Chapter Twelve
The forest was darker and colder than the grasslands had been.
The trees towered above us, fragrant pines and firs, reddish cedar trees, and the thick trunks of the occasional redwood.
The dry ground was littered with sharp cones and prickly needles, some new and others years old.
Ferns grew under the trees, making a carpet of green.
Some of the ferns were as tall as I was, and their leaves brushed against my face when I pushed them out of the way.
Other trees and plants grew as well. I didn’t know their names, and some were completely unfamiliar.
The foliage seemed not to notice that the air had turned cold and the rains dried up. They were still a vibrant green.
Taio unearthed a rudimentary path, though it disappeared in places.
My guess was that the trail had been used at some point long ago and was on the verge of being overtaken by all the vegetation.
We walked in a single file line, Taio leading and Nize in the rear.
Gaz walked behind Taio, and something about that made me uneasy.
“I don’t like it in here,” Finnrey said. She was right behind me, and Kintle right in front of me.
“It’s cold,” I agreed. “And the sun is shut out by all those branches.” I glanced up at the canopy above. The day was cloudy, but if we’d been in the open, we’d have seen the sun poking through the clouds here and there. “How are they so green this time of year?”
“They’re called evergreens,” she said. “They’re always green.”
In front of me, Kintle raised a hand and slowed.
My hand went immediately to my belt and the hilt of my skullcrusher.
That was another thing I didn’t like about the forest. I couldn’t see anything but what was immediately in front of me.
Hollows could be just a yard or two away, hidden by all the foliage.
I hoped I would smell them. Surely, the reek of decay would pierce the clean scent of cedar and pine.
On the other hand, the wind rustling the trees blew from behind us.
The Hollows might be right in front of us, and I wouldn’t catch their scent until too late.
I heard a bird call, and my hand relaxed on the skullcrusher slightly. Birds went silent when Hollows were near. I stopped behind Kintle, and Finnrey came to stand beside me. “What is it?” she murmured. “A dead animal?”
We hadn’t seen any sign of animals in the forest, not scat nor claw marks on trees nor tufts of fur on leaves.
If Hollows hadn’t penetrated the forest, we might have seen evidence of life.
We saw no life other than birds, which were too hard for Hollows to catch.
Kintle moved forward again, and I saw before him that the rugged path opened into a clearing.
At least I assumed it was a clearing as there was a large area where only saplings grew, and the sun filtered through the forest and made dappled patterns on the ground.
Taio moved forward cautiously, examining something.
As Gaz and Omira followed, Kintle moved ahead, and Finnrey and I saw what looked to be the remains of some sort of wooden structure.
“A dwelling?” Finnrey said.
I nodded. Undeniably, a structure had once stood on this spot. I could see the outlines of a foundation and the ruins of a brick chimney. Finnrey and I moved into the clearing as well, and with one foot, I examined the charred remains of what had been a wooden board.
“A fire,” Omira said.
“Nothing recent,” Finnrey added. “This place is old.”
Nature was slowly reclaiming the land a person had cleared long ago, but it would be another hundred years or more before it vanished entirely. Still, my uneasiness grew. Someone had lived here, and now they were gone. Destroyed by fire...or something worse?
“Mara,” Gaz called my name loud enough for me to jump. I had to resist the urge to shush him. “You and Finnrey take the first quadrant. Look for any sign of danger. Nize and I will take the second. The rest of you”—he gave the Zulenii a derisive wave of his hand—“take that area.”
Taio looked as though he might have something to say about Gaz suddenly taking charge, but I saw Omira put a hand on his arm and lead him away.
Gaz’s way of dividing the area into quadrants to be cleared was familiar to Finnrey and me.
Patrols often took an area and viewed it as a square divided into four quarters.
Now Finnrey and I took the first quadrant in the upper left, and Nize and Gaz took the second quadrant in the upper right.
Taio and Omira took the fourth quadrant in the lower right, and Kintle and Yung took the third quadrant on the lower left.
I gestured to a structure in our quadrant, and Finnrey nodded.
The structure in question was little more than a few boards leaning against one another.
A push would have sent them all toppling over, but it was one of the few remaining signs that at one time there had been a home here.
Finnrey approached cautiously. She went around one side, and I took the other.
We met behind the boards and paused to survey the forest beyond.
