Fuse by E.L. Todd

Seventeen

Cora’sonly companions were the trees. They swayed in the gentle breeze and sang a quiet song. Sometimes, when the loneliness enveloped her, she placed words with the sounds, making a comforting tune.

It was the first time she’d been alone since she’d met Flare. When they were together, he was irritating, but now that he wasn’t around, she realized how much she missed him. She preferred his insults to this silence any day.

She didn’t come across anything interesting in her travels. The only other living creatures she saw were birds. They hopped from branch to branch and chirped as she passed. With every passing day, she consulted her map to see how close she was to the elven lands, but then quickly realized she was moving at the pace of a snail.

If only she had a horse. Or better yet, a dragon.

At nighttime, it was difficult to sleep. The sounds of the forest always made her jump out of her dreams. It was difficult to tell if the sounds were natural or a bad omen of her approaching doom.

Whenever she was stirred from her sleep, she opened her eyes and lay absolutely still. After ten minutes had passed, she realized it was just her imagination. Then she fell back asleep.

By the fourth day, she’d run out of water. According to her map, she was close to a stream, and it wasn’t the stream of the orc clan or the poisonous frogs. She approached the water’s edge and filled her canteen. Since there was no one around, she decided to take a bath.

Being naked in the water reminded her of the time she’d bathed in front of Flare. She hadn’t realized he was a man as well as a dragon, and the fact that he’d seen her naked made her cheeks turn blood red.

Was that why he’d kissed her?

Vax was a conservative place. She always wore pants and a long-sleeved tunic to cover her skin. She already had enough advances from men, and she didn’t want to encourage more by showing her feminine curves. It was clear that outside of Vax, things were different. Flare and Bridge both spoke of women like they had a lot of experience with them, even though neither was married.

She needed to let go of her former culture and adapt to a new one, at least if she wanted to survive.

After bathing, she changed her clothes then washed the old pair she’d been wearing. Being clean was a necessity. She’d never considered herself to be high-maintenance, but cleanliness was important to her. When the grime piled up, she didn’t feel like herself.

When she was finished, she hit the road again, knowing she’d be traveling on foot for a long time. She considered running until she reached Eden Star, but she would have to sleep longer to regain her energy, so it wouldn’t really make a difference.

She hunted every few days and cooked the meat over a fire. As soon as the meat was done, she would put out the flames and move on, not wanting to attract visitors. Flare could eat raw meat, but she was certain she’d grow seriously ill if she did that. While on foot, she ate her dinner and kept moving.

By the end of the first week, she’d had enough. Every tree and every hill looked exactly the same. The boulders she passed started to blur together, and she didn’t know whether she was traveling in circles or going in the right direction. Every time she consulted the map, she seemed to be on the right track.

But could she ever know for sure?

Maybe she should have allowed Flare and Bridge to accompany her. She could take care of herself, but she wasn’t proficient in traveling. All she’d ever done was visit the neighboring towns and villages. Now, she was hiking across the continent with a blind eye.

* * *

She rested her head on her pack and tucked the thin blanket around herself, keeping the warm air directly next to her body. She lay between a bush and a tree, using it as cover from anyone who passed.

She lay on her back and looked up at the sky. There wasn’t much to see because it was so dark. In the distance, the stars shone high in the sky, twinkling deep into the unknown.

The stars comforted her in a way she couldn’t explain. Whenever she couldn’t sleep in Vax, she always stared at them through her small window. After a few minutes, their silent song lured her to sleep.

Her eyes grew heavy and started to close. Her heart slowed down, beating at a steady rhythm. Her muscles relaxed from the long journey, and her body welcomed its unconscious state.

But then she saw something.

It happened so quickly, she wasn’t sure if it happened at all. A mass passed across the sky, not having any specific shape. It was a shadow, a blackness, that moved with lightning speed.

Her heart stopped beating.

