Edge of Darkness ~ A Darkness & Light Novel Book Three (17 page)

Sandeen's whinny caught his ear and pulled his attention around enough to break the spell, and Bolin scowled. He shook his head, lip curling in disgust, as much at the ease with which the creature had immobilized him, as at the creature itself. A wraith. The twisted, blackened soul of some long dead being. They used dread and despair to prey upon the unsuspecting, exploited weaknesses to subdue their victims before dragging them into their deadly embrace.

Bolin sheathed his sword and turned back toward the wraith, fingers splayed. He gathered the Emperor's power, flipped his hand and clenched it into a fist. The netting collapsed around the wraith, smothering it, shrinking down until the creature couldn't so much as twitch against the restraint. A word of power slipped from Bolin's lips just as someone called his name, and a drawn out screech sliced through the air as the wraith vanished.

"I thought I told you to stay with the Emperor," Bolin said, turning to find Everyn behind him. Another soldier stood a short way off, holding Sandeen.

Everyn frowned. "And so I did. Right up until he ordered me to come find you. Not my place to tell the Emperor no."

"It is out here, if I give you an order to the contrary."

"In times of war, General. Are you suggesting that's the case?"

He questions your authority. Does not give the obeisance you deserve.

"I'm suggesting the next time I give you an order, you follow it."

"As you say, General," Everyn said, with no real conviction, one grey brow arched and a twist to his mouth.

He should bow before you. He deserves death for his insolence.

Bolin drew his focus inward. He knew the voice whispering in his ear, even if he also doubted the possibility of such a thing. It glided beneath his skin with the bit of Dominion magic. The bit of Darkness, if the Goddess spoke true. He needed to silence it, but found doing so no easier than catching the wind.

"General?"

Bolin waved a gesture toward the road as he went to reclaim Sandeen from the other soldier. "Let's move out, Captain."

"Aye." Everyn's gaze flicked to the patch of broken shrubs and flattened grass. "What was it?"

"Wraith."

Everyn shuddered and darted a quick look skyward. "Heard tales, never come across one, though."

They returned to the road. Dain's focus remained locked on the sky, his power spread across the entire length of the column in a shimmering ward. Bolin wondered if any of the men even noticed. For his sake, the opalescent glow filled his vision, and the strength of it refreshed him as surely as a deep breath of clear, spring air. It scattered the remnants of the wraith's momentary hold as though it had never existed.

"Was it alone?" Bolin asked as he swung into the saddle.

Dain nodded. "Appears so. They rarely travel far from their barrows though, and I know of none close by. I'd have to assume it was sent. I don't supposed you got any sense of its purpose?"

"No. And I didn't ask."

"So what did happen?"

"I unmade it."

"Just like that?"

Bolin turned a frown on the Emperor. "What would you have preferred I do with it, then? Set it free? Invite it along for the ride?"

"No, but we could have perhaps sent it to its final rest."

Bolin smirked. "Exactly what I did."

"That is not what I meant."

"By the unholies, Dain, it was a wraith. As malicious as they come. Driven by evil and the desire to destroy, and in no way deserving of our mercy."

"Through no fault of its own."

"We don't know that, and I wasn't going to take the time to question it on its history. You've been too long behind Nisair's walls. The world isn't as forgiving as you seem to think."

"Maybe the opposite is true," Dain said. "Perhaps you have been too long outside the walls. You have forgotten your humanity."

Bolin snorted but clamped his mouth shut on any further response. A dull throbbing vibrated in the back of his skull, persistently working its way through the euphoria of the Emperor's power. Some of the memories awakened by the wraith resurfaced from the shadows. They trickled along through his thoughts like the cloying odor on the breeze that told of something dead and rotting.

It is the scent of victory,
the voice teased
. Of our enemies lying dead upon the field of battle, ripe for the carrion crows to feast upon.

Bolin pressed his fingers against his temple to ease the ache.

"You surely don't think it coincidence?" Dain asked. "The wraith's attack, I mean."

"I'd hardly call one wraith an attack."

"What would you call it then?"

"A scout, perhaps. A threat."

A promise.

Bolin ignored the whisper. "In any case, we'd best keep our attention skyward. It would be nice if we could make it to the Greensward without further mishap, but I'm not sure that's a reasonable expectation."

Habit had Bolin throwing that hope to the Goddess in the form of a prayer, but he stopped himself and tossed it to the fates instead. They couldn't be any colder a mistress than the Goddess.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

True to his word, Ferris roused Ciara before the sun cleared the horizon. He had a light breakfast waiting for her, and busied himself with getting the horses ready while Ciara ate. As soon as she finished they resumed their trek, twisting once more through the trees. They halted briefly at midday, but Ciara resisted the urge to ask Ferris any more questions. Mainly because he found a way to keep himself occupied any time they stopped.

As afternoon crept toward evening, the trees began to thin, and the land transformed into rolling waves of tall grass. Ferris kept to the edges of the vast grassland, and rarely took his eyes from it. Even a horse length back Ciara felt the tension radiating from him, echoed by the way his horse danced beneath him, its ears in constant motion.

