“Jade Traxx.”
“Ah, so you do know.”
“Yes, I know of your granddaughter’s kidnapping by the people from the River Valley.”
“River Valley?” Nicholas asked in confusion. “Maybe you should start telling us what you know so we can go after the princess.”
She glanced at the captain, her eyes blazing. “You forget your place, Nicholas. You are a guest in my home and in audience with me at my invitation. I don’t have to tell you anything. I could send you on your way and ban you from the valley on penalty of death, forever.”
Diane waited for him to respond. When he didn’t, she smiled, saying, “There. It’s always best when one remembers their station. People who live far to the west, beyond the mountains and deserts, abducted Jade.”
“People?” Garrett asked. “Tanya saw him. She said he was more like a giant lizard than a man.”
She leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, exposing even more skin. “They are people, make no mistake, but they’ve suffered terribly. Their injuries caused the mutations, which your daughter mistook as the features of an animal.
“I sent Darci to your daughter with horses and food. She will lead Tanya and the others to your granddaughter.”
“Four people?” Nicholas scoffed. “I have a force of fifty men, all skilled in horsemanship, fieldcraft and combat, waiting in the village below. We can go after them and force these people to return Jade to us.”
“Tanya Traxx is beyond your ability to assist, Nicholas. And yours, Garrett. You must trust in your family’s ability to love unconditionally.”
“What does that mean?” Garrett asked for clarity. It seemed like every time he spoke with this woman, he had more questions than answers. “The last time I was here, you told me that someone close to me would betray me. Now you want me to trust in my family’s ability to love?”
“The future is always in flux, Garrett Traxx. Our actions can change what happens, for good or bad. The travelers have moved beyond my abilities to see them,” she continued. “Something has happened. A force much more powerful than me has intervened. I know that Darci leads them westward still, but their destination has changed…” she trailed off and then said. “I don’t know where she’s going.”
“Then we’ll go west, to their original destination,” Garrett decided. “We’ll go to the river valley that you spoke of and find out where they went.”
“Good idea, My Lord,” Nicholas agreed.
“No. If you travel into the desert, Homelake will lose its king—immediately.”
“I can’t leave my daughter alone out there.”
Diane uncrossed her legs and leaned across the table, grabbing his hand. “Garrett, your daughter isn’t alone. She has the greatest archer alive today with her and the swordsman, her lover. They will meet an even greater warrior and the… the Mother.”
“Who’s the mother?”
“I don’t know. That’s just the word comes to mind when I have visions of her. She reminds me of my mother, caring, fair and just, but don’t get on her bad side.”
“Even with all of those people to help her, I need to go to her.”
“You need to return to your city, Traxx. Your people need you. The Vultures may all be dead, but the wounds they inflicted are still hurting your people. They need you to help heal those wounds.”
“But my family…”
“Is in the most capable hands that I know. Darci will do everything in her considerable power to ensure the safety of your family.”
“Will it be enough?” Garrett asked.
“That is beyond my knowledge,” she replied. “Like I said, the quest has moved beyond us. My visions for the Traxx family have told me that you’re needed back in Homelake, not searching the entire west for your granddaughter.”
“But, Mistress, I—”
She released his hand and placed a finger against his lips. A look of sadness passed over her face, marring her beauty for a moment. “Shhh, Traxx king. Enjoy your coffee and flirt with me some more. It might be the last time you’re able to do so.”
What the hell does she mean by that? he wondered.
*****
The trip to The Devil’s Hole was uneventful compared to the events leading up to the journey. Freya was still uncertain just what had happened the night Grobahn tried to convince them to leave the Dominion over a month ago. The last thing she remembered, they were arguing with the priest about why it had to be such a sudden departure, and then she blacked out.
When she awoke the next morning, Varan told her that she’d put her foot down about leaving and decided on the Winter Solstice as the day to begin the healing. The high priest was pissed. Since that night, he’d taken his anger out on anyone who came within five feet of him. Her minor irritations with the man’s personality became full-blown dislike, bordering on hatred by the time they left the Dominion last week.
Why did he need to be such an ass? Freya wondered for the thousandth time as she stared at Grobahn’s back. She and Varan—even Brahm at one point—had discussed the possibility of leaving Grobahn behind and traveling to the Hole on their own. She knew instinctively that she didn’t need him for any type of ceremony or communication with Gaia. Unfortunately, even if they could have found additional maps, he had their only working compass. They were stuck with him.
Of the original thirteen that Grobahn suggested, he’d recanted, saying that they only needed five, which represented the four seasons and the sun, which they were trying to welcome at the rebirth. That meant Freya, Varan and Jade, plus Grobahn and Thistle. Brahm stayed behind to watch over the Coven in the Dominion.
“I need a quick break,” Varan confessed beside her.
The high priest turned and asked, “Again? What do all of those muscles do for you if you can’t even walk a few miles?”
“You try pushing this thing for the hundred or so miles that we’ve gone in five days,” Varan spat, gesturing to the wheelchair that Jade rode in. The little girl walked when she could, but twenty-plus miles a day was simply too much for her, so they’d used what they had on hand in the Dominion.
