His Final Secret Page 15

  "Traitor," the first said, ignoring his missing hand and drawing a knife with the other. It was no effort to keep the shorter weapon at bay while he rushed through the second's guard and stabbed him in the heart as well. Then he batted the knife aside and punched the first again, stealing his focus while he stole his life, piercing him in the chest.

  "Traitor and murderer," he said, stepping over them and mounting the stairs into the tower.

  He climbed them as fast as he could, bounding up two at a time, circling the heights of the tower towards the small room where the farspeak stone rested. His heart pounded in his chest, his blood roared through his veins, and he could feel the building anger and excitement over this latest confrontation.

  He reached the top of the tower, taking the last few steps to clear the stairwell and enter the room.

  The stone was still intact.

  It was already spinning.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  Eryn

  Eryn's heart was pounding. Her breath was shallow. Around her, the wind was whispering through the trees, and the conversations of her allies merged into one slow, low mass of chaos and fear.

  She stared ahead of her. Seeing, but not seeing. Her body felt numb. Her limbs were tingling, only not from the power of the Curse. There were no bloody tears in her eyes.

  Only salted ones.

  "Eryn?"

  The voice was steeped in sap, familiar and confusing. There was no air. There was no light.

  She began to feel dizzy.

  "Eryn?"

  It had been a week since they had passed into Elling. They had traveled mainly along the Empire Road, a road once rich with life reduced to a path of death and destruction, leading them through burned town after burned town, where the smell of corpses and the cries of vultures became so common that they were almost able to be ignored.

  Almost.

  They had moved as quickly as they could, a group of nomads pushing ever further, their numbers swelling with each hour that passed. There were survivors of the fighting. More than Eryn had guessed there would be. They appeared seemingly out of nowhere, having heard of her arrival and passage through means she couldn't discern. Had some of the soldiers abandoned the army? Or was her group spreading out behind her to pass on the news?

  She didn't know who or what had caused it. All she knew was that what had started as only her and Worm had grown like a weed at her back, first with the prisoners from the camp and multiplying steadily since then. So many had run from the soldiers, hiding in the woods, avoiding the fires, staying out of sight while they pillaged the province like barbarians. His own Empire, and he destroyed it like it meant nothing.

  Just like he destroyed everyone in it.

  For all of the pain and misery that surrounded them, there was a growing hope among the people, and Eryn could feel it rippling through their group. As word had spread of her presence in Elling, so too had the rumors of what she had done to the army, and of how she and Talon had freed the people of the Washfall mines. They believed in her as their champion, as a powerful protector of those he crushed beneath his fist. They believed that she would help them rebuild and save them from retribution. They believed she would save their children, even the Cursed, and that from the ashes of Elling's death a new life would begin.

  It was a pressure she struggled to deal with. A role she didn't want, and yet understood the need to fill. Because of that, she hadn't told anyone of her intentions to continue beyond Tilling at the edge of the province. She hadn't told anyone that she was going to abandon them, to take a boat to the Unknown Lands and to kill him once and for all. She knew that only then would they truly be free. She also knew that the community that was suddenly growing around her might fall apart in her absence.

  She was eager and at the same time terrified. She was only sixteen, just old enough to seek a man to become her husband and to begin planning their life together. And here she was, moving at the head of a ragtag tribe of refugees that had swelled to nearly three thousand souls, with all of them looking on her to keep them safe and treating her as a hero positioned just beneath Amman.

  It was a thought that stole her attention often throughout the days.

  It wasn't what had stolen her breath now.

  Worm had veered off the Empire Road a day earlier, guiding them away from it without explanation. She had been able to see the smoke in the distance, and asked him if there was a second army making camp up ahead. He had shrugged as he typically did and kept going, and so she had followed.

  When they had reached the burned out remains of the Whistling Woods, she had begun to feel the tremors in the pit of her stomach. She had done her best to ignore them, figuring that the woods were large enough that it shouldn't surprise her they were bypassing the obstacle within them.

  They had spent the night there, keeping as quiet as they could at her behest. She had heard the whispers of the people wondering why she didn't just walk them through whatever dangers she had discerned, but they didn't question her openly and were satisfied enough to comply. She had spent the evening talking with Robar and Sena, with Lottie, and with whichever refugees came to offer their thanks.

  Then morning had come and they had continued onward, moving out of the edge of the woods and into a clearing marked by broken fenceposts of burned out houses.

  The first of which was hers.

  "Eryn?" Robar said again, putting his hand gently on her shoulder.

  The tears were flowing freely now, clear drops that ran from her cheeks and dripped onto the garum that stretched tight across her chest. She closed her eyes, doing her best to force her heart to slow, to bring herself to calm. There was nothing left but dark earth, a small bit of debris, and two simple gravestones resting side by side in the center of it.

  Her parents, she knew. Someone had buried them there, or at least given them simple markers in memory. Someone from the village? Someone else? She would never know, but looking on them both broke her heart and lifted it.

