Chapter 3
“Istill can’t believe you slept with him.”
The disgust in Enara’s voice made Soren want to pitch herself off the cliffside. She ignored the quip as she narrowly avoided another tree well.
They had departed Thorncrest Manor two days ago and were near the bottom of the mountain range. Their travel was slow due to the heavy snow and debris left behind by the avalanche. Soren had nearly fallen into a tree well not once, but three times. The entire group had taken to using walking sticks for the remainder of the hike, swinging the wooden poles this way and that as though they were blind.
Soren couldn’t have been more thankful when the white landscape finally gave way to dusty browns and grays. She breathed in the cool fall air and shed her thick cloak. She would rather have left it behind at the manor, wanting to rid herself of any memories of the place … and its owner. She folded it into her pack just as she mentally tucked away all fond thoughts of Rook. She filled the now vacant spaces in her mind with dark fantasies of how best to kill him should their paths ever cross again.
Baz’s voice cut through Soren’s murderous thoughts. “Guys, we have a problem.”
Jai, Enara, and Soren all gave him a quizzical look.
“The four of us won’t fit in that canoe.”
Jai scrubbed a hand over his face. “He’s right. The extra person would have been fine, but with the addition of our gear, there is no way we will stay afloat.”
Enara groaned and sat down on a nearby boulder, her frustration mounting. She pulled the weathered map out of her ruck, searching for the quickest route home. “If we follow the river to the falls, there is a bridge near Murkwall. We can cross there and make our way south to Draestel.”
Soren’s ears perked up at this, and she shook her head vigorously. “I don’t think we should go to Vreburn.”
Enara’s gaze shifted from the map to her friend, and she noted the resigned expression on Soren’s face.
“I thought the goal was to get you out of there and get you home,” Jai stated plainly, plucking invisible lint off his collar.
“It is … I mean, it was …” Enara started. She looked to Soren for answers.
Soren took a steadying breath. Enara could tell she was feeling guilty about something. After years of friendship, Soren’s expressions were as familiar to her as the countless scars that ran down the length of her back.
“Care to explain, lady? Why wouldn’t we want to go home?”
“Because,” Soren replied, “we still have to find a way to destroy the Oculus.”
* * *
“Pull it out,and I’ll take a swing at it,” Baz said, looking for any excuse to use his sword.
Soren bit her lip to hide her smirk as she turned down the offer. “Sorry, Baz, but brute force isn’t going to get us out of this mess.”
“It’s worth a try, isn’t it?” Jai asked, grasping his own weapon.
Enara rolled her eyes at the cloud of testosterone forming in the air. “Simmer down, you two, and let her explain.” She turned to Soren. “In your talks with this Rook guy, did he betray any information on how to destroy it?”
Soren picked at her fingernails, wishing she had a concrete answer. Her idea was a well-placed guess, at best. “Apart from bonding with Rook and using it to destroy itself, there is only one other potential solution.”
“And that is …?” Jai asked, pushing for an answer with a wave of his hand. He had never been a particularly patient man and wanted to get a move on.
Soren narrowed her eyes at him before she continued, “We may not be able to completely destroy the artifact, but we can at least make it impossible for Adriel to make use of it.” She looked to each of her friends then flashed a smug look at the tracker. “I think we should take it to Braexmirth.”
* * *
The trio heldtheir breaths as Soren explained her plan. They would require the heat of a thousand forges for there to even be a possibility of breaking down the strange metal. Olecastor was their best chance at succeeding in their mission. Once the Oculus was melted down, they would form it into droplet-sized pieces and spread them all throughout Entheas. Considering how long it had taken to find the Oculus when it had only been split into two sections, they figured it would be many ages before Adriel would be able to find it were it split into many. It was not a perfect plan and rested solely on them making it to the capital of Braexmirth before getting stopped, not to mention the capabilities of Olecastor’s forges.
They all had their doubts, but a questionable plan was better than no plan at all.
