Wicked Path (The Daath Chronicles Book 2) (12 page)

“I’m stuck,” Raven said. “It’s the pack.”

The pack was the one thing keeping her wedged in the crevice, but it also kept us from taking her out. “Tie the rope around your waist and lose the pack.”

“We can’t. We need it.” She stared at the pack, biting her lip.

“Do you want to sleep in there?”

She shook her head and tied the rope around her waist.

“There’s not enough rope to grab the pack.”

She glanced at me, biting her bottom lip, desperation in her eyes. “What are we going to do without the supplies?”

“We’ll figure it out.”

She didn’t want to let it go and I understood why. We were stuck in the most dangerous place in Tarrtainya, and we needed every supply to survive.

“Are we ready?” Cael asked.

“Ready.” I planted my feet and tightened my grip.

She placed one hand on the rope, and with the other, unhooked the pack. I yanked on the rope, pulling her out. Raven, being as light as she was, made pulling her free easier than expected. If Cael or I had fallen, would Raven have had the strength to haul one of us out? We needed to be more careful.

As soon as she crested the ledge, I grabbed her. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Anyway we can get it?”

The pack was too far below to reach and we couldn’t chance lowering her.

I rubbed her side. “We’ll be fine.”

The second sun lowered in the sky, and we were still on the glacier.

Cael unfurled a map in his hands. “This way.” He pointed west. “We won’t make it to the hut. We’ll have to find shelter out here.”

Just past the glacier, a cluster of boulders formed an overhang, and as long as the rocks didn’t fall and crush us, we’d be out of the wind. It wasn’t the most ideal place to sleep, but the coverage would keep us alive for the night.

With Raven’s bag gone, we were down one fur, and we’d need all three to stay warm. There was no chance of a fire. No kindling or trees, just rock and ice. The temperature had already dropped, and the wind bit through my clothes. The air even smelled of frost.

Every few moments, I squeezed my muscles to help circulate the blood.

I rubbed Raven’s arms, keeping her warm while Cael laid one of the furs on the ground below the boulder. “Raven can sleep in between us,” he said. “Our body heat will keep us from getting frostbite.”

What he said made logical sense, but knowing he’d be hugging my girl all night long…

Raven nudged me.

Had I made a face? I didn’t think so.

“We’ll need to stitch that.” Cael knelt by his pack, digging through it.

Great.

I sat on the cold ground and folded my arms, waiting for Blond Boy to get on with it. The cut throbbed and the wind had dried the blood to my face. I could only imagine what I looked like.

Raven took a vial Cael handed her and dumped it on my face. It stung and I dug my fingers into my fur.

“Sorry,” she said. She carefully wiped a piece of cloth across my face, frowning and scrunching her forehead. I must have looked really bad.

“Ready?” Cael knelt in front of me with a needle and thread in his hands.

I nodded.

The needle punctured my skin.

Holy bearded mother!

Nope, I wasn’t ready.

Cael slept inside near the boulder, Raven in the middle, and me with my back to the wind. The fur stretched across us, and my body slowly went from numbing cold to just cold. I kept Raven huddled in my arms, warming her and making sure she didn’t mistakenly grab the wrong guy in the night.

The wind created strained tones as it crossed over the mountains. Raven’s breathing relaxed me until I forgot about everything but the scent of her hair. She had this way of easing me without saying or doing anything. I hugged her tighter, nuzzling against her warm body. With the wind beating my back, and the constant thought of Cael sleeping against Raven, I found it hard to sleep, but somehow the wind’s strange notes lulled me somewhere in between.

Raven rustled beside me and I opened my eyes to sunlight. She had managed to stay in my arms, and we all survived the night. Every muscle had a crick, and I needed to crack my neck. I slid away from Raven and out from under the boulder.

She must have sensed me leaving because she rolled over and yawned, her eyes slowly opening.

“Morning,” I said, stretching.

“Morning.” She looked over to Cael who still snored and lightly shoved his chest. “Wake up.”

When she stood, stretching her arms above her head, I grabbed her waist and hugged her. “Did you sleep okay?”

She nodded.

“Good.” Holding her waist, I led her away from the boulder. “Eat something. We’ll need to be moving soon.”

I kept my eyes on Cael while Raven pulled out a few pieces of fanna and salted pork. “I’m going to scout.”

Raven handed me my share of food. “Be careful.”

“Always.” I took the meat and bread and grabbed a poker.

If Lucy was following us, she would’ve had to find shelter and there was nothing in our current visible radius. Watching my steps, I headed back to where Raven had fallen, searching the area for footprints or signs of anyone passing. Like the rest of this chunk of ice, nothing but rock. I checked the crevice wondering if I could somehow get Raven’s pack free.

Leaning over the edge, I looked into the narrow passage, searching for the pack.

It’s gone!
The pack had been wedged good. It shouldn’t have slipped

If Lucy found us, there had to be signs of her passing. With slow steps, I walked around the glacier, testing the ground with the pole. The wind blew my bangs into my face and caused my stitches to sting. Sunlight blinded me whenever I looked toward the horizon.

No scuffs, or disturbed snow. Nothing.

Taking a breath, I checked the crevice where the bag had been. Kneeling, I examined the sides, and there it was—an indent in the snow where the bag had been dragged up.

Alarm set my senses on high alert, adrenaline pumping through my body, and I ran, following our footsteps from the day before and praying I didn’t fall in.

rince Lucino, your presence is required in the war room.”

Krischa must have filed her report with The Council—my father hadn’t called for me in weeks. War would be his only excuse to send for me.

I followed the stiff guard out of my chambers and through the halls until we reached my father’s war room. The guard opened the large black doors and I stepped inside. My father, his two advisors, and the general stood around the rectangular table in an already heated discussion.

“If the Kuuni plan to attack, we should attack first. Take our ships to them.” General Odawa pointed to the grid hologram on the table outlining the continents of Mirth. “Flank them on both shores.”

The Kuuni lived across the sea and were a constant threat. They were large, intelligent shapeshifter beasts that multiplied faster than our species, a fifty to one ratio. If it weren’t for our superior knowledge and magical arts, we would have been extinct centuries ago.

“Scouts have been sent to the borders to see if the Kuuni approach,” Father said.

“Why not use the time bomb?”

Everyone regarded Lord Delosh.

My father shook his head. “The time bomb is still unstable. We fight as we always have.”

If we planned to attack soon, I wouldn’t have enough time to find Jeslyn, perform the ritual, and return before my father or The Council noticed my absence. I needed a diversion.

General Odawa and Lord Delosh argued three different strategies, a useless argument since the two tended to disagree all the time.

“If I may?” I pointed to the stretch of water in between both lands. “We can use a decoy fleet here. While the decoy fleet engages the enemy, our real fleet will attack the island.”

Lord Delosh frowned. “It would take weeks for our fleet to reach there, and to what purpose? Attack the women and children?”

“Yes.” My father nodded and stepped closer to the hologram. “It is cruel, but when they discover the attack, they’ll return home.”

“Where they’ll be trapped in between us,” the general finished.

I nodded, grinning.

“It will take all of our forces and leave us vulnerable, but if the plan works…” The general examined the grid.

“One final assault—” I met each of their gazes slowly, “—and we end the war for good.”

My father would expect me to accompany the general and oversee the main fleet. An attack this size would take weeks to prepare, enough time for me to return to Tarrtainya and finish my plan. Once the war with the Kuuni was finished, all efforts would focus on the transition to leave Mirth.

“If I am no longer needed—”

With a quick flick of his wrist, my father dismissed me before I could concoct an excuse.

War distracted the Reptilian officials… slipping away unnoticed might be easier than I expected.