The Deathsinger: Book 2

Ch. 24: Just a Soldier

We traveled quickly, considering we were on foot. The journey might have been pleasant if not for Yoko's increasingly sour mood. I found myself drawn to Dante as we walked, and it did not take much for us to reminisce about our childhoods. A single blue flower or chattering bird could spark a memory that would send us down memory lane, and every time I returned to the present, I found my lover watching me with turned down lips and cold eyes.

Over the last few days, the dense forest had thinned, giving way to the prairies that made up the central portion of the country. In the springtime, they would stretch on as far as the eye could see, edged on one side by the West Mountains and blanketed in wild flowers. It was always a joy to see the riot of color when we came out of the cold white world of winter in the mountains.

"Oh," I shouted, my toe catching on the edge of a paved road and pitching me forward.

Dante laughed and caught me before I landed on my face. "Careful there. I'm still constantly amazed by your grace."

"Shut up." I laughed, punching him in the shoulder. "One time. One time I knocked over the cake at the Harvest cotillion, and you won't let me forget it."

"Only because my mother was the one who commissioned that cake, and for three moon cycles, she went on and on about how you ruined it."

"How many times will you tell that story?" Yoko muttered, stepping onto the road and tapping her toe on it. A small crack spread, joining the hundred others splitting the road.

Ignoring her barb, I crossed my arms beneath my breasts and jutted my chin forward. "This is the main road into the capital city. If we follow it, we can be in Radia in just a few sun cycles. From there, we can make it to the West Mountains. To Starfyre."

Hands on her hips, Yoko frowned. "The road looks like it's running north. Why would we go that way to go west? If we cut across the fields here, it's a direct shot, and it takes us back through the forests. Slower walking but more coverage brings more safety."

"Not in those woods," Dante said, a hint of childlike fear creeping into his voice. I didn't blame him. We both grew up on the stories.

"That's the Grim," I explained to Yoko. "Think of the horror stories you heard about the Vesper, but worse. And true. Soldiers used to patrol the outskirts frequently. To keep elves out of it. Kelpies have control of the water in the woods, and closer to the mountains are the Wraiths."

Yoko's pointed ears tensed. "Wraiths?"

My skin prickled. "Spirits that somehow escaped the final judgment. Their one goal is to find a compatible body to inhabit, and those that aren't compatible, they eat. They re-enter the world through Vyta, but ancient magic keeps them contained in the Grim."

"And you haven't thought to mention them until now?"

I shrugged. "Honestly, I'd forgotten about them. They were scary, but Mother said we were safe from them."

"My family's estate was near the Grim. We lived closer than anybody else, but that was because it was our duty to guard it," Dante explained. "Mostly they were quiet. Wraiths fade the longer they go without feeding, but every so often, one manages to eat something. Usually a Kelpie if they were lucky enough to find an old or lame one. Then they wail, and it makes your bones ache."

Shivering, I cleared my throat. "So, no. We can't cut across. We will follow this road through Radia and into the mountains. It will take us around the Grim, and directly into the pass leads to Vyta."

"Fine." Yoko strode ahead, her silky black hair swishing around her chin.

"Would you like me to talk to her?" Dante asked.