“We didn’t want you dead. Just held so that I could watch over Gisela without interruption.”
The bastard omitted another primary target. “And my brother.”
Garyn looked away, confirming his suspicions.
Masakage pulled the contract out from his sleeve and held it up for Garyn to see. “And what of this?”
His eyes flared as he realized what Masakage was showing him. “Where did you get that?”
“Does it matter? You used magic to extract Meara’s contract from itsaþaswere. Why?”
“Why does anyone do anything?”
Really? He was trying to be philosophical?
Bad move considering his mood.
“I’m not asking why you chose to eat porridge in the morning. I’m asking why you’d do something of this nature. I know you didn’t care whether theaþaswerelived or died. So why would you transfer it?”
“Safe keeping.”
Masakage laughed. “On a sheet of...” His voice trailed off as he realized it couldn’t possibly be written on the back of a regular piece of parchment.
How did I miss this?
Of course, it was enchanted. Indestructible.
Cursing, he blasted the beast with a fireball.
Garyn screamed.
Masakage really wanted to kill him. But it wouldn’t do any good. It might even make it worse. “What magic binds this?”
“You don’t know?”
Growling, Masakage punched him, but it did nothing to alleviate his agitation.
With a grimace of distaste, he left the beast and headed out. “He’s all yours,” he told the guard as he made his way toward the inn and the room he shared with Candara.
Candara lookedup as the door to her spartan room was thrown open with force. At first, she feared it might be an enemy. Until she saw the fury in Masakage’s dark eyes. “What’s happened?”
He shoved a document at her.
Frowning, she glanced over it. “It’s a contract?”
“I know. The parchment’s enchanted. Can you tell by what?”
Of course she could. There was no magic in existence that she didn’t know.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. The tangy sweet scent was unmistakable. “Fey magic printed on the skin of an elf.”
He curled his lip. “What? Why?”
“Elves have magic encoded in every part of their being. Like the fey. Parchment from their skin enhances any spell placed on it…rather like anaþaswere. Only this is more potent.”
“Would the same be true of the fey?”
“Probably.” She handed the paper back to him. “But I’ve not heard of anyone skinning a fairy and walking away. Not that it was easy to do that to an elf.”
