Taste of Darkness (An Avry of Kazan Novel - Book 3) (11 page)

I took them up the back stairs. Cracking the door open, I listened. No sounds echoed off the marble-tiled floors. We eased into the hallway. No one had lit the sconces. Darkness lined the gaps under the doors. The area appeared deserted. And smelled of dust.

We reached the ballroom without trouble. The large double glass doors had been closed, but not locked. In the ballroom, moonlight streamed through the long windows like white gauzy curtains. Motionless bodies littered the ground.

Odd’s squad moved in first in case of an ambush. He opened the doors, pushing them wide before they rushed in. They checked the other doors before signaling the all clear.

Women dressed in gowns and men wearing evening clothes lay in a haphazard pattern on the floor. Large crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, but otherwise the place was empty.

The monkeys and Flea fanned out to check the victims and search for Estrid. The High Priestess had worn a red silk gown with gold brocade when she had pledged loyalty to Tohon before Sepp had trapped her and her staff in magical stases. Flea would save her first.

Odd raised his hand, waving me over. He stood next to a woman in red.

Estrid? I moved closer.

The prone bodies surged to their feet.

KERRICK

Even camouflaged by Kerrick’s forest magic, Harper still remained a big noisy horse. While they traveled twice as fast as Kerrick could on foot, they attracted too much attention. A few patrols already tracked him and soon he’d be too close to Zabin to ride.

He stayed on horseback as long as he dared, releasing Harper late on the second day. Unfortunately, he still had to cover five miles and would miss the rendezvous time by hours. Kerrick hoped they planned to attack during the night or tomorrow morning as he headed south. As long as he caught up to Avry at some point, he’d be happy.

Dodging enemy patrols slowed his pace. And their numbers grew as he neared the city. He stopped for a rest and considered. Ryne had said Cellina pulled most of her forces to Vyg in order to lure him to Zabin and attack his flank. Did his scouts underestimate how many soldiers had remained?

With his new and improved senses, he felt whole companies moving through the forest. Way too many for Ryne’s small forces to handle. Somehow Cellina had managed to trick the scout. Or the scout was one of Cellina’s spies. He remained too far away to sense if any of Cellina’s troops waited south of Zabin.

Ryne’s comments repeated in his mind.
You’re my best scout...I really need accurate information.
If Kerrick hadn’t been sick, he would have sensed the extra soldiers and averted the major fiasco that was poised to happen.

Despite the danger, Kerrick increased his pace to a run. He had to warn the team in charge of creating the distraction. If he stopped them, then Avry and her team wouldn’t go into the manor house, where Kerrick was sure another ambush waited for them.

He arrived too late. The sounds of fighting reached him before he neared the camp outside Zabin. And through his connection to the living green, he discovered another trap was poised to spring a few yards inside the forest. A wall of soldiers lined up, creating a blockade, which would prevent Captain Drisana’s team from retreating to the north or east.

Kerrick concentrated on the string of soldiers and determined it hooked behind the manor house.

Not good. Avry’s exit was obstructed, as well. He dug his hands into the soil, strengthening his bond, seeking irritations to the south. Sure enough, another one of Cellina’s platoons lurked. Damn. The scout had to be a double agent. How could someone miss the mass of humanity occupying the woods around Zabin?

He pushed his awareness farther out. A group of ten intruders waited to the east. This group was well past the blockade and probably one of Ryne’s.

Kerrick considered. He needed to create an exit for the others. But how? Yanking his hands from the dirt, he jogged east.

It didn’t take him long to find the squad. He crept closer. The moonlight shone bright enough to observe them. They wore the green fatigues that marked them as part of Estrid’s holy army. Nice to see not all of them had taken off once Estrid had been captured. Good news, except he didn’t recognize any of them. Quiet and watchful with weapons in hand, they appeared to be on alert.

Pulling magic, Kerrick transformed to normal. Not wishing to scare them, he backed up a few yards before crunching through the fallen leaves. He spread his hands wide so they didn’t skewer him on sight.

With plenty of warning, the squad hid and then surrounded him as soon as he walked into their “trap.” One man hung back. Kerrick spotted the sergeant strips on the man’s sleeves.

“I’m on your side,” Kerrick said. “Prince Ryne sent me.” Not exactly true, but close enough. He explained about the blockade. “We need to clear a path for our soldiers.”

The eight men and two women looked to their sergeant when Kerrick finished.

“You certainly know an awful lot about the mission,” the sergeant said. “Who are you?”

“Prince Kerrick.”

“Really? We heard he died fighting the northern tribes.”

