"The caves are safe," a young man spoke over the rumbling of the others. "To venture out is pointless. Let them haggle and snap at one another."
"So sayeth you," a tall gangly man said. "You are a first. Whichever way the wind blows, you are safe. One thing I"ve learned, never trust a first."
Kera knew the young first. He had married a human and was one of a handful of firsts who strengthened the spell keeping the caves safe. She couldn"t believe her ears as the group"s anxiety rose, sweeping over them like a fetid wave.
"I have been faithful to everyone here," he said in his defense.
Fear and accusations flew between the men, and no one gave the three of them a second look. She and Halim shouldered Reece"s weight as best they could and rounded a bend. The strong smell of alchemy, the discipline of magic and science her people practiced, hit her and she slowed. The odor was sharp and unpleasant, and she was surprised to find it here of all places.
The smell rolled along a thin corridor to her left. "What goes on down that way?"
Halim"s face grew pale and uncompromising. He struggled not to say anything, but the years they had shared scrounging for food were strong enough to override whatever uncertainty he had adopted. "The few remaining firsts are helping us prepare for the worst. We don"t plan on going down without a fight. But then, what do you care?"
The sting in his voice drew her up short. "I care, Halim."
He shrugged and stepped aside. He refused to meet her gaze, staring at the ground. "It"s not far now. I have things to do. Important things."
So gruff. So unwelcoming. This was not what she had expected. "Thank you for your help."
He nodded and retreated back the way they had come.
The cave echoed with emptiness. The battle to see Navar deposed took so many lives. As Kera made her way to Signe"s small niche, she could sense the deep mourning of those who remained.
At an arched doorway painted a cheerful lilac, Kera swept back the heavy part.i.tion and ducked in, literally dragging Reece with her. Signe jumped up from her sewing, her only means of survival in a place no person would willingly live. Her lion"s mane of red hair framed her surprised face. "Kera. Where have you been?"
Not waiting for permission, Kera unloaded Reece onto Signe"s bed and stepped back, rolling the tension out of her shoulders.
Signe"s gaze went from Kera to the man now sprawled on her bed, and she pulled her friend closer to the part.i.tion separating her quarters from the rest of the cave"s inhabitants. "Who is that?"
"Reece. A friend of Lani"s from the human realm. He"s been attacked by millispits. I did what I could, but he needs more."
Signe reared back, and though she fought it, she ended up peeking over at Reece. "Why bring him to me?"
"You"ve dealt with his type of injury. Besides, he is the reason Lani was out there that night. He meant something to her. I figured-"
"She was meeting him?" Anger edged her words and hardened her delicate face.
"He didn"t actually say, but look at him."
Though at present he wasn"t at his best, Kera could see why Lani had risked so much to see him. He was pleasant-natured and handsome enough and strong to a stubborn degree. He shouldn"t be alive, yet here he was. It wasn"t so far-fetched to believe he might have offered a way out of Teag for Lani. A better life, one free of fear.
"There is nothing for him here." Signe crossed her arms over her chest and said loud enough for Reece to hear, "I cannot help him."
Reece struggled to sit, a pathetic show at best. "I"m not so bad off. You can take me home."
Kera frowned and pointed at him. "Stay put."
She pulled Signe back into the pa.s.sageway. The strangeness of her clothes and the squeak of her rubber-soled running shoes drew strange looks from the people hovering near Signe"s small niche. They"d seen Kera moving through the narrow pa.s.sages with a stranger who could barely walk, and though bitterness tinged the haggard planes of their faces, their curiosity pulled them closer.
Kera ignored them all, her focus on Signe and the shock of her words. "What do you mean you cannot help him? Do you know what I went through to get him this far?"
"Who did you bring?" a man asked.
The distrust in his voice confirmed what Halim had told her. She had only known love and adoration from these people, but by the way they glared at her, they were far from adoring.
A woman clutched Kera"s arm, drawing her attention. The sunken eyes hiding in her face reflected the fear and uncertainty that had permeated their lives since Navar"s death. "You promised to save us, but it"s worse than before. Now what do we do?"
Kera glanced from one misery-filled face to the next. "I-"
"Go about your business." Signe swept her arm out and pushed the woman away. "All of you, go. This has nothing to do with you."
"What is going on here?"
Signe pulled Kera through the crowd, an unyielding edge sharpened her jawline. "I won"t help him because he is the reason for Lani"s death. How could you save him?"
