Touch of Power

by Maria V. Snyder

  “Are you sure?”

  He bristled at my question.

  “Think about it. Tohon’s special soldiers are not alive. I had thought a medicine might be the reason they can move and obey orders, but maybe there is another explanation. Could you animate the dead?”

  Sepp sputtered. “It’s…an affront to life. It’s…perverted. I’ve never tried it, nor would I ever!”

  “She didn’t ask you if you would, but if you could,” Kerrick said.

  Opening and closing his mouth a number of times, Sepp huffed. “I think I can.”

  Kerrick leaned forward. “Are you thinking a death magician is working with Tohon?”

  “Not possible,” Sepp said. “I’m positive I’m the only one, and have been for years.”

  I considered. “Was Tohon in the cave during the attack?”

  The magician squinted as if he peered into the past. “I don’t think so. Unless he came after I’d been knocked out.”

  “So he might think that you’re dead,” I said.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Kerrick said. “We can’t reach Ryne, and even if we do find him, we won’t be able to leave Tohon’s castle alive. We should join forces with Estrid and hope for the best.” Kerrick’s shoulders sagged. “Sepp, can you unanimate the dead?”

  “I believe so. My powers are basically the opposite of Tohon’s. But I don’t know for sure. When they stormed the cave, we were taken by surprise. By the time I figured out what they were and how to stop them, it was too late.”

  “How to stop them as in decapitation?” I asked.

  Sepp nodded.

  “How would you unanimate them? If only you can wake Ryne, doesn’t it make sense that only Tohon can stop the dead?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t had any experience.” Sepp’s tone bordered on snippy.

  “Did you sense them before they attacked?”

  “Are you deaf or just stupid? I just said we were surprised.” He’d skipped over snippy and went straight into nasty.

  I decided to follow Kerrick’s example and keep my expression neutral even though I wanted to slap him. “Allow me to elaborate. Before they attacked, did you feel uneasy or feel something wasn’t quite right and just dismiss it?”

  “Of course not. I can’t feel through stone walls.”

  “What about when they were in the room with you?” I asked.

  Sepp appealed to Kerrick. “This is a waste of time, we should—”

  “Answer her question,” Kerrick said.

  Sepp gaped at him. “Don’t tell me that you’ve—”

  “Answer her question,” Kerrick ordered.

  I wondered what Sepp was going to say to Kerrick.

  With an elaborate sigh, he said, “Yes, I could. When they were in with us, I knew no life breathed inside them. Although I don’t see why she needs to know.”

  Perhaps Sepp thought I’d overstepped my place in this little group. As Belen would say, Too bad, so sad.

  Kerrick studied me and I caught a glint of humor in his gaze. “What are you thinking?”

  “You’re not going to like it.”

  “No surprise.”

  “Just think it through before you dismiss it. Okay?”

  “All right.”

  “You, Belen, Loren and Quain will join Estrid’s army. You spread the word that Sepp died and Ryne is lost. I’m sure Tohon has spies in her organization. Then you convince her to rally her troops and prepare them for an attack against Tohon’s army.”

  Kerrick opened his mouth. I shot him a warning look. He kept quiet.

  “Meanwhile, Sepp and I will travel to Tohon’s castle. And, hopefully while he’s distracted with Estrid’s preparations, we’ll slip in, heal Ryne and take off.”

  “Just like that?” Kerrick arched an eyebrow.

  “That’s an utterly ridiculous plan,” Sepp said.

  “You’ve never been to his castle before. How are you going to find Ryne in Tohon’s vast complex?” Kerrick asked.

  He had me there. I mulled it over as Sepp smirked. What was his problem?

  I ignored the magician, focusing on Kerrick. “Tohon’s expecting me. He threatened to send his dead to fetch me if I didn’t go to him.” Holding up a hand, I stopped Kerrick’s retort. “Too many for you and the guys to counter. What he won’t be expecting is a man he believes is dead.”

  “No,” Kerrick said.

  “Insane,” Sepp said.

