To Whatever End (Echoes of Imara Book 1) (10 page)

“As well you shouldn’t,” Griff answered. “Autumn is nearly upon us. Listen, Daro,” he said as he came in closer and gave a half glance over at Edson. “I have a bit of a proposition for you.”

Daro chuckled. He had spent many years working for Griff and Serv as the head of their merchant guard before he’d met Cecily. “Proposition? Should I be nervous?”

Griff put a hand on his shoulder as they walked into the warehouse building, leading him away from the others. “No, no, nothing like that,” he said. “But I was wondering if you might be able to spare Edson for a while. We’re making a trip north into Thaya and we could use another set of hands. We won’t be going far past the Halthian border, mind you. Too chaotic up there these days. But two of my men quit just yesterday, and finding good replacements is a hard thing. A hard thing indeed.” He turned to face Daro and put his thumbs in his jeweled belt. “I was thinking, perhaps your young man there might fancy a trip through the North Mountains. See a few things along the way. We both know how good travel is for a man, learn the ways of the world a bit better.”

Daro smiled. He couldn’t help but agree. He had traveled extensively with Griff and Serv, and those years had done much to shape the man he had become. “Doesn’t sound like a bad notion,” he said. “But we’ll have to ask Edson what he thinks. If he’d like to join you, he’s welcome to. I agree, it would be good for him.”

“Excellent,” Griff said. “And you know, there isn’t a finer swordsman than Serv this side of the mountains. A little time with him and our young friend will be a force to be reckoned with.” Daro nodded and the men shook hands. “Thank you, my friend,” Griff said.

“Of course,” Daro said, before walking away to find Edson and Cecily.

Edson proved to be enthusiastic about the idea, so the arrangements were made. He would stay in Halthas with Griff and Serv and accompany them on their next journey to Thaya. The group would travel east to Norgrost Keep after their journey and promised to bring Edson home along the way.

“I’m going to miss him,” Cecily said as they walked back to their inn, the shadows growing long as the sun dipped low on the horizon.

Daro put his arm around her and nodded. “Me too. It will be a bit quieter without him around.”

“I hope he’ll be okay. Isn’t there a lot of fighting in Thaya?”

“There might be, but they won’t go too far across the border. There is a small city just on the other side of the mountains, Surat. I don’t think they ever go farther than that. Serv won’t go, at any rate.”

Cecily looked up at him, her eyebrows lifted. “Really? Why? He’s from Thaya, isn’t he?”

“He is, but he never goes back. He’s never talked about it, and I don’t ask.”

They kept walking and Cecily was quiet for a moment. “How did I not know that about him?”

Daro shrugged. “We all have secrets, I suppose.” He felt Cecily stiffen, but he didn’t ask what troubled her. He knew she carried a few secrets of her own and never tried to pry them out of her. He knew enough about her life before they met to realize that some things needed to stay in the past.

He hugged her close. She threaded her arm around his waist and they walked back to their inn, enjoying the comfortable silence. They had a long journey ahead of them the next day. Although their visit to Halthas had been a relatively pleasant one, he was more than ready to leave the city behind for the open road.

9. A PEBBLE IN THE ROAD

Cecily swayed with the motion of the wagon as it traveled down the road. Puffy white clouds drifted across the sky, barely visible through the gap in the trees above their heads. The forest pressed in on either side, creeping toward the road as if it intended to overtake it. Tall moss-covered fir trees towered over them, their limbs crowded together to dilute the sunlight, and leafy ferns reached their fronds toward the gray stone of the road.

She reached her arms up to stretch. They had spent the night in a modest inn at a crossroads a day’s journey from Halthas. The bed had been small and cramped, and her neck was stiff. She looked forward to spending a more comfortable evening at Merrick’s cabin. His home was simple, but cozy.

“We’re making good time,” Daro said and glanced at her as she stretched. “The turnoff to Merrick’s isn’t far from here.”

Cecily rubbed her eyes and leaned against Daro’s arm. “We could cut south tomorrow and catch a riverboat to East Haven,” she said. “It would cut some time off our journey.”

He shrugged. “We’ll be home before you know it.”

The overland route took longer, but she knew Daro preferred it to the confinement of the riverboat. She sighed and looked out over the thick forest. The branches closed above them, creating a tunnel of green and brown. She had to admit, the view was lovely.

A loud blast rang out and the force of the explosion tossed Cecily through the air. She rolled as she hit the ground, then sprang to her feet. Dust and bits of rock flew everywhere, obscuring her vision, and her ears rang. She shook her head to clear it and slammed open her Awareness, searching for the source of the attack. She could sense Daro on the other side of the road, picking himself up and looking around.

She couldn’t feel anything with her Awareness, just the trees, the underbrush and the terrain. Their wagon was upturned, leaning against a tree on the far side of the road. One of their horses was dead, the other already gone, running down the road. She backed up, stepping one foot behind the other to put a tree behind her.

A ripple in her Awareness caught her attention. Someone was there, but they were managing to hide from her. A Sensory Wielder, and a powerful one. He was Shielding his presence. Now that she knew what to look for, she could sense two more ripples. There were at least three of them.

Something flew toward her and she used her Reach to Push it away. A glowing-hot piece of rock exploded where it hit, sending up a spray of dirt. She could see the Wielder now, across the road just behind the tree line. He was masked and dressed all in black. With a strong Push, she slammed into him with her Reach. He stumbled backward but didn’t lose his feet, and he raised his arm to throw. Another rock, glowing orange and red, sped toward her and she barely managed to Push it aside. Debris flew as it exploded and she threw up her arms to protect herself.

