33. Kaiya
The first few hours passed quickly, my attention was absorbed by the new surroundings. Who”d have thought this island would contain such varied environments? And the creatures!? The wildlife was unlike anything I”d encountered during my travels on the mainland.
I would have liked to examine some of them closer if Jaiel hadn”t warned me how fucking deadly most of them were.
And the ruins?!Gods! It felt like every time we turned a corner, there was a new crumbling building or vine-draped structure. If only my work for Lady Frexin had me hunting more relics on the Isle, it would be a dream come true.
Unfortunately, I wouldn”t be exploring any of it.
Missions here were rare, and this one would be over within a few days.
Even our time today needed to be rushed — we likely wouldn”t make it to the village until late afternoon.
Travel had been even harder than I”d expected, which made sense given the roads were nearly a thousand years old. Not to mention the several times we had to stop to deal with errant wraiths and fallen trees blocking our path.
And Jaiel still hadn”t gone back to his usual flirty self. I tried to ignore the worry niggling at the back of my mind — for the mission, of course. But I couldn”t help feeling like he was wrong about being fine.
Finally, though, we saw the tattered rooftops of the little village in the distance.
Jaiel stopped his mount as we neared the first homes and looked around. ”Does it seem unusually quiet to you?”
Pausing, I listened.
He was right … besides the low roar of waves, there were no other sounds. No buzzing of bugs. No errant squawks. It felt … unnatural.
Jax shifted nervously beneath me. I gently patted the side of his feathery mane and met Jaiel”s concerned gaze.
Dropping from our mounts, we pulled out our weapons and lead the fleirals forward.
The buildings and roads were overgrown with vines and coastal grasses and the streets were empty save for a few abandoned carts.
Jaiel and I exchanged nervous glances.
”Perhaps Frexin”s team is out exploring,” I whispered, heart in my throat. ”Or hunting?”
Jaiel”s black brows knitted in concern, shadowy wisps dancing at the edges of his eyes. ”Do you smell that?”
I sniffed a few times and winced at the putrid note in the air. I knew that smell, and it certainly wasn”t the salty scent of a coastal port …
Muscles tight, we passed a dilapidated building and emerged onto the shore and docks.
My stomach lurched.
Bodies were strewn across the weathered docks, dismembered to the point they looked like mush, and a strange black ooze covered it all. Amidst the bodies were heaps of twisted metal and shattered tubes … the mechs.
Thiswas our support team.
My gaze caught on an enormous pile of driftwood on the rocky shore, cold and unlit.
So this was why we hadn”t seen a smoke signal …
The wind direction changed, and the overwhelming stench of rotting flesh hit me. ”Fuck.” I forced air through my mouth instead of my nose as I tried not to vomit. ”They must have been attacked just before we were due to arrive.”
Jaiel nodded, staring at a dismembered mech, then at our surroundings. A shudder ran down my spine. Those mechs were supposed to be strong enough to fight off a vrytra. And whatever had attacked was able to destroy them with ease.
”I”m going to remove my ring,” I whispered. ”We need to make sure there isn”t anything dangerous still around.”
Jaiel let out a grunt, then lifted his sword. I did the same, then slipped my ring off. My unshielded magic might draw nearby wraiths, but it was worth the risk. The last thing we needed was to be surprised by whatever had killed these people.
Exhaling slowly, I felt around. There were no korras here. Not even scavengers … likely driven off by the same wrongness that made me want to get away from this place.
Reaching my senses beyond the docks, I felt dozens of korras for plants and a few trees peppering the land around the village … but little else remained.
We were essentially alone.
”I think we”re good. No wraiths nearby, but that black goo — it”s definitely from something twisted.”
”Right.” Jaiel”s voice was tight. ”Let”s secure the area to be safe, then we can take an inventory of the situation.”
Nodding, we quickly worked our way through the dock area and then the village, stopping every few minutes for me to check again. From the looks of it, the village had sat abandoned for years, but two of the larger homes showed signs of the recent activity. They held our support team”s half-eaten meals and empty sleep sacks … but no survivors.
With the area secured, we returned to the docks, and once more, my stomach revolted at the overwhelming stench.
”Do you think anyone made it out alive?” I asked, resisting the urge to vomit.
Jaiel shook his head. ”From the looks of this, they didn”t even have time to get out their weapons. I”d guess they were dead in moments.” He scowled. ”But it would be nice to at least have badges to return to the families.”
I nodded, suppressing a shudder.
Bracing myself, I led the way, quickly picking my way through the bodies as I tried not to process too closely what we were seeing.
The carnage. The smell. The beaming sun … they all tugged at my memories of Karemi. I quickly pushed them away, though, reminding myself this was different.
No relic did this.
After a half-hour of silent searching, we”d found about a dozen small, metal badges like the one I carried in my pocket. Each listed the agent”s name and role within the Science Division.
”I think that”s all of them,” I said, walking to Jaiel”s side. ”Do you think they were killed by a pack of wraiths?”
