by JA Andrews
Hal looked at Will as though he’d spoken in a foreign tongue. “You think that because you lied to him and he got mad, that it negates all the good he does?”
“No. I think Killien is actively searching for knowledge that only leads to tyranny and death.”
“What are you talking about?” Hal asked, irritated.
“Killien has a book by Kachig the Bloodless.”
Hal’s eyes narrowed.
“It describes how to—how did you word it? Suck the life out of someone. And use it for your own power.”
“Sounds like it should have been written by a Keeper.”
Will clenched his jaw. “A Keeper would never do that.
“Ahh, you didn’t deny you can.”
“Yes, I can pull the energy out of you. But you don’t need a compulsion stone, or to sit there threatening a sleeping girl, to keep me from doing it. Keepers believe that the energy in a person is sacred. We would never take the smallest bit from you unless you wanted us to. If we need energy for something, we pull it from a fire, or from plants. Or from ourselves.” He looked at Hal, and the hardness in the man’s eyes felt like knives. “You’ve never had anything to fear from me.”
Hal’s expression didn’t soften.
Will shifted his arms against the tightness of the rope. “Whatever Killien wants with that book, nothing good can come of it. No matter what he’s told you about wanting peace and wanting to unite the Sweep, there is only war and death in this book. And magic beyond anything Killien has the power to do. The magic in this book would require advanced stonesteeps from the Sunn Clan.”
Hal’s jaw clenched stubbornly. “If Killien is trying to read it, he has a good reason. Everything he does is for the good of the clan.”
“So that makes it ok? Sucking life out of people is fine as long as they’re not your people?” Will snorted. “You’re lucky I don’t feel the same way.”
“Killien wouldn’t do something like that.” There was a note of finality in Hal’s voice.
Weariness washed over Will again and he let his retort go.
“Who set the fires?” Sora asked.
“Our visitors from the Sunn Clan.”
Sora’s mouth dropped open in shock.
Will let his head sink down onto the ground. “I thought they were coming to invite Killien to some enclave.”
Hal sank back against a boulder and blew out a long breath. “So did Killien. It’s been ten years since he was invited. But he’s been in communication with so many of the other Torches that when the Sunn wanted to visit, he thought…”
Will fought to keep his eyes open. There had to be a way out of this. He watched Sora, hoping she was working on her bonds, but he couldn’t tell. “What happens at the enclave?”
“The powerful clans make demands.” Hal made an irritated face. “And the smaller clans agree to them publicly. But Killien thinks that if the smaller clans can band together, they can have a voice. Together the Morrow, Panos, and Temur clans would make the third largest group on the Sweep. Both the Panos and Temur have been in talks with Killien all winter. Right now the struggle for power on the Sweep is caught between the Sunn Clan with all their stonesteeps, and the Boan with their huge army. Killien’s determined to change that.
“Over the winter he managed to settle a longstanding dispute between two of the western clans over a river. It made enough of an impression across the Sweep that last night the nephew of the Sunn Torch was supposed to be coming to invite Killien to the enclave. And probably demand his support.”
Sora snorted. “Killien wouldn’t support the Sunn in anything.”
Hal nodded slowly. “Twenty Sunn warriors hid on the Sweep and started the fire before Avi, the nephew of the Sunn Torch, had time to talk to Killien about it. So I’d say they didn’t expect him to.”
Sora considered this for a moment. “They attacked Killien too? With him dead, there’s no good choice for another Torch in the Morrow.”
“They tried. Killien hadn’t trusted the little weasel, so he’d had guards in the back room. Little Avi didn’t even get his knife close to Killien before they’d caught him. We killed twelve of them and captured the rest, including Avi. The man’s a weasel but some say he’ll be the next Torch of the Sunn. So Killien has a powerful bargaining chip.”
Sora looked at Will, uneasily.
Will looked between the two of them, understanding dawning. “Killien can get stonesteeps from the Sunn, probably enough to do whatever magic he’s trying to figure out.”
