Chapter 39

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

TRESSYA

Tamas . I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword. This one was for him. The Salmun were the only people capable of dealing with the nightmare, but I would make sure I got my share of his flesh.

I had to find Orphus.

"Hold your ground no matter what. You're Tarragona's only defense if the shield breaks," I yelled at the fearful faces staring out beyond the shield. None of them appeared roused by my brief speech. They were twigs in the wind for the nightmare to pick off once the shield broke. And what manner of other Ashenlands beasts lurked out there, for I was sure the rest of the Razohan would take a form of their choosing now they knew how.

I left our weak defensive line and rushed along the perimeter of the tent city. As I raced, I tried not to look out at the fields beyond the shield to the gathering army. It seemed with every breath I took, more warriors moved to the frontline until they spread across the field. Had the entire north left their lands to fight this war?

Thunderclaps rained overhead as the shield was attacked repeatedly, the reverberating booms making me stumble and lose my footing on the uneven ground. I fell to my knees as the skies turned into a fierce flash of firelight. Laying close to the shield where it reached the ground, I recoiled every time it waved like fabric billowing in the wind from the unrelenting attack, its ends skirting close to my body.

I felt sweaty and weak as my hands tremored and my stomach growled. I would be useless if I didn't hunt down something to eat soon. Already, my body ran on the last of my reserves.

Pushing to my feet, I felt a vibration run through the ground, then up into my body as a weird noise burst across the sky. I looked up to see a ring of clear starlight above my head, no longer hidden above the shield. It took moments for me to realize they'd broken through the shield.

In awe-struck horror, I gaped up at the warping ends of the torn shield until the stars disappeared, covered by a blackness as dense as tar. The nightmare soared through the opening, its massive wings punching outward once it was through. Its span was such that the barb tips of its wings seared across the shield at either end.

My sword will end up in your heart . I would never achieve that while he remained the nightmare. But I doubted he would stay the beast for long. He was the kind of man who would want his enemy to see his face when he made the last strike. It would be my face he looked at when that moment came.

The erupting screams from those around me drove me forward. Andriet. He was all I could think about. I also needed to find Orphus, the only person capable of helping us prevail. For one stricken moment, I didn't know which way to run. It was the nightmare who decided for me. Extending its huge taloned legs, it swiped up the king's tent and shredded it.

I ran like I was the one with wings, abandoning my hunt for Orphus and heading straight for Andriet's tent. It felt like I was running in quicksand, slowed by the bedlam of terrorized people screaming in all directions.

One glance up and I cried in horror when I spied small specks of black pouring in through the hole in the shield. Small as they were, they reminded me of the creature that had latched onto my hip in the pit.

"Mercy on us all," I muttered, then sprinted on. "To the Ashenlands," I bellowed as I ran.

The words sprang from my mouth with no conscious thought. But it was the only rational solution left for us. The beasts were already inside the shield. An army awaited beyond. The Salmun's cursed lands were our only remaining stronghold.

"Flee to the Ashenlands," I yelled, pushing people out of my way as I ran. No one could hear me above the deafening chorus of shouts and screams.

A man rushed past, cutting off my path. A scaly beast clung to his head, covering his entire face. I pulled my sword, but at that moment, someone else crashed into me and sent me stumbling sideways and into someone else.

Behind me came a scream of agony. I spun to find another creature smothering a hapless man on the ground, and for one wasted breath, I froze, thinking of Andriet, then rushed forward and sliced the creature's head clean from its body. To my horror, it transformed back into a man.

One less Razohan to face.

I raced on toward Andriet's tent, but it wasn't long before I noticed the nightmare had disappeared. Which meant one thing. Tamas was here somewhere amongst all of this chaos.

An arc of white flew overhead like a lightning strike, capturing one creature in a brilliant glow of light. Salmun retaliation. At last. The creature ripped through the top of a tent as it fell from the sky. Soon the sky filled with streaks of white criss-crossing through the sky as the Salmun launched their attacks.

Andriet. I forgot the fight and hurried to his tent. Bursting inside, I also found Orphus. And Daelon. Thank the Mother.

"Tressya." Andriet rushed forward and swept me into his arms.

I hugged him back, then pulled from his arms. "We must get to the Ashenlands."

"That's suicide," Daelon said.

"We're dead if we stay here." I turned to Orphus. "I don't know how many of your beasts are now under the control of the Razohan. If we're lucky, they've emptied the Ashenlands. But if we could reach there before we're slaughtered, perhaps we may survive."

"A wise decision, young princess," Orphus replied.

I wanted to shout at him, blaming this chaos on him and his pathetic protection. "They've outsmarted you," I snapped instead, unable to think of fitting words in my haste.

"But not you, it would seem." He continued to cover his face with the hood of his gray cloak.

His reply left me gaping. What did he know?

