Finally I answered, “I race for the priests, and that’s all there is to it.”
He hid his disappointment with a casual smile.
“Of course, and I apologize for being so impertinent and forward. I’m just very intrigued by you.”
I caught his eyes staring at my chest. So that was what he had wanted. He had thought I was a concubine. Surprisingly, I wasn’t upset. I felt rather flattered that someone of his status would even consider bedding someone like me, a skinny woman from the Pit.
I sat straighter in my saddle. I turned my attention back to Landon and dared to look at him, really look at him. He was tall, a few inches taller than Mad Jack, and while Mad Jack was dark and mysterious, Landon was light and airy. His forearm was three times the size of mine, and I could see that he was well muscled under his tunic. Nobleman or not, he’d had to train hard to acquire muscles like that. It appeared as though the nobleman had secrets as well.
Landon gave Torak a last pat and stepped away.
“You’re welcome to join me and my friends at our camp. There’s a warm fire going already, and we have some nice sweet wine from my family’s vineyard.”
Wine, the drink of the rich. I’d had it before on a few occasions, but very rarely. I’d preferred it to the bitter taste of ale, but I couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t even afford a glass, let alone a bottle of the stuff.
I didn’t understand why he was being so kind to me. I was poor. He was rich. We were from entirely different worlds, and we were competing against each other in a race…
“We’re just over there,” he waved his hand towards the beach.
I followed where he pointed. The group from Anglia was sitting around a small fire, although I wasn’t sure a fire could warm the chill I felt at the back of my neck. I recognized some faces from Soul City on the day of the race. A beautiful young woman with long blonde hair caught my eye, not because of her delicate features, but because she was shooting daggers at me with her icy blue eyes.
I doubted that anyone from the Pit would’ve invited me to join their camp so openly. Landon was different from the others. It was as plain as the smile on his face. When he spoke his eyes were honest, and I didn’t suspect a lie in anything he’d said so far. There was a quality and a natural grace about him. He was a true gentleman.
I saw that the young woman knew it, too. She wasn’t about to let him go, and she was definitely not ready to share.
I smiled. “That’s very kind of you, but I think I’ll just stay on my own. I’m more of a lone creature anyway. Gives me time to think.”
“Ah, ha,” he said.” So you’re a great thinker? I thought I saw that spark in your eyes.”
His smile grew. “Well, if you change your mind, you’re most welcome to join us.”
He walked away, and I didn’t stare at him long enough to make my feelings known.
When I looked back at his camp, there she was. The blonde was eyeing me with hatred. But as soon as Landon neared the camp, her face brightened, and she looked even more beautiful. She took his arm in hers, pulled him close, and whispered in his ear. They looked perfect together, a lady with her knight. I couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. She looked back at me triumphantly. For half a second I thought she was about to stick out her tongue at me.
I sighed. I didn’t have time for games. I was tired, and I didn’t have the energy to chase someone else’s lover. She couldn’t have been more than twenty and really was stunning. The way she stood, by itself, told me she was from a wealthy family, too. She was a lady in riding clothes. Her cloak moved, and I noticed the sword tied to her waist. I thought she looked too delicate to be in this kind of race, but looks could be deceiving.
I dismounted and stretched. I steered Torak in the opposite direction from the Anglians on the beach, passing the other groups on my way. Mad Jack stood up as I wandered past, but I didn’t meet his eyes. I didn’t feel like chatting at the moment, especially not with him. Just the thought of him made me quiver with anger.
Most of the other horses were tied up in clusters on a nice stretch of grass above the sand dunes. A stream trickled down between the great boulders on the other side of the little field and provided the horses with the fresh water they needed.
I moved carefully around the other horses and led Torak under a tree near the widest part of the small stream at the far edge of the clearing. I looped the reins in a loose knot around a thick branch. After I had unpacked my saddlebag and my bedroll, I emptied most of my provisions from Torak to lessen his load. I settled down next to a patch of shrubbery.
I didn’t have the energy to make a fire, so I settled for some stale bread and cheese. The bread could have been moister, but I was used to it. The goat cheese was divine.
The priests would have eaten like kings, no doubt. Wine would have been perfect with my small supper. I took a sip of water from my canteen and finished it. I couldn’t leave it empty, so I got up and filled it at a clean and fast moving part of the small stream. When I was done, I sat back down. I was the farthest one away from the bogs, not the best spot from which to restart the race, strategically speaking, but it gave me a good view of everyone else.
They were all friends. They passed their food and drink around without speaking, like family. But it was clear that they were all warriors, too, even the women, even that delicate Anglian blonde.
I watched them and planned.
The boisterous and loud Girmanians were physically the biggest. They would obviously be ones to watch out for, if and when they decided to take a hit at me. They feared nothing, and they wanted everyone else to know.
The Anglians were more subtle. They smiled and laughed, but they were more controlled than the Girmanians. Every now and again, I could see Anglian men spying on the other groups and then huddling with Landon to discuss whatever they had discovered.
My heart raced whenever I saw Landon. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was staring at a piece of parchment that was obviously a map. Everyone was trying to figure out a way to cross the bogs.
