* * *
The next morning a rare summer rainstorm drummed outside. I worried that Jael might have sent it, but the steady sound and lack of wind eased my mind. Before breakfast, Wynn pulled me aside. “Forgot to tell you last night. Prince Ryne needs more of those toxin sacks. Have you collected them?”
“Not yet. He said he’d send word.”
“Well, this is the word.” She put three fingers up and widened them so they looked like a W.
“You’re chipper this morning. And here I thought you’d be tired from all that...sleeping you were doing last night.” Jealous? Who, me?
Wynn winked.
I retrieved the Lily map from my pack. Spreading it out, I searched for the nearest Lily cluster. Small checks marked the ones I’d already taken the sacks from. According to Tohon, the Lily would regenerate the toxin in two months’ time.
Tapping on the map, I said, “There’s a patch about a day and a half east of here.”
Wynn leaned over. “I saw a bunch of them to the southeast and only a couple hours away.”
“It’s not marked.”
“Must have missed it. And there was a Death Lily, as it tried to snatch Coll. Poor kid almost soiled his pants.”
“Coll? Really?”
“Well, he is young.”
“No, I meant the Death Lily. They go after those they think have potential for magic. Has he shown any other signs?”
“No, but if you want, my unit can accompany you today.”
“That would be great. Plus, Quain will be happy. Not only about staying dry, but he’s been fussing about this assignment every chance he gets. Keeps calling it babysitting duty,” I said.
“Quain? Is he the cute bald guy?”
“Yes, but don’t ever let him know that.”
“About being bald?”
“No, the cute part. He would be insufferably smug forever.”
“Got it.”
After we ate, I grabbed a few supplies, borrowed a wide-brim hat to keep the rain off my face and headed out with Wynn. Even though it was late morning, the air was still chilly, and it smelled of moist earth.
Her team followed us, but their progress through the woods made nary a sound. And they kept well hidden, so I didn’t see them at all. Though we weren’t technically in enemy territory, it was still prudent to be as quiet as possible.
“They’re good,” I whispered to Wynn.
She beamed. “I’ve been training them.”
After a few hours, she led me into a clearing that was just the right size for the Lilys. They liked the sunlight but also liked being protected by trees.
I glanced around but didn’t see any. “Are they deeper in?”
“No.”
“Where are they?”
“There’re all around us. Can’t you see them?”
I looked again. Instead of Lilys, dead ufas stood among the trees. Fear kept me rooted to the spot, but I yanked my knife out and threw it at the closest ufa, burying the blade into its shoulder.
I shouted at Wynn. “Run! They’re after me.”
“Well, of course they are, Baby Face. Why do you think I invited them?”
KERRICK
He had left Oya back in Peti. It was far easier to travel on foot through the forest, but slower. Agonizingly slow, in his opinion, as he wanted nothing more than to hold Avry in his arms again. But the pace was prudent. Through his magical connection with the living green, he sensed many groups of soldiers moving in all directions. A battle raged to the west and southwest. And Kerrick wasn’t sure who was who. Plus, he couldn’t sense the dead soldiers or any dead ufa packs, which increased the level of danger.
After a week, he reached the Healer’s Guild and discovered Ryne’s location in a nearby cave. It was quite the reunion since Ryne thought he’d died.
“Three miracles in one summer,” Ryne said after pouncing on him. “This is a sign!”
“Three?” he asked.
“You, Avry and Flea.”
His heart skipped a few beats. “Flea?”
“I forgot you don’t know. So much has happened. Sit down, sit down, I’ve lots to tell you.”
Kerrick glanced around the cave as strong emotions slammed into him. Flea alive? “Where’s Avry and Flea?”
“Not to worry. They’re both safe and with the monkeys in the infirmary.”
“Which is...?”
“About a day east of here.”
Another delay. It took all of Kerrick’s willpower to stay and listen to the events over the summer. At one point, he jumped to his feet. “You left without her.” His hands curled into fists, but he kept them by his sides.
“A tactical decision that worked exactly as I’d imagined. Well...except for her sister dying.”
“Noelle died?”
After that, it was a very long night.
“And no one knows where Belen is?” he demanded.
“Tohon claims he turned him into one of his dead, but I find that hard to believe,” Ryne said. “We’ll find him.”
Much later, when Kerrick tried to sleep, his mind whirled with all the information Ryne had divulged. But three events kept snagging: Flea being saved by a Peace Lily, Avry believing he was dead and Belen’s disappearance. He gave up on sleep a couple hours before dawn, told Ryne he couldn’t wait any longer and took off in the rain for the infirmary cave.
Wishing he’d brought Oya, Kerrick jogged through the forest, concentrating his magic on the immediate vicinity only. Ryne had assured him no enemy patrols lurked in the woods to the east, and he didn’t want to waste his energy scanning the entire area.