CHAPTER 34

Out of sight from Jorenn, Vex embraced her brother and held him tight, before she and Trinket went one way and he went another. She couldn’t believe they’d actually talked each other into this. Every step she took, the same refrain bounced through her head. A dangerous plan. A terrible plan. It was the best they had. So Vax would circle Jorenn and find his way in through the miners’ gate or over the palisades if he had to. Of the two of them, he was better equipped to do so.

Meanwhile, she and Trinket would circle until they reached the main road and then would simply follow the Blackvalley Path into town. Which had seemed like the easier option of the two, until a trail of corpses made its way down the hills and the trek to town felt like a dash to stay ahead of night itself.

She wasn’t the only one either.

When the ground around them stretched and flattened into the valley that held Jorenn, and she and Trinket reached the edge of the town’s scattered light, the relative quiet of night was broken by the sound of weapons clashing and people shouting.

She nodded at Trinket and picked up her tired feet to find another group of travelers in trouble, within sight of the town’s palisades. Like their encampment, this group of travelers had been ambushed by the dead coming from all sides, while at the same time other ash walkers—perhaps the pack she and her brother had seen higher up in the hills—were flinging themselves against the palisades and lending an air of chaos to the fight.

Two walkers tore into a horse, which bucked and threw its rider, only for a third to immediately rip into the traveler. Trinket bit at one of the dead creatures, and this time he managed to snap through bone.

Like the first night, the Shadewatch rode out to help, with three riders picking up travelers by foot, and a handful of others bearing down on a large cart that was in the middle of the fray. On top of the cart stood a tall human gentleman with tightly curled brown hair and a long coat that flapped in the wind. Culwen wore a rapier at his side and held the well-crafted longbow he’d had with him the first night, heavier than the one Vex used. He shot his arrows with ease, despite his unstable footing and the dim light from the town, and she recognized his determination.

At least the Shademaster’s brother would arrive in town today.

He glanced at her and nodded once.

Vex slung her bow from her shoulders and shot a tall, scrambling corpse on the outskirts of the fight before she joined the fray. It was a twisted reminder of the first time she’d been in this position, once more surrounded by ash creatures and guards. This time, however, it wasn’t a simple matter of a camp overrun. Even the act of standing side by side with the Shadewatch tore at her, and a small part of her couldn’t make up its mind between the relief of familiar faces and the memory of what she’d seen in the mines. But she knew this was the only way to get back into town without suspicion.

Without more suspicion than she could handle, in any case.

Next to her, Trinket roared and clawed at one of the walkers that came too close. The Shadewatch attempted to help the fallen rider, but the guards had to fight their way through the undead horde to come closer.

Vex sent an arrow straight into the cheek of a lumbering ash walker as it slashed toward a guard—a young dwarf with two slender axes. The young man rolled out of the way of the walker’s grasp, hacked into its knees, and kept running toward the traveler.

The fight around them was deadly. The Shadewatch riders who didn’t bring travelers into the town fought themselves closer to the cart, to be able to flank it. Vex followed their lead.

Up on the palisades, archers covered the fight as well, and above the gate, like that first night, stood Derowen. Vex peeked at her, then kept her head down and fought. She fired arrow after arrow, falling in the same rhythm as Culwen on top of the cart. Some arrows stuck into their horrible targets. Others cut straight through them.

It helped to find her focus. She marked one of the creatures as it skittered closer, its gait uneven, like every step caused bones to break and re-form. It looked like it had just crawled out of the mines, with its coat still whole and only a little dusty. The ash walker’s eyes shone bright. She sent an arrow flying, and it drilled into the dead figure’s rib cage simultaneously with another arrow. She glanced up at the cart, where Culwen kept firing with purpose, though his focus was on his sister on the walls.

Vex lost herself in the fight, until the cart began to roll forward. The Shadewatch kept pace with it. And when she blinked and looked around, the battle had shifted, with over a dozen walkers lying smashed to pieces on trampled ground and still others being driven back. The wretched horde continued to move crookedly toward the gates and the cart, but the guards around the cart had opened up an escape route. Some of the cursed creatures fell back, after that, like predators who found themselves outmatched by prey, even though others still flung themselves at the walls.

It nagged at Vex, as so many things did in this strange corner of the Umbra Hills, and she had no time to observe the behavior of the walkers any longer.

She reached for Trinket to make sure he was by her side and jogged alongside the cart, sharing a look of relief with Culwen, who sat down but held his bow by his side.

He grinned.

THIS TIME, UPON ENTERING JORENN’S gates, Vex didn’t wait for anyone to bring her to the town square. She turned immediately away from the hustle and bustle of getting the travelers to safety and ran for the nearest ladder that would bring her up the palisades.

Derowen stood above the gate, her arms wide and a look of concentration on her face. Wick flanked her, his hands on his warhammer. She didn’t think Aswin would be far behind.

Her heart leaped at the sight, and immediately tumbled again. It hurt, the pain of betrayal, and she didn’t know how to make it better. She simply found a spot between two guards, who both looked at her with confusion and more than a bit of suspicion, and planted her feet on the wooden planks. She raised her bow, found a target, and let an arrow fly.

She’d shot all of three arrows before the buzz of voices around her died down. She heard the silence and she knew what it meant, but she took an arrow from her quiver and sent it toward one of the ash creatures regardless. The projectile cut across its shoulder harmlessly.

