Page 13 of Monster of the Dagger Mountains (Killers of the Towers)
Chapter 13
Kira
THIS IS A TRAP
I squeeze my jaw shut to stop my teeth from chattering. I can’t quite make out what Tholious and Matius are saying as they argue in low, sharp tones a few steps ahead of us, but I get the gist of it. Matius, like the rest of us, thinks we should stop in this field. Because it’s freezing, it’s getting dark, it’s starting to rain again, and none of us feel particularly like dying tonight.
Aside from Tholious, that is. The darling of the Towers seems to think we should all throw ourselves against the mountains until we break our necks. Another gust of wind blasts down the cruel peaks looming above us. I lean over to Zayne.
“Can’t you overrule him?” I whisper.
Zayne shakes his head. “I’m the leader of the Guild’s representatives,” he replies. “But the Guild is employed by the Towers, and technically, Tholious speaks for the Towers.”
“That’s bullshit,” I grumble. “Can’t we at least take a vote?”
The wind howls, tugging my cloak away from my body and sending me a burst of the argument between Tholious and Matius.
“—just because you think suicide is easier than leaving the Towers to be with me—” Matius growls, waving his arm at the mountain like he’s trying to prove his point using the ominous scenery.
Tholious’s reply is drowned out by a wet slap of rain from the heavy clouds. Great. I pull my cloak tighter and try not to think about how nice it probably is at the Golden Peaks right now.
“You just want to watch them fight,” I grumble to Zayne.
Zanye crosses his arms over his chest, then grins in the gathering darkness. “I’ve got a bet going with Girwin. Fifty shills say they break up permanently before this trip is over.”
“That’s disgusting!” I say, smacking him on the arm.
“Tell that to my bank account,” he replies.
Matius stomps past me, his hood pulled low over his face and every line of his body tight with rage. Tholious turns toward the rest of us and clears his throat. His cheeks are flush, his pale hair is flat against his head, and rain streaks down his cheeks like tears. I can’t help but think of what I just overheard about suicide.
“We push on,” Tholious declares.
“Fucking bullshit,” Matius mutters under his breath.
“This is my expedition,” Tholious replies.
Tholious is looking at all of us, but I think he’s only really seeing Matius. For a heartbeat the air between them is thick, like it’s about to ignite, and then Matius turns away and the moment dies. Tholious picks his bag up and turns toward the mountains. There are two paths out of this valley, the hunters said. They explored the easier route and didn’t find any direwolves or magical, murderous fugitives. That leaves the steeper, narrower path for us, the one that leads to the base of Desolation Peak.
Great. I sigh as I step into line behind Tholious.
“See,” Zayne whispers as Tholious vanishes into the darkness beneath the pines. “This is why I never mix business and pleasure.”
I growl at him, then turn my attention to not dying. But, as I drag my exhausted feet up the mud-choked path, I have to admit the man has a point. The rain picks up as the light fades from the sky, and soon we’re climbing in the dark, using rain-slick tree trunks to pull ourselves up a slope that’s all tangled roots and boulders that hit right in the shins. Behind me, Matius is uttering a string of curses whose sheer vulgar creativity would be impressive under any other circumstance, and I’m playing a fun little game with myself called Is this the most miserable thing I’ve ever done?
Yes, I determine after yet another boulder bites me in the kneecap. I’d rather clean the orphanage latrines every single day for the rest of my life than be here right now. The Daggers, I decide, are as close to the nine hells as I’ve ever come.
“Sweet screaming gods,” Zayne pants from in front of me. “Finally.”
I look away from my feet for the first time in hours. We’ve reached the top of a small ridge. The sharp edges of Desolation Peak glint in patchy moonlight that filters through the clouds. From this angle, Desolation Peak is the first in a string of mountains leading off into indecipherable darkness.
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Matius announces.
I turn away from the mountain and see a tower.
My breath catches in the back of my throat just as a distant flash of lightning paints the underside of the storm clouds piled over the valley behind us. The tower clings to the far edge of the ridge like it’s holding on for dear life.
And, at the base of the dark stone monolith, there’s the warm orange glow of a fire.
Someone is waiting for us.
Another shiver forces its way through my body. Suddenly, standing on the edge of a mountain in the rain doesn’t seem so bad. Because we came here to hunt the man who killed an old god, and that ugly stone fortress perched beneath the mountains looks exactly like the kind of place he would be hiding.
Or, not hiding. Waiting, like a spider waits in the middle of its web.
Tholious clears his throat, but whatever he might have said is lost in another blast of wind and rain that hits my face like needles of ice.
“Great,” Zayne mutters. “So much for stealth. That fucker clearly knows we’re coming.”
