The Scorched Earth (The Chaos Born) (26 page)

His head was pulsing, every heartbeat sending blood roaring and rushing through his temples. His eyes were heavy and itchy, as if someone had poured sand in them while he slept. His mouth was so dry and scratchy he actually wondered if he’d been chewing on the rough woven blanket that had kept him warm through the night.

Despite all his physical discomfort, however, he hadn’t been able to drink enough to keep from dreaming about Scythe. But in his groggy, hungover state he wasn’t sure if what he recalled was a vision or just an ordinary dream.

We were together
, he remembered.
Naked. Close
.

In the dream, she’d leaned in close to kiss him … just as she’d kissed him after Norr won his duel.

She was just grateful for what you did. It didn’t mean anything
.

But she hadn’t kissed Vaaler.

He’d been thinking about that kiss all night. Downing cup after cup of ale and celebrating Norr’s triumph with his supporters, he kept glancing over in Scythe’s direction. If she noticed, she hadn’t
acknowledged him—all her attention and focus had been on the new clan chief.

You’re reading too much into that kiss
, he warned himself.
At best, she’s a friend. That’s all she’ll ever be. Nothing more
.

“Things can change,” Keegan mumbled out loud. “The future isn’t written in stone.”

Vaaler knew Keegan well enough to see something was bothering him. Keegan was even more quiet and pensive than usual. The alcohol still cleansing itself from his system was probably partly to blame; the young wizard had downed far more drinks than Vaaler. But the Danaan felt there was something more. Keegan hadn’t spoken a word since crawling out of his tent for breakfast; he just chewed quietly on the jerky the Stone Spirits had for seemingly every meal.

Winter is a hard time in the East
, Vaaler realized.

The growing season was over; whatever fruits or vegetables could survive the inhospitable climate would have been harvested long ago. Fresh game would be scarce, and anyone out hunting would be at risk of getting caught in one of the fast-building storms that seemed to sweep through every few days. Until the spring thaw, the hard, leathery meat was probably the only source of reliable food for the clan.

“Something on your mind?” the Danaan asked, hoping to draw his friend out of his shell.

“Just thinking,” he mumbled in response.

I’ll bet
.

Vaaler had been doing a lot of thinking himself. Norr had won his duel but the former prince was more anxious than ever. Despite downing several flagons of thick ale with Norr’s supporters while celebrating the new chief’s victory, he’d barely slept.

Keegan’s magic was strong enough to change the course of that duel. But what other consequences will there be?

Vaaler had taken every precaution he could to make sure the backlash of the spell was contained. But the ritual he’d devised had been based on theory rather than actual experience, and Chaos was unpredictable.

Especially when Keegan’s involved
.

Before the duel, Vaaler hadn’t even been sure their plan would actually work. Despite all he knew about Keegan’s potential as a wizard and Jerrod’s unwavering faith that the young man was destined to be the savior, he half expected to see Norr lose. Everything he knew and understood about magic told him the spell would fail. Watching the fight unfold, however, it was clear Keegan had actually succeeded in unleashing the curse.

Nobody else could have done that under these circumstances. Not even Rexol
.

The spell hadn’t been fueled by the latent energies of the Danaan forest; its power had come from some reservoir of Chaos deep inside Keegan himself. Even more amazing, he hadn’t needed the mind-altering effects of witchroot to unlock it. The implications were staggering.

He can summon Chaos anytime he chooses. But can he control it?

From his studies under Rexol, Vaaler knew the arcane symbols and complicated chants recited during any ritual were mostly mnemonic devices. They were tools to focus and direct a wizard’s mind, catalysts to trigger the thought patterns that allowed a mage to shape the Chaos to a specific purpose. The trappings of the mage’s art made it easier to cast a spell, but theoretically, if a wizard was strong enough, he could accomplish the same thing through sheer force of will.

Keegan had proved beyond all doubt that the theory was correct. He had unleashed Chaos in a way nobody had thought possible since the Cataclysm.

He’s like the great mages who practiced Old Magic
.