I felt the tension in the air as much as I felt the evil that lingered in the mist. No one appeared to be taking any chances.
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the Fransians. It appeared that they, too, had brought some wine or some hard drink on their journey. They danced around their fire, singing songs in Fransian, and their faces were red with drink. They would probably miss tomorrow’s early start.
The Romilians were roasting some animal over their fire. Even from where I was, my mouth watered at the divine smell of spices and roasting meat. They gestured with their hands a lot when they spoke, and they were just as loud as the Girmanians. I knew they must have been skilled hunters because none of the other groups had been successful killing any game. The Romilians’ hunting skills would give them an advantage in the race.
The Espanians were restless. They paced back and forth on the other side of the bogs. They thrust their weapons into the swamp to test the depth of the waters, looking for an advantage at tomorrow’s start.
But I didn’t know where the Purtulese fit. They were the quietest of all the groups and seemed to be watching everyone else, just like I was. It would be strategy over strength with them. I would have to watch out for the Purtulese. There was something unsettling about their behavior. It was almost as though they were planning something.
Mad Jack and his crew from the Pit would probably be prepared to commit murder to get their hands on the stone. A handsome prize wasn’t something he’d give up easily. I would definitely have to watch my back around everyone from the Pit. It was clear they hated me and wouldn’t think twice about cutting off my head.
The man I had seen before, with the temple trinket around his neck, was making a circular impression in the sand around their camp. It was either to protect them from the witches he’d insulted earlier or from whatever evil lurked in the bogs. I might have done the same if I’d had a pendant like his, anything to repel
the evil that lingered so close in the air.
As the evening sun started to set, the voices grew louder, and I smelled ale. I was still uneasy about the hatred that they all seemed to show for witches. I had magic, too. Did that make me a witch? Or was I something entirely different?
The high priest had said that I was more than just a witch. So what then? I wasn’t schooled in magic, and magic was a taboo subject anyway, so I really didn’t have much to go on. I never really believed in magic until I saw it with my own eyes. I saw the golden light that healed my fatal wound. I didn’t know why I could heal and others couldn’t. My magic had frightened me when I first felt my skin healing. But I wasn’t afraid anymore. It was part of who I was. And it was the only thing I could use to my advantage in this race. While they had strength in numbers, I could heal from a fatal wound. Maybe my magic could do even more, I didn’t know.
I relaxed and let my thoughts wander about the rest of the race. I leaned back against the bushes and noticed that the shadows around me seemed longer than usual.
That’s weird. It’s not even late in the evening yet.
The sky was thick with gray clouds that covered the sun and turned the sky into night prematurely.
And then darkness fell.
CHAPTER 17
TORAK SQUEALED, A HIGH-PITCHED, ear-piercing scream, and I jumped to my feet.
He was stiff and twitching. The whites of his eyes shone in the semi-darkness. He rose up on his hind legs and squealed louder. The other horses shifted nervously, too, and looked like they were about to bolt.
The horses all seemed to be looking at the bogs. Something in there was setting off the animals. I strained, but I could only see swamp and sickly vegetation. Then I smelled rotten eggs and damp earth. It filled my nose until it burned. Grimacing, I searched for the source of the smell in the bogs. And then I saw it.
A giant wave of light gray mist was rolling silently onto the beaches. It moved faster than any normal mist, but when I looked to the top of the trees next to me, they weren’t moving. There was no wind. The air was eerily still.
My breathing came in rapid bursts. I watched as giant fingers of gray mist searched the beach as though they were alive and had minds of their own. The smell of sulfur choked me. My eyes burned, and I had to blink the tears to see clearly. Something was wrong.
My pulse raced as I grabbed my daggers.
“The mist!” I bellowed. “There’s something in the mist!”
Heads turned my way, but they ignored me. Some of them pointed at me and laughed. They must have thought that I was mad or drunk.
“Bloody idiots,” I hissed.
I ran a few paces forward all the while jumping in the air flailing my arms like an idiot.
“Listen to me, you fools!”
I pointed towards the evil white mist and bellowed as loudly as I could.
“The threat is real. The mist is coming. There’s something unnatural in the mist. You need to move!”
They stirred then. Some of them looked frightened as the gray devil approached, but it was too late.
I watched helplessly as a giant wave of mist rushed silently onto the beach and engulfed the unsuspecting men and women. The great, mist-like hands of the bogs had decided to come and get us.
Earsplitting screams echoed from inside the eerie fog. And then I heard the sound of metal hitting flesh. Horses trumpeted, but the mist muffled the sounds and made them seem far away.
The mist kept coming. It spread out and rolled along the beaches to where the others camped. My fear and dread increased. I couldn’t see farther than a few hundred feet now, not even the fires that burned along the beach. Everything was covered in a blanket of fog. Horns blew, and the long and desperate screams increased.
And then I heard wet guttural snarls and growls that were unlike any living animal I’d ever heard before. It was the sound of nightmares, the sound of creatures from another world. And it was all coming from inside the mist.
