Riding a dead horse was better than riding a living one. It didn’t have weird bucks or opinions or tendencies. It did exactly as it was told. It just smelled like decay and magic. Sinister magic that made Snow’s nose itch constantly. She rubbed it for what must have been the sixth time since they started riding together.
It didn’t help that she was in the front, controlling it the best she could. She wasn’t much of a horse rider to begin with and somehow even with training wheels she wasn’t confident with it. They had been riding for an entire day since leaving the previous town. They’d taken a short rest the night before but now it was a little past dawn.
She glanced over her shoulder at Ryza, “Any luck on whatever it is you’re doing back there?”
Ryza’s eyes were like two stars shining in the darkness of her face. She was chanting in that language that mages spoke and she wondered what any of it meant. But Ryza didn’t keep chanting for long. She turned her glowing gaze onto Snow and shook her head. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and shuddered.
When her eyes opened again, they were grey and calm though her face was very grumpy. “I cannot tell if my uncle is hiding himself or if he’s just difficult to pin down. For all I know he may not even be on this side of the continent.”
“Does he travel that much?”
“I don’t know. I admit I don’t know much about him.”
“But he’s your uncle,” Snow said. “Family.”
Ryza looked down, “Well my family isn’t exactly normal. Or healthy.”
“And your uncle doesn’t care about you in that way either?”
“It’s hard to know. I think he cared more about my abilities than me as a person. Though after I killed my mother, he was different. He showed some sympathy to me.”
“And that’s what you bank on. That man’s humanity.”
“There’s something in there. At the very least he’ll be intrigued by you and your condition Snow. I doubt he’s seen many people harboring a demon. Let alone one that’s passed down amongst family.”
“You make me sound like an interesting lab rat.”
“To him you would be.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if their family isn’t one of his experiments gone wrong.”
Ryza glanced to the side and then shook her head, “Vayne wouldn’t allow something like this to escape his attention.”
“Then maybe they’ll become one of his experiments.”
“I won’t let him,” Ryza said angrily. “Either he helps her or we leave him.”
“You’re doing that thing again,” Snow said staring at her. “Talking to yourself. And it sounds like you’re in a real conversation.”
Ryza shook her head fighting the urge to talk to her about it. Rubbing her hand against her face she said, “When we get to the next town, I’ll explain it better. There’s layers to it.”
“Is it more crazy magic necromancer stuff?”
“Something like that,” Ryza looked toward the main road.
“What if we asked for directions?” Snow suggested offhandedly.
“What?”
“Like if anyone has seen any strange magical or mage sightings, right?”
Ryza glanced at her companion’s back and sat up slightly to look at her face, “You really think that’s how it works?”
“Well how does it work? I figured people report everything out of the ordinary that they see to the Sanctum,” Snow pouted folding her arms. “It’s not the worst thing in the world.”
They were very much off the beaten path but it wasn’t hard to see the road from their position. As she looked she could see a cart coming along on the road. She focused on it, narrowing her eyes. A pair of horses, a man at the front, and a large cover on the top.
Ryza made a face and glanced over at the cart, “If we want to ask someone for directions, that’s the one to ask.”
“Yes,” Snow grinned at her. “It doesn’t hurt. It’ll be a great idea. Wait. We’re riding an undead horse aren’t we?”
“Yes. My handiwork.”
“As good as it is, and it really is,” she smiled at her. “Won’t people freak out looking at this?” She motioned to the exposed bones, the splotchy skin, and the glowing eyes.
Ryza glanced at their mount and she smiled at her, “Snow you misunderstand the talents of a proper mage. I choose to make our mount look like this because it pleases me.”
“This pleases you?” Snow repeated.
“Mmhm,” Ryza said contently. “But you’re right. For normal company this should change.”
She pressed her palms together and then touched the flanks of the horse. The horse vibrated subtly beneath them making Snow jump slightly. As they walked it was like the horse went over a metamorphosis. Skin and hair growing. Luster returned to its body and even the glow in its eyes faded to a more natural black. It was like being on a brand new animal.
Snow glanced up and down and then glanced back at Ryza who looked almost smugly. “Why didn’t we start with this?”
“I like my animals having a touch of the grave to them,” Ryza said and then felt a nibbling at her cheek. She glanced at Shriek and chuckled. “No little one. You are fine as you are. I wouldn’t change you anytime soon.”
