Chapter 31

Chapter

Thirty-One

TRESSYA

Surrounded by a deep and dreary gloom, where the dense canopy suffocated the sun, there was no way of knowing if I had returned to the anywhere familiar. Even if I had, I wouldn't know which way I should head to reach the lake I'd stumbled upon. From every direction, the blackened trees rose over me like the vile beasts that roamed this forest.

I brought my horse to a halt, then rummaged around in my saddlebag for the fat candle Bloodwyn had brought to me this morning. There was a small pouch of flint and an iron rod for lighting, and he followed them up with a half-smile as he told me he hoped they would be enough to light my way.

My panic reared on discovering the small pouch wasn't with the candle in my saddlebag. I must've left it behind. I searched my jacket pockets and found it there, along with something else. I pulled out the small round object and held it up. It was a berry, one Radnisa had missed when she searched through my belongings. I slipped it and the pouch back inside my pocket. The candle was likely too small to be of any use, and I had a better way of finding my path in this deadly forest.

In a small clearing, I stopped my horse and focused on my breathing; best I get myself a guide before any of those foul creatures found me again.

I closed my eyes, using my calming breaths to harness my concentration, then gathered the edges of my awareness and dragged it all the way inside my mind, then deeper into the depths of the void. It felt like I was pouring sand inside my throat as a weight to hold me down. My body grew so heavy I felt anchored in place. The barriers of my mind shattered like fractured glass and out of the chaos flowed my soul word. Aetherius . It came to me easily now, as if eager to be free.

With my mind quietened, the forest grew noisy. Moving through it with my eyes open, I'd not realized the small creaks and groans from the boughs and the occasional rustle of leaves from the gentle breeze that tickled the fine hairs across my face. It all made concentrating hard, and I struggled to keep my thoughts from thinking of creeping beasts.

Discipline. To steady my racing heart, I fisted my hands, digging my nails into my palms. My building panic was slowing me down. All I needed was one look to convince myself nothing was there.

I cracked an eyelid, then both, and glanced around. Nothing. So I closed my eyes again and focused on my soul word. This time, when my mind's barrier fell, I spanned my awareness outward and felt nothing but my own beating heart. Still I released the call.

A faint male voice reached me through the trees. I stood on tiptoes and craned over the horse's rump to the forest beyond, and spied a dim glow.

"Come on." I gathered the horse's reins and led it toward the distant light.

It felt like I'd traveled a suitable distance, weaving the horse around the dense foliage when I came upon the spirit of an old man sitting, in the weird way spirits did, on a large, fat tree root. Half of him had sunken through. Even though the spirits were dead, in the Ashenlands, I began to see them as life, the light my savior.

His head was bent, his body slumped, as he mumbled to himself.

"Hello," I said.

He lifted his head. On seeing me, his eyes grew wide. "Ah, it is you."

Sitting, he looked a short man of middling age—wearing peasant clothes, hanging loose around his body and dirty from hard work—with thin, wispy hair that exposed most of his scalp.

"I see my little friend has been talking about me."

"Most laughed at her. Me included. She was a funny one alive." He tapped the side of his head. "And a pain in the ass dead. If there was some way I could make her alive again just to get rid of her, I would. But"—he spread his arms outward to me—"this is a miracle."

His light glowed less brightly than the young girl's.

"I'm Tressya."

"An interesting name for an interesting woman who ventures into the cursed land dressed as a man. Never heard of it."

"Times have changed outside the Ashenlands."

"So I see, but maybe not as much as you say. The kings of Tarragona still send their noblemen to prove themselves or die. And now it seems there are not enough men left and so the king sends a woman in their place. Or are they all cowards? And me name's Tulin."

He rose from his seat and drifted toward me. Beside me, my horse whinnied and shifted sideways, perhaps sensing something strange in the air.

"You don't look strong. But the lass says you did good against the rotspine. That's what we call them. That type, at least. We've made names for plenty more. There's a long list. You'd be looking for a special thing, I'd say."

