Touch of Power (21 page)

“What about the mercs?” I asked.

“Them, too,” Loren said.

I mulled it over. “Except for today, we’ve been traveling pretty much straight north for days. You’d think we’d have to skirt areas to avoid them. And we haven’t seen any tracks in the snow. Quain may be onto something. It’s too quiet.”

“What’s wrong with quiet?” Belen asked. “Not everything has to be a struggle.”

“What are you thinking, Avry?” Loren asked, ignoring poor Belen. “Ambush near the main pass in case we try to cross it before spring?”

“It’s a bit obvious, but logical.”

“Wouldn’t Kerrick be able to use his tree mojo to detect them?” Quain asked.

I grinned at his word choice. Kerrick had tried to explain to the monkeys how his magic worked, but unless they felt it like I had, they wouldn’t be able to fully understand how the forest communicated with him. Magicians in general kept the details about their powers quiet. Either they were afraid a person would figure out how to counter them, or they liked being viewed as mysterious. Although once everyone knew, Kerrick had been open and frank with the guys.

“For his tree mojo to work, it would depend on where the ambush is. If they’re hiding above the tree line, then we’d be out of luck.”

“What about the ex-girlfriend?” Quain asked. “Do you think Jael’s going to come after us again?”

“No. Jael lost the element of surprise and she knows her power can’t counter ours.”

Quain sat up and stared at me. “Ours?”

I cursed under my breath for my slip.

Belen chuckled at Quain’s confusion. “Think about it.”

So Belen knew. Did Loren? I glanced at him. He had a faraway expression.

“Is that why you yelled for Kerrick with Flea?” Quain asked. “You wanted to combine your magic?”

“We didn’t combine it, we shared magical energy,” I said, then explained how Kerrick and I had fought off Jael’s attack. “Healers often linked together if a patient was on the edge of dying, giving one healer the strength to save the patient’s life. Since Kerrick and I have different types of magic, I was surprised we could do it at all.”

“Could Kerrick heal Ryne using your energy?” Belen asked.

“No. It just gives his own magic more power.”

“But it has a price, right?” Loren asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Using magic is draining and can be physically exhausting.” Their thoughtful and intense expressions worried me. I didn’t want to discuss Kerrick anymore. I tried to change the subject. “I’m usually starved afterward and craving my mother’s cinnamon apple crisp. Does anyone know if the survivors are taking care of the apple orchards in Zainsk?”

No one fell for it.

Watching their faces, I knew Belen was the first to make the connection, although Loren wasn’t far behind.

“Kerrick helped you heal me. Didn’t he?” Belen asked.

I should just say yes and be done with it. However, I couldn’t lie to Belen. “Not quite.”

“Avry.” Belen’s voice held a warning tone.

“I healed you. But Kerrick gave me the energy to heal myself. Otherwise, I would have died. I admit it. Okay? Can we talk of other things?”

They did, but my thoughts lingered on my personal plague—Kerrick. In the list of attempted remedies for the plague, the Guild had tried sharing the energy of half a dozen healers to cure a sickened colleague. It hadn’t worked. So there was no chance a lone magician could pull me back once I had the plague.

From Galee, we traveled northwest and reached the southern border of the foothills three days later. The craggy snow-topped mountains filled the sky, looming over us, yet at the same time the peaks looked impossibly far away.

In the foothills, we saw no one. Only small animal tracks marked the snow. As for the infamous reputation of the area, the rolling terrain and thick clusters of pine trees caused us the most trouble, slowing us down. Not bands of lawless marauders, ufa packs or mercs. All remained quiet.

I tried to believe the quiet meant good things. After two uneventful days, I was almost convinced, but everything changed the next morning when Kerrick tripped.

We had been following him as he searched for a place for us to hide in until the spring melt, which hopefully would be in three to four weeks. Without warning, he sprawled forward, doing a face-plant in the snow.

At first, we laughed and teased. The normally sure-footed Kerrick brushed snow off his cape, grumbling good-naturedly. The culprit appeared to be a tree limb. A curved gray branch arched from the disturbed snow. We would have stepped over it and continued on our merry way except Belen paused and peered at the branch closer.

He cursed and dug around it, sweeping the snow away. The rest of us exchanged confused glances until our brains deciphered the object Belen had exposed. A dead body. Which, considering the plague’s speed and the marauders, wasn’t a surprise.