With the new destination in mind, Enara mapped out the best route from their current location. They would travel southwest to Blightfall then cross both the Hazelbrooke and Claymore rivers. The trade paths would be easier to follow and keep their supplies well stocked while giving them the opportunity to ask locals about recent goings-on within the provinces. They would stay a night in Murkwall before crossing the final river into Braexmirth.
“It will take us about a week’s time to reach the border,” Enara estimated.
Baz kissed the top of her head, smiling. “Hey, I’m just glad this route is on flat ground.”
“On that, my friend, we can agree.” Jai clapped him on the back. “Let’s let the ladies catch up. You can help me get the camp set up.”
Baz looked to Enara and Soren then backed away slowly. He had felt the tension bubbling between them since they had first reunited in Thorncrest and knew better than to get involved. “Right behind you, buddy.”
The moment they were out of earshot, Enara stood and rounded on Soren. “How could you get romantically involved with that monster?” She scolded her friend like a mother would, her voice so taut it was at risk of snapping.
“It’s not like I planned any of this, Enara,” Soren shot straight back, fuming.
“He nearly killed me and Baztien!” Her hazel eyes flashed a dangerous shade of viridian.
“You think I don’t know that?” Soren snapped. “It just happened!”
“Is your solution for everything to climb into bed with someone?” The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Soren stepped back as though Enara’s words had struck her. She kept her voice low as she glared at her friend. “I don’t fucking need this, especially from you.” She started to stalk away, needing a minute to calm herself.
Enara made to stop her but thought better of it. She slumped back down on a stone, clenching her fists in frustration. After a few deep breathing exercises, she went in search of the guys. She would check on Soren once she had calmed down.
She found Jai chuckling at Baz as he attempted to light the fire. His fingers were not as deft as the tracker’s with the flint and steel. “Sure you don’t want me to take over?”
“I got it,” Baz replied with a look of intense determination visible between his thick brows. After two more attempts, he managed to spark the thin strands of wood pulp that Jai had scraped up. His face lit up as a tiny flame bloomed from between the pieces of kindling. He waggled his eyebrows at Enara. “See? I am a great provider.”
“My hero.” She smiled at him affectionately and sat beside Jai on the remains of a fallen spruce tree.
Jai’s dark eyes scanned the space behind her, looking for Soren, his left brow lifting when he could not find her.
“She needed some time,” Enara said. “There is no use talking to her when she’s like this.” She wrung her hands together, feeling guilty for picking a fight. She had just gotten Soren back—she should be happy—but every time she pictured her wrapped up in the arms of that vile man, she wanted to wretch.
The memory of Soren being dragged to him in the dimly lit hall below the temple had her blood boiling. Her efforts to fight against the taloned grip of the kestrels had been futile. Watching the stranger take Soren from her had made her feel every bit the helpless child she had been, cowering below her father’s fists.
“You okay?” Baz asked as he sat down, taking her hand in his. He knew she was thinking of her father by the vacant look in her eyes. With his free hand, he gently guided her chin to face him. “Hey.”
The clouds faded from her vision, going into hiding until the next storm hit. She nuzzled into the warmth of his hand, looking into his gold-flecked eyes. “Hey back.”
* * *
How dare she?Soren’s anger was palpable, as though it was a living, breathing monster, threatening to remove every ounce of goodness from her soul. She let out the rage in a half-yell, half-scream that had nearby animals skittering for their burrows. Because I wanted to develop an attraction to my kidnapper. She sat on the ground with her elbows resting on her knees. And my father’s killer.
She dropped her head into her hands as a vice wrapped itself around her trachea. She had managed to put the events at Thorncrest Manor to the back of her mind as they had made their way down the mountain pass. The frigid temperature, combined with the pain shooting through her body from the fight with the kestrels, had offered a welcome distraction from her mental turmoil. Now the dam had come loose, and the tears that fell painted a sad abstract of heartache on the dirt floor of the walking trail.
