"It's going to be cold tonight, Taranis. Lie down next to Ashlyn," Zane suggests.
The rogue gathers his cloak around him and stretches out beside me. Freya settles down on his other side. Closing my eyes, I release a tiny sigh. I feel safe cuddled between these two powerful men. When my shivering refuses to die down, Taranis rolls over, spooning against my back. The tremors subside, allowing my body to finally relax.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The Forbidden Jungle
It's a warm, pleasant morning, not a cloud in sight to mar the perfect azure sky. Any other day I'd revel in the sunshine. Today though, a gloomy sky would be more appropriate to match my morose mood. Zane's sure we'll reach the ruins by nightfall. That is, if we don't run into any snags in the jungle surrounding them. When I asked him earlier what he meant by snags, he mumbled something about quicksand and poisonous monsters. It all sounds just delightful.
I wonder how many of the prior Chosen even made it this far. If they did, they probably fell into quicksand after being bitten by a poisonous monster to die a slow agonizing death. What a wonderful thought for my sullen mood.
Zane and Taranis have been silent for at least an hour now. Every once in a while I notice Taranis glower at Zane. What's truly unnerving is the menacing glare Zane shoots my way every so often. His scowl conveys an intense desire to wrap his hands around my neck and throttle me. Perhaps that's why he keeps clenching his fists. Yep, I'll be known as the Chosen killed by the mercenary hired to protect her. If I wasn't so caught up in my own dark thoughts, I might wonder what I did to anger him. However, right now Zane's petulance and killer intentions are the least of my worries.
When the jungle appears in the distance, a strong, pulsating sense of dread fills me, pressing against my chest and making it difficult to breathe. The closer we get to the tree line the worse the feeling becomes until it threatens to overwhelm me. Just through those trees lie the Breven Ruins. It's starting to take every ounce of energy and willpower to continue moving forward instead of turning tail and fleeing. When did it become so difficult to place one foot in front of the other? I'm so wrapped up in my fear, I jump when Zane's voice breaks through the silence.
"Ashlyn put your shield up," Zane commands.
I turn to argue but the dark, venomous glare in his eyes silences me. Focusing within, I picture my pink bubble surrounding my body. As soon as I'm wrapped in its soft glow, all the fear and morose feelings disappear.
"Taranis, how are you feeling right now?" he asks, turning to eye the rogue.
Zane seems to have calmed down. The malicious scowl in his eyes has vanished to be replaced by what appears to be guilt.
"Kinda worked up and angry," the pirate snaps. His hands are balled into tight fists at his sides, and his blue eyes are sparking with unconcealed fury. "You know, like I want to run you through with my sword."
"Do you know how to put up a shield to block magic?" Zane asks him, his face locked in a stoic expression. How can he remain so calm with Taranis growling at him?
"Of course I do. I'm not a moron!" Taranis spits back as he stalks toward Zane, his lips curled back into a vicious snarl.
"Put up your shield," Zane orders while standing his ground. When Taranis continues to advance, he adds, "Please, Captain." The pirate closes his eyes for a moment then they snap back open.
"What in blazes was that?" he asks Zane. "I swear I wanted to gut you with my sword. Much longer and I think I would have."
"I do believe my dear father is playing with us," he replies through his clenched jaw. "Keep your shields up."
He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. When he has calmed, I pull him into my arms and place a gentle kiss on his lips. He crushes me in his embrace.
"I'm so sorry," he whispers into my hair. "I wanted to kill you with my bare hands. My fingers kept twitching with the need to wrap around your neck and choke the life from you."
"It's not your fault," I murmur, brushing tender kisses along his jaw.
"It shouldn't have taken me so long to notice the spell." The words come out a low groan as I move up to nibble at his ear. "For that I'm sorry."
"Taranis and I didn't notice either," I breathe into his ear before lightly licking his earlobe. "You're not infallible. We don't expect you to be."
