Jill stood on the doorstep, eyes straining after Brexten. He leaped over low bushes with ease and she sighed with relief; any lingering effects from his blow to the head were gone. Then she frowned, surprised she could see him at all. There seemed to be an awful lot of light—more than just the moon and the odd lamplight. Curious looking free-floating yellow orbs glowed overhead, strung out like Christmas lights. In that light, she caught sight of Rafe, his arm coming down in a volley of vicious swings as he overwhelmed the three shadowy creatures in front of him. Then he stepped over them to run back to Perren who beat at another shadow with a stick. Rafe cut down it too after pushing his cousin aside.
Next, she saw Aden in a circle of red light, his hands empty but his arms up and out, as if he had just pushed his attacker away. The attacker staggered, turned in her direction and looked like he might run at her. Instead he froze, expression fearful. Aden took the moment to strike. Red light erupted from both hands, catching the other off-guard. The man fell with a scream and didn't get up. Aden threw her a look she couldn't decipher and ran off toward the barn. Rafe followed, as did Perren. Brexten was already on his way there.
Jill danced from foot to foot on the doorstep. She wanted to see what was happening, but was afraid to leave the cottage. Curiosity finally won out, and she raced after them.
Behind the barn, Damek was surrounded in a ball of red light similar to Aden's. Janos slashed away ineffectually at the air in front of him. Between them, they battled another man and four...creatures. Aldar teres. And now that Jill could clearly see them, she wished she hadn't.
They came up to her shoulders. They looked like unfinished humans halfway transformed into pigs. None were clothed and a matting of dark fur covered their chests and groins, making them appear sexless. They had hands that ended in claws and teeth that were too long and sharp to be used simply for chewing. They carried swords and spears and shields, each brandished high by their well-muscled arms. And as she drew closer, she heard their hideous squeals and grunts—squeals like those she'd heard in the Forest of Arianie.
Rafe leapt on one, knocking it to the ground and clobbering it while bellowing a fierce war-cry. Brexten moved in to take another and in a heartbeat, his dagger was out. He went low to the ground, dagger slashing, catching the remaining three in their calf muscles and slicing the tendons before they could react. As they fell, squealing all the way, Brexten turned and caught one in the throat, slashing. Perren raced up and fell on another, beating its head over and over with his stick while Janos took the last one with his sword.
Damek's human attacker tried to turn and run. Instead, the mongrel Shey was caught between Damek and Aden. Damek's expression was pleading, Aden's hard.
"There's no rehabilitation once Tamas has turned them," Aden said.
"But—"
"They can only work with corrupted magic now. No Shey'na'shen can be brought back from that."
With a resigned look on his face, Damek nodded. Red light flashed between them. The trapped man screamed as if being torn to pieces. Then he fell on his face, mercifully quiet.
The silence came so abruptly, it startled her. Janos wiped his sword on the grass, then sheathed it. Rafe still held his, the blade coated with blood as if just resting between swings. Jill watched Perren let go of the stick he'd been holding, hurling it away. She wondered if he'd ever killed before. From the look on his face, probably not.
"Dim the lights. I think the neighbors have seen enough," Aden murmured. Damek waved his hand and half the yellow orbs overhead disappeared, leaving a pale, muted glow.
"All enemy accounted for?" Brexten asked, moving into their loose circle. All eyes swung to him.
"So far as we can tell. Two mongrels and ten aldar teres. A small pack, but large for Ferice. Almost like they knew we were here," Rafe said. "Good to see you awake. Next time, leave the sneaking to people who know how to do it."
"I'll keep that in mind," came the answer, a faint half-smile on Brexten's lips. Then he turned to Damek. "It's good to see you. I didn't know if you'd escaped after the assassination failed. The whole time I wandered the Maze, I was never certain I'd made the right decision."
"You did and I owe you more than I could ever repay."
"And you're back with the Shey'na'shen? Good. I never wanted to splinter the ranks."
"What makes you think you had that much power?" Aden asked.
"My lord Shey'na'shen. Obviously you've survived the past two years without incident."
Aden's expression grew stony. "As have you, my lord Prince."
