Taste Of Darkness

KERRICK

At first, Kerrick fought to remain inside his body and not spread throughout the forest. He concentrated on the vines growing on him. On the moist earth cushioning his body. On the dirt wedged under his fingernails.

Then he struggled to hear the wind shake the tree’s limbs. The call of the birds. The rasp of air filling his lungs.

He inhaled the scent of wood smoke. The mist of pine. The faint aroma of vanilla.

Jolted by that smell, he clung to it. Memories flowed. Promises remembered. He pulled the scent toward his core, anchoring his consciousness to his body. Now he perceived touch, sounds, and smells all at the same time. Progress.

Other sensations intruded. Hunger. Thirst. Cold. Aches.

He awoke. Heart-shaped leaves obscured part of his vision. Sunlight flashed between them as they danced in the breeze. Kerrick tried to brush them away, but he couldn’t move. After a bit of wiggling, he discovered the vines not only blanketed him but held him tight.

Stretching his senses, he reached for his connection with the living green. Except it wasn’t there. Well, not the way he remembered it. Before, it required effort for him to draw magic from the forest. It was a conscious decision to form a link. Now there was no need to tap into the power. It already resided within him.

With a mere thought, he commanded the vines to release him. A ripping sound accompanied multiple stings of pain along his skin. As the vines retreated, cold air caressed his body, sending ripples of goose bumps.

Kerrick sat up. His stiff muscles protested. His pants had been destroyed by the roots. Blood welled from a number of throbbing cuts along his torso, arms, and legs. The vines’ roots had left creases on his brown-and-green skin. He held his hands out. They, too, matched the colors of the forest. His survival instinct had probably kicked in when he passed out, camouflaging him from danger. He’d worry about it later.

He rubbed the ache at the back of his neck. Had he collapsed or had someone knocked him out? Memories swirled through a thick fog.

Slowly the events that had led to his current situation assembled. Seeing Flea. The fight with Tohon’s dead ufas. Cellina and Sepp. The attack on Quain. Avry!

With a surge of energy, Kerrick stood, but he leaned against a tree as dizziness threatened to topple him. He needed food and water. How long had he been out?

He sniffed the cool air. Crisp and sharp, it no longer held the humid earthy scent of summer. A few red, yellow, and orange leaves littered the ground. Early fall. Panicked, he pushed through his jumbled thoughts, searching for answers.

Avry had stabbed Tohon. He smiled. That’s my girl. Flea had awoken Quain. And some sergeant had nicked him with a blade treated with...Death Lily toxin. Memories of being sick made him queasy anew. Kerrick sank to a sitting position.

Had he died? Was he dead? A ghost of the forest? He dismissed that silly notion. He hurt too much to be deceased. But how did he survive? Avry? No, she’d be with him. Plus she couldn’t heal those infected with Death Lily toxin.

And then he remembered the voice of the living green. Had it saved him?

No, the living green said in his mind.

Then who? he asked.

You did.

How?

Your magic.

But my magic doesn’t work that way. And the living green had never spoken to him before he’d gotten sick.

Mirth. No voice that you’d understand.

But now I can.

Yes.

Why?

You are of the forest.

But I’m alive.

Yes. Alive like trees and plants.

Kerrick’s temples pounded. Definitely alive. But how much time had passed? The living green showed him a tree’s small growth—its measure of time, but not helpful.

Concentrating on his immediate needs, Kerrick pushed all his other concerns aside for now. First he found edible berries, roots, and nuts with ease. A stream nearby quenched his thirst. As for clothing, Kerrick decided to stay camouflaged until he could slip back into the infirmary cave. He’d left his pack and the rest of his clothing with Avry.

Avry. He remembered her emotional reaction to their reunion. She had thought he’d died fighting the northern tribesmen, and then when he’d been poisoned she’d kept him at arm’s length most of the night.

Did she believe he’d died again? He hoped not. Hurrying northeast, Kerrick noted the location of the various patrols and avoided them. He had awoken much farther from the cave than he recalled. As he drew closer, he slowed. No one guarded the front entrance. Not good.

He looped around to the back. Deserted, as well. Waiting proved difficult, but he didn’t want to walk into an ambush. Well, not naked and unarmed.