“You heard wrong. Look, Sergeant...”

“Vic.”

“We don’t have time for this.”

“I’m not risking my squad. If that blockade is there like you said, a dozen of us aren’t going to make a dent.”

“We only need to clear one section,” Kerrick said.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Vic asked. “As soon as we strike, the whole line will turn on us.”

“I’ve a plan.”

The sergeant laughed. “Good for you. Let us know how it works out.”

Expecting resistance from the man, Kerrick encouraged the vines growing on a nearby tree to snake toward Vic’s head. “There’s a section of the wall that’s not as closely connected to the others due to a dried-out creek that makes a deep dip in the terrain. My plan is to take out that section and replace Cellina’s soldiers with yours.”

“You’re mad. One shout and we’re done.”

“Then I’ll make sure they won’t make a sound.”

“You?”

“I’m a forest mage.”

“Okay, I’ll play along,
Prince
Kerrick. Just how—”

The vines looped around Vic’s mouth and head, making an effective gag. When the man tried to use his weapon, the vines circled his upper body, trapping his arms. Half his squad rushed to help, but they were soon entangled, as well.

Before, Kerrick would have expanded all his energy to make those vines move. One perk of being a forest mage. However, now using his magic to look normal drained him.

A sword point pricked Kerrick’s neck.

“Stop it now,” a woman ordered.

Kerrick inclined his head. “I’m simply demonstrating my plan.” The vines retreated, freeing the soldiers.

“Heck of a demonstration.” Vic rubbed his cheeks.

“Will you come?” Kerrick asked.

“Yeah, what do you need us to do?”

“I’ll trap the soldiers with the vines, but this time I’ll also cut off their air supply, knocking them out. You drag them away and then take their place.”

“Should we put on their uniforms?”

“No need. It’s dark and they’re similar enough. Plus we don’t have the time. Ready?”

They sheathed their weapons and collected their packs. Kerrick led them back to the blockade.

Once they reached the dried creek bed, Kerrick whispered, “I’m going to disappear. You’ll be able to see from here when the vines have done their job. I’ll go warn Captain Drisana and send her your way.”

Sergeant Vic nodded. Kerrick moved away and dropped his normal look. He edged closer to his targets—eight in all. Thick bushes and thorny briars grew along the creek’s raised banks, creating a barrier between those in the dip and the others.

Kerrick knelt on the ground and visualized what he needed the vines to do. Concentrating, he directed the vines to drop down and quickly ensnare the soldiers all at once. While this action didn’t require magical energy, his connection to the forest deepened and the task became a physical effort. Sweat soaked his shirt.

A few muffled grunts sounded as the vines captured the enemy, but none loud enough to raise an alarm. When the squad appeared to do their job, Kerrick staggered to his feet. He headed toward the fighting. Keeping to the edge of the forest, he crossed behind the POW camp and stopped.

The two armies fought in the training fields. They appeared to be evenly matched, but Drisana didn’t know about the soldiers waiting just to the north. Kerrick scanned the fighters until he saw the familiar blond hair. He hadn’t seen her since they trained together up in Ivdel Realm.

Kerrick gathered his magic. He pulled his dadao sword and stepped from the forest, heading straight for Drisana. Each stride drained him. Halfway there, one of Cellina’s soldiers intercepted him.

Flashing his thick-bladed sword, Kerrick growled. The young man stared at the nasty-looking weapon and backed away. Kerrick kept moving even though each step cost him. The skirmish resembled...a skirmish. The enemy lacked a certain fierceness, as if the presence of the blockade meant they didn’t have to try as hard. At least no dead soldiers fought among them.

He dodged a few other soldiers before joining Drisana. She glanced at him briefly before continuing her fight. With Kerrick’s help, they dispatched the man in no time.

“You look horrible. Did you come back from the dead just for me?” Drisana wiped the blood off her sword.

“I can’t stay—” He ducked as a soldier swung his sword, aiming for Kerrick’s throat.

Drisana engaged the man. “Go on.”

“Don’t go north. It’s blocked.”

She flicked a glance at him before returning her attention to the fight.

“Go east, find a dry creek bed and follow it. Tell your team.”

“We have a team inside the manor.” She feinted right and slipped her blade under the man’s defenses, stabbing him in the stomach.

“I’ll let them know.” With his energy almost gone, he’d have to ask one of Sergeant Vic’s squad.

“You can barely stand. Take Eva, she’s fast and quiet.” Drisana whistled and then shouted Eva’s name.

A small, thin girl who looked to be twelve years old darted around fighters. She joined them in no time.

