by Brondos, Pam
“What are you trying to prove?” he yelled as he crouched next to her.
“Why are you so mad at me?” she yelled back, letting out her pent-up emotions. “I know I messed up! I know you must hate me for what happened to you. But I’m here to fix my mistake.”
“So you do think I’m a mistake.”
“No, I—”
“Don’t, Natalie. Your dream space vision said enough. Deep down, you think I’m just like the Nala.”
“No,” she said adamantly. “Last night, I opened up my mind to the Nala’s thoughts to find out where it was. It projected your face onto its body. I had no part in creating that image. It’s using you to get to me since we both carry its remnant.”
Annin jogged up behind them and tossed Nat’s and Soris’ satchels at his feet. “Get a mule next time.” She eyed Nat’s bloody leg. “That’s the dumbest stunt I’ve seen in a while. Use your head, Sister. Do you really want to enter the Nala cavern with blood dripping down your leg?” She dropped to the ground and pulled a clean roll of linen from her bag.
“You shouldn’t have come back.” Soris watched Annin wrap the bandage around Nat’s calf. A look of angry desperation flashed behind his eyes. “You should have stayed home, stayed where it was safe. You don’t belong here. You never did.”
The words stung. Nat squinted and glanced at the ground to keep him from seeing her wounded expression. “Maybe, but it’s not your decision to make, it’s mine,” she said, fighting to keep tears from welling in her eyes.
Soris clenched his fists and jumped effortlessly on top of the boulders behind her. He disappeared from view without another word.
Annin secured the wrapping around Nat’s calf. “If—”
“Don’t say anything.” Nat held up a hand, then wiped her eyes.
Annin grew silent. She packed up the extra linen and extended her hand to Nat. “We have a lot more ground to cover before dusk.” Nat stood, and they walked in silence, watching Soris’ figure in the distance.
“You want to know why we’re safe in this meadow? Why the Healing House remains undisturbed?” Annin asked.
Nat nodded, not really caring at the moment but thankful for an opportunity to move her mind away from Soris.
“It’s the meldon flowers. Nala never venture into the meadow. There’s something in the flower that repels them.” She extracted one of the vials filled with yellow liquid from her pocket. “The Sisters use the flowers as an herbal remedy to protect them from the venom. The extract lessens the effects of the venom. If administered immediately after a bite, it can even prevent transformation into a duozi.”
“Would the extract have helped Soris if I’d gotten him to Ethet right away?”
“Maybe.” Annin shrugged. “But it doesn’t prevent a transformation in every instance.” Nat mulled over the information.
“Why didn’t the Sisters plant meldon everywhere?” Nat asked, looking at the sweeping field of flowers in front of them. “They could have kept the Nala away from everyone.”
“They tried, but the meldon flower only grows in two places. Here”—she gestured to the field around them—“and on another small plain near Benedict’s.” She spat his name. “You are walking on one of only two Meldon Plains in Fourline.”
Nat stooped and plucked another flower while Annin walked ahead. She twirled it between her fingers, wondering how the little flower and its extract worked to counteract Nala venom. Would it weaken a remnant tie as well? she wondered. Maybe Ethet will let me see how they prepare medicine from the flower when—if—we return to the Healing House.
Nat stood up and tucked the flower into her pocket. Favoring her good leg, she jogged over the carpet of flowers to catch up to Annin. The spring grass bent under their boots as they walked. She kept glancing at Annin, wondering how she’d ended up a duozi but avoided being infused with remnant.
“Stop looking at me, Natalie, it’s wearing on my nerves.”
“You don’t have active remnant, do you?” Nat shifted the strap of her bag to keep it from digging into her shoulder.
Annin lifted her chin and her curls brushed her shoulders. “No.”
“Did someone behead the Nala that bit you?” Nat knew the answer was obvious, but maybe there was another layer she was missing, something that would help her better understand how remnant and Nala venom affected people.
“Yes.” Annin looked at Nat as if she were an idiot.
“I’m just trying to understand how someone can be a duozi without remnant.”
