by C. Ellsworth
The light of the fire seemed small this night, like it had lost the strength to hold back the darkness. It gave off little heat as well, and Addy hugged herself for warmth. The others seemed unaffected, though, so perhaps it was something else that sent shivers coursing through her. Was it the witch, the storm, or was it the Affirmation?
Liah. Addy’s heart clenched. If Addy hadn’t been knocked down—if she had leaped out of the way—perhaps her friend would still be alive. She reached up and clutched the stone figure beneath her shirt, tears welling in her eyes.
Standing, she walked from the fire and into the night. If the others saw her crying again, they’d think she was losing her resolve, if they didn’t already. Fool girl. There’s no time for tears!
Karine called after her. “Are you all right, Addy? Where are you going?”
At the edge of the light, where it was hopefully dim enough that the others couldn’t see, she sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “I just need to take a walk. I won’t go far.” Then she walked farther into the darkness, the light of the fire fading as she went until it was small in the distance.
Eventually she came to large rock that made for a suitable seat. Sitting down, she peered outward, throat tight and jaw clenched. She slammed a fist down onto her leg. “Why?” she called to the night. “Why me? I can’t do this!” Tears glided down her cheeks, and she wiped them away again. Look at me, sitting here feeling sorry for myself. She heaved a sigh and peered off into the dimly-lit surroundings illuminated only by the red glow of the Tower’s spire. The occasional flash of lightning above sent the shadows dancing.
Out of the corner of her eye something moved, blocking the faint light of the fire in the distance. Her heart skipped, and she reached for her daggers. Was it a canth? Skeg?
Ryan materialized from the darkness. “Hey. Are you all right? I thought you . . . might want to talk.”
Addy breathed a sigh, then she slid over on her stony seat to make room for Ryan. “I’m fine.” She rolled her eyes inwardly. Could she be any less convincing?
Ryan sat down beside her, the red light from the Tower just bright enough to make out the sharp features of his face, his lips, the stubble now growing along his jawline, giving him a rugged charm. His eyes met hers. “Are you sure? I’m even a little shaken by everything that’s happened.”
The heat from his body made the air around her feel somehow colder, and she shivered. Their shoulders touched, and her stomach fluttered. “I . . . suppose I am a little . . . unnerved as well.” She clenched her teeth together to keep them from clacking.
“I suppose we should have brought warmer clothing, eh?” That familiar smirk appeared on Ryan’s face. Funny how it no longer made her grit her teeth. “Perhaps if we . . . huddled together? For warmth?”
She gave a small smile and leaned into him, laying her cheek against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her, and his heartbeat grew rapid. His breath was warm in her hair, and his scent was sweet musk and campfire smoke. Warmth flooded into her.
Addy closed her eyes and nestled deeper into his chest. What was this? What did it mean? There were so many questions, but those questions could be answered at another time, when things were calm and death didn’t await them around every bend.
Her heart ceased fluttering. Liah. “I might have saved her, Ryan.”
“Don’t say that, Addy.” His voice was soothing. “You know there was nothing any of us could have done.”
“I might have done something. I could have tried at least.” She hesitated. Was this the right time? Was he the right person? She pulled away reluctantly, and the cold air swirled around her once again. A lock of dark hair fell into her eyes, and she brushed it aside. “I have this . . . power in me. A power to do things others can’t.”
Ryan’s brows furrowed. “In town . . . the Proving. That was you?” He paused, thoughtful. “There was talk, but . . . Addy, what power are you talking about?”
Addy bit her lower lip. For her entire life, Papa had told her not to reveal her secret. Once everyone knew, she would be openly scorned and probably banished. And here she was blabbing about it like a fool reciting a fairytale. Would he think she was a witch, like the woman in the shack?
Heart beating fiercely, she whispered. “Watch.”
Turning and sitting very straight, she directed her face outward. She had never done this before. She had never intentionally used her power for a specific purpose. She had always been too afraid, especially after lighting Mr. Quenton’s hair afire, leaving him with a lightly blistered scalp for a few weeks. What would have happened if his head had simply . . . exploded . . . like the earth had when she had lost her tempter? Focus!