“Go with Prince Kerrick,” Drisana ordered. “He’ll fill you in.”

“Yes, sir.” Eva peered at him with a dubious expression.

He didn’t blame her. “This way.” Not bothering to see if she followed, he limped toward the forest.

When he entered the woods the strong pull to return eased. However, after a few feet, he sank to the ground. Turning to Eva, he said, “Don’t let this scare you.” He dropped his normal camouflage.

She appeared impressed by his transformation.

“I need you to deliver a message.” Kerrick explained what he wanted her to do. “Can you show Avry and her team the way out?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go east with them. You can rendezvous with Captain Drisana later.”

Eva cocked her head. “What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

She didn’t look convinced.

“The forest will protect me.”

“Nice.”

He smiled. “Yes, it is. Now go, Drisana will be signaling a retreat soon.”

“Yes, sir.” She took off at a fast pace.

Kerrick worried she’d get caught. But after a few minutes he realized Drisana was right. Eva was quiet.

Completely exhausted, he lay back on the ground, hoping he’d done enough.

CHAPTER 9

Drawing hidden weapons, the ambushers dressed in formal
clothes attacked. Odd and his men reacted, pulling their swords and engaging
them. Flea and the monkeys joined in. I counted the enemy. At least thirty,
outnumbering us two to one. And all living.

“Don’t use your daggers,” I called over the din.

Everyone had coated their knives with Death Lily toxin just in
case we encountered the dead. Their swords remained clean in case we engaged
living soldiers. No one wished to use the toxin against a living person even if
they were the enemy. That would be cruel.

One man lunged toward me. He thrust his sword at my stomach. I
twisted. The blade sliced my skin. A line of pain registered distantly as I
stepped in close. Unable to use his sword, he dropped it and, in one quick move,
wrapped his hands around my neck.

I copied him, but when my fingers touched the back of his neck,
I zapped him into unconsciousness.

“Avry, get over here,” Odd yelled. He was backed into a corner
with three soldiers advancing on him.

Weaving through the fighters, I snuck up on the men who had
trapped Odd. I managed to zap two before being knocked to the ground. Two other
ambushers picked me up under my arms and held tight. Unable to reach their skin,
I kicked them without success. They dragged me toward the door. Icy fear flowed
through me.

“Avry, duck,” Quain cried.

I leaned forward. Air swept my neck. Then came the sickening
sound of a blade cutting through flesh and bone. Warm blood soaked my back and
arm. I remained hunched as Quain pulled back for another swing. More blood
splattered on me. I wiped it from my face. Two headless bodies lay at my
feet.

Quain helped me up.

“Company’s coming,” Loren called. “Time to retreat.”

Only a few ambushers remained. We bolted from the ballroom.
Pounding boots and shouts sounded behind us.

“What’s the plan?” Odd puffed.

“Get to the stairs,” I said.

Not bothering to check for enemies, we raced into the
stairwell.

“Can we block the door?” I asked Odd.

He glanced behind. “No time.”

We made it to the ground floor, where Saul and his men fought a
couple dozen of Cellina’s soldiers in the narrow hallway. These also were living
and I wondered where the dead soldiers waited to ambush us.

“Oh, good, backup,” Saul said, disarming his opponent.

“Except we brought more...uh...friends,” Quain said. “How’s the
escape route?”

“Blocked,” Saul said, engaging with another soldier.

“Stairwell,” Loren shouted. “Keep them from coming out.”

Odd’s men moved to stop them. I stood in the middle, unable to
help. All my knives had toxin on them.

“Avry,” Loren called. He had disarmed a man and held him in a
headlock.

I understood and darted in to zap the man into unconsciousness.
After that, I zapped anyone my team trapped. We had a nice surge of energy,
pushing both sides back. But with fatalities and injuries increasing and the
large number of opponents, it would only be a matter of time. Fear pulsed in
time with my heart. I kept an eye on Flea. He held his own, fighting with a
fierce determination. But for how long?

Should I surrender? I imagined Cellina would be quite ecstatic
to learn I’d been captured. And then I realized she could threaten to harm Flea,
the monkeys, and Odd if I didn’t heal Tohon.

No surrendering for me. This would have to be a fight to my
death. I refused to be put in that horrible position.

A ruckus behind the enemy’s line caused a change in dynamics.
The soldiers eased off their assault against us. It seemed as if they were being
attacked from the opposite direction. Saul’s squad took advantage of their
distraction and increased the pressure.

Then the stairwell group retreated.

“They’re probably going to get reinforcements,” Loren said.

“Then let’s not linger,” Quain said.