He moans and captures my lips with his. Melting into him, I tip my head to allow him deeper access to my mouth. The front of my body molds to his as his lips caress mine with exquisite tenderness. My fingers tangle in his auburn hair. He moans deep in his throat, his kiss becoming more demanding. Just when I think I might suffocate, he wrenches his lips from mine. With a deep groan, he pulls me into a tight embrace. I rest my head on his shoulder, my breath coming in tiny pants. He kisses my forehead and strokes my long, wavy hair with his hands.
"Okay lovebirds, I do believe we have a dangerous jungle to cross," Taranis says from behind me. When I glance at him, I'm surprised to see his lips curled into a wistful smile. "That's assuming you wish to reach the ruins by nightfall." He strolls over to Freya and strokes the feathers at her neck. "You'll have to fly there, my lovely queen. Wait for us by the ruins."
The griffin appears to nod, then takes off into the sky. When I meet Zane's gaze, he appears startled at the easy interaction between the griffin and the rogue. The captain turns back to us with a wide grin on his face.
"Freya's magnificent, isn't she?" Taranis whispers, his eyes on her retreating form. "Well, are we going or not?" he asks, stepping beneath the dense trees.
Zane takes my hand and we follow Taranis into the dark jungle, Shadow close at our heels.
****
The going is rough to say the least. Dense foliage forces us to cut our own path through the endless underbrush. Vines hang down everywhere grabbing at my body, causing me to jump in fright. I'd never admit it aloud for fear of sounding crazy, but I think the vines are alive. For some reason, they seem to like me much more than my two companions. Shudders wrack my body at the mere thought of sentient plants.
Taranis is leading our group, slashing through the roots and plants blocking our way with his sword. My hair is in a braid again since it kept becoming tangled in the vines. The last time the vines grabbed at my hair, it took both men to disentangle me from the grabby tendrils. Once I was free of the clingy vines, Taranis handed his sword to Zane and braided my hair. Since the vines have lost interest in me the hike through the jungle is easier. We've been hiking for about an hour or so with no monster encounters. Well, unless you include conscious plants as monsters, which I do, though I doubt the men would agree with me. Taranis stops, holding his hand in the air. Zane and I gather beside him.
"Looks like quicksand dead ahead," Taranis says, pointing to the ground just inches in front of us. "We'll have to backtrack and go around."
Zane grunts his agreement and leads us back a bit until there's a clearer path to the right. He takes over for Taranis, hacking at the vegetation with his sword. After a few minutes, we turn and head back north toward the ruins. We walk in complete silence. For some reason I feel like I'm being watched. The hairs on the nape of my neck are at constant attention and shudders run through my body on a regular basis. It's unnerving… I wish the culprits would reveal themselves.
"Company ahead," Zane whispers when we catch up to him.
There are two strange creatures up ahead perched in the trees. Green insects at least as long as my arm, with large iridescent wings that flutter even though the monsters aren't flying, creating a soft buzzing noise that fills the air around us.
"What are those?" I ask, unable to suppress another shudder. Though they're quite beautiful, I'm not fond of insects, especially ones this big. Shadow releases a low, rumbling growl and starts slinking toward the monsters.
"Mantids," Zane replies as he steps in front of Shadow, halting his advance. He runs his fingers through Shadow’s fur, calming the agitated wolf. "They're weak against lightning, Taranis." The pirate nods. "Ashlyn, take one out with an a
rrow while Taranis attacks the other with lightning. Try to hit them simultaneously. They're highly poisonous so we don't want to give either a chance to attack."
"Ready when you are. I got the one on the right," I whisper to Taranis.
When he nods, I untie my bow and nock an arrow. He focuses his energy then nods again. I release the arrow and it pierces the center of the insect on the right. Taranis's lightning hits the other at the same moment. Both monsters fall to the jungle floor, melting the plants around their fallen bodies with the toxic fluids leaking from their wounds.
"Perfect," Zane says, "let's keep moving."
He hacks through the underbrush while we trail close behind. We continue trudging through the thick jungle for what seems like hours. The humidity is intense, a tangible pressure which makes every motion harder. Zane and Taranis trade off clearing a path. When I offer to take a turn, two sets of eyes glare at me. I start to complain but clamp my mouth closed. Only a moron would argue in this stifling heat.
