Catching Epics
Page 36
“We’ll never be stronger than those Zhauri,” Ebby said, hating that even Vack had been helpless against them.
“I know you won’t,” Jalia said, “but they only have five powers. You and Vack have all of them, and you’re both brave. Fights aren’t won on strength alone.”
Ebby raised her eyebrows, surprised to hear her name anywhere near the word brave.
“You also have wicked intelligence on your side,” Jalia said, tapping her own temple with a grin, looking at Vack.
“The Zhauri have no idea what’s coming,” Vack agreed with a smirk. The two of them finally sat up and released their hands to rub the sand off their faces.
“And Vack,” Jalia said, giving him a stern look, “give Ebby her dress back. You look ridiculous.”
Ebby laughed softly to herself as Vack scowled and got to his feet, looking ridiculous indeed.
Chapter Thirty Six
Allie
I woke up in front of a roaring fire, beneath three wool blankets, wearing soft clothes that weren’t mine. My knife had been brought along and left on the hearth beside me, and I reached for it on instinct.
“You won’t need that here,” the girl said from behind me.
I twisted and winced as my joints protested. She was the only other person in the small, one room cabin, and didn’t look more than a year older than myself, dressed in plain grey clothes with her mud-colored hair hanging freely behind her shoulders. I hesitated and then set the knife back down, knowing she could have already harmed me if that was her intention.
“We found you on the beach,” she said with a soft smile. “You looked like a wreck, in more ways than one.”
She held a crackled porcelain cup down to me with the warm, spicy scent of autumn tea inside, just a small chip missing from the side of it.
“Thank you,” I said, quickly wiping my eyes at the familiar smell.
“You can call me Gret,” she said, interlacing her fingers in a loose grip as she knelt close to me. “I’m pretty sure your name is Allie, isn’t it?”
I felt blood race into my cheeks as I glanced at the door behind her.
“I recognized you when we pulled you off the sand,” she said while I kicked the blankets away and stood slowly. My bones creaked with every small movement, and I moved to where my clothes had been hung on a wooden rack. They’d apparently dried ages ago, leaving me to wonder how long I’d slept. Gret stayed seated, her hands still folded. “Nobody knows you’re here,” she said.
I finished tugging off the soft shirt that wasn’t mine and donned my own before I stopped to consider her.
“You have no reason to trust me,” I said softly, muffling a small cough at the vibration in my throat.
I quickly overcame the discomfort that came with undressing my lower half and set to getting my full outfit back on.
“I don’t trust you,” she said. “But even the worst villains from the stories won’t kill somebody who’s rescued them. And I’m curious to know about you.”
I set my hands on my hips, wishing I had my short swords hanging from either side, feeling bare without them. I hadn’t held my blades since battling Dauer. “I’m exactly what they say. I’m the reason we didn’t get our Epic back,” I said with a pitiful excuse for a shrug.
“But why?” she asked, her voice breaking like I’d personally tried to hurt her. “You knew we could all die without her.”
“She didn’t want to come back,” I said with a hopeless laugh. I knew Gret wouldn’t be able to understand any of this, so I don’t know why I went on. “Everybody will say she’s brainwashed, but she’s just been shown the other side of the conflict. And she knows she’s powerful enough to tip the future. She’s trying to make sure she tips it the right way.”
Gret watched me with something like... sympathy? Empathy? Like she believed me, at least believed that I wasn’t trying to watch the world crumble, but thought I was misguided.
“I should go,” I said, stepping back toward her to grab my knife off the mantle.
“Gret?” her husband thrust the door open with a toddler in one arm. I was surprised to see a child, because he also looked no older than me. “We should have left her down there,” he said, throwing the door shut, pulling the drapes closed over the one window next to it. “There’s a falcon circling above the house. They’re coming to get her.”
“What color falcon?” I asked quickly, moving to the window to peek out and see a still, mossy forest.
“I don’t know,” he replied, looking furious as the little boy in his arms screwed up his face like he was about to cry. “Who have you brought upon us?”
“I don’t know either,” I said as the kid fought to get down and then stumbled in a fuss to Gret, who picked him up again. “I’m sorry,” I said, glancing between them. “I’ll go. Thank you, and... I’m so sorry.”
Brum brum brum brum, rattled the entire small cabin and I felt like I’d choked on ice. How could this be happening? This new little family might end up dead, and all because they’d tried to help me?
“You have one minute to open this door before you all burn!”
I dug my palms into my tired eyes and said, “You’re all going to be fine. I know who it is.”
The father made to stop me as I moved to unlatch the door, and I looked straight at him. “You both just saved me. I’m not about to let someone hurt you.”
Hesitation lit his eyes, because he’d probably just seen a massive crowd chanting to give me ten thousand years for being a traitor.
“Let her open it,” Gret said.
I could see she didn’t fully believe me either, but just enough to give it a shot.
I pulled the door open to see Emery with flames in his hands, looking ready to fight his way inside, and surprised to see me at the door.
“All darkness is only shadow,” he said immediately.
I gave him a short laugh in response and said, “I’m sure light exists somewhere, but I have no idea how to get to it.”
