Free Darkness Possessed (Order of the Blade) by Stephanie Rowe Page A

position, his shoulders were well above his team's, and considerably broader. Given that the other six warriors were all heavily muscled, it was quite a statement. The loose sleeves of their cloaks reached all the way to their wrists, hiding the brands that marked them as Calydons. During the battle with them outside the entrance to the nether-realm, all of them had called out swords. It was unusual to see warriors all carrying the same weapon. In the Order of the Blade, all of the warriors had different ones to call.
    Why did these men all have the same one? And why were they all identical to Rohan's?
    Zach felt the brands on his own arms burn in anticipation as he neared the campfire. He didn't like being unable to see the faces of the others. A warrior could tell a great deal from the facial expressions and body language of his enemy, which was probably why they wore the cloaks.
    He was kind of impressed with the effect of the cloaks, actually. It was good stuff. Annoying, from his perspective, but good.
    He crouched beside the fire and took a wooden bowl and spoon from one of the others. It was filled with a stew of some sort that appeared to have assorted vegetables and some kind of meat. He was surprised to hear his stomach rumble, and he realized that he was hungry. It smelled good.
    Silently, he began to eat, spooning the hearty meal into his mouth. He ate fast, unwilling to eat leisurely when he didn't know what would happen in the next minute or five. "What's with the torches?"
    No one responded, and he couldn't feel their energy. He realized that he still had his mental shields up from when he blocked Rohan earlier. Calydons were highly skilled at connecting telepathically with other Calydons when in close range. He wasn't interested in getting up close and personal with them, but at the same time, he realized those moments when he had felt Rohan smile in his mind had actually helped understand the situation.
    Reluctantly, he eased down his mental shields and opened his mind to theirs. At first, he felt nothing. Then he began to probe, reaching out mentally to connect with them.
    The first thing he felt was fear.
    Fear? From these seasoned warriors? He went still, raising his head to look at the ring of torches around them. "What's out there?" he asked, with renewed urgency. His weapons were almost straining at his flesh, reacting to the threat and preparing to defend him.
    It was Rohan who answered. "We are not welcome in this jungle."
    "I'm beginning to sense that. Did you piss off the folks handing out the party invitations or something?"
    Rohan leaned forward and raised his head to look directly at him. Zach could feel his gaze burning into him. "There are creatures in these woods. Dangers that are unique to this habitat. Calydons, but not like us."
    "No, not like 'us.' Don't lump me with you guys. I'm not one of you." He injected a challenge into his voice, daring Rohan to make another bold claim about Zach being his apprentice.
    But he didn't. He simply said, "You and I are different, yes, but not different from each other the way we differ from the Calydons in this jungle. These are dangerous, even to us."
    Despite his distrust of Rohan, Zach felt his intrigue beginning to grow. There weren't many creatures who were dangerous to Calydons. "Dangerous how?"
    Another faint smile from Rohan. "They are empowered by their leader, a young Calydon named José Vasquez. He is molding a new kind of Calydon, a kind far more powerful and more dangerous than any we have seen before. He drives them mad until they go rogue, and then he brings them back to sanity. But they still have the powers from when they were rogue."
    Zach tapped his spoon on the rim of his bowl as he contemplated this information. "When Calydons go rogue, they're almost impossible to kill." That was why the Order of the Blade had been formed, because no ordinary Calydons could ever defeat a rogue. They were so driven with rage and anger that they could