Feathers and Thorns

Prologue

Enara’s and Baztien’s bodies were crushed together under the snow, the oxygen almost depleted. They had minutes left.

“Baz, I’m scared,” Enara whimpered as she tried to shift, stopping when snow filled the space she had just been occupying.

“Look at me,” he said, giving her a small smile. “I won’t lie to you; we may not get out of this, but if we don’t, I’m glad I’m here with you. If we’re lucky, it will be like falling asleep.”

“I love you,” she whispered quietly.

“I love you, too.”

Silence.

Death wrapped her arms around them in a frozen embrace. They closed their eyes, pressing their foreheads together and took their last shallow breaths.

“I’m coming, guys. Hold on,” Jai yelled from above.

They did not respond.

He clawed at the snow, his thin gloves doing little to protect his hands from the icy shards. They sliced into his fingers like pieces of shattered glass as he dragged the frozen ground away from the tip of Enara’s staff, which had embedded itself vertically from where they sat, barely protruding above ground. He was lucky to have spotted it.

“Guys, I’m almost there!” he yelled again.

“Jai?” Baz asked weakly.

“Yeah, buddy, I’m coming!”

“Thank the Maker!” Enara cried.

Jai dug down another foot or so then let out a sigh of relief when his hand brushed against Baz’s fingertips. He was lying on his side with Enara next to him, his hand extended, holding onto the staff’s handle.

Jai widened the hole to allow them to breathe, and they sucked in the frostbitten air, thanking their lucky stars. Then he got Baz up into a semi-seated position to help move the snow around. After about twenty minutes, they both crawled free.

The avalanche had carried them into a tree well. A few more minutes, and they would have suffocated.

“Well, now we’re even,” Jai said, slapping Baztien on the back.

“Don’t mention it,” he replied, rubbing his shoulders to fight off the chill.

“How did you escape the avalanche?” Enara asked, blowing warm air onto her hands.

The tracker pointed to an overhang jutting up near the cliff’s edge. “It was terrifying. I almost didn’t make it. I pushed off the log and grabbed on right before it went over the edge. All the debris crashed right over me.”

“That’s crazy,” Enara said, eyes wide.

“There’s something else, too. We’re closer than I thought. I saw kestrels circling over there”—he pointed—“just past that ridge. We should check it out.”

“I’m with you, man, but we should regroup first,” Baz replied.

“Yeah,” Enara agreed. “My pack ripped off when I was holding on to Baz. Most of our med supplies are gone. All we have left is some antiseptic and a few bandages that I stuffed into yours.”

“Shit.” Jai kicked a chunk of ice and watched it roll down the hill. “Okay, let’s take a moment to rest then get to the ridge. We can make a plan from there.”

Baz and Enara nodded, and then Enara handed them each a piece of dried fruit from Baztien’s pack. They would need the energy, but it was tough to chew, making their jaws ache.

“You know, I’m sick of Mother Nature trying to kill us,” Baz commented, flashing back to their time in the tunnels.

“I think that’s something we can all agree on, man,” Jai replied, straightening his jacket as they trudged toward the ridge.

“It does seem like she has it out for us,” Enara said thoughtfully.

“It’s karma,” Baz replied.

Enara’s eyebrows pressed together in confusion. “What do you mean? What did we do to piss off Mother Nature?”

“Well, the Oculus holds the power of all creation, so it stands to reason that, if used, it could upset the balance of things,” he replied simply. “Messing with it at all was sure to have some consequences.”

“I mean, I think you’re right,” Enara said, huffing in annoyance. “I just wish the powers-that-be knew we were the good guys.”

“Good guys always finish last,” Jai said as they reached the ridge and peered over.

Enara and Baz shared a look that meant they would ask him to explain that statement later. Then they joined him to take in the view below.

At the base of the valley, they could see a manor house. The grey stones were stacked neatly in a U-shape, surrounded by walking paths that met near the back of the house and opened up into a large courtyard. The lake below looked like a shattered mirror, jagged chunks of ice floating this way and that. It had undoubtedly been disturbed by Mother Nature’s wrath. It was still too far to make out too many details, but they could see black things moving by the entranceways—no doubt kestrels guarding their master.

Jai grimaced. “There’s no way down from here. It’s too steep. We’re going to have to head down near our last camp and take the entrance to the valley.”

“Every time we get closer, it’s another step back,” Enara said, frustration filling her voice.