"Firstly, I need to know if there is a way to reach the other competitors while they're in the Ashenlands?"

He slowly nodded his head as if in thought. "Ruthless. Sabotage you'd be thinking then. Remove your competitors from the trials."

"It's not that. I'm worried someone else involved in the trials is thinking that very thought."

He shook his head. "It's impossible."

"I have to protect my friend."

He guffawed. "You're a strange creature. I believe some things have changed since my day." He chuckled for longer, then pulled himself together. "Ain't never seen it done. You're all on your own journeys."

"This place is an illusion, but you're not. You're not governed by the same rules as the living. I don't believe you're caught in the same illusion."

He stroked his chin, fingers slipping through his jaw. "You got me there," he chuckled. "You're right. I see both the illusion and the dead lands. Each of you is trapped in your own little fantasy. No two ever end up in the same place. The Salmun make sure of that. Otherwise, you might end up working together."

"If you can see the people, then you can guide me to the man I want to protect."

"Bullheaded woman. The Ashenlands stretch for eternity. You do know that, right? Once they enter the Ashenlands, they're sent anywhere. There's no telling where your friend may be. That you've ended up here is for a reason. This friend of yours could be a long way away."

Curses, I had thought my plan would work. The distance would mean nothing to Bloodwyn, since he could transform into a bird of prey. My only hope was he'd ended up so far away it would take him forever to soar the skies in search of his quarry. That's even if his keen eagle eyes could see below the canopy.

"Fine," I huffed. "Where is the thing I must find?"

"Ah, now we're getting to the important part. So here's the deal. I'll lead you where you need to go to find what you need to find, but don't go telling me what to do. No woman ever told me what to do when I was alive, and none shall do so now I'm dead. Especially no woman who seems to control the dead."

"The little fibber told you that as well? Fine. It's a deal, as long as you don't plan to trick me. Your light and your guidance, give me both for the time I need them, and I'll promise not to bend you to my will."

His bottom lip protruded as he thought. "I don't know if your word is worth much, but I guess I've got no choice. Come on then."

He moved faster than I could pace while leading my horse, simply passing through the fat-trunked trees when I had to weave around them.

"Wait up," I shouted.

He floated back toward me, popping out of a tree trunk right in front of me. "Was that a command?"

"No. But in case you haven't noticed, I can't go through trees, and my horse isn't nimble over these roots."

"Slow is it, then? We'll be walking through the night at this rate."

"I never imagined there would be such a thing as an impatient spirit. Haven't you got eternity?"

"Ah…" He chuckled. "I've got that for sure. But I'm thinking of you, love. The Ashenlands isn't the best place to be at nighttime if you're flesh and blood."

"You made your point. Let's get moving."

"Thought you'd see it my way. Over here." And he popped through the tree again.

We weren't walking long before he started moaning. "Can't the beast move any faster? It's like watching someone die in quicksand. This is what my cursed existence has come to? Waiting for beasts to find their way around roots. What would my Reta think of me now?"

It seemed I had a knack for attracting the less agreeable spirits. "Who's Reta?" I asked, hoping that would distract him.

"My wife. Died peacefully in my arms during the great war. Thank the great god Carthius for that mercy. She's beyond this place. If only I were with her. I would choose to be with my Reta rather than chained to this doomed existence. I can't smell, touch or taste. I might as well be vapors."

Not all spirits remained tethered to this world on death. Only those whose death's violated their souls. The lucky passed through to the ever after while the unlucky lingered with a thin fabric separating them from the living.

My horse shied, refusing to step over a large root when Tulin ventured too close. I placed a hand on her neck to soothe her until he slipped further away, then coaxed her forward once more. Suddenly, she jerked her head high, forcing the reins through my hands so they burned across my palm. I kept hold of her, determined I would not lose another this time, and tried to calm her, but she pranced about, snorting and making anxious sounds.

