Jaleigh Johnson - Unbroken Chain - The Darker Road

He put his chain back on his belt and left the wood. He was almost to the path that led up to Reina’s door when he heard a rustle in the trees. He spun, his hand on his weapon. A shower of pine needles littered the spot where he’d been standing a breath ago. The sunlight flashed in his eyes, momentarily blinding him, but in that instant Ashok thought he saw wings silhouetted against the sun. When he blinked his vision clear, he saw nothing, no bird in the sky.

The pine needles were still there.

The following day, three more masked witches arrived in Tinnir. Soon afterward, Agny came to tell them that the ritual would take place that evening. They had the day to prepare themselves.

Ashok went to see Sree a few hours before the ritual was to begin. He noticed on his way to Reina’s hut that the Rashemi berserkers gathered at the edge of the lake with the newly arrived witches. They were constructing a large raft by lashing wood planks together. The wood looked as if it had come from newly felled trees. The witches carved into the planks complex symbols similar to those Ilvani bore on her arms, readying them for the ritual, which would take place near the center of the lake. Apparently, Agny’s power was strongest on the water.

The masked women stared at Ashok as he passed, and one of them made a gesture like a ward in the air.

Sree saw him coming. She opened the door to the hut and beckoned him inside.

Herbs covered her kitchen table, staining it green and yellow. A small pot boiled over the fire, releasing fragrant vapors into the air. Ashok drew in the scent, but he didn’t recognize any of the herbs.

“Agny told me to warn you,” Sree said, “that when the warriors felled the trees for the ritual, they noticed a disturbance in the forest.”

“What kind of disturbance?” Ashok asked.

“A pair of treants-powerful fey spirits-inhabit the evergreen woods around Tinnir,” Sree explained. “Long ago our people named the larger one Tallmarrow and the smaller one Needle. They’ve protected this area for many years and have counseled the wychlaran. We made offerings, and the warriors showed the utmost care when they brought down the trees, but I’m afraid the influence of Ilvani and Elina here together in the village has affected even their ancient minds.”

“You think they’re going to seek revenge for you taking the trees?” Ashok said.

“Yes, and if they disrupt the ritual, the witches and Ilvani might perish,” Sree said.

“They have to cross the lake,” Ashok said. “We won’t let them get to you.”

Sree nodded. “Once the ritual begins, drink this potion down.” She took the lid off the pot and placed it on the hearth. Dipping a metal ladle into the boiling liquid, she poured a small amount into a metal vial. She stoppered it and handed it to Ashok.

The vial warmed his hands. Ashok held it between his palms and nodded his thanks. “How will I know if it’s worked?”

“You’ll know,” Sree said. “Whatever force threatens Ilvani, you’ll see it first, even if it’s invisible to the warriors around you.”

“I owe you a debt,” Ashok said.

Sree shook her head. She walked to the door and opened it. A rare parting in the clouds revealed a blazing sunset over the lake. Orange and purple rays struck the surface of the water and created a tapestry of moving color.

“Bhalla blesses us,” Sree said. “You should walk, shadow man, and enjoy this evening. How many like this can you claim in your lifetime?”

“None,” Ashok said. He stepped outside and let the rays turn his scarred flesh gold.

Ilvani walked with Reina along the lakeshore as the Rashemi warriors placed the finished raft on the dock. The ethran led her over to the raft and pointed at the symbols carved into the wooden planks.

“These hands on the outer edges are the hearts and minds of the villagers. The carvings bear drops of their blood, freely spilled for us. Their strength will protect us from any current that might upset the raft,” she said. “We won’t feel the motion of the water at all.” She pointed to an inner circle composed of mountain peaks and flames. “Sree’s work. Her magic will keep us anchored to our homes and our land, so none of us will go astray in the spirit realm.”

Ilvani looked at the innermost circle, composed of swirling lines. “What protection is that?”

“Agny’s,” Reina said, “and mine. We are the summoners-we will speak to Yaraella first and thus attract the attention of the evil that hunts her. Agny’s power is strongest on the water, so on water we stand. I also buried herbs in the symbols to represent the power of earth. The three of us are connected. We will face the evil without fear, as you must.”

Ilvani saw how it might go, with all the witches and their places in the circle. She saw her own spot in the center, a protected space marked with a dark carved slash like a tearing shadow. Next to it, a similar space bore a carving of a heather flower. Ilvani’s eyes narrowed.

“What is that?” she demanded, pointing to the flower.

Reina’s eyes clouded. “Elina’s place,” she said. “At Agny’s command, she will join the circle.”

“Why?”

“Why should it matter to you?” Reina said, sounding surprised. “The child is not your concern.”

“The child looks at me and sees its mother,” Ilvani said.

“I know,” Reina said. “The two of you will provide the strongest link to Yaraella.”

She still doesn’t understand, Ilvani thought. If the child dies, in her last moments she’ll look to me to protect her. She looked at her hands, those useless appendages that always failed her. She did not want to have to watch the child’s soul slip through her fingers, but she didn’t tell Reina that. The ethran would never understand, Ilvani thought bitterly, how a soulless one could know so much about the spirits.

Ilvani left Reina at the dock to wait for the other witches and wandered along the shoreline to watch the blazing sunset. Ashok emerged from a stand of pines a few feet away. They saw each other at almost the same time.

Ashok came to stand beside her at the edge of the water. They watched silently as the Rashemi put the raft in the icy water. Ilvani recognized the tension in the set of Ashok’s shoulders. It was almost time for the ritual to begin.

“Sree believes there could be an attack during the ritual,” Ashok said. “A pair of treants.”

Ilvani closed her eyes and stretched out tentatively with her awareness. She sought restless spirits, but she didn’t want to get too close. She didn’t want to risk them lashing out at her.

Her awareness met an angry wall in the depths of the pinewoods. Ilvani recoiled from it and drew into herself protectively. When she opened her eyes, Ashok was watching her carefully.

“Did you see them?” he asked.

“In the forest,” Ilvani said. “I felt rage, pain, and madness. They’re coming.”

“Skagi, Cree, and I will be nearby,” Ashok said. “We won’t let them get to the raft.”

Ilvani said nothing. She thought if it came to it, Ashok would use the nightmare to burn the trees and perhaps the rest of the forest. Then the Rashemi would turn on them. Ilvani didn’t need prophecies from Tempus to tell her that the berserker warriors with their superior numbers would slaughter them all.

“Leave the flame in its circle,” she said. “It won’t help you this time. It will only anger them.”

“What do you mean?” Ashok said, but then understanding lit his features. “You don’t want me to bring the nightmare out of the stables?”

“No matter what,” Ilvani said. “Give me your oath.”

Ashok looked unhappy, but he nodded. “You have it. I won’t use the nightmare for the battle.”