“Excellent idea,” said Theyn. She looked up at Nardus. “My job is to protect you. I won’t leave your side.”
Nardus shook his head. “I’ve little doubt of that.” He turned and addressed Zerenity and Druden. “Your main focus with that water titan will be to separate Aria from Cinolth. Do whatever it takes, but try to keep Aria alive.”
Zerenity grimaced and nodded.
Druden shrugged. “Sure, but no guarantees.”
“Noted,” said Nardus.
Savric rose and walked around the table. “And I will create a light shield over Vallah so that Cinolth cannot attack or land.” He fished inside his robes, pulled out a small, leather-bound book, and offered it to Nardus. “I’m sure you remember this.”
Nardus took the book and examined it. How long had it been since he and the others had created them? He smiled. “And its twin?”
“I have it,” said Morcinda.
“Good. This will certainly come in handy.” Nardus turned toward Prince Rictar. “You will send your army to Elatos.”
Prince Rictar rose from his chair and dipped his head. “As you say. My army and I will set sail for Elatos at first light.”
“Very good. Now, everyone knows where the stronghold is located if this war goes south, correct?” He pointed at the location on the map, and everyone at the table nodded. “Good. We will use it to regroup if needed.” He clapped his hands together. “I believe that shores everything up.
Prince Rictar looked to the eight soldiers and pointed at seven of them. “Gather your troops.” To the last soldier he said, “Defend the city and our king at all cost.”
All eight soldiers rose from the table, smacked their left breast with their right fist, and exited the room. Prince Rictar followed them out.
Princess Zelanora rose from her chair and addressed Nardus. “I will return within the hour with those maps and deliver them to you.” She nodded curtly and walked away.
Alderan stood and rounded the table. “And what am I supposed to do?”
“You’ll be with Theyn and me.” Nardus rubbed his left bicep as flashes of the past flew through his mind. “Our job will be to take down Cinolth. That bow of yours will be the key.”
Alderan frowned. “My bow?”
“No other bow like it exists in this world. It’s the same one that was used to kill Cinolth the first time. You’ll have to tell me the story of how it came into your possession when this is all over.”
Alderan nodded, but then fear rose in his eyes. “What about Pravus and Aria?”
Theyn touched Alderan’s shoulder. “We must focus on Cinolth. He will be the greatest threat.”
Nardus couldn’t bring himself to think about their truly biggest threat. Aria would be a force to be reckoned with and trying to subdue her without injuring or killing her would be difficult if not impossible.
Ƨäʈūr help us all.
Chapter Forty-One
Rayah crouched on the edge of the canyon rim just north of the Orbis Mountain Range, staring down at nothing. Rakzar, Urza, Normak, and Ridan flanked her. Bakkan, Ridan’s black-and-silver mastiff, hung back in the shadows, apparently afraid of heights. The orc army still hid in the canyon below, cloaked beneath a veil of mezhik.
If Rayah hadn’t flown down below the rim and seen the army for herself, she wouldn’t have believed the army was even there. She’d never seen such powerful mezhik that could mask not only things from view but their sounds and smells as well. A wizard wielding such powerful mezhik left her bones aching with chills.
“I’m tired of waiting around while the four of you squabble about the next move we should make,” growled Rakzar. He stood and swatted the air. “She’d already be dead if I’d come alone.”
Rayah couldn’t believe her ears. Every time she thought Rakzar had started to become a bit friendlier and began to rely on those around him, he’d go and say or do something completely asinine. She’d grown tired of the circular ride and wanted off.
She flew into the air and got right in Rakzar’s face. “Look, if you think you can march right into the orc camp and face Käíeƨ without anyone stopping you along the way, then go right ahead. Just remember who you’d be killing in the process.”
Rakzar snorted and glared at her. “Doing nothing will get you killed just as quickly.”
“Rayah’s right.” Ridan rose to her feet. “Even under the cover of night, you’d be hard-pressed to find this Käíeƨ. If you’re determined to walk right into the camp like a fool, you still need a way to locate her first.”
