Then I asked it about not taking Ryne’s soldiers.

Show me, it said. It desired a mental picture of every person in Ryne’s entire army.

I can’t. Another way?

No response. Perhaps I could mark the Death Lilys with paint to warn Ryne’s men. But then Cellina’s army would figure it out, too. And I didn’t mind if the Lilys ate them.

Another memory occurred to me. It wasn’t nice. When I’d been a prisoner in Tohon’s castle, I’d learned how to kill a full-size Death Lily. With its toxin. If I sprinkle it on the ground below the flower, the toxin would be absorbed by the Lily’s roots. It would die. But just the idea... I hated it. However, it might be the only way to make those exits safe for Ryne’s army.

Seeds, the Death Lily said.

What kind of seeds?

Mine. It showed me an image of a deer grazing under a Lily. A breeze shook the leaves and a handful of oval seeds showered on the animal’s back. Eventually a noise startled the deer and it ran off, carrying the seeds. Protect seeds. Make new.

Understanding dawned. If Ryne’s soldiers wore those seeds, would they be protected?

Yes.

Will you—

Yours.

But nothing happened. What’s wrong?

Others. Another image rose in my mind. A squad of a dozen soldiers wearing Tohon’s uniforms crept up on Odd and Hogan.

Alarmed, I fought to be released. I need to warn them!

Too late.

Odd spun, pulling his sword. Hogan leaped to his feet and yanked his weapon—a long thin blade. Both had daggers in their other hands. Outnumbered six to one, the fight lasted mere moments. Disarmed and forced to their knees, Odd and Hogan surrendered to the squad’s leader.

Their situation was all my fault. Guilt and fear pumped in my heart.

The leader—an older man with wide shoulders and a powerful build, pointed to my pack on the ground and asked Odd, “Where is your other member?”

Odd glanced at the Death Lily. “Eaten. Damn fool got too close.”

“What are you doing out here?” the leader asked.

Odd refused to answer.

More. The Lily showed me a large number of other squads moving east through the forest.

Not good. Did Ryne know they were here? Why were they so far from their main forces in Vyg? What was Cellina planning? The answer clicked. She dangled Zabin’s strategic military position to lure Ryne south. Meanwhile she sent her forces north in the hope of sneaking up behind him.

The leader motioned to his men. They manacled Odd’s and Hogan’s hands behind their backs and pulled them to their feet.

“Bring them to camp. If they don’t talk, we’ll feed them to the ufas,” the leader said.

Bad. Very bad. I had to rescue them. Right now.

KERRICK

At first, Kerrick fought to remain inside his body and not spread throughout the forest. He concentrated on the vines growing on him. On the moist earth cushioning his body. On the dirt wedged under his fingernails.