd had a specific role to play. Working for the Order and running her father's inn were the only things she'd ever dreamed of doing.
But she had to get into this city. She would never run her father's inn—just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes—but she could still return and help the Order. She could still reunite with Nadia, Aric, and Ander. But first she had to get out of the Shadowed Land.
With newfound determination, she marched the last few hours toward Sierra City. When the party came within view of the city, the Sunset Army was already camped outside the walls.
Aren's gaze was anxious. "All right, Lena, where's this secret path into the city?"
"Follow me." Lena didn't look back at the others, and they followed without question, staying a fair distance from the city, and from the army. The soldiers had circled the city, but they remained outside of bow range. Sierra City's own soldiers looked small on top of the walls.
Kara tried not to think about what was going to happen, but all she could imagine was a repeat of Crayden. She'd lost so much in that fire.
The terrain around Sierra City was steep and rocky and almost impossible to navigate without twisting an ankle. The party moved slowly, keeping silent. They weren't all that close to the soldiers, but any sound could carry down the slope and toward the city in the valley.
Kara's chest tightened every time someone dislodged a rock. Once, an entire boulder came crashing down, and she was sure the soldiers would investigate.
"They'll probably think it's a monster," Aren whispered. "Keep moving."
But as they traveled along a narrow path, climbing higher over treacherous terrain, Kara heard voices from down in the valley, then footsteps growing closer. No one said anything, but she could sense their fear, a terrifying mirror of her own.
The mist shifted, revealing a small valley filled with orange-clad soldiers. There was nowhere to hide, and if the footsteps behind them were any indication, they couldn't turn back. Kara glanced frantically from side to side.
"We can't fight so many," Aren said.
Alia looked pale. "But where can we go?"
Lena scanned the path ahead, then the path behind. From each direction, soldiers were approaching, as if they'd heard that boulder tumbling down the mountain.
At last, Lena's gaze settled on the slope to their right. "We have to go down."
Kara's stomach lurched. "How can we go down the mountai
n?"
"You got a better plan?" Lena asked sharply.
Kara shook her head. No one looked happy about the plan, but it was the best they had. They slowly made their way down the steep slope. It was just possible to stay on their feet, but each step sent rocks clattering down the slope. A rockslide could happen at any moment.
Kara took deep breaths as they descended. She'd never been an anxious person, nor had she ever feared heights, but this was more terrifying than anything, perhaps even more terrifying than Crayden. Back then, she'd had little time to think about what was happening. Now she felt as if every little move could lead to her death.
Step by step, they descended. The Sunset Army had reached the spot where the party had begun their descent. However, the soldiers remained up there. She couldn't blame them. Who'd want to climb down a slope like this in heavy armor?
"You're not gonna make it anywhere," a soldier called out.
Kara's legs trembled. She was so unsteady that she felt as if the ground were shaking. Then she heard the low rumble and glanced up the slope. Some of the soldiers held magical staffs, which they were using to shift the rocks at the top of the slope.
An enormous rockslide was building, heading directly toward the party.
Chapter 26: The Secret Passage
Kara tried to hold on as the rockslide hit, but it was a futile effort. A large boulder crashed into her, knocking her away from the rocks she'd been clinging to. Screams came from beside her.
The rockslide carried her down the slope. She scraped her arms against the jagged rocks, slammed her elbows and knees against the slope. The pain barely registered, though. Panic had taken over as she groped blindly for something to hold onto.
As she tumbled, she covered her head with her hands. Each impact sent a blast of pain through her. She could already feel blood flowing from a gash on her head.
The rockslide continued to gather strength. There was no way she could fight it. Every time she tried to grab a rock, it broke away and joined the rockslide.
By now, she'd lost track of the others. She tumbled again, bashing her arms and legs against the jagged rocks, and now she faced downward. When she saw the precipitous drop up ahead, her stomach clenched. The rockslide looked as if it might carry most of the party to a flat area beside that drop, but Alia was heading straight toward it.
"Alia!" Kara screamed, knowing there was no point.
She finally came to a stop as rocks continued tumbling nearby. Aren and Lena collided with her, and they all covered their heads as more rocks crashed down upon the small, flat portion of the mountain. Even through the chaos, Kara watched in horror as Alia flew off the ledge. Alia screamed as she fell, the sound almost lost amidst the thunderous rockslide.
At last, the rocks stopped rumbling down the slope. Large rocks and small boulders had all but covered Kara, Lena, and Aren. Perhaps the soldiers would think they were dead.
Kara felt bruised and battered. She winced with every movement as she tossed away the rocks covering her. Aren and Lena were covered in dirt and blood, but at least they didn't have serious injuries. If only Alia had been so lucky.
Aren brushed dirt from his clothes. "Everyone all right?"
"Everyone except Alia," Kara said, struggling to her feet. They staggered toward the edge of the small, flat area and looked over that edge. A small form lay perhaps fifty feet below, unmoving.
"We have to check on her," Aren said.
Lena shook her head. "What's the point? No one could survive that."
"He's right," Kara said. "We have to check."
They found a narrow but stable path off to their right and carefully followed it downward. The path wound so tightly it almost formed a spiral, but they reached the bottom without incident. There, Alia was pinned beneath a large boulder.
Lena placed a finger against Alia's neck. "No pulse."