I turn from the tower to the dark forest below me. Somewhere down there is the Golden Peaks Hunting Lodge, with the warm bed where I spent part of last night curled in the arms of a gorgeous man who was so polite he didn’t even rob me on his way out.
And what are the chances that I could find that place again on my own? Without slipping in the mud and breaking my neck or getting hopelessly lost in these damn mountains? With a sigh, I bring my gaze back to the ground and concentrate on following Tholious as he plods slowly toward the bright orange glow at the base of the tower.
As we follow the narrow lip of the ridge, the fire tucked inside the bottom of the tower casts its warm glow over rain-lashed trees and slick stones. Our slow progress gradually reveals an arched opening at the base of the structure that seems completely unguarded. Like there’s just a roaring fire inside a cozy, welcoming shelter in the middle of the uninhabited Dagger Mountains for absolutely no reason.
“Okay,” I whisper. “This is a trap, right?”
“Of course it’s a trap,” Matius hisses from behind me.
“And we’re walking right into it,” Zayne replies.
Tholious stops, perhaps sensing some of the fear that’s radiating off of my body, and the mercenaries gather behind him. I place myself between Zayne and the nearest boulder, just in case I can hide from the Godkiller who robbed the Towers.
“Hello?” Tholious calls.
Zayne makes a soft choking noise, like he’s trying not to laugh, and I have to agree with him. Hello? That’s a bold opening move, Tholious.
A figure appears in the doorway. I freeze; the night suddenly feels much colder. With the fire behind him, I can’t make out the man’s features, but he looks massive.
“Hello,” the figure replies.
Shit. Something about that voice?—
“Master Reznyk Thorne,” Tholious replies.
Oh shit, shit, shit. I make a strangled gasping sound, then slam my mouth closed.
That’s why the name Reznyk was familiar. Reznyk Thorne was one of the four Elites. I never knew which one of the four stole the amulet, and I never had a damn thing to do with the Elites before they vanished from the Towers, so his name didn’t exactly sink in.
Still, how could I have missed this?
“We come from the Towers of Silver City,” Tholious continues, in a voice that’s far more confident than our situation actually warrants. He’s standing on the Godkiller’s doorstep, covered in mud and flanked by four exhausted, drenched mercenaries. Plus me. He should probably start apologizing, or maybe begging for his life.
Tholious falls silent. Another bolt of lightning dances across the sky, throwing the world into sudden silver light.
And now it’s unmistakable. The man standing in the archway of the evil-looking ruined tower in the middle of the Dagger Mountains is the same man I invited up to my room last night. Zayne whistles, soft and low under his breath.
“Holy hells,” Zayne whispers. “You fucked the Godkiller.”
“Shut up,” I hiss.
“You’re lucky he didn’t kill you,” Zayne continues.
“Stop,” I growl as thunder rumbles across the mountains.
“At least now we know what he was doing in the lodge last night,” Zayne says, under his breath. “Did he want you to whisper sensitive information about the Towers as foreplay?”
My cheeks burn; thank the gods it’s too dark for him to see. I drive my elbow into Zayne’s ribs. The bastard doesn’t even flinch.
“We’ve come to request an audience,” Tholious announces, oblivious to the way I’m trying to murder Zayne with my elbow.
“Really?” Reznyk replies. “In this weather?”
Tholious falls silent. Reznyk leans against the side of the arched entryway into the tower. Firelight plays across the curve of his full lips as he crosses his arms over his chest and raises an eyebrow. He looks perfectly satisfied, like he’ll wait all night while Tholious stammers in the rain.
“Perhaps we could discuss this in the morning,” Zayne calls.
“Excellent idea,” Reznyk purrs.
He doesn’t move. The warm glow of the fire licks his features and plays across the folds of his cloak and the long, dark hair curling around his shoulders. He looks dry, warm, and somehow even more murderously sexy than he did last night. Thunder rumbles in the distance, echoing off the peaks surrounding the tower. I shiver beneath layers of wet cloth. Zayne whispers something that sounds like fuck . Finally, Tholious speaks.
“May we seek shelter here?” Tholious asks.
His voice is softer, like he’s lost some of the cocky bravado he first had when he announced us. Reznyk shrugs, as if it’s all the same to him whether we stay in the rain or come by the fire he clearly lit to lure us in.
“For tonight only,” Reznyk says. “And do not climb the stairs. I doubt you’d like what you’d find,” he finishes, with a wicked grin.
With that, he retreats behind the curved entrance. There’s the sound of a door slamming shut, and then we all stare at each other as rain howls around the tower.
“Fuck it,” Zayne mutters. “Let’s go in.”
Zayne pushes past me, and the other mercenaries follow. Matius gives Tholious so much space it would be funny under any other circumstance.
And we all walk directly into the trap.