I understood that. I wouldn’t miss camping out in caves, either. After a couple hours, I wondered why we hadn’t seen any guards.

“Don’t need them,” Belen said, answering my question. “This place is a labyrinth. Beyond those living here, only Kerrick and I know the way.”

“But what if something happened to you two?” I asked.

“Loren and Quain knew to bring you to the woods outside the entrance. Then it’d be a matter of waiting until someone came out.”

They certainly had everything covered. Or so I thought. As the hours blurred past, I worried we were lost. At one point Kerrick and Belen exchanged a concerned look. When we entered yet another cavern, Kerrick ordered us to wait as he disappeared down a dark tunnel.

I leaned against a stalagmite. “How much farther?” I asked Belen.

“Not far now,” he said.

“Then why are we waiting?” Loren asked.

“A precaution.”

If I had hackles they would be up. Belen was a lousy liar.

Kerrick returned. His face ashen. He pulled Belen aside and whispered in his ear. Belen roared, pushed Kerrick away and dashed down the tunnel. Kerrick gave chase and we followed with weapons drawn.

The smell hit us first. A putrid rotting stench like no other. The reek of death. Loren and Quain stopped, covering their noses and mouths, coughing and choking on the odor. They retreated. I opened my knapsack. Pulling Belen’s handkerchief out—he had let me keep it—I rubbed the cloth on my bar of soap before tying it around my nose and mouth like a bandit.

Belen roared again. Anguish and heartache clear in the sound. I hurried to catch up and paused at the entrance to the largest cavern we’d seen. Dead bodies littered the floor. Belen cradled one in his arms as he rocked and cried. No doubt his sister. Kerrick checked the others. A few had been decapitated and I guessed they were Tohon’s dead. No wonder he hadn’t been too upset to lose me. A numb horror settled on me.

A lone figure lay on a cot in the back. Ryne? I wove through the carnage, trying not to step on anyone. The man on the cot wasn’t the prince, but he was alive. Barely. He had multiple cuts on his torso and arms. One deep gash along his rib cage had become infected. His skin burned with fever. My magic swelled and pushed to be released.

“Kerrick,” I called.

He joined me.

“Is anyone else alive?” I asked.

“No.” A whisper full of pain.

“Is Ryne…”

“Not here. The bastard must have him.”

No need to ask who the bastard was.

“Did he say anything to you about Ryne?” Kerrick asked.

“No.”

“Will Sepp live?” he asked, pointing to the man.

“With help. I need to heal him now.”

“I’m cut off from the forest.”

“I’ll be fine.” I gestured to Belen. “Although, as soon as Sepp can walk, take us back outside. It’ll be…healthier. And make sure I drink plenty of water.”

Kerrick nodded. I released the energy inside me and assumed Sepp’s injuries. My torso blazed with pain. Suddenly overheated, sweat poured down my back and soaked my shirt. I sank to the ground as my magic fought to heal the wounds.

Delusions swirled. Tohon’s voice—Come to me, Avry, repeated over and over as his dead soldiers chased me.

Someone—Loren or Quain…or both—helped me as we navigated the darkness.

The fresh air roused me for a few minutes. We had left the caves, but the sky remained black. I sensed movement near me; voices talked and argued, flames danced along dead limbs. My body shook with fever. Sweat coated, then froze on, my skin. Someone covered me with a blanket. Another tipped cups of water into my mouth.

Eventually, the grip of infection loosened and I slipped into sleep. Tohon’s dead waited for me, but I lacked the energy to run. They surrounded me, trapping me as the cold soaked into my bones. The circle of dead parted to let Tohon enter. Images from the cavern flashed in my mind. Tohon smiled and gestured to his special soldiers.

Come to me, Avry, or they will hunt you down.

I jerked awake. My heart jumped in my chest. Filling my lungs with fresh air, I lay still as my pulse settled. Fever dreams. Nothing more than that. Yeah, right.

When I calmed, I glanced around the campfire. Kerrick sat next to Sepp, their heads close as they talked in whispers. Loren and Quain slept next to the fire. Belen must be on guard duty. No sense in posting double watch now. Tohon had Ryne.

Kerrick’s conversation grew heated. No surprise. I closed my eyes and eavesdropped.

“…saved your life,” Kerrick said. “We just can’t—”

“He wants her and it’s our best chance to save Ryne. You of all people know sacrifices have to be made.”

“No. There has to be another way.”

Didn’t take a genius to guess what they were arguing about. I sat up, surprising them into silence. “Sepp wants to use me as bait, doesn’t he?” I asked.

“Uh…” Sepp said.

He looked like an older version of Kerrick. Broad, but not bulky, graying hair and the same nose. Interesting. Was he his uncle? I couldn’t sense his power. “Kerrick?”

“Yes. He thinks we can trick Tohon into leaving Ryne behind while he comes for you. While you lead Tohon on a merry chase, we’ll go in and retrieve Ryne.”

“Won’t work,” I said.

“I know. Tohon’s too smart to fall for it. Plus, his dead found you before. If he sends enough of them, they can again. So why this elaborate game?”