Touch of Power

by Maria V. Snyder

  “But how did Tohon create them? Any ideas since that’s more your…area of expertise?”

  His scowl reminded me of Kerrick. A pang of loneliness touched my heart. It had been only a few days and I missed the guys. Even Kerrick, but I wouldn’t admit that to anyone.

  “A skill I’ve never exercised,” Sepp said, sounding insulted. “My magic allows me to see death. If a person is sick, I can sense if the illness will kill them or not. When a dead body is found, I know at a touch what killed him or her. I can’t take a life like Tohon, but I can pause it, freeze it, so the person is in a fake death.”

  Good information, but I noticed he hadn’t answered my question. Either he didn’t have a clue how Tohon “woke” the dead, or he knew, but didn’t want to share. Which led me to wonder, why not?

  We crossed the Orel Pass four days later. As we descended into the foothills and into the Realm of Sogra, the possibility of encountering Tohon’s dead soldiers and his living army increased a hundred percent since we hadn’t seen any of them in the Nine Mountains.

  After a mile, I realized Kerrick never taught Sepp how to travel through the woods. Dried leaves crunched under his boots. Twigs snapped. Convinced the whole Realm heard us, I held my stiletto ready for a fight.

  Sepp also didn’t seem worried about being ambushed. The first day, he paused around midday and sniffed the air like a bloodhound. I copied his actions. The weather had been cold yet fair, but today it warmed up to comfortable. Listening for any strange noises, I noted the increase in bird activity. Spring was only ten days away.

  The second day, Sepp stopped early in the morning. He pulled me behind a clump of pine trees. We crouched as a squad of dead shuffled past. They were led by a few living soldiers. I bit on my sleeve to keep from crying out. I really needed to clamp down on my panic. I knew I’d have to be “caught” soon, but I would not surrender to a squad of abominations. When they were gone, Sepp resumed our trek. At least the near run-in with the dead answered one question about Sepp’s abilities. One of the dozen knots in my stomach loosened.

  Sepp appeared thoughtful the remainder of the day. That night as we huddled in the dark—a campfire was too risky—he speculated on whether he could unanimate the dead.

  “I don’t think my powers will have any effect on them. There’s nothing there. Death is a threshold,” Sepp said. He made a grabbing motion with his right hand. “I can snatch a person just before they enter that threshold. Once they’ve crossed it, I know what pushed them through. But these…dead. There’s nothing to grab.”

  “Can you freeze them?” I asked.

  “Maybe.”

  Not very comforting. “Then best to avoid them altogether.”

  For the next four days, we dodged the dead and a few squads of living soldiers. The groups broadcasted their presence miles away. Their noise was loud to me, but Sepp didn’t hear them until they were almost on top of us.

  On the fifth morning we slowed our pace as the forest thinned. Farm fields dominated the rolling landscape. A couple had been plowed, but winter wheat covered the rest. We kept away from the edges of the fields. Death Lilys tended to grow there, hoping to catch a farmer unaware.

  “Not that I have to worry about Death Lilys,” Sepp said in his superior tone.

  The tone I loathed. I considered ignoring him, but his knowledge, no matter the way it was imparted, could be vital to our mission. “Why not?”

  “They don’t attack me. They recognize a kindred soul.”

  “But you don’t take life. Wouldn’t Tohon be more compatible?”

  Annoyance creased his large forehead. “I know death well, that is what they respond to. I’ve no idea if they’d go after Tohon or not.”

  I debated if I should ask the next question, but I was too curious not to. “Have you…been in…communication with them?”

  Sepp stared at me as if I had asked him to make friends with Tohon’s dead. “They don’t communicate. They grab and kill all but a few lucky souls.”

  Which meant he’d never been inside one, or else he would have bragged about living through the experience. “What I meant was, can you pick out the Death Lilys among the Peace Lilys?”

  “Yes. The Death Lilys smell…different.”

