And Ran, who wasn’t a fan of walking, hiking or stair climbing—all of which were in his immediate future—latched onto that proffered hand. He was still holding Sarn’s hand and the imp grinned up at him, daring him to contradict his wishes.
And he did, he picked Ran up, forcing his son to let go of the man and the mystery. “Another time perhaps. There’s something I must do.”
“Where are we going?”
“To get help.”
“But I want to go with J.C.” Ran struggled as he protested.
“You can’t. You must come with me.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you with me, we make a great team.” And I can keep you safe, but he didn’t say that last part out loud.
“Oh, but you didn’t answer my question.” Ran turned his own glare on Sarn. “Where’ll we get help?”
There was no ‘we’ since none of the Rangers knew his son existed and things needed to stay that way for the foreseeable future. But Ran didn’t know he was a secret.
“From my master,” Sarn said hating the bitter taste of those words on his tongue, but there was no one else. And he'd proven last month and again earlier today, he made a poor detective.
“Will they let him pass?” Ran waved over his shoulder to the trees standing sentinel beyond the twin rings of menhirs.
The question stopped Sarn in his tracks, and he stood there for a long moment trapped by the answer welling up from his gut.
“I don’t know, but I must try.”
Jerlo must know what to do. The alternative was too frightening to contemplate. So Sarn ran toward the promise of answers as fast as his legs could carry him.
But his Queen wasn’t finished with him yet. The Queen of All Trees stood to her full height and looked over the crowns of her sentinels as she wove a complicated pattern with her branches. When she released the spell, it winged across the intervening distance and struck Sarn. White light ate the memory of his visit with her.
I Wish I Could Involve You
“Mission accomplished?” asked a shadow leaning against the wall.
“You didn’t listen in?”
“No, I trust you.”
Rat Woman dropped to her knees outside Jerlo’s office and Insect Man did too as a summons slammed into them. Though he was careful to keep all his green-skinned appendages under his cloak.
“Come, sinners, let your dark desires rise. At my side, thy time is nigh.”
“There’s another demon loose here?” Insect Man’s cowled head swiveled to face her.
“There must be. That call is unmistakable.”
“Like a mom calling for her chicks?”
The apt analogy startled Rat Woman. “I think so. It makes sense though, they weren’t particular about the demons they summoned. So why not a mother?”
“Yeah, but what about her children? Are there baby demons running around this place too?”
They exchanged horrified glances.
“Come, sinner, thy time is nigh.”
“Maybe, like does call to like, demon-made to demon incarnate.” Rat Woman bit through her lip and beside her, Insect man writhed.
“I don’t want to be enslaved again.”
“Nor do I.”
She fumbled for his hand, and he manifested one out of spiders and gripped hers hard betraying his fear.
“What can we do? We can’t resist forever. We’ll give in eventually—” Insect Man broke off and his hand lost cohesion.
“We have one hope. If we can find Sarn, his presence might mute the call or interrupt it because it’s anathema to him, a curse breaker.”
It was a slim hope, but she grasped after it and rolled onto her belly. She wormed her way forward, Insect Man at her side.
“Do you know where he is?
Rat Woman blushed. “When the mountain started shaking a few hours ago, I sent a rat to check on him. But the level of magic was so low, I lost touch and had to track him down with another rat.”
Insect Man noticed her flaming cheeks and manifested an eyebrow, so he could raise it—the brat. “Did you find him?”
“Yes, he was surrounded by a lot of angry people. I tried to help—”
“Ah, so that’s where you went when you zoned out earlier. Why didn’t you say something? I would have helped.” A hundred swinging spiders shook their legs at her.
“Because You were looking for Snake Woman. I don’t think Sarn would hurt us, but I don’t trust her. I’d feel better if I knew where she is. Did you find her?”
“No, but I found signs of her.”
Rat Woman glanced over her shoulder at Jerlo’s door, wishing she could drag him into this. Instead, she concentrated on prying that grate up then sliding into the dark duct it accessed.
