by J. B. Jenn
“Time to move!” Thac kicked snow over the fire. His dark eyes scanned the land again. They had another two hours before sunset.
Trester cut the rope from Rosha’s feet and helped her stand before guiding her forward.
Mercea
There was a din of voices trying to reach through to her in her deep state of slumber. The voices were almost too much to focus on. As of yet, she couldn’t open her eyes and become fully alert. She kept trying to force them open, knowing what she heard didn’t make sense. The last thing she remembered was sliding down the cliff side.
On her next attempt, her eyes flashed open. She sat up, noting her entire body ached. The next time she slept, her wounds would heal, adding scars to the impressive collection she already had. The pain would remain for a few days, serving as a sharp reminder she wasn’t invincible.
Rising, she knew she had to leave wherever she was. Those men would come for her. All the people she was hearing were in danger. It was what had woken her from the deep sleep her body needed to regenerate. With how strong the feeling was, she guessed the men were already inside the inn. If not, they were close. Their hatred and fear of her was all she could feel. At least, she didn’t feel the presence of demons within them.
Her eyes swept the room. A fresh set of clothes sat on a simple wooden chair across from the bed. Throwing the clothes on, a little large for her, she approached the door. She pressed her ear against it and listened to the conversation. Most of what she heard seemed to center around her. Someone was asking how she was found and why he had brought her here.
At first, she couldn’t make out any words. When the room fell silent as they listened, her eyes narrowed. She pulled open the door and crept down the hall. She hoped none of the guests looked her way until she confirmed what she believed. The moment she saw him, standing in the middle of the room, she clenched her jaw. She watched the tall man with dark brown eyes, a long and narrow face, and light brown hair with copper highlights, answer their questions.
Mercea shoved past several people, ignoring their startled gasps. More followed as she gripped Arem by the throat and threw him down against the table, pinning him there. She met his eyes.
“You could have stopped this.” She didn’t care there were a dozen set of eyes on her. “None of this had to happen if you hadn’t disappeared.” She stared at him for several moments before sucking in a sharp breath. “You knew? You watched the entire thing and did nothing? What kind of person are you? I know you’re a wytch but I’ve met murderers with more honor than you.” She fell silent again, shaking her head. “Did you alert them to where we were?”
“Mercea,” he croaked, attempting to loosen her grip. Her hand tightened. “Please,” he rasped earning him a snarl. She released him. Arem remained on the table, breathing heavily. “Mercea.”
“I suggest leaving my sight and ensuring I never see you again. You’ve done more than enough to warrant death. If I can prove you alerted those men to our whereabouts, I would kill you without hesitation.”
“He saved your life.” Mercea turned to the old voice. A man with a shock of white hair and kind eyes stared at her with disapproval. “If it wasn’t for him, you would be dead.”
She ignored him and turned an intense stare on the wytch. “You should have stayed gone.”
“He has a point,” Arem said, standing. Mercea’s fists clenched. “Please, just give me a chance to explain. I swear I didn’t alert them to where we were. I won’t lie and say I’m not grateful they arrived when they did. You were going in the wrong direction. Kenokel is already destroyed. With what King Barend sent there, they had no chance. I don’t know why Rosha wanted you to go there, but the main problem is in Carthoda. Once you arrive, you’ll see.”
“Just leave. I have no use for you.” She turned to the old man. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. However, I must ask more from you.” He nodded. “I need a cloak. I’m assuming mine was badly damaged or lost. I also need, boots, gloves, and a scarf.”
“I don’t think you should leave so soon. You’ve lost a lot of blood. Even you need rest.”
She frowned at him. When she met his eyes, she knew he knew what she was. “I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine.”
The old man seemed to want to argue. Instead, he gave her a firm nod. “Those things are already in your room, but…”
The door opened, shooting in cold air. Seven men entered the great room. Their faces were hidden behind thick cloth. Mercea steeled herself, preparing to do whatever was necessary.
“We don’t have any more rooms available. There’s another inn on the other side of town you may wish to try. With weather like this, I’m not certain you’ll find anything there either. They might be able to help you better though. We’re beyond full capacity at the moment. I have people sleeping on the floor.”
“We’re not here for a room, old man,” one of them snarled. “We’re only here for warmth. Would you be kind enough to offer us that for a few hours? It’s all we’re asking for.”
The old man nodded. “Of course. Take any open seat you can find.”
Mercea crept to her room, hoping she could escape them. Once they found she wasn’t here, she hoped they’d leave. Arem followed. The moment he closed the door behind him, she turned to him. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t risk slamming him against the wall. It’d make too much noise.
“I hope you know you’ve probably gotten all these people here killed.” Mercea shook her head. “You should have told me about Kenokel from the beginning. If you had, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” She slammed her feet into the boots and hurriedly drew her cloak around her.
“I would have told you but there was something about Rosha I didn’t trust.” Arem looked toward her, pleadingly. “If I had told you, she would’ve had an excuse and you still wouldn’t have listened to me. You would have disregarded everything I said because I’m a wytch.”