“We just took a break two hours ago,” the priest seethed. “We’ve still got five or six miles to go until we reach The Devil’s Hole and only a few hours to get there.”
“I’ve pushed this chair across fields and woodlands, carried it across rivers…” the warrior trailed off, likely sick of arguing with the man. “I’m tired, Grobahn. I just need a rest for a few minutes.”
The priest wheeled on Freya, causing Varan to step in between them rapidly. “Oh, call off your dog, Freya. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Freya? What happed to calling her Mother?” Varan asked.
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry, Mother,” he replied. Freya felt the sarcasm dripping from his words. “Forgive me. I spoke in the heat of the moment. Surely you don’t agree with another stop?”
“We’ve all got to make it to the Hole by Yule, not just a few of us. Jade’s put forth a valiant effort, but the walking has torn up her feet. If we push her much faster, she’ll be lame when we reach our destination.”
“It won’t—” Grobahn stopped and turned away.
“What was that?” Freya asked.
“Oh, nothing. I’m just frustrated, Mother.” He stalked off and sat heavily in the dirt beside the road they currently followed. The priest pulled out the compass and turned toward where Freya assumed Gaia waited for them, positioning himself on his knees to pray while Thistle, their only other companion, stalked into the grass to relieve himself.
“What’s up with him?” Varan asked.
“Someone jammed a stick up his ass and left it there,” Freya replied. “Oh! Sorry, Jade. I didn’t mean to say that.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t like him either.”
Varan laughed at the girl’s comment. “I knew you were related to me, little one!”
He pulled a canteen from the small pack attach
ed to the back of the wheelchair and took a swig. “Want some?” the warrior asked, holding it out to Freya.
She accepted with a smile, taking two swallows before passing it back. He gave the half-empty canteen a shake and frowned. “I hope we find a stream soon,” Varan muttered as he put it away.
The land they traveled through wasn’t completely arid, but it was dry and left her throat parched, even after she’d taken a drink. Grobahn assured her that they were headed in the right direction, but what if they got there and ran out of water? What would the self-assured high priest do then? What would any of them do?
“Alright, you’ve had your rest,” Grobahn’s nasally voice interrupted her thoughts. “It’s time to go. The Mother awaits.”
Freya looked over to where Varan stared after the retreating priest. “Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I just think he’s acting strange. And, what happened to you being the Mother?”
“Guess I was a good enough stand in for a while, but nothing compares to the real thing.”
“Heh,” he chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Varan pushed himself to his feet with a grunt and began pushing Jade’s chair down the road. Freya waited as the others slowly passed her by and watched as they went around a curve in the road.
Then she was alone. It was the first time she’d been by herself, without another living soul within sight since she’d came to the Dominion. She spun in a circle on the old road, her arms held out wide, relishing the silence for a moment before hurrying after everyone else.
*****
“We’re almost there.”
“How do you know?” Tanya asked.
“I saw this ridgeline in my vision,” Darci replied. “We follow it until we find the Mother.”
“And Jade.”
“And your daughter,” Darci amended.
They’d traveled for weeks, pressing hard to make it to the ridge before the Winter Solstice. Except for the breakneck pace that they drove the horses to, it had been rather uneventful after the pool where Darci’s vision changed their course.
Who the “Deceiver” and “Mother” were remained a mystery, while the Taker of Souls seemed straightforward. Repeated attempts at inducing another vision with the Calamus had failed. Tanya thought that maybe Darci’s vision meant that she was the mother since they were going after Jade, but she couldn’t even begin to guess whom the first person was supposed to represent.
“I—” Darci started to say something and then stopped.
“What is it?” she asked.
The archer shook her head. “I don’t know. I just got the feeling that we need to dismount the horses and tie them up. We need to walk from here.”
Frederick glanced over his shoulder at the two women riding side-by-side. His horse’s hoof had healed enough to allow him to ride her, which meant they’d been able to go faster than they had through the desert. “What was that?” he asked.
“We need to halt,” Darci answered, pulling on the reins of her horse to stop.
“Why’s that?” Frederick inquired as his mare stopped suddenly, threatening to throw him. “Geez!”
“I don’t know,” the older woman replied. “I’ve never mistrusted my feelings before and that’s served me well over the years.” She smirked, adding, “Besides, it looks like your horse doesn’t want to go any further.”
He looked to Tanya for guidance. The Seers had sent Darci to them because they trusted her instincts, and she was obviously in tune with something that the princess and the others couldn’t feel. “Okay,” she replied. “Let’s find a place to stash the horses and continue on foot.”
Frederick searched ahead for a few minutes and returned, saying he’d found a place to tie the horses, and grasped the reins to lead the mare to where he’d indicated. The horse dug her front hooves into the dirt, throwing her head backward in an effort to pull the reins from his hand.
“Hey,” he hissed. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“I told you she doesn’t want to go any farther,” Darci reiterated.