“The venom, if not counteracted with the right medicine made from the meldon flower, will make anyone a duozi regardless of remnant. But, like I said, you need the medicine immediately after you’re bitten. My guardians had a small complication to deal with before they were able to get me to the Sisters for treatment. A few hours’ delay and there I was, a duozi for life.” She increased her pace.
“What complication? So many Houses were open before Mudug destroyed them,” Nat pressed, wondering what had delayed Annin’s guardians.
“I was with Benedict when the Nala bit me.” Annin’s hateful expression sent a chill through Nat. “Enough questions,” she said curtly and pulled away, leaving Nat standing by herself in the bed of yellow flowers.
Why didn’t I keep my questions to myself? Nat wondered as she scanned the woods, looking for any movement in the treetops. Nat had volunteered to watch the woods the moment the three had reached the edge of the Meldon Plain, knowing neither Annin nor Soris wanted to talk to her. The trees that lined the edge of the meadow stood motionless. She glanced at Annin and Soris, who were on the other end of the rock outcropping that bordered the Meldon Plain and the forest. Their eyes were closed and their hands were clasped. Are they picking up any sign of the creatures? Her eyes lingered on their hands, and she felt a twinge of jealousy.
Her thoughts strayed to the evening she’d spent with Soris above the merchant wagon train during her last foray into Fourline. She’d felt so close to him then, after their successful but harrowing venture into Rustbrook. She remembered how his eyes had settled on hers before he’d kissed her. All the fear and stress she’d been carrying had melted away in that one moment. Now, it seemed her only link to him was the Nala’s remnant.
A cracking sound brought her attention back to the forest. She watched the motionless woods. Must have been a branch, she thought and lowered her crossbow. Her eyes again strayed to Soris. The setting sun glowed against his forehead, leaving the rest of his smooth face in shadow. His now open eyes widened, and he leaned in toward Annin, exposing the blue skin of his neck. He whispered in her ear. She opened her eyes, and they exchanged words that came across as low murmurs to Nat’s ears.
Nat cleared her throat. Annin glanced in her direction, then returned to their conversation. Nat looked away, toward the forest, feeling her jealousy grow.
“See anything?” Annin asked when she joined Nat by the tree line.
“Not in the woods, no,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
“We didn’t sense any Nala,” Annin responded, oblivious to Nat’s mood. “But I want to wait before we move into the woods. The Nala could be anywhere. We both feel them better at night, when they’re moving freely.” Soris walked past Nat and stood near Annin.
“When do you and Soris think it’ll be safe to enter?” Nat kept her eyes locked on the forest and kicked a loose stone by her foot.
“Later tonight.” Annin brushed an unruly lock of hair away from her eyes. Soris fiddled with a leather quiver of arrows. “I’m taking first watch so I can reach Estos once night falls. We leave after I’ve made contact with him. Soris, you take second watch.”
“I’ll take second,” Nat said, knowing she wouldn’t sleep.
“No,” Soris said firmly. “I’ll take second watch.”
“Frosty,” Annin said in an exaggerated tone and shivered. “Both of you can take second watch for all I care.” She shrugged and clambered up to the crest of the boulder.
“Soris . . .” Nat turned toward him, but he walked away as if he’d heard nothing.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Waves smashed against the black cliff. Nat and Annin stood on a precipice overlooking the churning sea. In front of them, surrounded by swirling water, stood the jagged pinnacles from Nat’s dream. She shivered in the wind, thinking how they looked in real life like the teeth of an ancient leviathan. Overcome by vertigo, she took a clumsy step away from the edge of the cliff. Strands of her brown hair lashed her face and stuck to her lips. The ache in her shoulder throbbed with the rhythmic crash of each wave. Annin twisted her fingers around the thick fabric of Nat’s cloak, pulling her farther away from the edge.
“Can you feel that?” Nat asked, the vibrations running through the ground to the soles of her leather boots. Annin, wild-eyed, said nothing. They retreated into the forest and found Soris leaning against a decaying tree trunk. His face was ashen when he looked up. Nat felt uneasy as his gaze flickered past her as if she weren’t even there. Both he and Annin had grown increasingly tense and distant as they’d approached the coast.
