Shadow Cross (The Shadow Accords Book 5)

by D. K. Holmberg

  Then again, she could fight hand to hand, and had been trained that way by the A’ras. Even a simple weapon, a knife or even a club, would help her even the odds somewhat.

  The scholar came and crouched in front of her. He noticed the direction of her gaze and he grinned slightly, pushing the waterskin towards her. “I suspect you are thinking of how you could escape. I would be doing the same in your situation. Know that you won’t be able to outrun us. You are here. I purchased you. You are mine.”

  “What do you want with me?” Carth asked. She kept an edge of steel in her voice. She wasn’t going to let this man think he had her cowed or let him think he would bend her to his will. No… she would show that she could not be broken.

  “Spirited. Yes. You’re everything he promised. I think that you will do what I need soon enough.”

  The scholar stood and started away, stopping in front of the large man, and the two of them talked quietly to each other. When they finished, the larger man did something with the horses, and Carth didn’t have to stare too long to realize that the scholar had suggested he secure the horses more securely.

  She rested back on the ground, letting her head make contact with the soil. She stared up through the trees, watching the night come along. How long would the poisoning hold? How long would they keep her here, constricted and separated from her abilities?

  All she needed was a slight edge to escape. That was it, nothing more. If she could manage to get a moment where she could sneak away, she would have to. As much as she might want to know what they were doing and what they planned, a greater need weighed upon her, that of discovering where the caravan traveled now.

  Carth took the water and glanced at it. She considered taking a drink, but what if it was poisoned like the other water had been? That seemed to be how they kept her abilities from her.

  But they had to think that she was every bit as poisoned as she had been. If she could convince them… then she could escape.

  She kept her eye on the scholar and took the stopper off the water bottle, tipped it up to her lips, and pretended to drink. When she was finished, she wiped her arm across her face, and set the waterskin down with the top loose just enough so that it would drip into the ground.

  The scholar came over and grabbed the waterskin. Carth shifted her leg to cover the ground where she’d set it. He shook it, nodded to himself, affirming to Carth that it had been indeed poisoned. At least she knew that much. Now she would have to find a way to drink without subjecting herself to the same fate. That meant finding another source of water, waiting as the poisoning wore off.

  Carth had time. She would wait. She had no other choice.

  They didn’t rest very long that evening. Carth slept fitfully, but she slept. She tried to keep on edge, maintaining her focus, knowing that she needed to in case they tried to sneak a different poison into her. For now, they believed she drank from the water bottle, but if that didn’t last, if they started to question whether she really had, she wanted to be alert for the possibility that they might somehow sneak it into her. She wasn’t completely sure whether the water was tainted, but she had enough suspicion to avoid it.

  She awoke to the sounds of one of the men moving, his feet shuffling through the dried grasses, and she looked up to see the smaller man sneaking off, disappearing in between the trees. Carth stared into the darkness, wishing for the shadows to lessen somewhat, anything so that she could fade into them, or use her cloaking so that she could disappear.

  It didn’t happen, but her eyesight had always been good in the darkness, likely tied to the fact that she was shadow born. She noted how the scholar and the larger man rested, both of them lying on their backs, their breaths coming regularly, and even the larger man snoring softly. Neither of those two men knew the smaller man had disappeared.

  What was he playing at? Was there something else afoot that she hadn’t quite discovered?

  She remained motionless, waiting, her eyes cracked just enough so that it would seem that she slept if he returned suddenly. She kept her breathing slow and regular, doing everything she could to mimic sleep patterns.

  She lost track of time and might even have slept a little when the smaller man returned.

  He came back into the clearing, his hands stained. Was that blood or something else? Then he took his place on the ground once more, resting near the others. It wasn’t long before his breathing became regular and steady like the other two, the sign that he actually had fallen asleep.

  Carth smiled to herself. If there was something more taking place, that might be her way in. She just had to find out what it was. Once she did, then she could start trying to play these men against themselves.

  It was as good a plan as she could come up with.

  When morning came, Carth was still not fully awake. She struggled through the night, barely asleep, eyes snapping open at every sound, curious if the small man might disappear again. He never did. The scholar and the larger man woke first and began prepping the horses for departure.

  Carth feigned sleep until it became clear that they knew she was awake. The scholar dropped the water bottle next to her, lingering a moment.

  She glared at him, putting as much hot anger into the expression as she could muster, not sure whether she really convinced him.

  She took water bottle, tipped it back, again pretending to drink.

  This time, she set it on the ground, letting it spill out into the soft earth, before quickly placing the stopper back on it. The scholar didn’t seem to notice. When he turned his attention back to her, she watched as he shook the waterskin and seemed satisfied that she had drunk.

  They broke out some jerky and handed it around. Carth was less concerned with the jerky, as there didn’t seem to be any way of telling a difference between hers and the others’. They likely shared the meat, making it less likely it was poisoned.

  Then again, the smaller man had drunk from the water bottle.