Kera followed, confused by the change in her friend. "Place the blame where it rightfully goes. Navar was the reason for Lani"s death."
"Navar was the hand that dealt the blow, but she wouldn"t have been out there if it were not for..." she nodded back toward the cubby she called home, "...him."
"His name is Ree-"
"I have no need to know his name." Her lips twisted with hate.
Kera refused to believe Navar"s actions had changed Signe"s sweet, gentle nature. Her friend was mourning and she had chosen Reece to pour her misery onto.
"Don"t do this," Kera said, but Signe refused to acknowledge her. Kera wouldn"t let her friend off so easily. She spun in front of her, stopping their impromptu stroll. "You know he"s not to blame."
"It is pointless to help him. He is cursed."
"How do you know that?"
Signe pushed away, refusing to make eye contact, and Kera groaned. "You cursed him?" How had Signe found the means to buy a curse?
"I cursed everyone who had anything to do with Lani"s death."
"Then you cursed me." The rash action of her friend was completely out of character.
"No." Signe"s red hair bounced against her freckled cheeks as she shook her head.
"Yes," Kera insisted. "I was there and did nothing."
Signe shook her head harder. "You could never have stood up against Navar. Not then."
"And neither could the man lying helplessly in your bed foresee the future, yet you are willing to punish him."
Signe frowned and bit her bottom lip.
"Reverse the curse. If not for him, then for me," Kera begged, gripping Signe"s work-roughened hands.
Signe glanced down the pa.s.sageway, her heart clearly at war with her head. After a moment, her grip tightened. "There isn"t a curse. Only the one I say every night before I sleep. And like me, it has no real power."
Signe stepped free and wound her way through the underground marketplace. As Kera followed, the cold of the caves struck her. The deep recesses of the caves had always been lit by families; now there were more dark nooks than lit ones. She rubbed down the chill on her arms and wondered if living in such a stark, cold place had infected Signe"s heart. If so, why had she never seen it before? She refused to believe her friend had changed so much in such a short time. "Signe, stop. Stop!"
They came to a sudden halt in front of a stall that sold a variety of tinctures and rubs. "Has your kindness all but evaporated?"
"You ask much of me," Signe said.
"He doesn"t deserve to die. Nor to suffer. Not like this." The perpetual frown that marred Signe"s forehead deepened. Kera leaned forward, placing a hand on her friend"s arm. "Are you safe? I heard talk of a war, but there is none that I could see."
"Rumors, mostly. When Navar was killed, so was the protective spell that kept the Lost King"s disappearance a secret from the nations surrounding Teag. We suddenly became ripe for invasion."
The council had ruled for years, and even though Kera"s father had been one of them, he never approved of the cloaking spell, believing a strong defense lay in seeking another ruler and forming lasting treaties. Her father had actually been pleased when Navar stepped forward. He had trusted the warlord. How wrong he had been. Yet her father was a good man.
"Does my father still bring you what you need?"
Signe"s nod was slight, and the crease between her eyebrows eased a bit. "If not for him, I fear what would have happened to us. But he is not you."
"My father can do more for you than I can, and we both know it. I"ll be back once Reece is fully recovered and take him home."
"What do you mean?" Her friend"s body grew rigid. "You"re leaving?"
Kera pulled away. "I have to."
"Stay." The desperate plea in Signe"s voice wasn"t hard to miss.
"I can"t. What Lani did, it"s causing the barrier to disintegrate in far too many places. Real monsters have entered the human realm. I have to do something before they cause any more damage. And G.o.d knows what else has crossed-"
"Look around you," Signe cut in and motioned to the people who wandered aimlessly. "Do you not see what is happening here? Nothing has really changed."
The people were scared. They"d lost Lani and countless others whom they had depended on. If Kera left again, they would continue to endure hardships. But what was she to do? No one trusted her. That was apparent by the welcome she"d been given. "I understand their grief, and I share it, but-"
"Do you? You look well fed and rested for someone who has lost a dear friend."
Kera choked on the stillness in her lungs until the air burned and its ragged escape filled her ears. "That is unfair," she whispered. "Unkind even. It"s not like you to be so harsh."
"It"s unlike you to abandon us," Signe shot back. "You spouted all sorts of promises before you left. Where are they now when you have real power? Dust on your shoes, is where. How can I tell them the one they saw as their savior is leaving? Again."
"I never asked to be their savior."
