Soulbroken Read online

  But Gage wasn't like Trayton or Darius, apart from being a handsome Barron.Despite my reservations about trusting him, I liked having him around, and maybe a small part of me had fluttered at the idea that maybe he enjoyed my company too.

  That didn't mean that I was falling for him. It only meant that once we reached Haruko and he located the girl that he was looking for, I would miss his company. At least somewhat.

  Gage was stopped at the bottom of the hill, and just as I reached him and was about to ask why he wasn't moving forward, he pressed a finger to his lips and gestured across the small valley with a nod. Across the way was a camp site. A half dozen tents lined the opposing hill, surrounding two separate camp fires--one with a pot hanging above it, the other with a spit that held cooking meat. The tents were made of simple canvas, and the camp's occupants dressed to remain hidden in the forest. Various brown fabrics, with a bit of green and white here and there. I didn't recognize them, so I couldn't help but wonder if they were Barrons who'd been sent by the Zettai Council.

  Stepping back and to the right, Gage led me behind an enormous fallen tree trunk. We crouched there, watching the camp quietly, until I couldn't take not knowing anymore. I whispered, "Who are they? Zettai guards?"

  Gage shook his head, drawing the hood of his cloak over it, as if the chill of early evening had finally gotten to him. "These guards weren't sent by the council."

  I waited for him to respond further, because the way he was watching them, and the stance he was taking--one of absolute respect and defensiveness--said that he knew exactly who they were, and, what's more, he was ready to face them, but only if he had to. When he didn't continue to speak, I said, "So who were they sent by?"

  On the edge of the encampment, three Barrons were facing off in mock-combat, clearly practicing their maneuvers for a fight that they knew would eventually find them. I watched in fascination as they moved. These soldiers weren't just talented, they were amazing. It was possible, as frightening as the idea was, that they could give Darius a run for his money.

  To my right, Gage's hand came up thoughtlessly, lightly touching the handle of his katana. "These soldiers were sent by King Darrek."

  My eyes widened as I slowly, carefully turned my attention back on the sparring Barrons. I didn't speak and was incredibly careful to breathe as quietly as I could. Stories of Darrek's guards had filled the halls of Shadow Academy. It was rumored that they spent their lives training in service to the King, and when those soldiers had children, the children began training the moment they could manage to walk. They weren't just Barrons, they were machines. And incredibly loyal to their esteemed ruler. Of all of the beasts that we might encounter on our trek, they were by far the most frightening. Perhaps even more so than Graplars. "How do you know?"

  "I've seen those uniforms before, mostly on the Outer Rim. And the way they move...they're incredible. And dangerous. And we should probably get the fak out of here as quickly as we can."

  Despite his observation, we watched the soldiers for several more minutes before Gage met my eyes. When he spoke, it was with that same confident tone that he'd used since the moment we'd met. I didn't know how he could keep his composure in the face of such daunting combatants, but he did so without so much as a hitch in his breathing. "It looks like there's a line of tall pricklebushes that expand the length of the valley further down the hill. Let's follow them until we're out of sight, and then look for a place to camp."

  There was no way that I thought that moving closer to the soldiers' camp was a good idea, but I wasn't about to argue with him. Gage seemed confident in his thought process, and that confidence made me willing to trust him. Even if it did mean we'd be exposed for about twenty feet or so, until we reached the pricklebushes. But once we reached them we'd be fine, so long as we could remain relatively quiet for some time. The thorns were notoriously poisonous. Not enough to take someone's life, but enough to cause them to lose consciousness, for sure. Provided we kept our distance, the bushes offered the perfect cover for moving through the valley to a safe distance from Darrek's soldiers.

  Gage threw a questioning glance my way, as if silently asking whether or not I was comfortable with his plan. When I nodded, he gestured down the hill with two fingers. I could almost hear his thoughts, telling me to go, go, don't hesitate. Move down the hill swiftly but silently, and don't stop for anything.

  As I turned, I stepped carefully, avoiding twigs and leaves as much as I could, planting my feet on the moss and soft grass whenever possible. Making my way down the hill, I kept my eyes on the camp across the valley. The soldiers who'd been facing off in practice strides had retired inside one of the tents, and the few who remained outside were seated around the fires, waiting for their warm meal. No one, as far as I could tell, had noticed me, or Gage, who was on my heels, but far quieter as he navigated the hill. Score one for Barron genes.