“Really sister? You still have that thing? It’s been years.”
“Real companions are hard to come by,” she whispered. “Maybe you should have found a pet.”
The ghost scoffed and Ryza pat the flank of the horse, “Come on. Let’s go talking to some locals if you think they’ll know about my uncle.”
Snow smirked, “When this works you’ll be eating crow. Actually, I wouldn’t mind some crow. Or fowl.”
The horse turned along on its path to put them on a proper collision course with the cart. It rocked back and forth as its wheels took the bumps and holes. They could hear the horses chuffing back and forth to one another. As they sidled up to them the horses looked at theirs but immediately recoiled.
The cart shifted away slightly and the rider jerked the reins back under control with a grunt. He was a younger man, skin smooth but black facial hair thick around his entire face, almost like a helmet. He was wearing simple overalls and a shirt. He smiled at the two of them raising a hand.
“Hello,” Snow said. “I’m sorry. We may have spooked your horses.”
“It’s alright. They’ve been on a long journey.”
“We have too,” Snow said smiling easily. “We started at a small town just outside of Radiant and now here we are.”
“Radiant. That’s quite the journey for you two,” he said smiling.
“Yes it is,” said another man leaning out of the cover of the wagon. He was older, his hair thinner and lighter in color. Closer to a blonde but there was a familial resemblance between the two of them. He looked in the direction of the two of them and his eyes were a cloudy grey. “My name is Cole. And this is my cousin Ryan.”
“I’m Snow and the grumpy one is Ryza.”
“Snow and Ryza,” Ryan repeated. “What brings you out this way?”
“We’re looking for my uncle,” Ryza said glancing at the two of them. “But he travels a lot. So keeping track of him is difficult.”
Ryan frowned. “That does sound troublesome. I hope that you’re able to find him.”
“What about you two? Where are you two heading?” Snow asked. “We haven’t seen too many people on the roads this morning.”
“This isn’t the most popular of roads,” Cole commentated. “We’ve been traveling for some time as well. We’re journeying to Varuct.”
“Varuct?” Ryza repeated. “I thought that that was destroyed in a calamity five years ago.”
“It was,” the blind man said. He turned to face ahead of them despite not being able to see anything. “But slowly people are trying to rebuild. No one wants to believe that that city is truly gone. I’ve heard that they are rebuilding it one piece at a time.”
“I thought that place was a hazard now,” Ryza said glancing at Snow and then at the pair.
“There are rumors that dangers lurk within the city but we have the hunters,” Ryan smiled. “They’re protecting the people as they rebuild our home.”
“Our? Are you from Varuct?” Snow asked.
“I am,” Cole said. “Ryan grew up away from it in my brother’s village. I lost a lot of family doing the calamity and I lost my sight. He’d been taking care of me since then. But when I heard about the restoration effort and I decided now it’s time to return home.”
Snow frowned hard and she nodded quickly, “You really think you can rebuild it all?”
“Honestly I don’t know,” Cole chuckled. “But I know I want to try with everyone else.”
“I just hope that there aren’t any mages there,” Ryan said warily. “I’ve heard rumors that there are mages hiding away in the ruins.”
“There’s always rumors cousin. The hunters will protect us there.”
“I hope so. You know what nana says.”
“She thinks that the mages caused the calamity.”
“Exactly. But nana also says that Varuct deserved it because it wasn’t protected. And I love her to death but that doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything she says.”
“I’m just saying. Mages are dangerous. I talked to some people who were in Varuct when it happened. They said there were some mages being brought in before it happened.”
“They also said there were dead people running around. And a massive demon bigger than the city. All I remember from that day were the screams and the fear. So anything that can be the opposite of that is okay in my book.”
“And that’s why I’m coming with you. Make sure you don’t get yourself killed out there.”
They laughed together in a way that people who truly knew each other would. Ryza and Snow watched them, Snow smiling and Ryza observing. She felt the presence beside her and scowled but didn’t acknowledge it. “They’re so secure in their faith toward the hunters. They aren’t that powerful from what I remember.”
“What do you say Ryry?” Snow glanced back at her. “Do you want to travel with them?”
“For now I don’t see why not,” she said looking at her, then glancing at the pair again. “I know my uncle frequented Varuct once upon a time.”