  “Think about it. Tohon’s been wanting a healer for a reason. If it’s just me there, then he has no one to use against me. Sepp can hide nearby, and when I’ve gained Tohon’s trust and learned where Ryne is, then I’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

  “You can’t expect us to do anything based on you finding ‘a way to make it work,’” Sepp said.

  Kerrick shook his head. “Tohon will just manipulate you.”

  “He’ll try, but—”

  “He’ll succeed. He got to Jael and me in school. You won’t be able to resist or hide anything from him.”

  “Yet Ryne outsmarted him. Ryne with no magic at all.”

  “You’re not Ryne,” Sepp said.

  Ouch.

  “No.” Kerrick crossed his arms as if that ended the discussion.

  I bit back a sarcastic comment. “Okay, then. What’s your plan?”

  “We all go to Estrid’s, mount an attack and—”

  “As soon as you get close, he’ll move Ryne to another location. Sepp? Got anything?”

  He blinked. “We could all go to Tohon’s and rescue the prince.”

  “And we all get caught because there is nothing to distract him. Then Tohon threatens to harm Belen or Loren, and I’ve no choice but to cooperate.” I shuddered at the thought.

  “We could distract him,” Sepp said.

  “How? There are only five of you. And the problem of finding Ryne remains.”

  “Your plan has just as many holes,” Sepp said. “It’s ridiculous to think you can trick Tohon.”

  More preferable than waiting for his dead to find me and drag me to him. However, Kerrick’s stiff posture meant I had a better chance of convincing Estrid to denounce her religion. At least I tried. If we reached Estrid’s army, maybe I would be safe from the dead. Then I’d be physically closer to Noelle.

  “You’re right,” I said to Sepp. “I couldn’t possibility trick Tohon. I hope you can last a few weeks without sleep.”

  “What is she talking about?” he asked Kerrick.

  “Only you can sense the dead. You’ll have to alert us of ambushes,” Kerrick said.

  “You can’t believe this silly girl. She’s planning her schemes based on a rumor that I’ve died! I thought you learned your lesson with Jael, Kerrick.”

  The look he gave Sepp made the mountain air feel downright toasty. Glad I wasn’t on the receiving end of Kerrick’s ire this time, I laid back on my bedroll. Sepp’s injury throbbed with pain, still sapping my strength. Kerrick hadn’t shared his energy for this one. Perhaps he was too preoccupied with Ryne’s kidnapping. Yeah, right. The chance of rescuing Ryne was slim to impossible, so I was no longer valuable to him.

  I dreaded falling asleep, but I needed the rest to finish recovering. Giving in, I slipped into a deep, senseless void. Too bad it didn’t last all night. Nightmares of Tohon’s dead plagued me. Eventually, they trapped me and converged, grabbing me with their cold hands.

  “Avry.” Icy fingers circled my wrists.

  I yelled as the grip tightened and tried to pull away.

  “Avry, wake up.” The hands shook me. The voice sounded upset. “Now.”

  I opened my eyes. Kerrick straddled me, pinning me down. The hor
ror of the nightmare faded, but his expression alarmed me.

  “Are we under attack?” I asked.

  “No.” He released me, moving off, but he sat on his heels.

  Dawn balanced on the edge of the mountains. So close, I expected the sun to crest the rippled peaks in seconds.

  “We will be,” I said. “Tohon will send his army for me.”

  “I know. That’s why we’re going to follow your plan.”

  Chapter 20

  I sat up. “We are?”

  “Don’t act so surprised. I thought it through and you’re right, it’s the best chance we have to rescue Ryne,” Kerrick said as if it pained him to admit it.

  “And how does Sepp feel about it?”

  “He’s going to be pissed off as hell, but he swore loyalty to me.”

  And I had thought traveling with Kerrick was difficult. A resentful death magician made Kerrick’s moods nothing but a trifle annoyance.

  The sun crested the mountains. Kerrick glanced past the fire. “Belen wishes to bury his sister this morning. The ground’s frozen, but he dug a shallow grave and plans to cover her with rocks. He was waiting for you to be strong enough.”

  I sagged back. “I’ll never be strong enough for that.”

  “Me, either. But we’ll pull it together for Belen, won’t we?”

