Shadowblade academy 2 da.., p.13
Shadowblade Academy 2: Darkness Rising, page 13
Venn squeezed my butt cheek. “Should we return to the village?”
I nodded, slapping his hand away. “From different sides.”
A hurt expression chased across his face. “Ouch.”
I ducked my head into his chest. “I’m sorry, Venn. I just don’t want to step on any toes. This is weird for me too, okay?”
He massaged my scalp, petting me. I could have stayed like that for hours and, truthfully, I wanted to. “It’s all right, Cor. As long as you’re not hiding me because you’re ashamed of me.”
My head lurched up, nearly knocking my skull against his chin. “Don’t ever think that, Venn. I care for you deeply.”
“Good. The feeling is mutual. I can hardly keep my hands off your body when you’re around.”
I smiled coyly at him, tracing a finger down his shirt between his thickly muscled pecs. “I’ll make it up to you, okay?”
“Promise? Because my balls are already aching.”
I snorted and slapped his chest playfully. “Yes, you horny bastard. I promise.”
I STROLLED INTO WAICHEE Village through an eastern pass, having circled around to hide where I’d really come from. Once I was among the locals, I spotted Venn coming in from the north.
We hid our smirks as we headed for the village square, where Sunny was harassing Dax and Quentin. Dax seemed to be the focus of his tirade, Quentin off to the side, watching with his arms crossed over his burly chest.
I called out, “What’s going on here? You’re drawing suspicious eyes from the locals, being so loud, Sunny.”
He spun around so quickly I nearly got a glimpse past his swishing loincloth. “There you are.” Anger pulsed in his amber eyes. “Where have you been?”
“Does it matter?”
“And where’s V—”
“Right here.” Venn’s voice came from over Sunny’s shoulder. Right on cue.
“Good, we’re all here,” Sunny said. “I have accusations to lob.”
I gave him a pointed frown, putting my hands on my hips. My eyes scanned the Waicheeans meandering by, going about their day. “Can we go somewhere, uh, quieter, to discuss whatever it is you need to get off your bare, pasty chest?”
“That’s bare, alabaster chest. You’re welcome for that, by the way.”
“I know you yelled at Cyrus for the audience—no, for yourself—more than anyone.”
“Well, I am the most important one,” he said, his tone half-joking.
The four of us groaned in unison, shaking our heads and giving Sunny the attention he so desperately desired.
“I bet if we took that claim to a vote, Sunny, you would lose,” Quentin said.
“Pah! And who would win? You, Quen? Do you think the great Dreamwatcher is the leader of this group?”
“You said most important.”
“Same thing.”
Venn interrupted their little spat. “Coralia would win.”
Sunny’s eyes rounded on the fae. “What? Says who? You’re just saying that because you get to stick your—”
“She wins,” Dax cut in, before Sunny could get carried away with his lewdness. “Hands down.”
I didn’t need to say anything in my defense. The boys were doing it for me. It must have frustrated Sunny to no end, especially when I smirked and gave him a raised eyebrow, as if to say, “What do you think of that, Sunny boy?”
“You’re all a bunch of dorks,” Sunny mumbled, giving up on his quest. He was never one to be ashamed of speaking his thoughts out loud, even when he was wrong.
I shouldn’t have been surprised to hear my Glovemates call me the most important person in the group, but I was. Is it because I’m the only woman? Because I’m Myria’s sister? Are they only saying that to make me feel happy inside? Because it’s working.
Insecurity enveloped me. Maybe they all want me, I thought with hope cascading through my body, coiling around my heart like a warm embrace. It turned me on, thinking those things, even if it wasn’t true.
My eyes veered to Dax. He was studying me. There was something in his dark eyes I hadn’t noticed before—a pining that cut me to the bone when he stared at me.
Abruptly, my stomach tightened as the truth came to me. It was him. Dax was my Peeping Tom. Holy shit, he’s seen me naked. How much did he see before Sunny distracted him?
I tried to hide the shock and humiliation from my face.