Tulin came beside me. "Best stick with me. Those foul beasts are lurking."

I glanced around, catching glowing eyes peering around trees, then darting behind as we passed by.

"It's just ahead."

"Where're we going?"

A dark shape reared up through the trees. In the gloom, it was hard to define, but as we neared, I realized they were massive rock pillars.

"In here," Tulin said, moving ahead between the two pillars.

My horse had yet to calm down, prancing beside me and throwing her head. When I tried to lead her between the gap in the rocks, she reared over me, forcing me to release the reins. Free, she turned and bolted into the trees.

"Curses. That's the third I've lost."

"She wouldn't be able to follow where we're going anyhow."

Seeing a flash of glowing eyes peering out from behind a trunk, I turned and hurried after Tulin. The narrow vein between the rocks led us further into a maze of twists and turns. In places, the rocks leaned on each other, forming a natural ceiling overhead. Further ahead, the corridor opened out so I could look up and see that small shrub-like trees perched atop the rocks.

Ahead, Tulin disappeared inside a cave, his glow brightening the small entrance, revealing etchings in the rock. The patterns stretched across the low ceiling.

"What is this place?"

"It was once a sacred place, a place before my time. The ancients did those carvings, practicing dark magic and evil conjurings. They were the first to create the great magic. It was said whatever they made lived within these caves. We stayed away from this place out of fear."

"Who were these people?"

"No one knows. On death, when no one or thing could harm me any longer, I entered these caves and realized that's all they were. Caves. There was nothing here but darkness and insects."

"You think my object is in here?"

"Yes."

We continued on, Tulin as my light, until the cave floor sloped downward and a cold, stale air rose to meet us. Further still we went, following the patterns etched upon the roof and along the walls with only my footsteps as noise.

Finally, we stepped out into a cavernous chamber, cold and dank and smelling of ages lost. The ceiling spired high above us, and a shaft of natural light cut down through a thin crack in the rock. It was coming on to dusk, the light from above seeping to blue gray, casting a dull hue across the rock-strewn dirt floor.

Thanks to Tulin, I saw the expanse of the cave, his glow reaching the walls on all sides and revealing another passage diverging to the left. From that direction came a gentle, chilled breeze and the smell of long forgotten paths.

Etchings and drawings of forms I couldn't make out adorned the walls. Some were far up the cave wall, too high for an ordinary person to reach.

"As you see. It's nothing but rock," Tulin said.

"What is it I'm supposed to find down here?"

"I'm not rightly sure if this has anything to do with you, to be honest."

I glanced over my shoulder, already feeling the first tingles of caution creeping into my gut. "This better not be a trick."

"I promise. It's no trick. But I was thinking it weird. You entering the trials and being able to talk to us spirits and all. And then appearing in the Ashenlands so close to this place. It seems mighty suspicious. That's all."

"That's why you brought me here?" Had I just wasted valuable time?

"The Salmun claimed this place as theirs."

"They did?"

"In the decades after the war. Or somewhere thereabouts."

I glanced around me, expecting to see evidence of their presence. "Why would they do that? It doesn't look like they use it for anything. Unless they wanted to hide something in here."

"Indeed."

I turned toward him. "Tulin?"

"Is there nothing unusual you see? Or maybe it's a feeling. I often thought that's what led a person to their special thing. Maybe some guiding force inside their mind that led them in a certain direction, yet they don't know why."

Against my better judgment, I followed his advice and looked around, yet nothing stuck out to me. I sighed. This had been a waste of my time.

Gritting my teeth, I spun in a circle. "I don't see anything. Why did you bring me here?"

"There it is. I knew it would be in there somewhere."

"What?" I barked.

"A temper. Women are fire. Sometimes no amount of water will put it out."

"Will you just tell me what it is you want me to see?"

"There." And he pointed to the right of me. "Over there by that large overhang of rock."

