“Don’t make excuses for him. He was well aware of what would happen.”
“Will you talk to him? Please?”
He could never resist that look. “Only if you stay with us.”
“Why?”
“So I don’t kill him.”
“Good reason.” Belen left and returned with Ryne.
The prince was smart to tread carefully. Instead of jumping right into the night Avry died, he filled Kerrick in on a few bits of good news. Softening him up, Kerrick thought sourly.
“I’ve received a message from Alga. Your brother and great-aunt are fine, and she says if you don’t visit soon, you’ll be in big trouble—her words exactly.” Ryne gave him a wry smile. “From the impression she made on the messenger, she sounds like a formidable woman, one you don’t want to disobey.”
“She is,” Kerrick said. Avry would have loved her.
“I sent a battalion to Tohon’s castle in Sogra and rescued Zila. She’s in perfect health and with Danny now. He wishes to wait until Noak returns to decide what they’ll do next.”
“What if Cellina gets word of Tohon’s defeat and doesn’t cross the pass?” Belen asked. “Her troops could cause a bunch of trouble for the people living in Ivdel and Alga Realms.”
“I’m sending a battalion over the main pass, so we’ll block her if she decides to retreat. Either way, we’ll stop her.”
“Stop her or kill her?” Belen asked.
“Depends if she surrenders or not. I’m not executing my enemies. The Skeleton King was a prisoner of war until he died from the plague.”
Guess he didn’t ingest enough of Avry’s blood. Good. It saved Kerrick from ripping him apart for torturing Avry. He glanced at the Peace Lily. Come back, Avry, please.
“What about the dead soldiers?” Belen ran a hand over his scar.
“Flea’s been helping corral them. We’ll prick them with toxin and give them a proper burial.”
“And the Skeleton King’s army?” Kerrick asked.
Ryne grimaced. “Most of them are highly...unstable. I’m still working on how to integrate them into peaceful society.”
Kerrick huffed. “Good luck with that.”
“We have a million details to settle and I’m coordinating with all the surviving leaders to reestablish the Fifteen Realms. That’s one of the reasons I wish to talk to you.” Ryne steeled himself. “Since your brother is King of Alga, I wanted to offer you Sogra Realm. We need a strong leader there with experience. You can change the name of the realm. Tear down Tohon’s castle and build your own in the woods. Whatever you’d like. Please, think about it. I don’t need an answer right away.”
Once the shock wore off, fury filled the hollow gaps inside him. How dare he—
Belen put a hand on his shoulder. “Easy. You need to think beyond your grief. And you know the monkeys and I will be there with you.”
Pain burned deep in the pit of his soul, unrelenting. Belen didn’t believe she’d return. That seemed a worse betrayal than Ryne’s.
“Kerrick, I’m very sorry about Avry. I knew about the growing bond, but I’d truly thought it wasn’t that strong. I thought she had more time.”
By pure force of will, Kerrick remained sitting. Hard to believe Ryne didn’t know how close she’d gotten to Tohon. Hard not to believe he had planned this from the beginning. Instead of throttling Ryne, Kerrick asked, “Why did you let Avry get taken by Wynn and Sepp?”
“I needed more time for Noak and his army to get into position. Tohon wouldn’t have believed a rumor Noak was at the Milligreen Pass or Avry’s dreams. He needed to have it confirmed by a trusted officer. Once he knew about Noak, I’d hoped Tohon would go after the Skeleton King’s forces in the south to rescue Avry, but he stayed at the Healer’s Guild.” Ryne raised his hands as if surrendering. “I know I’m horrible for using Avry. But she was Tohon’s only weakness.”
A smart plan, except...
Except.
“I’ll think about it,” Kerrick said, hoping that would get rid of Ryne faster.
It didn’t.
Ryne talked about fixing all the problems the war and plague had left behind; returning the Fifteen Realms to its prior health would take years and years of hard work and dedication. Kerrick didn’t listen, letting Belen ask questions. Instead, he wondered how long.
How long would the Peace Lily keep Avry? Before, the flower had spit her out soon after she died. So far, it had been twenty-five days. To stop the panic, he focused on Flea. A Peace Lily had held Flea for close to six months.
Grief clamped down on his heart when he remembered Avry’s limp body and cold, dead eyes. They’d found the Lily map in her pack. Noak had scooped her up and Flea had led him to the closest Lily patch. At that time, Kerrick had been too weak to stand. He still remained sluggish and tired. What kind of leader would he make when he’d have to fight to remain conscious every winter?
Besides, life had no appeal without Avry.
How long would he wait for her? Growing in this cluster, there were four Peace Lilys, and a few yards away was one Death Lily. The yellow-and-orange firelight flickered on its white petals. Kerrick had memorized the contours of that Lily.
“...new realm should be called Avry Realm,” Belen said.