Tanya tried to walk her horse forward as well, getting a few feet farther than Frederick before her mount refused to cooperate. “Alright, let’s find somewhere to tie them up back that way,” she said, waving toward the way they’d come from.
It didn’t take long to find a small stand of stunted trees where they could tie the horses up without fear of them getting their leads tangled or strangling themselves on something.
They took the saddles off and hid them in the bushes a few yards from the horses before performing a quick rubdown. It was unlikely that anyone was out here, but there was no point in taking the risk of someone stealing their food stores.
Tanya verified that the animals each drank some water from a canteen before she left them under the trees to join the others. They turned back along their original route and began walking. They still didn’t have a definitive description of where they were going, but Darci was sure that they’d know it when they got there.
Behind them, the horses neighed forlornly. They didn’t like the prospect of being left out in the cold, dry plain any more than Tanya did.
EIGHTEEN
“Hurry! It’s almost midnight,” Grobahn called to the others excitedly. The priest practically danced with anticipation of the end of their journey. The Mother will take their souls and I’ll be the one who helps to return Her to the earth! “Come on, we need to get there before the Solstice.”
Behind him, he heard that idiot, Freya, mutter, “Why is he in such a hurry? The Solstice didn’t hold any significance to him until I said something about it.”
Because the sooner I can be rid of you, the better, he thought. He hated the woman and her dog, Varan. How he’d ever let Brahm convince him that the woman should be called the Mother was beyond him. He hadn’t specifically agreed to it, but he’d stood by and let the other priests call her that, and then the People learned of it and they adored her. Now the bitch actually thought she was important.
Oh, but she is! The Mother demands their souls. He fingered the athamé under his robe. He’d use the ceremonial blade on the warrior first and then the woman. The child would be last. He’d have to work quickly, but with the Mother’s help, he knew it was possible. The key was to dispatch Varan without the others seeing, then he’d slice open Freya’s throat, spilling her life force onto the deity waiting below.
His vision had shown him the layout of The Devil’s Hole; those other fools who called themselves priests didn’t know anything besides the name of the place, which was the piece that he’d been waiting for. As long as they stayed out of his way and let him do the Mother’s work, he would tolerate them.
The more he thought about Freya’s proclamation to arrive at the Hole during Yule, the better he liked the idea. First, because the Winter Solstice was significant to the Coven and signaled the promise of rebirth from the winter, even though the worst of the weather was yet to come. The primary reason he liked the idea was the darkness that midnight would provide. The Solstice fell on the night of a new moon this year. It would disguise his actions well as he slid their lifeless bodies into the Hole.
“Come, come!” Grobahn tried unsuccessfully to hide the sinister tone in his voice as he continued with a grin, “Our destination is just over this rise.”
*****
“Come on, we’re almost there,” Darci said, forcing the words between ragged gasps for air. They’d sprinted the last mile, uphill, leaving the heavier men behind, breathless.
Tanya felt the urgency hanging in the air, as if it were a dense fog. She’d never felt the need to arrive at a location as keenly as she did now with the moments ticking away toward midnight. Why is it so important to reach this place—wherever it is—exactly at the Winter Solstice?
They finally topped the rise they’d climbed. Shadows filled the valley before them and Tanya couldn’t see anything. “I— I think I’m going to pass out,” she confes
sed.
“Breathe— deep. In your nose— out your mouth,” Darci answered haltingly as she struggled to catch her breath. The older woman sat down, tucking one leg in and bent the other so her knee was at chest height. She rested her elbow on that knee and peered through the scope on her crossbow at the darkness below.
Tanya focused on breathing. She couldn’t be certain if the black circles around the edges of her vision was the night or from the lack of oxygen during their run. What is she looking for? the princess wondered. Does she think there’s a threat in the valley?
Finally, her breath stopped coming in ragged gasps, enough that she could ask, “What are you looking for?”
“There’s something about the vision that’s bothering me,” Darci replied. “Why did we both feel that it was so important for us to reach this place before somebody else?”
Tanya waited a moment. When it became evident that the archer wasn’t going to elaborate without prompting, she asked, “So, what’s bothering you?”
Darci didn’t speak for a moment. When she did, she went over what they’d already discussed, many miles ago. “You said I mentioned the Deceiver and the Taker of Souls.”
“Yeah…”
“I think it may be both figurative and literal.”
Tanya shook her head. “I’m sorry, I just don’t understand.”
“I think somebody down there is a murderer.”
*****
Freya surveyed the depression they’d entered. A ridgeline ran across her sight to the front, while a few stunted trees dotted the landscape behind. Rusted metal poles marked the perimeter of The Devil’s Hole, a nine-foot wide circular pit that ran deep into the ground. A narrow circle of sand-colored brick ran around the ledge and disappeared into the Hole.
She wondered what it had been used for in the past. It looked manmade. Had humans found the pit and placed the bricks around the sides, making it perfectly circular or had they possessed some type of machine that could bore straight down into the earth and designed the Hole for some other purpose? She’d never know, obviously, but she wanted to see the place in the daylight so she could get a better understanding of what had gone on here in the old days.
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