A Feast of Souls: Araneae Nation, Book 2 (10 page)

“Enjoy the rest of your night.”
A flick of his tail and he was gone.

Chapter Six

“Mana.” Vaughn jostled me with his shoulder. “Wake up.”

I groaned as he dragged me into wakefulness. “Morning already?” I squinted at the golden red of sunrise bathing the new-fallen snow. All night we had slept on frozen ground, and I hadn’t felt a twinge of cold. Turning my head, I bumped noses with Vaughn. Ah, there was my warmth.

We stared at one another, then his gaze dropped to my lips.

I clambered to my feet before he made good on the promise in his eyes.

He chuckled and stood in one fluid motion. “I let you sleep as long as I dared, but the line is forming. I’d rather we fell in than have to be escorted. We’re going to be model prisoners today.”

“We are?” I knew I sounded skeptical.

“We are.” He grinned. “Tonight’s another matter.” He began walking. “Come on. Keep up.”

“Keep up, he says.” I yawned. “Easy for him to say, his legs are twice the length of mine.”

Hours passed and numbness settled in early. For that, I was grateful.

“We’re close.” Vaughn gazed down the winding road, and now so did I.

The air around us was crisp and cold, but the breeze carried warm undertones that lightened my heart.
Home.
For a moment, the imagined scent of sweet corn roasting made my gut rumble a complaint. I strained my eyes, desperate for a glimpse of home even though I knew it was wasted effort. The veil loomed ahead, the air pulsing, casting heat mirages from its sultry southland side.

“We’ll be so close to home,” I said. “There must be a way to send a message to my aunt.”

Brynmor’s bleak prophesy made it hard for me to meet Vaughn’s eyes. Near Beltania, roads diverged. One path led to Siciia and the Theridiidae clan home, the other toward the Mimetidae clan home in Cathis. If we allowed our captors to march us into their city, no matter how fast our ransoms were met, Isolde would perish long before Vaughn reached her. Another thought left me cold. If Isolde fell, her successor had no reason to spend valuable assets on Vaughn. Who would free a male capable of reclaiming his family’s title? From what I had seen, the Mimetidae were loyal to Isolde, and Vaughn. His clan would choose a familiar ruler, the heir to their current dynasty, over a new leader. Mimetidae financial and social standings had increased exponentially under Isolde’s guidance, and Vaughn was her right hand, the son of their beloved ruler, Brynmor.

Our situation settled heavy on my shoulders. Vaughn’s life was forfeit if our captors learned his mother was in no position to bargain for his life. The yellow death left no survivors. Brynmor had been concerned for his son, but there had been no plea for his wife’s life, no request that we do all in our power to save her. He knew or he no longer cared she was as good as dead already.

Vaughn’s shoulder brushed mine. “Once Torrance and his men leave for Beltania and we’re alone under light guard, we’ll make our move. Until then, release your doubts and anxieties. I need you to focus on the positives, that we’re alive, that there is hope of rescue and that we are together.” He said the last with inflection that warmed my bones. “I will make you safe, Mana.”

“Thank you.” I would make him safe as well.

“Can I ask…?” His question trailed into silence.

“You’re curious about the canis?” I waited for his nod then decided on a truthful but vague answer. “He was a messenger of sorts.” I paused. “His appearance is linked to my vocation.”

“A spirit animal for the spirit walker?” he teased. “I didn’t believe those stories were true.”

Truth was in the eye of the beholder, as was the case with most lore.

“It’s rare for an animal spirit to linger after death.” I shrugged. “I think there’s nothing here, no regrets or ties to hold them to this world. They appreciate life and death, and they embrace it.”

Young walkers were taught to follow the shining aura of small animals into the spiritlands. They were simple creatures, their ascension direct and their path safe for young minds to follow. Though I’ll admit I’d sobbed each time Old Father rushed me to escort a dying animal for practice.

Harsh training for the cruel world we lived in and the future journeys I would endure.

“Hmm.” He glanced my way. “So the canis was an unexpected messenger, then?”

My mouth went dry. “Yes.”