Sunny drew everyone’s attention to the panther shifter by thrusting a finger at him. “I’ve made a discovery, everyone, and it’s all his fault.”
“Spirits take the wheel, Sunny, way to point the finger,” Venn groaned.
“Literally,” I added.
“Listen to me,” the vampire growled. “Something had been annoying me, and I realized what it was. Dax helped Jace Hudson get into Waichee Village.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“How else would Jace have gotten here, to this reclusive hamlet in a forest that stretches thousands of miles? It’s no accident Jace showed up here, because Dax gave him access. You can ask him yourself.”
“Is this true, Dax?” I asked, my voice soft. I felt the weight of betrayal on my shoulders, though I wasn’t sure why. Was it such a big deal if Dax had helped Jace come here? Perhaps it was the fact he’d kept it from us.
“It is,” he said in a low voice. “I’m sorry, Glovemates, but I have deceived you all.”
“Why did you help him?” Venn asked.
Dax sighed heavily. “Because I trust him, Donovenn. Jace Hudson was our Wrist. He brought us together and molded us into the group we are today. He came to me after his firing from the Academy, seeking refuge—asylum from the Academy.”
“Did he think he was in danger?” I asked.
“Alaric Cane was not just his superior, Coralia. The Wrist considered the headmaster a friend. And then he exiles Jace for something out of Jace’s control? I would wager he considered Headmaster Cane unpredictable at that point. So, in that way, yes, I think Jace was in danger.”
“And with all the Academy secrets Jace holds . . .” Quentin rubbed his stubbled chin thoughtfully.
“Wait, wait,” Sunny bellowed. “Are we supposed to feel sorry for Jace all of a sudden?” He started ticking off points on his fingers. “He shows up here seeking sanctuary. Fine. Then Dax’s buddy dies by shadowblade poison. We can’t forget that little coincidence.”
“Why would he kill Kalul?” Venn asked.
“Who knows? There are a million reasons people end up facedown—”
“Jace didn’t kill Kalul, Sunder.” Dax’s voice was low and menacing. “I asked the chieftess. Witnesses will attest he was in the village when Kalul was murdered on the road back. Jace was here, doing chores. Helping.”
“And we’re supposed to take your mother’s word for it?” Sunny snarled.
Dax stepped up to him, chest to chest. “Are you calling my chieftess a liar? We can ask the villagers, if that would satiate your desire to stir up trouble.”
I ran a hand over my forehead. I was feeling hot, like I was going to panic. I hated seeing my Glovemates argue. “Everyone just stop!” I yelled. Passing eyes glanced at me. I put my hands out, creating a bubble I didn’t want anyone entering. When they looked at me, I continued. “I believe Dax. I believe Chieftess Fionne. Sunny, you don’t like it? Tough shit. Come up with another theory. It might feel a bit backstabby what Dax did, but we have to keep moving forward.”
“He brought us all the way here knowing full well who Desmona was talking about in her message!” Sunny complained. “That’s a little worse than ‘a bit backstabby,’ princess.”
“I had to see Desmona, regardless,” Dax murmured.
“So you made up a story and led us astray to do it?” Sunny’s shoulders slumped, his fiery attitude deflating on a heavy breath. “You could have told us, Dax. You should have.”
“I know.” Dax bowed his head in a sign of contrition. “I’m sorry. Everyone.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Dax. You did what you felt you had to do. Now we have to think about moving forward. Right? Everyone?”
They all nodded except Sunny.
“Good. Then what’s next in our investigation?”
“I was going to see Desmona before I was, erm, distracted,” Dax said. His eyes darted to Sunny, but I had a feeling he was talking about me and Venn. “I’ve been made aware of a dark blot on the land, called the Forbidden Orchard. I want to learn more about it, because Cyrus has been traveling near there. Perhaps the place holds answers.”
“Regarding Kalul’s death?” I asked. “Or is this a little off-track, Dax?”
“I feel things are connected here, Coralia, in one way or another. Like the roots of trees.”
It was all very Fung Shui. I wasn’t going to press Dax any further. Besides, we didn’t have any other leads, so what could it hurt? “Very well. What does everyone think?”