Every once in a while we happen upon more insect monsters. The jungle is teeming with them. Zane said we'd never see the majority of the elusive insects. What a comforting thought!
I had to stop shooting them with arrows after the first since the poison in the body melted my arrow. Taranis continues using his lightning attack, while Zane has started using darkness to attack them, leaving me to watch most of the time. The darkness attack is creepy. A purplish black bubble appears around his target and when it shrinks away, the target is just gone. Not dead but gone, vanished into thin air. When I ask Zane where the monster goes, he shrugs and shakes his head. Does Delistaire use that attack on people? Ugh, my body trembles at the prospect. The feeling of being watched prickles at my neck again, though I manage to resist the overwhelming urge to look around for the source.
We have to skirt around quicksand so often I'm becoming paranoid. It's reached a point where I don't know whether my doom will come from the trees, the ground, or the distressing stalker I can sense but not see. I'm glad both Zane and Taranis seem able to recognize quicksand before it's too late. The idea of drowning in sand is unpleasant to say the least. I almost drowned in a river; I'll pass on the quicksand.
Taranis is leading the group when he stops and gasps. I move behind him to peer over his shoulder, both excited and scared to see what he finds so intriguing. The jungle abruptly ends in a large circular clearing. In the center of the circle stands a giant stone structure. The building is crumbling in places, and the ground around it is littered with fallen pieces. It's difficult to tell what the structure once looked like since so much of it has collapsed. There's a small creek running through the clearing to the right of the ruins. Other than the sound of trickling water, the air around us is silent. It's eerie.
Zane takes a few steps into the clearing, his eyes darting around as though he expects a surprise attack at any moment. Now that we're out from under the dense foliage, I notice it's already early evening. A shriek breaks through the thick silence around us. Freya lands on the ground in front of Zane. He walks up to her and strokes her neck while still studying our surroundings for some unseen enemy. Perhaps he was expecting his father to be here waiting. I'm relieved there's no sign of Delistaire, though I'm sure he was my faceless stalker in the jungle.
The air around us is thick and feels oppressive, but not the heaviness of humidity like in the jungle. No, this is something else entirely, something nefarious. Zane walks toward the ruins glancing around, his dark eyes pensive and wary. As we walk by the outermost of the fallen stones, a crackling energy rips through the air around us.
"We just passed through a light barrier," Zane murmurs. "Did you feel it?"
Inside the barrier, the heavy feeling dissipates, replaced by a light, comforting aura. Zane walks over to a crumbling column and runs his fingers along it.
"My mother put up this barrier," he says, his breath catching in his throat.
I walk over to him and lean against his back with my arms around his waist. He sinks into my embrace, releasing a sound somewhere between a sigh and a sob.
"I can feel her energy. It feels so alive…" he trails off.
"What happened to—" Taranis halts his question at my glare.
Zane turns in my embrace, burying his face in my neck. Wrapping my arms around him, I kiss the top of his head while stroking his hair. His body shakes with tiny tremors. When he gazes back up at me, his eyes are desolate but dry.
"I'm okay now. Feeling her presence again was momentarily overwhelming." He pulls away and starts to investigate the runic markings on the columns. Motioning for Taranis to follow me, I move away from Zane.
"Delistaire had his mother executed for using healing magic," I whisper. "He was only twelve when it happened."
"That's just—" Taranis begins, his eyes glinting with anger. He glances over his shoulder at the mercenary. "He was almost executed for the same thing. Tragic."
"Delistaire has caused him enough pain." My eyes fill with tears I refuse to shed. "I won't rest until he lies dead at my feet."
Taranis pulls me into his arms.
"I pledge to do everything in my power to help you destroy him," he whispers into my hair. "I'll protect you with my life."
"You sound just like Zane," I say, slapping at his chest. "Just promise me you won't die. That's all I want."
"How can I make a false promise like that?" he asks, stroking my cheek. His lips are curled into a heartbreaking, melancholy smile. "Would you promise not to risk your life to save mine?"
