Bloodthorn Page 15

  Heidel’s face paled. “What are we to do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The pain intensified, sending sharp stabs of heat through my nerve endings. I gripped the blanket so tight I was surprised I didn’t rip holes in it.

  “A poultice, perhaps?” Heidel suggested. “Doesn’t the elder tree bark have healing properties?”

  “It will only dull the pain,” he answered. “It will not stop the venom from spreading.”

  “Then I will prepare the poultice to help with the pain.” Heidel gathered a few scraps of bark and left the tent.

  The room spun in my vision. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. Sweat formed on my neck and made my hands feel clammy.

  Kull returned to my side and made me lie down on a few pillows he’d propped beneath my head. He spoke to me, but I couldn’t understand his words. The pain was too much. I wanted nothing more than to pass out and be free of the fire that consumed me from the inside out.

  My heart pounded loudly in my ears. When I felt as though I couldn’t endure the pain any longer, it spread into my joints. I froze, unable to move, until someone held a cup to my lips and told me to drink. The liquid had a bitter flavor that was laced with something sweet. I managed to swallow only a few sips.

  After what felt like an eternity, I finally drifted. Softly spoken voices floated in and out. Soon, my muscles relaxed, and the fire that burned through my joints lessened. As I opened my eyes, I found sunlight streaming into the tree through the open doorway.

  Kull sat beside me with his legs crossed and eyes closed as he leaned against the tree’s inner wall. Patches of light fell across his hands and head, making his hair shine golden in the morning sun.

  I moved an inch, trying to sit up, and winced at the discomfort of sore muscles. Except for a bitter taste in my mouth and stiff muscles, my pain was gone. I moved the blanket away and found the wound wrapped in white cloth. Faint purple lines remained where the webbing had been.

  But how was this possible? How was I alive?

  Kull woke as I moved my blankets. “You’re recovered?” he asked.

  “It seems that way, but how? I thought you didn’t have an antivenom.”

  “Indeed, I didn’t, but I was able to use the venom from one of the discarded spears to create a poultice. You are quite lucky to be alive. I feared the cure had come too late.”

  So, he’d saved my life. How convenient.

  I hated when this happened—Wults always expected something in return for this kind of thing. But I’d saved his life once already. Maybe that counted. I lay back on my pillows, supposing I owed him some kind of thanks.

  Kull scooted closer to me, and I avoided his gaze as he lifted the gauze and inspected my wound. A black scab had formed over the gash, and as he touched the skin surrounding it, thick green liquid oozed out. He wiped the fluid away.

  “That’s disgusting,” I said. “What is it?”

  “The spider venom had already begun to transform your blood. If left untreated, your blood would have been completely taken over by the poison. But now you have nothing to worry about. Your body is only expelling the remains of the blood that had been transformed.”

  He wiped away another drop of the tarry substance as it trickled down my leg, making me remember the legend of the witch who drained blood. Perhaps we had the answer to Heidel’s legend.

  “Where is Heidel?” I asked.

  “She’s preparing our midday meal,” he answered as he found another strip of white fabric in his pack. “You will need to change your dressings regularly and keep the area as clean as possible.”

  He spoke in his overbearing, know-it-all voice. I hated that voice.

  “Also,” he added, “we have lost time as it is, and if you feel you cannot keep up, then it would be best for you to remain here until Heidel and I return. I have already wasted precious time tending to you, and after I have finished wrapping your wound, you must be responsible for your own care. I will not do this for you. You are still at risk for infection, so you must keep a close eye on the wound.”

  Prince Charming today, wasn’t he?

  “Am I at risk for infection?” I asked, feigning ignorance. “I had no idea.”

  He eyed me. “You do not believe so?”

  “Nope, no idea. Although I spent five years of my life in medical training, I am glad you are here to explain basic wound care to me.”

  He growled. “I see you are back to your usual, difficult self.”

  “Difficult?”

