Deadly Dance: A Daath Short Story (The Daath Chronicles) Read Online Free

different.
    “Did we go through?” I expected a bit more from a magical portal.
    “Yes. Magic isn’t always exciting. You can put me down now.”
    “Can you walk?”
    I looked at her curled in my arms, and for a moment, she seemed vulnerable.
    “Yes. We can rest here.”
    Gently, I placed her on her feet. “We need to dress that wound.”
    She glanced at her shoulder. “I’ll heal. I just need to rest.” She sat on the ground, propping herself against the wall. “There’s a healing kit in the bag.”
    I rummaged through the satchel. “Are we safe here?”
    “For now. This passage is rarely used. No one likes dealing with krads.”
    I ripped open the shirt to get to the wound, and dumped water from the canteen on it. The bite was deep, but not to the bone.
    “This is bad.” I took out a salve and applied it to her shoulder.
    A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face. “Could’ve been worse.”
    Using the linen from the kit, I wrapped her shoulder. “This should hold.”
    She gave a slight nod and lay on the ground. “Rest up,” she said, closing her eyes. “And don’t try to kill me. You’ll never make it out of here.”
    “I would never stab someone in their sleep.”
    She opened one eye and smirked. “I believe you.” She yawned again and curled into a ball. “Don’t eat all the food.” Her words trailed off as she fell into oblivion.
    My stomach ached, but instead of eating, I watched this mysterious girl sleep, wondering why she trusted me.



ey.”
    I opened my eyes to Lucy hovering over me. She had braided her hair and resumed human form.
    “Your wound looks better.”
    She glanced at her bare shoulder. “I hate those bugs. Let’s move.”
    The tunnel exited into a rocky outpost covered with an army. We raced out of the cave and ducked behind a nearby boulder. The soldiers didn’t wear the black and red robes of The Order or the cobalt blue of the King’s Army.
    “Mages,” I said quietly.
    Lucy nodded.
    The mages dressed as any other Tarrtainian. The only unifying color came from the black bands wrapped around their right arms. How could Jeslyn be here?
    “The only way to find them,” Lucy whispered, “is to join the mages.”
    “What?” I gasped. “I can’t wield magic.”
    “No, but somehow you’re immune to mine which means you’re immune to The Order’s as well. That can be useful. Plus …” She curled her lip into a grin. “You can fight, and fight well.”
    “I’d be going against The Order and my king.”
    “We don’t have to actually fight. We’ll be gone before any of that.”
    How could she seem so sure of anything? A battle waged ahead, and she sat, idly picking out the dirt under her nails.
    “This is madness.”
    “I know. Isn’t it exciting?” She slapped my back and stepped out into the enemy camp.
    This girl is going to get me killed.
I sighed and followed her out.
    Scattered tents squeezed around the thick forest. The last line of trees before the red sands of the desert. Men and women marched past, never giving us a second glance. I glimpsed at my neutral garb.
We fit right in.
    “We’d like to join.” Lucy smiled at the two guards suddenly blocking our way.
    “Show us your power,” one said.
    “Of course.” She glanced over at me and winked. “But first,” she sang, “I need you to give me one hundred pushups.”
    The men dropped their swords and started pushing off the damp ground.
    “One hundred? You couldn’t have said five or ten?”
    She shrugged.
    By the hundredth, both men had sweat soaking their shirts and brow.
    “You’re in,” the guard huffed. “Nomad will want to meet. What about you?”
    “I’m immune to magic,” I said.
    “We’ll need to test that.” The guard whistled, and an older gentleman with white wily hair walked over. “This one says he’s immune. Need your skills.”
    The man gave me a crooked smile. “Of course.”
    He raised his hands. My muscles tensed, preparing for the worst.