”This definitely wasn”t the work of a wraith pack.” His jaw tensed. ”It had to have been one of those mountain wraiths.” He turned, looking to the mountains. ”Poor souls didn”t expect such a creature this far from the mountain peaks. What”s going on up there to drive them all the way to the coast?”
A pang of fear twisted in my stomach as I looked at the copse of trees nearby, then the hills and ridges in the distance. Was the creature hiding out there, just beyond my sensing range?
”I know you”ll want to continue on.” Jaiel”s voice was ragged. ”But we need to get these people buried, then get ourselves to safety before dark. I”d suggest returning to Dragon”s Peak and re-assessing our plans there.” He scowled up at the sky and rubbed his temple. ”But I”m worried we couldn”t get there before dark.”
”The map shows some nearby ruins.” I pointed to the base of the dark mountains in the distance, filling the center of the Isle. ”If they”re anything like the ones we passed, it”ll be safer to stay there than out here in the open. We could probably get to the closest one in under two hours.”
”The Shadowed Heights?” Jaiel asked, wide-eyed. ”I don”t think that”s a good idea.”
I gritted my teeth. ”I know it isn”t ideal, but it”s within range, defensible, and not down here where a dozen people were murdered.”
His jaw tightened briefly as he squinted at the mountains, then the sun making its way toward the horizon. ”Fine. But we need to move quickly.”
I nodded.
We worked in near-silence for over an hour while my mind raced. Our mission support was gone, mountain wraiths roamed the surrounding areas, and we were tasked with a mission that had killed all the previous agents who”d tried before us.
I stared down at the gore I”d just shoveled into the pit Jaiel had dug.
Even an elite team with advanced equipment was no match for the Isle monsters. What hope did Jaiel and I have?
Perhaps we should cut our losses and admit defeat?
”Unlike most, you can make a difference, Kaiya. You find lost, dangerous relics when no one else can.” Frexin”s words from when she recruited me whispered in my mind. ”Don”t waste your talent. Don”t let people die because you didn”t try.”
Was it mad to think we still had a chance?
I glanced over at Jaiel as he wiped his naked forearm across his wet brow, slim tendrils of his monster slipping from him to wander over the remains.
I hated to admit it, but he was the only reason we could even consider continuing. His monster might not be enough for a mountain wraith, but it would be more than a match for normal wraiths.
If we were careful, we might be able to use it to make it to the Basin. Then, if Liam was right, maybe that hermit could help us the rest of the way.
The sun was low when I patted down the last shovelful of dirt. My throat ached and my shoulders burned, but as we”d said the prayer for those korras, I”d felt lighter than I had in days.
We walked back to our fleirals and Jaiel squatted down, tugging his hair from the band he”d been using and grabbing out his water flask. Taking a deep swig, he let out a breath and looked at me. ”The sun is setting quickly. We”ll need to ride fast.”
I looked up at the darkening sky and nodded, then took a swig of my water to help wash down a bite of the dried meat stick. ”I”ve been thinking. It”s risky … but if I keep my ring off, it”ll let us sense the wraiths ahead of us. That might give us enough time to ride around them, which would save your energy and maybe even save us time.”
Jaiel”s brow tightened but he nodded. ”I agree. Once we reach the ruins, put it back on, though.”
”Also …” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. ”I noticed the ruins are only a day”s ride from where E — Liam said we might find the hermit.” I took another sip from my water bottle. ”If we cut through a portion of the Preying Wilds.”
”Absolutely not!” Jaiel interrupted, lips pressed in a tight line.
I winced. ”Before you dismiss the idea, just ask yourself which is more dangerous to us — body mages or mountain wraiths?”
He let out a deep sigh, then massaged his temples. ”Let”s talk about it later, after we get some rest.”
”Fine.” I wouldn”t let it go, though. We could still accomplish the mission. I was sure of it.
Taking one more big gulp from his water, he brushed off his hands, then pulled a cloak over his shoulders and stood up with a groan. ”I”m ready whenever you are.”
His eyes met mine and I gasped at the shadows flickering in them. Forsaken hells. He was getting worse. He said he had time. Surely it wouldn”t be up already?
He pulled his cloak further over his face, though, and moved to untie his fleiral.
Perhaps it was normal? He had been massaging his temples all afternoon.
Gods — if the monster was too much…
But he”d tell me if there was a problem. Right?
Shaking my head, I climbed onto Jax”s back and winced.
My entire body ached, and my arms and back shook like noodles. ”You as sore and tired as I am?” I asked, attempting a crooked smile.
”Yeah.”
He didn”t even look back.
That concerned feeling in my belly grew stronger.
”What I wouldn”t give for a hot bath and soft bed right now. Right?” I tried again.
Nothing.
”Wish I had a different kind of soreness, perhaps? The good kind, if you know what I mean,” I added, cringing as the words formed on my lips. But I was getting desperate for a real Jaiel response.
”We need to hurry, Princess,” he said, voice tight and guttural. ”My head aches and I don”t have time for your games.”
What the fuck?Fear speared through my chest.