  “Yes. Difficult. If you will please do me a favor and avoid any further injuries, I believe our quest will go much smoother.”

  “I see. As it happens, I wasn’t alone when I was injured. In fact, I was fighting alongside some guy wielding a huge broadsword—one that he claims can defeat anything, except, I suppose, four-foot-tall wood sprites with sharp, pointy rocks tied to sticks.”

  His eyes narrowed. “It was dark, and we were ambushed.”

  “When did that ever matter? You’re supposed to be able to fight anything. You killed a jagamoor with your hands tied up. Your tears can cure any ailment. You’re a freaking Asgardian god for goodness’ sake. Since when did a little ambush in the dark matter?”

  He flexed his jaw.

  I was getting under his skin. Good. I was feeling better already. Maybe I should do this more often.

  “We never should have made this quest together. Were you one of my subjects, I would charge you with blasphemy and send you to the dungeons.”

  “Is that so? I’ve heard you’ve done quite a bit of sentencing lately.”

  His eyes darkened, but it didn’t deter me.

  “You should know I count my blessings every day that I am not one of your subjects. And while we’re talking about it, I would appreciate a little more respect. You’ve been on my case since we got here.”

  “I have not.” He wrapped the gauze too tightly and pinched my skin, making me draw back, forcing him to unwrap my wound and start over.

  “You have been on my case, and I can prove it. I restored your life after you were attacked in the forest, yet you never thought it worth your time to thank me. You’ve spent more time sulking in your chambers than you’ve spent helping us search for the fairies’ stone. You’ve not said a single kind word to anyone since you arrived in Earth Kingdom. I don’t know what’s worse, being treated as if I don’t exist, or being yelled at. It’s no wonder my magic is so screwed up—I can hardly function with you around.”

  “One could say the same about you. And for the record, I did thank you after you healed me.”

  Did he? Even so, it didn’t matter. It didn’t exonerate him from the rest of his crimes.

  “This was a pointless quest,” I mumbled, turning away from him. “We’ll never find who took the unicorns’ stone as long you keep acting like a royal pain in the ass.”

  “What did you call me?”

  “A pain in the ass,” I said, enunciating each word. “It’s no wonder everyone is too afraid to be around you. Your own men wouldn’t even check on you when you were almost dead—that’s how afraid they are.”

  “Enough!” He stopped wrapping the gauze. “You cannot speak to me this way. It is enough that I was duty bound to make the quest to Earth Kingdom. Had it not been for that oath, I would have never in a million years willingly made the journey. You have no idea how hard it was for me to leave my warriors behind—during a key skirmish in the Northlands, no less—to seek out the lost starstone. But my ancestors swore an oath—one that I seriously contemplated breaking—and I had no choice but to journey to Earth Kingdom.

  “I have come to learn that I must set an example for my people. They watch my every move. They search constantly for my slightest weakness. When I tell you it is not easy being king, I am certain you do not understand, for you have never had such responsibilities in your life. But hear me now—I will not allow you to speak to me in such a manner. For if I let anyone, even you, treat me in such a way,
then the entire kingdom will soon follow. They loathe me as their king as it is and wish nothing more than to have my father return and be their ruler.”

  The anger I’d harbored for him diminished a tiny bit. Did he seriously believe his people hated him that much?

  His hands were shaking, so I took the gauze from him. He didn’t argue.

  “Kull.” I said his name quietly. “Are you sure that your subjects wish for your father’s return—and not you?”

  He swallowed before speaking. “We all wish for his return, but perhaps I wish for it more than anyone else. I pray for his return every moment of every waking day. My people are suffering, and I don’t know how to stop their pain. If my father were here, he would know what to do; but as it is, I am lost. I will never be the king he was.”

  “That’s not true. Your people already admired you before you became king, and Heidel tells me that you have negotiated with the elves to avoid an all-out war. You’re not as lacking as you think you are. I suspect all you need is confidence.”

  He eyed me. “Confidence?”

  “Yes.”

