Authors: Jim C. Hines

Red Hood's Revenge (28 page)

BOOK: Red Hood's Revenge

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Talia glanced at Snow, who nodded.

“You’re doing the right thing.” Roudette yawned as she crawled out of the cave, staring unabashedly. “Even if she dies, she dies human, free of their curse.”

“She’s not going to die,” Snow insisted.

Talia tightened her grip on the hilt and stepped into the circle.

“Don’t be afraid,” Danielle said. Faziya glanced up at the sound of her voice.

Talia moved without thinking, taking advantage of Faziya’s distraction the same as she would with an enemy. In a single motion, she thrust the sword and slid the blade along Faziya’s leg.

Glass cut through skin and muscle, and she could feel the edge scraping bone. Even as Talia pulled back, she knew she had cut too deep. The sword was too sharp. She stumbled back, needing all of her will to keep from flinging it away.

Faziya snarled and snapped at Talia, then lunged at Snow, but she seemed unable to move beyond the circle. She kept her leg tight against her body and whimpered as blood spilled into the sand.

Talia stabbed the sword into the dirt and knelt at the edge of the circle. She forced herself to watch as more blood darkened the dirt. Faziya tried to lick the cut, but she couldn’t reach it. She looked at Danielle and let out a low whine. Danielle had her hands clasped together, her lips moving silently.

All too quickly, Faziya grew lethargic. She retreated to the far side of the circle and curled up in the dirt.

“How much longer?” Talia whispered.

“Soon,” said Snow. “As the life drains from her body, the curse loses its hold.”

Talia couldn’t remember the last time she had prayed. Losing everything and everyone she had ever known to a fairy curse had pretty much ended her faith in God and his prophets. But now she begged God to let this work.

Blood spread through the dirt around Faziya. She whined again, weaker this time, and Talia’s heart constricted. “It’s not working.”

“It will,” said Snow.

Faziya closed her eyes.

“Snow, stop this.” Talia stepped toward the circle and froze. If she tried to move Faziya, she might only make things worse. “Help her.”

“I know what I’m doing. The body can lose a great deal of blood and still survive.”

Talia stepped around the circle. This time Faziya lacked the energy to flee. Talia reached out, resting a hand on the warm fur of Faziya’s neck. “Forgive me.”

“Got you,” Snow whispered.

Faziya’s body twitched beneath Talia’s hand. Her legs kicked out, and clumps of fur fell away to reveal skin the color of oiled olive wood. Her eyes snapped open, and her body began to grow.

Snow was already moving. She shoved Talia aside and rolled Faziya onto her back. She pressed one hand over the bloody cut on what was becoming an arm. More fur fell away. Faziya’s next gasp sounded almost human.

“Press here, now!” Snow indicated a point above the cut, near Faziya’s armpit.

Talia obeyed, squeezing hard. Snow whispered a spell, and the gold wire around her finger thinned like thread as it burrowed into the cut.

Talia brushed snarled black hair back from Faziya’s eyes. Her face was cool to the touch.

“Too much blood,” Snow muttered. “Press harder.”

Talia tightened her grip, though Faziya cried out.

“Hold her still!”

“I’m trying,” Talia said, grabbing Faziya’s other shoulder and pressing her flat. “Faziya, it’s me. It’s Talia. I’m going to help you. Try not to fight.”

“Sing to her,” said Danielle.

Talia swallowed. One of her fairy blessings had been the gift of song. It was a gift she rarely used in front of anyone older than two. In a low voice, she began to sing an old ballad about an eastern prince and his Kha’iida lover.

The pain in Faziya’s face eased slightly. “Talia?”

“I’m here,” Talia said. “Don’t move.”

The years had changed Faziya. The lines of her face were deeper, hinting at the wrinkles that would one day mark her eyes and the corners of her mouth. Her hair was long and loose, framing her round face. Talia remembered it all, the dark brows, the tiny scar above her upper lip, the two small moles on the side of her chin.

“She’s so pale,” Talia whispered. Faziya’s skin was damp with sweat.

