The Puppeteer and The Poisoned Pawn (The Pawn and The Puppet series Book 3)

Ruth

It starts as a whimper but normally grows in volume as the fire lights behind his eyes and roars in his ears.

But I normally catch it when it’s just a whimper. A small, breathy sound that escapes Niles’s throat. It’s a little warning that he’s moments away from groaning in agony. He has these nightmares almost every night. Flashbacks of the fire he jumped into in order to release DaiSzek from his cage. He once told me that in these nightmares, he doesn’t escape the fire. No matter how many times he rolls in the sand or jumps in the ocean. It eats through his flesh until he’s a charred corpse.

Now that I know that, I usually wake up when I hear that sound at night. I know that if he has his fit now, it will wake Skylenna, and nothing will wound her more than seeing the repercussions of his trauma.

I quickly reach into my pack, snatch the jar of burn cream, and wiggle closer to Niles, sleeping on his good side. I lift his tunic to give me access to his healing skin. The cream is thick like pudding, moss green, and smells like rosemary. My fingers curl as I scoop it out of the jar, making small circular motions over his warm, raised skin.

His whimpers grow quiet, shaping into deep breaths. I figured the nightmares might be triggered by the burning sensations that bleed into his unconscious mind. So applying the cream while he sleeps usually helps him have better dreams.

Sweet dreams, Niles.

A pair of cinnamon eyes reflect in the orange light of the fire, and I can’t help but flinch. The RottWeilen has nuzzled into Niles’s chest, keeping him warm as the temperature drops to a windless chill.

I smile down at him. Niles will never let any of us forget that the great beast has shown favor to him.

Wiping my hands of the cream, I lower his tunic, screw the jar closed, and lie back down until I’m facing the sea of stars and fireflies.

It’s funny. I used to think I wanted a life of luxury in Chandelier City. The dresses. The makeup. The glamorous balls. I truly believed Skylenna was living the dream life in Aurick’s mansion. But there was something else. Something foreign shifting under my skin. A realization that Skylenna was the first friend I’ve ever had that didn’t care for any of that. She had this enchanting glint in her eyes, the childlike wonder that wanted adventure, freedom, and friendship.

That night when we soaked in our tubs, drank wine, and ate like it was our last meal—I had a real conversation with her. The kind that didn’t include how long since we weighed ourselves. Or the boutiques that sold the prettiest gowns. It was deep and profound.

It was enough that I left behind the life I thought I wanted for nights under the stars, eating meat off a stick, making a bed out of dirt, leaves, and the clothes on my back.

“Your thoughts are very loud.”

I glance at Warrose. His arms are crossed over his bulky chest, and his eyes are closed like he’s still sleeping.

“Feel free to sleep in the forest where they won’t bother you,” I grumble.

The corners of his mouth tilt upward, not enough to be counted as a smile but as close as it gets for him.

“You’d get separation anxiety if I left your side for too long,” he murmurs, deep and husky.

I blow out a shaky breath and roll my eyes. It’s colder tonight than we’ve experienced while traveling through these forests. My wool blanket feels too thin, with tiny holes that let the occasional breeze brush the goose bumps rising along my skin.

“Are you cold?”

“Nope,” I lie.

Warrose lifts himself on one elbow, pulling something out from under his back. I train my eyes on the glittering sky, pretending not to notice what he’s about to do.

A warm gust of air sweeps back my brown curls as his raven feathered cloak is draped over my body. It’s heavy and so wonderfully warm. Without meaning to, I breathe in through my nose, inhaling his scent of smoky spice and darkness.

My eyes flutter open as I catch him looking down at me. “Better?” he asks after a solid moment of staring.

I nod, quickly looking away from his shirtless, muscular, tattooed upper body. His skin is glimmering under the fireflies that swirl around him.

“Aren’t you cold?” I ask, stealing another glance at his chest.

“Not at all.” He lowers himself back to the ground. “I was trained with a herd of northern animals. Left in the snow to adapt the way they did.”

I arch an eyebrow, turning to my side to get a better look at him.

“Why?”

“Another Demechnef experiment. If I can understand and coexist with some of the most dangerous beasts of the forest, maybe I could train them to fight alongside us in a war with Vexamen.”

I cringe at the word experiment. It always brings a knot to my stomach thinking about how all of my friends have either been test subjects or prisoners to cruel people in charge. And here I am. Ruth. Small. Entitled. Privileged. It makes me feel like I don’t belong in this group of misfits.

“Can you train them?”

He turns his head toward me, and I am paralyzed under the vibrancy of his hazel eyes and thick lashes. That stare drops like a rock to the pit of my stomach.