Did she really see that? Was her mind playing tricks on her? Was her fatigue so paramount that she was hallucinating? She lay absolutely still and hardly breathed. She was certain she saw it, whatever it was, and it was bigger than any bird she’d ever come across.

The adrenaline kicked in, and blood pounded in her ears.

She didn’t move for her sword or bow because she was too scared to make a single sound. Just the slight rustling of the grass could attract someone—or something.

Her eyes remained wide open, unblinking. She stared at the sky and hoped she didn’t see anything else. It was strange how quiet the world became once you really started to listen. Other than the breeze and the swaying of branches, there was nothing else to focus on.

There was only silence.

And then it happened again.

A black mass flashed across the sky. If it were bright and sparkling, it would have reminded her of a shooting star. Dark as it was, it felt more like a bad omen, a hint at an apocalyptic end to the world.

All Cora heard was the movement of the black body through the air. There was no other sound. Despite her limited visibility, she knew the beings were traveling fast.

There were two of them.

The number resonated in her head like a gong. High-pitched and piercing, alarm shot through her body like a sharp arrow. Perhaps it was paranoia, but she could only think of two other beings that could fly besides dragons.

The Shamans.

* * *

She didn’t get any sleep that night.

Too afraid to close her eyes for long, she hardly blinked. Evil was directly on her tail. They must have tracked her down to this location. She avoided making footprints in the dirt and only made fires during the day for just a few minutes, but maybe that wasn’t enough precaution.

Perhaps they had other ways of tracking her.

Did they realize Flare went a different way? In her eyes, Flare was a much more important target. But if one of them had to be captured, it should be her. A dragon was far more important than she, a stupid girl.

She shouldn’t have stabbed the Shaman in the first place. Sometimes, she had unrealistic views of her own strength. And that could have gotten her killed. But if she hadn’t intervened, that boy would have been turned to dust.

So, could she really regret it?

Could she make it to the elves and avoid being captured? After she was in their realm, she wouldn’t have to worry about the Shamans anymore. While most of the trail was covered with trees, some of the journey brought her directly across a desert.

There would be no way for her to hide.

When the sun rose the following morning, she consulted her map. The brush was denser near the river, right past the orc clan and the poisonous frogs Flare had advised her to stay away from. It was the best terrain to remain hidden from the skies.

Her choices were limited. She might be able to avoid the Shamans by taking the path near the river, but she might become dinner for the orcs in the process. Or even worse, she could be poisoned by the frogs.

What was worse?

The Shamans sent a chill up her spine. When she battled the first one, she’d barely escaped with her life. Their use of magic was unparalleled by her bow or her sword. She couldn’t see their faces, but her imagination was far worse than the real thing. Whatever was behind that hood was foul and evil.

It didn’t take her long to come to a decision.

“Orcs and frogs, here I come.”

* * *

She moved across the forest floor, careful not to make a sound. She bypassed the fallen leaves and twigs and stuck to the firm earth. Her eyes constantly scanned the world around her, making sure she hadn’t been spotted. She was near the orc settlement.

She could smell it.

When she heard voices, she retreated into a bush and concentrated on the noises.

A guttural sound filled her ears. An image of a dragon munching down on a raw bear came to mind. The sound of cracking bones and severed tendons was something she’d never forget. That type of carnal sound, of a predator eating prey, was the first thing she thought of.

She crawled farther toward the end of the forest and watched the river. Massive black orcs gathered around the stream, refilling their water sacks and washing their thick hides. She’d never seen an orc, but they were just as terrifying as she once imagined.

Thick black hair covered their bodies, and their faces were gray like stone. Their features were concave rather than convex, and their noses were pushed in like someone had punched them too hard. Their mouths were lipless with just an opening that showed expansive teeth. Eyes as big and round as an owl’s made them seem like monsters.

Cora definitely didn’t want to have a rendezvous with them if she could avoid it.

