Page 139 of Sun Warrior

The group stared at Wilkes in disbelief, not moving.

“Go!” he shouted at them. “Go find your new Leader. Plan dark things fueled by anger and fear that will bring you and our people only sadness and suffering. Go!”

Without another word, the Warriors melted away. Except for Claudia and her Companion, Mariah.

“What now?” Claudia asked Wilkes.

“Why are you asking?”

“Because I’m the only Warrior left and I want to know my Leader’s plan,” Claudia said. “I’m sick, I’m sad, I’m exhausted and afraid, but I have not let sickness and sadness drive me to anger and madness. Neither have you. So, I’ll ask again—what’s your plan?”

“I’m going to find Nik and warn him and his woman before he walks into a trap,” Wilkes said.

“You really think he’ll come back?”

“I know he will, and if he does there is no way Thaddeus is going to let him leave, whether Mari is with him or not.”

“All right. When are we going?”

“We?”

“Do we really need to go over this again? I’m with you, Wilkes.” Claudia coughed, grimaced, and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “No matter how terrible I feel.”

“Okay then. You’re with me.” Wilkes checked the sky. “It’s only about three hours until dusk. To keep Thaddeus from following, we’re going to need to leave when he wouldn’t expect us to.”

“Which means dusk,” Claudia said. “I’ll put together the travel kits. He doesn’t watch me like he does you.”

“Be sure you grab torches and tinder. Once we’re far enough from the Tribe, we’ll light them. They’ll keep the wolf spiders away, if nothing else.”

“Got it. Where are we meeting?” Claudia asked.

“East of here, at the edge of our city.” Wilkes jerked his chin at the ruined forest to his right. “If you get stopped you can always say you’re foraging.”

Claudia nodded. “The travel packs would look like I thought I might get caught out after dark. Makes sense. At dusk, then?”

“At dusk. Let’s go back to camp in different directions. No one should know you’re with me.”

“Agreed,” said Claudia.

They shook hands somberly before separating. Invigorated, Wilkes kicked into a jog, with Odin by his side. The world around Wilkes might have gone mad, but he was determined to hold on to his sanity and to warn Nik—and that determination carried him forward into the unknown.

***

“Fix him!” Thaddeus spewed spittle into Ralina’s face as she turned to look at him over Odysseus’s fever-ravaged body.

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do. Whether Odysseus lives or dies is up to him.” Ralina’s voice was filled with pity as she wiped a sleeve across her face.

“That’s bullshit! What did the others say? The other Healers?”

Ralina sighed. “Thaddeus, they said the same after they examined him. Odysseus’s wound is infected. Badly. It’s been packed with herbs and sealed with honey, but he’s stopped drinking and eating. If he doesn’t fight he’s going to die.”

“No.” Thaddeus scooped up Odysseus, shocked anew at how light his Terrier felt in his arms—as if he was already fading away. “No,” he repeated. “You said the fever is killing him?”

“Well, yes. But he only has a fever because of the infection. Theknife wound was deep. It got dirty, which isn’t surprising in all of this.” Ralina gestured around them at the ruined forest. “If he fights off the infection, the fever will break.”

“I’ll get the sun-be-damned fever to break—no thanks to you or our pathetic Healers.” Holding Odysseus close to him, Thaddeus strode away as Ralina stared sadly after him, shaking her head.

Thaddeus walked blindly—not choosing any direction, letting his feet guide him. And as he walked, he kept up a steady stream of words to Odysseus.