Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

A hawk soared above. Terena followed it with her eyes, up and up. Just then, clouds separated to reveal a building, a temple perhaps, columns gleaming so bright in the sunlight it hurt to look at.

Terena squinted, hoping for another glimpse of the temple. Her breath caught tight in her chest as another cloud passed, blocking the sun’s rays before obscuring the view of the building and the surrounding lush greenery. She held her hand to her forehead, shading her eyes. Her mouth dropped open as she realized there was no way to get to the top.

She looked around. There was no path to be found.

“How do I get up there?”

“Do not think on that now,” a voice at her shoulder said.

Terena frowned. “How will I find you?”

“Look up again. See the temple. See the mountain. You will find me.”

“We need to be off, Terena,” Rydon said.

Terena sat up with a jolt. Sonah sat back on her heels, startled. Terena reached out to her in apology, then looked around and noticed they had packed away their camp. Gabriol set his saddlebags over his horse as he arched a dark blond eyebrow at her. Sonah too, was watching her curiously and Terena shifted to see she was still wrapped up in her cloak, her saddlebags as her pillow.

“What?”

“How can you still be asleep? We’ve already packed everything,” Gabriol said.

Terena rubbed at her face, realizing she’d been dreaming.

Usually her visions were only images, pictorial clues leading her to treasures or artifacts left behind by the gods. Breadcrumbs she hoped would one day lead her to her parents.

The voice she’d heard, however, was new.

Terena stood, frowning as she thought more on the vision she’d just had. It had been a woman speaking, that was certain. But she didn’t recognize the voice and none of what she’d said made sense. She focused instead on the mountain and the building she’d seen. A temple.

The frustrating thing was, whenever she’d had these visions in the past, she had resources at her disposal to find where those clues led. Now, in the middle of the continent with no books or Orry to help her decipher the visions, she was stuck.

“I’ll be ready in a minute,” she grumbled, fastening her cloak and grabbing her saddlebags. “Would you mind putting this on Nyx while I piss?”

Rydon snorted and grabbed the bags from her. “As you wish, my lady.”

Terena mumbled her thanks and strode off a good distance. She and Rydon had formed a tense truce after fleeing Nosam. A day later, she’d even apologized for hitting him, to which he’d complimented her on the viciousness of it. He had then apologized for not letting her silence the messenger when they’d had their chance, agreeing leaving him alone made it more dangerous for them. She’d accepted his apology and soon they’d fallen into a more amicable mood.

Finishing her business, Terena made to turn back to the others when pain shot through her belly. It was so sharp and sudden, she doubled over.

She shut her eyes and breathed through the pain when a voice went through her head.

Find me.

Terena exhaled and blinked. Instead of seeing the surrounding woods, she saw the mountain from her vision. She dropped to a knee, gasping for air when her chest tightened.

Find me.

And then she saw it. The temple. So white it looked like a beacon. Gilded pillars and large brassieres with fires licking at the sky. Sitting atop a mountain with no clear path up to the top. A straight column of earth and stone and trees, as if the trees themselves held the mysterious building aloft.

Pain shot through her gut once more.

She heard rustling in the trees but she couldn’t straighten, could do nothing but gasp as the pain receded.

Find me.

“Terena, are you all right?” Sonah’s worried voice sounded a second before the girl rushed over, bending and taking hold of Terena around her shoulders.

Terena nodded, her hands clutching her belly. Sonah helped her straighten, keeping hold while Terena took in big gulps of air.

“You look green,” Sonah said, and Terena’s lips lifted at the sound of Sonah’s distaste.

“I just threw up,” she said.

Sonah looked down and yelped, her soft leather boot in the mess.

“Gross, Terena, gods,” she moaned and stepped away. “A head’s up next time, please.”

“Of course,” she said.

“Are you in pain? It’s only been a few weeks since… anyway, even though you look better, you’re still recovering. You should rest more.”

“Nonsense,” Terena said with a sigh. “I’ll be fine. I… I need a minute.”

“You were gone awhile,” Sonah said, more to fill the silence than anything. “The men worried, so…”

“Mother hens,” Terena said with a smile. She straightened fully and patted at Sonah to release her. The girl did so but slowly, eyeing Terena as if she were a babe taking her first steps.

