by Keri Arthur
“I never said I didn’t enjoy vigor.” My voice was mild, at odds with my racing pulse and the surging wave of desire. There was no denying I wanted this man, but I wanted to save Sorrel more, and I really couldn’t afford any complications or dalliances right now. It would only take an hour or two of inattention to not only totally upend everything we’d achieved but any hope we had of saving those still locked in the coruscation.
And the flicker in his eyes suggested he was well aware of both my reluctance and my reasons.
But all he said was “You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that. Shall I take the first watch?”
“Please do.”
I stretched out and then rolled onto my side, presenting my back to him but all too aware of his heat and his desire. It was a rather delicious wave that gently rocked me to sleep.
The man who appeared the next morning was small, weather-beaten, and bald. He walked with a stoop and at no great speed, which made me wonder how he’d gotten up the mountain in the two hours since dawn had broken.
His blue eyes narrowed when he saw me sitting in the shadows, and distrust crossed his expression. But he nevertheless gave me a polite nod before returning his gaze to Kaiden.
“Well, you’ve sure stirred up a hornet’s nest, haven’t you, laddie?” His tone was sharp, but amusement lurked in his eyes. “If you’d wanted to announce your presence, it might have been easier to simply write ‘I’m here’ on the clouds.”
“It’s not like we had any real choice.” Kaiden clasped the other man’s hand. “Good to see you again, Jance.”
The older man grunted. “In any other circumstances, I’d agree. What in the wind’s name have you been doing?”
“Trying to get to the coruscation.”
“Why?” He glanced at me. “Has your companion got anything to do with it? Because rumor has it there’s a woman capable of spraying fire like the kin of old on the loose—and she happens to resemble an ice prick.”
“I’m not,” I said.
“You certainly don’t sound like one, I’ll give you that.” Despite the amusement in his tone, his expression remained wary. “What’s so damn important about the coruscation that you risk blowing your cover and that of everyone you’ve contacted?”
Kaiden hesitated. “We believe the magic surrounding the coruscation is disintegrating.”
“And what if it is?” Jance said. “If it was at all dangerous, you can be sure the Mareritt would have either gotten out of the area or had their ice mages strengthen the thing again.”
“Have you seen it lately?” I asked. “Noticed any changes with the sphere’s external or internal structure?”
His gaze flicked to me again. “You can be sure that I haven’t, simply because I’ve no wish to either view the source of our downfall or to encounter the many patrols they now have around the area.”
“So they are doing additional patrols?” Kaiden said.
Jance nodded. “They’re on the hour. There’s also been a lot of heated chatter on the comms lines.”
Kaiden frowned. “What sort of chatter?”
“Stuff about escapees, checkpoint destruction, a woman capable of throwing flames, and an AWOL drakkon that may or may not be related.” Jance studied the two of us for a moment. “I hope whatever you’re up to is worth the heat you’re raising, because it’s going to be a difficult few months for the rest of us.”
“I wouldn’t be doing any of this if I didn’t believe it was vital.”
Jance’s expression was somewhat wry. “The problem with that statement is the very recent—and very foolish—risk that you did indeed take.”
Kaiden’s smile was countered by the anger in his blue eyes. “My niece is one of those with red fever. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same had it been your daughter or granddaughter who was ill.”
Jance gripped Kaiden’s arm. “Calm down, laddie. I meant no harm.”
The laddie in question didn’t look mollified. “What are our chances of getting to Pike’s Finger unseen?”
Jance grimaced. “About fifty-fifty. They’re patrolling the roads, but if you’re willing to shoe it, you should be able to get there. I’d be avoiding towns at all costs at the moment, though.” His gaze came to me again. “If you do have to go in, go without your companion. There’re orders out to detain all half-breeds.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t issue that order sooner,” I said.
“They might have had a little communication trouble after your escape from Break Point.” Jance’s blue eyes twinkled. “That’s been fixed, however, so watch your backs.”
“Has the encampment below Pike’s had any fortifications we need to know about?”
“They got themselves a drakkon about a week ago. She patrols West Laminium and the Red Ochre Mountains every couple of hours.”
Kaiden grunted and glanced at me. “That’s not what we needed right now.”
“A drakkon’s eyesight might be keen, but even they can’t see past trees. If we keep to the forest—”
“You mean the one that has been basically decimated by the Mareritt’s logging activities?” Jance said.
“Yeah,” I said, pretending knowledge when I had none. Kaiden hadn’t mentioned who I was or where I’d come from, so while he obviously knew and trusted this man, it was also clear he had no intention of imparting the whole story. Whether that was to protect his friend or for some other reason, I had no idea, but I wasn’t about to do or say anything that would either make the older man suspicious or a target. “But between the trees that remain and the caverns, we should be able to get through unseen, shouldn’t we?”
“Possibly.”
“Depending on what we find at the coruscation,” Kaiden said, “we may need fast transport back to Esan. What are the options?”
Jance snorted. “Right now? Between zero and nothing.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“Neither was blasting the crapper out of three checkpoints. How the hell did you manage that when at least two of them would have been prepared for you?”