“Keep looking. We need to know what Snake Woman is up to because she could be the reason those people went after Sarn.”
After all, their Maker had made Snake Woman too and that made her a sibling of sorts. Neither of them liked to admit that, but for years they’d all worked together doing Shade/Vail’s bidding.
“Did Sarn escape?”
“I think so. I lost my connection to the rat tailing him. I think he was headed outside, but that was a while ago. Can you pick up his trail?”
And his adorable son’s too, but she left that last part unsaid because just thinking about Ran made her arms ache to hold him. He was so adorable, and his smile made her heart swell with joy.
“Give me a moment to check.” Insect Man stilled, and his body lost some of its cohesion. Insects broke off from the main mass of his body and either flew or crawled away on their own pursuits. The rest stayed in a man-shaped mass crouched inside the duct.
Do I like Sarn and his son because my Maker liked them, or do I like them because I like them? Rat Woman bit her lip.
Shade had loved Sarn in Shade’s own screwed up way, but that love had never been requited. Until a deathbed confession last month, Sarn had no idea his best friend had loved him. But Shade hadn’t loved Ran. In fact, Shade had considered the little one an adorable obstacle to any lasting relationship. And her heart hurt just thinking of the child.
Do I like them because my Maker liked them, or because I like them?
It was the same question she’d pondered since Sarn destroyed her maker and set her free a month ago. Rat Woman gave the plain door to Jerlo’s office a sidelong glance through the grate she replaced, wishing she dared confide in him.
The commander of the Rangers was one tough guy and intriguing too. Liking him was so much simpler, and that affection was untainted by her Maker. But he belonged in his mundane world of paperwork, meetings and setting endless watches on the enchanted forest.
But where do I belong? I’m not human. I’ve only been an independent entity for four weeks now. Where do I fit? Rat Woman crawled on her hands and knees, wishing for an answer.
Insect Man’s swarm buzzed by her ear. “Got ‘em. Sarn and his son are one-mile northeast of Mount Eredren. They’re crossing those weird circles of standing stones. I think they’re headed back to the mountain.” Insect Man’s green face broke into a smile.
“Can you follow them?”
“Yes, they’re at the edge of my range, but it’s high summer, so I have plenty of eyes outside.”
Come, sinner, thy time is nigh.
That fell voice seemed to echo in the duct, and each time it resounded, it flattened them.
Rat Woman pushed up to hands and knees. “Let’s go before the call becomes too much for us to bear.”
“Go where? After Sarn?”
Outside—just the word sent chills up Rat Woman’s spine. There was no protection for them out there nor anywhere to hide. No, they needed darkness and tunnels. She shook her head.
“He’ll likely use the north entrance. We can rendezvous with him once he enters the mountain.”
But first, they had to work their way northward. Jerlo would have an office on the other side of the mountain just to be c
ontrary.
Insect Man nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
As in all things since their creation, they were together, and there was some comfort in that. Shared misery is misery halved, or so Shade used to say.
“Go,” Insect man said. The hole was only large enough to admit one of them at a time. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Hold onto my ankle, so I know you’re there.”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll ride with you if you’ll permit. I’m not strong enough to maintain my shape.”
“How?” She paused, and the summons ground her into the stone. Ichor dripped out of her nose and the bonds between the rats comprising her started to loosen. What she wouldn’t give for a real human body, not something she’d cobbled together out of other creatures.
Many somethings buzzed past her ear. Was that Insect Man trying to explain his plan? She shook her head.
“Just do it.”
A shiny marble rolled past her hand. She grabbed it and peered into its translucent core at Insect Man in all his green-skinned glory. He held both his palms up and shrugged. With a shake of her head, she pocketed his essence and crawled into another duct, scraping her bare arms as she went.
A fat rat missing part of its ear regarded her—he was one of her favorite spies, but she’d lost contact with him hours ago. Seeing him made her feel better. She petted his soft fur, and he nuzzled her hand. After a few more strokes, he bounded off then returned dragging a familiar bear by his ear.