Hal shook his head. “The Sunn have more stonesteeps than blades of grass, but most of them aren’t worth the cost of feeding them.”
Sora turned her head slowly, looking over the Sweep with wide eyes.
Will’s mind was too sluggish to follow. “What else does the Sunn have that Killien would want?”
Neither Sora or Hal answered, but the truth hit Will like a stone in the gut. “The dragon.”
“Killien was still composing the ransom letter when I left. But, yes, he’s demanding use of the dragon.”
“How do you use a dragon?” Will asked.
Hal pulled his hand through his beard. “The stonesteeps of the Sunn Clan control it, so whatever Killien wants it to do, they’ll have to agree to it. I don’t know what he has planned. But he was very pleased about the opportunity.”
“He told me once,” Will said, glancing up at the sky as though expecting to see an enormous creature flying across the Sweep, “that all he needed to solve the world’s problems was a disposable army and a dragon.” He looked back at Hal. “So he’s not invited to the enclave?”
“No.” Hal leaned his head back on the rock. “And even if he were, among the Sunn attackers we found three from the Panos Clan.”
Will let out a long breath. “Who were supposed to be Killien’s allies.”
The three fell silent. Will’s shoulders ached from his hands being tied behind him, his wrist chaffed from the ropes. He lowered the side of his head down to the ground again, shifting his wrists back and forth. The ropes felt as though they might be getting looser.
A very small bird soared across the sky and settled high in a nearby pine. Relief and alarm vied for control as Will glanced toward Hal to see if he’d noticed Talen’s arrival, but the huge man had gone back to spinning the knife point in the ground.
Will cast out toward the hawk and felt his little coil of energy. Talen was far enough away that Will couldn’t feel any emotions from the bird. What had he done before? When Talen had listened? He’d sort of pushed the idea of them, the longing for them at the bird.
Will gathered all the strength he could, firmed up the image of Talen sitting on the branch in his mind, and infused it with the feeling of contentment. He pushed the idea up toward the hawk.
Stay there.
Talen’s wings flared, and for a heart-stopping moment Will thought he would dive down. But the hawk merely shifted his feet and settled down on the branch.
Rass stirred. She stretched and opened her eyes to look around groggily. Hal set a hand on her arm.
“Are you alright?” Will asked her.
Her tiny arm looked like a stick grasped in Hal’s enormous hand.
She blinked at the sunlight and peered at Will, then turned to Hal with a thunderous face. “Did you make me sleep?”
Hal laughed. “I did, little fiery girl. I see why Will likes you.”
She tugged against his grip, but she couldn’t even jostle his arm.
Hal sighed. “If you don’t want to be put back to sleep again, stop fighting. Look at Sora and Will. We’ve got a nice, calm afternoon going here. No problems, no fighting, just some friends chatting on a mountainside.”
Rass glared up at him. “You should let us go.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because Will is a mighty wizard and Sora’s smarter and faster and braver than you. They’re letting you sit here for now, but you can’t win against them.”
Hal’s
eyebrows rose and he let out a long, rolling laugh. The first real laugh he’d given all day. He glanced at Will. “This girl is a treasure.”
Past Hal, Sora stiffened. Her gaze snapped uphill, searching.
The rangers couldn’t be back so soon. Will cast out and his stomach dropped. Two people were approaching from behind him higher up the slope. And up past them waited two more.
They were out of time. He strained against the ropes at his wrists, desperation returning.
Sora’s eyes, still staring up the hill, widened in surprise.
“Treasure?” a gruff voice called out from behind Will. He spoke with a rough brogue. “There’s no treasure here. We’ve searched it before. Nothing here but rocks.”
Will twisted, trying to see behind him, and caught a glimpse of the two people he’d felt. It wasn’t Roven rangers.
Stumping down the side of the rockslide were two dwarves.
Chapter Thirty-One
Hal’s mouth dropped open at the sight of the two dwarves. Will shifted for a better view.