Kaiden’s smile held little humor. “We borrowed a tank.”
Jance chuckled and shook his head. “Well, you’ve made a rod for your own back, laddie. It’d probably be best to grab a scooter, keep away from occupied areas, and head for one of the sea towns. A ship back to Esan would be the easiest option.”
Kaiden’s expression suggested easy wasn’t something that had his vote, but he simply nodded and said, “Can you contact the team in Fiske and tell them to ready one?”
Jance nodded. “Anything else?”
Kaiden shook his head. “No. But thanks.”
“Be careful out there, laddie. The scum are agitated and on high alert.”
“It won’t last long.”
“Nor will any of us if we’re not careful.”
He clasped Kaiden’s arm and then, with another nod toward me, turned and left.
I waited until the sound of his steps had well and truly faded, then said, “Why would they have brought in a drakkon a week ago? That’s well before I turned up in the prison pod.”
“I have no idea, but it does suggest your escape from the coruscation might have happened earlier than we thought.”
I frowned. “Yes, but if I’d caused enough problems to warrant a drakkon being called in, why would they then transport me to another garrison? Why not take me to the one protecting the coruscation?”
He shrugged. “Until we can figure out how and why you escaped the coruscation, we probably won’t be able to answer any of those questions.”
And even then, his tone seemed to suggest, we might still be left in the dark. I crossed my arms to counter the surge of frustration. “I take it we’re not actually heading toward Fiske?”
His smile lit his eyes. “It’s rather scary how well you can read me, given how little time we’ve actually known each other.”
That ability had a whole lot to do with the connection growin
g between us, and we both knew it. “Why aren’t we going to Fiske? Given everything Jance said, it's the sensible option.”
“Which is the precise reason we’ll be avoiding the place unless we have absolutely no other choice.” He walked across to the sleeping rolls and tossed mine over.
I slung it across my shoulders. “But it leaves us with only the Red Ochre tunnel, and they’ve undoubtedly fortified that by now.”
“I wasn’t intending to take that, either. Despite what some might think, I’m not that reckless.”
I walked across to grab the backpack and transferred the remaining food and water from the rucksack to the pack. “If not the tunnel, the pass, or Fiske, then where?”
There weren’t any other choices that I was aware of, simply because the Red Ochre Mountains basically divided Arleeon in half. It was only near Fiske that the rocky spine gave way to rolling hills and then to the flatlands that surrounded the fishing port.
He handed me a rifle and clips, then shouldered the rest and headed out of the cave. “We’ll be taking the Black River pass.”
“Since when was there a pass near—” I cut the comment off. “The Mareritt created it?”
“Yes, around the same time as they created Break Point. It gave them two direct avenues into Arleeon without having to go through Zephrine.”
“So what you’re suggesting is we take a pass that leads directly into Mareritten to escape the Mareritt.”
“Yes.”
“That’s absolutely crazy. You know that, right?”
“Crazy enough to work.”
I stared at his back for a long moment and then shook my head. “Was it only a few minutes ago that you claimed you weren’t as reckless as most presumed?”
“It’s a calculated action rather than recklessness,” he commented. “And that tunnel is the only one not monitored.”
“That’s because no sane thinking Arleeon would ever contemplate entering Mareritten.”
“Don’t tell me that, as kin, you’ve never ventured there.”
“More than once but always on the back of a damn drakkon. We haven’t that option here.” And wouldn’t, no matter what we found when we reached the coruscation. There was an unknown series of events between me escaping that thing and waking in the prison pod, and that meant even if the graces were alive and we somehow freed them, there was no guarantee they would, in any way, be conscient enough to help us, let alone attack the Mareritt.
“It’s the one move they won’t be expecting.”
“Because it’s insane!” I took a deep breath and concentrated on the rocky path for several minutes. The early morning sunshine wove its way through this untouched portion of the forest, giving the air a green tinge—which rather appropriately matched the way I was feeling right now. To deliberately go into Mareritten... I shuddered. “Even if we did attempt it, it’d take us months to get to Esan on foot, and we haven’t enough food or water to last that length of time.”
“Which is why we’ll steal another scooter.”
“Because the Mareritt are kind enough to leave them lying about for the resistance to acquire.”
My tone was sarcastic, and he chuckled softly. “No, but there are ways and means of getting them. How do you think the resistance has gotten their hands on so many?”
“Given what you’re currently planning, I dare not ask.” I thrust a hand through my hair. “Even in a scooter, it could take up to a week—and that’s presuming we’re not spotted and chased.”
“A week if we stop.” He’d obviously decided to ignore the whole “being chased” thing. “But if we drive in shifts, we could cut that time down dramatically.”
“You may be able to hang the old boy out and pee into a container, but it’s a touch more difficult for us women.”
He flashed a smile over his shoulder. “We’d stop for privy breaks, naturally.”
“Oh, that makes me feel a whole lot better.”
“There’s far less risk going through Mareritten than a fortified and alert Arleeon,” he said. “Trust me on that, if nothing else.”