“That’s why I tripped,” Kerrick said. “The forest doesn’t consider a dead body to be an intruder.”

“Yeah, it’s plant food now,” Quain muttered.

Belen discovered more lumps in the snow. Again, no big shock. Every survivor had seen or found a plague victim. As the others brushed the snow away, revealing more bodies, I examined the man who had tripped Kerrick.

Thick beard, long hair and scars on his face, he appeared to be around twenty years old. He was curled up on his side with his arms crossed over his stomach. A futile gesture since most of his intestines lay next to him. I looked closer at the jagged flesh and bite marks on his body. Scavengers or killers?

“Something munched on this one,” Belen called.

“Half this guy’s face has been eaten off,” Loren said.

“Uh, guys.” Quain’s voice shook. “I think I found one of the culprits.”

We joined him. He had uncovered a huge ufa. Kerrick took a step back as soon as he saw it. An automatic reaction, but I couldn’t fault him. The beast was six feet long with gray and black brindled fur covering about two hundred pounds of pure muscle. Two nasty-looking teeth curved down from its upper jaw. Black blood stained its front claws.

We uncovered fourteen bodies, but only one ufa. Although there were signs of many more animals. But it was hard to determine if the animals killed them or just stopped by for an easy meal.

“Marauders out on a raid, or returning from one,” Kerrick said.

“How can you tell?” I asked.

“Unkempt appearance. Well armed. Battle scars. Mostly men. They leave the weaker members back at their base camp.”

“What should we do with the bodies?” Belen asked.

“Nothing. As Quain said, they’re plant food.”

“Come spring, they’ll reek. Aren’t there any hungry Death Lilys around?” Quain asked, half joking.

“They don’t deserve the honor,” I said with surprising vehemence.

The guys peered at me as if I had lost my mind. Perhaps I had.

As we hiked west through the foothills, we encountered two more bands of snow-covered dead marauders that day. And another three the next. But no slain ufas. Kerrick’s scowl deepened with each discovery. The snow meant they all died before the big storm seventeen days ago, far enough in the past to give us some comfort, but any consolation we scraped together slipped away by the sheer number of dead.

“Now we know why it’s so quiet,” Quain said.

When we set out on the third morning, we braced for more carnage, but nothing could prepare us for the next discovery.

This group of marauders had been killed like the others. However, their bodies were not covered by snow. Blood, guts, mud and bodily fluids stained the white snow. Ufa tracks marked the edges.

Kerrick ordered us to remain behind while he followed the tracks.

While he was gone, I examined the dead. Same story as the other groups we had found. The only difference was the timing. I estimated they had been killed about ten to twelve days ago.

“Avry, you do know how creepy that is. Don’t you?” Quain asked.

“What’s creepy?”

“Your fascination with the dead. It doesn’t take a healer to know these guys were killed by packs of wild ufas.”

“It’s not a fascination. More like curiosity. Besides, I’m beginning to suspect they weren’t killed by the animals. Don’t you think it’s unusual for all of the victims to be lying on their stomachs?”

“Or what’s left of their stomachs.” Loren pointed to mangled pile of intestines next to one body. “Actually, I think it’s odd that the ufas keep attacking when they should be well fed by now.”

“Unless there’s more than one pack,” Quain said.

“Oh, there’s a happy thought.” Loren scowled at him. “If it wasn’t ufas, then who or what attacked them?” he asked me.

“I’m not sure.” I crossed to the man Loren had indicated, and tried to roll him over. He was too heavy and stiff.

“That’s gross,” Quain said.

“Come help me,” I said.

“No way.”

“Sissy,” Belen said. He grabbed the dead man’s shoulder and hip, pulling him over. “What are you thinking?”

I studied the gaping hole that had been the man’s stomach. Unlike some of the others, the cuts appeared to be from a blade and not teeth. “From the extent and location of the damage, he would have fallen onto his back if attacked by an ufa.” I examined the snow around the victim. “The ufa wouldn’t have turned him over.”

“Why not?” Quain asked.

“All the tasty parts are in front.”

“Disgusting. Remind me not to ask any more questions.”

Loren huffed with amusement. “As if that would work.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

“Gentlemen,” Belen warned. “If the ufa didn’t flip the body, then who did?”

