Taste of Darkness (An Avry of Kazan Novel - Book 3) (35 page)

“And there’s also Saul’s squad and a few others Ryne has left behind so we can create a nice distraction,” Kerrick added.

“You really think Loren can get that close?” I asked.

“Well, there’s a slight chance of success.”

“How about if Loren comes in from another direction?” I asked.

“What are you suggesting?”

I told him about the mine shafts. “If you create a distraction to the east, we could sneak in from the west.”

Kerrick and Flea exchanged a significant look.

“Yes, that could work,” Kerrick said.

“And if it doesn’t?” Quain asked.

“Plan B,” I said.

Everyone looked at me.

“And that would be...” Quain prompted.

“Retreat through the tunnels.”

“Not bad.” Quain pursed his lips.

“When are we implementing this plan?” Loren asked.

“Wait,” Quain said. “Why rush? Why can’t we send a message to Prince Ryne and have him send a thousand troops to back us up?”

Kerrick inclined his head. “Tohon knows we’re here. He won’t wait much longer. The sooner we move, the better. How long did Private Beau say it’ll take to navigate the tunnels?”

“Three days, and we’ll come out about two miles west,” I said.

Kerrick drew a circle in the dirt with a stick. “The enemy is about a mile deep, but I’m sure Tohon has patrols going farther out. It’ll take the overland and underground teams the same amount of time to reach the Healer’s Guild, so that fourth day will be our action day.” He tapped the stick on his boot. “Do we want to strike at dusk or the middle of the night?”

“What’s the advantage of dusk?” I asked.

“It’s like catching them with their pants down,” Quain said.

“Not quite,” Loren said drily. “They’re settling down for the evening, eating supper, and washing up.”

“That’s what I said. And middle of the night means we have to be extraquiet—any sound is amplified.”

Loren leaned forward. “But the enemy is confused and disoriented from being woken. Plus the darkness will help hide us, which will work in our favor since our teams will be—”

“Tiny, petite, minuscule, infinitesimal.” Quain pinched his finger and thumb together.

“Mobile, fast, flexible,” Loren countered.

“The darkness can also make it hard for
us
to see,” Belen said.

“Unless the moon is bright,” Flea added.

“If it rains, we’ll have to wait until it stops. Hard to have flaming arrows in the rain.” Loren lined up an imaginary bow.

The discussion continued and everyone offered their opinions and advice.

In the end, Kerrick decided our course of action complete with contingencies in case it rained and set the time of attack to a few hours after midnight.

“The overland team will be led by me and consist of Flea, Belen, Sergeant Saul, and his squad. The underground team will be led by Avry and consist of the monkeys, Private Beau, and the rest of his squad. We’ll leave in the morning,” Kerrick said.

The others rushed off to gather supplies and prepare for the mission, leaving me alone with Kerrick. No cookouts tonight.

“Well, that was rather convenient,” I said.

He smiled. “Nice of the boys to clear out.”

But my mood soured thinking of Belen and the others. Had I just condemned them all to death? Or worse?

Kerrick brushed a hair from my face. “What’s wrong?”

“Quain has a point. Why don’t we just go hide until Ryne and his army catches up? He has plenty of personnel now and we’re a small force. It’s suicide.”

“No. It isn’t.” He turned so he faced me. Taking my hands in his, he met my gaze. “Trust me. This is exactly what we need to do. Okay?”

Understanding mixed with frustration. Kerrick hadn’t told me everything. He didn’t want Tohon to discover it through me. Smart.

“I trust you.”

“Good.” A slow smile spread on his face. “Besides, I’m feeling...energetic.”

“You shouldn’t waste your energy.”

Pushing me back until I was on the ground, Kerrick leaned over me. “This is
never
a waste of energy.” His lips found mine.

After that, it didn’t take me long to agree with him. And for a few hours, all thoughts of battles, ambushes, and assassinations disappeared. Replaced by every aspect, detail, and scent of Kerrick.

* * *

In the middle of the final preparations the next morning, Flea pulled me aside. “Avry, I need you to do something for me.”

Just by his queasy expression, I knew it involved magic. “I’m not going to like it, right?”

“No, but it’s important. And believe me, I’m not happy about it, either.”

Curious. “What is it?”

“I need you to tell Yuri to listen to my orders.”

Yuri? Oh, no. “You want to take him along.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I can’t tell you.”

Kerrick’s words
trust me
repeated in my mind. “All right.”

Flea tried to hide his surprise with a familiar smoothing of his features. All that time spent with Kerrick was rubbing off on him. He grabbed a lantern and led me down three levels to a small dark room. Inside, Yuri lay on a stone slab.