I grunted but didn’t bother replying. The fact was, I’d done nothing but trust his decisions, and—up until this point, at least—he hadn’t really led me astray. It just went against every instinct to willingly cross into Mareritten without the might of a drakkon underneath me.
Have me, came Oma’s comment. Can burn any who chase.
Her comment once again held the hint of anticipation, and I couldn’t help my smile. She really did have vengeance on her mind.
Can you see any Mareritt movement from up there?
Some. I burn?
It’ll warn them we’re near, I said quickly. It’s better not to until we’re discovered.
Displeasure rumbled through her thoughts. Burn later, then.
Yes. I hesitated. Can you warn us if any Mareritt approach our position? But keep out of sight—they suspect we’ve a drakkon helping us and might shoot at you.
They shoot, I burn.
That was one comment I couldn’t really argue with. Not when I’d probably do the exact same thing.
After a couple of hours, we reached the first of the deforested areas, which meant we were close to where the coruscation lay. My heart began to beat a little faster, and I scanned the area ahead with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. I couldn’t immediately see it, which was odd given the size of the sphere—although my memories and the coruscation of this time might be two vastly different things.
Kaiden moved to the edge of the path and peered over the edge. “I can’t see any Mareritt on the road below. It should be safe enough to cross.”
Oma? I asked. Where are the patrols?
Other side of lake.
Thanks.
I passed the information on to Kaiden, and we immediately crossed the gutted strip of land.
“Has she flown over the coruscation yet?” he said.
“I haven’t asked.”
“Might be worth doing so. If nothing else, we’ll get a feel for what we’ll face once we get close.”
I nodded and passed on the request.
What coruscation? she immediately asked.
I hesitated. It’s a cylindrical ball that’s a mix of magic and ice; it looks like a moon fallen to earth.
The moon leashed to lake?
I presume so.
Will check.
Be careful. They have another drakkon doing sweeps around the area.
Won’t report. She seeking you, not me.
I frowned. You’ve been in contact with her?
Yes.
Suggesting that while the Mareritt might control and communicate with the smaller drakkons via their bands, the drakkons did maintain a degree of individualism. And that would explain why Oma had heeded my warning when she’d been shot down. She couldn’t ignore the band’s demand that she flame, but she’d understood my words and, perhaps instinctively, had recognized the kinship between us, even if she’d never heard of the kin.
And what if she is sent after you?
Then you free her.
It’s not that easy, Oma.
Is easy. I believe.
Believed in me, she meant, and that was both warming and alarming, if only because she was setting a bar I might not be able to reach.
We made it across the first of the deforested sections, but the tension within ramped up rather than released. We had who knew how many more to go, and with every one, the chances of us being spotted by a patrol on the road below increased.
Above moon, Oma said.
Can you describe it?
Like moon.
I smiled. Is it bright like the moon or are there darker patches?
Bright. She paused. But cracked.
My heart began to beat a little faster. Cracked where?
At top. Wide enough to stick leg into.
If it was wide enough to fit one of her legs, it was wide enough for me to slip through and fall into the lake underneath�
��and would account for my wet clothes. But it still didn’t explain how I’d gotten from West Laminium to the Talien farmlands. Or why my clothes hadn’t dried in all that time.
Can you see anything in that crack?
Ice. She paused. Part wing. Is white.
I clenched my fists against the surge of hope. There was no guarantee that wing belonged to Emri. No guarantee that the ice had kept her safe and whole as it had me. But the fact that it was white did at least confirm the coruscation had caused my skin bleaching.
How is the coruscation held above the lake?
Leashed. Metal. She paused. Mareritt on move.
To where?
Away from moon.
That didn’t sound good. “Kaiden, how far away from Pike’s are we?”
“About ten minutes.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Why?”
“Oma just said the Mareritt are pulling back from the coruscation. I think we need to uncover why.”
“Let’s go.”
He broke into a run, moving swiftly through the trees and into the next deforested zone. I followed, leaping over trenches that had been cut into the ground by unimpeded runoff and skirting ragged tree stumps. We raced through another small strip of forest, a third stripped section, and had barely entered the next forested zone when he jagged to the right and began scrambling up the slope.
“Why?” I asked, even as I scrambled up after him.
“Pike’s Finger lies around the next bend, but it can only be accessed from above.”
After a few more minutes, he went left, edged along an almost nonexistent path, and then dropped and crawled through some bushes. I followed, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to tear out of my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or anger or a mix of both. The coruscation had taken everything from me. It had catapulted me into a place so utterly different that it might well have been an alien landscape—and I was about to see it for the first time since we’d attacked the two of them.
We were on a huge finger of stone that jutted out over a severe drop. The valley below was a green haven compared to the stripped and broken starkness of the surrounding slopes. A wide, dark lake lay at the base, and above this—sitting in a wide shallow cup supported by a thick rod of metal—was the coruscation. It did indeed resemble a moon, though on a much smaller scale and with a glow that was pale blue rather than warm white. It was as perfectly round as the day I’d first seen it but definitely smaller. This coruscation would not have held three graces. I doubted it would have held two. It was melting, just like the one that had caused the lake. The magic that had protected this one for two hundred years was finally failing.