“The main pass through the mountains is northwest, isn’t it?” I asked Kerrick.

“Yes.”

“A message warning us away from the pass?”

“No. I found another set of remains quite close to here. The bodies have also been arranged.”

“How’s that a message?” Quain asked.

Belen answered, sounding stunned. “Tohon’s clearing the way for us so we will reach the pass without running into trouble.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Loren said. “Wouldn’t he want to prevent us from reaching the pass?”

“Are you sure it isn’t a warning away from the pass?” I asked. “After all, Ryne’s safe on the other side.”

“He’s not on the other side,” Kerrick said. “He’s hidden within the Nine Mountains. The easiest way to reach him is via the main pass, but the others work, as well. They just take longer and can only be accessed in warmer weather.”

I put a few clues together. “Does that mean—?”

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” Quain asked.

“Tohon knows where Ryne is,” Kerrick said.

Chapter 18

“That’s a big leap in logic. Just because the bodies had been arranged a certain way doesn’t mean Tohon has found Ryne,” Belen said. “Tohon could just be playing with your mind, capitalizing on your fears. Let’s consider other possibilities.”

“All right, Belen. What do you think it means?” Kerrick asked.

“Maybe he’s guessing that we’re headed to the pass and is being cocky about it, letting us know he knows. It’s typical of him.”

“It could be a trick,” Loren said. “He wants us to think he has Ryne so we rush to him, leading Tohon right to him.”

“Either way, it’s a heck of a message,” Quain said. “There’s lots of bodies. He’s not fooling around.”

“And how did he know you’d see it?” I asked. “Yes, he could guess we’d enter from Pomyt, but the foothills span for miles.”

“We’ve been following the animal paths, just like the marauders had,” Kerrick said. “It’s easier than trying to push through the dense pine trees. He knew we’d stumble upon them eventually.” Kerrick paused. “I’m changing our plans. We’re not going to hunker down, but take the main pass.”

Just what Tohon wants, but I wasn’t going to say it aloud.

“What about the steep icy path and thousand-foot drops?” Quain asked with a slight quaver of nervousness.

“Be careful where you step and don’t look down,” Kerrick said.

“That’s not funny.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be.”

The change in plans felt wrong. Belen and Loren had both made excellent points. And there was always the possibility that Tohon was goading Kerrick so he’d rush right into an ambush. They had been friends for years; Tohon must know how to provoke Kerrick. Heck, I knew how to upset him and I’d only been around a little over three months.

Regardless of our opinions, Kerrick led us straight to the pass. We encountered a couple more bands of dead marauders, but he wouldn’t let us stop.

We reached the base of the main pass two days later. Wider than the animal paths, the road snaked through the pine forest. The snow had been packed down by previous travelers.

Kerrick pointed at the thin lines made by wagon wheels. “A caravan came through here a few days ago. Otherwise, there’s no one else on the trail.”

“What about above the tree line?” Quain asked.

“We’ll have to send a scout ahead,” Belen answered.

“How would that work?” I asked. “Not much up there to hide behind.”

“He’d have to travel at night and wear camouflage,” Belen said. “There’s a rock fall before it gets steep. Once the road turns high and tight, there’s no room for an ambush.”

Quain glanced up at the mountains. “What about room for a camp?”

“None. We’ll push through until the road widens.”

“How long?”

“Worried about your beauty rest, Quain?” Belen teased.

“If you really wanted, you could take a nap,” Loren added. “Just be careful not to roll over in your sleep.”

“Not funny.” Quain pulled his cloak tighter.

“I wonder if you’d wake up in midair?” Loren mused more to himself than his friend. “Once you hit bottom, then it’s lights out forever.”

Quain shot Loren a sour look while Belen chuckled.

As we hiked, the forest thinned as the path rose in elevation. My calves burned with the extra effort. At least with the rolling terrain there was a break between uphills.

Although worried about Ryne, Kerrick was confident that no one waited to ambush us among the trees. And no ufas, either. He sensed a pack of them far to the west.

We stopped five miles before reaching the tree line and planned our next move. Loren volunteered to be our scout. Belen was too big, Kerrick too recognizable, Quain too uncomfortable with heights and I was too valuable. We set up a small camp a hundred feet off the main road while Loren prepared for his night mission. He removed his cloak and sword. Wearing all black clothing, he smeared a dark gray goo on his face, neck and hands.

“Flea’s concoction,” he said with a sad smile. “He taught us some cat burglar tricks.” Loren scanned the darkening sky. “Now if only the moon cooperates and stays behind the clouds.”

Half a dozen streaked the expanse, but they didn’t appear thick enough to block the moonlight.

When complete darkness filled the area, Loren waved and said, “See you in a few.” He strode away, then stopped. “Found them.” Loren backed up as two men holding swords approached.

Kerrick and the others were on their feet in an instant, weapons in hand. I grabbed my stiletto.

The trees around us rustled with movement. A quick glance confirmed we were surrounded. And outnumbered. As the circle tightened, Loren grabbed his sword and joined us. Clustered in the middle, we kept our backs to one another.

“Damn, Kerrick,” Quain said. “I thought you said no one was around.”

“No one is,” he growled. “I don’t feel them.”

An odd statement. But there was no time to contemplate it as the ambushers engaged us. One thing was in our favor; Kerrick and his men outmatched them as far as fighting skills. I sent knives into shoulders, thighs, stomachs and upper arms.

Despite the lopsided numbers we had the upper hand. Except these men and women wouldn’t stop when slashed with a sword. They didn’t react when a knife embedded into their skin. Injuries that should have knocked them down failed to affect them at all.

They fought in utter silence. Eventually, the attackers closed in, rendering swords useless. Belen switched to hand-to-hand combat, tossing them around like rag dolls. But they kept advancing. Kept shambling to their feet with a mindless determination.

Two made it past Kerrick and grabbed me, dragging me away. I suppressed my revulsion and panic. Pressing my hand on freezing cold flesh, I summoned my power. Nothing happened. No magic swelled in my chest. Kerrick’s comment echoed in my mind. I don’t feel them.

Horrified, I met the gaze of one of my captors. Death stared back. Shocked to my core, I ceased struggling.

Shouts filled the darkness. Poppa Bear roared. Then silence.

The dead men kept a fast pace as they pulled me along. My mind reeled over the impossible. No magic could bring the dead back to life. Not a life magician or a death magician had that ability. It had been proven.

Yet the impossible held me tight. Grasped me with icy fingers. Filled me with a terror so strong it hurt.

When I could no longer keep up the pace, one of them carried me over his shoulder. Their repulsive touch grew unbearable and my sanity threatened to take a holiday without me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the living. Thought of Mom and Melina. Fawn and her mother. I couldn’t worry over Kerrick and the others’ fates right now or else I would go insane. Instead, I envisioned Nyrie’s sweet smile and remembered Noelle as she was before the plague robbed her of her childhood.