Forest of Ruin

by Kelley Armstrong

  Ashyn ran, leaving her cloak behind and Tova to catch up, which he did in a few short bounds.

  Ronan was only a few paces from where she'd left him, tackling another shadow stalker. Or, not so much tackling it as trying to avoid getting sliced open by its claws and fangs. And perhaps it was not truly until that moment, seeing him struggling without his blade--punching and kicking and wrestling--that she realized the full horror of what Alvar had done, unleashing those creatures onto a world where the common folk had no such defense.

  Like her father.

  As she ran--trying not to think of the court and palace filled with defenseless women and servants and, yes, children--she began her entreaties to the spirits in the thing attacking Ronan. Then she leaped on its back and plunged her dagger into its neck. It howled, but did not release Ronan, gripped in its clawed hands.

  "Begone!" she snarled. "Begone spirits or the wrath of the goddess herself will consume you and snuff you out and your descendants will be cursed for all time!"

  It was, perhaps, overkill. Blasphemy even, to presume to know the goddess's will, but Ashyn reasoned the goddess certainly wouldn't be happy seeing her subjects murdered by vengeful spirits.

  The shadow stalker hesitated in its frenzied attack, and when she struck again, it released Ronan. She stabbed the thing in the back now, knowing it would not kill the creature, but it certainly seemed to slow it down, perhaps even weaken it. When she yanked the blade out, she shoved the creature hard enough to make it stumble. Ronan leaped, as if starting from his shock. He went to push the shadow stalker down, but Tova beat him to it, knocking the creature to the ground on its stomach.

  Ashyn slapped her bloodied dagger into Ronan's hand. "Use that if it breaks free. I must dispel it without distractions."

  He took the dagger. "I was trying to get to you. When I saw the creature--"

  "Yes, yes. Now, please, watch it while I--"

  "You came back for me. Despite what I did."

  She gave him a hard look. "No, I would let you perish at the hands of a shadow stalker because I am angry with you."

  She expected him to look chagrined. To her surprise, he laughed softly under his breath. "I truly do not deserve you, Ash."

  "No, you do not, which is why you don't have me. If you wish to discuss that, you'll need to survive tonight. Starting by--" She pointed at the shadow stalker.

  He grinned and dipped his chin. "Yes, my lady. I will watch the creature while you dispel it. I will also stop talking."

  "Good."

  He walked to the shadow stalker and stood there, dagger ready while Tova pinned the creature and Ashyn dispelled it with a combination of soothing words and harsh ones, a little more soothing now than harsh, with the creature disabled and Ronan safe. The spirits slid away, one after the other, the knot freeing more quickly now as she gained confidence. When the body lay still, Ashyn turned to Ronan.

  "We need--"

  "To find Moria," he said, handing back her dagger. "I know. Let's go."

  They were passing the tea gardens when the scent of roses made Ashyn slow. She looked at the building beyond the gardens. When Ronan glanced over, she turned away from the building so he would not determine her thoughts, but he looked there anyway.

  "The Chamber of the Divine," he said. "You are thinking of notifying Thea and Ellyn, the court Keeper and Seeker. If you can dispel the spirits, they can, too."

  "I . . ." She looked longingly toward the palace grounds.

  "If you wish, I'll go and warn Moria while you speak to the old women. But I would rather not leave your side."

  He meant that he wanted to protect her. Which was very sweet. Under the circumstances, though, given that he was unarmed, he was the one who needed protecting, so she shook her head and veered toward the Chambers of the Divine.

  "We'll do this quickly," she said.

  FIFTY-FOUR

  There was a guard posted at the door to the chamber. One who seemed under direct orders not to let Ashyn pass.

  "As long as you are in the city, our Keeper and Seeker must remain in their quarters," he said. "The combined force of your powers--"

  "That is a load of horse dung," Ashyn said.

  Ronan choked on a laugh behind her as the guard stared, incredulous.

  "My lady," the guard began.

  "I'm not a lady. I'm the blasted Seeker of Edgewood, and as such, I outrank you, which means you will step aside, and if you babble on about the combined force of our powers, I shall scream. Moria and I have been in and out of the city, sleeping within a hundred paces of Thea and Ellyn, and the palace has not exploded yet. Now, there are shadow stalkers in the court--"

  "Shadow stalkers?"