I walked around the other bodies. “There are drag marks in the snow.” Backing up so I could see the whole scene, I noted how the bodies had also been lined up so their heads pointed one way. Northwest. “Why go to all the trouble of arranging them?”

“Because it’s a message,” Kerrick said as he returned.

“Something other than ‘run as fast as you can in the opposite direction right now or you’ll be ufa food’?” Quain asked.

“The main pass through the mountains is northwest, isn’t it?” I asked Kerrick.

“Yes.”

“A message warning us away from the pass?”

“No. I found another set of remains quite close to here. The bodies have also been arranged.”

“How’s that a message?” Quain asked.

Belen answered, sounding stunned. “Tohon’s clearing the way for us so we will reach the pass without running into trouble.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Loren said. “Wouldn’t he want to
prevent
us from reaching the pass?”

“Are you sure it isn’t a warning
away
from the pass?” I asked. “After all, Ryne’s safe on the other side.”

“He’s not on the other side,” Kerrick said. “He’s hidden within the Nine Mountains. The easiest way to reach him is via the main pass, but the others work, as well. They just take longer and can only be accessed in warmer weather.”

I put a few clues together. “Does that mean—?”

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” Quain asked.

“Tohon knows where Ryne is,” Kerrick said.

Chapter 18

“That’s a big leap in logic. Just because the bodies had been arranged a certain way doesn’t mean Tohon has found Ryne,” Belen said. “Tohon could just be playing with your mind, capitalizing on your fears. Let’s consider other possibilities.”

“All right, Belen. What do you think it means?” Kerrick asked.

“Maybe he’s guessing that we’re headed to the pass and is being cocky about it, letting us know he knows. It’s typical of him.”

“It could be a trick,” Loren said. “He wants us to think he has Ryne so we rush to him, leading Tohon right to him.”

“Either way, it’s a heck of a message,” Quain said. “There’s lots of bodies. He’s not fooling around.”

“And how did he know you’d see it?” I asked. “Yes, he could guess we’d enter from Pomyt, but the foothills span for miles.”

“We’ve been following the animal paths, just like the marauders had,” Kerrick said. “It’s easier than trying to push through the dense pine trees. He knew we’d stumble upon them eventually.” Kerrick paused. “I’m changing our plans. We’re not going to hunker down, but take the main pass.”

Just what Tohon wants, but I wasn’t going to say it aloud.

“What about the steep icy path and thousand-foot drops?” Quain asked with a slight quaver of nervousness.

“Be careful where you step and don’t look down,” Kerrick said.

“That’s not funny.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be.”

The change in plans felt wrong. Belen and Loren had both made excellent points. And there was always the possibility that Tohon was goading Kerrick so he’d rush right into an ambush. They had been friends for years; Tohon must know how to provoke Kerrick. Heck, I knew how to upset him and I’d only been around a little over three months.

Regardless of our opinions, Kerrick led us straight to the pass. We encountered a couple more bands of dead marauders, but he wouldn’t let us stop.

We reached the base of the main pass two days later. Wider than the animal paths, the road snaked through the pine forest. The snow had been packed down by previous travelers.

Kerrick pointed at the thin lines made by wagon wheels. “A caravan came through here a few days ago. Otherwise, there’s no one else on the trail.”

“What about above the tree line?” Quain asked.

“We’ll have to send a scout ahead,” Belen answered.

“How would that work?” I asked. “Not much up there to hide behind.”

“He’d have to travel at night and wear camouflage,” Belen said. “There’s a rock fall before it gets steep. Once the road turns high and tight, there’s no room for an ambush.”

Quain glanced up at the mountains. “What about room for a camp?”

“None. We’ll push through until the road widens.”

“How long?”

“Worried about your beauty rest, Quain?” Belen teased.

“If you really wanted, you could take a nap,” Loren added. “Just be careful not to roll over in your sleep.”

“Not funny.” Quain pulled his cloak tighter.

“I wonder if you’d wake up in midair?” Loren mused more to himself than his friend. “Once you hit bottom, then it’s lights out forever.”

Quain shot Loren a sour look while Belen chuckled.

As we hiked, the forest thinned as the path rose in elevation. My calves burned with the extra effort. At least with the rolling terrain there was a break between uphills.

Although worried about Ryne, Kerrick was confident that no one waited to ambush us among the trees. And no ufas, either. He sensed a pack of them far to the west.