The ride was a long one, taking the majority of the day. They asked them questions about their lives before now to which Snow was very ready to share with them. But Ryza was more tight lipped. She kept her answers clipped and vague. But as they traveled there were others joining them. A man leading his daughter on a horse. A man and a woman on horses. Another cart this one with children.
Ryan greeted every one of them and they all responded the same way. They used to live in Varuct and wanted to help the restoration effort. By the time the sun had gone down they were nearly a dozen people on the train and they still had half a day’s ride left until they reached Varuct.
They pulled off from the path going off toward a field of grass that was well trampled down. As Ryza followed, she could see the burn marks in the ground from campfires past. Ryan led their horses to the opposite side of the camp before waving toward everyone, “Come on. No reason to travel in the dark. Let’s make camp here for the night.”
“Will we be safe out in the open?” a woman named Rachel asked.
“If we make camp together, we should be fine,” Cole replied. “Make a circle amongst us all. Come on Ryan show them.”
Ryan directed the horses around in a circle until the cart was sideways. Getting down he went around to the back and shuffled through it for a long moment before coming out with a few logs. Tossing them down toward the center of the campsite he motioned toward everyone else.
“Create a perimeter with the carts here and here,” he pointed around. “And then horses in between. Bandits wouldn’t dare try to enter without knowing what they’re walking into. The same for any animals.”
“What about demons?” a man named Carver asked.
“Well there is no place directly safe from there. So, we just pray to our Father for protection against that situation.” Cole said.
“Amen to that,” Carver replied and helped his daughter down from the horse as he led it to the position that Ryan had mentioned. Ryza and Snow likewise did the same, Snow driving the horse to an open gap but Ryza commanded the beast to kneel down and eventually sit. She took her shovel and carried it like a walking stick.
The others did the same and eventually they had a solid nest for themselves. Though as the last horse and cart were put into position Ryza shuddered. She felt surrounded, trapped even. “This is a mistake,” the ghost said. “These people will turn on us and then where will be. Trapped. We should flee.”
She didn’t know how to argue with the ghost either. Her instincts said to do the same. To get away from this. She took a breath and her mind flashed back to years ago. Her hand tightened around the shovel and when a hand rested on her shoulder, she almost swung it at them.
But she came face to face with Snow and her eyes widened, “You okay? Saw you look a little weird over here. Well weirder than usual.”
Snow gave her a smile and something about it stilled the beatings of her heart. She looked at Snow and closed her eyes taking another deep breath. Reaching to her shoulder she pulled Snow’s handoff and then squeezed it herself. “I’m okay. Better now. Thank you.”
Snow blushed through her smile and flashed her a toothy grin. “Good. Can’t have you checking out while I’m stuck with all these people. They’re nice and all but I’m not exactly a Sanctum small talk kind of person.”
“Neither am I,” she replied. “But I do have an idea of what I can add to this gathering. Come on.”
Carver and his daughter worked on getting a fire started. Rachel went through her saddlebags producing some bread and other rations wrapped away. Ryan had created a sizable fire for them casting light and heat over them. Snow and Ryza sat down closer to Ryan and Cole out of familiarity more than anything else.
They settled into a comfortable silence as they ate together and it loosely reminded Ryza of the Free City. Eating at the inn with loud strangers singing, fighting, and laughing. She’d never felt like she belonged then but she remembered Alison and Alistair doing everything in their power to make sure she didn’t feel left out.
Looking down at her hip, her hand hovered over the mask that she carried with her. One of her first companion’s mask. As she rested her hand against it, she could feel something shift within the ghost at her side. It looked at her curiously, the judgmental scorn in her brother’s face softening. And then the ghost changed. No longer was it the robed, shovel wielding necromancer of her blood.
Instead it bowed, wearing a patchwork leotard. And when it raised its face, it wore the same mask that was at her side but without the chips. If anything, it looked pristine. She felt Snow shudder near her and caught Rachel looking up but no one else reacted. Snow set down her dried meat and looked over at Ryza raising a white eyebrow.
Ryza looked at her hands, the mask, and then at the ghost. She hadn’t even told Snow that the ghost existed, let alone turned into this. The ghost version of the rhyming jester looked at her and she could feel the smile behind that spectral mask. “What do you want?” she whispered tuning out the conversations of everyone else present.