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. If she kept calm and focused perhaps she could keep from destroying something . . . or someone. This had to work! Please, let this work!
Then she began to hum. It was another song Mama had sung to her as a child, a tune that pitched and rolled, drawing you in, soothing your thoughts. It had been some time since she had lost herself to that song, but now she gave herself to it completely. She surrendered to it.
At first there was nothing. Her face heated. She would certainly look a fool if nothing happened, now that he was watching! She drew in a calming breath and let it out slowly. She focused. White lilies floating lazily on a glassy pond.
That familiar something clicked inside her, the connection that brought her and the magic—the Power—together like a finger to a flame. Her skin tingled both cold and hot, pleasure and pain. Her heart raced, and her breath came fast and deep.
Ryan whispered something beside her, or perhaps he gasped. She opened her eyes, the Power still coursing through her. She clung to it tightly. And there, before her, was a growing patch of yellow at their feet. Flowers, alive and beautiful, their petals emerging from the misty ground and spreading like the wings of butterflies. She smiled and then turned to Ryan.
Ryan sat, staring wide-eyed at the scene before him, his mouth hanging slightly open.
Addy held her breath, eyes searching his face.
Ryan blinked. “I . . . I don’t know what to say.” He turned his face to hers, brows furrowed. “Does this . . . does this mean you really are a . . . a witch?” That last came out a whisper, but there was no scorn in his dark brown eyes, only awe. He didn’t shy away. He didn’t hate her. And he wasn’t afraid of her!
Addy swallowed. “I . . . I suppose it does.” I’m a witch. There, I said it. Faege and ashes, I’m a witch! No longer would she deny it, hoping it wasn’t true. If this was what the Lord intended for her, then so be it!
She let the Power fade, heart sinking at its loss. Letting it go was like stepping out of a loved one’s embrace, but she had controlled it this time! How had she done that? And if she could heal the earth, make flowers grow, could she have used her Power to help others? Could she have used her Power to heal Liah?
Addy frowned, throat tight. She searched his eyes, vision quickly blurring through welling tears. “You see, Ryan? I might have been able to help.” The tears spilled over to draw cold lines down her cheeks. Then her voice became a whisper. “I might have saved her.”
Ryan pulled her close and held her, caressing her hair as she began to cry. He said not a word as they sat long into the night, his body shielding her from the cold.
Chapter 28
The horn, like the deep bellow of a giant, blasted again across the Waste, forcing the companions to press their hands over their ears once more. It came again from the Tower, a warning that grew louder the closer they drew. And when it had finally passed, the after-sound still rung in Addy’s ears.
She looked back over her shoulder. The misty landscape of the Twisted Lands lay in the distance. After more than a day trekking across the dry, gray land of the Waste, the green behind her seemed preferable, if only by a little. Out here she was exposed, with hardly a tree or bush to break the flat of that dusty plain.
Though it was bare
ly afternoon, there was no sun present in the sky, the swirling storm above having swallowed it, casting a dark shadow that made the land all the more dreary. Arcs of lightning still danced among those clouds, occasionally striking the Tower and sending blooms of sparks showering down. Another day or so and they’d be standing directly beneath its center.
They were all tired, and the normal banter had grown sparse.
Ryan walked at Addy’s side, close enough that it would have been a small effort to take his hand into hers. He had stayed close since they’d set off that morning, watching her with warm but considering eyes. What did he think of her, now that he knew her secret?
Her eyes lit upon a smudge on her vest, and she nearly groaned. The soft, gray leather was splattered with dark and dried blood. Her hands were filthy, and her face must be equally so. And her dark hair, pulled into a tail still, must have looked every bit the rat’s nest. She sighed. Ryan must think her a pig in a sty, but what could she do? They hadn’t seen a single pond or stream since they had left town, but neither would they have splashed that tainted water on their skin if they had. And that left their drinking water, which was already dwindling faster than it should have at this leg of the journey.