After an hour with no signs of activity, he stepped from the forest. Or rather, he tried. A force dragged him to a stop. Pouring every ounce of strength into his legs, he managed a couple more steps. But his feet acted as if they’d grown roots and he stumbled to another halt.

The pull to remain in the forest was like no other he’d encountered. It felt as if an invisible net had been thrown over him and tied to a tree’s trunk. Perhaps it was the living green’s way of warning him. He drew power and the force eased. Odd. He stepped closer to the cave, but the force increased. More magic meant more distance.

Not stopping to analyze it, Kerrick gathered as much power as he could and sprinted. He had enough energy to confirm the cave had been abandoned and to find the message from Flea.

Weak and drained, he crawled from the cave toward the forest. Each inch a relief until he collapsed just past the border.

As he lay panting and spent, he’d realized he hadn’t needed to use his magic to find food or to locate the soldiers. That had required no effort. Unlike leaving the forest, which required a feat of strength and considerable endurance.

The living green’s comment repeated in his mind.

You are of the forest.

CHAPTER 6

I had mere moments to act. Once Odd and Hogan were taken to the enemy camp, I’d have no chance to rescue them. I considered my options. One—wait until they were out of sight, drop down from the Death Lily, and chase after them. Then what? It was twelve against one.

Two—drop down before they left, surprising them. Then what? It was still twelve against one.

Three—I had nothing. What did I have? A Death Lily and a dozen Peace Lilys. But they didn’t know the others were Peace Lilys.

Vines? I asked the Lily. Grab the men? Will the Peace Lilys help?

Yes. They go.

Drop me down, I’ll distract them while you and your friends ensnare them. Okay?

Yes. Taste them?

Despite what I’d contemplated earlier, the thought of the Death Lily snatching each soldier and essentially killing him or her didn’t sit well with me. No. Please let them go after we disappear into the mines.

Agreement pulsed.

Thank you. Okay, drop me...now.

The Death Lily yanked its barbs from my arms and spat me onto the ground. I yelped as I hit hard, rolling. Disoriented for a moment, I lay there. But the voices of the soldiers returning to investigate reminded me of the danger.

I staggered to my feet as the nine men and three women stopped to gape at me. The soldiers needed to be closer to me for the vines to reach them. Hogan and Odd stood in the center of a loose circle. Odd kept his expression neutral, but an amused amazement sparked in his eyes. Hogan frowned, but kept quiet.

Swaying, I gestured wildly to the Lily. “Whoa. Did you see that?” I asked. “So fast. I just dropped my pack and...swoosh!” I hugged my arms and faked a shiver.

They moved in a few feet. The Lily’s vines crept toward their boots.

My shirt had been ripped by the Lily’s barbs. Blood welled. I coated my fingers with it and then thrust them out, showing them the bright red tips. “Look! It attacked me!”

“Calm down, miss,” the leader said. He stepped in, but kept out of the reach of the Lily’s petals. “You survived. You might live—”

“I’m going to die,” I screeched. “No one lives. No one. Ohh...” I put my hands on my face and stumbled as if about to faint.

Instinctively, the soldiers shuffled a couple more feet before they halted. Good enough. Vines from the Peace Lilys snaked along the ground behind them.

“Miss, you need to move away from the Death Lily so we can help you.” The leader held out his hand.

I stared at him. “Help me? There’s nothing you can do.”

“She’s right, Vonn. Leave her,” a woman said.

Vonn turned to her. “She’s with them.” He pointed to Odd and Hogan. “Since they won’t talk, maybe she will. And we can’t have her running back to her commanding officer as soon as we leave.”

Blinking as if really seeing the group for the first time, I said, “You... Oh, no.” I backed away.

The Death Lily hissed. Everyone’s gazes jerked to the huge white petals parting above my head and not to the vines circling their ankles.

“Maybe this time it will kill her,” the woman said.

I squealed in alarm and rushed Vonn. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I knocked him over. On the way down I touched the base of his skull and zapped him into unconsciousness. Other cries and yells followed mine as the eleven remaining soldiers were yanked off their feet by the vines.

They struggled and some grabbed their knives to cut the tendrils. But regular steel wasn’t sharp enough to do the job. It didn’t take long for them to be wrapped tight. Not able to move, they begged me to help.