“Good boy, thank you for bringing this to me. It was very thoughtful of you.” Rat Woman smiled and gave him a good scratch. “Will you do me one more favor?”
He twitched his whiskered nose in affirmative.
“Scout for me. Ask your friends and relatives to look for this man.”
Rat Woman sent an image of Sarn holding his son. The rat bobbed his head and scampered off a moment later, but Ran’s sweet little face lingered as she picked Ran’s favorite toy up. I can’t wait to give you back to him.
Imagining his smile, she tucked his only toy under her belt, so Bear was snug against the small of her back. He’d be happy to see his fuzzy friend.
When the next summons rolled over her, she found the strength to go on. Maybe Ran’s bear lent it to her. Still grinning, she crawled through the duct, feeling happier than she’d felt in weeks.
J.C. caught Sarn as he crumpled and laid him on the grass. A pissed off angel materialized cradling his son. She set him down, pillowing his little body on his father’s broad chest, and the boy curled up as if he were taking a nap, instead of a temporary, magic-induced coma.
You didn’t need to do that. Your trees could have stopped him from entering your woods if you’re that set against his help. But J.C. was wasting his mental energy projecting his thoughts to the Queen of All Trees. So, he saw to his unconscious charges.
I won't risk him. He’s my hope for the future. I will not sacrifice him, she sent back, startling J.C.
He hadn’t expected a reply, nor did he expect her children to part so the Queen of All Trees could stand at the edge of the undamaged part of her forest for an in-person chat. But she did, so J.C. switched to audible speech.
“I understand you want to protect him, but this isn’t the way. A curse breaker is soul-bonded to the truth. No lie, no matter how cleverly implanted, can take root in his mind. Every fiber of his being will reject it.”
And this amnesia was a lie. Mages had near-eidetic memories because one mistake in their spell work could kill them and anyone within a ten-mile radius or more. It depended on the mage.
“I won’t risk him.”
“So, you’re sending him back to the Adversary’s arms? Your logic escapes me, Lady of the Green Woods.”
The Queen of All Trees ruffled her branches in frustration or annoyance. It was hard to tell since she had no human face or body to read. “You’ll protect him.”
“They have free will. I can only protect those who ask. I won't break the covenant.” J.C. nodded not just to the unconscious youth and his son, but to the mountain beyond them.
“Protect them.”
The Queen of All Trees’ radiance fluctuated as another conversation overlapped theirs. Then the Queen of All Trees roused. She shook her branches and processed away.
“Protect them. They’re more precious than you know.”
Her branch curved back and generated a pulse. A third forget spell winged his way, but J.C. waved a hand, dismissing it. That wasn’t necessary.
Thorns pierced his scalp, and nails bit into his hands and feet every time free will was thwarted. So, a few drops of his most precious blood fell onto the little one, who was already stirring. Ran was such an adorable child, and so sunny. Erasing even one iota of that cuteness was wrong.
His blood-stained Ran’s cheek pink as the drops rolled off his nose onto his unconscious father. An angel reappeared. She stroked his sleeping brow.
Angered at the blatant manipulation, J.C. let a few more drops fall on them. It didn’t balance out the theft because he wasn’t the one who’d stolen their memories, but it was a start and from what he’d seen, Sarn and his son needed all the protection they could get.
“It’s spreading,” the gray-eyed angel said as she pulled Sarn’s sleeve up to show the black marks streaking up his forearm. His head rested on her lap and his son lay on his chest. “Why can’t I hold it at bay? He’s a good person. I don’t understand why I can’t stop it.”
J.C. sighed. “Because it’s rooted in actual sins. Your brother has to throw it off on his own.”
Her gray eyes fixed on Ran, the adorable, happy-go-lucky, born-in-sin bastard. “No, not him,” she tousled the sleeping boy’s hair and his thumb crept toward his mouth. “My nephew is just an innocent babe.”