"Creatures have already penetrated the shield. We need to spread the word. Get everyone to the Ashenlands." I kept my glare on Orphus, hoping it would distract from my guilt. "I believe that's a task for your wizards."

"I'm here for the prince and him alone."

My eyes narrowed at him. "What about the king? Were you there for him?"

"I won't abandon my people," Andriet interrupted.

I dragged my glare from Orphus. "You won't have to. Daelon, alert the guards." What's left of them. But I wouldn't repeat that aloud. "Spread the word. Everyone must make for the Ashenlands."

As Daelon left, I focused on the prince. "Andriet, you stay with me."

"Don't treat me like a child," Andriet snapped.

"I'm not. But you're important."

"What sort of king am I if I leave my people defenseless?"

"An alive king. Don't be heroic, Andriet. Please."

"You must do as the princess asks." Orphus glided up behind him. "I will escort you both."

My gaze flicked over Andriet's shoulder. "No, thanks. Go gather with your kind and work out a way to end this fight."

Orphus allowed the king's death. I was sure of it. Perhaps the legends were wrong. Maybe the Salmun no longer needed the Tannard line to control whatever this power was.

"I will not abandon you, princess."

"You will do as she says," Andriet snapped.

"The prince has no authority over the Salmun."

Showing more courage than Juel would've shown, I was sure, Andriet spun to face Orphus. "How dare?—"

"Stop this," I shouted. "We've got to get away before he finds you," I snapped, then slammed my mouth shut on realizing what had come out.

Both men looked at me.

"Who?"

Ignoring Andriet's question, I grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the tent opening. "Anyone. The Razohan. Your enemy," I babbled.

"And you. Find a way to save our asses," I ordered Orphus over my shoulder. I wasn't sure why I thought he would listen to me, and there was no time to slow and find out if he did.

"And don't make us fight too long in your bloody cursed land," I barked as I tried to drag Andriet away.

"Princess," Orphus said as I was about to disappear out of the tent. "You know where to hide."

I held his gaze; the cave. It was his bloody eye that spied me.

"What's he talking about?"

"It doesn't matter."

Andriet tugged on my hand. "I can't leave without Daelon."

I almost growled in frustration. I didn't want Daelon to die, but Andriet was my priority. Unfortunately, he was going to be a stubborn ass and refuse to come with me.

"Look around you, Andriet," I yelled.

Seeing the carnage for the first time, Andriet stared in wide-eyed horror. It was amazing there were still people alive, equally amazing the shield held—mostly. The winged beasts had found a way in, but the remaining shield kept the army at bay. Should the shield fall, it was our end.

I made the mistake of taking my eyes off Andriet. Too late, I realized the sound I heard beside me was Andriet pulling his sword from its sheath. He raced away before I could grab him.

"Andriet," I shouted, but my voice was lost in the surrounding chaos.

I ran after him, watching in horror as he threw himself on top of a creature mauling a fallen man.

"Andriet," I yelled, pulling my sword. By the time I reached him, his sword sat in the belly of a dead man.

Andriet clutched at his temple. "Do you see that?" he said to no one, staring down at the dead Razohan. "What cursed magic is this?"

"It's no cursed magic. Come." I tried to grab his hand, but he reared forward and yanked his sword from the belly of the man.

"They're men," he shouted. "They're nothing but men. Men we can kill."

"No," I growled, catching hold of his arm and using all my strength to pull him away. "They're more than just men."

Andriet fought against me. Though not Tamas in size and strength, he was a man all the same, one able to stand against me no matter how hard I tried to yank him away.

"This is where I need to be. I'll not flee to the Ashenlands and leave my people to be slaughtered."

"Noble, Andriet, but it's not smart. The Salmun will defend them."

I caught sight of Daelon's head, bobbing about amongst the fighting.

"Daelon," I yelled.

"Where is he?" Andriet shrieked and ripped himself from my hold.

Curses upon him. He was a bull-headed fool. I rushed after him but skidded to a halt when a shadowed shape loomed in my periphery. I turned in time to see one of those scaly winged beasts flying low above the mayhem, talons extended.

I withdrew my dagger, spared one moment to learn its path, then threw. It impaled deep in the beast's chest. I didn't stop to watch it fall, but sprinted after Andriet, who was already fighting a beast alongside Daelon. By the time I reached them, the creature was dead.

"Daelon," I panted, exhaustion hanging on the fringes of my awareness. "Please, help me."

He nodded, then grabbed Andriet's arm. "Andriet, we have to go."

"The rest of them?"

"I've given the instructions. Everyone will make for the Ashenlands."

"What's left of them," Andriet spat in fury.

I took Andriet's other hand, and between us, Daelon and I dragged him through the tent city toward the Ashenlands. Of those alive, many were already heading in the same direction. Orphus was nowhere to be seen. The shield remained, but the white streaks of light overhead were gone. That's because the winged were now on the ground. And thankfully, I'd not run into Tamas.

