Climb on. We're done for the day.
I thought Nexus sounded a little sad, but I didn't ask. I didn't ask because I knew I wouldn't get an answer.
39
ALEXANDER
A gust of wind ripped across the open terrain, swirling ice and snow into the air. We'd been walking for a few days. The snow had stopped falling, and a dense layer of clouds blanketed the sky, turning everything grey. A sea of white rolled endlessly in all directions, marked occasionally by spindly black trees. The air was bitterly cold, so cold it hurt to breathe, and my hair was frozen in icy clumps despite the cowl I kept fastened tight. I'd never been so cold in all my life—not even during my stints near the northern wall.
Danton had decided to stay with our company, as well as his brother Carter and Carter's men. I'll admit I was a little surprised by his decision. My feelings were somewhat vacillating on the matter, but I wasn't in any position to refuse Danton's help. In whatever esteem I did or didn't hold him, Danton's magic was strong, as well as his swordsmanship skills, and we needed his skill—especially since we lacked Lord Tosca's. And I knew that as long as Daria's welfare was at stake, I could trust Danton to keep to his word.
Of course, I hadn't heard the end of it from Thaddeus and Vera. Vera accused me of growing too soft, like Daria, and then I accused Thaddeus of growing too hard, like Vera. That comment seemed to shut them both up for at least ten minutes. Danton and I didn't speak to or walk near each other, but sometimes we'd make eye contact when our group stopped to rest. That glance communicated everything we needed to say, that we were united only under this cause, and for that cause the past could and would be overlooked. That was enough for me—at least for now.
With Carter, it was different. Nothing ill existed between Carter and me. Of course, there were the inherent differences that came with our particular titles, but what we had in common was that we both disliked his father. Still, I had a few words with Carter. I needed to know that he and his men would stay true to their word when it mattered. I couldn't afford a liability, nor could my men. I'd asked Carter why he'd decided to help his brother, and his answer was simply, "I like the princess, and I'm glad she's out of my father's grasp. I'll do anything to help her stay out of it, too." It was all I needed to hear.
Luckily, with so much snow, we never ran out of water. Every time we stopped to rest, we would melt a pile and drink our fill, but our food was a bit of a problem. The dried meats we'd brought were stiff from the cold, and eating it was like trying to eat tree bark. My jaw ached from chewing, and though it helped assuage my hunger, it couldn't get rid of it completely. I wasn't alone in this—the men looked haggard and weary and worn, and I wondered if we'd have energy to fight once we arrived. I kept praying to the spirits that Gesh and Pendel would be there to help us, because I was becoming more and more certain that we wouldn't stand a chance without them.
We turned onto the Road Centrale that ran eastward toward Valdon. The Road Centrale was a major artery that spanned the mainland and always flowed with horses and wagons and travelers—but not today. Today it was deserted, like some road from the distant past carrying only ghosts and memories of a lost civilization. The wind howled as gusts of snow flurries whipped across the empty white lane. It made me feel as if all the people in the world had departed and our small company had been left behind.
"This is creepy," Thaddeus said beside me. He was so buried in his cowl that I'd long lost sight of his face. Actually, I was surprised he could see, period. "Where is everyone? Think they all gave up and went on to Earth?"
"I have no idea." I frowned at the miles and miles of empty snowfields.
"How much longer did you say until we reach Rex Cross?" Vera asked from Thaddeus's other side. She too was so buried in her cowl, I couldn't see much of her face. A few clumps of frozen blonde hair stuck out of her hood at right angles, and they didn't move when the wind blew.
Rex Cross was located at the junction of our road and High Road, which led straight to Castle Regius. The last time I'd been there had been with Daria and my parents. Spirits, that seemed like another lifetime ago. Daria and I had shared a room, and at the time I'd been so nervous. I didn't know if I could stay with her all night without trying to get closer to her…without trying to touch her. I always wanted to be touching her. It was why I'd had to keep my distance—that, and her hatred of me had burned so strongly, I could physically taste ash in my mouth. It wasn't a very pleasant side effect, but it tempered my desire to slip in the bed beside her while she slept. She'd looked so beautiful lying there. It had been all I could do not to kiss her full lips the way I'd always wanted to. So I'd settled for her cheek instead. She'd smiled and murmured my name and something else I couldn't understand, but I caught the words "miss" and "love." Not that she remembered any of that by morning, and I wasn't about to confess the specifics. I'd still wanted to believe she loved me, too, and I didn't want her waking self to refute it.