Kara's first thought was that they'd have no one to heal their injuries now, but then she realized there were bigger concerns. A good woman was dead. Though Kara had known Alia as little more than a healer, there must have been more to the woman than that. Kara wished she'd known Alia better.
Why did life have to take people from her like this? Could she ever afford to form attachments again? She'd lost so many people. Fighting against tears, she turned away from Alia. She knew she'd lose control of her emotions if she looked even a second longer.
"Yet another senseless death at their hands," Lena said.
"This is my fault," Kara said. "We wouldn't have been here if we weren't looking for that sorcerer."
"I would have been here," Lena said, "and Alia would have been with me. Look. I'm not good at comforting people. I'm sure you know that. But this wasn't your fault. The blame for this is with the Sunset Army."
"She's right," Aren said. "Even knowing what I know now, I would make the same decision. You've given me hope. I never realized I'd lost it at some point, or that I never had it in the first place. This is a brutal world we live in, and if there's even the slightest chance we can escape it, we have to take that chance."
Lena wiped away a tear. "For the first time, I think I agree with that."
Kara's tears had begun flowing. She couldn't believe the support she was getting from these people who still knew so little about her. They'd taken her in and helped her when they could have abandoned her. In a world like this, where she lacked the skills to survive, that was a selfless and beautiful gesture. This world couldn't be as horrible as they said.
"There will be time to grieve later," Aren said, startling Kara out of thought. "But right now, we need to find our way into the city. Lena, can you still get us there?"
"I think so. As long as there aren't more soldiers." She led the way through valleys, up slopes, and between vertical walls of rock. They had dozens of minor bruises and scratches, but somehow they'd all escaped the rockslide with no serious injuries.
Still, Kara felt stiff as she put one foot in front of the other. The motion felt automatic and lifeless. She couldn't distract herself from her worries, from her grief over Alia.
They kept their eyes out for the Sunset Army, but the soldiers were hundreds of feet up the slope, and the mist had thickened. Kara couldn't see even fifteen feet.
Her feet ached. Her entire body felt as if it would hurt forever. "How much farther is it?"
Lena kept walking. "I'm not sure. I've never taken this path before."
Kara noted that Aren and Lena still had their staffs strapped to their backs, and Kara hadn't lost her sword either. It was a good thing they hadn't taken their weapons out when they'd encountered the Sunset Army.
A few minutes later, they were marching through a narrow canyon when a monster appeared in front of them, skulking in the mist. It stood perhaps seven feet tall and was covered in snakelike scales.
The creature shrieked, and Kara felt suddenly as if her head would explode. Her knees buckled, and blood trickled from her ears. She felt like she was dying.
"Cover your ears!" Aren shouted. When Kara did so, her head stopped pounding, and the blood stopped flowing. She got to her feet shakily, facing the monster, which had not made a move toward them. Instead, it continued shrieking.
"How do we fight this thing?" Kara shouted, holding her hands over her ears.
Lena removed her hand from her right ear and used it to grip her staff. She sent a burst of lightning at the creature. The lightning encircled it, crackling in the air, and it stopped shrieking before dissolving into dust.
"What the hell was that?" Kara asked.
"I've read about monsters like that," Aren said. "That's how I knew we should cover our ears. People call it the snake-man. It likes to hide out in canyons like this." He stepped closer to the pile of ashes. "I think this one was young. An older one probably would have killed us."
Kara shuddered. "Could there be older ones around here?"
"Yes, most likely," Aren said. "So we should get moving."
They traveled again, peering
into the mist, though it did them little good. The mist was so thick she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. The party stayed together by clinging to one another.
"Why is the mist so thick here?" Kara asked.
"It often does that in canyons," Lena said.
Once again, Kara felt suffocated by the mist, by the prospect that she might never leave this place. How could anyone stand to live an entire life in the Shadowed Land? Perhaps they didn't know what it was like beyond this gloomy world.
Eventually, the ground sloped upward, and they stepped out of the canyon. As the mist thinned, Lena said, "We're close now."
She led them off to their left, where they climbed a zigzagging slope, crawling at times. Kara ignored her cuts, scrapes, and bruises. None of the others complained either, though their expressions twisted with pain every few seconds. Any complaints would remind them of Alia.
The mist remained too thick for them to locate the Sunset Army. Kara heard no voices, no footsteps, but still her chest felt tight, and she flinched at every sound.
They climbed higher, moving farther from the city. After perhaps another twenty minutes, Kara heard voices off to their left. She froze, glancing at Lena and Aren.
"We're right where we need to be," Lena said. "Don't worry." She ran her hand along the wall.
Kara had no idea what Lena was looking for, but eventually Lena touched her staff to the wall. She generated a burst of orange light, and the wall rumbled open.
"Get in before the army reaches us," Lena said.
Aren ducked into the passage, and Kara followed. Lena, in the rear of the group, used light from her staff to close the passage, then kept the light going once the shifting rock plunged them into darkness.
"Thieves once used these passages to get goods out of the city," Lena said, "but they haven't been used for years. I have the feeling we'll run into a few monsters."
"What kinds of monsters?" Kara asked.
"I have no idea. That's the fun of the Shadowed Land. You never know what horrors it's gonna throw at you."
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 71