It raised its hands and danced in a circle, spinning and finally holding its hands in front of its body as if to hold an instrument. She looked at her own hands and shook her head. It put its hands on its hips and then placed both of them underneath its mask. It tilted its head back sending one hand forward.
“To give this relationship some longevity. Give your voice a lovely melody.”
“You want me to sing?” she asked slowly and watched it nod profusely. “No” she told it tersely.
“No what?”
Ryza glanced around the circle and realized not only had a conversation been going on she had spoken far louder than she intended. Looking at everyone she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I was. I was thinking. Crossing out where we still needed to travel once, we arrived in Varuct.”
“To look for your uncle?” Cole asked.
“That’s right,” She forced a smile.
“Well what does your uncle look like?” Gus asked. “Perhaps we’ve seen him on our way there?”
“Or his name,” his wife Anna added.
More voices were added to the questions and her face paled again as she sought to back away. Snow moved in front of her quickly and held her hands up. “Whoa whoa everyone. We appreciate the help honestly. But we’ve had a very long ride up to this point. I think Ryry’s ready to pass out. So, if it’s all the same to you I think it would be best for her to get some rest.”
“She does look quite pale. I’m so sorry,” Carver said. “I should have noticed sooner.”
Ryza raised her hand to brush off the sudden wave of concern that was coming her way now, “It’s alright. I just appreciate the chance to rest for now.”
As she said that the children that had joined them decided now was the time to yawn very loudly. Their parents reacted immediately, one scolding and the other coddling. One of the children shouted something and that set of the other and they began to argue and fight amongst themselves. Ryza welcomed the distraction as she slid away from the group.
Snow followed after her going to their horse and settling down, “What’s wrong? Give me something more than nothing Ryry. Outside of being able to smell and hear something’s wrong I can see it plain on your face.”
Ryza was just about to say those very words so being called out threw her off slightly. Closing her eyes, she looked at Snow again and saw the worry there. The concern was impossible to fake and she felt herself grow guilty simply for causing it. Covering her face with one hand she scowled, “Sorry. Just. I don’t like crowds. Especially people like them.”
“Like who? Sanctum people?”
“Yeah. Even though Norians are the ones that killed my father, Sanctum people are worse. At least Norians wear their hate on their sleeve. Sanctum people will stab you in the back. It’s hard for me to trust that being in this,” she motioned to the circle around them. “Is safe.”
Snow looked around them, at the people assorted and assembled and she couldn’t help but think Ryza was overreacting. But she saw the necromancer’s grey eyes. Saw something more than the guarded caution and veiled hostility. There was anxiety there. Even fear.
“Okay Ryza. What do you want to do?”
“What?”
“What do you want to do?” Snow asked again. “If being here is getting to you this hard then we can leave. Being with these people is more just for convenience. Between the two of us nothings gonna get us in trouble. We could leave.”
“But what if we get attacked? We don’t know what’ll happen if you change.”
Snow made a face, thinking. “I don’t know either. The demon has been quiet. But I can feel it. Just kinda watching.”
“I’m not going to risk your life just because I don’t like crowds.”
“But I don’t want you stressed out just for us being here,” she said back.
“I can suck it up,” Ryza said taking a stubborn breath. “We just need to be with them for another half a day anyway. Once we’re in Varuct we can separate from them and be on our way again.”
“You’re really doing all of this for me?”
“Yes.”
Snow stared at her and tried to fight the smile but also the stinging in her eyes. She rubbed them quickly and sniffled. Ryza looked at her and grimaced, though it turned into a loose smile at the same time. Snow hugged her tightly and Ryza braced ready for it this time. She didn’t hug her for too long though. “Are you actually tired?”
“Yeah,” Saying it was like casting a spell and she felt the energy leave her. “If I’m going to maintain the façade of the horse I’m going to need to rest for real.”
“Then rest. I’ll look over you,” Snow puffed out her chest. “Nothing’s gonna cause you any trouble while I’m here.”
She fought the urge to giggle and took her cloak off. Rotating it around herself she used it as a blanket and pressed her back up against her horse. Shriek poked his head out and rubbed his nose against her chin. She smiled down at him and nodded, “Yes little one. We’re getting close. Yes, I’m also glad that we met her too.”
The Harlequin Library 