  It didn't take long to reach the pricklebushes, and lucky for us, a wide grassy path followed them all along the valley, as far as I could see. I was pretty turned around and unsure of my direction, so I shrugged at Gage, who pointed to my left. We moved along the path quietly, leaving Darrek's soldiers far behind within minutes. Once the valley came to an end at the foot of another hill--this one lush and green still, despite the coming winter--the pricklebushes ended as well, leaving Gage and I to face another uphill trek. The sun had begun its descent, which might not have been such a drastic event, had we not been within a deep valley. Dark shadows stretched quickly over the valley floor, coating us with the chill of evening before evening was even upon us. Gage had descended back into the valley, and was looking back the way we'd come, a contemplative expression on his face. I pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders, thankful for the warmth that it provided. How I would have made this trip without it, I had no idea. "We can camp here. The soldiers' encampment is far enough back that I can't make out their fire anymore. That way we can rest and tackle that hill in the morning fresh, rather than climb it, search for a proper place to set up camp, and then have to move through that task after we're already exhausted."

  "We're far enough away to roast some meat. Right?" He met my eyes, his full of hope that I'd agree. I was just pleased that he'd bothered to ask me for my opinion at all. It didn't seem like something that Trayton or Darius would have done. Maybe that was because of my Healer status. Or maybe it was something else.

  The clearing we were in was covered in fallen leaves, which looked rather inviting to sleep on. In the distance, I could hear running water. And where the next hill began to slope upward, I could see some dry, fallen wood for our fire. "Sounds good to me. Let's keep the fire low, though, just so we don't attract any unnecessary attention."

  He sighed in relief before removing his knapsack and katana and setting them gently in the soft ground. But I didn't let him get too settled. We had to set up camp still. "Gage, I hear moving water coming from somewhere around here. Would you mind refilling our water bladders while I build a fire? Mine is all but empty, and I'd wager yours is getting close. Plus, it would be nice to have a water source nearby in the morning for bathing and whatnot."

  Slipping my weapon and knapsack from my shoulders, I nodded, happy to be breaking early for the day. My back ached and I'd been fighting the threat of a cramp in my left thigh ever since we'd first reached the pricklebushes, but those pains immediately eased once I was free of carrying my supplies around. I began clearing a spot for the fire, and on that act, Gage took off deeper into the valley in search of water. Once I cleared away anything that could potentially catch on fire, I dug out a small fire pit and gathered stones from the area to surround it as a safety precaution.

  It didn't take me long to gather kindling and dry fire wood, but it did take a few minutes to successfully start the fire. Shortly after the flames had burst to life, I managed to snare a small springhare. I was working on untangling it from my trap when it occurred to me that Gage had been gone for much longer than I had anticipated. T
he sun had set long ago, even outside our valley, and above me loomed a million stars. It was night officially, and my travelling companion was nowhere to be found. Worry filled me. What if he'd been hurt? What if Darrek's soldiers had found him and taken him into custody? Or worse? With pursed lips, I grabbed my katana and moved deeper into the valley, in the direction that Gage had taken.

  It took me mere minutes to locate the sound of water, but up to an hour more to locate its source. A natural spring was the outlet for a brook's small water fall on the valley floor. Large boulders blocked the brook's strength from filling the valley or carving its way completely through. Slipping my katana onto my back, I climbed the boulders, fighting to keep my grip on their slick, moss-covered surface. When I reached the top, I was greeted by the twinkling of starlight on the brook's babbling surface. Marking in my memory the direction I'd come from, and hoping like hak that I didn't get lost, I followed the stream until an unmistakable scent filled my nostrils. Berryfruit. I'd know that smell anywhere. My stomach rumbled hungrily and I couldn't resist examining the nearby trees. Berryfruit grew on a vine, but the vines relied on trees for sustenance and protection against predators. After scanning the trees for some time, I spied the pinkish-orange fruit hanging from a large branch that stretched out over the brook. My stomach rumbled again, and as I examined the tree branch to be sure it could handle my weight, I spied something that caught my breath in my throat. A hand, dangling limply over the branch.

