Taste of Darkness
Page 42
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This time, I took point, moving slowly to compensate for Estrid’s noisy inexperience. Dawn’s rays helped with our progress, but the sunlight reflected off of Estrid’s bright yellow jumpsuit. I worried the garish color would make her visible for miles. Digging into my pack, I removed my cloak and gave it to Estrid. The gray color didn’t clash as much against the browns, reds and yellows of the forest. That thought led right to Kerrick as all my thoughts had since we rescued Estrid. Had his eyes changed color with the season? Where was he?
After a few hours of dodging patrols, Loren asked, “Where are we going?”
Good question. If we turned to the northeast, we could reach Ryne’s headquarters. If we went east, we could rendezvous with the others and return to the infirmary. But without Kerrick’s forest magic, I’d no idea how many of Cellina’s troops were between us and either destination.
“I’m open to suggestions,” I said to Loren.
He glanced at Flea. “I think we should find a safe spot to rest.”
A good idea, except I didn’t know where we would be safe. I considered my options. A cave? Perfect if we could find one. The trees? I gazed into the canopy. No low limbs and the coverage would be thin. A cluster of Lilys? They would keep any sane person away. I pulled off my pack and found the Lily map.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“North of Zabin,” Quain said.
“Really, Quain? Do you think that’s helpful?” I snapped, then regretted my irritation. “Sorry. Any idea how far north?”
“Six miles,” Eva said, surprising us all.
Just like his namesake, Flea jumped a foot.
“Where’s Kerrick?” I asked.
“He should be here soon.”
“Why didn’t you wait for us?”
Eva frowned at my harsh tone. “A patrol came through and we had to move. Since then we’ve been clearing a path for you.”
“And you couldn’t tell us this?” I demanded.
She put her hands on her hips. “We didn’t have time to come back and tell you what you should have figured out on your own.” Eva gestured to the surrounding forest. “Why else would there only be a few patrols around?”
I bit back my reply. With all my other worries, I hadn’t thought about the ease of our travel.
“I’m sorry, Avry,” Kerrick said into the silence. “I know I promised to stay, but we had the opportunity to lead the enemy on a merry chase, enticing them farther away from you.” Lines of exhaustion marked his face. He all but swayed on his feet.
My anger dissipated. “We need to find a safe place to rest. Any ideas?”
Kerrick smiled. “There’s a cave nearby.”
I groaned. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”
Nearby to Kerrick didn’t match my definition of nearby. We hiked four miles to the northeast. I held his hand and shared my energy with him. His magic vibrated up my arm with a pleasant tingle. He squeezed my fingers in gratitude, which alarmed me. Normally, he’d have shaken off my efforts, claiming he didn’t wish to sap my strength.
He must have depleted his energy luring the enemy patrols away. Guilt over my earlier anger surfaced. Even though he had a legitimate reason, I still felt...bereft.
We reached the cave system by midafternoon. Kerrick and Eva collected firewood while we gathered stones to build a fire pit. Flea supervised. He’d refused my offer to help him during the trip and had plopped onto the ground as soon as we arrived. Estrid sat next to him. She huddled under my cloak. I studied her expression for a moment. She hadn’t said anything all day and I worried she might be in shock.
After we arranged the pit to Loren’s liking, Eva entered carrying an armload of kindling. “There’s another pile of thicker logs just outside.” Eva dropped the thin branches into the pit.
“Hey!” Loren pulled them out. “You can’t just dump them there.”
“Why not?” she asked, confused.
“He has a whole system,” Quain explained. “Each branch must be in its proper place to construct a pyramid, which is the optimal configuration for wood-burning perfection.”
“I don’t hear you complaining when you’re warming your fat a—” Loren glanced at Eva “—rear end.”
“It’s not fat, it’s all muscle,” Quain said.
After a few hours of dodging patrols, Loren asked, “Where are we going?”
Good question. If we turned to the northeast, we could reach Ryne’s headquarters. If we went east, we could rendezvous with the others and return to the infirmary. But without Kerrick’s forest magic, I’d no idea how many of Cellina’s troops were between us and either destination.
“I’m open to suggestions,” I said to Loren.
He glanced at Flea. “I think we should find a safe spot to rest.”
A good idea, except I didn’t know where we would be safe. I considered my options. A cave? Perfect if we could find one. The trees? I gazed into the canopy. No low limbs and the coverage would be thin. A cluster of Lilys? They would keep any sane person away. I pulled off my pack and found the Lily map.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“North of Zabin,” Quain said.
“Really, Quain? Do you think that’s helpful?” I snapped, then regretted my irritation. “Sorry. Any idea how far north?”
“Six miles,” Eva said, surprising us all.
Just like his namesake, Flea jumped a foot.
“Where’s Kerrick?” I asked.
“He should be here soon.”
“Why didn’t you wait for us?”
Eva frowned at my harsh tone. “A patrol came through and we had to move. Since then we’ve been clearing a path for you.”
“And you couldn’t tell us this?” I demanded.
She put her hands on her hips. “We didn’t have time to come back and tell you what you should have figured out on your own.” Eva gestured to the surrounding forest. “Why else would there only be a few patrols around?”
I bit back my reply. With all my other worries, I hadn’t thought about the ease of our travel.
“I’m sorry, Avry,” Kerrick said into the silence. “I know I promised to stay, but we had the opportunity to lead the enemy on a merry chase, enticing them farther away from you.” Lines of exhaustion marked his face. He all but swayed on his feet.
My anger dissipated. “We need to find a safe place to rest. Any ideas?”
Kerrick smiled. “There’s a cave nearby.”
I groaned. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”
Nearby to Kerrick didn’t match my definition of nearby. We hiked four miles to the northeast. I held his hand and shared my energy with him. His magic vibrated up my arm with a pleasant tingle. He squeezed my fingers in gratitude, which alarmed me. Normally, he’d have shaken off my efforts, claiming he didn’t wish to sap my strength.
He must have depleted his energy luring the enemy patrols away. Guilt over my earlier anger surfaced. Even though he had a legitimate reason, I still felt...bereft.
We reached the cave system by midafternoon. Kerrick and Eva collected firewood while we gathered stones to build a fire pit. Flea supervised. He’d refused my offer to help him during the trip and had plopped onto the ground as soon as we arrived. Estrid sat next to him. She huddled under my cloak. I studied her expression for a moment. She hadn’t said anything all day and I worried she might be in shock.
After we arranged the pit to Loren’s liking, Eva entered carrying an armload of kindling. “There’s another pile of thicker logs just outside.” Eva dropped the thin branches into the pit.
“Hey!” Loren pulled them out. “You can’t just dump them there.”
“Why not?” she asked, confused.
“He has a whole system,” Quain explained. “Each branch must be in its proper place to construct a pyramid, which is the optimal configuration for wood-burning perfection.”
“I don’t hear you complaining when you’re warming your fat a—” Loren glanced at Eva “—rear end.”
“It’s not fat, it’s all muscle,” Quain said.