She was reaching for a fifth arrow when a broad hand fell onto her shoulder and stopped her. She lowered her bow and turned to Wick, who towered over her and looked as immovable as he had that very first night. A frown marred his face, and his grip was none too gentle.

She’d come to know his gentleness and his sense of humor, but this was his loyalty to Derowen on full display. He protected her. He would always protect her. And right now, Vex was a threat.

“What are you doing here, Vex?” he asked quietly.

She realized that the guards who’d flanked her had each taken half a dozen steps back, focusing on the world outside the palisades like there was nothing else to see. The way they stared out into the night sky, they would’ve brought down bats that came too close.

Honestly, she couldn’t blame them.

Vex drew in an unsteady breath. “I’m fighting, Wick. You’ve seen me do it before.”

He wasn’t amused, and his grip around her shoulder tightened. “We’ve heard reports from the mines. We know you were there with your brother. We know the miners protected you, and I don’t know what to make of that.”

“I was there,” she said. She wouldn’t deny that, because there would be no sense to it if they already knew. If Vax managed to steal his way in to confront Culwen, she had to get this right. If she wanted to get to Derowen, she had to go through Wick. She knew which story to tell. “We fought, when you released Vax to me. He didn’t understand what was happening. He formed a bond with some of the miners, and I couldn’t make him see sense. So when he sneaked out, I followed him. I wanted to understand. I couldn’t lose him again.”

Wick didn’t answer, so she continued, “I didn’t think he knew where the rest of the miners were hiding. I didn’t think he’d lie to me. All I wanted was to get my brother back, you know that.”

“I thought I knew,” Wick replied. His grip didn’t relent. “Now I’m not so certain anymore. You could’ve asked for help, and any members of the Shadewatch would have come with you. Instead you left on your own, and from the reports of the guard, the miners trusted you.”

“They trusted Vax,” she snapped back. “Do you think if I cared about the outlaws at all, I would help you find the mines in the first place? Why would I do that?”

Wick frowned, and she wondered how much he knew. If he was a part of Derowen’s schemes too. She couldn’t believe that. She refused to believe it.

“I’m here alone, in case you haven’t noticed.” Something of her fear shone through, and she let it. Let Wick make of it what he wanted. It was a terrible way to bargain if she gave him too much information too fast.

He didn’t falter. He didn’t relax. But his gaze softened. The corners of his mouth pulled down, and it tugged at her unexpectedly. She really didn’t want him to be a part of the schemes.

“Where is he now?” Wick asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably still in the hills somewhere.” Though if they timed it right, he should be finding his way close to the miners’ gate soon. While the attack made her way into town more complicated, it would provide a wonderful distraction for him.

Vex casually glanced over to Derowen, who was still focused on the barrier, her face pale and her arms wavering. Her brother stood by her side, talking quietly. Vex clenched her jaw. The attack would provide an excellent distraction for anyone who wanted to get into town unobserved.

She pushed away the thought of the ashen dead clambering toward Jorenn and faced Wick. First things first, before her belief in this town shattered completely. She thought of Aswin, and Beryl, and the archers on whose side she’d fought.

“I wanted to come back here. I wanted to come home here. Why else would I be here if I didn’t care about Jorenn?” She took hold of Wick’s hand and carefully wrested her shoulder free, rolling her arms in the process. She gave him as much truth as she could. “They took my brother from me, while Derowen and Aswin took me in. If you believe nothing else, at least believe that. I wouldn’t have come back here if I didn’t care about them, Wick.”

Wick took a step back and gave her space. He folded his arms cautiously. “I’m still trying to understand that, too.”

She felt him relent and pushed harder. “You told me everyone here knows what it’s like to lose a home. You gave me one for a few days.” She raised her head and locked eyes with Wick. “I know I can’t stay here either. I’ll travel on in the morning, if you want me to. I just want to talk to her. If nothing else, allow me to thank her for her help and say my goodbyes to Aswin. Let Trinket do so, too.”

Trinket looked up at Wick with his big, soulful eyes, and he tilted his head slightly, like he was the star performer of a traveling acting troupe. Despite herself, Vex bit back a smile. She and Vax were either a terrible influence on her bear, or an amazing one. She voted for amazing.

“I’m not a threat to the Shademaster. You can hold my weapons if you must. You can stay with us in the room. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince you that I’m not a threat. Just let me talk to her.” She swung her bow back over her shoulder and let her hands fall to her sides. She’d played all her cards. She had no other option than to wait for Wick’s decision.

In front of them, the barrier shimmered into place, with the same flash of light that promised the people of Jorenn another safe night from the shadows that haunted them. She felt relief ripple over the palisades like it had the first night, and though she didn’t take her eyes off Wick, she was certain she felt Derowen turn to her and observe them both.

She knew she’d find another way in to talk to the Shademaster if she had to, but she still found herself holding her breath. She wanted this to be the best solution. She wanted Wick to trust her.

She wanted to be welcome.

“Wick, please.”

After a silence that felt like it stretched on forever, where his large figure towered over her and his gaze saw straight through her, the archers around them glared at her only to immediately turn away again, and she grew all too aware of her pounding heartbeat, Wick nodded. “One conversation. What happens next is up to Derowen.”

And two conflicting emotions surged through Vex at the same time. Regret. Relief. It was the first step of the plan, set in motion. Now it was up to her brother to figure out the next part.