It was an exhilarating, yet also sobering, thought. The Cataclysm was caused by Old Magic, or so the Danaan legends claimed. Rexol had spent his life searching for that kind of power, only to have it destroy him. Yet if Keegan was to fulfill Jerrod’s prophecy, he would need to embrace his potential, despite the risks. Vaaler couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to bear that kind of burden.

He was also worried about Jerrod. The monk had been watching them very closely during the duel; Vaaler had felt his unseeing eyes on them the entire time. Jerrod was closely attuned to the ways of Chaos; maybe he had sensed something unusual during the fight.

If he did, wouldn’t he challenge us about it?

Vaaler didn’t know him well, but if Jerrod wasn’t confronting them about what they’d done, there had to be a reason. With the monk’s pupil-less eyes and unnatural sense, it was hard to know exactly what he was watching. But to Vaaler it had seemed like Jerrod was studying him and Keegan closely all night.

He has to suspect something. Is that what’s bothering Keegan? Is he worried how Jerrod will react when he finds out?

“You can talk to me about anything,” Vaaler assured his friend. “You know that, right?”

Keegan sighed, then took a deep breath.

“I can’t stop thinking about Scythe,” he admitted.

I should have guessed
.

Vaaler was well aware of how his friend felt about the young woman; Keegan wasn’t very good at hiding his feelings. It was understandable: she was an attractive young woman full of energy and spirit. But a simple crush was one thing; if Keegan was starting to obsess over her, it could lead to trouble.

“She’s with Norr,” Vaaler said, trying to keep from sounding judgmental. “You know that.”

“I know. But when she kissed me after the duel it felt like … it’s hard to explain.”

“It’s hard to explain because there’s nothing there. So quit acting like a spoiled child.”

“You said I could talk to you about anything,” Keegan shot back, offended. “Now you’re mocking me?”

“I’m not mocking you,” Vaaler protested. “I’m just telling you not to get all knotted up because of one little kiss. She was just excited for Norr. She got caught up in the moment.”

“I think there was more to it,” Keegan insisted. “There’s a connection between us.”

“You mean you want there to be a connection,” Vaaler corrected. “I’ve seen her and Norr together; they mean everything to each other. You don’t want to get between that.”

And if you keep trying
, he silently added,
Norr might decide to pummel you into oblivion
.

“Maybe I should just ask her how she feels,” Keegan muttered, more to himself than his friend. That didn’t stop Vaaler from answering.

“Don’t bring this up with Scythe,” he warned. “You’ll just embarrass yourself. You’re making a big deal out of nothing. You’ve got more important things you need to worry about, anyway.”

“Like what?”

“Like Jerrod. Didn’t you see him watching us last night? I think he knows what we did.”

“Now you’re the one reading too much into nothing,” Keegan answered. “Jerrod’s always watching me. He worries too much.”

“Maybe he’s right to worry.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you don’t seem to be taking what happened seriously. Your spell worked! You put a hex on Shalana, and it made her lose!”

“I told you it would work,” Keegan reminded him. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”

Vaaler gritted his teeth in frustration. Keegan was like a brother to him, but sometimes he could be so dense it was painful.

“You don’t even realize what you did, do you?” Vaaler sighed, shaking his head. “You summoned Chaos without using witchroot.”

“I’ve done it before,” Keegan replied defensively. “I told you that.”

“This wasn’t some wild outburst of raw emotion! This was a cold, calculated act. Do you even understand the implications of what you’ve done?”

“Do you?” Keegan shot back. “This isn’t the first time I have summoned Chaos. And it won’t be the last.”

“You take your power for granted,” Vaaler snarled. “You don’t appreciate how incredible and amazing your ability is. If I had the gift—”

“You don’t!” Keegan snapped, cutting him off. “And you never will. So stop trying to tell me how to feel about it!”

Vaaler was stunned into silence. Keegan opened his mouth as if he was about to say something else, then closed it and turned his gaze down to the ground.

Disgusted with his friend, the former prince stood up and stomped away, leaving Keegan alone by the fire, gnawing away at his breakfast jerky.

He stormed through the camp, not heading in any particular direction, driven by anger and humiliation. By the time he reached the Long Hall near the far edge of the camp, the emotions clouding his mind had begun to clear. As they did, he couldn’t help but wonder at how things had gotten so quickly out of hand. They’d had arguments before, but it wasn’t like Keegan to lash out at him.

