Curse Of The Dark Wind (Book 6) (31 page)

“That’s worse than before,” Nyx says while reaching out to touch the sticky spell. She pulls her hand back and burns off the black ooze that creeps along her fingertips. With a hopeful smile, the caster coats her hands in fire and reaches out to touch Luke’s corrupted aura. “Maybe I can burn it off or push it back. At this rate, the Dark Wind will consume him entirely before we reach the mountain.”

“Stop it, Nyxie, or you’ll burn him,” Sari states before putting her friend’s spell out with several well-aimed snowballs. “The aura is part of him, so you can’t attack it.”

“Can we avoid a childish fight here?” Delvin politely requests, getting a closer look at Luke’s left arm. “This pink surge could be useful. If one of us could give his magic ring a boost then it might be able to help him. Fizzle’s aura is already busy and Sari probably doesn’t have the strength. No offense. Do you think you can do it, Nyx?”

“It won’t be easy. Lock his arm, Sari, so I can get a better look at the ring. Honestly, Fizzle might have the best chance of doing something since he’s still bonded to Luke. That could give him a backdoor into the ring’s aura. If you see an opening while we fight this thing then take it, Fizzle.”

Covered in protective ice, Sari holds Luke’s arm steady and spits water darts at the pieces of living curse that attack her. “I have him, but I don’t know how long I can hold on. This gunk is already burrowing into my defenses. I’d say you have two or three minutes before I have to release him.”

With her eyes glowing red, Nyx uses her hand like a magic scalpel to remove the Dark Wind from his left hand. A tendril of black aura fights against the caster by turning into a fanged maw and trying to bite her in the face. She snatches the piece of Dark Wind and yanks hard enough to strip the aura from Luke’s entire arm. The forest tracker clenches his jaw to hold back a scream of pain, which is an expression that punches his friends in the heart. Whispering swiftly, Fizzle spits a spell at the glistening Ring of Uli. His magic strikes moments before the Dark Wind recovers and entombs the limb again. Sari lets go and steps closer to Nyx as they watch veins of pink spread throughout Luke’s aura and the enchantment making the Dark Wind visible fades away.

“Luke no be eaten,” Fizzle announces, landing on the forest tracker’s shoulder. Coiling his tail around his friend’s arm, the drite flutters into the air and helps him stand. “Fizzle no sure how long last. Move quickly.”

“I should have said something earlier,” Sari whispers as they continue walking. She can sense Nyx’s eyes boring into her, which makes her feel miserable. “I felt him getting colder and was watching him for signs of getting sick. I didn’t want everyone to worry any more than they had to.”

“You were an idiot and nearly got him killed,” the caster snaps, fire flickering around her eyes. “How would you have felt if he dropped dead at your feet? Is that when the rest of us would be allowed to worry about him?”

“Let us not overreact,” Timoran says, stepping between his friends and putting his hands on their heads. “This is not the time to bicker and Luke is better now. We must focus on reaching the Widowhorn and what we should do if he gets worse. I fear we are running out of tricks to keep him going.”

“Maybe Sari should have taken General Vile alive and gotten some answers,” Nyx suggests, holding up her hands at the gypsy’s tear-filled glare. “All I’m saying is that he might have given us a clue. There’s nothing we can do about it now and I’m sure he didn’t give you a choice beyond kill or be killed. Do you remember him saying anything that could help us?”

“He was focused on eliminating me on behalf of Stephen,” Sari answers as she slowly calms down. Her eyebrow twitches when she thinks about the encounter with Vile, some of his words and actions standing out in her mind. “Come to think of it, he was trying really hard to make a statement with me. He should have killed me quickly, but he wanted me to suffer. In fact, he said he wanted to do that, but he was under orders to make my pain last. I must have really angered Stephen or posed a threat to his plans. It could be that I have the cure for the Dark Wind inside of me.”

Delvin clears his throat and walks backwards to face everyone as they all hear the growing sound of a river. “No offense, Sari, but I doubt we could be that lucky. More than likely, you really angered Stephen and he decided to teach you a lesson. Notice that it happened soon after we had a confrontation with him. That was the second time you struck him and I get the feeling he isn’t used to that. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was next on his list, but with instructions to chop my hands off.”

“You’re grinning about that,” Luke says, taking off his cloak and wiping sweat from his face.

“I’m not one to enjoy hurting another human being,” the other warrior states, massaging his jaw to get rid of his grin. “But Stephen is a monster. So I did enjoy lopping his hands off. I hope to get his head next time. Does it feel like summer all of a sudden?”

