But I’m seeing it with my own eyes: This place yawns wide with welcoming potential. The land is vast and verdant. It’s a damn pastoral dreamscape. Prosperous andbeautiful.
I’m not the only one disoriented. Stark’s jaw is clenched hard, his eyes moving over the scenery. Saela keeps letting out little gasps as she takes in new sights. Noemi is literally slack-jawed.
Venna is the only one not staring around at the landscape, marveling. I urge Anassa forward until we’re riding beside her and Skaia.
“Not impressed?”
She turns to look at me, cocking an eyebrow. “Say again?”
“Not impressed?”I switch to mental communication, kicking myself for forgetting that this is easier for her when possible.
Venna looks surprised.“Impressed? By the barren wasteland populated by our enemies? Or do you mean by the scorching sun?”
What?
“But the… the greenery… don’t you…”Something is wrong, and I can see when Venna realizes it, too. A whisper of sweetness hits my nose.
These fuckers are using their magic.
Ahead of us, two of Elias’s Siphon attendants whisper back and forth. One of them cackles, the sound of his laughter grating on my nerves.
I still my expression and ride forward with Saela until we’re among the Siphons.
“Whatever you’re doing, stop it immediately.” I don’t have time for games, and I don’t think whatever is happening is funny.
One whom I’ve heard called Davide looks back at Venna’s confused face, and his lips twitch in a sneer.
“We thought you might like a little, ah, demonstration.” He gestures around us. “That girl is one of your little spies, isn’t that right?”
“If he doesn’t cut this condescending bullshit, this is going to be the shortest diplomatic mission ever attempted,” I say to Anassa. I don’t deign his words with an answer aloud, just raise my eyebrows.
He sighs. “Forgive us our little joke. It’s just that Hanlen here,” he indicates one of Elias’s other attendants, “is in the habit of showing a certain side of our land to your spies who think they’re hiding from us. Fooling their wolves is a particularly interesting challenge, since our powers only extend to visuals and not smells.”
Hanlen nods, and then his expression goes focused.
Behind me, Venna shouts and stabs at nothing with a dagger. She and Skaia whirl around as if fending off invisible enemies.
Now the entire party of Siphons is laughing.
“Illusion magic,” Anassa reminds me grimly.“It must be how they’ve kept this verdant land a secret from Nocturnans all this time.”
I turn toward Hanlen in rage, but Cratos is one step ahead of me.
He and Stark swoop in toward the Siphons and their horses. The next thing I know, Hanlen is on the ground. His horse gallops away from our group in terror, mouth frothing.
Hanlen’s right shoulder spurts blood where his arm used to be. He bellows in pain, convulsing.
Cratos tosses the mangled arm into the sky before devouring it in a single, sickening swallow.
Faster than my eyes can track, the rest of the Siphon party has dismounted, weapons drawn. Stark gives a shout as one charges toward him and Noemi, and Noemi sends a blast of Phylax shielding magic up in front of them.
The Siphon rebounds off the invisible barrier, then whirls around, looking for a way through.
Venna and Skaia have shaken off their confusion fast, coming to stand guard in front of me and Anassa.
Anassa’s ears are back, and she’s poised to run, should we need to protect my sister.
Skaia snarls at the handful of Siphons who stare us down.