"Much as I love all this catch up, we need to move," Rafe said. He kicked the body of the closest mongrel Shey with the toe of his boot, and looked to Damek. "This one dead?"
"Unconscious," Aden answered for him. "We destroyed the segment of his mind that enables him to wield magic. When he wakes up, he won't be able to summon anything."
"Killing them is the only way to really finish it."
"The Shey'na'shen are my people. You're not going to slaughter them like cattle."
"Correction: they were your people. Now they belong to Tamas."
And before anyone could react, Rafe casually stabbed the man in the throat. Jill shrieked and jumped back. All of them did to one degree or other.
"What kind of animal are you?" Aden shouted first.
"The kind of animal that keeps us alive! Do you really think he wouldn't slink back to Tamas and tell him all he knew, magic or no?"
"Rafe!" Brexten barked the name. "You don't take a life without reason. What's the matter with you?"
Rafe looked at him darkly. "Don't tell me you've gone all high and mighty. Your little pet here told us about killing Strephon."
Jill bristled. Pet? "What happened in Pydia was nothing like this." She gestured toward the dead body in disgust. "This is just murder."
"No little princess, it's survival."
She wasn't sure what might have happened next had the moment not been broken by a man bursting into the clearing.
"The last two aldar teres got away," he reported in between gasps for air. "We hadn't returned to position yet and they caught us off-guard."
Rafe swore viciously. "Then we need to move before an army of alder teres storms through and we shit ourselves in terror."
"Then we need to move, unless you'd prefer to do more killing?" Brexten suggested.
"Don't start with me. Can you even imagine the shit we've dealt with these past two years? Do you have any—" Rafe bit the last off with a curse. "You have no idea what any of us have been through."
Brexten's head snapped up. "I was Tamas's dog in that Maze and you will never be able to fathom what that was like!"
"We don't have time to compare stories as to who had it worse."
"I never claimed it was a contest."
Rafe growled, frustrated, and jerked away. "Janos, is everything packed?"
Janos nodded. "Done."
"Then let's get out of this hellhole."
Everyone trooped back to the cottage as if leaving bodies in the street was an everyday occurrence. Jill wanted to say something, anything, just to make this all go away. But there was nothing. Everything was out of control, bizarre, and there were just so many bodies. What kind of nightmare was this?
Desperate, she grabbed Aden's arm before he could leave. He could do something. He knew about magic and portals, so he should be able to send her home. Or, if he could tell her how to get back to her own world, or could offer some hope for getting out of Dolmar, maybe she wouldn't feel so scared.
But even touching him startled her. Power rippled along her skin, skipping like a pebble across a pond. And when he looked down at her, her throat went dry.
"I want to go home...Back to my own world," she said frantically. "Brexten said you could send me back."
He touched the hand on his arm, cupping it in his. A warmth spread through her, leaving her weak. "Jill, even if I had the power to do so, I wouldn't. There's a reason for your being in our world and your path needs to run its course to the end."
"But I don't want to be here!"
"And I think you do."
Frustrated, Jill snatched her hand from his, backing away and bumping into something solid. Brexten.
"I didn't realize I'd been unconscious long enough for you two to be on such intimate terms," he said, frowning.
"You'd be surprised at the events can play out when one's back is turned," Aden agreed.
Jill blinked, caught between the two of them, her gaze darting back and forth. Whose side she was supposed to be on? My own side, that's who.
Brexten took Jill's arm and pulled her away before she could say more. "Come on. Let's get the horses. Perren, to me," he said. To Rafe, he added. "We'll meet you back here."
With that, he practically frog-marched her away. Bemused, she let him. For all intents and purposes, Brexten was acting weirdly jealous. Luckily their horses hadn't wandered far, making it an easy task to round them up.
"Perren, are you all right?" Jill asked as they hurried to walk to animals back to the cottage. "Those aldar teres you were fighting...I was worried about you."
"I've never seen one before. I didn't know that's what they'd be like," Perren answered, his voice hollow and emotionless. To Jill, he looked shell-shocked and she couldn't blame him. She felt the same.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to stick with Rafe?" she asked Brexten. "It might be better if we go our own way. I know he's your friend, but I'm not sure if I trust him. He's..." She paused, searching for a polite way to describe him.