Mercea sighed. He was right, but she didn’t have time to discuss it with him.
“Believe it or not, my orders come from a higher source. They wanted me to find that woman. They wanted me to go with her.”
She left Arem standing there, staring at her as she climbed out the window. Her thoughts were on Kenokel.
Delane
Traveling to the North Gardens Palace was exhausting and painful. Every bump they passed over hurt, at least when he was conscious. When he was awake, he worried for his daughter. He feared she had ignored Galtrand and had returned to Kenokel, thinking she could help. Maybe it was simpler than that. Maybe Galtrand had never made it to her. Either way, it would’ve led to her death and the reason he hadn’t seen her yet.
As they had traveled through the desert for the last three weeks, he stared behind him, hoping he’d see something. He hated laying in the carrier unable to do anything. He wanted to hunt her down and see to her safety. Instead, he was forced to wait. Wait with his thoughts. Every day, he kept looking, refusing to believe she was dead. He kept holding onto the life he could feel fading away from him. He needed to see that she lived, or confirm the worst.
Delane set his jaw tight, refusing to accept all his children were dead. He had a feeling his third son was alive, somewhere. He was a resourceful, intelligent boy. Delane sighed. No, his youngest son was a man now, and he hadn’t had the chance to see him grow into one. He should have tried harder with him. He should have sought someone who could have helped him.
Instead, he had given into the demands of the public and had banished him years ago. He regretted doing so the moment he had carried through with it, but the people of his kingdom needed to see something done. There were too many accidents. Too many deaths. Delane knew his son had never intended to kill those people. He just couldn’t control his magic.
“By midday tomorrow, we’ll reach the Desert palace.” Osrin’s voice pulled him from his dark thoughts. “What are your plans once we arrive?”
Delane was silent for a time. He had never im
agined he’d flee Cascade. His family was supposed to protect the people. He had failed them. He had failed his children.
“I have no idea. You know King Maik wanted to marry Janessa three years ago. I refused, telling him it was her choice. Since then, we’ve barely spoken.” Delane closed his eyes for a moment. “If I had accepted the marriage proposal, I would at least know my daughter is safe.”
“You don’t know that for certain, Delane,” Osrin said softly. “She may have been in the city visiting.”
Delane nodded before looking toward the haggard people following them. They had all lost their homes and loved ones.
“Whatever my plan is, it better be good.” He gave a weak laugh.
They traveled until just a few hours before sunset. He couldn’t help but look about all the sand in distaste. He had never imagined coming to the Desert seeking aid. Cascade had always been strong.
“There are people in the distance,” Osrin said, still at his side.
Delane couldn’t see them. His vision hadn’t returned to what it used to be. “They’re probably King Maik’s men. Whoever they turn out to be, we’re at their mercy.”
Delane wanted nothing more than to reach the North Gardens Palace. He needed to know if Janessa had arrived before they had. He didn’t want her to do anything unnecessary. She would, too. She knew her duty to the people, better than her brothers ever had. As he thought about his daughter, he wished he could have done things differently. He wished he had treated her more as an equal sooner. Only a year ago, had he realized his mistake. At least, he had repaired some of the damage he had caused.
When the riders’ horses skittered to a stop, kicking up dust, Delane met the leader’s eyes. He gave a polite nod, wishing he could find the strength to stand. Most days, he didn’t have the strength to remain awake.
“Who are you?” the man demanded with his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Delane Stone.”
“He’s the King of Cascade. Show him some respect.”
“Osrin, it’s okay.”
The man blinked a few times. “We knew people were fleeing Cascade, but we never thought…” He met Delane’s eyes. “Is there anything we can help with, your Majesty?”
“We need an escort to the North Garden’s Palace,” Delane said. His voice was barely more than a whisper, cutting in and out. “We ran out of water this morning and haven’t had food for a few days. I’m afraid if we don’t get anything soon, some of us will die.”
Delane watched the man look toward him. Although his blurred vision prevented him from seeing the man’s face, he imagined it was filled with pity.
“We’ll spare what we can on the way.”
Querra
After killing one of the winged monsters, she had pressed herself up against a wide tree trunk. Her chest heaved with the labored breaths that followed the excitement. They hadn’t returned to Kenokel. The monsters from there seemed to have followed them. They had left them alone for a few days making them believe they were safe. Worse yet, she feared the smaller monsters were spreading across Cascade.
Over a week ago, the Relentless had started sending out scouting parties. They killed whatever monsters they came across. Today, she realized it wasn’t enough. The Relentless were going to have to address the issue of the monsters spreading before more innocents died and more homes were destroyed.
She was thankful the Relentless were strong in numbers, despite their recent losses. It was the only way they could continue to protect the people of Cascade from whatever had attacked.
She glanced down at the back of her throbbing hand. Some of the creature’s blood had touched her skin and had eaten a hole in the back of it. She shook her head before giving a sharp whistle, notifying the others it was time to return to base. For the moment, they seemed safe. All the monsters who had taken them by surprise were dead.
