Taste of Darkness

“Yes. Is that all?”

I studied Flea, hoping this new attitude was just his way of dealing with his magic. Eventually, he’d accept it. Unless my mistake with Yuri had scared him away from using his magic for good. Yet another consequence of my actions.

“Yeah, we’re done. For now,” I said.

* * *

Perched on a low limb of a maple tree, I peered at the dark manor house. No lanterns glowed in any of the rooms facing our direction. A good sign. Bursts of laughter from the soldiers’ camp floated on the chilly air. Other noises reached us as well, but none indicated distress. The moonlight cast shadows on the ground. At three-quarters full, it provided almost too much illumination for my comfort.

I traced the limb’s bark with a finger. No magic hummed under my touch. Sadness filled me. How long should I wait and hope? Would I turn angry and bitter as years passed without any news of Kerrick? Or would I wall off my emotions? Actually, that last one sounded appealing. No grief, no guilt, no fear, and no worries. I hadn’t been without at least one of them since the plague started six years ago. Of course, the wall would block joy, happiness, and love. Not like there was a lot of that going on right now, anyway. And the future...looked bleak to me.

A shout jolted me from my depressing thoughts. More yells and the rasp of metal followed. Clangs, curses, and thuds meant the other team had engaged the enemy.

We waited a little longer before my small team dashed across the open lawn. I reached the door first. Locked. Loren yanked out his lock picks, while Quain and Flea protected our backs.

“Damn, this has seven pins,” Loren muttered.

“Do you need Quain’s lightning juice?” I asked.

“No. This is almost... There.” The tumbler turned. Loren pushed the door open and checked for guards before motioning the all clear.

Once we were inside, Odd and his squad crossed to the manor, and then Saul’s men followed in the third wave. From this point on, we would use hand signals to communicate. Saul and his squad would keep our exit clear as we infiltrated the house. Odd’s squad stayed with me, the monkeys, and Flea. We headed to the second-floor ballroom.

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?