Chapter 16
Rykr
The gruesome head of a woman stared at me with lifeless eyes, but the body had disappeared.
For a moment, I didn’t see a woman’s head there, but Dalric’s.
My empty stomach lurched, then I blinked, and cleared my vision. Not Dalric. Just a girl. Just a corpse, face twisted, eyes vacant. Tearing my gaze away, I bent and grabbed Seren’s fallen sword.
She gasped in pain.
“Are you all right?” I didn’t dare let the sword go, in case there were more of those things out there. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.
“I’m not sure.” Seren’s hands trembled as she backed away from the gruesome head. “How in Nyxva did you get here? How did you know where I was? Where did you go?”
She leaned against me as we crossed the stream, moving as quickly as possible. But between her injuries and my irons, we were too slow.
Explaining what I’d seen felt absurd, but Seren—maybe her mother, too—might be the only ones who’d understand it.
“I heard you.” I surveyed behind me. We were alone. For now.
“You heard me scream?”
“Yes, but also …”
“But also, what?” She eyed me suspiciously. “How is it you just so happened to be here, Rykr? You were trying to escape, weren’t you? And that-that … thing’s eyes glowed. Just like the vuk’s. It wasn’t Giulia it was a—”
“A skinwraith?”
“The living undead. That’s why I had to chop its head off.”
My skin prickled. Skinwraiths were myths—stories whispered to keep young children in line. I’d heard rumors of a Regulation unit encountering one in the mountains of Pendara, but I’d always assumed it was a cautionary tale.
“And you say ice powers aren’t useful.”
“I’ve never made a weapon like that before—it was instinct.” Terror shone in her eyes. “How did you know where to find me?”
“I was …” How to explain this? “I was washing myself. And then … I was in your head. I saw the forest ahead of me, the stream, the stump …”
She stared at me, open-mouthed.
“The bond, Seren. Somehow, I can see and hear things in your mind.”
Her grip tightened on my forearm. “What?”
“I-I don’t know. I can’t explain it. You felt my pain yesterday, didn’t you?”
She froze.
“So, you saw I was in trouble and came to help me?” A mixture of astonishment and horror played across her face. “You can hear my thoughts?”
“Only sometimes. I caught glimpses earlier today. But this … I saw it. Like I was you.”
She trembled. Not that I blamed her, given the skinwraith and my revelation. “How is this even possible?”
“I was hoping you might be able to answer that.”
“You can see into my head?” The violation on her face was unmistakable.
“I didn’t cause it. I don’t even know how it works.” My defensiveness was irrational. “If you’ll recall, I’m not the one who bonded us.”
“Don’t remind me. I regret enough already.”
Her retort, uttered as deadpan and dryly as I might, nearly made me choke with laughter, despite the circumstances.
“We need to tell Seth about the skinwraith,” she said, not looking me in the eye. “If something turned Giulia, there could be more out there.”
“That thing was a friend of yours?” The creature had worn a dress.
“I knew her.” Seren’s voice faltered, and she averted her gaze.
“Her mother was just looking for her. My friends thought she was off enjoying herself during the festivities …” Her lips tightened, before she drew in a sharp breath.
“She helped me, Rykr—at the repository. She was … scared to help. And now she’s dead. ”
What was she implying? That someone had murdered and turned her into a skinwraith because she’d helped? That seemed extreme, even for the Viori. “You think someone in your tribe did this to her?”
Fire lit her eyes. “I hope not, but we can’t let this happen again. If something is turning people into skinwraiths, we need to find out what—and stop it. I’ll have to tell Seth of the encounter.”
I didn’t relish the idea of going to see her tribe’s waldren again, but she was right. We had to warn them.
The combination of my wet clothing and her words sent an involuntary shiver through me, and I peered more closely at our dark surroundings.
What if whatever had turned that girl into a skinwraith watched us now?
I’d outrun the men who followed me to get here.
And despite them being my enemies, a strange pang of guilt laced the thought that they, too, could be exposed out here.
As we neared the cluster of tents, including her tent, Seren stumbled, and a deep ache flared from my side—a phantom pain, since I had no injury there. I steadied her before she could fall. “I think you have a few broken ribs.”
“You feel that, too?” she asked, gasping.
“Yes. Why don’t we go to your mother first?
Your sister might alert others. She’s an officer in your Vangar, right?
” The connection between us was all-consuming.
Her pain bled into me, real and raw, as if the bond had made us one being split into two bodies.
And if it was this strong now, what would it be like in a month? A year?
She locked eyes with me. “Tell me the truth, Rykr. Why were you out here? I went back to the tent and you were gone. Were you trying to escape?”
My jaw set. “I was, but I changed my mind. We can talk about it later. We’re almost there,” I murmured, guiding her forward, though the wariness in my chest didn’t fade.
Seren grimaced, a flash of pain in her eyes. Whatever she thought of my admission, she didn’t say.
She limped the entire way into her mother’s tent.
The tent was much larger than Seren’s, with furnishings that made it feel more like a humble but well-equipped cottage. The glow of orange firelight from the stove and several oil lamps lit the warm space. Lucia and Tara sprang from their bedrolls as we entered.
“What’s wrong?” Tara asked, reaching us before Lucia did.
“A skinwraith.” Seren winced, sitting on a plush cushion on the floor near the stove. “I stumbled across it on the way back from the festival. Giulia Bernardi was murdered—turned into one—and attacked me. Threw me against a tree. Rykr heard and came to my aid.”