His face white, Hogan stared at them.

Odd grimaced. “The Lily has enough food for a season.”

I searched Vonn’s pockets until I found the key to the manacles. Unlocking the cuffs, I freed Hogan and Odd.

Hogan rubbed his wrists. “What—”

“Not now. I’ll explain later.”

“Did you get what you need?” Odd asked.

“Not yet.” I picked up my knapsack and returned to the base of the Death Lily. It bent over and deposited two toxin sacks and two seed pods into my open pack. “Thanks.” I secured the flap. “Let’s go before another squad finds us.”

“But what about them?” Hogan asked. “We can’t just leave them.”

Odd agreed. “I know they’re the enemy, but that’s cruel.”

I studied the panicked faces of the patrol. Odd had a point. And what difference did it make to tell them now versus them realizing it later? That was if they even believed me, which I doubted they would.

“Listen up,” I said to the soldiers. “You’re not going to become the Death Lily’s next victims. Once we’re well away, it will release you.” I turned to Odd. “Now can we go?”

“Are you lying to them?” Hogan asked.

“No.”

“How can you...” He caught my expression. “You’ll explain later. Got it.”

We hustled back to the tunnels. Once deep inside, I told them about the squads heading east and the seeds.

“And you learned all this from a Death Lily?” Hogan asked in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“Death Lilys can communicate?” Again he didn’t mask his incredulous tone.

“Only with healers. We’re immune to the toxin.”

Hogan glanced at Odd with a “do you believe this?” look.

“I’ve ceased being surprised when it comes to Avry,” Odd said.

Now it was my turn to gaze at him. Did Odd mean that in a good or bad way?

“Oh, come on. You can’t deny that you’ve been full of surprises since we’ve met, Sergeant Irina.”

He had me there. I’d worn a disguise and joined Estrid’s holy army using the name Irina from Gubkin Realm to gather information. “But I had good reasons.” And they benefited the most by learning how to go silent in the forest.

“I didn’t say you didn’t. You just keep things...interesting. Like today, for example.”

Uh-oh. Time for the lecture.

“I’m torn over how to feel. If you hadn’t insisted on going to that Death Lily, we wouldn’t know about Cellina’s plans. But when we were captured, my thoughts about your impulsiveness weren’t all warm and fuzzy.”

I’d bet.

Odd spread his hands out. “I figured we were done for. The only bit of hope was that you might escape and tell Prince Ryne what we encountered. But then you dropped out of that Lily, and I thought you were insane.”

“I couldn’t let them take you,” I said. “They were going to feed you to the ufas. Talk about cruel.”

“Yeah, that would have been horrifying.”

“I agree. Those poor ufas.”

“Hey.” Odd bumped me with his shoulder.

I shoved him back. He pushed again.

Hogan cleared his throat and gazed at us. We stopped as if scolded.

After a few minutes of silence, Hogan asked, “Who’s Sergeant Irina?”

Odd’s laughter echoed off the hard stone walls. “Oh, man, it’ll take too long to explain. Trust me.”

* * *

“Clever. She’s being smart. Damn it,” Ryne said, throwing his stylus down.

Odd, Hogan, and I stood on the opposite side of the conference table in the factory. We had reported in and now faced a very angry prince.

“Did you check all the exits?” Ryne asked.

“No,” Hogan said. “There is still one left.”

We’d headed straight back after the encounter with Cellina’s squad. It had taken us a full day.

“All right. Get out of here and wait for your orders. I need to think,” Ryne said.

I turned.

“Not you, Avry. Stay.”

Odd shot me a smirk before he hurried away. I smoothed my expression and returned to the table. Ryne studied me as if he debated between strangling me or stabbing me. I braced for his reprimand.

He shook his head. “I don’t... I can’t... Here.” He handed me a piece of charcoal. “There’s a map of Pomyt Realm over on that desk.” He gestured to the left. “Mark where you saw the Death Lilys and Cellina’s troops on it.”

“I’m not sure if I can remember them all,” I said.

“Just mark what you can.” His lips moved, but his teeth remained firmly clamped.

“Okay.” Even though a question about his plans for the attack on Zabin pushed up my throat, I retreated.