They came down the slope with heavy steps, thick leather boots crunching against the ground. Their long beards covered their chests and tucked behind their belts. Their leather armor was darkened with age and use, and scarred blades of their battle axes sat behind their shoulders looking ruthless. Only glittering eyes were visible in their faces.
“I don’t see any treasure, cousin.” The darker of the two studied the group from under black, wild eyebrows.
Hal stood, pulling Rass up with him.
“Patlon,” said the other dwarf, stroking his own copper beard. “We’ve found nothing but a bunch of humans in the midst of a disagreement.”
Hal stood unmoving, his hand wrapped around Rass’s thin arm, his expression caught between stunned and thrilled.
“If the giant man says they’re treasure,” Patlon said, “we should take them, just to be sure.”
Hal’s face darkened. “You’re not taking anyone.”
The two dwarves glanced at each other and Patlon pulled his axe over his shoulder. The shaft was a dark, glimmering purple. Sora watched the two with narrowed eyes.
“We didn’t introduce ourselves,” the copper-bearded dwarf said. “I’m Douglon, this is my cousin Patlon.” He gestured to Will, Sora, and Rass. “I’ve recently started collecting needy humans, and I’d be happy to take these off your hands.”
“No.” Hal stepped forward, holding out the small hunting knife. “You won’t.”
Will heaved himself onto his back. Sharp pain shot across his shoulders and his head fell back, heavy. “I’m a Keeper from Queensland. I’ve been to Duncave before, visited King Horgoth’s court. Even spoken to the High Dwarf himself.”
The dwarves gave him their attention.
Will opened up toward them and curiosity and amusement poured into his chest. “He has a brilliant mind for strategy and is a keen negotiator.” The amusement soured.
“If you keep talking about Horgoth like that,” Douglon said, “I’m going to leave you with the giant.”
Will glanced between the two. “I promise you, I’m a friend of the dwarves.”
“Don’t trust his promises of friendship,” Hal said.
“Cousin,” Patlon warned as Hal took a step forward.
Douglon sized up the huge man and slid his own axe out of its sheath with a glint of fiery red. “I suppose, being a Keeper,” he said to Will, keeping his eyes fixed on Hal, “you are useless when it comes to using a weapon and have moral qualms about fighting with magic.”
Will opened his mouth to protest, but Sora spoke first.
“It’s like you already know him.”
“I feel like I do.” A grin flashed out from his beard. “You, on the other hand, look as though you could take care of yourself.”
“Against Hal? Just cut my feet loose. I won’t need my arms.”
“I like her.” Patlon stepped closer to Sora and pulled a small knife out of his belt.
“Stop.” Hal’s voice echoed off the rocks.
Patlon paused and raised an eyebrow at the enormous man.
Hal stepped forward again and Rass took the chance to wrench her arm out of his grasp and skitter out of reach. Hal grabbed for her, but she was too quick.
“Hal,” Sora said, “this isn’t a fight you’re going to win. You couldn’t take one of these dwarves, never mind both. And despite the fact their axes are”—she glanced at the two axes, the shafts shimmering with purple and red—“colorful for dwarven warriors, they seem well used.”
Hal clenched his jaw.
“She likes my axe.” Patlon twisted the purple shaft, catching the evening light in a deep violet glitter.
“She likes my axe,” Douglon corrected him. “She thinks yours is stupid.”
Patlon’s teeth flashed from behind his beard in a grin. Rass scurried over behind Sora and Patlon tossed the knife near her. Rass grabbed it and ducked down behind Sora.
“Hal,” Will said. “You don’t want to be killed by dwarves. Not after you’ve waited so long to meet some.”
“You were overpowered by a superior force.” Sora rubbed her wrists. “Killien can’t hold that against you.” With a flick of the knife she cut the rope around her feet and came over to Will.
Hal’s expression sagged and he dropped his knife by his side.
“He loves dwarves,” Will explained to Douglon and Patlon. “Under most circumstances this would be the best day of his life.”
“What’s not to love?” Patlon asked.
