“You’re not going to like it.”

“No surprise.”

“Just think it through before you dismiss it. Okay?”

“All right.”

“You, Belen, Loren and Quain will join Estrid’s army. You spread the word that Sepp died and Ryne is lost. I’m sure Tohon has spies in her organization. Then you convince her to rally her troops and prepare them for an attack against Tohon’s army.”

Kerrick opened his mouth. I shot him a warning look. He kept quiet.

“Meanwhile, Sepp and I will travel to Tohon’s castle. And, hopefully while he’s distracted with Estrid’s preparations, we’ll slip in, heal Ryne and take off.”

“Just like that?” Kerrick arched an eyebrow.

“That’s an utterly ridiculous plan,” Sepp said.

“You’ve never been to his castle before. How are you going to find Ryne in Tohon’s vast complex?” Kerrick asked.

He had me there. I mulled it over as Sepp smirked. What was his problem?

I ignored the magician, focusing on Kerrick. “Tohon’s expecting me. He threatened to send his dead to fetch me if I didn’t go to him.” Holding up a hand, I stopped Kerrick’s retort. “Too many for you and the guys to counter. What he won’t be expecting is a man he believes is dead.”

“No,” Kerrick said.

“Insane,” Sepp said.

“Think about it. Tohon’s been wanting a healer for a reason. If it’s just me there, then he has no one to use against me. Sepp can hide nearby, and when I’ve gained Tohon’s trust and learned where Ryne is, then I’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

“You can’t expect us to do anything based on you finding ‘a way to make it work,’” Sepp said.

Kerrick shook his head. “Tohon will just manipulate you.”

“He’ll try, but—”

“He’ll succeed. He got to Jael and me in school. You won’t be able to resist or hide anything from him.”

“Yet Ryne outsmarted him. Ryne with no magic at all.”

“You’re not Ryne,” Sepp said.

Ouch.

“No.” Kerrick crossed his arms as if that ended the discussion.

I bit back a sarcastic comment. “Okay, then. What’s your plan?”

“We all go to Estrid’s, mount an attack and—”

“As soon as you get close, he’ll move Ryne to another location. Sepp? Got anything?”

He blinked. “We could all go to Tohon’s and rescue the prince.”

“And we all get caught because there is nothing to distract him. Then Tohon threatens to harm Belen or Loren, and I’ve no choice but to cooperate.” I shuddered at the thought.

“We could distract him,” Sepp said.

“How? There are only five of you. And the problem of finding Ryne remains.”

“Your plan has just as many holes,” Sepp said. “It’s ridiculous to think you can trick Tohon.”

More preferable than waiting for his dead to find me and drag me to him. However, Kerrick’s stiff posture meant I had a better chance of convincing Estrid to denounce her religion. At least I tried. If we reached Estrid’s army, maybe I would be safe from the dead. Then I’d be physically closer to Noelle.

“You’re right,” I said to Sepp. “I couldn’t possibility trick Tohon. I hope you can last a few weeks without sleep.”

“What is she talking about?” he asked Kerrick.

“Only you can sense the dead. You’ll have to alert us of ambushes,” Kerrick said.

“You can’t believe this silly girl. She’s planning her schemes based on a rumor that I’ve died! I thought you learned your lesson with Jael, Kerrick.”

The look he gave Sepp made the mountain air feel downright toasty. Glad I wasn’t on the receiving end of Kerrick’s ire this time, I laid back on my bedroll. Sepp’s injury throbbed with pain, still sapping my strength. Kerrick hadn’t shared his energy for this one. Perhaps he was too preoccupied with Ryne’s kidnapping. Yeah, right. The chance of rescuing Ryne was slim to impossible, so I was no longer valuable to him.

I dreaded falling asleep, but I needed the rest to finish recovering. Giving in, I slipped into a deep, senseless void. Too bad it didn’t last all night. Nightmares of Tohon’s dead plagued me. Eventually, they trapped me and converged, grabbing me with their cold hands.

“Avry.” Icy fingers circled my wrists.

I yelled as the grip tightened and tried to pull away.

“Avry, wake up.” The hands shook me. The voice sounded upset. “Now.”

I opened my eyes. Kerrick straddled me, pinning me down. The horror of the nightmare faded, but his expression alarmed me.

“Are we under attack?” I asked.

“No.” He released me, moving off, but he sat on his heels.

Dawn balanced on the edge of the mountains. So close, I expected the sun to crest the rippled peaks in seconds.

“We will be,” I said. “Tohon will send his army for me.”

“I know. That’s why we’re going to follow your plan.”

Chapter 20

I sat up. “We are?”

“Don’t act so surprised. I thought it through and you’re right, it’s the best chance we have to rescue Ryne,” Kerrick said as if it pained him to admit it.

“And how does Sepp feel about it?”

“He’s going to be pissed off as hell, but he swore loyalty to me.”

And I had thought traveling with Kerrick was difficult. A resentful death magician made Kerrick’s moods nothing but a trifle annoyance.

The sun crested the mountains. Kerrick glanced past the fire. “Belen wishes to bury his sister this morning. The ground’s frozen, but he dug a shallow grave and plans to cover her with rocks. He was waiting for you to be strong enough.”

I sagged back. “I’ll never be strong enough for that.”

“Me, either. But we’ll pull it together for Belen, won’t we?”

“Yep. Not much I wouldn’t do for him.”

Kerrick gave me an odd look. “Really?”

“Of course, Belen’s my friend. The same would go for Loren and Quain, as well.”

“But not me.” A half smile tugged.

“No. I hate you. Remember?” I teased.

“Couldn’t possibly forget.” He grinned. “Just so you know, the feeling is mutual.”

“Gosh,” I said with mock horror. “We actually have something in common.”

Kerrick laughed. “Let’s not let it happen again.”

“Agreed.”

Way too soon, Kerrick sobered. Belen had returned to the fire. We roused the others and the six of us walked to the rocky grave. A small pile of stones sat next to the grave.

Hunched over as if the Nine Mountains pressed down on his shoulders, Belen said a few words about his sister, Sayen. She sounded as sweet and tough as Belen. Then Kerrick stepped forward. He picked a rock from the pile and spoke to Belen before placing the rock on the grave. He turned and left.

Loren, Quain and then Sepp copied Kerrick’s actions. When it was my turn, I grabbed the last stone.

I touched Belen’s sleeve. “I’m so sorry about Sayen. I’m sorry I caused such trouble and delayed the trip back here. If I hadn’t, maybe we would have gotten here in time to—”

“Avry, ifs and maybes can’t change the past,” Belen said, covering my hand with his own. “Sayen knew the risk. I wanted her to go with Kerrick while I stayed behind, but she told me to get my lazy fat ass out of her sight.” He smiled at the memory. “Don’t feel guilty, Avry. It’s not your fault.”

Belen might believe it, but I didn’t. My stubborn refusal to heal Ryne could be linked to so many of our current problems. When I placed the stone on Sayen’s grave, I made a promise to her. I would do all I could to rescue and heal Ryne.

After the burial, we packed and prepared for travel. Sepp’s sullen anger burned on my skin whenever he thought I wasn’t looking at him. However, Belen’s fury over the plan was unexpected.

“Did you not see how those…things affected her?” Belen asked Kerrick. He shook with rage. “You can’t just let her—”

“It’s her plan. Besides, she has a slight chance of succeeding,” Kerrick said, keeping calm.

“A slight chance? Let’s break out the champagne.”

Belen’s sarcasm was impressive. I didn’t know he had it in him.