Marked for Death

Chapter 25

The swirling mists enveloped Te’oma’s horse like the waves of an ocean. The dark, musty wisps encircled the three riders in all directions, blocking out the sky. Te’oma could barely see her horse’s ears. The creature rode blind.

The changeling hauled hard on the horse’s reins. The beast ground to a halt and let out a grateful whinny.

“What are you doing?” Tan Du said as he slapped Te’oma in the back of the head. “Keep going!”

“I can’t see a thing,” the changeling said as she twisted in her saddle to sneer at the vampire behind her. The glow had faded from his face, and it was no longer painful to look at him. She fought an urge to smack him back. “We could ride straight into a canyon or worse.”

Tan Du snarled at Te’oma. “Stay here then, you spineless chameleon.”

The changeling began to spit a retort at the vampire, but he was gone. As he faded into mist, the fog seemed to absorb him into its oppressive mass. “I hope it never lets you go,” Te’oma said.

She turned back to the girl in front of her, who hadn’t said a word since they’d gotten on the horse last night. “Esprл? He’s gone.”

The girl drew in a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs. The changeling nearly jumped out of her saddle.

As Esprл drew in another breath, Te’oma’s hands darted out to cover the girl’s mouth and stifle another scream. “Quiet!” the changeling said. “Would you like him to come back here and silence you forever?”

Esprл pulled back a little then lunged forward and bit into the fleshy part of the palm clamped over her mouth. The changeling shouted out in shock and pain and let the girl go.

Esprл leaped, hit the ground running, and disappeared into the mists. Te’oma heard her scrambling away.

“Have you lost your mind?” Te’oma said as she leaped down from her horse. She followed the noises Esprл made, leading her horse behind her by its reins.

For a moment, Te’oma considered letting the girl get away. It was a pity that such a sweet child found herself bound up in the machinations of greater forces, but there was little that Te’oma could do about that. She often felt unable to escape her own fate. How could she hope to set someone else free from such entanglements?

Te’oma knew one thing. If she didn’t get the girl to Karrnath, all her dreams would be dashed. The Lich Queen herself had sent Te’oma and the others out on this mission, and to fail Vol was death. Whispered promises of immortality swirled through Te’oma’s head like the mists through which she walked. No matter how much she might like the girl, the sacrifice of one small elf seemed a small price to pay for such a gift.

Te’oma knew that Vol wanted the girl alive, and that sparked a bit of hope in the changeling’s cold, dark heart. She still wasn’t entirely convinced Esprл even had this Mark of Death, and it mattered little to her one way or the other. But Vol and her lackey Tan Du certainly believed it, and Te’oma knew the Mark of Death was useless if the bearer was dead. Tan Du had scoffed at this restriction, pointing out that the Lich Queen had spells available that could resurrect the dead, but Te’oma knew such things were risky. It was better to deliver the girl safe and sound, with as little trauma as possible. Besides, the Lich Queen’s orders had been specific. Bring the girl alive. Tan Du might put on a brave front, but even he was not foolish enough to cross her.

Te’oma could still hear Esprл running, but she seemed to be farther away.

“Stop!” Te’oma shouted, fearful that the girl might hurt herself while sprinting blindly about. The changeling kept a tight hold on the horse’s reins and charged into the mist, stabbing out with her free arm.

It was too late. Te’oma heard the girl stumble and fall, but the child did not scream. For that reason alone, the changeling held out hope. “Esprл!” she called. “Are you all right?”

As the last word left the changeling’s lips, she stumbled into the girl, who was sitting where she had tripped, right on the edge of a massive abyss. Esprл went sliding forward, but she flailed out to find something to grab on to. Her hand landed on Te’oma’s boot and held. The sudden weight on the changeling’s foot pulled her into the chasm after the girl.

Te’oma screamed as she fell. She was sure she was dead, but the reins wrapped around her left wrist pulled taut and arrested her fall. Esprл’s weight on her leg wrenched at her hip and shoulder, and she cried out in pain.

Te’oma felt the girl clutching her boot with all her strength, and she heard her whimpering through gritted teeth. The two hung there for a moment, and all the world seemed to stop, then the horse bent forward its neck to relieve the weight upon it, and they slid downward again.

