Construct

by Luke Matthews

  She did. “I’ll be careful,” she said. “I just hope we can handle all of this.”

  Jacob put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re strong, and so is Pare.” He gestured over to where Samuel was sitting. “And I’m willing to bet that big lunk over there is more worried about you than he is himself.”

  Eriane smiled, this time for real. “I hope Acthemenius can help him. I hate not knowing what we’re running from.”

  “You and me both, kid. You and me both.”

  They sat for a while in silence, warming their hands by the fire, before Eriane spoke up again. “Jacob?”

  “Mmm?”

  “What’s…” Eriane hesitated, unsure whether she wanted her question answered. “What’s the Breath?”

  Jacob leaned back and took a deep breath, then blew out in a long exhale before speaking. “It’s a way to make the dead speak,” he said. He paused, looking as though he didn’t want to continue, but Eriane kept her eyes on him to prod him along.

  “Are you familiar with Drift?” he asked.

  She was intimately familiar. Drift was the street name for a form of concentrated khet, gathered from a living being and distilled by an adept into a dangerous drug. Eriane’s jaw locked at its mention. Drift addiction was a blight on anyone who succumbed to it, and making the drug was one of the most despicable things an adept could engage in. Eriane ground her teeth and returned a curt nod.

  “The Breath,” Jacob continued, “requires a vial of Drift…at full potency.” He paused again, clearly uncomfortable.

  Eriane felt her face curl into a scowl. Jacob’s hesitancy was well-founded. To make the drug at, as he put it, full potency required the khet to be drawn from a victim until the drain killed them. Drift distilled from latent khet or drawn from a person or creature without killing them was perilous enough. At full strength, the drug was an unforgivable corruption of the use of khet.

  Jacob placed a hand over Eriane’s. “I had a feeling it was something you wouldn’t want to know,” he said.

  It took a moment for Eriane’s jaw to unclench enough for her to speak. “But I needed to know,” she said. “Whether I want to or not. Now I have a better idea of what we’re up against.”

  Jacob’s brow furrowed, and he nodded. “Hopefully we won’t be put up against them anytime soon.”

  Pare returned with a small clutch of long-tailed ermine hanging from his hand. Samuel saw Jacob and Eriane pull away from their close conversation and inhale as they visibly attempted to relax. They greeted Pare and his catch, Eriane commenting on how well they’d eat tonight. Samuel was fascinated by watching the three of them skin and clean the animals, as though it were second nature to them. Wilderness survival was not something foreign to any of them, and that put Samuel’s mind at ease for the trek to Kelef.

  Jacob turned in early and wasted no time falling fast asleep, buried under his winter cloak. Eriane and Pare stayed up for some time after, speaking of practicing while Pare tested Eriane’s defenses with pine cones and small stones, all of which deflected away from the bump field held a foot in front of her upraised hands.

  “Eventually you need to learn how to do this without your hands, Eri.” Pare said.

  “I’ve never been able to figure it out.” She replied. “I need my hands to hold up the field.”

  “You know you don’t.” Pare said. “It’s just a matter of confidence.” Eriane nodded, deflecting another pine cone with a wave of her hand.

  In spite of everything that had happened in the cave, it seemed they were trying for some semblance of normalcy. Eriane was the first to succumb to her fatigue, but her sleep was troubled, and Pare watched her as long as he could before he lay down himself without so much as a word or glance at Samuel.

  That night, as Samuel watched over them, he struggled with the idea of leaving them behind. How could he endanger the lives of others any longer, when he knew his path and could travel it alone? His practical side told him the trip would be easier and shorter were he to strike out on his own, and perhaps he could draw the danger away without any further harm to these three strangers, who had laid down so much for him already.