  “How different?” Lilys emitted a strong scent of honey and lemon.

  “Why do you want to know?” Sepp asked.

  “Didn’t you ever think others could smell it, too?”

  “No. I’d assumed it was due to my magic. Plus I have to be almost on top of it. Too close for another to risk.”

  “Does it smell like death?”

  “Morbid curiosity?” Sepp asked.

  Not sure how much I should reveal, I hedged. “Before the plague, the Healer’s Guild had been trying to figure out why a healer couldn’t heal a person poisoned by the Death Lily’s toxin. As you can imagine, experimenting with the live plant is impossible.” Although they had managed to get the seeds.

  “I remember. They asked me to assist. When I found out what they needed me for, I refused on the grounds that the Death Lilys are a natural part of our world. They cull the idiots who don’t have the sense to avoid them.”

  As if it were that easy. I clamped down on a sarcastic retort. Sepp was one cold bastard. I had called Kerrick that, but even he wouldn’t agree with Sepp’s sentiment.

  “In my opinion, the Healer’s Guild were delving into areas they shouldn’t,” Sepp said. “Performing experiments and calling it research, they kept pestering me to help.”

  Made sense. His powers would have been a great benefit to the healers. Yet, he’d refused. While Tohon had worked with the healers when he had time.

  Sepp continued despite my silence. “They were mucking about with things they should have left alone. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Guild had really started the plague by doing one of their experiments. And by the time they realized what they’d done, it was too late.”

  His speculation touched on one of my worries. The map of the early plague victims appeared to prove his suspicions. Yet, I needed more evidence. Either that, or I was in denial.

  When we reached another set of fields, instead of bypassing them, Sepp led us along their edge. No doubt he wanted to prove his claims about the Death Lilys. We passed a number of the huge flowers. None reacted, but their perfume filled the air. I wondered if a Death Lily would recognize me or attack me. The flowers were all linked through their roots. Perhaps I’d be safe.

  Sepp stopped at the corner of the field. “Smell that?”

  I inhaled. Honey and lemon dominated. Ignoring those scents, I focused on a slight spice in the mix. “Anise?”

  “That’s what it is! I knew it was familiar, but couldn’t put a name to it.”

  I scanned the area, counting four Lilys nearby. “But which one smells like anise?”

  He turned this way and that, sniffing the air. Sepp pointed to a Lily to our left. “That is a Death Lily.” Striding up to the plant, he stood underneath the flower.

  The cone-shaped bud quivered and moved away from Sepp.

  “See? It’s afraid of me.”

  Or didn’t like his scent. I moved closer, but he held his hands out. “Stop there or you’ll be dinner.”

  A low rustle sounded. I halted.

  “Let’s go before it tries to get you.” Sepp headed west.

  I tripped when I stepped to follow. The Death Lily’s vines had curled around both my boots, which explained the rustling. Unable to break the Lily’s hold on my legs, I pulled my stiletto as it reeled me in. Sepp kept walking. I considered yelling for him, but didn’t. When I reached the base of the flower, the petals parted and covered me.

  A thorn jabbed into my neck. I grunted. Last time the Lily had been gentle. This felt like impatience. As my mind a
nd body separated, I relaxed. Instead of flowing along its roots and seeing beyond its petals, Tohon’s image loomed. Unpleasant feelings of fear, revulsion and loathing rolled through me followed by the urge to stop Tohon. To pull his roots from the earth. To fix the wrong.

  When the Death Lily released me onto the ground, I held two small liquid-filled sacks. Orange in color, the outer hide didn’t break when I squeezed it. I had no idea what they were, or what they were for, but I knew it was important. Storing them in my knapsack, I mulled over the encounter as I searched for Sepp.

  I caught up to him a short time later.

  His gaze flickered to me. “What was the holdup?”

  “My strap…I had to adjust it.”

  “Next time let me know. Kerrick would be mad if something happened to you before we reached Tohon’s.”