“What do you think Croak and Orry are doing right now?” Sonah mused as they began walking back to the others.

“Well,” Terena said, her voice stronger now, “knowing Croak, he’s probably sleeping off a late party with one or several women. And probably in Orry’s room.”

Sonah laughed, a pretty blush rising in her cheeks. Her green and brown eyes flashed at Terena. “I bet he tells the women how his poor sick friend is a cleric and never been with a woman. I can just see Orry’s face.”

They laughed as they reached Rydon and Gabriol.

“That was one hell of a piss,” Rydon remarked. He mounted his horse and looked down at them.

“What’s funny?” Gabriol asked, leaning on his saddle horn.

Sonah smiled up at them, and Terena winked at her. “Just thinking about what Croak and Orry might be up to.”

“I haven’t known your brother long,” Gabriol said as he watched Terena mount Nyx. “But I’m betting he either spent the night at a brothel or had the brothel brought to his room. No, the cleric’s room.”

Sonah’s cackle warmed Terena’s heart as they rode off, her smile widening at the thought of seeing Croak soon.

The party had been a good idea in theory, but now Croak had the burden of getting the girls to leave his room.

Well… Orry’s room.

It had taken him the better part of an hour, but Croak herded the women along, their slow progress making his mood sour even more. He offered more coin if they moved faster and was rewarded when they quickened their efforts and left.

When Croak finally closed the door behind them, he looked around at the mess left behind with a weary eye. Orry had slunk out during the night to sleep in Croak’s room. He hadn’t taken too kindly to being awakened by Croak and four of the women he’d convinced to join him from the nearby brothel. Yelling at Croak over the sound of the women’s laughter, Orry had stomped from the room.

Croak did his best to straighten the room before giving up. He grabbed up his breeches from the floor and hunted until he found his tunic, rumpled and stuffed in the corner behind the bed, before leaving the room. He walked next door and rapped on the door to his own room, listening for Orry.

When his knock was met with silence, he used his key to open it and slipped inside. Orry lay sprawled on his back, one leg on the floor, an arm flung over his eyes and his mouth wide open, snoring.

Croak groaned and walked over to the washstand next to the armoire. He splashed cold water on his face and gasped, blinking away the sleep as he fumbled for the towel on the bar beneath.

Walking over to his bed as he dried his face, Croak looked down at his friend, noting the color back in his cheeks and the easy way he breathed. Well. As much as he could tell around the snoring.

He snapped the towel against Orry’s leg and his friend jumped.

“Wha..”

“Rise and shine, gorgeous,” Croak said as he walked over to his bag, rummaging inside for a clean shirt. He sniffed at one, immediately tossing it back inside in favor of another. He reached back and tugged off the soiled one he wore and put on the new one.

Orry had moved to sit at the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.

“How’d you sleep?” Croak asked, eyeing Orry with a frown.

Orry grunted, then lifted his red eyes, blinking up at Croak owlishly. “Much better after I came in here.”

Croak grunted. “But you missed a hell of a party.”

Orry grimaced. He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and sighed. “Breakfast?”

“If you’re feeling up to it,” Croak said as he regarded his friend. “I can bring something back for you.”

“No,” Orry said and then moaned as he rose slowly. “I feel much better this morning. I’ll go with you. Besides, we need to find another inn today. ”

“Right,” Croak mumbled.

Villadelle was large enough they could stay hidden from anyone searching, but only if they moved around. They’d stayed at this inn for the past two days, so Croak had scouted out the next inn they would move to, this time with a room large enough for both of them.

When Orry finished getting dressed, they gathered their belongings and ate in a tavern on the other side of the city. Croak watched Orry, but other than a bit of fatigue, he seemed much better. He no longer had a fever and his appetite was back.

Croak leaned back, stretching, his gaze wandering around when he saw a group of men cross outside the window. Leaning forward, he frowned as they passed, noticing the gold and white of their uniforms.

Heylisian soldiers.

“Fuck,” he said under his breath. He rose, his chair scrapping back loudly on the wood floor, and he nodded across at Orry. “We need to go.”

Orry looked up at him in confusion. “I’m not?—”

He leaned down, his hands braced on the table as he hissed at Orry, “Heylisian soldiers just passed outside. They could double back any second. We need to get the fuck out of here now.”