The more time she spent with Ridan, the more Rayah liked her. The girl had a solid head on her shoulders and a knack for getting straight to the point. At first, there’d been a bit of strife between the two of them over Normak. Ridan fancied Normak, and Normak fancied Rayah, but Rayah’s heart forever belonged to Alderan. Once she explained the bond she shared with Alderan and the fact that it could never be broken, everything cleared right up. Well, it didn’t keep Normak from ogling her and making passes, but it had satisfied Ridan.
Even though she didn’t like it, Rayah had a solution. At least to the first part of the problem. “I’ll do it.” Her words came out with confidence and authority. It surprised even her, especially given the moths in her stomach and the tremors in her hands.
Rakzar squared his shoulders to her. “Do what?”
All four of them stared at her with blank expressions. Had she not explained the plan?
“Oh… right.” She settled back on the ground, wrapped one of her curls around her finger, and twirled it. “Given that winter is finally losing its hold, I think I can travel through the dirt. It’s the perfect way to locate Käíeƨ without being detected.”
Rakzar eyed her for several moments and then nodded. “I’m pretty sure I know where she’ll be, but a confirmation would prove beneficial.”
“Then it be settled,” said Normak.
Rayah faced Rakzar. “So where do you think I’ll find her?”
“There are some caves on the far east side of the camp. They’ve built a shrine there to some worthless god. It’s where…” Rakzar didn’t continue but looked toward the canyon. Rayah thought she saw tears in his eyes. The others must’ve too because none of them asked him to continue.
The answer hit her like a gut punch.
It’s where Amicus died.
She took a deep breath and forced back tears of her own. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” A loud sigh escaped through her nose as she stepped toward the canyon rim.
Fear skittered beneath her skin, both from the height she stood above the canyon floor and from the risk of getting caught, no matter how slim it might’ve been. With one last breath, she leapt off the canyon rim and dove beneath the veil of mezhik before she had a chance to talk herself out of it.
The ground rushed toward her even as the air fought to slow her down. She beat her wings with fury and almost closed her eyes right before impact with the canyon floor.
Give me courage, Ƨäʈūr.
† † †
Crossing the entire camp took longer than Rayah had expected. The orcs had spread far and wide, nearly a dozen miles. She wasn’t exactly sure what Käíeƨ looked like, but she had a general idea. Flowing red robes would likely stick out among the orc army.
She sighted the guarded cave entrance before she reached the eastern edge of the camp, but there was a problem. The soft canyon floor began to transition to sandstone as she got closer. Unfortunately, sandstone proved extremely difficult to travel through. She could do it, but the displacement of the sandstone didn’t work the same way as dirt and sand. She’d basically have to tunnel through it, and that would take a good amount of time and effort, neither of which she had.
Rayah stopped and gathered herself. Each breath came with more effort than she’d have liked, and her energy seemed much lower than it should’ve been. At first, she didn’t understand what her problem was, but then it
hit her.
The curse.
She should’ve thought of that before she set out on her reconnaissance mission. Several deep breaths slowed her pulse and calmed her mind.
New plan. Verify Käíeƨ isn’t anywhere else in the camp.
Rayah set to work. She created a grid of the camp in her mind and began searching it section by section. Almost two hours later, she’d searched all but three sections and hadn’t seen her anywhere. Granted, there were a lot of tents, but all of them only had sides and a roof, even the massive tent she assumed was Murtag’s.
The third to last section was quite sparse, housing a single small tent and only two small fires with a handful of orcs and humans around them. Oddly, the five-foot-square tent had a bottom. She’d just passed underneath it when a name caught her ear. She raced back and rose to the surface beneath the tent so she could hear the conversation.
“I thought the plan was to attack Vallah.” The female voice sounded strange. Foreign. Almost like it’d come from two different mouths.
A harsh, slurred, male voice responded, “The plan is to do whatever Lord Rosai commands. You know what will happen if you cross him. You will leave for Elatos at once.”