“What was his news?” His tone held honest curiosity. “Or am I allowed to know?”

I debated for a moment whether or not he was toying with me but decided he was earnest. I phrased my answer with care. “His soul was troubled because the plague ravages the southlands. He warned that now is the time to be with our families, at our clan homes, protecting traditions.”

Vaughn snorted. “He sounds a lot like Old Father.”

The canis sounded like
a
father at least. I shrugged. “It’s no hardship to honor his wishes.”

“I suppose once this is done, I’ll return home as well. Mother will want to make an example of those responsible.” He grinned at me. “Threats to her heir, her dynasty, won’t be tolerated.”

My head bobbled. Isolde’s dynasty and her heir were in graver danger than he knew.

Tonight we escaped or we died in the attempt. What a valiant effort. Vaughn was dead either way, the others were too. Could I risk my life for Vaughn? Pascale and Lleu, or Bram? Should I?

Spirit walkers were rare. Few were born and fewer survived their mad first passage into the spiritlands. My clan needed me. My family needed me. But Rhys was my cousin, family as well.

Didn’t that make his sister by marriage a relation of mine too? And his brother, well, I don’t know what Vaughn was to me. Not just my cousin’s brother. He was something else, something more, and despite our bleak future, or perhaps because of it, the divide between us narrowed yet again. I admired his strength and his determination, his sense of loyalty to his family and to me.

But were those traits his because of who and what he was, or in spite of it?

Strange to travel so far and not glimpse as much as a cottontail bounding through the snow. I wondered if Brynmor and the canis were out there, if their scent caused prey animals to scatter.

“You see that, Teilo?” one guard asked another. “Have all the animals gone mad?”

Overhead a swarm of fringillas flew, showcasing their orange breasts and their white bellies.

“I told you to leave me be, Urien.” Teilo scowled. “Hey—what’s wrong with them?”

Their delicate bodies careened as gusts of wind battered them. Some plummeted from the sky, skipping over the snow like stones thrown across a pond. Others spun in maddening circles.

“Don’t know.” Urien shifted in his saddle, staring down at me from his ursus. “She might.”

“Well, answer him.” Teilo twisted around too. “He asked you a question, Walker.”

“They’ve been infected,” Vaughn answered for me. His shoulders rose and fell as he gulped air. “I recognize the scent.” The males exchanged a wary glance. “I saw my first sickened pecora near here, their remains at least, while on a trip with my brother. Something had torn them limb from limb. Bones and hide covered the road. We thought canis were responsible, but the stench was overpowering. No predators would eat prey smelling that foul unless they were desperate.”

My gaze stuck to the fringillas. “It may not mean anything, but this is the first time I’ve seen a bird infected by the plague.” I grimaced as Brynmor’s warning rang with fresh urgency. “The plague was spreading far and fast without aerial assistance. If swarms like this one head farther north and the canis or other large animals consume them, we’ll have an epidemic on our hands.”

“Maybe that messenger was on to something,” Teilo said. “He said the southeast is bad.”

Vaughn tensed beside me, and I knew what he was thinking. Cathis lay to the southeast.

“I told Torrance to let the man speak.” Urien grunted. “He killed the bastard too fast.”

I strained my ears to hear mention of a clan name, but those details were kept private.

“Eh, he’s a city dweller, what does he know?” Teilo shook his head. “Messengers carry their most important information up here.” He tapped his right temple. “Waste of an arrow, that was.”

“Boredom, that was,” Urien corrected. “Days spent in the cold, guarding that damn road.”

“Either way, it’s not our concern.” Teilo shrugged. “Southwest is clear far as I’ve heard.”

“Thank the two gods for that.” Urien shut his eyes, his lips moving in a fast prayer.

I picked at the spot on my palm, earning me a glare from Vaughn. I laced my fingers instead and considered that if the messenger hadn’t worn clan colors or carried heraldry, then I’d bet his news had been grim indeed. Brynmor’s urgent concern coupled with the messenger’s warning of deteriorating conditions in the southeast, and the fact they encountered the messenger on the road to Erania, made me believe it possible he had been Mimetidae. If Isolde had fallen ill, she would have sent word to Rhys for Vaughn to return home. So it seemed Brynmor was a reliable source.

