by Chanda Hahn
I didn’t dare to look at Liam. I was too ashamed to even make eye contact.
“Is this true?” Liam asked.
I reached for Devin’s hand, and he entwined our fingers together. “Yes. I choose Devin.” The lie soured my stomach.
I felt the moment Liam’s shield dropped, and the sheer power that had been smothering me was amazing. Immediately, I gasped and stumbled. Devin supported me as Liam’s intense feelings came my way.
Red flashed in my mind, and I felt my knees go weak. Liam was livid, and then I felt his immense pain at being rejected. Devin’s arms held me close, keeping me upright as I battled with the onslaught of images, thoughts, and feelings that rushed into my mind.
That was unexpected. But pleasant, Devin thought, then looked at me and his eyes widened. “Tell me you didn’t hear that?” he said.
I laughed, nodding, and felt tears of joy build in the corners of my eyes. I could hear and feel again.
I rubbed at the tears in my eyes, and I looked up at Liam. My heart broke. His eyes were distant. His face was stony and unreadable. His thoughts hidden from me.
How could I explain that I only hurt him so he would stop shielding me? So that I could protect everyone else? I didn’t think I could. If I did, his magic would smother mine, and it would doom us. It would be better to hide my feelings and keep him at a permanent distance.
Liam, head held high, walked away, leaving me clinging to Devin.
This time when I cried, it was tears of sorrow. Devin patted me on the back, trying to comfort me.
“I’m sure you will clue me in on what just happened,” he whispered. “Because as nice as that kiss was, I know you don’t care for me like that.”
“I’m sorry, you’re right.” I sighed. “I needed to distance myself from Liam so his magic won’t cancel out mine. It’s the only way for me to help all of you.”
Devin sighed. “He’s my best friend. This will be torture for him. You get that, right? By doing this, you are purposely hurting him.”
“It’s the only way to protect him.”
“And yet, he was just trying to protect you.”
“He can’t. He’s untrained, and he doesn’t know the extent of his power. He could do more damage than good.” I turned to look deep into the fog, and I felt magic surrounding us. A hint of a dark aura made my skin prickle in warning. “There’s something out there hunting us . . . and this is the only way I can find it.”
Chapter Eighteen
Hungry. Sss-ooo h-hungry.
My eyes flew open, and I stared up at the dark sky. Blinking to clear my sleepy thoughts, I looked over to my right and saw the sleeping forms of a few men all bundled up in their wool blankets. Nothing was out of place. Therin sat at his guard post against a tree, a crossbow in his lap, his eyes alert as he kept watch.
I laid back down on my side and turned to face the fog when I heard it again.
Hungry. Need to eat again.
I didn’t imagine it.
I reached for the leather pouch, pulled out the tube, and held it out in front of me. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do since I couldn’t see anything, and I wasn’t getting any flashing of auras. As quietly as I could, I crept toward Liam, kneeled down, and shook him awake.
No sooner had I touched him when his eyes came open, a glint of steel flashed at my throat and a hand covered my mouth. When he focused and realized it was me, he released his grip on both.
“Something’s out there,” I whispered, and nodded toward the woods.
“How do you know?” he asked.
“I can hear it.”
He turned his head and listened, straining to hear what I heard.
“No.” I motioned to my head. “Here.”
“Your powers are back?”
I nodded. “I can hear the creature. It’s loud and hungry.”
Liam nodded and stood up. Reaching for his sword, he came to my side as I faced the fog and tried to open my senses. He motioned to Therin, who stood and held his crossbow at the ready. I didn’t want to say anything, but I was secretly relieved that I could hear the monster because it meant that all wasn’t lost.
“Where is it?” Liam asked.
“I don’t know.” It frustrated me that I couldn’t give him more information. I squinted into the darkness. “I can’t hear it anymore. Maybe it left?” I said.
“What do you think?” Liam asked.
“I think it’s still out there. Watching us,” I said truthfully.
“I think you’re right.”
I heard it too late as a scream echoed into the night air.
We both spun and saw one man, who had been sleeping near the edge of the camp, get dragged into the forest. We charged across the camp as the rest of the troops were roused by the ruckus and armed themselves.
“Did you see what it was?” Liam paused to investigate drag marks and the footprints of the creature.
“No, there was nothing there,” I panted, but I didn’t pause. I raced after the man into the darkness.
“Aura, no!” Liam cried.
I couldn’t stop. Something propelled me after the beast. My hands shook, adrenaline pumping as I chased blindly, following the scattering of leaves and crackling of branches as the monster dragged the man into the fog.
Then the crashing noises stopped, and I slowed and searched the tall grass. I stumbled over a body. It was Frederick, unconscious, his leg dripping with blood, three long gashes down the side. I leaned down to check his pulse. He was still alive, but he wouldn’t be for long if I didn’t stop the blood flow.
Stupid human.
I spun, clicking the button to release my staff. I held it out and flailed the weapon in the air in front of me, making sure I didn’t take a step away from the injured Frederick. I may not have had all of my senses, but I knew I had surprised the creature in my sudden pursuit.
Loud crashing came from the bush. I screamed and swung my staff as Liam appeared.