Emery studied me with a frown, then shrugged and said, “Good enough for me. You ready?”
I nodded and looked back at Gret, mouthing the words, “Thank you,” one last time before turning to leave.
They both still looked frightened, so I pulled the door shut behind me and extended a hand so Flak could land on it. I held her up and butted my forehead against hers, as was our tradition. “Thanks for taking care of me,” I whispered, taking off into the trees with Emery as Flak leapt up to my shoulder for the ride.
Emery glanced at me and asked, “You alright?”
“Yeah,” I replied, and that was good enough for us both.
“Do you know how the celebration in Glaria ended?” he asked.
“No. Fill me in.”
We trekked through the woods, distancing ourselves from Glaria as quickly as we could.
“Prince Avalask?” I asked.
“Still alive.”
“Anna?”
“Going back to the Dragona for a little while to make it a school again before she steps up to run the continent.”
“Ratuan? Vack? Ebby?” I wrung my hands together.
“Don’t know, don’t know, don’t know.”
I watched the ground carefully as I trod across the last of the autumn leaves that hadn’t yet disintegrated, and swallowed hard.
“Archie?”
“We’re on our way to see him right now.”
“We’re what?” My voice jumped two octaves and Emery threw a hand over his ear.
“Don’t do that!” he said. “I wasn’t even going to tell you until we got there. I don’t want to listen to your love-blubbering the whole way.”
I kicked him hard in the shins and he scowled back at me.
“I don’t love-blubber,” I said under my breath.
“Good. Puts you about ten steps ahead of Archie then.”
A wide grin spread across my face, and when Emery frowned in disgust, I bared my teeth and hissed at him.
We found Archie sitting on a log next to Ebby, who was once more in her pretty white dress without stains or burns. He spoke with the smile of a storyteller, and Ebby had her hands folded politely in her lap, watching with doe eyes.
“We’ve arrived,” Emery called to them, and Archie leapt to his feet immediately.
He didn’t run to me. Actually, he looked rather like I frightened him. Or perhaps he just feared I would remember the last time I’d run to him, when he’d tackled me to the ground for the Zhauri.
So I marched straight up to him, watching him grow more skittish with every step, and then I threw my arms around his middle and pressed my face into his shoulder.
He took a sharp breath and said, “I am so sorry,” wrapping his arms around mine. “It was Iquis, Allie. He kept convincing me I was alone, and safe, and that’s the only reason I was whistling—”
“Could you stay here forever?” I asked. Archie laughed hopelessly and I smiled too.
“I wish I could. I just came to make sure you were alright. And then Ebby was trying to tell me you were dead—”
“I can’t track you anymore!” Ebby said, as I finally let go of Archie. “What are you doing that’s stopping me?”
“This is new,” Archie said, reaching to grab the gold band around my wrist. I let him take my hand and Ebby moved closer to squint at it.
“I think that’s it,” she said, frowning. “Why have you never put it on before now?”
“One of the Zhauri slapped it on me, out in the water,” I said. “Dauer, the new one.”
“Why?” Archie asked, holding it up to look for any sort of clasp.
I was pretty sure I knew why. “They want to be the ones to track me down,” I said.
Archie sighed and said, “Somebody is going to pay handsomely to send the Zhauri after you when nobody else can find you.” I nodded hesitantly, but Archie sensed there was more to it. “And they know you’ll be the most difficult hunt of their lives. They’re looking forward to the challenge.”
His eyes asked, am I right?
“Yeah, I think they’re more interested in the fun,” I said, folding my arms uncomfortably at the thought of Dauer in particular. “I was thinking with everything going on… that maybe you would stay with me instead of going back to the Dragona.”
Archie’s shoulders sank. “You know I want to,” he said. “I always want to see you, but I have to be there to placate Sir Avery, and… I have to face reality at some point, Allie. If I don’t get away from you now, I’m going to lose you, and I can’t go through it again.”
Emery leapt to his feet and said, “That’s my cue to leave. Archie, it was good seeing you.”
He retreated to the safety of the woods as Ebby asked me, “Are all boys allergic to emotions?”
I let a small chuckle escape. “It’s almost scarier when they’re not.”
She took a deep breath of acceptance and then said, “I’ll leave too then. You’ll see me again soon.”
“Thanks, Ebby,” I said as she leapt into the air and disappeared.
I looked at Archie, and he watched me sadly before pulling a pack off his back.
“I brought you this,” he said with a halfhearted smile. “I got back to your room and swiped everything valuable. Your old journal was in my room, and I found your list of tally marks. I put a pen in there for you too.”
“Thank you,” I said. I reached for him, but grabbed his hands and let the bag fall. Archie held my hands loosely, hanging at our sides.
“How’s Liz?” I asked, knowing the answer was going to hurt.
Archie just shook his head and said, “Not well. She’s lost everyone who mattered. I thought she’d collapse and need help, and I could be there for her, but it’s gone the other way. She’s become independent, and angry.” He frowned at the ground. “Sir Avery told the whole Dragona that she and I are innocent, but people won’t talk to us. And she won’t talk to me. I don’t know how to help her.”
