“What?”
Von cleared his throat. “The stone was a glamour spell.”
The Mood Rune smoldered red, casting a sinister sheen in the tent. It was a dormant rune that only worked during the rare incidences it detected ample emotion.
Tarn was an indifferent man for the most part, careful not to allow himself to feel anything.“Emotions are a weakness,”he once said. It took a great deal to make him this livid.
“Forgive me, Master.”
“That is all you can say, isn’t it?” Tarn inhaled one deep breath, and it surprised Von when the rune stopped glowing. “The sorceress must have it.”
“I will get it for you.”
“For your sake, pray to your God that you do.”
Von bowed his head, confused by Tarn’s sudden tolerance. “Shall I resume the search for the Maiden?”
“Send the spies.”
He nodded. They would need to rely on Elon’s skill to track Dyna now that magic was not an option. “It shouldn’t be difficult to locate them. They will at some point need to stop in the Port of Azure.”
The muscles in Tarn’s jaw worked at the mention of the seaport city. He walked over to his desk where he had laid out maps of Azure. “Let’s not make it so easy for the Maiden and her Guardians,” he said as he studied them. “It’s imperative they do not board a ship. Send a Raider to Corron to place an anonymous bounty on their heads through the Azure Warrant Authority. Make it substantial enough to entice the bounty hunters, and ensure the notices circulate throughout the kingdom before they arrive at the port.”
“Yes, Master.” Von’s blood began dripping from the hem of his tunic.
“Fifty dead in the camp raid,” Tarn said, watching the red droplets splatter in the dirt. “Another twenty killed by the Guardians. Useless, the lot of them.”
Von was careful to keep his expression indifferent, but the Mood Rune gave him away. It pulsed dark purple with his remorse. He had trained each of those men as they joined Tarn’s regiment over the years. Abenon above all had been a fine lieutenant, having joined when he was a lad. He’d been loyal. But Tarn didn’t care who they were, or that they died for his pursuit of the Unending. They were an expendable casualty.
Tarn’s cool gaze bore into him. “Are you useless as well, Von?”
He knew better than to answer.
“Go. You’re making a bloody mess.”
Von winced through another bow, then stepped out into the autumn chill. He looked up at the stars and questioned the God of Urn. What sin did he commit in a past life to be a slave in this one?
Weariness weighed heavily on his bones. He couldn’t make his legs move. He was on the verge of falling unconscious where he stood.
Elon slipped out of the shadows and took hold of him again. Von nodded in gratitude. Without a word, step by step, they gradually made their way into the night.
Chapter 44
Dynalya
It was dark. Nothing but a never-ending black. And Dyna was not alone. Something moved within the darkness, claws scraping on stone. She heard its heavy breathing and felt its eyes. A low, crackling growl sounded within the emptiness. The air squeezed from her lungs, ice filling her limbs.
The Shadow was coming.
Terror snatched away her voice. She could not scream or call for help. Cold smoke brushed against her back, wafting through her hair. She covered her mouth and smothered her whimpers. Her legs gave out, and she curled into a ball, squeezing her eyes tight. Claws skittered across the ground, slowly coming closer.
Closer.
A sudden beam filtered through her eyelids. Dyna held up a hand to screen her eyes, light streaming through her fingers. Slowly, she lowered her hand to see aHyalustree. It glowed so brightly it faded the black to a dull grey.
Dyna sat up and searched for the lurking Shadow, but it was gone. She stumbled to the tree. Its glowing branches reached out to her. As soon as she took a branch, it gently wrapped around her hand. The tree’s light flared, washing away the darkness in a swathe of white.
She blinked and found herself lying on a blanket by a small campfire. Firelight shimmered on the damp rock ceiling above her.
