Ginn Hale - Lord of the White Hell book Two

"Is Javier ready for that?" Kiram asked.

"No, but when has that ever stopped me?" Javier gave Kiram a brief smile. Kiram thought he looked tired already.

"And, that's why we need you, Kiram," Rafie said.

"If you come with us to the Circle of Red. Oaks tonight you can serve as Javier's anchor. You'll keep him from being lost in the shajdi."

Kiram had no idea what that even meant, much less what it would require. He opened his mouth to ask but Alizadeh cut him off.

"Rafie and I will take the spring pool. We should be able to feed the wards there long enough to distract most attention from the two of you."

"Other Bahiim may be there as well." Rafie's tone didn't tell Kiram if that was good or bad. "Not even the most lazy of them can ignore what's happening right now."

"Willing to put money on that?" Alizadeh asked.

"Not much," Rafie conceded and then he returned his attention to Kiram. "Once the White Tree is ignited you'll need to get Javier and yourself away from the Circle of Red Oaks as quickly and discreetly as possible."

Alizadeh swung up his traveling satchel and nodded.

"These aren't the circumstances under which Javier should be introduced to the other Bahiim. Not only will the circle be in an uproar because of the shadow curse but many of them will be furious after the White Tree is ignited. The last thing we want is for one of them to lash out against him."

"Or to expose him to his fellow Cadeleonians," Rafie put in.

"But how will I anchor Javier?" Kiram finally managed to get a word in. "And how will I know when the White Tree is ignited? I don't even know what the White Tree looks like."

"I know what it is and where," Javier said. He rose to his feet, keeping one hand still in contact with the twisted old pine tree.

"The moment it's ignited you, and everyone within a few miles, will know." A knowing smile spread across Alizadeh's lips. "As for anchoring Javier, you only need to hold his bare hand in your own and stand with him."

"That's all?" It sounded far too simple for Kiram to believe.

Alizadeh gave a short laugh. "You were hoping for more?"

"No, no. It just sounds like something anyone-"

Javier reached out and caught Kiram's hand. His grip felt like hot iron.

He said, "We'll be in the midst of the white hell. It won't be easy for either of us."

"But at least you've been there before," Alizadeh said. "Now go. You don't have much time."

The silhouettes of countless jays darkened the sunset sky. Their shadows swept like storm clouds over Gold Street and blackened the waters of the Wahdi River. People on the street stared and wondered aloud at why such a huge flock had congregated over the vast wilderness of the Circle of Red Oaks. Columns of the brilliant blue jays circled and sheared away from the gnarled oaks, shrieking as if infuriated.

As Javier and Kiram raced nearer, they passed men and women rushing in the opposite direction, their faces and exposed arms lacerated with scratches.

"Those birds are crazed," a woman warned them, but neither Kiram not Javier slowed. Stray jays swooped and dived at them, clawing Kiram's hair and grazing his cheek. Many more swept across the tree tops ahead of them. They were closing in and Kiram could feel the very first pangs of the shadow curse drawing near.

Fear slithered through Kiram's stomach.

Javier glanced to him, seeming to read his thoughts. "The curse hasn't settled yet. And if we can reach the White Tree quickly, it won't even get the chance."

The wild brambles and verdant trees of the Circle of Red Oaks offered the best protection they could hope for.

"Then we should probably run faster," Kiram said.

Javier nodded and they sprinted into the dark wood. Kiram raced at Javier's side, dodging branches and the black talons of birds alike.

Jays screamed and swooped. Their brilliant blue bodies gleamed against the darkening sky as they flashed between branches overhead. A chill ran down his back each time one of their diving shadows swept over him. A cold breeze seemed to rise in the wake hundreds of beating wings. Kiram thought he could taste a coming storm in each fast breath he took.

Javier didn't spare Kiram a glance. Instead he searched the tangles of thickets and brambles as if he were a hound tracking elusive prey. He bounded ahead and Kiram followed him deeper into the dark woods.

Twilight shadows and wild vines spread over what once must have been a cobbled path. Kiram's boots caught on loose stones. Roots seemed to grasp at his heels. Javier stumbled down to his knee but instantly shoved himself up to his feet.

"The White Tree is close," Javier muttered. "I can feel it."

Through the cacophony of jay shrieks, Kiram could hear men and women calling to each other throughout the grove. The Bahiim had come to defend their circle. Rafie had won his bet.

Overhead Kiram heard the high-pitched whistle of an arrow. It speared a jay and the bird plummeted down. But when the dead jay hit the branches of an oak its body burst apart, spattering black fluid over the tree. Branches steamed and leaves blackened. As more arrows flew and more jays fell an acrid burning odor filled the air. Shouts of alarm and panic sounded through the woods. In the midst of it, Kiram thought he heard Alizadeh's voice roar out strange words. Overhead two jays burst into flames, their plumes turning to dark smoke as they fell.

"I hate those damn birds," Kiram growled.

"They aren't birds-not anymore."

"What are they?"

"I'll will on wings," Javier muttered, but he wasn't watching the jays. He stared into the deep shadows of the surrounding foliage as he raced ahead. Then he suddenly stopped short and Kiram almost slammed into him.

"Is something wrong?" Kiram asked but Javier didn't seem to hear him. He turned in a circle, drawing in deep breaths as if searching for a scent.

"There." Javier bolted into a wall of brambles and Kiram followed after him. Thorns scraped at his hands and gripped his hair, but Kiram ripped himself free and kept after Javier, fighting his way deep into the thicket where wild creatures had created hollows in beds of decayed leaves. The walls of thorns opened like the corridors of a strange maze. The last rays of twilight filtered through knots of thorns and leaves in a diffuse blue glow.

"Yes." Javier's voice sounded distant. He charged ahead, hardly seeming to care what branches slashed at him. Something about the space felt deeply eerie, like a place from a fairy story. Perched in the brambles, black-eyed ravens watched them pass while rabbits and squirrels fled ahead of them, rushing into the dense briar walls.

He was certain that they were turning in circles. He wished Javier would slow down so that they could both catch their breath and work out just where they were. Instead Javier ran faster even as the last light disappeared. Sweat tricked down Kiram's sides and chest. His legs burned as he struggled to follow.

Night air rushed over him as he burst through a tangle of brambles into a dark circle of twisted, stooped oaks. Thirteen. All bore branches as twisted and bare as roots. He could hear dozens of voices chanting some Bahiim prayer. They sounded miles away, though Kiram knew that wasn't possible.

Javier hunched, gasping for air, with his head bowed and his hands on his knees. Kiram almost fell; his legs felt drained and weak.

"Here," Javier gasped. "It's here."

A sharp screech pierced the air. Kiram looked up to see several blue jays circling overhead.

"They're following us," Kiram said.

"They know what we're doing."

"So, which one is the White Tree?" Kiram surveyed the oaks that encircled them, searching for some sign.

"The White Tree is here." Javier moved to the center of the circle and dropped to his knees.