Images of the past few months flashed through her brain like a distorted puppet show. News of her father’s death, his lifeless body mottled with scars, the letter, the poems, the stars, the temple, the manor, Rook. The necklace holding her mother’s ring felt heavy and cold against her skin, but it was the only piece of her that she had left, apart from the statue, so she cherished it. However, it was a double-edged sword. Every shift of the gleaming metal was a reminder of the love her mother and father had shared, but it was also a reminder of Rook’s betrayal.
Unbidden images of him flashed through her mind. His bare chest glinting in the moonlight the first time he had dream-walked to her, stopping her from plunging off the cliff, his snowy hair sticking up like icicles as he held her to the door. The scent of him—the needles of the winter pines and sweet grass.
She choked back a sob as the bombardment continued. When he’d said he was sorry, the little drawing of a chess piece, the snowball fight, her birthday dinner, the library, his mouth at the apex of her thighs. All the enjoyable moments were now tainted with the undeniable truth that he had killed her father.
She watched as dark, thick blood seeped through the memories, forever staining whatever joy they had originally brought her.
She wiped her face with the sleeve of her white tunic then stood, brushing the dirt from her dark brown trousers before straightening the matching vest. They had been hand-picked by Evelyn.
Another rush of sadness flowed through her. In the short time she had known them, they had touched her heart and shown her kindness. For that, she would be forever grateful.
A rustle from behind had her turning. She was relieved to see it was Enara.
“I’m sor?—”
“Stop.” Soren held up her hands in defeat. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“Yes, I do.” Enara rushed in and hugged her tightly, a few tears of her own slipping loose from their confines. “I never should have said that. I was angry, and it was stupid.”
“It’s okay. And believe me; you can’t be more mad at me than I am at myself.”
Enara released her, a smirk forming on the bow of her lips. “So I heard. I hope you’re not planning on hunting tonight.”
“Oh, you heard that?” Soren turned away, ashamed. She hated when her feelings got the better of her.
“I’d be surprised if the people of Murkwall didn’t hear that. Come on. I told the boys they had to wait for us before eating.”
Soren let out a soft chuckle. “I’m sure Baz loved that.”
She took her hand, and they walked back to camp together, all hard feelings left in the dirt behind them.
* * *
The boysand Enara had scrounged together a mediocre dinner of rabbit stew. Since Soren had scared away every edible creature within a half-mile radius, they had resorted to using salt-cured rabbit meat. Not wanting to waste any more water, they all contracted shriveled tongues due to the high sodium content. The only respite from the attack on their tastebuds was the slight sweetness the carrots provided.
As the evening winded down, they pitched the canvas that Soren had brought from the manor. The fabric was water resistant and would provide decent protection from the elements. They allowed the fire to dull to a warm glow amongst the trees as the night bathed them in a myriad of hazy blue light. The solstice breeze shook the trees around them, and gooseflesh erupted on Soren’s skin. She pulled the heavy cloak from her tattered ruck in an effort to suppress the cold. Then she reached in further, searching for the woven wool socks that she planned on wearing to sleep when she froze.
Jai observed her change in posture across the low flames. “You all right?”
She jumped from her seat on the fallen tree and threw the cape sideways, no longer caring about the frigid temperatures.
Jai stood, sauntering over as she ripped items out of her pack, throwing them this way and that. He dodged to the side as a bar of soap zipped past his head.
“Guys!” he bellowed to Enara and Baz, who had taken a moment to themselves a little ways down the path. He waited as their silhouettes formed into concerned faces as they reached the fire.
“What’s wrong?” Enara asked, immediately rushing to Soren. Her friend was screaming in frustration, shaking her upside-down rucksack.
“It’s gone!” she yelled, throwing the bag into a nearby bush.
The boys looked to Enara then Soren, waiting.
“Soren, take a breath. What’s gone?” Enara asked quietly, trying to calm her.
The confession fell from her friend’s mouth as though she were vomiting. The regret and discomfort was clear on Soren’s face. Her voice wavered as tears flooded her eyes and trailed down her cheeks.
“The Oculus … it’s gone.”