“Sorry.” Kerrick took the jerky and studied the boy.
Danny and Zila had been helping with the cooking in Major Sondra’s unit since they’d been discovered. Although Kerrick had wanted to send them back to Orel immediately, he couldn’t spare the men and horses at that time. However, tonight they would be sitting on a horse along with two guards at a safe distance away from the fighting. If Kerrick’s army failed, he would signal them and they would take off to warn Izak.
“What do you need?” Kerrick asked him when he didn’t leave. Despite disobeying him, Danny had proven useful these past six days. Danny reminded him of Avry—a good and bad thing.
“Shouldn’t you make sure the tribesmen plan to attack us? Maybe they’re not looking for war, but for food or warmth.”
Major Volker snorted with amusement. “The tribesmen are always looking for war, son.”
“But that was before the plague. Maybe they changed.”
Volker gave Kerrick a pointed glare. Kerrick didn’t like the stout man but did admire his military savvy. He was about to explain to Danny the reasons for the ambush, when he reconsidered.
Instead he asked, “What are you suggesting?”
“That we send in someone with a white flag of truce and find out what they’re doing here,” Danny said.
“Ridiculous,” Volker said.
“If they’re here to fight, then we lose the element of surprise. It’s our biggest advantage,” Kerrick said.
“So you’re just going to kill them without learning more? What if they’re here for another reason?” Danny asked.
“The tribes don’t travel south unless they’re on the warpath, son. Our history books are filled with their heinous acts,” Volker said in a condescending tone.
“Sometimes history books are wrong.” Danny appealed to Kerrick. “Look at what everyone said about the healers refusing to heal those with the plague, but it turned out to be all wrong.”
And that did it. Kerrick had been about to agree with Volker, but Danny made a valid point.
“If the army is already in the attack position, we can react right away if the response to our flag of truce is negative,” General Zamiel said.
Kerrick agreed, despite knowing the majors wouldn’t be happy at all.
* * *
Striding toward the warriors’ camp, Kerrick wasn’t happy about the situation either. If, by some miracle, Danny had been right and the tribes weren’t on the warpath, then this encounter would save many lives. It was worth the effort.
Even though the majors wanted to send one of the soldiers, Kerrick volunteered to go. It made the most sense. After all, he could use his forest magic to escape, but not his sword. He’d left it nearby, tied to a vine so he could retrieve it from a distance with his magic.
The forest’s displeasure over the sheer number of intruders hummed in Kerrick’s veins. Through his connection with the living green, he sensed the locations of all those irritants. At least his army had reached their positions with only minor rustling. They waited for his signal.
Now or never, he thought. The tribesmen had settled down for the night. Holding a white handkerchief in his right hand, he approached the outer guards. Kerrick stopped when two of the warriors spotted him. He spread his arms wide, showing them he was unarmed.
They pulled their swords and scanned the forest behind him. The man on the left yelled a warning, and soon Kerrick was surrounded by six armed warriors. More shouts and loud crunchings meant the rest of the warriors were being roused. Uneasy, Kerrick sent his magic into the vines growing near their feet and into a tree with a broken limb just in case.
He waved the handkerchief. “I’d like to speak with your leader.”
His circle of guards escorted him to a tall muscular man. Kerrick hadn’t noticed how slight the others were until he met their leader. The man rested his hand on the hilt of his dadao. The blade seemed longer than the ones carried by the others. Ice-blue eyes stared at him with such coldness, Kerrick felt a chill brush his skin.
“Who are you?” the leader asked in a thick accent.
“I’m Kerrick of Alga Realm. And you?”
“Noak. Why are you here?”
“To ask you the same thing.”
“You cannot stop us.”
Kerrick ignored that. “You don’t belong here.”
Noak’s expression didn’t change, but Kerrick’s heart filled with an icy dread.
“No one here now. You all...gone.”
“Not all. Our people fled when you arrived,” Kerrick said.
The leader huffed. “Not like before.”
“A sickness has taken many, but those that remain—”
He waved. “Ours now.”
