“Your power. You're using it, right? That's why you're out here.”
“I'm out here because I couldn't sleep,” she said. “I take it there's something wrong.”
“Damn right there is,” Cal responded and turned his eyes toward the men who stood with him. “Turn on your power and tell me what you sense.”
“From them?” she asked, confused.
“From anywhere,” Cal told her. “The food's missing. All of it.”
Her attention shot to the packs still piled next to the closest tent. “I was up nearly all night,” she said. “No one came close to the supplies.”
“And yet everything's gone,” Cal told her. “We're trying to figure out what happened. Talis went to get some of the silten to make porridge for breakfast and he discovered we had none left. I know for a fact we had at least a week's worth yesterday morning. Somebody stole it. We need to know who and how.”
“All right,” she said. “I'll see what I can do.”
She released her hold on her power, allowing it to roam in search of emotions. The strongest came from the men surrounding her. Frustration and anger swirled within them. They suspected each other of missing a key attack, she realized. Guilt surfaced from beneath the stronger emotions and she knew each of them also felt responsible for losing the supplies.
She stretched her power further, pushing it past the closest emotions. She felt nothing from the forest at first, then something small tugged at her. The emotion seemed uncertain, almost foreign to its owner. Meaghan narrowed her eyes, focusing her power in an attempt to define what she felt.
“Anything?” Cal asked.
“Not much. There's one emotion.” She hesitated, and then decided on it, “Curiosity, I think. It's distant.”
“Curiosity,” he echoed and knit his brows. “Like someone's watching us?”
“Possibly,” she said. “I can't be certain. I don't sense aggression. I also don't sense guilt, so I don't think whoever it is stole from us.”
“Then who did?”
“I don't know. It's possible the culprit is too far away for me to sense them.”
She reached further out, but still felt nothing. Blowing out a breath in frustration, she turned her eyes upward and scanned the trees as Nick had always taught her in training. Enemies did not always come from the ground. Although her power should have caught someone hiding in the canopy, it never hurt to be cautious. There could be a magical reason why her power did not work. Or a practical one, she realized when she spotted movement among the branches.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath, and then spoke louder. “By any chance are dranx monkeys scavengers?”
“They can be,” Talis answered. “They prefer live prey, but they'll go for anything they can put in their mouths. Why?”
“I think a pack of dranx stole our food.”
“That's not possible,” Cal said. “We can sense their magic. We'd know if any of them were around.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked and pointed into the trees. “Because there are at least half a dozen of them up there. We were looking for the razor beasts and guarding against Garon's army. We weren't looking for them. They could easily have stolen the food without us realizing it, especially with their ability to mask their movements in silence.” She remembered the red eyes she had seen the night before and cursed. “We saw them,” she said. “Their eyes would look the same as the razor beasts' in the dark.”
Malaki exchanged a look with his father and Meaghan felt the fear hidden behind his calm face. “Can you?” he asked. Eudor shook his head. “You?” he asked Talis.
“Not even a little,” Talis answered.
Talis's fear added to the fear she felt from Malaki. Eudor's panic overwhelmed both of them, and then Cal's unease joined the fray. Meaghan clutched her hands into fists to prevent them from shaking with the strength of the emotions she sensed.
“What's going on?” she asked. “You're all scared.”
Cal sighed. “Mute your power. I'll explain in a minute. Talis, wake the others. They'll need to know about this.”
Talis nodded and collected the last three members of their party. Faillen looked alert as he joined them at the fire, and Meaghan wondered if he had slept at all. Artair seemed more confused than concerned, and Talea rubbed at the sleep still shadowing her eyes.
“It appears we've lost our ability to sense magic,” Cal announced to the group. “And possibly more than that. I can't tell you why it's happened, but I can tell you it will make our jobs a lot more difficult.” He grimaced at Faillen. “I'm ashamed to say we're part-blind without our sensing powers. We use them to defend against both danger and magic.”