“That he is but his making was not innocent, and that’s one of the sins this taint is rooted in.” J.C. tapped the black thorn driven through the center of Sarn’s left palm.
“And the others?”
“Theft, it’s a sin.”
“But he stole food and clothes to survive.”
“Yes, and he gave those ill-gotten goods to others to help them, which negates some of his sins. As does him raising his son and taking such excellent care of the boy.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Then how does he throw off the Adversary’s influence?”
“By repenting and asking for forgiveness, you can’t make him though. He must come to the decision on his own.”
“What about his magic? He has white magic. Can’t he use that to drive it out?”
“What is white magic? It is belief, and belief leads to repentance, so yes. But it must be of his own free will.” J.C. waggled a finger at her. “No putting ideas in his head.”
“And my nephew? Can the Adversary get to him through my brother? They’re linked, and it’s a very strong connection.” But she was fading before she finished asking because every minute she remained visible, she drained her brother of the magic he needed to survive what was coming.
Ran sat up and shook his father’s arm. Those inky marks flowed over Sarn’s bicep and wrapped around his shoulder. Ran’s little fingers glowed a soft white on contact, and the marks slowed.
Interesting, only a purifier could do that. Perhaps that’s what the son of a curse-breaking stone mage was. Well, Ran was one to watch.
“Papa, wake up. I’m hungry.”
When Sarn didn’t rouse, Ran looked at J.C., his worry plain.
“He’ll be okay. He should wake in a moment.” J.C. hid his wounds and gave the young curse breaker a push toward consciousness. No need to scare the boy.
“But I’m hungry. Papa needs to get up, so he can fetch—” a puzzled look crossed Ran’s face as he tried to work out what hour of the afternoon it was. No mean feat given they were a week away from the summer solstice, and the sun wouldn’t set until well after his bedtime.
Ran looked around, his puzzlement growing. “Why are we outside? What hap
pened?”
“What do you remember?”
In answer, Ran grasped his hand and squeezed as his little face cleared of its confusion. “Papa made a bargain with you. We’re going with you.” And that delighted the boy.
J.C. smiled, but all humor fled as Sarn opened his eyes. They were split down the middle—half were revolving green flames and half spitting white fire, but neither focused quite right. His magic was already fighting the compulsion to forget, and that battle was no doubt giving him a splitting headache.
Even Ran drew back in alarm at the sight. But his fright melted, and he reversed course, crowding in close, needing reassurance his sole parent was okay.
“How do you feel?”
“Like someone opened up my head and poured boiling water in before closing it up. I feel like steam’s pouring out of my ears. It isn’t right?”
“No, Papa, but your eyes are all glowy and um—” Ran broke off at a loss for how to explain the eerie sight.
“Oh, well I guess that’s good considering how I feel.” Sarn rubbed his eyes, this time when he opened them, they focused on J.C., but there was no recognition there.
Damn, she’d wiped out all memory of him too. J.C. sighed. While they sat there, the Adversary was doing who knew what to Mount Eredren’s citizenry, but thanks to a misanthropic bunch of stone mages, he couldn’t enter without Sarn’s help. The Litherians had warded their mountain just as heavily as their standing stones.
“Who’re you?”
“A friend, you promised to help me with an errand, but I can leave you at your door if you’re feeling unwell. We could pass it on the way.” Because I have no idea where the Adversary is. J.C. sighed and regarded the mountain brooding less than a mile behind them. Its protections obscured his sight each time he tried to peer inside, but he kept trying in case there was a chink somewhere.
He grasped Sarn’s forearms and pulled him up. The confused young man swayed but stayed vertical by dint of his formidable will.
“I promised you—yes, I think I remember something about that,” Sarn said though he didn’t look certain.
Likely he felt the promise he’d made nudging him toward its fulfillment. For curse breakers, their word was their bond and their magic enforced any promises they made whether they remembered them or not. That explained why Ran was such a happy child. He’d never experience the pain of a broken promise, not while the only person he extracted promises from could never break them.
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