“And what have you concluded?” Determined to keep an eye on the dreg, I only turned partway toward her.
“Not much more than what you see here. This was one of five that attacked a village almost a week ago. We killed the others, though we lost three riders doing it. When this one’sright wing was injured and it couldn’t fly, it spiraled to the ground. Because it just laid there, we thought it was dead, but it was only unconscious. That’s when one of the team leaders got the idea to bring it back and secure it in a cage, I assume to taunt it before killing it. They bound it and brought it here, and honestly, I nearly plunged a blade through its eye the moment I saw it. It hadn’t woken yet, however, and I opted to wait and think it through. When it started waking, we darted it. Clipped its wings. And now we observe it. I plan to eliminate it soon.”
“Hold off if you can.”
“Why?”
Good question. “Let me think about why, and I’ll tell you.”
The dreg stopped rattling the wall of the cage and squinted at us, its glowing eyes locking on mine.
I was swallowed into . . . something.
A blade will be forged in light, torn away from thorn’s blight,
And veiled beneath the gaze of eternal right.
The first two lines of the riddle whispered through my mind. Why was I thinking about it now?
Eternal right . . .
I sunk deeper into the dreg’s gaze. It stole me away, taking me . . . somewhere. Images flashed through my mind. A vast plain with wavering grasses. A village full of people. The laughter of children. A feeling of peace and contentment.
They didn’t know what was coming. They weren’t prepared. And oh, how they burned as they were torn asunder by fire.
No, they were torn by a thunderous wave of burningmagic, changed as it swept over them. Swept through them. As itconsumedthem.
A blink and I returned to myself. I wrenched my gaze from the dreg, though I still felt its stare locked on my frame.
Jessia sent me a solemn look. “How many has Ivenrail created?”
She didn’t appear to realize I’d beenawayfor a moment.
“I assume an army large enough to sweep across our territory and capture every single Nullen they can find,” I said.
“I want to say we can defeat this new threat, but I’m not as confident as I’d like to be.”
“I’ll help all I can.”
“With your Lydel army,” she said dryly. “I heard they’ve been turned to stone.”
“I’m not giving up. I’m going to do everything I can to stop him.”
Turning to face me, she braced my arms and stared into my eyes. “Then I’ll support you. I have nothing to lose.”
“I need to leave soon.” A feeling kept hitching down my spine, telling me there was one more thing I had to do before I could return to Weldsbane. A compulsion? I’d soon find out. “I’ll create a device we can use to communicate.” How? This wasn’t magic I’d heard of before, and I had no idea if there was a spell that could make it happen.
“Let’s go back to my office, and we can discuss it.”
“I can get us there quickly,” I said.
“I assume you speak of the magic you displayed in my office? Alright.”
After sheathing my blades, I took her hands. “Don’t let go.”
“I don’t believe I will.” She released a shrill laugh.
One flit took us there.
