Cascading pools of turquoise water tinged with orange and green around its edges flowed through a breathtaking oasis of life. Ferns curled over smooth granite stones, and moss softened the ground.
Blaze reached out and dipped her hand into the nearest pool. It was just shy of scalding—but so hot, the mere touch of the water ran into her like liquid energy.
Blaze opened her rucksack and dug through her personal gear at the bottom. She pulled out her standard-issue, red Ember Mage bathing suit and stepped behind a broad fern to change.
Blaze returned to see Dreck seated cross-legged, leaning his back against a pine tree, staring into the pools of water.
She’d never noticed before how different his dark green tattoos were from the Rimefrost Orcs’ white, ice-themed tattoos. Most of Dreck’s were shaped like trees, leaves, or other plant life. Blaze could trace a distinctive vine trailing around the orc’s eyes and around his neck. For whatever reason, the design made Dreck look softer. Far softer than any of the other orcs she’d encountered.
Was he really so different from them? He seemed to want to be.
Not wanting to damage Princess Ruby’s locket, Blaze removed it and tucked it into the outer pocket of her pack. Then she tiptoed into the pool and sank into the luxurious, bubbling spring water.
“A. Maze. Zing.” She sighed.
“Sacred pool give life,” Dreck said.
“You aren’t . . . getting in?”
“Dreck waiting.”
“For . . .”
He closed his eyes and his breathing became deep and slow.
He’s asleep.
Blaze had the sudden impulse to grab her things and run. Sure, he had saved her again. But why? It seemed that their goals here in the Frostbyte Reach were entirely opposite. Dreck had delivered to the enemy this strange Iron Collar that they said they needed to enslave the jotnar. Did he want a dark jotnar unleashed on all of Crystalia? What would he do if he found Princess Sapphire? Blaze would need to protect her from Dreck at all costs.
Besides, how was she going to hide from an orc tracker with a nose like a bloodhound and legs just as fast?
She needed to confront him about the Iron Collar. She would when he woke up.
For the moment, she needed to let the hot water soak into her bones. It was almost as if she could feel the energy radiate from deep within the core of Crystalia.
After more than an hour, she hoisted herself up to the edge of the pool and dangled her legs in the water. She pulled out some supplies from her pack: a few dried figs and what tasted like moose jerky.
From across the pool, a small, green face with an enormous nose and set of tiny eyes peered out from behind a tree.
“A goblin!” said Blaze.
The green, helmeted creature darted behind the rock nearest Blaze and stuck its face out, its eyes focused on the food in her hand. “You want some?” Blaze held out a small piece of fig.
The goblin made a soft grunt of interest and climbed onto a branch, then leapt across the pool to a branch near Blaze. It dangled from one arm and reached for the snack.
“You’re so cute.”
Blaze offered the fig to the goblin, only to catch a flash of red cape as another goblin pulled her food pouch off her lap and hauled it away into the trees, shrieking with laughter.
Blaze jumped to her feet. “Give that back! That’s my food.”
Two more goblins dropped from the trees. One landed on the ground, scooped up a stone, and flung it at her. It sailed dangerously close to her head.
“Knock it off!” she cried.
She spun to see another goblin hauling away a pair of her underclothes.
“Hey! Those are mine.”
She managed to snatch her clothes, only to have another stone hit her in the rear. She spun around to catch the culprit, just as the first goblin leapt down, reached into the outer pocket and pulled out Ruby’s locket.
No!
With a snicker of delight, the goblin bounded back up a tree. It waved the shining locket and then jumped to a higher branch.
“Give that back—Dreck, help!”
She turned.
He was gone.
Was this one of his tricks? To lure her here and abandon her to these creatures?
Blaze conjured a fireball from pure rage and cast it at the nearest goblin with both hands. The creature dodged it easily and fled deeper into the snowy woods with the rest of its troop.
Blaze looked at the mess around her. Her clothing was strewn through the mud. Her food all but gone. Her socks dangled from a branch she couldn’t reach.
And Dreck was gone.
Blaze collapsed onto the ground. Her perfect moment was ruined. Everything was ruined. Dreck had gone again—maybe for the better. Maybe he’d led her into this trap.
Was the locket really that important?
Was he working for the Dark Consul—a spy?
And he knew about Princess Sapphire.
Blaze started to pick up her things but couldn’t find the heart to finish. She broke into tears.
Why was all this happening? She had to pull herself together. She was Blaze.
She wiped her tears away and looked up to see the orc monk standing several yards away.
“You!” she cried. She charged him, beating uselessly at his rock-like abs. She swung several punches at his ribs. It hurt her knuckles far worse than it probably hurt Dreck.
“Where were you! Where is my locket?”
“Big go behind tree.”
“Big go?—You gave them the Iron Collar!” she shouted. “You’re working for them!”
Dreck’s brow wrinkled down over his eyes. He looked angry. “What you know about Iron Collar?”
“That they’re going to use it to enslave the jotnar—and it’s your fault,” she said. She was going to let it all out now.
Dreck blew a blast of hot air out of his nostrils. He threw off his monk robe. “No. You puny mage. You no understand plans for Frostbyte Reach.” He cracked his knuckles.
What, was he going to fight her? Blaze didn’t care. He had this coming. “And then the goblins you lured here just stole my locket!”
Dreck’s expression shifted. “Goblin steal your locket?”
“Yes, you big buffoon.”
His big hand reached across and pointed at the mud on her chest. “You take mud bath like orcs?”
“Get away from me!” Blaze retreated back toward the pool. “Just get away!”
Dreck turned and stalked away. For a moment, it was silent.
Choked by emotion, Blaze dove back into the pool, hiding the tears that flowed freely in the warm water of the sacred spring. In minutes, her body was clean, but she didn’t feel clean. Something clung to her insides, a feeling she couldn’t wash away so easily.
“Come on, Blaze. Princess Sapphire is counting on you.” The Ember Mage changed back into winter clothes, lit a small fire to ward off the cold—and so she could watch for goblins—and lay down.
She woke hours later with the sun high overhead. There was still no sign of Dreck. Probably better that way.
Her stomach rumbled, but she had nothing to help with that. She needed to find another settlement, somewhere the orcs hadn’t already taken over—somewhere bigger than Hetsa.
She spread her map on the ground—luckily the goblins hadn’t taken any interest in it—and drew a line from Hetsa to the nearest city.
“Foruk’s Falls.” It was a day and half’s journey. “I can do this.”
She would have to go fast to keep the orc monk from following her steps.
Blaze took her bearings from the sun, shouldered her pack, leaving behind the extra socks she couldn’t reach, and tromped into the snowy woods.
“If I see a goblin . . .
“Eating my food . . .
“Wearing my underwear . . .”
But she was too tired to draw a spark. All she could do was fume.
A large raven landed on a branch not far away, watching her with dubious eyes.
“And what do you want?” she said.
“Cah!”
“Same to you!” Blaze said. A raven . . . something about a raven was important. There was something she should have remembered. But what?
The bird took to wing, heading in the direction from which she had come.
“And good luck with the goblins. They’ll rob every feather off your body!” she shouted after it.
She just had to make it to Foruk’s Falls.