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 I d have to make it quick. Something powerful enough to
make him notice, but then I d have to cut it off fast and get out of
the dream before he fed from it too much.
 And he d follow you on the way out and open the portal in our
world to get you.
 Exactly.
This was going to work. Gaige felt it in his bones.
He could almost see Wen s brain working through the plan,
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trying to figure out how he was going to protect Gaige during this
mission. Gaige didn t have the heart right now to tell him that Wen
wasn t going to be anywhere near when Death came calling again.
Wen wouldn t like it. He d argue and insist on staying at Gaige s
side, but it was an argument he wouldn t win.
 There is one more question, m lord. Thomas again.
 Yes?
 Once you get in, and if everything actually goes as planned
and you re able to wake up from the dream and wake Lord
Hareldson as well& how will you escape from the shadow world
and get home?
Thomas s words were like a stone gate crashing down on all
Gaige s hopes.
If Death opened the portal and brought him into Ballian, who
would open the portal from the inside to get them back out?
Because it certainly wouldn t be Death. Gaige could almost hear
Moh dredion gloating from here. Once Gaige got in, Death would
keep them.
A knock sounded at the library s doors. Wen rose to open
them. When he did, two men, both members of the draeganjhere,
stood in the arch. One s cloak and shirt were torn and covered in
dried blood. Both looked grim.
So did Wen when he saw them.  Hamith, Bessel? What s
happened?
The shorter of the two, Hamith, a rugged blond draegan with a
beard and only a few years older than Wen, spoke.  Lieutenant,
he said, acknowledging Wen, then turned to Gaige and bowed his
head,  My lord. There s been an attack.
Gaige was instantly moving toward the door, with Iann, Marta,
and Jax right behind him.  Where?
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 Not here, m lord& at Gabaxis, the bleeding soldier, a human,
said.  Jain and I were scouting in the Charn River Valley. We
stopped to rest for a few hours in the darkest part of the night and,
without warning we didn t hear them at all, I swear, sir, it was
like they were ghosts they were almost on top of us.
 Who was?
 Five hundred soldiers. The sorcerer s. Coming through the
valley headed to the River Road.
Gaige and Iann shared a look. Five hundred? What were that
many troops doing in the Charn River valley?  What happened?
Gaige asked.
 We stayed out of sight and followed them. They marched
straight into Gabaxis and decimated the entire city. The residents
put up a fight, but they were overwhelmed and far outnumbered.
The soldiers& they killed everyone, m lord, even the old and the
young. Very few escaped. Jain and I& we tried to help, but&  His
eyes had the haunted look of one who d seen horrors he d never
forget.
Gaige put a steadying hand on Bessel s shoulder.  Where did
they go from there?
 They left a garrison of about fifty soldiers in Gabaxis. The rest
headed north on the River Road. That was three days ago. Jain and
I split up. Jain followed them and I came back here to report. I
knew you d want to know what happened.
 Good man.
 But, sir, Hamith said,  we have another problem. Bessel
came to the west guard camp for help in reporting to you since he
can t get to the castle on his own. As he was telling us what
happened, the prisoner started going crazy.
 Prisoner?
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 The man Caleb, m lord. We ve been holding him in the caves
and ever since Bessel arrived, he s been throwing himself against
the bars of his cell, wailing that he has to get out, he has to go.
He s gone insane, m lord.
 Anything else, men? Wen asked.
 No, sir. Not that I can recall, Bessel said, looking dazed and
about ready to fall over. Hamith shook his head.
 All right, Hamith take Bessel to Lilia s treatment room, Wen
said.  She s going to want to look at that injury.
Lilia was, in fact, already gesturing for the men to follow her.
When they d gone, Gaige looked to his assembled companions.
 Iann, Wen, you re with me. We need to get to Gabaxis and
find out what happened there and why Byram would have set a
battalion of five hundred soldiers on a seemingly peaceful town. I
want to know where he even found five hundred soldiers in that
area& his field outpost in the Charn River Valley is never manned
by more than a hundred or so.
 Jax, take Jarrad he can fly you and I want you to get down
to the west guard camp and find out what in hel is going on with
this man Caleb.
The draegan looked at him, his face almost as grim as the two
soldiers who d just left the room. Gaige suspected he wanted to
protest about having to ride another draegan, but before he could
argue, Gaige said,  Do whatever you think is best in dealing with
Caleb. But whatever you do, don t let him out of your sight. There
is something going on with that man, and I don t trust him. He
knows something whether it s about the sorcerer, or the attack at
Gabaxis, or maybe he s one of Byram s spies sent here to reveal
us. I don t know. But I damned sure want to find out.
 You do remember how much I detest humans, don t you? Jax
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said.  You might not approve of the way I deal with him.
 It s exactly because you don t trust humans that I m giving
you this job. I don t want you to trust him. I want you to haunt his
every step and watch him just like you used to watch me. I know I
can trust you not to let him get anything past you.
Jax looked at him, his black eyes glinting, for several seconds.
Finally he nodded and left.
 Do you think that s wise? Marta asked.  Giving him that
much power?
 I trust him to do the right thing.
He could tell she wasn t happy about it, but she acquiesced.
 Marta, you re in charge while we re gone. To the others he
said,  Let s go.
The sooner they got in the air, the sooner they could find out
what was happening. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]