The Wayfarer King (41 page)

Daia concentrated on the last image she’d had of Gavin surrounded by magical energy, hoping that the connection would flicker in his gut, that he would find the strength to take hold of her again. She focused, pushing past her fear, and followed the thread of silk that started in the gem on her finger.

The image began to crumble. A seam ripped open and widened to reveal blackness so profound that it touched all the senses. She saw Gavin entombed by a vast hunger where he lay like a battered animal washed ashore after a storm. His voice echoed in her mind as he called to her one last time before the light in his eyes dimmed and blinked out.

It was the image from the stairs, the one at Ravenkind’s house she’d glimpsed while Gavin was healing the paralysis that had left her vulnerable to Ravenkind’s attack. The realization felt like a slap: she’d seen into the future. She knew what that blackness was now: Ritol. It was the monster’s haze suffocating Gavin’s own, trying to feed upon his soul before he was even dead. No, no, no, no! Her mind railed against it. This couldn’t happen. They couldn’t lose. She had to reach Gavin. She knew where he was, but she couldn’t connect with him. All she sensed at the other end of the ring’s thread was Ritol.

It was a huge risk, but if Gavin didn’t survive, Ritol would become Wayfarer and they would all die. All she needed to do was give Gavin time to find her and come home. “Be ready,” she told Feanna.

Daia connected with Ritol.

The shock of its wretchedness nearly made her recoil. Her throat thickened and her stomach lurched with the strong urge to retch. It was pure evil. She knew no other way to describe it. It was the very definition of darkness and chaos. It was hatred. It was destruction.

“Daia, no!” Feanna cried. She jerked her hand back, but Daia held it tightly.

“Hit it hard. Now!”

Feanna pushed her fear at Daia. Daia let it flow through into the connection, into the monster. Ritol recoiled, but only for a moment. Feanna’s fear wasn’t enough. Her personal terror had passed, and all that remained was a deep concern for Gavin’s wellbeing. It ignored the feelings, instead drawing on Daia’s conduit to strengthen itself. “No, the other way. Think of your children and what you feel for them. Think of Gavin.”

Feanna’s fear ebbed, and pleasant feelings began to flow past. Daia felt them all as Feanna pushed them to her — the love, the admiration, the acceptance, the loyalty. Ritol tried to block them, and when it couldn’t, it tried to shake off her connection. Daia persisted. “It’s working.”

“Everyone, come inside,” Feanna cried. Little by little the voices outside quieted as people ambled to the cottage’s doorway to see what was going on. She stood and beckoned them with her other hand. “Touch me. We must help Gavin. Share your good feelings with me.” GJ came over and put his hand in hers, followed by Jaesh and Tansa. From Feanna flowed their gladness, relief and love. Twelve adults and seven children clustered around her, squeezing together as they lay their hands on her arm, shoulders, back and head. Everyone was laughing and talking, thrilled to be alive, happy to have won.

Their feelings flowed through Feanna, through Daia, and into Ritol.

Daia felt a jerk in her gut. The connection with Ritol was severed.

When Gavin regained consciousness, Ritol was standing over him like a statue, poised with its claws ready to grab him and rip him into two pieces. He rolled out from under it and staggered to his feet. With his hidden eye, he saw Daia’s orange tendril connected to Ritol’s haze, force-feeding it sparkling crystals like what Feanna had done earlier. He didn’t know what the crystals were, or what they would do to him, but it was his only chance. He snatched up Aldras Gar and seized Daia’s power for himself.

Love, peace and excitement filled him. Immediately, all these feelings flooded him and more. His heart was filled with serenity, respect, gratitude and gladness. The emotions empowered him. He gripped Daia’s tendril harder, entwined his haze around it, and fed.

Ritol raised its arm to bat at him again. Connected to Daia, Gavin overpowered the soul-sucking force of the beyonders’ realm. He shoved a wave of repelling power down his sword arm. Aldras Gar magnified it as it shot out the end. It lifted Ritol from its feet and hurled it two dozen paces backward. To the north, a cloud of dust rose from the ground as dozens of beyonders raced toward him, hungry for his death.

Time to go,
he thought. He opened a vortex, waited a few seconds for it to cycle to blue, and dove through it head first.

Chapter 49

Gavin tucked and rolled, dimly aware of the pain upon impact with the ground. He slammed into a wall — a crumbling burnt wall of plaster and wood. Home. The sounds of laughter and voices echoed off the buildings and rocks of the nearby mountain slope. He lay for a minute on the ground amid the rocks and debris to let his healing magic repair his most painful injuries, and to catch his breath. He’d done it. He banished Ritol back to its realm and escaped with his life and the magic of Wayfarer intact.

