Sworn To Transfer (32 page)

“What can they do? They don’t know these woods and they aren’t mages.”

“No,” he said in reply. “But the mages with them know where to search.”

Halting with her back stiff, Ciardis turned around slowly as she fought not to scream.

“They’re here? Now?”

“They’re here. Now.”

“Vana and Alexandra are already mounted up to ride out to meet them,” he said calmly. “We’re waiting on you and Terris.”

Ciardis eyed him proudly and ignored the slight reprimand in his tone.

“She’s probably with the kits,” she admitted quietly.

“After you,” he said, extending a polite hand toward the healer’s center.

She turned, her glaive held in one hand and sheathed knife at her waist. She left the weapons outside the hall, not sure what kind of mood the kits were in. They were blind, but even as young as they were they could sense danger and the presence of weapons. Which made it just that much more confusing as to how the Shadow Mage had managed to sneak up on their mother.

What was she doing out before dawn anyway
?

“Feeding her kits,” Terris said softly, as if Ciardis had asked the question aloud. “They’ve started on real meat and needed live prey.”

Ciardis grimaced.

Meres said quietly as he knelt by Terris on the ground and gently took one of the litter in his hands. “We’ll not let her die in vain. Her kits will prosper. But only after we find that mage.”

Terris turned to him. She didn’t speak. The sadness in her eyes and in her stance was overwhelming. It was if a ghost of her former self had inhabited her body.

Meres looked at her and back at Ciardis. Terris would be of no use to them, at least not today.

“Let her rest,” said Ciardis softly.

“She will not rest here,” he said.

“I’m needed here,” Terris pointed out.

A loud knock suddenly echoed from the door. They turned to see Barren carrying a bow and a set of arrows at his back with his hands holding the handles of two heavy brown bags.

“I brought the kits some food,” he said.

Ciardis eyed the growing bloodstain at the base of the bag and noted he must have hunted all morning for whatever was in those two big bags.

“Very well. Terris will stay here and watch over the kits,” said Meres, standing up and putting the kit back in the nest with the rest of the litter.

As he walked out the door and passed Barren, he whispered, “Keep an eye on her. She’s not to leave your sight, you hear?”

The boy nodded and Ciardis followed Meres outside to the saddled and waiting horses.

*****

A
s they rushed in a canter to meet the armed regiment at the edge of the Ameles Forest, Ciardis began to think over what she knew and what she’d seen.

The man had control over shadows—his own and others. He could also inflict pain at a touch and transport his victims from place to place unseen.

He was a mage. That much was clear.

He had said he had a brother—a brother he resented, but no other information had been forthcoming.

Meres hand reached over to slow her horse down before they jumped a short ridge.

“Ciardis,” he said, tightening his grip on her reins. “I need you to focus.”

“I am focusing,” she muttered absentmindedly as she flashed back over the memories.

She bit her lip while trying to remember everything. She was so focused on the past that she didn’t startle out of her memories until she tasted blood in her mouth.

Swearing at the pain caused Meres to look over. “Your mouth is bleeding.” Ciardis couldn’t think of the blood right then.

“It’s the brother,” she said. “His brother is the key. He’s trying to impress him—whomever he is.”

Meres raised an eyebrow. “He also said he was trying to protect the
kith
. Killing a slew of them doesn’t seem to ring true with those goals.”

Frustration settled in as Ciardis tried to puzzle over the mystery that was the Shadow Mage.

“War,” whispered Ciardis. “He said he wanted war.”

At that moment Julius came racing up. “Another village has been attacked. This one at least twenty miles east of here.”

“Is there ever any good news?” said Meres.

“There’s more,” said Julius, looking over at Ciardis. “One person was left untouched. He claims he has information and needs to speak to the Weathervane.”

Meres and Vana exchanged a look.

“Did he give his name?” asked Ciardis.

“Ciardis, you’ve not been this far outside the capitol since your hunt,” said Vana. “Do you know anyone there?”

“Not that I know of,” she replied.

“Julius, can you have him brought here? We’ll speak to him,” Meres said cautiously.