  I noted his use of the word before. “If I were you, I’d be more worried about Belen.”

  “Belen doesn’t have any magic.”

  “True, but he’s very protective and will tear your arms off if he thinks you’re responsible for hurting me.” I smiled at the vision.

  Sepp pished. “One touch and he’d be frozen.”

  As if Belen would let Sepp touch him. “If it makes you feel better, keep thinking that.” I wasn’t the only one in denial.

  Even though we camped in the thickest section of the forest that night, we didn’t risk a fire. After eating a cold meal of jerky, we discussed Sepp’s hiding place. He needed to be close to Tohon’s castle so I could reach him, but not too close or else he would risk being caught.

  “Speaking of being apprehended,” Sepp said, “you’ll have to be captured. You can’t just walk up to the front door. Tohon will suspect you had help getting through all his defenses.”

  He was right. I had been thinking the same thing, but it irked me to no end that he had such a low opinion of my intelligence.

  Two mornings later, we crested a small hill. A fair-size town filled the valley below us.

  “I don’t relish camping out in woods filled with unfriendlies or hiding in some cave. That town is close to the castle. I’m thinking it would be a perfect place to blend in.”

  “It would depend on the residents,” I said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “In Estrid’s occupied Realms, the citizens who hadn’t embraced her religious beliefs and donned the red robes were scared of her. A stranger in town would attract attention and he would be reported to her priests.”

  “This isn’t an occupied Realm. It’s a Sogran city. They celebrated when Tohon was named king after his father died.”

  “If you’re sure—”

  “Of course I’m sure. I’ve gotten you this far, haven’t I?”

  I fisted my hands, but kept them pressed against my thighs as I wrestled the desire to punch him.

  “You shouldn’t be seen in town,” Sepp said. “In fact, head away from this area before you surrender.”

  We parted company at dawn. Sepp seemed relieved, and almost gave me a cheerful goodbye. He had made his opinion clear. He believed I wouldn’t succeed. Even though he detailed where I could find him in town, I suspected he would bolt if he heard any rumors about me.

  As instructed, I headed in the opposite direction. After a few hours, I realized this was the first time I had been truly alone in more than four months. I stopped as a notion occurred to me. I could disappear. Go back into hiding. Except the dead and the bounty hunters would be after me. Plus I couldn’t let Belen and the others down or go back to those dark days of being in hiding. I pushed on.

  I listened for one of Tohon’s living patrols. Around midday, I heard the unmistakable tread of a squad. Heading toward an intercept point, I hid a few of my throwing knives in unusual places.

  Should I appear furtive or confident as I strode among the soldiers? Tohon was expecting me. No need for me to hide. Although he would wonder why I didn’t approach one of his border patrols sooner. I’d claim my pride wished to get as far as possible. From what I’d learned about him, he’d understand that.

  The hardest part was altering my gait as I walked through the woods. After spending the entire winter blending in with the forest’s song, I had to concentrate in order to make enough noise that would alert the soldiers.

  Finally, I produced enough sound. They halted to listen, then hunkered down to ambush me. A small part of me was amused by their obvious actions, but fear dominated the rest. Once they brought me to Tohon, there would be no return.

  I clutched Belen’s and Flea’s stones in my pockets, thinking about my keepers. All that I would face and endure, I would do for them. I needed to stop dwelling on the what-ifs, and focus on what I could do and would do, which was everything possible to heal Ryne.

  When the ambush “surprised” me, I gathered my nerve as I stared at fourteen armed soldiers. Then the sergeant shouted standard questions at me: Who are you? Where are you going? Who sent you?

  Easy enough to answer. “I’m Avry of Kazan. I’m planning to go to the castle. Tohon of Sogra invited me.”

  Despite the name dropping, the soldiers confiscated my knapsack, the weapons they found and secured my wrists behind my back. They marched me to the castle. On the way through a shallow valley, I spotted the Sogra castle on the opposite ridge.

