The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch, #3)(68)

A small regiment of dead Drychta littered the ground. We could not gauge their numbers at first glance, for many had been torn apart.

Three blighted creatures crouched over the remains, the sickening crunch of sharp teeth on bone loud over the horse hooves. The smallest of the creatures lifted its crab-like head, swiveled eyeless sockets our way, and screeched.

Lord Fox was several gallops ahead of everyone else. His sword bit into the beast’s armored neck, sending its head flying. The body tottered, extremities twitching, and was promptly ridden down by Chief.

The other two were not as easy to kill. The first was an eight-foot spider, half-submerged in the loam. Its head was a rotting skull, sticky silk webs spreading underneath its spinnerets. At the end of each leg was a fierce humanlike hand with hooks for fingernails. They swiped at the soldiers drawing closer, quicker than the beast’s size suggested. The second resembled a giant piranha on hind legs with an upward-pointing mouth, jaws wider than the tallest man, and teeth asymmetrically pointed.

I backed away from the horrific scene, and several of the men did the same, their horses whinnying in fear. Lord Fox never faltered; his sword cut through one of the spider legs, avoiding its grasp. Lord Rahim was the next to reach them, and he hacked rhythmically at the rest of the splayed limbs like he was chopping wood. Lord Knox released a battle cry and charged forward, some of the braver Yadoshans following suit. Above my head, I saw arcs of fire as both Deathseekers and asha unleashed their spells, and soon the sky overhead was filled with lightning and the sounds of brutal fighting.

My horse stumbled. I fell, rolling across the ground, rocks cutting into my arms and hands. Petrified, I stared into the maw of the piscine horror, irisless eyes gaping down at me.

Suddenly, Solveiga sprung into view, her palms crackling with magic. The thing shrieked its agony as it took in a gill-ful of magic that sliced its way out from within. Solveiga grabbed me, and we fled.

It was hard work, killing nightmares. By the end of the day, the grounds were littered with new, grisly dead, and the army had lost half a dozen men for their trouble. Lord Fox, covered in blood not his own, ordered his men to burn the corpses, to see to the wounded, and then to push on with the march.

“Still eager to come with us, Bard?” he asked wryly.

I was trembling, the fish creature’s gaping gullet still burned into my mind. “I must, milord.”

“I cannot promise you there will be no more of these abominations. I can’t promise you your life.”

“I must, milord. Even the dead have their stories.”

“Yes.” He smiled then. “And if we both survive this, we might have more to tell you.”





16


A small cave lay tucked against the base of the mountain, barely noticeable amid the sleet and snow. The half-hour journey to reach the entrance did little to improve Kalen’s mood. “At least let me go with you,” he rasped in my ear.

“Agnarr promised that my life wouldn’t be in danger, Kalen. They’re a very peaceful people, and I don’t think they would stand for bloodshed, custom or not.”

“Just because none of the other Dark asha have ever been injured doesn’t mean it’s impossible. How many Dark asha have entered here throughout the years?”

“Forty-eight over the centuries,” said a helpful Gorvekai woman. Lady Solveiga, I remembered.

“That’s not an impressive statistic.”

“Many Gorvekai travel the kingdoms, searching for suitable candidates. These are forty-eight Dark asha over thousands we have assessed and ultimately rejected long before they knew of any trials.”

“And what of me?” I asked. “Would I have been rejected, if I hadn’t come?”

The woman shrugged. In many ways, she reminded me of Zoya. “You’re here now, aren’t you? The point appears to be moot.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Kalen repeated for the eleventh time that day.

I grinned and kissed him. “You’re just mad you have to stay out here in the cold while I’ll be warm and cozy inside. Trust me. If this is what I have to do, then this is what I’ll do.”

“Are you sure, Tea? Are you sure the only reason you want to find out if you’re capable of shadowglass is so you can keep it away from the elders?”

I hesitated and sighed. “What if I succeed?”

Kalen shook his head. “I trust you, but that is dangerous. There’s no telling how the magic could change you.”

“I know. But if there’s a chance I could change the world, why not bring Fox back for good and then rid the world of magic? I could bring back Polaire and Daisy while I’m at it! It would solve so many of our problems—”

“That’s not how that works,” Solveiga said, unabashedly eavesdropping. “You only choose one or the other.”

I glared at her. “Then why not change the magic to ensure it will no longer be misused?”

“That’s more complicated than you make it sound,” Kalen pointed out.

“Look, I don’t know if I’m capable yet, right? I’ll make no promises. We need options; we don’t have very many left.”

Kalen growled. “If you run into any trouble in there, don’t hesitate to shout. Summon some dead corpses. Call on the azi. Cause enough ruckus for me to hear.”