On the way back, she was quiet. She focused her gaze ahead, but her thoughts wandered. She had once thought there was nothing Hartland could offer to scare her. Now, she knew better. Like it or not, it seemed the people of Hartland didn’t know their world as well as they thought they had. These monsters had come as a complete, terrifying surprise.
She sighed and looked down at the back of her hand again. If they were going to do this, they’d have to become better and faster.
“We all bear such wounds,” one of the men she traveled with said. “If that’s the price to pay to protect others, I’ll gladly show my scars.”
Querra nodded. As she met his eyes, she wondered if he’d live long enough to show those scars. She had already seen too many of her men fall to those monsters. She turned her focus on how to distribute her soldiers across the kingdom. Cascade was a big place to protect. They couldn’t afford to make mistakes.
Janessa
Two days ago, she had arrived at the North Gardens Palace. As of yet, King Maik hadn’t come to see her. He’d had one of his advisors, Isol, attend to her and the others, seeing to their every comfort.
Janessa shook her head. How could she ever be comfortable here? Her father was out there somewhere. Since they hadn’t seen him or others on their way here, she had to consider he never made it out of Kenokel. If he was here, she hoped someone would have told her the day she had arrived.
The thought of him dead, hurt and tightened her chest until she could barely breathe. She sat down, taking in slow, deep breaths, telling herself her father was a strong man. She had to believe he had found a way to survive. Maybe their paths had never crossed.
As she watched the ocean crash against the smooth sand in the distance, she thought about everything she and her father had gone through. How they had fought. How he had thought women were capable of little more than bearing children and running a household. He had finally started to see what she was showing him. Women could do so much more. There was so much more she could show him.
A light tap at the door pulled her away from her thoughts. She glanced back at it before deciding to ignore it. It was probably one of the servants coming to ensure she had everything she could need. They came at least four times a day. It was wearing thin. She wanted to see the king. She wanted to know what he knew, if anything at all. The light tap came again. She glanced at the door, furrowing her brow.
“Can it wait?”
“Just let me in,” Galtrand’s voice came through the door.
Sighing, she rose and opened the door. She was thankful for everything he had done. Her shoulder still ached. Between him and King Maik’s Mender, Engrim, it was almost healed. Once healed, a small scar on both her shoulder and forearm would serve as a reminder of what had happened.
“Forgive my intrusion, my lady,” Galtrand said, offering her a small smile.
“Any news of my father?”
“No. I’m sorry for making you think so. I simply wanted to check on you.”
Janessa sighed, returning her attention to the ocean. When she had first arrived in her room, she had stared at the vast water for a good hour. It was the first time she had ever seen the ocean. Part of her wanted to venture down to the beach and dip her toes into what she suspected was ice cold water. This desert wasn’t a warm desert. It was too far north for that. It also bordered one of the coldest bodies of water.
“How are you?”
“Not well,” she whispered. “It’s unbearable not knowing if my father is alive or dead. It might very well be I have no family left.”
This time, no matter how hard she tried, tears streamed down her face. Galtrand wrapped his arms around her and let her cry onto his chest. She remained in his arms a little longer, taking comfort in someone she had known for years. When she felt him sniff her hair, she pulled away.
“Why’d you come?”
“I came about a report earlier this morning. A group of people heading toward the palace is being accompanied by some of King Maik’s soldiers. No word has yet arrived.”
“It has to be my father!” A great weight lifted from her sho
ulders. “Thank you.”
“Wait.” She looked to him, frowning. “The reason I didn’t tell you right away is because I don’t want you jumping to conclusions. If it isn’t your father, I don’t want to see you hurt worse than you already are. Please, be aware your father might not be in the group.”
“I know,” she answered, “but I can feel it.”
“My lady,” he began but was interrupted by an urgent knock.
She scowled, expecting it to be one of the servants again, seeing if she needed anything. When she opened the door, she found Isol standing there. His narrow face was grim. His black hair slicked back. He gave her a curt nod.
“King Maik would like to see you now.”
“It’s about time. Why has he made me wait so long?” Janessa asked, looking toward Galtrand.
“He’ll have to answer that, my lady.”
He led her through the hallway. They traversed a flight of stairs and passed through the grand entrance hall with marble floors. From there, they traveled another hallway where one entire wall was home to windows looking toward the ocean. Isol didn’t speak to her as he walked. His boots clicked along the marble floors, filling the awkward silence between them. When he came to a stop, he turned to her with a seriousness which frightened her.
“As a word of caution, watch what you say. His Majesty has a bit of a temper. You should also know he gets what he wants.” He looked her up and down. An arrogant smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. “Word has it, he wants you.”
Janessa hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. The door closed behind her. The king’s back was turned to her. He was staring out the window at the expanse of sand and the distant town. When he didn’t acknowledge her, she cleared her throat. Still, he only stood there for several more moments, staring out the massive window in the study.
“Please have a seat.” His voice was a gentle baritone. Janessa remained where she was. Maik turned toward her. When he saw she hadn’t sat down, an amused smile curved his lips. “Please, have a seat. We have some things to discuss. They are better done when seated.”