Wary, Ryne stared at Kerrick. If anyone else had said that, Kerrick would have pounded him. But not Belen. Only Belen could get away with those type of comments.
“You should call it the Realm of Belen and make Belen king,” Kerrick said.
Belen shook his head. “Oh, no, I’m not a leader. I’m well suited for the role of loyal support personnel. Last time I had to make a decision I got my head bashed in.”
“It’s a good thing you have such a thick skull,” Ryne teased.
“Avry wouldn’t want it named after her,” Kerrick said in a low voice. “She never liked that type of attention. She’d argue to name it after her sister, Noelle, or... What was that one sergeant’s name that you hunted the dead with?”
“Ursan,” Belen said.
“Ursan, or her teacher, Tara.”
“You can only name the realm if you take the job,” Ryne said.
Kerrick stared at him.
“That doesn’t work on me. I know you too well.”
“Avry would have wanted to build a place for healers to learn,” Belen said. “Maybe you could build another guild for Zila and Danny in the new realm.”
Now Kerrick turned his ire on Belen.
Unimpressed, the big man smiled. “You can call it the Realm of Healing, or the Healer’s Realm.... No, I like the first one better.”
Ryne stood. “Think about it. I know you need time to... We all do. You’re not the only one missing her. And you know she’d be furious at you if you did anything stupid. Just think of what you’d want her to do if your roles were reversed.”
He fisted his hands, but kept them pressed to his legs. “Our roles were reversed. I was presumed dead and she refused to believe it. She didn’t give up.”
“But she did move on.” Ryne gazed at the fire for a moment. “I’ll be at the old Healer’s Guild for the next couple days. Then I’m traveling to Mengels to meet with the other realm leaders. It’s a central location and Mom offered to lodge and feed us. For a fee, of course.”
“It’ll be worth every coin,” Belen said.
Ryne patted his stomach. “And every pound, I’m sure.” Then he said goodbye and left.
Belen grew unusually quiet.
Kerrick cursed Ryne under his breath because he knew exactly what his friend was thinking. “No. I’m not going to do anything...rash.”
“But you were considering it?” Belen asked.
“Yes.”
“Did Ryne change your mind?”
“No.”<
br />
Belen waited. He’d learned that trick from Kerrick, which made it even more infuriating.
Kerrick stabbed the fire with a stick. Sparks flew into the air. “Avry did. By her own actions. She refused to give up on me, so I won’t give up on her. Happy?”
“Happier. But not happy.”
Belen’s comment pierced his hard shell of grief. They all suffered.
Loren and Quain returned to the campfire and soon Flea joined them. He’d just gotten back from a dead sweep in Vyg. They noticed a shift in mood right away. Flea gave Belen a questioning look, but Poppa Bear shook his head. Belen would tell them everything later.
They talked about random, unimportant things like the quality of the whiskey from a local farm and how the dadao’s blade had been made with a metal similar to the liquid metal mined under the Nine Mountains. They joked.
Until Quain went too far. “Are you sure Avry’s still in there? Maybe she slipped out the back door and is playing dead again.”
Loren swatted him on the arm. “It’s a flower, there’s no back door.”
“Back petal, whatever. You know what I mean.”
“Why would she do that? The war’s over. Think before you speak, Quain.”
“She’s there,” Flea said in a quiet tone. “I watched Noak. And the Lily took her right away.” He met Kerrick’s gaze. “That counts for something. She wasn’t rejected.”
True. Kerrick studied the Peace Lily. He’d wait until spring arrived in a month. Then he’d decide his next move.
CHAPTER 24
Tears streamed down Kerrick’s face as he sobbed, holding me tight. I stared at him in confusion. Why was he so upset? My memories swirled and settled on one image. Me, Noak, and Tohon locked together. Did Tohon kill Noak?
Alarmed, I wriggled to break free.
Kerrick tightened his grip, pressing me to his chest. “Just give...me...a moment.”
I stilled. Gaunt and haggard, he looked as if he suffered from the wasting disease. But my magic didn’t stir, so it must be lack of sleep. I sensed his bond with the living green. From what I’d learned about magical bonds, I planned to fix that little problem.
I glanced around. At least we were no longer inside the cave. Buds spiked the trees and a green fuzz coated a few bushes. Lilys swayed in the warm breeze and the air smelled of fresh grass and spring sunshine. Spring? Or Kerrick’s scent?
He stared at me with emerald-colored eyes. Spring. Which meant I’d missed...two months!
“Start talking,” I forced the words from my dry throat.
Instead, he kissed me. I returned it, raking my fingers in his hair. Sometime later we broke apart.
“Bad news?” I asked.
“Not anymore.” He smiled a killer smile and I had to kiss him again.