She retreated farther into the trees and made her progress noiselessly. While Flare insisted the frogs were worse than the orcs, she found that unlikely. Orcs were aggressive and massive beasts. The muscles of their arms and legs could snap her to pieces. No matter how poisonous, the frogs were far less terrifying opponents.

Three days had come and gone, and she hadn’t spotted the Shamans again. Hopefully, they’d moved on and lost her trail, but she suspected that was just hopeful thinking. The annoying tug in her heart said she would see them again, as much as she wished that weren’t the case.

She didn’t see the orcs again as she continued, but she found evidence of their passing. Heavy footprints were in the mud, their feet the size of her torso. Branches had been pushed aside or even broken in their path. When Flare was in his dragon state, he moved around the environment rather than destroying it. But these orcs didn’t seem to care.

She stayed along the river until the trees began to change. Their leaves took on a lighter shade, not as vibrant and green as before. Even though the river was nearby, it didn’t seem like vegetation in the area was getting enough water. The desert was just a few more days’ travel, so the climate was beginning to change.

Since the Shamans hadn’t made an appearance in many days, she decided to get some sleep. For all she knew, the shadows weren’t Shamans at all. Maybe they were large birds. With her limited knowledge of the outside world, she couldn’t provide an accurate guess.

Her thoughts and vision were starting to blur, so the second she rested her head on her pack, she fell asleep. When she’d lived in Vax, she had to lie still for nearly an hour before sleep finally took her. Now that struggle was nonexistent.

Dreams came and went. Some were about the Shamans, their gloved hands reaching for her throat. Sometimes, Dorian’s face came to her mind, the blinding pain in his eyes when they said farewell to each other. And then other times, she saw a pair of black eyes drilling into her own. They ripped into her, stripping every layer and every limb. They stared right into her soul, not allowing her to hide anywhere else. The irises were black as coal, and the distant colors surrounding them were orange and red, the beginning of a blazing fire. Not once did they blink, not willing to give her a single moment of liberation.

Cora tossed and turned, running from something she couldn’t escape. Doors appeared on her journey, but every time she walked through one, she was met with the same raging eyes. It was vivid and real. She could smell the smoke in the air and feel the burn in her lungs. Her leg muscles ached from the distance she’d run. It was worse than any nightmare she’d ever experienced.

It was a night terror.

The eyes squinted, turning vengeful. “I. See. You.”

* * *

She continued her journey up the river and tried not to think of the dream she couldn’t forget. Nightmares such as those had never plagued her in Vax. Now, they were coming nearly every night. She was chased by a pair of unforgiving eyes. They never allowed her to escape, subjecting her to the torture of a complex cage.

She’d never told Flare about it, but now she wished she had. Maybe he might know something about it. Did he have dreams? Did he have nightmares such as that? She wished she knew.

Her water canteen was depleted. It’d been empty for nearly a day. If the desert was on the horizon, then she desperately needed to refill it before the barren stretch ahead. If not, she wouldn’t make it. Cora could survive stab wounds, nightmares, and even orc attacks, but she couldn’t survive dehydration. It was the one thing that connected every living thing. Without water, they all would perish.

She approached the edge of the forest and crouched behind a boulder. The stream was quiet, and the water was hardly moving. The distant sound of the running water was soothing to her ears. The noises of nature made her forget the danger that loomed behind every corner.

Instead of running out immediately, she waited. She listened for the sound of a crying orc or the bellow of a frog. Nothing out of the ordinary played against her ears, and there wasn’t a creature in sight. The riverbed was filled with lily pads that gently floated across the water. The surface sparkled under the sunlight, making it glimmer like flecks of gold.

She grabbed her canteen then approached the river, still cautious in her movements. If she were going to be ambushed, it would happen right then and there. Her knees hit the soft grass, and she crouched down in preparation to fill her bottle made from the stomach of a bear.

Still nothing.

She leaned down and scooped the moving water into the bottle. It was cool to the touch and soft, immediately reminding her of bathwater. It removed the dirt from her fingertips and the grime under her nails.

