“What, no sarcastic reply? I’d hoped to crack a few ribs this time.”

I wisely kept my mouth shut.

“All right, here’s the deal,” she said. “You give me your word not to run off or harm me or my soldiers, and I’ll untie your hands and won’t drug you with Death Lily toxin.”

“No deal, Wynn. I can’t trust you.” Plus I planned to bolt at the first opportunity.

She shrugged. “Suit yourself. And just so you know, I’m not feeding you.”

Oh, joy. I struggled into a sitting position. Wynn’s squad passed around chunks of bread and cheese and drank from their canteens. Thanks to her kick, I wasn’t hungry at all. But then my stomach grumbled. So much for denial.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

She pressed her lips together as if debating what she should tell me. “To meet up with reinforcements near the border.”

“Of Tobory Realm?”

“Yes.”

I put a few clues together. Tipping my head in the direction of her soldiers, I said, “Are they defectors from Tohon’s army?”

“Some are.”

“And the rest?”

Wynn refused to answer.

“What happens if I kill Tohon? Who will take charge of his troops?” I asked.

Wynn ignored my question.

I answered instead. “Let’s see. Cellina? No. She had her chance to step up and didn’t take it. You?” Cocking my head, I studied her.

She glared at me.

“No, not you. You’re a backstabbing traitor. No one will follow you. Uh...present company excluded, I guess. Perhaps they’re here only because Tohon is scarier than you.”

A few of the soldiers behind Wynn suppressed smiles. Ah, I’d hit close to the target.

“Careful, Baby Face. I hear cracked ribs are very painful even for healers.”

“All that’s left is Sepp. I always thought he had a superiority complex.” I considered. “Sepp’s not smart enough.” And then all the little clues clicked together. The “we” she’d referred to wasn’t just her and Sepp. “You joined the Skeleton King’s army and you brought him a present, didn’t you?”

“Shut up.”

“That’s how the Skeleton King got the new plague virus. You turned a dangerous man into a deadly force. You do know he’ll just chew you up and spit you out, right?”

“I said shut up.” Wynn aimed her boot at my head.

Pain exploded and I spun into darkness.

Kerrick

KERRICK

Hundreds of bodies intruded, irritating the living green. Kerrick dug his fingers into the soil, seeking one particular life force among them. Avry didn’t cause the same nuisance as the others, but since he’d been saved by the forest, he could sense her cool vanilla presence.

Except this time. She’d been there, to the east of him, then...poof, gone. It also appeared that the bulk of the soldiers headed south, away from Grzebien.