On Death's Honor

Chapter 27: Almost Missed Bits

The following two days were spent in uneasy silence. I knew by the time we rounded the hilly terrain that Orik was ready for the trip to be over. However, with his help and ensuring that I would be up long before the sun rose, I was feeling much more alive and refreshed than I had in a long time. I knew Bogdan was pissed that I was willing to risk Rhoe catching me in my sleep so soon after he'd all but risked his entire existence tearing me out from it, but I hadn't seen him since Canden's attack.

Therefore, I didn't care.

If Orik didn't have kids, I'd look for ways to keep him along. Perhaps I could get him to tell me who else might know how to use auzir.

Doubt it. The Circle would know if there were more people out there who knew how to use it.

Just my luck, to find someone that could help me keep Rhoe at bay and he was preoccupied with other things.

I forced the thoughts aside, focusing instead on the rough caves and hills overrun by stone, tall, wild grass, and gnarled bush and shrubs.

Not a place you'd want to get stranded out in the middle of winter, where there was very little protection from the wind and elements.

Thankfully, it didn't take us long to find the place the nymphtan resided, but is was purely on no fault of our own. Orik had needed to take a piss, so I took the time to stretch my legs by leading the gelbeast ahead, searching for a decent vantage point that might give me a clue as to where to first look. With the gelbeast's speed, we had maybe a day to prepare for the nymphtan. She needed to prepare a sacrifice to her god by the last day of Ruve, which was tomorrow.

A day was not a good amount of time to comb through these hills and plan an ambush. Igna had told me we needed to stick to the western side of the area. I wondered if I should have left her alive to guide me here.

I've been wondering a lot of things, lately.

"So what's the plan?" A sudden voice asked next to me. "You just going to wait inside her house to lop her head from her shoulders?"

"Bug off, Bogdan. If she sees you here, my cover's blown."

"Is that why you brought a civilian with you? To keep up the pose that you're something harmless?"

I sighed, turning around to face the grumpy spirit - and by gods, he looked awful. He appeared thin and frail, his dark, shadowy face gaunt. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was withering alive.

He didn't look like a spirit anymore. No, he was a starving, malnourished being that could teleport within reason. He was even wearing a pair of trousers that were somehow darker than him.

"You never told me what's happening to you," I said warily, unsure of how to feel about these turn of events. He tilted his head.

"Rhoe doesn't care to play nice."

Well, he still had his sarcastic sense of humor, so there's that.

"She's attacking you? How?"

"How does she do anything, Songbird?"

"I haven't felt her all week."

"Guess she just likes me better."

"Are you dying, Bogdan?"

He stopped, turning to meet my eyes with his own pair of dark, glowing orange ones. If I looked closely enough, I could see a faint outlines of a pupil and iris against the glow. Finally, he looked away, glancing down at his bone-thin hands.

"I think she's bringing me back to life," he said.

"That's impossible."

He flashed me what looked like his attempt to smile.