I should've kissed her on the lips right then. I almost had. Which made me think about that night in Mosaque. There was still a large part of me that wished I hadn't stopped her—Gaia knows I almost hadn't. But…I didn't want to take anything from her that I couldn't give back completely. I couldn't give her all of myself, not like I could now. Not like I would now, and I wanted to give her everything.
"Alexander…?" Vera sounded concerned. "I asked how long until—"
"I know…sorry. I was thinking. Uh, Rex Cross should be just over the—"
A sharp snick sounded at my feet.
I glanced down. An arrow stuck out of the snow, black fletching still vibrating from impact. I glanced back up. A cloud of black arrows rose into the sky, headed for us.
I yelled at the men to take cover, but there was no cover to be had out here. I could use magic to make a light shield, but making a shield that size would require all my energy, and I'd need that energy for a battle that would inevitably follow. The volley of arrows arced in the air toward us, black specks against the sheet of grey.
"Del Can't!" Thaddeus conjured a light shield just big enough for him, Vera, and me. He was saving his energy, too.
A few of the Nords had made small shields, but not all of them had the magical capacity to make them. The arrows fell lower and lower as the men scrambled to find cover that wasn't there. I needed to cover them all, and I needed to hold that cover while we ran to meet the enemy head on. I could do it, but it would leave me with little strength. This was why I'd needed Lord Tosca.
I was out of time. The arrows rained down and with a grunt of strain, I unleashed the swell of energy inside of me. Heat scorched the ends of my fingertips as the magic left my body. An iridescent veil of light stretched over our company right as the first of the arrows hit. The moment the arrows touched the light, they vanished, the veil flickering with each impact. None of the arrows reappeared on the other side. The Nords cheered, and we all sprinted toward the source. My breath labored as we ran. A line of grey armor appeared along the rise, and more arrows rose into the sky. Those were not shadowguard, then, but men using shadowguard arrows. So who were they?
"Del Can't! Do that light thing again!" Thaddeus yelled.
"Your turn," I panted.
"You serious, Del Can't? You know I'm all talk when it comes to this stuff."
"Vera?" I asked.
"I could maybe shield the three of us, but that's it!" she yelled.
The next batch of arrows arced down as our company of Nords tore across the fields. The swell of energy burned through me again, and I grit my teeth. This time that energy burned much hotter, like a dying sun, and I knew I was about to burn out. The veil stretched over us again as the arrows descended, and I yelled, straining to hold on to my magic. Fighting to keep the veil alive, but the heat inside of me was dying too quick and too soon. I stumbled as we ran, my arms trembling from fatigue, and fuzzy dots marked my vision. My whole body tingled, my magic ran dry, and Thaddeus jerked me upright to keep me from collapsing as I sucked
down ice-cold air. The veil vanished, and the arrows kept falling.
A burst of powerful magic surged from behind me.
A new veil appeared, bright and blue like liquid oozing over an invisible glass dome. A few of the arrows slipped through, but the rest hit this new wall of light and ignited, showering the ground with a miniature meteor storm. I glanced back to see Danton slowing, face set with determination and eyes locked on the wall of light up above. He was doing this. He was keeping his word. A yell from up ahead drew my attention forward again, just in time to see the wall of men now running toward us.
I recognized the blues and golds of Campagna. These were Lord Vega's men, who'd been shooting at us with shadowguard bolts. So Lord Vega had sided with Eris. But what were they doing so close to Rex Cross? Unless…
Unless they'd intercepted Sir Torren and defeated him. Which would also explain why I hadn't heard from Sir Torren. Mistress Astaire Dothrai had not been lying about Campagna waiting to overtake Sir Torren and his men. They had waited, and they had succeeded.
We crashed into Campagna in an explosion of metal.