Lucia went ashen. “I’ve never heard of skinwraiths near here.”
“Can people be turned into them by other humans? Or do they have to be turned by other skinwraiths?” I asked.
Lucia lifted a few bottles from a table calmly, as though mending her children was nothing new. “Anyone can be turned into a skinwraith by a sorcerer, but it’s ancient—very dark magic. Forbidden magic. The price for magic like that would be costly, and I know of no one with that skill here.”
Tara knelt beside Seren and helped her out of her vest. “Where are you hurt?” Tara surveyed Seren’s face.
“I broke some ribs. Not sure what else.” Seren drew a shaky breath and Tara unbuttoned her blouse, then pushed it off her shoulders. Her side was dark with an angry bruise, and I turned away, giving her privacy, though Tara seemed unconcerned.
“I’ll take care of her,” Lucia said, waving Tara to the side.
“Where’s Madoc when I need him?” Tara muttered. Lucia met her gaze, a forlorn look passing between them, some unspoken pain there that neither voiced.
Who is Madoc?
Tara straightened and moved toward the sleeping area. She slipped behind a dressing screen, and minutes later, she emerged fully dressed. Grabbing a sword from beside her bedroll, she asked, “Is the skinwraith still out there?”
“Seren killed it,” I said, from the corner of the tent. “It vanished. The head was still there, though.”
Tara and Lucia looked at me, as though they had forgotten I was there. Tara frowned.
Was that blame in her expression?
“Tell me where, exactly.”
I followed Tara outside. If she’d noticed I was still carrying Seren’s sword, she said nothing. She didn’t disarm me either.
“That way.” I gestured toward the direction we’d been in, using both hands. “There’s a stream. On the other side of the stream is a stump, and there’s a human heart on it—probably that woman’s. The head is near there.”
If Tara was afraid, she didn’t show it, and I respected that. She’d dragged a vuk back for Seren, so she was clearly a capable woman. But the rigid set of her shoulders made it clear she was on her guard around me, as though I’d somehow brought the skinwraith upon her sister.
“Thank you for helping Seren. Again.” Her tone was sharp, more accusation than gratitude, as she turned to leave.
“I don’t know how to summon murderous vuks or skinwraiths if that’s what you’re thinking,” I said dryly.
Tara paused, glancing over her shoulder with narrowed eyes.
“Maybe not. But you’re still a Lirien, and Liriens don’t just show up in the middle of the forest at the perfect moment unless there’s something we don’t know.
This will do nothing to inspire confidence in you, Rykr.
Don’t even think of breathing a word of this to anyone—especially not Seth. ”
“Damn,” I muttered under my breath. “And here I was planning to summon my closest Viori friends for story time.”
To my surprise, Tara smirked, but the distrust in her expression didn’t waver.
A muffled cry came from inside the tent, and the pain in my side flared, then dissipated just as quickly. And when I looked back, Tara was already gone. Once I returned to the tent, Lucia was smoothing honey over Seren’s bruise, but Seren appeared to be asleep.
“Did you mend her?” I knelt beside them.
Lucia didn’t look at me as she continued rubbing the honey in. “I gave her a tonic to let her sleep. I can fix some bones, and bruises are easy enough, but I don’t have the same power to heal that the Zhi do. My magic works differently. It leaves a mark.
“She told me your connection has deepened.” Lucia pulled a strip of cloth from a spool beside her and wound it around Seren’s torso.
She gave me a sidelong glance. “I can teach you both how to block each other from invading the other’s minds, but the closer you become, the deeper the bond will go.
Eventually, if you don’t learn to control it, you may not be able to separate your thoughts from hers—or hers from yours.
It will start slowly. A memory here, a feeling there.
But without training, it could consume you both. ”
She paused, eyes meeting mine. “Some say that bonds like this aren’t meant to be controlled, as they’re meant to bind two souls into one. But if that happens, you’ll lose what makes you Rykr, and she’ll lose what makes her Seren. And I doubt either of you want that.”
Losing what made us ourselves? That was what terrified me about the bond—how much of this connection was mine, and how much was Seren’s? Where did one end and the other begin? And if we couldn’t control it, how long before it absorbed us completely?
“She seems to think there still may be hope of breaking the bond.” I hadn’t really processed anything Lucia had said yesterday as realistic, but that was before I could feel Seren’s pain and see into her mind.
“The chance of that is slim at best. I tried to warn Seren that this oath had deep consequences.” Her eyes bored into mine.
“I’d like to believe you are worthy of the risk she took.
But the bond could also destroy you both if you’re reckless.
You’ve been given a second chance here among the Viori, a life that you, perhaps, did not want.
But the alternative was death. Don’t take that chance for granted. ”
Her words sank through me. If she only knew how much deeper those truths went.
Had I been in Ederyn, or if Dalric hadn’t been mistaken for me, I would be dead.
Even the fact that my father had Sealed me, changed my name, and that Seren’s oath had altered my appearance offered me a chance of hiding in plain sight—as someone else.
“I know,” I said.
But even as I spoke another, darker thought took shape. If breaking the bond was impossible, then Seren would have to remain by my side or continue to be a threat to me. Forever. Because my place wasn’t here.
Lucia finished binding the cloth and buttoned Seren’s shirt. “I’ll help you carry her back to your tent. Get some sleep. I fear trouble tomorrow.”