  "Eryn?"

  The voice returned to normal speed, sounding clearly in her ears. She regained herself, noticing that Worm had decided to sit off to the side with his legs crossed. He was staring straight ahead, his face a blank mask.

  Did he bring me here on purpose?

  "This was my home," she said, looking back at the stones. "My parents died protecting me. So I could escape. So I could survive." She reached up and wiped at the tears. "Give me a moment."

  "Take all the time you need, my Lady," Robar said. "We'll be here if you need us."

  She started walking forward, her legs like water beneath her. The tears threatened to spill once more, and she took deep gulps of the cool morning air to steady herself. She paused once at the marked spot of earth that suggested the outline of their home. She looked upward toward Amman before passing over and falling to her knees in front of the markers.

  There was no writing on them, and no indication of who was buried there other than the location. It didn't matter to Eryn. Now that she was here, and had one final moment in their company in this world, she wasn't going to waste it.

  "Mother. Father." She smiled to say it. "I've done what you asked me to do. I survived, and I'm here and alive because of you. Because you taught me to be strong, to never give up, and to be kind and just. I'm alive because you loved me. More than that. I'm alive, and I have three thousand people following me, taking this journey with me, because of who you raised me to be. They believe in me as you did. They trust me as you did. I'm going to find him, Mother. I'm going to end his reign and avenge everyone he has killed to keep people like me under his control. You made me promise to survive, and I have. I've grown stronger, and smarter, and more mature. I've become someone I know you would be proud of. I know I will see you both again in the arms of Amman. I love you. Thank you."

  She bowed her head and closed her eyes, placing a hand on each of the markers. Without thought, she called upon her Curse, bringing the power to her and pushin
g it to the stones. "Ignus," she whispered, and a small flame danced across the top of each. "May this flame burn eternal in your memory."

  She rose to her feet, a single red tear falling from each eye. Worm was standing there when she turned around to rejoin the refugees. His eyes were sad and strong. She stared at them for a moment, and then lost the control she had fought so valiantly to maintain. Her legs crumpled below her, and then she was falling.

  He caught her, taking her beneath the shoulders and bringing her into him, wrapping his arms around her so she could bury her face in his neck. She moaned softly, releasing the pain of the memories, letting his strength support her in her weakness, giving her the chance to finally mourn.

  She didn't know how long she spent crying in his arms. When the emotions all began to wane, she righted herself, pulling away to look at him once more. His own tears lined his youthful face.

  He had surprised her so often since the first time she had seen him.

  If he had given her this gift intentionally, it was the greatest surprise of all.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Eryn

  "There it is," Robar said. He pointed ahead of them, at the two towers rising from the palace, resting on top of a steep hill near the back of Elling City. "The one thing they wouldn't touch."

  Even from their position a few hours distant from the city, Eryn could see what the minstrel meant. The walls of Elling were black and scarred, portions of it broken down to rubble by the Empire's war machines. The landscape around it was dead and cold, the crops burned, the farmers killed. The city within was equally dead, a mix of rubble and ash and fallen timber. It was like every other village they had passed on the way, only larger in scale.

  Except for the palace.

  "Should we stop here?" Eryn asked, turning to Worm.

  He nodded, pointing towards the palace, and then at the thousands following them. Elling City was still the best place to start anew. The walls could be repaired, the crops could be replanted, and they would be able to house most of the five thousand or so people who had joined them within the palace grounds.

  Of course, that also meant that she would have to leave them soon. She was still eager to do it, but seeing how the people had transformed from worn and tired escapees to a true community had given her more of a desire to stay and see them rebuild their lives. The weeks of travel had helped her grow accustomed to their praise and admiration, and she did her best to return it and spread the increasing strength of spirit that was building around them. She had come to accept her place as their leader, and it was going to be difficult to say goodbye.

  Not goodbye. I will return.

  "We should go ahead of the rest of the group," Robar said. "Make sure it's safe."

  "Safe?" Eryn asked.

  "People change when times get hard. Sometimes they can't change back."

  She knew it was true. "Worm and I will go into the city."

  "Just the two of you?"

  "You're a musician, not a soldier. Are you worried about me?"

  He laughed. "I feel responsible for you since Silas, er, Talon isn't here. Silly, I know, but you're like the niece I never had."

  She gave the minstrel a hug. "I appreciate it, but we'll be fine. I don't want any harm to come to you, or any of them. Will you look after them while I'm gone?"

  "Of course, my Lady." He bowed, adding a flourish at the end.

  "You be careful," Sena said, giving her a hug.

  "I can come with you," Lottie offered. "Syrah has been showing me how to handle a knife."

  Eryn smiled. Syrah was the woman who had attacked the soldiers. She had been the wife of one of the rebels, whose father had served in the army and taught her to use a sword.

  "You need to stay here and look after the people. I'm counting on you. Ask Syrah to gather those who want to defend the camp."