It didn’t take long for us to dispatch the remaining soldiers.
The reason for our change in luck stood farther down the hallway. A group of
caregivers from the infirmary held hollow tubes up to their mouths.

My team hesitated, not sure what to make of this new
development. But I did. Christina, who had been my assistant when I’d worked
here, led the group, standing out in front. She signaled and they all put their
weapons down.

“It’s okay.” I pushed my way through. When I reached Christina,
I hugged her briefly. “I’m so glad you survived the occupation!”

She gave me a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You
taught me so much, they couldn’t get rid of me. Although I’d rather have gone
with you.”

Ah, the reason for the stiffness. “I’m sorry. There was no
time. Noelle had knocked Tohon out. We only had a few minutes.” But I had a plan
in place before that. Why hadn’t I thought of taking Christina with us? Because
all my focus had been on getting my sister to a Peace Lily before she died.
Didn’t work.

“Thanks for saving us,” Odd said. He gestured to the fallen
soldiers. “What did you use?”

“Darts filled with sleeping draft. We thought we should be
prepared in case Cellina changed her mind about us.”

“Good idea. Uh... Not that I’m ungrateful, but why did you help
us?”

Christina met my gaze. “I heard Avry’s name and came out to
investigate.” She shrugged. “If she is captured, things will go from bad to
worse.”

“Do you know if there are more soldiers coming?” Odd asked.

“No.”

“Let’s go before we find out.” Saul signaled a retreat. “Back
door, now!”

The odd squad led the way. A few of our team had to be
helped.

“Come with us,” I said to Christina. “All of you.”

The caregivers exchanged surprised glances.

“But our patients...” Christina pressed her hands to her
chest.

“Now or never, ladies,” Saul said.

“We’ve set up an infirmary. You can work there if you want,” I
said.

“All right,” Christina said. “I’m in.”

A couple of the other caregivers joined us, but most stayed
behind. We raced toward the exit. Christina kept pace with me.

“Why did you come back?” she asked.

“We came for Estrid.”

“She’s not here.”

“Do you know where she is?” I asked.

“In the POW camp with the others.”

I paused. “Is she...”

“Yes, she’s still frozen.”

Before I could process her comments, we reached the exit and
stopped.

“What’s going on?” Odd demanded, shoving people out of his
way.

I followed Odd. Something blocked the door. Or rather
someone.

A small girl stood with her arms crossed. “I’ve a message for
Healer Avry.”

“Who are you?” Odd asked.

“That’s Eva, one of Captain Drisana’s scouts,” a man said. He
stood near the front.

Odd jerked his thumb at me hovering behind him. “She’s here.
Now spit it out.”

“You can’t go straight east through the woods. There’s a line
of soldiers waiting for you. You need to follow the dry creek bed in order to
get out. It’s just north of here, then it turns east,” Eva said.

“Is this from the captain?” Odd asked.

“No. The captain didn’t know about the blockade. Prince Kerrick
told her and then he sent me.”

Did she just say... My heart stopped beating. I pushed Odd out
of my way. “You’ve seen Kerrick?”

“Yes.”

“Where?” I demanded.

“He’s in the forest. He said the forest will protect him.”

“We need to go, now,” Saul said. “We’ll figure this out
later.”

“All right. Go! Find the creek bed,” I ordered.

They rushed out, heading north. When the girl moved to follow,
I grabbed her arm. “Not yet. Show me where you last saw Kerrick.”

“Now?” Eva glanced around. Shouts and a battle noises emanated
from the northwest. “Captain Drisana is going to be retreating soon. And once
that happens—”

“Those ambushers won’t remain in place. Just tell me where he
is. Please!”

She stared at me. “I’ll take you. Come on.”

We followed the others until we reached the forest, then the
girl turned west, back toward the fighting and traveling just a few feet inside
the woods. She moved with a quick confidence. But best of all, her passage was
quiet.

I wished I could say the same about my heart. It thudded so
loud, it drowned out the yells and clangs of metal nearby. Suppressing all hope,
I focused on keeping close to Eva. It was quite possible she was mistaken about
Kerrick. And to believe anything else at this time would be setting myself up
for a crushing disappointment.

Eva paused. I searched the surrounding area for any soldiers.
The high fence of the POW camp showed through the thinning trees. Dark forms
raced along the outside of it. Drisana must have signaled the retreat.

“He was here,” Eva said. “Then he turned the same color as the
forest.”

Only Kerrick could camouflage himself like that. Despite my
best efforts, hope surged. “He probably left. This is a dangerous spot.”