“You aren't as blind as you think,” Faillen said. “Most of you have hunted. The skills will transfer.”
“None of us are as skilled as you,” Cal told him. “Will you take the lead going forward?”
“If you want. Do you think this is Garon's doing?”
“It's possible. It occurred to me after we didn't sense the razor beasts, but he has no way of creating a new spell.” Cal hesitated and Meaghan realized Cal's unspoken question. Could Caide have turned? Faillen shook his head, the motion firm and Cal nodded in response. Meaghan also had her doubts Caide would turn so soon.
“Garon could have found a spell,” Meaghan offered. “Nick has always warned me it could happen, so he trained me not to rely on my power.”
A slight smile creased the corners of Cal's mouth. “Smart lad,” he said, then addressed the group. “Follow Faillen's lead until we know what's happening. And stay close together. Any questions?”
Malaki, Eudor, and Talis shook their heads, but Talea and Artair regarded him with confusion. Talea brought her hands back to her eyes and rubbed again.
“This must be some sort of bizarre dream,” she said.
“It's not,” Artair told her. “It seems we're just a step behind. Will someone please fill us in?”
“We lost the food,” Talis answered. “A group of dranx monkeys stole it in the night.”
“Dranx?” Talea echoed and frowned at him. “That's not possible. We would have—”
“Sensed them,” Artair interrupted. He crossed his arms over his chest. “That's the point isn't it? We didn't.”
“And you still don't,” Cal responded. “They're in the trees, watching us.” He gestured toward the closest tree. Several of the monkeys had moved from where Meaghan had initially seen them to the branches hanging overhead. “We also missed the razor beasts the other day, but that's not all. How many of you can sense Meaghan right now?”
Talea shook her head. “We can't, Cal. We're not her direct Guardians.”
“Not her presence,” Cal clarified, “her magic. Particularly her revival power. It's stronger than anyone else's and it should be easy to sense. So how many of you can sense it?”
“Not me,” Talis said.
Talea paled and shook her head.
“Me neither,” Artair told him. “And I could before we stopped for the rain. I use her power to monitor her location.”
“So it's getting worse,” Cal said.
Artair nodded and scanned the trees. “Is it just power we can't sense?” he asked. “Or is it more? You said we couldn't sense danger any longer. Are you certain?”
“Not about danger, but some of my other sensing powers are becoming affected.” He took Meaghan's hand in his and lifted it to show everyone the red streaks coursing across her skin. “She did this last night. I couldn't sense it right off as I should have. Once her pain finally triggered my sensing power, it came across muted.”
“So what do we do?” Eudor asked. He studied Cal with a seriousness Meaghan had never seen from him. Before Cal could answer, a dranx monkey dropped from the tree, looping its tail around a branch so it hung over Talea's head. She jumped back, barely avoiding the animal's searching grasp.
“Vile creature,” Talis hissed. He threw a rock at the monkey and it scurri
ed back up the tree. A razor beast bounded after it, digging sharp claws into the trunk of the tree as it chased its prey. A second beast followed and the remainder of the monkeys scattered, their panicked screeches following them as they jumped from tree to tree, escaping their fate as the cats' next meal.
Meaghan sucked in a sharp breath, tensing for a fight, but then felt a tingling course up her neck and dropped her eyes from the tree to Eudor. He winked at her in confirmation. The razor beasts were no more than hallucinations, but the dranx would not realize it until they had run far from the campground.
“That's better,” Cal chuckled. “Although I wonder if we should have kept some of them for lunch.”
Faillen shook his head. “By the time you trim away the sacs of poison lining their bodies, there's not enough left for a snack. I can find better.”
“That's what I'm hoping,” Cal told him, “because I don't relish starving. Why don't you find some breakfast while the rest of us break down camp. I'd like to begin traveling again within the next few hours.”
“The rain hasn't stopped,” Malaki pointed out. “I thought we were safer staying here until it did.”