This area of trees was hidden from view because of those boards, so it was important to make sure it was clear.
“What do you think this was?” I asked Finnrey as we watched for any sign of movement in the trees beyond.
“An outhouse,” she said.
I nodded. “I wouldn’t mind one of those right now.”
She flashed me a smile. “At least there’s some privacy.” She motioned for me to follow her along the forest line so we might check more of the quadrant. “Speaking of privacy,” she murmured. “I noticed you and Taio looked quite cozy under the bedrolls last night.”
“Did we?” I squeaked.
She gave me a look that said don’t-play-dumb-with-me. “You did look cozy, but you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. Although...” Her voice trailed off. “I did give you all the details when Thoe and I were, er, getting to know each other.”
I flashed back to nights when Finnrey and I giggled in her room in Shadow Court as she told me all the delicious details of her new romance with Thoe, who was a handsome friend of her brother.
I moved closer to Finnrey, and she gave me an expectant look. “He kissed me,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “Did you kiss him back?”
I nodded.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“It was a nice kiss.”
“Nice?”
“Very nice,” I said.
She nodded. “He looks as though he knows something about kissing.”
“Finnrey!” I smacked her arm.
“He might be a Zulenii and your intended, but I’m not blind.
He’s handsome.” She glanced toward the third quadrant.
I followed her gaze, but I didn’t see Omira or Taio just now.
I did see Gaz and Nize moving toward the third quadrant.
Perhaps they had finished searching their perimeter.
Finnrey and I should speed up. But Finnrey put a hand on my arm and nodded at Gaz and Nize.
“Do you think Gaz saw you kissing last night?”
I swallowed. “I think he saw something.”
“He seems angrier than usual this morning.” She blew out a breath. “I don’t understand him. If he wanted you, why didn’t he ever do anything? You mooned after him for years.”
“No, I didn’t!” I hissed.
She rolled her eyes. “Mara, you think you are subtle and unreadable, but I’ve been out on patrol with the two of you. Your eyes follow him all around camp. I doubt he wasn’t aware of it, but he did nothing.”
“He almost kissed me the night of the banquet,” I said. “And he did kiss me before I left for the arena.”
“He what?” she whispered. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
“Did he say anything? Why did he kiss you now?”
“He said he had wanted me for a long time but didn’t think he was good enough. He said...a lot of things.”
Finnrey narrowed her eyes. “Not good enough? That doesn’t sound like Gaz.
He doesn’t lack from self-pride.” She chewed her lip.
“I wish the timing were different. If he had said something months ago, perhaps he could have been promoted and you could be promised to him and safe from the Zulenii prince.”
That future had never occurred to me.
“Wouldn’t you rather be married to Gaz than a Zulenii?”
I opened my mouth to say absolutely, but the words didn’t come out. I had enjoyed Gaz’s attention and kisses, even the one that had been a bit too aggressive. But as much as I liked him, he’d never made me feel the way I’d felt last night in Taio’s arms.
“I don’t want to dwell on a future that can never be,” I said. “Right now I’m more concerned about Gaz’s behavior. He seems angry and threatening.”
Her mahogany-colored eyes met mine. “He’s jealous.”
“What should I do? I don’t want any bloodshed.”
She put an arm around me. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to Gaz and tell him he’s being a dusthead. In a few days, you won’t see him any longer. Problem solved.”
I put my head on her shoulder. “I won’t see you any longer either.”
She squeezed my shoulders. “You promised you’d come back.”
“I will, but—”
A grunt caused us both to drop into defensive stances. I immediately moved to Finnrey’s back and we circled, looking for the source of the disturbance. I sniffed the air. Was it my imagination or did I smell something rotten?
“Over there,” Finnrey hissed. “Oh, gods help us.”
I pivoted and followed Finnrey as she raced toward the two men now tumbling out of the third quadrant. Gaz and Taio were wrestling on the ground, Taio holding Gaz’s wrist and Gaz trying to free his hand so he might plunge the dagger he gripped into Taio. “Stop!” I yelled.
Omira was yelling something in Zulenii. Nize had her arms behind her back, and she was kicking and fighting to free herself and aid her brother.
“Nize!” I cried. “What is happening?”
“Stay out of it, Mara. You too, Finnrey,” Nize said.
Finnrey glared at him. “You don’t tell me what to do, Nize.”