When Ravens Call: The Fourth Book in the Small Gods Epic Fantasy Series (The Books of the Small Gods by Bruce Blake (books under 200 pages txt) 📗

her clenched gut. She rested her hand on the pouch, hoping for the hard seed to offer her the comfort for which she searched. It didn't. It pressed against her palm like any other inanimate object—no energy, no vibration, no relief. Danya sighed and diverted her attention to watching her footing, searching for distraction if unable to find peace.

She allowed her thoughts to drift to Teryk.

What has befallen my brother?

She found herself at a loss trying to remember their last interaction. She hadn't known at the time he planned to go off on his own to fulfill the prophecy. Did he offer subtle hints about his plan? After all those turns of the seasons as both siblings and best friends, did she miss him telling her his intent?

The forest turned to sparse saplings, and then the trees gave way to brush. The scrub thinned, disappeared, and yellowing grass brushed her calves, reached up toward her knees. Surprised at the sudden change, Danya raised her head.

Ahead of them stood a verdant wall unlike anything the princess had ever seen. It stretched from ground to sky, reaching high enough to make trying to see its top put a kink in her neck. The entirety of its surface glimmered with an ethereal light so dim it might not have glowed at all, yet so unmistakable, she didn't doubt its luminescence. On the other side lay a world painted green. Thick-trunked trees reached toward the wall's upper edge but fell well shy. Clusters of foliage clogged the space between them, and a wind she saw but which did not brush her cheek waved the branches and shook the leaves.

"What—?"

"The veil," Evalal whispered, leaning closer and gripping her hand tighter. "Beyond lies the Green, the land of the Small Gods."

"Correct," Ive confirmed. "Mr. Fellick assures me we near our goal."

Danya scowled—she hadn't heard the stocky man utter a single word. Did Ive know his partner's thoughts? It didn't seem likely, but he'd shown the apparent talent more than once in the time they'd been traveling with the pair. It made her want to shiver.

They covered half the distance from the edge of the forest to the shimmering veil before Fellick amended their course, directing them leeward, away from sunset and the wall. Despite turning from the green barrier, it held Danya's gaze. She squinted, peering through its translucence. It appeared a curtain of light, looked not solid enough to keep the wind on one side from blowing to the other, never mind imprisoning the Small Gods and preventing her world from entering.

The princess released Evalal's hand, allowed her path to drift toward the veil. The girl made a sound behind her, a sharp exhalation between her lips Danya recognized as a muted warning, but she ignored it. Her arm dropped to her side, the tips of her fingers brushing the tops of the grass. As she approached the wall, she noticed occasional jagged lightning flickering across its surface and wondered what caused it.

"Princess."

Ive's voice floated to her ears, but she paid no heed, the veil enthralling her. Three more paces carried her within arm's reach of the shimmering curtain. She raised her hand, hesitated as a butterfly with black highlights on the edge of its white wings fluttered past her face. Its erratic flight brought it closer to the wall until one wing touched and lightning crackled silently outward from the contact point. The insect dropped to the ground. Danya inhaled a surprised breath and crouched, searching amongst the tall blades to find it. She found it creeping along a broad fern and she held her palm out. It crawled onto her finger, its legs tickling her skin with surprising energy before it took to the air, choosing a path away from the veil.

Danya stood again, raised her arm, extended her fingers toward the green curtain. Her fingertip hovered the width of an eyelash from its surface.

"Princess."

Ive's voice startled her. She jerked from the shimmering barrier and spun to face him like a child caught sneaking a treat. She rubbed her hand on the front of her breeches, her finger tingling where the butterfly's tiny feet had walked upon her. Her forearm brushed against the pouch dangling at her waist and the Seed of Life shivered against her thigh.

"We should not tarry. Mr. Fellick says we have a distance to travel to reach our goal. We must make haste to arrive while the sun is high in the sky."

The thin man took her by the arm and guided her along with him. His grip wasn't tight or harsh, and she allowed him to lead.

"You will want to complete this journey, princess. I believe we'll find someone you'd like to see."

Danya glanced back at the Green, and a movement caught her attention. She squinted, attempting to make out the cause. The rustling of branches continued until a shape emerged—a large, hairy creature with pointed ears, a thing of nightmares.

It didn't notice her and the others, nor did her companions see the beast. By itself, the animal might have thrown a scare into her, but the woman walking beside it, one hand touching it, fingers gripping the fur at the scruff of its neck, caught her attention. She wore her hair cropped close to her head. Her eyes stared straight ahead as though not seeing what they gazed upon. A distinct aspect of sadness, despair, and loss marred her features.

The Barren Mother.

***

The nameless man sat on the log, hands in his lap, staring at Jud-dah's body twisted on the ground. Pain contorted the dead fellow's face, a reflection of the last thing he'd experienced before his life ended. For the entire morning, the men in robes milled around the corpse without moving it or covering the excruciating expression. Birk kept busy preparing a modest meal for himself and his captive, though none of