“We were,” Cal said. “Before Meaghan sensed someone watching us this morning. I don't want to wait around for introductions.”
“The day keeps getting better,” Artair muttered. “Anything else we should know?”
“Only that sarcasm earns you hunting duty,” Cal answered. “You've just volunteered to join Faillen. Anyone else?”
Meaghan stepped forward. “I'll go.”
“I meant anyone else but you.”
“Why?” she asked. “At this point if you aren't able to sense danger, I'm the best person for the task. I can still sense emotions and Mardróch.”
“For now, but who knows how long that will last.”
She shrugged. “All that matters is my powers work. Besides, the dranx have proven we're not inaccessible. I may be of use to Faillen and Artair, especially if I can help them avoid whoever is out there.”
“They can take care of themselves,” Cal said and held his hand up when she opened her mouth to protest again. “That's my final decision.”
“Fine,” she managed as politely as her annoyance would allow. “I'll go pack.”
She turned to head back to her tent, but stopped when Faillen put a hand on her shoulder.
“Cal,” he said. “You know I'd never argue with your judgment in regard to your charge.”
Cal narrowed his eyes. “And yet you're about to. Spit it out. I'm not in the mood for diplomacy.”
Faillen grinned. “In that case, you're being unreasonable. She can handle herself as well as we can and even if she couldn't, I can protect her. I don't need to be a Guardian for that.”
Cal huffed. “I didn't say you did. I just don't think—”
“There's also that important step we have yet to accomplish,” Faillen interrupted. “If you cocoon her here, it won't happen. That makes the rest of our trip worthless, doesn't it?”
Cal frowned. His lips disappeared into the bristles of his beard, and then he sighed. “All right. But if you mess this up, I'll skin you.”
“I'd expect no less,” Faillen responded, then turned to Artair. “Ready?”
“Not yet. What 'important step' are you talking about?” Artair's gaze trailed from Faillen to Cal. “What's going on?”
“You're hunting,” Cal said. “Now get a move on it.”
Faillen walked into the forest. Meaghan followed, then turned back around when she realized Artair remained rooted to his spot. Cal's face darkened with anger.
“I said move it.”
Artair squared his shoulders. “You can't expect—”
“He can,” Talea interrupted. Though she did not raise her voice, Artair's gaze snapped to her face. “He has every right. You need to let this go.”
Artair shook his head. “I can't. Not this time. They owe us an explanation.”
“I owe you a demotion,” Cal responded. “And you'll have one if you keep arguing with me.”
“Please, Artair,” Talea tried again. “I'm begging you.”
“Fine.” Artair glared at Cal. “This time,” he added before storming into the woods.
§
“HE'S ACTING like a child,” Faillen said, frowning at Artair's back as the Guardian moved further ahead, nearly hidden by the forest's overgrowth. Meaghan would have been concerned if she had not seen him stopping to wait whenever they fell too far behind.
“At least his footsteps are quiet,” Faillen continued. “He's not scaring away the game, but he's certainly pouting. What's his problem?”
“I don't know. His emotions are hard to read. He's,” she hesitated, studying him. Most of what she felt from him was too complicated and tangled for her to sort, and what she could identify did not make sense to her.
“Angry,” Faillen offered. “It's obvious he thinks he should know the entire plan up front. That worries me. Are we certain we can trust him?”
“That's one of the things I am sure about. The other is that he's not angry. Not at us, anyway. For some reason Cal likes to rile him, but anger is not his primary emotion.”
“Then what is?” Faillen asked. “Because he's certainly acting angry enough to fool me.”
“I know. That's the oddest part though. It's just an act. He's hiding his emotions fairly well, but,” she puffed out a breath in frustration. “One emotion is too strong for him to hide. He's not angry. He's worried.”
“Worried?” Faillen asked. He stopped to aim at a plump green bird the size of a large turkey and let the arrow fly.