I moved swiftly—mechanically—despite my weariness, powered once again by adrenaline. Vera and Thaddeus fought ahead of me, taking the brunt of the hits. No doubt giving me more time to catch my breath, which I appreciated. I scanned the grounds for Lord Vega as I fought, and just as I thought I spotted him, a horrible keening filled the skies.
Hellfire.
Another bloody gargon. Hopefully, Lord Cethin wasn't still alive and riding this one, because I didn't have it in me to face him again. The gargon released a plume of fire not far from where I stood. Liquid flames curled and twisted, melting snow to slush while burning everyone it touched. Men screamed and ran as the gargon released another plume of fire, this time near where Thaddeus and Vera stood. They shoved aside just in time, the fire melting the snow where they'd stood, but they were fast on their feet and back to the battle at hand. I looked back to where I'd seen Lord Vega earlier, but I didn't see him anymore. Danton was back there, though, fighting on our side, and his brother wasn't far behind him. Danton was impressive to watch, despite his fatigue from using so much magic. You wouldn't know he was tired unless you were well acquainted with his fighting style, which I was. He downed one of Vega's men, caught my gaze and gave me a curt nod, and then the both of us went back to our individual battles.
The Nords fought hard, but we'd been totally taken by surprise and we were exhausted. I could see it in their faces, the desperate way they attacked. If the circumstances were different, if we'd been ready and had all our strength, a victory here might be easy. Our numbers were fairly even, but we were tired and struggling and running out of steam fast, and they had a gargon that was cooking my men. I had to get rid of that bloody gargon.
I rammed my elbow back into a guard's nose just as someone punched me between my shoulder blades. Gasping, I stumbled forward, catching my footing at the last second. I brought Flamebearer around, barely deflecting my new attacker's sword. He feinted right and I slammed my fist down on his outstretched arm. He cried out as he staggered, cradling that arm, and then his eyes widened in fear and he suddenly shoved off into the chaos. My confusion surged right as I felt a whip of air at my back.
Slowly, I turned around, fear slithering down my spine. A second gargon had landed behind me. I held Flamebearer between us, the runes and white fire sparking to life. There was no rider on this gargon. It stood upon all fours, a deep throttle rumbling through its throat as it stared at me with those burning red eyes, its tail snaking back and forth behind it. I took an involuntary step back, my heart pumping hard and fast.
Thaddeus yelled something, but I didn't hear what. The gargon snapped its jaws and I jumped aside, narrowly missing teeth but tripping over the clumped snow. I landed hard on my shoulder. Pain shot through my collarbone, and I winced as I rolled onto my back. One of the gargon's taloned feet landed on my arm that held Flamebearer, pinning it down. My arm burned, its talons carving through leather and skin. Its demonic, reptilian head loomed over me, rearing back like a viper about to strike. I couldn't move. No one was close enough to help me, either. Flamebearer's reflection burned in the gargon's red eyes—eyes that were getting closer and closer. Its jaws opened, I smelled ash and rotted flesh…
An explosive gust of air whipped over me, followed by an agonizing wail, and the pressure on my arm lifted. The gargon rose into the air, but not because it flew. Something lifted it.
The gargon thrashed wildly, screaming as it was carried off, higher and higher, its neck caught in the jaws of a…dragon. I watched in equal parts amazement and horror, unable to move from my spot on the ground. It was the dragon from Karth. It shook the gargon like a cat would a mouse, and then flung it aside to where it landed on a group of screaming Campagnan soldiers.
Vega's men yelled and screamed, scrambling to get away from this new threat. The great black dragon rose into the air again, mighty wings beating percussively against the wind as it blared a sound like a hundred trumpets. It dove and banked, unleashing a flood of liquid fire upon a retreating band of Vega's men. The air smelled strongly of fire and ash and burnt hair. Fire hosed the land, engulfing them in flames while the Nords ran in the opposite directions, putting as much space as possible between Vega's men and themselves. The dragon made the sky seem small. I staggered to my feet, watching as the dragon chased down the last of Vega's men. Instead of hosing them with fire, it snatched them up in its talons. I heard the men screaming from where I stood, and they were still screaming as the dragon changed course and headed back in our direction.