“No, it isn’t. However, we might be able to work something out. To share—”
“No. We stay. You die.” Noak gestured.
The warrior to Kerrick’s right swung his dadao. Kerrick dropped to the ground. Pulling magic, he blended with the forest floor, then sent the limb crashing down nearby. The slight distraction allowed him to encourage the vines to tangle around the warriors’ ankles and yank them off their feet. Then he shook all the leaves nearby, signaling his waiting army.
Keeping the surrounding warriors off balance, Kerrick heard his men approach and doubled his efforts. He just needed to survive a few more minutes. Kerrick snaked along the ground, remaining on his stomach.
Just when he grasped his sword, a pair of white snufa-skinned boots blocked Kerrick’s way. He glanced up and met the leader’s cold gaze. The man could see him despite his camouflage. And his big sword was pointed at Kerrick’s throat.
CHAPTER 10
Flea met my questioning gaze. His light green eyes crazed with confusion and alarm. But most important, life shone from them. He hadn’t been turned into one of the dead. I released the breath I’d been holding as joy filled me.
“Wh—” croaked from his unused vocal cords. “Who?” He looked over my shoulder. He squeaked, dropped my arm and scooted away in panic. He was going to bolt.
“Back off,” I said to Thea and Saul as I dove for Flea, tackling him. I sat on his chest and grabbed his bare shoulders. “Flea, it’s me. Avry.”
“No.” He struggled.
“Stop or I’ll zap you with my healing powers.”
He paused, and I hurried to continue. “I taught you how to juggle.”
“You don’t look—”
“I’m wearing a disguise.”
“No.” Shaking his head, he muscled me off and tried to stand.
Loath to cause him pain, I clung to his waist and dragged him back to the ground. “Kerrick and Belen rescued you from the stockade.”
He hesitated.
“Kerrick gave you the name Flea because you’re fast and hard to catch,” I said.
Confusion still swirled in his gaze.
“Belen calls Loren and Quain the monkeys.”
Flea yanked my shirt sleeve down, revealing my healer tattoo on my right shoulder—a circle with hands radiating out so that they resembled the petals of a daisy from a distance.
Instead of relaxing, his agitation increased. “Jael!” He scrambled to his feet and scanned the area.
“She’s not here. We fought her off.” And you died—but I wasn’t going to add to his distress right now. I stood, brushing dirt off my pants.
“Where’s Kerrick? Who are they?”
“Thea and Saul. They’re with me.”
“What’s—” He finally noticed his lack of clothing. Color flushed through him, and he covered himself with his hands. “What’s going on!”
I glanced back. “Saul?”
“On it.” Saul dug through his backpack and pulled out a pair of pants. The sergeant approached Flea as if the boy could jump as high and as fast as his namesake.
Thea and I turned our backs, giving Flea some privacy. The bright daylight had faded, and it would be dark soon.
“Now what?” Thea asked me.
I
considered. Flea needed a few hours to adjust and hot food. His ribs protruded farther than his shrunken stomach. Calling him skeletal would be an understatement.
“Okay,” Saul said.
Flea wore Saul’s extra set of fatigues. I bit my lip to keep from smiling at how much the uniform’s sleeves and pant legs had been rolled up. A belt cinched tight kept his pants from falling down. The extra material was bunched around Flea’s waist. The desire to hug him bloomed in my chest, but I kept firm control of my emotions. Flea still acted shaky and uncertain.
Searching my memories, I recalled the cave we had stayed in the night after we’d given Flea to the Lily. It was a couple miles away from here. Stricken with grief at that time, no one had any energy to travel far. I was surprised I even remembered the way since I had shuffled behind Kerrick with tears blurring my vision.
I suggested we overnight in the cavern, so we could build a fire without risk of discovery.
Flea gave me an odd look.
“I still dislike caves,” I said. “But it’s our best option at the moment.”
Thea agreed.
Before Flea could protest or ask questions, I said, “And I’ll explain everything to you once we’re there.”
