Passing through the shield, Marai leapt onto the nearest rider, pulling him from his saddle. Men swore in surprise. Horses whinnied. Before any of the hunters or soldiers could raise their weapons, arrows flew from behind the barrier.
One of Raife’s arrows lodged in the throat of an Ehle man. Blood gurgled from his mouth as he tilted out of his saddle. Leif hit another man in the thigh. He yelped, falling from his horse into the dirt. The bounty hunter was then trampled by hooves in the frenzy.
Bodies tumbled onto the ground. Dimtoir slashed through stomachs and necks, any exposed skin, whistling in the carnage. Eventually, Aresti tired of waiting behind the barrier and joined Marai in the fray. Her two swords became blurred silver in the air as she brought down a rider. His flailing sword sliced through her arm as he fell. Blood spurted, and Aresti gasped at the pain.
Leif and Raife’s arrows kept flying, hitting true. Marai cut down a hunter whose spear was aimed at Aresti’s heart.
All twenty men were dead in minutes. Their horses galloped away through the gorge.
Leif let out a shuddering breath as he lowered his bow. He was pale, despite the high sun of the afternoon. He’d struck five men with his arrows. Raife had six kills. All shots had gone straight through the eye.
“Is this what you want me to do to all the humans?” Marai asked him and Aresti. “Use the ring to inflict this kind of slaughter on everyone in Astye? I know death. Killing makes you numb. It rips out your soul. I don’t want you all to become me.”
Leif cringed, like he might vomit, but he still managed to lance Marai with a glare. His hands shook as his eyes settled on Marai’s cream linen shirt. She’d borrowed it from Thora, and now the shirt was stained with splattered blood. Perhaps Thora wouldn’t be cross, what with Marai protecting her, and all. Aresti clung to the wound on her arm with clenched teeth.
Raife approached, staring down at the dead men with a pained expression. “We’ll need to bury them right away. They’ll rot faster in the sun. And Aresti, make sure you have Thora tend to that wound.”
Leif and Aresti went to retrieve their shovels from the cave. While they were gone, Marai knelt to search the dead men’s pockets.
“What are you doing?” asked Raife, a twinge of horror in his tone, as Marai pilfered coins, valuables, weapons, and food from the dead men.
“They don’t need this. We do,” Marai replied. She handed Raife two daggers and a long, thin knife. Her hands grasped a piece of paper inside a soldier’s breastplate. She unfolded it as Raife loomed over her shoulder. Leif was returning with the shovels.
The note was from Rayghast to his soldiers.
I want the Lady Butcher found. I have reason to believe there are more of her disgusting kind still alive in the Badlands. You have one job: find her, and kill all those associated with her.
Merely seeing the king’s signature at the end electrified Marai’s blood again. She crumpled the note in her fist, and tossed it into the mass grave Raife and Leif dug behind a boulder.
For you, Ruenen.
Marai dumped a shovel-full of red dirt over the bodies.
Rayghast could send a hundred men, a thousand men, after her. She would never let him win.
A week later, Keshel came to her by the river. The sky was brilliantly bright with layers of tangerine and peach. Marai sat on a rock, meditating as usual before training.
“Beautiful morning,” he said, and it was. Insects chirped, a frog croaked; there was a gentle, warm breeze, bringing with it the smell of blossoming cactus flowers. Keshel sat on the rock near Marai. He stared at her, taking in every inch, as if truly seeing her for the first time.
He’d been softening, too. Day after day, Marai saw the signs of life in his face, a light in his eyes. He kept finding reasons to be around her, like sitting next to her at meals, or helping her and Kadiatu in the garden. Keshel had his own stone walls inside, and the longer Marai stayed, the more of those walls crumbled.
Unnerved by Keshel’s attention, Marai scowled at him. “What?”
“I wasn’t sure who you’d be when you came back to us,” he said, catching Marai off-guard. “I assumed you would still be that ferocious little girl.”
“The demon child?” Marai snorted.
A smile flashed upon Keshel’s face, but it was gone quickly. “You were never a demon, just wild. Unhappy. I understand why you were, but it was my duty to protect you, and you never wanted to be controlled. That’s why we clashed so often.”
“I know that, but it doesn’t mean I liked it.”
He smiled, this time for real. “I was never surprised you left. Honestly, I’m amazed that you’re still here now. But I’m glad you are. You brought a much-needed spark back into our lives.”
Marai picked her fingernails, avoiding his gaze. Worms wriggled around in her stomach at the earnest, tender tone of Keshel’s voice.
“But there’s something you must know.” Concern darkened Keshel’s expression. Whatever it was he had to say, Keshel struggled. He hesitated, pursed his lips, like he didn’t want to say it at all. “Ruenen is alive.”
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. A bucket of ice cold water dumped over her head and now she had to gasp for air.
Alive? The word ignited. It shredded through her, leaving her breathless and unraveled.
“How?” Marai managed to croak out.
“He never made it to Tacorn. He escaped the bounty hunters.”
Marai’s vision went blurry, then white as a thick fog. Magic and rage ripped through her as relief and joy caused her heart to stutter a frantic beat. Lightning crackled at her fingers.
“You told me he was dead. Was it all a lie?”
“No, not a lie. I told you that visions can change. I think because you decided to stay, because you chose the harder path, you changed things. Perhaps Lirr rewarded your sacrifice.”
Marai didn’t believe in that religious nonsense, but it didn’t matter as she imbued her words with venom. “How long have you known?”
Keshel wasn’t afraid of her fury. He met her glare, but with sad eyes. “I had a vision the day after we began training. After you decided to stay.”
Marai bolted from the rock. “You’ve known for weeks? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
He’s alive. He’s alive! Her emotions spiraled, conflicted. Joy and fury entwined, making her hands shake and stomach knot. Her heart hammered, dancing a merry jig.
