Excerpt
Dead of Winter andlt;link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../styles/9781481423472.css"andgt; andlt;h2 andgt;andlt;a id="ch01"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;andlt;a id="page_1"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;1andlt;/h2andgt; andlt;h2 andgt;DAY 372 A.F.? (MAYBE 373?)andlt;/h2andgt; andlt;h2 andgt;SOMEWHERE IN SLAVER TERRITORYandlt;/h2andgt; andlt;BRandgt;Inhale exhale inhale exhaleandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;As I raced over the countryside on horseback, I kept hearing deep, ragged breaths.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Rain fell from the black sky, drops pelting my face. Winds whipped my horseand#8217;s mane and made my poncho hood flap.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;But I still heard breaths.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The tiny hairs on my nape rose. My mare snorted, her ears pricked forward. I didnand#8217;t have Larkand#8217;s animal keenness or the senses of a huntress like Selena, but I could feel someoneand#8212;or somethingand#8212;watching me.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Stalking me?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Inhale exhaleandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I rode harder, pushing myself, pushing my staggering horse, forcing her to navigate the rocky terrain faster than was safe.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I hadnand#8217;t slept since fleeing Deathand#8217;s lair days agoand#8212;if you could call them and#8220;daysand#8221; in this never-ending darkness. Sheer will kept me in the saddle. Delirium was taking hold.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Maybe nothing stalked me, and my own breaths sounded foreign to my ears. If I could just rest for a few minutesand#160;.and#160;.and#160;.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Focus, Evie! So much was on the line. Jackand#8217;s life was.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I was determined to save him from the Lovers, Vincent and Violet Milovnand#237;ci.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;a id="page_2"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;Sadistic Vincent had captured him; Violet journeyed to meet up with her brother. Once they reunited, those twin serial killers would torture Jack with their contraptions.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I raced to beat Violet, taking untold risks. Even now, I couldnand#8217;t believe what Iand#8217;d done to escape Aric.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Every other minute, a raindrop would hit one of my eyes directly, the sting blurring my vision. I would blink to clear my eyes, and details of my last encounter with Death would blossom in my mind.and#160;.and#160;.and#160;.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The feel of his sword-roughened palms as heand#8217;d seized my waist and laid me in his bed. His rasped words: and#8220;If you surrender to me, you will be mine alone. My wife in truth. I will do anything to have that.and#8221; Even coercing me, promising to save Jackand#8212;for a price.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Blink.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;His scentand#8212;sandalwood, pine, masculineand#8212;had weakened my will like a drug, quelling the heat of battle inside me. Still Iand#8217;d managed to say: and#8220;This wonand#8217;t work out as you plan.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Blink.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;His head had inched closer, his amber eyes intent, just before his lips had covered mine. His kiss had a way of muddling my thoughts, making me forget all the things I needed to remember.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Blink.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;There. Thatand#8217;s better,and#8221; heand#8217;d murmured as heand#8217;d removed my clothes. and#8220;Just let me see youand#160;.and#160;.and#160;. touch you.and#8221; With his supernatural strength, he must have taken pains not to rip the lace of my panties.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;When I lay naked before him, his amber eyes had glittered like stars. Pinpoints of light had mesmerized me. and#8220;So lovely, sievand#257;. My gods, you humble me.and#8221; Heand#8217;d given me one of his rare unguarded smiles. and#8220;This is joy I feel, is it not?and#8221; Iand#8217;d wanted to sob.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Blink. Blink. Blink.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I shook my head hard. I needed to pay attention. I couldnand#8217;t afford to get lost in memories. To get lost at all.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;When Iand#8217;d readied a bug-out bag and my gear in a panic, Matthew had telepathically directed me: and#8212;Follow the rushing water upstream andlt;a id="page_3"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;into slaver territory. Find the soot valley, then travel its length. If you reach the mass gravesite, youand#8217;ve gone too far. Ascend the next mountain to the stone forest.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Yet since then, he hadnand#8217;t answered any of my calls.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I reached the end of a soot-filled valley and started the climb. Rain began to pour.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Minutes? hours? days? passed. Despite the threat Iand#8217;d sensed, I could barely stay awake. My head kept dipping. Maybe I could close my eyesand#8212;just for a second. I dropped forward, resting my cheek against the horseand#8217;s mane, an arm on either side of her neck.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;My lids slid shut.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;img src="../images/common.jpg" alt="Images"andgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;When I opened them, I was at Haven.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The mare was gone. No rain, no winds. The sky was star-strewn black. All around me, that eerie A.F. silence.