Guilt rushed into my heart. I’d been avoiding facing my horrible mistake since I’d arrived. And the poor man had been left all alone. “No light?”

“He doesn’t need it, Avry.”

I approached the young man. “If I’d been smarter, I could have cured him.”

“He was part of the learning process. Without him, you wouldn’t have cured thirty others.”

I glanced at Flea in suspicion. “Did Kerrick tell you to say that?”

Flea ducked his head. “He knew you’d be upset and I...” Now he met my gaze. “I was awful to you, Avry. I’m sorry. It just freaked me out and I couldn’t deal. At that time, refusing to use my magic made perfect sense.”

“And I pushed you too hard.”

“You had to, we’re at war.”

“What changed your mind?”

He gave me his lopsided grin. “Belen. Helping him, but even before when I caught a whiff of burned flesh...” Flea hugged himself.

“Yeah, horrific things can really motivate a person. Tohon’s dead soldiers convinced me to heal Ryne.”

“And not Belen’s school stories?”

I laughed. “No.”

“Quain owes me big!”

Trust the boys to bet on that.

“Are we friends again?” I asked Flea.

“Yep.”

My smile died when I returned to the task at hand. I approached Yuri and asked him to sit up. He didn’t move. I ordered him. Still nothing. It had been so long since I’d awoken him with my touch, perhaps he didn’t recognize me. Plus I’d avoided touching him since.

I pressed my fingertips to his forehead. “Yuri, stand up.”

He complied.

“Yuri, I want you to obey Flea’s orders from now on,” I said.

“How do we know if it works?” Flea asked.

“Tell him to do something.”

Flea set the lantern on the floor. “Yuri, pick up my lantern.”

Yuri walked over and grasped the handle, lifting the light.

“Wow,” Flea said.

“That’s one thing to go right,” I said.

“The first of many. Come on, Yuri, follow me.”

We returned to the surface to join our teams.

“How much toxin do you have?” I asked Saul.

“We’re out. Prince Ryne took the last of it when he left. I was hoping you had more,” Saul said.

I cursed under my breath. “I have two sacks left.” Rummaging in my pack, I withdrew them. “Here.”

“You keep one.”

My gut reaction was to refuse, but there was a chance of running into a dead patrol when we crept in from the west. “All right.”

After a quick review of the plan, we split up. Kerrick and I had said our see-you-laters last night, but I still hugged him tight. Then I hugged Belen and Flea, making them both promise to be careful.

My team descended into the tunnels and I asked Private Beau to take point with Quain assisting. Quain had found the maps for this shaft and they were tucked into his pack just in case Beau lost his way. I followed them while Loren assumed the rear-guard position. Beau’s squad, led by Sergeant Walmer, stayed behind me. Fourteen people total, including Private Red Hair.

While not under the most ideal conditions—hard rock, mucky puddles, damp air, clammy walls—our trip went well. Keeping track of the days proved the most difficult task since the lanterns provided the only light. And I had to be careful how much sleep powder I mixed since I didn’t want to waste time by oversleeping.

Beau stopped us about a quarter mile from the exit. “Do we want to make sure the way is clear before we all go?” he asked.

Good idea.

“We’ll go,” Loren said, volunteering Quain.

“No lanterns,” I said. “There should be daylight outside. Just take a peek and report back.”

“Yes, sir.” Quain saluted me with his dagger.

“The shaft veers to the right and there’s a steep slope to the exit,” Beau explained. “Just keep a hand on the wall.”

The monkeys nodded and soon disappeared into the darkness. Unable to keep still, I fidgeted with the straps on my pack and checked my knives. I counted seconds in my head, calculating how long it would take for them to travel a half mile.

When they failed to return by my estimate, I pulled my stiletto and mentally gave them another five minutes before we’d investigate.

To my vast relief, they returned with a minute to spare. However, their serious expressions meant bad news.

“Well?” I asked.

“The way out is blocked,” Loren said.

“A cave-in?” Beau asked.

“No, but something that’s almost as impenetrable.”

“Just tell us,” I ordered.

“The exit is blocked by thirty dead soldiers.”

KERRICK

He hated keeping secrets from Avry. But in this case it’d been vital to the success of their mission. And she had understood.

After Avry’s team left, Kerrick asked Flea about Yuri.

“It worked, but it might have been too subtle. It’ll all depend on what she remembers.”

“And where is Yuri now?”

“Back in his room.”

“Good.”