They all agreed it was an acceptable course of action. Quentin would stay behind. We didn’t want him to risk Desmona’s wrath again, and he understood. It was sad to see his shoulders fall.
As the rest of us followed Dax out of the village, I heard Sunny’s voice grumbling: “Shit, she’s got us all agreeing and nodding like dumbasses. She really is the most important one . . .”
Chapter 19
Coralia
BY THE TIME WE PUSHED into the elm grove Desmona called home, it was late afternoon. The sun stained the sky orange as it began its descent behind the distant mountains.
At the head of the pack, Dax’s breath whooshed out on a loud exhale. I didn’t like that one bit, so I hurried up alongside him, since I couldn’t see over the taller guys.
The sight before me was startling, to say the least.
The Kolpoden trees, which I had learned Desmona drew her power from and were the source of her life-force, looked different than the night before.
Inky-black vines wrapped around the base of the trees, constricting the thick, gray-brown boles. The vines lurched from the ground, squeezing the roots and snaking upward. The vibrant round leaves fluttering in the breeze looked serrated and sagging. The wind detached leaves, giving the normally-bushy specimens a lonely, bare expression.
I was no arborist, but the dozen or so trees looked to be dying. Fast.
“Spirits drown me,” Dax breathed.
I put a hand to my mouth in shock. “What . . . what’s happened to them?”
The panther shifter was speechless. Glancing over at him, his eyes were wide, eyelashes fluttering like he was close to tears. The pain on his face tugged at my heart.
Venn pushed his way to the front of the group and adopted a mean frown. He was a botanist, and our resident poison-maker. Maybe he had some expert knowledge.
“Venn, can you tell us anything?” I asked.
His lips firmed into a line. “Not without any trowels or a way to examine samples. What I can say is they look diseased.”
“Yeah, no shit,” Sunny grumbled. His voice lacked the usual bite and sarcasm. “This looks worse than your run-of-the-mill bark malady. There’s fucking evil vines on the damn things.”
I gulped and glanced at Dax again. He stumbled forward like a zombie, neck craned to stare at the grandiose trees and their billowing canopies which seemed to be losing volume by the minute. After staggering a few steps, he shook his head and snapped out of it. “Where’s Desmona?” He took off running into the grove. “Desmona!”
Dax’s feet splashed on the trickling stream that separated us from the small island of the Kolpoden Grove.
I prayed for the best but prepared for the worst. Trailing Dax, I followed him into the heart of the copse. A low hum reverberated through the late-afternoon air, and I wondered if I was the only one who could hear it. Sharing a look with Sunny and Venn, and seeing their confused expressions, told me I wasn’t.
“Desmona!” Dax yelled again, voice shrill.
“Quiet your damned tongue, boy,” came a ragged voice beyond the tree to my right.
I rounded the trunk to find Dax kneeling beside Desmona. She had a pinched expression on her leafy-green skin. Her body bark looked dark gray rather than bronze and lively. Her bright, pert nipples had darkened. Eyes flickered from complete white to startling black, like during her moment of fury with Quentin. The plant stalks erupting from the top of her head were dry and flaky, as if they needed to be watered.
Desmona had a hand to her stomach. She appeared slightly bloated, which was alarming for such a thin creature.
Dax put a hand out to caress Desmona’s bare thigh, hand inching to her belly and the palm resting there. “What’s happened, Des? This is not how the elms appeared last night.”
“I’m aware,” the dryad replied sarcastically. She didn’t have the same commanding tone as before, but a frustrated one. She seemed very . . . human. Wincing, she backed herself up against the tree trunk, closing her legs to give herself a bit more modesty. “The darkness has leaked into my grove,” she said simply. “It must be stopped.”
“The darkness?” I asked.
“Yes, child. The darkness of the Forbidden Orchard.”
Dax shook his head, sitting back on his heels. “I was told the Forbidden Orchard is fifteen klicks from here.”
“It is.”
“Are you saying the blot on the land has progressed this far in such a short time? In a single day?”