  “But even you have accused me of frightening my own men. I fail to see how more confidence would do any good.”

  “Then perhaps you ought to stop being their enemy and be their friend instead. I’m not suggesting you let them take advantage of you, but how often do you listen to their suggestions? You’re not alone as king. There are many who are willing to help you. Be confident in their abilities. They knew your father almost as well as you did. They will help you if you let them.”

  He stared at his hands, not speaking, until he finally looked up. “I’m not sure if they want to help me. Not anymore.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you’re the only person bold enough to challenge me, and, as you said, they’re afraid of me.”

  “Then perhaps it’s time to change.”

  For a brief moment, his eyes met mine. “Do you believe I will fail?” he asked.

  “No. I believe you will succeed at whatever you do. I have always believed that.”

  He nodded, not answering as he finished wrapping the gauze around my leg. His hands, no longer clenched with anger, became gentle as he unrolled and positioned the fabric.

  When he’d finished, he smoothed the creases, his fingers warm as they lightly touched my skin. I’d forgotten how gentle he could be, which made me remember other things I’d forgotten—the first time he kissed me in my apartment; when he’d told me he loved me.

  Oh boy.

  Heidel entered, carrying three carefully balanced bowls of steaming broth. Kull moved away from me to help his sister.

  “I’ve got good news—the soup is not nearly as bland as usual. Instead, it tastes only of salt. We’ll never be able to eat Eugrid’s meal packages after this journey,” Heidel said as she passed two of the bowls to her brother. “I would suggest we look for game, but I’m not sure what we’ll find in this accursed forest.”

  “After the creatures we encountered last night, I wouldn’t trust anything we caught,” Kull said.

  He handed me a bowl of soup. I stared at the dark brownish liquid. It had the faint scent of boiled onions, and although I was hungry, I had to force myself to take a sip, my mind still lingering on my conversation with Kull.

  Some memories I knew I would never forget, no matter how much I wished to be rid of them. Would I ever be free from him?

  “We’ll pack up as soon as we’re finished with our meal,” Kull said, “and then we’ll follow the map as far as it will take us. After that, we will have to search for the blight that the unicorn spoke of, which will hopefully lead us to the heart of the forest.”

  We finished our soup and packed up, but my body hardly felt ready for another day of travel. The wound in my leg throbbed as I hobbled out of the tree. I found a stick to use as a cane, but as we set off, I knew I would be pushing my limits.

  Of course, when Kull asked, I lied and told him I was peachy, even bouncing up and down a few times to prove my point—which turned out to be an extremely dumb move.

  Thankfully, he said nothing.

  It didn’t matter. I refused to let Kull see my weakness, so I pushed through the pain and followed the Wults deeper into the unicorns’ forest.

  The lack of sunlight was beginning to wear me down. Dense foliage grew along our path, and several times we had to backtrack to find the right trail.

  When mid-afternoon approached, the wind picked up, putting a chill in the air the deeper we traveled into the woods. We ate a quick meal of dried biscuits and a few berries we’d managed to forage along the way, then set off again.

  As the sun began descending toward the horizon, we stopped at a drop-off. Below us ran the small river we’d been following since yesterday, but up ahead, the river widened and turned into a thundering waterfall.

  With the rush of the water loud in our ears, Kull showed us the map. “We will have to find our way down. The river runs out of the forest, so we will no longer be able to follow it. We’ll have to follow the streams instead, which won’t be easy as there are so many of them—”

  “What’s this?” Heidel asked, interrupting her brother. She stood by a tree that had lost its leaves and its bark was crumbling off. After stabbing her knife into the wood, Heidel retreated as greenish pus oozed from the tree.

  “It looks like the poison in my leg,” I said.

  “Yes,” Kull answered. “It might be the blight the unicorn spoke of. Look for more evidence of it as we go.”