  “Yep. Not much I wouldn’t do for him.”

  Kerrick gave me an odd look. “Really?”

  “Of course, Belen’s my friend. The same would go for Loren and Quain, as well.”

  “But not me.” A half smile tugged.

  “No. I hate you. Remember?” I teased.

  “Couldn’t possibly forget.” He grinned. “Just so you know, the feeling is mutual.”

  “Gosh,” I said with mock horror. “We actually have something in common.”

  Kerrick laughed. “Let’s not let it happen again.”

  “Agreed.”

  Way too soon, Kerrick sobered. Belen had returned to the fire. We roused the others and the six of us walked to the rocky grave. A small pile of stones sat next to the grave.

  Hunched over as if the Nine Mountains pressed down on his shoulders, Belen said a few words about his sister, Sayen. She sounded as sweet and tough as Belen. Then Kerrick stepped forward. He picked a rock from the pile and spoke to Belen before placing the rock on the grave. He turned and left.

  Loren, Quain and then Sepp copied Kerrick’s actions. When it was my turn, I grabbed the last stone.

  I touched Belen’s sleeve. “I’m so sorry about Sayen. I’m sorry I caused such trouble and delayed the trip back here. If I hadn’t, maybe we would have gotten here in time to—”

  “Avry, ifs and maybes can’t change the past,” Belen said, covering my hand with his own. “Sayen knew the risk. I wanted her to go with Kerrick while I stayed behind, but she told me to get my lazy fat ass out of her sight.” He smiled at the memory. “Don’t feel guilty, Avry. It’s not your fault.”

  Belen might believe it, but I didn’t. My stubborn refusal to heal Ryne could be linked to so many of our current problems. When I placed the stone on Sayen’s grave, I made a promise to her. I would do all I could to rescue and heal Ryne.

  After the burial, we packed and prepared for travel. Sepp’s sullen anger burned on my skin whenever he thought I wasn’t looking at him. However, Belen’s fury over the plan was unexpected.

  “Did you not see how those…things affected her?” Belen asked Kerrick. He shook with rage. “You can’t just let her—”

  “It’s her plan. Besides, she has a slight chance of succeeding,” Kerrick said, keeping calm.

  “A slight chance? Let’s break out the champagne.”

  Belen’s sarcasm was impressive. I didn’t know he had it in him.

  “At what cost, Kerrick? Are you willing to risk her freedom and sanity? You know Tohon will just claim her.”

  Claim? That sounded bad. Unease swirled around my heart. Why did I think I could resist Tohon when I had had no willpower before? Perhaps Belen was right.

  Kerrick’s expression flattened. He pulled Belen away from us for a private chat. I watched Belen’s face. Whatever Kerrick said mollified him. He still seemed upset, but not as furious as before.

  When Kerrick returned, he detailed the route Sepp and I needed to take to Tohon’s, what we should look for and avoid.

  “If you can, don’t let Tohon touch you,” Kerrick said to me. “His power is like yours—he needs skin contact for his magic to work.”

  My stomach twisted with fear, remembering Tohon’s touch. How I had no control over my emotions. “I don’t think… I… Sepp’s right, I can’t… I’m not—”

  Kerrick took my hands in his. His warmth steadied my nerves.

  “You’re the most strong-willed person I know. More stubborn than my great-aunt Yasmin, and I didn’t think that was possible. Just pretend Tohon is me. You never listen to me, so you’ll have no trouble ignoring him.”

  That surprised a laugh from me. “I’d like to meet your great-aunt Yasmin someday.”

  “Well, she’s eighty-nine, so don’t linger too long in Tohon’s castle. Get in and get out. Okay?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Kerrick just shook his head and muttered under his breath as he walked away. I said goodbye to the monkeys. They each gave me a hug.