Both Esprл and Te’oma screamed. The noise scared the horse, and he tried to pull his head backup against the awkward weight hanging from his reins. The exhausted beast whined at the effort.

Te’oma reached her right hand down toward the girl. “Esprл,” she said, “climb up me. Quick!”

“No!” the girl said. “I’ll fall! You’ll kick me off!”

“I would have already!” Te’oma said. “You’re wasting time. Climb!”

Te’oma heard the paralyzing fear in the girl’s voice as she whimpered, “Pull me up!”

“I can’t reach you! Climb!”

“I can’t!”

The horse dipped his head, and Te’oma and Esprл slipped back down again. The girl swung back and forth at the end of the changeling’s foot.

“My boot is slipping off!” Te’oma said. “You have to do it now!”

Tears running down her cheeks, Esprл clawed her way up the changeling’s front. As she reached Te’oma’s shoulders, she flung her arms around the changeling as if she might never let go.

“There, there,” Te’oma said. “Good job. You did great. But we’re not done yet.”

Esprл pulled her face away from Te’oma’s tear-stained shoulder. “What do you mean? Pull us up!”

Te’oma shook her head. “I can barely move my arm. You have to climb up first.”

Esprл looked into the changeling’s all white eyes for a moment, then nodded. She wiped her face on Te’oma’s shirt and said, “All right.”

The girl pulled her way up along Te’oma’s over-stretched arm until she reached the horse’s reins, then swung her feet out toward the chasm wall and scrabbled up until she was out of sight.

“Thank Vol,” the changeling said softly. Once the girl was clear, she tested her arm. Agony lanced through her shoulder. She tried to swing her good arm up to grab the reins, but her fingers fell inches short.

“Esprл?” Te’oma said. “Where did you go?”

There was no response. The horse twisted its neck back and forth, wiggling the reins. Black spots danced before Te’oma’s eyes for a moment, but she fought them back. When she looked up, she saw the girl standing next to the horse at the edge of the chasm.

Esprл held the horse’s taut reins in one hand. A sharp knife glittered in the other. “I found this in your saddlebag,” she said.

“No,” Te’oma said, tears welling into her eyes. Inwardly, she kicked herself for this. Every time she’d ever done someone a kindness, it had come back to haunt her. It seemed this time was no different. “Please, Esprл. Don’t.”

“You’re not my friend!” Esprл said. Her rage marred her tender young face. “You’re not my aunt! You kidnapped me! You were going to kill me!”

Te’oma shook her head as she strained to peer through the mist and into the girl’s eyes. “No, Esprл. No.” Her voice grew hoarse with emotion and desperation. “I never would have killed you.”

“You’re a liar!”

“No.” The knife came closer to the reins, glinting dully in the half-light. “I mean, yes! It’s true-I am a liar. I lie all the time.” Te’oma swallowed hard. “But I’m not lying now.”

Esprл brought the knife to the reins. “Swear it,” she said. “Swear you won’t hurt me.”

Te’oma nodded. “Yes! Of course, I won’t!”

“Say it.”

“I swear it!”

“How sweet,” said Tan Du, as he appeared from the mists next to Esprл. “You two have formed such a lovely bond.”

Te’oma screamed.

Esprл turned and stabbed at the vampire with the knife, but he caught her wrist and sneered down at her. “Admirable, but predictable,” he said.

Tan Du grabbed Esprл’s chin and forced her to look into his eyes. “Have you forgotten who’s in charge here?” he asked.

The fight left Esprл’s arms and her eyes. She stood before the vampire, her mind a blank, awaiting his next instructions.

Tan Du let go of the girl’s chin and grinned. “Don’t let me interrupt you,” he said. “Go ahead and do what you were going to do.”

“No!” Te’oma said. She had known she couldn’t trust the vampire, but she was shocked that he would cut her loose so carelessly. “You bloodless bastard!”

Tan Du smiled down at the changeling, baring his white fangs. “It seems to me that our partnership has reached a crossroads. Since you’ve taken such good care of our little friend here, I think it’s only fair that she determine your fate.”

The vampire turned Esprл around and put placed her so the knife in her hand rested against the horse’s taut reins once again. “Go ahead,” he said to the girl. “Make your choice.”