  That was the key, though, wasn’t it? They had already given so much for him, and had dared to stay with him in the face of the dangers he had wrought. Leaving them now would spit in the face of all they had sacrificed. Maybe, in taking on his pursuers, Pare and Eriane would have the chance to get some closure for all Samuel had already cost them.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  * * *

  Sleep had come and gone without notice. Exhaustion could sometimes be a blessing, the body’s needs overriding the mind and heart’s unease. Eriane was the last to wake, gently prodded by Pare, wakefulness bringing the sting of remembrance. Eriane choked back the tightness in her throat and buried the previous day with a deep breath.

  After only a short walk, their trail opened up on the main road, where they paused under a blanket of light gray clouds. A right turn would take them back down through the foothills and into Morrelton. To the left was the road to the pass, taking them into the mountains and on to Kelef.

  Pare had closed his eyes and paused, but Eriane made the decision for them by stepping out onto the left-hand path. Jacob started off in her wake, with Samuel close to follow. Pare scrambled to catch up, sliding past Samuel to take up a spot behind Eriane and Jacob as they talked.

  “So, what was that we saw back in the cave?” Eriane asked Jacob. Her breath was visible in the morning air and her nose ached from the cold.

  “It was gathered khet,” Jacob said, “probably Drift. When someone translocates, they’re using khet to bridge two places and jump between them. It leaves a trail, a sort of…hole. It’s not visible, and normal things like air or fog won’t be affected by it. But someone on the other end released Drift, which was drawn into the trail.”

  “For someone to have enough to just release some in that way,” Pare said, “they must have a stockpile. And you don’t pull together that much through well-meaning methods.”

  “I watched this guy give Michael the breath back in Morrelton. And what he did to Atherton…” Jacob trailed off and shook his head to clear away the image. “There’s nothing well-meaning about him or his methods.”

  Eriane let the silence hang, gathering the courage to ask the next question. “Was there nothing you could do for Atherton?” she asked.

  Jacob’s teeth ground and his posture alone gave Eriane her answer before he even spoke. “I was…already a wanted man in Morrelton. To expose myself, especially to these two, would’ve landed me in jail, or worse. Besides, Atherton—” He shook his head, and Eriane sensed he’d cut himself off. He looked over his shoulder at Pare. “So how far is it to the pass?” he said, deflecting any further discussion of the topic.

  “It’ll take us the better part of daylight,” Pare said. “We could probably make it to the mouth of the pass a little faster if we push it.”

  “We shouldn’t need to, today,” Jacob said. “We shouldn’t dawdle, though. How far to Kelef?”

  Pare shrugged. “Kind of depends on the condition of the road. Once we’re in the pass, the road narrows and there are a lot of places where it’s cut right into a cliff face. We’re not on horseback and have no carts, though, so it shouldn’t be too hard to navigate, unless there’s a rockslide.” He shivered a little, then looked up at the steel grey sky. “Or it starts snowing in earnest.”

  • • • • •

  The day passed Samuel by, the road growing a little steeper with every passing hour. The group soldiered on, no one willing to express any desire to stop or rest. Eriane handed out small pieces of bread and cheese, and they ate and took drinks from their canteens as they walked.

  The forest began to thin, the soft loam of the forest floor giving way to gravel and rock outcroppings, and the trees themselves taking on a craggy, rugged look. The road grew narrower and harder, curving through the lowest points between the foothills that were now gro
wing into genuine mountains. Around a corner the road straightened, pointing at a narrow switchback that worked its way up a steep face before cutting into a cleft at the top.

  They all stopped to take in the sight. Although none complained about the walk, it was evident how tired they all were, and how daunting the switchback seemed. Jacob stepped off to the side of the road, plopping down to sit on a medium-sized boulder and stretching out his back.

  “Well,” Eriane said, “let’s get on with it.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to rest for a bit?” Samuel asked. Eriane stopped and looked back.

  “That sounds like a brilliant idea to me,” Jacob said. One of his boots sat next to the boulder on the ground, and he was rubbing his foot.

  Eriane glanced over at him, then back to Pare. “What do you think, Pare?”

  Pare considered the cleft in the rocks, weighing his options while Jacob looked on with an expectant expression. “I’d rather get to the top and worry about rest after we get there. The going’s easier once we’re through that gap.”