“Yes. Some of them.” He releases a quick breath. “But I don’t think it’s right to command them to attack or even involve them in the war with an enemy that—treats animals with such cruelty.”

I glance over at Niles and the mass of black fur that nuzzles under his chin.

“But DaiSzek will fight, won’t he?”

“He will. But nothing on earth could stop him from protecting his people.”

My heart warms.

“Do you think I’ll be able to fight? And Niles?” Warrose has been training us while Skylenna has been off on her own. We felt powerless to be of any use to her after Dessin died. More than anything, I wanted to protect the people I love the way Dessin has always done without fail. Niles felt the same way. So, naturally, we nagged Warrose until he agreed.

And I’ve gotten pretty good, if I do say so myself.

“You’re still pretty weak,” Warrose says. Great. “But you are wicked fast; I’ll give you that much. So, maybe, if we keep this up, maybe you’ll have something to offer in battle.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I deadpan.

He chuckles. “We’ll need to hone a skill. Channel all of your effort into being the best at one thing. That’s how you’ll be of value.”

“What skill?” I’m a fast runner now. Who would have guessed? But that’s hardly a skill I can offer the group.

“We’ll figure it out.” And that is code for he has no freaking idea.

Determination burns in my gut, and I have to resist the tingle in my legs to run, to build my strength, to prove to him that I can do something right.

Those big hazel eyes flicker across the campfire where Dessin sleeps, and he lingers there, only for a brief moment, before turning his attention back on me.

“Are you going to talk to him about it?” I ask.

He grunts. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Yes, actually, there is. Dessin put his friend through hell to ensure his bizarre plan worked. He expected Warrose to give his dead body that spring water, pray that mythical element brought him back from death’s grip, and if that wasn’t hard enough, he had to watch Skylenna spiral and wasn’t able to tell her it was all a ploy.

Warrose didn’t tell us the plan either. Instead, he was deathly quiet. Stuck in his own mind. Which was unusual, considering he found it especially entertaining to argue with me. It wasn’t until Skylenna told us her theory about Dessin’s possible resurrection that I finally understood what was eating at Warrose the entirety of this journey.

“You’re mad at him,” I say quietly.

“He’s easy to be mad at.”

I scowl.

“Talking things out really isn’t Dessin’s style. I just have to get over it and move on.”

“You could hug it out like Skylenna and me.”

It doesn’t earn me a smile, but it comes pretty close. “I’ll get right on that.”

We remain quiet for a long time. The crickets sing, the wind tickles the leaves, and I wonder if he’s fallen back asleep.

“For what it’s worth, it takes a strong man to carry the burden he gave you. I can’t imagine a better best friend than you, Warrose.”

He doesn’t respond, but through a swift hovering of a firefly, I see that I’ve earned that smile.

The sun has barely risen. A small orange glow, like the heat from a piece of charcoal, peeks over the tree line.

It’s a biological jolt to my internal clock. Every morning since Skylenna left us, since she said those words to me, I’ve risen with the sun to make my body stronger.

Quickly and quietly, I tie my boots, twist my hair into a thick braid, and sneak away from the group. The only pair of eyes that open are DaiSzek’s. He rises at the sight of me, tilting his head curiously. I can almost hear the question in his mind, Where are you going this early?

I wave him off, trying to coax him back to sleep, but he steps over Niles’s face with ease and follows me into the trees. I assume it’s an instinct of his to make sure any member of his pack is safe when they are on their own. Or maybe it was just a convenient time for him to do his rounds.

I start off with a slow jog, letting my legs wake up and giving my blood time to pump through the rest of my body. The kiss of the cool fall air brushes the heaviness from my eyes, and I smile at the way my lungs expand, my fingers tingle, and my muscles loosen as they flood with heat.

As I pick up my pace, I remind myself of why I do this every morning. To be useful. To be strong for my family. I won’t sit idly by while the men fight for us. And now, Skylenna.

Leaves slap across my face, sprinkling morning dew over me, and the greenery becomes a pleasant blur as I pump my legs harder to reach a new speed.

Faster.

Sweat drips down my back. My chest burns for more air.

Keep going.

I take a quick leap through the air to avoid an overgrown root, and my boot lands on something thick and twined together, like wool. The sound of a whip cracking across a tree shoots through the air, and I’m airborne, being swept up in a net of rope. I yelp as I’m yanked upward, thrown into the air as the net tightens around my flailing body.

I grip the webbed rope in my trembling hands, gawking down at the ground ten feet below me. It’s a trap. Could it be the Vexamen Breed? My stomach twists around in a tight knot. Before I can devise a plan, hushed voices surround me. Men by the dozens in black attire that look similar to the scales on a snake.