  "Is that not what I said when I first demanded you step aside?"

  "I--I misheard. B-but my orders--"

  "Tova?"

  The hound sprang in front of Ashyn, and Ronan moved up beside her. The guard's hand fell to the hilt of his sword.

  "Pull that on him if you must," Ashyn said. "But bear in mind that the last warrior who drew on my Hound of the Immortals is now in the second world."

  Which was true, though one thing had nothing to do with the other.

  The warrior removed his hand from his sword.

  "Good. Now step aside."

  He didn't, but when Ashyn took hold of the door, he made no attempt to stop her from going in. Tova and Ronan followed.

  The Chambers of the Divine was one of the largest buildings in the court. It served spiritual functions as well as housing the Seeker and Keeper. Moria and Ashyn had never been in it. One could say that was because Emperor Tatsu believed the old stories that their "combined power" could be disastrous, but Ashyn suspected he'd done it merely to keep the old women from complaining. Just as Ashyn suspected that Thea and Ellyn avoided the young Keeper and Seeker because they viewed the girls as rivals. Which, Ashyn supposed, they were now.

  With Ronan leading the way, Ashyn headed through the darkened ritual rooms, deeper into the building, where she found the Seeker and Keeper's quarters. She found the Seeker and Keeper, too. As she watched the old women, snoring on their pallets, she wanted to stride over and shake them as hard as she could.

  Their beasts were not with them. Ashyn had heard they kenneled them in the night, like common pets, but she'd not dared believe it. Bad enough they'd never named their beasts. To voluntarily be parted from them all night? The thought horrified Ashyn. Even Tova looked about the bedchamber, as if confused, expecting to see the old beasts in a nest of blankets nearby.

  Ashyn strode in past Ronan, who respectfully remained outside the bedchamber door. "Thea? Ellyn? I need your help."

  She had to say it again, louder, before Ellyn leaped up, dagger at the ready. Thea only lifted her head, blinking sleepily. One would think, then, that Ellyn must be the Keeper. She was not. Which only supported Ashyn's theory that perhaps the difference in their powers arose more from training than innate ability. In her case, she'd gotten the position better suited to her temperament. Ellyn had not.

  "Ashyn?" Thea said, still lying there, blinking.

  Ellyn advanced on her. "How dare you come into our chambers, at night no less--"

  "There are shadow stalkers," Ashyn said quickly. "In the court. I've come to get your help."

  "You brought shadow stalkers?"

  "I don't know how they infiltrated the court, and it's not important. They're out there. I came to warn you so you can dispel them here while I warn Moria and the others."

  "The others? Like Prince Tyrus?"

  "Of course. I presume he's with my sister--"

  "I'm sure he is. Seducing an imperial prince. I always told Thea that Moria wasn't nearly as honorable--or as dull-witted--as she pretended."

  "My sister is--" Ashyn clipped her defense short. "I need you and Thea to dispel the shadow stalkers with us."

  "You give me orders, girl?"

  Ashyn held herself still to keep from stamping her foot in frustration. "There are shado
w stalkers. In the court. We have dealt with them before. You have not. We've figured out the best way to dispel them."

  "You? You're little more than children."

  "The shadow stalkers are like a knot of spirits. Normal spirits, I think. The magics bind them and make them angry, make them wish for revenge, and that rage consumes them."

  "What are you talking about? Everyone knows shadow stalkers--"

  "No one knows anything about shadow stalkers," Ashyn said. "Because no one alive has had to deal with them. We have. Now, I don't have time to--"

  "Ash!" Ronan said.

  Ashyn turned to see the guard advancing down the hall. Only it wasn't the guard anymore. Not truly. His twisted face and hands gave that away.

  Tova leaped, but the shadow stalker was already in flight. Both Ronan and Ashyn backed away fast. Ashyn shouted a warning to Ellyn, standing in the doorway, but the old woman charged.

  "No!" Ashyn shouted. "Don't--"

  Too late. Ellyn's charge met the shadow stalker. She stabbed the creature in the gut.

  "Begone!" Ashyn said, dispelling madly, yelling at Thea to use her Keeper skills, but the old woman just lay on her pallet, staring bug-eyed as her sister was knocked down by the shadow stalker.