I spent the night drawing squiggles for Lilys and Xs for the squads. When the sunlight shone from under the metal doors, I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. My head pounded with fatigue and I rested it on my arms for just a moment. At least, that was the plan.

Standing in the middle of King Zavier’s throne room, I turned in a slow circle, marveling at all his expensive treasures. Tohon lounged on his father’s jewel-encrusted throne, watching me with a predatory glint.

“So nice to see you aggravating Ryne, my dear,” Tohon said with a soft chuckle. “The poor guy doesn’t quite know what to do with you. You have rendered all his diplomatic training useless. You’re unexpected and don’t follow Ryne’s notion of logic at all.” He tsked. “Not that I have any good advice for him. I completely underestimated you. A mistake I won’t make again.”

“Because you can’t. You’re out of commission, Tohon,” I said.

“Are you sure? I am having this lovely conversation with you, my dear.”

“You’re a result of my worries and nothing more than a nightmare.”

“And again I ask, are you certain? Did you not consider the possibility that one of the children I experimented on has developed healing powers?”

“They’re too young.”

“The ones you saw are. But I’ve been working with Death Lily toxin for a number of years. There could be other older survivors that you aren’t even aware of.”

Alarmed, I stepped closer to the dais. “Are there?”

He shrugged. “How should I know? I’m a nightmare born from your fears and desires.” Tohon leered and stood. His royal robes disappeared and all he wore were his black silk pajama pants. The hip-hugging material accented his flat muscular stomach and chest. “Still like what you see, my dear?”

“Go away. You shouldn’t be able to invade my dreams. And if you do have a healer, it’s too soon for you to reach your castle. So you’re still frozen.” I concentrated on banishing him.

He laughed. “Yet I remain. Perhaps there is another reason?”

“You didn’t claim me, Tohon. I fought you and won.”

“True. I couldn’t possess you. But I am a part of you, my dear. I’ve...branded you with my magic, and as long as you live, I do, too.”

“Ridiculous.”

“Is it? Remember the first time we met? When my dead retrieved you? I kissed your hand and since then we’ve been linked.”

I denied it. No way. If I was linked with anyone, it would be Kerrick.

“Yet Kerrick’s not here. I am.”

A hand gently shook my shoulder. “Avry, wake up.” Ryne knelt next to me, peering at my face in concern. “Bad dream?”

Straightening, I knocked the charcoal to the floor. I’d fallen asleep on the map I’d marked with the Lily and troop locations.

“Is there any other kind of dream?” I asked.

“Not for me.”

Then we shared something in common. “Does Tohon haunt your dreams, as well?”

“No. My father does.”

Surprised, I glanced at him. “But King Micah’s—”

“Dead. But that doesn’t seem to stop him from telling me what I’ve done wrong every night. He delights in pointing out my mistakes and telling me I’m incompetent.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“I’ve accepted it as a manifestation of my insecurities. I suspect your dreams of Tohon are similar. Perhaps a way for you to express your fears.”

His explanation made sense. Yet I couldn’t shake the truth in Tohon’s words. “Sounds very logical, Ryne. But have you really accepted it?”

He huffed. “No. I wish he’d shut up and get the hell out of my dreams.”

“I could give you a sleeping draft.”

“No, thank you. I have to be able to wake up if needed.” He stood and examined the map. “What does Tohon say in your dreams?” he asked in a casual manner, but his arm muscles tightened.

“He gloats. He goads me. But one time he warned me.”

Ryne jerked his head, meeting my gaze. “How?”

I explained about the ambush. “And he hinted that there might be older children who survived his experiments and who might be healers by now.”

“Both dreams are easy to explain. You must have heard a noise while you slept, alerting you to the danger, and the idea of other healers is just your own intelligence working through the possibilities. Which we should consider. Come on.” He strode over to his work table.

Curious, I followed him.

Pulling a piece of parchment and grabbing his stylus, he sat in his chair. “Let’s see. Tohon helped at the Healer’s Guild for a year after we’d graduated from boarding school. I suspect this was when he began experimenting with the Death Lily toxin and putting the clues together about the source of your magic.” He wrote dates on the parchment. “That was about five years ago. Plenty of time for him to inject the toxin into a child.”

“Except at that time, the plague hadn’t spread all over the Fifteen Realms. He couldn’t just inject it into a patient or child without someone noticing. Unless...”

