Siren's Song (28 page)

I bite my tongue and look away.

Maybe my nerves are due to Myles, or Eogan, or Rasha. I squirm in my seat and set my eyes ahead.

Or maybe they're due to the fact we're getting closer to Litchfell. I shudder at the thought of my last encounter with the bolcranes there. When Colin and Breck and I . . .

Sigh.

When they were still alive. Well, sort of.

“Up here,” a guard shouts. “Tracks.” He's taking a tradesmen's path that's heavily covered in brush between the Litchfell Forest on our left and the vast, green Faelen valley to the right. The sun is creating a ripple of heat waves across the surface of it. Warming the hovels and empty plowed fields and people who're even now deciding whether to fight for king and country.

I ride ahead to the guard to push on our pace.
C'mon, Myles, how far have you gone?

It's not long until Kel strikes up his questions again as we wind our way up and down the path that leads to the slim set of foothills just before the ocean channel and the airship I hope is still there.

“And what are bolcranes like?” Kel asks after a good fifty terrameters.

“Deadly,” Tannin mutters.

“How deadly?”

“They'll eat you in two bites.”

“Neat.” Kel's eyes are huge. “Will we see any?”

“Hopefully not.” I frown.

“Well, what do they look like?”

Tannin clears his throat and shakes his head at me.

“Ah c'mon. I'll need to know in case I spot one, right? Probably be safer if I know what to avoid.” Kel flashes his giant white teeth.

“They look like enormous lizards,” I say. “Except with shiny black scales and crocodilian mouths that host sharp teeth. And they're bigger than the horse you're riding when they're full grown.”

Kel's face is turning a darker shade of black, as if he's holding his breath. “And?” he finally whispers. “What are they from? How'd they get in the forest? How do they stay in there?”

Tannin puckers his mouth and looks quizzically in my direction.

Huh. Good question. I don't actually know. And apparently neither does anyone else in the group because they're suddenly all staring at me too.

And then, after a moment, “There's a legend,” I say. I bite my lip.

“It claims they're descendents of once-powerful beings here in Faelen who lived in the most beautiful valley. Until they became arrogant and full of selfish, bloated hearts, and their Creator was forced to banish them to the forest. Where they've lived ever since.” I kick Haven to move ahead.

“What kind of powerful beings?” Kel asks.

I don't answer.

Tannin clears his throat again.

“What? Tell me.”

“Elementals,” the guard says softly.

“Oh.” Kel falls silent for a merciful minute. Until, “Well, is the story true?”

“I've no idea,” Tannin replies—which becomes a common response during the next four hours, most of which the boy spends asking an inexcusable amount of questions.

“And what of—?”

A chill runs between my shoulder blades, so minimal I almost miss it.

Except it's followed by another.

What the—?

I try to shake it off, but even Haven is jittering beneath me as we reach the cusp of a hill that drops down into a forested trail blanketed in heavy shadow.

A noise ahead grows louder. Like Lord Myles's habit of hissing his words . . . but not.

Litches.

I flip around and flail a hand at Kel. “Shh!”

“What? Why?”

“Stop talking. Stop riding,” I snap at the group. “Just . . . stay.”

Tannin and two of the guards canter up beside me to lend their eyes and ears.

“I don't hear anything,” one whispers after a moment.

“You don't hear the hissing?”

All three of them shake their heads. “Miss, are you—?”

I beckon Mia to join us. “Do you hear it?”

“No, but I see you believe wraiths are nearby.”

“Are they?”

Her red-lit eyes scan the forest tunnel for what seems like far too long, until eventually she points a finger. “There.”

A second later a wrinkle in the air erupts and the atmosphere comes alive with images, as if an unseen bomb went off and set the airwaves moving. At first it's hard to see them in detail—but then an army of Faelen soldiers is emerging from the forest.

The hissing noise spikes and is followed by the appearance of three wraiths reacting to the men. I sniff. Even from this distance their scent is floating up, permeating my nostrils with the stench of decay.