Artair stopped up ahead, but did not retrace his steps to join them. Instead, he waited until Faillen collected the bird and continued walking. Faillen and Meaghan followed.
Faillen resumed their conversation, “Do you think he's scared?”
“Not really,” Meaghan answered. “It's stronger than fear. He's terrified.” She shrugged. “It's similar to what I feel with this mission. It's like he's afraid to lose something important.”
“Is he afraid to die?”
She shrugged. “I'm not sure.”
Faillen glanced at her. “Are you?”
“How can I not be? My death seems inevitable.”
“Not if Cal and I can help it,” Faillen said and though his voice did not betray his emotions, she felt strong grief emanating from him. “We're not going to let Nick know the pain we've found. Cal has settled his pain. But my loss is still too close. I need to do this for him.”
For Nick, she realized he meant. Less than a month had passed since Ree's death. Saving Meaghan was the closest Faillen could come to saving his own wife.
Meaghan felt hollowed by that fact. Faillen might feel like he could prevent her death, but the prophecy had been clear. He could stop it no more than she and Nick could stop their wedding. She just hoped she could make Faillen understand. She could not bear the thought of leaving him with the guilt of failing to prevent something he could not control.
“I looked for the story again in the Writer's book last night,” she said, changing the subject. “It wasn't there, but another one appeared instead.”
“Did it give us anything useful?”
“Not exactly. It made the chapter I was looking for useless. Afterward B told me where the tribe had settled. It was so specific. I thought that meant they'd still be there. But this chapter made it clear they aren't.”
“They're nomads,” Faillen reminded her. “I've never known a nomadic tribe to stay in one place for a few years, let alone almost twenty.”
“I know,” she said, “but I was hoping.”
“There's no harm in that, and you shouldn't lose your hope. We came this far knowing we would have to hunt them down. That hasn't changed. Did the chapter at least tell you if they were still on Clear Mountain?”
She nodded. “It appears so. Not long after my father's death they moved higher up the mountain. His cousin took over as ruler
permanently and moved to protect the tribe. I don't know how far up or which side of the mountain they're on, but they did move. It's a lot of ground to cover.”
“It is, but the book seems to be leading you. It's possible the details will appear when we need them. If not, Cal's power should be able to find their camp.”
Meaghan stopped and looked away as shame filled her. “Not fast enough,” she said. “The longer we wait, the longer Caide is in the hands of Garon's army.”
Faillen sighed. His worry matched hers and then blossomed, and she wondered how she had not felt the emotion from him before. It eclipsed even his grief.
“I wanted to head straight there,” he admitted. “I wanted to make a direct attack, but those actions wouldn't have saved my son. Meaghan, I need you to look at me.”
She returned her eyes to his face to find him studying her.
“This plan is all we have,” he said. “We can't bring an army with us without Garon realizing we mean to betray our pact with him. We can't honor the pact because he'll betray us. If this plan doesn't work, Caide will be lost to him forever.”
Meaghan swallowed. Her throat felt raw from unspent tears and she wondered if they were her own or a reaction to Faillen's emotions. She raised her chin in determination. “We'll make it work,” she promised. “I'll do everything I can to make it work.”
Faillen smiled. His worry lifted and he resumed walking. She met his pace.
“There's more,” she told him. “I don't know if it will help or not, but I learned something else in the book last night.”
“What?”
“Some of the tribe moved off the mountain. They reestablished a village that had been destroyed in the beginning of the Zeiihbu War. It may be a long shot, but if that village still exists…” her voice trailed off.
“The villagers might be able to lead us to the tribe,” Faillen guessed. His eyes slid to hers and his smile widened. “That could be exactly what we need. Was there anything else that could tell us which village is theirs?”
“No, but I learned something about the woman who led them there.” She bit her lip, somehow afraid that if she said the words, they would no longer be true.
Aerenden: The Zeiihbu Master (Ærenden) Page 12