"Ruthless and frightening? Vicious and angry" he supplied and she nodded. "I know. Whatever he's had to deal with, he's not the man I remember."
"But you went through your own ordeal in the Maze and didn't come out that badly."
"Then you flatter me. I harbor the same feelings; I just hide them better. I've known Rafe my entire life and I trust him. For now, we'll stick with him. Then, we'll see."
It was probably the best offer he could give her, so she took it. "Okay."
*
They all gathered again in the cold night air, horses nickering softly. Above them, Damek's yellow globes illuminated the clearing and offered enough light to heap saddlebags and tie a few small trunks onto the horses' backs. The work was done haphazardly and without care as they rushed through the task. When Jill dismounted, Rafe unceremoniously grabbed her reins and began throwing gear onto the animal's back.
"Hey! I'm still riding that!"
"We need more pack horses so I'm improvising. We don't have enough mounts and there's no time to repack. You're light. Ride with someone else."
When no one spoke up, Brexten said, "You can ride with me."
Gee, thanks. "I'd rather have my own horse."
He merely sighed and shook his head in resignation. "Just get on the horse. Let me get on first and steady it."
He took the reins, swung himself into the saddle, and offered Jill a stirrup. As before in the Forest of Arianie, his hand went out to her. Time stopped. Jill nearly gasped aloud. This was the moment she had dreamed. She had seen this image in her dreams a thousand times: Brexten holding out a hand as if to offer her the world. His eyes were intense, demanding she share that same intensity. Which was silly, but she had seen this moment in her dreams too many times to deny it.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she took his hand.
The dream, unlike reality, never carried her past the moment their hands met. She found herself absurdly body-conscious once she sat behind him. It made her falter before she placed her arms about his waist. Something was different. His body that close to hers suddenly made her breath catch. Unsatisfied desire and pent-up longing unexpectedly pierced her, winding her up like a top. The memory of their earlier moment in the cottage beat at her like wings. Jill bit her lip and tried to ease away. Too bad being on the same horse allowed no room for escape. Brexten, if he noticed, said nothing.
"Where are we headed?" he asked Rafe instead.
"Priden's close. So's Blakmor. We have safe houses in both towns."
"What about Shaar?"
"Too far. Besides, Nikolos is there. Too dangerous."
Jill felt Brexten tense at Rafe's casual mention of the name. "They're not all together in Valinac anymore?"
"Haven't been for a while. He's stolen the title of Duke of Shaar and carved himself a tiny kingdom."
"Duke? Then there's been nothing from Trask since he disappeared through the portal?"
"Nothing."
"And Geniece is still in Shaar? Casir said she was still Duchess. How is that possible with Nikolos in control?"
"It seems our Duchess likes to dance close to the edge. She claims to have Nikolos under her thumb, but..." He shrugged. "Maybe it's not that bad. There haven't been recent negative reports from Shaar."
"If Nikolos is without the support of the other two, why hasn't anyone done anything to eliminate him?
Rafe looked annoyed. "If you really think it's that simple, why don't you do something?"
"I will. We're going to Shaar."
"Don't be stupid. That's four days hard riding—"
"I said we're going to Shaar," Brexten repeated sharply.
Jill nearly groaned aloud. Four more days on horseback. Oh God, Kachine, send me home now. Either that or kill me.
He couldn't have read her mind, but Jill wanted to shout with happiness when Aden said, "We can fold the travel time to Shaar to a day. Or for our purposes, a night."
"Fold? I thought the folding spell was a failure," Brexten said.
"Not exactly. How do you think I've kept ahead of the mongrel Shey hunting me? Teselany perfected it before she died."
"Teselany's dead?" Brexten choked on the words.
Silence.
"Damek? Rafe? What happened to Teselany?"
But it was Aden who spoke. "She was killed after you disappeared and those involved in the assassination attempt were exposed. If you couldn't escape Tamas's hunt, you died."
"I'm sorry," Brexten said, his tone gentle. "I didn't know. You have no idea how sorry I am."