  Ronan and Tova jumped in. Ronan stabbed it in the neck, Tova leaping on it, but the shadow stalker had Ellyn on the floor, and before Ronan could even stab it again, the thing ripped out Ellyn's throat. Bit in and tore at it like a frenzied beast, blood spraying, Ellyn's scream dying at the first gurgle.

  Ashyn closed her eyes. It was all she could do. Close them and focus on her powers, on soothing and dispelling the spirits, on telling them that they'd murdered a Seeker but that it was not their fault, that it was the fault of the sorcerer who'd done this to them, and if they left now, the goddess would forgive their madness.

  "You must go," Ashyn whispered, stoppering her ears to Thea's screams and Tova's growls and Ronan's curses and the creature's shrieks. "Please, please, please. It is not too late. Go now and the goddess will understand."

  She kept saying the words, squeezing her eyes tighter and tighter, struggling not to look, trusting that Tova and Ronan were fine and that this was still the best thing she could be doing.

  It didn't take long. Perhaps, despite the frenzied attack, enough of the spirits within were still aware of the horror and the blasphemy of what they'd done, slaying one of the goddess's chosen, and they seized on Ashyn's words as their last hope for redemption. They left and the shadow stalker weakened, and the rest either realized what they'd done or gave up. Soon the creature lay still, and Ashyn opened her eyes to see Ellyn's ruined body, her neck nearly bit through, the room sprayed with her blood.

  Ashyn looked at Ellyn, and she didn't think of all the times the old woman made her feel like she'd never be a proper Seeker. She recalled the rare moments of kindness during their training, the moments of shared success, when Ashyn would perform a ritual exactly right, and she'd see a glow of pride in the old woman's eyes. Only a momentary glow, as if with every one of Ashyn's successes, Ellyn had seen her own power weakening.

  It didn't need to be like that. It shouldn't have been like that. Any threat Ashyn posed to the old woman had not been Ashyn's fault. Only now did she realize that and felt, not anger but pity and grief for what they'd missed out on--a true bonding of mentor and student and, ultimately, of equals.

  Ashyn turned to Thea, frozen on her pallet, staring at her twin.

  "We need to--" Ashyn began.

  A scream cut her short. A scream from deep in the courtyard--in the direction of the palace.

  "Quickly!" Ashyn said. "I will tell you how to dispel them on the way."

  "My sister . . ."

  ". . . is gone. Mourn her later. Honor her now. We'll find Moria and with the three of us, we can fix this."

  The old woman looked up at Ashyn, her gaze blank.

  "Please," Ashyn said. "We cannot wait."

  "No," Thea said, her voice monotone. "You are right, Seeker. I cannot wait. My sister is gone."

  She started to rise. Then her hand moved and Ronan shouted, "No!" and Ashyn saw the flash of the blade as Thea drove her dagger into her own gut.

  FIFTY-FIVE

  Moria and Tyrus were working their way toward the court, Tyrus shouting for others to take cover while Moria dispelled the shadow stalkers. She had to get to Ashyn. Yes, her sister could help, but more than that, Moria needed to know she was safe.

  Moria had told Tyrus to go to his father and his mother, but he would not leave her side. He'd sent the children to warn his father--trusting that the shadow stalkers would still be under orders not to slay the young. His father would watch out for his mother, and there was little he could do that others could not. It was Moria's skill they needed. Hers and her sister's.

  They were almost at the gate when a figure came running through it, braids swinging. Moria heard Gavril's exhalation of relief from ten paces away.

  "You are both safe," he said as he ran to them. Daigo growled, and he said, "Yes, you, too. If you're running for Ashyn, she's not in her quarters. I was in the court when I saw one of the stalkers. I went straight for your chambers. No one is there."

  "She was waiting there for Ronan," Moria said. "He must have come. Good. He'll watch over her, and she knows what to do. But we must find them."

  "Your highness!" a voice called.

  They turned to see a guard running toward them. All three stiffened and reached for their blades. So far, all the afflicted had been guards, and while this man had clearly not been turned, that did not mean the creature was not inside him, waiting to come forth as it had with the farm boy in the steppes.