* * *
Much later, after I’d dressed and eaten a ton of food, I snuggled next to him while he filled me in on the past two months. I marveled that the Peace Lily saved my life again. A faint memory of the Peace Lily telling me it would no longer help and asking to be left alone stirred. I would ensure the knowledge about the flower remained limited to those already in the know. We would not bother it again. Its serum only preserved a body from decaying; it didn’t heal. And I would do everything I could to keep another rogue magician from using its serum to create dead soldiers.
“Where’s Belen and the others?” I asked.
Kerrick beamed. “They’re going to be ecstatic.”
“So they are close?”
“Out hunting. They’ve been keeping me company.”
“That was nice of them.”
“They were upset, too.”
“Gee, this is my third time—you’d think they’d be a bit more relaxed,” I teased.
But Kerrick failed to see the humor. “It was a long two months.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not like you had any control.”
“I meant for lying to you. Tohon had to die.”
“I know. It took me a month, but I forgave you.”
“The good news just keeps on coming.” And one of the best parts—the war was over. “Is Ryne going to keep his promise to reestablish the Fifteen Realms?”
“Yes.” Kerrick explained about the leaders. “And he offered me Tohon’s realm. But I can’t accept it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t leave the forest. Because I go dormant in the winter. Because—”
“What if I told you I can break your bond to the living green?”
“Without killing me?”
“Yep.”
“How?”
“By doing this...” I kissed him.
He pulled away. “What’s the catch?”
“After spending lots of time together and sharing magic, we’ll be bonded. You’ll be swapping one bond for another. There are some limitations and the whole ‘if I die, you die’ thing and vice versa.” I suppressed a shudder, remembering my link with Tohon. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”
Kerrick crushed me to his chest. “Avry, today you just gave me back my life.”
“Does that mean you’ll accept the position of King of Sogra?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“If you’ll agree to be my queen.”
My heart jolted. “And a healer?”
“Of course. Belen figured you might want to reestablish the Healer’s Guild.”
“That’s a great idea. I can work with the Death Lilys to discover more potential healers. Without harming them, of course! And Danny and Zila can live with us.”
“I’d like that.”
“And we’ll have children?”
“As many as you want. That won’t be a problem.” He leered.
“And we’ll have a very long honeymoon?”
“Oh, yes. As long as you wish. It’s going to take a while to knock down Tohon’s castle and build another.”
“Oh, no, you can’t knock it down.”
“Why not? There’s nothing but bad memories there.”
“There are good memories, as well. The infirmary is wonderful, there are lots of Peace Lilys, and a rooftop garden that you would love—trust me. Besides, that’s where we kissed for the first time. Not under the best circumstances, true, but...”
“All right, we’ll keep the castle as long as we can have a huge bonfire and burn all of Tohon’s things.”
“Agreed.”
Kerrick dug into his pocket and removed a ring. “Avry of Kazan Realm, will you marry me?”
“Yes.”
He whooped and kissed me.
Warmth spread throughout my heart as he slipped the ring onto my finger. Made of stone, the ring had an intricate pattern of vines on the outside that Kerrick must have carved.
“This is temporary. It kept me busy while waiting for you.”
“This is wonderful. No need—”
“Nope, I’m buying you one made of liquid metal. It has to last forever.”
I grinned. “Hard to believe I’ll be Queen of Sogra.”
“You’ll be a queen, but not of Sogra. I’m changing the name of the realm.”
“Now, that I agree with. What’s the new name?” I asked.
“The Realm of Peace. Because it’s what we set out to accomplish and even though it’ll take many years to achieve, I’m hopeful. Besides, Peace Lilys are my favorite plant.”
“What a coincidence. They’re my favorite, as well.”
* * * * *
Acknowledgments
It shouldn’t be a surprise that my support network grows with every book like ripples on a pond. At the center are my husband, son, and daughter. They are the rock-solid core that I lean on
. They encourage me and inspire me and brag about me and even entice me away from my writer’s cave from time to time. Thanks so much!
Then there’s my editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey, and agent, Robert Mecoy, who like it when I spent lots of time in my cave, creating new worlds and characters. Their help with shaping my stories has been instrumental to my success, and I’m grateful for their insight, humor, and for not letting me get away with lazy plotting.
After all the hard work of writing the book, I’m thankful I don’t have to design a cover, write press releases, and deal with the million other details that arise when producing a book. Thanks to all the people at Harlequin who are involved in crafting this lovely book that I can display on my shelf (and my eReader) with pride!
And I must thank all my readers. You have been an unexpected joy. The outpouring of support and encouragement and, yes, even the emails urging me to write faster have been wonderful. I used to write for myself; now I write for you.
ISBN: 978 1 472 06071 6
TASTE OF DARKNESS
© 2014 Maria V. Snyder
Published in Great Britain 2014
by Harlequin MIRA, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a "Licensed Device") and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher..
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