Nat picked up a thin branch and pressed it into the dirt. She drew the pinnacles and the cliff face. “There, that’s where the entrance is,” she said, pointing near the upper part of the drawing. She glanced up. Soris had a vacant look in his eyes.
“Soris . . . Soris, focus on what Natalie’s saying,” Annin whispered, waving her hands in front of his face.
“There are so many of them.” His voice sounded far away.
“I know.” Annin placed her hand on his shoulder.
“So many what?” Nat asked, growing more concerned.
“Nala, I think. They feel different, more like duozi.” She glanced past the trees toward the cliff. “Whatever they are, I think we want to avoid them.” Annin frowned.
Nat sat back on her heels. The only things she felt were the slight vibration in the ground, the ache in her shoulder, and a twisting in her stomach. Sun filtered through the tree limbs, casting moving shadows on their faces. Soris and Annin both seemed lost in their own worlds with their eyes wide open.
“We’ll try to enter from that narrow ledge then?” Nat suggested, her voice demanding they focus on her.
“Hmm?” Both Annin and Soris gazed toward the cliff.
“From the narrow ledge along the rim,” she repeated, her voice tinged with concern.
“Along the ledge, yes.” Annin blinked frantically. Soris said nothing.
“Are you two okay?”
“Yes,” Annin said and blinked a few more times as if clearing away a vision. She reached into her pack and extracted three vials of yellow liquid. “Drink the meldon extract now, I’m not sure we’ll have a chance later.” She passed vials to Soris and Nat. His fingers shook when he broke the wax seal. Nat tucked her chin and sniffed the vial’s contents before drinking. A bitter taste filled her mouth.
“I’ll take the lead,” Nat said. Soris stared at the ground. “Maybe you should bring up the rear, Annin.”
Wordlessly, Soris and Annin followed Nat. She ran at a slow pace past the wind-shaped trees, keeping a narrow buffer of the woods between them and the coastline. Nat heard a muffled cry and glanced over her shoulder. Soris was on his hands and knees. Annin grasped his elbow and helped him rise. He clutched her arm, and a look of desperation flickered across his face. Nat skipped over a jagged trunk toward him, but Annin waved her away.
“We’ll catch up. Go on.” Annin brushed a streak of dirt from Soris’ hip. “Go on!” she barked. Startled, Nat stepped backward, eyes locked on Annin’s. Her expression changed from demanding to pleading. Nat bowed her head and retreated.
The soft sound of their voices chased her as she ran. She looked back. Annin pressed an orange-colored vial into Soris’ hand. Palm open, he stared at the container. Nat whipped her head around so they wouldn’t catch her watching, and a sharp branch dug into her shoulder. She pressed her fingers against the new wound and cursed under her breath.
A few heartbeats later, Annin and Soris were by her side, emerging from the forest edge with her. A rock in the shape of an eroded L marked the start of the narrow ledge leading down the black face of the cliff. Nat paused and faced them.
“I think I should go in alone.” The roar of the waves tossed her voice into the air. “All I feel right now is the ache in my shoulder, nothing else. But you two, I can tell something has a grasp on both of you.”
Soris took a jerky step forward. “We are all going together.” His tone let Nat know arguing with him would be pointless. She sighed.
“Fine, but I go first,” she said and took off down the cliff path.
The path was little more than a foot wide and covered with loose rock. Nat put one foot in front of the other, wedging her hands into crevices to keep from toppling into the sea. An abrupt set of stairs chiseled into the cliff led them onto a wider switchback. Nat grabbed Soris’ hand, and he jumped from the upper stair. He stared at her for a moment, taking in a deep breath. He tightened his fused fingers around hers and then dropped his hand. Annin landed behind Soris, and all three crept toward the shadowy entrance. Annin pulled on Nat’s arm and mouthed, “Two Nala” as she pointed toward the dark opening in the cliff face.
Nat nodded and unsheathed her old dagger. She released her orb and poured her thoughts into the sphere, preparing it for a fight. It bobbed unevenly as the wind beat against the cliff, then floated toward the entrance. Nat turned and followed the glowing ball toward the mouth of the cavern. It paused at the entrance and dropped until it hovered a few inches above the rocky ledge. Nat pressed against the rock with her head turned toward the dark opening. She inched forward.