“No. I believe my Kolpoden Grove have been targeted specifically.”
“How?”
She said nothing, leaving Dax’s words to linger on the breeze.
I swallowed hard and kneeled. I didn’t want to be talking down to the dryad. “Are you sure this doesn’t stem from the anger you directed at Quentin last night?”
“What anger?”
That’s right. She doesn’t even remember it happening.
I tried a different tact. “Desmona, just what is the Forbidden Orchard?”
“Is that why the four of you have come to see me?” she asked, irritation in her ethereal voice. “To inquire about the Orchard?”
Dax said, “Believe me, Des, if we had known you were in trouble, we would have come sooner.”
“I’m not in trouble. This is merely a setback.”
I never knew spirits could be so freaking stubborn. Her entire life-grove was suffocating before her eyes, yet she was claiming this was nothing. All while struggling to sit upright.
“A setback?” I said. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Desmona, but your trees look like they’re dying.”
“Well, they aren’t.” She grimaced and staggered to her feet, holding her stomach the whole time and using the trunk behind her for stability. Dax put his hand under her arm to help her. Already her white-and-black-shifting eyes were mellowing into their normal white, albeit with a filmy murk to them. “You see? I’m fine. This rot has infected my grove nearly every day since returning, and I’ve fought them back every time.”
“Fought them back?”
The dryad put her thin palm on the trunk and closed her eyes. She muttered something that sounded ancient. Where her hand touched, the graying bark filled with lively brown color, and the color spread through the bole. It reached up to the dark vines, sizzling them. The vines curled like living things and dropped to the ground.
I was flabbergasted as the tree began to take on new life, my head tipped back to witness it all.
“You see?” she said, stepping away. She let out a huff, clearly fatigued after her impressive ministrations. She began moving onto the next tree, and we followed her. “The trees give me life, so that I may do the same for them.” Her voice sounded less ragged and raspy now, filled with defiance and grit.
It was hard not to admire the dryad, though this was still a troubling thing to see. None of the trees outside the elm grove had been affected this way. There was no clear demarcation from the Forbidden Orchard to the Kolpoden Grove, from what I could tell.
Dax sported a worried expression, his forehead wrinkling. “Desmona, please, you must regain your strength.”
“I already am.” She lifted her arms high above her and repeated the incantation, pressing her palm against another trunk. The black vines recoiled and dropped to the ground like severed tentacles.
There was no stopping her.
As we followed in her wake, I asked, “You said you’ve had to do this every evening since your return?”
“I admit the vines have gotten sturdier over time, and greater in number. But to answer your question: yes.”
“That doesn’t . . . frighten you?” Venn’s voice was barely audible over the crackling energy enlivening the trees.
“Frighten me? No. But of course it’s troubling, boy.”
Dax put a hand on Desmona’s shoulder to stop her from her excessive conquest. He spun her around and she had a glassy look in her eyes. “Desmona, is this why you messaged me? Did you want me to see this?”
A flicker of doubt passed over the dryad’s equine features. “It was part of the reason.”
“You did not wish to ask for aid directly?”
“You sound like your mother.”
“Well, she did suggest it.”
Though I understood her frustrations, I had to hope the dryad didn’t pull an Exorcist vibe like she had the night before with Quentin.
Dax and Desmona stared each other in the eyes for a long, lingering moment, until the air surrounding them felt awkward to share. A surge of jealousy coursed through my veins. “Desmona,” I said, striding forward. “You still haven’t answered my question about the Forbidden Orchard.”
She looked past Dax’s shoulder at me. “That’s because I don’t have the answer. I went to inspect the blight, but I drew too close to it. That’s when I was captured by the demons, and it’s the last thing I remember until you all rescued me and returned me to my grove.”
I reeled. “You were abducted here, in your own forest?”
“Yes.”
“And brought all the way to Asberald City, wherever it is from here? I can’t imagine it’s very close.”
She nodded curtly. “I suspect I was taken there to keep me far from my powers here. Outside the forest, I am greatly weakened.”