  But that had been meant to throw her off. She was certain of it.

  Maybe it didn’t matter to him. Maybe he didn’t have any sort of abilities to suppress with whatever was in the water. The large man and the scholar had not attempted to drink from it. That mattered, somehow.

  They rode through the morning. As they did, Carth sat stiffly in the saddle, trying to get a handle on how to ride. For her to escape, she would have to have control over the horse. It was a dappled gray mare and moved swiftly. She gripped the saddle tightly, probably too tightly. Each time she tried directing the horse, it seemed to fight her.

  Escaping on horseback would not be easy.

  The others rode more comfortably. The smaller man rode behind her and made no effort to touch her. In spite of the way she had been purchased, and in spite of the threats, she had been treated reasonably by the others. So far, she had not been harmed in any way.

  She needed to get away, but she couldn’t shake the strange curiosity that rose within her, trying understand why they had captured her and what they wanted with her.

  She wasn’t even sure what direction they traveled; the thick forest and travel by horse made it difficult for her to know. The canopy overhead shielded her eyes from the sun so that she couldn’t tell in which direction it rose, only that it was sunny and bright. As the day progressed, they made no effort to stop, even at a narrow stream where the horses paused briefly.

  Carth’s mouth had begun getting dry, and she felt herself growing weaker from dehydration, but she refused to drink from the waterskin when it was passed to her several times throughout the day. Each time she pretended to drink, each time she spilled out a little bit more water, and each time they took the bottle back from her, seemingly content that she had in fact drunk from it.

  She still could not feel the edge of the shadows, and she did not feel the fire burning within her that would announce that she could reach this the S’al flame once more. Yet, she was determined not to drink, insistent that were she to remain captive, she w
ould discover a way to regain her abilities.

  When they stopped for the evening, the larger man tossed the waterskin to her.

  Even this task had been handed down, the scholar no longer concerned about her compliance. Carth feigned drinking once more, tipping the water bottle back, even letting a few drops run down her chin. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and set the bottle between her legs as she sat on the ground, letting some of the water spill into the grassy soil. The large man grunted, and she handed the bottle back to him, not wanting to upset him. Like the other man, he shook the bottle, and left her alone.

  When they sat down for the night, lying on the hard-packed earth, Carth pretended to sleep. She let her eyes drift closed but forced herself to maintain her attention. It wasn’t long before she heard the soft and steady sound of snoring coming from the big man and regular breathing from the scholar.

  She cracked a lid and noted the smaller man still lying there, but his breathing was too quick, and he shifted from time to time, making it clear that he was still awake. It wasn’t long before he slipped out, disappearing into the night once more.

  She should remain here, listening. Waiting. Eventually, the poison had to wear off, didn’t it?

  But that wasn’t her.

  Carth tensed before impulse brought her to her feet, and she followed the other man out into the trees.

  18

  Carth trailed after the smaller man, hiding behind the trees as she went, moving carefully, but finding stealth in the shadows. A part of her mind told her that she should get some rest, and she definitely shouldn’t attempt to run, but she ignored it as she maintained a steady pace, following the smaller man as he disappeared, and moving steadily away from the camp.

  Where did he go?

  This was the second night he had snuck away. She had thought him firmly with the others, but the fact that he snuck away like this made her question whether he was.

  His step slowed as he went, and she moved more carefully, maintaining her position behind a large trunk for longer and longer periods of time before continuing onward. He didn’t seem to follow any sort of path, as if he knew where he was going.

  After a while, they emerged near a large, hard-packed road. The trees parted around them, giving room for the road to move through the forest. The canopy overhead parted and shadows swooped down from the sky, letting some of the moonlight filter through. She heard an owl hooting, and the wind gusted, carrying a sharp bite to it.

  Something snapped behind her, and she spun quickly.

  The small man stood there. He eyed her with a half smile.

  Carth reached for the shadows and was startled to discover she could find them. The edge was there, she could pull on it, she could sink into the shadows, she could disappear within them, or—even better—she could attack using them.

  She flicked her attention to the power of the flame, and it surged slightly within her.

  She was no longer powerless. Whatever they had given her had worn off.

  Yet she refrained. The small man didn’t seem as if he were going to attack her. And she saw no reason that he snuck away. Whatever had brought him from the camp was not clear yet.

  He cocked his head to the side. “You followed me.” There was no surprise in his voice. It was almost as if he had expected her to follow.

  “You’re not with them, are you?”

  The same half smile parted his mouth and he shrugged. “With them? Perhaps for now. I let him think that he leads.”

  “Why? Where you going? Why are you doing this?”

  “Lots of questions there. As to the first, he knows things. He has proven capable, and I think there are ways I could use him.”

  Use him. She heard others say the same sorts of things. What was it he intended to use the scholar for?

  “Why did you sneak away?” Carth asked. “You did it the night before as well.”

  “You’re observant. I’ll give you that.”

  “That’s no answer.”