"What's wrong?" Ciara asked, when she couldn't take the building unease any longer.

Ferris glanced at her, eyes shadowed, and tipped his head toward the open lands. "This is the edge of Barrowdowns."

"Oh."

He gave her another, longer look. "You've no idea what that means, do you?"

"Sorry, no. I've never travelled much."

"Never had much instruction in history either, I take it?"

"Some, though I admit to not being the best student."

Ferris frowned and looked past her again. His horse shied at something unseen and he absently brought it back under control, stroking its glossy black neck. "Barrowdowns is a land of great power. Not so great as Nisair or the Greensward, and far more… random. Darker as well. Many ancient battles were waged here, so a great deal of myth and legend has sprung up around it. One story that is fact, however, is that the Elderpriest's met their match here. For that reason, despite the lushness of the land, no one will abide here. It is said nothing but wraiths and nightshades dwell here now."

Ciara followed his gaze. League upon league of slender grass waved and whispered in the quiet breeze. The land rolled and dipped in soft undulations so that the swaying of the grass made it appear as though it moved of its own accord, like a vast sea of green bordered on three sides by forest. The fourth side, Ciara couldn't see.

She softened her focus, trying to open herself to the currents of magic that might be there.

"What does it look like to you?" she asked Ferris.

"Dark and seething," he said, his expression tight. "Much moves here. All of it malevolent."

"Will we need to cross it?" Ciara asked.

"A corner of it, aye." Ferris cast a glance at the sky. "I prefer to do so while we still have the light."

He was here.

Ciara startled at Andrakaos's voice in her head. "Donovan?"

Ferris's brow wrinkled. "Pardon?"

"Is he still here?"

No.

"M'lady?"

Ciara gave a distracted wave of her hand to quiet the Sciath, realizing only then, she had questioned Andrakaos out loud.
"Are you still at Nisair?"

Impatience rolled from him.
You should not have to ask.

"You could just answer."

I am.

"You're at Nisair? Or you're answering?"

Both.
Andrakaos inhaled deeply as he scented the breeze like a hound, and Ciara's head tipped of its own accord, her nostrils flaring as she drew in the heavy odor of earth and grass. Something different tangled within the familiar. Colder. Darker. It reached deep into the ground. Rose up again.
Old magic. Dark power. Those who slept no longer do so.

Ciara's arm jerked and she whipped her head around. Ferris had moved his horse close to hers, and leaned from his saddle to grip her by the elbow. He released her slowly, settling back down, his expression unreadable.

"You looked about to fall off," he said.

They watch,
Andrakaos said.

"Who?"

Those who no longer sleep.
A flush of anger and frustration assaulted her.
I am forbidden to leave.

Another emotion trickled across the link they shared. Something so unlike Andrakaos that Ciara's breath caught.
"Are you afraid?"

She expected a derisive snort, and when it didn't come she waited, tense and uncertain.

"Andrakaos?"

No. I do not fear. I am… I cannot come to you should those who no longer sleep take interest. We are one but we have never acted apart.

Ciara pulled her focus back to Ferris. "Andrakaos thinks we're in danger."

The Sciath's brow furrowed. "Your
gy'lafrei
? He's left Nisair, then?"

"No. He said he's forbidden to."

The Sciath's brows arched in the opposite direction. "And you were just conversing with him?"

"Yes. He says 'those who no longer sleep' are watching us. He's worried they're going to attack us."

"Well they might." Ferris scowled as he swiveled in the saddle to look around.

"I can put up a ward," Ciara said.

Ferris shook his head. "That would certainly draw them to us. Best just to make haste for High House."

"How far away is it?"

"A few leagues yet."

They cannot hold me here against our will.
Barely controlled fury rippled beneath Andrakaos's words.

"Don't do anything," Ciara said. She made a vague gesture skyward when Ferris looked a question at her. "We'll be fine."

I will watch.

"Good. You'll let me know if you see anything?"

A sigh.
I should--

"--not have to. I know. Just do. Please."

He will know.
Ferris that meant.
He sees the currents that move within the otherworld.

"M'lady." Ferris's horse danced beneath him, though he hardly seemed to notice. "We need to go."

Ciara nodded and Ferris wasted no time. He looked back once to ensure Ciara was following, and then his black mare leapt forward into an effortless ground-covering canter that Ciara's horse matched with slightly more effort.

They remained along the edge of the forest, only far enough into the grasslands to ensure easy footing. The sun dipped behind the trees, spreading long shadows across the landscape, before Ferris slowed and motioned Ciara alongside him.

"We'll let the horses walk a bit." He pointed ahead of them. "There's a standing stone up a ways. From there we'll need to cut across Barrowdowns. I intend to do so at a good clip. We're being followed." He said the last with no different inflection than if he had said 'there's a rock'.

Ciara twisted to look behind them. "By who?"

"More of a 'what' than a 'who'," Ferris said. "Nightshades, I think. I hope. They're the least of what dwells here. So far, they seem more curious than anything. That could change rapidly. If it does, point your horse south by west and ride hard for the tree line."

