Free The Curse in the Gift (The Last Whisper of the Gods Book 2) by James Berardinelli Page B

come, perhaps on the far side of the bridge, she could discern a distant glow, likely from a fire. Someone else was indeed in Widow’s Pass. She didn’t know whether to be comforted by the thought or alarmed. She considered waking Vagrum and bringing this to his attention, but decided to let the big man sleep. It had taken him a while to drift off and he needed every minute of slumber he could catch. Alicia was becoming increasingly accustomed to getting only a few hours of rest each night. It affected her during the day, making her thoughts sluggish and concentration difficult. The group could survive if she was thus disabled, but they needed Vagrum in the best possible condition.
    Their fourth day in the mountains dawned gray, but at least it was no longer snowing. The storm had deposited a half-foot of a powdery substance during the night - enough for mild concern but not alarm. When Alicia mentioned the distant light she had seen during the night, Vagrum nodded grimly. “We can hope they’re fellow travelers.” Something in his voice convinced Alicia he didn’t believe that to be likely.  No one at the inn had indicated an intention to enter Widow’s Pass in the foreseeable future. Whoever was behind them hadn’t stopped at The Gateway. And the only ones who refused the inn’s hospitality were those who didn’t want to be noticed.
    “If they’re lighting fires at night, they can’t be concerned about us seeing them. Maybe that’s a good sign?” Rexall sounded uncertain.
    “It just means they don’t care if we know they’re there. We can’t turn back. We got no choice but to forge ahead. It’s probably more important to them to stay warm than maintain secrecy. I wish we could push the horses more but the road is too damn treacherous, especially with this new snow to hide pitfalls. If we lose a horse, we doom ourselves. I can smell Winter in the air. That storm last night was the first of many. This pass will be closed within a week. We need to press on and get past the other bridge before the next storm comes. Then we’ll have a fighting chance. Truth be told, I’m more worried about the weather than anyone who might be following us. If needs be, I can fight a man but not a storm.”
    As the day wore on, Alicia found her awareness becoming muddled, as if she was enveloped in a fog. Her attention wavered; she frequently slumped forward and had to grab the horse’s mane to keep from toppling off its back. She was wracked by alternating bouts of chills and hot flashes. Periods of uncontrollable shivering gave way to sweating, then back to shivering again. She loosened and tightened her cloak to no avail. When they stopped for the mid-day meal, she lacked the will to dismount.
    “She’s ill,” pronounced Kara after touching the back of her hand to Alicia’s flushed face. With a start, she realized she was lying on the ground. When had she gotten down from the horse?
    “Not just tired?” Rexall sounded concerned. “She ain’t been sleeping much.” Alicia was surprised he was aware of someone other than himself enough to notice.
    “No. Her humours are out of synch. The cold and lack of sleep are only making it that much worse. At home, in Vantok, she could probably fight it off easily. Out here...” Kara didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to. Because of her isolated upbringing, Alicia hadn’t been exposed to the wide range of diseases the rest of them had. For the nobility, sicknesses were rare but often serious.
    “We’ll travel through the night.” Vagrum’s voice was somber. The proclamation, which put all four of their lives at risk, testified to how grimly he regarded the situation.
    Alicia wanted to protest that she was all right, that there was no need to go to such extremes, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out. She lacked the strength to form the words.
    “Tie her to the horse so she doesn’t fall off. Let’s go. When dusk comes, we’ll use lanterns and