Witch Queen (11 page)

“They’re riding too fast to be a convoy,”
said Max.

His eyes narrowed. “If I had to guess, I’d
say they were after something or someone. They’re coming for
us.”

Max was right. The riders were in hot
pursuit of something. The plausible answer was us.

“They’ve got one of them red demons with
them, too,” said Lucas. I sensed a little fear in his voice, and
his blades shook in his hands.

The blood drained from my face as I focused
on the threat. One of the riders was clad in blood red. A red
monk.

Fear gripped me. Subconsciously, I reached
up and traced my fingers over the stitches that still held the
wound at the back of my neck. Despite my healing magic, the red
monk’s wound had yet to heal.

I hated those red-robed bastards more than
anything. Having a red monk on your tail was a death sentence in
itself, but it was worse than that, much worse. This wasn’t just a
group of regular Romilian men out for vengeance, these were the
high priests’ guards, armed with black magic and supernatural
strength.

I reached up and gripped Torak’s reins. I
almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of the situation, of the
unfairness of it all. Why couldn’t the Goddess give us a break?

My breath lodged in my throat. “I don’t
think they’ve seen us yet.”

I knew the tall trees had provided us with
cover, but it wouldn’t last long. “We can use that to our
advantage. Quickly, we’ll lose them in the forest.”

“No.” Nugar’s voice was absolute.

He straightened, his eyes surprisingly dark
with fury, and his axe gleamed in the sun’s light. He seemed bigger
and more muscled than I’d remembered.

“There’s no valor in fleeing. I’ve never run
from a fight. Ever. And I’m not about to start now.”

I clenched Torak’s reins so tightly my
fingers ached.

“I get it,” I growled. “Truly I do. But you
can’t win
this
fight.”

Nugar’s eyes hardened, clearly insulted.

“I’m not arguing your skills as a warrior.
These men
aren’t
men anymore. Their veins flow with black
magic. They are stronger and harder to kill. They have a
supernatural advantage that we won’t be able to deal with.”

I looked to Will and Leo for support, and
they both nodded in silent agreement.

“Elena’s right,” said Leo, and I almost
hugged him.

“We’ve seen what the priests’ magic can do.
It won’t matter how strong or skilled you think you are, or how
many men you’ve outsmarted and killed. We will never be strong
enough. It won’t be a fair fight, and we’ll all die.”

An animal-like growl escaped Nugar, but he
said nothing, and as he breathed through his nostrils, I could see
the knuckles around his weapon turning white.

I took that as a yes.

“Trust me on this. We might not fight them
today, but I promise you’ll get your chance to kill some of these
bastards sooner than you think.”

My admiration for the brutish man was
growing. “Just not right now—”

Voices rang in the distance. Although they
were still too far to make out the words, the urgency in their tone
was clear enough.

“They’ve seen us,” said Max, taking the
words right out of my mouth.

But what I saw next turned my blood to
ice.

Beneath the black cowl and cloak of what I
first thought was a temple guard was the unmistakable pure white
robe of a high priest. One of the six high priests rode with
them.

I stiffened and tried to control my
panic.

“Into the woods! Nugar, lead the way,” I
ordered, my voice strong and confident. “Hurry!”

Pride flashed in Nugar’s eyes, and he moved
fast. As the others grabbed the reins of their horses, I looked
over my shoulder—the priest and his company rode harder, and clouds
of dust rose up behind them. I wondered if their steeds were
powered with magic. At this rate they would be upon us in minutes.
I swore I could almost sense the smile on the high priest’s
face.

I squared my shoulders. I had not come this
far only to be defeated by a goddamn priest and his black-eyed
cronies. I wouldn’t let Garrick’s death be in vain. His death meant
something. It meant something to me. I would make it count.

I swore loudly, grabbed Torak’s reins and
bounded after Nugar and the others into the forest.

CHAPTER 9

T
HE FOREST WAS FAR worse than I’d
first thought, and I began to regret my decision.

Branches sliced my forehead and cheeks like
thin knives as I pushed past them. I led Torak through a passage so
narrow that the sharp boulders grazed his legs, and I prayed to the
Goddess that the horses would be all right. The dense undergrowth
was as sharp as needles, and the ground was slippery with
moss-covered rocks.

As we fought our way quietly into the deep
forest, I realized our mistake. The witch, Fawkes, was expecting us
on the main road. I didn’t know how to get word to him, to tell him
that we’d changed our route. But it was too late to turn around. If
he didn’t find us, we might never find the way into Witchdom.

Up ahead, behind the bulk of a tawny-colored
horse, I could barely make out Will’s broad shoulders as he
cautiously disentangled himself from the undergrowth and slipped
farther into the forest. I could hear their hard breathing, the
snapping of twigs, and the thumps of their boots, but I couldn’t
see the others.

The deeper we went, the harsher the terrain
proved to be. Branches spread out in front of us like arms, like a
wall, pushing us back, as though it didn’t want us to be here. The
trees were over three stories high and masked out the sun. It was
dark, too dark. And yet the smells of damp soil, decomposing
leaves, mushrooms, moss, and pine needles were so familiar that I
was not without hope. I felt like I was back home in the woodlands
near the Pit. Nothing that smelled this good could be evil. I let
out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

The air was humid, and my tunic was heavy
and wet with sweat and clung to my back. I couldn’t see any paths
or clearings. It was a wonder that Nugar knew where he was leading
us. Or maybe he had no idea, and he was simply leading us farther
and farther into forest. I tried not to think about getting lost.
It was not an option, but neither was stopping or going back. We
would die if the high priest and his company found us.