  Moving closer, my hand on my katana, my heart picking up its rhythm in alarm, I stepped up on one of the larger rocks lining the brook to get a better look at the owner of that hand. When I saw his face, my grip on my blade relaxed and my heart slowed to its usual pace. "Gage? Are you alright?"

  Gage was sprawled out on the branch, one arm in front of him as if he'd been reaching for the berryfruit when he fell into a deep slumber. My eyes moved along his body, stopping only when I spied the culprit that had him in its sleep-inducing grasp. Sure enough, a pricklebush had been growing next to the tree's trunk, and though Gage had managed to avoid it in the darkness, it had snagged him as he struggled to gather the dangling berryfruit from the branch. Gage's eyes were closed, his breathing easy. Apart from being rendered temporarily unconscious, he was fine. I smiled and reached out for his leg, to shake him gently free of the pricklebush's thorns. But apparently, the thorns had been the only thing keeping him on that branch. Before I could stop him, his body slipped from the branch and plummeted into the brook below with a loud splash.

  There was a moment, despite what I knew about the effects of the pricklebush's toxin, when I hoped that the cold water might break through the surface of Gage's forced sleep and wake him. But as I watched his limp body dip deep into the water and resurface, I realized that Gage was floating on his stomach, face down in the brisk waters of the deep brook.

  My heart seized, and I was instantly surrounded with the suffocating knowledge that I had never learned to swim.

  Gage's body moved downstream, and I stepped into the water's edge, despite the panic that was squeezing my lungs. I had to get to him, had to save him from drowning. There was no one else. There was only me.

  "Gage!" I shouted in earnest as I tore my cloak from me and dropped it on the dry ground. There was no response. Gage was floating face down, unconscious, in the water, and what's worse, he was getting further and further away from me at a rapid pace. Gripping a low-hanging branch, I moved deeper into the brook, my feet slipping on the moss-covered stones. As the water hit my waist, my panic engulfed me, but I wouldn't let it stop me from saving Gage's life. I moved downriver as quickly as I could, stretching my arm out, trying to reach his floating form. But he was moving too fast, and time was slipping away fast.

  Scrambling back to the riverbank, I ran downstream, my feet sinking some in the soft grasses, my mind racing to develop a plan of action. As I moved, I plucked a long, thick stick from the water’s edge. There was a bend just ahead, and if I could reach Gage in time, I might be able to save him. I ran as fast as my feet would carry me, until I was further downriver than he was. His body bobbed lifelessly in the water, and I had to force myself to focus. I needed vines. Something long and strong, that could handle knots and significant weight without breaking.

  Scanning the riverside with hurried glimpses, I spied some creepervines encasing a large tree. I pulled down as much as I could of a long strand, winding it over my arm in a loop. Then, keeping an eye on unconscious Gage, I tied the vine and stick together in a triangle and moved back to the water’s edge. The water was colder in this part of the brook than it had been upriver, and it sent a shiver through me as I waded in. My timing was right, and Gage floated by, still several yards from me. Still too far in for me to be able to reach him. Dropping the looped vine into the water, I threw my triangle trap at his body. The stick hit the water with a splash, missing him by inches. But the knots held. I quickly pulled my creation back in, and swung it back before arching it in another throw toward Gage. When it hit, I winced and told myself that there were bigger issues to focus on now. His head would heal.

  Gage was floating faster, and I could tell by the way the water was moving that this was my last shot at reaching him. I gathered the triangle, swung it back hard, and whipped across the river, toward Gage.

  To my utter relief and admitted amazement, the triangle looped over his head and shoulders. Hand over hand, I started gathering vine, pulling as hard as I was able. The water and the sheer dead weight of my travelling companion pulled me forward, and before I realized, I was hip-deep in the river. Then chest deep.