  Eriane nodded and turned to continue. Jacob rolled his head back and sighed before pulling his boot back on and stepping up next to Samuel, leaning in close. “What do you think?” he asked.

  Samuel wasn’t sure what the actual question was. “About what?” he said.

  “Master Pariadnus up there,” Jacob said.

  Samuel knew what Jacob was getting at, but he bit anyway. “I think I’m glad he decided to come along. This trip would have been a lot harder without him. And I see how his presence lifts up Eriane. I don’t know how we would have handled all this had he not joined us.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Jacob said. “I don’t think you give that girl enough credit. She’s strong…and smart. What she did back at the waterfall was hard for her, but it was exactly what needed to happen for Pare to come along.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Samuel said, watching the two of them up ahead as they bantered. “But having him along is still a good influence on her.”

  “Are you sure we can trust him?” Jacob asked.

  Samuel hesitated. “You’re an odd one to ask that question,” he said.

  Jacob eyed the road at his feet and nodded. “I suppose I deserved that,” he said.

  “Why did you come back?” Samuel asked, surprising himself at how soon the question surfaced. “What part do you want in all of this?”

  “I told you before, Samuel. I abhor boredom. And you’re anything but boring.” Jacob grinned. “Besides, after what those two did in Morrelton, I couldn’t exactly just leave you to them, now could I?”

  “Took you long enough to get there,” Samuel said. He hoped it sounded at least a little snarky.

  “Hey!” Jacob put on a face of mock offense. “I didn’t even know where you were! It’s not like there’s signs guiding people out to that cabin, you know. Besides, I spent some time after we parted making sure neither of us could be followed.” He shook his head. “At least not by anyone less crafty than these guys.”

  The thought of the cabin pulled at Samuel and he slowed his pace. As angry as he had been at Jacob since the alley in Morrelton, his experiences since and the scope of the danger they were in made his actions toward the thief feel petty. “Jacob…I’m sorry,” he said. It was the first time he’d spoken Jacob’s real name, and with that one word, he felt a world of tension lift from between them.

  “For what?” Jacob replied, astonished.

  “For Morrelton,” Samuel said.

  Jacob put up his hand and shook his head. “I know I’m not always the easiest person to trust, Samuel, so don’t sweat it.”

  Samuel nodded. “I have to ask you, though… What was it you took from Cort?”

  “Retrieved,” Jacob reminded him.

  “Retrieved,” Samuel repeated.

  “Someday, my friend,” Jacob said. “I’ll tell you that story. But today is not that day.” He smiled, then bounded up the trail to where Pare and Eriane were talking.

  Samuel’s eyes followed him as he went, then slid past the group and on to the cliff-face before them, up and up. They had covered almost the entire distance to the mouth of the pass, and the switchbacks leading up loomed above. This would be the most physically taxing part of their journey and, even though Samuel knew he would barely notice it, it looked daunting even to him.

  As they all stood staring at the path in front of them, Pare was the first to break the silence. He looked at Jacob, motioning toward the top of the cliff face. “Why don’t you just…you know?”

  Jacob shook his head. “I’m still burned from yesterday,” he said. “On any other day it might be possible, but I just translocated farther than I ever have, carrying the largest load I’ve ever carried.” Jacob looked up, seeming almost to consider it before dismissing the idea. “I can’t. Even if I could get us up there, I’d be too prone to mistakes. If it were just me, maybe, but the lot of us… The last thing any of us need is to come out the other end halfway through a tree. Besides, I wouldn’t want to make it too easy for you now, would I?” Jacob’s grin seemed designed just to put Pare’s teeth on edge.

  Pare’s eyes narrowed and by the time Jacob had finished, Eriane was already halfway up the first switchback. “Hey! Wait for us!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  * * *

  The road leading up the face wasn’t treacherous—it was wide enough for a cart or wagon to navigate, with large turnabouts at the ends – but it was steep. Before long Pare, Eriane, and Jacob were sweating, their backs bowed with the effort of the climb. None of them spoke as they trudged along, everyone concentrating on just putting one foot in front of the other.