  Heidel and I followed him, and soon we found a slope that descended to the gorge’s bottom. The foliage made it difficult to see what lay below, and mud slicked the bottom of my boots as I followed the Wults down the trail. I bit my tongue against the pain in my leg, though it seemed every time I moved, the soreness increased.

  Water droplets splashed my face and hands as we edged slowly downward, the waterfall drowning out all other sounds. I held tight to my walking stick, my hands slick on the weatherworn wood. The dampness from the waterfall, coupled with the wind, made the chill in the air increase.

  Finally, we made it to the bottom of the slope. As I took in my surroundings, I was surprised to find that most of the trees in the area had been toppled. The sun-bleached logs lay like scattered giant’s bones, and wildflowers grew in patches around them.

  We made our way through the maze of felled trees until we reached an area where the forest grew normally once again. As we entered the wooded area, a tree caught my eye. Its leaves were shriveled and black, and the now-familiar inky-green substance leaked from its branches. Droplets fell from the limbs and plopped to the ground, creating puddles. Flies buzzed around the rotting sap.

  We avoided the tree, although we quickly found another, and then another. Following the trail of trees, my heart trembled. Was this the path of death the unicorn had spoken of? And if so, what would we find once we reached the starstone’s resting place?

  Dusk approached, although thick gray clouds obscured the waning sunlight. I wrapped my cloak tighter as the air grew colder.

  “If we don’t find the stone’s resting place soon, we will have to make camp,” Kull said.

  I dreaded spending another night in the forest. And tonight, we wouldn’t have the elder tree to protect us.

  “Look over there,” Heidel said, pointing to the tree canopy straight ahead.

  At first, I couldn’t see what she was looking at, but as I concentrated on the canopy, I noticed several wooden structures built around the tree limbs.

  We approached the structures and soon found a staircase spiraling around a wide tree trunk.

  “Who do you think lives here?” Heidel asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kull answered. “I was not aware any major humanoid species lived here.”

  “Could it be the wood sprites?” I asked.

  “Perhaps, although these structures look much taller than anything a wood sprite would live in.”

  �
�Plus,” Heidel added, “aren’t wood sprites nomadic?”

  “True,” I said. “They aren’t known for creating structures like this.”

  As I stared at the smooth-grained wooden steps carved with vines and flowers that flowed seamlessly around the tree and up to the houses, the carefully woven grass-thatched roofs, and the artfully placed trellises outside some of the walls, an idea struck me.

  “These may be the homes of woodland elves.”

  “Why do you say that?” Kull asked.

  “I’ve heard that a group of woodland elves made their home here in the unicorn forest—but I thought it was just a story. Perhaps it wasn’t.”

  “We won’t know unless we look inside,” Heidel said. “Brother, do you think it’s safe?”

  He scanned the forest, his eyes alert as he searched for threats. “I see no immediate danger. To be honest, I see no signs that anyone has been here in quite some time. Still, we must be cautious.”

  “I agree,” I said. “It seems unusually quiet.”

  I moved toward one of the staircases when Kull placed his hand on my shoulder. I turned and found that he held a knife. It was a typical Viking-inspired weapon, with a sturdy blade and wooden handle.

  “Since you’ve not been able to manage your magic, I thought perhaps you’d feel safer with a weapon.”

  I hesitated before taking it. “You do realize I’ve had very little practice using knives.”

  “Yes, I know, but it is better than nothing. We can only pray that you will not need it.”

  “I agree.” I took the knife from him, stuck it in my pack’s pocket, where it would be easily accessible, and then turned back to the stairs. As I climbed, my leg wound throbbed, but I found that if I climbed slowly and put minimal pressure on my leg, it didn’t hurt as much.

  The winding stairs led us to a door that swung open, its hinges squealing as the wind battered it back and forth. Cautiously, we entered the tree house. Inside, we found a one-room, spherical structure, with the tree’s trunk taking up the center of the space.

  Spiderwebs covered most of the surfaces. The cooking counter, teapots, rocking chairs, and even the bed were all thick with greenish webbing.