  Refusing to allow my fear to control me, I stretched out my arm. The tips of my fingers barely brushed his cloak, and then I fell forward, face first into the cold water. Gulping air into my lungs as I broke the surface again, I grabbed onto Gage and pulled. Together, we fell onto the riverbank, coughing up water, but breathing. We laid there for several minutes, though it seemed like hours. Gage's skin was pale and ghostly. When his eyes fluttered open at last, he turned his head toward me, confused. I sat up, ringing water from my hair. "A pricklebush got you. You fell into the water."

  Closing his eyes again, his blue lips shook with cold. "I'm so sorry. I should have been more careful."

  Gage was weak, but we managed to get back to camp before too long. I hung up all of our wet clothes after we'd taken turns changing behind some brush. As I hung Gage's drenched cloak over a thick, low-hanging tree branch, the fire crackled loudly, spitting sparks as Gage fed it more wood. He was punishing himself quietly, I could tell. Going over the details of his mistake again and again inside his mind, and vowing not to do anything quite so stupid ever again. The details were written all over his face. When I returned to the fire's side, I sat beside him, hoping to ease his guilt some. "If I'd been the first to come upon that berryfruit, it would have been you dragging me out of the brook. We'd have been better off that way, I think. At least you can swim."

  Gage didn't say anything at all in response, and I wasn't sure why. Maybe he was scared. I know I had been. And if it had been my life in danger, I might not be feeling particularly talkative either. He lay down, curling up onto his side away from me, and let the sounds of the fire act as his reply. After some time, I too laid down to rest, but didn't sleep for long. I was awoken by the sound of Gage's teeth chattering. Moving closer, I flipped half of my cloak over him, not bothering to wake him long enough to ask if he wanted to share it. If his silence had been an indication of pride, he was going to have to deal. I wasn't about to let him freeze to death. But I didn't think it was pride that was silencing him.

  His teeth-chattering stopped instantly, and I could tell that he'd been woken by my actions anyway. Without a word, he slowly pulled the cloaks' fabric tight around his shoulders. I smiled. Mostly to myself. "Goodnight, Gage."

  The fire crackled softly in the background, shadowed by Gage's delayed, somewhat embarrassed, whispered reply. "Thank you, Kaya. Truly…thank you. And goodnight."


  Chapter 14

  When I awoke the next morning, Gage was roasting bits of meat on a stick over the fire. I stretched as I sat up, marveling that the morning had greeted me with warmth when I was certain that it was going to be cold. Gage's clothes from the night before were no longer hanging up to dry, but his cloak remained over the tree limb, presumably still wet. When he noticed my wakeful state, he held out some of the cooked meat and I took it, nibbling anxiously at my unexpected breakfast. I didn't ask what the meat was, but it tasted wild and free and somewhat spicy, even without the aid of herbs. I finished every bit that he'd given me and licked my fingers clean.

  I couldn’t help but notice the way he was touching the back of his head and frowning. Instantly, my memory recalled my poor throwing skills and the stick whacking his unconscious body in the back of the head. “How are you feeling?”

  “Surprisingly well, all things considered. My head hurts a bit though. I must have hit a rock or something as I drifted down the river.”

  I licked my fingers again, even though they didn’t really need it. “Something like that.”

  "I wanted to thank you again, Kaya. No one has ever shown me such kindness. You saved my life. I owe you a huge debt." His gaze seemed to linger on me a bit longer than it had before the incident in the brook. He looked up the hill for a moment as he spoke. "By the way, I found something. There's a hot spring just over the ridge. I bathed there this morning. But there's a problem."

  At the moment, nothing sounded more comforting than a hot bath in a wild spring. "What's the problem?"

  He paused then, as if searching for the right words. "It's better if I show you, I think."

  Knowing that it wasn’t far off and we wouldn’t be gone long, we took only our katanas and left our supplies beside the fire pit to climb the ridge. It didn't take much time or really much effort, but by the time we'd reached the crest, I was feeling a bit winded. Just over its peak, Gage directed me to a large tree, where we stood for a moment before peering out from behind it and down into the small valley on the other side of the ridge. At its center were two moderately sized pools of steaming, crystal clear water. My muscles ached at the sight of them. I glanced at Gage, uncertain why we were hiding behind the tree. Then he pointed to an area just thirty so yards north of the springs. Standing there were three Graplars. Two large, one small. A family, if the scene was registering right in my brain. A family of Graplars.