  Belen still wasn’t happy about our plans, but he pulled me aside to say goodbye. “Be careful. Be smart. And be strong. Here.” He handed me an almost perfectly round stone that fit in my palm. Flea’s name had been carved in the stone. “It was one of his juggling rocks. He was searching for three perfect ones as we traveled. When he found this, he marked it as a keeper.” Belen swallowed. “He didn’t have a chance to find any more, so I kept looking for him.” Belen handed me two more stones that closely matched the first. One stone had Loren’s and Quain’s names carved on it. The other had Belen’s and Kerrick’s. “They’re keepers, too. Remember that.”

  Grief, guilt and awe churned, tightening my throat. “I will.” The words squeaked out.

  “Good. I’ll see you in a few months.” He enveloped me in a hug and joined Kerrick and the others.

  I put the gifts in my cloak’s pockets. The extra weight pulling on my shoulders gave me a boost in confidence as Sepp and I headed west.

  Normally, the smaller passes would be impossible to navigate at this time of year. However, the dry winter helped, and the official start of spring was only sixteen days away. If we arrived at the Orel Pass too soon and it remained impassable, we’d just have to wait.

  Sepp was a horrible traveling companion. He complained about the cold, the steep terrain, the wind and my crazy scheme. When he was supposed to be on watch, I’d wake and find him fast asleep.

  Nightmares still disturbed my rest, and I couldn’t shake the image of Tohon’s confidence. My scheme seemed crazier as we drew closer to Tohon’s castle. And I realized that if I was going to prevail, I needed more information about Tohon and life magicians. Perhaps Sepp could help.

  The next night, as we shared a meal, I asked Sepp a number of questions.

  “Tohon doesn’t have too many weaknesses,” Sepp said, dipping a piece of hard bread into his stew. “He’s cocky and tends to be compulsive. Although he does have a soft spot for a pretty woman, just like Kerrick.”

  I almost choked on my food. Not how I would describe Kerrick at all.

  Sepp ignored my sputterings and continued. “Magic-wise, Tohon’s probably the most powerful mage living.”

  Regaining my composure, I asked, “What about the three magicians that are working for him?”

  “His fire mage barely qualifies. All Aidan can do is start small fires and has probably been assigned to keep the
hearths warm in the castle. Pov is the strongest. As a rock hound, he could cause a serious earthquake, or—” Sepp gestured to the mountain peaks around us “—start an avalanche, blocking the pass, or bury us alive if he wanted. Ulany’s earth magic could find you the best worms for bait, and the richest soil for crops, but otherwise she’s not useful in a fight.”

  “Who is the next strongest mage?” I asked.

  Sepp slurped the juice from his bowl. “It’s a toss-up between Jael and Kerrick. Their powers are so different, it’s hard to compare them.” He considered. “Jael, probably, since she can access her power anywhere. Then Pov, me, Marisol—she’s a water mage working for Estrid—Aidan, Ulany and Selene, the moon mage. She’s only good for one thing—influencing the tides.”

  Interesting commentary. I wondered how he knew everyone’s names and strengths. “What about me? Where do I rank?”

  “You?” He seemed taken aback. “Uh, you’re a healer…not really a mage. I guess you’d be after Selene.”

  Which meant good for one thing only. Sepp underestimated healers, but I wasn’t about to educate him. “Are there any other mages in the Realms?”

  “No.”

  “But Kerrick had said a few were lying low.”

  “No. They’re dead. Tohon killed any mage who wouldn’t swear loyalty to him. The exceptions are Estrid’s mages, who are protected by Jael.”

  “Why would Kerrick lie to me?” I asked.

  “Probably so you wouldn’t be afraid.”

  No. Kerrick made sure I had been well aware of Tohon’s despicable actions. More incentive to heal Ryne. He hadn’t told Sepp about my reluctance and I wondered why. Perhaps Kerrick didn’t fully trust Sepp. Not good, considering I needed to trust him.

  “Sounds like Tohon will be hard to beat,” I said.

  “One on one, yes. But when you combine me, Kerrick, Jael and Marisol, then the odds are very much in our favor.”

  I didn’t believe Jael would join forces with the others, but perhaps she’d change her mind when she learned about the dead soldiers. “What about his special soldiers?” I shuddered.

  “They’re easy to stop. Don’t worry about them, they’re my problem.” He waved a hand like a king granting a boon.