Will felt the cool side of the blade against his arm, then with a quick yank, the ropes loosened and he pushed himself up with a groan. Bone-deep aches filled his shoulders, as he took the chain with the blue stone off his neck and threw it at the ground near Hal. The exhaustion that had been plaguing him blew away like smoke on a breeze.
Sora handed him the knife for his feet, and grabbing some rope, went over to Hal. She barely came up to his shoulder, but when she held out her hand, he only hesitated a moment, glancing at the dwarves before handing her the knife.
“You won’t have too long to wait,” Patlon told Hal. “Your ranger friends should be here before dark.”
When Hal was tied up, Douglon turned uphill and gave a long whistle. Will cast out up the mountain and found the two other people.
“I met a dwarf at court once.” Will watched up the hill for the others. “His name was Menwoth. He was…funny.”
“Stop talking,” Patlon advised.
Douglon glowered at him. “Menwoth? Slimy, fawning toad.”
Despite the look on the dwarf’s face, Will laughed. “He was fawning.”
Douglon’s face mollified a bit.
A wave rushed over Will and he snapped his gaze back up the slope.
It hadn’t been a wave of anything in particular. Almost a wave of nothing, if nothing could surge like an ocean swell, and pass through you.
But it was a nothing he recognized in the foundational way he recognized home.
“Alaric!” he called.
A man stepped around one of the huge rocks.
At the sight of the black-haired man wearing the black Keeper’s robe, the isolation and weight of the last year loosened.
“You were easier to find than I thought you’d be.” Alaric looked pleased.
“Easy?” Patlon fixed Alaric with an incredulous look, “You’ve mobilized half of the dwarven outposts for the last four days!”
The sheer familiarity of Alaric was fortifying. His black hair had been cropped short, but his eyes were scanning the group exactly the way he studied every new situation. Will could almost see the questions stacking up in his mind. Seeing a face as familiar as his own broke away the last of the crust the solitary last year had built around Will.
“I have never”—Will strode up to Alaric and wrapped his arms around him, crushing Alaric to his chest—“been so happy to see anyone in my life.”
Alaric laughed and patted Will on the back. “It
’s good to see you too.”
A woman came out from behind the rock as well, walking up to Alaric.
Will stepped back, but kept his hands on Alaric’s shoulders. “I’m so happy to see you.”
Alaric raised an eyebrow. “You mentioned that.”
Will let go of Alaric’s shoulders, rubbing his hands over his face and letting out a breath. “It’s been a long year.”
“Long enough to grow a beard,” Alaric said.
Will scratched at it. “They’re popular on this side of the mountains.”
“And under them,” Douglon said.
“I like it,” the woman said.
She smiled at Will with a hopeful sort of smile, but her green eyes watched him nervously. Blond hair hung around her face, working its way out of a braid. In contrast to the dwarves, she didn’t look particularly fierce. She wore traveling clothes, simple pants and a light brown shirt, and carried no weapon besides a small knife at her belt. She stepped up to Alaric, so close that their arms almost touched. Will glanced at Alaric, waiting for an introduction.
Alaric gave him a nervous look. “Will, I’d like you to meet Evangeline—”
Will gave her a small bow as Alaric leaned against her shoulder.
“—my wife.”
Will’s bow stuttered to a stop. “Wife?”
Alaric’s smile turned self-conscious and he nodded. He stayed pressed against Evangeline’s shoulder, his expression somewhere between worry and entreaty.
Will shoved aside his surprise at the news. “Congratulations!”
Alaric’s smile widened and Evangeline’s shoulders relaxed.
“I’m Will. Obviously. And you married a great man. He’s been like a brother to me since I was ten.”
Sora stepped up next to Will. Before he could introduce her, Alaric grinned. “Did you find a wife too?”
“No!” Sora pulled away from Will her face shocked.
“Um,” Will started. “It’s not…”
Alaric laughed. “That’s too bad. You should find one.”
Sora fixed Alaric with a scowl.
“This is Sora,” Will introduced her. It was nice to see her irritation focused on someone besides himself. “And despite that expression, which she wears a lot, I owe her my life. Several times over.”