As tempting as it was to discuss theories with Vaughn, I needed him clearheaded for tonight.

Whatever his plan, we stood a better chance of seeing it through if his judgment was freed of emotion. Once we escaped, we could hide with my family until the Theridiidae were dealt with. I could secure supplies for Vaughn and Lleu, and Bram if he meant to remain with them. Pascale’s sentence could begin without fanfare among my clan. All would be well, so I’d tell Vaughn later.

Shrill whistles made me flinch as those in line ahead of us called our company to a halt.

“I hate this bit,” Urien muttered. “Crossing the veil twice in one month is madness.”

“It could be worse,” Teilo countered. “The gods could have taken you the first time.”

“Aye,” Urien agreed, “but I’ve heard if you cross it often enough, it gets a taste for you.”

“Eh, an old wives’ tale if I ever heard one,” Teilo groused. “Not surprised you’d believe it.”

The line halted, and Urien glared at his partner. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

From that point, the ache in my head blocked the worst of their spat. Focusing on the pain in my feet helped too. Not that I had a choice. Both were as excruciating as the gnawing in my gut.

“Are you ready?” Vaughn walked so close, heat from his body sizzled against my skin.

Static crackled across my arms and raised hairs all over my body.
The veil.
We had arrived. I was so grateful for a respite I hadn’t checked the reason why our procession had come to an end.

Shadows darkened Vaughn’s eyes. I imagined the wheel of his mind spinning. “Are you?”

His exhale sounded strained. “I am.” He cast me a calculating glance. “Kiss me for luck?”

I almost swallowed my tongue. “
What
?” My mind had wandered but not so far from its path.

“Kiss me.” His eyes gleamed brighter than they had since our ordeal began. “It’s tradition for a male to seek a female’s kiss before crossing the veil. Gives him a reason to fight its energy.”

“Really?” I made my voice sound thoughtful. “All these years I’ve broken tradition without realizing. Old Father never mentioned such a noble cause, nor did my other travel companions.”

His nod was somber. “Wait—what do you mean
other travel companions
?”

“Old Father rarely leaves Beltania these days, even for clan business. When I leave the city, my aunt assigns one of her husband’s clansmen to act as my guard. Deinopidae males are rather physical males. You’d think I’d have tempted one…” I sighed. “Consider the kisses I’ve missed.”

I have gone mad. The strain of capture has taken its toll. Think of who I’m tempting. Think of whose attentions I’m inviting. Think of those soft lips of his. One last chance to taste them…

Tonight we fought for our freedom. If we lost…I wanted to know this male’s kiss.

Vaughn cleared his throat. “We could make up for lost time.”

“You’d do that, for me?” My smile was impossible to stop. I should be afraid—of him, of this night, of the outcome of two bound prisoners against a score of Theridiidae. “How kind you are.”

But I wasn’t afraid. Vaughn’s presence enveloped me, kept me safe against all odds. My skin tightened and my head ached as I was forced to consider perhaps it had never been him I feared, but his effect on me. Tradition demanded I save myself for my soul mate. My heart, well, it was less inclined to wait. With no visible aura and no possible future, I gave myself to this moment.

Vaughn closed the distance between us. “This is not the first kiss you deserve.”

“Who said this was my first?” I was a warm-blooded female and males had interested me.

His brow furrowed. “You’re Salticidae.”

“I am.” I wished my hands were free to shape his broad shoulders. “I’m also waiting.”

“Then we’re even.” His head lowered. Our breaths mingled. “I’ve waited for this.”

Surprise parted my lips, and he claimed my mouth with hunger that sank into my bones. One brush of his lips and I was lost. His tongue traced the entrance to my mouth, seeking permission I granted by inclining my head. Desire fogged my mind, the low rumble in the back of his throat making tension coil low in my stomach. Our bodies pressed so close, I realized how well we fit.