Why was a high priest himself chasing us? He
could have sent an army of red monks. It didn’t make sense, but it
motivated me to press on.

The beating hooves slowed behind me, and I
knew the high priest had reached the spot where we’d camped, buried
Garrick, and left the bodies of the Romilians.

I pushed through the forest with agonizing
slowness. We weren’t moving fast enough. My thighs burned as I
stepped carefully on the slippery rocks. My heart was in my throat,
and I could hardly breathe.

Then the red monk’s wound at the base of my
neck began to throb. I could sense them now. They were in the
forest behind us, coming up quickly.

I could feel the ripple of cold black magic
roll up my spine like a shiver, but I couldn’t feel the dark energy
of the stone. I couldn’t tell if the Heart of Arcania was with this
priest. I prayed it wasn’t.

There seemed to be no clearing in the trees,
no space for us to stand and fight. If anything the trees and
foliage were becoming even darker and more closed in.

It was the perfect site for an ambush.

I slipped, and my knee smashed into a large
boulder with all my weight behind it. I cried out in pain and
stumbled forward, catching my fall just before I impaled myself on
the snag of a broken branch.

Will was at my side before I had
straightened up.

“What is it? What happened?” A sheen of
sweat covered his flushed face and neck, and his breathing came in
rapid gasps.

I waved my hand at him. “Don’t stop! There’s
a high priest behind us.”

“What?”

“There’s no time to explain,” I said
urgently. “Just go!”

Before I could protest, Will squeezed his
horse between me and Torak. He saw the confusion on my face and
said, “I promised Jon to keep you safe. We need you alive, Elena.
There’s no point in arguing because I’m not moving until you go
ahead.”

I scowled at him but there was no time to
argue. I could sense the high priest getting closer, the black
magic pursuing us like a dark shadow.

Just as I started forward again, I heard
heavy footfalls approaching fast. They were almost upon us.

I tried to jog slowly, but my legs were
stiff with exhaustion and fear. Torak’s hot breath tickled the back
of my neck, and his trust in me sent a pang through my chest.
Goddess above, I loved that horse. I hoped I wasn’t leading him to
his death.

We plunged into the thick of the forest,
moving on instinct, moving mechanically. It felt like we’d been
running for hours. I had become so preoccupied with watching where
I placed my feet, that I didn’t notice Max until I slammed into his
back.

“Shit, sorry.”

I looked up. I could see everyone clearly
through the thick branches and shrubbery. My stomach dropped. We
hadn’t gone nearly far enough to hide.

“Steel Maiden!”

The voice nearly sent me to my knees. It was
a voice that demanded attention. It was the voice of a preacher who
moved men to action.

And it had me frozen in fear.

I halted, listening through the pounding of
blood in my ears. The whites of Max’s eyes gleamed like bright
saucers. I stared at my companions, dismayed by the terror on their
faces.

“Give yourself up,” said the same voice. It
was as clear and melodious as the notes of a well-played flute. I
would recognize that bastard’s voice anywhere. It was imprinted
into my brain, the sly and confident voice of the high priest of
Anglia.

My body went rigid. The stone was here. It
was with him.

“Give yourself up,” repeated the high priest
casually.

It was as if he were addressing some nobles
at a formal event.

“I will spare your friends. It’s very
simple. You for them. It’s a very good trade. And if you ask me,
they’re getting the better end of the deal. If you come quietly, no
harm will come to them. We will leave these vile woods, with you of
course, but I will let them live. They can even keep rebelling if
they want. I give you my word.”

I muffled a nervous laugh and turned around.
I clenched my jaw tightly shut to keep from screaming obscenities
at the priest.

Will shook his head and mouthed,
no
.
Of course I knew they would kill me the moment they had the chance,
but I wouldn’t give up our position by answering him. Did he think
I was that stupid?

I had no doubt that the power of the stone
could reach us already. I’d seen what it could do in the hands of
that priest. We’d never make it. Our only chance was to get deeper
into the forest and lose them.

I put my finger to my lips and motioned for
the men to keep moving. I gripped Torak’s reins firmly in my
trembling hands and pulled him forward. The thick moss and
leaf-covered ground smothered the noise of our tread.
Thank the
Goddess for that
. I prayed that the necromancer priest couldn’t
sense my magic, as I could sense his.

“Rose sends her love.”

I let out a whimper that I couldn’t control.
Rose!
For a brief moment, my love for Rose overpowered my
fear, and I whirled around. But Will was there and gripped me so
hard with his callused hands that I nearly cried out. Although I
knew the priest lied, and I was certain this was a trick, I still
could not ignore the possibility that he might be holding Rose.

“Rose, Rose, Rose,” the priest rolled her
name as though he were tasting it. “Such a fine, delicate but
feisty old gal, isn’t she? Just like the flower, wouldn’t you say?
All prickles and thorns, that woman. She had lots to say about the
priesthood, about the temple, about me. I got the impression she
didn’t like us very much. Isn’t that right, Steel Maiden?”

I wavered slightly, and I was glad Will was
still holding me. I tried to stand straighter, but the weight of
the priest’s words pulled me down.

“Would you like to know what she said before
I cut off her fingers?”

Lies! Lies! Lies!
I thought.

I closed my eyes. I had to ignore the lies
and keep moving.

And yet, another voice inside me reasoned
that if Rose and the witches had been captured on their way to Gray
Havens, I would be letting her die if I turned my back and went
deeper into the forest.

When I finally opened my eyes, my companions
were staring at me, sad at the pain and struggle they could see on
my face, but mostly frightened of what I might do next.