We stopped five miles before reaching the tree line and planned our next move. Loren volunteered to be our scout. Belen was too big, Kerrick too recognizable, Quain too uncomfortable with heights and I was too valuable. We set up a small camp a hundred feet off the main road while Loren prepared for his night mission. He removed his cloak and sword. Wearing all black clothing, he smeared a dark gray goo on his face, neck and hands.

“Flea’s concoction,” he said with a sad smile. “He taught us some cat burglar tricks.” Loren scanned the darkening sky. “Now if only the moon cooperates and stays behind the clouds.”

Half a dozen streaked the expanse, but they didn’t appear thick enough to block the moonlight.

When complete darkness filled the area, Loren waved and said, “See you in a few.” He strode away, then stopped. “Found them.” Loren backed up as two men holding swords approached.

Kerrick and the others were on their feet in an instant, weapons in hand. I grabbed my stiletto.

The trees around us rustled with movement. A quick glance confirmed we were surrounded. And outnumbered. As the circle tightened, Loren grabbed his sword and joined us. Clustered in the middle, we kept our backs to one another.

“Damn, Kerrick,” Quain said. “I thought you said no one was around.”

“No one is,” he growled. “I don’t feel them.”

An odd statement. But there was no time to contemplate it as the ambushers engaged us. One thing was in our favor; Kerrick and his men outmatched them as far as fighting skills. I sent knives into shoulders, thighs, stomachs and upper arms.

Despite the lopsided numbers we had the upper hand. Except these men and women wouldn’t stop when slashed with a sword. They didn’t react when a knife embedded into their skin. Injuries that should have knocked them down failed to affect them at all.

They fought in utter silence. Eventually, the attackers closed in, rendering swords useless. Belen switched to hand-to-hand combat, tossing them around like rag dolls. But they kept advancing. Kept shambling to their feet with a mindless determination.

Two made it past Kerrick and grabbed me, dragging me away. I suppressed my revulsion and panic. Pressing my hand on freezing cold flesh, I summoned my power. Nothing happened. No magic swelled in my chest. Kerrick’s comment echoed in my mind.
I don’t feel them.

Horrified, I met the gaze of one of my captors. Death stared back. Shocked to my core, I ceased struggling.

Shouts filled the darkness. Poppa Bear roared. Then silence.

The dead men kept a fast pace as they pulled me along. My mind reeled over the impossible. No magic could bring the dead back to life. Not a life magician or a death magician had that ability. It had been proven.

Yet the impossible held me tight. Grasped me with icy fingers. Filled me with a terror so strong it hurt.

When I could no longer keep up the pace, one of them carried me over his shoulder. Their repulsive touch grew unbearable and my sanity threatened to take a holiday without me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the living. Thought of Mom and Melina. Fawn and her mother. I couldn’t worry over Kerrick and the others’ fates right now or else I would go insane. Instead, I envisioned Nyrie’s sweet smile and remembered Noelle as she was before the plague robbed her of her childhood.

The night blurred in one long test of endurance. Dawn broke, but my captors kept their fast pace. They hadn’t said a word all night. Nor did they stop for food or water or rest. My throat burned with thirst and my head ached from hanging upside down. Eventually, I passed out.

Ice-cold water slapped my face, filled my nose. I woke, choking and disoriented.

A man peered down at me. “Easy there.”

I struggled to sit up. He held out his hand. When I grasped his fingers, I almost sighed in relief at the touch of a living, warm person. He helped me to my feet, but I leaned against him, drinking in his pulse of life. It filled me like a glass of warm wine, dulling my senses.

He raised his eyebrows. Humor sparked in his deep blue eyes. “Are you going to zap me?”

“Should I?” Confused, I glanced behind him. Two men and one woman—all armed—watched me intently. I was in danger. My muddled thoughts cleared a little.

“No, you shouldn’t. My companions wouldn’t like it and would stop you.”

“But I could threaten to harm you if they don’t back off,” I said.

He smiled sadly. I guessed he was around twenty-five years old. A few inches taller than me, he had short black hair, long dark eyelashes and a killer smile. His good looks had a royal quality, while Kerrick’s was more rugged. This man wouldn’t lack for admirers.