Daro ran toward the masked rock Wielder, his sword drawn. Sensing movement on her side of the road, Cecily drew back into the trees. The ripples in her Awareness coalesced into figures as the Sensor dropped his Shield. One was near the rock Wielder, hanging back in the trees. The Sensor himself was up the road from her, standing in the low brush just off the side of the road. She peeked out from behind her tree. He was also dressed in black, his face hidden by a mask. He held a bow, the string pulled back.

The arrow raced forward and she could feel the air it displaced as it sliced toward her. She ducked back behind the tree but the arrow curved, arcing around the tree trunk in an impossible path. She Pushed it away with her Reach and it stuck into a tree trunk.
How did he do that?
He was a Sensor—he couldn’t be using Precision. It wasn’t possible.

He proved her wrong as he shot another arrow that wound through the trees. She Pushed it, trying to knock it off course, but it didn’t veer away as a typical arrow should. It pushed back against her, the other Wielder’s Precision vying with her Push to keep it on course. She managed to make it miss, but it brushed by her face so close she could feel the whoosh of air as it sliced by.

Cecily could sense Daro across the road, crossing swords with the rock Wielder. The third man still hung back; she briefly wondered why he wasn’t attacking when she caught a glimpse of the Sensor as he darted amongst the trees.
Fine. I can play this game.
Ducking behind a tall fir tree, she put her back to the rough bark and centered her Awareness on him to quickly feel him out. As he lifted his bow again she Reached, using Pressure to weaken his grip. He shook his hand as Cecily breathed deep to keep her concentration. Finding his wrist, she applied Pressure again. His hand convulsed and he nearly dropped his bow.

He cried out as she Pushed harder. With a quick flick of her Wielding Energy, she hit his knees with Pressure. As she held him she could feel his energy set against hers, Pushing back as he tried to Shield himself against her. If he could wedge her Awareness back far enough, she’d have to let go.
How is he doing this?
He cried out again as she Pushed, tightening the Pressure on his knees.

His grip on her Wielding Energy tightened and she could feel him Push back against her. Sweat beaded on her forehead and ran down her back. She threw more energy at him, Pushing him down, but he surged back, breaking her Wield.

As soon as her Pressure was gone, he jumped to his feet and nocked another arrow. It flew toward her, darting around the trees. She Pushed at the arrow, fighting its enhanced momentum. He shot again and she tried to Push the arrows off course as she ducked behind another tree. One arrow swung wide, but the other sliced across her shoulder, ripping through her flesh in a sharp ribbon of pain.

Fury and pain surged inside her and she Reached for the Sensor and hit him with a Push before he could fire another arrow. With a tight grip on his wrist, she clamped him with Pressure. He cried out, dropping his bow, but slammed her with a Push of his own. The blow made her falter, and she lost her Pressure grip, her shoulder burning. His Wielding Energy wrapped around her chest and squeezed, the Pressure from his Wield crushing the air from her lungs. She gasped for breath and Pushed back, assaulting his grip and forcing him to let go.

Gritting her teeth with the effort, she grabbed his knees with Pressure and Pushed as hard as she could. The Pressure made him stumble and she hit his ankles with her Reach, sweeping his feet out from under him. He landed on his back with a grunt and she hit him with another Push, smashing the air from his lungs. With a gasp, he tried to get up but she hit him with another Push, slamming his head onto the ground, knocking him unconscious.

Another explosion rang out and she flung open her Awareness. The third man still hung back in the trees.
Why aren’t you attacking?
Daro was on his knees, picking himself up, his sword still in his hand. Cecily darted for the road, breathing hard. The rock Wielder threw a hot rock and it exploded near her feet, leaving a small crater in the road. As shards of rock blasted by her legs, the sharp pieces tore her leggings and embedded into her skin. Blood trickled down her arm, and her legs stung with pain as she stumbled backward from the force of the blast.

Daro charged the Wielder and their swords clashed with a metallic ring. Daro thrust, and the Wielder blocked while he dug into a pouch at his waist. He tossed another rock, which Daro smacked with his sword, sending it flying as it burst apart with a loud pop.

Cecily Reached, gripped the Wielder’s sword, and Pulled to send his arm swinging wide. He stepped around and threw another rock at her, rotating his sword in time to block Daro’s strike. Cecily dove back into the brush as the rock exploded, hitting her with debris.

She got up and lurched back to the road as a crackling line of frost raced across the stone toward her. The third figure stood against the tree line, black against the brush behind him. His face was covered, nothing showing but the slit around his eyes. He lifted his hand and the air around him shimmered, the frost spreading wide. The plants at his feet withered and turned brown, their leaves curling inward. Daro and the rock Wielder still fought, the clang of their swords ringing in the air. He threw another rock but Daro jumped to the side and came down with his blade, hitting the other man hard.

Cecily hesitated and watched the man across the road. The plants around him continued to wither, crusting over with frost. She’d never seen anything like it. Was he some kind of Absorption Wielder? She’d never seen one so strong.

Daro spun, and his sword smashed against the rock Wielder’s blade. He drove the man backward as he swung relentlessly. Cecily’s eyes flicked back to the man across the road and she shot her Reach toward him.

He lifted his hand and she flew backward through the air. It felt as if something had exploded in her chest and her Awareness came crashing in. She hit the ground in a blast of pain that was quickly swallowed in blackness.

Cecily heard muffled voices, distant, as if heard through a closed door. Someone was saying her name.

Her body felt watery, useless. She couldn’t open her eyes, couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Her mind was fuzzy and confused. Where was she? She heard her name again, but it sounded strange, like it should belong to someone else. She struggled to breathe. Her lungs felt seared, but not by heat. They felt frozen, burning with cold as if they were caked with ice.

She opened her eyes, her mind groggy, and her breath misted out in a cloud. She blinked against the light and winced at the pain. Something in the back of her mind told her to look, to Reach out, to see. But she was too weak to Wield, to open her Awareness even a fraction of an inch.