“Unless what?”

“He claimed it was an attempt to find a cure for the plague. The healers’ desperation increased as more people sickened.”

“Or he had a willing subject,” Ryne added. “Someone working with him?”

“Possible. But then why wasn’t this person helping in his infirmary? Why didn’t I meet him or her? And why did Cellina try to kidnap me?”

“All good questions. Perhaps Cellina doesn’t know about this healer. Maybe Tohon kept his or her identity a secret.”

“But Sepp would need to know. Are you saying this mystery healer and Sepp are working together?”

“It’s just speculation.”

“Based on a dream conversation.”

“You did spend time in his castle, Avry. You might have noticed something while there and your dream is just making the connections for you.”

“Or I could have read something in that crate Belen found in the Healer’s Guild’s record room.” Mentioning Belen’s name reminded me that I hadn’t asked Ryne if he’d learned anything about Poppa Bear.

“No news.” Ryne sounded as tired as I felt.

I considered our strange conversation. “Danny might know if there were older children in Tohon’s castle.” Except he was in Alga Realm with the northern tribes. “Kerrick told me his healing powers ignited. He should be training with me.”

“One of the tribeswomen has a form of magical healing and he’s working with her. He’s safer there for now.”

And Zila was with Kerrick’s brother, Izak, and his Great-Aunt Yasmin. Four years younger than Danny, her powers wouldn’t develop for a few more years. Although Danny was only thirteen; young for a healer, but not unheard of.

“Avry, go get some sleep. I’d like you to check that last exit before leaving for the infirmary,” Ryne said.

“All right. Where should I spread my bedroll?”

“There’s barracks on the living level in the mines.”

“Beds?”

He smiled. “The mattresses are thin, but they’re off the ground.”

I sighed. That was the best news I’d gotten all day. Which said quite a bit about my day.

* * *

“Did you request me to escort you to the infirmary?” Odd asked. He leaned in the doorway of the barrack.

“No. I asked for Saul and his squad, but they just returned from a ten-day patrol.” I folded my blanket and stuffed it into my pack.

“Saul? Even after I just spent the last seven days crawling through the mines with you. I’m insulted.” A pause. “Why Saul?”

“We didn’t crawl, and I thought you’d like a break. Besides...”

“Besides, what?”

“He’s quieter,” I teased. Saul was a man of few words.

“Fine, then I won’t talk during the entire trip.” Odd crossed his arms and pouted.

“You sound like a four-year-old.”

“Who’s a four-year-old?” Ryne asked as he squeezed by Odd.

“Odd’s acting like one,” I said.

“Am not!”

I spread my hands out. “See?”

“Avry, be nice. Odd’s one of my best sergeants. His squad has one of the highest mission-success rates of my army.”

“Ha!” A pleased, almost smug, expression creased his face.

“Now you’ve done it. He’s going to be impossible. I’m willing to wait a day for Saul to rest up.”

“I’m not,” Ryne said. “We can’t waste any time. News of your little incident with Cellina’s patrol will eventually reach her, and one of two things will happen. She’ll either recall her troops or stick with the plan. Either way, I can’t send as many soldiers as I originally planned to attack Zabin or we won’t be able to hold off if Cellina’s northern troops engage.”

“Why would she continue?” I asked. “She no longer has the element of surprise.”

“True, but she still has us outnumbered. And if your marks on the map are accurate, she has already positioned her troops in prime locations. So instead of an outright offensive to retake the city, I’m sending only a few elite squads to harry her defenders and draw them away from the manor house while you, Flea, and another squad rescue Estrid and as many of her staff as possible.”

I considered his plan. “With her troops coming from the north and the ones in Zabin, won’t you be caught between the two?”

Ryne stared at me a moment. “I should make you a general. That’s exactly what’s going to happen, but we’re going to hunker down in these mines and make a nuisance of ourselves for now.”

“And the rest of us?”

“The new infirmary location is near Grzebien, southeast of Zabin. There’s a cave system that’s—”

“I’m well acquainted with that cave.” The grief inside my heart pushed against my throat. I spent about twenty days there with Kerrick and the boys. Lots of memories waited to ambush me there. Looking past the pain, I recognized the strategic strength of the location.