We ran as straight a line as we could toward the Ashenlands. To my relief, everyone we passed did the same, until we had a swarm of people racing after us. I didn't look back, despite the screams and shouts. My goal was to get Andriet inside the Ashenlands. From there, I would work out what to do.

"What do we do?" Andriet panted as we neared the shield.

I had no idea. "Just keep running." The Salmun would protect us. As the only alternative, I had to believe it for now.

Feeling Andriet and Daelon falter beside me, fearful of touching the shield, I increased my pace. And sure enough, within feet of touching the shield, it shimmered, then winked out, clearing our path. In the starlight, I could see the stalks of the dead trees only paces away. Overhead, I heard the flapping of wings.

"Run," I shouted, even though I felt lethargy tug at my legs. "Take my hand," I yelled at Andriet. "Hold Daelon's hand. We can't be separated."

I wasn't sure if this would work.

We broke the line, billowing dust into our throat as we charged forward. "Keep going," I cried, gripping tight to Andriet's hand. "Don't let go of Daelon." Panic was making me speak.

I slammed through the invisible illusion of the Ashenlands and stumbled over the soft loamy ground to smack into a tree. Hearing the oomph beside me, I almost laughed. It had worked.

"Andriet," I gasped, pulling myself to my knees. "Is Daelon with you?"

"I'm here," came a voice a little way off.

We did it. There were others around us. Some had made it through without slamming into trunks, tripping over roots or their own feet.

"Is everyone all right?" I shouted as I dragged myself to my feet, then swayed once and hit the tree with my shoulder.

Give me strength to last until morning.

Andriet steadied me. "Are you all right?"

I nodded.

"I thought we'd end up split," Andriet said, steadying me with his hand.

"We're not in the trials now."

"Wow," Daelon breathed as he came over. "This is what it looks like."

"It's a deadly place, so don't sound so impressed. Those creatures we've been fighting in camp, there's more of those and they're much worse."

"Are we any safer in here?" a woman asked to my left.

I glanced around me, struggling to see anyone in the darkness. I couldn't count all the groans and whimpers, but it sounded less than I would've liked, but better than none. "How many of you have weapons?"

"I do," came a male voice from further away. "It's not much, but I'll put it through the head of anything that comes at me."

"We stay together." Curses , I didn't have a plan beyond this. Hiding here would not win us a war, but it gave us a better chance than being picked off in the open. Maybe now we'd simply be picked off in the dark.

"And then what?" came another voice from the gloom.

"The Salmun are dealing with it. We just need to endure until they arrive." If they arrive. Which they would. And hopefully before Tamas and his lethal beasts did.

"I know the two of you have only entered three times, but did you come across anywhere we could hide? You know, some place that forms a natural defense?" Daelon asked.

"It all looks like this," Andriet said.

In the darkness, our voices sounded dismembered. I never saw the next man to speak. "I ended up on the side of a mountain the second time around. I couldn't tell you where that was. Fought something so ugly my heart came close to seizing."

I turned around and stepped away from the group, dredging up my soul word and harnessing the power it gave me.

"We should stick close to each other," Andriet said.

"Just give me a minute. I'm not going far," I said.

Inhaling deeply, I exhaled slowly through my nose, calming the erratic thoughts in my head as I walked away. I projected the call, the strength of my soul word amplifying it. The sound of my heart filled my ears, but with another deep breath, it slowed. I dredged up my soul word and harnessed its power to amplify the call.

On a gentle breeze filled with the smell of fresh earth and a hint of decay came a grumpy voice. "You're a filthy liar and a cheat."

I cracked an eye, then whispered. "Hello, Tulin."

"Here you are again, dragging a scraggly band behind you. You're a sorry lot, by the looks of you. So what's it this time, girlie? You promised me you wouldn't?—"

"Tulin." I tried to keep my voice to a whisper. Behind me, everyone was arguing over what we should do next, which helped drown out Tulin's and my conversation. "Please, I need you to guide us to the cave. Remember the one with the special rock?"

"Fickle. That's what you are. You would promise me my life back only to take it the moment you granted it. And here I am again. I didn't ask to come here."

"I'm sorry, I really am."

"I got my own things to do, woman. I ain't interested in?—"

"You're a spirit, Tulin. You've got nothing to do."

He folded his arms, lifting his chin as he turned away.

"Tressya," Andriet called.

"Give me a minute," I replied, not looking over my shoulder. I took a step closer to Tulin. "I need you to guide us to the cave."

"Of course you do. And that's the start. You'll have me?—"

"Tulin. Please, the king's dead. The armies of the north have overrun us. That man behind me is the prince. The last of the Tannard line. We need the shelter of the cave."