The dragon could end us all right here and right now, and there wasn't a thing we'd be able to do to stop it. Though I didn't really believe it would do that after saving us from being massacred by Vega's men. After saving me. It dipped low, wings spread like a massive glider about to land. Men cleared out of the way and the dragon sailed straight at me.
I stood frozen to the spot as the dragon glided toward me. It landed a dozen yards away, dropping the guards on the ground seconds before doing so. The guards moaned as Nords seized them, but my attention fastened on the dragon, who slowly lowered its head to the ground to let a person slide down from its neck. A young woman. My heart almost punched through my ribcage. It was Daria.
40
DARIA
By the end of the second week, I was getting angry. Nexus wouldn't say another word about our conversation or all he hadn't said, and I still couldn't make sense of what he had said. Myez and I had been in the Shadowvale for a total of a month, while who knew what was happening to the world. Nexus assured us we didn't need to worry, that we would join the young prince soon, but I was still furious. Furious, because I didn't understand. Furious I still had to make some choice. Furious I couldn't see another way out of this mess, and furious I'd already lost my father and brother and grandfather in the process. So I took it out on Myez every night.
Tonight, I incurred a clean red line along my right cheek and when I spit, there was a tinge of blood. That was all right by me. I'd got him back pretty good when I'd punched him in the jaw with the hilt of Sir Torren's sword.
"Very good," Myez said, stretching his jaw. "I'm glad to see you're finally getting creative."
I charged at him. It was his first lesson to me: Be in constant motion. He stepped aside and grabbed my sword arm, twisting it around me. I stomped on his foot. His grip lessened enough for me to pull free, and then I jabbed my elbow in his stomach. He bent over, coughing and laughing with his palm outstretched and facing me.
"Excellent!" He laughed. "I do believe I'll make a swordswoman out of you yet."
I wiped my brow, heaving. My muscles ached, and I was sure I'd collected another set of bruises. At least the pain in my ankle was just about gone now.
"No pushups tonight." Myez smiled.
"Good, because I'm not—"
Nexus landed beside us, feet crunching on the pebbles. Myez and I both looked up at him.
I was surprised by how used to Nexus I'd grown in just a few weeks. He no longer terrified me, even though I knew he was terrifying to look at. He still terrified Myez, though. Probably because he didn't stop with the ingestion threats.
The time has come, my little petulant one. Now if you'll put those toothpicks away, we have a prince to rescue.
I wasn't sure I'd heard him right. "Wait, you're saying we can leave now?"
Nexus snorted, ruffling his wings. Unless you'd rather stay here wallowing in self-pity all your life…which can be arranged…
I sheathed my sword. I suddenly didn't feel exhausted any more. "Where is he?" I asked Nexus.
South of here, about to engage in battle with Lord Vega's men.
My stomach twisted into knots. Alex was about to fight Lord Vega's men. I'd seen what Lord Vega's men had done to Sir Torren's army. I just hoped Lord Vega didn't have any more gargons at his disposal. "Myez, we're leaving. Now."
Myez was still catching his breath. "Alexander?"
"Yes." I jogged over to our cave, where the rest of our weapons lay. Between the items Nexus had let us "borrow" and the small daggers and other hunting items Myez and I had made with rock and wood before Nexus had literally flown into the picture, we had quite an eclectic collection. I strapped a few of our more primitive daggers to my boots, and then covered my body with blades from Nexus's cave. Once I was satisfied I didn't physically have any more places for weapons, I turned around and noticed Myez standing at the edge of the cave.
"Where is Alexander?" he asked.
"Nexus said he's south of here." I handed Myez a few blades, hilt first.
"What's he doing south of here?" Myez asked, taking the blades from my hands.
"Apparently, he's about to be at war with Campagna."
Myez was quiet. I took quick inventory of our cave, making sure I hadn't missed anything important. Oddly enough, I was a little sad we were leaving. We'd been here only a month, according to the little notches I'd etched along the walls, but it had been a month filled with long hours of pain and hard work. The girl who'd first set eyes on this cave was different from the girl leaving it, and those changes went far deeper than short hair and a tattoo. I was going to miss this place.
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