The door burst open, and Tohon’s guards rushed in. They paused in horror, gagging on the fetid stench. Without thinking, I tackled the man closest to me, knocking him down into the hallway. I wrapped my hands around his neck and zapped him before he could shove me off.
Grabbing his dagger, I spun in time to see the other guard advance. He had pulled his sword. I threw the knife, embedding the blade in the man’s stomach. With a gasp, he fell to his knees.
The sound of drumming boots echoed to my right. Enric raced down the corridor with Private Bronson right behind him.
“There’s a bunch of guards looking for Tohon. They’re in the infirmary, so we need to leave right now,” Enric said.
I yelled for Noelle. She stepped over the man slumped in the threshold, carrying my pack. She set it down next to me as Enric stripped the guards of all their weapons. He handed a sword to Bronson.
Before I could protest, Enric said, “He knows how to use it. We need him.” Voices and the pounding of boots emanated from around the corner.
“Go!” Enric pulled me to my feet.
We ran, dashing into the stairwell near my room. I led them downstairs and out a back entrance of the manor house.
“Which way?” Enric asked when we reached the fresh air.
Farm fields stretched out in all directions. Not much cover, but since the moon hadn’t risen we wouldn’t be as visible.
I glanced at Noelle. Bronson supported her since she hadn’t been able to keep up.
“East?”
She nodded. East also offered the quickest route to the forest. Where we’d find concealment, but then we’d have to deal with the encirclement. I dug into my pack—Noelle had shoved everything back in. I found two syringes and filled them with toxin. I handed one to Enric.
“East it is,” I said.
Enric took point, followed by Noelle and Bronson, then me. We bolted for the woods. I expected to hear sounds of pursuit any second, but we reached the woods without incident.
We stopped for a minute. Noelle needed to rest. Moving away from the group, I listened to the forest, seeking those off notes and telltale noises. A light breeze rustled the trees, but nothing else indicated intruders.
I sniffed the air. Were we close to the encirclement? The sweet scent of moist earth rode the air currents. I inhaled, filling my nose with the comforting aroma. Automatically I touched the leaves on a nearby bush, but no magic tingled under my fingertips. Grief burned deep inside me at the thought I’d never feel Kerrick’s magic again.
Returning to the others, I outlined our next move. “Once we reach the dead, just keep moving. Enric and I will inject them.” I gestured toward his weapon belt. “Give me the daggers.” He passed them over, and I treated each of the blades with the toxin. Then I squirted a few drops on Enric and Bronson’s sword tips before refilling the syringe.
I handed one of the knives to Noelle. “Just in case the dead get close to you.”
“Do you know how to use it?” Bronson asked her.
“Oh, yes,” I answered for her, grinning. “She’s quite capable. And she swings a mean bedpan, too.”
A howl sliced the silence, followed by another. The distant sound sent a shudder down my spine.
“That’s our cue to leave,” I said. “You two stay close to me and Enric.”
With me in the lead, we headed deeper into the woods. After a few more steps, the ground under our feet rumbled. Tremors rolled along the soles of my feet.
“Don’t stop,” Enric ordered.
Shadows stood up around us. The hiss of dirt rained to the ground. The clang of a sword meeting another sounded as Enric parried a thrust. I’d forgotten Tohon had armed his dead.
Bronson shoved Noelle at me so he could fight. “Go, go, go!” he yelled, countering a swing and dodging another with the grace of a much older soldier.
Noelle wrapped her arm around my shoulder. I dragged her forward. One of the dead charged right at us. I pushed Noelle to the ground as I spun, avoiding the point of a knife. Jabbing his arm with my needle, I injected the toxin.
But he didn’t stop, and I cursed the delay. It might just be the death of us. He stabbed again, cutting my upper arm. I backpedaled, moving out of his reach just before he toppled to the ground.
“Keep moving,” Enric shouted.
However, the dead surrounded us like bees defending their hive. All I could do was stand over Noelle as another dead soldier attacked me. This one was a woman, and her blade pierced my left shoulder as I nicked her with my knife. Pain shot down my arm. She yanked the sword out and drew back for another strike.
I braced for the thrust. She stumbled and went down but was immediately replaced by another. I held my hands up in the universal sign for surrender. The dead man paused.
Voices called behind the line of dead. And in a flash, living soldiers joined the fray. Since they fought the dead, I didn’t bother to ask any questions. Tucking my dagger back into my belt, I helped Noelle to her feet and wove around the clumps of fighters, pricking the dead whenever I had the chance.
When we broke through the encirclement, I slowed. But two men waved us on, guarding our backs. We kept moving even when the sounds of fighting died. My shoulder burned, Enric had a nasty cut on his cheek and I’d lost sight of Bronson. Enric just shook his head sadly when I asked about the private.
The moon had risen, and dim light shone through the trees. Our escorts/rescuers wore leather armor over civilian clothes, so I had no idea who they worked for. I counted ten of them—six men and four women. They didn’t talk but signaled each other from time to time, which meant they’ve been together for a while. However, they didn’t know how to walk in the woods without making noise.