Faziya tried to push herself up. “What happened to me?” Her voice was hoarse.

“You were taken to Rajil’s menagerie,” Talia said, holding her down. “Don’t try to talk yet. Lie back and let my friend work.”

Snow pulled her bloody hands away from the cut and grabbed one of her mirrors. She held it over Faziya’s arm, and the glass turned red. Talia realized she was using it to look within the wound.

“Very slowly,” Snow said, “ease up on the pressure.”

Talia relaxed her grip on Faziya’s arm. Blood oozed from the cut, but the flow was nothing like it had been before. Stitches of gold now sealed the edges of the wound.

Snow grabbed her scarf and wrapped it tightly around Faziya’s arm. “Give her water. Not a lot at first. Don’t make her cough.”

Danielle hurried to fetch one of the smaller waterskins. She untied the cap and passed it to Talia.

Talia rested the mouthpiece of the skin on Faziya’s chin, parting her lips and squeezing a small stream of water into her mouth. Some dripped down Faziya’s cheeks, but she swallowed the rest.

“Will she be all right?” Talia whispered.

“She’s alive.” Snow rested a hand on Faziya’s chest. “Her heart is beating awfully fast, and her breathing is shallow. She needs rest, time for her body to replenish the blood it lost.”

“But she’ll live.”

“Maybe.” Snow didn’t look at her. “She’ll need to be watched closely tonight. Move her into the cave and keep her warm. Try to keep her on her side, with the wound above the heart.”

Talia slipped her arms beneath Faziya’s body and lifted. Faziya groaned and nested her head against Talia’s chest.

“Thank you,” Talia whispered. Only then did she see all of the blood soaking the sand. Faziya’s blood. Snow’s clothes were covered in it, as were Talia’s own. She steeled her voice. “The smell will carry. Anyone looking for us—”

“You think I didn’t plan for this?” Snow clapped her hands, and blue fire leaped from her mirrors, filling the circle. There was no smoke and little heat, but when the fire died a moment later, the blood was gone. Only blackened earth remained.

Snow retrieved her mirrors and kicked dirt over the circle. “I’d do the same for us, but it wouldn’t be healthy,” she said. “You’ll have to clean yourself the old-fashioned way.”

“If we cover the cave mouth, it should help to block the scent,” Roudette suggested.

Danielle had retrieved a blanket from their supplies. She wrapped it around Faziya, draping the ends over Talia’s shoulders. “Will you need help getting her inside?”

Talia nodded gratefully. With Danielle’s help, they finished bundling Faziya into the blanket. Talia laid Faziya on her side, then crawled into the cave. She reached out to take Faziya’s head and arm, being careful not to disturb her injury. Danielle lifted Faziya’s feet, and together they brought her inside.

Talia lay down behind Faziya, their bodies curled together.

Faziya shivered. Her skin was so cold. “Talia?”

“I’m here.” Talia reached around, taking Faziya’s hand.

Faziya mumbled something incomprehensible and drifted off. Talia closed her eyes, ignoring the muted conversation outside the cave as she listened to Faziya’s breathing. Ever so gently, Talia kissed the back of Faziya’s head. “You’re safe.”

Danielle woke to blackness. She sat up so quickly her head struck the top of the cave, a rather forceful reminder of where she was. Her vision flashed white, and she lay back, groaning and clutching her head.

“I’ll try to remember to steal a helmet for you next time,” Talia said softly.

Danielle wiped tears from her eyes. She could feel blood on her scalp, and there would be a lump, but she didn’t think she had done any permanent damage.

There was no way to tell how long she had slept. With the blanket stretched over the mouth of the cave, she might as well have been blind. Over Roudette’s snores, Danielle could hear the howling that had awakened her, the cries stretching longer than those of any mortal hound. “The Wild Hunt?”

“They’ve been riding for a while now,” Talia said. “So far, Roudette’s cape seems to be working.”

“Faziya?” Danielle asked.

“She’s woken up twice,” Talia said. “She drank a little more water the second time. I don’t think she understands where she is or what’s happened.”