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Matthew, am I in one of your visions? Every detail felt so real. Bitter ash tinged my tongue. The scent of scorched oaks and sugarcane stung my nose. In the distance, Haven House was a blackened ruin. My motherand#8217;s funeral pyre.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Iand#8217;d burned her body and our home.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Jack had secretly helped her die. I understood why. I didnand#8217;t accept how. I couldnand#8217;t reconcile after.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;How many lies heand#8217;d told.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Grief ripped through me, for my mother, for our life before the Flash. My new existence was so brutal and visceral, I wondered if my pre-apocalypse memories were actually a soft and hazy dream.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;What was real? Unreal?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Though Matthew had looked away when my mom had died, he could still access scenes from the past. Was he giving me the memory of her death?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A breeze feathered over the ash on the ground, the sound beautifuland#8212;like sighing. I heard my motherand#8217;s faint voice telling Jack, and#8220;Use the pillow.and#160;.and#160;.and#160;.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;a id="page_4"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;No, Matthew! Iand#8217;m not ready to see this! Not readyand#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A wolfand#8217;s howl pierced the night.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;img src="../images/common.jpg" alt="Images"andgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I jolted awake in the saddle. The rain had dwindled to a foggy drizzle. How long had I been out?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I rubbed my gritty eyes. Almost screamed. I was surrounded by shadowy figures.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Wait, not figures. All around me were towering stacks of rocks, placed like logs for a bonfire. There were so many stacks the area resembled a forest. The stone forest.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Who would waste calories to assemble these? And why did I find them so chilling?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Matthew, are you there?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;At last, I felt his presence in my mind! and#8212;Empress!and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Has Violet joined her brother yet?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;The Violet is not there.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Oh, thank God.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Soon.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Shit! You told me Vincent camped within days of Deathand#8217;s castle. Iand#8217;ve ridden for DAYS.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Arcana all around.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I heard their calls, as if from a sound-out.and#160;.and#160;.and#160;.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Eyes to the skies, lads!and#8212; Joules.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Trapped in the palm of my hand.and#8212; Tess.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;I watch you like a hawk.and#8212; Gabriel.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Behold the Bringer of Doubt!and#8212; Selena.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Donand#8217;t look at this hand, look at that one.and#8212; Finn.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Crazy like a fox.and#8212; Matthew.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;We will love you. In our own way.and#8212; The Lovers.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;So many Arcana were close. Which meant I was close.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Terror from the abyss!and#8212; Huh?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Before I could ask about the new call, my sense of being watched returned. I jerked my head around.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;a id="page_5"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;and#8212;Empress, youand#8217;re one stone forest and one clearing away. Someand#160;.and#160;.and#160;. obstacles between us.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Movement. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man skulking from one stack of rocks to the next.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Another man loped to join the first. The armed pair wore fatigues and creepy night-vision goggles. Soldiers of the Loversand#8217; army?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The stones were for cover, staged as if for a paint-ball course! How long had those men been lying here in wait?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Matthew, Iand#8217;m in trouble! I slapped the reins against the mare. She whinnied a protest, but increased her speed. Chest heaving, she wound around the stacks.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I craned my head back. Two soldiers had become ten, all with rifles at the ready. Now they walked in plain view. Because I was already surrounded?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;As the ground began to flatten, those stacks grew fewer. I raised my hand above my eyes, straining to see. Aheadand#8212;the clearing Matthew had spoken of!andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;My face fell. With no vegetation, it was a quagmire, water and muck pooling in huge craters.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Past that, a wall towered, must be thirty feet high. What lay behind it?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A shot rang out; a bullet whizzed by my head. My mount fled from the sound. and#8220;Go, GO!and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;In my panic, my nails morphed into thorn claws. The razor-sharp edges sliced through the fingers of my gloves. My glyphs stirred, moving over my skin.