  They had never assembled a militia before. There was no need to with Eryn in their midst.

  "Okay," Lottie said, moving off into the group.

  "Worm, let's go," Eryn said. The painted man nodded, his eyes crossing over the others but not landing anywhere. He never looked anyone in the eye except for her.

  They started walking ahead of the group. Eryn could hear Robar shouting behind her, spreading the news of her departure and their plan to settle in Elling. Excited voices faded into the background as the distance between them increased.

  "It will be good for them to be able to settle somewhere," Eryn said. The Empire Road stretched ahead of them, stained by war.

  Worm looked back at her and shrugged.

  "You don't like people, do you?"

  He shrugged again and then smiled.

  "Yes, I know you like me. I don't know why."

  Another shrug. Anyone else might have seen it as indifference, but she had learned to read the subtle changes in his posture.

  "I know you have the seal of Genesia tattooed on your back. Is that where you are from? Are you old, like him?"

  Worm stopped walking. He stared at her. His posture was pained. He shook his head.

  "You don't know?"

  He shook his head. She didn't believe him. Not with the way his eyes had changed.

  "I've been to Genesia, you know. Talon killed a Shifter General there after it took me prisoner."

  He looked away and started walking again.

  "Do you know Talon? You've never told me. How did you wind up with General Spyne?"

  He reversed himself once more. He pointed at her.

  "You were looking for me?"

  He half-nodded.

  "Looking for Cursed?"

  A smile.

  "To kill him?"

  A shrug.

  "You killed other Cursed."

  He nodded.

  "And innocent people."

  He nodded again and then shrugged. It bothered Eryn that he didn't care that he had hurt people. She was about to tell him as much when he pointed at her again and shook his head. She saw a hint of sadness behind his eyes.

  "Do you promise?"

  He put his hand over his heart. She reached out and put her hand over his.

  "Thank you."

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Eryn

  They made their way through Elling City, navigating through streets that had once been lined with apartments and shops and had been reduced to little more than skeletal remains and charred debris. There were bodies scattered here and there in various states of decomposition and consumption, overtaken by vultures and rats and wild dogs that scattered at their approach. They didn't speak much, Worm rarely did, but there was a comfort to his presence that Eryn both appreciated and feared.

  She had been thinking of Wilem less and less as the days had passed when she knew she should have been missing him more. She wondered if she could be losing the love she had felt for him so strongly only weeks before? And why did she find herself so content to be alone with a man like Worm? He had been a Historian. A murderer under the vicious General Spyne. She had seen him kill as coldly as if he were slicing through a stalk of grass.

  There had been little enough time to think of it before, and it had seemed so unimportant while they had been on the move. Now that they had reached Elling City, she suddenly felt very unsure of herself, her mind drifting closer and closer to her heart.

  She glanced ahead to Worm. He had gone a dozen feet ahead of her to scan an intersection before she arrived. He had traveled with General Spyne. He had also saved her from him, and from the dragon. He had exhibited a thoughtfulness she would never have believed he possessed when he had brought her to her parents' grave. And she could tell by the way he looked at her, had always looked at her, that he had been smitten with her before they had met.

  Because of who she was? Or because she had the power to kill him?

  She didn't know. Was his interest in his goal, or in her? Were her own feelings because he was here, and Wilem wasn't, or was there something more to the strange painted man?

 
She pushed the thoughts away. It didn't matter. Nothing in her heart mattered. Not today. She had her own goals, and right now they intersected Worm's. That was the important thing. Everything else could wait until he was dead. Then she would have time to examine her feelings.

  The gates to the palace were open, the one on the left clearly broken by a battering ram, splintered and hanging awkwardly from its hinges. The smell of death and blood still lingered in the air, though it was less thick than it had been in the city itself. Eryn looked around the courtyard as they entered, taking in the damaged but still intact walls, the blood stains on the buildings that surrounded the main structure, and the few corpses of soldiers and civilian alike that still remained, locked in an eternal battle for freedom. She pictured it as Amman against Heden. Light against dark.

  Except darkness had won.

  That much was obvious because there were ruts leading out of the palace, indents from the soldiers who had abandoned the place once all of the rebels had been slaughtered. The coldness of it left a chill on Eryn's skin, and she rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to warm herself.

  "It seems safe enough," Eryn said. She hadn't been expecting any trouble. Why would anyone want to linger here? She had come because she wasn't willing to risk the lives of her followers on an assumption.

  Worm looked back at her and nodded. He pointed towards the doors at the front of the palace. They too had been broken in, and blood stained the steps leading up to them.

  "Yes, let's go inside, just to be sure."

  They climbed the steps together. Eryn stayed close at Worm's back, her eyes fixing to the tattoos there, seeking the seal of Genesia and trying to follow it outward. Most of the ink was in whorls and lines and symbols she didn't recognize, but as they reached the top step, she thought she saw something that resembled a bird's foot, extended outward.