  "Keep your distance, Nao," Tyrus said.

  The guard stopped short and nodded. "Yes, your highness. I understand. I will not come close, but I bring an urgent message. Your father has ordered everyone into the palace. He has secured it. Your mother is there, as well as your brothers."

  "Go," Moria said. "I'll find Ashyn."

  "I'll stay with Moria," Gavril said.

  The guard shook his head. "The Seeker is already there. I'm to bring all of you. Quickly, please. The creatures are everywhere."

  Moria nodded, and they broke into a run, following the guard.

  "Where is Ashyn?" Moria said, striding through the main palace chamber. It was a vast room, seeming big enough to hold a hundred. Yet there were fewer than twenty people there, and clearly no girl with red-gold hair nor a giant yellow hound.

  "She's not here," Moria said, as Gavril and Tyrus walked on either side of her, scanning the knots of people. "Blast it, she's not--"

  Moria nearly collided with a court lady who stepped into her path. She was about to circle past when she stopped short. The woman was imperial-born, perhaps barely into her fourth decade, and more well-rounded than was the current fashion. What stopped Moria, though, was her face. She saw it, and she knew exactly who this was and bowed as deeply as she could manage, stammering, "L-lady Maiko. My apologies. I was--"

  "Searching for your sister. Not the best time to make your acquaintance, I know. My apologies."

  Tyrus embraced his mother with one arm, the other still clutching his sword. "I am glad to see you are safe. I was going to look for you. I just--"

  "You're busy trying to solve the current crisis. As you should be." She lifted up to kiss his cheek. "I'll not interfere with that. I saw Moria searching for her sister and wanted to say that she is not here."

  "What?" Moria said. "The guard told me--"

  "I suspect the guard told you whatever he needed to get you in here." Maiko cast a look behind Moria. "Which would not be the young man's fault."

  Emperor Tatsu approached. "I did not tell him to lie about Ashyn. But yes, he could have extrapolated that when I said bring you all here by force if necessary. I have men searching for your sister, Moria."

  Moria turned toward the door. "I need to find her."

  The emperor stepped into her path. "I know you'r
e worried about your sister--"

  "It's not just that. Um, and excuse my interruption, your imperial highness."

  Maiko's lips twitched in a smile as Moria hurried on.

  "While I am of course worried about her, I need her. We can dispel the shadow stalkers. That's the only way to stop them. Well, short of hacking them into tiny pieces and . . ." A glance at Maiko. "Apologies, my lady. I did not mean to be so blunt."

  The concubine smiled. "Continue, child. Please."

  "I need Ashyn. If we can get the court Seeker and Keeper, we can do even better. Together, we can end this quickly."

  "She's right," Tyrus said.

  The emperor nodded. "All right. But you will be guarded--"

  "That . . . Again, um, apologies. But the stalkers have possessed guards. Sometimes they do not manifest immediately."

  "Again, Moria is correct," Tyrus said. "Which is why I was trying to find you to tell--I mean ask you to put the guards outside. Do not tell them why. Simply order them to stand guard outside the doors."

  "Is that your order?" the emperor said.

  Tyrus flushed. "Deepest apologies. Like Moria, I am rattled, and in my attempt to be efficient--"

  "No, I believe her forthrightness is rubbing off on you. I would say I was glad to see it, if that would not imply I'm encouraging insubordination from my son. I will admit only that I'm not displeased to see it. Your point is taken, Moria. If the guards are infected, they should not go with you."

  "I can," Gavril said. "They'll not bother me when I'm with the Keeper."

  "I will as well, naturally," Tyrus said.

  "Naturally you will not," the emperor said. "I need you here."

  "No," Tyrus said carefully. "You wish me here so that I will be safe. You need me with Moria, to add my blade to Gavril's and bring Ashyn and the court Keeper and Seeker back."

  "When I said I was not displeased to see you being more forthright . . ."

  "He is correct, though," Maiko said. "As much as I would love to keep him safely here, he serves better out there. His companions will watch out for him."

  "We will, my lady," Moria said, and Gavril seconded it. After a quick embrace between mother and son, the three of them were off.

  "We'll focus on Ashyn first," Tyrus said as they strode toward the exit. "Daigo? You can help with that, correct?"