Hooking a thumb at the three hovering nearby, he said, “I wasn’t referring to them, but to
them
.” His gaze slid past my shoulder.

I turned and jerked as if he had thrown more ice water on me. The dead stood in precise rows, staring at nothing. Terror welled, clearing away my confusion in an instant. I counted six of them.

“Creepy, aren’t they?” His tone remained friendly and conversational. “But efficient and obedient. I thought more would return from the mission, but it doesn’t matter—they’re easily replaced. And they were successful. You’re here.”

“What…? Who…?” I couldn’t form a coherent question.

“They’re King Tohon’s special soldiers. Impressed?”

“Horrified.”

He smiled again. “There’s that, too.”

“Are you working for Tohon?”

“You could say that.”

“What does he want? Does he need me to heal someone for him?”

“Your healing power will certainly be an asset, but he has other plans for you. And, of course, keeping you from healing Prince Ryne is another benefit.”

Compared to the six dead standing nearby, the thought of being Tohon’s prisoner failed to produce anything other than mild concern. Or was it because I still held the handsome mercenary’s hand? And why couldn’t I draw away? Obviously, I wouldn’t harm him. Not if it meant being grabbed by those repulsive things again.

Since he seemed content to talk, I asked him, “Were the dead marauders in the foothills a message?”

“No. They’re part of the cleanup. King Tohon will not allow such undesirables to infest his kingdom.”

Movement behind him drew my attention. His three living companions jerked and flailed as if fighting an invisible opponent. One by one they crumpled to the ground.

My captor didn’t draw his sword in response to the noise. Instead, he sighed and turned as Kerrick appeared. Disheveled, bleeding and pissed off, he stood next to the three now-prone forms with his sword in hand. The sword looked as if it was coated with Flea’s dark gray goo.

Belen and Quain broke through the trees and joined Kerrick. They all sported cuts, bruises, stained swords and very determined demeanors. Where was Loren?

“I should have sent twice as many dead,” the merc said.

Kerrick’s gaze dropped to my hand intertwined with the merc’s. This would be a perfect time to zap my captor. Yet, I didn’t. Kerrick’s anger burned on my skin.

My merc glanced between me and Kerrick. He laughed. “Have I stolen another from you, Kerrick?”

“We figured out how to neutralize your abominations, Tohon. As I see it, you only have temporary custody.”

Tohon?

He quirked a smile at me. “I prefer King Tohon. And have you noticed that Kerrick and his goons haven’t come any closer?”

No, but now that he’d mentioned it… “Why not?”

Tohon lifted our linked hands. “He knows if he moves to attack me all I have to do is apply a touch of power and you’re dead. He also knows I don’t wish to kill you, so we’re at a bit of a stalemate.”

I wanted to be afraid, but couldn’t produce the emotions. Instead, a detached curiosity flowed through my veins. “One touch? Death? But you’re a life magician.”

“Which makes me able to take a life at will. But not yours, my dear.” He stroked my cheek with his other hand.

I had to make a conscious effort not to lean into Tohon’s intoxicating touch. Kerrick’s hatred, jealousy and fear zipped through my body. Strange that I should feel it.

Tohon said, “Besides influencing emotions, another facet of my power is sensing emotions. I could share Belen’s and Quain’s emotions with you as well, but I prefer to focus on Kerrick. He can be quite amusing for a stick in the mud.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it.

“I really wanted to steal you away from him, but I think it will be so much more delightful when you leave Kerrick and come to me.”

“Why would I do that?” I asked.

“He’s grandstanding, Avry,” Kerrick said. “He knows we have the upper hand and it’s his way to soothe his damaged ego.”

Tohon shrugged. “Think what you will.” Then he met my gaze. “My dear Avry, I shall look forward to our next meeting.” Tohon kissed the back of my hand.

A wave of heat slammed into me.

“Kill the men,” he ordered his dead soldiers. They surged forward, aiming at my friends.

I tried to zap Tohon, but another wave hit me. This one burned, turning my muscles into goo. Tohon caught me and laid me on the ground.

“Come to me, Avry. Soon. Or I’ll send a whole company of my special troops to fetch you and to take care of your annoying companions. For good.” He kissed my forehead and a liquid blackness washed away the world.

Sounds and colors returned in little splashes of light.

“…ice-cold,” Kerrick said.

“Locked in a stasis?” Belen asked.