  He shrugged. “Perhaps not an answer, at least not one that you would like, but that’s the answer you will get.”

  “You’re meeting someone here, aren’t you?”

  “Do you see anyone else? If I were meeting someone, they would be here, wouldn’t they?”

  Carth looked around and pulled on the shadows, drawing only the slightest amount of them, feeling a surge of relief that she could, welcoming the shadows back to her. As she did, the darkness faded, and she was able to look around her more easily.

  Nothing moved in the forest at this time of night. No animals prowled in the trees. She saw a bird perched high in one of the branches, and it seemed to twist its head as if looking from her to the smaller man, before she turned her attention back to him.

  He watched her, and she wondered if he knew that she held on to the shadows. It was unlikely. Doing so would make him shadow blessed, and he did not have the look of somebody from Ih-lash.

  “What now?” Carth asked.

  The man was dangerous. She had seen that the first time she had seen him, noting the way he moved. Escape meant fighting him, and she could use her powers now, but she wanted to know what he was after, and why he was out here.

  The man shrugged. “You could return with me. Or I could say you ran away. Either way…” He shrugged.

  Carth frowned at him. “You’re not going to force me back with you?”

  “You should never have been captured. You were eventually going to discover how you were being contained. I’m not surprised it didn’t take you very long to realize the water was not safe to drink. I’m impressed that you managed to convince him that you were still drinking the water. He’s usually more observant than that.”

  Carth frowned. It had been a simple thing. She had dumped it out, maintaining the ruse that she actually been drinking it. “You’re not going try to force me back with you?” she repeated.

  The man cocked his head the other direction. “What will forcing you back accomplish? I suspect you have something else in mind, another place you intend to go.”

  Carth could only nod. How was it that he recognized that about her?

  “Which way?” Carth asked.

  “To what?”

  “The wagons.”

  His mouth tightened. “That’s what you’re after. Interesting that you would think to return. Is it revenge that you seek?”

  She would have her revenge, but that was secondary to the other reason she needed to return. “I’m going to see to it that no others suffer as I have.”

  “If you think you can rescue all of them, you’re going to need to be strong and ruthless. Are you those things?”

  Carth’s eyes narrowed. “Ruthless? I have never been ruthless before, but after what I saw, what they were doing to the girls, I think I can manage.”

  “Good—”

  He jerked his head around quickly.

  As he did, Carth was aware of movement in the shadows. She pulled on them, sinking into them a little more than she had before, and noticed the presence of the scholar and the large man.

  They must’ve realized she was awake, and must’ve realized that the smaller man had disappeared.

  The large man appeared at the edge of the trees, and he eyed the smaller man.

  Carth detected the scholar still back within the trees. He remained hidden.

  She felt a pulsing of pressure, something that she recognized but wasn’t quite sure why. It took a few moments for her to realize what that was: magic. He was using some form of magic, one that wasn’t related to the A’ras magic or the shadows.

  Whatever it was he used, whatever he was doing, was powerful. The air sizzled with it.

  The small man shivered. He turned and spoke over his shoulder. “Go. I’ll do what I can.”

  Carth frowned.

  The scholar stepped from the trees. His eyes were wide and the hair on his head stood up slightly, as if electrified. Carth had sunk into the shadows, and she suspected that
she was hidden.

  “Where is she, Timothy?”

  The small man shook his head. “She ran off. I chased her—”

  The scholar took a step forward, power pressing away from him as he did. “You chased her?”

  The large man approached well. He had a pair of curved knives now in his hand.

  Carth faced a dilemma. She could escape; she had the power of the shadows and the flame burning within her, and she knew that she could get away now that she was able to reach her abilities, but… a mystery remained around this other man.

  He had been willing to help her escape, even lying to the scholar. Why would he do that? Why would he have helped her, when he had seemingly been trying to help hold her captive?

  The scholar took another step forward, the power pressing away from him, exploding.

  Carth reacted instinctively.

  She wrapped shadows around herself, extending them out toward the smaller man, creating an envelope of shadows, a bubble designed to protect them.

  The explosion pressed upon her shadow bubble, squeezing her, but she pushed against it.

  When the explosion passed, Carth knew that she had revealed herself.

  She released the shadows, and the scholar’s eyes went wide. With a nod from the scholar, the large man lumbered towards her, his large curved knives slicing as he did.

  Carth jumped, pulling on the shadows, using them to power her, as she arced into the air.

  As she did, she pressed out with the power of the flame, kicking with it, sending it through her foot, striking the large man in the head with power as she did. Heat and flame erupted from her foot as it collided with his head.

  It felt as if she were kicking stone.

  She landed in a roll.

  The large man shook his head, seemingly no worse off than he had been before.

  Carth pulled on the power of the flame, letting it explode out from her. It struck the large man and dissipated.

  With a sudden certainty, she understood. That was his ability. He was immune to magic, or at least immune to her kind of magic. He might not react to the connection she possessed to the flame, but would he be able to protect himself against the shadows?