chair by the fire, frowning. "It is a demon that can take many forms," the Marat continued. "It tastes of blood and may take the shape of creature it tasted. It gives birth to its own brood of creatures. It transforms its enemies into… things. Things of its own creation, that fight for the creature. It keeps taking. Killing. Spawning. Until nothing is left to fight it."
Bernard narrowed his eyes, intent on Doroga. Amara took a few steps to stand behind his chair, her hand on his shoulder.
"This is not a campfire tale, Aleran," Doroga said quietly. "It is not a mistake. This creature is real." The big Marat swallowed, his expression ashen. "It can take many shapes and forms, and our wisdom warns us not to rely solely upon its appearance to warn us of its presence. That was my mistake. I did not see the creature for what it was until it was too late."
"The Wax Forest," Bernard said.
Doroga nodded. "When your nephew and Kitai returned from the Trial, something followed them."
"You mean wax spiders?" Bernard asked.
Doroga shook his head. "Something larger. Something more."
"Wait," Amara said. "Are you talking about many creatures or one creature?"
"Yes," Doroga said. "That is what makes it an Abomination before The One."
Amara almost scowled in frustration. The Marat simply did not use language the same way as Alerans did, even when speaking Aleran. "I don't think I've ever heard of anything like that here, Doroga."
Doroga shrugged. "No. That is why I have come. To warn you." He took a step closer to them, crouching down, and whispered, "The Abomination is here. The wisdom tells us the name of its minions. The vordu-ha ." He shuddered, as if saying the words sickened him. "And it tells us the name of the creature itself. It is the vord."
There was heavy silence for a moment. Then Bernard asked, "How do you know?"
Doroga nodded toward the courtyard. "I gave battle to a vord nest yesterday at dawn with two thousand warriors."
"Where are they now?" Amara asked.
The Marat's expression stayed steady and on the fire. "Here."
Amara felt her mouth open in shock. "But you only had two hundred with…"
Doroga's features remained feral, stony, as her words trailed off into silence. "We paid in blood to destroy the vord in that nest. But the wisdom tells us that when the vord abandon a nest, they divide into three groups to build new nests. To spread their kind. We tracked and destroyed one such group. But there are two more. I believe one of them is here, in your valley, hiding on the slopes of the mountain called Garados."
Bernard frowned. "And where is the other?"
In answer, Doroga reached into his sling pouch and drew out a battered old leather backpack. He tossed it into Bernard's lap.
Amara felt Bernard's entire body go rigidly tense as he stared down at the pack.
"Great furies," Bernard whispered. "Tavi."
Chapter 5
Whirls of dust from the collapse filled the inside of Isanaholt's stables, and made the sunshine slipping here and there through the roof into soft, golden rods of light. Isana stared at the enormous crossbeam in the steadholt's stables. It had broken and fallen without any warning whatsoever a moment after she had entered the barn to distribute feed to the animals. If she had been facing the wrong way, or if she had been any slower, she would be lying dead under it with the crushed and bloodied bodies of a pair of luckless hens instead of shaking with startled terror.
Her first thought was of her holders. Had any of them been in the barn, or the loft? Furies forbid, had any of the children been playing there? Isana reached out for her fury, and with Rill's help created a crafting that slid through the air of the barn—but the barn was empty.
Which was probably the point , she thought, suddenly struck with a possible explanation for the accident. She stood up, shaking still, and went to the fallen beam, examining it.
One end of the beam was broken, snapped off
Bernard narrowed his eyes, intent on Doroga. Amara took a few steps to stand behind his chair, her hand on his shoulder.
"This is not a campfire tale, Aleran," Doroga said quietly. "It is not a mistake. This creature is real." The big Marat swallowed, his expression ashen. "It can take many shapes and forms, and our wisdom warns us not to rely solely upon its appearance to warn us of its presence. That was my mistake. I did not see the creature for what it was until it was too late."
"The Wax Forest," Bernard said.
Doroga nodded. "When your nephew and Kitai returned from the Trial, something followed them."
"You mean wax spiders?" Bernard asked.
Doroga shook his head. "Something larger. Something more."
"Wait," Amara said. "Are you talking about many creatures or one creature?"
"Yes," Doroga said. "That is what makes it an Abomination before The One."
Amara almost scowled in frustration. The Marat simply did not use language the same way as Alerans did, even when speaking Aleran. "I don't think I've ever heard of anything like that here, Doroga."
Doroga shrugged. "No. That is why I have come. To warn you." He took a step closer to them, crouching down, and whispered, "The Abomination is here. The wisdom tells us the name of its minions. The vordu-ha ." He shuddered, as if saying the words sickened him. "And it tells us the name of the creature itself. It is the vord."
There was heavy silence for a moment. Then Bernard asked, "How do you know?"
Doroga nodded toward the courtyard. "I gave battle to a vord nest yesterday at dawn with two thousand warriors."
"Where are they now?" Amara asked.
The Marat's expression stayed steady and on the fire. "Here."
Amara felt her mouth open in shock. "But you only had two hundred with…"
Doroga's features remained feral, stony, as her words trailed off into silence. "We paid in blood to destroy the vord in that nest. But the wisdom tells us that when the vord abandon a nest, they divide into three groups to build new nests. To spread their kind. We tracked and destroyed one such group. But there are two more. I believe one of them is here, in your valley, hiding on the slopes of the mountain called Garados."
Bernard frowned. "And where is the other?"
In answer, Doroga reached into his sling pouch and drew out a battered old leather backpack. He tossed it into Bernard's lap.
Amara felt Bernard's entire body go rigidly tense as he stared down at the pack.
"Great furies," Bernard whispered. "Tavi."
Chapter 5
Whirls of dust from the collapse filled the inside of Isanaholt's stables, and made the sunshine slipping here and there through the roof into soft, golden rods of light. Isana stared at the enormous crossbeam in the steadholt's stables. It had broken and fallen without any warning whatsoever a moment after she had entered the barn to distribute feed to the animals. If she had been facing the wrong way, or if she had been any slower, she would be lying dead under it with the crushed and bloodied bodies of a pair of luckless hens instead of shaking with startled terror.
Her first thought was of her holders. Had any of them been in the barn, or the loft? Furies forbid, had any of the children been playing there? Isana reached out for her fury, and with Rill's help created a crafting that slid through the air of the barn—but the barn was empty.
Which was probably the point , she thought, suddenly struck with a possible explanation for the accident. She stood up, shaking still, and went to the fallen beam, examining it.
One end of the beam was broken, snapped off
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