“Already done,” he replied, pointing to the tree line. “I have my men holding him there.”

“Have you left any of your warriors behind?” Vana asked.

“Four, to keep an eye on the perimeter,” said Julius.

“Good,” she said. “We’ll alert the emperor’s guard and have them send a detachment to secure the village.”

She hesitated before turning back to her horse. “Julius, have your men hold back. Here and in the forest.”

Julius’s gaze turned steely and cold, but he said nothing.

Quietly she explained, “Humans and
kith
have died. Tempers will flare. We don’t want any accidents.”

Looking eastward over the approaching regiment, he nodded. Julius said, “I understand. Human and
kith
relations were already hanging by a thread. It would only take one spark to ignite a fire of retaliations.”

“Exactly,” Vana said.

Staring out at the troops lining the perimeter, Ciardis thought grimly,
That was exactly what the Shadow Mage wanted. A war between human and kith. All of these deaths, all of this terror was merely the kindling before a spark could ignite the region
.

P
rince Heir Sebastian rode at the head of the military formation with the head of the Companions’ Council, Regiment Commander Gabriel Somner, Commander Somner’s brother, Christian, and Stephanie of the Companions’ Guild by their side. His horse shifted under him as he commanded him to halt. They waited for the group of riders detaching themselves from a larger force of Panen warriors to lead their way.

When Sebastian saw that Ciardis was at Meres’s side a knot of tension released inside of him that he hadn’t known was there.

She was safe
.

“Thank the gods,” he said under his breath.

Christian, upon hearing him, said in an aside, “Can’t imagine the gods had anything to do with it. That girl has the damnedest luck.”

A brief grin crossed Prince Heir Sebastian’s face.

He looked over at Madame Amber. The woman sat ramrod straight in the saddle with an indecipherable look on her face as she shaded her eyes from the bright sun with her hand. He cleared his throat to catch her attention, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted it when those cold eyes turned towards him. Sebastian had the strangest feeling that she didn’t like him. He was no stranger to animosity in the courts, though, so he let it go. Some people hated him for being born.

“Prince Heir,” she acknowledged with a raised eyebrow, prompting him to speak.

“I think there’s more here than meets the eye,” he said at last.

“There always is.”

As Meres, Vana, Alexandra, and Ciardis rode up to greet their party they dismounted to wait. Ignoring protocol, Sebastian ordered his men to set up camp on the perimeter and to give him the same simple tent and fare that all the soldiers would receive. As they built a fire and sat around, he took in the four who’d spent what felt like months in the forest but had only been a little more than a few weeks.

“My Lord Meres Kinsight, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” Sebastian said.

“And you, my Prince Heir.”

“How have you and your group fared?”

“The Panen people have been excellent and welcoming hosts, but I fear the events I described in my letter have only grown worse. We’ve lost over a hundred
kith
to the attacks from the shadow creature in the past week alone. It has attacked friends, families, and entire villages, and I fear it will not get any better.”

“I’ve dispatched a group of men to secure the village of Borden,” said Prince Heir Sebastian.

“Then I suggest you recall them,” said Meres with a sigh. “There’s no point.”

“We received the bodies of thirty-four men, women, and children at the courts weeks ago,” said Sebastian. “But we cannot discount the fact that the rest of the population may be in danger or dying as we speak.”

“They’re dead,” said Julius flatly.

“Who’s dead?” queried Sebastian.

“The people of Borden. We went over a week ago to check on the population after seeing signs of smoke rising in the area,” Julius explained.

“Every home, every workshop was deserted,” he continued. “It wasn’t until we got to the village square that we noticed. Bodies piled to the sky. All with the same marks—the slashes on all of the bodies.”

“We’ve seen some of the same at court. Were your bodies burned as well?” questioned Maree Amber. “All of our victims were burned in some way but not with a natural fire. It was as if they were electrocuted.”

“Some of the victims in Borden suffered the same,” said Meres. “But most, we suspect, died of blood loss.”

“Near the base of the pyre, Milord, there was blood,” said Vana. “While we’ll need spells from your mages to confirm that it was your same group of bodies, at this time it might be safe to assume it was.”

