“He...goes...free...” Each word burned his throat.
“No,” Noak said. “He lives as long as you cooperate.”
“Free...him...I’ll...give...my...word.”
Noak scoffed. “No. You cooperate. No magic against us. He lives.”
“Curse?”
“Lifted. For now. Agreed?”
Kerrick had no choice. Danny might get an opportunity to escape. “Yes.”
Handing Danny over to a tribesman, Noak grabbed Kerrick’s throat. The ice inside Kerrick melted, releasing him. He drew in a deep breath, luxuriating in the ability to breathe.
“No trouble or—”
“Keep the boy close to me, and there won’t be any,” Kerrick said.
Noak slammed him against the tree. “You do not give orders, only follow. Understand?”
“Yes.”
The tribesman tied Danny to a tree near Kerrick. Satisfied the boy was safe for now, Kerrick sank back to the ground and fell into an exhausted sleep.
* * *
An ufa stalked him through the tall grass. The long thin blades rustled slightly and were the only sign of the beast’s movements. Kerrick’s magic couldn’t sense the dead creature, and he had lost his sword. His heart slammed against his chest as he backed away.
With a roar, the animal broke from the grass and pounced on him, knocking him down. The pure-white ufa opened its huge maw, flashing razor-sharp teeth made of ice before they ripped into his throat. A freezing-cold pain pierced his body.
Kerrick jerked awake, gasping for breath. He glanced at Danny, checking that he was safe. The boy had curled up against Kerrick’s legs and was sound asleep. After that first night, they hadn’t bound Danny to a tree, and he’d actually listened to Kerrick and kept close.
He leaned his head back, trying to work the kinks from his shoulders and arms. His ribs protested with painful jabs, and the rest of his body ached. The tree’s rough bark rubbed against a raw spot on his spine. Every night since he’d agreed to help Noak to save Danny’s life, the tribesmen had secured Kerrick to a tree. The irony of his situation was not lost on him. He’d done the same to Avry, so he couldn’t complain. At least Danny was alive and well. For now.
Damn boy was too much like Avry. He couldn’t follow a simple order. Instead of fleeing with Zila, he’d stayed behind to rescue Kerrick. The fact that he hadn’t a clue how to go about it hadn’t stopped Danny.
Remembering the deal he’d made with Noak five days ago, Kerrick closed his eyes briefly before he scanned the sleeping northerners. The tribesmen had hunkered down for the night. Their discomfort at being in the forest continued, despite knowing there would be no more attackers. No more human attackers. From the comments made by a few of the warriors, Death Lilys had grabbed a couple of them. And ufa packs had tried to surprise them, but the tribesmen were skilled hunters and had dispatched them as easily as Kerrick’s army.
Grief consumed him. So many dead. And he’d been forced to tell Noak that his tribes would face no resistance this side of the Nine Mountains. The northern realms would be decimated. Kerrick wondered what would happen if the tribes clashed with Tohon’s dead army. It would be interesting. Maybe they’d kill each other. A nice thought, but in battle there was always a loser and a winner. Who would Kerrick root for? Or even fight for? Tohon or Noak?
He hated to admit it, but Tohon would be his choice. Even though he was mentally unbalanced and a megalomaniac, Tohon wasn’t trying to commit mass genocide. In Tohon’s warped mind, he believed his efforts to unite the Fifteen Realms were of the purest intentions.
Kerrick spent the rest of the night drifting in a half doze. Noak woke him at dawn. He had a couple of his “generals” with him. Danny roused but was smart enough to keep quiet.
“Tell me of this...sickness that killed your people,” Noak ordered.
“What do you want to know?”
“All.”
“It began five years ago.” Kerrick told him how it had spread and killed two-thirds of their population. Over six million people gone. “The last known case in the Fifteen Realms was three years ago.”
“Your magic healing not enough?” Noak asked.
“No. Our healers couldn’t cure it. Not without dying themselves.”
Noak considered. “Will it sicken my people?”
“I hope so.”
The leader kicked Kerrick in the ribs. Intense pain radiated through his chest. He panted with shallow breaths, hoping to ease the daggers of agony. Distantly, he heard Danny yell.
By the time Kerrick recovered, Noak held Danny in a tight grip. Noak didn’t need to say a word. Just touching the boy was enough of a threat.
“I don’t know if your people will get the plague,” Kerrick said. “We think it spread from person to person by touch. But some of us, like me and Danny, never sickened. We don’t know why.”
“How did it kill?” Noak asked.
An odd question. Kerrick described the symptoms. Memories of Avry suffering through the final stage still haunted him. He’d give Izak his realm if he could just see her one more time.
Noak exchanged a glance with one of his men. “Did your magic healers die?”
“Yes.”
“All?”
“All.”
Noak left with his warriors, dragging Danny along. Kerrick shouted, but they ignored him. The leader handed the boy over to another, and Danny disappeared.