  Samuel watched each of them deal with their own exhaustion in different ways. Pare hunched over, soldiering forward without lifting his head or changing his pace. Eriane fell in behind him and used him as a guide, losing pace every so often to scratch an itch or mop her brow, then pushing harder to catch back up. Jacob took intentional breaks, stopping to stretch his back and shoulders before pushing back up to the group. None of them spoke of stopping to rest, though, all intent on reaching the top.

  When they reached the last bend where the road entered the gap at the top of the cliff-face, the pace quickened. Samuel wasn’t sure how long it had taken them to reach the top, but once they broke through onto the plateau above there was a sigh of relief and the three of them collapsed onto the ground beside the road.

  A snowflake fluttered down and landed on Jacob’s upturned cheek. “Well, I’m not sure I’m so happy about that,” he said. The others looked up as a few more flakes followed the first out of the bright white sky.

  “We shouldn’t rest long,” Pare said. “We should cover as much ground as possible before much of this comes down, and if enough of it falls it might just slow up anyone coming in behind.”

  “Damn bugs!” Eriane said, scratching behind her ear before pulling out her canteen and taking a long draught. She passed it to Jacob, who took a drink and passed it along to Pare.

  “I haven’t gotten bit,” Jacob said, smiling at her. “Bugs must just like you, for some reason.”

  Pare was in the middle of taking a drink when he stopped himself, inspecting something on the side of the canteen. Without a word he stood up and bolted over to Eriane. “Eri, show me your hands.”

  “What?” She said.

  “Your hands. Now!” Pare said.

  Eriane held her hands out for Pare, who grabbed her right wrist. There was blood on the tips of her fingers. Her eyes went wide, and she reached back behind her right ear, coming away with even more blood. The color drained from her face.

  “How long have you been scratching?” Pare asked her.

  Eriane’s eyes flitted about, searching. “I… don’t…”

  “How long, Eri!”

  “M-maybe halfway up? I think?” she said.

  Pare backed off and began mumbling and pacing.

  “Pare I…” Eri stammered. “I di
dn’t know… I thought…”

  Jacob was on his feet, running to the edge of the cliff beside the road, with Samuel close behind. The entire valley opened up before them, almost all the way back to Morrelton, and Samuel’s eyes followed the road as it wound back into the woods. Nothing stirred save the wind in the trees and the birds.

  “There,” Samuel said, pointing. Movement on the road, a long way away, but not far enough. The rest could barely see, but a group of people rounded a corner and appeared in an opening for only a moment, and then moved back under the cover of branches.

  “Damnit. How could they be so close?” Jacob spat. “How could they know?”

  Samuel moved back to Eriane’s side. “What does this mean?” she said, holding out her bloodied fingers.

  “It means their breaker is close enough to start working on us,” Pare said.

  Eriane took in a sharp breath.

  “Then we have to get moving,” Jacob said as he and Samuel returned from the edge. “As fast and as hard as our legs will take us, we have to go.” Eriane kept nodding. The two of them headed back to the road and Samuel followed.

  Pare was pacing, his hand on his forehead. “Think, think, think,” he kept saying to himself.

  Jacob had picked up the packs, and was holding Pare’s out for him. “We can think later, Pare. Right now, we have to run.”

  “No, no,” Pare said. “You don’t understand. If he can reach our protections from this distance, then we have to stall him. Running won’t do any good—he’ll just keep working until he breaks through.”

  “Then what do we do?” Samuel asked.

  Eriane made a noise, like a scream cut short, and slapped her hand over her right ear.

  Pare was at her side, looking over her with a mixture of fear and confusion. “No no no no no…” he was saying, to no one in particular. “Not so soon!” he muttered, standing again and staring down at Eri.

  Eriane dropped to her knee with a gasp. “Pare, hurry!” she said.