And it’s not like me to overreact
, he realized.

He’d spent his whole life dealing with his lack of magical ability; he’d learned to shrug it off. But for some reason the young mage’s words had cut particularly deep.

We’ve been under a lot of stress. That’s all
.

But on some level, Vaaler knew there was more to it. Over the past few weeks they’d been through far worse situations than the one they were in now. Tempers had flared, but he and Keegan had never gone at each other before.

So why now?

Before he could analyze it further, the door to the Long Hall swung open, and Scythe came barreling out. She was walking fast: fists clenched, jaw set, and her face twisted into a mask of rage. Vaaler’s first instinct was to step aside and let her pass; he’d seen the full force of her fury enough times to not want to get in her way. But at the last instant he changed his mind.

Why should I tiptoe around her? She’s not the only one who has the right to get mad!

Besides
, the irrational, petulant side of his mind chimed in,
Keegan and I wouldn’t have started arguing if she hadn’t given him that stupid kiss!

“Where are you headed in such a hurry?” he asked, confronting her head on.

“Gotta pack,” she snapped, pulling up short just in front of him.

“Pack? Are we leaving?”

“Apparently. A bunch of the clans are having some kind of big meeting.”

“The Conclave,” Vaaler said, recalling Shalana’s words to the Ice Fang emissaries. “Someone named Hadawas is calling all the chiefs together.”

“Well, Norr’s decided to ask this Hadawas and the rest of the clans to join us in Jerrod’s stupid quest to save the world.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Vaaler said, failing to see what had gotten Scythe so worked up. “We’ve made a lot of enemies already. We can use a few more allies.”

“He wants to leave tomorrow,” Scythe added, her voice dripping with contempt. “He’s bringing all his favorite thanes with him.”

Something about the way she said
favorite
clued Vaaler in.

“Shalana?”

“Even after everything she did, even after she tried to force him into marrying her, that idiot still wants to bring her with us!”

“That actually seems like a smart thing to do,” Vaaler countered. “Shalana still has supporters in the clan. Things will go better for Norr if he can get everyone to believe they’re all on the same side.”

“Should have expected a former prince to want to play politics,” she sneered. “Guess I’m the only one around here who doesn’t want to crawl into bed with my enemies.”

“Shalana’s not your enemy.”

“Really? All she had to do was agree to help us and everything would’ve been fine,” Scythe protested. “But she wanted to make trouble instead.”

“Try to see things from her side,” Vaaler urged. “Norr hurt her when he left. He abandoned her.”

“Because she challenged him to a duel!” she spat out. “It’s her own fault!”

“It’s not that simple,” Vaaler reminded her. “When her father chose Norr over her, Shalana was humiliated. Shamed. Everything she had worked her whole life to achieve was suddenly taken away. She’s been struggling with that for the past five years, trying to rebuild what she’d lost. And when Norr suddenly showed up again, it all came crashing back down.”

“Quit making excuses for her!” she snapped. “She needs to pay for what she did!”

“You won, Scythe!” Vaaler shot back. “Norr’s the clan chief, and the two of you are still together. Isn’t that enough?”

“No,” she said. “She needs to suffer.”

“She’s already suffering,” Vaaler assured her. “More than you can know.”

“You feel sorry for her, don’t you?” Scythe accused.

“Maybe I understand what she’s going through better than you can,” he said quietly.

“Pick your side carefully,” Scythe warned. “You’re either with her or me.”

“I’m on your side,” Vaaler snapped, jabbing a finger into Scythe’s face. “I helped Norr win that duel, remember?”

“Get your finger out of my face before I slice it off,” Scythe warned in a low whisper.

Vaaler hesitated, then finally dropped his hand and stepped to the side. Satisfied, Scythe pushed past him, gracing him with a parting scowl as she left.

First me and Keegan, now me and Scythe
, Vaaler mused as he watched her go.
What’s wrong with the three of us?

He was still wondering about it when the door to the Long Hall opened a few minutes later and the thanes began to make their way out. They filed past him, most seemingly in good spirits. He noticed that Shalana wasn’t among them.