Nyx leaps forward to grab Delvin by the arm and yanks him back, the pair falling into the warm mud. The warrior is about to ask what has gotten into her when his leg is hit by a brief shot of searing pain. Glancing back, he sees a steaming river running a few feet away. Hot water bubbles and spits at the shore, forcing Nyx and Delvin to scramble away. It is an awkward retreat with the pair tripping over each other and avoiding the sprays of scalding liquid. By the time they get to a safe distance, both of the adventurers are covered from head to toe in mud.

Sari inches toward the river and swats the hot liquid away if it gets too close. The steam forces her to shed her heavy cloak and keep it folded under her arm. Kneeling on the shore’s edge, the gypsy focuses on cooling the water whenever it strikes her skin. Staying safe takes more concentration than she expects and she puts her cloak back on to protect her from the burning droplets. Within the insulated hood, sweat pours down her face and she feels like she will pass out if she stays near the river any longer. A few quick movements of her hands is all the gypsy can muster before she starts feeling dizzy. Sari frowns at the brief sight of ice in the river, the thin platform swiftly devoured by the hot water.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Luke says, taking a seat on a nearby rock. He scans the area with a quick burst of his sound sight, the Dark Wind giving his vision a hazy border. “The river is flowing uphill and the water is scalding, but I can see live fish in there. It’s like they’re immune to whatever is affecting the river.”

“I believe I can jump across,” Timoran declares before Delvin puts a muddy hand on his arm. “Well, do we have any alternatives?”

“Water and I don’t get along in the magical sense,” Nyx admits while waving her hands to remove the mud from her body. She snaps her fingers at Delvin and sends his layer of muck flying into the trees. “There’s something odd about this magic. It’s certainly aggressive, but it’s not malicious. If I’m getting that kind of sense from it then I believe we’re dealing with a magical beast. Maybe something still suffering from the Dark Wind, but this is water instead of wind.”

“Give me a minute to think,” Sari requests, intently watching the roaring river.

With her arms moving gracefully in front of her, the gypsy coils the steam around her arms and winces from the dull pain. As if casting a net, Sari throws the vapor over the river and weaves it into an intricate design. The structure takes a clearer shape when she adds more steam and a few surviving patches of snow into the mixture. Hovering above the river is a long canoe of ice that is already dripping from the rising heat. Cursing under her breath, Sari raises the vessel higher into the air and continues freezing water vapor to the hull.

“I’ll have to work quickly once this hits the water, so everyone get on before I lower it,” the gypsy says, wiping her brow and throwing her sweat into her creation. “I can maintain the canoe as we go along, but someone else will have to steer. You three can figure it out.”

“There’s four of us,” Luke mentions as Fizzle helps him to the canoe. The drite’s enhanced strength allows him to hoist the half-elf off the ground and he gently places him in the middle of the vessel.

“You’re not in any condition to help, lover,” Sari contends. Glancing over her shoulder, she sees Timoran preparing to leap onto the canoe. “Don’t you dare try to jump in there! I’m having enough trouble, so I wouldn’t be able to keep it in the air if you do that. Either let Nyx use her magic or wait for the rest of us to get in before leaping.”

Nyx lifts herself and Delvin into the cold vessel, each one settling at opposite ends of the canoe. Sari is already easing the boat into the water when Timoran makes his running jump. He picks the gypsy up as he goes by and vaults over the boiling water. They land and force the canoe into the river with a splash that Sari absorbs into the vessel. With the boat lurching forward, she scrambles to the rear and focuses on strengthening the hull. Timoran draws his great axe and plunges it into the river, using the weapon like a makeshift oar. Nyx follows his example and creates a wide paddle of solid force that flickers in her hands. Feeling useless, Delvin crawls to the front and takes the role of navigator. He is surprised when Luke takes a seat next to him, the half-elf crossing his legs as if to meditate.

“You use your eyes and I’ll use my ears,” the forest tracker whispers, patting Fizzle on the head. The drite glows a dull red as he uses his magic to fortify his friend’s aura. “I hope this isn’t a very long trip because I don’t know how long I can last. We’re good for the next half mile as far as hidden rocks and branches.”

“Do not push yourself,” Timoran warns his friend while driving the canoe forward. The ship shakes from side to side, causing him to glance at Nyx. “This is going to be difficult since you have no experience and I do not have a true paddle. Listen for me to shout orders because we must work in unison.”