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A second gunshot. The near-miss bullet pitted the mud beside the horseand#8217;s hooves. She shrieked, trotting faster.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The shooters missed on purpose. They would want meand#8212;and the horseand#8212;alive.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Women and horses were two valuable A.F. commodities.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Desperate for safety, I squinted at the wall. Men guarded a brightly lit gate.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;a id="page_6"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;and#8212;Head there, Empress.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;My mare would have to slog through the clearing. It was like a moat fronting that wall. The soldiers would catch me long before then.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A bright color drew my attention. Attached to a post was a handcrafted sign emblazoned with a red skull and crossbonesand#8212;along with the warning: DANGER! MINES!andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;And that explained the craters.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Are you kidding, Matthew? Soldiers trailing me; mines ahead. How do I get past a minefield?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;An agonized yell sounded behind me.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I dared a glance back. Only nine soldiers followed. They ran toward me at a faster clip. The ones at the edges aimed their gunsand#8212;off to their sides.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Another horrified yell.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;And another.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Open gunfire erupted. Muzzle flashes warred with fog; I couldnand#8217;t make out anything.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I turned forward. Screamed.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Three soldiers stood before me, rifles trained on my face. The mare reared, punching hooves at them.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The other gunmen had been pushing me toward these!andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Yet behind them, a black beast melded with shadow. One brilliant golden eye gleamed like a lantern.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Cyclops! Had Lark sent her one-eyed wolf to protect me?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Baring dagger-size fangs, the massive beast gave a spine-chilling snarl. The men twisted aroundand#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Cyclops launched himself at the panic-stricken soldiers, knocking them to the ground. His mighty jaws clamped down on limbs and rifles, snapping through bone and metal.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Body parts sailed into the air. Blood spurted like a mall fountain. I winced, though I should be used to seeing stuff like this.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The wolf lifted his head from the carnage and growled at the stupefied andlt;a id="page_7"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;soldiers positioned behind me. Those bastards had driven me into a trap; Cyclops ate the trap.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Faced with the beastand#8217;s dripping maw, they fled headlong.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;For me, Cyclops wagged his scarred tail. and#8220;Good damn wolf. Good boy.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Matthew said: and#8212;Ride for the fort! You have to make it to the wall.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Whatand#8217;s behind the wall? For all I knew, Matthew was sending me into the Milovnand#237;cisand#8217; camp.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;RIDE!and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Into mines? Weand#8217;re going to get blown away! Forget my self-healing powers; I couldnand#8217;t regenerate from decapitation.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Go left.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Directing me around the danger?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I turned to Cyclops. and#8220;I donand#8217;t know if you can understand me, or if Lark is steering her familiar. But follow my mount carefully unless you want to regrow limbs.and#8221; He was still limping from our battle with the Devil Card.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;He chuffed, and bubbles of blood formed over his snout. With a swish of his tail, he defiantly snapped up a dismembered arm, carrying it like a chew toy. But he did move behind me.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Iand#8217;m trusting you, Matthew. I swallowed and guided my horse left.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;MY left!and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Quick correction. Cyclops followed.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Faster, Empress. Or the Azey will figure out our mine moat maze.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Your what? Who are the Azey?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;A.S.E. Army of the Southeast. Go right for three seconds. Then left.and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Holding my breath, I slapped the reins yet again. One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. I tugged the reins to my right.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Faster!and#8212;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Soon I was galloping through a minefield, a telepathic Arcana in my mind and a giant wolf at my heels.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;a id="page_8"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;I could hear those same wet breaths. The wolf had been following me! If I lived through this night, I was so going to owe Lark.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The gate creaked open ahead. I spurred the mare, racing to reach the fort.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;With no idea what awaited meand#160;.and#160;.and#160;.