In a mad panic, the horses pulled free of their tethers. I caught a glimpse of Torak’s black tail as he galloped away from the mist. Two bronze colored horses and a white mare followed him. Seconds later the spot where they had been grazing was completely submerged in the mist.
I wanted to call out to my friend, Torak, to call him back, but I knew he wouldn’t come. The horses had sensed the evil before we humans did. They weren’t stupid. They ran with wild speed, and the mist would never reach them.
“Goodbye, my friend,” I whispered. I felt a little bit of comfort that he was safe, but I knew I would need all my courage to face this new evil.
I turned towards the rancid, burning fog. Glowing red eyes peered at me greedily from inside the mist. They were so close that I would make contact if I slashed out with my weapons. The hatred and hunger in the eyes were unmistakable. It wanted to taste my flesh. We hadn’t even made it into the bogs, and yet something evil was attacking us.
There was no time to think. I lunged forward, blades flailing. But in an instant, the eyes were gone, and I was alone again. Although I’d often wished for solitude, this time I didn’t. I longed to have someone, anyone, next to me. How could I fight an enemy that I couldn’t see?
“Mad Jack?” I cried and took a careful step forward.
“Mad Jack!” I bellowed as loudly as I could.
I listened and prayed that he’d appear before me. But the only sound was my beating heart. The air had gone silent. The mist had silenced every living thing. Were they even still alive?
The mist billowed like great storm clouds. I turned to the path behind me, thinking about bolting like the horses. But how far would I go before the fog monster reached me? I could never outrun it. I would have to stand and fight whatever monsters emerged from the fog or die trying.
The mist swelled towards me. It swirled as if it had a mind of its own, soaring and twisting, surrounding me. I choked out a sob as the smell of sulfur burned my nose. I desperately fought my nausea and tried to keep my breathing shallow. But the mist burned my lungs like the smoke from a fire.
I pulled my shirt up over my mouth and nose in a makeshift mask so I could breath. I maintained my fighting stance, but my eyes burned so much that I couldn’t see through my tears.
How could I fight if I could not see? It was as if the mist had blinded us on purpose, to make us easy targets for whatever demons hid within it. I could almost feel it laughing at me.
I was trapped in a gray hell. Even if I could run now, I would be running blindly. I was too terrified to move, too terrified of what was in the mist. I could barely keep it together.
“Hello!” I cried.
“Is there anyone here? Hello?” But there was no reply.
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.
And then I heard a cry for help. It was so faint at first that I thought I might have imaged it. But as I tilted my head I heard it again. Faint, but it was definitely human, and female.
“Hello?” I cried. “Where are you?” I waited a moment.
“Tell me where you are. I need to hear your voice so I can find you. Hello?”
Could I even help her?
I tried not to think about those glowing red eyes as I moved carefully forward. I was sure the voice had come from somewhere ahead of me and a little off my left. I took another step forward.
“Please, just say something … anything so I know where you are.”
I was probably going to get myself killed. Every instinct in me screamed to run the other way, but I ignored it. Maybe, just maybe, I could help.
Just as I was about to give up, a bone-chilling scream filled the air. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I heard a thump.
I caught my breath. The scream had sounded just like my mother’s, right before Brother Edgar had cut off her head. It was a scream that would haunt me forever.
I dashed blindly towards the sound. The fact that I could hear my feet padding the ground brought me some comfort. This was no
t a nightmare. It was truly happening.
I raced towards the woman’s cry, and my own mother’s screams rang in my ears again. Tears ran down my face freely now, and I sobbed as I ran. My foot caught on a root, and I stumbled, but I quickly steadied myself and kept moving.
Another scream. This time it sounded as if it were right in front of me. I gripped my daggers and screamed, “I’m coming!”
Images of my dying mother flashed in my mind’s eye, urging me forward.
“Stay where you are.”
Something caught my foot, and I went pitching forward. I landed hard on the ground and knocked my breath out. I had landed with my daggers pointing up and had nearly impaled myself. My legs were wet. I must have landed in a puddle.
I pushed myself up and gasped.
A shriveled heap lay at my feet. The blood I was covered in was not my own. The body was so mangled and twisted that at first I hadn’t even recognized it as a person at all. There was no sign of clothes. The skin had been sliced into strips, and each strip had been peeled away from the body like you would pare an apple. The bloody muscles, flesh, and entrails were strewn about in puddles of deep maroon blood. The body’s limbs were scattered around, and the tendons were still attached at the sockets, as though they’d been ripped from the body. Blood. So much blood. The face was a woman’s, but the deep mangled gashes looked as though something with large teeth had taken a bite out of her. Her eyes were two empty black holes.
My body convulsed, and I vomited. I retched again and again until the bile burned my throat. I was crying so much that the world was a blurry haze.
What kind of monster could do this?
“Elena!”
Mad Jack’s voice sounded behind me, and I nearly collapsed in relief.
“Mad Jack! I’m here! I’m here!”
I forgot about the dead woman and rushed to the spot where I’d last heard his voice. But he wasn’t there.
A pair of glowing red eyes peered at me through the mist. And just as my scream caught in my throat, the creature lunged.
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