“I’ll find a way to meet with her,” I said, ready to start planning before seeing Archie’s eyes firmly on mine.
“Don’t. Trust me, she’s not feeling particularly forgiving.”
“But she needs me. She’s… always needed me.” I gritted my teeth and stared beyond him at nothing. Archie had warned me I might lose her. It had always been a risk, but I’d never expected to actually be in this position, not being needed anymore.
“You take care of Ebby, and I’ll take care of Liz,” he said. “You know I consider your sister family too.”
“Yeah, family,” I said with a bitter scoff. “I found out Sav is the reason Izfazara was killed. He betrayed him to Sir Avery.”
“Really?” Archie asked, straightening in disbelief.
“Why do you look surprised? It’s Sav.”
“Yeah, but Sav cares about his family. I mean wholeheartedly. Present company excluded, of course,” Archie said with a short laugh. “He must have really thought giving the Dincaran kids back was a death sentence for the Escali race. For him to kill Izfazara… he must have thought that becoming king was the only way to save them.”
I stared at him for a moment and asked, “Are we still talking about the same Sav?”
Archie gave me a smirk and said, “Yes. He’s a killer and he’s vengeful, but he’s a living being too. Nobody likes losing the people they care about.”
I knew exactly where this conversation was heading.
“Archie…” I squeezed his hands and tried to find the most delicate way to explain his idiocy. “If you walk away from me now, it is the same as losing me.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s different. I know Emery is… well, a jackass most of the time, but he’ll keep you safe, and you guys can find the other Tallies. I can handle losing you like this, when I know you’ll be ok. I can’t handle watching you die.”
“You don’t know that would happen,” I said. His jaw fell open and I added quickly, “I know being with you makes me a target, but I’m still safer with you than without.”
And now Archie just looked thoroughly confused. “What did Sav tell you about me?”
“Just that... I mean, he told me what happened to his sister, your mother.”
Frightful shock crept into his eyes, his posture, the way he clenched his fists. “He didn’t tell you what killed her?”
“I know it was birth, Archie, but that doesn’t make it your fault—”
Archie put a hand over his eyes and moaned, “I thought you knew.” He dragged his palm across his face, and groaned again. “Oh shanking life, Allie. Yes, I’m the reason she died, but she shouldn’t have. Prince Avalask was there, doing everything he could to keep her alive, along with the best doctors in the Escali world. She died because there’s a curse on the royal family. Anyone we love dies. There are no exceptions.”
Holy life.
Anyone we love?
I knew about the curse on the royal family, and I knew now that Archie was related to Sav, Gat, and Prince Avalask by blood. How had I not realized this was his real fear?
“I’m so sorry,” he repeated. “I thought you knew.” He made a few gestures with his hands like he was looking for words, but took a minute to find them. “I... have to get away from you. The world is going to figure out how much you matter to me, and I can’t handle watching you die too.”
Well that changed every argument I’d planned ahead of time.
“I thought that every woman in the royal family died,” I said. “You haven’t… married me or anything, that I know of.” I tried to throw in a harmless smile, but Archie just had his hands gripped fretfully into his hair.
“Marriage has nothing to do with it. It’s a curse on every woman the royal family loves. Sir Avery’s father cast it after his own wife was killed, and then Izfazara’s wife fell ill and died about two weeks
later. Izfazara’s older sister was buried three days after that in a freak landslide, and his mother went missing and was found drowned. Sav’s sister, Glidria, was captured the month after, and we all know how that turned out.”
Archie shook his head with the sour memory and said, “Prince Avalask had to marry so he could have a son, even though his wife barely lived long enough to have Vack at all. When they found out Prince Avalask was having a boy, the royal family threw a party in Dekaron that lasted two weeks. If Vack had been born a girl, the Escalis’ Epic bloodline would have ended.”
I knew of one more family member. “And your sister?” I asked.
I held my breath, because we’d never really spoken of her. I’d never asked. Archie had never volunteered.
Archie shook his head and said, “She grabbed me and ran before anyone could kill me, and she lasted the longest of any of them. Eight years, raising me. I just... I remember that day so well. I remember waking up and she’d already gone out and trapped a rabbit to cook for breakfast. I remember thinking that morning how incredibly lucky I was, and how much I loved her.”
“You have to be kidding,” I said softly. “That’s why you blame yourself? You think it was because you woke up that morning thinking you loved her?”
Archie chuckled darkly and said, “I wish that’s all it was. But there’s this plant, called devil’s temptation. It’s covered in sharp thorns that look like needles, every one of them filled with a horrible, slow poison.”
I knew the bright orange plant he spoke of, but said nothing as Archie shrugged and his eyes grew distant. “You almost always see them,” he said. “But we were being chased. One of Sav’s tracking teams had found us, and when I saw one of them about to shoot, I shoved her out of the way. I didn’t know they were trying to bring her home alive, and I’ll never forget the look on her face as she fell, and landed right in a patch of them. I… know it was an accident, but sometimes I just...”