"No," I admit, "you're right. I'm sorry." Resting my head on his shoulder, I close my eyes, drawing strength from Taranis.
"I think your lady needs you," Taranis calls out. When I turn around Zane is behind me. I throw myself at him, and he enfolds me in his arms.
"We'll camp out here tonight and enter the ruins first thing in the morning," Zane says in a steady voice. "It should be okay to lower your shields. We can't risk burning too much energy."
He leads us back to the main entrance of the ruins, and we clear enough rubble away to make a small campsite. Night has fallen, leaving the clearing cloaked in darkness. The noises from the jungle are strange, odd rustling, intermittent shrieking, and disconcerting howls.
"I think we're relatively safe under this light barrier," Zane says, eyeing the dark clearing. "Let's try to get a good night's sleep. We don't know what trials we'll be forced to face tomorrow."
"You sure those creatures out there can't get to us?" I ask, swallowing hard around the lump in my throat.
"No, but do you really think Shadow would let anything dangerous get close to us?" Zane asks, stroking my cheek. Shadow huffs his agreement.
Zane refuses to allow a fire. He doesn't want to risk alerting Delistaire that we've arrived at the ruins. Not wanting to worry them, I don't bother to mention my faceless stalker. I'm sure Delistaire is well aware of our current location.
The glade is sheltered from the worst of the weather and though we can hear the wind howling, we don't feel it at all. Zane spreads out a cloth and prepares a small picnic while Taranis heads to the creek to refill our water flasks. We eat a quick dinner of bread, jerky and cheese. My stomach tries to reject the food, my nerves making it difficult to tolerate anything. Zane and Taranis cajole and beg until I give in, eating some bread and cheese. Though, I downright refuse to have any jerky. For some reason the idea of jerky is turning my stomach right now. After we finish eating, Taranis digs in his pack and pulls out a small bundle.
"Close your eyes and open your mouth, Ashlyn," Taranis orders through laughter. "I bought a surprise for you in Karina."
"I don't think so," I reply, eyeing the suspicious rogue.
"Where's your sense of adventure, my angelic beauty?" Taranis coos. "Come on, I promise you won't regret it."
Zane watches the exchange with an amused expression.
"He won't stop until you give in, Love," Zane says smirking.
"I can't believe you're taking his si
de!" I gasp at Zane. "Fine, you win, Taranis." Sighing, I close my eyes and open my mouth.
He places something on my tongue, and I have a moment of confusion before my taste buds explode in delight. It's chocolate; I adore chocolate, a rarity in Verdane. I savor the small piece of heaven until it has melted on my tongue.
"Thank you, studly rogue." I giggle in delight when he hands me another piece.
"You're very welcome, fiery temptress," Taranis replies, bowing his head.
"Dear Goddess, you're both making me ill," Zane groans, dropping his face into his hands. "It's time to sleep, so not another word out of either of you!"
Zane throws his cloak to the ground before picking me up in his arms and placing me on top of it. He lies down beside me. I curl up in his arms with Taranis close on my other side. The stone floor is hard and cold under my body leaving me to wonder if I'll get any sleep tonight. In the dim light I manage to find Zane's lips with mine, kissing him with the lightest of caresses.
"Good night, my beloved, enchanting prince," I whisper against his lips.
"Good night, my precious, captivating nymph," he whispers back before capturing my lips again in a slow, gentle kiss.
When his lips leave mine, I curl up against his chest, closing my eyes. Before long, exhaustion overtakes me and I drift off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rosemary's Ghost
A strange sound awakens me while my heart tries to beat its way out of my chest. My eyes fly open, and I glance around without moving my body. Based on their even breathing, Zane and Taranis are still fast asleep. Closing my eyes again, I concentrate, trying to locate the source of the sound. It's emanating from within the ruins. A haunting, feminine voice is calling my name. My eyes open again. Maybe I'm hallucinating. Shadow and Freya also seem to be fast asleep. Would everyone sleep through the voice if it were real? It calls my name again.
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