And he’d saved Arek. Perhaps not from the injuries that had killed him, but he’d saved his king from death by Ritol’s claws. He took a moment to wrap his thoughts around these facts. It was over.

He slowly stood and made his way toward the sounds of celebration. Rounding the corner of a house, he saw them exiting a cottage. The children began reenacting the battle, taking turns being Adro, Feanna, Daia and the monster. The adults were congratulating Adro. They were alive. Liera and his nephews had survived. The orphans were unhurt. Even Adro, who’d run into the cottage and foolishly engaged Ritol, looked none the worse for wear. Gavin’s heart started to drop as he searched the crowd for Feanna.

She came out and looked around, followed by Daia. Gavin slowed, taking in the sight of her. Alive. Unharmed. Looking for him. She and Daia saw him before the others did.

Feanna picked up her skirts and ran toward him. “Gavin!”

He hurried his pace, though still limping from the injury to his knee. In moments, she was in his arms. He buried his face in her neck, her soft hair, and breathed in her scent. They said nothing at first, just held each other. Then he realized her love for those children was ultimately what had saved him. He held her tighter and knew he could have no other as his bride.

When the others gathered around, Gavin moved Feanna to his left, though he still clutched her protectively against him with his arm around her waist. The front of her dress was wet from where she’d pressed against him, but she didn’t seem to notice.

Edan approached first. Gavin offered his hand, but Edan gave him a brotherly embrace instead. “Gav,” he said, his voice thick. “Damn am I glad to see you.”

“Ravenkind?” Gavin asked.

“Dead. Ritol took care of him for us.”

Gavin laughed with both gladness and relief. “A fitting end.”

Edan handed him a round, flat stone with the rune Whemorard carved on one side. “Found this near his body.” Gavin nodded his thanks and dropped it into his coin pouch with the other. As soon as he got the chance, he’d pound both into dust.

Liera hugged him fiercely and kissed his cheek. She didn’t say anything. Her bloodshot eyes, filled with tears, said it all. He hugged his nephews and Feanna’s children and checked them over, satisfied they’d been unhurt.

Tennara, Galiveth and the other swordswomen shook his hand in turn, welcoming him back. They probably didn’t know what part he’d played, but he looked as beat up as he felt.

“Good of you to join us, Gavin,” Adro said. “You look like you’ve been in a tavern brawl.”

Gavin snorted. He’d never known Adro to bank a fire with someone else’s hands, but now he seemed to wear the hero’s mantle as he looked down upon Gavin, even while looking up.

“Adro saved us from the monster,” Iriel informed him.

“Is that so?” Gavin asked.

“Yeh. He slain it and sent its arse back to hell.”

“Iriel!” Feanna said.

Gavin caught Daia’s eye and gave a tiny shake of his head, warning her not to correct the child. Not yet. Adro’s intervention had possibly saved their lives, and he wouldn’t strip the man of his glory in front of the others.

Daia stepped through the crowd, now refocused on Adro and his heroism, and offered her hand. “My thanks, Kinshield.”

He gripped it tightly. “No, my thanks to you. Without you...” He looked at Feanna beside him. “...without both o’you, I’d prob’ly be dead. We all would.” With a chuckle, he added, “I seem to remember saying those same words a few weeks ago.”

Daia bowed her head at Feanna. “This time, I had help.”

While those who’d been taken prisoner claimed their horses from the pen behind the cottage, Gavin went inside to confirm with his own eyes that Ravenkind was dead.

In the cottage was a horrific scene. The body of a dark-haired swordswoman lay against the wall near the door. Both Dona and Nasharla were dead from a mortal stab wound, their corpses jumbled near the northern wall. Ravenkind’s body, covered in blood, lay twisted and lifeless in a corner not far from a red-headed swordsman. None had a haze — except the swordswoman by the door.

Her haze was unlike any he’d seen before. It had a vicious darkness about it, like a beyonder’s haze but without the indescribable other-worldly quality. It hovered around her body as if refusing to give up. He put a finger to her neck and felt a slow, weak pulse. She wasn’t one of his fighters, but her face looked familiar. A leather thong circled her neck and disappeared under her tunic. He fished it out. On the end was a black onyx like the one in the ring Ravenkind had used to control the Viragon Sisterhood. He wondered whether the magic of the necklace had saved her from Ritol — or darkened her haze. Gavin tossed her weapons aside, settled onto his knees, and healed her injuries.

Cirang opened her eyes and blinked a few times as if to clear her vision. She flinched when she met Gavin’s eyes. “You!”

He stood and hauled her to her feet by the upper arm. “You can thank me later. Now, you’re going to gaol.” He took her outside and called for Hennah and Vandra to bind Cirang’s wrists and take her to the lordover’s gaol. Then he told Tennara and Ragetha to bring Dona and Nasharla so they could get a proper burial.