"She's dead. Let it lie," Rafe cut in, the words ending in harsh laughter. "Why waste sympathy on me? Magic calls to magic—isn't that what I've always said? I've never had magic so there was never anything real between us. Why should her death matter to me?"
"You know it wasn't like that," Damek said, wincing.
"Maybe you can just do the magic so we can get out of here," Rafe said, the words a snarl. "Not everything has to be a damned debate. We don't have time for this."
Aden merely nodded and tossed his reins to Rafe who caught them with a scowl. He closed his eyes and his breathing deepened. Damek, still on his horse, did the same. Gradually, the two of them began to glow. And with a crack that should have been audible, the twisting threads abruptly reappeared.
They shimmered into a dizzying blue-red weave that resembled a monstrous spider web. They twisted and turned, smashing against Jill's crumbling wards, splintering them with flaring red sparks of light, writhing like snakes. She gasped, holding herself ridged.
"Jill, what is it?" Brexten turned in the saddle to see her better.
She shook her head vehemently. "Nothing. Ignore me."
Attracted like moths to a flame, the threads swarmed around the two men, pulsating and tangling chaotically. Damek went stiff in his saddle, his horse shuffling beneath him as threads hit his body and changed from blue to a blazing red, their power flowing from him into Aden. Aden redirected the threads with a complex motion of his hand. They tied themselves into knots and snarls, then untied themselves again before flowing out delicately in multiple directions.
Jill had to hold tightly to Brexten just to keep from falling off the horse. What was Aden doing? No one in her world...But this wasn't her world. This game was played with an entirely different set of rules and she would have to learn every painful one if she wanted to survive.
From far away and sounding very tired, she heard Aden say, "It's done. When the horses gallop, the distance they cover will be quadruple. I also took the precaution of setting up both physical and magical trails leading to Shaar, Valinac, Riven, Blakmor, and even to Othro and Orestria. I didn't have the strength to reach farther but this should give us some leeway if someone investigates. They'll have no idea which way we went."
"Don't you think it's in our best interests to leave Shaar out of your plans?" Rafe asked sarcastically.
"It would be too conspicuous if we did," Brexten said before turning to the two Shey'na'shen. "Good work. I'll buy you both a tankard when we reach Shaar."
Damek slumped wearily. "All I need is a soft bed. Goddess, you failed to mention how rough it would be on the secondary caster."
Aden mounted his horse unsteadily and shrugged once settled. "I never said it would be easy. If it keeps us alive, you can thank me later."
Little was said then as everyone mounted their horses. Aden let his sidle up alongside her and Brexten. Jill snatched a look at him, saw he was already watching her. When their eyes met, she felt a fragile tingling and wards settle around her again. The threads disappeared from view. A relief, but this time, the wards fit as if to chaff. Part of her wanted to rebel.
"Try to hold them up, my lady," Aden said, then eased his horse away.
"What was that about?" Brexten asked her over his shoulder, sounding surly.
"We're done here. Let's go," Rafe called out and spurred his horse forward, saving her from answering.
With a savagery that surprised her, Brexten kicked their horse into action. Jill clamped her legs around the animal and tightened her arms around Brexten's to keep from being thrown. She could feel the hard muscles of his stomach under her hands. If she wasn't so on edge, she might have been mortally embarrassed.
She put her mouth close to his ear. "What's going to happen to us in Shaar?"
"We'll discuss it later," he tossed back, his tone clearly annoyed.
What was his problem? Why was he the only one who got to be pissy? "Look, I'm sorry about asking Aden to send me home. I know it seems cowardly, but I was scared so I panicked. I get that you're angry, and I know I picked a bad time to open my mouth—"
"I'm not angry about that," he said.
"Then what? Is it about Rafe? Because he didn't support you going to Shaar? Maybe he's right. Maybe we shouldn't go there and get so close to Nikolos if you're not prepared."
"I never said I wasn't prepared. Besides apparently Geniece has him well in hand."
"But who's Geniece? Can we trust her?"
"I would trust her with everything I have."
"Why?" Jill pressed. "How do you know you can still count on her?"
He threw her a look she couldn't read. "Because she was supposed to be my wife."