Read Online A Magic Broken by Vox Day - Free Book Online

tip of the blade continued to move left, until it was pointing almost directly at him. Magic! The Man was a wizard! He glanced at Gulfin’s bandaged arm and guessed how the wizard had been tracking them. He desperately wished he had thought to buy a crossbow, but it was too late for that now.
    Panic gripped his bowels, but Lodi forced himself to remain motionless. If the Deep Dark was going to claim him now, then it would claim him, although the thought of it happening under the bright of the sky was bitter iron indeed.
    There was no point in trying to steal away. Even if the wizard didn’t hear them, he’d only follow, and they couldn’t hope to outrun his longer legs, much less the horses.
    Then it occurred to him that if the magicked dagger was like a lodestone, it gave away their direction only, not their distance. All he had to do was wait in silence, then surely the wizard would approach close enough for Lodi to bury an axe in his skull before he even realized Lodi was there. Once more, Lodi found himself lamenting the absence of his battleaxe. It would have given him another three fores of range.
    He drew the hand axe from his belt as quietly as he could. As the wizard dismounted and took a step toward the trees in which they were hidden, Lodi glanced left and right and made an old mining gesture with his free hand. The young dwarves didn’t so much as nod to acknowledge him. They were bright lads, and even if they hadn’t worked long in the mines, they understood. Danger. Don’t move.
    But the wizard confounded him by refusing to approach any closer. Instead, the Man slid his dagger back into its sheath and spread his hands.
    “Come forth, if you please, good dwarves. I mean you no harm.”
    Lodi didn’t answer. This was unexpected. He waited patiently to see what the Man would do next.
    “I am only here for the elf. And I swear by the mountain’s heart and the Deep Dark I will do her no harm either.”
    Lodi looked over at the elfess. She shook her head in bewilderment. It appeared she didn’t recognize the Man either.
    The wizard waited long enough that his two guards began to fidget and sigh. Finally, he surprised Lodi by laughing out loud.
    “Look, my dwarven friends, you must understand that I know you’re there. The blood on this blade tells me you’re hiding in these trees standing in front of me. And I would much prefer for you to come out and listen to what I have to say without forcing me to set you all on fire. I don’t wish to harm anyone, least of all your elven companion, but you will leave me with little choice if you will not speak.”
    Lodi came to a decision. The wizard clearly wasn’t going anywhere, so Lodi would have to go to him. But not the others. Stay, he gestured to them. Then, warily, he rose to his feet and trudged toward the Man.
    The wizard nodded to him, and to Lodi’s relief, showed no sign of intending to set anything on fire. Those who delved deep under the ground used fire as a matter of course, but few knew its risks better or feared it more.
    “What do a Man want with an elf?”
    “The Lady Everbright is of particular interest to me. I have been seeking her for months.
    “You’re a wizard. But you wear the whorelord’s badge.”
    “A necessary subterfuge. Savondese mages are unwelcome in Malkan. Rest assured, dwarf, no brothel owner can afford to keep a mage on staff.”
    “I don’t know nothing about that,” Lodi said. “Answer me. What you want with the elf?”
    The tall wizard smiled. “Knowledge, my friend. Only knowledge. She possesses it, and I require it. You need not fear for her. She will be received as honored guest of the King of Savondir and will be provided every comfort and courtesy due her status.”
    Her status? The mage called out something in Elvish that Lodi didn’t understand. But before the elfess even had a chance to respond, the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from the north could be heard.
    “I don’t suppose that’s likely to