“We fear nothing,” said the female.
We?
From everything that Rakzar had told Rayah about Käíeƨ, this had to be her. Or them. Whatever the thing was. Two halves of a whole. The thought made her squirm. The squirm sent dust flying in her small pocket of air. Rayah grabbed her nose, but the tickle remained. Intensified. Became unbearable. She squeezed her eyes tight and held her nose, but it made little difference. Her head jerked back as she sneezed, and her foot kicked the underside of the tent floor.
A bright light flashed overhead.
Rayah sank deep underground as fast as she could.
An intense heat burned the earth as a blackish-purple light rocketed toward her.
The ground quaked and split open.
Rayah turned and flew as fast as she could through the dirt.
Ƨäʈūr, let me escape.
† † †
Rakzar stood at the cliff’s edge, anticipating Rayah’s return. She’d been gone for several hours and he worried himself sick over it. His mind raced with scenarios of what might’ve transpired, each one more gruesome and tragic than the last.
Amicus stood at his side, and for once Rakzar welcomed his companionship. “Rayah is a smart and tough girl. Have faith that she’ll be along soon.”
Rakzar scowled at the far edge of the canyon. “You’re the one with a god and faith, Shadowman, not me.”
Amicus rubbed his bare chin. “Are you certain about that?”
“Certain of what? That you have a god and faith or that I don’t?” Rakzar’s scowl deepened.
“You know the answer to the first. Ƨäʈūr is the one true God. Now, as to the last, I think you have more faith than you let on about.” Amicus reached up and clasped Rakzar’s shoulder. “In fact, there are many things you try to hide. The real question is why. Do you think the others will think less of you if you show compassion or seem to actually give a damn about something other than yourself?”
“I knew your being here wouldn’t be a good thing for long.” Rakzar shrugged Amicus’s hand from his shoulder. “Buzz off—”
The air crackled, and the veil that lay over the canyon faltered and disappeared. Rakzar crouched down and the others joined him.
“That be good or bad?” asked Normak.
“Not sure.” Rakzar leaned forward and peered over the edge. “Is it just me, or is the ground moving?”
Urza leaned over the edge. “Not just you. Rayah’s coming in hot.”
“Gods, what did she do?” asked Ridan.
Smoke rose in the distance from a small tent. Rakzar pointed at it. “I don’t know, but that can’t be good.”
Normak grabbed his battle axe. “Me thinks yer right.”
A trail of dust followed Rayah right up the canyon wall. She shot right past the four of them, a good fifteen feet in the air, before arcing back toward the canyon. As she came down, Rakzar noticed she no longer flapped her wings. He reached out and snatched her from the air without thinking. His left foot slid over the rim, and he teetered on the canyon’s edge, but the only thing on his mind was saving Rayah’s life. Nothing else mattered. Pushing off of the rim and twisting in the air, he shoved Rayah toward Urza and Ridan. The two of them caught Rayah together, but Rakzar dropped from the sky.
As he fell, a calming peace swept through him. His eyes snapped shut, but he didn’t brace for the impact. It would come soon enough. Then, something grabbed hold of his middle, and he felt himself slowing down. The sensation didn’t make sense until he opened his eyes.
Normak held Rakzar around the waist. The dwarf’s feet moved in a blur as he worked at slowing them down by running up the canyon wall, working against the gravity that pulled them toward the canyon floor. By the time they hit the ground, the impact jarred Rakzar little more than falling a few feet would’ve. Normak grunted and moaned, but Rakzar knew it wasn’t from the fall. He lay on top of Normak. Several hundred pounds of flesh, bone, and muscle.
Rakzar rolled to the side and got to his feet.
Normak groaned and held his chest. “Ya tryin’ ta kill me?”
Rakzar growled with laughter. “You’re the one who came after me, not the other way around.”
He scowled and sat up. “Didn’ think ya’d squish the life from me lungs.”
“Thank him for saving your ugly hide.” Amicus stood next to Rakzar, his arms crossed.
