“All right, enough,” Rath said as I snickered.
Dielran just shook his head, gave Taroc a sympathetic look (they were both from the Cerulean Clan), and walked away.
“Is it lunchtime yet?” I asked and headed for the dining hall.
“It's a little early, but we can grab a snack,” Xae, who was always up for food, passed me and went into the hall.
At the end of the hall, the buffet table was indeed stocked with non-perishable items like platters of nuts, fruit, dried meat, and bread. We grabbed some bowls, filled them, then got some cold water to wash everything down. Most of the Wraith Lords enjoyed relaxing in the common rooms on the ground floor of the keep when they had time to themselves. There were rooms set up with games, a library, a music room, and quiet sitting rooms. But the dining hall was always a good choice too since it was where the food was. Although a lot of the common rooms were stocked with liquor. That tipped the scales in their favor for a lot of Lords. Plus, you could always get some snacks and take it with you.
We didn't. Mainly because Nex was at our table, playing a very complicated Tytra game with Lord Kith and Lord Wincir, both Tytras. It was played on a board painted to resemble a map. They had little figures on the board to simulate armies. I believe the goal was to kill your opponents, but I didn't understand much more than that. Nex had tried to explain it to me once, and my eyes had glazed over two minutes in.
“I'll be right back,” Rath said as he set his bowl and mug down beside Nex. “I need to tell the General about our discussion with the Emperor.”
“All right.” I sat down between Taroc and Xae, across from Nex.
Kel sat down across from us, leaving Rath's seat open.
“You went to see the Emperor?” Wincir asked, looking up from the board.
“Ha!” Nex knocked one of Wincir's pieces off the board. “Got you!”
“That was an underhanded move, Nex,” Wincir said. “I was distracted.”
“Fine.” Nex huffed and set the piece back on the board. “We'll take a short break.” He looked over at us. “What happened?”
We told them about the conversation with Death and then the subsequent talk with the Emperor. I was afraid Kith and Wincir might get uncomfortable when Death was brought up, but they seemed interested.
“You could trap the Corrupter?” Kith asked me.
“I believe so,” I said. “If that doesn't work, I could always turn him to stone again.”
“If you get the chance,” Xae said. “He knows about that trick now. He'll be prepared for it.”
“We will simply have to proceed carefully.”
Nex snorted. “The fact that you said that proves how ignorant you are about war, Ember. You can't proceed carefully in a fight. You have to move and think quickly.”
“I think you should learn how to ward your mind, Ember,” Taroc suddenly said.
“Death said my mind is . . .” I trailed off when I saw the looks I was getting. “Yeah, maybe you're right. If I can set the protection myself, I'll know for certain that he can't get in.”
“And maybe you'll be able to tell if there's a ward already in place,” Kel said. “Then you'd know if he was telling the truth.”
“So how do I learn to ward my mind?” I asked.
“It's advanced Spirit Magic,” Xae said. “A spell, just like warding a home.”
“So, I'll need to contact High Mage Lectia?”
“We need to talk to the Emperor.” Xae grimaced. “I wish you'd thought of it while we were there, Taroc.”
Taroc grunted.
Xae, of course, understood the grunt as if it had been a full sentence. I had a pair of them now—grunters. Or I would as soon as I made up my mind, or heart rather, about Taroc. Why was I holding back? It wasn't like it was with Kel. I had no reservations about Taroc. I was simply waiting for my heart to tell me to proceed.
Well, and for him to be certain.
Xae grabbed a chunk of dried meat from his bowl and stood up. “Come on then.”