When the canteen was full, she took a deep drink. She didn’t realize just how dry her mouth was until the liquid ran down her throat. After consuming the entire bottle, she still felt parched. Her skin was pale and unusually tight. When she touched the flesh of her forearms, she saw the distinct change in color, something Dorian taught her a long time ago. She filled her canteen again and drank the contents. It was important to consume as much water as possible before continuing forward. Water wouldn’t always be so accessible.

A strange tingle prickled her skin. The hair on the back of her neck became rigid and stiff. Even though she was warm, her forearms freckled with bumps. Her body suddenly chilled despite the summer day.

It was like an itch she couldn’t scratch. She knew something was wrong in the clearing, but she couldn’t distinguish what it was. Just like the black eyes in her dream, something was drilling into her.

Her eyes left the stream and looked across the water. Staring at her with menace was a green tree frog. But it was no ordinary frog. This wasn’t the kind that sat in your palm while you played outside. It wasn’t cute, as the girls would claim.

It was threatening.

Red eyes sat atop its head, and they were trained on Cora. The plump lips of its mouth were trembling, but not in a fearful way. The anger over her presence shook his entire body, and he couldn’t contain it. There wasn’t a single doubt in Cora’s mind that he wanted to murder her.

She discreetly replaced the lid to her canteen and shoved it into her pack, not taking her eyes off the frog that seemed determined to kill her and feed her to his tadpoles.

She slowly rose to her feet and took a step back. “I just wanted some water…”

Its lips stopped trembling but widened in a grimace. Teeth sharper than her dagger emerged, pristine white and lethal. A roar fit for a bear came from its throat, echoing in the clearing.

“Aren’t you supposed to say ribbit, ribbit?”

The amphibian was nearly twice her height, and the power in its hind legs was noticeable in the distinct muscles that formed its size. It crouched hard into the ground then pushed off the surface, flying all the way across the riverbed and directly onto the opposite bank.

“Shit, Flare wasn’t kidding.” She took off at a sprint and ran for the trees.

The sound of its hops thudded behind her, shaking the ground with every landing.

Of all the ways she thought she would die, she never thought she would be killed by a tree frog.

She couldn’t wield her sword because she might contract the poison from her blade. Coming into contact with it would end her life immediately. How did you kill something without touching it?

She wanted to smack herself upside the head.

She armored her bow and yanked the arrow out of her quiver as fast as possible. The arrow fit against the string, and she pulled her arm back in preparation for the shot. If she missed, she wouldn’t get another chance. She would be frog food.

She skidded to a halt on the grass and turned around. Her arms scraped against the dirt and caused a painful burn. A cry escaped her clenched jaw, but she didn’t lose her focus. The evil frog prepared its hind legs for a final leap, the pounce of death.

She released the arrow and watched it penetrate the monster right between the eyes. The slime covering its skin splashed out as the arrow dug deep inside its skull. The redness in his eyes died like a blown-out candle, and he fell forward into an ungraceful roll, stopping just a few feet from Cora.

A stitch burned in her side, and adrenaline was still heavy in her blood. Her heart was about to give out from both the effort and the fear. She was as careful as possible, but an enormous beast had still managed to sneak up on her.

She placed her bow across her back then lay on the grass, recovering from the near-death experience. Once her breathing had returned to normal, she walked to the frog and looked down at its corpse.

The arrow protruded out of its skull, the red feather tip moving slightly in the breeze. She knew she should leave the arrow behind because it was infected with deadly poison, but she couldn’t spare it. One arrow might make all the difference when it came to life and death.

She slowly pulled the arrow from the skull, doing her best not to flick bits of poison onto her clothes or skin. The moist slime covering it had a shadowed tint, emitting a sign of danger to anyone who looked at it.