“Ugh, what is that?” someone behind us says.

“The wraiths,” Kel answers. “That's their odor.”

I wrinkle my nose.

“It was a wraith scouting party hedging along Litchfell,” Mia says. “What are they doing this far into Faelen?”

Tannin's face is stalled in horror. “Looks more like it's an ambush on our men.”

I study the way their limbs move through the brush and forest trees. “Those aren't our men.”

He swerves toward me as do the other guards.

“It's Lord Myles.”

His brow goes up.

“She's right,” Mia says. “If I had to guess, I'd say he stumbled upon their scouting party and they ambushed him. He's creating an image to confuse them.”

“We need to help him.” I twitch the reins against Haven's neck. “Tannin, you and Kel stay here with four guards. The rest of you, follow me.”

“But, miss—”

I ignore Tannin and twitch a crack of lightning toward the
forest's edge—away from where I suspect Myles is under siege, but enough to distract his attackers as I nudge Haven into a gallop toward the tunneled path leading down.

We've hardly gone one-third a terrameter when the hissing grows loud enough to fill the entire atmosphere around us. I crack the sky overhead with one, two, five more strikes, but don't allow them to touch down lest they hit too near Myles.

The next moment the forest is filled with black-cowled, ghoulish-faced wraiths, far more than merely the three. Dark wisps writhe around their gaping jaws and empty black eyes, and they appear to have been mainly pieced together from men, although a few have an extra appendage—one a snake tail, another the skin of a sea animal if I didn't know better. A third has the claws of a bolcrane on both hands.

“Bleeding litch!” the Cashlin guard yells.

“Of all the—” Myles yells from somewhere.

“Aim for their heads,” is the only advice I give before racing toward them. By the time I'm close enough to the fray to see through the mirage of soldiers, I've impaled two of the wraiths with an onslaught of ice picks. I take out a third when Mia and our guards reach me. The guards have their swords drawn and hack away at the swarming beasts, while Mia looks on in shock.

“Myles,” I call.

He doesn't reply.

A wraith jumps from the branches overhead and I've hardly time to move Haven out of the way before he hits the ground. His claws scratch up her flank, causing her to shriek. Next thing I know she's flipped around and bitten the thing's head off.

Except three more are right behind him.

Litch.
Where did they all come from?

I snap lightning through the trees at them even as I note that
one of our guards has fallen and Gilford is barely keeping the wraiths off of Mia. The poor thing. She looks absolutely terrified.

I take out another black-eyed beast only to realize that the party with me isn't experienced enough at fighting them.

They're going to get massacred if I don't do something.

I glance around for Myles—and I'm met with a claw in my shoulder. It wrenches me off of Haven before I can reach a hand around to freeze it. Two seconds later I've let an ice stream pool its way up the beast's arm and into his mouth, shattering his skull from the inside out. He drops.

I drop. I can't breathe. The air's too thick in here.

And that blasted hissing.

I look up just as two more wraiths lock their eyeless sights on me.

Hulls.

“Myles, where in blazes are you?”

Still no reply, but this time there's another shudder in the atmosphere and the sound of running, as if someone's crashing through the forest. The air around me ripples again and one, two, three mirage soldiers still standing abruptly shift into wraiths. The black-cowled undead who'd locked sights on me pause. One appears to focus his body toward me and I lift a hand to take him down. Except he tips his head at an odd angle, sniffs, then pulls back.

What the—?

A second later he turns to shuffle away and the other follows.

I glance behind me, then down to see what caused the reaction.

Oh litch.
At my feet lies another version of myself, sliced open from stomach to throat and bleeding out in bright-red rivulets. I peer up and around in time to see the bodies of Tannin, Mia, Gilford, and the other soldiers materialize nearby—also dead, also bleeding out.

Nicely done, Myles.

“All of you, stop. Don't move.” I keep my tone low, but loud enough for the group to hear.

The guards obey. “M'lady?” Tannin whispers.

“Look down.”

Their exclamations of surprise say they see us as dead too.