Thea gestured for me to lead the way. By nightfall, we’d reached the cave. The stone walls seemed to settle Flea’s nerves. We built a fire, cooked a hearty stew and set up our bedrolls. Since one of us would be on watch throughout the night, Flea could sleep in mine.
As if by unspoken agreement, we ate dinner in silence. When everyone had finished the meal, all three gazes turned to me.
“Time to explain,” Flea said.
“Yes, Avry, please do,” Saul added with a smirk.
Keeping my secret had ceased to be a priority. Flea was alive!
“Avry, quit staring at me with that goofy smile and start talking,” Flea said.
I told him about Jael’s attack. He seemed to handle the news of his death well. But when I mentioned his burial, he interrupted.
“Wait,” he said, suddenly alarmed. “Am I going to get sick from the toxin and die again?”
“No. We thought we gave you to a Death Lily, but it was really a Peace Lily.” I noticed his queasy expression. “Yes, it was my idea to feed you to the plant. I was acting on pure instinct. And, considering I’m actually talking to you right now, I’m not sorry!”
Flea flashed me his lopsided grin. Unable to resist, I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed.
After a minute, he said, “Uh, Avry. I can’t breathe.”
I let him go and continued with the story, including Ryne’s rescue, but not my own resurrection.
“I knew you’d heal Prince Ryne,” Flea said. He brightened. “And Quain owes me two silvers for winning that bet.”
“He’ll be happy to pay,” I said, laughing.
Thea and Saul had kept quiet during the whole explanation, but now Thea gazed at me with a shrewd look. Uh-oh.
“What’s the real reason you wanted the Peace Lily serum?” Thea asked me.
“I told you, to test if it stops—”
“Are you sure that’s why Prince Ryne wants it?” Thea glanced at Flea.
“What else... Oh.” I understood her insinuation. “Ryne doesn’t know about him.” But he was well aware what the Peace Lily had done for me. Unlike Thea, Saul and Flea.
Was Ryne hoping the serum not only countered Tohon’s dead but brought them back to life?
“It doesn’t matter now,” I said. “The Peace Lilys won’t open for me.” We would have to come up with another way to stop Tohon’s dead.
“Do you think the Peace Lily will bring others back to life?” Thea asked.
“I’ve no idea.”
She stared at the fire. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
Offer them another dead body and see what happened. I shuddered at the image.
“Where’s Kerrick?” Flea asked into the silence.
“In the north,” I said, explaining.
Worry creased his young face. Even gaunt, Flea resembled a typical sixteen-year-old. A few hairs peppered his chin and his light brown hair hung in his eyes. But an old soul met my gaze. He’d grown up on the streets, thieving to survive. Kerrick and the others had all but adopted him.
“Kerrick will be fine,” I said, although I wondered who I was trying to console. Me or Flea? “He’s probably bossing everyone around, driving them crazy.” And before he could ask more questions, I updated him on the whereabouts of the others. “I hope Belen is back by the time we return.” Poppa Bear would be ecstatic to see Flea again. He had suffered the most.
Saul offered to take first watch. I tucked Flea into my bedroll despite his protests, pulling the blanket up to his neck.
“You’ll just have to suffer through an inordinate amount of mothering,” I said. “There’s no help for it. Oh! I almost forgot.” I dug into my pack, removed the three juggling stones and dropped them into his hand. “These are yours.”
He examined them. “But I only found one.”
“Belen kept searching for you. And when he found the others, he carved his name and Kerrick’s into one and the monkeys’ into the other. He gave them to me before I left to rescue Ryne. He called them my keepers.” I smiled at the memory. The stones had traveled far since then. I’d given them to Kerrick to return to Belen to support the ruse that I’d died, and Belen gave them back.
Flea pushed up to one elbow. “And you didn’t grind out Kerrick’s name? Or toss it at his head?”
“It was tempting.”
He studied my expression. “You didn’t scowl when you said Kerrick’s name. Don’t tell me you’re friends now!”