“Demiè do meriòp. Douqe nefas rè mechtzez.”

I perk up, and my blood ices over. They’re speaking old Alkadonian.

Inject her quietly. We don’t want the others waking up.

My father studies languages of the world. It isn’t allowed, but his father started the collection, and it became a family fascination. I was taught to speak old Alkadonian at the age of three but was never allowed to speak it in public.

Wait, they’re going to inject me? I watch as two men struggle to untie the long rope that’s holding my net in the air. I have to make a run for it as soon as I’m lowered to the ground. But dread sinks to the bottom of my gut as I watch more of the Breed enter the area. They’ve come prepared, and this time, even if my friends wake up and come looking for me… we don’t have the numbers to fight them off.

They’re going to take me just like they abducted DaiSzek. And that’s what led to all of this suffering. Skylenna’s grief. Dessin’s death. Niles’s burns.

Determination locks my jaw and hardens my hands into fists. I’d rather die here than have them take me to their country.

“Basnakèz!” Hurry!

Something dark and the size of a bear zooms through the air, barreling the two men to the ground. The sound that escapes them is the screams of sinners straight from hell. Grown men howling as DaiSzek rips into their necks, mutilating them with only three quick movements.

I scream, not at the mess of blood and shredded flesh he left behind, but at the swarm of men in scaly black uniforms charging DaiSzek.

I know he can hold his own. Maybe it’s absurd of me to get hysterical, but this sweet beast has protected us at all costs every time we’ve been in danger. I can’t let this be the one time he gets hurt. Because of me.

“Warrose!” I shout at the top of my lungs, shaking the net frantically. Because they try to overpower DaiSzek with throwing knives, swords, crossbows, and spears. Each shiny piece of metal that zings through the air barely misses DaiSzek’s large body. He’s fast. An otherworldly kind of speed that defies all laws of gravity. And the massiveness of his frame shouldn’t be able to twist through the air, dodging each weapon with ease.

But he does. And he does it like a dragon darting through the clouds.

“Dessin!” I scream again.

With one clench of his jaws, DaiSzek snaps a spear in half, tossing it to the side as he chomps down on the heads of two soldiers.

But there are so many running through the forest, ready to fight to the death. And what are the odds that one of them has the winning swing of his sword?

I pat down my clothes for anything I can use to help me. A realization clicking in place as I look down at my boots. Warrose armed me with a small dagger, strapping it to the outside of my ankle.

Thank you, Warrose!

Before I can unstrap the dagger, the energy in the forest shifts, a low thrumming of ruthlessness. A war drum beating in the distance.

Skylenna springs from the trees first, her long blonde hair whipping across her wrathful face as she adjusts a pair of gloves on her hands and throws herself into a crowd of men surrounding DaiSzek. And she’s nothing of the woman I’ve known. She’s a demonic spirit cutting through flesh without consequence. She’s graceful and elegant as she swipes her fists through jaws and throats, eyes gleaming as blood sprays across her face. And the way she looks at each opponent is hard to miss. Her eyes seem to dig in deep, dissecting their weaknesses, pausing time and space to understand the art of how to defeat this enemy.

Dessin rushes to DaiSzek’s side, throwing men off his back and fighting alongside him. Warrose immediately locks eyes with me, scoping out my predicament. And he’s throwing his whip to have Skylenna’s back, beheading anyone that comes close to her while also trying to figure out how to get me down.

“I’ll free myself!” I yell down at him. “Keep fighting!” I flash him the dagger he gave me, waving him off.

With a spark of adrenaline and the fiery need to prove myself, I use the sharp side of the blade to start carving myself out of the trap. Meanwhile, the sounds of cracking bones, clanking metal, guttural moans, and slurping sounds of weapons piercing organs make my hands tremble with anticipation. What am I supposed to do when I get down there? I’ve learned basic self-defense. But that isn’t even close to what I need to help them fight. Sweat rolls down my temple as I saw my dagger through the thick twine of rope.

“It’s a good thing I’m better at this than you are.” A familiar voice comes from behind me, so close I can feel his breath on my neck. I spin around to see Niles dangling from a branch above me, untying the rope that holds my net together.

“Niles!” I shriek in relief.

He flashes me a gorgeous smile, continuing his work to set me free.

“I’m sorry!” I spit out, panting as the fighting only grows louder beneath my feet. “I didn’t think they’d be in this forest. I thought it was safe to go on a run.”

“Are you kidding? Skylenna and Dessin were totally about to try and have sex quietly next to us while we slept. You just saved Chekiss from having to puncture his own eardrums.” If I didn’t just hear the sound of a man choking on his own blood, I might laugh at Niles’s attempt to lighten the mood.