“Whoa!” He ducked and was nearly struck in the neck.
“Aura, you can’t run off like that.”
“Shh,” I hushed, and pointed to the tree’s boughs above me.
Liam’s chin rose, and he looked up into the darkness above.
“Where is it?” he whispered.
“Invisible.”
He looked at me in disbelief. I held out my hand for his sword, and he wouldn’t hand it over. I forcibly took it from him and shoved my staff into his chest. He reached for it, and I shook my head. Making a circle in the clearing, I closed my eyes and tuned out the sound of Liam’s breathing . . . the crunch of leaves beneath my feet . . . the soft exhales from Frederick.
Instead, I focused on what I couldn’t hear.
Please, please. I mentally tried to find the creature.
Eat. Kill. Eat.
I could hear it so clearly because it was a monster, a creature with a bloodlust so strong it screamed in my head, but it wasn’t giving me any clues where it was.
“Aura,” Liam warned.
I spun and pointed the sword at him, my arms quivering under the weight of holding the heavy weapon. I glared at him, my mouth pinched together angrily, and he became silent.
I felt a sigh of pain and saw an image of a beautiful woman and a young boy, no more than eight in age. Regret, love, and sorrow washed over me, and I fell to my knees. Tears of empathy filling my eyes, my heart aching.
Releasing a shuddering breath, I stood up, my mind filled with determination. I exhaled slowly. Closed my eyes, like I had done in practice with Lorn. I swung the sword wildly and waited for a response from the beast. A flash of amusement.
In what appeared to be a random sword dance, I worked my way in a circle around and came back toward Liam. I raised the sword up in the air, hovering right over Frederick’s body.
Pale blue flashed in my mind. Worry.
I smiled in triumph and stabbed straight down with all of my might.
“No!” Liam cried out as I stabbed
Frederick’s arm.
Fire burned in my own arm, and I cried out.
Frederick’s eyes opened, and he let out an inhuman cry. He knocked the sword from my grasp, and Frederick shifted and transformed before us, his body dematerializing and becoming translucent.
“There!” I pointed at the blood dripping down the creature’s arm. Apparently, its blood wasn’t able to become invisible as the rest of the body did, blurring into the background. The creature tried to run, but Liam intercepted it. He swung his shield and knocked it down as it tried to slither up the tree. He picked up the bloodied sword and finished the creature.
The creature screamed.
I screamed in unison.
Feeling its painful death as my own.
I lay in the grass, my face splattered with blood and my body shaking.
“Aura, are you okay? I forgot what being an empath does to you.” Liam rushed over to me and helped me get to my feet.
“I’m okay.” I shuddered and used the edge of the cloak to wipe the blood from my face.
“What was that?” Liam asked. “I’ve never seen something like that come out of the forests before.”
“It’s an onwae,” I answered. “They’re rare and prefer to stay hidden deep underground, but it was driven here—”
“By the blight,” Liam finished. “But what happened to Frederick?”
“He’s over there.” Wiping my hands off, I pointed to nearby brush.
Liam rushed forward and pulled back the foliage to reveal Frederick’s body. “Hurry, we can still—”
“He’s dead,” I said solemnly.
“How do you know?”
“I-I felt him die,” I said. “I didn’t sense it until it was too late. It was his dying thoughts of his family that alerted me to the imposter in front of me. The onwae’s plan was to pose as Frederick and have us take him back to camp. If we would have, the onwae would have slaughtered all of us in our sleep. They’re that vicious and crafty.”
“Then it’s good that it’s dead,” Liam confirmed.
“Is it?” I turned and looked at him. “Was his death necessary?”
My question riled Liam. He pointed at Frederick. “Was his? I’m sorry if I don’t feel the same way about the death of that monster as you. I’m a soldier, trained from birth to protect those I care about. He was my friend. So yes, I’m glad the creature is dead.”
I understood Liam’s feelings. I should never have expected him to feel the same way as I did about living things.
We heard others coming, saw the torch light flicker off the trees, and Devin came through the underbrush. I must not have gotten all the blood off my face because he immediately rushed to me exclaiming. “Aura, you’re hurt.”
I was, but not in the way he meant.
“I’m fine.” I gathered my cloak tighter around my neck, wishing to protect my feelings. “It’s not my blood.”
Devin’s shoulders dropped when he saw Liam standing over Frederick’s body. He released a long sigh. I knew his wife and son.
I used the distraction to slip away and follow the trail back to camp while the men dealt with the bodies. It was me and the horses, and I wasn’t scared of what may or may not be in the woods anymore. I had a feeling I could sense trouble if it got anywhere near me. My hands trembled as I packed up my blankets, my mind and emotions raw with empathy for not one death, but two.
Chapter Nineteen
My powers were back, but they came in unreliable spurts. I couldn’t selectively hear people anymore, but every candle mark or so I would get stricken by random images and feelings that would cause me to grit my teeth and have mini-blackouts. They were worse than before. Rather than the steady pain I would get from being around people, it was like a vase that would fill up. When it could hold no more, it would dump every thought and emotion on me at once.