Addy cast a glance at Karine, who had somehow managed to keep herself relatively clean. Her hair was neatly done up in a braided bun now, the fourth hairstyle since they had left town. How did she do it? She tsked softly and rolled her eyes. Why would that matter out here?
Thunder rolled over them suddenly, but it didn’t come from the Tower. Far to the northeast, dark clouds were amassing into a second storm. If it came their way, and brought rain with it, it would turn their trek into a slow slog through thick, gray mud. Sure, send another storm! Everything else had gone wrong so far.
Karine touched Ryan’s arm. “What’s that?”
Addy peered in the direction Karine was looking, but there was nothing there in the shadow of the storm. Wait. There was movement. A half dozen or so dark shapes slinked along the ground, coming toward them.
Traizen’s voice was grim. “Canth. And by the look of it, they’re on the hunt this time, not just watching us from a distance.”
Addy felt her stomach turn upside down. “Hunting us? Why now?”
“Food is harder to come by out here,” Traizen replied. He reached for the handle over his shoulder and pulled his great hammer into his hands. “We should look for shelter of some kind, some place defendable, preferably.”
Ryan barked a laugh. “Shelter? Out here? All I see is flat ground for miles. Not even a mole hill!”
The muscles in Traizen’s jaw clenched. Everyone’s nerves were on edge, and any moment he could round on Ryan with his weapon swinging, but the man simply shook his head and muttered, “Stay here if you wish. Maybe they’ll be content with eating just you.”
Ryan growled softly but didn’t argue further. Eyes turning from Traizen to the approaching shadows, he drew his sword, and Addy and Karine did the same with short sword and daggers.
Traizen led them onward in the direction of the Tower, his pace quickening to a jog. His corded muscles flexed, his grip tight around the wooden shaft near the head of his hammer. The darting shadows came on, gaining ground at a frightening pace. According to Aeric, once a large pack of canth got sight of you and set their minds to get you, your remaining time was counted in heartbeats.
Addy watched those dark shapes in the shadow of the storm. Were there nine of them? Lightning flashed, illuminating the valley. Yes, nine. When just one could possibly kill them all, how were they supposed to fight nine? She gripped the handle of one of her daggers and turned her eyes to the Tower. If the Lord of the Tower could see them, hopefully he was feeling merciful.
Karine suddenly cried out, “Oh, Lord of Light!” Despair filled her voice.
Addy glanced over her shoulder to where the woman was watching. The storm approaching from the east was coming on far too quickly, and it already consumed half the sky. Her insides turned to water. “Blackstorm!” Her legs nearly collapsed beneath her. Lord, no! Not again! Those voices . . . Could she hear them already, calling for her blood so sweet?
A hand gripped her arm, and she nearly leaped out of her skin. It was a warm grip, though; not that of a storm wraith. Ryan drew her close, concern in his dark eyes. “Stay close to me, Addy, and we’ll get through this.”
Addy gave a nod, but how was she supposed to escape the Blackstorm, when her legs were quivering like jelly? It was a wonder her knees weren’t knocking together! No! Stay focused!
The wind began to howl. It whipped up dust and whirled it about in small dust funnels. Traizen’s voice called out, “Follow me, and stay close together!” He broke into a run toward the west, his great hammer in hand before him.
Ryan gave Addy’s arm a light squeeze. “Let’s go!” He had to shout now to be heard above the wind. Then with a reassuring nod, he fell in behind Traizen and Karine.
In moments a chill wind picked up, blowing the colorless sand into a thick cloud that obscured the way, forcing them all to shield their eyes. Traizen could no longer be seen through the haze ahead, except when the flash of lightning reflected off the flat of his hammer’s head. She started to open her mouth to shout, but if she did it would just fill with sand.
Karine was a faint shape now, hidden at times when the blowing dust grew thick. Ryan was a few paces ahead, shielding his eyes.
Then there came a voice in her mind that froze the breath in her lungs. It came on like a raspy groan that grew louder until it was nearly a scream. “Blooooood! Sweeeeeeet bloooooood!” It was hungry and desperate.