Rakzar said “thanks” under his breath and then headed west along the canyon wall. A switchback trail a mile back would get them back to the top of the canyon. Normak trailed him, but not by much. The others walked along the top, but he didn’t see Rayah with them. His heart thundered.
Why would they have left her behind?
He took a deep breath and sighed with relief when he caught a glimpse of Rayah sprawled on Bakkan’s back. The thought of losing her pained his heart almost as much as losing Urza. It sickened him a little as well. He had grown soft. He pushed those thoughts aside and focused ahead.
The little dryte better have some good news.
† † †
Rayah’s eyelids fluttered as she fought the urge to drift down into sleep. She’d expended so much energy escaping from Murtag and Käíeƨ that she didn’t think she could hold out much longer. Food and a good nap would do her well and fix her right up.
But we don’t have time.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Rayah dragged her eyelids open. Ridan squatted over her, fingers poised to snap again. She held her hand up. “I’m awake already.”
Ridan smirked. “That’s what ya said the other four times too.”
Rayah sat up and shook the sleep from her head. “How long have I been out?”
“About twenty minutes.” Ridan straightened. “Rakzar’s about to lose his mind and has threatened to go down there himself. What happened?”
“Found Käíeƨ. A man named Lord Rosai summoned her… or them to join him in Elatos.”
Lord Rosai.
Rakzar had never met Lord Rosai but knew him to be the one responsible for creating the blood bond between orcs and gnolls. He’d give anything to sink his teeth into him as well.
“When?” growled Rakzar.
“Immediately.” Rayah rose to her feet and the world spun around her. Ridan grabbed hold of her arm and steadied her.
Rakzar dropped on all fours. “The quickest way there will be the western shore of Trivers Lake. Let’s move!”
“Leave me,” said Rayah. “I’ll slow you down.”
“Fine.” Rakzar took off.
Normak sped away too.
Urza stood there. “I’ll stay here too.”
“Go, Urza,” said Ridan. “Rakzar will need your help as well.” She helped Rayah over to Bakkan. “We’ll catch
up.”
“You’re certain about this?” asked Urza.
Rayah looked back at Urza. “It’s okay. Go.”
Urza nodded and took off after Rakzar and Normak.
“Please, Ridan. Leave me here.” Rayah leaned against Bakkan’s neck. His soft fur tickled the inside of her ear. “You really don’t need to do this. I’ll figure something else out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out.” Ridan handed Rayah something wrapped in a small piece of parchment. “Eat that. It tastes like gnoll feces but will get you going again in about ten minutes.”
Rayah unwrapped the parchment. It held a brownish-green cube, about an inch in size. It squished a little when she picked it up, and the smell it put off could’ve choked a dragon. She looked at Ridan, and the dwarf nodded encouragement. Rayah popped it into her mouth and immediately gagged. Every sense told her to spit it out, but she bit down on it instead. A sour liquid squirted out of the foul morsel and rained fire down the back of her throat as she forced herself to swallow it down. Chills raced across her flesh and shook her to the core.
“Ugh!” Rayah raked her tongue on the backs of her teeth. “I’m not sure what gnoll feces tastes like, but that’d be a good first guess.”
Just her throat tingled at first, but then the sensation began spreading across Rayah’s chest and into her back. “Something’s happening.”
“Good.” Bakkan knelt, and Ridan slipped her leg over his back. She patted the leather saddle in front of her. “Get on.”
Rayah climbed into the saddle and Ridan wrapped her arms around Rayah’s waist. Bakkan stood tall and lurched forward. Soon, they were flying across the rim of the canyon.
Ridan shouted, “Let me know when the tingling wears off.”
Rayah nodded and leaned forward in the saddle. The sensation was sort of like flying, but without all the effort. She could get used to traveling that way.
† † †
Once past the canyon, Rakzar headed straight for the Hotah River. Only one crossing existed between where they were and before reaching Vallah, and he knew she wouldn’t go through the city. When he reached the dock, only a single barge remained.
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