Taking a calming breath, I headed over to where he pointed while pressing my lips together to stop myself from yelling a commanding word, something that would make him disappear.

"I see rocks," I said through gritted teeth, looking at the shadowy edge of the cave.

"You're in the circle."

I looked down at my feet to see the cave floor cleared around me. Tulin was right. Someone had stacked the rocks into small uprights, making a circle around a large boulder, which had fallen from the ceiling, forming the crack that allowed the light from outside to filter through into the cave. The boulder sat at an angle, strewn with sharp chips and edging.

About to make another frustrated comment, I felt a sudden pulse ripple through my chest.

"What was that? I was right. You felt something, didn't you? I saw it in your expression. This is it. This is what you're meant to find. After all this time."

Turning my back on Tulin, I faced the rock, and the pulse grew stronger. Two cautious steps forward and the pulse expanded beyond my chest, beating down into my stomach and tingling out through my fingers.

"What is it?" I breathed, not looking for an answer.

"The Salmun placed it here long, long ago. Thought it would be important given they hid it in the Ashenlands. Only a handful of the living have stumbled in here during the trials, but none ever found it."

I wasn't sure what I was looking at, but if this mysterious object had something to do with the Salmun and was causing this weird sensation in my chest, I wasn't leaving until I uncovered its secrets. I surrendered to the tug, guiding my feet along an invisible path until I stood at the highest point of the rock.

"That's it. You're there."

A shiver rushed up my back on hearing Tulin speak.

A gentle warmth touched my cheek, like someone's palm held just above my skin. I slowly reached out my hand toward a jutting edge of the rock, drawn by the warmth. The moment my hand touched it, the shard glowed a light blue and came away in my palm.

Beside me, Tulin gasped. "I ain't never seen it glow like that. Not even those Salmun can make it do that. I knew it. I was right. Just wait till I tell that donkey Petro. He laughed in my face. Now I get to laugh in his."

I raised the glowing shard up before my eyes. "This isn't the object I have to find. I'm still here. I should've returned."

"Don't worry about that. You can come back to my village and speak to Petro. Show him I was right, and he's an ass. The beasts won't get you there. You'll be surrounded by curious, friendly faces. We'll look after you."

Catching a blur of light in my periphery, I turned from Tulin. The air seemed to shimmer above the jutting rock. Occasionally, flashes of dull greenish and brown light appeared in a swirling haze before blinking out. Slowly, the color stopped its crazy swirl and took on a shape that reminded me of an eye.

"Never seen that," Tulin said.

A crunching sound echoed down from up the sloping passage. Creeping tingles like spider legs, danced across my neck at the thought of being discovered. I had no idea what the Salmun could do. So far, they were nothing more than ominous cloaked figures floating in the shadows. But to create the Ashenlands took serious magic.

Forgetting the weird illusion in front of my face, I shoved the shard of rock into my pocket, then withdrew my sword. It was likely a beast, not the Salmun.

"They were sneaking upon us and we didn't notice," Tulin shouted. "But I'm here…unless it's one of those originals."

Sword at the ready, I faced the passage. "Why is that a problem?" I had no idea what he meant by an original?

"Because the originals have no fear of the light."

"Why didn't you tell me that before now?"

"It would've changed nothing," Tulin said as he slowly backed away.

A horrible howl rushed down the passage like a gale. The ferocity of it, the beast was furious, and sounded huge.

"What're you doing? Nothing can hurt you. Go and have a look," I said.

"It sounds like an abyssal hound."

That didn't sound good. I positioned myself away from where I may trip over debris on the ground in a fight.

"Those in particular give me the creeps," he continued.

Great. For all his bluster, I was stuck with a scaredy-cat spirit. How was that possible? "If you won't help, there's no point in you sticking around."

A thunderous vibration shook the rock walls, bringing down dust and grit from the ceiling. While the rock formation had looked sturdy before, I now questioned if it would tumble down around us.