Addy felt the blood drain from her face. She peered into the Blackstorm, eyes locked and chest clenching. Were they there? Were they coming for her? Her head began to swim. Don’t look! For Tower’s sake, don’t look! No! She couldn’t give in to despair. She wouldn’t give in to despair!
She tore her eyes away from the nightmare, and blinked. Ryan was gone. He had been there just a moment ago! She shielded her eyes from the stinging sands. Karine was also gone. Where were they? The couldn’t have just vanished! Oh, Spirelight, she had fallen behind! How long had she been standing there quivering in her boots? She called out. “Ryan!” But the wind seemed to snatch up her words and carry them away. “Traizen! Karine!”
The only answer that came was from the storm. “Bloooood! We can nearly . . . taaaaste it!”
Addy looked about frantically, a small cry escaping her lips. Every direction looked the same, a mass of blowing gray dust. She couldn’t even see the Tower’s light now! And for every moment that passed, what light there was around her grew dimmer. “Ryan!” She screamed this time, but again there came no answer. Oh, Lord, where was he? He couldn’t have gotten that far ahead.
A deep growl sounded from behind.
Addy’s heart clenched. She whirled about, daggers coming to hand. There, stalking out of the storm was the biggest canth she had ever laid eyes on. It was easily as big as Maggie back home! Dear, Lord! She froze.
The canth took a step toward her, looking as if uncertain the storm was worth facing just to get a meal. Maybe if she stood still enough—
The canth’s yellow eyes, like lamps in the dim light, fixed on her, and it resumed its slow walk toward her. Luck was not with her. The beast must have been very hungry. Or perhaps canth weren’t as afraid of the Blackstorm as she was.
Addy raised her daggers, and the canth leaped, claws swiping. She sidestepped as the beast came down, and her dagger raked across flesh, drawing a painful roar. But the canth spun about, swiping out with its paw toward her feet. She started to jump back, but a claw caught her boot, and abruptly, she was falling. Her shoulder struck something hard, and pain shot down her arm.
Addy brought her daggers up as best she could, pointing them outward, but then pain shot through her left foot as well. She raised, wincing from the throbbing in her shoulder. The canth’s mouth was clamped around her ankle, and it was pulling her away. She scr
eamed. She screamed until there was no air left in her lungs to make sound.
There was a flash of movement. Ryan, sword raised high, burst from the swirling gray sand at a run. A crazed roar left his lips, and then he barreled into the beast, knocking it back. Addy’s foot came free, and her heart leaped! Man and canth blurred in the dark storm, Ryan’s sword flashing and the canth swiping with its claws as it leaped about.
Addy climbed to her feet, shaking off the pain that pierced her shoulder. Her daggers were still in hand, thank the Spirelight, and she charged forward to put them to use, stabbing and slicing whenever she found an opening. The beast soon bled from a dozen wounds.
Ryan’s sword sung as it sliced the air, cutting deeply into the beast’s rib cage. The great canth staggered back, roaring out in pain. It was finished! They were—
Three more shapes appeared from the shadows, and Addy’s legs wobbled beneath her. The three shapes became canth, each eyeing the two of them warily. Ryan stepped back, putting himself between them and her. “Back up slowly!”
Addy stepped back as instructed, daggers raised and eyes trained on the three newcomers. The canth drew closer and closer still, until they came upon their mangled brother laying in a pool of its own blood. It was said that canth were very smart, but did that mean they were also vengeful?
With a sickening crunch, one of the three bit into the shoulder of the fallen one, tearing away furred skin and flesh. The dying canth let out a soft groan, but did nothing else. The other two soon followed, growling fiercely when one of the others would get too close to their claimed spot.
Addy’s stomach churned. She tore her gaze away and focused on Ryan as he stood before her, but the sounds . . . the sounds still echoed over the wind!
“Keep moving!” Ryan shouted above the howling wind and took another step back, his outstretched arm urging her back as well. “When we can no longer see them, we turn and run!”