Page 102 of Lake of Sorrow

Ducking, she scurried back. Luck favored her, and the axe clipped an overhead branch and deflected into the trunk of the pine.

The mark on her hand warmed again. Through it, Kaylina sensed feelings emanating from the tree. Pain, indignation, and fury.

As the Kar’ruk tore his axe out of the pine, she resisted instincts urging her to flee deeper into the forest. Instead, she darted around the thick trunk opposite him and rested a hand on the coarse bark.

Help me defeat him, please, Kaylina thought, not certain if the words were for the brand or the tree or both. Whichever would listen.

Though she doubted she had any power to lend, she willed the tree to take from her whatever it could to obey the plea.

Surprisingly, a wave of weakness washed over her. Her knees threatened to buckle.

Axe free, the Kar’ruk hefted it to swing at her again. This close, she could see him better. He was careful this time not to snag the weapon on the overhead branches.

“Grak toruk!” the warrior yelled.

As Kaylina tried to find the strength to leap away, a thunderous crack sounded twenty feet above.

The Kar’ruk paused, startled yellow eyes looking up. A huge branch crashed down, snapping smaller limbs as it dropped. Needles and wood fell onto the Kar’ruk.

Since he was big and armored, it didn’t seriously hurt him, or even knock him down, but he lowered his axe and jumped back. Confusion swam in his eyes when he looked toward Kaylina until, as he backed further, he again blurred, half-fading from her view.

“That’s right.” Kaylina lifted her sling and aimed it between his eyes. “You mess with me or my tree friends, and you get pummeled.” Though she had no idea if she’d caused the pine to do that, she attempted to look fierce and confident—not scared for her life. “Now tell me where the press operator is, and the tree and I will spare your life.”

Another roar came from the mine shaft, this time at the entrance. Levitke rushed into the night and toward the copse of trees.

The warrior jumped to the side, turning his axe toward the taybarri, and Kaylina lost sight of him. She ran several steps closer until she could make out his outline again.

Maybe guided by senses other than vision, Levitke didn’t have any trouble finding the Kar’ruk. She startled him by flashing, vanishing from the night, then reappearing behind him.

Probably familiar with the taybarri, the Kar’ruk recovered quickly and whirled, swinging his axe toward her. But Levitke was faster. She bowled into him as her jaws snapped together, latching onto the haft of his weapon.

As he braced himself against her weight, he tried to yank it free. Levitke’s muscles tensed under her thick fur, and she kept her grip. With one hand, the warrior let go and grabbed a dagger on his belt.

Kaylina stepped closer, making sure of her aim, and fired her sling. The lead round slammed into their foe’s head, an inch below one of his horns. As hard as Kar’ruk skulls were, it probably didn’t hurt him, but he did flinch in surprise. His grip on the axe loosened slightly, and Levitke tore it free, flinging it into the creek.

A breeze rustled through the trees. Kaylina imagined the needles and leaves were applauding at the loss of the blade.

She loaded her sling and raised it to fire again, but the Kar’ruk lunged at Levitke. With his dagger, he slashed for her shoulder. She spun and whipped her tail at his arm, knocking the blade aside. As fast as a cat, she continued the spin until she faced him again, then sprang. She landed on his chest and bore him to the ground.

With the taybarri atop him, Kaylina couldn’t get off a shot without risking hitting Levitke. It didn’t matter. He’d lost his weapons, and, as tall and strong as the Kar’ruk were, once he was pinned, he couldn’t escape. Levitke bit his arm, tearing it away from his head, then found his thick neck with her fangs. Bone snapped as her jaws crunched down. For the first time, the Kar’ruk cried out in pain.

Lowering her sling, Kaylina looked away.

Levitke finished him off, a reminder that the taybarri were deadly predators as well as honey-loving friends to the rangers.

“Thank you,” Kaylina said quietly when the Kar’ruk was dead. She wouldn’t get an answer to her question about the press operator, but she hadn’t expected him to reply anyway.

Her hands only shook a little as she returned her knife and sling to her belt. Maybe she was getting used to being attacked.

“A depressing thought,” she murmured.

Levitke padded over and gazed solemnly into her eyes. Her head shifted from side to side in a semblance of a human no shake.

“What’s wrong?” Kaylina thought the taybarri should feel triumphant. She’d arrived when Kaylina needed her most. “Were you injured? Are more of them around to worry about?” she added, though Levitke’s gesture seemed more regretful than pained or wary.

A soft whuff was her only reply. Kaylina wished she could understand the intelligent taybarri.

Her hand warmed, and a soft voice whispered into her mind.

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