"I know. It was thrust upon you. Much in life is that way." She grabbed Kera"s hands. "I stay not because I have no choice. I stay because I refuse to leave even one behind to suffer. I thought you felt the same."
Kera pulled her hands free, feeling trapped by Signe"s words. "Yet you are willing to let the human realm suffer. They are defenseless against magic."
"So are we."
"Not completely." Why was Signe being so stubborn? "Magic is from our world. We know what threats exist. The humans don"t. I"m asking you to let me do what is right. I caused so much of this."
"It will never end," Signe said. "One day you will have to choose where your allegiance lies."
"With you," Kera said. "Never doubt that, but I"m begging you, treat Reece as you would any other innocent man whose only crime was one of ignorance." She took a deep breath and said, "I think he loved her."
The bristle of Signe"s anger faded and she buried her face in her hands, covering her misery. "I always feared Lani"s impetuousness, yet I loved her for it, too. I miss her so much."
Lani was gone, and now Signe believed Kera was abandoning them. She wasn"t. Her responsibility was to two worlds, each vulnerable. Why couldn"t Signe see that? Kera gently touched her friend"s arm. "I have not forgotten you, nor will I ever."
Her friend turned away. There was nothing more Kera could say. Dragging Reece back to the human realm was out of the question. If Signe refused to care for him, Kera would have to find someone else-her father maybe? When Signe turned back around, Kera eyed the tin in her friend"s hand.
"To ease his pain and draw out the remaining poison," Signe said.
"Then you will help him?"
Signe nodded. "I doubt either of us could get him off my bed."
Kera hugged her tightly and whispered a heartfelt "Thank you."
Her friend pulled away and tucked the tin in her pocket, not yet ready to accept Kera"s grat.i.tude. "You will fight your new battles and love your new love and you will forget us...and I shall be stuck with your human castoff forever."
"I"m sure once he finds out Lani is gone, he won"t want to stay."
Signe escorted Kera to the caves" entrance, her silence the sound of disapproval.
Though the sun"s rays inched through the clouds, Kera couldn"t feel their warmth. She was now a stranger to her own kind. "I can"t pa.s.s through the spell any longer. Halim had to bring me through. You should keep a closer eye on him."
They both knew that was useless. The boy did as he pleased.
Signe played with the necklace that held her birthstone at her throat. "If not for his wandering about, how will we know when you return?"
Kera touched the necklace in Signe"s fingers. "There is a spell using birthstones..."
She had no idea if it could cut through the barrier magic, but it was worth a try. Paper materialized in Kera"s hand. The spell had to be put to paper and then burned before it would work. She stared at it until words appeared, then took off her sapphire ring and held it out. "I give this to you willingly so that you will never forget me, and wherever you are, I will find you."
Signe made to take it, but Kera shook her head. Understanding dawned, and Signe pulled off her necklace and held it out. "I give this to you willingly so that you will never forget me, and wherever you are, I will find you."
Together, they placed the items within each other"s palms. With their hands clasped together, Kera closed her eyes, and the spell wove over the items, binding them to each other. When she was done, the paper with the spell on it burned in a flash, the ash taken up by the wind. Kera took the necklace and slipped it on, fingering the ruby set in the center, and Signe pushed Kera"s ring onto her finger.
Kera quickly told her how the spell worked, and when she had nothing more to say, they stood staring at each other. Kera gave her friend a sad smile. "It"s the best I can do."
"Will it work?"
"Let"s hope. Most of the spells I was allowed to use before were more practical in nature. But you know me. I always tried what I was told I could not do. And failed miserably. Now that I have my own powers, it should work." She touched the necklace around her neck. "I"ll wear this always. Never take off the ring."
Signe fingered the ring, pulled her hand to her chest in a protective manner, and nodded.
Halim suddenly burst into the clearing, his eyes bright with fear. Staggering to a stop, he bent, trying to catch his breath as he put his hands on his knees. He managed to point behind him. "They"re doing-" He shook his head and swallowed. "It"s unspeakable." His gaze rose and found Kera. "We have to save them."
Kera"s stomach dropped. Now was not a good time. She had commitments...but the fear in Halim"s eyes...it spoke of the horror he"d seen.
Those who were close rushed to the boy and peppered him with questions. Behind him, smoke rose slowly into the sky like a line of fresh ink, black and heavy. It curled and bent unnaturally. What type of fire produced smoke like that?