The arrow contained bits of frog brains, so Cora rubbed it off on the lush grass. The stench burned her nose, causing her to grimace and feel nauseated. “Yuck.” She wrapped the arrow with a clean cloth before she returned it to her quiver. If the poison spread to the remaining arrows, she wouldn’t be able to touch any of them—at least not without dying herself.

The familiar feeling of being watched fell on her shoulders, and she looked up to see a gathering of tree frogs near the bank. They were all different colors, some pastel blue while others were pink. Their skin shone from a layer of poison their bodies constantly produced. It gleamed in the sunlight, acting as a warning to anyone with eyes. Their eyes were all the same color—fiery red.

She didn’t have enough arrows.

Their demeanor wasn’t threatening like the other frog she’d annihilated. They crouched to get a better look at her, but none of them chased her down. Quiet ribbits escaped their throats, speaking to one another in their own language. They cocked their heads from left to right, moving like curious birds.

“Okay…”

Even though there were more of them than there were of her, they stayed back. Fear might have kept them in place. Or maybe it was something else entirely. Cora didn’t stick around to find out.

She took off.

* * *

The trees thinned, and the underbrush became nonexistent. Vegetation was scarce, and the stream curved around and headed in the opposite direction, originating in the mountains.

Now, all that was left was the desert.

She didn’t know how long the sand would last. She could barely see the mountains on the other side. No living creature could cross the stretch unless they had a wagon full of water barrels.

Could she make it?

She only had a single canteen, and there was no way it would last, not under direct sunlight. Her only option was to eat food dense with water along the way.

But could anything survive out there?

She decided to camp out in the trees for the day until the sun went down. It would be better to travel in the dark, to decrease water evaporation, than to travel under the blistering sun.

Her heart hadn’t slowed down after the attack with the frog. With one obstacle completed, there was another one to replace it. She would never admit it out loud, but she missed Flare. He always knew where to go and how to do things. He’d probably have a solution for the desert problem if he were there.

But she needed to figure it out on her own.

When the sun sank behind the mountains, she made her move. She didn’t need a torch to guide her because there was nothing in her path anyway. All she needed to do was walk as far as possible until the sun rose the next day. She’d bury herself in the sand for protection from the sun until the night returned.

The sand moved under her boots with every step she took. It was unique in its composition, nothing like stone or dirt. If she distributed her weight in the wrong way, the sand would slip from underneath her feet.

The desert was more silent than the forest because there were no trees to sway in the wind and no birds to chirp to the moon. It was a wasteland of nothingness.

When she heard a sound, she stopped in her tracks. It was familiar—something she’d heard just the day before.

Ribbit.

She looked over her shoulder but only saw a black wall. She couldn’t even see the tip of her nose because it was so dark. When she held her hands in front of her face, there was nothing there.

Ribbit.

She heard it again, and this time, she knew it was real. Only one thing would make that noise.

The poisonous frogs.

They were following her out into the desert, risking their own lives just to claim hers. Would she be able to stop and sleep on the way? Or would she be chased the entire time?

Why didn’t she steal a horse? She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. If the opportunity to acquire a horse presented itself, she would take it.

Ribbit, ribbit.

“Ugh.” She had no chance of survival now. How could she hit her mark when she couldn’t see the ground beneath her feet? Her only option was to run and hope she made it to the other side before they made it to her.

* * *

The sky turned pink with the expectant sunrise. The air temperature picked up slightly, already warming even though the sun hadn’t yet arrived. Cora needed to sleep and get out of the deadly rays. Every drop of moisture in her body was vital, and she couldn’t afford to lose a single ounce.

Or she might die.

The sound of the frogs had died away, but that didn’t mean they’d retreated back to the river. She glanced over her shoulder in the hope of seeing nothing but a dry desert, but instead saw them lined up together, their throats protruding out while they breathed.

“Dammit.”

She put her hands on her hips and tried to appear as menacing as possible. “Shoo!” She held up her sword and pointed it to the sky.