“I believe Myles has them fooled into thinking their job is done. I'd suggest waiting until they've retreated to move, lest we show them different.”

Tannin tips a finger to indicate he understands.

The sound of the final wraiths shuffling back into the tree line gradually dies away. Only a muted cry from someone farther out threatens to reveal us, but it fades as swift as it erupted.

I wait another minute before moving toward the group, and all but two of the soldiers, who take it upon themselves to search the area, stride back to where Kel and the others are waiting.

“Everyone alive?” I say.

“I believe so.”

“That was terrifying!” Kel's eyes are as big as hornet eggs, but his grin suggests he wished to be in on the fight.

I shake my head.

“Miss, I recommend we return to the Castle. King Sedric should be informed immediately—”

“Sir!” One of the soldiers strides up from the direction of the tree line. “We can't find Lord Myles. There's no sign of him.”

Bleeding hulls, Myles.

“Is he still after Princess Rasha? Even after all that?” Tannin's gaze narrows.

“Actually, it appears his tracks lead into the forest.”

“Meaning either Lord Myles purposefully led them away from us, or . . .” I don't finish voicing my thought.

Or the wraiths have taken him.

I stare at the men, then Gilford and Mia.

“Are we going to help him?” Kel looks back and forth between the lot of us.

I swallow and run a hand through my hair. And sigh. And nod at Tannin.

“Miss, I—”

“Tannin, I'd like you to head inland a half terrameter or so and take Kel and four soldiers with you. I'll keep Gilford and the others.” I glance at Mia.

Her face is pale, but she manages a smile. “As long as I'm here, I will assist you. That is why we were sent.”

“But, miss, you saw what just happened. The danger you're walking—”

“Will be nothing my abilities can't handle. It's either that or leave Myles to whatever fate he's gotten himself into, and as much as I might be tempted . . .” I purse my lips. “Take Kel and go as quickly as possible. And under no circumstances is the boy to escape and come anywhere near the forest.”

“What? I'm not staying outside the bloody—”

“Language.”

“
Fine.
I'm not staying outside no daft forest just—”

“You are and you will,” I say. “I don't need you dying at the claws of a bolcrane, and I certainly don't need you distracting the men.”

“But my father said—”

“That I'm in charge of you.” I turn to the guard. “Tannin?”

He nods. “I'd feel more comfortable coming with you, miss. But if that is what you wish, then we'll wait.”

“But the bolcranes!”

I square a look at Kel.

Tannin turns to the boy. “Those bolcranes will devour you
faster than you can pull your sword. Nym won't be able to defend the rest of the group and you if the beasts come for them.”

Kel purses his lips in disappointment but, surprisingly, doesn't push the point.

“And if you're gone longer than a few hours, what would you have us do?” Tannin asks.

“Then we're dead and you'd best prepare the king. But we won't be longer. Believe me.” I eye the forest. “I have no desire to spend more time in there than necessary.”

With that I click for Haven, and when she appears, I check her wound to make sure she can still ride, then pull myself up on her. The four guards and Kel begin making their way toward a better clearing that's farther from the tree line. “We'll wait a quarter terrameter from here, miss.”

“We
won't
be long,” I call after Tannin. And as soon as they're trotting away at a quick enough pace, I turn and take the lead toward the forest.

CHAPTER 27

I
T'S MINUTES BEFORE THE SIX SOLDIERS, MIA, GILFORD,
and I reach the spot where the brush is thickening and thistle trees are sprouting as if to claim more of the land for the forest. And right in the middle of it is a path recently beat down.

“Mia.” I slow Haven and see her already pulling back with Gilford.

“Yes, miss.”

“Keep an eye out.”

I know it's unnecessary, but seeing as they're the least experienced and that nagging, clammy sense of Draewulf's presence is even stronger here . . . I scan the horizon and catch Mia doing the same, listening for any sounds of wraiths or airship engines other than our own. The only noise is the sound of hoofbeats carrying the rest of our group toward us and Litchfell's edge.