  It was a beautiful white structure with a black roof, six turrets and surrounded by a thick black stone wall. Behind it were a number of other smaller buildings. As we neared, I noticed a few other details of the main building. Black gargoyles hung over the edges of the roofs. Instead of one big building, the castle looked as if the different kings and queens who’d lived there had added additions to the original castle.

  The squad dragged me in through the front gates and into a spacious courtyard. There, they made a big deal over my capture. Tohon and a number of bodyguards arrived. I was presented to the king with a great deal of fanfare. One cold look from Tohon stopped the celebration in a heartbeat. He ordered my release and my things returned.

  I rubbed my raw wrists and wondered what game he played now.

  “She is our guest. You are to treat her as such, until I say otherwise,” Tohon said. He approached me with a swagger in his step. “My dear, so nice to see you again.”

  Before I could reply, he swept me into his arms and kissed me hard. His touch zipped right through me, igniting every single nerve ending. My body responded. Desire flared. I leaned against him and kissed him back.

  So much for my plan.

  Chapter 21

  I was in big trouble. The logical side of my brain staged a coup, wrestling control from my emotional side. With much effort, I broke away from Tohon’s delicious kiss. But he held me tight.

  “Let go.” My voice cracked since Emotional Avry was ready to rip her and Tohon’s clothes off right here in the courtyard in front of the soldiers.

  Amusement sparked in his gorgeous blue eyes. “How was your first real kiss, my dear?”

  Unbelievable. I desired a second, third, fourth.... Logical Avry said, “Let go, now.”

  “No. I’m king—I give the orders, not take them.”

  “You’re not my king. If you want my cooperation, you’ll release me.”

  “It’ll only take a few more kisses, my dear, and you’ll be more than happy to do what I say.”

  “Won’t work.” And who was I trying to convince?

  “It has with others.” Tohon’s playful tone held a warning note.

  “Not with everyone,” Logical Avry guessed. Emotional Avry was still reeling from the kiss.

  Tohon’s arms around my back stiffened. I’d hit a nerve.

  “You don’t want to manipulate me,” I said. “Trust me on that. You need a healer. Do you want her scatterbrained
and swooning over your every kiss? Or do you want me clearheaded and able to do my job?”

  His grip relaxed a bit. “You do swoon so well. And it’s so exciting to know my Avry is untouched by man.”

  “Because of you,” I said. “Three years on the run from bounty hunters doesn’t give a girl much time to have a love life.”

  “And Nasty Kerrick keeps such a tight lid on his emotions.” He tsked. “My apologies about the bounty. I will lift it, my dear.”

  “Good. Now let go.”

  “Clearheaded and cooperative?”

  “Let go and we can discuss conditions and terms.”

  Tohon wilted. “Spoken like a legal adviser. All right, my dear. We’ll try it your way first.”

  He released me. Emotional Avry fought to return to his arms, but Logical Avry kept a tight grip until the other settled.

  “Come inside. We’ll talk terms.” Tohon held his hand out.

  I ignored it. “There has to be witnesses before I agree to anything.”

  “Why bother? They’re all loyal to me.”

  “Humor me.”

  “You’ve no idea how agreeable I’m being, my dear.”

  Which worried me more than if he refused my request. He and four of his bodyguards strode toward the main entrance of the castle. I noted that only living guards were inside the complex as I followed him. The two-story-high stone doors parted for us without a squeak. I marveled at the skill needed to carve the intricate floral designs into the black obsidian.

  Tohon noticed my stare. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”

  “Yes.”

  “My father had them commissioned from the craftsmen in Bavly. A decent battering ram will smash them into pieces, but my father preferred beauty over strength.” He glanced at me. “He didn’t realize he could have both.” Tohon swept a hand out, indicating the large receiving room. Arched columns supported the ceiling. Gold-framed paintings hung on the walls. Vases and other sculptures sat on pedestals.