"Everything I've done for you, and you're repaying me like this? I led you here. I?—"

"Get out of here!" I shouted in frustration. A heat rushed out of my chest and up my throat. The sound of my voice reverberated off the walls.

Tulin stiffened, his eyes bulging as if a giant's hand had squeezed his middle. Then he was gone. Oops. I didn't mean to command him away.

Another shuddering noise sent more dust and grit flaking down around me. I huffed out a breath at the next agonizing roar and strengthened the grip on my sword. If it was that big, surely it wouldn't be able to fit through the passage. Even so, I couldn't stay stuck down here forever.

More sounds came from the passage, scuffles, then a chink, like metal—or perhaps claws—dragged along rock. I pressed my hand against my pocket. The heat from the rock flared to life, sinking through the fabric to warm my hand. If only that was my object.

I braced myself, my dagger making it into one hand, while I held my sword with the other.

Any minute, something would loom into view. I gripped both weapons tight, so my knuckles turned white as my heart raged against my rib cage. There was limited space in this cavern, which benefited me as a large beast would find it hard to move.

At the first glimpse of movement, I threw my dagger.

"Damn, woman. That was close." Bloodwyn straightened, the blade tip pinched between his fingers. "You nearly had my heart."

"Bloodwyn?" I gasped. A heady jumble of relief, thrill and desire ate at my focus. "How… The bite mark?" Was that how he found me down in a cave?

"There's an ugly bitch on my tail. You might want to save the questions until later." In the dull light from the crack in the ceiling, I watched him skip the rocks toward me.

"Bloodwyn," I cried, my throat tightening as he misjudged the last rock and tripped, staggering into me, but caught himself—and me, by my waist—before he had us both over.

"Why are you here?

"To rescue you."

I pushed him in the chest with everything I had, but he didn't budge. "I don't believe you. You were hunting down Andriet, weren't you?"

He blew out a breath as he handed me my dagger, hilt first. "Your dagger, princess. You're going to need it."

I sheathed it as I seethed. "What Razohan magic have you wielded to get here?" My gaze flittered his body for feathers.

"The Razohan aren't magic wielders," he said as he looked around us, taking in the cavernous cave in one full slow glance.

I said nothing, wondering if he was looking out of fascination or if his object had drawn him here. Perhaps the rock in my pocket was his object.

Snapping out of whatever trance he'd fallen into, he grabbed my hand and then paused for a moment, turning toward me with his head tilting downward. Was he staring at my pocket? In the terrible light, I couldn't decide where his eyes had strayed. Then seeming to think the better of speaking, Bloodwyn continued guiding me along the rock strewn ground, back toward the passage. "We should get going before we're trapped," he said as we went.

I tugged on his hand. "Why are you here?"

"To rescue you, princess."

"Liar. You were led here." I yanked my hand from his grasp. "Your object's here."

"Not mine. You're here. Maybe it's yours."

I dove my hand into my pocket. The moment I touched the rock, I felt its warmth. A bluish glow shone through the fabric. I pulled it out and held it up in front of Bloodwyn, watching his face take on a bluish tinge.

He stared at the stone as if caught in a snare. I swear it was like he wasn't even breathing. From ages gone until now, the rock remained important to the Salmun. I couldn't fathom why, or any reason for the blue glow, but perhaps it had something to do with Bloodwyn's desire to take the throne.

"If it was mine, I wouldn't still be standing here."

"It's not mine," he repeated in a low voice, as if shielding our conversation from others. His eyes shifted up to meet mine.

I was not mistaken. There had been a flash of something in his eyes the first instant he'd seen the rock. Was it recognition or hunger?

"You'll return the victor of this round if you take it."

His eyes dropped to the rock once more before shifting back to me. Then his lips quirked. "You'd miss me too much if I returned."

I wasn't expecting him to tap me on the nose. "Besides, this is me being heroic."

I frowned.

"Rescuing the princess. I can hardly return and leave you stranded."

Just then, a loud boom shook the ceiling.