“So we have a shadowwalking mage who can control the shadows,” said Prince Heir Sebastian slowly. “But as far as we know, he can’t raise the dead and has a vendetta against the Ameles Forest and the surrounding communities.”

“Correct, Sire,” said Kinsight, “I would also add that he has picked his targets well. Killing
kith
in the forest and humans on the border.”

“He has also seemed to be sending messages,” said Vana thoughtfully. “All of the
kith
were killed in the bloodiest way possible. Not a single one had a merciful killing or an immediate death with their throats slashed.”

“We can’t tell as much from the bodies in Sandrin,” said Maree Amber, “but it does appear that those who weren’t burned to ashes received fatal slashes to different parts of their bodies.”

“He’s trying to start a war,” Ciardis said softly.

“Most likely he wants to take over this forest,” interjected Vana while twirling a knife.

“Which is not necessarily that far removed from starting a war to wipe out its inhabitants,” retorted Ciardis.

“It’s certainly a thought,” said Prince Heir Sebastian. “But what’s more important is who he is and what he’s capable of.”

“Death,” said Meres flatly.

Looking over her shoulder, Vana spied the man that Julius had said he would bring.

“Sire,” she said, addressing Prince Heir Sebastian, “another village was recently attacked. All of the occupants died except one man. He has said he wants to speak with the Weathervane, but I suggest we all be present.”

Prince Heir Sebastian nodded. “Bring him forward.”

As the man slowly approached, hobbling on one foot and uncertain in the face of so many soldiers, the Prince Heir signaled for his healer to come forward.

To the man he said, “Please sit. I’ll have a healer attend to you.”

To his manservant he said, “Bring some food and water for this man.”

After he had been healed and taken some food and water, he quickly said, “Thank you, Milord.”

When Maree Amber stepped forward to announce whom he stood before, Sebastian held out a halting hand. He didn’t want his title to influence what the man had to say.

“Speak, please,” said the Prince Heir in an encouraging manner after the man looked at Maree Amber, clearly frightened.

The man licked his lips.

“I am Askave,” he said. “I come from the town of Nine Falls, no more than twenty miles away. My people are—
were
—farmers and herdsmen. Two nights ago, as darkness fell, a man approached town. He gave no name and partook in no ale from the town bar.”

“He just stood at the counter for an hour,” he said shakily, “and then left. But when he left, I followed him to the street.”

Nervously he looked around. “I just wanted to know who he was and if he had heard any news from the capitol – pronouncements from the Imperial court, new trading routes, gossip. That kind of thing.”

As Alexandra gave an encouraging murmur, he continued, “He stopped in the street all still-like. Didn’t say a word. Then he started asking me questions. About who I was, how long I’d lived here, and what it was like for me. I told him the truth.” He said the last word with a shrug.

“Which was?”

“I told him I grew up here my whole life, have no family—was orphaned when I was young you see—and live on the outskirts.”

“What happened then?” said Meres.

“He smiled, touched my shoulder, and told me I wouldn’t be harmed tonight.”

He looked up and touched the shoulder where the mage had touched him.

“I got chills right about then,” he said. “I went back inside the bar and never saw him again until the moon rose high in the sky.”

Shivering, he looked into Sebastian’s eyes with fear in his own. “That’s when the killing started. Everybody died. There was blood everywhere. I did haven’t any friends here, lived on my own, but there wasn’t one person in that town I’d have wished that kind of death on.”

The healer touched him again – checking his vitals.

Shaking off the shivers, he said, “I’m fine. I just—the memories...those memories will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

“And what did the man ask you to tell the Weathervane?” asked Prince Heir Sebastian softly.

“That’s it,” he replied honestly. “I’m supposed to tell her exactly what I told him.”

Looking around at the gathered group, he asked hopefully, “Is she here? Did I tell her?”

“She’s here,” confirmed Vana before Ciardis could speak.

Catching on to her warning, Meres said to Sebastian, “Perhaps we should now speak in private, Milord.”