“Please, hurry.”

“We’ll have to make a run for it,” Niles says, deeply focused on his task. “They have us outnumbered fifteen to one.”

“We can’t just leave them!” No. Absolutely not. I won’t leave my friends to fight because I was stupid and wanted to go on a run alone. Tears burn my eyes as I look up at him.

“We’ll only get in the way. Let them do what they’re best at.”

The feeling of helplessness swims in my lungs until I’m choking back a cry. I want to fucking help! It’s maddening being this much of a burden. I feel like a small child in their care.

“Defesuionòs fi conazaxc! Hauxverwàz fe ugaszes nosvatyui eq!”

Take out the beast! Aim the saphrine oil arrows at it!

Shit. They’re trying to knock DaiSzek out. I look around at the ongoing slaughter, seeing that Dessin is closest to me.

“Dessin! Take out the archers! They’ve laced their arrows with saphrine oil! They’re trying to take out DaiSzek!”

He only spares me a quick glance of recognition. A look that says he heard the task, he understands it, and he’ll burn down the world to ensure they don’t shoot another arrow.

As the archers raise their crossbows, Dessin picks up a spear and darts out to their left side, angling himself until he’s adjacent to their lineup. And there isn’t a moment of hesitation or doubt that he can achieve this goal. His arm whips out, flinging forward and letting go of the spear. It sails through the air, whizzing faster than a strike of lightning until it enters the first archer… but doesn’t stop there. That spear was thrown with such force that it punctures each man holding a crossbow until they’re one gory kabob. A skewer of five archers that stare blankly at each other, not understanding what hit them, not even aware of where the source of pain is coming from.

They fall from their post as one.

Chills race down my arms at the sight. At the fact that Dessin doesn’t stop to admire his work. He just keeps fighting, returning to DaiSzek’s side.

But it isn’t enough, is it? They still outnumber us easily.

“How did you know th—” Niles’s words are cut off with a grunt. I look up at a soldier gripping Niles’s throat, hanging from the same branch, and trying to kill him or throw him from the tree. Whichever comes first.

“Shit!” I throw myself as close to his body as possible, holding my dagger with a trembling hand; I don’t stop to think. I thrust my arm around Niles’s waist until the pointy end of my blade pierces the soldier trying to strangle Niles. I push it in deeper, feeling the gush of blood and the squishy organs I’m slicing through. The hilt slams into the soft of his belly, and I sigh loudly as he falls from the tree.

Niles gasps, holding his throat as he coughs to make room for more air.

“Are you alright?”

My hands are shaking.

He nods, but it isn’t convincing. Skylenna’s shriek of pain forces me to turn away from Niles. Her arm was slashed. But she only takes a moment to hiss before whirling on the assailant. Her hands twist his head in one jerking motion, and with a loud crack, he falls at her feet. She quickly holds her hand up to Dessin, who pauses with silent rage. The fabric on her arm is saturated with fresh blood, but my sister keeps fighting. Methodically. As if she’s in a trance.

“Shànvaxaz!”

Release them!

I search the trees. Who? Who are they releasing? Off into the distance, several soldiers race forward with something in their hands. Shadows trudging before them. I squint, leaning forward in my net. Not who, but what. Attached to long leashes are the nightmares that Skylenna once told me about. Long, gray limbs. Milky eyes. Weather-worn skin.

“They’re releasing a pack of night dawpers!” I shout down to Dessin. His head pops up immediately, following my gaze to the incoming threats. And it’s like jagged nails running down my back. They’re coming to overpower DaiSzek, or at least keep him busy to make this conquering easier. Faster.

“I almost got it!” Niles grunts above me. The net begins to loosen around me, but all I can see is the look of panic in Skylenna’s eyes. The frantic thought process on how the hell we’re going to get out of this one.

The net snaps free from the rope holding it up, and I take a tumble to the ground. Niles lands on his feet with a thud next to me, hands gripping my shoulders to pull me upright, away from the violence drenching the soil in puddles of blood.

“We have to go!” Niles tugs me.

But I’m frozen. My feet cemented to the ground. I can’t leave them. Yet I have no way of helping, no solutions, no escape routes for them to follow.

I cry out as the night dawpers are released from the leashes because, Christ, they’re fast. And by the look of it, they haven’t eaten. They’re starved for their next meal. The direction they sprint is toward DaiSzek. A clear target to which they were trained to attack.

I try to take a step forward, but Niles wraps his arms around me, yanking me away from the doom that’s threatening to swallow my family whole.