"And you?"

He grinned. "I'll make sure they don't follow."

Ciara shook her head. "I won't leave you to deal with them on your own."

"They're more a pest than anything."

"Then why should I ride hard for the trees?"

The grin faded. "M'lady, I'm charged with your safety--"

"And it's your
duty
." Ciara twisted the word. "I'm sure no one warned you, but I have a sincere dislike for that word and the actions it encourages in the men who use it. I refuse to step aside while you throw yourself in the path of potential danger for my sake and that of some misguided construct. We either face them together, or we both make for the tree line."

"Have you ever seen a nightshade?"

Ciara shook her head. "No. But they're just pests, right?"

Ferris blew out a frustrated sigh. "Please believe, I've absolutely no doubt of your ability to protect yourself. It is respect that compels my actions." He rubbed his chin, face pinched in thought. After a moment he shrugged loosely. "The tree line it is, then. But should the nightshades decide not to play nice, a few things to keep in mind. They're quick. Very quick. And they chatter. Endlessly. You'll want to ignore that best you can. They'll terrify the unholies out of your horse. In fact, they'll try that first. Try to unseat you before they carry on."

Ciara reached forward to pat her horse's neck. "Then let's hope he's a brave soul."

Ferris gave her another of his long, searching looks, as though she was a puzzle he needed to solve. "You're a good match for him, I think."

"My horse?"

Ferris chuckled. "Him, as well, but I meant Lord Bolin."

"I get the impression you know him well?"

"Too well at times." He glanced to his right. "Here's where we start across. Good for a gallop?"

"Lead on."

Ferris gave her a jaunty wink, and they were off, their horses surging through the tall grass in the fading light.

It had been a long time since Ciara had cause to ride so hard, and she found it took far more concentration than it should have. She risked a glance Ferris's way. At least, it took
her
far more concentration. Ferris sat high in the saddle, his focus drawn inward, obviously holding his horse back to keep it from totally outdistancing Ciara's.

They come.

At the same instant Andrakaos's warning reached her, Ferris's horse rolled so quickly back onto its haunches and spun, that Ciara let out a gasp, thinking it had stepped in a hole and injured itself. By the time she got her own horse slowed enough to turn it in a more conventional manner, the Sciath and his black mare were several lengths away. Ferris had reined in, but the horse continued to prance and hop beneath him. A moment later something whispered across Ciara's face. Her horse screamed, rearing back to strike out with its hooves.

As dismounts go, Ciara had performed much more graceful ones in the past. She hastily dropped her stirrups and, when her horse went airborne a second time, she shoved backwards out of the saddle to slide from its rump and land unceremoniously on her own. Her horse whirled and took off before Ciara regained her feet.

"Who is this?"

"Who comes near?"

"Who visits the sisters?"

Figures darted around her, reaching out with bony hands, the blackened skin stretched tight across them.

"Pretty creature."

"Walks with the light."

"Flirts with the dark."

Fingers tangled in her hair and Ciara batted them away as she stood. "Stop that."

"So pretty."

"So silky."

"Like the spider's web."

"What do you want?" Ciara asked, twisting to keep the ever moving nightshades in view.

They laughed in unison at her question, spiraling skyward before dipping down again like huge, wingless hummingbirds.

"Come play with us, sister."

"Come dance with us."

"Follow us home and become one with us."

"I don't think so," Ciara said.

"Yes. You will come."

"Come now."

"A present for she who calls us."

"She who walks with us."

"Come."

They spiraled faster and faster in a dizzying aerial assault, whipping past Ciara, the edges of their tattered shrouds whipping across her skin, their fingers grasping at her. They latched onto her hair and tugged one way, then her sleeve and tugged in another. Ciara stumbled back, flailing her arms at them.

A frustrated growl left her throat as the nightshades flipped and spun around her. Just as Ciara reached desperately for her magic, everything around her suddenly stopped. Not so much as a flutter of shrouds or the wave of a single blade of grass disturbed the tableau. Silence smothered the chattering of voices and jangling of harness. Ciara had just enough time to register the phenomena before the air burst like a huge bubble. The nightshades were thrown outward, their distressed wails rising in a pained crescendo before fading to nothing as they vanished.

Ciara caught a breath in the stunned calm that followed. She sought out Ferris, and found him on one knee, arms thrust forward above his bowed head. His shoulders rose and fell in short spurts. His eyes were downcast, open, but unfocused. They slanted Ciara's way when she dropped down beside him.

"That…was…" He pursed his lips and lowered his arms slowly to his sides, blowing out a long breath. "Difficult. More so than it should have been."

He leaned heavily on Ciara's arm as she helped him to his feet.

"Something drove them. Some power other than their own."

"Are they gone?"

"Momentarily. They will be back." He wavered, taking half a step backwards to steady himself as he looked around. "Your horse?"

"Gone, I'm afraid," Ciara said, with a rueful look toward the dark smudge of the forest. "Not a brave a soul as I had hoped. Unlike the nightshades, I don't think he'll be back. I'm surprised yours is still here."