A Nala emerged from the entrance. The orb shot up, driving itself into the creature’s chin and sending it crashing against Nat. She buried her dagger deep in its abdomen as it thrashed against her, slamming her into the rock. Soris and Annin swept past. Flickers of violent movement flashed in the entrance. She pushed the Nala away, unsheathed the ancient sword, and cut its head clean off.
Another Nala flew out of the entrance. Soris landed on it, smashing its head against the rocks. Its eyes widened when Nat’s ancient sword sliced through the air above it. She struck its neck and the Nala’s headless body shuddered, then slumped lifeless against the ground.
“Thanks,” Soris gasped. A thump sounded behind them. Annin kicked the headless corpse of a Nala off the cliff. She brought her boot back and the head sailed over the rocks, trailing down the cliff face after the body. Anger flooded her eyes.
“Two, maybe three more farther down the opening,” Annin said in a rough voice.
“Where are the rest of them?” Nat asked. “There have to be more than that.” She wiped away a smear of blue blood dripping from her cheek and flicked it to the ground. Her orb landed in her trembling hand.
“They’re all around, but quieter,” Soris said ominously.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The raging wind and the bright daylight disappeared the moment Nat, Soris, and Annin passed through the entrance of the cavern. A drop of water landed on Nat’s cheek, dripping from a rivulet in the black rocks above her head. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light and the shadows sharpened, revealing a worn footpath.
Their boots sounded softly against the slippery rock. Farther and farther down they wandered into the blackness. Nat felt an odd sense that she’d walked this path before and realized it was the same one she’d seen in her dream space. She peeked over the rigid curve of a fallen stalactite. Soris and Annin knelt next to her. Rhythmic vibrations traveled through the rock floor up their legs. A dim blue light filled the cavern passage.
A boy wearing ragged clothes carried a basin of water down the path in front of them. Droplets splashed onto the ground when he stepped over the rocks. He disappeared around a bend.
Nat lowered her head. “Duozi?” she whispered.
Annin and Soris nodded, a look of confusion crossing Annin’s face. A thin sheen of
sweat covered Soris’ brow and his body trembled. Nat placed a firm hand on his arm, trying to steady him. He took a deep breath and rubbed his hand against his chest. His eyes flickered to Nat, giving her a nervous look.
“You can stay here and keep guard,” she offered, knowing he’d refuse to leave the cavern.
“No, we go together,” he said, shaking his head.
Nat looked over the edge again, then leapt, landing with a soft thump on the other side. Soris jumped next, followed by Annin. Narrow slits peppered the walls on either side of the path. Cold blue light spilled out from each slit. With her dagger held at an angle, Nat rounded the corner. Her hip bumped into something soft, and she brought her dagger down an inch away from Neas’ face.
The boy sucked in a breath. He pressed his back against the wall, away from the tip of the dagger.
“Neas, what are you doing here?” Nat helped the boy to his feet. Annin and Soris shuffled nervously behind her.
“How do you know my name?” His face showed no recognition.
“We met months ago in Yarsburg. Don’t you remember?” Nat brushed her fingers against his sunken blue cheek. A puffy welt marred the skin around one of his eyes.
“You were with that man.” Neas looked at her suspiciously and edged away. “He came back and told Yester what I was. Mam had to send me away with the soldiers.”
“Benedict,” Nat fumed. Her anger toward the Hermit burned inside her.
“What soldiers?” Soris bent closer to Neas.
“The ones with the white circles on their sleeves. They took me and two girls that weren’t like us.” He waved in the direction of Soris’ Nala eye. “And they left us at the edge of the forest for them.” He jerked his thumb toward the gloomy darkness.
“They took you to the Nala, Neas?” Nat held tightly to his sleeve. Neas pulled his arm away from her.
“It’s okay to answer her question. She’s not like that man she was with before. She’s a friend.” Soris placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Nat gave Soris a grateful look.