“We’ve got this,” Baz reassured her. “That’s an evil fortress if I ever saw one. Castle, check. Evil minions, check. Isolated, check. There’s no way Soren isn’t in there.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I guess you’re right. So, what is the plan, then? We can’t stay up here. If they fly any higher, they will see us.”

“Then we hide in plain sight,” Jai replied.

They pushed back down toward the valley entrance and formed a makeshift igloo by digging into the mountainside. They used the shelter to stay out of view and settled in as the sun began to set behind the largest peak.

“I don’t like the idea of sleeping in here,” Enara said, looking around at their hovel, shivering.

“It’s not ideal, but it will keep us from being spotted,” Jai replied, giving her a sympathetic look. He understood the fear ebbing below the surface of her skin. This morning, the mountain had almost become her tomb. “Try to get some rest. I imagine tomorrow will be more physically demanding than any of us would like.”

He was being nice. They all knew what tomorrow would bring. They would have to battle the kestrels again, and Enara couldn’t help but worry for her small group. Their supplies were low, and they couldn’t risk a fatal injury here—they would never make it down the mountain in time to get to a healer.

She blinked the unshed tears from her eyes as Baz snaked his arm around her middle, pulling her to him. She forced the negative thoughts from her mind in an attempt to get some sleep.

“Goodnight, beautiful,” Baz said softy.

“Goodnight,” she whispered.

* * *

They wokeup to find dawn fighting with the mountain’s shadows and peeked out from their shelter, scanning the white landscape for black feathers. Finding none, they loosed sighs of relief and began the trek down into the valley. Their pace quickened with determination to get their friend home.

“Man, I don’t know how you do it,” Baz said, directing the statement at Jai.

“Do what?” the tracker asked.

“Risk your life to find other people’s treasures. It hardly seems like the payout is worth it.”

“Some things are worth more than others.”

“But seriously,” Enara cut in, “this isn’t going to be like fighting off some bandits hoarding gemstones. There is a good chance one of us will not make it out of here today.”

Jai gave a noncommittal shrug. “Then, so be it.”

“Just ready to die, huh?” Baz asked, patting Jai’s back.

“No, I’m ready to live,” Jai said, eyes sparkling, “Without Adaryn, I felt I had no purpose. I became a lowlife, a cheat, bound to roam the underground for the rest of my days if Patrivah’s alliance with Xian-Dao went well. Now, I can at least feel like I did something for the world before I go. I don’t want to go back to a life of shadows. So, like it or not, I am with you until this is finished.”

“Hey”—Baz smiled—“if you’re willing to die on this hill, then so am I.”

They attempted to preserve every last ounce of their energy as they descended into their impending battleground.

After a disagreement with Enara, who was now on a warpath to get her friend back, Jai convinced them to wait about half a kilometer back from the manor while he scoped the place out.

He stayed out of sight, his footsteps silent. He could not risk being seen now, or they would lose the element of surprise. He stalked in a semi-circle around the property, noting windows and entrances and also the kestrels perched within a few feet of each one. How the hell are we going to get in there? he thought. It’s a damn fortress.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when one of the beasts flew around the side of the manor, this one looking different from the rest—more human than animal. It flew up and motioned with its wings. At once, all the creatures surrounding the building headed toward the frozen lake and over the mountain range on the other side.

Not trusting the creatures had left for his convenience, he circled back toward the entrance of the house and waited. He remained hidden as a young woman walked through the open gate and headed straight down the narrow path, in the direction of his companions. He followed behind her, glad the snow muted the sound of his footsteps. When she paused to tighten her bootstraps, he acted, running up behind her and pulling out his bowie knife. He held the blade to her throat as she struggled against him.

“What the fuck?” she growled, and he nicked her neck in warning.

“Where is your master?” he asked viciously.

“Are you thick in the head? I don’t answer to anyone. Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m the one asking the questions.” He put more pressure on the blade than necessary, and a small trickle of blood slid down her neck, pooling between her breasts.

“Asshole,” she gritted out.

“Who are you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

The sarcasm in her voice was so thick that he rolled his eyes in response.

Seeing that he wasn’t getting anywhere, he decided to try a different approach.

“I’m going to back away now. Please refrain from doing anything stupid.”

“Then don’t give me a reason to,” she retorted.

He removed the blade, pushing her forward in the same instant so she wouldn’t have the chance to get the drop on him.

“Seriously!” she exclaimed. She had landed on her hands and knees in the snow. Standing, she pinned him with a glare.

“So,” he said haughtily, “you going to tell me your name?”

She brushed the white flakes from her cloak before answering.

“My name is Soren.”