They didn’t move forward or backward. They kept their position in line, their red eyes reflecting the approaching sunlight. There was an invisible line none of them would cross. The frog she had killed didn’t hide the fact that he sought murder. But with these guys, it was hard to tell.

“Show’s over,” she called. “There’s nothing to see.”

In sync, they started to ribbit. Their deep bellows reached her even across the desert. Instead of sounding like a song, it felt like an alarm. They hopped in place but didn’t leap forward.

“Weirdos…” She turned around and prepared to continue forward.

High in the sky were two distinct black shapes. They were headed right toward her, the sun shining behind them. Winged steeds that resembled horses flew elegantly across the sun, despite their blackness. As soon as the sun peeked over the mountains, they spotted her.

The ribbits increased in volume, growing more frantic. Were they trying to warn her?

The assailants drew near, and their identity was unmistakable. Black leather pants clung to their legs, and their black tunics contained the same shine of the fabric. Black greaves led to black gloves. The dark tunics covered their chests and hid their faces in shadow.

The Shamans.

Her first instinct was to run, but there was nowhere to hide. If she retreated, she’d be swallowed by a sea of dangerous frogs. Even if they weren’t there, she wouldn’t get far.

She had to fight.

Knowing she was stepping into a futile fight was disheartening. All she could hope to do was cause the worst pain imaginable before they put her in her grave. She armed her bow and drew the first arrow her fingers touched. The cloth covering the poisonous tip fell to the ground at her feet.

Cora didn’t know if the poison would be effective against these unnatural creatures. She suspected it wouldn’t have any effect at all but hoped it would burn like hell.

She aimed for the Shaman on the left and released.

The arrow launched and flew through the air with incredible speed. It punctured the Shaman in the center of his chest, dangerously close to where his heart would be if he had one, and caused the Shaman to falter in his saddle.

He tipped over and fell twenty feet to the ground, his body making a loud thump when he hit the hard earth.

Cora held her breath as she waited for the Shaman to stir. A simple arrow couldn’t have taken him down, but her heart hoped for a miracle.

He didn’t move.

The second Shaman released a loud cry, a piercing noise that made her grit her teeth in protest. The sound came straight from the underworld. It released a second cry, and Cora covered her ears because it was too painful to hear.

It swooped down from the sky and landed beside its fallen comrade. The Shaman felt his chest and shook him violently. A series of clicks and guttural sounds emitted from the shadowed hood.

It was the creepiest thing she’d ever seen.

The Shaman released his brethren then slowly turned his head toward her. He stared her down from inside his dark hood. Invisible eyes bored into hers and burned of death.

Slowly, Cora lifted her bow again.

Another ear-splitting scream erupted from deep within his hood before he jumped to his feet.

She pulled an arrow from the quiver and placed it hard against the string. She didn’t have another poisonous arrow, but her heart felt lighter knowing they could be killed after all.

He raised his palm then unleashed his power.

“Agh!” Cora dropped her weapon and fell to her knees. The pressure in her skull made her writhe in agony. Everything was caving in, forcing her head to explode. She couldn’t think about anything other than the pain. Death was preferable to the torture she felt, and she’d only endured it for a few seconds.

He marched forward with his palm still raised and gave her another dose.

She fell to her back and rolled around in the dust, flapping her hands as she pointlessly tried to avoid it. The pain was coming from inside her body, not the outside. There was nothing to fight. All she could do was suffer.

The Shaman approached her, his boots grinding against the sand, and he stopped when he was just above her. He pushed his hand toward her, increasing the force of the torture.

“Stop!” Her back arched toward the sky.

The Shaman inched his hand toward her face, the black glove reeking ominously of death.

“Agh!”

When his palm touched her face, she was about to lose her mind. Her brain was boiling, rotting in her skull. Lightning bolts echoed inside her head. All she knew was excruciating pain. Blades stabbed every inch of her all at the same time. She would do anything to make it stop—anything at all.

And then the world went black.