“No, he was sick or something. He was lying on the ground.”

Oh, no. I touched a nearby bush, seeking the tingle of his
magic. Nothing. Don’t panic. Kerrick might be unconscious and in need of my
help. He couldn’t have gone far. Remembering how I found him before, I drew in a
deep breath. Damp earth, the scent of fallen leaves, and smoke from the fires
burning in the soldiers’ camp all laced the air. No spring sunshine.

I considered. If he was injured, he’d go farther into the
forest. Crawling on my hands and knees, I searched the ground, exploring with my
hands.

“Uh, Healer Avry...” Eva said.

“Go. Before you’re—”

“Are you insane?” Loren asked. Quain and Flea stood next to
him. The fierce expressions on their faces meant they’d carry me from the woods
if they had to.

“If Kerrick’s here, he’s safer than you. Come on!” Loren
grabbed my elbow, hauling me to my feet.

“No.” I yanked my arm from his grasp and stumbled back. An
invisible hand wrapped around my ankle.

“Avry?” asked a bush.

I squealed with pure joy and crouched down, finding Kerrick.
Arms snaked around my back as he pulled me close. The rest of the world
disappeared as I clung to him, breathing in his scent, feeling his chest move.
Bliss.

“Avry,” he sighed.

“Where did she go?” Flea asked.

“Flea’s here?” Kerrick released me, but I stayed next to him as
he moved into a sitting position.

His magic buzzed through me and his camouflage disappeared. The
monkeys and Flea beamed at him.

Kerrick frowned. “Get out of here before the blockade—”

The unmistakable ruckus of an army on the move exploded around
us.

“Too late,” Eva said. She balanced on the balls of her feet as
if ready to bolt.

Kerrick pushed up the sleeves of his arms. “Grab on,
gentlemen.” He grasped my hand with his. “Eva, you, too.”

The others huddled around him, touching his arms. Kerrick’s
magic stopped and we all blended in with the forest. Strange.

“Cool,” Quain said.

“Quiet,” Kerrick whispered. “They’re coming.”

With Kerrick in the middle, we drew in close together, making
our group as small as possible for six people. No one moved.

Soon, soldiers passed us. A few quite close, and one man headed
directly toward us. We braced for impact, but he stumbled, tripping on a vine
and missing us by inches. In fact, many of the soldiers who ventured too close
to us had problems with that pesky vine.

As we sat there for over an hour, I learned a few things.
Kerrick didn’t use his magic on that vine or our camouflage, which was the
opposite of how it worked in the past. And after the fight in the manor house,
we were in serious need of a bath. Except Eva, who smelled like roses and kept
unnaturally still the entire time.

A million questions for Kerrick bubbled up my throat, but I
held them for later. When we escaped this situation, he’d have some serious
explaining to do. Funny, I hadn’t thought
if
we
escaped. Guess my outlook was rather optimistic. Hard not to be when I held
Kerrick’s hand.

After another hour or so, Kerrick said, “Most of them have
moved east. We can sneak north.”

We stood and stretched, unkinking stiff muscles. The blood had
dried on my clothes. Kerrick had let go of my hand. He no longer blended in with
the forest, but lines of strain etched his gaunt face. Thinner and paler than
I’d ever seen him, Kerrick wiped a hand over the stubble on his chin.

I laced my fingers in his, feeling his magic again. Sharing my
energy with him, I beamed at him. He flashed me a smile in response.

What a night. All that work and we didn’t rescue Estrid. I
glanced at the POW camp. So close.

Flea noticed the direction of my gaze. “How much time do we
have until they come back?” he asked Kerrick.

“The woods are crowded with patrols. Any one of them could
return. Why?” he asked.

“Estrid’s in the POW camp. We could get her out before—”

“Too risky,” I interrupted. “I’m sure the camp is well
guarded.”

Flea grinned. “It is, but we left a back door.”

“Oh, yeah,” Quain said. “Prince Ryne said it might come in
handy someday.”

“Back door?” I asked.

“An escape route,” Loren explained. “When we hid inside during
Tohon’s encirclement, we used a hidden exit to come and go without being
seen.”

“How long would it take?” Kerrick asked.

“Not long to get inside the fence, but the complex has five or
six buildings.”

Kerrick considered. “We have two hours until dawn. You have one
hour to find Estrid, and then you have to return regardless.”

“Are you coming?” Loren asked.

“No, I’ll stay here and ensure no one sets up an ambush,”
Kerrick said.

Eva offered to stay with Kerrick. “Probably safer with you guys
than trying to rendezvous with the captain right now.”