“You got it,” the caster replies through clenched jaws. Her heart is racing as she increases her strength to match the barbarian and pushes her arms to their limit. “How are you holding up, little sister?”

“No talking,” the gypsy hisses, her focus breaking long enough for the boat to dip dangerously low in the water. With her blue hair whipping in the sweet wind, Sari pulls as much snow and steam into the canoe as she can.

“Turn in the river!” Delvin shouts back.

“Rocks on the way!” Luke adds.

“Let the fun begin!” Timoran howls with a mad grin.

“Doesn’t Luke get seasick?” Nyx quietly asks, a worried look on her face.

Whipping around the bend in the river, Timoran and Nyx struggle to steer the canoe away from the steaming rocks. They weave through the obstacles and use their oars to push off the stones whenever they get too close. Several times they are too slow to react and a loud crunch causes all of the adventurers to cringe. Cracks form in the canoe and steadily grow as the hot water gets inside the crevices. Obeying Sari’s frantic demands, snow streams off the raised riverbanks and branches to repair the tiny vessel’s hull. The boat bounces and spins through the rapids as the occupants struggle to control their speed and direction. Hitting a violent eddy, the canoe is spun into the air and crashes down with a large splash that the gypsy uses to thicken the hull.

“I’m hearing weird things up ahead!” Luke yells as he struggles to remain conscious and alert. The Dark Wind squirms in his belly, mixing with his typical seasickness. “I see fully grown trees and hills in the river. There’s a lot of movement and noise, so I can’t get a clear idea of what we’re heading into.”

“I’ve a bad feeling,” Delvin mutters, holding up his shield to protect his face from the hot spray. A knot grows in his stomach when he remembers the map. “We should be entering a low valley where the river is shallow and weak. It’s supposed to be flat land with scattered hills and patches of forest. Maybe that type of area will be calmer than this.”

The canoe bursts from the forest-edged river and hits a small dip that nearly plunges Delvin and Luke into the boiling water. Both warriors scramble back and stare at the flooded valley before them. Snow-covered crests of hills and towering trees can be seen above the steaming surface of the chaotic river. Hundreds of animals are cowering on the dry land while birds dart through the air, enjoying the swarms of terrified insects that fill the sky. Eddies and sudden dips are scattered about the area, making it impossible to travel in a straight line. The valley resembles an enormous bowl of hot soup with the only exit a narrow pass that can barely be seen through the thick steam.

With a violent jerk, the small vessel veers to the right and is pulled along by the strong current. The adventurers race throughout the valley with the wild, chaotic motion of the water forcing them toward the border of the flooded region. The canoe skims the sloping edge of the valley and spins for several minutes before a stable current grabs them. When it hits a rolling wave, the small boat is thrown from the river and careens toward the top of a hill. Nyx pushes them to safety with a gust of force, the half-elf desperately casting in every direction to avoid landing upside down. Timoran sheathes his great axe as he stretches to grab Sari by the leg before she topples into the river.

“Make it stop,” Luke feebly whimpers. Unable to stop himself, the half-elf leans over the side and vomits a chunk of Dark Wind. A spray of hot water grazes his face and he yelps in pain, relief coming from a pair of snowballs that rocket off a nearby treetop.

“Not the brightest idea,” Delvin says, blocking a burst of scalding water from getting into the boat. He squints over the rim of his shield when they make a sharp turn and head for the narrow pass. “Why does the path ahead look wrong?”

“Because the path kind of ends,” the forest tracker mentions with a groan. Choking down the queasy feeling in his stomach, Luke calls back to Sari. “Make some handholds because we’re heading for a waterfall!”

“Of course we are,” Timoran sighs.

Handles grow out of the gunwales and ice wraps around everyone’s boots. Sari is the only unsecured passenger, allowing her to continue reinforcing the hull. They race toward the waterfall and the vessel gradually spins until the gypsy has her back to the narrow passage. With a surge of speed, the canoe hits the edge of the river and soars through the opening. Their height is not as bad as they expected, but the drop into the bubbling pool is far enough that their canoe will be destroyed on impact. Sari’s voice rings out over the shrieking wind and a funnel spirals out from the dangerous water. It gently catches the bottom of the vessel, but the enchanted liquid refuses to cool off. Before their boat is melted out from under them, Sari releases her friends’ feet and redirects the pillar to toss them into the snow-covered trees.