As he led his team through the bare woods, Kerrick marveled over the sheer genius that had brought them all to this point. Amazing. He also wanted to throttle that same genius for putting Avry through so much pain. But if everything went as planned, then it would be over for good and they could live their lives. Provided he didn’t go dormant in the meantime.

His team followed him in silence. Avry had trained Saul and his squad well. They easily kept up without making a sound. And Kerrick set a fast pace. He limited rest periods and stops. His goal was to arrive near the Healer’s Guild well before Avry’s team.

After a day on the road, Kerrick slowed and allowed Flea to scout ahead. Flea navigated them around pockets of dead soldiers who had been ordered to hunker down in the dips of the terrain. Flea also shared a bit of his energy with Kerrick. Each day dawned colder than the last, draining his magic.

As the sun set on the second day, Kerrick prodded the sluggish living green. With Flea’s help, he sought the intruders surrounding the Healer’s Guild, committing their locations to memory because this would be his only chance. The effort exhausted him more than he’d admit to his team.

“We need to head northeast,” he told the others.

“But you told Avry we’d attack from the east,” Belen said.

He didn’t have the energy to explain, but Flea quickly informed Poppa Bear that everything they had told Avry was a lie for Tohon’s benefit.

“I thought Prince Ryne fed her bad information on purpose, but she wouldn’t listen to me. She’d rather hate him. Again.” Belen chuckled.

“She’s supposed to hate Ryne,” Kerrick said. “It’s for the best.”

They spent the rest of the night skirting the outer ring of Tohon’s army.

“Are we still going to provide a distraction?” Belen asked him when they stopped for breakfast at dawn.

“We’re going to do more than that. If all goes well, Tohon will be taken care of before she reaches the Healer’s Guild.”

“Nice.” Belen slapped him on the back.

Kerrick clamped down on a cry of pain. When he recovered, he noticed Flea studying him. He waved off Flea’s help. Flea needed his full strength. The boy’s magic would be invaluable when the action started. By then, Kerrick would only be able to direct from a safe distance.

A few hours later, Kerrick led the team to the location he’d zeroed in on earlier. Shuffling his feet, he crunched a few dried leaves and snapped a twig. Belen shot him an annoyed look.

However, Belen was the least of his troubles. Soldiers jumped from hiding places and swung down from the trees. It happened so fast that the ambushers’ swords pointed at his team’s exposed necks before they could react.

Kerrick held his hands up, showing he was unarmed. “I know this is a cliché, but take us to your leader.”

They traveled until the early afternoon when they reached a small valley. There more soldiers joined them.

“Kerrick, are you going to explain what the he—” Belen gaped at the tall muscular man who strode toward them.

Kerrick stifled a laugh at Belen’s expression. Poppa Bear had probably never met his match in size and strength.

“Magic Man, this is unexpected,” Noak said. He waved off the warriors. “Did Prince Ryne send you?”

“Sort of.”

Noak waited.

“He arranged for this to happen, goading Avry into not trusting him and doing what she thought was the opposite of what he wanted,” Kerrick explained. “How soon can you be ready to fight?”

“We go now.”

“Not necessary. We plan to attack at dusk.”

Noak gestured to his warriors, giving them the information. “We will be ready.”

“There are soldiers with metal collars. They—”

“Unnatural abominations. We cut off their heads.” Noak sliced the edge of his hand across his throat.

“But the collars are—”

The tribesman yanked his dadao from his sash. Brandishing the weapon, he said, “One chop. Gone.” He pointed to the dadao hanging from Kerrick’s belt. “Yours, too.”

Sweet.

Kerrick introduced Noak to the others. Serious and formal, Noak shook all their hands. When it was Flea’s turn, he gazed at the big man in awe. “Was the ambush at Milligreen Pass just a ruse?”

“Yes. That army is not a threat until snow melts.” Noak kept Flea’s hand. “You Magic Man, as well. You touched by autumn.”

“We call it death magic,” Flea said.

“A part of life. Same thing.” He released Flea’s hand.

Flea rubbed his fingers, looking thoughtful. Kerrick ordered his team to rest while he discussed strategy with Noak.

But Noak wouldn’t talk tactics. Instead, he held out his hand. “Something is not right.”

“I’m fine.”

“Magic Man losing his magic.”

That alarmed him. Kerrick allowed Noak to take his hand. A cold shiver raced down his back.

“Healer bond within you is thin, breakable,” Noak said. “Your bond with winter is stronger.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“
You
must break the healer’s other bond, no one else. Otherwise she will die with him.”