Tulin craned his head, as though he were trying to look over my shoulder to glimpse the prince. "War's a bloody horrible business, but what's it got to do with me? The kings of the south did nothing good for my people. We're stuck here because of their bloody wizard pets. Why should I help you?"

"Tulin, please. Prince Andriet is my friend."

"Do you know how many friends I watched die at the hand of the king's men? How many of our wives and daughters they took for themselves? How many they slaughtered for fun? Perhaps the northerners would do a better job. And if they don't, why does a spirit of the Ashenlands care?"

I fisted my hands, my only outward sign of my anger. "You know what I'll do."

"We're hoping for some guidance here, Tressya," came Andriet again.

"Yes. I'm almost done."

"Aye. Why would I think you'd be any different from them southerners?"

I groaned. "I don't want to make you do this, but you'll leave me with no choice."

A woman screamed, followed swiftly by a man's cry. I spun, seeing only faint movement in the darkness. Tulin's glow ruined my night vision.

I pulled out my sword and rushed back to join everyone. "Andriet."

"Tressya, here."

" Aetherius ," I breathed, feeling a rush of power flow through my body. "Give me light, Tulin," I shouted, not caring how crazy I sounded to everyone else.

Tulin appeared beside me, illuminating the forest and revealing the terrible creatures that had found us. No one else could see Tulin's light; each was floundering helplessly in the dark as the human-sized creatures fell from the canopy above, slaughtering people without hesitation. Frantic cries filled the air.

I shouted for everyone to follow my voice as I hurried to reach Andriet's side and pushed him behind the tree.

"Please, Tulin, you have to help us."

"What's going on, Tressya?" Andriet shouted, trying to be heard over the frantic, frightened cries. "Who's Tulin?"

"There are six of them." I pushed Andriet behind the tree. "Stay close to the tree," I commanded him. "Daelon, stay with him."

Andriet squeezed my hand so tightly I thought my bones would break. "Where are you going? What are you doing?"

I wrenched my hand from his. "Just stay there."

None of them could see their enemy. There were six of them, none with bright glowing eyes, so Tulin's light would not save us.

When I looked around, I saw carnage. With so few of us still standing, a rage swelled in my chest.

I called on my soul word, then shouted, "Come forth," and dragged Tulin across the veil, his glowing body and all.

The wisps of his lower half took the form of short, stubby legs, bowing at the knees. His eyes glistened with a burning fury as he glared at me.

"Stars above, what's that?" Andriet gasped, shielding his eyes from the sudden glow.

"Destroy them." I was too desperate to feel even a twinge of guilt for betraying Tulin by taking away his free will.

Tulin descended on the creatures. He had no weapons to defend himself, but the dead couldn't die. Blade-sharp teeth, arrow-strong claws, nothing they used on Tulin worked. But he had enough of a corporeal body to fight back. It was the perfect distraction.

"Follow me," I yelled to those still alive. Orphus had said I knew where to hide, meaning my desire to find the cave would lead me there. At least, I hoped that's what he meant.

"Hey," someone yelled. "There are others."

I followed his gaze to find more survivors stumbling toward us through the forest, drawn by Tulin's light, more helpless joining our surviving few. To my relief, there were soldiers and guards among them, bringing valuable weapons.

"Hurry," I shouted, waving the new arrivals forward, but they remained dazed by the sight of Tulin tussling with the creatures, defying what was real as he floated up into the trees to reach those trying to escape.

I grabbed Andriet's hand and dragged him away. "There's a cave further in," I told everyone. "We'll use it as a fortress."

To my relief, Andriet kept pace with me. I dared one glance over my shoulder to see the band of survivors and our new arrivals hurrying along behind.

I felt nothing within, no tug, no sense of familiarity; nor was I confident this was the right way. But I had to believe Orphus said what he said because he believed I would find the cave, and that soon the Salmun would come. And if we survived this, I would have to send Tulin back across the divide. But right now, it was more important that we escaped, leaving him to fight the beasts.

Our pace slowed as we left Tulin's guiding light behind and were plunged back into darkness. With every jarring tread of my feet, my body screamed in exhaustion. After a while, I found I was leaning on Andriet more than I should. He said nothing about it but slung his arm around my waist and supported me over most of the exposed roots.

"What was that thing?" he said after a time. "I encountered nothing like that when I entered."

"Luck was on my side. He turned up and guided me to the cave."

"I don't understand how you know where you're going," Daelon said from the other side of Andriet. "I can barely see my feet. All around us, it looks the same."

"Luck will be on our side," was all I could say.

I wasn't confident about that but refused to give in to my fearful thoughts. Then something hit me in the back of the shoulders, ripping me from Andriet's hold and sending me to my knees.

Madness erupted. And this time it wasn't beasts we faced, but men.