“Should we wake Snow?”

“I already have. Four times.” Talia sounded faintly embarrassed. “Snow says the best thing for Faziya is rest. We checked the bandages, and there’s not much bleeding, which is a good sign.”

“I’m glad.” Danielle lay quietly for a while, uncertain whether to ask her next question. But the others were asleep, and there had been so few chances to talk privately with Talia. “What about Snow?”

“What about her?” The wariness of Talia’s response suggested she knew perfectly well what Danielle was asking.

“I know how you feel about her.”

“Whatever I might feel, Snow doesn’t,” Talia said curtly. “Her . . . preferences aren’t likely to change.”

“Talia—”

“Don’t.” Talia sighed. “You think because I love Snow I’m incapable of loving anyone else?”

Danielle’s face grew warm. “That’s not it at all. I’m sorry, I meant—”

“You grew up locked in an attic, then married a prince. It’s not your fault you have a simpler view of these things.”

Slowly, Danielle smiled. “So you
do
love Faziya.”

“I would have brought her to Lorindar with me if I could have. She wouldn’t have been happy, though. She’s a child of the sand, far more than I ever was. This is her home.” Talia fell silent.

Danielle frowned. The howls from the desert had stopped. “The Hunt is gone.”

“It will be dawn soon. Faziya needs rest, but Snow said she’ll need food as well. Water will help, but it’s not enough. Fresh meat is best to help her replenish the blood.”

It took a moment to realize what Talia was asking from her. Danielle swallowed her instinctive refusal.

“Snow’s useless when it comes to hunting,” said Talia. “Roudette can’t go out alone, thanks to Snow’s spell. I’d do it myself, but I don’t want—”

“I know.” Danielle could hear the determination in Talia’s voice. She doubted the Wild Hunt itself could drag her from Faziya’s side right now. “I’m glad you found her again. I’ll do what I can.”

She crawled toward the cave entrance, being careful to keep her head low. She tugged the blanket aside, dislodging some of the rocks they had used to anchor it in place. “Faziya will be all right, Talia.”

“She’s not out of danger,” said Talia. “The blood loss could kill her. The wound could turn septic. We can’t stay here, but she’s not strong enough to travel.”

“I said she’ll be all right.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” She could hear Talia’s wry smile.

Danielle crawled out of the cave. She shivered in the morning air and carefully pulled the blanket back over the cave entrance to block the draft. She turned around and bit back a yelp. A wolf sat watching her from the rocks not ten paces away.

“You’ve been there the whole night?” Danielle asked. Now that she thought about it, Roudette had mentioned picking up a few friends while she and Talia were out yesterday. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to fetch something to eat?”

The wolf sniffed and turned away.

Danielle sighed. The simplest thing would be to call out, asking the animals to come to her. They would obey, trusting her right up until the moment she killed them. But she couldn’t bring herself to betray that trust.

She searched the sky. To the east, a smudge of orange lined the horizon. Not a single cloud blocked the stars overhead. The moon had set for the night. Bats flitted about, invisible save when they passed in front of the fading stars.

There would be other predators too. Danielle closed her eyes, silently asking for help.

Before too long, she heard an answering cry. An owl swooped overhead, and Danielle could just make out the limp form of a jackrabbit dangling from its talons. It dropped the rabbit, which hit the rocks with a wet thump.

The wolf jumped at the sound, then turned to glare at Danielle.

“Don’t blame me,” Danielle said. She hurried over to retrieve the rabbit. “Was the big bad wolf frightened by a little bunny?”

The wolf hopped down, looking hopeful.

“Go get your own.” Danielle chuckled as she pulled a knife from her belt. A few years earlier, the idea of sleeping with a weapon never would have crossed her mind. Thanks to Talia, she had done it last night without thinking.

“Watch over them, Mother,” she prayed. “Talia’s lost so much. Don’t let her lose Faziya too.”

With that, she sat down and began to butcher the rabbit.

BOOK: Red Hood's Revenge

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