Page 67 of Omen of ice
22
Valen
We cross the bridge without incident, and the moment our feet hit solid ground, I grab the kelpie by the throat and pin it against the nearest tree. “What game are you playing?”
Daroose doesn’t respond, but the sly smile on its face says it all. Tania shoulders me aside, grabs Daroose’s hand, and deposits the necklace there. “I’m not sure what you’re up to, but we’re done. We filled our part of the deal. You go your way. We’ll go ours.”
“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that, druid.” It’s still smiling, but there’s sadness in the kelpie’s eyes. “You took the necklace. There’s no getting rid of it now. At least not for another twelve moons.”
She points to the bejeweled silver thing in its hand. “I just did. And I didn’t take it—you gave it to me.” She turns away from the kelpie. “Let’s go, Valen. The sun is setting. We need to find a place to camp for the night.”
Tania starts walking, but neither Daroose nor I move. Whirling, she says, “Well?”
I tap my neck twice, right below the hollow of my throat. The druid may know a hundred ways to slaughter an enemy, but she doesn’t seem to know the first thing about life outside the Order. She tenses and lifts her hand to her own neck. I feel the cool silver and smooth gemstone as her fingers graze the necklace, now draped around her neck.
She rips the thing from her neck and hurls it through the thick tree line. “What in the Goddess’s name is going on?”
“Burn it, throw it into the ocean, gamble it away a thousand times over,” I say, approaching slowly. Daroose is a few steps behind. “Once that metal touched your skin, you became its master for the next year.”
“Master?” She glares at Daroose. More and more, Tania reminds me of a tornado. Swirling, chaotic fury rages on the outside, hiding a perfectly calm but vulnerable center. There’s anger in her eyes, but beneath that, subtly pulsing through the link, is fear. “What did you do?”
“What I had to in order to survive.” The kelpie stops in front of her and bows. “Might I have your name, druid?”
“Aphelian.”
“Oh, for the love of—” I bite back a curse. “Her name is Keltania.”
Tania glares at me for a moment before turning on Daroose. He bows lower and says, “Think of a kelpie’s necklace as their leash—their bridle, essentially.” He cringes a little. “Whoever holds it commands us. The instant it touched your skin, it bonded with you. From now until the twelfth moon yields to the sun, I am yours to command.”
“Fine.” Tania scowls and folds her arms. “Then Icommandyou to go. Be free. Run wild, eat things—I don’t care, as long as you do it far from me.”
“I’m afraid that won’t work. You’re stuck with me for a while.”
“We don’t have time for this.” She looks from me to Daroose and growls.
“On the contrary, you do.” Daroose puffs out its chest and squares broad shoulders. “Whatever little”—he gestures between us—“quest you have going, a kelpie would be a useful addition.”
“Oh?” I’ve never encountered a kelpie in person before now, but I know enough about them from reading. Foul tempers, wicked intentions, and an unquenchable appetite for flesh. None of that sounds helpful.
Daroose steps back and closes its eyes. As we watch, its features shift, arms and legs elongating seamlessly into powerful equine limbs. Its body darkens and thickens as tufts of inky black hair sprout all over. When Daroose steps away, it throws back its head and lets out an echoing whinny.
“Would you not prefer an alternate method of travel? My druid—not you, Fae.”
A mighty stallion stands in front of us, but it’s the voice of the man who’d been there moments ago echoing in my head. I can tell by the look on Tania’s face that she hears it, too.
“Wait. I thought you said you couldn’t talk to us in your true form…” I say.
The kelpie laughs. It’s an echoing sound that grates against my spine and has me cringing.“I can’t. This isn’t my true form. You wouldn’t be able to handle my glorious true form!”
“Anyway…” Tania rolls her eyes and sighs. “I really can’t just release you of your obligation?”
Daroose shakes its head and snorts.“As I said, you are stuck with me, and I with you.”
We set up camp for the night. The moon is high in the clear night sky, dotted with bright stars shining down through small gaps in the tree cover. After an hour of Daroose crowing about a kelpie’s usefulness, Tania sends it into the woods to find food. Unfortunately, it returns with little more than several piles of berries—most of which are poisonous. We’re forced to use the last of our dried food from the estate. The forest has been dying for centuries, and this part is seemingly a bit further along than what we’ve seen before. Most of the animals have fled for more fertile grounds.
Three hours later, the fire has nearly burned out and Daroose, having returned to human form, is snoring against a thick fallen percher tree, with Tania sitting beside it.
“How far do you suppose we’ve gotten?” She moves closer to the dying embers. It isn’t freezing like it was in the Winter Lands, but the night air holds a definite chill. I’m more aware of it now than I’ve been, probably because of the link.