What it did was give me longer times of sanity, followed by short bursts of manic episodes where I wasn’t sure where I was, as it took my sight with it.
I dismounted my horse, and I was hit with an onslaught.
This is a failed mission.
We’re all going to die.
I wonder what will happen to the kingdom.
The commander has no clue what is going on.
I reached out and Devin caught me as I stumbled. His firm hands clamped around my waist, pressing me into his body as he held me up.
“Whoa there,” he quipped. “I always knew you’d fall for me, but not literally.”
His voice was muffled compared to the voices that were rushing in my head.
I gripped his neck as I buried my face into his chest, breathing hard, fighting to stay conscious as the ground moved beneath my feet.
Devin’s muscles stiffened, and I looked over, meeting Liam’s turbulent eyes. From this angle, it probably looked like I ran right into his arms and we were embracing like lovers. I pushed away from Devin, but he wouldn’t immediately release me.
“Let go,” I whispered.
“Are you sure?” His grip lessened, and I stepped back.
“I’m okay now.” I could feel Liam’s gaze like the sun boring into my back.
Devin flung the pack on his shoulder and turned.
I grimaced and quickly tried to hide my discomfort. Liam gave me a knowing look, and he waited for me to admit defeat. That I needed him to shield me. His eyes narrowed, and one brow rose in question.
I raised my chin in the air.
Liam shook his head. His face fell as I passed him and headed away to the very edge of camp and stopped, wincing in pain as I touched my temple.
Help!
Scared!
Help!
Everything appeared still and calm, but I knew it wasn’t the case. I was picking up the thoughts of the forest animals, and I wasn’t sure how far away they were.
The crunch of gravel signaled Liam was still with me. He wisely kept quiet.
“I hear them.” I gestured to the forest beyond. “The animals. Their fear is growing. I don’t know how to stop it,” I said helplessly.
Liam came and stood shoulder to shoulder with me. “We’ll figure it out.”
I smiled softly.
“Tell me,” he said. “What are my men thinking?”
I took a deep breath and debated on how much to tell him. “They’re afraid, but not for the reasons you think. They’re afraid of losing against the blight. That they’ll die in vain.”
Liam turned to me, and I read the pain in his eyes. “They’re not wrong. I’ve failed before. They entrusted me with five hundred men to stop this blight, and what you see before me is all that I have left. This time it’s different. The fog is stronger; harder to pass through. I fear we may not make it further. If we don’t find the source, our kingdom will truly be overrun.”
“That’s why you brought me, or have you forgotten the whole reason you traveled to a backwater town and kidnapped a sleeping girl?” I grinned and patted his arm. “I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t stay behind in Briarwood either.”
“You have a plan to get us out of the fog?”
“I do. You’re not going to like it.”
Chapter Twenty
I held the scrap of red fabric and grinned.
“This is your plan?” Liam scoffed.
I tied the makeshift blindfold around my eyes and felt Damsel shift beneath me. “Yes.”
“Are you crazy?” Devin asked.
“Never ask a woman if she’s crazy.” I chuckled, putting on an outward show of bravado, but internally—I was quaking.
“What is the point again?” Devin asked. “How are you going to lead us out of here if you can’t see anything?”
“It’s our eyes that are deceiving us. We’ve been trapped in this mist for days when we should have already made it to our destination.”
“How are you going to lead us out, then?”
“I’m not.” I leaned forward and patted my horse’s neck. “She is.”
“We’re follo
wing a horse?” Hayes rubbed his palm over his face. “This is going to be interesting.”
“Stop worrying and don’t take your eyes off of me.” The abrasive cloth rubbed against my eyelids, and I wanted to rip it off. Instead, I pressed through the feelings and used it to focus outward, then downward, running my fingers through Damsel’s mane.
Are you ready to be my eyes?
I lead, Damsel replied.
Thank you.
She started moving forward, and I grasped the pommel, being careful not to pull on her reins and direct her. I had to put my trust into her eyes and her senses.
“Yah,” Liam said, spurring his horse after mine. I felt better knowing that he was at my back.
He’s nice. Smart, that one, Damsel commented. It was a relief to hear her voice.
Yes, he is.
Gives lots of snacks. You should keep him. Then he’ll feed you and you can get fat too. Fat is good.
Maybe. I hid my smile, trying not to show my amusement that my horse was giving me dating advice.
Make lots of foals with that one.
I snorted, covering my mouth with my hand. I definitely didn’t need this kind of advice from my horse. No, definitely not.
He was sad when the bad men took you, a deeper voice spoke into my mind.
I blinked as I tried to register who I was hearing.
Hush, Pern, Damsel admonished.
He didn’t sleep or eat for days. Pern, Liam’s horse, had joined in the mental conversation.
So now you’re both going to make me feel guilty, are you?
Of course. You worried the golden one, Pern said.
Golden one? Ah, that must be Liam. He did kind of give off a golden aura.
“Uh, Aura?” I heard Liam’s warning. “I think you need to turn.”
Do we? I asked her quickly and gripped the reins, preparing to course correct.
Damsel snorted, tossing her head in frustration. No. I take back what I said. He’s not smart. Dumb.