“We’re not friends.” I remembered Kerrick’s intense kiss when he showed me he wanted to be more than friends.
“You’re smiling again. Does that mean...? Are you two...?” Flea couldn’t even say the word. “Don’t tell me.”
“I won’t.”
He groaned. “Now I owe Belen two silvers.” He flopped back onto the bedroll.
I fixed his blankets again, but he didn’t stay put for long. He sat up and juggled the stones.
“They’re evenly balanced,” Flea said.
Snatching one out of the air, I ignored his squawk of outrage and pointed. “Sleep now.” I waggled my fingers. “Or I’ll touch—”
He returned to a reclined position. “That’s not fair.”
“Too bad. So sad.”
Flea’s grin turned into a huge yawn. He piled the rocks next to him. “Avry, why is your name with mine?”
I glanced at Thea; she appeared to be asleep, but I wasn’t going to take the chance. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Promise,” he mumbled, half-asleep.
Smoothing his hair away from his eyes, I promised.
As Flea slept, I kept checking on him, ensuring that he still breathed. Unlike Flea’s, my sleep was restless. Tohon haunted my dreams as his magic poisoned my heart. When Saul woke me for my watch shift, I gladly vacated his bedroll.
Guarding a hidden cave entrance didn’t require much skill. With a bright moon illuminating the forest, I made a few sweeps but found nothing. Then I settled on top of a boulder. I listened as the nocturnal animals shuffled through the underbrush, stalking their prey. The familiar and comforting sounds lulled me into a light doze.
A sour note to the west startled me. I grabbed my stiletto, pulling the weapon from its sheath as another odd sound reached me. Straining to locate the source, I held my breath. Two or three people headed this way, moving fast. I debated. Should I wake Saul and Thea? Or wait until I confirmed if the patrol was friendly or not? Or hope they passed us by without discovering us?
Before I could decide, the intruders slipped into view. Three of them wearing Tohon’s basic uniform—dark brown pants, shirt, leather armor and boots. They passed my hiding spot without any indication that they had seen me. However, they were traveling in the same direction we needed to go. East towa
rd Estrid’s camp and her main force.
Time to wake Thea. I dropped to the ground. And froze.
More noise sounded to the west. It was subtle at first, then amplified and spread. I guessed the group contained at least a dozen, but kept increasing my estimate as they approached. Pressing against the boulder, I waited.
Soon a few figures crossed my line of sight. Armed with swords and daggers, they wore a dark green collar, stretching from chest to chin. I watched as more and more soldiers marched past. No one glanced in my direction. Other than the noise of their passage, which wasn’t that loud considering their numbers, they were silent. No whispered conversations, coughs or grunts. No signs of life at all. A parade of the dead.
Cold fear snaked through me. I gripped the hilt of my stiletto even though I wanted to run away or melt into the boulder where they couldn’t reach me.
By the time the last one passed, I had counted over two hundred of them. I raced into the cave and woke everyone.
“They’re headed for Zabin. We need to warn our troops,” I said. Shooing Flea off my bedroll, I shoved it into my knapsack. “Saul, get water to douse the coals. I’ll fold your—”
Thea stopped me. “Relax, Irina...er...Avry. We have patrols out. They have probably already spotted the invasion and warned our camp. We’ve been training for this for months.” She glanced around. “Finish packing. We’ll follow this company, and make sure they don’t try to get around our forces.”
It didn’t take us long to get ready. Before we left, Saul gave Flea one of his daggers. Thea took point. Even in the semidarkness, it wasn’t hard to find their trail. Broken branches, leaves and boot prints marked their path. Which wasn’t as large as I’d expected, considering the size of the company. The dead traveled light.
We crossed the border into Pomyt as the sky lightened. An hour after dawn, we encountered our first surprise. Another trampled path, indicating a second force was headed toward Zabin.
“Which one do we follow?” I asked Thea.
“The left one.”
“Why?”
“They’re going northeast. There’s a chance that group could bypass our patrols and loop in behind us.”
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